Homesick from home.

I always believed that no matter how independent a person is, there is no doubt one will get lonely and require the company of their family and friends.

I do miss my family, despite the fact that I have just been in Birmingham for 2 weeks, not to mention the fact that I will be here for 2 years.

To be honest, 2 years are neither long nor short to begin with.

But it really depends on the perspective that we look at.

However, perhaps technology improvements made things much easier for us.

Now that I am able to FaceTime with my parents as and when we want (if you're willing to sacrifice some sleep for the time differences!).

Of course, social media plays a huge part in our lives, constantly updating the progress of our life to our family and friends.

So despite being homesick, I'm glad that I have a group of friends by my side whom I can informally announce them as my 2nd family in UK.

:)

Attending the school orientation really helped me in settling down with my stuffs.

Such as residential issues, school matters and of course, getting to meet people from different nationalities who are similar to me.

Being a newbie to the UK, I was absolutely lost.

What was Chinatown, Jewellery Quarter, Broad Street and New Street?

All I knew was I am in the City Centre of Birmingham.

Despite arriving into Birmingham for a week before orientation began, I was only familiar with areas such as Bullring and The Grand Central, which were the main shopping areas of Birmingham.

As soon as orientation began, I met a group of friends coming from Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and China.

We kick started conversations by introducing ourselves, and then after hanging out together during orientation breaks.

They are an amazing group to be with. While some of us were confused with the applications and procedures, the others would patiently guide us through step by step through it and even accompanying us to the places to report to.

Needless to say, as we stayed in the respective halls of Cambrian and The Maltings, we would go home together, ensuring one another are back home safe and sound by notifying on our WhatsApp group.

Friends are like your family while you are miles away from home.

So get out of your comfort zone and make some new friends!

Who knows, they might be your BFFs :)

Just like how Jade (my apartment mate), Jasmine (the first person I talked to during orientation) and I became some of the closest as well!

Staying in hall was really an eye opener for me.
Or rather, I was glad to be staying in hall as I could get to mix around with the other students.
I was rather blessed getting to know Lin, who have apparently stayed there for a semester.
She brought me around town and I felt really at ease, as if that I had a sibling taking care of me in a foreign state.

Apparently tried to look glamorous on the photos but the wind was just not giving me any chance!

Birmingham is really known to be a windy and rainy country, especially during winter.

It even broke my umbrella, well cause I got it at 1 pound.

But that's how strong it is!

Ever since I arrived in Birmingham, almost everyday it has been raining.

One of the reasons why I hate rainy days was because it makes my things wet.

And one of the days, my Primark paper bag decided to give way and it broke while I was heading home.

Thankful that I had a recyclable bag along with me, I've never felt that helpless before :'(

So now you've got the tip on how to survive rainy days: Umbrella/Raincoats, Recyclable bags and perhaps a pair of boots.

And when the sun comes out, guess who's the one rejoicing in the heart :D

So far, I have been really enjoying myself right in the heart of Birmingham.

My heart is still thousand of miles away from where I am physically, but nevertheless I am gonna put in my best effort to do my parents proud.

Do what you love, and do it with your best effort.

have a great night guys!

cynnie.

Unimaginable.

It feels so unrealistic.

Having been blogging since I began in Singapore, till the moment when I stayed in States for a couple of months.

Hopping my way to Birmingham in UK just a couple of days before, I am happy to say that my life has been fulfilling.

There was once I felt like I have lost my direction in life when I was schooling in Singapore.

Facing modules that were not in my favour, life was sour and bitter.

My family was always there supporting me, but I could just never get out of that unhappiness aura lingering around me.

But now, a brand new life is awaiting for me.

I'm so so thankful for my parents for giving me the opportunity to live my dream.

Right now, as I sit in front of my Mac and typing these words out, my heart is filled with gratitude.

How far I've fought for to achieve where I am now, together with support from my parents, siblings, relatives, cousins and fellow mates.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Before departure, my family always leave me some of the best memories.
A meal together.

Best memories ;)

What's life in Birmingham like?

Well, it begins with a long flight from Singapore to U.K. obviously.

Surviving my 7-8 hours flight to Dubai, and then after another 7-8 hours flight to Birmingham!

What I always look forward to on a flight, in-flight meals!

It just reminds me that I have reached another milestone of the flight.

Whew.

And finally reaching Dubai after a long, torturous 7/8 hours flight...

I've got to make good use of my 6 hours layover in Dubai Intl Airport.

Shake Shack at 2am was great!

First try of Shake Shack and I was really impressed by the cheese fries.

But sadly, not to my liking when the cheese dip turned cold :(

Grilled Chicken, great serving!

Pardon if this doesn't look appetizing, but it is Blackcurrant cake with custard.

Delish ;)

And finally landing in Birmingham!

Well, I shall continue with the adventures tomorrow.

Perhaps jet lag is still affecting me and I'm feeling really tired right now.

How I miss my family on CNY.

And i wonder, how much are they missing me too.

Perhaps under the same sky, our misses are interlinked.

I miss you all, my Simpsons family :)

Happy CNY all!

goodnight,

cynnie.

\

PopcornTravels: "Seoul-love" Family Trip continues!

Day 2: Lotte World!

This was one of the places that my Dad insisted that he must-go.

How cute can that be!

We began our morning with a breakfast buffet at JHill hotel.

A simple yet heartwarming fare with usual scrambled eggs, pancakes, porridge, fruits, cereal, sausages, hashbrowns and dumplings.

We then made our way to Jamsil Station which is where Lotte World is located.

