SCOTLAND - Day 6

Day 6 (19/11/06) – Sunday:
- Got up early the next morning to see the sunrise from the room.
- It was a brilliant view with beautiful rays from the sun overlooking the loch and shadowed by the majestic mountain. Priceless!

Spectacular ray of colors!

- Decided to go for a short walk before breakfast. It was a beautiful sunny morning, though it was windy and cold. The moment we came out from the house, a group of 4 sheep dogs stormed towards us; they were all so excited and cheerful. It was a perfect morning indeed. So heart-warming; that’s exactly how I felt; and I could still recollect the excitement on the dogs’ faces.

Sheep doggies!

- We spotted another rainbow; a vertical one from the ocean’s horizon. How lucky! Priceless!

Absolutely spectacular!

- Had a fantastic breakfast that morning; breakfast made with affection; so definitely that’s the best! Had cereals, scrambled eggs, mushrooms (I loved it!), and toasts.

View from the dining room. Absolutely adore the dining room; very cozy

- I loved the interior of the house. Took some pictures of the bathroom and the rooms at the attic.

I love the design of the bathroom

The bedroom at the attic

- We bid farewell to the McKenzies and told them how much we’ve enjoyed our stay and that that’s the best place we’ve stayed so far during our trip.

- We drove towards Cape Wrath to check out the views from the cape. It was freaking cold there with the wind almost blowing my head out. Had a good walk down heading towards the cape.

View from the walk towards the cape

- The entrance to the cape is amazing.

Entrance to Cape Wrath

- When we went further into the cape, there was a spot (a small opening from the cape facing the sea) where the waves of the sea were hitting hard at the walls; roaring sounds of the waves and it was so crazy. It was like as if the sea is so furious and hits as hard as it could to vent its temper; and I understood why it is named the Cape Wrath. What rage it had! Got a little wet and immediately walked out; freezing cold. But it was definitely worth it!

Heading towards Cape Wrath to check out the extent of its rage! It is a fury beyond words

- We continued our journey heading towards southern part of Scotland and planned to stop over at Fort Williams.

- The view along our drive was splendid; with all the mountains (some partially covered with snow, some bronzed), the beautiful loch, the stretch of farms, all so amazing – views of pine trees with a chain of mountains in the background and the loch; a slightly different view compared to the route taken to go up north. I loved the combination of the pine trees, mountains and the loch, and also the farms; perfect!

Beautiful mix of colors!

Horses! This is the best picture ever!

- We passed by Loch Ness.
- I drove after that.

- I wanted to see the fall (which was on our way); the walk down the waterfall seemed endless maybe because it was darn cold. Took some pictures along the way. We decided to turn back after a while.

- Stopped for a while to take pictures of the snow-covered mountains.

Nice spongy-icy-cold

This is another one of my favorite shot!

- We continued our journey; didn’t stop for lunch since we had a heavy breakfast. Arrived at Fort Williams at about 4 in the evening. Most of the B&Bs around that area were closed; we drove round and checked-in at Chenderoh B&B (According to the house-owner, the B&B was named after the Empangan Chenderoh in Malaysia, which they have heard of from a Malaysian tourist who stayed in their place).
- We were greeted by an extremely friendly JRT; running around actively. The view from our room was amazing; facing the loch.
- Decided to have a buffet dinner at a Chinese restaurant nearby. The service was bad but the food was okay probably because we were starving; ate a lot that day.Had a good night rest after a long day.

SCOTLAND - Day 7

Day 7 (20/11/06) – Monday:
- Had a typical Scottish breakfast. No comments; sudah jemu with the same breakfast every morning; my taste buds started yearning for nasi lemak with extra sambal.
- We started our journey heading to Edinburgh. Passed Ben Navis Mountain; majestic.
- Passed by the city of Glasgow – nice. I liked the architecture of the buildings in Glasgow.
- We reached Edinburgh around lunch time. Had difficulty at first in finding the hotel; went round and round; and finally located the hotel at Queensferry Road. Checked-in and left luggages in the hotel; had shish kebab for lunch; it was damn good.
- Went around for a drive before returning the car. Took some pictures of some swans chilling out at a nearby lake.

Beautiful swans

- Headed towards Edinburgh airport to return the car. Massive traffic along the way; but the general mood in the car was good.
- It was awfully cold that night. Hired a cab and returned to the hotel.
- Can’t remember what we ate that night.
- Had a good night rest.

