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. 

Spring: Let it bloom let it bloom

I'm in love with the weather nowadays. It's not too cold nor is it too warm, which is perfect.

I could just put on a cardigan or a sweater and I'm all good to go out. Sometimes I even complain when the sun is blazing a little too much. Now I doubt I am going to survive the hot weather when I go back to Penang. 

Guildford Cathedral

Today I am going to show you some pictures of Guildford Cathedral which stands on the Stag hill, overlooking our university campus.

This iconic building of Guildford, Surrey can be seen even from far. Whenever you take the Southwest train from London Waterloo, you will know that you are in Guildford already when you see this cathedral from the railway.

Simple yet unique from the outside, the Guildford Cathedral indeed has its own kind of charm. This Anglican cathedral with its undramatic Curvilinear Gothic architecture will be the venue for University of Surrey's annual convocation.

Snow in Surrey

The first thing I usually do after waking up every morning during Winter here: Get out of the bed. Look out of the window with a slightly excitable mood to check if the trees and pathways outside were blanketed by snow.

Like this:

 Winter, mid January 2013

I don't know why but it has eventually become a habit (it feels rather paranoid) that I still subconsciously practice up till today.

It's almost the end of February now and there were already hints of Spring earlier this month. 2 weeks ago, I finally got the chance to embrace the warmth and bright sunshine by just wearing a T shirt plus jacket/hoodie. Besides enthusiastically starting my research on the Spring Summer 2013 fashion online, I thought I could finally get rid of all the thick,bulky coats and scarfs etc. Just when I thought Spring is around the corner already...

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)

It's Friday

Curry Rice

Finally woke up before 9am today and I am pretty proud of myself for not snoozing the alarms one after one like I used to do for the past few days.

I find that whenever I say something it'll always get jinxed. Like for instance, I just mentioned in my previous post that the weather here had been quite warm at this time of Winter and suddenly there has been a drastic temperature drop.

Apparently everywhere across the country will be blanketed with either sleet or snow this weekend, according to the weather forecast. There will be no more luxury of having 6-10 degrees during the day. The negatives are hitting in again soon.

Headed to the student union this morning in hope to stock up some bubble milk tea but sadly the stall wasn't set up today! You won't understand my pain here because it's not that easy to find bubble milk tea outside London (whereas you can even have Chatime there!) so when I first found out that there will be a pop up stall outside my uni's student union every Thursday, I was so so so excited.

Anyway since I came out already I thought of getting some fresh vegetables and fruits from the union market. Stocked up a little and decided to cook myself a good dinner. I just have to feed my demanding stomach well.

 

Dinner tonight わ カレー ライス! (Japanese Style Curry Rice)

I thought I cooked quite a small portion but it seems enough for tomorrow's breakfast too! Yummy :)

The texture is almost the same as my mother's home-cooked Kurma Ayam but this is the Japanese version heh. A bit sweeter and less spicy I would say.

Other than that I've been progressing well i guess for my papers next week, keep it up Grace!

Hungry

It's already way past midnight but I'm still wide awake here, thanks to the revision week where most people's biological clock has gone totally upside down. I tried to sleep earlier so that I can wake up and study more under the sunlight but still to no avail. Just couldn't stop tossing here and there last night until almost 4am i think.

And in this darn Winter, though not very cold (sometimes even warmer than in Autumn) I find myself constantly feeling hungry. Seriously why is my digestive system/ metabolism so efficient? and not me myself who in fact, should be?!  When my stomach started growling again (so loud that it broke the silence in my room when i was trying to revise), I just couldn't help not questioning myself what did i fed myself just now and was it because the amount was too little?

Sometimes I believe that I should put all the blame on this cold season but sometimes I thought it might be my PMS as well. This isn't good. At this crucial time when I should be concentrating fully on my revision for the upcoming end-of-semester exams, can't just my stomach be a little considerate and not be fussy about what I feed it? It's so annoying because I would suddenly google recipes of Malaysian food. I was so desperate I really wanted to make Penang curry mee the other day, just that I don't know where to get my favourite tau-poks (tofu puffs?).

