Finally...I've got a place to stay. All thanks to my superiors and their help.
WOOHOO!!!
Though it's not permanent, but at least I could stay there until I find a place that I really wanna live in the long term: budget, location and condition-wise.
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Shitholes
This kinda summarizes most of the houses I’ve seen yesterday. I said MOST and not ALL because at least, at the end of the day I’ve seen a total of TWO decent places out of the countless dumpsters that I’ve been to.
Seriously, I’m really disappointed with what I’ve seen coz I never thought the state of the houses would be LIKE THAT. OK, I’ve seen my fair share of dumps as well, and in fact, some of them are worse than a few of them put together, but still, I expected so much more…
I am disappointed, demotivated and hungry right now.
Why demotivated? Well, let’s see. Imagine this, you see one dump after another, and they’re supposed to be in the choices where you have to call “Home” for the next 6 months (at least), for the WHOLE bloody day!!! I don’t know about anybody else but it’s definitely enough for me to assume that there aren’t many decent choices that I can pick from.
Luckily, at the end of the day I finally saw something close to what I had hope for. And they’re both near to where I’m going to work though they’re miles away from the city. For that, I’d sacrifice the distance (and horror!!!) in exchange for a comfortable house.
And it seems, the further away I walked from the city, the conditions of the houses improved tremendously. Or probably it’s just that I don’t know where to look, that’s all. But it’s undeniable that the nearer you are to the city centre, you see more ancient houses rather than new ones. The new developments are all located at the outskirts, and since I don’t have a car, I’d need to stay somewhere easily accessible with public transport.
I need to get this done ASAP. I am really really really desperate for a decent house right now.
Seriously, I’m really disappointed with what I’ve seen coz I never thought the state of the houses would be LIKE THAT. OK, I’ve seen my fair share of dumps as well, and in fact, some of them are worse than a few of them put together, but still, I expected so much more…
I am disappointed, demotivated and hungry right now.
Why demotivated? Well, let’s see. Imagine this, you see one dump after another, and they’re supposed to be in the choices where you have to call “Home” for the next 6 months (at least), for the WHOLE bloody day!!! I don’t know about anybody else but it’s definitely enough for me to assume that there aren’t many decent choices that I can pick from.
Luckily, at the end of the day I finally saw something close to what I had hope for. And they’re both near to where I’m going to work though they’re miles away from the city. For that, I’d sacrifice the distance (and horror!!!) in exchange for a comfortable house.
And it seems, the further away I walked from the city, the conditions of the houses improved tremendously. Or probably it’s just that I don’t know where to look, that’s all. But it’s undeniable that the nearer you are to the city centre, you see more ancient houses rather than new ones. The new developments are all located at the outskirts, and since I don’t have a car, I’d need to stay somewhere easily accessible with public transport.
I need to get this done ASAP. I am really really really desperate for a decent house right now.
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Busy, busy, busy
I have so many things to blog about but I just simply couldn't find time to do it! And I'm absolutely exhausted today so I'm not going to go into this topic now. I need to talk about something positive, POSITIVE!
OK, I'm in Cardiff right now and since I know nobody here, I'd have to stay in those budget-hotel-turned-hostel kind of accommodation. I tried looking for a backpackers place to stay, but it's really difficult since I'm travelling alone.
Right...I'm down in Cardiff for 2 nights and tonight's my first. Very tiring journey here (and this is still by train) but the people here at NosDa were really nice and friendly. I didn't get a change to linger around after checking in, and it was only about 1 hour ago when I really had a good look at this place.
The room is not too big, but big enough for me alone. (But it's DEFINITELY bigger than my current room) And the condition is not too bad, considering that it's a hostel. En-suite bathrooms and toilet and it's clean (I'm very particular about this part). Now, after a long day, I just want to sit down and have a decent meal and a cuppa to wind down. And it's really nice to sit and have dinner at the patio right next to the river, enjoying the view and the calm silence right next to the city.
There's everything here that you would find in a hotel or a hall of residence, and the best part is, it doesn't have curfew even if it's a hostel. The price of a hostel for the facilities you get at a hotel. The only thing they don't provide: Soap and toiletries...except toilet paper. Oops...
Oh, and there's the communal areas as well. It's really cool...they have a pool table, computers for internet access or free WiFi, a TV room and a lounge for residents to have free coffee and chill in. But it's the weekday and there's not many people around. Just as well then...at least the place won't be too noisy.
Would put up pictures if I take them. Too lazy to budge from my seat now to go get my camera and take pictures. Probably tomorrow night then.
