A blast from the past

I have been meaning to blog but the internet is down these days. Bummer!  But finally I can blog now..

Anyway! I was talking to Nancy the other day and she mentioned York. It feels like so long ago. That one day trip we suddenly decided to take from Newcastle. We were in Newcastle visiting Nifer's friend, who was also my ex while waiting for graduation. Am I making sense here? We just decided to go to York the next day, cos it was kinda close. Plus train tickets were cheap! So off we went!

Btw, I miss life like that. Take random day trips. Now, my random trips include going to Damai or Sematan! Sort of. Yes, I am going to Sematan next week! Snorkeling, yes please. Overnight at retreat, yes please. Sunshine and getting dark, no thank you.

Back to topic.

I don't really have much photos of York to share actually. Most of them are photos of me, Shirley and Nifer. Back then, I didn't take photos of every single thing, and I don't automatically whip out my camera to take photos of all the food I ate. Hahha back then, I was a normal person.

We went as a bigger group but I don't know how they would feel about their photos being up here, so I had to pick and choose through quite a lot of the photos. In the end, I ended up with a lot of photos of me only. No, really. Not a vain pot excuse!

30 Nov 2006

A day before our Bachelors graduation. And no, my memory is not that good lah. As if I remember the exact date! If not for the photos, I would have forgotten the exact date already. Typical!

From left: Nifer's friend, me, Shirley and Shirley's mum. Upon arrival at York station.

Since this was back in 2006, surely no one can blame me for not remembering her name - far left. Sorry! She's Nifer's friend and she came over to attend Nifer's graduation and that was the one and only time I have ever see her. But yea, sorry!

I forgot a lot of details by now, including the places of interests' names. I only remember York Minster! And that York was a lovely old town.

You get that feeling walking through the city as if you're in an old English town. No tall modern buildings like in London. Got lah but less. The people are not in a hurry, rushing here and there, the trains slower. Hahaha

In Enid Blyton's books before, I thought of squirrels as cute, dark brown/reddish little bushy tailed creatures. When I saw them in real life, they were so far away from those descriptions! Definitely not cute!

I was so scared of them!!! They moved so fast and their tails are not as bushy as in cartoons or as I imagined them. They remind me of rats. Fast moving rats that leap here and there, and grab your food or plastic bags!! /run for your life!!

Hahahha no really when I saw the squirrels at parks, I walk very fast away from them. Unlike Shirley.

Our whole group that day.

I think I was rather rebellious back then. I seem to point the middle finger quite a lot. I blame Kevin. He started it. Moving on moving on. I was younger ok. Forgive me. Haih don't know why guys were even attracted to me back then. Must be cos they were just as bad! Hah.

Proper shot after that.

It was quite chilly already by then at the end of Nov. The trees were bare and we were all in winter clothes already. Not that unbearable yet but still cold.

York Minster. 

We didn't go in. I was never interested in going into buildings such as these, or the National Gallery or Westminster Abbey. /shrugs. Can take photo outside, enough what! Hahah tourist fail.

There were a lot of walks such as these. No, I didn't join either..not interested as well because it seems to be a tourist trap! If there were ghosts every night then why are there people still living in York? =.= Tourist fail again.

Hi Shirley! I miss you! :D Ehh sorry photo blur! You still look hot, don't worry.

Quaint old buildings. You get a lot of buildings like this in towns such as York, Oxford, Stratford upon Avon. Really lovely!

The market place I think? If I remember correctly, I bought myself a book at one of the second handed shops, or market stalls. They cost like 50p or 1 pound! Damn cheap!! So syok!! I bought Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons for like 50p, while Winnie bought them in Popular or Times for like RM 35?

 We didn't know that the other had bought it, that's why! Btw 50p at then currency rates equals to RM 3.50.

I liked watching the seasons change. Trees turning yellow and red then all the leaves falling off leaving the trees bare. And all the flowers blooming in Spring. Taking a bus ride to Newcastle then, I remember seeing all the flowers in full bloom. Fields are all yellow. Ahh so pretty.

