2nd Edition

London : Part 2

2011-12-24T02:50:00.020+08:00

So this is London Part 2. Part 1 is here.

I just thought it would be wise to divide London into 2, since there is so much to write about.

So, continue ah... (I'll start from 8 ya, because I stopped at 7 in part 1)

8. Covent Garden

This is the equivalent of 'Pasar Seni' in KL. There is a lot of local products sold in the Convent Garden, and most of all there are live performance everywhere. These live street performances ranges from magic show, daredevil show, and even opera singers singing. And these performances are good. I enjoyed most of them.

To get to Covent Garden, just board the tube to station Covent Garden which is on the Picadilly Line (Blue). However, on weekends, Covent Garden Tube Station maybe quite a traffic, so it is better to use Leicester Square station, on the Picadilly (Blue) and Nothern Line (Black) and walk towards Covent Garden.

Covent Garden Market

One of the Street Performers

9. Westminister Abbey

Westminister Abbey is a Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminister, as I know it as the place where Prince William and Kate Middleton got married. The building have some Gothic influences. I did not entered the Westminister Abbey, as it was already about 4 pm, (the abbey closes quite early, I think 4.30pm). So we just took pictures from outside. Apparenty, a lot of royals got married here and a lot of famous people that were buried or commemorated here. I think I would want to enter it when I visited Westminister Abbey again, just to visit Sir Isaac Newton's tomb.

To get to Westminister Abbey, just board the tube to station Westminister via Jubilee (Grey), Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) lines.

One of the entrances of the Westminister Abbey

The Side view of the Abbey

10. Hyde Park Corner

Hyde Park Corner is situated at the south east corner of Hyde Park. The only reason I went to Hyde Park is to visit Hard Rock Cafe, London. Peter Morton together with Isaac Tigrett co-founded Hard Rock Cafe and the first HRC that was opened was in Hyde Park Corner, London. When I went to the Hard Rock Shop, they were having refurbishment, but the Shop was still open, and I managed to get one pin, and one T-shirt for myself.

To get to Hard Rock cafe, take the tube to Hyde Park Corner, which is on the Picadilly Line (Blue) and walk through the underpass walkway to reach HRC which was just after the InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel. The pedestrian underpass walkway was indeed a beautiful one with murals and carvings on Duke Wellington's military carrier.

The Murals on Duke Wellington in an pedestrian underpass walkway

Hard Rock Cafe (under refurbishment)

11. Palace of Westminister (House of Parliament) & London Eye

The Palace of Westminister or also known as the House of Parliment is where two Houses of the Parliament of UK meet up, House of Lords and House of Commons. It is situated at the bank of the Thames river and there is a huge and famous clock tower known as The Big Ben.

The House of Parliament is situated next to Westminister Bridge. Across the bridge is the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel. The structure is 135 meters tall and the diameter of the wheel is 120 meters.

To get to both the House of Parliament and London Eye, take the Tube to Westminister via Jubilee (Grey), Circle (Yellow) or District (Green) lines. Getting to the London Eye is a bit further, but I went to these two monuments for pictures, so it doesn't matter if London Eye is further away, it's the picture that counts. ;)

The Big Ben as the background

London Eye

12. Harrods

Harrods is an a department store located in Brompton Road. I think Harrods is unique in a way that the interior design of the store is inspired by Ancient Egyptian theme. You can see statues of Pharoahs, and spinx thoughout Harrods. And if you wanna go in Harrods, make sure that you are dressed properly, since they have a dress code. I'm not sure 'properly' in what terms, but I guess smart casual is fine, not too kinky clothing. I survived the dress code. And the stuff sold inside Harrods is definitely not cheap, but the Harrods brand (such as the bags, stuff toys) are cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur.

Harrods at Night

13. Queensway

The place that will keep you near to home. Not just because Malaysia Hall is around the corner, but the whole street is filled with Asian shops, especially restaurants and the whole street closes a bit late compared to the rest of London. I was so glad that I found a Halal Malaysian restaurant in Queensway, at least there are a few dishes that suit my taste buds, and most of all I get to eat RICE!!! This is also the street you wanna shop for souvenirs. It's a bit cheaper compared to other places.

There is a shop near to the Queensway tube station, whereby if you a Malaysian, you'll get some extra goodies. To spot the shop, just watch out for a note written in Bahasa Malaysia at the entrance of the shop.

To get to Queensway, just board the tube to Queensway station via the Central Line (Red).

I'm so sorry I didn't have pictures of Queensway. I was too busy, either shopping or eating. haha

14. The stadium of your choice

Emirates!!! That's the stadium of my choice. Always a gunner at heart. There are about 11 professional football clubs in London. In the EPL, there at least 4 clubs that stadiums are in London. To name a few, Stamford Bridge (Chealse FC), Craven Cottage (Fulham FC), White Hart Lane (Tottenham Hotspur) and Loftus Road (Queens Park Rangers).

Emirates is huge! And there is a huge gift shop, The Armoury. And lucky me, when i went there, the jerseys were on sale for like GBP 15, and I bought 2, the home and away jersey, plus the EPL and UEFA patches. Quite a bargain.

It is easier to excess to Emirates via Tube if you stop at Halloway Road station which is on the Picadilly line (Blue)

The Armoury - Gift shop

In front of Emirates

15. The train rides

The intercity train rides are smooth and worth the time. As I had to go to Cambridge and Bristol, the train rides are very good options indeed. The lady at the National Railways counter was also very helpful, as she suggested for some tickets that were a bit later, but much much cheaper. The seats are comfortable and there is a cafeteria inside the train in case you get hungry. And the view outside is breathtaking.

Bristol Temple Meads Railway station

Some of the view from the train rides

Even there was so many places that I went, it is still not enough. I mean I can't get enough of London. There are still many places that I need to visit, like the British Museum, Madame Tussauds, Greenwich, take the HOHO bus and many more. I'm definitely coming again.

Just a few tips when you're visiting London, wear good walking shoes. See, I wore comfortable sneakers, but towards the end of the day, my feet would still ache, from overusing, as we walked a lot.

