♥ shannon rawr! ♥

Stepping out from the comfort zone

2011-10-29T00:53:00.000+08:00

It had been a month since my last blog update!

Didn't realize that time actually pass so fast.

Had been resting and slacking at home since I was back to Malaysia.

It is GOOD to be home. =)

My Bangkok trip had been cancelled due to the serious flood, but I will have another family trip to Bangkok again with my family during the end of November.

Hope God bless this beautiful place and hope that everything will be fully restored by the time we go there.

I have a lot of complaints to rant about.

There goes,

I'd gained so much weights these days!

Need to cut down on my food intake and exercise more in order to fit into my bikini, for the sake of my Phuket trip.

Haven't even book for accommodation for my 9-days backpack Taiwan trip. Gahh please help me. Any recommendation on nice hostels in all parts of Taiwan? =(

I am starting work soon, this 1st December to be exact. Honestly I am quite nervous although it is still a month to go. I'd done my internship before in PwC but honestly I still feel butterflies in my stomach. I dont know why.

I am driving to work! but I am so scared of the traffic on the road in KL. There are so many cars on the road. shit.

I have lots of things that I want to BUY! but I wanna buy them with my own money, not daddy's. I seriously need to find more ways to earn more money.

I find no interest in shopping anymore, especially in KL! Shopping in KL is so BORING! Overpriced stuffs are everywhere in KL. and KL is so boring, the only place where most of the people hang out during weekend is the shopping mall,

not any parks or any other interesting places whatsoever. =(

I know all these problems will not be problems after a month's time. Well, lets see. =)

Besides slacking at home, I am working hard on self improvement in which I am currently reading Rich Dad's Guide To Investing by Robert Kiyosaki, almost finishing, but not yet. That's my 3rd book on R.Kiyosaki. Cant wait to finish the entire series soon.

Last but not least, I need to improve myself. I am not feeling comfortable with my life now. I am stepping out from my comfort zone. =X

Next week this time ♥

2011-09-13T01:21:00.001+08:00

Next week this time, I will be playing around in Paris Disney Land, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, cruising in the gondola in Venice, playing with the snow in Mt Titlis, Switzerland, busy touring in 10 European countries et cetera et cetera!
I can't wait for all these to happen!!

Not forgetting that every places I travel, everything I buy, every experience I have are mostly funded by the beloved parents! I am a lucky girl who get to have everything I want/need.
COUNTLESS THANK YOU TO THEM!
I am grateful, and I really appreciate all the things I got, --- from them. =)

Till then, au revoir!!
Xoxo.

多笑一笑，保持淡然如花的人生态度

2011-09-11T09:12:00.000+08:00

人只要生活在这个世界上，

就会有很多烦恼。

但是，痛苦和快乐取决于你的内心。

再重的担子，笑着也是挑，哭着也是挑

。

再不顺的生活，微笑着撑过去了，就是胜利。

当不幸降临到身边的时候，学会爱自己，相信一切都会过去。

多笑一笑，保持淡然如花的人生态度，任何困难和不幸都能被锤

炼成通向成功的阶梯。

Won the blogging competition! =)

2011-09-09T04:39:00.002+08:00

Attended the farewell event today at Stoddart Building (SHU's Business School).

Thanks to SHU and Andrew and the rest of the people who picked my blog as the first prize winner of the blogging competition 2011. =)

I won myself a pendrive, Dell netbook and external disc drive. =)

Hope the people who read this blog find it enjoyable to read, and hope the information about my summer semester in SHU helps.
*I'd put in lots of efforts in photo editing and blog posts composing! it is time consuming and requires lots of efforts and determination to keep writing/blogging despite my busy study schedule*

Will update more about the farewell event after my exam!

Till then, au revoir. =)

with Professor Cliff Allan (the deputy vice chancellor)

=)

prizes for the winner. =)

Going on a long long holiday after this.

2011-09-08T22:33:00.008+08:00

Weee. done my reflective writing.

The process of reviewing and reflecting yourself is torturing!

Final exam is reaching soon - 12th and 13th of September 2011.

Why lar I always have endless exams!

After this very last exam, I will take on a long long holiday by not facing any books for a while.

And yay, I am so glad that I passed ACCA! no need to sit for this torturing exams anymore! weeee~
And I am glad too that I had secured a job in one of the Big4 even before graduating.

And the time to leave Sheffield and SHU is getting sooner! =(

I love my life here seriously! I don't want to go back to Malaysia so soon.

I love the study life here although I always complain that I am busy with studies. LOL.

And owh! as mentioned, I am going for a holiday after this.

I am going to Europe, London (again!), Stonehenge+Bath, Bangkok (3rd time!), Phuket Island (Thailand) and Taipei, Taiwan in September ,October and November! =D

I really deserve a good holiday and a good rest after working so so so hard on my studies all these years.
A good break is essential before I start working in December.

ACCA (it is a professional accounting exam, not a degree.) is always not easy and it requires lots of hard works, efforts, determinations and of course endless stresses come with it too!
I am glad that I've made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a nightmare for every accounting student who is sitting for ACCA.

You cannot imagine how miserable my life was during the ACCA revision period.
*

I nearly give up during the tough revision period.
I faced the books all day long for freaking 2 months.
I slept at 6am in the morning because of burning midnight oil and woke up at 12pm and continue to study till 6am and there goes the same routine everyday!!!

Extreme stresses, mood swing, depression love me a lot that time. LOL

Luckily I still have that someone who constantly stand by me, console me, trying his best to cheer me up, motivate me and lend me his shoulders and arms whenever I am down.

I appreciate it.

*

I am happy for now, at least.

Till then, au revoir.

Gonna continue another 4 days worth of battle with books then I am done!

Aza Aza Fighting!!

Life is only once.

2011-09-07T05:54:00.001+08:00

Life is only once.
Its my life journey, my life story.
I am the painter and the author of how my life should be.
I will always live it the way I want, not the way you want.

Overview of an accounting student's life in SHU.

2011-08-31T05:24:00.002+08:00

In Sheffield, there are two main universities located here.

They are
- Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) (the one we are attending now) =]
- University of Sheffield

Well, of course there will be differences between studying in TARC KL and SHU, Sheffield.

Let me point out a few differences from what I'd noticed during my studies here.

__________ UNIVERSITY'S FACILITIES_____________

There are around 10 buildings at City Campus including the university's library - Adsetts Centre.
Unlike TARC KL where all the college buildings are built within a compound, the buildings of SHU are scattered around the heart of the city centre of Sheffield, but within walking distance to each other. =)

*Lecture theater and seminar rooms

In each building, there are seminar rooms, meeting rooms, cafeteria called Chef Hallam etc.
The lecture theatres are mainly located in Owen Building, Howard Building, Adsetts etc.

one of the lecture theatres we had our class.
the actual size of the lecture hall is much bigger than this. sorry for my lousy camera. =/

Compared to TARC KL lecture halls, the well equipped lecture theatres in SHU is far more comfortable with comfortable cushioned seats with spacious legrooms, carpeted floors, clean toilets, huge wall screen, automated document camera, pc etc.
The seminar rooms where we attend seminars/tutorials are very well equipped too with similar facilities provided in the lecture theatre.

the seminar room.

this was during skills workshop!

And one thing I must say is the free WIFI around the university is SUPER GREAT with fast speed and stable connection, unlike the slow WIFI speed back in TARC KL.
So for those people who use smartphones or Ipad can enjoy the stable and fast internet wherever you are as long as you are around the campus.
I love the internet connection here. =)

*Adsetts Centre (The university's library)

Adsetts Centre

I never like to go to the library.
But talking about Adsetts Centre, the very own library of the university, the facilities here are superb!!
Booking of the university's facilities and resources can be done online, no need to book for it physically in the library. simple and convenient for students.

I really enjoy every moments being in the library, be it our assignments discussion moments, self study moment, internet surfing moment etc.

With the help of the library's resources issue and return machines, it makes the library resources issue and return process faster and convenient to the students.

library's resources issue and return machines

Besides that, printing machines can be found in every floor of the library and this makes our life easier too when we want to print assignments or reports, without having to wait or queue for the printers like what we did in TARC KL library.

Unlike in TARC where food is not allowed in the library, here in Adsetts Centre, food is allowed in the library.

chef hallam. the place in the library for you to buy food and drink.

Sipping cups of hot chocolate , munching on some snacks or maybe taking your own cooked lunch while you are doing your works in the library. Thats good and it keep you going! =)
But make sure you clean up the rubbish after eating/drinking.

* Club Hallam - Sports Facilities/Student Health Centre

Club Hallam - the gym

In the university, there is a wide varieties of sport facilities in Club Hallam for the students to work out. And badminton/table tennis court etc.
The monthly gym membership fee is only £9!
Darling Mic already signed up for this since June till now.

Besides that, there is a student health centre in the university, functioned like a clinic with the GP inside.

Student health centre front desk

There is a team of 9 doctors, 7 nurses and a healthcare worker offer a range of medical services including health checks, repeat medication, contraception advice, asthma, diabetes management, vaccinations and minor surgery.

So if we have allergies or feel ill, we can always consult the GP in the student health centre for FREE, but prescribed medicines may need to be bought in local pharmacies.
And as a way to encourage safe and protected sex, every student is entitled to get 20 FREE DUREX CONDOMS from the student health centre every month too! o.O

There are way more facilities provided in SHU to be explored! You can google the university's main website to find out more!! =)

______COURSE STRUCTURE (BA HON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE)_____

During our summer semester, each week, we are required to attend at least 2 hours lectures and at least 2 hours seminars for each subject.

As an accounting student, we are required to choose 3 subjects out of 4 subjects given.

The subject choices are :
- STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
- CORPORATE FINANCE
- CORPORATE REPORTING
- PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANT SKILLS FOR BUSINESS DECISION (PASBD)

PASBD (100% course work based subject) is compulsory for all accounting students.
This means you can choose 2 subjects out of the remaining 3 subjects to study during the summer semester.
My choice of study is Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) and Corporate Finance (CF).

The syllabus for both SMA and CF is not heavy and difficult like what we are studying in TARC KL.

-SMA covers a number of topics from the subjects we studied before in TARC namely Management Accounting, Business Analysis and Advanced Performance Management.
-CF covers syllabus similar to paper F9 (ACCA) - Financial Management, but not paper P4 Advanced Financial Management.
-CR covers UK's accounting standards etc. The syllabus is almost the same as in Financial Reporting and Corporate Reporting subjects in TARC.

The above three subjects assessment is
-70% (out of 100%) is final exam based
-30% (out of 100%) is assessed through our assignments or phase tests (mid term tests).

