scottish connection!

edinburgh castle

inside edinburgh castle

king kenneth?

a nice mural in the castle...

hiding from the rain and wind... f**king bad weather!

inside edinburgh castle

that's bobby!

harry potter was born here?

hilton hotel edinburgh

princes street gardens (see the castle?)

royal mile

scottish idol!

royal mile!

palace of holyroodhouse

abbey of holyrood (stone coffin)

here come the model!

one of my best looking picture...

thinking... thinking...

palace of holyroodhouse

entrance of the palace

palace of holyroodhouse

scottish parliament

on top of the national museum of scotland

scottish history, anyone?

i used to think scotland got nothing to offer beside men wearing skirt (kilt) and a water monster called nessie. after two days of history lesson in edinburgh, i kinda like scotland and would love to go back for more adventures. edinburgh has so much to offer (not just men running around in a skirt). the city is filled up with mystery castles, beautiful palaces and cathedrals, interesting museums, creepy dungeons, romantic streets and lanes and so on.

okay folks... scottish history, anyone? even i've visited most of the historical sites in the city, but there is only one thing i remember... a few of the scottish kings are called kenneth. and now, i'm proud to be called kenneth. i might be one of the kings in my previous life, king kenneth the second. how cool is that?

a visit to edinburgh won't be completed without a visit to the edinburgh castle (the most popular attraction in scotland). man, the entrance fee isn't cheap and they don't give discount to student. inside the castle is where the scottish history lesson begins! inside the magnificient castle, stored many interesting artifacts and even showed the scottish crown to the public. certain rooms in the castle are rather spooky, i did feel like someone was watching over me, maybe it was king kenneth!

the next must-do in edinburgh is walking along the royal mile and admire the architecture wonders. according to lonely planet, it is one of the world's most romantic streets. i actually didnt get it! the street is certainly beautiful but romantic? i'm not so sure! maybe i need to walk with the right person to get that feeling.

along royal mile, there are some very interesting museums and the best part, they are all free. as a budget traveller, nothing is better than a free attraction. they are also the best place to be during rainy or windy day. i gotta to be honest, i was in those museums because of the bad weather. now, i'm feeling a little bit guilty for confessed it but those museums are quite interesting (i'm not lying).

museums along the royal mile aren't the only free attractions in edinburgh! national gallery of scotland which stored paintings by picasso and monet is another free attraction. the gallery is another must visit in edinburgh (not everyday you can see a painting costs around 50 million pound).

the next stop, calton hill! the best place to see the whole city of edinburgh and edinburgh's waterfront. due to the bad weather, the view didn't look as good as shown in the brochure. on a bright and sunny day, i believe it will be a good place to see sunrise and sunset. i'm not a sunrise person (i don't think i can wake up before sunrise). maybe i will go back to calton hill for sunset. calton hill is not just a viewing point, some of edinburgh's most beautiful monuments are situated there.

what else can be the best way to end a day if not shopping? for you guys, i'm not sure but for myself, indulge myself with some goodies is the best way to end a day. in edinburgh, the place for such treatment or therapy is princes street. what did i get for myself? you guys will be surprised! i only bought a t-shirt and a pin from hard rock cafe. not so kenneth tan? well, when you are using pound sterling, you will always think twice before making a transaction.

just before dark, i visited another famous spot in the city, the statue of bobby. who is bobby? bobby is the most photographed dog in scotland and maybe the whole united kingdom. bobby, a skye terrier who maintained a vigil over his master's grave being fed and cared for by locals. a story of loyalty!

i started day two in edinburgh with a walk in princes street gardens and passed by scott monument. after experienced bad weather in the previous day, the sun was so welcoming. but hey... walking at a park on a sunday morning? man... that's so not kenneth tan kinda thing! sometimes, you gotta do something outside your comfort zone and surprisingly, it was quite lovely! fresh air... friendly smiles... nothing can be better to start a sunday morning.

another interesting place in this lovely city is the palace of holyroodhouse, a royal residence. another chapter of scottish/ british history! what captured my heart isn't the big palace but the abbey located beside it. a very charming little abbey! during its heyday, it must be the most beautiful building in edinburgh.

opposite the palace of holyroodhouse is the scottish parliament. i believe my architect friends will love the design of the scottish parliament building. it isn't like most of the buildings in edinburgh. it is rather modern and cool. damn, it closes every sunday and i was only able to admire it from the outside.

have you guys ever wondered where harry potter was born? the answer, at a restaurant called elephant house. jk rowling was having coffee in this place when suddenly the idea of a boy living in a world of wizards hit her brain. i did try out at the restaurant and did hope crazy idea will bang on me but sadly, i walked out of the restaurant with a blank brain. i guess i'm not jk rowling material, sigh!

not far away from the elephant house is the national museum of scotland. another very interesting place for scottish culture and history. guess what? it is another free attraction. i just love those free attractions. you can learn and see many interesting things without paying a penny, what a great deal!

i really enjoyed myself in edinburgh. the only downside of the trip was the weather. autumn isn't a good season to explore scotland... terrible weather! very wet and windy! the weather did effect my performance. i failed to pose nicely, damn it! i believe spring or summer will be better. edinburgh, you better watch out! i will be back for more poses!

