Busy weekend

I attended the forum organised by UKEC which explored briefly on the issue of brain drain in Malaysia. 1.5 hours of discussion clearly wasn't enough for this huge topic but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I learned more about the situation back home.

The poster

3 prominent speakers and a moderator who teased our own opinions on the issue. I was impressed that these speakers actually do know their stuff and the experiences that they have shaping the country.

Dinner was served after. I was starving by then. We had Papadom, Ayam Masak Merah served with Nasi Minyak and Acar. Desserts were Seri Muka, Kuih Ka Sui, fruits and puddings.

Saturday: The visit of PL to Liverpool after 2 long years

Only visitor are motivated enough to climb up the stairs all the way to the 2nd floor to the restaurants at Liverpool One. Did I tell her about the escalator behind the stairs? Hmmm....can't remember.

We had Thai food at Yee Rah, one of the restaurants in Liverpool One.

I had Yee Rah curry with Jasmine Rice whereas PL had Papaya salad. The service was really fast and the food is delicious.

We stopped by Sblended to get a milkshake before PL started her shopping spree. I think F and I just watched her shop in amazement. Hahahah.

While one person had bags and bags of goods, the other 2 had pictures and pictures of random things.

We chilled out at Brew tea bar and lounge after a hard day work at shopping. Hehehehe. I had Raspberry Ripple tea which tasted really good and it was soothing at the same time. The cakes there were delicious too. Maybe the closest thing to a mamak stall in the UK.

Right after we've finished our tea, we headed straight to Big Bowl Noodle, a new Chinese restaurant very near the Chinatown arch to meet up with L to have dinner. The food there is not bad and the portions were huge! I couldn't finish my Wanton Ho Fun cause of the tea I had previously. There's Curry Laksa which was quite spicy and other stir fry options too.

Sunday: Change of plans

The main purpose of PL's visit this time was actually to go for afternoon tea at Leaf Tea Shop & Bar as it was voted as one of the top 10 tea houses in the UK. But, but, but.....haih....I didn't realise that prior bookings was essential. I did try booking 2 hours prior to departing but minimum booking is 1 day in advance. Oh well, maybe we were not at a high enough class to enjoy afternoon tea just yet. At least Manchester is not that far away. PL, you must come again and I'll book this place 1 week in advance next time.

Our plan B turned out to be really good in the end. We had a 3 course meal at Bistro Jacques which is an authentic French restaurant off Hardman Street. I'm definitely bringing my parents here!

They have a different set of lunch menu everyday which makes everyday unique! It was very affordable too. Just less than 8 pounds.

Starter of soups and scampi salad. I loved the salad. It was really fresh.

 I loved the decorations in the restaurant. It has that French feel to it.

Main course - grilled bacon, seabass and chicken served with a heap of roasted vegetables. Very healthy for an eat out meal. The bacon was a bit salty but if it was ate with the potatoe mash, it was just right.

Our favourite order - Desserts. From Tarte de Chocolate, Tiramisu to Creme Brulee. There's always room for desserts.

Poor PL, shortly after lunch, I handed her over to M and rushed off to fetch another 9 tourists visiting Liverpool and staying at my place. By the time I got back to meet her here, it was already quite late.

Therefore, I made it up to her by taking photos and photos of her around Albert Dock. This place changed so much from 1st year.

Model for the day

And of course the person taking the photos is the professional photographer for the day. Hahahaha.

This shot was taken by my assistant photographer, M.

If anyone was wondering where is the ferries wheel now, it's near the Echo arena.

Starbucks at Beatles Story Shop. I didn't realise how spacious and comfortable the shop was in the basement as I had never visited it.

Liverpool One in the 2010s.

Thank you PL for visiting. Hopefully you had a great time here. Do come back for afternoon tea sometime soon and enjoy your Easter holidays while I envy you here.

Interview on Wednesday!!!! How, how, how? Sleep first, worry later. Now to start writing up my cases.

St Helens: Dark Star Laser Tag

After a day trip to Bath, guess what I did on a Sunday morning? Took a train all the way to St Helens to play Laser Tag.

Traveling. Reached St Helens half an hour later.

This game was really cool. All the adrenaline rush, the chase, the game tactics, the flee from enemies. Really fun! We did so much exercise without even realising it as we were having too much fun. Each game lasted about 20 minutes which felt like 2 minutes.

