Brudge and Ghent, Belgium

On New Year break (or a day after I returned from London) I continue my holiday in Belgium. Brussel is not that far away from Paris, about 1++ hour by Thalys train. Since it was still holiday season, the train was fully packed. In fact some passengers had to stand all the way to Brussel...Remind me of KTM in 1980s...hehehe..I reached Brussel quite late that day. So, I did not do much except minggle around to find nice food. ..Oh ya, when I reached the train station I saw lots of Muslim so I just followed their direction with hope I could find halal food. ..What a nice thought..

The next day, I went for tour to Brudge and Ghent. Both towns were quite old, roughly around 1200-1600 years..hehehe..Actually, I'm still confuse how did they say the age of a town. I don't even know how old is Kuala Lumpur nor do Penang..hehehe...How ???

I always love old buildings in Europe..Somehow they still can preserve the old buildings..Yeah, of course they can since they were the one who invade others...They bombed other countries, they robbed our economy and later they brought all natural resources to built their country..:-0 Just go back to history to see how some countries can have so many old, luxury andbeautiful building. For thus who love arts, I think Belgium is a must visited country.


In Ghent-late afternoon














Typical shoppers streetin Ghent














Ghent-those wires were tram's power supply (I think)














In Ghent as well..















Something about Christmas market/ stalls-I don't remember anymore















In Brudge-swans ice skaingn on the frozen canal...














Blue sky but it was really cold...



















Frozen canal-why I could not take boat along the canal















This sculpture was built by Michaelangelo..I still don't know if I should appreciate it hehehe



















Along the frozen canal





























In front of town hall














Belgium is famous of Chocolate..should see how much I bought...Enjoy the chocolate my family !



















Typical building in Brudge

































Country sides in Belgium...

HUB-The same old shit...

I just don't it, what Malaysia really want to be ?? From halal hub, biotechnology hub, low cost airlines hub, and now education hub ??..Don't they ever going to learn problems of having to many outsiders in the country ?? In 1990s, they brought in so many Indonesian and Bangladeshi to work as maids, labours and so on..Then, the criminal rates increasing day by day..Few years ago, they introduced visitors visa upon arrival, end up so many so called 'visitors 'e.g. Indonesian, Chinese from China, Indian from India simply disappeared and never returned to their home countries. Until today, almost every week we can read in newspapers that these 'visitors' were caught due to their involvement in unhealthy activities. Then, we heard a lot of Malaysian women involved in drug trafficking around the globe which was later blamed on African and Middle east agents that enters Malaysia using either visitor visa or students visa..Also, remember how much loss happened in Malaysia due to 'black money' activities, blamed it to African..

Now education hub ?? Who will benefit from it ? I seriously against the idea of having too many outsiders in the country. Not only due to increasing criminal rates and social problem, but also one day we might loss our identity. How are we going to differentiate Malaysian Chinese and Mainland Chinese ?? How are we going to differentiate Malaysian India and India from India. Both Chinese and Indian fought really hard to get to this level but out of no where, the new comers may share their benefit...I'm not going to comment on what Malay might lose because my view could be too offensive...:-D

oh ya..ASIA untuk ASIA...

make full use of FB

I was impressed when I glanced through nzherald how Queenstown Police Dept caught a burglar by posting his images on Facebook..hehehe...so, criminal out there, you are safe until your local police and folks become internet savvy hahaha...Having said that, I would say it will take a life long for Malaysian police though...

Christmas break 2009, London-Swindon-Winsor Castle-Stonehedge-Roman Bath

I seriously almost loss patient maintaining my blog...sigh..Not that I'm losing my touch, but I simply too tired every time I'm home. Moreover, currently I'm writing lots of technical reports which require serious thought and lots of reading. My eyes too tired, in fact my brain also seems like deteriorating hahahahaha...

