Now, my friend is too exhausted. He works non-stop even during his vacation.

And he doesn’t even have a Blackberry. Imagine if you have a Blackberry with you and maybe a laptop with you all the time. Imagine the constant BEEPING.

My advice to you is, if you are going for a vacation then leave all your work behind. Go and take a break. Learn to say NO. If possible, cut off all ties with your work-related things. People might say you are selfish, but believe me, sometimes it does pay to be selfish. Learn to protect yourselves.

And to you who always call up people during their vacation, stop that habit. Do you wish others to call you during your vacation too? Give people their deserved break.

Respect their time.

p/s…. I’ll be away for vacation from Thursday to the following Wednesday. No worries, nobody from the office will disturb me. I’m not that important. Hahah.

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We were on our way to Moon Milk Cave when we came across a fallen tree. The tree actually broke the wooden platform which we were supposed to use to go up into the cave entrance. I was behind my friend and she slipped…and fell.

It was 5 storeys high. I was quite scared that she might fall down but I put on a non-panic face and calmly asked her to stop moving around. Our guide rushed to the back…can see the fear on his face.

Fortunately my friend did as she was told…did not move much. She moved slowly backwards and managed to get to safety.

Our guide, after that, told us that if she fell down…it’s going to be very very bad since there wasn’t any trees to stop the fall…it’ll be rescue level 3…which i think is the highest.

Luckily nothing bad happens.

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I drew this comic for my friend WC. Hahaha, just a joke since i poured quite a lot of salt (accidentally) into her left shoe when she shouted “LEECH!”.

The comic might look a bit blurry or out of place. I’ve put the resolution as 800 x 600 in order to make it OK to be used as wallpaper. Please refer to the link below if you want to check out the original picture.

The picture in Facebook

The plane we took. MAS Wings.

The place we slept

This is known as the pagoda flowers.

Scary looking ants

The path to Deer and Lang caves

The Lang cave

Inside Lang cave

Looks like Abraham Lincoln

I’ll stop my photo session this time. You can actually check it in my Facebook (search for Alvin Lim…the one with the London Big Ben photo).

I arrived in MULU National Park around noon. It was very…isolated….I don’t think the place is easily accessible from other places except by plane. As soon as I stepped into the resort area…i saw a lot of insects flying around. I was excited and worried. Hahaha because…it has been a while since I last went to a place so natural such as this.

Anyway, the first day was not so tiring. Our guide took us for a walk to the caves. I think Deer Cave and Lang Cave…can’t really remember the names of the caves. Hahaha. It was a very beautiful place….a wonderful sight to behold. We walked pretty slowly due to the slippery floor…and we nearly missed the “bats show”. My friend and I were running out of the cave…..albeit the fact that her shoes were very very slippery.

And we ended up satisfied and happy…because we witnessed one of nature’s most incredible sight….the bats “procession”….where millions (or billions…didn’t really count) of bats grouped together and formed a very very long line. There were few groups of bats and each of them has a leader. The thousands of bats will follow their respective leader to go out and hunt. They will circle around the entrance of the caves before starting their journey. Very very nice.

AH well, we didn’t do much that day The tough part will begin in the 2nd day…the 8km trek through the jungle. I’ll talk about that later.

For now…i need to start my PS3′s Metal Gear Solid 4 game!

p/s…i’ll post up some pictures later on.

Picture courtesy of http://www.freefoto.com 

Anyway, one of my favorite places is the Fountain of Trevi. If you watch Hong Kong TV series, you will find it looks very familiar. Hahaha. Actually, a lot of other films used this place for some of their scenes.

The fountain is said to be a “wishing well” too. You’re supposed to turn around, with your back facing the fountain (i have no idea why we need to have our back facing the fountain), make a wish with the coin in your hand and then throw the coin to the back, into the water.

OK, i did exactly as I’m supposed to do EXCEPT………i threw the coin up….and not back…..and the coin hit someone’s head.

=_=

Ok, I’m joking. Happy April’s fool.

I will write something on my Rome trip soon. Oh and I’ve made 2 wishes……… P & C. hahaha.

We (me and 2 senior colleagues who are also my housemates) departed from London to Bristol on Thursday night. In case you’re wondering, yea, i didn’t celebrate my birthday. Nothing much to celebrate actually. Anyway, we went to Bristol to find another of our colleague who has a car. We stayed one night there and departed for North Wales the next morning.