*PASBD (100% COURSEWORK)
Out of the modules we are doing during the summer semester, I found that PASBD the most useful for me to prepare me for my future career.
This is the module where I had learnt the most!!! Communication Skills and Soft Skills!!
PASBD is something similar with FDM (Financial Decision Making) in TARC KL.

Under PASBD, we will be constantly assigned with different team members to work for different case studies and presentations EVERY WEEK.
We will need to work with different people (be it your friends or not friends) to work out different tasks EVERY WEEK (presentations, meetings, role play, report writing, reflective writing etc). Teamwork is very important to make things work!

During our weekly PASBD sessions, our works will be openly criticized by the assessors of PASBD. Of course some of the students, including me will be frightened and stressed as first to being openly criticized like that.

However, those are constructive feedbacks that helped us improve and improve again for our next task. (now I am not afraid of accepting criticism! yay!)

Most of the students here may find it hard to adapt to PASBD requirements during the first few weeks here including me as most of us are under consistent stresses. but eventually we get used to it after the first few weeks.

Through this module, my circle of friends has widened too! Known lots of awesome people and also learnt how to work with people with different attitudes and characteristics.

At the end of the day, I must say that I enjoyed PASBD the most!!

and this is just 7am in the morning! we are already wide awake to prepare and rehearsing our presentation at The Forge.
having presentation at 10am.

PASBD Group 13 (early July 2011)
from left : sherene, priscila, wei huang, pei pei and I.

PASBD Group 3! (end of Jul 2011)
from left : Karen, me, Joan, Trevor and John (our assessors), Wei Wei and Melvyn

taking photos after our PASBD session is a must! for memories! =)
this was with John and Rob.

___________CULTURE_________________

Beside getting to travel to various places in UK during the stay here, I'd learnt and noticed a few things about the locals here.
This observation has also widened my understanding on the cultures of the people here too.

*Dont afraid to express yourself!*

In UK, we are encouraged to express and voice out our points of views and thoughts. So whenever you have doubts or things to voice out, dont be shy and feel free to express yourself! =)

*English Accent*

As the British accent may be different from the English we are speaking, hence we may need to slow down when we talk and stress a little on our voice tone so that the locals can understand what we are talking about.

*Politeness*

And one thing I noticed is that the British people are more polite. Most of the staffs in the university, or the cashiers in the retail shops will greet you with at least a 'hello' or 'good morning' when you interact with them.

*CHEERS!*

And I noticed the people here used 'CHEERS' a lot, which can mean GoodBye or Thank You. so to adapt, try to say CHEERS instead of Thanks / Goodbye etc. heeeh! =) =)

*Business opening hours*
Unlike in Malaysia where most of the business/shops are opened till 10pm, in UK the business opening hours for most of the shops here tend to open from 9am-5pm, while retail shops may be open a bit longer, let say till 6pm.

**********************************************

Last but not least, a picture of a happy SHU student (me) lying on the grass of Sheffield! =)

a happy accounting student who is about to graduate! =)

**

For those (TARC people who are finishing their advanced diploma) who are about to make a decision whether to come here for the degree or not, well I strongly suggest you to come!

It is a once in a lifetime experience.

You can't own all these superb memories and experiences here by just coming here for a short holiday, u got to come here, stay here, interact with the people here and experience it yourselves! =)

Studying in a foreign environment is not about being overrated and wasting money. But it helps in opening minds and gives you lots of opportunities to experience different cultures, foods, perspectives and learning approaches etc while learning to be independent and grow your mind.

NO REGRETS ON COMING HERE (TO SHU) TO PURSUE MY DEGREE! =)

Weather / Banking / Mobile Networks/ Souvenirs in UK

2011-08-31T04:18:00.072+08:00

Weather in England

UK is a four-season country with seasons like Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.
During our stay here in the UK for SHU summer degree programme duration, we will normally experience summer (June-August) and maybe autumn (September - October).

Well the weather in UK can be unpredictable sometime.
People here are concern with the weather as the weather here can be quite unpredictable.
A moment ago the sky is still bright and shine, but a moment after that the sky starts to drizzle or even rain.
That is why BBC weather website or any other weather checking tools are important during your stay here.

How is it like for SUMMER here?

The sky will be bright early in the morning like 4.30am and only gets dark at 9pm or 10pm during summer.
Summer here doesn't mean you get sunshine and warmth the whole day.
The sky may seem bright and shine, but the weather may still be cold when the wind blows.But for most of the time during June-Mid August, a light jacket or cardigan or a scarf will do to keep you warm. (as you can see from most of my photos here, we just dress like how we dress in M'sia)
Sometimes the weather can go even crazy and hot like Malaysia for one or two days during summer.

And rest assure, the university is fully equipped with heaters all around, so you will not feel cold when you are inside any of the university's premises.

How is it like for AUTUMN here?

Well, the weather now is starting to get colder, there is less sunshine than usual, it rains quite often these few days, the leaves starts to drop and the sky starts to turn dark at 7.30pm. Thus, I assume that AUTUMN is fast approaching. =)

You may need extra layers of clothing than what you wear during summer especially when you are out to keep you warm.

*********************************************

Banking in England

There are few major banks here in the UK namely :
Natwest (the one I am using now)
Barclays
Santander
Abbey
HSBC
Lloyds TSB (....etc)

When we first arrived at the university, the university will issue a bank letter to all of us.
We will then use the bank letter, together with the bank drafts that we brought from Malaysia to open a bank account in the bank of your choice here.
But before you open the bank account, you may need to contact your student accommodation senior resident to make an appointment with the bank for you.

For your information, Natwest and Santander Bank are located the nearest to our university.
They are located within walking distance with the university.
Most of the students here opted to open their bank account with Natwest Bank. Of course, some opened bank accounts with Santander Bank too.

After all the bank accounts opening paperwork procedures had been done during the appointment, we will need to wait for around 1-2 weeks to get our bank account ready to be use and debit card activated.
Hence, it is important that you exchange some UK sterling pounds beforehand before you depart to UK, let say around £200-£300.
Debit cards and card reader will be sent to your accommodation too.

One thing worth noting about the online transaction of the banks in UK is they require the use of a CARD READER for extra security.

the card reader (provided FREE OF CHARGE by the bank)

In Malaysia, whenever we transfer money online, we need to key in TAC code (extra security function) that is sent to our mobile phone via sms.
In UK, card readers (an extra security steps provided by the bank) here function almost the same as our TAC code system too.
It may seem complicated to use at first, but dont worry, once you follow the steps provided on the bank's website, you will find it simple to use.

Besides that, debit cards/credit cards are important too when it comes to buying things in UK.
For me, I normally use the debit card provided by the bank (its FREE by Natwest) to do my shopping, online ticket booking, online shopping, groceries shopping.
It is easier and safer as there is no need to carry much cash around.

*********************************************

Mobile Network Operators in UK

In Malaysia, we have mobile network operators like Maxis, Celcom, Digi, U-Mobile etc.

While in the UK, the mobile network operators here are namely O2, Three 3, T-mobile, Orange, Lebara, Vodaphone etc.

I am using Lebara currently as Lebara has the cheapest call and sms rates as well as cheapest international call rates among other mobile network operators here.

Most of the students (in 2011 batch) are using Lebara network.
To my knowledge, there is also free Lebara to Lebara calls and sms everytime you reload your phone credits and free 10mb internet too every month! =)

However, if you are using iPhone or any other smart phones and require a data plan to enjoy stable internet, you can always surf the website of each mobile networks to find out the best internet deals!
From what I heard from my friends who are using data plan for Iphone, most of them signed up for 3 Three mobile network company.

******************************************

Collecting Souvenirs in UK

If you are an avid souvenir collector like me, you can consider buying a little gift for yourself everytime you visit a place in UK, such as :

- Pressed Penny
Pressed penny can be found in most of the main souvenir stores in each city in England.
You will need a shining 1 pence coin and £1 to pay to crank your own pressed penny using the pressed penny machines.

the pressed penny.

the machine used to crank out pressed penny!

- I heart ..... tee
'I heart....(the city you visit) tee shirt or hoodie jacket is another popular option to collect as a souvenir.
However the price of these tee and hoodie jacket can be expensive and not affordable for students.
The tee shirt is priced around £6-£9 each while the hoodie jacket is priced between £15-£30 each.

- Fridge Magnets
For fridge magnets, price would vary according to shops and cities you go.
Each fridge magnet is priced between £1 - £5.

So be wise when choosing your fridge magnets to avoid spending unnecessary money. =)

my fridge magnets collection from various cities in England! =)

my fridge magnets collection from various places in Scotland! =)

- Postcards
Consider buying postcards for collection or posting it straight away to you beloved one from the city you visit.
Price of each postcard is between 20p to 60p, depending on the paper quality and design.

Some of my souvenirs bought from Scotland.

Don't miss this when you visit Scotland.

They are the smallest bottle of whisky in the world! =)

Priced around £1.35-£2 each.

Shopping/Eating/Groceries Shopping/Pharmacies+Beauty Stores in UK

2011-08-30T03:56:00.011+08:00

* CLOTHES

shopping is F.U.N!! summer sale is GREAT!

our shopping loots from Meadowhall Shopping Centre, Sheffield.

can you believe both the trench coat and boots are only £5 each??! from Primark. =)

UK is considered as a shopping heaven where you can shop for apparels/bags/footwears from various brands such as HnM, Primark, River Island, Topshop/Topman, Republic, ZARA, Bank, and many many more at very affordable price compared to Malaysia.
Shopping is interesting here as there are way lots more brands here than in Malaysia.

There is NO NEED TO BRING SO MUCH CLOTHES from Malaysia if you plan to enjoy shopping here
.
Clothes such as cardigans, dresses, jackets, leather jackets, winter jackets, footwear, tee shirts, bags, accessories etc can be sold at very very cheap price especially in Primark, HnM, Republic and even ZARA!
So please spare some luggage space for your newly bought shopping loots here! haha

The designs of the clothes of most of the brands change every fortnight and they are extremely cheap during summer sale!
Prices for clothes in high street fashion brand like ZARA or FCUK can be as low as £2!!!

****************************

In Sheffield, we normally do our shopping in either the city centre's shopping district which is just located 5 - 10 minutes walk from the university city campus or Meadowhall Shopping Complex which is located about 5km from the city centre (assessible by train or tram).

So make sure you dont miss out the summer sale during your stay here!!! =)

Meadowhall Shopping Centre
Much bigger than Pavilion KL, and houses lots of high street brands here.

The Oasis - food court of Meadowhall Shopping Centre

Meadowhall station.
the place to wait for train to and fro from Sheffield city.

Meadowhall Shopping Centre

helicopter view of the huge MeadowHall Shopping Centre

And one important thing you should know is, most of the retail stores here in UK operate Refund & Exchange Policy which is very different than in Malaysia's ''Goods sold are not refundable''.

