Missing Manchester

Jenny called me a couple of days ago. The call which was initially for 'official purposes' inevitably end up being gossip-filled (as usual).

We talked about work, and how mundane life has turned out for us. This is in a way true, working life has restricted our liberty to go where ever we desire, when ever we want to! It's clipped our wings and freedom to travel! The thought of skipping a day or two of classes for a long weekend break in Ibiza is now a day-dream!

We talked about how much we missed Manchester and how Europe seems 'untouchable' for us right here, right now; although the GBP has dropped to an all-time low.

We reminisced about her Subway job, my bancuh-kopi job; and how we stuck to those jobs despite the fact that we hated such brainless activities which only required manual labour. I recall having to read till 3am for my thesis, waking up at 6am, and walking to work by 7am, with the MP3 blaring loud music through my ears, armed with a thermos mug of coffee in my hand, making my way through the cold, dark wintry morning to my bancuh kopi place. "Why?"; many of you may ask. The answer is simply;
Job = Money = Travel/Holidays/Shopping!!!!
That was probably the mantra we lived by, and what we swore by for 12 months!

Which reminds me of our stint as tv-commercial extras with Park Ji-Sung. And not forgetting, our experience auditioning for another commercial with him in it, where we had to dance to the tune of Saturday Night Fever (if my memory does not fail me). Lols!!!!

On another note, NS posted a couple of albums in Facebook recently. Chinese New Year in Chinatown and a couple of 'tourist spots' in Manchester. I recalled life as a 'yellow-skinned' in a land of whites. I remembered how confusing it could be trying to explain to people that I'm Malaysian foremost and of Chinese origin. And all the more, how difficult it could be explaining the concept of chinese-go-by-both-their-middle-and-first-names scenario to the Mat Sallehs around. Sometimes I give up but there are times where I would stubbornly insist on them addressing me by both names. :P

As I was looking through her pictures, I could feel myself going, "Hey! That's Nicholas' St. in Chinatown!" "Hey! That's Wong Wong!" "Hey! That's Canal St.!" But perhaps, more strikingly, I went, "Ah, NS.... It's been ages since I saw her!!!!!" and "NS & D, so sweet!!!" :) (Hey, seriously!!!)

Oh well, as for now, (as discussed with Jenny); we've got to contend with AirAsia breaks around the Asian region. So girls, keep an eye on your Facebook invites! ;)

We shall revive the Manchester travel bug; Asian version!

-LV-

For Mel

Happy Birthday missy!!!!!

My shorts: Imported from Belize, with love

Here's one for the album! Those shorts look familiar don't they? I love them!

-LV-

Good Morning Malaysia!

Vyen's CSR corner: Anyone fancies some 'couple t-shirts'?

Check this out http://www.mylovecouple.com/pg4.html.

It belongs to a friend of a friend. I've browsed through it and saw some pretty cute designs.

And no, I'm not getting any commission whatsoever for this :)

___

Hola people!!!!!

Was up and about since 5am this morning.

It's been ages since I last did that...

I could still recall my bancuh kopi days when I had to wake up at 4am to do some reading before heading off for my bancuh kopi job at 9am. I used to take a 45 minute walk to work. So I leave my room at 8am. Ah... those days, of a flask with some hot coffee in my hand, and accompanied by my MP3 player.... the relaxing morning walks to work...

My 'money factory' aka bancuh kopi place:- "D(F)ruckers"

(yup, that's what WE (note, not only me) used to call it)

PS: VCKY, NS - Tolong 'gi sampaikan salam pd 'sahabat baik' saya ;)

And yes, my flatmates used to wake up by 5am, hence, their 'wake-up' early bug did (serba-sedikit) rub into me. *lols* I still remember cursing Mel for going to bed at 8pm!

Anyway, it wasn't that difficult dragging myself outta bed at 5am today, as compared to yesterday and I think it's because of the Clarinase that I took the night before. It tended to make me drowsy previously, but now, I think I get palpitations from it. Hence, I was actually up since 3.25am. My humble opinion tells me that palpitations = hyper-active = cannot sleep much. Same effects as caffeine.

