The Renovation of My Little World from 2010 - 2014

In my latest blog design, I find myself going extremely simple in everything. Perhaps, I have matured along the way with high tendency to seek for a more convenient of life. Hahahaha, I believe I am experiencing the mid-life crisis. Anyway so far, it has been a year since I changed my theme. This time around, I was spending quite some time to do research on how to give a simple look on my blog. I removed all the fancy gadgets, background image and gave it a less clutter look. Other than that, here are some of the tips I used for my bloggie design, mainly referenced from http://helplogger.blogspot.co.uk/:

1. How to align the blog header image - this was quite a frustrating experience in blogger template adjustment. But the code from here solved my problem
2. How to optimise google search for blog post title -  As the post title always started with the blog title, this gives a less attractive search results for the posts. Please find the self-explanatory from here.
3. Removed the blogger bar (can be done now) which make my blog looks more clean.
4. Gave a new blogger image (^^) with description on who I am. Finally a mini-masquerade mask pic taken in Venice!
5. Gave a new blog header image, also taken in Venice.
6. Added the facebook like button, which is quite good for publicity. And, so far, only this post worked for my blog. 

This basically sum up the minor yet time-consuming edits!!!!!!! 

Just as life will always goes on and earth will always spin, My Little World has been transformed for so many times that I lost count. My regret now is that I did not save a printsceen of my blog designs previously. Thank goodness with https://archive.org/web/, I manage to retrieve some of blog interfaces I applied last time from 2010 and 2014. Yet, many were lost. 

Oh gosh, 2010 was a dark year for me? I don't exactly remember why it was so dark. Then 2011, I decided to go green, Oh yes, I still remembered the Japanese Garden's bridge which was used as the blog header pics.  

Then, in 2012, I decided to give a more messy design, which the background pics were taken in Dreamz Bakery . Over the year in 2013, I was back to simple design with brownish background.

In later of 2013, I was having a liking to yellow designs thanks to the Hard Rock image taken in Penang. As you can see in 2014, my life has gotten slightly complicated. Therefore, any simple gestures/ designs/ lives/ happiness seems to be my cup of tea. 

If you are missing out some of the blog design/ or you wonder how was your blog evolve/ mutate over the years, you can always try to find it using https://archive.org/web/. 

United Kingdom Adventure: Nottingham

Oh Oh Oh!!!!! In a flash, I have been in the United Kingdom for 3 months! 9 more months before I return to my lovely home country, Malaysia! Hahahaha, anyhow, here is it! The houses in Nottingham look as above - red bricks with chimney!!!!!! So far, this area is quite peaceful and very near with University Park of Nottingham. 

To the city, I can see that the city council of Nottingham actually seems to be quite like a mini white house of USA. The architecture in UK definitely is an eye-opening to me because it is very hard to find such buildings in Malaysia. This seem-to-be peaceful old market square often hosts different events! Now, it houses the Wonderland of Christmas Market which I might be covering in the future, hopefully!!!!

Oh yes, looking the cars here in UK! I was so lucky to bump into a wedding at the city council! The black car for the bride and the red bus for the guests! Such a beautiful event !

Yup, this is the city of Nottingham with nice food and beautiful buildings! In the next post, I will be covering the Nottingham Castle! Oh yes, there are too many castle in Nottingham. Till then, tata (^^)

A Happy 2014 - Smile like Mickey Mouse (^^)

Oh my, 2014 is here in a blink of an eye! Regardless of how positive I was/ am, I can't stop myself wonder and worry how my this year will be! If you have read my previous post on the ever-increasing conditions in Malaysia, I guess it will never be an easy year. 

Anyhow, I think perhaps because of aging, I feel that I can easily emo/ depressed. Mid-life crisis comes earlier this year?! This year, my resolution is simple - be happy! (^^) Smile like Mickey Mouse (^^)!!!!! I finally dug up some photos years ago! I remembered it was taken in Midvalley, when they had an art gallery on Mickey Mouse (^^)! It was even FOC to view the art pieces ! Yup, it was that simple, be happy!

When I was a little younger, I really wanted a lot. As I grew older, perspective starts to "evolve", I feel that less is more. Spending days with your love ones, be more appreciative of what I have, accomplish self-set goals, etc.... are more like my direction of lives. 