The Refund & Exchange Policy here means if you are not happy/satisfy with your purchases, you can ask for a refund or exchange within 14 or 28 days of purchase, with proof of receipts and provided the items are returned in saleable condition. =)

* SPORTS APPARELS/GOODS

Above are the names of the sports goods retail shops - Sports Direct, JD Sports, JJb Sports where you can get cheap and affordable sports related goods i.e. jersey, sport shoes, badminton rackets, sports apparels, sports bottles, football, basketball etc!

Prices for sport goods from brands such as Nike, Adidas, Umbro, Puma, FILA etc are considered quite affordable too especially in UK *they are overpriced in Malaysia*
Man-Utd jerseys sold in Sports Direct are priced between £28-£40++.
Pair of NIKE/Adidas/Puma/FILA shoes normally costs between £15-£40 depending on designs.
Pair of FRED PERRY shoes would costs as low as £20 during summer sale.

* DESIGNER BRANDS

Besides shopping for normal apparels, we can also get designer goods (clothes/bags etc) here too such as LV, Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Mulberry, Tods, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Fossil, Ralph Lauren, Longchamp, Ted Baker etc at cheaper price than in Malaysia given the exchange rate now.

And there are few designer good outlets in the UK where you can grab for designer goods AT VERY DISCOUNTED PRICE (some are even priced at 50% to 70% off RRP).

The few designers outlets (those that I am aware of) are

- CHESHIRE OAKS DESIGNER OUTLETS (located 40 minutes from Liverpool)
*Nearer to Sheffield.
*Check out my very own experience in Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet here

Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet

- BICESTER VILLAGE (located 30 minutes from Oxford)
*My friends got their Gucci, Prada from here for less than £350!

Bicester Village

* GROCERIES SHOPPING

Eating out can be expensive sometime and with limited budgets, we certainly cannot afford to dine out for daily meal. It costs around £3.50-£10 per meal.
Hence, most of the time we will be seen buying groceries to be used to cook for our daily meal. =)

And thanks to this summer degree programme, I'd brushed up my cooking skills a lot compared to last time (I don't even know how to fry an egg last time) and even Darling Mic complimented me for the dishes I prepared too. =) yay!

Thats why groceries play a big role in our daily lives in Sheffield.
Above are a few supermarkets where you can get cheap groceries.

Fruits, vegetables, chicken, beef, frozen fishes biscuits/cookies, cereals, milks etc are all very affordable in various supermarkets here!
Of course, the prices of these items will be even more cheaper if you get it from the wet market - Castle Market!

Several supermarkets / wet market that are located near to the student accommodations where you can get cheap groceries are as below,
-Aldi (located in London Road, near The Forge, Bramall Court, Charlotte Court)
-ASDA (located in Queens Road, just behind Charlotte Court and near to Bramall Court)
-Sainsbury (located in The Moor)
-Poundland (located in The Moor) *everything is £1 here!*
-Castle Market (located behind Primark in Sheffield city centre) *fruits and veges are so cheap here*

* MAJOR PHARMACIES AND BEAUTY STORES

Superdrug beauty store and pharmacy!

Boots beauty store and pharmacy!

In Malaysia, you see major pharmacies such as Guardian and Watsons everywhere.
But in the UK, the major pharmacies here are Superdrug and Boots stores.

The pharmacies here sell varieties of daily goods such as shampoo, body lotion, shower cream, cosmetics, sanitary pads, contact lens solutions, health supplements, medicine and many more.

There are pharmacists in most of the stores too to assist you when you buy your prescribed medicine(in case you have any) here.

And there are always 3 for 2 promotions in store too where you just pay for the price of 2 items for 3 items you buy. It is good as you can share the things you buy with your friends in order to enjoy the promotion.

* EATING OUT IN SHEFFIELD

Well, as I'd mentioned earlier, eating/dining out in restaurant may be not affordable for normal students (with limited budgets like me).
But that doesn't mean you cannot dine out for good food at all.
Just try to arrange with your fellow friends and see whether the whole group can share the costs of the meals.

Like other cities in England, Sheffield has a varieties of different restaurants here ranging from the Indian, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Western, Thai etc.
Most of the time, we need around £4-£8 per person to dine out at these restaurant, depending on what are our orders.

Below are few photos of us dining out for lunch or dinner.

* Chinese Restaurants

In Sheffield, there are two Chinese restaurants that are quite well-known among the students namely HK WOK and NOODLE INN and are always packed with people especially during weekend.

It would cost around £3-£9 per person to eat in Chinese restaurants.
So remember to share the dishes with your friend to save costs! =)

HK WOK

(HK WOK)

Desserts are normally served too after our meals (without extra charges)

(HK WOK) the first steamed fish I had in UK! =)

NOODLE INN

A plate of this costs around £6-£8. But the portion is BIG!! Enough for 2 person to eat. =)

NOODLE INN

* Kebab Restaurants

There are quite a number of restaurant selling kebab in Sheffield, most of them can be seen in Glossop Road or London Road.

They are mostly run by Indians.

There is one particular kebab restaurant we like to visit as it offers the cheapest kebab in town!

It is CHINOS, located in London Road.

One chicken meal like the picture shown below is only £2.50 and the portion is so BIG! so girls, you can just share it with another friend. =)

kebab!
mind you, the portion is really big!

* Western Restaurants

In England, we cannot miss out some typical western food such as fish and chips, steaks, lamb chop etc.

Good news is there are two restaurants located just beside the university that offer set lunch 2 for £6.50 ONLY (including plain water)!!

And of course, we went for this deal especially after our usual PASBD session on Friday to reward ourselves to compensate with the heavy workloads we have. haha.

2 FOR £6.50!!
meaning each of this is only £3.25, including plain water. good deal eh?

remember to dine out with your bunch of good friends!
the more the merrier!! =)

******************************************************

-Things you should bring/not bring from Malaysia*

RECOMMENDED NOT TO BRING (NOT TO BRING SO MUCH OF IT) FROM M'SIA :

-Rice (1kg pack of white rice is around £0.60-£0.70, can be found in Aldi or Sainsbury Basic)
-Biscuits, Chocolates, Peanut Butters, Breads (they are very affrodable here with lots of flavours and brands sold here, you can even get a pack of cookies for 40p here)
-Chilli sauce, Ketchup, Pasta Sauce (Maggi chilli sauce is sold in ASDA, priced around £1.50 each ; ketchup is much cheaper here, mostly priced less than £1.50, as well as other salad cream)
-Shampoos and shower cream (unless the one you are using is very hard to find in the rest of the world except Malaysia, if not, pls bring the least shampoo/shower cream to UK as they are sold at affordable prices here. i.e. Loreal Paris conditioner is only £1.50 during sale)
-Tooth Paste (the price of tooth paste here is £1-£1.50 for Colgate brand, almost the same as in Msia after conversion. Sensodyne is sold here too)

-For girls
- sanitary pads/panty liners (rest assure these things are sold at very affordable price here, even cheaper than in Malaysia. Pantyliner is priced as low as 50p for 30 pantyliners while a box of 20 sanitary pad here is around £1.50-£3)
- bras and panties (these things are sold at very affordable price here! sometimes you can get £10 bras from La Senza during sale!)

RECOMMENDED TO BRING FROM M'SIA :

-MILO, Nescafe 3 in 1, Old Town White Coffee (coffee pack and hot chocolate sold here maybe different from the one selling in Malaysia in terms of taste and flavours, recommended to bring from Malaysia.)
-Garlic (Garlics are so expensive here!! 3 for £1, so make sure you bring more from Malaysia!!)
-Contact lens solution (Please bring more to last your usages for 3 ++ months as the contact lens solution here are quite expensive)
-Skin Care and cosmetics (Although there are way more cosmetic brands and skincare brands selling here but not all suits our skin right. So for safety purpose, bring some!)

-Pens/Liquid Paper/Highlighter (Stationeries sold here are affordable but it may not suit your needs especially those pens that you are familar in using it , so bring some from Malaysia)
-Papers (line papers/A4 papers to be used for our homeworks can be expensive here compared to Msia, after conversion)

-Instant Noodles i.e. Maggie Mee, Shin Ramen etc (Quite expensive here, recommend to bring more from Malaysia)

-Bak Kut Teh seasoning, Chinese herbal soup pack (Hard to find here, bring more)

Traveling around UK AND EUROPE

2011-08-29T18:05:00.004+08:00

During the 3-4 months stay in UK, you should grab this golden opportunities to travel around cities in UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland).

There are many choices of transportation to get you to your destinations.
They are the trains, coaches, taxis, rented cars, local buses, tram, London tube, Ryanair/EasyJet flight etc!

1) Getting around cities in UK.

Transportation such as trains, National Express Coach, MegaBus, rented cars can be used to go to the destination of your choice.

How to get the ticket?
- Just go to their respective websites.
- Choose your destinations and travel time.
- Pay online by debit card or credit card.
- Print the ticket out / Sync to your smartphone/iPad to show the driver before you board.
- You can go to their counters too located in each city's coach station or railway station to buy the tickets.

Based on my personal experiences, *pls click the blue link to their website*

-Train - return tickets to cities like Manchester, Liverpool, York may costs around £15-£20. (most expensive traveling option IMO)
**you may need to buy a railcard for more discounts if you choose to travel more by train**

-National Express Coach - return tickets to cities like Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, York may costs around £6.50 - £15

-Megabus - this is so far the cheapest option of traveling, single journey ticket price can be priced as low as £1. But need to book far more in advance! (fret not, the seats are as comfortable as National Express Coach)

2) Getting around in Sheffield.

During your stay in Sheffield, you may be interested to explore around the places here which are impossible to reached by our very own foot.

Hence, there are a few options to consider to take you to your destinations within Sheffield.

They are :
- SuperTram
Traveling by tram may be expensive for students, but it is faster than the local buses. Price of a single journey ticket range from £2.30.

- Taxi/Cab
Taxi could be a cheap option to travel especially when you're traveling in groups.
Based on my personal experience, journey between the student accomodation and the city centre by cab is around £5.
In UK, each cab is a 6 passengers seater. so you can divide the fares among friends.

- Local bus (First)
Local buses stops at Sheffield's Interchange Station which is just next to the railway station and our university city campus.
Based on my experiences (To Longcroft Road for strawberry picking farm), return journey costs around £1.20.
Hence, it is considered quite affordable to travel by the local bus!
However, remember to show your student ID to the bus driver when you purchase a ticket so that you can get student price instead of normal adult price.

- City Freebie bus

Its FREE! yay! to travel around the city centre by this bus.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1) Europe trip/Scotland trip/Land's End trip/ UK city day trip

**This is important!**

During our stay in UK, we are certainly interested to travel to places outside England such as Scotland (UK), Land's End/Wales (UK) or even Europe.

