merry christmas!

i had such an amazing week with my favourite people - the people who keep me sane at a horrible time like this (finals in 2 weeks'!) and who basically made my last 3 years here worthwhile. although we unfortunately have to go separate ways after graduation, i'm sure we'll continue to make time for each other, and hopefully this is the first of many christmasses to come (last year we were back home in malaysia and the year before tr and i were in paris).


our annual visit to the manchester christmas markets - those german spicy bratwursts and bavarian beer are a MUST.
christmas eve at daniel's. our dinner spread included turkey with pork and chestnut stuffing from M&S - no way were we going to go through the trouble of roasting our own from scratch, potatoes and veg of course, bacon and cheese bruschetta by kheng, my chocolate and pear pudding for dessert, and a bottle of fine bubbly for sure! everything was SO YUMMMMY and so christmassy.

of course we had to do the whole secret santa thing. kheng bought a thick scarf for daniel to brave the scottish weather for the next 2 years (a scarf which came in a £5 box, as kheng so crucially emphasised). daniel got me an expresso maker - something which i never bothered buying for myself even though i've always wanted it! i got teongrhen (yes i was his secret santa *yawn*) the bourne books and a 2012 organiser (because he definitely needs one). teongrhen bought peihua a set of body shop products. and peihua got kheng a zara t-shirt!

the five of us, missing vanessa.
indeed the most wonderful time of the year. :)
but alas it must come to an end. now to get our engines running and just get the exams over and done with.

merry christmas all of you reading this, and a very happy new year in advance.

boost

my passion for medicine grows every single day, not because i love the science or its technicalities, or how i'm getting better at diagnosing and managing patients; but for the impact that medicine as a whole continues to make in my life. it keeps my emotions going. it makes me feel... human. the people i meet daily come and go but i still tend to remember most, if not all of them. there are certainly the few who have left footprints in my heart - those who have inspired me and shaped me into the type of doctor i am becoming. interestingly enough, they are doctors, patients, nurses and even other members of staff (like receptionists) alike. even more interesting, there are 2 doctors, a couple of patients, 1 nurse and 2 receptionists at the one GP practice i am attached to at the moment who are well on my list. they are people whom i will remember way into the future and will always keep me in check on why i am in medicine in the first place, should anything bring me down. tomorrow is my last day at the practice - i have been met with heaps of gratitude and encouragement from everyone, and not just the usual, "thanks, you've been great, you're a good student, all the best in the future!" but words so incredibly kind and affirming that will be etched in my memory for a long time, all by different people.

so really, is it crazy that when one of my GP tutors (whom i will not see anymore as she is off tomorrow) shook my hand and thanked me, i actually teared? or does it just succinctly show, in one emotion, how overwhelmed i was by the amazing experience i've had in the past 4 weeks and the gratitude i have towards her and everyone else at the practice? never before had a placement, be it in hospital or community, have such an effect on me. i am ever grateful to be attached there and to have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and gain mountains of experience in medicine.

inspired

The more I’ve been exposed to General Practice and hospital work, the more I’m inclined towards going into GP in the future. Now don’t be so quick to judge – I know a lot of people have a disdain towards GP and I have to admit I had the same thoughts previously, but having done 5 GP placements now in 3 years, with 4 out of 5 placements being incredibly positive, I’ve developed a certain respect for GPs and fallen in love with what the career has to offer (and it is WAY more than money!).

My current GP in 5^th year is SO amazing that it’s the first time I’ve actually felt like a proper doctor. I’ve had my own consultations in previous GP placements before, but being in final year they’ve actually blocked out appointments for me as I am allowed to independently run my own consultations for the whole month. I manage patients and make my own decisions (with approval from whichever doctor is tutoring me that day of course), and the doctors actually take my opinions into account during lunchtime meetings and patient discussions! The other staff members are equally wonderful – they talk and joke with me like I’ve been there for ages. I’m being taken care of so well at the practice, like today when I had a migraine and they were all so concerned about me. The patients have done nothing but sing praises of me, complimenting my English (I know I should feel patronised, but I don’t because I don’t blame them!) and telling the doctors after that they actually enjoy my consultations and that I get along very well with them. The doctors themselves constantly encourage me by assuring me that I’m doing well and am on the right track, and telling me how they appreciate my efficiency in doing work (I think it all stems from my fast typing HAHA). I’ve never felt so confident in medicine before.

