New chapter abroad.

Dear earthlings,

I thought I'd write this down, for future references or for those of you who are planning on coming over to Liverpool..

Rumah

In terms of rumah ni, kami agak xbernasib baik kerana dijodohkan dengan agent KENSINGTON HOMES..kenapa sy cakap mcm tu? sebab servis mereka sangat slow..slower than sipot sodut..It's more than 2 weeks and kami masih belom boleh masuk rumah lagi, apekah? sangat leceh..banyak sgt procedures nya..padahal sah2 la kami ni baru dtg..

among benda2 yang perlu disediakan kepada agent adalah: 

Borang yang kita isi sendiri along with 2 orang yang boleh jadi reference kita..kat sini akan ada masalah kalo xkenal sesiapa kat Liverpool nih..macam kami, nasebbaekla kami ade host yang cemerlang yang dah kenal2 kan kami with kawan-kawan baru, so boleh tolong mereka jadi referee kita..yang jadi lecehnya sebab, agent tu akan hantar borang lain pulak untuk referee isi and borang tu depa pos guna snail mail yang mmg sgt live up to the name..depa kata dah hantar bby pos hari isnin minggu lepas tapi sampai la ni xsampai2 lagi borang tu kat rumah referee kami,padahal dalam Liverpool jugak..bukan mintak referee dari mesia pon..pffft banyak2...satu lagi benda pasal agent ni adelah, jangan harap die akan call kite untuk update status permohonan kita tu, kita yang kena tepon die setiap  hari untuk follow up..letih laa...agent ni bukan free taw..kite bayar processing fee sebanyak GBP100.00 which is banyak hokeyh kalau duit mesia dah RM520.00...homaii...memang serabut perot dgn orang yang slow nih..

School

Alhamdulillah, dah jumpa both of my sv and pada first meeting mereka nampak helpful dan baik orangnya..setakat nih bilik belum boleh masuk lagi kat school sbb orang yang incharge hand out kunci bilik tu xde pulak..so tunggu my sv roger, then boleh la pegi school dan belajar comfortably..sv dah tunjuk lab and dah tunjuk hardware yang akan digunakan..excited plus berdebar..hehe...sementara ni telaah lah dulu contoh thesis yang diberi oleh sv..

Weather

Sekarang ni nak masuk autumn dah..the only predictable thing about the british weather is how unpredictable it is...kadang2 tengok forecast kata sunshine the whole day, dah semangat nak jemur baju..tup-tup tgk mendung sepanjang hari...

Usrah

Alhamdulillah, kat sini berpeluang join usrah yang banyak pengisiannya..selain dapat new info, boleh jugak meet new friends..awesome!

Transportation

Kami selalu naek cab je..tak mahal pon sebab kalo naek bus, lagi mahal ongkosnya..memang jimat kalo naek cab ramai2..kat sini, bole call Delta (01519247373)..kalao nak pergi school plak, sy buat bus pass je..and since plan naek bus untuk pegi school sahaja, amek yang stagecoach punya bus pass, much cheaper..GBP285.00 for the whole year and valid through summer juger..

OK, bye

Adventure Addict

Tips sebelum fly ke UK

Dear earthlings,

Only God knows how hectic things were from the moment that I collected my UK visa..there were travel itineraries to confirm with my sponsors, there was the office to clear out, there were friends to see, there were farewells to make, there were money to change, there was a house to clear in BU and not to mention bags to pack for a move of 3 years..but Alhamdulilah, we managed to squeeze everything in those short 3 days..here are some of the experience I'd like to share for those who will be embarking on the same journey..

i) Flight Tix and Baggage allowance

Make sure the details of the flights are in order. We were given KLM flight which means we'll be flying from KLIA- Schipol (amsterdam) - Manchester...For an economy fare KLM flight, the baggage allowance is 23kg for a checked in baggage, and another 12kg for the cabin luggage..I was a tad mortified though about the 23kg, I mean, I've travelled with heavier checked baggage before and for three years I'm only allowed 23kg?it is a HUGE challenge..However, if your agent booked yuor tix using the student fare, then you'll get 46kg of checked baggage allowance! bestnya! Obviously, barang2 suami dan saya tak mungkin muat dalam limit 46kg sahaja, so hubs called KLM to ask about the charges for extra baggage..

Macam ni cerita die, KLM akan charge per piece not by the kgs..katakan lah, your luggage is 26 kg, the remaining 3 kg yang terlebih tu akan dikira as another baggage, which means you have to pay 100USD for that extra 3 kg..katakan lah you memang bawak 2 luggage, each weighting 23 kg, you still end up paying for the same amount iaitu 100USD..the wise move adalah, since memang nak bawak barang banyak (periuk nasik, magic pan, serunding, ikan bilis, kicap cap kipas udang botol besar, printed journal papers,keropok kering, Brahims), kami decide to add one extra bag...sumbat lah bermacam2 asalkan tak lebih dari 23kg..

ii) Maintain nombor tepon kat mesia..

hubs and i both wanted to maintain our malaysian phone numbers for various reason, the practical one being if you ever need a TAC number for your online transaction, then you still can if you maintain the same number, and the sentimental reason being, we LOVE our numbers..So, how do you go about doing this?

