Here's a cliche picture of me and my fellow travel mates in front of Big Ben. London has a much, much, MUCH better winter atmosphere than Paris. I mean, it's not too cold and the loads of visitors there livens up the city. Visited the Malaysian Hall and had authentic Malaysian dishes. And of course, I had a mini reunion with my sister! Ah, I missed chatting with her a lot. Shopping in Oxford Street was enjoyable too (it was sale everywhere).
Hey it's me again and this time I'm in front of the Louvre Museum which apparently is the largest museum in the world! Oh I bet you remember the scene of this museum in The Da Vinci Code movie. Well, this museum has about 30000+ collections of masterpieces around the world including the ever famous original piece of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. It covers collections from the Mesopotamian to the ancient Roman and Greek periods. Totally worth the visit!
Yes!! I went to...Disneyland! Good timing we had because we didn't have to wait long to have a turn on any rides but it was cold though and was snowing too which really adds to the fairytale feel. Took pictures with characters, saw the Disney parade twice and went to all the lands (Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Discoveryland, etc). All in all, it was a fine experience indeed seeing the characters come alive and witnessing the happy faces of everyone there :))
The most popular landmark in Barcelona: Sagrada Familia. God, the moment I stepped out of the metro, right in front of me I saw this tall, shadowy building that made my hair stand at an end. Behold! Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece. A highly carved Gothic cathedral that is due for completion in 2030 (note that the construction started about a century ago). It will certainly give you the chills even if you gaze at it in photographs.
Hola! I had the opportunity to visit the 3rd largest bullring in the world! The name of this bullring in Madrid is Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. Here I am standing by the statue of a very famous bullfighter. Went on the bullring tour and had a very good look of the bullring (which was under construction). Unfortunately, there was no bullfighting as it only occurs during March-August.
This is the Mezquita-Cathedral (mezquita is mosque in Spanish) of Cordoba. This place seriously suffers from an identity crisis. This is because it was first a cathedral, then turned into a mosque and then back again to a cathedral. So it has both the architecture and wall inscriptions of a mosque and a cathedral combined.
When in Granada, it is a must to visit the magnificent Alhambra! A little hike up the hill from my hotel, and boom, the red walls of Alhambra. You can see the Court of the Lions in the picture above which is famously known to have perked the curiosity of Western scientists as it spouts water only during prayer times! But, all that has changed as it now continuously spouts water after the scientists meddled with it.
Early post! Reading the Granada map while searching for places on the internet. A bit of a plan change as we decided to not visit Seville due to the weather. Will be staying in Granada for 2 days instead before going off to Cordoba.(have to try and master simple greetings in Spanish >.<)
Greetings from Europe! After spending a night at a lodging near the London Gatwick Airport, we are back here again for the connecting flight to Malaga, Spain. We were just in time to witness snowfall at the airport! And of course, my flight was delayed for quite a bit due to the snow.
Off to Europe! Flying off to Spain to spend my semester break there before leaving for France and Great Britain. WOW! I'm so excited that the feeling is overwhelming! It's going to be my first time in Europe! I hope everything goes well throughout the journey.
Oh man!!! I just finished my last Arabic Language paper. I am supposed to feel hyper but instead I feel like wanting more. Maybe it's just the great feeling of being able to actually understand and answer the paper properly or maybe it's just me finally picking up interest on the language itself. I don't know. (notice the neat handwriting there~)
It is really funny when I think back about the beginning of a friendship. Friendship is unpredictable. It is really weird how people can get close to each other in a matter of months in an absolutely new environment. I mean, I had to admit I was not even close to them during college.(left: Siti Khadijah, my awesome roommate. right: Syuhada, the funny sleepover mate.)
YES!! I have received my International Student Identification Card (ISIC). No doubt that I will be travelling and enjoying student discounts and prices. Hehe. (The General Chemistry paper was horribly difficult. Urghh)
It is the mini version of the Periodic Table of Elements! My mom gave it to me and turns out it can be pretty handy during frustrating I-misplaced-my-large-print-of-the-periodic-table moments. Thanks mom!
Unfortunately, in this photo, I am caught surfing the net. Let's take a break from studying and calmly watch The Big Bang Theory!
Well, uh, hello! As you can see from the photo above, my life is currently a mess. It is exam week anyway. Nevertheless, my brain is still alright. Not full to the brim yet. Been tackling both Chemistry and Arabic Language and at the same time thinking about my problematic postponed biology exam (which clashes with my flight. urghh).
Good morning!! Early update today because I feel like dedicating the rest of my day to studying Chemistry. Woke up and quickly snapped this view from outside my window; remnants of last night's snowfall. My body and fingers ache from playing snow and the snow fights I had with the Arabs yesterday.(Irbid is finally snowing again after a 5 year gap. Hurray!)
Good afternoon! Expected rain, frost and snow in Irbid today (according to the weather forecast)!! Ventured out in the cold again to grab some grub. There was actually a slight hail. Please let there be snow!! Oh exam was cancelled today due to bad weather.edit: It actually did snow just a few minutes after I posted this :)
Went through the heavy rain just to buy this. It is called Zinjer and contains large pieces of spicy chicken and fries. Yes, it is HUGE! I was not able to finish a Zinjer when I first arrived in Jordan but now I gobble one up in a matter of minutes and still feel like getting another one! It is rather surprising how Jordan does wonders to your stomach.
This snack costs only 10 qirsh (0.10 dinar) and is really delicious! Stuck at home because it was raining today. Suffered from a slow study pace and so I am feeling rather demotivated. Well, I'll just munch on a Poppin bar (munch munch munch).
It was a very wet day in Irbid today! It was raining throughout the day since morning. Wet, wet, very wet because there are no drains whatsoever in Irbid. Once you get out of the house during a rainy day, you will surely get your shoes and socks wet! (according to the weather forecast, there will be snow on Wednesday!!!)
Yes, it was my turn to cook dinner today! So there you have it, 3 different dishes! (Decided to post a food photo because I have not been out of the house the whole day.) And yes, it is now safe to say that AMALINA CAN ACTUALLY COOK!!
Received my Karate uniform today!! Will be wearing it during the next class. White. A really contrasting colour to black, the colour of my high school Silat uniform. It is really interesting to learn Karate because one gets to develop new stances and learn new movements. Plus, one also gets to learn some Japanese terms too! OSU!
These delicious, interesting-looking breads are a common sight in Jordan. The bread fillings ranges from cheese to potatoes! Took this photo when I was hanging around Irbid's Balad (city centre) a few hours ago. (This happens to be my favourite bread store. Really delicious breads and cheap too!)
Studying Biology in the middle of the night for the upcoming final exam! Hurray for the colourful highlighters and DNA replication!!