I bet by now you must be thinking, “Of course you feel confident, GP is so easy, just coughs and colds.” And while I hate to admit that I have seen my fair share of chest infections especially now that winter is well on its way, I’ve actually referred a patient for acute appendicitis, suspected an osteoporotic crush fracture, managed a patient with a severe asthma attack who just refused to go to hospital and seen a boy with Kawasaki’s disease and a young lady with carcinoid syndrome, among many other things. I feel like I’ve gained so much in just 2 weeks.

Although there are 5 doctors at this practice, I am mainly tutored by 2 of them, both whom I absolutely love – they’re both in their 50’s but they look like they’re in their early 40’s, seriously. They are so good with their patients and have impeccable medical knowledge, and you can clearly see that they enjoy their work and life in general. The male GP loves talking to me about music (he plays the piano and the cello, and I the piano and the violin) and sports (he knows that I swim and play tennis – so does he – and he always tells me about his tennis/table tennis tournaments!), while the lady GP and I mainly talk about travel, shopping and food. At 50 I think she looks amazing and I admire her outfits and handbags! Very cool. Hehe.

Now that I’m almost done with medical school I’ve been thinking about what I want out of medicine and what I want in life. I’m not sure if I’d want to slave myself in hospital as a medical reg (which is currently my top option) where I have to work long hours and have minimal time with family, but at the same time I do love general internal medicine and a lot of the cases you deal with in hospital are somewhat more... substantial? GP, on the other hand, is so much more relaxing and flexible, and the rapport and relationships with patients are so much more meaningful. And there’s no stress of actually BEING in hospital and running around like a mad dog answering to everyone. I think ultimately I want to have a nice life while I raise a family.

I don’t know. I guess I will have to wait and see whatever comes my way after foundation years! After all, whatever will be will be. If I were to be a physician I can definitely go back to Malaysia without worrying. If I were to be a GP, I think I'll pursue a special interest with it, like gynae or derm. What I need to do now, though, is to pass and graduate next year!

PS: Notice this whole entry has proper sentences – capital letters and all? Hahaha. That’s because I’ve typed it on MS Word! Looks strange doesn't it.

hi kuantan!

just curious but who's from kuantan who's been visiting my blog? say hello on my tagboard!

dream on!

as years go by i realise the things that i want are becoming more out of grasp, especially since my parents have already dumped whatever's left of my education fund with me (which isn't a lot, really) and have since bade farewell to being my financial supporters.

yet my wishlist seems to be expanding with ridiculous desires - things that i can definitely live without but would absolutely LOVE to have. the burberry trench has been on this list for ages, and many a time i've come SO close to buying one - but because i actually have more discipline than anyone expects me to have, that thought is still on hold. i'm getting a UK driver's license real soon, which, of course, upon obtaining it, will entice me into getting myself a car (how i'm going to afford a car any time soon is a huge mystery). then i've been thinking about graduation next year and how i'd look super awesome in a pair of super sexy christian louboutin pumps. but does one honestly need those distinctive red-soled heels merely to go with a graduation gown and mortarboard? probably not, but i can imagine all the other events i can parade them to!

i can sort of feel in my bones that my beloved toshiba laptop is dying somewhat, and while i've been a loyal patron of the anti-apple fanclub for a long time (despite owning an ipod), i have recently found myself slowly converting into an apple fanatic ever since i laid hands on the ipad2 (which wasn't mine unfortunately). therefore new additions to my wishlist are the ipad, of course, and a macbook air once my current laptop decides it no longer wants to be of service. oh and when my phone contract ends, i want an iphone, hopefully by that time the iphone 5 will be out!

i've also been eyeing on an herve leger dress, well, just because. and maybe a new handbag? i don't know, a classic chanel or a bottega veneta or something. i'm not too particular. hah hah hah. when i start working i'll definitely want a flat screen and subscribe to cable television. i've done so well for many years resisting the temptation of subscribing to astro (while i was at taylor's and IMU), and virgin/sky tv here in the UK, so i think i very much deserve a prize once i start work!

other wants which are fortunately reasonable include a good coffee maker, an ice-cream maker, a deep fryer (just maybe, but imagine all the pisang goreng and curry puffs and fried chicken i can make with it!) and a brand new set of proper cookware and kitchen utensils!