Then, there are some people who I thought I know, just change completely opposite. They used to enjoy life, love life, appreciate life.... But, after working, I can see that some of them became cocky/ arrogant and blindly chasing things that they thought they want  - money, fame, promotion, etc.. Well, I ain't Saint, I do have desire to chase those stuffs, but not neglecting my lives!

Keep your virtue! Smile like Mickey Mouse (^^) 

Libra Star Cruise Adventure Part 2

"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men", 

by Roald Dahl, British novelist, author of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

As inspired by the quote, the adventure continues on the Libra Cruise so as the exploration. We further wondered around the outdoor. The pool and the Jacuzzi looked so inviting. There was even a short-distance jogging track here. Go for night joggers (^^) 

Apart from exploring the cruise's compound, there were even shows available from Hokkien singers, English singers, etc. For the children, I bet the most attractive show in the cruise would be the MAGIC show! It was combination of humour and tricks (^^) Perhaps not much youngsters there, the disco was totally empty!!! For the adults, you will find a lot CASINOs in the cruise!!!!!

As you can see the outdoor facilities, there were many sport facilities! Yup, totally suitable for sport junkie!!!!! Basket ball court, sprint track, etc were quite favourable! A final walk around the decks of the cruise statisfied our curiosity before heading to bed.

Without realising that the cruise had docked, it was another beautiful morning! The breakfast was another complimentary buffet! Yup, again, it was a variety of food! What another amazing meal (^^) 

We climbed to the highest deck again to have an overview, it was truly beautiful(^^)!!!! And, surprisingly, there was photoshot going on near the pool area with sexy bikini girls (@@).. Another exploration indeed....

After leaving the cruise, we set on a short trip around Penang. What a pleasant town with nice food! My mom was totally craving for the cendol ice there. So happen, I knew the location of the stalls. A nice bowl of cendol ice ended our journey in Penang prior heading home to Ipoh (^^) 

Overall a chill trip with no hassle was simply enjoyable and relaxing (^^) 

Libra Star Cruise Adventure Part 1

Nope, this wasn't the Libra Star Cruise! It was the Logo Hope - Floating Book Fair/ Store that aims to educate people and to help needy people around the globe!

Anyway, the story in this post is solely about Libra Star Cruise. To cut the long story short, I won a pair of tickets, more precisely, a room! Therefore, I ajak my mom to join me on this cruise adventure for a night stay on the ship!!!!!

We drove to Penang to board the cruise which was located at the famous jetty - Swenttenham Pier. Yup, what a shallow me! I didn't even there was a pier named after Swenttenham - a very famous name appeared in Sejarah! Anyway, Penang was awesome (^^)

As you can see, the cruise ship was quite nice in  the exterior! Numerous entertainment facilities were available - swimming pool, CASINO, gym, restaurant, etc.... Of course, just to remind you all, despite the room was free, we still need to pay for the sea tax or something. It was not cheap though. 

After all the hustle and bustle checking in, we finally arrived our lovely room! It was kinda small though. But, it was comfy enough for both me and my mom! And, the shower was amazing (^^) To our surprise, most of the crews were from China !!!! 

There are several restaurants in the cruise ship! We tried the 4 Happiness restaurant 1st for our dinner. The food was quite okay (^^). Crazy variety of Chinese food, Malay food, Western....We were totally satisfied! After 1 hour + of dinner, my mom and I roamed freely checking different decks (^^)!!!!!

Then, we arrived at the pool outside. We just sat there and chilled while listening to the live band singing English oldies! Of course, occasionally we were "harassed" by the waiter to order drinks. But, it was still enjoyable!!!!!

The Story to be Continued.......

