Lisbon, PORTUGAL

When I read that 90% of Portugal citizens are Roman Catholics, my first reaction was, "Wow! There must be alot of churches then, and Christmas must be very beautiful there. " I was not disappointed at all...

My exposure of Portugal was from the History textbooks from Standards 4 to 6 and Forms 1 to 5. I only knew that Portuguese took over Melaka in the 1500s I think. So, I expected to see the likes of A'Famosa or the red post office building.

Above is the landmark of Lisbon called the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries). It celebrates the Portuguese who took part in the Age of Discovery of the 15th and 16th centuries. When I looked at the human sculptures, I thought to myself, "One of these guys here must have been to Melaka and brought home a few packets of gula melaka to the king. Or maybe he brought home a few sags of Malaysian rambutans to honour the queen." I guess I was just being silly to the point of even thinking that they "tah pao" two packets of UKM Nasi Lemak and eat in the ship. Malaysia is still my "tanah air" no matter what, yah I still miss home alot wherever I go.


This chic here caught my attention. With an excruciatingly low temperature of 5 deg C, FHM paid them to dress in summer style and pose for photos. It's the FHM Traffic Girls who goes on to promote safe driving to the people..as if.

And as usual...

Above is Restauradores. The Obelisk and the sculpture commemorates the 1640 restoration of Portugal's Independence from Spain. The hostel that we stayed was located here, very strategically located.

This is Rossio, just a stone's throw from Restauradores, the centre of Lisbon.

Aerial view of Lisbon, taken from the St George Castle (Castelo de Sao Jorge)

The high wall in St George Castle. The size of the wall dwarfs the woman seated in the middle.


Not until I came here that I realised many of our Malay words were borrowed from Portugal. Here, it's Igreja, Malay is Gereja. Then, Limao and Limau. Borsa and Bursa. Coming here is a phase of discovery for me. These are just the few words that I discovered in my short stay here. Am sure there are many more words out there.

Above is Commerce Square (Praca do Comercio). This is one of the most majestic squares and was once the main maritime entrance to Lisbon. You can still see the old marble steps leading up to Commerce Square from the River Tagus. The arch is decorated with statues of historical personalities, like Vasco da Gama (Portuguese sailor).

A rare opportunity to witness a beautiful sunset over River Tagus. Pictures taken in Belem about 6km away from city center.

Above is the Jeronimos Monastery located in Belem. It replaced the church of Saint Mary of Belém where monks of the Christ Order gave assistance to sailors passing through.

Belem is also the birth place of the Portuguese tart that we have been eating in Malaysia. This is THE place; after all the hype about the tart and with places claiming to have the best egg tarts from Macau to Singapore to Malaysia. For a taste of the original recipe, we made our way to Pasteis de Belem, the original Portuguese shop founded in 1837. The pastry crust is absolutely different from the ones I ate in Malaysia. Imagine eating a crispy roti canai, that's exactly how the crust felt at first bite. The custard/egg part is soft and hot. The combination makes it go very well with a cup of coffee, which was how the people here ate the tart. We followed suit.

Our dinner in Rossio; rice with pork meat, tripe and beans and the other is the roast cod fish with potatos and salad. Didn't know Portuguese ate rice too, like Spanish.

And....the Christmas decorations are just fantastic and magnificent! Lisbon spent alot on the deco and generously pours out the yuletide atmosphere onto the streets with carols and performances in public areas. Recommended....2 thumbs up!

Madrid, SPAIN

So what would you do when you have 3 assignments at the back of your mind and a childish crave for travel to satisfy? Just bring your laptop and two t-shirts; nothing else. The rest, get it from Hard Rock Cafe. That was exactly what I did for this trip. I flew from Barcelona to Madrid and from Madrid to Lisbon. Doing my assignment in the airport while waiting for the flight departure was a very sensible thing to do. I managed to finish one of the 3 assignments. But I still need to proofread it again.

Madrid welcomed us coldly...

The local "mamak" stall where we had our breakfast. I think it's simply called as a Cafe.

When I first arrived into Madrid, my first reaction to KY was, "I hope I bump into Beckham in Sol. Or even Victoria also can la..." I guess Madrid has looked like a Beckham place to me now than Madrid's matador and bullfights.

Everywhere in Spain gyrates around Puerta del Sol, which is central Madrid. The picture above is Plaza

Mayor which is southwest of Sol. The centre of the square is occupied by a statue of Philip III who was responsible for the construction of the square. The Plaza Mayor was once the focal point of the old city, where bullfights, royal coronations and even the inquisition took place. Though the Plaza Mayor is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Madrid, it is still as popular as ever with the Madrileños (people from Madrid). A number of street café’s and restaurants cover the Plaza, from where you can buy over-priced Paella and people watch.

One of the common features in the city; storylined miniatures of the 3 wise men , running up to Christmas.

