Saturday 23 May 2015

Easthampstead Park Conference Centre

Assalamualaikum...

on the 19th - 22nd last week, I was not in London as I am attending Research Skills Development (RSD) course whereby a PhD student need to attend in their first 2 years of their study in Imperial College London...as I was not having load of works to do in lab, so I suggested to my sv that I want to attend this course as this course gives out 3 point for the overall requirements for PhD course...I registered for this course a few months before the actual event and the best part is that we can claim up to GBP60 which including return travel from London to Wokingham (where the course are held) since accommodation and food are free throughout the course!!! wohaaaa!!! >.< but total cost of travelling only cost me around GBP40 

eventhough this particular course is not compulsory for a PhD student, but the reasons why I chose this course is because of the 3 credit points but aside that is because I want to experience myself to stay at a particular place with different people from different background, cultures and countries...there are short courses that are being held as well that will only took around few hours during weekdays but with lower credit points and not much mingling around people, I chose this particular course instead! and all I can say is I love it! =D

so the day start with travelling from London where me and my bestie train ticket was at 5.15pm from Paddington and then we need to change at Reading and took another train to Bracknell...from Bracknell station, we took a cab to Easthampstead Park Conference Centre which is actually situated in Wokingham with the cost of the cab only GBP9


we arrived exactly at 6.30pm since the registration is between 6.30pm - 7pm...once reached at the registration area, we were given our room keys each on 2nd floor! ooh thats a relief because before that we were scared and worried if in case we need to share room with another participant :D

eventhough we get different rooms, but our room is near to each other...pfftt~ haha...since we pack our clothes together in one luggage, its vital that our room is next to each other ^_*
the accommodation area is in different building from the main building where the course will be held...just behind the main building, is the accommodation building...once we enter the room, we were shocked as the room was sooooo beautiful!!! 

  

the hallway to the rooms...our room number is W206 and W207 and it should be side by side but since there is a huge wall between it, its farther away...hahaha...oh my room is behind the wall, dont mistaken as if I wrongly pointed the arrow to the wall ^_^"


my room W207 :D excited to go in~ hehe

    
  

tada!!! nice right??! they even have extra blanket in each room...

the second thing that make us worried is the bathroom...but.....it seems like the they separate the toilet between male and female unlike the room, the room infront of my bestie room is a male room...haha...ooppss! :D

  

the male and female bathroom facing each other...just infront of female bathroom, situated the male bathroom but no worry, the bathroom is situated at each floor...so we are not that worried of having to queue for the turn...hahaha :)

once we have settle down, we went to the main building for dinner and the first session starts with the introduction of the course and the division into 4 smaller groups with each group consists of 8 people...I didnt have a look at their itinerary that they send to us via email so I have prepared the worst mentally and physically to wake up early in the morning and sleep late at night...but somehow I was shocked when I looked at the itinerary...everyday, the program starts at 9am and will finish at 10pm, there was only one day whereby we finish at 10.30pm and there was one day that we finish at 9pm!...how cool is that and how difference is that with Malaysia events where will alwayz start at 7am or the latest 8am and will only finish at 11pm or 12 midnight! just love the way their thinking that rest is the most important thing...if you dont have enough rest, dont expect that people will stay focus and enjoy the event! pfftt~~ -_-"

they have divided the activity into 2 groups whereby it will alternate between the large group and the smaller group...usually the activity will run in the smaller group and then we will meet up in the specific room that have been assigned to discuss the outcome with the smaller group...and that process goes everyday until late evening before dinner...we are not allowed to elaborate the activities as it should be a surprise for the participants! cheers! ^_^


my designated room with the smaller group in Periton room

the funny thing is that in every event when you are divided into smaller group, you usually need to come up with a group name...since no one has a better idea for the group name, so we go for the room name! so there goes our group name ---> Periton...lolz! >.<


enough space for everyone...and yes I sit infront of the tutor :D

while the break between the last activity to dinner is quite huge everyday, so I prefer to have a walk around the building as it used to be a palace but now its a centre where wedding ceremony, conference and other related events are being held

so below are the pictures that I took while I have a walk with the other participants into the woods surrounding the palace and inside the building


  

alwayz saw this kind of stairs in the British movie...hehe

  

the first thing that caught my eyes when the cab drove us here...it looks exactly like the movie!!! haha so excited~ :p the end of the road is where the Easthampstead Park Conference Centre situated

  

  

  

while walking into the woods surrounding the palace, I stumble upon few trees that attract my attention

  

the trees on the left was reallyyyyy huge!!!