Bring lots of British pounds, haha, shopping is great here. After converting, it is still cheaper than in Malaysia, especially British brands such as Marks and Spencer, H&M etc. But do bear in mind, while shopping, make sure that you don't excess baggage, as the fee for excess baggage is super duper expensive.

Although it rains a lot in London, the climate is still dry compared to KL, so your skin will get really dry. Bring some Vaseline and apply to the dry areas of your skin. It really helps and you don't scratch as much. (dry skin will lead to itchy skin, haha, i just got to know that).

And because it rains a lot in London, it would really help if you got a winter coat that is water resistant with a hood.

Most of the time, I used the Tube (Underground) to get around London, as it is less confusing compared to the Bus rides (at least that's what I think). To get the most out the fares, it is better to use the Oyster Card, as it is cheaper that the normal single tickets. Or you can opt for the 7 day travel card, but you must know what zones you are going to travel in for the whole 7 days.

Hmmm what more, I guess just enjoy London. I did. :)

Sharks

2011-10-04T03:55:00.011+08:00

Sharks had always been in the fear list of many people especially me. Movies such as Jaws had been a big influence in the public and had installed fear within the people.

So what about sharks and are they really ferocious?

Sharks are a type of fish that belong to a class known as chondrichthyes. Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fishes are jawed fish and their skeletons are made of cartilage rather than bones. Sharks are also in the same class as rays and skates.

Do all sharks eat meat?

The answer is no. Most of the sharks eat meat, especially the ones that have sharp teeth. However there are some sharks that do not eat meat. Sharks such as the whale shark and the basking shark do not eat meat, they eat small, tiny, microogranisms named plankton.

Sharks have sharp vision.

Sharks are actually a fish with super senses. The sharks' eyes has a mirror like layer that allows it to see better. With many species of the sharks, two thirds of the sharks' brain is dedicated to smell.

Sharks have a few unusual senses. One of it is the lateral line. The lateral line are lines of canals that that go from the shark's head extending to its tail, and is used to detect vibrations of the water surrounding them. Another sense is the ampullae of Lorenzini, basically a sensory organ that the shark uses to detect the electric feel coming of of their prey. All of the senses alerts the sharks of their potential prey.

Do sharks prefer to prey on human?

There are some suggestions saying that sharks do not actually prefer humans. But humans seemed like easy prey as we don't swim as fast as the other fishes. Mostly the sharks will bite anything that come in their way.

Some expert suggests that sharks actually do not like human flesh because human blood are made up of iron, rather than fish blood that contains more copper ions. But more studies need to be done. But one thing that is important, if you encounter a shark that is about to attack you, j ust get out of the water as fast as possible. That is the most logical thing to do.

How do Sharks reproduce?

Most of the fish under the sea lay eggs, but sharks, they do lay eggs, but the eggs are fertilized inside the body of the female shark. The male sharks has an extension of the pelvic fins called claspers, that is used to transfer the sperm to the female to fertilize her eggs.

There are some sharks that lay their eggs. But, most of the sharks give birth to live young, the embryo of the sharks develops inside the female body during the gestation period. The gestation period for the sharks ranges from several months to two years.

Baby sharks are called pups. Pups are born complete with a set of full teeth and are ready to take care of themselves. After the pups are born, they usually swin away from their mother, as the mother would prey on them.

There are 3 ways that sharks are born :

1. Oviparity

These sharks lay eggs, which are protected by an egg case, sometimes called 'mermaid purses'. The sharks deposits the egg cases in the sea and the shark embryo is nourished by the yolk in the egg sac and chews itself out when it is fully developed.

2. Viviparity

Viviparous sharks carry their embryos throughout the whole gestation period. They give birth to live shark pups similar to how mammals give birth. The eggs hatch inside the female's body and the babies are fed by a placenta which transfers nourishment from the mother to the babies.

3. Ovoviviparous

The babies hatch inside the female body but there is no placenta to nourish the babies. The pups will eat any unfertilized eggs and also they eat each other. Very few babies survived due to this form of sibling cannibalism.

Threat To sharks

I guess this is an issue that is becoming well known. The shark fin's soup. For ages, humans had been capturing sharks and then cutting off their fin before tossing the poor shark back to the sea. And sharks without their fins, they can't swim and when they can't swim, they can't search for food, and in the end they die. When shark finning happens, the shark is basically left to die a long and miserable death. This should stop!!! And because of this, the sharks population are declining in the past few decades.

There are a few things, normal people like us can do. First and foremost, stop eating shark fin's soup. Just remember when the demands stop, the killing will too. After all, like Gordon Ramsay said, the soup tasted nice not because of the shark fin, and in fact can be substituted by other meat, such as duck or crab meat.

You guys can see Ramsay's video on shark fins and also shark finning here.

For more info in shark conservation, you can visit Shark Research Institute.

Fell Down.

2011-09-15T10:39:00.003+08:00

Fell Down.

One day,

My heart fell down,

and broke.

It broke and crashed,

into a million pieces,

so tiny,

not visible,

to the naked eye.

A heart,

broken to a million pieces,

is useless.

So with tears drenching my dress,

I tried,

to sew the fragments of my heart.

It was so hard,

imagine,

sewing back a million pieces,

together, to form back,

the shape of a heart.

Then,

God sent me an angel,

to help me mend the pieces,

to help me sew back,

my broken heart.

Thank you for sending me that angel,

And letting him stay.

Best For Last - Adele

2011-09-11T12:19:00.003+08:00

I just can't get enough of Adele. You continue what you do best. Sing your heart out. You go girl!!!

Wait, do you see my heart on my sleeve?

