11 Feb
Attended a 9-course chinese dinner hosted by ADB in Maju Palace Restaurant, Corus Hotel. Some of the participants were amazed by the huge amount of food being served as they were not accustomed to chinese dinner.
I sat at a table with very good mix of cultures from SEA, South Asia and East Asia. Interestingly, of the 10 people, half is of chinese origin - PRC, Taipei, HK, Malaysia and Vietnam. In addition, we later found out that the fish served, kuai fah fish, was imported from China! That was a really good dinner.
12 Feb
Welcoming dinner at Saloma Bistro, Jalan Ampang. I thought the buffet spread was so-so. However, the highlight was not the food but the multi-cultural dance performances from the various states in Malaysia. Towards the end of the performances, volunteers were seeked from among the audience to join in the bamboo dance. Too bad none of the participants from our delegation took part.
13 Feb
Puteri Gunung Ledang night! We left for Istana Budaya at about 6.30pm and managed to park in a pretty good spot. Dinner was at the cafe. The musical began at 8.30pm. Our seat was on the grand circle next to the VIP rows. I was impressed by the props and the storyline. Much more entertaining than the movie itself. Unfortunately, it was a pain trying to read the subtitles from above. I developed a bad headache at the end of the show.
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Loneliness
First attempt driving to Putrajaya on my own, with the help of road signs and by tailing slow-moving vehicles which enables me to read road signs properly.
Not so lucky on the way back. Mom told me to follow Sg Long sign and not to turn into Jalan Reko. Ended up paying an additional RM1 for toll to Semenyih. As I wished not to travel any further, I followed the first sign into Kajang. That brought me into the right highway. Everything was fine till I turned too early when I spotted the sign to Pekan Bt 9. Ended in Hulu Langat. Luckily that was the end of my unfortunate drive today.
During the course, was placed right at the centre and front row! They must have high regard for my institution. Not easy trying to keep awake during the whole time :(
Best time was morning tea break. We were served fried macaroni, roti jala with chicken curry and salad. On top of that, for dessert, there were 5 types of kuih. Some foreign participants thought it's lunch time. I don't blame them.
Tomorrow will be another day...
Not so lucky on the way back. Mom told me to follow Sg Long sign and not to turn into Jalan Reko. Ended up paying an additional RM1 for toll to Semenyih. As I wished not to travel any further, I followed the first sign into Kajang. That brought me into the right highway. Everything was fine till I turned too early when I spotted the sign to Pekan Bt 9. Ended in Hulu Langat. Luckily that was the end of my unfortunate drive today.
During the course, was placed right at the centre and front row! They must have high regard for my institution. Not easy trying to keep awake during the whole time :(
Best time was morning tea break. We were served fried macaroni, roti jala with chicken curry and salad. On top of that, for dessert, there were 5 types of kuih. Some foreign participants thought it's lunch time. I don't blame them.
Tomorrow will be another day...
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Time & money for a piece of paper
A little more than two weeks ago, I was back in UK for my graduation. It was not really hard to obtain leave as graduation is a pretty good excuse. It was a pretty good trip except for some minor hiccups.
18 Jan
Arrived in Heathrow late in the afternoon. Was only asked two questions by the officer - Why are we here and where am I graduating from. Caught the tube to Central London. Stopped at Russell Square. Then the "problem" began. I can't really read map! It was supposed to be a short walk to the hotel on Gower Street but I took a slightly longer route. In the end, we asked for direction and managed to get there.
The hotel owner was a really nice man, although he doesn't appear too friendly. Our room was warm and cosy and clean. We rested for awhile before heading out for dinner. My original plan was to take them to chinatown but parents weren't too keen. So, the hotel owner recommended a Thai restaurant, less than 10 minutes away. The food was pretty good although the servings weren't really in proportion to the price.
19 Jan
I woke up at around 3 plus thinking that it's already time as my parents were moving about. It was then I discovered that they had mistaken the time (jetlag!). It was not easy going back to sleep after that. I laid on my bed till 4 plus before I decided to get up to get ready to pick up my sis from Heathrow.
It was a wet morning. My family accompanied me to Russell Square to catch the first tube to Heathrow. We were too early as we found that the station was still closed. As we were deciding on a warmer shelter area, a girl approached the station. Upon enquiry, she, too, was waiting for the first tube to get to Heathrow. We started chatting.
A little bit about my new-found friend. She is a final year phd student from Cornell. She was in London for a seminar and also job interviews. Her research interest is in game theory. We had a good conversation during the whole journey. We parted at the airport, promising to keep in touch.
