Raspberries and Laughing Gas

Twas a rainy Saturday morning, I was out to run some personal errands, banking, posting, and all that are mundane. As I passed Fred Hallam, and they were selling raspberries at only £1 / box! Last summer, I remember them going for about £2-£3 for the same amount! Needless to say, the cheapo in me got the better of me. Joining the crowds, I was snatching a box for myself.

The raspberries that were selling like hot cakes.
Red, luscious, sweet and juicy raspberries <3
Can you see drops of raspberry juice around the box?

Look how fresh and succulent they look!!!
I was happy for the rest of the day =)

Another happy story, was my first experience with the infamous,
LAUGHING GAS aka Nitrous Oxide
(BNF 56 Page 680)

The Gas and Aidan's hand.
One of the gases which can be administered by a trained first aider.
As a St John Ambulance member, we basically had a Play Day on Tuesday.
Commercially called Entonox, it is indicated for mild analgesia for anyone who is in acute pain. For example, a pregnant lady in labor, or someone who's just broken a bone.

Aidan, a medic student, having a go at Entonox.
But of course, we're not interested in pain relief, but what it can do to a normal person, like Aidan. After 30 second of huffing and puffing Entonox, Aidan got high. Light headed and really high, laughing and giggling all to himself. When prompted, he likened the feeling to having smoked plenty of weed.

Thankfully curiousity didn't kill me, miao...
I had a go at Entonox too. I didn't really understand what "weed high" was, so I was just puffing away waiting for something to happen. And then, it just hit me out of nowhere and I knew it when it happened!!! I felt light, and I could feel my pupil dilate, and this sudden euphoria, WOW! Good stuff and good times indeed! I want to do this again!

We also had a play in a real ambulance, pushing all the buttons, turning on the sirens, flashing the blue lights, opening all the compartments, rummaging through their stuff, and taking rides in their stretchers, and trolley beds.

We had more pictures in the ambulance, but unfortunately they're in the camera of this adorable Hungarian fellow whose name I can't pronounce.

Rare light moments a couple of weeks prior to exams. Sigh. Back to serious reality.
Wish me luck.

Prescription for self:

Pharmacy Lectures
2 lectures bd
Quantity:4 modules

The most spectacular hangover

My definition of a hangover:
Any unusual symptoms that follow a night of drinking.
Something that would have never occurred if I had not been drinking, and which effect wears off after some time.

If you accept my definition, then please acknowledge that I have had the most amazing hangover that I can ever ask for.

No vomiting / headache / lethargy.
(Although I did have a slight headache just before I slept, I suspect it was due to the poor ventilation at the venue, and not due to the alcohol.)

It was 15 hours worth of pure study mood with top quality concentration! Surprisingly, I was wide awake by 9am, and had the willpower of a most kiasu nerd to study all the way till 12am.

Strangely, I didn't drink that much.It was only about 2 shots of vodka, and 1 shot of chivas. I went home walking in a straight line, dead sober I was. Having only a lobster red complexion and a racing pulse, that was all to my drinking.

How awesome is that?! I don't need to question how it happened, for I only cared that it happened! It's now Monday, and that effect has worn off. Back to being the lazy humbug that I am now.

I need to get "it" back! Drinking again anybody?

Karaoke Song Bird

With my toxicology assignment, and the first of my dispensing assessments over and done, I was in the mood to blow off some steam. The Bird who had a tough week with multiple presentations trapped in a suit, decided that he needed a break as well!

We were such geniuses to come up with an impromptu Karaoke session!!! For a small room at Terracotta, it's £8/room/hour. A medium room goes for £10/room/hour. But the manager was so sweet to offer me a medium room at the cost of a small room. AWESOME!

Yes, its was just the 2 of us. Because the rest of them were MALAS.
I guess that just goes to show how enthusiastic we were.
2 hormonally imbalanced psychos.

The Bird hiding his "square" face but not his new haircut.

The Spanish Songbird and myself.
Tackled all the English songs we could find on their karaoke system.
We left behind a huge echo of our attempt at ZOMBIE, woohoohoooo!

2 mics, 2 hours, 1 night of insanity goes a long way,
to keep 2 university student's depression at bay.
More karaoke anybody?

Meeting Emma

Thanks to Friends International, I was assigned to meet with a local family.

Tom, Baby Katie, Emma, and myself

On Good Friday,Emma invited me over to their cozy home for lunch. It was a great pleasure, meeting them, they're all such cool people. Especially young Katie. She's so adorable, and she looks like a doll!.... I just can't take my eyes off her. I bet Kimi Raikkonen must be so jealous now, hahahaa...

