Earthquake!!

There was an earthquake last night. And i was fast asleep when the earthquake started and got woken up by it. You could feel shaking and really loud noise. At first I thought it was the normal loud bangs that we get occasionally but when it continued for a while, I thought it was an earthquake. But not knowing that there were actually earthquakes in England, I just went back to sleep.

Until I woke up in the morning and saw the news and confirmed that there actually was an earthquake.

Scary..

This is the real 100th post!

This is the 100th post.. not the other one...

To celebrate my 100th post, I bring to you... Nasi Lemak! hehe... sambal courtesy of Pui San.. Oh, how I love coconut rice!
I'm running for International Representative of the Catholic Society. Hope I get the post!

Treasure Hunting!

I just found out that this is only the 99th post.. instead of the last last post that i added.

Anyway, Treasure Hunting! Joined the treasure hunt that Nottingham Malaysian Society organised. The best thing is.. we don't have to pay a cent. And we got a free Kangaroo pass (3 pounds) which allows us to travel on any bus, train or tram for us to get around the whole of Nottingham. We had to solve riddles to find out our destinations. Each team consisted of 4 people and there were 16 teams altogether.

The event was divided into 3 stages: stage 1 was within the University Park campus, stage 2 and stage 3 was in and around Nottingham City.

The stage 1 questions were a bit tough. We spent quite some time in the campus trying to figure out what the answers were to the riddles. Lots of time was spent running around the uni and this wasn't an easy task as the uni isn't exactly on flat ground. It was exhausting. By the time we completed stage 1, we seemed to be the last few teams to leave the campus for the next stage where we had to meet someone in the City centre for our next set of riddles.

Stage 2 was the fun part. We decided to stop by our trusty Nottingham Tourism Centre to ask for directions and to help us find the answers to the riddles. Seemed like everyone else had the same thought as we bumped into other teams who rushed towards the information counter. It was funny to watch the lady giving the same information several times.

Our first stop: The Arboretum. I posted photos of the Arboretum before here in a slide show and it was easy to recognise the place from the photo clues that were given to us in stage 1. Thus, we boarded the tram and went off to the arboretum. The clue we got at that place led us to the Forest Recreation grounds where we needed to find the acorn tree in the photo below, and find out who planted it. We got a few wrong directions from the people we asked but eventually got one helpful guy to tell us where the Forest Lodge is, as the tree was located near it.

Next was the Green's Windmill and Science Centre. It came as a surprise to us that Nottingham actually has a windmill! And a working windmill!

Inside the science centre.
Next was the Nottingham Forest Football Club at the Stadium. It was red. Their slogan: There.. Now.. Forever Forest!
We were then told to explore along the River Trent to find a match to the photo of emblem that we were given. We were also told to find out how high was the River Trent in Feb 1946. The latter answer we got from a wall at the river side.

The River Trent!
The emblem was found on the War Memorial. Which is a beautiful place inside. Should've spent a bit more time exploring inside.

On to the next stage. First was a stop at the City of Caves located at the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre. When we got there, we did not see anyone. The guy who was supposed to be there disappeared for a toilet break as he wasn't expecting us to be so early!

What's a Treasure Hunt without making a pit stop at the Nottingham Castle? This was where most of us got stumped at the riddle that was given. "Grab Low & Spare Fifty Clues" was the phrase that we had to unscramble and find the place. (The place was called Sparrow Bagley & Sutcliffe which was an estate agency)Then a trip to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem which is purported to be England's Oldest Pub where the answer to the riddle was the signpost.

Next: The Nottingham Playhouse where we visited the Sky Mirror. I have seen this mirror several times now and I still don't know why it is famous. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder i guess. Forgot to take a photo of it.

Last was the general Cemetery. Did not enter into cemetery as we got on the same bus as the guy who was meeting us there and we got our clue as soon as we got down the bus. I wanted to look at the interior but the rest of the group wanted to press on and return to the atrium of Portland Building back in Uni.

We were the first to reach back to uni but we stayed around the lake to figure out the answer to the riddle that was given to us in the first stage, therefore we were the 2nd team to arrive back at the atrium. We also were given 3 bonus riddles for us to bring back 3 items: a 20p coin, a shoelace and a Kangaroo pass. After a 3 hour wait at the atrium for the hunt to end and the results to be revealed, we got 2nd place (cuz we got the 20p coin wrong and put in a 50p instead)! Yay!!
It was altogether a very fun and fulfilling day, albeit a tiring one. We spent a lot of time running and rushing after buses. Looking back, i supposed we didn't really need to rush around and could actually spend a bit of time at each place appreciating the beauty of nature.

I actually got to know Nottingham better now, and all for free. If i didn't join this, I wouldn't have known about these places that are quite beautiful. I would definitely want to go to these places again and spend more time exploring. Nottingham's not so boring after all!

Want to end the post with a bit of a complaint. One of my teammates was a bit annoying. She was loud and a bit overbearing at times. She also took off with my camera without telling me. Imagine that: i only knew her for one day and she takes off with my camera! All the photos she took were blur also. Wanna delete them as soon as I pass it on to her!

New Skin

I'm peeling... I am changing into a new skin. While that occurs, I need to shed off my old skin. It gets dry, and itchy and bit painful...

I think I know how a snake feels when it's changing its skin...

(note: ps is going to say, "bodoh.")

100!