Anyway, I think the palpitations got something to do with age.... Ipoh white coffee makes my heart beat go havoc too!!!!! But then, that 3-in-1 sachet has got a killer dose of caffeine (3 shots I think!). My deduction from a layman's point of view and observation.

Come to think of it, its nice and refreshing to get an early start to the day! I'm actually both a morning and night person, though I tend to prefer mornings.

Alright, time to get started on my 2nd paper for today! Rise and shine people!!!!!

-LV-
*allergies are killing me!

Manchester Monthly Meeting(s)

A rough estimate: We, the Manchester girls do meet up about once a month; which is a good thing! Keep it up.

Along the streets of Manchester, after Spanish Tapas; November 2006
6 minus 1: MW, MW, where art thou???

BUT

We never seem to be able to have a 'family potrait' taken!!!! Maximum number will ALWAYS be 6, selalu kurang 1....

Resolution: Make it 7 the next time we take a group picture!!!

First 'date' was around November, at the newly opened GSC in Pavillion, where we watched "Stardust".

{Picture Missing}

Met up with NS in February. Was nice seeing her again after 6 months. Had a great time talking to her after such a long time.... Hey NS, got pics from that day???

Marmalade; BSV, March/April 2008

6 tolak 1 again! TLo, TLo, where art thou???

(Note to self: Sitting directly in front of the camera=looking fat and huge)

End of March/Early April. CC or more accurately SS came back for a couple of weeks. Met up with her at Starbucks along with TLo and MW; and with her, Jenny, MW, Steph, AK, Jenny at Marmalde; Bangsar Shopping Village the subsequent week. Had TLo not fallen ill on that fateful day, it would have been 'full attendance' i.e. 7 of us.

Korean BBQ, Ampang; 18 May 2008

Had a stressful journey to Ampang *winks* and met up with MW and Steph last weekend for Korean BBQ. Relaxing and good fun.
___

It's nice meeting the girls back 'home' i.e. in Malaysia and perhaps in a different guise i.e. as working women?/adults? :P
The things we do during our get togethers are so different nowadays. It's usually a movie, a dinner/lunch or over coffee and cake now.

During our 'Desperate Housewives' days; Manchester 2007

See! 6 minus 1 again! MW oh, MW where art thou?

Compared to the days back then when we meet up for a gotong-royong memasak bersama dinner, or for MAHJONG!!!! (I miss that!), or for grocery shopping. *lols* We were such 'housewives' then!

And our topic of conversations vary from the discounts available at Tesco; the half price strawberries, the crunchy and sweet grapes at M&S, the Mini-Bites (3 for 2 promotion) at M&S, J's constant cursing of her gila working hours at Subway, my constant cursing of itu pengurus yg teramat sgt bodoh, S's cursing about the loud music nextdoor, dirty flatmates, horrible cleaners....

Ah!!! When next???

-LV-

Housekeeping Duties

The benefits of living in a University accommodation:

1. I don't have to spend 2 hours a week mopping the floors and scrubbing the bathrooms
(But I don't mind DIY-ing it nowadays though, good workout!)

2. I have someone to have dinner with

3. I have someone to go grocery shopping with. Ah, those 40 minute walks to Asda! (A huge supermarket in the UK. Rivals of Sainsbury and Tesco)

4. I have someone to bitch with about the boss-from-hell

5. I can leave the heating on full blast during those cold winter days, and not worry about bills

My Former Room: Acomb House 08-060; Whitworth Park, Manchester

(September 2006 - September 2007)

*lols* I so love the poster! Miss 'ya Sarah, Miss 'ya Mel, Miss 'ya Yiwen!!!!

Oh yes, NgeeShin, Vince (see ya 23rd July ya! *winks*), Nien-Chia, Nung-Kuang, Dom, Divine, Daniel, Dorcas, Jessica, Min, Hui-Chi, Qiong, Konrad, Ange, Kat, Kathrin, Yumi, Margret...

