Grumpy Mule

Yes. It's the time of the year again. Not referring to the festive season but the upcoming CIIS examination next week. This might be the only exam for the entire course but its level of destruction is comparable to a nuclear bomb, killing my brain cells and affecting the various functions of my body at the same time. With a failure rate of 20%, I am forcing myself to be optimistic and telling myself that everything will be fine eventually. *fingers crossed*

P.S. I can foresee more active entries in the future as the new Blogger app for iPad is super cool!

Survival

Done with two and one more to go! I'm still surviving and definitely can't wait for Monday to come. The whole process is torturing and I'm definitely still traumatised by the experience. Nevertheless, I still have to stay strong and keep moving. I hope this will be my last time sitting for the ACCA examination. My very very last time, pretty please. Meanwhile, all the best to myself! I will survive!

Memories

Given the rare opportunity to be able to travel constantly nowadays, I have tried to think of a method to preserve these memories in a special way. Apart from my interest in photography, I have recently fallen in love with collecting postcards from different places (from all over the world, hopefully). 

Decorating the plain walls with these colourful postcards allows me to improve the aesthetic beauty of the room, and at the same time, to refresh my memory of these places that I have gone to. Considering that I spend most of the time in my room recently, looking at these postcards really helps to make me feel calmer, achieving inner peace (sounds familiar?). So far, I could still remember the origins of each postcard. I hope I will still be able to retain these memories in the future. I am pretty sure the feeling will be very surreal and magical. Oh memories.

Sneeze

The change of weather might be too sudden as yours truly has been down with flu since Thursday. Being a fan of cold weather, this has once again proved that I am indeed a polar bear subconsciously. The weather has been really hot these few days. Being outdoor proves to be a sweaty affair and being indoor feels like being trapped in an oven. At the same time, the lack of air circulation is definitely not helping the situation at all. Let's not remind me of the absence of fan and air-conditioning system.

I have been locking myself in room for the past few days, mainly to revise for the upcoming examination and also hopefully to speed up my recovery process. The teary eyes and runny nose are definitely frustrating. On the contrary, the locals are definitely enjoying every second of the weather as they can be found sunbathing (clad in only bikinis) and partying outside. Despite not liking the hot weather, I wish the examination will be over as soon as possible as I would like to get a taste of chilling at the park (to assimilate myself into the culture and to train myself to welcome the sun with open arms). Till then, back to books and more books. 

Summertime?

I was attempting to update the weather forecast application on my phone when I was greeted this. Sunny days for today and the upcoming 4 days?

Holy cow!

It has been a long time since I saw a forecast like this. I seriously have no idea when was the last time the temperature actually exceeded 20 degrees Celsius (probably never since I stepped into this piece of foreign land). I'm quite a fan of cold weather, but the last few weeks had proved to be quite rainy as well. The change in the current weather for this week is definitely a refreshing one. Summer should be arriving pretty soon.

The view from my room

Currently, there's a barbeque party going on downstairs, with loud mainstream music blasting through the speakers. Meanwhile, the situation in my room is pretty sad, with books and notes piling up all over my table. I'm seriously envious of those undergraduates who are done with their exam and currently enjoying their summer break. On the other hand, I'm having a mixed feeling though. I want to have my summer break too but I don't want exam to come just yet. I have so much more to cover and possibly, with the limited amount of time left, I'm going to push myself harder as days passed. I just need to end this with a positive outcome! It's mandatory. 

Exam Fever

In less than 1 month's time, I'll be facing the final challenge for my current journey - the mighty final examination. Sitting for 3 papers simultaneously in one term for a professional qualification proves to be a difficult affair to juggle with. Hence, I have been reminding myself constantly for the past few weeks to begin flipping my thick textbooks to avoid myself from stepping into a point of no return. I desperately need to put a dot to my current journey, before beginning a new journey in autumn. 

View from Level 2 - Bright blue sky at 8.30 p.m.

