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/. 

My First UK Blog Post - A View from My Window

This year was crazy - 2014. The workload was okay but the uncertainties were definitely high. So, after years of dreaming to study in overseas and all, I finally had my wish came true as a Ph.D student. Hahahaha, kinda old to keep on studying, but gonna keep going on!

It is of course a great opportunity, since I am running off to United Kingdom (UK) for a year. So far, everything treats me okay, except for the weather - reasons >>>the temperature difference between morning and evening can be > 10 DegC. Yes, for this reason, I have suddenly suffer from minor migraine - which in my entire life, this is not an issue. I can't stay up late in UK, can't boil midnight oil>>> maximum drop-sleep time is 1145pm. @@

Anyhow, the groceries here and food here (I mean from supermarket) are quite affordable in the sense that it won't kill off your wallet at the end of the month. No car for me, good for diet! Hahahaha, people here are quite polite until it is frightening at one point. And, at Nottingham here, I feel quite cosy. It is a city with nice buildings and architectures and great food. 

As for the utility bill, it is still quite a weird arrangement. For water bill, we prepaid an estimated water usage for 6 months @@. As for electricity bill, we need to submit our own tariff reading, else they will calculate based on past record. This is a whole culture shock to me (^^).

This sums up my current life. I have been so busy with research etc. At one point, I was so phobia of writing even a single word. It actually took me a lot of determination to write this post and select the fine pictures above. 

Never thought that this post is actually 9 months apart. Great that my posts productivity declined greatly, because I am living a real life or Am I? By the way, my bloglink also changes over here to xjion89.blogspot.co.uk . Guess because I am in UK. Hahahahaha. Keep in touch and keep supporting my blogs. 

Cheeeeers, 

xjion a.k.a Jay  

Lady Luck 2012-2013

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment", by Jim Rohn, Author, Motivational Speaker 

Ups and Downs are part of life. You can't escape from this circle of life. Therefore, like what Jim Rohn said, we must maintain discipline in life even joining contests (^^). Therefore, despite deprived of luck, 2012 - 2013 still were not that bad. 

Of course, from the pic, you might thought I just won a bag, not just any bag - it is a glowing-in-the-dark beg!!!!!! Hahaha, inside the bag, it was a Sony-Audio player!!!! You can see that there are some signatures; well, it was used in a contest by a winner team. I like this player as it can play cassette, CD, radio, etc. Most of all, it had become my lucky charm (^^)  

When you thought that life was not going to get better, I won a voucher to SPA treatment which I had to pass to my housemate! Lucky housemate as I was leaving back to home (><). It was from True Fitness somemore leh!!!!!

This was quite unexpected! A Norton-Anti-Virus 2012 had been won through a online contest. Despite the hustle in collecting the gifts, it was quite useful (^^)~~~ Too bad renewal will cost a leg....At least, I had one safer year online ~~~~

Hopefully, 2014 even though will be expensive and difficult, I still wish that 2014 will be a lucky year !!!! Huat arrrrrrr (^^) !!! Overall, 2012-2013, lady luck is still by my sides (^^)

PappaRich, Averagely Rich @ Kajang

"We must accept finite disappointment but we must never lose infinite hope", by Martin Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1964.

My buddies from Uni. It was such a long time since we gathered for dinner. This was already more than a year ago, I guess. The longer people stay together, they do develop similar behaviour. LOL, even the same camera-shy pose!

PappaRich is not a unfamiliar name and located at Kajang KTM area! As a "last" dinner as Uni-friends, we went to this restaurant for closure (sound overly-serious). On the way to Kajang KTM, you will see definitely see this place. I like it for the ambient and spacious parking area.

We ordered some nasi lemak, nasi ayam, etc. To our slight disappointment, they looked almost the same except for the side dishes (fast food?!). The taste was ok only, yet, the price was above average. Anyway, it was more like we are enjoying the company/ environment rather than the food. 

The drink was quite nice with jelly (^^) And, the bak guo dessert was slightly sweet. Overall, everything was just average, but, definitely a good place to gather!

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.......

Lost World, Another Adventure!

 After the Kellie Castle trip, we headed straight to Lost World Tambun. As local Perakian, it was the first time for all of us to visit this hidden location. The entrance wasn't that cheap and you also require to prepare extra cash for the renting the "pelampung". We were so not prepared financially at all, have to "korek" from our pockets.

The interior was well-design despite it was still considered to be quite small compared to other theme parks. From street food to greenery mountain to mini-zoo, the concept was quite astonishing to fully utilise the nature in this area. Another interesting part of the theme park was hotspring integration. But, let me reassure that not every day is suitable for hot spring bath in Perak. The weather was blazing hot to an extend that we were boiled in the hotspring - double jeopardy@@ Recommendation: Check weather to ensure it is not too hot.

You can even spot some swans there ! Both black and white!!!!!!

How do you don't love the nature in Perak. However, recently on my way back to Ipoh, I can see a lot of hills being exploded and exploited for the granite/ lime stone. My guess was due to the virtual high demand of housing properties in Malaysia, more concrete materials are required.....Hopefully, government can properly control and ensure over-exploitation is preventable. 

Oh Kellie, A Castle For You

"The Key to finding a happy balance in modern lives is simplicity" by Sogyal Rinpoche.

This is definitely another overdue post. Kellie Castle, a magnificent heritage in Batu Gajah, long existed in 1915. However, the completion was hindered after the death of Kellie. Until today, it still stands on the ground of Perak.

From the architecture viewpoint, the design of the mansion/ castle is more to European/ Western style since Kellie was a Scottish. There are numerous of spacious rooms being constructed in the castle. The structure and arc built is definitely not an easy task, with cumbersome design and implementation.

  The yellow building is said to be the dinner/ feast hall if it was ever completed. The structure found in the Castle is often designed as round arc and onion-like shape; perhaps, an integration of local style into castle was applied.

Here are some of the little details in Kellie Castle. Door and Key. Entrance Arc. Square building. Onion-like windows. Clover-leaf-like air ways.....

The entrance fee was about RM4 per person. When my gang was there, the castle was undergoing some renovation. Still, it was worth our time! And, we spotted wedding photoshoot here too!!!! It is interesting to see and read some of the descriptions given in the mansion. It is assumed what was supposed to be though. Give yourself some imaginations when you are there (^^)

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

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

Clan Dim Sum Restaurant 大家城點心茶樓 @ Sri Petaling

This scheduled post is intended for those who wake up early in the morning and feel hungry! Why?! Because it is dim sum time. Unexpectedly, I am covering KL/ PJ dim sum instead of the ultra famous Ipoh dim sum; however, don't expect less (^^)

Clan Dim Sum Restaurant OR 大家城點心茶樓 is located at Sri Petaling. 

Like typical any other dim sum, they also have the almost the identical choices. For example, you can definitely find xiao mai, egg tart, fried yum, fishballs etc as follow: (To me, the taste is just typical; but, I compliment the egg tart, worth to try also)

Of course, as a foodie blogger for quite some year, I am definitely looking for that special dish in this restaurant~ Can you give a guess??!!! Hahahaha, the answer is the famous 鸡窝包 (Gai Wo Bao ) or direct translation Chicken Hive Bun??? Pardon my translation. Well, what is this dish about?! It is like a combination of very slight char siew taste, nuo mi gai (glutinous rice chicken) and typical bun ----- Wala, this combination created 鸡窝包.

Have a good try! And, the address is as follow: 

140, Jalan Radin Anum 1,
Taman Seri Petaling,
Sri Petaling,
57000 Kuala Lumpur