BUT

This does not mean that I appreciate the substandard work and hygiene practices of the cleaners at the Whitworth Park Hall of Residences, University of Manchester at all...

I'd rather clean and scrub for 2 hours, than to bear with the dirtier than before cookers, stinkier than before bathroom floors; the aftermath of the Whitworth Park cleaner invasion.

They'll come in, mop a bit, wipe a bit, n pour all the dirty water into the kitchen sink, leaving the sink dirtier than before, complain in a (lan lan si si i.e. arrogant way) that you and your flatmates don't keep the common areas clean, blahblah yaddahyaddah, giving you a lecture that you guys should have a duty roster so that the common areas are kept clean, kitchen stoves are clean...

OMGWTFBBQ!!!!! For God's sake, those areas aren't even filthy to begin with!

At times, I can't help but wonder how their houses look like... Or maybe, they don't even clean their houses at all? :P

AND

Yes, I certainly don't miss those days during the cold, bitter and miserable December where we were left without hot water and heating for 2 weeks!!!! That was the longest ever period we survived without heating and hot water, not forgetting those intermittent times when it went off. Crazy man!!! Imagine washing your face, brushing teeth and taking an icy cold shower (imagine pouring a bucket of Iced water over your body) when temperature outside plummets to about 5 degrees celcius or lower! Thank God for the Manchester Aquatics Centre gym membership of mine. I frequented the gym often during those days, for their hot shower!

Ah, those were the days! Thank God it's over now.

-LV-

No Excuses

Dictionary:
Professional student (adjective): used to describe a person who has been a fulltime student throughout his/her life, and has never held a proper fulltime job

____

One thing I find most interesting throughout my postgrad (PG) year and my post-postgrad (PPG) year (read: CLP) is the presence of mature students in my class.

Susan was a nurse in her 50s, Louise an established barrister in her 40s, Divine a medical doctor in his early 30s, Rachel a surgeon in her early 30s, Nick a dentist in his late 40s - my classmates during my PG year. Fun people to talk to, and it's nice being the 'baby' at times, cause you get sayang-ed (i.e. pampered) *smiles*

Fast-forward PPG: I see some senior citizens around too... some in their 60s... 50s... 40s.... and some young (late 20s, early 30s) professionals; architects, accountants,...

It makes me wonder, why on earth do these people choose to torture themselves with work and weekend classes for CLP?

Their perseverance, determination and motivation is inspiring....

Hence, for a professional student like me; I have no excuse to fail.... Work hard, babe!!!!

-LV-

Home at Last

I've finally landed in Malaysia (officially arrived last Sunday, 16th September 2007 at 11.35pm). It's been 10 days since I got back and many things have happened over the past 10 days. All I could do is to sum it up as follows,



"when fate intervenes, choice is not an option"



Most strikingly, I will no longer be going to Sabah due to unforeseen circumstances. More about that later.

It's good to be home...

Halfway Home

My final night in Europe. Have conquered Copenhagen and Sweden en route home. Will be stopping over Helsinki for 2 hours tomorrow (transit). After that, Asia here I come! Hong Kong and Macau are next!

I was greeted by this sign upon clearing immigration and collecting my bag at Copenhagen Kastrup International Airport.

Copenhagen Kastrup, September 2007

Copenhagen City Centre, September 2007

SE K610i, Copenhagen; September 2007

Next stop, was Malmo for the day (or rather afternoon). Oh man, how much I love my Malaysian passport that allows me to travel ever so freely without the hassle of pre-plannings. No visas required! *yahoo* Just purchase a ticket, hop on the train and [destination] here I come!

This sign somehow reminds me of Miss Selfridge.

Malmo Town Square, Sweden; September 2007

Malmo, Sweden; September 2007

SE K610i, Malmo; September 2007

-LV-

PS: Another 6 more days, and I'll be finally home! It feels good travelling with a 'blank mind' i.e. having no worries. No dissertation to think about, no supervisors to please, no journal articles to be read! Life is good, life is good, life is good....