The Royal Palace in Madrid

One of the halls in the Royal Palace. Showcase of luxury and splendour

The dining hall in the palace. Some people just know how to enjoy the finest things in life. Am sure it'd looked superb if there's a formal hall held here.

While I just enjoy a meal of the local delicacy, the tripe tapas.

And as usual....

My trip to Barcelona, SPAIN

I travelled to Spain and Portugal recently. My itinerary was Barcelona-Madrid-Lisbon-Porto before returning to London. The London Stansted airport was absolutely packed due to the Christmas holidays rush and the security checks further exacerbated the situation. I flew on Ryan Air, the no-frills airline that is never on-time. I would not fly with them again if there is a better deal elsewhere. We were delayed for 1 hour to Girona (Barcelona).

I love Spain even though I could hardly understand a word of Spanish! This place is gorgeous. It has a spacious feeling and the sun, ooo I love the sun here, it gives me hope that there is still place in this world other than Malaysia with lots of sun. It wasn't warm though and I am glad I brought enough warm clothings. The building above is the La Sagrada Familia. It is the most famous incomplete Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed and built by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi started constructing it in 1880. It is still not finished till today after so many years. After Gaudi died in 1926 there were many talks about whether or not construction should continue or be left as it is. But then, it made more sense to finish the building rather than leaving it as a white elephant and a potential eye sore to the city. Within that period to now, several architects to the project have been changed.

Above is La Rambla, the most famous shopping street in Barcelona. Most hotels and shops are located or try to locate along this strip because it is the central part of the city.

And what the...

Above is another masterpiece by Antoni Gaudi called the Casa Batllo. The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (house of bones), and indeed it does have a skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona.

The landmark of Barcelona, Mirador de Colom or Columbus Monument

This is the "yau char kwai" of Spain called Churros. Instead of dipping it in teh tarik, it is dipped in thick chocolate. That's why it's called Chocolate con Churros which literally means "Chocolate with Churros"; simple. You bet after a cup of this, you'd be down with constipation for a week! Haha...The La Boqueria is the market or I'd call it a pasar, smacked in the middle of La Rambla, which makes it the most central pasar or you may say the most "expensive"/ "high class" pasar in Barcelona. We chilled out in this place and tasted some fruits. Prices here are so much cheaper than in the UK despite its location.

The must-eat, must-try seafood Paella which is a famous local dish. I still remember my first encounter of Paella was in Kota Kemuning's family day. After that day, I told myself never to eat Paella anymore unless someone puts a gun to my head. But this one definitely redeemed its respected image of what a Paella should be...

The beautiful night scene of Plaza de Catalunya, central Barcelona.

L to R: KY, Aeni, Me, Sue Anne and Fairuz

O, guess what a coincidence! I was travelling with KY in this trip but met up with Aeni, Fairuz and Sue Anne in Barcelona...it's such a rare occasion to have three different groups of travellers, who did not plan to come to Spain together, but ended up meeting with each other. We had the seafood Paella together. Sue Anne joined later. The probability of meeting a Malaysian in this trip is already rare; and I met three Malaysian Chevening scholars....amazing....

Interesting Close to 2006

The year (not the world) is coming to an end. 2006 is the most eventful year for me. Japan and UK filled up a big portion of these eventful days. If you have watched the series 24, you'd realise how Jack Bauer moved from one scene to the other within an hour; at times it is ridiculously unrealistic. Taking the same analogy from 24 except that the passage of time is much more realistic, 2006 was a travelling year for me, new places and new faces. Two developed countries, both have an entirely different culture, customs and language altogether. It was a year that took me on a steep learning curve. A learning phase to adapt, picking a new language, tasting new food, making new friends, discovering new technologies, looking at things in a new perspective and charting new boundaries. It was also a tremendous year for my family too because Baby Brendan was born and added to the Yap family. I have also discovered alot of things about myself and other people; and how much more I valued family relationships, parents, relatives and friends. It was a period of self-discovery to put it simply.

The before and after - changing of season from autumn to winter. Autumn shots were taken from the "FALL-in University" article

I had a chat with a Malaysian undergraduate here recently. He was asking me,

"How do you like Cambridge or England so far?"

"Oh, I like it. Things are in English, much easier for me than I was in Japan. It's international and it's a new place for me. Cambridge is a great experience. But there are also things which I don't like. Definitely you'll discover more of the distinctive characteristics as you stay on, and some of these things which I discovered-some I like it, some I don't...."

"Yup, that's right. Ermm, like what? What about Malaysia? Do you miss Malaysia?"

"The weather la! I just wonder how could anyone get any inspiration here if it's always so wet, gloomy and cold. Miss Malaysia? Yes, of course. You don't know how much I miss Malaysia. I have a newborn nephew whom I can only see from the photos but can't carry. It's so frustrating. I miss my friends, the weather, my pair of Toyota "legs", freedom to roam about at any time and the food, gosh thinking about cheecheongfun, prawn mee and nasi lemak makes my heart grows fonder."

"Haha!"