I rushed to terminal 3, thinking that sis had arrived. I waited and waited, all the time growing more impatient. I was wondering if I might fail to recognise her since we have not met for 1 1/2 years. It was close to 7.30am when I finally saw her. It's hard to describe the feeling of seeing sis again but I know at the moment, I miss her.
Apparently, her delay was caused by the long questioning she had to endure for having bought a one-way ticket. At the Dubai airport, she was warned that people had been sent back to Dubai previously for buying one-way tickets. True enough upon her arrival in Heathrow, the officer would not let her go easily. She was getting worried as the officer kept doubting her words. Luckily, after more questions, the officer did let her go. Phew! I will always remember the danger of one-way ticket from now on.
Our first trip was to Windsor Castle. I wanted to take my family to see the changing of the guard ceremony in Windsor as it was said that we can see the whole thing from inside the castle (paid entrance, of course). I thought the parade is smaller than the one in London but tourists get a more up close view. We explored the castle a bit more before heading out for lunch. Once we decided to eat in the Crooked House Tea Rooms (the building is really crooked like Pisa), the rain started again. It was a truly wet day. We left Windsor soon after that.
At night, we had dinner at Four Seasons in Chinatown.
20 Jan
I sent my family to Warwick Castle while I went to meet a friend. She was to arrive in Heathrow early in the morning. I met her at Primark since both of us were not familiar with London and it was supposed to be a shopping trip for us. Lunch was at a pizzeria. We shopped till close to 7pm before departing. I was to meet another friend at the Liverpool Street Station. We dine at a nice Lebanese restaurant. It was close to 10.30pm when I got back to the hotel. My family were already in bed :P
21 Jan
Finally, a tour around London. I took them to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace and Covent Garden. On the way to Covent Garden, sis and I were stopped by the various shops along the road. In the end, we did not make it to Covent Garden (but the rest did not follow us). Rather, all our precious time were spent on shopping :)
Soon, it was time to catch our bus to Coventry. The hotel owner had kindly allowed us to keep some of our luggages at their place. So, we packed only a day's worth of clothing to take to Coventry. It was pretty late by the time we arrived in Merlyn Guest House.
22 Jan
A rather uneventful day as I spent most of my time in the university. Sis and bro were pretty bored as they didn't have anything else to do but to walk around the uni. It was bad planning on my side. My graduation ceremony was to start at 11am but it was delayed by 10 - 15 minutes. We had to endure song after song, in the extremely cosy temporary hall. Some of my coursemates started sweating. We were seated very close to each other due to the tininest of the seats. The whole session was dedicated to the business school students. They began with short speeches. Finally, it was my turn. 5 seconds, perhaps 10 seconds and it was over...I went back to my seat to wait for the ceremony to end. A girl started walking to the centre of the stage when her name was called. And then, her shoes slipped off! She had to bend down a little to put it back on amidst a laughing crowd. Bravo for turning an uneventful ceremony into a memorable one.
While my family had lunch in Xanana, I head to the business school for the free luncheon. Spoke to some coursemates, ate a bit of food and then I was off to see my supervisor. I had made an appointment to meet him between 2 - 2.30pm. He was running a little late but he did leave a note to me telling me bout it. A student was waiting for him too. It was a really long chat between us...well, he was doing the talking most of the time. He even took me to the staff pantry to make tea for both of us. He kept telling me he has class at 4pm yet we went on till almost 3.45! As I was getting up to leave, he saw my robe and asked for the honour to let him see me in the robe but I declined! It was awhile later before I realise my stupidity. I kept thinking bout returning the robe that I didn't want to put it on again. So when he posed that question, I said no! Effectively, I am now a very rude Asian girl.
I met my family at the pool meadows station. We were supposed to go back to the hotel together to get the luggages but I was held back. So, my family went back first. It was still a long time before the bus will arrive. Knowing that the shops were still open, I took my siblings to shop. Mom and dad just wanted to rest.
Soon, we were back in London.
23 Jan
The whole day was spent touring the Cotswold Villages. A short stop in Woodstock, lunch in Burford, a drive past Stow-in-the-Wold, an hour stop in Bourton-on-the-Water (my favourite Cotswold village) and cream tea in Lechlade. We were back in London by 6pm. There were still time to walk around. I took my family to do their souvenir shopping on Oxford Street. Mom and dad were tired. So, they headed back to hotel first (Mom said she thought it was easy to navigate around the tube but she was sooo wrong. They got lost but then managed to find their way again).