Manchester: The People

These people brighten up my life in Manchester and gave me wonderful memories and frienships...

My adventure started in September 2004 with these girls...

Note: Picture taken late 2006, Cambridge Hall MMU, Manchester

We were down to 4 during my first and last birthday in Manchester.

(Slug & Lettuce, Albert Square; September 2007)

Not forgetting my coursemates. Daniel and Divine

(Scream Bar, Oxford Road; Manchester September 2007)

My dear flatmates (Melanie, YiWen, Hui-Chi)

(New Samsi, Manchester; September 2007)

Ngee Shin, an ex-flatmate and a dear friend

(Slug & Lettuce, Manchester; September 2007)

And lastly,... our newest recruit. Who could forget Mr. Vince Chong!

(La Tasca, Manchester; November 2006)

-LV -

Au Revoir

Signing off from Manchester for one last time.... (5.54am)

Manchester Cathedral, August 2007

-LV-

Manchester in Pictures

These pictures will (hopefully) reflect my life in Manchester

The University of Manchester (Whitworth Hall) and the Manchester Museum. Places where I was conferred my LLB and worked as a Student Ambassador respectively.

"The Sweat Shop" - The John Rylands University Library of Manchester. Where I spent countless hours toiling over the journals and textbooks. Not to mention the numerous trips I spent to and fro lugging the heavy textbooks. 8 courseworks and 1 dissertation in 12 months. Holy cow!

The Sackville Street Building in the North Campus. First time I was there was for my Jurisprudence paper. Second year was for Family Law and finally this year was to bind my 100 page long dissertation. This building is a huge maze! You could get lost in it! No joke!

The Muse Cafe, a popular hang out for the staff and students of the CSEP (Centre for Social Ethics and Policy) that runs my Medical Law programme. Walk in there and you would be likely to bump into a familiar face. Probably because it is located right across the road from our department.

Whitworth Park, what do I have to say. The more years I spend here, the more frustrated I get with the administrative and support staff there. Can't wait to bid good riddance. Yet, this place has brought me good friends; Yumi and Kathrin from the first year. Melanie, Yiwen and the rest of the people in Acomb 8 this year. Love-Hate relationship.

Primark - Cheap clothes and socks for work. Who could go wrong with a 1.50GBP t-shirt for expedition?

Chinatown - Where I get my Chinese fix.

And lastly... Druckers - the place where I learnt that some jobs are meant to be means to an end.

-LV-

The Curtain Call

My 3 years in Manchester has finally come to an end. 17th September 2004 - 8th (16th) September 2007. I came, as an innocent bleary eyed 21 year old with much eagerness to learn. Now, I'm leaving 3 years later more matured, mellowed down and gained a whole world of knowledge out there.

Back then, I was..

• younger
  
• a STPM certificate holder


• more bubbly and cheerful


• only confined to my own group - Having said that, life would never be the same without the girls around.


• eager to stay on for job experience after completing my degree


• aiming to be a commercial lawyer


• single

Now, I am

• older (and wiser)


• a (hopefully) Masters degree holder


• less talkative (mellowed down quite a bit)


• mixing around more and have a very much wider social circle


• eager to go home and establish my career in Malaysia. (I've learnt that there are much more to achieve back home, than the 'glamour' of staying on here..will blog more about it later)


• no longer interested in being a city-slicker (read commercial lawyer)


• aiming to carve my niche in medical law (despite sceptism from people)

Above all, I am still

• very much who I was before


• annoyed by the same things


• the same jungle/nature and adventure loving person I was before (Raleigh, here I come)


• of the same height as before


• the same person who loves her family and friends more than anything else in this world


• single *lol*
  

But yeah, from an Undergraduate to a Postgraduate, from a free-spirited hippie to a more cynical person. I've learnt a lot over these years. Think about it, this year (2006/07) is by-far the most enjoyable year I've ever had. Love my flatmates to bits. (And yeah, my friends too!) Took a course that I really really like and it has certainly challenged my mental faculties. Met interesting and 'special' people at work. Earned my own keep (that brought me to Amsterdam, Scotland, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak). Despite the horrid winter months without hot water and heating in this sub-par accommodation (Whitworth Park - please potential students, stay away from this place by all means), the joy and laughter along the way has indeed elipsed it all.

