London Market Crawl

During a chat over dinner with my housemates, someone was asking me what's my favourite city? I wanted to say Tokyo initially but then I realised that I did not stay there long enough to really understand the city.

Perhaps, London? but it actually depends on how do you define 'favourite city'. For instance, say I like Kuala Lumpur but there's just no place like home (I'm from Penang Island). Similarly, I wouldn't say that I want to live in London because to be honest I'm just not a city girl deep down. I still prefer our little peaceful Guildford. *hands down*

I still have to admit though.. that there is something about this city that makes me want to go back again and again. It's just simply charming.

Wandering around London like a neko (cat)

After having a satisfying brunch at Foxcroft & Ginger, we went to St.Paul's Cathedral since we haven't really been to all tourist attractions in London.

   

         

Directly opposite to St. Paul's Cathedral, we found this newly opened shopping mall, 'One New Change' where they have a rooftop terrace that is open to public, free of charge.

Took the lift up to the rooftop and got to see panoramic views of the London skyline... It's gorgeous.

Brunch in London

Last Monday(no lectures during reading week!) together with Jan, I took the 10.02 morning off-peak train to London. Usually, from Guildford, the fastest train is about 38 minutes. That's what I love about Guildford- so near to London yet far enough to stay away from the hustle and bustle of a city life. Though I used to dream about living in the city- grabbing a take-away coffee, rushing through the undergrounds...well, you get the idea. 

Surprisingly, I am now actually feeling so grateful (genuinely speaking) to live in a peaceful small town which is just a stone-throw away from London. It's like whenever I feel like going to London, I can just hop on the next fastest train heading to London Waterloo (the trains are so frequent that you don't even need to worry about the timings) and at the end of the day I can just come back before midnight and sleep in my own bed. Of course, if only they would stop raising the ticket fares. Like seriously, stop increasing. The rate is getting ridiculous each year.

Anyway.. Back to last Monday.

Met up with Judith and Jia Huey at Foxcroft & Ginger in Soho after we took a detour to Her Majesty's Theatre to get our musical tickets for that night. Yes, it's Phantom of the Opera!! *gasps* (will talk about it in my next post)

A laid-back afternoon

Exams ended last week(finally!) and I'm proud to say that it went well. Perhaps not as excellent as what I expected it to be, I can still be sure that I definitely worked harder and did better than last term. After all it's all about improvements.

We're now in 'Reading Week' where I 'should' be preparing for the new term next week. But I just came back from the bloody battlefield and I absolutely deserve some quality rest.

Lunch/Afternoon tea with Ika after Malaysian Society's meeting. We went to Glutton & Glee near Tunsgate despite the gloomy weather (which started pouring soon after) and stayed for some time inside the warm, cosy cafe.  

I had Americano again. Not exactly sure since when this addiction started but I really enjoy the bittersweet aftertaste of this milkless drink; especially those with a tinge of sourness (due to the technique they used to roast their coffee beans.. according to Jia Huey). 

The cakes were good but I prefer the savoury ones- steak pie was amazing. 

Paris: Famous landmarks

Helloooo I finally have the mood to blog again! Yay? :) I know I owe you guys a lot of travel posts! So I shall settle my blog debts before the next trip's photos come in. 

Anyway let's continue with Paris:

After our breakfast at Rue Mouffetard, we navigated our way to the iconic gothic cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris.

As a huge fan of Disney, this is definitely one of my favourite historical sites ever. 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' was one of my favourites (actually I watched & loved all Disney films haha) since young, and I remember myself watching it over and over again. To be able to set foot on this famous architecture, I couldn't hide my excitement at all.

First glimpse!

  

This view definitely gave me a strong 'picture-came-into-real-life' feeling. You could see gargoyles vividly up there from below. It was absolutely stunning!

Paris: Breakfast at Rue Mouffetard

We didn't do much on our first night in Paris. After meeting our host and passing over the keys, we went out to explore the neighbourhood (near Poissoniere metro station). At first we wanted to go for dinner at Chatier (along Rue du Faubourg Montmartre) which is famous for their cheap French cuisine. Unfortunately, we were a little late so by the time we wanted to queue for it the manager said they are done for the night. Oh well. We decided to save it on our list and come back to try our luck the following night. (alas we made it! talk about it next time)

I don't know why but every single time I go for vacation, the first dinner is always super simple and spontaneous. Guess what, we ended up tapao-ing Kebab and Falafel back to our apartment HAHA. The reason was that we saw Glacier Amorino nearby and I think all of us were like..

 

"Screw dinner. Let's just eat this" 

The Tea Terrace, Guildford

We had been planning long ago to go for an afternoon high tea session. The last time we went shopping at House of Fraser, Guildford, Ika and me discovered this cute English tea house situated on the building's rooftop.