Rest assure that there are tour management companies such as Tong Hang Tour Management Company (ABTA member) which provide various tours (Europe trip/Scotland trip/Land's End trip/ UK city day trip) for students like us at affordable prices.

One important thing to put in mind is, be wise when choosing your tour agency so that you can travel to here and there happily and safely.

''Be wise'' here means choose the tour agencies which are members of ABTA the Travel Association.

As a member of ABTA, it provide double protection to the customers. In the unlikely event the company go bankruptcy, the customers are protected against the money that have paid. Customers either can receive full refund or ABTA will take over the tours and run it as per itinerary.

Some other travel agencies that organize tours and trips for students may not be ABTA members! so please choose wisely when you are being approached by other tour agencies.

Some of the students may be approached by other tour agencies (not Tong Hang) for Europe trip etc during their studies in TARC, even before they depart to UK, and being asked to place deposits. (I was being approached during March 2011, 3 months before I go to SHU)

Well, relax and there's no need to be so rush for all the trips deposits and stuff.

Just choose your tour agency when you reach Sheffield.

You can still enjoy the early bird discount by Tong Hang when you arrive here in Sheffield.

The university will collaborate with tour agencies to organize an informative tour briefing to the students during the orientation week.

After the briefing, then only you decide which tour agency you should follow for all the trips. =)

I'd personally followed a trip to Scotland organized by Tong Hang in mid-August 2011. And I am pleased to say that the trip was awesome with our friendly and experienced tour guide - Ellen.

Will be following Tong Hang again for my 14D13N Europe trip (£789 ONLY) during mid September. can't wait for it! =)

2) UK city day trips

Talking about UK city day trips, you can either follow the trips organized by the university's student union or Tong Hang (if you do not want to travel yourself).

During my stay here, I'd followed most of the city day trips organized by the university's student union.

To and fro coach ticket for each city is only £10! which is much cheaper than any other option of transportation in UK (National Express coach or train).

*You will need to buy the trips ticket from THE HUBS (the university's student union) during your orientation week here before they are sold out*

During the summer semester, most probably we will be going on city day trips in various major cities in England on every Saturday by coach provided by the university.

Maps of every city will be provided to students too on the coach to guide us during our visit to the cities.

Click here for my UK city day trips experience!

I'd explored most of the major cities in England during my summer semester and I must say those trips were awesome!! =) *wink*

Student Accommodations

2011-08-29T13:00:00.002+08:00

*Student Accommodations for TARC Summer School Degree Programme Students*

Students from TAR College who successfully enrolled into Sheffield Hallam University's Summer Degree Programme will be allocated to these few student accommodations upon arrivals.

You will be staying in Sheffield for more than 3 months!
Thus, student accommodations , your very own room, your flatmates play significant roles in your everyday life in Sheffield, so make sure you enjoy your stay! =)

The accommodation fees we are paying is around £1190 for 3 months.
So ita around £90++ per week.

The student accommodations provided are :
-The Forge
-Bramall Court
-Charlotte Court (the one I am currently staying! =) )
-Trigon
-Victoria Hall
-Opal One

Every student accommodation listed above are located within walking distance with the university's city campus.

There is a common area/common room in each student accommodation for you to hang out with friends, enjoy the wifi, watch tv (if there is no tv in your flat), held discussions etc.

Each room is furnished with a single bed, wardrobe, a desk or worktop and a chair.
All rooms provided have en-suite bathrooms, means everyone has their personal bathroom, no sharing of bathroom required.
Bedsheets, pillow sheets and comforter are provided to each student too.

Each flat have six rooms and can accommodate up to six occupants.
In each flat, you will find a living area (with sofas, coffee table, or maybe plasma TV) and a kitchen for you to cook your meals.
In the kitchen, there are electrical appliances (varies according to different student accommodations) such as oven, microwaves, stoves, freezer, refrigerator, basins etc.
For TARC Summer School students, each of the student will be provided a mug, plate, cutlery, pot and a frying pan. Hence there is no need to bring these things from Malaysia. =)

Sometime, the student accommodation's management team may run a spot check randomly to student flats too to ensure hygiene and cleanliness of the kitchen and living area.
Those flats which were found dirty will be given a warning letter.
So please keep everything clean after using. =)

Below are few pictures of the student accommodations listed above. Enjoy!

Bramall Court

*****

Charlotte Court

Charlotte Court

Charlotte Court (my room!) =)

****

Opal One

Opal One

****

The Forge

The Forge

****

Trigon

*****

Victoria Hall

Birmingham ♥

2011-08-29T09:00:00.039+08:00

Saturday 27th August 2011

So right after our Scotland trip from 21/8/2011-25/8/2011, we went for another day trip to Birmingham on the Saturday.

As you can see that our Saturday is always occupied by trips, trips and trips!

This time we took Megabus to Birmingham from Sheffield.

Guess what, the return ticket (to and fro) is only £5 for Megabus!

It is even more comfortable than National Express coach and have toilet attached to the bus too.

To get cheap ticket, you will need to book the ticket in advance on its website.

And Megabus stops in Meadowhall Interchange, thus you will need to take the train (just one station from Sheffield city centre) or bus to go back to Sheffield city centre.

Our bus set off sharp at 6.30am in the morning! I know we are early! I mean, like way too early to go somewhere.

And the journey takes two hours.

And thanks to Xin Ling and the rest who brought us walking around Birmingham city, Aston Villa Football Club and helped us to snap tons of photos. =)

Most of them are students from TARC who are currently pursuing master programme in Birmingham City University.

Below are the attractions in Birmingham that we had visited for the day :

- Bullring, Birmingham

The Bull Ring is a major commercial and shopping area located in the heart of Birmingham city.
There is a iconic golden bull statue in front of the shopping complex main entrance.
Like other shopping complex in England, Bullring houses a lot of fashion brands for you to shop till you drop.
It houses one of the only four Selfridges department stores, fourth largest Debenham stores and even the first Forever 21 store in Europe!

- Town Hall Birmingham / Victoria Square

all of us, in front of Birmingham city Town Hall.

Flatmates of Flat 11, Charlotte Court!! =)

me, Darling Mic and Xin Ling (our friend studying in BCU)

Xin Ling and me.

Darling Mic and me, with Town Hall Birmingham in our background.

street view in Birmingham.

**********************************************

- Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Located in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham.
This museum and art gallery houses over 40 galleries that display art, applied art, social history, archaeology and ethnography.
Admission into this museum and art gallery is FREE! =)

Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

- Symphony Hall, Birmingham

We walked pass the Symphony Hall while we were on our way to another attraction - Brindley Place.
Symphony Hall presents prestigious international orchestras and is also home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
The Hall also plays an important role in the life of the region and is regularly used for community events, graduation ceremonies and conferences.

in front of the Symphony Hall, Birmingham

******************************************

- Brindley Place, Birmingham

It is a is a large mixed-use canalside development, in the Westside district of Birmingham.
You can see lots of canal boats crossing the river here. =)

Brindley Place! nice scenery!

all of us, by the canalside! =)

****************************************

- Chinatown, Birmingham

Another chinese quarter located in the south side of Birmingham city.
Like usual, we tried to find the Chinatown arch to take photos as memory but to no avail. Thats mean there is no Chinatown arch in Birmingham. haha.

The main purpose we come to the Chinatown here is to find the restaurant who provide Chinese food buffet for £6.
Eat as much as you can for only £6, this is a great deal!! isn't it?! hehe.
So, we had our lunch there. =)

on our way to ChinaTown.

this is the place where we had £6 buffet lunch! =)
BIG WOK it is!!

the food tasted okay, there are over 60 dishes here including cakes, desserts, noodles, fruits, ice creams etc.

the interior of the restaurant, typical chinese restaurant design.
everyone is so full after the meal, can hardly walk. =/

*******************************************

- Aston Villa Football Club

So after lunch at Big Wok, the rest of the gang decided to go shopping in BullRing, while me, Darling Mic and Wayne chose to follow Xin Ling to visit Aston Villa Football Club which is located 10 minutes from Birmingham city centre by train.

To go to Aston Villa Football Club, buy a train ticket to Witton from Birmingham's New Street Station. The return ticket is around £1.95.
Once you reach Witton station, get down and the football club is just located 5 minutes away from Witton train station.

I am not quite familiar with this football club but I always heard Darling Mic mentioned about it during our mamak football match session.
He was the one who insisted Xin Ling to bring him here to Aston Villa FC! *typical football fan* haha.

on the way to Aston!

Aston Villa FC!
of course the size of the stadium cannot compete with the size of Old Trafford of Manchester United.

hardcore football fan.

we were lucky as the person in charge allow us to go into the VIP room to see the stadium. =) and its FREE!

in the VIP room.

Darling Mic and me.

Is the word on the jersey looks familiar to you? =)
I got to say WOW when I saw this.
Genting Casino is the main sponsor for Aston Villa FC and even have the company logo printed on the jersey!!

**************************************

- Birmingham City University, Perry Barr.

The place where some of the TARC students are currently pursuing their master degree here in Birmingham.
BCU campuses are scattered all around the city and the one they are currently attending is the City North Campus.

The campus looks quite worn out and old to me.
Luckily my decision to pursue my degree in SHU was correct!!! =)

the City North Campus.

buildings around the campus.

The student accommodation they are currently staying.

XinLing's room.
Darling Mic captured these photos. I bet she will go crazy if she see the pictures of her room being published here. haha.

There is no attached bathroom like our student accommodation in Sheffield.
meaning they have to share toilets. how worse is that!

Had a few chatting session with the rest of TARC people in BCU during our one hour visit to their student accommodation.
Tiring day! We went home by Megabus and reached Sheffield a quarter before 10 at night.

This would be the very last city day trip for us.
Finally finished exploring all the major cities in England!! *sigh of relief*

Final exams, assignments deadlines are fast approaching!
We will be having our final exams on the 12th and 13th of September.

Will be going for Europe Trip following that and 6D5N London Trip right after our Europe trip.

Till then, au revoir! =)

Leeds ♥

2011-08-29T08:25:00.006+08:00

Saturday 20 August 2011

As you may notice, we have been traveling to different cities in England every Saturday since week 2 we arrived in Sheffield.

As the uni's student union did not organize a trip to Leeds, hence we go on our own to Leeds by National Express Coach.
This time, just 5 of us went together. Me, Darling Mic, Yih Ying, Darryl and Crabby.

I can say that out of so many cities in England we went, Leeds is located the nearest to us.
It takes around 40 minutes by coach to reach Leeds city from Sheffield city.
The return coach ticket by National Express Leeds-Sheffield is £6.50.

Well, in my opinion, if you love shopping, you should come to Leeds then. haha.
Leeds is another modern city with modern looking buildings all around and is very different from cities like York etc.