SCOTLAND - Day 8

Day 8 (21/11/06) – Tuesday:
- Morning - Lazed around in bed; ordered room service for lunch – had northern Indian cuisine. Darn lazy to get out in the cold; I started feeling so bored and realized that I’d be cuckoo-fied if I stayed any longer in the room; so got ready to go out to the city; it was almost 2 p.m. by the time I left the hotel room. Took a bus to the city and went around some streets, just walking and people-watching; went to a shop to buy some souvenirs and chatted with the owner at the store. By the time I got out from the store it was almost 5.30. Just sat at a bench admiring the hustle-bustle-ness of the city life; watching people walking by; so contented with their loved ones.

- Sat there a little while more and took some pictures along Princess Street. Didn’t get very good shots; must be the lightings.

- Took the bus back to the hotel. Guess what; missed the stop – the typical cuckoo-fied Geeta. I did it again! Come on; give me a break; it was dark and I couldn’t recognize the landmarks (yeah, right! Be more observant next time and abide by the golden rule “Mark the landmarks so that you wouldn’t get lost instead of turning a deaf ear”; lesson to be learnt). The fact is that I took pleasure in the getting-lost-in-don’t-know-the-name-of-the-street part; it was fun! – Of course minus the heavy load of the shopping bags I had to carry though…pffttttt…
- Anyway, back to the story of my getting lost. I just sat in the bus and was enjoying my ride (knowing pretty well that I have missed the stop didn’t stop me from ‘savoring’ the moments; whatever it is! In the bus?). So, well, yeah, it was not long before I decided that I should get my ass out of the bus before it goes so far beyond my ‘walking distance’ range. Got down at-don’t-know-where stop and looked as if rusa masuk kampong; well it’s more like a silly-woman-with-a-bad-sense-of-direction-and-cuckoo-enough-to-walk-in-the-cold expression. Honestly, I enjoy the process of getting lost and finally finding my way back; it gives me a sense of accomplishment, hehe (konon-konon la to prove to myself that my sense-of-direction skills are still functioning).
- Anyway, oh gosh, I keep diverting. Finally, I managed to walk back to the hotel. What a relief when I saw the signboard ‘Holiday Inn’; I was excited to the max! Despite having to walk in the cold with that heavy load of things to carry, I was grinning happily that I found my way back to the hotel, hehe.
- Since I had ‘fun’ and too much walking in the cold, sort of got numb with the cold; so decided to go to Sainsbury’s to get something to munch. Bought fruit cake and some tidbits (potato chips).
- Had dinner at a Thai restaurant; after that took a walk down to the railway station and went to Mark & Spencer. Bought some snacks and fruits and milk.
- Headed back to the hotel and had a good night rest.

SCOTLAND - Day 9

Day 9 (22/11/06) – Wednesday:
- Didn’t feel like going out that day; felt a little bit under the weather; so I decided to stay-in that day.
- Called Yasmin and told her my plan to visit Edinburgh Castle the next day; she agreed enthusiastically. Yasmin is a dentist; she's from Egypt.
- Ordered room service for lunch – had chilli chicken – it was darn good – with all the vegetables and noodles and chicken – superb. Watched TV and had lots of nap that day; bored!
- Had room-service for dinner.

SCOTLAND - Day 10

Day 10 (23/11/06) – Thursday:
- Had breakfast with Yasmin. She’s a nice sweet gal. Had fantastic breakfast; mushroom, scrambled eggs, baked beans, tomatoes, yogurt, cheese, and cereals. Now I am amazed at how much I ate!
- Went to Edinburgh Castle. It was a fantastic day; though cold and windy. We enjoyed every part of the history there (though I suck at remembering historical events); admired at the structure of the ancient buildings; I am amazed by the fact that this castle existed ages ago.
- Took lots of pictures. Here are some of the good shots.

View of the castle from the entrance

View of the city from the castle

Yasmin and meThe tiny St. Margaret’s Chapel, built in the early 12th century by King David I to honor his mother

- The Dog Cemetery – the resting place of mascots and officers’ pets since the 1840s.

Robert the Bruce crowned with a circlet of gold in 1306

In 1507, King James IV was presented with the new Sword of State

Craftsmen and the crown

The Honours saved from Cromwell - 1652

- There was a section for Prisoners of War Experience in the castle vaults; it vividly recalls the conditions the captives endured; parts of the castle were used as a jail to hold captured sailors of many nationalities. When come to think about it; it’s astonishing to be in a place where those prisoners were held during the late 18th and 19th centuries; I tried to imagine the agony they had to endure as captives and how they lived their life there; it’s easier to imagine when you are in this vault; it provoked a strong feeling in me.