In winter when I took the bus to Newcastle, one trip when it was snowing so all the countryside was covered in white! Equally pretty but damn cold then. I share photos next time if I can find them. Unlikely cos I wasn't such a photo taking freak yet back then.

Clifford's Tower. (Googled that!)

 I didn't even bother climbing up all the steps to the top to take photos. Or did I? Hahah maybe I did. But for sure I didn't go in lah. Malaysian tourists are unwilling to pay. Haha I kid lah. I'm just talking about our group. I don't know about others.

Hi Brandon! I miss you and your cooking! Hahaha! This is Nifer's brother.

We all stayed together in an apartment, so we had the pleasure to trying his many home cooked meals, and home made kaya! Mmm..

Told you I don't have many photos. Mostly just of me..

This post brings back really fond memories of uni days!!

 Btw, do I look different then and now? Yes right! Damn young lo! That was no make up ok. Now, I need concealer and powder at least to look like that! /growing old and stating facts/reality.

Last time, I didn't know what concealer was and had no need for powder. Slap on some eyeshadow and mascara and call it a day. That's why look so bad ahaha. Doesn't mean that I look good now, just in comparison then and now ah.

That winter coat hid my body but I think I should be around the same size still. Hopefully. Actually I liked that winter coat. Since its long and thick, it hides all my bulge. Stuff yourself out eating? Never mind! The coat will cover everything! No need to worry about showing your tummy or anything! Hahaha this was bad actually.

No wonder when I came back to Malaysia, I shocked the hell out of everyone who saw me. Oh well.

OK bye.

One weekend at Damai

I so don't know how to rest do I? Feeling feverish the past few days. Finally back to normal already. 

Anyway!! These are photos from our recent Damai trip. Always when I come back from Damai and look back at the photos, I wonder why are there soo little photos? Its cos I was so lazy to bring out my phone or camera. Its difficult to have to keep an eye on phone/camera while in the pool or on the beach, right? But this time I was determined to take more photos!!

No complaints this time around! :D

OK, I wanted to write more names but then it won't fit into my iPhone camera screen! So this shall have to do. In reality, there were 11 of us consisting of Cs and I, Boon, SL, Vero, Ying, Benz, Ong and Nana, as well as John and Macy.

I wrote their names down because it was just us there on the beach in the morning.  Later Boon and SL came to join us and we walked all the way to Camp Permai to the jungle pool. It was too hot to swim or go kayaking, so we just went to walk around at Camp Permai.

 Think I over-edited this photo. The colours I mean..

 

Blur photo but I like. ♥

 From left: Ying, me, Vero and Benz.

 

The reason we all gathered at Damai one weekend: birthday boy! If you look closely, his face is already a bit pinkish, red. We started drinking in the afternoon. Not me lah cos I didn't lose at card games. The ones who lost the most was probably Nana- she probably had 2 whole glasses of red wine and vodka. And some liqueur.

 

Vero and I. No make up both of us. Original photo was must worse. Hahha this was after Camera360's magic skin effect.

 I don't need to bring a proper camera out really. All photos taken (and some edited) from my phone! Not bad ah my phone didn't fail me.

 In FB, someone commented on this photo of cs: I believe you can fly. And I replied: My superman. Actually I was referring to the song called Superwoman. Something about the woman doing everything for the man. ".....I'm not your super woman etc..." And all I meant was that Cs is my superman! Cos he does almost everything for me. Geddit? Actually I don't think I'm making much sense.

Oh well. Moving on. Have you noticed I like to use oh well, moving on, and anyway! Hahah plus a lot of exclamation marks!!!!!!!

I wanna wake up to this scene everyday can?

 

Very happy John. Hahaha in reality he was saying oiiii. As in trying to stop me taking the photo and err probably to stop me posting it here!! Hahha sorry lah! But I thought it was creative!

The towels were quite long..enough for John to do this. Wrap it around his waist, and still enough to cover his back. Though it was lihai but also cos he has a small waist. Cs tried to do it and failed. 