Thank you Manchester for everything!

The University of Manchester, Manchester Museum & Whitworth Hall, September 2007

-LV-

Straying Away from Bolam?

Finally, after 3 months of toiling and slaving over countless journals, research and feedback. This is the end product; 100 pages of it, 14 494 words (16 743 words, with footnotes).


And, this is what I reckon the easiest 10pounds the University of Manchester has ever ripped off from their students. Soft binding with an acetate (aka plastic cover) and a black coloured piece of manila card, all bound together by some glue and black masking tape acting as the spine. *voila* 10pounds (per copy) here we come!!! But well, poor students do not have a choice anyway...

(The end product, University of Manchester; September 2007)

-LV-

(Bored...)

Acomb 08 vs Whitworth Cleaners/Admin. (Part III)

Cleaners

Job description: To assist in the maintenance of general hygiene standards and cleanliness of the University Halls of Residences.

BUT...

Look what they did to the kitchen sink at my flat! (Warning - Puke inducing picture, click at your own risk)

Acomb 08, Whitworth Park 2007

Priceless!!!

PS: We were left baffled as to how the object in the top left corner of the picture end up in the sink!

-LV-

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

A celebration of 24 wonderful years of life, and many more to come!

Just got back from a be-earlied birthday dinner with the girls at Slug & Lettuce (Slut & Legless according to Sarah :P) Dinner was good, but laced with bittersweet feelings considering that this will be the last time I'm actually gonna hang out with them in Manchester. So to the girls, thanks for the memories and the simple but lovely night out. :) *Toasts* Here's to my first and last birthday celebrations away from Malaysia.

Lovely presents I received as well. Cuppies from Steph, cute shoes that I absolutely adore from NS, lovely bangle from CC and sinfully delicious chocs from Jenny. *Darn! Need to find someone to share the calories...* :P

*Here's to 24 and more to come!*

-LV-

Coffee & a Piece of Cake

What does one do when she is sick of having Honey Roasted Ham and Cheese Sandwiches for lunch EOD (every other day)???

She heads to the Refectory for some coffee and a slice of chocolate cake! *voila*

That was what I did a couple of days ago. Went to the library to finalise the footnoting and referencing for my dissertation, and made the conscious decision to pop by the Refectory for lunch. Boy, I'm so sick of having sandwiches for lunch, and I'm too lazy to cook rice and dishes for lunch either. So, that's the best option I have.

Had a white coffee (I now take coffee w/o sugar FYI...*lols*a far cry from my sugar laden drink days) and a slice of chocolate cake, all for GBP1.55. Pricey by Malaysian standards considering how crappy tat piece of cake was (it was dry crumbly and well, I only paid 80p for it, so who am I to complain!)and that the coffee was not strong enough for my liking. Not exactly the best lunch I had, but it's definitely something different for a change....

Coffee & Cake; Refectory, University of Manchester, August 2007

-LV-

Happy Birthday Malaysia!

50 years have passed since we gained independence! *woo hoo* So, Selamat Hari Merdeka!!! (Happy Independence Day - in English).

Anyway, today marks the last weekend I'll ever spend in Manchester (safe to say, for the rest of my life). Won't foresee myself returning anytime in the near future, unless my work and/or family commitments bring me here. Otherwise, it is safe to assume that it's the final farewell! :) I am really glad to be going home.

On another note, I've got my vaccinations yesterday. So I'm all ready to go to Sabah. No cold feet, no backing out last minute, I've already committed. He He! All's left is just the plane ticket to Sabah, plus my rucksack, hiking shoes and stuff and I'm ready to go! Will blog more about it later.

