Caenarfon, Wales... Here I come! A Small Family Reunion

When I was small, my mum told me that I have a grandaunt staying in Wales and an aunt staying in United States. Datang drp keluarga yg sangat sederhana, aku menyimpan cita2 yg suatu hari nanti, aku akan melawat mereka...

Tgk org bercuti luar negara, aku tumpang seronok... nak pegi masa tu, aku xmampu lagi... itupun aku bersyukur, abah pernah bwk aku jalan2 some places dlm negara dan bwk kami sekeluarga bercuti ke lumut dan pangkor tiap thn sehinggalah beliau bersara...itupun aku dh cukup happy... dpt juga pi bercuti kan... plus, zaman tu gaji xsmpi 3K pun dh selesa kan.... skang? hmm... tahap miskin bandar la jwpnya...

oklah, back to cerita my family reunion at Wales...

My grandaunt and aunt ada juga balik Malaysia once a while, and they never fail to encourage me to further my studies in UK/USA. Ditambah pula I love to study languages and history...

Selepas berhempas pulas siapkan assignment dan jawab soalan final exam, aku kemas bag dan siap sedia untuk ke Caenerfon, Wales sebelum balik ke Malaysia. Ya, I will be going back to Malaysia for the summer break.. adik aku nak kawin... Aku bila plak? ha yg tu tok sah la tanya ye...

I will be spending a few days in Wales with my grandaunt... excited tak terkira rasanya...

Aku beli tiket online kt Virgin Train East Cost

Lebih murah beli tiket online ni. Kalau beli kt kaunter, Newcastle - Wales, 60++ pound. Kalau Newcastle- Manchester, 30 pound lebih. So, aku beli online je lah camtu..Bila beli online, tiket Newcastle - Manchester = 10 pound lebih, then, Manchester - Bangor, Wales = 18 pound.. so total 28 pound lebih... berhenti kt Manchester pun kejap je... drp station yg sama, tukar platform dan naik train berikutnya ke Wales...  60 pound lebih tolak 28 pound lebih, jimat la dlm 32 pound ...

Virgin train pun byk gak buat sale... baru2 ni aku tgk pegi London pun baru 15 pound. Beli online tiket ni lagi murah...

I took the earliest train to Wales... pepagi buta lepas subuh dh muncul kt train station... sorang2, aku bertolak ke Bangor, Wales, transit kt Manchester....

Sesampai di Bangor, Wales, my grandaunt dgn cucu dia dtg amik bwk ke rumah dia di Caenarfon...Alhamdulillah, sampai juga aku ke sini....

Esok dan lusanya tu, sblm bertolak ke London untuk naik flight balik Malaysia, sempat my grandaunt bwk pusing2 Caenarfon & Bangor. Selain tu, dpt juga jumpa salah sorang anak dia yg aku sememangnya xpernah jumpa..

Dan.. dh namanya jalan2 ... edisi bergambar pun bermula... sempat la snap some pics...

Lepas pusing2 skit ni, aku pun bertolak la ke London. Time nak ke airport, struggle gak nak bawak beg berat tu naik underground...  time sampai airport, mengah,,,, penat weh... then check in ...


Alhamdulillah, lepas naik plane about 16 hours, sampai ke Malaysia. maka bermulalah cutiku di tanah air tercinta....


Cheers ;)

Melawat Pantai2 Di Newcastle - Budget style ;)

wahh.. dh berabuk blog ni kan... baru teringat nak update...


Today, nak cerita skit pasal my day trip tgk pantai di Newcastle masa cuti spring hari tu. Eh, org gi pantai time summer, apsal korang gi time spring? Haa, sbbnya, summer aku balik cuti kt Malaysia.. adik aku nak kawin..

Ok, Our destination for this one day trip ialah... ; Whitley Bay, Tynemouth & South Shield.

Awal pagi lepas mandi tu dh bertapa di dapur... buat tuna sandwich, peanut buttter and jelly sandwich, potong buah apple, buat air dan masukkan dlm botol air, susun some crackers & tidbits dan... bungkus semua tu masuk bag...