Wales is famous for 2 things – the beach and the mountain. In Snowdonia (Northern Wales), you get both. You get the nice mountains facing the sea. It’s a bit cold though and it can get very windy at times. I witnessed my first snow (ah well, it was actually sleet…frost + rain…but never mind, just call it snow) in Snowdonia. We took the train to go up the Snowdonia mountain (tallest in UK) but did not manage to go to the top and did not manage to step out from the train. It was too windy. A train full of people…shaking so badly due to the strong wind even before reaching the top. It was that bad. I managed to see some snow though…on the grass. So if you are to Snowdon, I think it’s a better option to gear yourselves up and hike all the way to the top. The next time i go, i will try to go there during Summer and will climb it ! It’s not that difficult….the trails are quite OK from the looks of it.

Oh, and you get to see a lot of cows and sheeps (and i mean A LOTTTTTTTTT of sheeps…everywhere! even on the mountains…wild sheeps). That’s why Northern Wales is famous for its steak and lamb shanks. I don’t eat beef, but I’ve definitely tried the lamb shank Very nice.

After the Snowdon mountain train trip, each of us bought 1 ice cream and started to eat outside……with the cold cold wind (around 30-40 mph …cold wind coming from the mountain) blowing at us. Hahaha. What an experience. Yea, we ended up shivering in the car after that.  Oh, and it was my idea…the sick fella’s idea.

We then went to Conwy castle. Hmm…….to be honest….it looks very nice from the outside……but …..really nothing much on the inside =_= It looks like a bigger version of our very own A Farmosa (much bigger version).

After the castle trip, we started our journey down south to Pembrokeshire, South Western Wales – famous for its beaches and seafood. We went to a hostel called Old School Hostel in Trefin. I must say, it’s one of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in. The owner Chris and his wife Sue are very friendly and the entire hostel has this cosy feeling. The hostel is still quite new. Try search for this hostel if you are planning to go there.

Mmm…so what did we do here? We went to Porthgain where the famous pub Sloop Inn is located. We went to the pub for breakfast and then continued to the beach. The wind was very very very strong and frosty. The sea water was very cold and we saw some of them turned into sleet in mid air. I think the wind was more than 50 mph at that time. I couldn’t stand well =_=

Next destination was St David? We tried the famous sugar-free ice-cream. Guess what, as soon as we bought the ice cream….the temperature somehow dropped. We started shivering even before eating the ice-cream. So you can already imagine what happened after that. OK, I DID NOT SUGGEST THIS. ahaha.

Mmm….i think the best place for me is Tenby. It’s a tourist area. The beach is very very nice and there are a lot of nice restaurants….and a lot of people. It’s still early Spring. Most of the activities will start in April. Maybe that’s why nearly all the parking fees have been waived before April. Anyway, we took a stroll on the beach and continued to a nearby pub. We ordered queen scallops, seafood scones, sea bass, lamb shank (cannot miss this wherever i go), onion rings…. quite a lot eh? It’s only 43 pound for 4 of us. Sea bass is not cheap you know. And the food was VERY nice, the best for the entire trip.

Mmmm, after that, nothing much. Hahaha. We drove back to Bristol. End of my Wales trip.

I haven’t been drawing lately. Will try to draw some stuff this week. I’ll be away again from Saturday to Monday. This time, to Rome with my housemates

p/s…. if you are looking for a place to relax….Wales is a good place to go especially Northern Wales. You can even stay in one of the farmhouses.

Today is quite a funny day. This is the first time in my life that I actually messaged people in MSN and YM to inform them it’s my birthday and they should wish me. Hahahha. I know some of you might think it’s pathetic or weird…..but well, i feel it’s funny and it brighten up my day a little after doing it.

Picture courtesy of http://sheshavingababy.wordpress.com

This year, a lot of people forgot my birthday….including some of my closest friends. The girl in the story, used to be the first to call me every year. Not this year. Not even a SMS. Things do change….people too. There’s nothing to blame. Just part of life. After all, Malaysia is 8 hours earlier than UK

I tried to ask a girl out today (someone i really want to know but is based in UK…a Malaysian) but she’s busy. I was quite disappointed because it was the first time I actually ask someone i hardly know out for dinner. It’s ok…at least i’ve tried. In the end, it’s not so bad. I lost my voice and couldn’t talk…so i stayed home and watch Manchester United beat Bolton by 2 goals. Not bad at all. Things can be positive if you want them to be.

Alright, i think i better go and get some sleep. I’ll be away AGAIN for this Easter break. I’m going to Wales this time. I just received confirmation from my manager here that we need to go back to Malaysia in mid April……wayyyy ahead of schedule. I’m bit sad to leave UK actually. Starting to get used to the life here…..and there’s someone that I really wanted to know. But well, fate…again. I donno when will i come back to UK in the future.