Nokia 5730 Memory: Ants, Tree, Sky and The Decision

If they try to rush me, I tell them I've only got one other speed, and that's slower, Taurean Glenn Ford

Here is a new tradition of my post every now and then to include a quote. One fine day, I dug up an old exercise book from my secondary school/ high school days. It was truly inspiring as I opened the book and found meaningful phrase/ quote that I either copied from the newspaper or from the internet. My state of mind was instantly rejuvenated, seeing that myself was once a determined individual. I copied about 300++ in my book!  I would like to share out my might to keep living on (^^)

Anyway, let me talk on the phone 1st. Nokia 5730 of 3.2 megapixel phone was a phone I won 4 years ago! Yup, my slogan actually won a grand prize in a online contest. It was valued at about RM 1300++ as it was just released not long ago. The specs of the phone that time was more than impressive; not only it has a qwerty keyboard (hidden), it is also an internet phone. This meant a lot to me as it was my 1st smartphone!!!!!!! I also just want to say that Nokia's Carl Zeiss's lense is truly awesome. 

Right now, I rarely uses Nokia 5730 to take photos eversince I change my phone to Nexus 4 which is a touchscreen smartphone. Therefore, as a memory of Nokia 5730 serves me, I shall share the photos as a walk down on memory lane. (Long-winded post indeed)

The Ants, Tree and Sky was taken at my university - University of Nottingham Malaysia. Those ants were the ferocious red ants; once bitten, it would definitely hurt. I was so surprised that my Nokia 5730 had the capability to take this kind of images even though it is slightly blurry and low resolution. 

Oh, by the way, if you follow my last last last post, I was so anxious of The Decision. Yup, after venturing into an amazing Oil and Gas Consultation company for roughly a year, I decided to further my studies as a Ph.D student in Chemical Engineering Field back to my university!!!! Yes, you hear me right! It was a mixed feeling - happy, anxiety, worry, determined, doubt, ........ huge mix-pot. But, I had grounded my thought and in this future 3 years, I will walk into the Ivory Tower once again for one last time (maybe)!   

The consultation job was tough and challenging with steep learning curve. However, I was getting a hang of it and it soon became a huge part of my life. I was so glad that I had this amazing year of experience with capable people and reputable company. It moulded me into a more confident person and taught me never hide away from challenges. 

Some people argued that my job was quite excellent since it was mainly in Oil & Gas field and consultation. It would be loss if I just gave up like that. Plus, Oil & Gas is all about experience. True enough, perhaps my 3 years of studies would not be able to make up the 3 years of experience in any field. I just want to say that life is more than taking a risk; it is more like grabbing an opportunities. When it knocks, I just have to grab it. My lovely supervisor offers me a full sponsorship as a investment to my interest. This is an opportunity that I would'not want to let go. 

Another reason is that after a couple years of working, I believe that it would be difficult to go back to study life. So, I just want to sekaligus use this amazing chance and develop into a more technically-competent person that ever. So, that's all I want to say! Wish me luck pleaseeeeeee (^^)

Let the 3 year journey begins!

Nestle Photo Contest Consolation Win (^^)

It had been a while since I won anything. I was so pre-occupied with other stuffs (life, work, etc.). Anyway, I just tried my luck with an online competition with Nestle (Not promo or adver post; how I wish to do ad post (><) ).  Surprisingly, my post on the sunrise theme hit the minor jackpot as the winner of the consolation prize (^^). Yuppie! I can sense my luck is coming back to papa.!!! Hahaha!!~ Anyhow, I uploaded the photo of sunrise scenery with the caption "At the Mount KK with a Cup of Nestum".  

Those were items won for my entry! Two (2) packs of weird flavoured-Nestum-3-in-1 drinks - Ginseng and Dong Gui!!! (@@) Yup, you tell me about it! I was reluctant to try at 1st. But, it was quite okay! Especially for those who really need the energy-boost! I felt the aroma and the taste was well-blend with the oats and definitely healthy to drink it (^^)

Nestle representative even couriered me the little photo frames! How sensitive they were! Hahahaa! It was a boost to my self-esteem that my Lumix FS6, despite being a weak compact camera, can still shot some nice photos. Anyhow, it was so saddening that just yesterday my FS6 died upon me (><) after the adventurous Gua Tempurung trip. Don't feel like spending a fortune to fix it ~~ Haizzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Restaurant Ipoh 新怡保饭店 @ Ipoh

 Even though Ipoh is publicly known as the "Retirement Town", it still develops like hot cake as there are more and more tourists coming here to visit. Anyway, the most common phenomena in Ipoh is that the youngsters will either go to KL or overseas to study or to work, leaving their senior parents at home. You might think that they will be bored to death without their children by their sides; but, you are so wrong! In fact, most of them are more adventurous in further exploring Ipoh for good food. And, they are getting pickier by the day. 