Was preparing some roasted ham sandwich just now to cure my bizarre midnight hunger pang and then suddenly my Cypriot housemate came in to make something as well. Had a good chat with him and realised that I'm not the only person suffering. He sleeps at 6am and wakes up at 4 something in the afternoon, which is when it's getting dark already LOL like a vampire!

Ah well we'll worry about that later I'll just eat more rice in the mean time i guess. I just hope I can have a productive week and may I excel in both modules next week.

I'll probably blog something in between those study breaks? (not like I'm gonna study non-stop the whole day) and update more often after exams for sure.

Oh before I forget, happy new year people!
P.S I owe you a lengthy blogpost about my 2012 review/ 2013 resolutions :)

Signs of Winter

It snowed once already in Surrey a few weeks ago. I woke up and everything outside was covered up by a thin layer of snow. Very thin though.

It didn't last long. When I wanted to actually go out and take pictures I realised it has started to melt and I thought it wasn't worth a shot.

Plus, it's not like I've never seen snow before so I tried to act as if I'm not very excited. lol.

 

My phone is also very festive now :D cute right i know. and I also know I shouldn't be awake at that time lol. 

Anyway, if you can see the weather forecast on the top left corner.. there were light  freezing fog the night before Surrey turned into some white wonderland.

and then when I woke up the next day, first thing I saw outside my window was..

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 

Dinner at La Casita

Quick post on an authentic Spanish dinner I had recently.

It was just another mediocre Tuesday.. but these days are the best kind of days to have. Especially after the marathon of tests, assignments, presentation and coursework which has (for the moment) come to an end.

Only one tutorial for the whole day and then you are free to spend the rest of the afternoon like a boss. What's more it's my favourite class of the week!

Short update/ Teaser

Terribly sorry for the lack of updates again, people :/
and this will be just a short update..promise to blog properly soon.

I had been quite busy for the last two weeks. There were module tests and courseworks to be handed in, and I am starting to get the real taste of the university life. Nevertheless, thank goodness deadlines were all met.

Temperature plummeted again.  Once around 3 in the morning (when I was still up and not sleeping), it was a friggin 0℃ outside! Was a little excited to be honest even though i sound like a jakun.. I really thought that it might snow in the next minute (lol) because friends in the North (durham, newcastle, york) and even bath had already experience their first snow! And mind this, it's just Autumn.

But I kind of like the cold weather, as long as the wind doesn't blow against me. And I believe that there's somehow a positive relationship between a person's mentality and his/her ability to withstand the coldness. Somehow, even though not proven.


Walking home from library alone in the cold during midnight, wearing thin layers of sport attire for outdoor training when it's so chilly...

Everything would be fine when you brave yourself and stay strong.
Guess I am adapting well?

Soupy dinner

Weather had been bad these few days. I guess Autumn's starting to show its dark side where you just have to temporarily scrape off your perfect impression of this romantic season.

Today especially.

The sky was covered by ominous-looking thunderclouds throughout the day. I had no choice but to walk in the rain (under my umbrella of course; even though it didn't really help much) to-and-fro twice from my house to the school building.

The crisp air when the wind blew, so cold that it seared through my chest as I breathed deeply. I just didn't feel like going out anymore but snuggle under the comfy duvet and call it a day.

清汤牛肉丸面线;  bak wuan meesua t'ng ; Rice noodles soup with meatballs

(honestly I don't know how to name it but as long as you get it..)

My first time cooking soupy meals ^^ and hot soup's really great for this especially cold fall!

Unfortunately, it wasn't boiled long enough (because I was impatient and hungry already heh) so the soup base could have been better.  In spite of that I still finished everything happily (not even one drop left) so I guess I passed my own test haha. Way way way beyond the word 'edible', really. 



Let's see if I can find cheap Chinese herbs here so that next time I can try to bo leng tong/cook herbal soup.


Till then!

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!