The attractions in the city are located quite close to each other, hence after visiting all the tourist spots in Leeds, we still have plenty of time to do our shopping in the city centre.

Below are few places that we had visited during our trip to Leeds,

- Victoria Quarter

Shopping paradise where you can find lots of branded goods here!!
Housed in elegant Grade 11* listed buildings and home to 76 of the worlds leading fashion and lifestyle brands such as Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Mulberry, LK Bennett, Reiss, Liz Earle and of course Harvey Nichols, the Victoria Quarter is justifiably renowned as one of the country's finest shopping destinations.

Located within walking distance to Leeds coach station and is just opposite Leeds city market.

Shopping districts in Leeds are considered big too.
Most of the shopping areas and retail shops such as TK Maxx, Primark, HnM, Marks and Spencer are located not far from here.

**********************************************************

- Leeds Art Gallery

The art gallery houses a world class collection of 20th century British art and presenting exciting temporary exhibitions.
Admission is FOC!

As we do not quite fancy about art, so it was a short stay in the art gallery for us. hehe.
Great collection though in the art gallery.

BEST ANSWER EVER!
answer from a smart kid! =D

*********************************************************

- Leeds Town Hall

Located at The Headrow, and it is just located next to Leeds art gallery.
Saw some wedding going on there.
I bet summer is the best season to get married as I saw wedding ceremonies going on IN EVERY TOWN HALL OF EVERY CITY I'D BEEN ON EVERY SATURDAY. haha.

the white limo!

We actually went into the limo thanks to the driver for letting us go inside the limo and experience it. haha.
Initially, the guys - Mic and Darryl were just curious about it and kept ''hovering'' beside the limo to have a look and pose for pictures.
Then the driver saw us and invited us to go in the car to ''FEEL'' the feeling of being in a limo.
We were so surprised for the invitation as the limo was meant to fetch the bride and bridegroom.

It was a funny experience - FEEL the limo. =)

us, inside the white limo! =)

Leeds Town Hall

me, with Leeds Town Hall in the background.

And then we walked further up and saw this nice looking building.
Kept snapping photos of it and surprisingly it came to our attentions after seeing the sign board that stated this is a hospital.
Never seen such nice hospital before. Its nice but for sure we wouldn't want to stay in there. LOL!

me and Yih Ying.

the hospital.

darling Mic.

********************************************************

- Leeds Civic Hall

It is a very nice building located in Milennium Square, just right opposite Leeds City Museum.
The building structure is unique and there a few golden owl sculptures surrounding the building too.

can you see the golden owl sculpture on the right? =)

lovely summer! lovely flowers!

Yih Ying , Crabby and me. =)

ALL OF US.

*********************************************************

- Leeds City Museum

Admission to the museum is FOC.
It is located in Milennium Square, just right behind the city's town hall.

The collection exhibited in the museum is interesting, at least interesting than the art gallery.
There is a ''Life on Earth'' gallery , a natural history gallery where you can find the preserved animals here.
There is also an '' Ancient Gallery '' as well where real mummies can be seen there too. They looked creepy for me, thats why I didn't take any photos of those mummies. haha!

Leeds City Museum.

LOL!!

some dancing festival exhibition in the museum.

Yih Ying.

I dont love leopards but I love their prints!!! =)

having our own cooked lunch! =)

the view of Leeds Town Hall from Milennium Square.

Leeds Town Hall. (view from Milennium Square)

*************************************************************

-St Anne's Cathedral

Situated in the heart of the Leeds city centre and contrasts with the surrounding new office blocks and the Victorian Town Hall.
Located in St Anne's street and also within walking distance from Milennium Square.

It is a beautiful cathedral. saw another wedding going on there as well! =)

Yih Ying, me, Crabby.
can you spot the bride in white near the cathedral entrance behind us? =)

in McD. noming on our vanilla cone.

camwhoring with the iPad while waiting for Darryl and Crabby to finish shopping.

part of our shopping loots.
Darling Mic shopped a lot today! hah! =)

peace.
thanks for visiting! more blogposts coming up after this. =)

Costs :
National Express return ticket Leeds-Sheffield - £6.50

the 10th week and dinner session with Andrew.

2011-08-29T03:31:00.007+08:00

15 - 21 August 2011

It is the 10th week of the summer semester!
This is our very last week for both the lectures and seminars (tutorial classes).
We will be having our study leave after this for around 3 weeks and final exams are approaching.
My final exam date for both Corporate Finance and Strategic Management Accounting is on the 12th and 13th of September 2011.

Below are few pictures taken on week-10! Enjoy! =)

with Joan, our tutor during seminar for Strategic Management Accounting.

with Rob, one of our assessors for PASBD.
he is a cute guy and can't believe he is 31-yr-old already.

funny pose! =D
He likes to ''QC'' the photos we took with him everytime right after taking pic.

Dinner with Andrew on Wednesday's evening (18 Aug 2011).
So he came over to Flat 60 in Charlotte Court for dinner with us.

LOL seriously this easy going + hamsap (he claimed himself as hamsap!! haha) dude who loves Old Town White Coffee plays a big part of my memory during the whole summer course.

This summer course would not be fun without Andrew fooling around (bobbins here and there) with us on facebook, response/try his very best to help if we face any problem or when we have any request (he solved quite many of my requests for his helps before this), joking with us with all the weird and funny Mandarin/Cantonese he had learnt and a lot more. hahaha!

Talking about Andrew Firecracker to those who attended SHU Summer Degree Programme (even those of previous years) , and everyone will go ''ooooh I know Andrew! ''. haha. =D

Awesome dinner session with Andrew darling.

Cooked few chinese/asian dishes for him, i.e. bak kut teh, chicken herbal soup, stir fry pork, stir fry veges, prawn omelette, black soya sauce chicken etc.
Hope he likes these dishes. LOL.

everyone is busy eating.
the bak kut teh cooked overnight by Edwin is awesome!

Andrew and the dudes.

Andrew and me^^

Cath . Andrew . Edwin

with the ladies.

Still have 2 more weeks to go before my course ended.
Great memories I have this summer! Everyday is full of great memory.
Feel so reluctant and hope that the clock can tick slower. =/

Scotland trip. stay tuned!

2011-08-29T03:30:00.004+08:00

Just came back from Tong Hang's 5D 4N trip in Scotland.

Scotland is such a beautiful place with breathtaking sceneries and so fun to explore!
Visited cities/town Edinburgh (the nicest city I'd ever seen), Glasgow, Inverness, John O Groats (most nothern part of UK mainland), Loch Ness, Fort William, Isle Of Skye, Lake District etc and went hiking to Old Man of Storr, looking at Harry Potter's train at Glenfinnan Viaduct etc.
Tiring trip but happy! =)

And one good news is I'd passed my ACCA last two remaining professional papers.
I am officially an ACCA affiliate now!
weeeee =) no more tough exams!!

The result was released on Monday 22 Aug 2011 when we were on our way to ship cruising at John O' Groats.
Initially, we planned not to check the results on the whole trip. But some friends in the bunch couldn't resist the temptation and start checking it. so the whole bunch were tempted and all of us checked our results following tht.

Felt so happy as I passed all the papers in first attempt and in one shot, no need to resit any paper.
Hard works paid off! =) *happy can fly* hehehe.

Stay tuned for full blogpost for my Scotland trip. so many pictures and so many things to pen down. =)

Sheffield United vs Walsall

2011-08-28T20:01:00.008+08:00

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Two days right after watching the exciting BWF World Championship in Wembley, London, we went to watch another football match which was between Sheffield Utd and Walsall.

People were asking why on earth we would spend our money on such not-so-famous football team, but not going for matches played by Manchester United etc.

According to a friend who just went to watch the match between Manchester United vs Arsenal, ticket to matches like Manchester Utd vs Arsenal for English Premier League would cost at least around £43, and you need to be a member of Man-U Old Trafford Stadium (annual charges apply) first in order to buy the match ticket, plus transportation cost to and fro Manchester.
It would costs a bomb and not that worth it especially for a non football fan like me. =)

But if you're a real Man-Utd fan or any other strong football teams such as Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC etc, you should just go for it!
It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience instead of sitting at the mamak store back in Malaysia to watch football match. hehe.

Well, this is just for an experience. An experience to watch football match live in England. haha!
And the ticket for the match is much more cheaper than those major matches in English Premier League.
The ticket just costs £12 per person and the stadium where the match is held is just 5 minutes walk from Charlotte Court, the place I am staying currently. hehe.
So this is why we chose to go to this match instead.

You can even bet for the game too before the match starts.
Betting or gambling is legal in UK, not like in Malaysia, you will get caught if you bet or gamble outside casinos in Genting Highland or on the cruises. haha~

First half of the game was boring as nobody scores a goal.
But not until the second half of the game where players from both the teams started to score for goals!

It is very different watching the football games with those angmohs.
Sheffield people really support their own team by wearing the football club's jersey and sang their very own football club's songs all along the match.
And people who watched football here are aggresive too. LOL.
They would scold and curse the opposite team's couch or yelled at those players if the team they supported missed a goal or when the opposite team players do something that hinders the football team they are supporting from scoring.

It was a really fun experience indeed.

And we supported for Sheffield United, of course. =)
The final result is Sheffield United 3 - 2 Walsall.
Yay! Sheffield won! Great!
Went home with no disappoinment on the match. =)

Sheffield Utd football team is also known as The Blades.
And this is the football stadium which is located just 5 minutes walk from Charlotte Court (my dorm).

People buying food and placing bets before the game starts.

all of us.
Mic, me, Wayne, Yih Ying and Cihui.

Wayne and Yih Ying, with their tickets. =)

Cihui and her ticket. =)

0-0

Quite a lot of people turned up for the match.
More than half the stadium was occupied.

Walsall football team.

Both teams shaking hands. (Sheffield Utd is the one with red/white stripes jerseys)

some injuries during the match.

half time.
welcoming Sheffield Utd's youth team in dark grey jackets.

wayne and Darling Mic.

all gancheong supporters! haha

still left 22 minutes more. and there there Sheffield Utd just scored another goal! catching up on Walsall!

players continue playing.

another goal from Sheffield Utd, resulted in 3 vs 2 of Walsall. =D
We are leading ahead!! =)

the game ends! everyone stands up cheering for the winning team! =)

darling and me before leaving.

darling Mic.

yours truly.
great match I'd watched. =)

visited SUFC's merchandise store before we head home.
above us is the logo of SUFC.

Cihui, Yih Ying and Wayne.

one last picture, me and Mic in front of SUFC stadium.