The whole gang who were going to be separated into the Red and Blue team. My codename was Phazer and I managed to rank 5th in the first game and 6th in the second game. Hahaha...not too bad for someone who's not into shooting games. I still remember going for paintball which was messier and more tiring than this.

Groupie before we made our way back to the train station.

The perfect group jumping shot, coordinated by nobody else but me. Hahaha.

Fashion trends for Spring 2010. Hehehehehe.

The giant needle opposite St Helens bus station

I think this may be the town hall.

Waiting for our train back home.

Malaysian Night on Monday

New concept for this year, with lessons on Malaysia and random performances from the locals.

Our table was quite lucky as 4 of us won something and WY won the grand prize which was a Logitech speaker set. We should turn her room into a dance club one of these nights.

I'm going to attend this UKEC forum this evening. Hopefully the food is good....ooppps, what I really meant was, hopefully the topic is enlightening and the arguments are good. Hahahahaha. Till then.

Tomorrow will be PL 2nd visit to Liverpool. I still need to find out how to get to this Top 10 tea house in the UK. It's somewhere near Albert Docks but not sure exactly where. Hmmmmm. Afternoon tea anyone?

Day Trip to Bath

First trip with my current flatmates with Kelab Umno Liverpool all the way down to Bath. We had to gather at the Guild of Students at 5am that morning. However, due to miscommunication, the bus only turned up at 6am. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

All the sleepy people and it was drizzling as well.

After 3 hours of bus ride, with really delicious packed stir fry noodles for breakfast, we arrived in Bath. The scenery was very different in that the buildings were so yellowish in colour. Get really to take a bath! It did drizzle a lot the whole day.

The Abbey

Outside the Roman Bath. We planned to go in later in the day as we had to gather for a group photo at Royal Crescent at 2pm.

Sally Lunn's House - a story about the oldest house in Bath

The one and only World Famous Sally Lunn Bun is still hand made by the bakers here using the secret recipe found in one of the cupboard in this house. The bun was really big in size, just small enough to fit nicely into the box that I am holding in the picture. Really soft and when eaten on its own, has a tinge of sweetness to it. Serves either with sweet or savoury topping, it's not bad.

Not only was the Kitchen museum located in the basement, there was a cute little restaurant on the ground floor serving not only Sally Lunn Buns but also a variety of dishes.

Along Grand Parade

Pulteney Bridge - this bridge is similar to Florence's Ponte Vecchio, or Venice's Rialto Bridge as there are little shops on each side of the bridge selling souvenirs.

The scenery here is really breathtaking. With the sound of water flowing in the background and surrounding greenery, it created a relaxing ambiance.

For me, I was busy taking self-shot photos. Hehehehe.

I fell in love at first sight with this Miniature shop on the bridge. Guess what I bought in the end?

The tiniest teapot with the tinniest knitted cosy to keep it warm. So cute!

Bath Market - not as big as the markets in London but nevertheless, still never fails to intrigue me.

Reflection from a mirror.

Cute Panda Bags.

Even the hospital has something to do with water.

Cake made of cheese for your birthday? Maybe wedding cake?

Jane Austen centre - I didn't have time to visit the museum which showcases different costumes from the Georgian times. Jane Austen herself used to visit Bath frequently and her novel Persuasion has Bath as its backdrop. Now I feel like reading all her novels again.

The Royal Crescent - loved the huge park and green grass.

Random jumping photos.

The current shopping street and also the street where Jane Austen loved to shop.

We paid 10 pounds each to enter the Roman Bath. I was impressed with how much was preserved till this day. Felt like I was back to when the Romans frequented the baths to relax and socialise.

Groupie.

I am still wondering how did the 2 ducks ended up in the bath. Had Roman servants introduced their make-up to us.

The wishing pond. Actually this bath has a cooler temperature to allow visitors to cool themselves after soaking the the hot thermal baths. 

I love this shot that I took.

We had our complimentary spa water. It tasted different, like it contained a lot more minerals than your usual mineral water. Hopefully it's beneficial to my health.

We left Bath at 6pm, a 4 hour bus ride home to Liverpool. I really enjoyed myself, thanks to all the good company and good organisation of the trip. Still need to get more photos from the other cameras. Remember to pass them to me.