Then, siap sedia untuk start our adventure.... my friend and me sebenarnya dua2 xtau pun jalan.. tapi nekad main gamble je tgk google...

Kitaorg pun jalan ke metro station and beli tiket metro Daysaver, 4.60 pound. Kemudiannya, kitaorg tgk la peta kt metro tu... hmmm... belek punya belek, kitaorg pun decide, lets go to Whitley Bay, then Tynemouth, last sekali South Shield.

pastu terus la kitaorg naik metro... sampai kat Whitley Bay, kitaorg pun turun. Then ... start confuse... kt mana pantai dia... huhuhu... ok relax... tgk depan... ya, nampak sayup2 mcm pantai ke arah utara... ok... lets walk.... tgh jalan tu, dgn muka confident, hilangkan malu... tanya org kt ctu... kt mana pantai? then dptlah direction ke pantai... dlm dkt 20 minit jalan, jumpalah pantainya...

nice view.... dan edisi selfie and take turn amik gambar pun bermula....

lepas dh puas pusing Whitley Bay tu, kitaorg pun gerak ke metro semula. Next destination, Tynemouth...

Yeah, sesampai area Tynemouth, sekali lagi kitaorg dibelenggu soalan yg sama... mana pantainya?

Ok, jgn panik, jalan je terus. muka, confident.cam biasa.. then nampak org, tanya jalan... huhu... sementara nak sampai tu, kitaorg sempat gak lalu kwsn kebun org.. huhu...


and yes, kitaorg nampak dh pantai.. Edward's Bay, Tynemouth..
serious cantik... ada castle lama tepi pantai....

castle lama

masa ni perut dh lapar.. so kitaorg pun buka la bekal yg dibawa, lepak di kerusi dekat pantai tu, sambil menyirup udara segar, makan dgn lahapnya....


After lepaking di tepi pantai Edward's Bay tu... kitaorg pun pegi pulak South Shield....


Sesampai kt South Shield, Kitaorg pun mula menapak, sbb seperti pantai2 sebelumnya, kitorg mmg tak tau jalan dan tang mana pantainya....

maka edisi baca signboard and tanya org pun bermula sekali lagi....

otw, kitaorg jumpa South Shield Marine Park.. and we decided to lepak kt cni... xlarat nak teruskan ke pantai...

kitorg pusing 2 kwsn sekeliling... menikmati keindahan alam ciptaan Tuhan...

Dah penat jalan, kitaorg pun balik....

So, total cost jalan2 tgk pantai kitaorg ialah... 4.60 pound utk Daysaver ticket... makan minum semua bawak bekal... oklah kan... kalau sesapa ada idea jimat tapi tetap enjoy trip, boleh la share with me ya... dpt cari idea baru... aku ni budak baru  belaja.. hehe... wlaupun usia tak berapa budak kan.. ;)

Cheers ;)

Manchester United vs Newcastle United - My First Experience Watching it Live!

Salam

Kalau sesapa kenal aku, they sure know aku suka tgk bola... Dulu kt Msia, bila makcik aku dapat tiket free pastu  offer kt aku, mesti aku tak tolak punya ;) Kalau tiket bola pasukan negeri dlm msia tu, aku beli la, affordable... tp kkdg bantai tiket free gak.. hihi (budget punya org)

Kali ni, aku jauh beribu batu, mmg payah le nk dpt tiket free from my aunt... so this time, I look for free or discounted tickets for any football matches dkt Fast Friends & Student Union...

Kebetulan two of my Msian friends kt sini pun berkobar2 nk pegi & dh ambik tiket, aku pun join la... We went to watch Manchester United vs Newcastle United at St James Park Stadium...

View drp tmpt ddk kitaorg..

Dlm perjalanan, masing excited, ye la, first time nk tgk EPL live.. selalu tgk kt tv je... plus my friends tu pulak peminat setia Manchester United... Tp sbb study kt Newcastle, so memasing control.. konon peminat Newcastle... heheh

We left quite early, sbb nk smpi awal... singgah Cottage Chicken beli makanan....