The NEW IPOH Restaurant was discovered by my parents during their past time. It is quite a popular restaurant in town especially for family customer. It is a typically Chinese restaurant for ordering dishes!

Eversince I am older, I prefer to eat simpler food - less fried, more fiber. Perhaps, in this age, I should also start to take care of my health so that in the future, medical bills won't that enormous. For the dish above, it is the steam tofu with fried shrimps on top (^^) Simple yet yummy!

As for those with bad tummy/ digestive problem, eating more vegetables most probably will help. Yup, we should start to eat more vegetables since young age! Another simple dish here - clear fried vegetable (pardon my direct translation)..hahahahaah

Lastly, since my parents still adore some meat here, we ordered the yum sandwiched pork (Waaa, my translation getting better or worse??!!!@@). Anyway, the portion wasn't too large so that we won't overfed ourselves. Hahahaha!

Overalll, New Restaurant offered a simple dinner to the locals. You can always try it out as it is just located opposite the Ipoh Pet Center. Oh no, tomorrow I am going to KL already. Sign, there goes my one month holiday (><)!!!!!!!

Denso Youth for Earth Action 2011 Memory Edition 1

Up to date, 2011 was my favourite year of all time as it was the year of freedom and chasing dream. Hahaha, perhaps, it was the year when I was still a dreamer youngster (^^). Anyway, it was summer 2011 when we received an email from our lecturer about the Denso Youth for Earth Action (DYEA). It is a programme  that truly embeds environmental awareness into the youths of today! You can find more information and even participate if you are interested at (here)!  However, I think this year is already closed. So, for those who are interested, you can prepare for next year (^^) For the winners, you can even join a foreign programme too, in JAPAN  !!!!! Despite I wasn't a winner that year, I really gained a lot of precious experience and enthusiasm in environmental conservation!

In day one, it was all about ice-breaking with the other 19 participants. They were all unique and special individual who were truly "green-minded". The 1st session was at the Denso Company, Bangi to introduce and educate us on environment preservation and conservation. After that, we moved into the Equatorial Hotel, Bangi!!!!! Yes, it was quite a nice hotel (^^).!!!!

In day 2, we were arranged to visit Denso plants itself. The operation and management was simply impressive with the detail of work involved. Below shows the microphone devices used while touring the plant (^^). Of course, the adventure didn't stop there. In the later part of the day, we went on another meeting/ visit to Department of Environmental (DOE), Putrajaya!

Two years ago, I was still not that familiar with Putrajaya. But, that time visit, it was an eye-opener tour because the architecture was simply astonishingly-designed. The meeting with DOE's director and personnel was quite fruitful too. The debate and discussion on environmental issues were quite a lesson to everybody involved!

I am so proud to be a part of DYEA 2011

5 Meals 1 Day Edition (5)

At last!!!!!!!!!!!!! The end meal of the 5 Meals 1 Day Edition!!!!! Also known as 5 Meals 1 Day Edition (5).   For the final dinner, we went to Yulek Garden @ Cheras to try some Thai delicacies, Awet Thai Cafe!

For people who really know me, I am totally not a spicy person! Means, I don't stand spicy food! Anyway, for the purpose of the purpose, I opened my mind (literally) to accept the challenge. To my surprise, it was not too spicy and enjoyable too!!!

The Fried Kang Kung truly stole my heart!!! The Thai-Style Salad was quite nice too (^^) Yup, but, beware of the chili padi! The Coconut Soup was quite ok, a little bit spicy!!! Lastly,the Roast Pork (Chu Jing) was superb,hahahahah~~~!

Of course, there were the typical Red and Green Curry! I was quite surprise they tasted quite okay! But, I took a bit due to the spiciness.  Of course the meal wasn't completed with nice Thai-Style Fish! The Pandan  Leaf Tea was quite enjoyable too as it was totally good for cooling down the hotness of the food! Overall rating is 9/10. Totally worth the time and stomach regardless of the traffic jam there (^^)

There you have it !!!!! The full series of the 5 Meals 1 Day Edition (^^). Below is the complete list of the links for the whole journey! Enjoy the posts and embark on your own journey in venturing into foodie world.

