About my life in
Come, take a walk with me down memory lane...
The best 3 years of my life...
(ok most of the scenary pictures aren't mine,
they're borrowed off the internet)
2001-2002
As I was doing a 2+1 Transfer programme at HELP Institute, KL
I had to continue the final year of my law degree in UWE,
(University of the West of England)
So off I went to a different continent…thousands of miles from home
After 9 hours on the plane…I was ready to parachute out of the plane!!
It was a 11 hr flight from
Dun get me wrong..I love flying…
When we arrived in
After a 45 min train ride from
Bristol Meads Train Station
We were escorted to my campus
By a really nice old chap called David (a volunteer for BISC from Uni of Bristol!)
I lived at
With more than a dozen other Malaysians
We would have house parties, slumber parties, cook-ins, bbqs
And “sometimes” hang out at one of the 2 bars on campus.
Hell, Uni life was A LOT of FUN!!
Besides the hours of studying my brains out
Stressing over assignments and exams…
Shopping has always been a great stress reliever.
Life in Bristol
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The 3 most frequented grocery outlets
Bristol City Centre
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The Watershed
IMAX @ Bristol
Park Street, Bristol
Cribbs Causeway, The Mall
My transport to everywhere!
First Bus Service
Some weekends, I'd hop on the National Express to nearby towns
Like the beautiful, quaint city of Bath (45 mins away)
I'd go to a quiet, relaxing park...and just watch the world go by
or to London...which was about 2.5hrs away.
I also joined the BISC (Bristol International Student Council)
And met heaps of international students
so many AMAZING people
Some of which I’m still in touch with.
Celebrating my 22nd Birthday
@ Windsor castle...no, i was not going any closer to the Royal Guard.
Stonehenge
On our first winter holiday,
A couple of us took a 12 hour coach to
And from there made our way to
We ushered in the new year 2002 under the
And had an “incident” with some over friendly French boys.
but that's another story.
After passing all my final exams,
I embarked on an experience of a lifetime around
With Contiki…and made so many friends for life!
Venice, Italy & Mykonos, Greece
Rome, Corfu & Mykonos (Greece)
Parasailing in Corfu and White Water Rafting in Tyrol, Austria
with a new friend who rescued me while i was trying to Ski
at Jungfrau, Switzerland.
Venice & Greece again
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2002-2003
Yea, I was very blessed to be able to spend a year in
Learning French and soaking in all this beautiful country had to offer!
I lived above a commercial centre (a huge mall)
Called Italie 2.
Façade of Italie 2
This is Tour Beryl
The reddish tower behind was where i stayed (Tour Ruby)
above Italie 2
Along Avenue d'Italie
Avenue d'Italie
Surrounding shops & Cafes
We were just a street away from the Chinatown of Paris
I had classes in the morning
So I’d catch the metro from Place d’Italie (line 6 - light green)
all the way to
the end of the line at Charles De Gaulle-Etoile station
The Paris Metro Map!
and switch to line 2 (blue) to Victor Hugo station
Where my language school – Ecole France Langue was.
(No. 2 rue de Sfax)
(yea, thats me on the main page - in green)
with my first American-Jewish friend Liat
with 2 adorable girls from Russia
After learning the language for 7 mths,
I took the DELF 1 and 2 exams
(Diplome d'Etudes en Langue Francais)
Yes, I passed with flying colours...
which is of no use now, as I've nearly forgotten how to speak it.
After class, I’d be meandering the streets of
Window-shopping, checking out the sights
Wandering around Italie 2…making all the shop assistants highly suspicious!
HAHAH!
I practically “lived” in this perfume shop called Sephora.
FNAC comes a close second!
People of all ages would sit on the floor reading BDs (bande dessine) – Comics
I’d check out all kinds of travel, language, novels, magazines, music, movies and everything this glorious “book shop” had to offer…it was HEAVEN!
I love Bookstores....
I'd go into ANY bookstore i stumble upon...
and also take the metro and bus to any bookstore i'd happen to hear of.
I’d do the grocery shopping at Champion (basement of Italie 2)
And sneak the shopping cart right up to my studio!
Of course I’d take it right back after unloading my goodies!
Oh, did I mention there’s also a cinema in Italie 2?
But of course I can be found mainly on the Champs Elysees,
L'arc de Triomphe
Having my baguette walking along the
Notre Dame de Paris
And checking out all the little shops along St Michel-Notre Dame,
Boulevard St Michel
Another fav bookstore, Gibert Jeune
Hanging out at the Quartier Latin
Hopping off the bus at Pont Neuf and walking across..
Checking out the sales at Les Halles,
Les Halles by night
the Louvre,
Galleries La Fayette,
the interior of Galleries La Fayette
Printemps,
Opera
Sacré-Coeur
Montmarte
Le Moulin Rouge
Place de la Concorde
On weekends, we’d go up on the Hot-Air Balloon
In summer, at the country side
Ok, inflating the balloon was no joke…
And wrapping things up as the sun goes down was something else too!
We once had a minor mishap with the tip of some pine trees
At the end of the woods…
A few scrapes and tumbles, but we survived!
Popping the champagne at sunset after a successful flight was simply French!
I once went on a glider (a small plane without an engine)
Oh, I didn’t have to wear a parachute..
They said the parachute would go down before I did…
I was too light apparently – 36kgs.
Don’t worry, I went with a pilot…
We were A-okay!
On weekdays, I’d never miss an episode of Sous Le Soleil!
Yes, I loved that soap!
Ahh..the south of
We holidayed in
It was a whole different rich culture…
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2003-2004
(again)
This time I came back to do my Bar Vocational Course (BVC)
At UWE again!
Reunited with the few friends who decided to take the year off as well…
And met so many other new friends…
My American Footballer housemates, Raphael Cadoux (French)
and Derek Fox (Canadian)
As there were less Malaysians this time round,
I was glad to be able to get to know my fellow
English, Maldivian, South American, Cyprian, Singaporean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani students
We even had the sweetest gentleman from the
(unfortunately, I learnt he was shot back at the BVI a couple of years ago)
With our Group facilitator Tim Felton (he claims he was a farmer before)
Me, Tim, Louise & Joanna
Malaysian Girls at BVC dinner 2004
At Gray's Inn
Group 1 girls
Group 1 - BVC 2003/3004
After BVC dinner party at Fuschia
Visit to London (Chinatown)
BBQ at Jenny's
Scrumptious Lamb Kebabs after partying along the watershed
Going for a 3-D movie at the WaterShed
Most of my free time was spent with my French friends I met at BISC
(mostly at Globe Cafe, just behind my house)
with 2 of the loveliest people, Charmaine & Irwin
I'm so glad they finally got married!
Alex, Me & Kristy (China) - at one of the many BISC Globe Cafe gatherings
Farewell BBQ - BISC
Yes, some French people are quite amusing...
I hosted my fair share of house parties and bbqs and dinners.
Always one to throw all my groups of friends together into the mélange
Serene & My joint B'day Party/BBQ
Alexandra Houssaye & My joint Bday BBQ
Alex with the Frenchies, German and God know what else hahha!
Me & the Germans
The gang I hang out with...
the 2 Helene's.
Julie & Me
LAKSA party at my house...for the life of me, i can't remember who cooked the laksa..coz i'm pretty sure it wasn't me...
Ok, now who's house was this at?
Malaysian Night, Dinner with Irwin.
Posing at FUSHIA
My holidays would be spent mainly back in
Ah...I loved my 3 years in Europe...
Even if I could go back in time….I would not change a thing!
My only regret is not taking as many pictures as I would have loved to.
*
1 comments:
I HEART BATH!!!!such a romantic place!!!!
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