As for now…..i have 1 month left in UK before i get to go back to Malaysia and be with my family…..and get a PS3 for myself.

Enjoy your Easter break!

Once done, we headed off for Old Trafford stadium!

The Old Trafford tram station was quite deserted since it was early in the morning……and there was no football match. There’s one Old Trafford stadium right after the tram station – that’s the cricket stadium. Hahaha.

For Manchester United Football Stadium, you need to walk straight on……just go straightttttttttttttttt and you’ll reach the stadium. Pretty straightforward. I had to ask a passerby for direction….but didn’t notice there was a big sign right in front of me. Hahaha.

Anyway, the stadium tour was very nice. We went to the museum, or Theatre of Dream, showcasing the trophies, the jerseys and the history of the club. I saw a lot of newspaper cuttings about the Munich incident. It was a very sad incident. So many talented footballers died. There was this eternal flame burning in the Munich Tunnel (South Stand) to commemorate (not sure if it’s the right word) the innocent lives lost in this tragic incident.

The stadium tour guide explained to us the different history of the stadium and how it was extended and why it cannot be extended anymore. Quite a lot of stuff. Definitely worth a visit. Oh, we also went to the players’ changing room, pretty near to the tunnel where the players run out to meet the fans. The guide turned on the sound effect and told us to march towards the field (we cannot touch the field though). It was like a matchday…very very nice atmosphere. I really hope i can get to watch a match there in the future.

After that, we went to Trafford Centre – the largest shopping complex I’ve ever seen in UK. Very very big and very nicely designed. But not something I really fancy. I’m not a shopping addict anyway.

That’s all for my 2nd day. hahahaha. Nothing much eh? But at least, I’ve fulfilled one of my childhood dreams – to visit Old Trafford football stadium. It was worth it.

And now, I need to get some rest before my flu gets worse. Having a lot of phlegms. Gosh. I will try to start drawing again tomorrow and perhaps writing my story.

3 of us (me, Kai Rou and Liza) went together in Kai Rou’s car. Since she is quite blur…and Liza cannot drive, I have to drive to Manchester and back. Quite tiring. I just pray hard I won’t get any speeding ticket because I thought the limit is 80 mph (all the cars are driving 80 or faster)…but it’s actually 70. 100 pound per speed ticket man! No joke. Just keeping my fingers crossed. So be careful if you’re driving because they won’t tell you the standard speed limit in UK.

Oh, and her car is a manual car…I didn’t drive manual car for > 1 1/2 year! Was having intensive training the night before….the engine kept on dying on me….because I thought the 1st gear is like our 3rd gear. Complicated car design. Imagine the first and reverse gears are actually at the same place. The difference is that the reverse gear needs to press the gearbox down. =_=

Anyway, Manchester is quite different from London. In fact, it’s very very different. The City Centre…sad to say…looks very very disorganized and dirty. And you can see a lot of weirdly-dressed people….or the so-called “punks” or “lepak” youngsters in the city centre. So many to the extend that my Singaporean friend Liza started to feel insecure. =_= Oh, and the tram is very lousy!! So old! But it does serve its purpose. Without the tram, I don’t think we can go around the city centre that easily.

We went to Chinatown as well….and it was very very quiet….not like the Chinatown in London. Complete opposite to be honest.

So if you are going into City Centre, please make sure you keep your belongings well and don’t walk alone. The security is not as good as London.

The weather was very very cold and windy. It was so cold that I started to shiver (i was wearing one short sleeve shirt and one wind breaker). I have to stand in front of little Liza to block the wind. No point standing in front of Kai Rou because she’s about my height…..or maybe taller =_=.

The first day was quite boring because we lost our way on the expressway and our car ran out of engine oil. We have to refill and stuff…took us some time there. We reached Manchester at around 2pm (we departed from London at 7+ am). We went to Urbis exhibition centre since there was an exhibition on Japanese manga and anime. I was quite disappointed with it though. Hahahha. So I just walked around for around 10-20 min and came out. My 2 other friends, on the other hand, enjoyed more than I did. =_= They took so many pictures there. =_=

Oops, it’s 12am already. I’ll post the 2nd part of the Manchester trip tomorrow. The complete photos are only available upon request since the album contains my friends’ photos as well.

Here are some photos that I can show you all http://www.flickr.com/photos/97762468@N00/

Do let me know if you cannot access the photos.

p/s…. i still haven’t recover from my flu. Manchester was much much colder than London. Been sick since i came back from Manchester trip.