Sleeping place for the prisoners

- I am most captivated by the exhibits of the graffiti carved by the prisoners on the wooden doors; wow, these are real things from ages ago; amazing; sort of like reliving the past and appreciating the present.
- There was also a special exhibition containing forged banknotes made by the prisoners; amazing.
- We also visited the Scottish National War Memorial, which was built to commemorate the dead of the Great War of 1914 to 1918.
- Took a few video clips of the castle’s interior; the Great Hall; the king’s dining room; the interior is amazing. This was one of the most impressive buildings; built for important ceremonies and feasts; absolutely stunning!
- We also went to the Crown room where the crown, sceptre, and sword of state (the oldest royal regalia in the UK) are kept. It’s absolutely amazing. I marveled at the crown jewel; so majestic.

- By the time we finished our tour around the castle it was almost 2 p.m. Headed back to Princess Street to catch a bus back to the hotel. Had hotdog for lunch.
- Ordered room service for dinner that night; had seafood lasagna; yummy to the max! Watched the movie “Descend”; chronic movie; with all the disgusting-looking-man-eating creatures; everyone died at the end.
- Nite nite…

SCOTLAND - Day 11

Day 11 (24/11/06) – Friday:
- After having breakfast, went to Edinburgh Zoo with Yasmin. Something that I was really looking forward to. A zoo freak! Took 2 buses to get there. We were so lucky that the weather that morning was fantastic; bright sunny morning; contrary to the weather report for that day.

Yasmin and I

- The itinerary for the day was as follows:
9.30 a.m. Early birds hilltop tour (Meet at the safari bus by the sealions)
11.00 a.m. Sea lion talk
11.30 a.m. Chimpanzee talk
12.00 noon Rhino talk
12.45 p.m. Penguin parade (followed by penguin talk)
2.15 p.m. Lion talk
3.00 p.m. Snake talk
3.30 p.m. Steller’s Sea Eagle talk
3.45 p.m. Painted hunting dogs and aviary talk
In addition:1.45 & 2.30 p.m.-Animal handling in close encounters (first-come-first-served basis)

- Went for a ride in the safari bus around the zoo. It was absolutely splendid.
- Walked around the zoo, marveling at each and every animal.

What a beauty!

Painted hunting dogs

A beautiful sunny morning! Perfect for a day out in the zoo!

- We had to walk around for quite a while; in search of the chimpanzee enclosure. It was a little confusing since the chimps were temporarily transferred to a new location while building work progresses on their new home – opening in 2008. Poor Yasmin, had to walk so far just because I insisted on seeing the chimps.

Chimps! My favorite primate!

- Only managed to catch the penguin parade show; we missed all the other talks since we were so busy walking around looking at the animals.
- The penguin parade was absolutely amazing. They just took a slow walk while looking curiously at the bystanders; darn cute!

Cutie pies!

Penguin runway (I think they deserved a red carpet!)

- After that, we listened to the penguin talk by one of the keepers. Very informational; especially the way to handle the penguins.
- Then, they had a penguin feeding session. They are all very well-behaved cuties.
- We had lunch at a nearby café.After lunch, we headed off towards the Education Centre for the Close Encounter session. We really enjoyed the session, where we had the chance to have a close look at all the exotic animals like the hamsters, snakes, frogs, Madagascar hissing roach, and snails. It was a different experience touching and holding these exotic animals. Fun!

Ooh, so cold and slithery. It was cool!

- After that, we headed off in search of the King of the Jungle; took some time to find them. The Asiatic Lion enclosure is amazing; there were few lion cubs playing with their mum; very endearing. We decided to go back after that. It was almost 4.
- By the time we reached the hotel, it was almost 5.30. Had a fantastic time at the zoo.
- I related the experience in the zoo with full elation to Alfred.
- Had dinner at an Italian restaurant – not satisfied with the service and the ambience. But we had a good time.
- Of course the day is not complete without a dessert; sweet tooth! So we went to Sainsbury’s to get some ice cream but unfortunately it was closed by that time. So, went to Esso and bought Magnum.
- Devoured the ice cream with content.
- Dozed off.

SCOTLAND - Day 12

Day 12 (25/11/06) – Saturday:
- Went shopping at Princess Street with Yasmin after a scrumptious breakfast (they had potatoes that day for buffet!).

A view of the park off Princess Street; so serene

- The streets were packed with people; family day for most of them; kids having so much fun; people spending quality time with their family; parents looking eagerly at their children boarding the Ferris Wheel. So endearing to watch all that. What a beautiful Saturday morning. I was just admiring all that; in the midst of all that hustle-bustle-ness, took a silent moment to reflect on things.