Costs:
SUFC vs Walsall match ticket - £12
**You can book the ticket online on their website - here
or buy it directly from the football club (SUFC stadium).**

London ♥ - BWF Yonex World Badminton Championship 2011

2011-08-26T20:27:00.008+08:00

Saturday 13th August 2011

Went to London for 2D1N to catch the World Badminton Championship 2011 final match in Wembley Arena!

prepare yourself for the badminton world championship 2011! =D

As I am quite familiar with London while the rest of the gangs are first timers in London. Hence I brought them to few places for sightseeing.

Short sightseeing in places in London such as Buckingham Palace, Camden Town, Picadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Chinatown London etc on Saturday.

We bought the London tube unlimited travel day pass for £7.30.
With this day pass, you can use London tube as many time you wish to go to any places located on London Tube Map.

Single trip ticket for tube is not cheap. So it is advisable that you buy the London tube unlimited travel day pass if you want to travel around using the tube.

Buckingham Palace was so packed with tourists! =.=
We didn't stay on here any longer as there were too many people.

Took the tube to Wembley Park station.
Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena are located within walk distance to the Wembley park tube station (Zone 4, North West London).

Wembley Stadium which has the largest roof covered seating capacity in the world.

LOLLL. posing on the winners podium. =D

We were staying in Greenman Hotel.
Its just a 1 star hotel located above a pub.
The hotel is clean and cheap and most important thing is it is near to Wembley Arena.
10 mins walk to Wembley Arena.

in our hotel.
this is the room where me, Mic, Yih Ying and Cihui are staying.
Danny and the rest are staying in another room.

Camden Town.
Located in Zone 2 of London.
Just stop at Camden Town tube station on the Northern Line (Black) in Zone 2.

Been here numerous time with the family before this.
Its a special place with lots of punks around and cool unique shops selling cool stuff.
Amy Winehouse was from Camden Town too.

Camden Town.

Darling Mic @ Camden Lock.

There are lots of Asian food stalls in Camden Town handing out free sample of food for you to try.
One pack of rice (as shown in the pic above) costs around £4.

taking our dinner along Camden Lock.

Regents Canal, Camden Lock.

upper left : pineapple juice in a pineapple bought by Danny.
lower left : cool Adidas panda shoes! it costs a bomb too! =/
right : eeeeew. see that? Kangaroo Burger! can you people not to be soo cruel?!
Kangaroos are cute. pls dont eat them.

London China Town

If you are a Chinese, no matter you are from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan or any place in the world.
And when you are in London, you as a Chinese, should not miss this!
You can discover the Chinatown area of London close to Leicester Square, west of the Charing Cross Road and mainly concentrated around Gerrard Street and Lisle street.

London Chinatown arch! =)
Posing with kungfu style. hahahaha. real posers we are. =D

Darling Mic and mua.

=)

@ Covent Garden.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square, at the heart of London, is one of the city’s most vibrant open spaces.
Located just right in front of the National Gallery.
It is within walking distance from Picadilly Circus.

Trafalgar Square.

The National Gallery.
Admission is FOC.

countdown to London's 2012 Olympic!

all of us! =)

Try to spot these next time when you go to Trafalgar Square, London.
Jom Makan restaurant is located right beside the National Gallery.
Malaysia Tourism London office is right opposite Trafalgar Square.

^_^

the girls. camwhoring using awesome Canon G11.

Darling Mic and me with Trafalgar Square fountain in the background.

yours truly^^

Picadilly Circus.

*********************************************************

Sunday 14th August 2011

Wembley Arena

And not to forget the main purpose we were here!! the final badminton match on Sunday for men single LinDan from China vs Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia!

me and the huge shuttercock.

inside the arena.

Four of us - Mic, me, YihYing and Cihui were so lucky that our seats allocated were in the first 5th rows and the badminton court was so near to us which we can see the players
playing in front of our very eyes so clearly!!
Felt very different watching the match live instead on the telly!

Four of us^^
And yes our seats were this close to the main stage the badminton players are playing in.

The whole arena was packed with lots of people from China! they were aggressive supporters.
We known few new China friends too who were sitting in front of us and they supported LCW. LOLLLL.

Saw some Malaysian supporters there too (in orange) and managed to grab two Malaysian flags from them!

the Malaysian supporters!
yelling their lungs out for LCW.
I think they are being hired by Msian government.
They left the arena right after LCW lose to Lin Dan.

=)

very different from what you see on telly right.

above : standing up 5 times for China's national anthem everytime they win!
below : with some aunties from China. hahaha

supporters of Great Britain!

The highlight of the day was the men single match!!

LEE CHONG WEI VS LINDAN

We were yelling our lungs out to support Lee Chong Wei from Malaysia. hahaha. glad that there were Malaysians yelling together with us too although we did not know where they are sitting.

Both LCW and LinDan were awesome! nice match seriously! and we got to witness Lindan taking off his shirts AGAIN when he won the match. hahaha

Lindan and LCW.

Start playing. this is our view. no zooming.

LCW (Malaysia) won the 2nd place.

Lindan (China) won the men single champion.

Men single winners.

And thanks to the cameraman who stood just right beside of us all the time and keep on pointing the heavy and huge camera at us everytime when LCW earned a points.
hahahaha. this explains why most of the people kept seeing us appearing on telly. LOLL

the strong camera man.

new friends from both China and Malaysia.
from left : Liwen (China), Ryan (M'sia), me, Mu Duan (China) and Carlos (Msia)
They are from University of Hetfordshire, Hatfield London.

Women single champion - Wang Yihan from China (in light green jacket)
Li YongBo, head coach of China's national badminton team.
Got both of their signatures on our tickets!! woohoo.

us, outside Wembley Arena.

No regrets on every single penny spent on the match! awesome experience!!

Costs:
BWF World Championship Ticket - £17.50
Transport to London (National Express) Return Ticket - £15
Greenman Hotel (near Wembley park) - £15 (for one night stay)
London Tube unlimited day travel pass - £7.30

Liverpool ♥ - the Beatles city

2011-08-26T09:46:00.016+08:00

Saturday 6th August 2011

in Liverpool!

The very last day trip SHU student union organized for us.

Spent a lovely day in Liverpool!
No rain, sunny intervals - perfect time to visit the city.

You know, as one of the Beatles fan that I'm could not go to England without going to Liverpool.
And it was a must see!

For people from Msia who are not familiar with this city in England, I believe somehow you may heard of Liverpool FC which is famous.
Yes, this is the city where this FC based in.

Liverpool is located around 2 and 1/2 hours from Sheffield city.
Located in county Merseyside, it is another beautiful modern port city in England. The city is located just beside the sea.

William, a friend who is currently studying in one of the universities in Liverpool became our tour guide in the city.
He was about to catch a football match between Liverpool FC and some other football team in the later afternoon.

Thanks for his help and his willingness to come out and walk with us despite that he need to be a little bit rush to walk with us so that he can catch the football match later on. =)

We started our day with a visit to - Albert Dock / Tate Liverpool / ECHO Arena/ Port of Liverpool Building, Liverpool The Albert Dock is a complex of dock buildings and warehouses.
The scenery along the place is idyllic.

And same with Manchester, Liverpool also has its own ferris wheel called the Big Wheel which is positioned on the piazza outside ECHO Arena.

In Liverpool, at the corner of some streets, you can see Superlambanana sculptures, painted in various colors.

We took a stroll along the port of liverpool before we entered into the city centre.

yours truly

some convention centre

nice!

my bestie - Yiee Tiee and darling Mic. =)

us.

Liverpool very own ferris wheel - Big Wheel on my back! =)

closer view.

there was some car testing going on along this lane.

again. yours truly and da Big Wheel!

Albert Dock

duck boat!
the boat which can be used on both land and water! awesome.

Tate Liverpool.

walking towards Museum of Liverpool.
didn't go into this museum as we were rushing for lunch.

Darling Mic with the superlambanana sculpture!

Port of Liverpool building in the background. =)

side view of Port of Liverpool Building.

******************************************************************

- The Beatles Story Exhibition, Liverpool

Located within Liverpool’s historic Albert Dock and the Pier Head, the award winning Beatles Story is a unique themed visitor attraction which takes guests on an exciting and atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Beatles. *source from Wiki*

I was so excited to see the exhibition centre of Beatles as I like their songs a lot apart from my all time favourites ABBA and Air Supply.
But too bad I cant afford the entrance ticket price which is around £12.95.
But if you are a one of Beatles' die hard hardcore fans. then you should really not miss this chance to go into the exhibition centre.

The Beatles Story!
A must visit for Beatles fans out there!

long queue ahead! =/

The Fab Four.
From left : Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul Mc Cartney.

cihui and the beatles with her Costa hot chocolate.

*********************************************************

-Lunch @ Cafe Sports Express!

all of us =)

me and my choc fudge cake with vanilla ice cream.

Yvonne + Sushi

Mandy.

*****************************************************

-The Liverpool Cathedral

One of the longest church building that is a cathedral in world.
It took over 70 years to build this super huge cathedral.

The cathedral's belltower is also the largest, and also one of the tallest in the world.
It is just located not far from Chinatown, Liverpool.
The architecture and the interior of this cathedral are magnificent!
Words can describe its awesomeness. You must come in and experience yourself.

Entrance into this cathedral is FOC.

the view of the cathedral from ground level.

the girls and William! =)

The Lady Chapel was the first part of the cathedral to be completed. It is noticeably more elaborate than the rest of the cathedral and retains features of Scott's original Gothic design, whilst also showing the influence of George Frederick Bodley. *source: wiki*

the ladies.

Darling Mic and mua! =)
outside of the Cathedral.

*******************************************

- Chinatown, Liverpool

The Chinatown in Liverpool (利物浦唐人街 ) is located near the city centre's southern edge close to Liverpool Cathedral, and is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe. The arch located at the gateway is also the largest, multiple-span arch of its kind outside of China.

The Chinatown arch is much more bigger than the one in Chinatown, London and Manchester.

中国城

all of us. with the Chinatown arch in the background.

***********************************************

- The Liverpool City Centre

Speaking about shopping, there's no reason not to love Liverpool's shopping districts.
There a lot of things to see and buy around here. and of course the shopping areas are much bigger than the one in Sheffield city. haha

me and darling granny Yvonne.

lovely Cihui.

********************************************

In some souvenir shop.
Most of the souvenir shops here can be seen selling Beatles related products.

some Beatles tee shirt

other Beatles related merchandises.

Darling Mic cranking out his own coin penny.
There are varioud penny design to choose from.
All you need is £1, the cost to use the machine and 1p coin for your pressed penny.
It is a good thing to collect as souvenirs.

Sushi's and Yvonne's pressed penny. =)
the Beatles pressed penny on the left is nice!!

found my name! =)

*********************************************

Costs :
Student union Liverpool coach ticket - £10
Fridge magnet souvenir - £3

Manchester & Manchester United Old Trafford Stadium ♥

2011-08-26T09:44:00.003+08:00

Saturday 30th July 2011

Another Saturday day trip again.
We are going to Manchester this time!
The 3rd largest urban area/city in England right after Birmingham. It is located just 1 hour from Sheffield city.