Library is probably where I can be found recently. My progress was horrible initially but I'm glad that it is  beginning to take a positive twist this week. I have to admit that it is still a tad too slow but I can see some works done. The weather has been really drastic as well recently, but the good thing is the sun sets really late at night and this has indirectly helped to motivate me further. It creates the illusion that I have more time to spend each day and avoid myself from feeling gloomy (due to the depressing atmosphere at night).

Since the library is sort of my 2nd home now, naturally, I have to bring some food or drinks to rejuvenate my lazy self. A good cup of hot Milo is definitely the best choice for tea time due to restrictions of food/drinks that we are allowed to sneak into the library. At the same time, I have been cooking my lunch diligently these few days. To increase the economies of scale (sorry for being a little to technical), I have resorted to reserve another portion of my lunch to be consumed as dinner in the library.

Starbucks outside, Milo inside

Homemade Dinner Box

Honestly, I am sort of freaking out at this point of time, considering the mass amount of things that I have to do by the end of this month. I have to get things done right the first time and there is definitely no room for mistakes/errors. I just need to seize every single moment and pour in 101% of effort everything I do. I definitely would like to have a good memory of this place, when I'm walking down the memory lane 10 years later.

Crossroads

After weeks of anticipation, I've finally got all the decisions from the respective institutions. Little did I know that I will end up reaching a crossroad again. Two roads diverged in the yellow wood and yours truly have no idea which to choose. Both paths are so different, which undoubtedly will have impact on my future career progression. At this point of time, making the wrong decisions seems to come with a hefty price tag. 

Advices have poured in, with each asking me to choose the one which is of my interest. However, I am unable to decide the one that I favour the most as both seem to be equally attractive. Deciding in terms of rankings seem to be a shallow thing to do at this point of time. I do not want to make this decision myself. I am too fickle minded and unprepared mentally. I think I am suffering from decidophobia. Things happen for a reason but which is the decision that is supposed to be happening?

Temptations

As the exam week gets closer, my appetite for snacks expands drastically as well. I have always had this big appetite for snacks and junk food whenever I am required to face the bunch of books and notes. I just unable to stop stuffing myself with food and withdrawing myself from these temptations.

Ben & Jerry's Dough-ble Whammy & Haagen-Daz's Cookies & Cream

I'm proud to say that my inventory is pretty well organised now - with potato crisps, ice creams, cereals and waffles readily available whenever the cravings emerge. My latest addition has got to be Ben & Jerry's Dough-ble Whammy. It's definitely a love at first "taste" as the rich chocolatey texture is simply appealing. The ice cream blends extremely well with the chocolate fudge - neutralising the sweet taste, creating an indescribable texture. Apparently, the half price promotion strategy by Tesco proves to be a successful strategy, as it has managed to attract (and possibly to retain) a new customer who is yearning for more Ben & Jerry's! Talk about marketing.

Time to fill up the entire fridge with more ice creams in preparation for the big day!

Peek-a-boo!

It has been ages since the last time I scribbled something on my dusty blog. As usual, there are so many things for me to write about yet, the lack of inspiration can be such a nuisance at times. With less than 6 weeks to the ultimate final examination, stress level will be piling up in no time at all. How I wish a time travel machine is readily available in my drawer, at least I am able to go travel back to the beginning of 2012. 

The Europe trip last month was a major success. Despite having such a short period to plan, I am extremely glad that the schedule went well and I have definitely learned so much from it! In addition to that, I've also met some of the nicest people ever. I seriously hope I'll be able to churn out some time to blog about this - hopefully, the tonnes of pictures I've captured will ever see the daylight. This will be a long weekend for me due to the Bank Holiday on Monday. Seriously, this is like the first Bank Holiday ever that does not fall on a weekend/non-lecture day since I landed on this piece of foreign land. I couldn't have been more excited. At least, I'll have more days to catch up on my syllabus.

On the other hand, the application process has been going smoothly as well. IELTS is awesome (extremely grateful for the whole experience) and the interview session went well (fingers and toes crossed). Now, I'm hoping for a favourable reply from the university and another thing will be completed from my to-do list. Sounds easy, but it ain't that simple, trust me. It's torturing me mentally and emotionally with anticipation, every single day. Imagine checking my email every half an hour, from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on working weekdays! 