 

 

What intrigued us most was obviously, its beautiful, cosy interior tinged with a little rather posh ambiance. They have got a lot of colourful well-cushioned chairs, pastel colours painted wall with framed paintings and quotes on it. There are even some comfy sofas provided, which is perfect after a long day of shopping. (House of Fraser just downstairs)

Sunday afternoon

This was a month ago, on a perfect Sunday morning when me and Ika decided to have our 'tai-tai' shopping and afternoon tea session again.

Went to Woking, a nearby town which is just a stone throw away from Guildford. Apparently, there are larger shopping malls there. And we even discovered a five-storey Toys 'R' us! Lucky kids.

Was planning to shop some nice apparels at Dorothy Perkins (coz there isn't any in Guildford) but guess what, they closed down the branch already. hmmmm.

So we went for food at Muffin Break. 

Back in Penang, our so-called 'Sunday tea time' are always filled with trendy desserts like Hui Lau Shan, Tong Pak Fu, MooCow, Meet Fresh, Chatime etc. Oh or better still, our authentic Penang hawker food. *Sniffs* Man, you don't even want me to start listing down.

 Ika happily looking at her tickets to Warwick the following week to meet *coughs* her man. lol. and we did not take the cab haha.

Here in England however, people tend to have a thing for coffee and cakes. There are so many nice coffee house everywhere. Be it those large coffeehouse chains or some unique ones.. People can just order a cup and sit there for the whole afternoon.

They chillax like that.

And then I wondered why such 'sophisticated' & somehow romantic coffee culture can never flourish in Malaysia? You know, the culture of sitting outside of the shop, reading a good book, sipping a cup of mocha...you get what i mean.

We do have nice coffee houses but it's not THAT popular right. Do you know the reason?

Simple. Just think about it: Would you prefer a bowl of Ais Kacang (shaved ice with syrup) or a cup of hot chocolate under the scorching sun and weather in Malaysia?

Ah. Despite enjoying the so-called luxurious tea session here very much,  I miss going to some old Kopitiam and order my RM1.20 Kopi Peng.

Me and my 2.30 pounds Cappuccino 
#shallnotcomplainaboutexpensivefoodinmsiaanymore 

Why I haven't been blogging?

I give you my top 3 excuses.

1) I have discovered a new hobby.

Yeah. I just realised that I have some passion too in cooking after coming to UK. Since the accommodation type in University of Surrey is self-catered, I share a kitchen with another 4 housemates (who don't really cook much). So basically it's like I own the kitchen! *evil laughs*

So far I have been eating my own home-cooked food everyday, and I had only had meals outside in Guildford town ONCE and the other times were during the weekend when I stayed over in London.
I'm quite amazed by myself to be honest, to actually cook everyday and more importantly, wash my used pots and crockery so many times a day.

But then I remembered when I was a little girl, my favourite toys were things like.....
the typical 'masak-masak' kitchen set, food toys which I loved to death, Play Dough set of different versions: sushi, dimsum, noodle stall, food plaza etc. 

Ouuuuu. No wonder.
So actually I have been imagining myself as a good cook since young.
which I might be!

I am always experimenting different recipes and I actually join the Surrey's culinary society!

 

Most memorable and epic meal. Because it's the first of every other meals cooked in UK! :')

And then I attempted my first own version of Chinese fried rice! Note that there are no stupid frozen green peas and carrots! coz I hate those very very much >:P

I added boiled corns though. But I totally forgot to add shrimps. Aiya.

Nevertheless it was good. My fried rice is getting better and better now so I guess I can enter some rice frying tournament soon LOL.

Saw Tesco selling Salmon at reasonable price (or rather cheap! if being compared to m'sia ) so I decided to make myself Japanese style dinner. Bought Kikkoman's Teriyaki sauce to marinade the Salmon before pan frying + baking. Awesome meal.

Also made pizza! Even the pizza base is homemade. My senior taught me how to make bread so everything here is from scratch I swear!
 I know I should have added more vege :P ah well, my cheesy meaty pizza.

but most of the time I would be stir-frying because I don't need to think when I'm hungry. Just throw anything available in my fridge into the wok and then add soy sauce. Stir stir fry fry...Teppanyaki style FTW! am also getting more pro day by day. Heh.

Sorry ah these photos are a bit unglamorous because firstly, they are all the first attempts.. (which I think is worth remembering though) Secondly, I didn't use my G12 to shoot these and there's no editing & no angle..so yeah.

but see the below:

Beef Bolognese pasta. NOT BAD right I KNOW THANK YOU. haha

you know why? because I used G12 to shoot this. Praise the magic of photography.

of course it tasted good too lah, duh ;)

2) I was being academically kiasu. 