*********************************************************************
M.A.N.C.H.E.S.T.E.R U.N.I.T.E.D F.C.
O.L.D T.R.A.F.F.O.R.D S.T.A.D.I.U.M

inside the stadium of Manchester United FC! =)

Speaking about Machester, one thing you cannot miss is the world famous Manchester United FC - Old Trafford Stadium (Theatre of Dreams) which is located 10 mins from the city centre.

This is one of the must-go places if you happen to travel around England especially football fans.
I believe the stadium one of the dream place for MU fans out there like Darling Mic. haha.
It has the capacity to house over 75,000 spectators, and is the second-largest capacity of any English football stadium after Wembley Stadium, London.

*more info here*

Man. U's signature color - Red, can be seen everywhere especially the seats in the stadium and on its merchandises sold in the football club's megastore.

To watch a football match in Old Trafford, you need register as a Man-U member first (around £3o), then bid for the ticket for the match you desire to watch (one ticket is around £43 for home match).
*this is according to a friend who went to watch some of the match of Man-U FC playing in Old Trafford*

The stadium entrance and museum tour entrance fee is £5 each.

The stadium and everything is nice inside but not the tour management of the stadium itself.
I would like to complain that the stadium tour was kind of rush. I dont know why. =(
The tour guide of the stadium kept rushing us to here and there and he didn't even bring us to the player's changing room!!! *argh*
We paid £5 and all we want is more time to see everything in the stadium. =(
They should improve their services seriously.

There is a megastore inside too apart from the museum where all the trophies, players' jerseys, information about the footclub etc are located.
Price of the jerseys (home or away jersey) sold here range from £40. You can even customise your name to be put on the back of the jersey too.

Had a splendid time here except for the tour itself where we weren't being brought to the player's changing rooms.
Enjoy the pics below! =)

the front part of the stadium itself.
there is some construction works going on.

side view

the magic number, 19!!
19th time champion in league titles.

all of us =)

me and the fan clad in one of the Man-U shirt.

all seats in red.
by the way, it is an all seater football stadium.

The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands.

the stadium tour guide.

rawrrrrrr! GOALLLLLL! haha.
we are pretty good actors. =D

some merchandises sold in the megastore.
and they are not cheap!!

=)

stadium museum.
we missed out the player's changing room! due to the lousy stadium tour guide. =( sighhh..

me and Darling Mic again.
he, one of Man. U long time football fans is so excited to be here. LOLL

*************************************************
M.A.N.C.H.E.S.T.E.R C.I.T.Y

After the stadium tour in Old Trafford, it is already noon.
So the coach driver fetch us to the city centre.

The city centre is very big and it is another great shopping heaven too after London as the shopping areas here are big escpecially in Manchester Arndale etc.

Due to time constraints, there are the few places that we managed to visit on the day itself. They are as follows:

- Manchester city Town Hall
Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian-era, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester.
The building functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments.

It is located in Albert Square, walking distance from the main shopping districts.

the Town Hall.

Manchester Town Hall from St. Peter's Square.

- Manchester Art Gallery

Located in Mosley Street.
Free entrance.
The art gallery houses lots of beautiful paintings , collections of glass, silverware, furniture etc.

- Central Retail District i.e. Manchester Arndale, Market street, High street etc.

Featuring the biggest names in fashion, including high street favourites.

cihui and the saxophone man. haha.

The Big Wheel in Exchange square is great fun and a good way to get a look at Manchester and the surrounding area.

4 dudes and the Big Wheel in the background.

Darling Mic and mua!

me and Yvonne darling, finished shopping!
waiting for others who are still trying on clothes in ZARA!
thats why we were late for the coach!

- Chinatown of Manchester city

Made up of oriental businesses including Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Korean restaurants.

Chinatown arch.
The first one I saw in cities outside London.

We had our afternoon tea session at a restaurant called Tai Wu, located near the Chinatown.
I think it is kinda famous here as most of my friends who went to Manchester recommended this restaurant who sell Hong Kong dimsum.

And the dimsum served here is out of my expectation! they seriously taste GOOD!! and affordable too.
One plate of xiu mai / har gao costs around £1.8-£2.

@ tai wu, Chinatown in Manchester City.

above : Yloon, Sushi, Aaron, Yvonne
below : Yih Ying, Cihui, Mandy, Siew Fen

super yummylicious dimsum!!
abalone dimsum on the lower left pic. =)

- John Rylands Library

The John Rylands Library is a Victorian Gothic building on Deansgate in the city centre.

the library.

some people claimed that it has ''Harry Potter's Horgwarts School library'' feel in here.

*****************************************

One crazy memory of this Manchester trip was we were 10 mins late for the coach back to Sheffield.

Most of the uni's coaches had left sharp at 5pm!
Luckily our coach waited for us! Thank God!!! if not, we will need to pay ourselves to go back Sheffield by ourselves.

We ran like crazy people from the city centre to Picadilly Gardens where the coach stops at.
OMG thank God the coach didnt leave!!!
No next time we promise! hahaha.

Costs:

Student union coach ticket and Old Trafford's entrance ticket - £15
Man U souvenirs (fridge magnet) - £3
Dimsum (per person) - £3.70

Nottingham & Sherwood Forest ♥

2011-08-20T07:48:00.001+08:00

Sunny Saturday.

It is our usual Saturday's day trip again and this time we are going to Nottingham, as well as Sherwood Forest, lies at the heart of the Robin Hood legend.

It is located around 1 hour plus from Sheffield.

We are visiting two places in one day.
We spent the first half of the day in the Nottingham city, where we explored the Nottingham Castle, Robin Hood Statue, Brewhouse Yard Museum etc.
And the other half of the day in Sherwood Forest, the place where the awesome 800 year-old Major Oak Tree is located and the place where Robin Hood came from.

As usual, the whole trip was quite rush, hence we didn't get enough time to explore the whole city centre of Nottingham, but only visited the few places that I'd mentioned above.

The whole place is full of Robin Hood statues, Robin Hood legendary tales and Robin Hood related souvenirs etc. haha.
Robin Hood used to be one of my childhood memories as it was one of my favourite cartoon on Disney. hehe.

some of the shopping areas in the city centre.

*********************************************
N.O.T.T.I.N.G.H.A.M C.A.S.T.L.E
A magnificent 17th century ducal mansion built on the site of the original Medieval Castle, with spectacular views across the city. Its history is chequered with sieges, murders and intrigue.
It was converted into the first municipal museum and art gallery outside of London.

Nottingham Castle
*Entrance ticket price for adult - £5.50*

side view of the castle.

all of us =)

the garden of the castle where you can see a grass like Robin Hood statue there.

nice garden

yvonne and mua.

Robin Hood and me! =)

another statue of Robin Hood located outside of the castle.

Robin Hood and me again! =)

all of us =)

yih ying . shannon

going up to the ducal mansion - a magnificent 17th century ducal mansion built on the site of the original Medieval Castle.

inner side of the mansion where the art gallery is placed.

the Golden Prospect paint!

part of the art gallery.

=) great quote.

some drawings by modern artist.

chris and mic.

the back part of the mansion.

from here, you can have spectacular views over the city of Nottingham.

edwin, yihying and me.

me, yvonne, yihying and cihui.

inside the merchandise store of the castle's gate house, playing with the wooden swords with Yloon!
lots of Robin Hood related stuff selling there.
those kids especially boys would love all those wooden bows and swords selling there.

met Javy and Rachel there too during our way out. =)

ice cream babes! =)

all of us again! =)

***********************************************************

B.R.E.W.H.O.U.S.E Y.A.R.D M.U.S.E.U.M
Located at the base of the Castle Rock.
Its a museum that depicts the social h istory of Nottingham over the last 300 years.
Lots of interesting things inside and even a cave underground too. awesome!!!
and the entrance is included with the entrance ticket for the Nottingham Castle.

next stop!

inside the air raid shelter!

Departed to Sherwood Forest, the legendary home of Robin Hood around 1pm. =)

*******************************************
S.H.E.R.W.O.O.D F.O.R.E.S.T

Legendary home of Robin Hood and an awe inspiring nature reserve of ancient oak trees.
It is the house of the largest and most famous oak tree - the 800 year-old Major Oak, that is linked to Sherwood legendary hero Robin Hood.

entrance to Sherwood Forest is FOC! =)
Its a national natural reserve, and its great to spend relaxing time here on a sunny Sunday with greens all around.

Robin Mic. hahaha.

the statue where Robin Hood is fighting with Little John!

can you see another Robin Hood statue behind of us, located among those trees? hah! Told ya, Robin Hood is everywhere in Nottingham.

crazy dude playing with the head chopping thingy.

there there! thats the main purpose I am here in Sherwood Forest.
We need to walk in the forest for like 20 minutes to reach the place where the Major Oak is located.

tadaaaaa! the 800 year-old major Oak Tree!
older than anyone of us here.
its awesome to see a tree of 800 yr-old still going strong and have fresh green leaves on it. haha.

Major Oak tree and me =)

ice cream lengzai!
and Crabby was being attracted by him and there you go!! the ice creams on her and her boyfriend hands. hahaha.(in below picture)

babyLoon trying his hand at longbow archery.
This costs £5 for 8 arrows if I am not mistaken. =)

cute Robin Hood babies. =D

running out of pictures. sorry to bore you with our couple pic again. haha

oh yes, before we went back, we went to the other end of the forest to watch some cricket games going on.
this is actually my first time watching cricket games.
according to Mic, India team ranks the 1st in the world cricket games.

Costs:
SHU student union's tour bus return ticket - £10
Nottingham Castle entrance ticket - £5.50
Nottingham and Robin Hood's fridge magnets - £5.00

Serious riots spread to many cities in England.

2011-08-11T23:54:00.004+08:00

This is probably the worst thing that can happen here in England. =(

The situation now is so serious where everyone is so afraid to go out as anything cause by the riots is life threatening.
I am now seriously doubting on many's thoughts that Britain, being a very safe place to live and travel.

source : BBC

This intense riots, public violence and looting had spread to cities such as London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham etc, causing much damages to these cities.
This is so much serious than the normal protest going on where now the houses, shops, cars are being burnt down, shops are being looted, people being robbed and hurt. I could say that the whole city is in its devastated state now.

I seriously do not understand why these mindless people trashing their own neighbourhood and communities. Some said its because of the shot down of Mark Duggan by the police, some said its because of poverty, social status imbalance, angers etc.
Whatever it is, it is just not right to damage your own neighbourhood like this.

On the brighter side, Sheffield is currently still safe from all these violences and riots but we cannot predict what will happen in the next moment right. God bless Sheffield!!