And we couldn't resist the fresh, buttery smell coming out from the bakery!

Love the bread in Korea because there's just too many varieties to choose from!

Mimicking the mascots of Lotte World, as insisted by Dad.

Family Portrait <3

And so everyone loves Deli-Manjoo that can be found in Seoul

Mini custard bites that's so warm, with a chewy, cake-like texture.

And it's shaped like Lotty!

Only found in Lotte World if you wish to get these cutie bites!

Ohana.

One of the tallest building in Lotte World!

Love buying candies from such containers!

Scooping out the amount that you want, and it is always so colorful!

Definitely makes me smile everytime when I see candy stores :P

We definitely did not leave the candy store empty-handed.

Lotte World was crazily crowded that day.

My sister and I queued about 2 hours just to take a ride on the French Revolution!

But we are glad that our parents loved the 4D ride :)

We left Lotte World at about 5pm that day to head to Gangnam.

And here we are! The one and only Watami outlet in Seoul, Korea.

We have heard about the amazing reviews of their skewers and we couldn't give it a miss.

Loving the cosy interior look when it's so chilly outside and all you needed was warmth.

First up was stir-fried beansprouts with pork!

Served sizzling hot on the hotplate, this was one of our favorite picks!

And apparently the table beside us ordered it too, so I'm assuming it's good!

The well-known skewers of Watami.

The chicken pieces were fork-tender, making it easy to chew on and it was well-marinated.

You could taste the "after-grill" taste which makes these skewers even better!

Oh and did I mention?

AT the 1st level of the restaurant, you can get to see the chefs grilling the skewers on the spot!

There's even a bar counter sitting right in front of the chefs, almost like a sushi bar.

Just make sure you don't mind the grilled smoke smell getting on your clothes and hair!

Grilled Mackerel...and the portion was amazingly good and fresh!

Available in Watami Singapore as well, do give it a try!

Japanese cuisine mostly involves fishcakes, which makes oden one of the most commonly found dish in not just restaurants but even in convenience stores!

There were a few variations of fishcakes served in a hotpot to keep it hot!

And... the busy streets of Gangnam.

No doubt being a Central Business District area, Gangnam was similar to Orchard Road.

Except that this place is filled with pubs and bars, lots of eateries for you to choose from as well!

Take your pick!

Day 3: Gyeongbok-gung, Insadong, Samcheongdong & meeting up with Bora!

Dad say he loved the pillars, and here's his ootd!

Insadong, the streets filled with art and culture.

Over here, you get to see many handcrafted goods and really traditional Korean stuffs too!

Such as utensils, jewellery boxes, pouches, magnets, a great place to get all your souvenirs!

Mum's best loots of the day - 4 metal bowls.

Oops :p

Traditional Korean snacks!

And the poop-like snack store was located beside this store.

We wanted to get the snacks but forgot about it in the end :(

And this is the restaurant that I am meeting up with my Disney mate!

Also known as Doodaemonjib.

Really loving the traditional hanbok outlook of this restaurant.

And the interiors looked really grand.

So glad that we met up there early, because it got really crowded by about 1.00pm, so you might want to come here earlier!

Meet Bora the Explorer, she's one of the best friend I made from Disney!

So glad that we never lost our contact even after a year :)

This is a crab.

Yes, guys it's a crab.

Cooked by soaking it in a type of alcohol till it got cooked.

Dad tried it but it wasn't up to his liking, so who knows you might?

But this comes with a hefty price tag of KRW26,000(About 30SGD for one)!

Traditional bulgogi, comes with rice, lettuce, mint leaves and also vegetables marinated with gochujang.

Okay so they were listening attentively to my friend who was introducing the various dishes to them :D

One of the best seafood pancake I have had in Seoul!

The amount of ingredients in it was so generous and the pancake was made just right!

It does not taste too starchy or floury, so you cane taste the wholesome goodness of the seafood!

Live demonstration class by Bora!

Spicy broiled octopus, served with somen noodles.

Oh my goodness, this was my favorite dish.

I love the marinated octopus so much!

Mix it up with the somen noodles and you get both the chewy texture from the octopus and the silky smooth somen noodles.

I love spicy...but this got me hands down.

I started sniffing when I was close to finishing it.

It's really spicy!

And I am pretty sure Koreans can eat really spicy food.

Next stop: Gyeongbok-gung

The beautiful and historicial architectures, enhanced the beauty of a busy, bustling city.

Let the photos do it's talking.

With a group of school girls in traditional hanboks!

All of them looking really cute and pretty in these traditional costumes.

I really wish I could be in one too!

After leaving Gyeongbok-gung, we walked towards Samcheong-dong to get some sweet fix!

I love how this cafe has wooden interior decos which makes it much more like a home, rather than an upbeat cafe style.

I guess my parents really loved this place!

Thanks to Bora for bringing us here :)

Mum teaching Bora how to play Hay Day!

Fruit waffles set, comes with maple syrup and whipped cream topping!

Matcha bingsoo and plain waffle!

The Bingsoo was of a coarser ice shaving, different from the milk shavings found in Singapore.

So, not everyone would fancy this particular one!

Happiness :)

Street Churros, definitely one of the best!

Perfectly topped with cinnamon and sugar for a chilly night.

A florist that is fully decorated with fairy lights, totally feels like I'm in Europe!

And that's all for part 2 today!

Thanks for reading guys, and Happy New Year Ever ahead!

Here's wishing all of you Happy 2016!

With loads of love,

cynnie.