It's been there for days on end and

It's been waiting for you to open up

Just you baby, come on now

I'm trying to tell you just how

I'd like to hear the words roll out of your mouth finally

Say that it's always been me

That's made you feel a way you've never felt before

And I'm all you need and that you never want more

Then you'd say all of the right things without a clue

But you'd save the best for last

Like I'm the one for you

You should know that you're just a temporary fix

This is not rooted with you it don't mean that much to me

You're just a filler in the space that happened to be free

How dare you think you'd get away with trying to play me

Why is it everytime I think I've tried my hardest

It turns out it ain't enough cause you're still not mentioning love

What am I supposed to do to make you want me properly?

I'm taking these chances and getting away

And though I'm trying my hardest you go back to her

And I think that I know things may never change

I'm still hoping one day I might hear you say

I make you feel a way you've never felt before

And I'm all you need and that you never want more

Then you'd say all of the right things without a clue

But you'd save the best for last

Like I'm the one for you

You should know that you're just a temporary fix

This is not rooted with you it don't mean that much to me

You're just a filler in the space that happened to be free

How dare you think you'd get away with trying to play me

But, despite the truth I know

I find it hard to let go and give up on you

Seems I love the things you do

Like the meaner you treat me more eager I am

To persist with this heartbreak and running around

And I think that I know things may never change

I'm still hoping one day I might hear you say

I make you feel a way you've never felt before

And I'm all you need and that you never want more

Then you'd say all of the right things without a clue

But you'd save the best for last

Like I'm the one for you

Sources/credits :

http://www.absolutelyrics.com/lyrics/view/adele/best_for_last

humanfleye for uploading the video on youtube

Polar Bears

2011-09-06T19:13:00.009+08:00

Aren't they cute??

I love polar bears. I've seen them live in the Singapore Zoo. And I think that they are adorable and cute. Here are some facts on Polar Bears.

1. Polar bears live along the shores and on the sea ice in the Arctic. That's why they say penguins can't be the meal of Polar bears, mainly because Polar Bears live in the Arctic whereby penguins live in Antarctica. So they don't meet.

2. Polar bears main diet are seals.

3. Polar bears have no natural predators. (only humans prey on them)

4. Polar bears have paw pads that prevent them from slipping while walking on ice.

5. The scientific name for polar bears is Ursus maritimus, which means sea bears.

6. The polar bear's fur is actually hairs with hollow transparent tube that regulates the polar bear's body temperature. The fur appears white because each hollow light reflects light.

7. The polar bear's skin is black, allowing it to absorb heat as much as possible.

The polar bears are becoming an endangered species, and this is mainly due to human activities. One of the most prominent reasons is Global warming (also because of human activities). What Global warming does is, it'll heat up the earth surfaces, and the ice in the Arctic melts, and the ice land in the Arctic becomes smaller in size. And this makes finding food for the polar bears a hassle. Polar bears have to swim longer distances to find food, and this uses up most of their fat reserve. They also swim for longer hours and leave their cubs for longer periods to find food. There are some cases whereby the polar bears swan for about 600 km, for about 9 days straight. Polar bears that engage in long distance swims are also prone to cub loss.

There are some scientists that predict that polar bears will be extinct by 2050 if we, humans does not show a decline in activities that contribute to Global Warming. Sob Sob Sob, they are so cute.

What can we do to save Polar Bears?

There are some basic things to do, like save electricity, use less fossil fuel and use renewable energy sources. This is to reduce the consumption of green house gases. For more info, you can surf here and here.

Middle child Crisis

2011-09-06T19:08:00.006+08:00

One night, as we were going back to Shah Alam, my friends and I had a deep conversation on this topic, the middle child crisis/syndrome. Quite serious huh. It's actually quite funny as they were all banging me, as I'm the only first child in the car.

So what is this middle child/syndrome?

Middle child is categorized as any child as long as they are not the first child or the last child in the family. So, it doesn't mean that you really have to be exact middle child to exert the middle child syndrome. The first child and last child will usually capture the attention of their parents, whereas the middle child is usually left alone and given not much attention. It is not the intention of the parents to ignore the middle child, but usually, it's because they have to give more attention and time to the younger siblings. So in the end, the middle child was left alone and unnoticed.

What are the effects of the Middle Child Crisis/Syndrome?

There are both positive and negative effects. The positive effects are that, they excel in most everything they do. This is mainly because they wanted to get back their parent's attention. A lot of successful people such as J.F.K, Donald Trump, Bill Gates and our very own Sheikh Muzaffar are middle children. In fact, middle children are much more independent, and are good mediators and negotiators. Middle children are also closer to their friends compared to their family.

But, there are also negative effects. Middle children also feel neglected and are more prone to emotional distress. Some of them feels like they have no one in this world. And most of them turn to their friends for support and become more connected to their friends. So choosing the right friends are important for them so that they won't indulge themselves in the wrong activities.

Why is it such a big deal?

Well according to Syafiq, this is really a big issue in Australia, as they realised that most of the problematic people (psychopaths, criminals etc) are actually middle children in their family. So recently, there are many studies and research being done to rectify the problems, and also to find the main cause so as to avoid or lessen the effects of this crisis.

One of the ways that are suggested to counter the middle child crisis is for parents to acknowledge the middle child's efforts and praise should be given every time they excel in their academics or in any activities they do, when they deserve it. By this way, they will feel appreciated.

How do these Middle Children actually feel?

This is according to my friends that are middle child and also according to my observation. They are independent, they solve problems on their own, sometimes even without their parents knowledge. They also are people that are successful in life, they know what they want in life, and are working hard to achieve it. And they hate all the first and last children!!! haha.. just kidding.

However, there are certain cases whereby this crisis is not applicable, for instance if the middle child is the only boy/girl in the family, of course he/she will be given sufficient attention. And this middle child crisis/syndrome are dependable on the individual, on how he/she sees it.

Well, most of what I write are my own point of view and also comes form what I read, which I know is not a lot, and also from the discussion that we had in the car. If there are any opposing views, I beg to differ.

To all my middle child friends, you guys have grown to become great people, people that exists in my life, and you guys are awesome. Don't be sad. Just remember that I'll always love you guys, and never to forget how much you all mean to me as friends.