and last but not least on my wishlist: perhaps that £180 meal (drinks and 15% service charge not included!) at the fat duck, brainchild of the one and only chef extraordinaire heston blumenthal. all i have to do now is to start saving some money and then designate a few days to spend on the phone trying to beat 30,000 others to get a reservation. yes the restaurant gets 30,000 phone calls a day. don't ask me. it is THAT good.

i know i've risked sounding like a materialistic bitch in this post, and as materialistic as my thoughts can be, i think i'm actually very good with my money! there is nothing wrong with dreaming after all, right? :p

A&E!

being in A&E as a fifth year is amazing - i *almost* dont mind being on my toes for six hours straight, having my lunch break only at 3pm, and be on my toes for another few hours again before i call it a day! i'm still getting used to this routine having been out of touch from medicine for a few months now. the random presentations into the department keep the mind constantly stimulated and train us to work efficiently. and because we're supposed to be knowing, well, most of medicine, we cannot come up with excuses like "oh i can't see this patient by myself because i've not learnt this yet and i don't know how to examine him." this week itself i've clerked and examined patients with problems from head to toe (literally), and improved on loads of procedural skills as well.

i'm in chorley this week - it's a relatively small hospital but the A&E department has been busy nonetheless. in fact, the A&E departments in the trust (preston+chorley) are apparently the busiest in the north west, seeing on average 350 patients a day between both sites! chorley doesn't take in trauma patients as they all get sent to preston, so no gory injuries to be seen as of yet. that said, i really like how i've started at this pace before i go to preston - i've been dealing with loads of general medical emergencies (and NON emergencies), and these are essentially what a junior doctor should expect to deal with. history-examination-investigations-management-plan after A&E, all of which have to be done in a 4-hour window. so loads of pressed-for-time issues, learning how to set priorities and being able to justify why things are done. i'm so glad i get to be part of the team as i not only want to learn to pass my exams but i also yearn to be competent, and this is a brilliant place to gain all the experience.

the doctors and nurses have been sublime, as with all the staff in the other departments at chorley. i just never thought they'd be just as nice at the A&E department! teaching is excellent given the amount of work they each have to do, on top of being timetabled for a whole morning of proper A&E tutorials by consultants every week. two students in each hospital A&E department at a time is more than ideal and they've stopped taking in 3rd years so there's no one else to "fight for jobs" with! nurses are ever-willing to help out, taking time to ask us what procedures we're not good at and consequently alerting us when a patient needs something to be done, and actually staying with us throughout the procedure to guide us through if need be. sometimes they'd even eavesdrop on our conversations even though they appear to be busy! like today i was telling becky how i needed to be more slick in doing a full neurological exam and this nurse picked this up while he was writing up his notes and actually found a patient with neurological signs for me to examine later on! i love it when you get this sort of support. just makes your days so much better and fruitful!

well here i am, exhausted from what a day it has been, but with major satisfaction. i hope this streak goes on for as long as possible. here's hoping that i won't experience a burnt-out period any time soon!

final year

must. push. on.

1st year of medical school - young, free, not overwhelmed with medical knowledge and far away from worrying about getting a job. best time ever :)

sssigh

i've been back home for more than a month now, and it has once again been such an amazing break just kicking back, relaxing, spending time with family and dogs, meeting up with friends and indulging in all that glorious malaysian food. i leave the comfort of my home in a few days' time for the land of riots and constant rain. never have i dreaded starting a term so much; but who wouldn't, when you know you're going back to the stress of final year and job applications. my motivation to pass my exempting exam in january: being able to be back home again in march for electives! and then extend my holidays till graduation time! no pass, no such holiday. so, MUST pass.

i was going through some of the drawers in my room and found a few of my kindergarten report cards! i've never ever seen these before - i think my mum must've found them somewhere and put them in my room. i was so tickled reading what my teachers wrote about me when i was four, five and six. i'm proud to say that i went to a very good kindergarten. i was educated well at an early age and at the same time i know i had loads of fun. i don't remember much, of course, but i have clear memories of riding a pony on kindy grounds and being scared of santa during christmas. and i also remember quite a number of my friends, many of whom i'm still friends with today! in fact i just met up with two of them a couple of weeks back and we were reminiscing those days together. now one of them (sze-ryn) just graduated from dublin and is going to start housemanship in singapore, and another (phui whye) graduated from melbourne a few years ago and is already a successful businesswoman! so proud! and here i am waiting to graduate. hmph.