People having so much fun on a Saturday morning

- Did some last-minute shopping; walked till afternoon; then headed back to the hotel.
- Went to Sainsbury’s to buy some ice cream. Bought Haagen Daaz’ (with 4 flavors: butterscotch, strawberry cheesecake; chocolate chips, and Belgian chocolate). Ordered room service for dinner (chilli chicken, some salad, and something else). Finished ‘em all (the meal plus all the ice cream! Glutton). I liked the butterscotch flavor the best.
- Watched “Wolf Creek”; another chronic movie; thank goodness there is a survivor (only one though and the others got killed so brutally).

SCOTLAND - Day 13

Day 13 (26/11/06) – Sunday:

- Had breakfast with Yasmin. We were both sad by the fact that I’ll be leaving the next day. Too bad I wouldn’t be able to join all of them for dinner tomorrow.

- Went to Sainsbury’s to buy some chocolates and cookies to bring back home. Packed up; tried to sumbat everything into the luggage (tough!); organized everything and finally managed to zip it up.

- Had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. The food was fantastic; I had some potatoes, of course!

What a big serving! Doesn’t matter; I’d finish most of it anyway. Yummy!

- After dinner, we headed towards Queen’s Hall to attend the ‘Meadows Chamber Orchestra’. It was absolutely a brilliant performance. Sat for the first 45 minutes or so (can’t remember), and made a move after that. I couldn’t sit any longer. I have a selective attention span; put a few animals before me, I’d be so excited, not realizing the time passing. Now, imagine animals performing in an orchestra, keke.

- Went back to the hotel. Felt sad; leaving tomorrow morning.

Day 14 - Fly back home

Day 14 (27/11/06) – Monday:
- Woke up early. Packed up the remaining things and all set to go.
- Called Yasmin before leaving and bid farewell to her; promising to keep in touch.
- Took a cab to Edinburgh airport at about 8.30 a.m.
- There was a delay in the flight. Reached Heathrow about 1.30 p.m. It’d be such a long wait before my flight; flight is at 10 p.m. Mind-boggling to kill so long hours.
- Went to the MAS counter; it was closed and it’d be only open 3 hours before departure; which would be at 7 p.m.
- I was roaming around the airport; was reading “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom.
- Then, just sat at one corner and watched people; macam-macam; an interesting hobby; people-watching.
- Had sandwich for lunch; no mood to eat.
- Departed at 10 p.m. Had good meals during the flight.
- Reached KLIA at 6.30 p.m. My family was waiting at the arrival hall. Glad to see them; they were all so excited that I am back.
- Uncle John brought us to KFC for dinner. Gosh, of all places!

Thought for the day

I read this somewhere, which has ever since got imprinted in my heart:

Definition of success:
"To laugh and love much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the approval of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To give of one's self; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived..." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Sabah & Sarawak Visit

I went to Sabah & Sarawak for industrial training visitation from 8-11th Dec 2007. The following are the details:

Day 1:

• Arrived at KK Airport around 2 p.m. - Checked in Radius International hotel - court room with no view - dissapointed - but the room was very nice with contemporary design and a canggih-fied shower - gotta have it when I have my own house.

Contemporary



View from the room



• Had lunch with Tay - Malay food.
• Walked around the town - went to the handicraft market - walked around for more than 2 hours - was not so impressed of the town - nothing much around there really.
• We went to a nice Hong Kong restaurant for dinner - the service was excellent with a ever-so-friendly waitresses who had Hong Kong celebrity's name on their name tag - cool. - the food was excellent - we ordered too much though - we shared baked cheese rice with seafood (which was so damn creamy and rich!), ramen with fish fillet, borsch soup (this was excellent; I came back for more), and cheesy-chicken - stuffed for the night.
• Didn't sleep well that night - felt claustropobhic in the room - watched T.V.

Day 2:

• Next day, transferred to a room with sea view - magnificient view and the room was more spacious with plenty of sunlight - absolutely love it - bright and sunny.


Sea View


• 
  
  Went around the mall in the evening - ordered the borsch soup again and stir-fried hor fun with ginger and fish for dinner. Tried corn in the cup with BBQ flavor - wanted to try something different - but this combination is yucky!

Day 3:

• The next day, woke up early - had a good night sleep.
• My student came to pick me up to visit the company - it was about 1/2 hour drive to the industrial estate.
• Met up with the branch manager - received positive feedback on the student's performance.
• My student dropped me at the hotel at about 9.45 a.m.
• Checked out - boarded the MASwings Fokker50 to Bintulu at 12.35 p.m.
• Reached Bintulu at about 2 p.m. It was a lovely drive from the airport to the hotel - with plenty of trees and green - had a nice chat with the taxi driver - a nice and caring man.
• The room is spacious - with a view - had a nice hot shower - it has been a long time since I last had such a darn relaxing and satisfying shower.
• Ordered room service for dinner - had seafood spagetti with mussels and other seafood and cream of mushroom soup - not that great.
• Watched T.V. - dozed off - a nice rainy night - cosy - looking forward for the next day's breakfast.