Selamat Hari Raya 1432H

2011-09-04T14:37:00.013+08:00

Shah Alam - Sijangkang - Melaka - Tangkak - Muar - Melaka - Seremban - Shah Alam

Jalan-jalan Raya.

All decided on the day itself. Crazy huh.

I was actually only planning to go to Bonat's house, but then eventually, Zarul, Syafiq and Kay informed that they actually wanted to go to Melaka and stayed the night there. Imagine, me not bringing any clothes, staying the night in Melaka. But knowing me, I didn't want to stay at home doing nothing, so I said, "Drop me somewhere I can buy some clothes to survive the night and tomorrow".

So we drove to Melaka, and head straight to Amer's house in Paya Rumput. And we went to Tesco Cheng, and I bought the essentials, one leggings, a blouse and a sleeping dress. And I declared that tomorrow, I'm gonna use 'Tesco Clothes'. And we had Sam, Nasa and Tra joining the convoy. And after eating and shopping for clothes, we resided at Amer's house and called it a day.

The Next Day

We woke up kinda early, around 9 am. And Amer's mother prepared a wonderful 'Raya' breakfast, that consists of Nasi Impit, Rendang Ayam Kampung, Kuah Lodeh, Tea and Coffee. Great meal to start off the day. After saying thanks and bybye to Amer's family, we head to Bard's house in Gadek.

Bard's house is really in the kampung, so serene, and peaceful, and there were goats roaming around. I had always been a city girl, being able to visit a kampung really means a lot to me. At Bard's house, we ate again, this time, it was Sambal Kacang Sotong, Nasi Impit, Kuah Lodeh.

Next stop, was En Fendi's house. I know En Fendi from debating, he was UiTM Melaka, club advisor, something like dat. And we had soto ayam. Yup, food again.

Then we, headed to Tangkak, Sam's house. We had lunch there, Rice with Rendang Itik, Sambal Goreng, Daging Kicap, Ikan Goreng. Nyum Nyum!!! Best rendang itik eva.

After Sam's house, we went to Iqram's house in Muar. Had some Mee Hong Kong. Scrumptious, as I haven't had this like for ages. For those who don't know, Mee Hong Kong is like Mee Ladna, yeah sumthing like dat.

Then we went to Nasa's house in Sungai Rambai, Melaka. Well, Sungai Rambai is actually situated at the border of Johor and Melaka. We ate again, Soup and bread. A little bit of gossiping with Nasa's mum. Haha :P

Last but not least, we went to Kama's house in Seremban. Had soto and murtabak. And we head back to our homes after that. Say around 11 pm. One whole day of 'raya'ing.

Exhausted but fun. 7 meals a day. There goes my diet. Haha :P Thank you to Amer, Bard, Sam, En Fendi, Nasa, Iqram and Kama for the wonderful hospitality.

But that's what Raya is all about. Family, Food, Friends.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin. 0-0 eh.. :D

London : Part 1

2011-08-22T21:32:00.024+08:00

This is the place that I had always wanted to visit since I was a kid. And even though I've been there once, I wish I can visit London every year. Too much for a wish I guess, haha :p

So the story went like this, the visit to London was actually a study trip. I was assigned to observe a science festival in London and I spent about 14 days in London, Cambridge and Bristol. And I absolutely love it there. Since there is so much to talk (and also to write about) about London, so I decided to divide London into 2 parts, Part 1 and Part 2. Most of these places I go are after the office hours and on our way back to the hotel, and most of the time we couldn't get it, because it was already closed, so we just took pictures.

London. What about London?

Well, London is one of the oldest city in Europe, largest metropolitan are in United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union. We left KLIA at about 11.55 pm (Kuala Lumpur Time ; GMT :+8) and reached Heathrow Airport at about 5.00 am the next day (London Time :GMT). The flight took about 13 hours straight. When we touched down, the temperature is -4 degree Celsius, very cold indeed. But when the sun is up the temperature is on an average of 12-15 degree Celsius. It was spring when we went there, but it was still very cold compared to Kuala Lumpur, most of the people there still wear their winter jackets when they are outdoors, same goes to us. Can't survive without it.

We stayed somewhere in South Kensington, near the Gloucester Tube Station, very central London and near to all places. All we need was to take the tube to get to anywhere.

I think in London, the first thing that you need to get use to is walking. Everybody walks here, and they sure walk fast. One of my Malaysia friend who had lived in London for the past 4 years, said,"Ahh, the place is just a 15 minute walk from the tube station". And we Malaysians had to walk for at least 30 minutes, Malaysian speed of walking. So don't trust their time when it comes to walking. But, being a city where the climate is temperate oceanic climate, the temperature is cool and you don't sweat much, so walking is a good option.

There are so many things to do in London. And I admit, I do not have enough time, especially when I'm on a study trip. Therefore the list below is merely according to me, and the places that I had visited. Exciting things to do in London :

1. Oxford Street

The word for this street; Shopping!!!

You name it, most of the famous shops are here, you have Marks & Spencer, Accessorize, Primark, Dorothy Perkins, Mothercare, Monsoon, Boots, La Senza, Clarks, Selfridges, Gap, H & M and Forever 21, just to name a few. And from Oxford Street, you can turn into Regent Street at the intersection where the Oxford Circus Tube station is, to go Hamleys, the best toy store I ever went.

To get to Oxford Street, just ride the Centrel Line (Red) to Marble Arch and start to explore Oxford Street from there. Bear in mind that Oxford Street in a long street and you may come across other Tube stations such as Bond Street and Oxford Circus. For more information on the shops in Oxford Street, you may want to click here.

One of the shops in Oxford Street

2. Tower of London & Tower Bridge

Tower of London is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We didn't get to visit Tower of London :( as it closes at about 6 pm, but we did get to take pictures with the Tower bridge and Tower of London from outside. I think Tower of London is a must to visit, as it is one of the famous monuments in London. It is basically a castle that is housing the Crown Jewels and the Tower's history dates back to 1066 A.D. It is located at the Thames River, and the view is breathtaking.