(click to enlarge in new window)

this report card was written when i was 5 years and 2 months. hahaha. says here that i was "interested in flowers and plants". no idea. and that i had "a good sense of colours but a little untidy at times". hehehe. guess i was never an artsy person after all. and under general progress: "Swee Leen is a very intelligent girl. Very hard working in class but gets a little too talkative when she sits with her friends."

hahaha. cuteness.

food over duty

(this is a continuation of my previous post)

sometimes Ginger ditches her duty as guardian of the house keys when she has more important matters to tend to, eg snacking and preventing my other dogs (and us humans) from taking her food. well a dog's got to do what a dog's got to do.

PS: ignore conversation in the background. my mum and i were contemplating on what to eat for lunch.

Ginger the keeper of keys

when my parents and i go out and our maid is no where in sight, we'll toss the keys inside so that they won't be left dangling on the door. for some unknown reason, our poodle has elected herself to be the guardian of those keys and will keep a watchful eye on them while they're on the floor. she'll snap at anyone who tries to pick them up. until she's bored, that is (which doesn't take long. lol). really cute!

touchdown

never been so relieved to be home.

:)

summer begins now!

i love my life.

sunny side up

4th year has been hectic and seems to be never-ending, but i'm so glad we are now at the end of project options! what a wonderful 2 months it has been, and by wonderful i mean free. hahaha. though now comes the stressful period of writing up reports and preparing for presentations. :-/ funny that a few people have asked why we manchester 4th years have so much free time on our hands, and even asked if we ever have exams. the answer is: we probably seem to be very free because we don't complain on facebook that much, even though, in less than a year, we've actually gone through crazy rotations and sat for a few major exams. AND PASSED. :p
project option time is like the pseudo-holiday before our real holiday. i've been enjoying every bit of it, especially now that summer is here, AND especially since i've chosen to do an audit instead of research (lots of free time) in gastroenterology (my favourite specialty - for now). just have to rush that report for submission and endure the horrendous presentation bit (which i'm dreading so badly); and then it is home for the summer!
i love that having all this free time now has given me the liberty to enjoy myself before final year (as you've probably noticed from my recent blog posts). almost all my weekends for the past 2 months have been "fully booked", and i've even told friends who thought of coming to visit to do so on weekdays, when i only have to go to hospital as and when i wish. hahaha.
---
kings of leon came to manchester on the 19th of june, and tr kindly bought me their concert ticket for my birthday! i love kings of leon although i cannot say i am the biggest of fans. i love them enough to bother going to their concert, but not enough to bother going early to push myself through to the front (like i did went i went for Muse!).

to be entirely honest, the concert was... well... underwhelming. don't get me wrong - they can REALLY sing live (especially anthony followill), but it was exactly just like listening to their music on iTunes. they appeared, played some songs from all five of their albums, and left. i think i would've appreciated more variation in their music - perhaps a little more spark in their performances. all i can say is that i left the concert without much memory of being there, unlike the time when i went to watch Muse and was left on a high for a good few weeks! well i'm just glad they played all of my favourite songs - closer, pyro, mary, sex on fire, the bucket and use somebody, otherwise i would've felt cheated. haha.
---
last weekend i organised a picnic for the imu-manchester peeps in our year, you know, just to be nice and bring everyone together. :p it was great fun! so glad we did it. the weather was wonderful, food was good, and everybody got along over a deck of cards, a £1.50 frisbee and a £0.80 ball. hehe happy times before the foreseeable gloomy times of final year.




eat then play.
the aforementioned £0.80 ball which was used as a volleyball, a football and a monkeyball.


everybody in position! van's butt jutting out nicely.



girls missing mastura.



boys playing bridge, minus kheng (the cameraman) and luqman (who was in wimbledon happily watching petra kvitova kick maria sharapova's ass).



not very often that we get to lie in the sun!


check out kheng in peihua's dior sunnies. sexy.



love this picture :)
---

ok done blogging, now back to report!

glasgow!