My taste buds met houmous, and goats cheese for the very first time. Goats cheese was so very strange, but it tastes better with every bite, how very peculiar! Gonna get me hands on somemore and see where it goes. This is really English hospitality, with REAL english diet =P

Emma is very lively and approachable, she enthusiastically showed me her recipes books, because I was obsessed with making bread and butter pudding at the time. It so happened that she was also a pharmacist, and I was able to share my thoughts about the course. Her husband Tom works with computers, and is a pretty cool guy, he somehow reminds me of Lilian, my ex-roommate. Miss Lilian so much :(

I did not know what to bring for our first meeting, so I brought some good o' Seri Kaya. Thank goodness they loved it! I don't have anything else that is Malaysian to offer them, other than my Manglish, teeheehee...

It was a short and sweet afternoon that I will not forget. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to get to know the family better soon.

*******************************

My assessments start this week so it'll be very very busy. You can tell, I'm not very inspired to write. That's because I had to take pain killers to sleep last night, but my period pain is still bugging me badly now =( Hate the agony! *throw tantrum*

I'm going back to bed. Good night, world.

West Side Story

West Side Story

Live at the Royal Theatre, Nottingham.

I meant to post this up ages ago, but I've just been procrastinating so badly. However I'll do a short write up for it just for the sake of it because this was strangely the highlight of my Easter Holidays. Getting the ticket was a mean feat on its own, due to a couple of hiccups. Lesson Learnt: Avoid trying to plan events for a crowd, of which only a couple of people are interested in. I guess some people just tend to overlook the fact that I do take this very seriously.

Against of all odds, two true blue fans of musicals forced their way against the currents to land their butts in the prestigious Royal Theatre. I am very proud to say we made it!

The intricate interior of the Royal Theatre, luxuriously decorated yet understated.

No mere mortal will have the pleasure of ruining our dreams, and for our hearts very desire, we had to strive!

You see the thing is, people didn't realise what a huge fuss West Side Story was. So much for trying to save them from missing out on this hit musical, wishful thinking now terminated. The tickets were nearly sold out even before the musical arrived in Nottingham, leaving only randomly scattered single seats of the poorest quality available. Obviously the pricier ones, or should I say the ones with the best view were snapped out long ago. I have to give it to the Britons for being so passionate about their hobby. That is the exact reason why the tickets for the June'09 British Grand Prix in Silverstone were long sold out by April'09.

Rubbing it in the faces of those who tried to hold me back!

As if a miracle, I somehow managed to secure 2 side by side seats for the musical in the Dress Circle for less than £40! It was meant to be =D Don't ask me how I got them at that price and at that time, its a secret! The Dress Circle waiting lounge was posh! A grand piano stood majestically in the corner, serenading the patrons who were invited to indulge in some wine and fine dining that was available at the lounge. Grace and I, both felt crazily "elite", and it was a privilege to be there =)

Showing off pose. I watched WSS and you didn't!
Naa-nee-naa-nee-boo-boo
*Insert choice villaneous laugh here*

Dear Grace my "Date of the Day" looking as sweet as ever.

We were this close to the stage, and we can hear each tap from the dancers feet.

Unfortunately I cannot contribute any photography of the performance as any photography or video recording was prohibited. But goodness me, the reviews weren't kidding when they were raving about them.
The musical wasn't just good, it was BRILLIANT, SPLENDID, MARVELLOUS, SPECTACULAR, BREATHTAKING! The songs haunted my head, and the poor people who lived in the flats around my room, for days!!!

I was swept off my feet by Daniel Koek, the lead actor who played Tony.

If anyone sees his album anywhere, can you please let me know?
Here's a sampling of a self titled tenor.

Bread & Butter Pudding

I made Bread & Butter Pudding the other day, and it is edible!!!
OH YEAH BABY!!!

I googled some random recipe, and just used the most basic recipe I could find.
Bread, Eggs, Milk, Sugar, Raisins, Vanilla and taa-daa~~!

I know it ain't supposed to turn out like this. Haha, actually I don't. I have not tried the real Traditional English Bread and Butter Pudding before, so how would I know how it should look/taste like? And you know what, I have no measuring equipment at all. No weighing scales, and clueless about how much a pint of milk is. I don't even know what is the volume in my own baking tray. It was a guessing game all the way.

Really main hentam kao kao.

Considering the circumstances, I am more than happy with the way it turned out. I had some comments saying it wasn't sweet enough, and the texture could be better.

And so the kiasu me, made a New & Improved version a few days later. Still without any measuring equipment, and using a new container, I made a better version, somehow. Don't ask me how, don't ask me why. I'm just thankful =)

My last attempt, and someones last meal.
*Evil Laugh onset*

Next one coming up when I am in the mood again. If you're interested to be my guinea pig, please contact me. My previous guinea pigs died of diarrhoea.

No, I'm kidding really. Haha, they are very much fat and alive, or are they?
*Evil Laugh tails off here*

ha! ha! bar & grill

HA HA Bar & Grill
(the name links to its website)

Unit 3, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GB
Close to Yo! Sushi, La Tasca, Pitchers & Piano

I do my homework before visiting such posh restaurants. By looking up their menu, and prices, I make sure that I know what's good to order, and also how much cash to bring XD

Public Announcement:
I never carry a lot of cash on me so please don't rob me, thank you.