To get to Tower of London, just ride the Tube on the Circle Line (Yellow) and descend at Tower Hill station.

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

3. London Science Museum

This is one of the places that I need to visit during this business trip. If you like science, history on science and technology and the latest technology, this is the place. There are 7 floors altogether, including Basement and Ground. There is no entry fee, but there will be a certain fee for the IMAX theater, simulators and some exhibitions. There is at least 20 galleries and one day is not enough to cover all of the galleries, but better still, you can choose which gallery that you want to visit. If you want to know what are the activities going on (science shows, story telling etc), just drop by the information counter before you start exploring, they will be happy to help you. There are galleries that are filled with object collections such as Flight (aeroplanes), Making the Modern World (cars and mainly objects that humans created), and there are galleries that made up of multimedia interactions such as Antenna and Atmosphere and there are also Galleries that are more hands on such as the Launchpad.

To get to the London Science Museum, take the Tube via the Circle (Yellow), District (Green) or Picadilly (Blue) to tube station South Kensington. All the the three lines will pass through South Kensington.

one the the galleries - Making the modern World

the entrance of the London Science Museum

4. Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum is just next to London Science Museum. The main entrance of the building is like a huge Romanesque inspired building. The building is also known as the Waterhouse building, reminds me of the Addams family's house. I don't know why. Like the London Science Museum, the Natural History Museum is also huge, divided by 4 zones (blue, red,green,orange) and houses at least 20 galleries. Most of the exhibition are museum based (specimen/models and some information for reading) exhibits, but sometimes there are a few interactive multimedia exhibits. Entry is free, however, there will be some fee for temporary exhibitions.

A must visit is to the Darwin Centre, whereby you can take the Cocoon tour (the tour is inside a building shaped like a huge Cocoon) to find out how life specimens (insects and plants) are collected and recorded. You can also see some scientist at work at the building across the Cocoon. The Darwin Centre houses millions of plants and insects specimens.

the entrance of Natural History Museum -central hall

Scientist at Work (from the Cocoon)

5. Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official London residence. The uniqueness of Buckingham palace is that there will be a ceremony called the changing of guards (officially known as Guard Mounting) that will be held at about 11.30am. The ceremony is basically the process of changing shifts or guards. And yes, Buckingham Palace balcony is where Prince William and Kate Middleton kissed on their wedding day.

To get to Buckingham Palace, just board the tube to any of these stations Green Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner or St. James Park and walk across the park to get to Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace is located between The Green Park, Hyde Park and St. James Park.

The Buckingham Palace

Victoria Memorial (with the bronze structure on top)

6. Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is mainly a public area where people can hang out and smell the breeze, and of course take pictures. There are a few statues and here and a lot of people. And occasionally you can find someone talking in Malay and you would like turn your head around to see who, haha.

To get to Trafalgar Square, just board the tube to Charing Cross station which is either on the Bakerloo (brown) or Northern (black) line.

Trafalgar Square with lots of people

7. Piccadilly Circus

One of my favourite places in London. Why? Because there is a huge sports shop name Lillywhites there. Name it, i think most of the jerseys are here. And this is where London is alive. (meaning lots of people). If you go here, remember to take a picture at the Eros. I did. :)

To get to Picadilly Circus, just take the Tube to Piccadilly Circus via the Picadilly line (blue) or Bakerloo line (Brown)

Lillywhites, the sports shop

Eros

It's not finish yet, this post I mean, I'll continue in Part 2.

Seoul Garden - IOI Mall Puchong

2011-08-22T21:31:00.011+08:00

This place had never failed to make me feel satisfied. Seoul Garden.

My friends and I always had this routine, to break fast at least once every Ramadhan at Seoul Garden. And this had been the practice for about 3 years. Most of the time, we managed to book a place at the Seoul Garden at One Utama, but this year, the one at One Utama was fully booked and we had to break fast at the one in IOI Puchong Mall.

So for those who don't know, Seoul Garden is a restaurant that offers Korean Style Barbeque and it's buffet. Eat all you can. It costs about RM 35.88++ for the buffet and RM 3.99++ for refillable drinks. If you want to know more on the pricing, you can click here.

So how do you actually eat in Seoul Garden?

Most of the items there are not cooked. And you have a hot plate in each table. So just choose the items, which are mostly marinated, then cook them on the hot plate. And once they are cooked, Voila, eat them. There is also a steamboat in the middle of the hotplate, so you can also cook the items in this steamboat.

There are a lot of choices to choose from. The BBQ marinated meat (chicken, beef, lamb and fish) consists of flavours such as black pepper, Szechuan, Teriyaki, Garlic, Chilli and the most delicious of them all, Coffee flavoured BBQ chicken and beef. A must try!!! They also have a variety of sauces to accompany the BBQ stuff.

For the steamboat, there are also a lot of choices, a variety of noodles, seafood such as prawns, squids and clams, Yong Tau Foo items and a variety of vegetables.

There are also cooked food, but this menu changes every time. When I went there, they served Hainanese Chicken rice and some fried noodles.

For desserts, you can make yourself an ABC (Ais Batu Campur) or you can just enjoy plain ol' ice cream.

Overall... satisifed!!!

Ok, pictures...!!!

Entrance of the Seoul Garden in IOI Puchong Mall

The settings of the table (hotplate and steamboat in the middle)

Food!!!

Food Again

Satisfied Us

Yana Restaurant - Bangkok

2011-08-22T21:30:00.006+08:00

For those who are going to Bangkok and wants to find a good halal restaurant, I would recommend this restaurant, Yana Restaurant. I actually found out about this restaurant by accident while I was shopping in one of the shopping centres in Bangkok, and it was during Ramahan. and I as searching for a place to break my fast. Thank god, I found this restaurant.

Venue

Yana Restaurant is located in MBK shopping centres. MBK is one of the prominent shopping centres in Bangkok. To get to MBK, just ride the BTS Sky Train via the Silom Line (in the BTS map, it is the dark green line) to the station National Stadium. Then from there, there is a connecting overhead bridge to MBK shopping centre. Simple right.

