Uh firstly, pleeeease don't look at the date of my previous blogpost, haha.
So well, I actually promised friends that I would blog about my first few days in London, but I apparently didn't (hehehe), so I guess this post is to make up for all the missed out updates. Disclaimer: Lots of photos.
Pre-departure
Predeparture dinner with the family!
全家福 :)
MAS. Thank God it was cheaper comparatively.
Penang International Airport, with family and relatives :)
The surprise party, prepared by Ninii Chagiya and the rest of the SN12Rians!
Nearly time to fly :(
With the SN12Rians, and Ninii :D
Bye! :') Oddly fitting advertisement down there hahaha.
First few days in London
The first few days in London were.. a rush. The moment I arrived at my hall, after lugging all my luggage and backpack etc, I had to prepare to go to school for an orientation event for us freshmen. I was thrown into a situation where I had to introduce myself to people while they do the same, and also the task of memorising various names and linking it to the person. (I fail at this). But well.. Here comes photos :P
Greeted by the cold, yet somehow comfortable atmosphere of London.
Sunlight reflecting off one of my university's buildings!
But yeah, the sunsets here can be awesome sometimes.
Not to say the crowd at night in the common room, full of a diversity of people to hang out with; whether around a pool table, a ping pong table, in front of a wide-screen television, in front of a PlayStation 3, or just chilling at the couches, the common room stays true to its name :)
Malaysian Night, in Trafalgar Square! We were greeted with the nostalgic aroma of satay, and of course, the warm feeling of being at home again. It was great, seeing fellow Malaysians away from home, conversing in Chinese, English, and Malay :D
Malaysian food! :D but man, they're expensive :(. Roti canai and stuff for 5 pounds?
People watching the performances that night!
And a foreigner (I think), singing Malay songs, which include the 1Malaysia song!
Group photo with the Banksiders! Okay, not all of us are from Bankside, but yeah :D
Celestine and Shi Man!
Man, look at that crowd!
Chillin' at work - near the end of the festival :)
Group photo with the Malaysians that were there!
Adam Tiam, the future Prime Minister of Malaysia!
Picnic with the Malaysians at Hyde Park!
Camwhoressss!
Karti! Fellow Carr-Saunderite :D
Stack!
Ian, the joker.
LOTR - The Three Towers.
Wait, I don't..
Hyde!
The guysss.
At the TalentCorp dinner.
Hi.
Reflection selfie!
A little pup that we met in Hyde Park, it was really adorable!
Curious squirrel is curious.
Food
Food here is.. Expensive. During the first few days in London, my mind was busy converting everything in terms of MYR instead of GBP, but I slowly realised that if I did that everytime, I wouldn't be eating anything at all.
Average price of sandwiches:₤1.20 = RM6.00
Average price of a meal: ₤4.80 = RM24.00.
.. And luck isn't on my side yet so far, went to ask for vacancies during my first few days here but no luck - either they've just did a recruitment recently, or they're not hiring part-times etc. Gotta continue trying :(.
Chicken Tinga Taco :D
Sightseeing!
I haven't really got the chance to walk around London during the first few days of my arrival - my daily schedule was always packed with orientation stuff etc; registering for a student ID, making a bank account at Lloyd's and all. It wasn't till two weeks after my arrival, during my birthday, that I decided to go for a proper (but still express) sightseeing trip; an idea of Ninii's :).
A bagpipe player in front of the National Gallery, at Trafalgar Square.
The Big Ben! Don't judge the unrealistic HDR :(
Another bagpipe player - I kinda like the mood that this photo portrays.
The London Eye - well, my take of it.
A more creative angle of the Big Ben :D
Motion blur.
Afterthoughts
During the first few days in London, I've already kinda fell in love with it - the cool weather (for now), greeting me everyday, the occasional drizzle, or even showers of rain that comes unexpectedly, the friendliness of some Londoners as contrasted to the coldness of the others.. I guess it offers a nice balance of duality; of Yin and Yang.
As for the food prices? Well, meh :( *wallet burns* no choice but to accept it as it is first, till I can find a job :).
Creativity at its max - the vanity plate :D It's a cleaning service van!
River Thames, taken on my Nexus.
Random!
Okay, I guess that's it for now. Threw a lot of photos (some of them raw) up there, so yeah, I admit I'm being kinda lazy today :P. But I woke up early and took a jog at Fitzroy Square this morning though! So I'm not exactly that lazy, right? .. Right guys? Hey?
Neways, gotta hop to school soon. Need to complete some stuff by today, soooo, yeah, seeya peeps :D
During my birthday last year, one of my gifts was a small jar. It was delicate in design - a transparent plastic round jar, filled up partially with handmade stars, a few small tied up notes above, while a white crepe paper covered the contents from above. The design was just like any other birthday present you would find in a gift store.