Memula nk masuk stadium, jenuh tanya sana sini, which pintu masuk ... pusing2 gak then baru jumpa... obvious first time... huhu...

Then, dh masuk, they checked our bags, then kami naik atas ke tempat duduk... we all dpt tiket kt Millburn Gate... adoii, banyaknya anak tangga dia... boleh kurus mcm ni.... 

Bila sampai, happy tak terkira... dpt posing jap & duduk makan our dinner sebelum start game..

Among the earliest to arrive

Bila stadium dh penuh... aura makin terasa... Kelab penyokong Manchester United antara yang paling bising... ... Aku sempat ambik video suasana stadium sebelum start game... Kelab Penyokong Manchester United kt atas sebelah kiri tu...

Masa kt stadium, sempat jugak masuk sports bar dia... quite big & nice... Then masa nak balik, sempat la g tggu dkt tmpt player keluar tu, saja nk tgk player live in person.. kot2 la dpt amik gambar or sign autograph ke kan...

Tp, aku ni perempuan, yang berebut2 semua besar2 drp aku... so sempat tgk je la, & snap gambar Chris Smaling drp dekat...I notice players Manchester United masa tu, xde la friendly sgt.. maybe sebab main kt Newcastle kot...

Hampa, aku jalan la ke tepi... sekali tgk kt dlm bas, Chris Smalling notice aku... ya, he saw me lepas naik bas tu... ok, suka la jap kan... Then, bila bas nak jalan, aku senyum & lambai kt dia... & Dia, Chris Smalling, lambai balik and senyum kt aku... ya, personally at me! Ok, walaupun aku idak le minat sgt kt Chris Smalling & Manchester United nie, tp his friendliness tetiba buat aku tanya Uncle Google pasal dia...

Balik rumah, happy... senyum sblm tido.... huhu....

Itulah my first experience gi tgk bola kt sini... nak pegi semua match maybe tak mampu, well student maaa.... budget kann... tp oklah.... maybe u guys ada pengalaman or tips tgk bola kt UK, boleh la nanti share with me ;)

Cheers!

Jalan2 Manchester with Budget 15 Pound ++

Salam & Hi everyone!

Bulan 2 hari tu, aku yg duduk up north ni sempat la jugak jalan ke Manchester... it was just one day trip... but worth it. Sapa ddk Manchester mesti happy duduk sana kan... boleh tgk bola selalu.. release tension lepas pulun study... hehe...

Sebagai peminat EPL, aim aku kalau dapat melawat Manchester ialah, nk pi Old Trafford & Etihad Stadium. Oh, btw, aku bukan la peminat setia dua team ni, tp feel dpt pi EPL stadium tu, priceless... selalu tgk kt tv je, nk pi selalu, takde la mampu sgt buat masa ni...

Masa induction week, I got the info about Fast Friends, kelab universiti yg anjurkan trips around UK. So, apa lagi, aku pun join la. Aku straight away sign up utk join trip ke Manchester, which only cost me 15 Pound. Tapi, naik bas la, pegi balik 15 Pound kira berbaloi.... nak naik train pun dh berpuluh pound, naik bas, one way pun plg murah tak kurang drp 10 pound...

So, my advice, try your best utk join universiti punya induction week, and rajinkan diri ke student union... universiti selalunya ada anjurkan budget trips ni sepanjang tahun... boleh pegi tempat2 menarik dan meet more people, tanpa mengeluarkan belanja yg banyak...

Berbalik kepada my trip, first destination, I went to Old Trafford..

Depan stadium

Lepas tu, singgah Megastore dia... sempat la beli some souvenirs for some family and friends... amik order drp Malaysia pun ada, huhu.....

Then, I went to Etihad Stadium...

Masa ni, Etihad Stadium tgh renovation... tp sempat la jgk explore the place... the view is nice...