But you can actually get lost in MBK, (it is actually like Sungei Wang, KL), the layout of the shoppping centre is a bit haphazard. So, Yana Restaurant is situated in the Tokyo Wing, Level 5.

If you do get lost, just ask around, most of the shop keepers are more than happy to help you.

Menu and Pricing

The food that is offered at Yana Restaurant is actually a mixture of Thai food and also some western food. I chose Tom Yam that is cooked with a bit of coconut milk and stir fried vegetables with chicken. I must say, the food here is scrumptious.

The price is standard, for one dish, it will cost about THB 70 - 100. The price is bit high but the portions can easily feed two. Ok, I must admit, I can't remember the price that well, because there was a kind Arab guy who paid for my food. The waitress said that he paid for all of the muslims who broke their fast at the restaurant. But, there is a big price list with the pictures of the food at the entrance of the restaurant, you can feel free to browse through the price before you decide to eat there.

Pictures!!!

The Entrance of Yana Restaurant

The Menu with Pricing that is located in front of the restaurant

I apologize for not having any food pictures, as I was too hungry to remember to take pictures. I straight away dug into the food once it arrived. So, do try out this restaurant if you're in Bangkok and share your experiences with me. :)

Ben's KLCC

2011-07-28T13:21:00.011+08:00

My friends and I were always having difficulties deciding where to eat in KLCC. Maybe that's mainly because I've worked in KLCC for about 4 years up until now. So one night, we suddenly remembered that there was a restaurant, Ben's KLCC, that had recently opened. I can't exactly remember when it opened but it was quite new compared to the others.

The ambiance of this restaurant is kinda cozy, with a few sofas here and there and tables and chairs that looked sophisticated but yet simple. We were actually ushered to one of the sofas, and they are so comfortable.

I decided to have the Crispy Soft Shell Crab salad and my friend had Burnt Butter Wild Mushroom salad. And I must say, the salads were great.

The Crispy Soft Shell Crab salad was actually green papaya salad or rather a 'kerabu' but is topped with 2 soft shell crabs, and yes they were very crispy. So you have the contrast of texture of the salad and the soft shell crabs, and also the taste is fabulous.

Crispy Soft Shell Crab salad

Burnt Butter Wild Mushroom salad

Pavlova

And, you guessed it right, we finished the meal with Pavlova. Sweet and sour. Nice!!!

Bandung & Jakarta

2011-07-22T19:06:00.023+08:00

This was my second trip with my friends. It was in 2010. We landed in Jakarta (Soekarno-Hatta) International Airport. Then we went to the railway station, Gambir, bought the tickets to Bandung, and head straight to Bandung. I think we took the Agrogede (executive class) to Bandung and the ticket costs about Rp. 40000, quite reasonable actually.

The train ride took about 4 hours. The view was breathtaking, sometimes you'll get to spot a steep cliff or two.

Bandung is a city located southeast of Jakarta and is 768 meters above sea level. And because it is elevated, the climate is a bit cooler compared to Jakarta, and there are a lot of Dutch colonial buildings.

Exciting things to do in Bandung :

1. Mayang Sari Hot Springs

We went here at night, as the day would be a bit too hot for dipping in the hot spring. I think it was a relaxing moment having to take a bath in a local hot springs. The temperature of the water is kinda hot, but manageable.

Background is the hot springs

2. Tangkuban Parahu

This is my first experience being on top of a volcano. Tangkuban Parahu is a dormant volcano, means it is not erupting but will release sulfur gases. There is an entrance fee of Rp. 50000 per pax. When we reached the top of Tangkuban Parahu, the smell of the sulfur was intense. But the view was worth it. And it was very cold, so if you plan to go here, please bring along your sweaters.

View on the side of Tangkuban Parahu where the car stops

Tangkuban Parahu (spot the yellow stuff, it is Sulphur)

3. Pasar Baru Bandung

A place to shop souvenirs and cloth. There were lot of variety and patterns of batik, embroidery, and also different types of fabrics. The choices were just overwhelming. This is a great place to shop for your raya fabric. You can also find the embroidery 'kebaya' here, but the size is quite limited. Bigger sizes are usually not available.

4. Jalan Dago - Shopping

This stretch of road is the factory outlet for a lot of brands. There were about 100 factory outlets here (or maybe even more, well I didn't count). There were brands such as Esprit, Bally, Zara, Burberry, GAP, Teva and many more. What's more interesting, is that, they had got my size. Some of the famous outlets were Secret, Rumah Mode and Heritage. How cheap are the clothes in these factory outlets, I must say they are quite cheap, say a knee length Esprit dress, costed me about Rp 75000, which is about Rm 27. Quite cheap huh.

5. Taking the angkut

Angkuts are small vans that actually functions like a bus. They will take passengers from the side of the roads and when the passengers wanted to alight, they will have to say 'kiri-kiri' which literally translate to 'left'. The angkut will then move to the left of the road to let the passenger alight. I think by taking the angkut you'll get the feeling of being a Bandung person. however, you must get the number of the angkut correct, or you'll end up at the wrong place.

Inside the angkut

After three days in Bandung, we went back to Jakarta, by the train. It was raining when we board the train, and I slept most of the journey there.

In Jakarta, we decided to stay in Jalan Jaksa. Jalan Jaksa is actually the back-packing area of Jakarta, so you'll get a lot of hostels and back-packers guesthouse there. And there's a restaurant that sells Malaysian food there! KL Village Kopitiam. So after 3 days of travelling, we settled on some Teh Tarik, Nasi Lemak and Roti Canai.

Exciting things to do in Jakata :

1. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII)

This is a recommended place to go if you are on a social visit to Jakarta. We went here mainly because a few of my friends received an invitation to go to Pusat Peragaan Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi (PP-IPTEK) which is the science centre in Jakarta. So we got a kinda guided tour to the science centre and also to TTMI. TTMI has all of the replica houses in Indonesia. One house of every state. And my personal favourite, the Bali house. So, by being in TTMI, you are actually visiting the whole of Indonesia. More details on TTMI can be found here.