I took my siblings to see Big Ben at night. It was beautiful.
24 Jan
It was our last day in UK. We spent the morning visiting the Borough Market, London bridge and Tower bridge. Then, it was time for more shopping. After awhile, my parents decided they want to go back to the hotel to rest before going to the airport while bro wanna visit the British Museum, leaving sis and I to continue our shopping adventure (despite the numerous mentionings of shopping, we didn't really buy much stuffs).
On our way back to the hotel, we met an old lady who was lost. She started speaking to me in cantonese. She was trying to get to Bourdon Street but she didn't know which station she should go to. I knew she was lost but even I can't tell her as the name was unfamiliar to me. We asked the staffs for assistance. However, she refused to go back to the tube even after we know which tube station she was to stop (mainly because she doesn't understand English). Sis and I were in a dilemma as we couldn't bring her to the destination ourselves as we were supposed to catch the train to the airport in about 45 minutes. Finally, she decided to take the bus as she was more familiar with buses. We tried to keep her company for as long as we could. When we left her, she was walking towards a bus going to Oxford Street. I do hope she is safely back home now.
The trip back home was uneventful which is a good thing. Weather was sufficiently normal for no delays. In addition, the plane landed rather gracefully in KLIA.
Overall, it was a good break. We were back in time for the CNY celebration. Sis stayed till thursday before flying back to Dubai.
18 Jan
Arrived in Heathrow late in the afternoon. Was only asked two questions by the officer - Why are we here and where am I graduating from. Caught the tube to Central London. Stopped at Russell Square. Then the "problem" began. I can't really read map! It was supposed to be a short walk to the hotel on Gower Street but I took a slightly longer route. In the end, we asked for direction and managed to get there.
The hotel owner was a really nice man, although he doesn't appear too friendly. Our room was warm and cosy and clean. We rested for awhile before heading out for dinner. My original plan was to take them to chinatown but parents weren't too keen. So, the hotel owner recommended a Thai restaurant, less than 10 minutes away. The food was pretty good although the servings weren't really in proportion to the price.
19 Jan
I woke up at around 3 plus thinking that it's already time as my parents were moving about. It was then I discovered that they had mistaken the time (jetlag!). It was not easy going back to sleep after that. I laid on my bed till 4 plus before I decided to get up to get ready to pick up my sis from Heathrow.
It was a wet morning. My family accompanied me to Russell Square to catch the first tube to Heathrow. We were too early as we found that the station was still closed. As we were deciding on a warmer shelter area, a girl approached the station. Upon enquiry, she, too, was waiting for the first tube to get to Heathrow. We started chatting.
A little bit about my new-found friend. She is a final year phd student from Cornell. She was in London for a seminar and also job interviews. Her research interest is in game theory. We had a good conversation during the whole journey. We parted at the airport, promising to keep in touch.
I rushed to terminal 3, thinking that sis had arrived. I waited and waited, all the time growing more impatient. I was wondering if I might fail to recognise her since we have not met for 1 1/2 years. It was close to 7.30am when I finally saw her. It's hard to describe the feeling of seeing sis again but I know at the moment, I miss her.
Apparently, her delay was caused by the long questioning she had to endure for having bought a one-way ticket. At the Dubai airport, she was warned that people had been sent back to Dubai previously for buying one-way tickets. True enough upon her arrival in Heathrow, the officer would not let her go easily. She was getting worried as the officer kept doubting her words. Luckily, after more questions, the officer did let her go. Phew! I will always remember the danger of one-way ticket from now on.
Our first trip was to Windsor Castle. I wanted to take my family to see the changing of the guard ceremony in Windsor as it was said that we can see the whole thing from inside the castle (paid entrance, of course). I thought the parade is smaller than the one in London but tourists get a more up close view. We explored the castle a bit more before heading out for lunch. Once we decided to eat in the Crooked House Tea Rooms (the building is really crooked like Pisa), the rain started again. It was a truly wet day. We left Windsor soon after that.
At night, we had dinner at Four Seasons in Chinatown.