OK, I'm in Cardiff right now and since I know nobody here, I'd have to stay in those budget-hotel-turned-hostel kind of accommodation. I tried looking for a backpackers place to stay, but it's really difficult since I'm travelling alone.
Right...I'm down in Cardiff for 2 nights and tonight's my first. Very tiring journey here (and this is still by train) but the people here at NosDa were really nice and friendly. I didn't get a change to linger around after checking in, and it was only about 1 hour ago when I really had a good look at this place.
The room is not too big, but big enough for me alone. (But it's DEFINITELY bigger than my current room) And the condition is not too bad, considering that it's a hostel. En-suite bathrooms and toilet and it's clean (I'm very particular about this part). Now, after a long day, I just want to sit down and have a decent meal and a cuppa to wind down. And it's really nice to sit and have dinner at the patio right next to the river, enjoying the view and the calm silence right next to the city.
There's everything here that you would find in a hotel or a hall of residence, and the best part is, it doesn't have curfew even if it's a hostel. The price of a hostel for the facilities you get at a hotel. The only thing they don't provide: Soap and toiletries...except toilet paper. Oops...
Oh, and there's the communal areas as well. It's really cool...they have a pool table, computers for internet access or free WiFi, a TV room and a lounge for residents to have free coffee and chill in. But it's the weekday and there's not many people around. Just as well then...at least the place won't be too noisy.
Would put up pictures if I take them. Too lazy to budge from my seat now to go get my camera and take pictures. Probably tomorrow night then.
Sunday, 28 October 2007
BST
We moved our clocks back by 1 hour today, back to the Greenwich Mean Time, and thus, so ends the British Summer time.
Meaning, we have 25 hours today, another whole extra 60 minutes.
It also means another hour of sleep for me.
A day where the sun rises and sets about 1 hour earlier.
And the time difference between UK and Malaysia changes to 8 hours.
OK, I know this is a yearly thing which has been going on for ages but it's just the second time for me. By now, I can fully establish that I am a person controlled by sunlight. (No, it doesn't mean that I photosynthesize or anything like that... Or do I??!!? HAHA...)
Anyway, I used to think that it's just an issue of me messing up my sleeping patterns. But after a year of observation, I can conclude my hypothesis: My waking hours are strictly affected by the rising and setting of the sun.
Which explains why when I was back home, I could hardly get up too late (relatively) in the morning most of the time. Even when I got back just before dawn after a night of clubbing or making up for the lack of sleep right after exams. Nope...I get up when the sun shines at a certain intensity. It's just like my body's acting as if it's a photometer which measures the illuminance of light when it shines through the window into my room. (Which is why I like rooms brightly lid by natural light throughout the day.) I get up at a certain time every day, at least early enough to let me enjoy mornings every day.
Ever since I came over to the UK, I can't help but to notice that I always wake up only after a period of time after the sun rises. Which means, I get up later with each progressive each day from autumn till winter. (But it's exact opposite when it comes to spring and summer.) And after 6 months of longer days than nights, I can't get used to the increasing darkness now. Which is messing up my sleeping patterns immensely, not to mention, my daily life as well.
I would wake up too late to have breakfast. Instead, I have brunch. And I can predict this now. Very soon, my first official meal of the day might be lunch (not breakfast or brunch) in a few weeks time.
******************
Anyway...I'm supposed to be studying right now. If not, I should also be revising on what I did for my degree, and especially what I have done during my FYP. Only at times like this, I wished that I had not given away my notes and books. (But even if I didn't, I would not be able to bring it over anyway, cos it's just too much. I'd rather bring more essential stuff. Stuff that I can't easily get here. I'm not going to pay for those overweight baggage consisting of books, and lug them half way around the world.)
OK, back to books...need to get some reading done at least by tonight.
I swear I think my brain is working slower than it used to. If only I could just increase my memory space in my brain as easily as one can in a normal computer.
Meaning, we have 25 hours today, another whole extra 60 minutes.
It also means another hour of sleep for me.
A day where the sun rises and sets about 1 hour earlier.
And the time difference between UK and Malaysia changes to 8 hours.
OK, I know this is a yearly thing which has been going on for ages but it's just the second time for me. By now, I can fully establish that I am a person controlled by sunlight. (No, it doesn't mean that I photosynthesize or anything like that... Or do I??!!? HAHA...)
Anyway, I used to think that it's just an issue of me messing up my sleeping patterns. But after a year of observation, I can conclude my hypothesis: My waking hours are strictly affected by the rising and setting of the sun.