Us somewhere outside of PP-IPTEK

Us in front of the Bali house

2. Monumen Nasional (Monas)

This is the National Monument of Indonesia. The monument design is actually is like a mortar and pestle, and there is a flame of fire on top of the monument made out of gold. Underneath the Monas is a museum that portrayed the history of Indonesia. There was a fee for entering the museum and also for going to the top. We didn't go to the top but instead just entered the historical museum. A worthwhile visit if you wanna know the history of Indonesia. More info on Monas can be found here.

Monas

3. Pasar Tanah Abang

This is a market in a tall building (I think about 19 storeys high), and consists of two blocks, Blok A and Blok B. This place is cramped with goods and you can easily get lost inside. But the choices were great. I got my 'kebaya' here because they have my size here, and they even have bigger sizes. If you wanna go for a cheap, good quality and satisfied place to shop for fabric especially, this is the place.

Entrance Pasar Tanah Abang

A few tips if you're in Jakarta, please take the Blue Bird Taxis, as they are the only ones that are metered. Well I must say, I didn't have much time to spend in both of this cities, especially in Jakarta. Definitely coming again. :D

Cambodia - Day 3 & 4

2011-07-16T09:15:00.000+08:00

Third day in Cambodia. We actually don't know what to do. After a day in the Angkot Wat temple complex, we were quite exhausted. So we woke up a bit late, and had breakfast at D'Wau. Then, suddenly, we had an idea, 'Why not visit the Tonle Sap Lake?'. Yup, that's the lake that your geography teacher always stressed out as the biggest man made lake in south east asia.

So we asked Sukun (our Tuk-tuk driver) on the prices of the tickets and also on the price of the tuk-tuk. And it costs about USD 12 for the boat ride, and we agreed. It was about 45 minutes from Psaa Chaa to Tonle Sap. And the boat ride tour took about 2 hours. We stopped by a few places during the boat ride such as the floating village, a restaurant, and a conservation centre.

Ok, some pictures to enjoy.

Floating villge

The school in the floating village

Some houses in the floating village

One the way back, we dropped by a lotus farm.
Lotus flower in close shot

I didn't know that you can eat the lotus seeds until I visited the lotus farm in Cambodia. The taste of it, was a bit nutty and edible. No weird taste or whatsoever.

Fourth day in Cambodia, early in the morning, we depart back to Malaysia.

Pose with our tuk-tuk driver Sukun

I had a great time in Cambodia. That was my first time travelling overseas with my friends and backpacking of course. And it was memorable one. Although it was the dry season, there were a lot of things to see. Just that, bring your hat and shades along because it's gonna be quite a hot day; and drink a lot of water. Thanks to all my friends and the people at Cambodia for their wonderful hospitality and Sukun and Lucky for being our tuk-tuk driver.

If you guys wanna go to Cambodia, and want to hire an excellent tuk-tuk driver, I would recommend Sukun. Just ask me for his number. :)

Cambodia - Day 1

Cambodia - Day 2

Nasi Ketam, Juru, Penang

2011-07-14T23:23:00.000+08:00

This is one of the food places that I've always wanted to go. Everyone at office that visited Penang recommended me to go and eat there. But, I only got to this week. And it's worth it!!!

Venue.
It is located in Juru, which is the part of Penang that is in Peninsular Malaysia. (not the Island) If you plan to get there, just exit at Juru on the Plus highway. At the junction, there will be a McD on your left, turn left. Go straight until you get to the first traffic light (this is about 5 km) and turn right. Go straight again, until the end of the road, which is a T-junction and turn right. The stall is just on your left. If you search for in in Google map, the road where the stall is located is Jalan Kuala Juru.

The stall's Name : Warung Pak Su
So Pak Su's Stall (direct translation) is famous for their Nasi Ketam (Crab with Rice) or Nasi Udang (Prawn with rice). And the stall is actually located underneath a kampung house (i think it's the owner's house), but don't worry the place is clean and it has a lot of fans so it is actually quite comfortable.

I've only tasted Nasi Ketam, and in my opinion, it was great!!! And i would definitely recommend my friends to go and eat there when they are in Penang. Nasi Ketam is a dish whereby the crab is cook with chilli, sambal like but is not too hot. It is serve with plain rice. One set of Nasi Ketam consists of rice, and 2 crabs cooked in chilli and it costs about RM 10. Definitely worth the price and the taste. They also have other dishes such as ikan bakar (grilled fish) and the normal menu such as fried rice, noodles and vegetables.

Here's some pictures to satisfy your hunger.

The sign board of the stall

Nasi Ketam

View of the stall 'Warung Pak Su"'

If you plan to dine here, please do come before 7 pm, as the Nasi Ketam will be sold out after that, the other menus will be available though. Or you can call-in first before you come to reserve places and the menu. Their operation hours are from 12.30 pm til about 11 pm from Mondays to Sundays except Fridays, they start operation at 11.30 pm. And they are closed on Thursdays. To make reservation, Warung Pak Su can be contacted at 012-4090771 and 012-4935771.

After eating at Warung Pak Su, we decided to visit the beach nearby and the view was breathtaking. Only that the beach was situated near a quary and it was around dusk time, and there were a lot of dogs nearby.

view of the beach

If you're lucky enough, you can catch a glimpse of the Penang Bridge from the beach

Sungai Petani

2011-07-10T22:52:00.001+08:00

I am in Sg. Petani this week for a work mission.

And as usual, finding the food would also be another mission. :)

So we are here (as I'm blogging), at a food spot, somewhere near the town of Sungai Petani. It seems like a decent place, and the food is not that bad.

We had satay.

And I had chicken soup.

The place was somewhere near the clock tower or the locals would call it jam besaq. And apparently my friend told me that the naan and capati there was also good, but we didn't get to taste it as these two would finish as early as 8 pm.