i was in glasgow 2 weekends ago as i've promised amrita for ages that i'd visit, since my last trip did not actually happen. i was also keen on seeing the largest city in scotland. i absolutely loved edinburgh when i was there, but the scots i know hate edinburgh with a passion - they say that it's pretentious, "too english", and that glasgow is the true capital of scotland. *shrugs*

i've always heard the same things about glasgow prior to my visit: that it represents scotland more than edinburgh does (as said above), that the university of glasgow is gorgeous like hogwarts, that the city itself is ugly, and that there are a lot of orientals (chinese/koreans/japanese) and indians there. hahaha. well i've seen glasgow with my own eyes now.

i arrived on friday and was brought for dinner by dear amrita and her housemates. jap food at Nanakusa! nyumsters. we then headed to Hummingbird for after-dinner drinks. funky place with nice cocktails, some served in fishbowls for people to share.

we went to the outskirts of glasgow on saturday. would've been an excellent day if not for the weather. it rained the whole day! what a shame. oh well, welcome to the united kingdom. we went to a distillery called Auchentoshan (sounds so german). paid £5 for a 1-hour tour of the distillery, learned how whisky is made, and most importantly, whisky-tasting! not that i'm a fan of whisky, but hey i was in scotland.

it was still raining when we reached loch lomond, the largest lake in great britain which lies between central scotland and the scottish highlands. had lunch at this quaint pub and then went for a cruise on the lake. it was nice, although i'm sure i would've appreciated the scenery more if the weather didn't make everything seem depressing.

back in glasgow where we had korean dinner with the dundee people who were there for the day. and for the very first time, i introduce to you my DOCTOR friends, drs ben, michelle, huiling and yuen khai (who went all the way to glasgow just to cut his hair wtf lol).

sunday was a much, MUCH better day. very lovely. the sun was out with white fluffy clouds decorating the clear blue sky. amrita showed me what glasgow had to offer - starting with a relaxing walk from her place to the University. this is the Kelvingrove Art Museum in the background, on the way.

The University of Glasgow, which the glasgow students are so proud of. :p

who wouldn't be? what a gorgeous campus.

view from one of the sites on campus.

after a tour of the University, we went for ice-cream and took the subway to the city centre, only because amrita wanted me to see what a joke it is. it's so small it was like sitting in a toy train. i found it really cute though. hahaha. we had lunch at MUSSEL INN! i was so excited. loved the Mussel Inn in edinburgh.

some pictures of the glasgow city centre. you know what. i like Glasgow. it reminds me of Manchester - ugly but happening. good shopping, amazing food, interesting night life, cosy places to hang out and have cake and coffee. my kind of a city. i don't want to live in a city which is pretty but where everything closes by 5pm. i want to live in a city which is fast-paced (but not as fast as London) and has everything that i need.

as a response to what i've been told about glasgow:

• represents scotland more than edinburgh does - to be honest, i think edinburgh has a more scottish air to it. glasgow is much larger and is more of a modern city, but it doesn't really scream scotland, if not for the glaswegian accents heard at every corner.
• gorgeous uni - YES, definitely
• ugly - quite, but there are individual buildings which are nice.
• filled with orientals - YES, but doesn't beat manchester :p
• lots of indians - not really, in fact the only indians i remember seeing were amrita and her housemates. HAHAHA

thanks amrita for the lovely weekend. finally fulfilled my promise to you. now leave me alone! :p hehe just kidding, i had a fantastic time and i'd really love to go again.

star light, star bright

the starlight ball

4th june 2011

garstang country hotel & golf club

obviously very small scale compared to the grand balls for all manchester medics (which i suppose i should attend at some point) since this was only for those based in preston, but it was an intimate affair and quite enjoyable to be honest. well ceilidh was fun at the very least.




with eleanor and massywassy. i look funny here - think i was talking to whoever who took this picture. for the record i wasn't digging my nose.


mary, eleanor, neil, me, becky at our table.



my seat. had salad (spelled as sald on my place card), chicken and mousse. nothing fancy schmancy.



people! with eleanor, andy, jon, massy (extremely lousy picture but i kinda like it!)



more people! with diana, eleanor + wilfred, becky



my first ceilidh! loved it. sprained my neck and arm during (actually my neck was already sprained before the ball - while asleep); had a couple of bruises; had people step on my feet (took off my shoes cos it was just impossible to ceilidh in heels); swung 360 degrees in the air by some of the crazy guys - but very very fun!!