The only thing setting it apart from other "birthday presents"? - The little pieces of papers inside didn't carry wishes. It didn't carry wishes like "Happy Birthday!" or "Friends Forever!", or other words that make you smile when you read it, but get lost among the tides of time, and the pressures of daily life. No, they carried far more than wishes; they carried 16 challenges - 16 methods of pushing myself to my own limits, to improve myself, whether as a person, as a photographer, or as a friend etc :).
I did as I was told, opening up the small notes once per month - always on the 16th of every passing month, sometimes taking one, sometimes taking two notes at once, while the small little notes consequently reveal their secrets to me one by one, revealing the challenges they have in store for me, where I was given a period of a month (30 days) to complete it, before I open up the following challenge.
This blog post is about a challenge given to me by a piece of note that I have opened recently (to be exact, on the 16th of December). The small piece of paper was dark purple in colour, tied up with a black string, and it said:
List out 5 must-achieve goals, and complete it by one month. Write a summary about it by the end of the month about how you feel about the goals, how it changed you etc.
Well, beware, here goes my list :).
1) Successfully plan a trip + systematic itinerary.
2) Upload a video (guitar / piano / vocals).
3) Cook / bake.
4) Mini-DIY-studio photography.
5) Get less involved in the Internet, and more involved in life itself.
And, I'm proud to say that I have achieved all five of them in the timespan given (yay! :D) so here's a summary of the stuff I did from December 16 - January 16.
Ahem.
1) Successfully plan a trip + systematic itinerary
I've always wanted to go to Malacca again for a trip - one day, no commitments, no tourguides, just to immerse in the local culture, to taste the local food, to marvel at the local architecture. Soooo, I decided to plan a trip there. And write a systematic itinerary too, haha. I dug out some old itinerary files that my sister sent me for another trip last time, referred to it for information on what to add in, what to leave out, what to advise trip-members on etc. And, well, it turned out okay :).
2) Upload a video (I picked piano for this challenge, haha)
Piano wasn't one of my greatest strengths (wait no, at least it's better than my voice) - I mean, I officially learnt only the C progression chords from my sister last time, and I was left to fend for myself (hehe, as I was lazy to learn how to read scores), so yeah. I slowly explored by myself, learning other progressions too, and played happily to songs that I like.
So after listening to a nostalgic Cantonese song (Raymond Lam - Love Is Not Enough), I decided to give it a try - playing the song using piano; using the C-chord progression, the progression I'm most familiar with.
How much would you rate it, in a rating of 0 to 5 stars? :)
3) Cook / bake. I chose to bake.
I'm a guy who doesn't really know how to cook. I mean I've tried before, cooking some eggs to prevent myself from starving, and yeah of course, instant noodles where you can go however creative you want. But to imagine me cooking? Meh no.
Sooo, I decided to go for baking instead, as they're way safer than cooking, and there's bound to be someone who'll finish up what you bake, however it tastes (hehehe :D). I told mom my wish, and she dug out several recipe books of hers, even including a yellowing old book that she filled with written recipes she copied down since her schooling years - over thirty years ago. I flipped through and through, till I finally found a recipe that caught my eye.
Hazelnut Cookies.
Well, it isn't exactly a complicated recipe, truth be told, and I decided not to push myself too much over my limits. I wanted to bake edible cookies, not failed ones, haha. So after buying and preparing the required ingredients for the cookies, I started my endeavour, my leap of faith.
Mom's old cookbook :D
Butter and sugar!
The stuff :D
Flour(s)!
And, hazelnut powder :D
Haha, not that bad ain't it?
Truth be told, the first batch of cookies turned out a bit damp and too large, but then the following batches (improved by making them smaller) tasted awesome.
Successful first try, I'd say :). All thanks to my dear Mom's guidance, hehe.
4) Mini-DIY-studio photography.
I did this before actually, with a daisy I bought for RM1.50. In case you haven't seen those photos, well..
All did with a RM1.50 budget! (water and freezing fees excluded, haha)
So, I decided to go for another trial of studio photography.
Done with an apple, watersprayer, A4 paper, and a torchlight.
5) Get less involved with the Internet, more with life instead.
Compared to the months in Wangsa Maju, KL, I have been spending less time on the Internet I guess, owing to more morning-walks, cycling, photographing, and family outings. I don't regret doing this, as it opens the window again in my life, for fresh air to replace the stale Internet air.
The joy and beauty of non-city life.
And a spider. Sweet dreams guys! :D
Well, I guess that's all :). The Five Goals have changed me in a subtle but positive way, and I'm glad I did it.
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