The Serial Links of 5 Meals 1 Day Edition are here:
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (1) - Jin Xuan @ Kuchai Lama
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (2) - Remember To Eat @ Kepong
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (3) - Dreamz Bakery @ Kota Damansara
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (4) - Levain Boulangerie-Patisserie @ Jalan Delima
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (4.5) - Dun Egg @ Jalan Sayur 

5 Meals 1 Day Edition (5) - Awet Thai Cafe @ Cheras

5 Meals 1 Day Edition (4.5)

It had been more than a month since my last post on the AWESOME 5 Meals 1 Day Edition. Yup, working life is busy as always; similar as study life as always. Hahahaha, anyway, this time around, I will be introducing the 5 Meals 1 Day Edition (4.5) (^^) Why 4.5? The reason is that this is not really a meal but a snack on the way to meal 5!!!!

Can you see my girlfriends running towards the stall despite it was raining!!! ???? Yes, the magical attraction, I would say! The location of this stall was quite awkward! Because it was located behind quite a busy road!!!! All sort of weird stuffs in KL (^^)

The price wasn't that expensive too! Yup,totally worth a try (^^). We packed to have the hot "Dan Dan" (so-called by my friend) on the car! Because it was really rich with the good smell and taste of eggs, that's why it was referred as "Dan Dan". 

The Serial Links of 5 Meals 1 Day Edition are here:
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (1) - Jin Xuan @ Kuchai Lama
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (2) - Remember To Eat @ Kepong
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (3) - Dreamz Bakery @ Kota Damansara
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (4) - Levain Boulangerie-Patisserie @ Jalan Delima
5 Meals 1 Day Edition (4.5) - Dun Egg @ Jalan Sayur 

5 Meals 1 Day Edition (5) - Awet Thai Cafe @ Cheras

Private Annual Fine Dining @ Westin Hotel

In the midst of Chinese New Year, I truly felt the festive season from head to toe. It is just that perhaps because of the older age, I think I am losing the festive touch.hahahahaha~ sound so old ^^ Anyway, Happy Chinese New Year again!

This time around, I am gonna to share a old piece of story during my uni days (Actually, just last year) So, as a chemical engineering class of 2012, we decided to throw ourselves a private annual dinner which costed us a leg RM200++. It was held at the Westin Hotel! Yup, high class-nya.hahahahaha! A final enjoyment before our FYP ends...

As usual, I spent a lot on the clothing which was not satisfactory at all because apparently, guys formal wears are so much more expensive than girls' dress! I arrived Westin Hotel after fetching two friends. 

As you can see, the setup was truly astonishing! Yup, totally classy and nice! The opposite of the room was actually Pavillion! We could see the building so clearly! The menu was simply unique! Despite the taste might  be suitable to all, I was having a fun time eating them (since so expensive, hahahaha).

The usual starter would be bread and butter! There were several type of bread available. My fav was the 2nd (^^). Then, came the 2nd dish which was the Seared Tuna and Scallops with Ruby Red Grapefruit and Orange Dressing! The taste was rather unique unlike anything I tasted before; but the sweetness from the Grapefruit actually spoilt a bit of the enjoyment. However, overall, it was quite nice!

The main course was Roast Chicken Breast Filled with Wild Mushrooms. The taste was fine but the meat was overcooked and the mushrooms were too dry. It was a disappointing despite of its well-decor appearance. Thankgoodness, its dessert saved the day - Vanilla Panna Cotta, Raspberry Compote and Ginger Crumble!  Hahaha, despite the price, the portion was really a bit small~ I came to a conclusion that Fine Dinner = Fine Particle!!!ahahahaha

Of course, the day was a day to be remembered as it was not just about food! It was the celebration of our 4 years hardship that was going to bear fruits (^^) Yes!

How are you all? 

Nottingham Malaysia MEng of Chemical Engineering 2012 (^^)?

Wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year! Have a great career and future (^^)!!!