massy, me and eleanor with our complimentary cocktails



i realise i don't have a full length picture of me, but this is the closest one to a full length. aww :( at least you can see my shoes. by the way don't you love massy's princess-like dress?! so gorgeous ;)







for those who are curious: my dress was tailor-made back home which i wore to a wedding once. shoes were from aldo, which is my current favourite shoe brand. you should see my house - tr said it looks like an aldo shoe store with all the boxes stacked up at the front door. well what can i say. their shoes are pretty and VERY comfortable. clutch (not in the picture) was from french connection. ear-rings and necklace from swarovski. bracelet from korea. make-up by yours truly and hair was au naturale. hahaha.
---

totally unrelated, but heartiest congratulations to my friends from dundee who've just passed their finals and will graduate as doctors in 2 weeks' time! ohmygod how exciting is this? the first among us imu peeps to hold the long-awaited D-R title. oh and not forgetting those from nottingham as well. all of you shall be my inspiration to pass MY finals in january. :)

24

tr: so how old are you this year?

me: err... the same as you?!

tr: how old are we again?

me: 24!

tr: oh. damn.

---


24. geez. it seems like yesterday when i turned 21 and had that amazing night out with my IMU friends whom i love to bits. it's now been three years and although we've all embarked on different paths, we are still very closely in touch. and boy do i miss all of them.
three years down the road and here i am living a new life, with a whole new bunch of friends whom i cannot imagine going through my last years of med school without. what would manchester be like without all these people? i dare not think about it.
so thank you everyone for possibly one of the best nights i've had since coming here. and as sad as this may sound, it'll probably be the one and only birthday i can celebrate with all of them - last year we had exams in the way, this time next year i will be back in malaysia for electives (and celebrating my 25th at home!), and the years after we'll almost certainly be in different parts of the UK, or even the world, after graduation. so really, i'm very glad i could at least have one memorable birthday here in manchester.



all of us at Vermilion & Cinnabar, which is an impressive venue for lavish dining.



food was a fusion of thai and japanese which we complemented with good quality chilean cabernet savignon and australian shiraz. and when the restaurant heard that it was my birthday, they presented me with a chocolate souffle that came with a mango sorbet and strawberry ice-cream, which were ALL VERY GOOD and most importantly on the house! :D


pei hua - what would i do without you here? thank you for everything.



girls! vanessa, louisa, peihua, rong, me, eleanor, and massywassy ♥



boys! kheng (who looked very smart that night :p), teongrhen and daniel



after-dinner drinks at Cinnabar, which was on the floor above the Vermilion restaurant. really gorgeous and chic interior with good but rather expensive drinks (my cosmo was lovely!). oh and thanks Van for belanja-ing the cosmo hehe



the rest left after dinner to catch the second half of the man utd - barcelona match. we (+ kheng), on the other hand, could not care less.

:)







i've lived 24 good years with wonderful people around me, and i can only pray that the next decades of my life will be just as good or even better.

FOBby dad

sometimes my dad really amuses me when we chat online.

dad: hi SL... doing what?

me: hi, just came back from buying groceries

dad: didnt go hospital meh?

me: today is dunno what holiday

dad: agong's birthday....

me: what agong's bday

dad: good nite.

me: huh?

lol. doesn't make sense.

pamper

(the point of this picture was supposed to be the bubbles in the tub but unfortunately they couldn't be captured against a white background :/)

i have a penchant for luxury bath products (crabtree & evelyn, l'occitane, the body shop...) and soaking myself in the tub, and although it is so rare to actually find time to enjoy my baths, i still make it a point to pamper myself once in awhile especially on days when i come back feeling SO frustrated and pissed off. i mean, why not? no prior appointments needed, i have the liberty of playing my own music in the background (putumayo/the gipsy kings/french cafe songs/norah jones on shuffle), and best of all, it costs me virtually nothing. i do indulge in spa treatments whenever i feel rich (which is very, VERY seldom), but at home, a relaxing bubble bath is my soul soother.

so when i find that i'm in dire need of self-indulgence, i will tell TR to empty his bladder and then bugger off or hold it in for an hour or so, draw up my bubble bath with my favourite bath salts/gel, dim the light, light up a candle, have my laptop and iTunes ready on the toilet seat (don't judge me, my toilet seat is anytime cleaner than your bed), immerse myself in the warm, soapy, scented water, and let my stresses and problems fade away. at least for awhile.

and i highly recommend it provided you don't share a bathtub with disgusting people. :)

barcelona!