Then, I went to the city centre. Pusing2 keliling city centre, ambik gambar dgn burung merpati yg eksyen, tgk some interesting view around Manchester... tgk Manchester Metropolitan University & University of Manchester (dua2 uni yg aku pernah dpt offer, tp tak sempat nk pegi utk September intake) and singgah makan kat kedai arab...

Then, around 5.00pm, kitaorg bertolak balik.... bas kt sini on time, ok. So, xleh lambat ;)

Total cost transport & makan, around 21 pound... Oklah, kan... Looking for other budget trips after this... Almaklum, student kan... huhu..

Ok, cheers!

IELTS - My Experience & Some Tips

Topik hari ni -IELTS - dengar je mesti ada yg tanya is there a way to be exempted, kan? Well, not everyone is lucky enough to be exempted. Takpe.... Don't worry, IELTS is not that difficult... think positive... Actually, taking IELTS can help to enhance your EAP (English for Academic Purposes) knowledge & skills. Plus, U wanna further ur studies in an English-speaking country, right? So, of course u need to prove ur ability to listen, read, speak n write in English.

Cheewah, kemain rationale nk kena amik IELTS tu kan? Sedapkan hati namanya... I myself did ask for exemption, but well, they said I left school more than 10 years ago, so I still have to take IELTS...  Ok, fine. 

So, what did I do after that?

Apa lagi, pulun cari info la. First, I get the background info of the test, the band descriptors, what the test format is and sample questions.

Ni antara website yg I refer to... (click on the links given)

Prepare for Your Test - Tips for Candidates

IELTS

Next, I pun siap sedia nk book date utk test...  I need to sit for the exam bulan tu jugak, so I budget dalam 2 mggu lagi ke... sbb masa tu tgh ada training session dgn student Jepun... sekali tgk date,  plg cepat ialah 2 hari lepas my training session with the Japanese students.... next ialah bulan depannya.......... Masak....

So, nak jadikan cerita, I only have about 2 days to really sit down n prepare for IELTS. Canggih, kan? Sgt menguji kesabaran....

Maka, lepas habis training session tu, zooommmm, drive ke MPH Bookstore. I bought Collins Practice Test for IELTS, RM64.90.

Other good books on IELTS Practice Test that u can buy are:
1.  The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book With Answers (with DVD-ROM)
     RM 139.00 (agak mahal...)
2. IELTS Practice Tests: Four Tests for International English Language Testing System (With Key)
    RM49.90

3. How to Master the IELTS: Over 400 Questions for All Parts of the International English Language Testing

    System

    RM74.90 

   

For more reference books on IELTS, boleh refer @ MPH Website :  MPH Online

My advice, kalau nak beli buku, beli satu cukup. Unless u have a lot of time to study all the books. No point beli buku tapi u don't have time to read it & jadi perhiasan je, betul tak?

Then, I subscribe to IELTS-Blog - this blog gives very useful tips and sample questions & answers for IELTS. Yg ni free sahaja.... Kalau u subscribe, they will  email u some IELTS questions yg lepas drp pelbagai negara, so boleh la practice. 

This ebook is also good, promoted dkt IELTS Blog tu... mmg useful (link kt bwh):

Target Band 7

Jadi, ini je lah reference I utk IELTS practice... Collins Practice test tu dgn IELTS-Blog. I only have 2 days je pun nk prepare... byk2 sgt pun xsempat nak baca... If u guys xbeli buku pun xpe sebenarnya, u can get a lot of online materials..

So, for 2 days, rutin harianku ialah, bangun pagi, read the tips & strategies... then proceed with the practice test, rehat, makan, tgk tv (sempat g...), tgk facebook japp (sempat gak), sembang2 dgn my aunt, keluar jumpa kwn kejap, then sambung balik... Guys, kalau study non stop pun xsesuai.. nanti tepu ;)

I manage to finish all the practice test on listening & reading drp buku Collins Practice Test but wasn't able to do much practice on writing & speaking. For writing & speaking tu, sempat baca tips je.. So, my advice, prepare awal & manage ur time...supaya ada masa nk practice semua skills tu... Walau sehebat mana pun anda, u might still panic or get nervous  kalau xpernah langsung tgk format soalan exam yg u nk ambik...