My first impression was: expensive and boring.
You know, the type that you go to just to impress people.

Stupidly, I arrived on time. Dang, I'm losing touch with my Malaysian side, especially our unique Malaysian timing. So I had to wait till 3/4 past for the other dozen to arrive. Kudos to Penny and friend for arriving on time, but that's because she's Thai and not Malaysian.

Since I'm early I decided to go occupy the reserved table first. That simple task alone took me 15 minutes, simply because the staff were too ignorant and busy. Obviously they were understaffed. I see waiters hustling, left and right, across a 30% occupancy restaurant. I was not impressed at all. To think that I expected decent service from an expensive restaurant like this!

To add to the less than satisfactory service, the food was horrible.
As you may have observed from the photo above, no one was in a hurry to dig in.

My Appetizer:
Salmon and King Prawn Salad
This was decent, although I wished that there were more generous with the dressing. I could produce more mucus with a blow of my nose than the miserable drips of dressing across my salad. Nothing special there though. I could've done this at home, really.

My Main Course:
Sausages and Mash.
For a main meal, I did expect to have a larger portion. I mean, this is so totally kid-sized! The sausages are OK, and the mash was surprisingly normal. So normal that I am almost angry at myself for forking out so much for it. To make things worse, they just had to have Spring Onions in the mash. I loathe Spring Onions! Although I must admit, that part was totally personal.

To be frank, everyone else wasn't too happy with their meals either, with many opting to fill up the quarter-tanked stomach at McDonald's. Money not well spent I say. The restaurant did send me a voucher for £10 off my next meal, on the conditions that I brought 1 other friend, and that the total bill has to be >£20. I have never reacted with such low levels of optimism to a "£10 off voucher". It scares me to think that I have to put another friend through such torture and having to fork out a minimum of £10 for it. Maybe another day, when I find someone I dislike enough.

The large gathering was intended to celebrate 2 lovely people.

To welcome young Jobie to UK!
She is such a darling, and I look forward to "polluting" her young mind with all things Western, good or bad, when she comes back in September!

And of course, last but not least, the man of the hour,
ING CHANG's 23rd Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday again, Buaya. I promise to try my hardest to not bully you.
Hahaha, you know we love you to bits =)

I shall end this uninspired entry, lecture style.
So the take home message is, visiting Ha Ha Bar & Grill is not recommended unless you have too much money on your hands.

No wait, if you have too much money on your hands, you're better off buying me dinner rather than to waste it here.

PMS

Yes I do remember that a restaurant review on Ha!Ha! Bar & Grill is up due. However, I'm PMS-ing real badly right now. It's not the best time to write a review.

It's gonna be a bad review anyway.

Can't believe that I've only got 1 week of holidays left, times does fly when you're having fun. The exam pressures are sinking in as well. As you may have assumed, I'm about to be consumed by stress again. I shall be releasing a large and last dose of entries in the next week, before surrendering my soul to my exams.

Happy Easter everyone.

Butter Basted Roast Turkey Joint

My heart stopped...

While I was carving through your golden skin...
Every stroke squeezed more juice out of you...
Your aroma, seduced my senses...
And your taste, is a firework of flavours...

My appetite is at your mercy, Butter Basted Roast Turkey Breast Joint !!!

Got this baby for Half Price at Sainsbury's for £2.49!
What a bargain! Especially when it can last for up to 3 huge meals =)

Eating is my mission this holiday. Gotta do what I have to do to whet the food monster that resides in my stomach. I had so much food today I must write it down...

Breakfast
Hot Chocolate
Scottish Porridge Oats

Morning Tea
Honey and Lemon
Chocolate Brownies

Lunch
Laksa Noodles
Sunny side ups x 2
Mushroom and herbs
Pink grapefruit squash

Afternoon Tea
Peach Yogurt
A bag of chips
An orange

Dinner
Roast turkey
Stir Fried Veggies
Rice

The little food monster in me is very happy and contented...Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

Coming up next,
Restaurant Review: Ha! Ha! Bar & Grill

I kissed Renny

I Kissed A Girl
by Katy Perry

This was never the way I planned, not my intention.
I got so brave, drink in hand, lost my discretion
It's not what I'm used to, just wanna try you on.
I'm curious for you, caught my attention.

I kissed a girl and I liked it,
the taste of her cherry chapstick.
I kissed a girl just to try it,
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it.
It felt so wrong,
it felt so right.
Don't mean I'm in love tonight.
I kissed a girl and I liked it (I liked it).

No, I don't even know your name, it doesn't matter.
You're my experimental game, just human nature.
It's not what good girls do, not how they should behave.
My head gets so confused, hard to obey.

Us girls we are so magical,
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable.
Hard to resist, so touchable.
Too good to deny it.
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent.