THE FIRST [whatever that is] IS ALWAYS THE DEEPEST

Today's theme: 

THE FIRST TIME

Sounds so wrong but feels so right isn't it? heh.

Whoa.

Hold your horses and calm down. im not going there. not even remotely close. Not even a tiny bit of and attempt to entice you there.

Instead, I'm gonna share the first time for everything, going places and such.

Let me start with my first ever experience travelling abroad.I still remembered it like it was yesterday. And come to think of it, the next 3 years would mark the 20 years since I first traveled abroad. it was in the late 90s and I was still this young chap eager to see the world. PLEASE NOW, STOP CALCULATING AND GUESSING MY AGE! Continue reading puhlisss.

Going gaga over Luton for whatever reason

When the university offered a study tour (nowadays the call it student mobility) to UK, I jumped with excitement and enrolled in it. Of course, to raise fund we organized all sort of activities and the highlight was fashion at Crown Princess Hotel (no longer in KL. it was located at the Tun Razak junctions near KLCC - the place to be and where the famous nightclub/disco was located.. forgot the name though. I'll let you know later).

Ok I'm digressing. huh.

Anyway, with sponsorships pouring in and stuffs we were able to fly to the UK. Mind you, there was no Airasia and being a normal human like me, I would not even dream of flying. I remembered the return ticket to the UK was about RM 9k close to 10k yeah. and there were 36 of us. it was 13 hours direct flight and God were we bored to our bones. I put on my modjo and flirt with the flight attendant just for the kick. haha.

In the UK, we stayed at Malaysia Hall before going to our host university, Luton University. If im not mistaken, it's 2-3 hours ride from Bryanston Square. While in the heart of Great Britain, we managed to cover the famous Shakespeare Village at Stratford-Upon-Avon and spend good one day there. Crossing the Hyde Park oh so many times that it became our rituals just because it was really nice walking. You dont get it here in KL because its hot and humid and before you know it, you'll drenched with sweats and stinks. Yuck. Whilst in London, the cold weather suit me just fine.

The team. We are TESL-ing!

Ok, Imma stop now. Perhaps in another entry I'll write more. Ciao bella!

[apekTRAVELS]

Souvenirs

Since I'm too lazy to re-write my post on Pangkor, I am just gonna share some of the souvenirs collected for the past 10 years or so whilst traveling from one country to another. 😂

This need no caption, right? 3 eiffels to mark my three visits to this city of light. eh love. which is it?

The wooden camel I bought in Doha, Qatar in one of my business trip. Stop short for 2 days. Didn't get to really enjoy the city except its mall and eating places and desert view. heh. The stupa and the miniature temple I bought at Candi Borobudur and Candi Prambanan respectively. Stayed and enjoyed the city whole heartedly as I stayed there for 7 days and 6 nights. Managed to cover Jogjakarta and Solo. Visited the famous UNESCO certified Borobudur and Prambanan. Went to Gunung Merapi and visited the eerie site where the people was burnt alive. 

Ah yes, visited the mytical Kratons in Solo. Yup, there are more than 1 Kraton. Take your time and savor these two cultural infuse city. Don't forget Maliboro for some signature batik shopping. One thing I regretted was that I didn't have the time to go to the famous South Sea beach or Laut Selatan where the legend of Ratu Laut Selatan / Roro Kidul originated. They said it's a site to go especially at dawn for some twilight zone moments. Perhaps later.

prize item. statue of Medusa from the land of gods and myths and legends, Greece

I especially treasure this not only because its bloody expensive for a miniature (EU40), also because it's a souvenir from Caine, France. The site where Normandy beach was the entry point for the allies entering Europe in WWII. Simply put, remember Saving Private Ryan? 

This is not quite a rare item but I love it nonetheless. It's the  key chain to my car and office. I bought it at Kildare in Ireland. I was your typical cold and windy day in Athlone that we bravely drove about 2 hours to reach Kildare (similar like JPO here). There's this Cath Kidston store and I found this key chain made of copper. There were 3 left and I bought them all. Gave away 2 and kept 1 for myself. It has the dog and Union Jack flag to mark the brand's origin and Cath Kidston signature engraved on the other side.

Now, let's see whether you can guess which came from which country? 

I have plenty more but it's in the boxes tuck away at home. These are some souvenirs hanging around in the office. 

Hehehe