Cambodia : Day 2

2011-07-08T21:32:00.001+08:00

It was our second day in Cambodia, and we were heading to Angkor Wat!!! I was so excited because this was the main purpose of visiting Cambodia. Our journey started as early as 10 am (not so early huh). Some of my friends left earlier as they wanted to see the sunrise.

There was an entrance fee of USD 20 if you wanted to enter the archaeological site for one day, and they will give you a pass that you'll have to show when you enter the temples. For more info on the prices of the passes, you can click here.

We decided to go to a few temples. We started with, of course, Angkor Wat. The pathway to Angkor Wat was so long. I think it was about a 5-10 minutes walk, depending on how fast you walk.

Pathway to Angkor Wat

Inside of Angkor Wat

Some nice carvings inside Angkor wat

Then, we went to another temple, the locals call Bayon. Bayon is unique because if you look closely, the pillars are actually the faces of Jayavarman VII. Four faces facing four directions.

Bayon

I can't exactly remember how many temples we went in, or what their name was. I just put in the significant and interesting ones here. The next temple that I liked is the Ta Prohm. Now this is actually the temple that Angelina Jolie acted in Tomb Raiders. But unfortunately, this is one of the temples in the Angkor Wat temple complex that is undergoing deterioration. This mainly because there are trees growing on top of the temples and the roots are breaking the structure apart.

Look at that huge tree

The blocks falling down at Ta Prohm

By the end of the day, we've visited a lot of temples, and the last stop was a temple at the tip of a hill, to watch the sunset. But, there were clouds and we couldn't locate the sun. But the view was breathtaking.

View from the temple from on top of the hill

And then we went back to the guest house, very tired but very satisfied. We're so glad that we choose the tuk-tuk to visit the temple complex. There were other options such as bicycling from town to the temple complex, but I think it was far more tiring, maybe that's for people that are more adventurous and fit.

Ah, we had our dinner in a Malaysian cuisine restaurant. Of all places, we chose a Malaysian restaurant, mainly because it is a halal restaurant. It is called D'Wau. Details on D'Wau can be found here.

Cambodia - Day 1

Cambodia - Day 3 & 4

Cambodia : Day 1

2011-07-08T20:17:00.002+08:00

This was my first trip outside Malaysia with my friends. That was back in 2009. I was so excited. As it was also my first time backpacking, I did feel a bit scared and did a lot of research. Just a little bit of background info about Cambodia, the time difference between Malaysia is 1 hour late. So if it is 8.00pm in Malaysia, it'll be 7.00pm in Cambodia. The currency that was used is the USD, and bring small crisp change if you plan to go there. So we touched down at Siem Reap International Airport. The airport was small but very modern.

Siem Reap International Airport

We went to the arrival hall and there's a lot of tuk-tuk drivers waiting to sell their service. So we just chose one and ride the tuk-tuk heading to town. And my it was very dusty. Oh yeah, it was the dry season, that's why it was dusty.

Us in the Tuk-tuk

We reached a place called Psar Chaa, or literally translated as Old Market. And we started to search for a place to stay. After visiting 2 places, we decided to settle in a guesthouse just next to Psar Chaa, Fresh Guest House. The rates were good which is USD 12 per twin sharing basis. And the room conditions are great. We've got air-con, cable TV and the room was clean.

Fresh Guest House in Psar Chaa

Psar Chaa

By the time we checked in, our stomachs were singing, asking to be fed. So we went for a walk in search for some halal food. We found a stall that had a big halal sign, so we decided to eat there. But the lady there did not know how to speak English, and she did not take our orders and just carried on cooking for us. What a weird experience. We got fried rice and egg for our lunch. It tasted good. I don't know whether it was the food or because we were really hungry.

After lunch, no plans yet for anything. It was already late to head to Angkor Wat. So we decided to go to Siem Reap Cultural Village. And it was a good decision. There are a lot of shows on their local ethnic group and also display on their houses. And the whole experience ended with a Grand Finale play that is about their king, Jayavarman vii. However, the play was in Khmer, but we just guessed what they were saying. Just enjoy the pictures in the cultural village. It was a colourful and wonderful experience.

Entrance of the Siem Reap Cultural Village

Wedding Ceremony or the Khmer people

Peacock Dance

Jayavarman VII Play

Cambodia - Day 2

Cambodia - Day 3 & 4

SpongeBob Mushroom

2011-07-07T21:55:00.000+08:00

This was my science fact during roll call. See, I work in a science centre, so every morning before daily operation starts, we will have a morning roll call for the day. And each roll call, there will be a brief presentation around 3 minutes on a science fact.

So that day was my turn. Since I'm quite fascinated by new discoveries, so I searched for articles in the National Geographic website and found something extraordinary.

It seems that a Professor from San Francisco State University, Dennis Desjardin, had found a new species of mushroom, in Lambir Hill, Sarawak, Malaysia. This mushroom is named Spongiforma squarepantsii, and its shape is like a sea sponge. I guess that's how they get to name the mushroom, after the most famous under-the-sea cartoon character, Spongbob Squarepants.

Basically, Spongiforma squarepantsii, is a fungus that lives in a rainforest, and has a bright orange colour. According to Professor Dennis Desjardin, the mushroom has a 'fruity of strongly musty' smell and will also change colour if a strong chemical base is sprinkled on top of it. How cool is that? A mushroom that smells and acts as a base indicator.

You can check out the picture of Spongebob Mushroom under a scanning electron microscope here.

Huh???

2011-07-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

I was suppose to create a page not a post. Accidently created a post. And I don't know how to delete it.

So, try to do what I do best. Write away. Haha :)

Still have more to learn.

2nd Edition !!!

2011-07-06T23:28:00.000+08:00

What is this?

Just another facelift (as I might say that) for my blog. This actually started with my friend Ida. She was (and is still) in the mist of constructing her blog. And I just admired her spirit of doing it.

I had already deleted by past blog (which is also at this address) as it was left unattended too long ago. Therefore, I decided to start back fresh.

So for those who happen to be here, browsing, blog hopping or old friends that happen to click on the link that is at their blogs;

Happy reading.