Day 4:

• Had a scrumptious breakfast - they served dim sum too! - i absolutely loved the sarawak nasi goreng and mee - it was so good.
• Checked out of the hotel at about 12.40 p.m.- went to Bintulu Port to visit my student - had a nice chat with the Sales Manager - a nice man- but i was amused by the way he prepared his speech and how formal and serious his speech were - i nearly wanted to laugh - it was almost like he is giving a formal speech to a group of audience :P
• They entertained me well - served refreshments and presented me a nice souvenir - a jewellery box :)
• Boarded the AirAsia flight at 4.10 p.m. -reached LCCT at 6 p.m. - Alfred sent me back home.
• Had a good nice sleep at home.

Currently Reading

When I started reading the book, I didn't have a fond opinion of Gandhi. He came upon to me as a timid man and closed up and as well as an idealistic person. But as I read further, especially on his moral principles and his spirit for continuous learning and self-reliance, and his determination and self-control and remarkable patience, I was deeply moved. A great man; someone whom I can relate to - through his book. Hooked up to the book now.

Stumbling Blocks - PhD (Public holiDay)

I have been having this conflict within me- as to whether or not to undertake my PhD studies. Well, I have submitted a proposal and registered for the course last year (2006) April - gosh, time really flies! and since then, i really don't know what I have been doing. Lingering around and always have the 2nd thought as to whether i really wanna complete it. I have also completed all the pre-requisite courses for it. Just left with the actual thesis writing. After much contemplation and 'idling', I decided to seriously get into it - which was few months back...and till now, I am still wandering - lost! When I talk to other people about their 'journey' towards PhD-hood - i realised i am not alone. Now, here I am all prepped up to sit and do it! The following are the reasoning:
1) My father aspires me to be a PhD holder - and my dear daddy can tell proudly how smart his daughter and blah blah; haha - without knowing the 'permanent head damage' that I might have to face.
2) I am in the academic field and I want to remain in the academic field - gotta have a PhD so that they will keep me!
3) I can't find any other reasons!

Okay, fine. So, I have drafted milestones for myself. The latest deadline - write-up on Chapter 2 - Literature Review - due on 20th Dec.

Things i did yesterday:
1) Filing - sorting out and categorising articles
2) EndNote - downloaded the software and read up on that - so darn useful! it was that which actually made me more motivated to sit and write :)

Tasks for today:
1) Read journal articles
2) Write-up on literature review
3) Organize PC folders.

Words of wisdom: I read somewhere that "writing your thesis is a marathon, not a sprint".

Now, I am excited to be the 'wizard' sitting in front of computer to accomplish a mission in a sprint! Oops, I meant marathon.

Weekend

Just a quick update on my weekend. Saturday was Chin Lay's bday... the night before baked a cheesecake for her-with less sugar :) she loved it... we went to Jln Bendahara (the Indian Street) for shopping. Bought a saree for my mum....then we saw a nice saree for young people like us (hehe) and bought one for myself and another for Chin Lay as her bday gift...she was very happy :) and said that she'd wear it during my engagement or wedding :) went lunch in Saravana's.... superb food. then we picked Sharon up and went to Chin Lay's place to devour the cheesecake! Then in the evening my mum wanted to go to Tesco. On the way, went to Devibala to exchange the saree; my mum wanted a blue saree... the street was so happening with people getting ready for Diwali. had our dinner in Tesco's food court...then went shopping for grocery items. Then Sunday - nothing much.

Diwali Prep

Yesterday my sis and I went to temple and then for grocery shopping in the Indian Street (Jln Bendahara) and Tesco. It was fun; I was very upbeat! When it comes to grocery shopping for cooking stuffs, i get so excited. Bought all the stuff for baking cookies and cake. Tonite planning to bake the cheesecake for Chin Lay's bday tomorrow. My sis had to buy all the party snack stuffs for her 'Canteen Day' tomorrow. We came back after almost 3 hours of shopping! Went makan in Kenny Rogers; wacked all the potatoes, as usual :- i am all bloated. Might make 'Chittu Urundai' today as well and the different style jam tart. Looking forward for it!

On another note, I m very happy and calmer now. Everything will fall in place, I believe...And eventually all my dreams will come true! Thank you, God.

ciao