  

and Christmas tree as well!!


during the last dinner, we have a proper dinner to mark the end of the course...eventhough we have been informed that they will not provide halal food thru email when were selected for the course, we knew that we need to be a vegetarian for 1 week...but how surprisingly that in each course, they are not only serve vege food, but they also serve fish dish which what we go for instead of vege food...and as for the dinner, even we cant have duck, we go for king prawn!!! tq to the course committee for considering having seafood instead of vege! muahh3 ^_^v

  

from left: Giu (France), Ranjhi (China), Richard (Brit), Elliot (Brit), Rosa'lia, Dominic, Addrianne (Hungary) and me! my small team~ :D

during our last day there, we were surprised with an incident whereby there was a theft case...do you know what they stole???


they stole the patio pavements along the 2 red arrow!! as what??? no one knew the value of it...haha...its actually quite hilarious when we knew what they stolen...what an odd of all the time that they had, they stole it when were there...hahaha...its a police case and we were actually waiting for it to capture the moment, but until the end of the day, the police never came...so we went back around 5pm with disappointment...eh! haha


Bye Wokingham~ such a nice place and great activity by RSD people! till we meet again...


Lombard Street & Japan Center | San Francisco

Assalamualaikum...

yes! the last post on San Franciso! :D haha

so on the last day of my stay at San Francisco, I tag along my supervisor since she told me that I can follow her with her cousin which came all the way from Los Angeles to meet her and send us back to the airport...since there are a big gap before our flight which mine was at 5pm and my supervisor was at 4pm, so her cousin brought us to quite a few places before send us back to the airport...

the first destination was Pier 1 from where we walk along until Pier 5

    
one day if I come to US again, I will for sure go to Golden Gate Bridge using this ferry!

while walking, we took a pit stop to take pictures of the beautiful scenery~

    


can you see the TRANSAMERICA PYRAMID building behind me??! it is the tallest skycraper in San Francisco and since thats the last day of my stay there, thats the nearest view I had with the building -_-"

tired of walking, we stop at Pier 5 and have our lunch...since I am quite full that time, so I only had coffee which recommended by the wife of my supervisor cousin :D

  

Blue Bottle Coffee

oemmgee!! its sooo delish...seriously...so guys if you come to San Francisco, make sure that you try this coffee!!! love it...better than Costa...eh! :p

I cant really remember the exact place of this shop but its at Pier 1 and facing the Golden Gate Bridge Ferry Terminal as the above picture...

right after we had our lunch, we make a move to Japan Center



nothing much to see here...it just shopping mall with the name of Kinokuniya as we have it in Malaysia as well but its a bookstore! haha...and yeah they also have Daiso!! very big!!!

move on, we went to Lombard Street of where the Most Crookedest Road in the world is situated and as I have captured it before clearly from Coit Tower
  

  

at first we want to try to use the road to go down to the main road, but since the queue is very long, we cancel it -_-"

and then later I realise that this place is in one of the movie called Playing Cool...haha :D

that marks my last destination in San Franciso :(

around 3pm, I reached San Francisco Airport...


bye San Francisco~~will come again if thats destined for me! ahaks! ^_^
since my visa expired at 2020, need to make sure that at least I used it again but to visit another part of America! :D

Bye~^_^v

Saturday 16 May 2015

Union Square & Chinatown | San Francisco

Assalamualaikum...

the last day of the seminar was on the 28th of March...during the last day of the seminar, we were so focused on the topic being delivered that we didn't left the seminar until the end...after the seminar ended beautifully, I went back to my hotel and the initial plan was to go out and have dinner together with the rest of the team...but since there were so many people having different path with some of them wants to check out from the current hotel and check in in another hotel and so forth, I came to the decision to walk by myself this time...sorry bestie I need to bridge my vows to you! :p hehe

I went back to my hotel and left all my belongings before I embark myself into solo trip around the city...hahaha...since I was sooo keen to go to the Chinatown and no one else wanted to go with me since they have been there the night that I was sick, so I ask the direction from the receptionist at my hotel...he was so kind by giving me the map and he drew the route on the map and even advice me to survey any souvenirs that I want to buy from few shops before I decided to bought them...tq! :)

my first destination was


Chinatown

at first I thought that the Chinatown here is as large as the other Chinatown in London and as well as in Malaysia, but somehow when I reached there, I found it quite big...so when I enter one of the shops there, I ask the aunty how big it is and the facts blow my mind...its 8 blocks away!!! pffttt~~ -_-' haha
since I was having fever, so I only manage to walk only 4 blocks away just to find t-shirts for me and my bestie, Golden Gate Bridge monumen for my bestie and few fridge magnets for my friends...

  

  

  

the view around Chinatown...


since I walked alone, no one to snap my picture, I grab one tourist and him to take my pix...I told that to my bestie and she was quite shocked! haha... >.<

next destination, UNION SQUARE

   

  

the square is like Dataran Merdeka or Trafalgar Square in London where this statue is situated and surrounded by these buildings...and the sad part is that I forgot to ask what is the significance of this statue in the middle of the square...

next, since I dont have any proper pix with the Famous Cable Car, so I went to find the last stop of the Cable Car so that I can witness how they turn the Cable Car around...this was told by my colleague when we have a walk on our first day here...since it just a few minutes away from Union Square, I take that opportunity to film it myself :D

  

at last! great pix with the Cable Car >.<


the do's and don't of the Cable Car


  
thats how they turn the Cable Car around! now I know it! haha :)

ok, another last post of San Francisco after this! stay tuned...

Bye~^_^v


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