20 Jan
I sent my family to Warwick Castle while I went to meet a friend. She was to arrive in Heathrow early in the morning. I met her at Primark since both of us were not familiar with London and it was supposed to be a shopping trip for us. Lunch was at a pizzeria. We shopped till close to 7pm before departing. I was to meet another friend at the Liverpool Street Station. We dine at a nice Lebanese restaurant. It was close to 10.30pm when I got back to the hotel. My family were already in bed :P
21 Jan
Finally, a tour around London. I took them to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. James Park, Buckingham Palace and Covent Garden. On the way to Covent Garden, sis and I were stopped by the various shops along the road. In the end, we did not make it to Covent Garden (but the rest did not follow us). Rather, all our precious time were spent on shopping :)
Soon, it was time to catch our bus to Coventry. The hotel owner had kindly allowed us to keep some of our luggages at their place. So, we packed only a day's worth of clothing to take to Coventry. It was pretty late by the time we arrived in Merlyn Guest House.
22 Jan
A rather uneventful day as I spent most of my time in the university. Sis and bro were pretty bored as they didn't have anything else to do but to walk around the uni. It was bad planning on my side. My graduation ceremony was to start at 11am but it was delayed by 10 - 15 minutes. We had to endure song after song, in the extremely cosy temporary hall. Some of my coursemates started sweating. We were seated very close to each other due to the tininest of the seats. The whole session was dedicated to the business school students. They began with short speeches. Finally, it was my turn. 5 seconds, perhaps 10 seconds and it was over...I went back to my seat to wait for the ceremony to end. A girl started walking to the centre of the stage when her name was called. And then, her shoes slipped off! She had to bend down a little to put it back on amidst a laughing crowd. Bravo for turning an uneventful ceremony into a memorable one.
While my family had lunch in Xanana, I head to the business school for the free luncheon. Spoke to some coursemates, ate a bit of food and then I was off to see my supervisor. I had made an appointment to meet him between 2 - 2.30pm. He was running a little late but he did leave a note to me telling me bout it. A student was waiting for him too. It was a really long chat between us...well, he was doing the talking most of the time. He even took me to the staff pantry to make tea for both of us. He kept telling me he has class at 4pm yet we went on till almost 3.45! As I was getting up to leave, he saw my robe and asked for the honour to let him see me in the robe but I declined! It was awhile later before I realise my stupidity. I kept thinking bout returning the robe that I didn't want to put it on again. So when he posed that question, I said no! Effectively, I am now a very rude Asian girl.
I met my family at the pool meadows station. We were supposed to go back to the hotel together to get the luggages but I was held back. So, my family went back first. It was still a long time before the bus will arrive. Knowing that the shops were still open, I took my siblings to shop. Mom and dad just wanted to rest.
Soon, we were back in London.
23 Jan
The whole day was spent touring the Cotswold Villages. A short stop in Woodstock, lunch in Burford, a drive past Stow-in-the-Wold, an hour stop in Bourton-on-the-Water (my favourite Cotswold village) and cream tea in Lechlade. We were back in London by 6pm. There were still time to walk around. I took my family to do their souvenir shopping on Oxford Street. Mom and dad were tired. So, they headed back to hotel first (Mom said she thought it was easy to navigate around the tube but she was sooo wrong. They got lost but then managed to find their way again).
I took my siblings to see Big Ben at night. It was beautiful.
24 Jan
It was our last day in UK. We spent the morning visiting the Borough Market, London bridge and Tower bridge. Then, it was time for more shopping. After awhile, my parents decided they want to go back to the hotel to rest before going to the airport while bro wanna visit the British Museum, leaving sis and I to continue our shopping adventure (despite the numerous mentionings of shopping, we didn't really buy much stuffs).
On our way back to the hotel, we met an old lady who was lost. She started speaking to me in cantonese. She was trying to get to Bourdon Street but she didn't know which station she should go to. I knew she was lost but even I can't tell her as the name was unfamiliar to me. We asked the staffs for assistance. However, she refused to go back to the tube even after we know which tube station she was to stop (mainly because she doesn't understand English). Sis and I were in a dilemma as we couldn't bring her to the destination ourselves as we were supposed to catch the train to the airport in about 45 minutes. Finally, she decided to take the bus as she was more familiar with buses. We tried to keep her company for as long as we could. When we left her, she was walking towards a bus going to Oxford Street. I do hope she is safely back home now.
The trip back home was uneventful which is a good thing. Weather was sufficiently normal for no delays. In addition, the plane landed rather gracefully in KLIA.
Overall, it was a good break. We were back in time for the CNY celebration. Sis stayed till thursday before flying back to Dubai.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Career suicide
I just made the biggest mistake anyone can ever make in front of their colleagues - sending my personal career aspiration to the whole department! Sigh...bad year ahead :P
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