Today (1st September) marks the beginning of a weekend of birthday celebrations for me. *yay!* It's just gonna be food, food, food and food.... I'm gonna be so fat man!

Random restaurant in Manchester (nearby La Tasca), August 2007

Till then...

-LV-

Druckers Vienna Patisserie: The Finale

Druckers Vienna Patisserie, Arndale Centre Manchester: 28th October 2006 - 28th August 2007

I've finally left Druckers after working there for 10 months. Frankly speaking, there were times when I wanted to quit when my academic workload became too much to bear. But thankfully I persevered and here I am today, proudly declaring that I've quit because I'm going home. I glad that I did not behave like a wimp and threw in the towel when the going gets tough.

My thoughts for the day. I'm relieved to leave the job, but at the same time I'm sad to leave my colleagues. Some wonderful people I've met along the way. I've learnt many lessons in life and most importantly I've learnt how to deal with people. So guys, thanks a lot for putting up with my idiosyncracies and thanks for entertaining me during those long hours in the kitchen/dishwash. I'll surely miss working with you guys.

A few pictures of my 'war-torn' uniform...

These shoes are worn-out, beyond repair. The soles are totally worn out and note the front portion of the right shoe. They were the first to go after work today. Binned them outside my workplace.

My uniform... For one last day...

Totally beyond repair...

A space to call my own at work. First locker on the left, second from the top.

These people make Druckers special....

Messages from the crew...

And with this, I'm one day closer to home!

-LV-

Missing Out

I'll be back on Malaysian soil on the 16th September 2007, 2335 hours (barring any delays to the Air Asia services). Mooncake/Mid-autumn festival is round the corner (25th September 2007 being the official date) and this marks my first official festive occasion with my family in 3 years.

However due to our work and study commitments, official reunions with the extended family (read uncles, aunts, cousins and the lot) would often be brought forward to the weekend before. This means, the weekend of 22nd and 23rd September 2007. 23rd September being the proposed date of my Raleigh FR event at a yet undisclosed location, this means I'll have to sit out of the family reunion once again..... Oh well..... I guess I'll have to wait till Winter Solstice for the next reunion then! So much for being home....

On a lighter note, those guys at PAL have finally got my boxes delivered. I'm all eager to pack up my stuff and get them shipped home! I'm seriously excited.

Picture credits to http://www.goldencrown.com.sg/gc%20moo3.jpg

-LV-

Bored...

Counting down to another 5 days (today inclusive) of work at the cafe. And well, another 16 more days before I leave Manchester for good. As much as I look forward to go home, I'm sure it will be bittersweet. This is where I've spent a whole 3 years of my life.

As I begin counting down the days, the packing and 'administrative work' has begun. I've already packed my cabin sized suitcase and have cancelled all my phone contracts. Now, time to sort out the bank and shipping. Honestly speaking, I would not have chosen PAL shipping but for their cheap-as-dirt price. Service is crappy. Imagine calling them 3 times only for them to tell you that they have not got your details on the system, "Sorry, rekod takde" (Sorry, your records aren't on the system." How crappy can that be. And boy, is it really that difficult for them to arrange delivery of your boxes?? I'm at their mercy! Well, I'm gonna give them another 5 days to get it sorted out, if not, I'll just get DHL or Seven Seas (albeit at 3 times the price!). Don't think I have a choice then. So much for the inefficiencies!

Starting work at 12pm today. Man, I miss my 9-3 shifts. My first 12-6 shift, and I really hate it, the waiting and all. I would have left screaming my heads off if I had my dissertation to write today. But well, I've sent it off to Catherine and this leaves me with 3 days of 'holidays' before the feedback from her and the final tinkering begins. But then again, I'm so bored now. So used to having work in my hands that I'm sitting and running around like a headless chicken now. Feel so useless. Thank God I have work to look forward to (not really looking forward to it though) later.

Till then.....

Isle of Skye, Summer 2007

-LV-