I like Damai Puri's pool..big enough to share. Unlike at Damai Beach. Pool is always full!

Damai was quite crowded that day. Ambank's family day and Shell had something going on there too. Don't know what. Just knew cos the staff told us.

Photo turned out blur. The app I used is Pano Camera. Very easy to use. It stitched together about 7 photos into one. Only the photo should look better than this..

 

 Boon is determined to imprison Ying in that hole. Needless to say, he failed.

Sunset! Love! Why is it the only time I appreciate the sunset is at the beach? Why don't I notice it everyday? Cos we are busy everyday. Sunset during everyday life equals end of a work day, time to cook/search for dinner and plans for the night. 

 More sunset shots. I am most definitely a sunset person!

 

Over edited the colours. Now it looks fake but still so pretty.

At night, we went to Damai Central to eat. Very hungry by then. After waiting for everyone to shower, dry and change, it was about 9pm for dinner. Starving max.

Ambank's family day! They had a looong line of buffet and set up a lot of tables. It looks like a carnival really!! Damn a lot of people and their families. Ambank really generous; I wanna go work there too! 

The entrance. Got red carpet some more.

This was at the end of the night. People were leaving already and clearing up. They had no way to keep track of who were Ambank staff or not really. So, we took some fruits on a leftover platter. It was untouched and people were leaving what. Waste not want not.

 

We put it together with the leftover cake. But in the room, we forgot about it and only noticed the box on the floor (someone must have pushed it off the table or something). Anyway, it doesn't look very appetizing by then. Oh well.

Dinner at Bayridge restaurant. Our meal for 11 people came up to RM 415. I know. Coconut costs RM 6 each. Decide yourself. Wine corkage costs RM 50 (for 2 bottles). Without the corkage for wine and the RM 6 coconuts, dinner was ok..not that pricey.

 Gotta have oyster omelet cos its one of birthday boy's must order food.

 

 28!

Only photo I have of Cs and I so that's why I'm posting it even though I look so....

 Later, Ambank had a fireworks show that lasted 10-15 mins?! Like I said, generous indeed. Thanks Ambank, we got to enjoy them as well. :)

 

We might as well be Ambank staff. We got the leftover balloons too. With permission ok. Hahaa they were clearing up and should be more than happy to let us take them.

Up, up and away! I have really gotta watch Up (the movie or cartoon from Disney or Pixar). I'm lazy to Google for the correct ones.

 

I told Cs to jump but instead his head got hidden in the balloons. Hahah at least we tried.I thought it would make a good shot.

Proper shot instead.

And this was how we brought the balloons back to Damai Puri. Nobody stopped us. But we did get a few stares.

Next dilemma was how to get the balloons through that small hotel door?

Just push and push them all through. Surprisingly none of them popped!

Tadah! Now that's a party! Hahaha

Are we lihai or are we lihai?

We played a game where we had to catch the balloons. Whoever got the most wins. Loser drinks of course. Not bad, I won for the girls section.

After that, we all played card and drinking games till we passed out one by one.

Next morning, all the balloons had fallen. Heh heh not a pretty sight. We had to pop all the balloons before check out. 

 

Calm sea the next morning. So peaceful. So tranquil. We wanted to go kayaking. That is why my alarm was set at 7am but the sea was so calm and peaceful. Hardly any waves at all. Plus we were all lazy and looking for excuses to get out of kayaking, me thinks. So didn't go after all. Boo.

Oh well. We have Gawai holidays coming up.  And yes we have plans already. I really should rest more. No complaints for now. Plans is better than no plans!

Original photo was the first one - two photos above, unedited. This one above was after Instagram. Below one was after Camera 360. I'm addicted to these apps. Can't help editing them to see how they turn out. :D

 

This is how I try to stay in the same shade of skin. Finally got evidence! Hahah freak!

 Because it was so hot, we all went to check out the gym afterwards. Then went back to the room to shower, pack and leave! 

And that's all for this trip.

 Till next time ~~

Bye Damai!