If you are a postpaid customer of telco M, then all you have to do is go down to M's centre, tell them you want to change your postpaid plan to a prepaid plan, they'll issue a new simcard and within one or two hours, you can already use your prepaid simcard..they also have a plan where the balance is valid for 365days..so you dont actually have to topup every month in order for your number to be valid...

if you are a postpaid customer of telco C, then there is no way for them to do it like telco M..they actually advised me to change to telco M or telco D's prepaid, and only then after one month or so using telco M or telco D's prepaid, bole tukar ke prepaid telco C, motip?? So what I did was, pegi ke telco M, bitaw I nak guna prepaid telco M tapi nak menten nombor dari telco C, depa kata boleh dengan syarat, clearkan balance yang ade dengan telco C..they will then issue a new prepaid simcard then and there and can be used withinn 24-48 hours..senang kan?

iii) UK Border

Sila lah prepare all the borang TB lah, CAS letter lah, ATAS lah, offer letter from uni lah dalam satu file supaya senang bile UK border punya staff mintak tengok..since kami landed di Manchester, kami pon kena lalu UK border kat Manchester tapi memang bersyukur sbb much better dari dekat Heathrow...tak banyak songeh..and xde pon cek beg..padahal itu lah yang kami suami isteri risau sebab macam2 makanan ade dlm beg..hehe..

Rasanya tu je kot tips yang teringat setakat nih.

OK, Bye.

Adventure Addict

hiccups sepanjang mengejar UK visa...

Dear earthlings,

This post is meant as a preventive measure, why do I say that? the things I'm going to share here are the small, menial details that people tend to overlook and then cause a lot of trouble in obtaining the UK visa..

Make sure you filled out the form CORRECTLY. Double check, triple check, heck quadruple check if you must, but make sure that all info are correct.

Make sure you filled ALL the required info before submitting you form..be it for the ATAS form, TB screening form, online VISA form or the self assessment form..This may seem like a ridiculous reminder, but trust me, it will save you a lot of heart ache later on.. 

Make sure you send your university the latest passport you will be using for your studies in the UK...this is uber important especially if you've recently renewed your passport..you might wonder why, well, hang on, I'm going to explain now..As you might be aware of from my previous post, your university will issue you a CAS letter..in this precious CAS letter, it will state your passport number, and it's important to get the correct passport number which means your latest passport number..as for me, I was browsing through the documents for my visa submission at 10.30PM on 28th Sept (I'm submitting on 29th Sept, 7.00 AM), that the passport number on my CAS was not the same as my current passport number and only then I remembered i did not provide my uni with my latest passport number...I was so worried but thank God, Allah gave me some ideas, on how to solve the problem..I emailed the international admission team in the UK (I think this is the ONLY time I've been thankful for the huge time difference between Malaysia and UK) telling them my problem and attaching my most recent front page of my passport along with that email..the next thing I did was I contacted my uni's representative in Malaysia, (yes, they are THAT EFFICIENT, answering calls at 10.30PM) told them about my problem and asked them help get in touch with the International admissions team in the UK to speed up the correction..they will not issue a new CAS letter bearing the new passport number, what happens is, the CAS number issued is unique and there's a whole folder online behind that CAS number..all the uni needed to do was write a little note stating that they are aware of my new passport number and updating it online..so, Alhamdulillah, problem solved...

I took the PRIORITY service for my visa therefore, from the website, they mentioned the visa could be completed within 3 working days..I submitted mine on Thursday (29.08.13) and I religiously checked my status online at the vfs website..On Monday, I got an email from the Manila visa processing centre stating that my visa is already shipped off to malaysia (yup, they do the visa processing all the way in manila)..On tuesday, I checked the status of my visa about every 30 minutes if not more...I decided that I could no longer wait because my sponsor wanted to issue my ticket to the UK and I needed to confirm with them latest by Tuesday...therefore, what I did was, I gambled..I just took a train to VFS with the hope that my visa would have arrived already..Please bear in mind that you have to queue even for collection of your visa...I gave the guard my receipt and waited patiently inside..I did not have a good feeling because all those who submitted their receipt with me have already been called...the guy at the counter finally called my name and said that my visa is not yet available, I put on my panicky face, and told him that I needed to book my flight tix and my sponsors are waiting for my visa clearance..I asked him again what is the staus of my application and he gave me the same answer as the one on the web...sheesshhh...so I finally asked him, 'yang hari ni punya visa dah sampai from Manila?' to which he answered 'baru je tadi sampai pukul 2. Kalau akak nak, kena tunggu like setengah jam untuk kami proses dan cari kalau akak punya visa ade ke x'...I was more than OK untuk tunggu setengah jam tu..I was constatntly reciting rabbi yassir wa la tu 'assir from the moment that guy went to search for my visa...Alhamdulillah, my visa already arrived and i could take it then and there..yippeee...