Exam Day

Bangun awal, seboleh2nya, buat solat hajat... bertolak ke tempat exam awal, supaya tak kelam kabut. Bila sampai, kena register dulu. Make sure u bring all the documents. Lepas register, ambik gambar, proceed ke tempat duduk. Bila tengah jawap soalan, jgn pandang org keliling... it will only make u more nervous n panic.

Masa listening exam tu, time is given for u to read the questions first. So, make sure u do read...sgt membantu... plus, kalau dia ulang2 perkataan tu, it might be the answer ;) ... Reading tu, use skim and scan techniques... kalau u read slowly, setiap patah perkataan, takut tak cukup masa... skim the text, baca soalan then scan for answers... more tips boleh tgk kt ielts blog, ielts textbook or target band 7 tu..  

I made a mistake by being overexcited in answering my Task 1 Writing. Sedar2, dh 25 minutes. Tinggal 35 minutes for Task 2. Then, I start to panic. Tgk org sebelah, tgh laju menulis. Apa lagi, makin panic la...  So, u guys jgn buat mcm ni. Abaikan org sekeliling, n jgn panik. Tarik nafas dalam2, concentrate n plan ur essay. Panic ni tak kira usia & pangkat...

My speaking test was 30 minutes after I finished my writing paper. Soalan dia semua general topic and berkaitan dgn diri dan pengalaman kita, and also general knowledge. So, no need to panic or be too nervous. U just need to practice & enhance ur vocab. Yg plg penting, practice cth2 soalan tu.

Bila result keluar, Alhamdulillah... lulus cemerlang... cuma kesal la jugak, kalau xterpanik masa writing, might get a higher score... Cita2 nk dpt Band 9... takpe, dh hampir le tu... think positive... Then, my ex-boss mintak tolong design IELTS course for the university. So, I pun compile la all the tips, strategies, sample questions & answers, teaching materials etc...

Here are some videos & online materials on IELTS:

1. How to Succeed on IELTS Reading

 

2. IELTS Writing Task 1 - Sample Question & Answers

3.IELTS-How To Manage Your Time

4. IELTS - Writing Task 2 - Sample

5. IELTS Speaking Sample

6. Phrases for IELTS Speaking

 

7. IELTS Listening Full Practice (With Key)

 

Answer Key

8. IELTS Academic

Ok guys, going to bed now. Anybody needs extra coaching or more info, u can email me.. 

Wish U All The Best! 

Cheers!

A Compilation of Scholarships Available for Malaysian (various level of education)

Hi Guys

I notice a lot of people are anxious and worried, as MARA has yet to open the application for this year. So, today, I would like to share a list of scholarships available for Malaysians, besides MARA & Yayasan Daya Diri.

Click the link below:

A compilation of scholarships available for Msians (for various level of education)

This is how the list looks like - great, isn't it?

I 'solute' the person who prepares this list.  Senang nk tgk & compare, kan? But keep yourself updated as well... mana tau ada apa2 perubahan, penambahan etc.... If I am not mistaken, ada lagi some other scholarships offered by overseas and local institutions, universities etc... Kalau dpt list yg cantik I'll shared it here...

Selain tu, u guys can also subscribe to Malaysia Scholarship/Study Loan , Scholarship Times & International Scholarships

Oh, update terbaru, ada lagi, Scholarships in United Kingdom  and OSWD Scholarship and also Australian Endeavour Scholarship -Postgrad, Fellowships, Vocational Training and PhD

Sgt berbaloi kalau u guys subscribe, as each websites will update u about the scholarships available. Kalau ada masa, pegi jugak educational fair yang ada, kot2 ada lagi info baru...

Teruskan usaha..... Good Luck ;)

Food for the Soul

Hi Again!

Someone sent me this video, and I felt overwhelmed watching it.... Keeping a positive mind and being strong is vital in our lives.......  All the feelings and thoughts I wanna share now is in this video... Hope it can inspire you or at least give you some motivation in going through life wherever you are....

Cheers!