Meanwhile, I think I should be camping in the library more often now - since it's the only place where my motivation shows up. At the same time, I hope I will be able to survive in the sea of notes and textbooks! Till then, toodles!

Annoyance

I hate how people always exaggerate what they did and make as if the efforts of others are worthless. We need to realise that we are not the only one in the world. Stop magnifying the things that you did and observe things from a more rational point of view. At the same time, please take note of what others have done before sounding like a show-off. Otherwise, just don't speak at all. Period.

Disheartened

Nothing comes easy in life. Undeniably, determination and effort are crucially important to achieve all the good things in life. My application for postgraduate programme has been really harsh on me recently. There are just too many complications occurred along the journey. Just when I thought I had filled in all the necessary sections in the forms and had provided them with all the necessary documents, there had to simply crush my hope again and again. I had been waiting patiently for every single day since January and it was not until February that I was told that I was required to provide the university with a copy of ACCA transcript to prove that I am currently a full time student for this programme at my current university (in the first place, ACCA is not even a requirement for the postgraduate programme). Upon submitting the transcript, I waited patiently again until recently when I was told that I have to provide the university with my IELTS score as part of the English language requirements. To make things worse, they will not continue processing the application until I am done with my IELTS test. IELTS has always been a part of the requirement for a conditional offer. However, why does the university have to be unusual this time by not offering me a conditional offer at all? Why does the university have to stop processing the application altogether? The date for the next IELTS exam will be in the month of May. By the time the result is released, I am pretty sure that there will be no capacity left for the postgraduate course. I had been doing my research for months since end of 2011 for a suitable postgraduate programme. I thought I have found the ideal choice until today. Apparently, patience does not pay off, sometimes.

Chef Wannabe

Just so you know, I survive the ordeal! I managed to pass 2 out of my 5 ACCA papers! Voila! I couldn't remember how many donkey years ago since I was so nervous over my results and the level of ecstasy is probably indescribable. With another 4 months to go before the arrival of the June sitting, I shall appreciate every single moment of freedom now.

Homade Sushi Platter

On a random note, I have brought my cooking skills to another level recently, by diversifying my forte into the field of Japanese cooking. Constantly craving for Japanese food but being on a tight budget, I thought of the the ultimate solution, which is by making these little cuties myself. Surprisingly, the entire process was not difficult, although I have to admit that it was very time consuming. However, the entire process ended with nothing but satisfaction. Looking at the colourful pieces of thoroughly made sushis really made my day. This is when the phrase "Patience is Virtue" really pays off. 

Homemade Tempura - Enoki Mushroom, Prawn, Crabstick and Green Beans

During my second attempt, I made some tempuras for side dish as well. I especially love the enoki mushroom tempura for its awesome texture. The downside? Well, the tempuras were kind of oily. A little note to myself is to absorb the oil with kitchen towel before serving them (in the future). Nevertheless, I was extremely pleased with the outcome. Best of all, preparing my own Japanese dishes is an economical alternative to satisfy my craving as it not cause a big hole in my pocket. The total cost was less than £10 (for a portion of 4), in contrast to £2.90 - £5.90 for two pieces of sushis at the local Japanese eateries. On top of it, the overall satisfaction is priceless. =)

Outcome

The results of my first 2 ACCA papers will be released in less than 3 hours' time. Undoubtedly, I'm extremely nervous now. I don't even feel a tinge of sleepiness. My mind is totally messed up. I believe this is one of the most crucial results in my life, as the plan for my next half of 2012 will totally depend upon this. I just need to get through this so badly. I'm just not young anymore. I HAVE to get this done and move on to the next stage of life for I know I need to do this while my age still allows me to. Never in my life I've been this freaked out for my results. At the same time, being consistently reminded about the horrible global passing rate is not contributing to anything at all.

As we get older, the significance of each outcome increases vastly. I'm feeling extremely tired of waiting for the outcomes and being helpless in the process. I tried to think of a backup plan to make myself feel better but I know I won't be able to face it if things go wrong. Examinations have always been kind to me since I was at my tender age. I guess I'm just not ready if I were to face anything negative out of it. There is simply no reason for a negative outcome, especially when this is a full time course. There just no solid excuse for this. Sigh. Please let this be another bright moment in my life. I just want to live my life with no regrets.