My 100th post! Can't believe that I have actually posted up 99 posts before this, some of which might just be very short one-liners. Maintaining a blog is not an easy thing, as most times I have no idea what i want to write about and some stuff aren't a good topic to write about.

I started this blog off to let my family know what's going on in my life and post photos up for them to view. I slowly gained readers other than my family members and this blog has become a place for me to write out how I'm feeling and on anything that I want to get off my mind.

This place is a place I turn to when I'm feeling down and lonely, when I'm happy, when I have something to say. Life isn't going the way I imagined it would have gone, and I'm going through my life by trying to look forward to the day I go home. Somehow everyday here seems like either a dream or a nightmare, and eventually I will wake up and find myself back at home.

I find myself withdrawing from all that is going around me. I am just unsure on how to actually be a person. I think I'm just a loner by nature, making friends has never come easy for me, as my evaluation of another person is flawed. I seem to be always making the same mistakes when looking at someone's character. It's just easier to be superficial aquaintances, than form meaningful friendships and find that your judgement is wrong, time after time.

ANYWAY.... on to happier stuff... 100 post 100 post 100 post! I started this post on a happy note and do not wish to end it in this way. So, Happy Valentine's Day to all.. and Congratulations to me for reaching the 100 post mark. Maybe in my next post I will write about what I actually wanted to write about today.

Dilemma

In the 4th year 2nd semester we are required to do a research project. Either a 40 credit or 60 credit research module. If I choose to take a 60 credit one, there are many different topics for me to choose from. There are also research topics that can be done outside of this country. A couple in University of Sydney, a couple in Monash University, Melbourne, one in Auckland, NZ and quite a few that can be done in UNMC campus.

So many choices, so little time to decide as I need to return the form by 29th Feb. Help! Maybe I should choose one that can be done in Malaysia.. then can go home.. hmm... but not sure if we can actually do our research elsewhere other than UK.

RPSGB Local Branch Meeting

I just came back from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Local Branch Meeting which discussed on the use of Antibiotics and Statins.

Something we learn during this lecture: antibiotics are not all that useful in simple infections. Most infections would resolve by themselves and the use of antibiotics only help resolve the symptoms by, at most, 1 day. Thus, simple infections like sore throat, eye infection, ear infection in children, do not really require a course of antibiotics.

One of the interesting things to note about is, that when you place lecturers in the seats where we would normally sit in, they become like little kids themselves. They chatter and giggle and act like how we would normally act in a lecture.

This is my simple (but incomplete) CPD for antibiotics and statins RPSGB local branch meeting.

Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is just around the corner... but I'm not just around the corner from my family. I'm really really far away from them and this will be the first time I'm not celebrating CNY back at home. This year, will be celebrated with friends, but somehow there's no CNY mood here as we do not have any holidays for CNY. Instead, we're still being bonbarded with classes and labs.

On the eve of CNY, is also Ash Wednesday (To find out what Ash Wednesday means click here). What a coincidence that the Lent season (info here) starts at around the same time that CNY starts. Now, what should I abstain from this Lent season? Can't abstain from meat as it is cheaper than fish.. think think think...

So.. CNY... steamboat dinner tomorrow, which might cost each of us 5 pounds (a bit expensive rite?) then... nothing else... Puisan going London, Eilyn going Manchester.. and i'm home alone.. I need to get out more often... but going out means spending money.. and spending money is not a good thing to do here as i'll be spending 7 times more what i would be spending back at home.. I need a job..

Anyway.. Happy Chinese New Year all! 新年快乐，万事如意，新年进步，事业成功！红包拿来！

Busy Weekend..

It has been quite a fun-filled weekend! First, Concert on Thursday Night... which was fun! One thing worth nothing about in the Royal Concert Hall is that most of the patrons had white hair.. The concert was by Halle, and marked their 150th birthday. I'm so in love with Beethoven's Symphony no.7, movement 2 now..

Then it was snowing on Friday! First time I saw snow, but it wasn't heavy enough to make snowman and snowballs. oh ya.. i got my results as well. Wasn't too bad, but could've been better I guess.

Went to Cadbury's Chocolate Factory in Birmingham today. Which was worth it.. we had free chocolate.. but i'm now sick of chocolate.. We had to take a train to Birmingham New Street and from there to Bournville, which is founded by Cadbury's. There were a few hitches at the beginning of the trip but everything was quite ok after that.

The whole gang of us.. 22 in our group.
Chocolate-covered me..

We then went back to Birmingham City Centre for Malaysian Food! Apparently laksa here is quite famous. Puisan had Curry Laksa, Susan had Assam Laksa.. and I had Beef Brisket with Rice..

Anyone know what is Ants on the Tree?Our huge group then broke up into pieces and 4 of us went sight seeing while others decided to be boring and go shopping. We went to see the famous Birmingham Cathedral (aka St Philip Cathedral).
Then we walked around the Bull Ring (which is Birmingham's biggest shopping centre, i think). Borders was huge!
Saw the so-called mentos building.. which is the Selfridges Building.. On the left is the Selfridges building while on the right is St Martin's church (i think). Right in the middle is Puisan..

Puisan forgot her Young Person Railcard and we had a really fun time on the way back.. Adrenaline was pumping through our veins as we cracked our heads to find of ways to avoid being checked on the railcard.. which I guess in the end wasn't really necessary as the conductor didn't really check.

So, now to make myself tidy up my room tomorrow.. Chinese New Year is coming in a few days..