Which explains why when I was back home, I could hardly get up too late (relatively) in the morning most of the time. Even when I got back just before dawn after a night of clubbing or making up for the lack of sleep right after exams. Nope...I get up when the sun shines at a certain intensity. It's just like my body's acting as if it's a photometer which measures the illuminance of light when it shines through the window into my room. (Which is why I like rooms brightly lid by natural light throughout the day.) I get up at a certain time every day, at least early enough to let me enjoy mornings every day.
Ever since I came over to the UK, I can't help but to notice that I always wake up only after a period of time after the sun rises. Which means, I get up later with each progressive each day from autumn till winter. (But it's exact opposite when it comes to spring and summer.) And after 6 months of longer days than nights, I can't get used to the increasing darkness now. Which is messing up my sleeping patterns immensely, not to mention, my daily life as well.
I would wake up too late to have breakfast. Instead, I have brunch. And I can predict this now. Very soon, my first official meal of the day might be lunch (not breakfast or brunch) in a few weeks time.
******************
Anyway...I'm supposed to be studying right now. If not, I should also be revising on what I did for my degree, and especially what I have done during my FYP. Only at times like this, I wished that I had not given away my notes and books. (But even if I didn't, I would not be able to bring it over anyway, cos it's just too much. I'd rather bring more essential stuff. Stuff that I can't easily get here. I'm not going to pay for those overweight baggage consisting of books, and lug them half way around the world.)
OK, back to books...need to get some reading done at least by tonight.
I swear I think my brain is working slower than it used to. If only I could just increase my memory space in my brain as easily as one can in a normal computer.
Friday, 26 October 2007
Pumpkin soup
"Do you take pumpkin soup?"
"How is it like? Is it in chunks or is it the mashy type?"
This conversation totally shows that I have never even seen pumpkin soup before, not even to say, whether I take it or not.
Anyway, I tried Uncle Victor's pumpkin soup (cos it's almost Halloween) and surprisingly, it turned out to be quite unlike what I had in mind, and more like cheese-flavoured creamy soup.
Read: I want some more ler...make it again soon ok, uncle?
************************
On another note, I can't believe my eyes when I got my pay slip yesterday. Bloody hell, I got taxed like what...a whole 22% off my pay!!! I'm not earning much already, and the government is taxing me 22%???!? (And that's still considered the basic rate...*&^%$#)
I can do a lot of things with that 22% pay, you know...
*heart pain*
So I marched right into the Jobshop today demanding to know what happened...when I found out that I'd have to CONVINCE the Tax Office by giving them loads of proof and explanation that I earn less than the tax allowance (I'm prepared to do that to get my 22% back...so what?). BUT...I would still have to sign for a particular declaration to confirm that and to say that I will not work again during this tax year (and that's until the 6th of April next year).
OK...so this means I can't claim my tax back right now, unless I don't plan to work or just plan to earn less than £5225 until then.
*sigh*
And to make things worse...I still went for retail therapy.
Hey, I'm just earning 22% less...it doesn't mean that I'm not getting anything at all. I just need a bit of motivation at this point. :)
"How is it like? Is it in chunks or is it the mashy type?"
This conversation totally shows that I have never even seen pumpkin soup before, not even to say, whether I take it or not.
Anyway, I tried Uncle Victor's pumpkin soup (cos it's almost Halloween) and surprisingly, it turned out to be quite unlike what I had in mind, and more like cheese-flavoured creamy soup.
Read: I want some more ler...make it again soon ok, uncle?
************************
On another note, I can't believe my eyes when I got my pay slip yesterday. Bloody hell, I got taxed like what...a whole 22% off my pay!!! I'm not earning much already, and the government is taxing me 22%???!? (And that's still considered the basic rate...*&^%$#)
I can do a lot of things with that 22% pay, you know...
*heart pain*
So I marched right into the Jobshop today demanding to know what happened...when I found out that I'd have to CONVINCE the Tax Office by giving them loads of proof and explanation that I earn less than the tax allowance (I'm prepared to do that to get my 22% back...so what?). BUT...I would still have to sign for a particular declaration to confirm that and to say that I will not work again during this tax year (and that's until the 6th of April next year).
OK...so this means I can't claim my tax back right now, unless I don't plan to work or just plan to earn less than £5225 until then.
*sigh*
And to make things worse...I still went for retail therapy.
Hey, I'm just earning 22% less...it doesn't mean that I'm not getting anything at all. I just need a bit of motivation at this point. :)
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