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| Wednesday, 19-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Daytour (Stonehenge-Salisbury-Bath)
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My first time going for a day trip out of London entirely on my own with the tour group.
Not bad experience thoughâ?¦although I just had to make sure that I kept my eyes glued to my watch. I can never forget the shock look on some peopleâ??s faces â?? those who were staggering behind after the moving coach. How scary! I suppose I was relieved because I was safely tucked in my seat on the coach at that time.
Stonehenge â?? ahâ?¦one of the seven wonders of the world. Impressive stone formations in the center of a big grassland. People are not allowed to walk near the stones anymore for fear of damage to one of the worldâ??s greatest historical creations. As one walk by, one can feel a sense of solitude, peacefulnessâ?¦ silenceâ?¦it must be the location, or some sort of aura that surrounds it. Rich in history, Stonehenge marks an important place in our history books in relation to astronomy, architecture etc
Salisbury â?? Stopping by for a good lunch just across from Salisbury Cathedral, we proceeded to visit a famous Cathedral.
Bath â?? Roman Bath! Thatâ??s the main highlight in this city. Bubbly hot water rising from the pool amazes me. Can just imagine the old times when the Romans enjoyed nice hot bubble baths in this â??saunasâ??. Heavenly.
Oh, heard of Jane Austen, famous author for books such as Pride & Prejudice, Emma and Sense & Sensibility? She is a prominent figure in Bathâ?¦in fact, she used to live there before. Wrote 2 of her famous books while living in this town.
It was a lovely day out with the tour. Traveling on the coach while listening to tales was fascinating. England is indeed beautiful!
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| Monday, 17-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Cardiff daytrip
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London-Cardiff (approximately 3 hours coach ride)
This entry is meant for you, Zhi Chao (friend from DJ-HELP, and currently studying law in Cardiff Uni)â?¦
Thank you loads for taking me around Cardiffâ?¦.for allocating the whole day just for me.
I feel really touched indeedâ?¦it was wonderful walking around Cardiff.
Yeah, realized that 1 day isnâ??t enough after spending a few hours along Queen Street to shop  Anyway, thank you for the great time and photo-taking
It was really good seeing you again. 
Thanks to Zhi Chao (cameraman for the day), we took lots of pictures as we walked around Cardiff city and Cardiff University. Cardiff is a nice place to study, really.
Not too busy like Londonâ?¦more peacefulâ?¦lovely place.
Wished that could have met up with Lu Yee too. Never mind, Iâ??m sure that we can meet again
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| Saturday, 15-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Scotland (2 full days at Edinburgh)
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Chui Yee, Choi Har (Chui Yeeâ??s friend from LSE) and myself embarked on a 10-hour coach ride from London all the way to Edinburgh on Thursday night to spend 2 full days exploring the wondrous beauty in Scotland. The irony isâ?¦we were spending the night at a dormitory accommodation just within walking distance to Edinburgh castle, yet we didnâ??t have sufficient time to visit the castle.
To my knowledge, Edinburgh is split into Old Town and New Town; Old Town being the main center of historical sights and tourist spots whereas the New Town is the place for main shopping and entertainment. We spent most of our time at Old Town, of course.
The truth is, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for before traveling to Edinburgh.
When Chui Yee told me that we were going for a â??Graveyard Tourâ??, I was absolutely terrified on how spooky and scary things would be like. Braving up all courage, holding hands together, we 3 girls proceeded to the â??stopâ?? and paid for our tickets for the tour.
Heart-beating moments, goosebumpsâ?¦ as we treaded through dimly-lit graveyards under the pale moonlight. The rest should be left to imaginationâ?¦ I am fortunate I survived it.
Knowing me â?? I canâ??t even sit through a horror movie. How ever did I make it through the torturous 1 ¼ hour tour?!
Why Scotland? The UK trip wouldnâ??t seem complete if I spent my entire trip just in the UK itselfâ?¦ traveling up north seemed fun and different. Was hoping to see snow, but didnâ??t get to. Fortunately, the weather was kind and we had a great time.
Learnt a fair bit about the history in Edinburgh during the short 2 hour guided walk around Old Town. Interesting facts.
I would say that the trip was good, but just too much walking for me at one go.
Walking continuously up and down the hill proved to be an uphill task for me after resting much in Malaysia upon returning from Australia a few weeks back. My London friends had no problems at all with walkingâ?¦ I was practically panting to catch up with their pace. Then again, somehow or rather, we covered quite a lot of places on our own.
Good trip â?? Scotland. Nice scenery, peaceful surroundings, historical castles, spooky tales.
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| Wednesday, 12-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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London revealed! (UK trip: Wed,Jan 12 - Wed,Jan 25)
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Hoping on the plane to the UK on my own was an adventure that I will never regret.
With full of anticipation, I can only imagine the wonderful things in UK that I only watch with awe on telly - Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace....loads more to see...once you step foot on England soil.
These pictures were taken during first few days in the UK before going to Scotland.
Loads more fascinating sights to behold. Despite the fact I was there in London for about a week, not enough time to do everything and see everything!
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| Tuesday, 4-Jan-2005 00:00 |
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Meeting up with close friends
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So nice to meet my good friends from HELP once again.
Fui Yoon, Jesse and me....had a nice lunch at Pizza Hut, back in Pusat Bandar Damansara...where we first met...and studied together at HELP for the past 3 years before leaving for uni in Australia.
And...aww..my friends remembered my Birthday (tomorrow)!
Got lotsa nice goodies...thank you so much 
This fotopage is for you. 