Most of my friends and my traveling plans were all affected.

We are still considering whether or not to go to London for the BWF World Championship final this weekend as planned. =(
Dad also warned me that it is still dangerous. *headache* =(

Really hope that England can recover back to its previous lovely and safe state.
WORLD PEACE PLEASE. *finger crossed*

♥ @ Norfolk Park, Sheffield.

2011-08-10T08:17:00.003+08:00

One month from now, it will be the 3rd year we decided to be together.. =)
♥ @ Norfolk Park, Sheffield.

Special thanks to Fredostudio, owned by my photographer friend.
*more photos coming up soon*

#dont. stop. the. party

2011-08-10T07:52:00.007+08:00

All works and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

I think our university's staff fully understand the quote above and had been organizing lots of awesome events and parties for us to attend since our arrival. heeh! =)
And not forgetting the first ever La Fiesta Pary at Embrace and A walk to the Peak District which I had blogged earlier on and those day trips on every Saturday.

Well right after both the activities mentioned above, we have another parties - International Welcome Party held at THE HUBS and English Garden Party held at a local British's home around early of July.

In Malaysia, clubbing is considered a so called ''unhealthy'' activity and is not encouraged by the school. People back there tends to look at you in one of a kind (unpleasant way) if you clubbed/partied too much and can even label someone who partied hard as party/clubbing animal.
But hey, we love to dance dance dance and dance, with the help of a little alcohols, nice songs with no drugs, no obscene/unusual scenes going on, so is that wrong? haha.

But here in the UK, students party nights in various clubs are considered a way to socialise, be happy and to release stress and most important thing is CLUBBING SEEMED NORMAL HERE! =)

And I need to mention that the International Welcome Party is held at The HUBS, which is a student union hub belongs to our university. And WOW they can even turned a place for student into clubbing scene with DJs, alcohols, disco lightings etc. AWESOME!

People here might think ''oh , this is just normal, nothing to go hoo-haa about'' but back in Malaysia, it is imposibble to have clubbing scene in uni's or college's compound. and yes, I am serious.

And alcohol here are seriously cheap too.
In Malaysia, you need at least RM500 to club once, but here a bottle of alcohol like vodka mixer or jaggerbombs normally just cost around £1-£3 only.
Some club's entrance here is free of charge while you need at least RM40 for cover charge per person to club in KL. =)

Okay, enough of comparing, haha. Below are few parties/events that I had attended in July/August. which some were held by the university and some were held by La Fiesta crew. ENJOY THEM PICS NOW! THANKS FOR VISITING! =D

24 June 2011 (Friday) - Welcome Party @ Heartspace Cafe, Owen Building

A small welcome party for TARC students with foods and drinks being served.
There were many different types of light finger food being served such as sandwiches, meat stick etc..can't recall those food names. haha.
Enjoyed the tea session and we were all very full gobbling down those sandwiches. =)

us. after class =)

Heartspace cafe, Owen building.

part of the food served. there were lots more.

babyloon trying to facetime with his sister while waiting for the food.

John Parker, our course programme leader with us. =)

********************************************

1 July 2011 (Friday) - International Welcome Party @ THE HUBS

Friday night party again!
This International Welcome Party was held by the student union at THE HUBS.
Can you imagine they turned the uni's student union hub into a clubbing scene?! hahaha. awesome.

ALL OF US =)

everyday i'm shufflin'.

some belly dance performance going on.

with the lovely couple - Henry & Rachel

=D

up left : Pinnee and me.
right : darling Sushi and me.

cute Andrew! EVERYDAY I AM SHUFFLIN! hahaha.

we love parties! =)

one last group shot before we left.
need to leave earlier as we are going to Whitby on the next day.

walking back to Charlotte Court in cold.

****************************

3 July 2011 (Sunday) - English Garden Party

Sunny Sunday again. ♥
Was selected by Andrew (million thank you for giving me this opportunity!) to attend the English Garden Party at some local British's bungalow.
Only 80 people can attend the event and I was one of them.
The whole place is really nice! The private garden behind the bungalow is HUGE. Seriously envy the house owner! hahaha.

Tasted traditional English food such as the yummy scone, crisps, tarts and strawberries served there. and got to see them played traditional English game such as croquet in the front garden of the house too. =)

Besides, it was awesome as we were able to meet and talk to some nice local people there too. and of course learnt some French words from a French guy. and not to forget Dan's awesome magic tricks. LOL

And last but not least, thanks Esther who is a doctor for fetching us to and fro to the party and uni. =)

my beloved close friends =)

in Esther's car. otw to the party.

the house where the party was held.

the back part.

nice! interior of a traditional British's house.
the wall on the right is full of the owner and his family's potraits.

other parts of the house.

with Rose.

my ladies - Yvonne, Yih Ying, Cihui and Rachel =)

another garden right at the back of the house! it is HUGE!

everyone watching the croquet game.
one of the locals was so kind and taught us how to play croquet patiently. hehe

playing croquet.

volleyball session!

volleyball session!

some yummy food served.
strawberries and scones!

and you see lovely Cecelia in pink dress? haha.
she is a mix - British and Chinese. awesome. she is gorgeous.

bible storytelling time! =)

apples! =)

up left : darling Yvonne and me
down left : me and my ladies again =)
right : Yih Ying and lovely Andrew

last but not least, a group photo with Esther who drove us to and fro to the party.

5 June 2011 (Friday) - Fun Friday + La Fiesta Goodbye Summer School Party @ Nocturnal

Went for lunch in a restaurant just opposite the university's main building.
The lunch set is priced at 2 for £6.50.
It is considered a deal for us so we decided to try out after our usual Friday PASBD session. =)

awesome friday gathering and lunch! =)

above : (from left) yih ying, me, mandy, babyloon
bottom : (from left) mandy, babyloon, mic, danny, ke quan, blur ping

food we ordered.
mine was the fish and chips.

some random things in life =)

This is probably the last clubbing session La Fiesta held for us.
It was held in a club called Nocturnal, located somewhere near The Moor, Sheffield.
Not really enjoyed the night though as the club is too small for us, too stuffy and smelly as the crowds get bigger. =(
But I did enjoy the songs played by the DJs and my jaggerbomb as well. heeh! I had 3 shots of jaggerbomb. =D

Party people at Nocturnal club!
I love my jagger bomb! nice!

the usual bunch! =)

darling and me.

my pretty grandma yvonne and moi! =)

babyloon with my beloved gorgeous babes Javy and Rachel!

and one last group shot before we left! =) heeh.

Couple Photoshoot, Norfolk Park

2011-08-09T06:25:00.005+08:00

My first time for couple photoshoot today, @ Norfolk Park, Sheffield! =)
Special thanks to our beloved photographers - Alfred and Karen!
Cant wait to view the real pictures soon. heeh.
=D

York ♥ - of Bettys and the historical attractions.

2011-08-07T23:07:00.006+08:00

17 July 2011 (Cold and rainy Sunday ♥)

York. a very nice place located in the North Yorkshire, about 1 hour journey from Sheffield city.

York city centre.

Missed the first day trip organized by the student union in June.
Heard from my friends that York is a nice place not to be missed. so we decided to go check out York ourselves by National Express Coach.

Chun Lei (my highschool friend who is currently studying in Aberdeen, Scotland) who is happened to be visiting her cousin sis in Sheffield tagged along with us too to York. =)

Had morning tea at the famous Betty's Cafe and Tea Rooms before we start our journey in York.

Covered few places during our visit :

- Betty's Cafe & Tea Rooms (Had our coffee and cakes session here! What an experience! This is really a lovely place especially for high tea with great friends. And there is even a PIANIST playing soothing songs with the piano. Tried the famous blue mountain coffee for the first time thanks to Cihui. The queue was very long and we were lucky as we get to this place very early in the morning so we didn't have to queue. =) )

people queueing up.
luckily we went there early in the morning so we didn't need to queue.

checking out what to eat.

yum yum!
colorful and delicious pastries.

inside the cafe. its already so packed even it is only 10am.

cute teddy bears chocolate. =)

cheryl^^

cheryl and cihui.
with their coffees.

yours truly. with the cake trolley.

everyone enjoyed the food very much.
and the butter on the scones is so smooooth and smell nice! not like the ordinary butter we bought from Aldi. hahaha.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee - first time trying it! BEST and is the most expensive coffee in the menu. ordered by Cihui.
Brazilian Recanto - another nice coffee that Cheryl ordered.

so much better than the one I made. hahaha

=)
highlight of the day.

some macaroon, jasmine tea and Betty's famous ''Fat Rascal'' served warm.

busy eating!

=)

the ladies.

all of us.

- Cliffords Tower (We climbed up to this beautiful tower which stands high next to York Castle Museum. Enjoyed the awesome views over York city even though the wind and rain were strong and cold)

Cliffords Tower.
Located around 10 minutes walk from the city centre.

Cheryl and Cihui

closer view of Cliffords Tower.

3D map on how Cliffords Tower and the York Castle looked like in ancient time.

inside Cliffords Tower.
Charges apply for entrance. Around £3.40 for students.

Mic and Cheryl on the way up to the top part of Cliffords Tower.

can you see me? =)

its so cold up here!

view of York Castle Museum from Cliffords Tower.

- York Castle Museum (Another very nice looking museum. Just located opposite Clifford's Tower.)

charges apply for entrance.
around £8-£9. thus we didnt go in. =)

the geese are everywhere near the Cliffords Tower.
they are not afraid of people! and they smell yuckssss, especially their shits. LOL

- York Minster (the main attraction! a very very large and beautiful Roman-liked cathedral, the architecture and design of the cathedral are superb!)

in front of the magnificient York Minster!
the cathedral is so HUGE!!!
and the architecture for this is SUPERB!

side part of York Minster.

Front part of York Minster.

York Minster and me! =)

Statue of Constantine the Great.

inside York Minster.

huge church it is.

not only its huge, its tall too.

- National Railway Museum (the world's largest railway museum. this is actually the first time in my entire life that I'd seen so many types of old and new trains in one shot.)

£1 for students.
this train will bring you from the city centre to the museum.
walking is alternative, we were too tired to walk, so we went to the museum by this.

National Railway Museum.
Free entrance*

- Lendal Bridge

Lendal Bridge. close view.

York's magistrate court.

York's antique house

- York Designer Outlet (Just 15 mins away from the city center by bus. Almost similar to Cheshire Oaks Outlet which houses lots of designer brands)

To put everything in a nutshell, I love YORK! really a nice place not to be missed!!!

Costs :
National Express coach return ticket - £13.50
Cliffords Tower entrance ticket (students will get 10% discount) - £3.40
Souvenirs : fridge magnet - £2.00
Betty's (each person) - around £5