Laser Tag tomorrow!!!! We need a plan of action people. Kill all enemies in sight!

Important invitation in junk mail

Yup, I've just realised that I'd received the invitation from SPA (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam) for a job application interview to work in Malaysia a week ago, and all this while, it has been sitting in my JUNK mail folder.

Looking closer at the email address (xx@spa.gov.my), it's no surprise why it was immediately sent into junk. There's only an M missing.

What if I didn't bother to check this folder? What if I've missed this interview? Does that mean I wouldn't have a job after graduation? Hahahahaha. So, lesson of the story, check your junk mails once in a while.

In preparation for my interview, let's start communicating in Bahasa Malaysia for the next few days. Lebih baik saya mula sekarang dengan menulis blog dalam Bahasa Malaysia.

Untuk menolong kawan-kawan yang sedang risau dengan soalan-soalan yang mungkin akan ditanya, hafalkanlah Rukun Negara dan nama menteri-menteri kabinet yang terkini.

Rukunegara

• KEPERCAYAAN KEPADA TUHAN
• KESETIAAN KEPADA RAJA DAN NEGARA
• KELUHURAN PERLEMBAGAAN
• KEDAULATAN UNDANG-UNDANG
• KESOPANAN DAN KESUSILAAN

Menteri-menteri Kabinet Terkini (tekan gambar untuk membesarkannya)

Gambar diambil dari thestar.com.my

Dah cukup berat kerja rumah setakat ini. Balik hafal ya.

Kalau saya mendapat tahu soalan-soalan yang mungkin ditanya, saya akan memblog tentangnya nanti.

Berusahalah dan jangan terlalu risau tentang temu duga ini.

Choosing my path

It's been 24 years down this challenging trail, going through all the ups and downs. One day, I stumbled upon this small little side road with a sign post pointing towards 'Alternate Path', too eye-catching to be missed, anticipated yet avoided as much as possible. It had appeared too soon, far too soon.

I wished I could see what future each path held, wished that I could compared the two, wished that my heart wouldn't be so weighed down by this life changing decision that I have to make now. It's too early, too early for this important decision. Will I be happier if I strayed and followed this small little path? Will I regret if I stayed on the main path? To answer the first question, I would have to first define what is happiness to me, which till now, is still intangible. To answer the second would be more difficult as the grass is always greener on the other side. Better be contented with what I have now. Maybe regret once in a while.

In the end, I chose to stay on the main path. To continue on even though I foresee difficult times ahead. Well, no one can guarantee that the little alternate path wouldn't contain difficulties. The moment I passed this little path, persevering on as the distance grew between us, a huge weight lifted, my heart felt lighter, those sleepless nights thinking of the decisions, those times that I tried weighing up the potential future of both, those long discussions with others, the persuasions and advices of many.....Haih, how much have I bore them? How many times have I changed my mind?

At least the decision has been made. Another part of the world is waiting for me.

Now, in preparation to search for my meaning of happiness, let me first revisit my castle in the sky and recall those childhood dreams.

Chap Goh Mei

Last day of Chinese New Year. I didn't know that it was supposed to be Chinese Valentine this day and tangerines are thrown into the river by single girls in hopes of finding their true love. I can't buy any tangerines as I'm allergic to them.

Dim Sum at Mei Mei Restaurant:

I loved the Dong Fung Wo, which is a type of snail. All the other dim sum were really delicious too. Eat till we couldn't move.

Representative from London:

As proof of handing over Kuih Rose and Ang Ku Kueh to the delegate in honour of the friendship and good relationship between the two cities. Good to know that the gifts arrived safely in London from sifu's blog.

Final project for this reflection week - Pulut Panggang

Had to soften (layurkan) the banana leaves with heat.

Glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk, serunding (beef floss), banana leaves and some oil.

Carefully wrap the serunding with glutinous rice and banana leaf, staple the ends or hold it with toothpicks. Back home, we burn them over charcoal but over here, we lightly fry it in a frying pan over our electric stove.

Has your mouth started watering?

Final celebration:

Cold blended red beans drink

Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Ball Dumplings)

First day of the new rotation. Already worn out from induction. Already looking forward to the next reflection week.