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| Monday, 20-Dec-2004 00:00 |
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Treasuring the memories in Brisbane...
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Aww....last day in Brisbane. Flight back to Kuala Lumpur departing at 2350 at Brisbane International. Exchanging last goodbyes are the worst things for me! 
Sad to leave behind a country where I had countless good memories of a one year of independent study abroad with no one else but good friends and a great environment.
It is hard to explain the feeling accummulating inside my heart....
only you guys who were there with me during the whole time would understand.
From my close Malaysian friends to my nice friends whom I have met in Australia, guys & girls...
I will miss you all sooooo much. I wish that time would stand still and we didn't have to say goodbye. But ... like the Chinese proverb goes, there is no party that never ends.
I will treasure and cherish those memories, and may it continue to live in our hearts forever.
I hope and wish that we will meet again one day - as for now, we must bid farewell as we tread on different paths in life. Friends forever!!!  Please take care...and keep in touch 
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| Saturday, 18-Dec-2004 00:00 |
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Farewell to a wonderful place - towards a new beginning
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I didn't realise that I enjoy blogging and typing my ideas out.
Going back to Malaysia soon...so fast.
Long tearful farewell to St Lucia (my uni suburb), Brisbane, Queensland @ Sunshine State, Australia, OZ-land, Down-under.
Year 2004 full of events, memories, bonding of good friendship, growing up, discovery of feelings within, opening up to new ideas and culture, university campus experience, independence in a whole new life abroad, learning bits of foreign languages, graduation and stepping stone to working life, learning how much I missed out on home's events(only to be filled in by mum in a matter of days), vacations in Australia (with friends from home and new-found great pals whom I have come to love), and New Zealand (thank you mum and dad, I love you lots for bringing me to land of LOTR).
In a short note, a 21st year that one would cherish to the maximum.
I think I achieved quite a lot this year.
I wanna dedicate this entry especially to my parents and family...
and to friends who have guided me when I needed encouragement and support (and sometimes, a pep talk) during hardships and tough times.
[I think you all know who you are ]
To my Malaysian pals, I look forward to seeing you guys soon!
Save the juicy stories over mamak or a cuppa ok? Fill me in!
Also, to friends who have made plans to continue post-grad and those who are still on the pathway to graduation in the undergraduate program, wishing you guys all the best!
Please don't forget me... and keep me updated with happenings around uni.
Cheers,
Li Foong
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| Friday, 17-Dec-2004 00:00 |
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New Zealand @ Land of LOTR
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Hooray!!! I have finally stepped on the land where the 3 mega blockblaster films of LOTR were filmed.... I was so excited that I could scream when I touched down at Christchurch with my mum, dad and Wayne. "I am HERE!!!"
Dad rented a Mazda 6 from Hertz and drove a total of 1500 km throughout the whole NZ trip.
Oh wow... I can never say thank you for all the continous SOLO driving without complaints from Christchurch - Queenstown - Te Anau - Milford Sound - Dunedin - Christchurch.
These days, I occasionally sit back and laugh at the thought of being appointed as the map navigator for the trip (girl power man! who said that women can't read maps ) . Well, we made it safely all the way there and back. Of course all of us will never forget the little freak event (one of my crazy ideas, obviously ) to hunt down one of the LOTR sites.
With no such crazy intentions, we were in for a lil scary adventure of our own 0) Fortunately, it was ok.
No words are enough to describe New Zealand's scenic and mesmerizing beauty.
Driving along miles and miles of greenland, only to bypass sheep sheep sheep and small houses (little townships) is a journey that one should take to relax and runaway from the real world for a change. I'll be back again if I have the chance.... definitely!
Lush greenery, crystal blue lakes, snow capped mountains are reality panaromic views that you see in pictures. You just can't believe that you are ACTUALLY there surrounded by mountains all around.
Aussie land is a different experience all together after my travel to south island in NZ.
I love it here soo much...it's peaceful, quiet....perfect.
[Dear Tom (my kiwi friend), I am proud to say that I love your country - NZ! May it continue to be beautiful for the enjoyment of many to come ]
Signing off with memoirs of kiwi-land....
New Zealand is just awesome!
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| Friday, 10-Dec-2004 00:00 |
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Melbourne Trip (Wed, 8th Dec - Sat, 11th Dec)
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Melbourne....my second trip this year during my stay in Aussie.
This second trip was with mum, dad and little brother (Wayne).
Instead of going for regular destination tours such as Great Ocean Road and Philip Island, my family decided to opt for something different...
We went for 2 tours : Puffing Billy, and the Ballarat & Sovereign Hill day tour.
Quite rushed holiday in Melbourne...but fun...we made full use of the free city circle trams to get around Melbourne city. Lotsa fun!
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| Tuesday, 7-Dec-2004 00:00 |
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Graduation!!! (UQ, St Lucia Campus, Brisbane QLD)
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Today is the day! Dressed complete in my gown and hood, I feel like a proud achiever at UQ! I have made it!!!
Nothing would have made it more memorable if not for mum,dad and Wayne .... and all my friends being present with me on this lovely day at St Lucia Campus, Brisbane. QLD
It is hard to describe the feeling deep within as music began to echo in the graduation hall whilst other UQ graduates including myself, got ready to march into the hall - head tall with confidence. Tears of joy could be seen on the faces of the many students after receiving their scrolls as they grouped together with loved ones after the ceremony.
A toast to a big stepping stone to the next step in life....
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Wee Li Foong!! You went to LONDON UK and BACK!?! Wow... didn't know that.. if I would have bugged you last Sunday, yeah saw you just briefly 