I must be kidding. It's just the first month and I am already... studying. -.-

Despite the fact that I myself couldn't really 'tahan' this so-not-grace kind of behaviour, it is the sad fact unfortunately. hah! Even though the syllabus seems pretty easy for the first semester(and probably throughout my first year), I am constantly reminding myself to not be complacent at anytime.

What to do,  I've learned my lesson the hard way. There were so many if-onlys and regrets that I would probably drown myself in life's deep ocean next time if I still don't learn how to swim properly. I don't wish to repeat any of my mistakes ever again so I have been striving really hard to change and improve my own self.

 

Whenever I am standing at the Economics section, browsing through the racks in search of my reference books, I would feel invincible, utterly alone yet genuinely happy. I could even spend hours there alone surrounded by books and silence only. I don't wish for any particular person to be there with me, nor do I feel the need to include anyone in that moment. It's my own time and space. There's no rush and everything is being pleasantly unhurried.

 :')

well, one of the reason is also because I love walking to the dark areas of the library purposely just to play with the automatic lights.. That awesome moment when the lights were suddenly on when you entered the walkway. Heh.

It feels like harry potter or something.. like magic  *snaps*

Left: 4 modules for this Autumn semester: Quantitative Methods, Introductory Economics, Economic Data Analysis, Contemporary issues in Economics.

Right: Borrowed textbooks. Such a Chinese I actually 'sapu' the highly demanded books back since the first week and plan on renewing all the way. LOL. I will buy my own books eventually when I can get a good price. It's so frustrating lo sometimes as I can't highlight or scribble on the books :/

 

( ´ ▽ ` )

3) I was busy exploring.

Of course, I can't possibly nerd all day long right. That would be so sad.

The thing is I don't really enjoy drinking or partying so most of the time I would spend my time and money on shopping trips to the town or even worst, London. (because taking a train to London from Guildford only takes around 35 minutes!! just like from KTJ to MidValley last time)

Photos here are all from my Samsung Galaxy S3.
Please bear with me but from now onwards I will always remember to bring my G12 out so that I can post higher quality ones. Phone camera will never be better than a real camera.

  

Our very own lovely little town in Surrey, Guildford! :) Just 10 minutes walk from campus. (Yes I walk everywhere in Surrey because I wanna save bus fares for more shopping haha. Plus, it's healthier)

 There's a high street here too which is enough for me to shop even if I don't go up to London.

which reminds me of the Friary Centre's Student Shopping Night event next week. 

Oh no. I need to plan my budget!

Of one month in UK, my 2 weekends were spent in London. Heh. 

and gosh, why am I so proud of it? 

this means I'll have to allocate a certain amount of money for London shopping every month. OH GRACE GRACE CONTROL YOURSELF. 

 Oxford street and Trafalgar Square.

 M&M world in Leicester Square.

South Kesington and Hyde park.

I will upload more of these kind in my future posts don't worry. These are just teasers. heh.


____________________________________________________ :)




There are more excuses I can provide but all in all, I was just bullshitting coz the real reason behind is: I had been procrastinating, again.

Fret not, I am here to revive this poor little bloggie. Yay.

Shall be updating about my life pretty often from now on so, stay tuned people!

Yumcha VS English Afternoon Tea

Whenever being asked the 'Coffee or Tea' question, I would always choose the latter.

Delving into the topic of tea culture, as a Cantonese I have always been a big fan of 'yum zou cha', the Chinese style of morning tea which involves a few dim sum dishes and a pot of Chinese tea. To me, going to the old rusty restaurants for an authentic yum cha session on Sunday mornings is in fact, the most affordable and simplest pleasures in life.

However, as much as I adore the British tea culture, I haven't experienced English afternoon tea in my life before this. (yea I'm that pathetic huhu) Well what I actually meant is the tea session where you would also have fancy pastries and cakes served on delicate china and tiered stands. Tsk.

but but.. I finally tried out that day! Went to delicious at Straits Quay and ordered the Afternoon tea set.

 

 

Ordered a set of 6 colourful macarons for the sake of food photo shooting. *look away with guilt*

It doesn't taste THAT nice. Hmm I really need to try the ones made in France one day.

Me iz berry happy nao ( ˘ ³˘)♥



Strawberries with chocolate dip; Hand-rolled chocolate truffles; rosemary & cheese cookies.

 

My choice of cakes on display: Heated brownies topped with a scoop of ice cream. 

 

Warm scones served with preserves and pure cream.

 

Duck confit in filo pastry; assortment of finger sandwiches.

Frankly speaking, the finger food was just okay-okay and I doubt it's worth the price. For a moment, it somehow made me feel like a spoiled silver-spooned socialite when I looked at the bill.

Oh well. You don't eat these everyday what *smirks* I guess once in a while is still fine.
But if given a choice, I would prefer har gau siew mai over the fancy looking red velvet cake.