city of york... my new darling!

york minster! isn't is beautiful? according to to lonely planet, it is one of the most beautiful gothic building in the world.


front view of york minster!

york minster!


in the city of york... dont ask me where the photo was taken! i really have no idea! those alleys and streets are so confusing!!!

the map of the city!

the old city area! do i look like oliver twist? oliver twist of the 21st century!

trying to be oliver twist again!

clifford's tower... british history, anyone?

the prince...

the prince at the city of york!

continue posing! nice pose? too stiff?

hope you guys are not tired of seeing me posing here and there...


my signature pose... the sitting down with a cute face pose! or should i name it... the kenneth's pose.outside of clifford's tower!


in front of york castle museum! a very interesting museum!

evolution of the vacuum cleaner! man... this is damn interesting! the first vacuum cleaner was created in 1910. damn funny... look at those designs at the back row (manual pump). using it is better than going to the gym (exercising and cleaning at the same time).

ah ha! try guess what is that wooden cabinet for??

evolution of the washing machine!

posing again... in the basement of the museum!


a charming shop house... very british!


at the museum gardens.

after 8 hours of walking.... you will try to get every oppurtunity to sit!

york train station... i will be back!

york? an air-con or a city?

just a few days ago, a friend asked me why didn't i post any new entry in my blog? the answer is simple! in case you guys forget, i'm here to study and i have a few assignments due every week. those assignments are killing me. i have even more to submit in end of november, just before the christmas break. help! can the beatles help me?

before i got here, i did think my next 48 weeks will be like heaven or something near to heaven. no need to wake up early in the morning to work, no need to stay 8 hours or more at my desk, no sister or mother nagging me, can go for shopping and dining at any time of the day and so on but gosh, now i wish i'm still at technip and talking crap with lee pei yuen and lum or flirting with someone over the phone. after stopped schooling for almost three years, is not easy to put everything together again! dy/dxt what? fluid acceleration, huh? beam calculation, damn? those things are my biggest headache these days.

i actually have something to share with you guys! last weekend, i went to a nearby city for a day trip. a city called york! york is a very interesting city. hang on! before i go even further, i have something to share, a joke! before i went for the trip, i emailed my beloved miss lee pei yuen and told her about my trip. she replied with some very interesting lines! "york? york is a city meh? not a brand for air-con ar?" my typical neighbour at technip. i just love her.... isn't she adorable?

where is york actually? it is about an hour from newcastle and two and half hours from london by train. york was voted as europe's favourite city. i did wonder what is so great about this place until it becomes so popular. hello.... shouldn't the favourite be paris, london, rome, amsterdam, barcelona or something. york, a place which have been mistaken as an air-conditioner? the name might not be as popular as others but it surely has the magic to lure visitors. york is a very charming city (york and me... what a perfect combination... we are both charming... nope?).

i started my day at york with a visit at its most popular landmark, the york minster. york minster is one of the most beautiful gothic building in the world (as written in lonely planet). it is really huge and very beautiful but sadly, i failed to get a nice picture of the whole building. logic thinking, if you stand far away, maybe a few hundred meters, you will be able to take the picture of the whole building. "X" wrong! no matter how far you stand or which corner you stand, you will always be blocked by something.

after my failed attempts to take a picture of the whole york minster, i explored the city wall. i was conned by someone to walk on the wall which was built long, long time ago to protect the city. actually, nothing much to see or do over there besides walking, walking and walking! next, the old city! i'm so in love with the old city area. when i was there, i did feel like i have became oliver twist (back to 18th century) and running at the old streets and dark alleys with a bowl in my hands. those lanes and alleys are so beautiful, very old english mood.

i also printed my footsteps at clifford's tower and york castle museum. both places are really worth to visit especially clifford's tower. at the top of the tower you can see the whole city of york, and of course... another good place for me to pose.

a trip won't be completed without shopping! for retail therapy, i went to a place called york designer outlet. man... a real heaven for shoppers! many of my favourite brands are there, paul smith, ralph lauren, lacoste, burberry, armani and many others. so, it won't be a surprise if i go to york again, and again, and again.

on the way to the train station, i dropped by museum gardens to kill some times. it is a very good spot for love birds... flowers, trees, falling leaves... just perfect lovers to date or more. this place can be very beautiful in spring, i think.

after the lovely day trip at york, i'm no longer in love with newcastle. i found new love! and i also started to think, did new york gets its name from york? the americans wanna create a place like york and named it new york. maybe! maybe!

my place in newcastle!

carlton house, my house!

try to guess how many floors are there in this building!

the kitchen! it won't be this clean after 8 pm everyday!

my study desk...

my heaven... nothing is better than sleeping... if i have nothing to do, i can sleep up to 20 hours a day...

that's my wardrobe... damn small! no need two months, i think i need to get a new one! already saw some great looking jackets and sweaters at the mall!

did you guys realise something is missing from my room??? where is the window??

my daily needs! hope i won't die of sugar overdose!