ok, just a bit info about my Christmas trip to London. As usual UK weather was a bit depressing. When Eurostar came out from Channel tunnel, it was still feels like in the tunnel..gloomy...dark..it was 12 noon ! Now, I understand why my friends hate UK weather that much hahahaha..I had lunch at Iza's place, she was kind enough to pick me up at St Pancras, cook and of course became my camera woman for the day..hehehe..although Paris always colder than London, but I think London a bit windy..or I did not go out that much in Paris ??? whatever

Very close to Iza's place




























On 2nd day, nothing much can be done since there was no public transport since Christmas eve...so funny for me. When I was in NZ, at least public transport still running on Sunday timetable..A/Shidi drove us around London..On the 3rd day, we went for boxing day shopping in Swindon..My kind of place, outlet stores...The longest boxing day shopping in my life...We were there until the mall closed..

In Greenwich Park














Next to Imperial college



















Somewhere in a tunnel below the river..nama tak ingat..














Ni balik shopping kat Swindon- dah malam..:-D














The next day, I took a tour to Windsor castle, Stonehedge and Bath...nothing much to tell, I saw what I really wanted to see. The weather was cold and windy..The tour also soooo long and tiring..more than 9 hours trip..hmmm...

Windsor Castle










































Stonehedge




























Roman Bath

Happy New Year wishes

This is the most interesting New Year wish I got this year..So, I wish you guys the same hehehe

"It is time to say good bye to the year 2008 and welcome new 2009. I hope you did well and there was nothing left behind to be sorry for"

Ahaks...insaf tak?? I never receive such new year wish like this before hahahaha...

Happy New Year!

Notre Dame

When I read or heard the word Notre Dame, I always imagine the plot in novel or cartoon The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The novel was written by Victor Hugo in 1800s with original title Notre Dame de Paris..I guess most of us know about Notre Dame from this cartoon instead of the real Notre Dame hehehe...probably on me...

Here are summary of the story, which I copied somewhere :-)

The story begins during the Renaissance in 1482, the day of the Festival of Fools in Paris. Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer, is introduced by his crowning as Pope of Fools.

Esméralda, a beautiful 16-year-old gypsy with a kind and generous heart, captures the hearts of many men but especially Quasimodo’s adopted father, Claude Frollo. Frollo is torn between his lust and the rules of the church. He orders Quasimodo to get her. Quasimodo is caught and whipped and ordered to be tied down in the heat. Esméralda seeing his thirst, offers him water. It saves her, for she captures the heart of the hunchback.

She is later accused of the murder of Phoebus, whom Frollo killed in jealousy, and is sentenced to death by hanging. Quasimodo saves her by bringing her to the cathedral under the law of sanctuary. Frollo rallies the truands (criminals of Paris) to charge the cathedral. The king, seeing the chaos, vetoes the law of sanctuary and commands his troops to take her out and kill her. When Quasimodo sees the truands, he assumes they are there to hurt Esméralda, so he drives them off. Frollo betrays Esméralda by handing her to the troops and watches while she is hanged. Quasimodo pushes him from Notre-Dame to his death. He then goes to Esméralda’s grave, lies next to her corpse and eventually dies of starvation. Two years later, excavationists find the skeletons of Esmeralda and Quasimodo locked in an embrace.

For me Victor Hugo did lots of study before he wrote that novel..Same like Dan Brown in Da Vinci code-exactly what you can found out yourself hehehe...ok, here are several pictures during my visit..More pictures in my facebook. To get into Notre Dame is free and the Q was very fast although long Q. To go to Notre Dame tower, I paid 7.50 euro and I queue for more than 1 hour in chilly weather hehehe...also, expect the worst, the staircase was really steep and narrow. Only 1 way...Not suitable for old fella or kids..

me-Notre Dame background

you can take boat tour to get to Notre Dame..me?? org kemut naik metro la :-))














Long Q to go inside notre dame



















inside notre dame..erk..I went there on Saturday so I can't post what was happening inside..In case might offended somebody..



















Quasimodo worked here-he was blind, deaf and ugly...hmmm...



















Stairs to go to bell the bell...oh yea, this was the place where he kept Esmeralda...very steep staircase..






































View from notre dame tower














Along the road to Notre Dame














View from Notre Dame tower