"Hmm..why did you ask? What about you?"

"Me? Hmm, I have been here for 3 years now. I'm like you, I like this place but I don't see myself permanently in the UK. My family and friends are back at home. I am going home next year to work."

"What?! Don't you wanna work here for a couple of years before going home? After all, you've spent so much for your education."

"I know. You're not the first who asked. You know, some things just can't be explained. At the end of the day, it's the little things, the intangible value of things that matters. I used to tell other Malaysians that UK if you like it, is what you and I know- United Kingdom . But if you don't, it's an Ulu Kelang to you. Maybe this is an Ulu Kelang to me now after being here and looking at how things are"

"O wait, was Ulu Kelang meant to be a good or a bad thing to you? Because Ulu Kelang seems to be a good place for me. That's where I discovered a good place for sup ekor, nasi lemak and it has the national zoo! Errm, sooo...isn't Ulu Kelang...ermm..good?.." I asked thoughtfully......**

**Scratch the surface and think beyond the conversation....**

Photos courtesy of Eskandar. Two pictures showing the extent of damage on his kitchen microwave

O yes, guess what other interesting things unfolded?! Two days ago, we had a real fire alarm. A kitchen located a few blocks away from mine was fuming. Not sure if it was burning but the exam season really got everyone worked up and behaving strangely somehow. You see weird things happening in Cambridge suddenly. I have a story about myself too. Recently I had been so bogged down with assignments, I was thinking and thinking hard about it that when I bathed, I shampooed my hair twice unknowingly until later on. Then, a microwave in Eskandar's block kitchen exploded. The above two pictures were taken by him and I was thinking it was only appropriate that I put it in this article. If I had shampooed my hair twice, the culprit who exploded the microwave must have put 2 eggs inside instead of potatoes, and turned on the microwave. The culprit has yet to be identified till now. Then few months back, Kartini was telling me that her college in London was evacuated due to a fire alarm. Apparently someone overboiled his/her chicken soup. Instead of firing up the body, it fired up the kitchen! Gosh, I hope we don't have a charred winter anytime soon.

The pot of curry potato chicken from yours truly. All ingredients were imported from Malaysia except the raw materials of course.

ESD Christmas Party in Peterhouse College, Cantab's first and oldest college; about 800 years old.

We had a Christmas Party for the Engineering for Sustainable Development programme students; both PhD and MPhil students. Everyone was supposed to contribute a dish of their choice, preferably a local dish of their countries. I did curry potato chicken. It was the first time I cooked that. I called home severals times and asked my ex-colleagues for some "power" recipes and made sure it worked! O yes, in the end it worked and I was really happy with the results. It was finished by the end of the night! Yeh!!

An interesting close for the year; and since it's a travelling year for me, I thought it was only appropriate that I close it with another travel plan. I bought myself a Lonely Planet book and an international adaptor for my Christmas holidays travel plan to Spain and Portugal. We have a two-week break and 3 assignments at the back of us. Don't know if I could still call it a holiday anymore, anyway, what the heck, I better unwind in Spain and Portugal to look at new things and get some inspirations. After all, all work and no play will make me a dull boy....and already the weather here is so dull.....

Baby Brendan's Full Month

I am late in reporting Baby Brendan's full month, which was on 30th November. But my brother was consistently sending me photos of him, almost on a weekly basis. I spoke to my parents, grandmother, brother and friends who have seen the baby. All of them told me the baby's antics were very cute. The distinctive baby smell was nonetheless what the people were after other than the baby fat and chubby cheeks.


I've seen in the photos how Baby Brendan has developed from a tiny scrawny creature into a chubby healthy looking Pooh bear. Haha... He's so cute now and I just couldn't wait to go back to Malaysia and carry, hug and play with him. At least I have an additional thing (person I mean) to look forward to now.

While writing this, I was thinking what I was going to talk to Brendan boy about when he grows up.

"Oh, kaka (means "uncle" in the Foochow dialect) was still studying when you were born"

"Oh, kaka never had a chance to carry you when you were born because I was in the UK"

"Did you know you were featured twice in my blog, when you were born!"

"Did you know your dad was sending me photos of you almost every week when you were a baby."

But that would take at least a few more years from now before little Brendan could make up words or start calling out "Papa", "Mummy", "Ah ma", and yah.."kaka". Haha...Gosh I'm so looking forward to that day. Even that, would he understand what is a "blog"? Haha....anyway, if I have forgotten about telling him all these things, you out there who are reading this please, remind me to tell that to Baby Brendan...

"Though Kaka was not around in Malaysia when you were born, he was showing your pictures to his friends in Cambridge and telling everyone how cute you were. At one point, three persons were standing in front of the laptop as Kaka scrolled the picture album of you. He was so proud of you. He told his friends that 20 years from now, Brendan will be studying here and then, he would be telling his friends...

"Did you know that my uncle has spoken to three of your dads before about me and they were standing right here in this same place looking at my baby photos....."