London (Part 1)

I finally manage to get my lazy ass working to write this post. There is simply a need to complete this before it becomes long overdue.

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The journey from Manchester Piccadilly Station to Euston Station, London took about 2 hours. The weather in London is pretty much similar to Manchester, other than the fact that Manchester is much windy compared to London. There was nothing much planned in our schedule, with the main agenda being the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (which I shall elaborate more after this). 

Full English Breakfast

Due to extreme hunger and growling stomach, we reckoned the first thing to do in London is to recharge ourselves with food. I had my mouth-watering set of full English breakfast for lunch (as ironic as it sounds). I think I need to get the recipes for grilled mushrooms. Being a hater of mushroom in my younger days, as unbelievable as it may sound, I am quite an avid fan of mushrooms now. 

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Being the capital city and the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, there are of course, vast differences between London and Manchester. There are more cars on the road and the roads are bigger. There are more skyscrapers. Moreover, there are distinctive red double-decker red buses and tubes for the convenience of the people, such as travellers like us.

Shots taken at a random souvenir shop along Marylebone Road

Vintage Postcards - Should've bought some. =(

Statue of Sherlock Holmes - Marylebone Road

Apparently, on the way to Madame Tussauds, we took a detour to the Sherlock Holmes Museum as it was still early. It is a privately run museum based on the fictional private detective Sherlock Holmes. It even bears the same address as Sherlock Holmes' apartment in the publication.

Although we did not visit the museum upstairs, however, visiting the shop is equally satisfying. The vintage decoration and classic furnitures of the house definitely made us like being part of the story. To make things more realistic, the shop assistants were wearing costumes which resembled Mrs. Hudson. This is a must-go place especially for all the Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts.

We proceeded with our next agenda which is none other than Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Despite having been to Hong Kong's Madame Tussauds for a few times, my excitement for Madame Tussauds London was clearly visible as it is the first permanent exhibition established by Madame Marie Tussauds. It houses more wax sculptures and more entertainment features including the magnificent Super Heroes 4D Experience that certainly took my breath away.

Miley Cyrus

Xtina!

Daniel Craig

R. Patz.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Lewis Hamilton

JT! (This figure seriously captures his personality)

J. Lo.

Partially completed Queen B

I have to admit that I felt slightly disappointed with the absence of Queen B's wax figure, which was supposedly to be there but no where to be seen during my visit. The closest I found was a partially completed figure of Queen B which was selected as part of the process to show how a wax figure is made. According to my earlier research, there was still supposed to be a completed, full wax figure of Beyoncé which was clearly no where to be seen. Since this is my 4th visit to Madame Tussauds, I might not be doing it again anytime soon in the near future. However, I might be visiting it for another time, perhaps the Madam Tussauds Wax Museum in New York, just to get up close with the wax figure of Queen B. *wink*

Carrot and Lentil Soup

We concluded our day with a simple meal at Fishbone, a random eatery we came across after wandering around our accommodation. There, I discovered my new love as well, the mouth-watering creamy Carrot & Lentil soup. Some days later, I realised that my favourite dal stew which we frequently eat along with roti canai is actually made of dried lentils. Eventually, it helps to solve the mystery behind my love for carrot and lentil soup. 

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Travel Tips:

1. Madame Tussauds London is located at:

Marylebone Road

London

NW1 5LR 

(Near Baker Street tube station)

- Be sure to reach early as it closes at 6.00 p.m. 

- To enjoy great deals, be sure to book your tickets online. There are many great deals such as Combination Tickets, Late Savers and Advanced Online Tickets available.

- Visit http://www.madametussauds.com/London/ for more information.

2. Sherlock Holmes Museum is located at:

221b, Baker Street

London NW1 6XE 

England

- It is opened from 9.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. daily.

- If you're interested to visit the museum on the 1st floor, the admission fee is £6 for adults and for £4  for children.