as mentioned in my previous post, i now consider barcelona as my 2nd favourite city after sydney. granted i haven't actually been to many big cities in the world, at least certainly not the ones i so badly want need to go to (new york, tokyo, amsterdam...), i still think it's a big deal if i say i prefer a city over paris and london - both of which i absolutely loved and wouldn't mind going over and over again.

to me, barcelona is a mix between sydney and paris. it is definitely not as expensive as the two, but very similar in terms of culture, food and the abundance of activities. although paris is anytime a class above every other city i've been to, i cannot say enough that it can be somewhat intimidating. barcelona on the other hand emits this air of warmth and comfort that you get just by being there.

barcelona is so incredibly colourful and this was especially accentuated by the golden sunshine we were blessed with the entire time we were there (except for the day we arrived - but we didn't do much on that day, so the rain did not really matter). this vibrance is evident from the diversity of scenes: from gaudi's famous architectural ingenuity, to the lovely beaches at barceloneta and the breathtaking view of grand yachts anchored at port vell. then there's the myriad of food at the la boqueria market, the endless shopping opportunities in the city, various museums (like the museo picasso, which in itself is so colourful) and countless places that you can kick back, relax and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine - whichever you prefer! i really can't see the people of barcelona ever running out of things to see, do and eat!

we stayed slightly off the popular street of La Rambla (in a quiet little alley thank goodness), which is ever busy with tourists, vendors and street performers. such a strategic location to stay at as it is filled with restaurants and shopping outlets, and very close to transport links.

the vivid mercat de la boqueria (la boqueria market) along la rambla. fresh produce, local catalan and spanish foods, wines, trinkets...

walk off la rambla and you'll find the barri gotic (gothic quarter), which houses the barcelona cathedral. barri gotic is also a nice area to explore - less crowded and has very nice little shops and cafes.

walk further down barri gotic and you'll come to another quarter called la ribera. this is the basilica of santa maria del mar. free entry, so no harm going in. :p also nearby is the museo picasso, which i realise we have no pictures of.

on the way to the beach we found music everywhere! so we sat with the crowd and listened to this amazing band who played world music (like putumayo, haha love it!). that's the life.

barcelona is not barcelona without their beaches. this was at barceloneta.

look at the amazing clear blue sky!

barcelona is also not barcelona without the famous Gaudi works, and it would be exceptionally foolish to go to barcelona and NOT see the breathtaking Sagrada Familia *cough*adrianlow*cough*.

i don't think i've ever been this impressed by a church, not even st paul's basilica at the vatican which i really loved!

the magic square featured at the Sagrada Familia's Passion façade.

"The magic constant of the square is 33, the age of Jesus at the time of the Passion." - wikipedia

the Nativity façade, signifying the elements of life.

SO majestic!

the interior of the Sagrada Familia: subtly colourful columns, arches and ceilings.

beautiful stained glass window.

view from the top of the Sagrada Familia.

another of Gaudi's works, the Casa Batlló, which i was not fond of. i'd say the façade did look quite interesting, but it's not something i'd pay 15 euros for to go inside (which i unfortunately did).

La Padrera/Casa Mila: another Gaudi creation. better worth of my money at least, and quite remarkable both on the outside and inside.

Parc Güell: a huge park on a hill with interesting designs, again by Gaudi.

lunch at La Rita near the upscale Passeig de Gràcia, recommended by Ben. quite a posh restaurant but with reasonably-priced meals, and very good food indeed! and very friendly staff members too.

i think we spent most of our time hanging around Port Vell. this is it at sunset. very lovely.

for a harbour, the water was super clear and clean! could actually see fishes swimming!

Maremàgnum mall, at Port Vell.

L'Aquarium Barcelona also at Port Vell. ONLY because we had nothing to do while waiting for our bus to Madrid :p but it was a nice aquarium anyway.

a live band on one of the streets, where anyone can dance to their music! how sweet.

public water fountain. it's bad enough that boiled water in barcelona was horrible, so i did not dare drink from this!

Arc de Triomf, the Spanish version. haha. came across this on the way to Barcelona Nord, the bus station.

i THINK these elderly men were playing petanque.

some of the food we ate in barcelona, at random places: seafood paella, iberia ham and eggs, catalan fried squid, patatas bravas, and of course sangria! the sangria de cava (the white one) pictured above was AMAZING.