I think this post is too long already.

OK, bye.

Cara-cara Nak apply UK visa from Malaysia.

Dear earthlings,

After going through so many steps and procedures, alhamdulillah I finally got my UK visa today..yeay! So, let's see, what tedious process you need to go through before you can obtain your UK visa...this applies to a sponsored student bringing his/her spouse...if you are single, then you can just skip those docs that are irrelevant...

WARNING: THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG ENTRY.

1) Make sure you have these documents ready beforehand.

    i) TB screening result (original and photocopy) - untuk diri sendiri & spouse

   ii) original marriage certificate (and a photocopy) - untuk spouse

   iii) translated marriage certificate (and a copy) - untuk spouse 

   iv) IELTS result (photocopy) - untuk diri sendiri

   v) ATAS clearance - untuk diri sendiri..for those yang nak amek phd in the         engineering field mmg kena ada tapi, boleh check balik dengan uni                  masing2. please be reminded that it takes at least 20 working days or

    or more especially during peak periods contohnya September intake, so sila     lah apply awal2 untuk mengelakkan sebarang delay..bole apply kat                   sini: https://www.atas.fco.gov.uk/public/welcome.aspx

   vi) CAS (confirmation of acceptance for studies) - yang ni akan di issue by           your university once you have obtained your ATAS clearance.

   vii) passport - untuk diri sendiri & spouse (renew siap2)

  viii) gambar berukuran visa dan background putih/ off white - diri sendiri&             spouse

2) Bile semua dah in order, boleh lah mula isi borang UK visa secara online kat sini: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/

Nak isi borang ni amek masa sikit, so sila lah set aside some time to do it supaya tak key in wrong info. This form is pretty straightforward so xde masalah insya Allah. Kalau anda pergi under tajaan then sila pilih category General Sponsored Student dan untuk spouse General Student Dependent. So kalau pergi berdua, maknanya, ade 2 lah borang online visa yang perlu di isi.

3) Ade satu lagi borang yang perlu diisi secara manual, boleh donlod kat sini: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/visas/vaf9-app81.pdf

yang ni agak leceh dan banyak info bergantung kepada info dalam CAS letter..will go through in detail sekiranya empunya blog ini ade masa later.

4) Bile dah selesai isi semua borang, then boleh lah proceed dengan bayaran. I'm not sure if debit card is allowed, but credit card kompem boleh guna to pay. Seorang applicant perlu membayar USD492 untuk UK visa ini..kalau dua orang, darab la dengan dua...perghhh..memang mencekik darah...

5) Once your payment is made, only then you can book an appointment to submit all your docs to VFS. Nak dijadikan cerita, masa nak book for the appointment, bile nak click tarikh je die cakap not available..turns out that appointment for august mmg dh habes..so kalao nak jugak terpaksa amek PRIME TIME service..which means that the appoinment will be made as early as 7.00 AM in the morning, and to add salt to injury, kena bayar extra RM160.00 per person...memandangkan masa untuk start pengajian dah sgt suntuk, terpaksa juga amek PRIORITY SERVICE which means another extra RM392.00 per person...wah wah wah...kuyuss walletku...

6) On the day of the appointment, sila bawak segala dokumen ke: Suite 19.06 19th floor, Wisma MCA, 163 Jalan Ampang...Kalau tak nak drive sebab jem macam hape je kat jalan ampang tu, boleh la naek LRT and stop kat Stese Ampang Park..then just cross the road and jalan sikit je, dh jumpa WISMA MCA ni...Take note that sekiranya anda amek yang PRIME TIME service, teros sahaja ke Level 19, xperlu ke Level 3..Level 3 adalah untuk appliants yang tak ambil PRIME TIME service..Pembayaran untuk PRIME TIME service serta PRIORITY SERVICE dibuat di kaunter penyerahan dokumen..Sebelom masok, nanti ade guard yang akan suh put all your bags and belongings kat almari kat luar, henpong takleh bawak masuk katanya, yang boleh bawak masok cuma wallet...ye ar, kang kalo tinggal wallet kat luar nak bayar dengan ape plak semua service2 top up dieorg kan..then guard akan bagi nombor..dok diam2 sampai la nombor kena panggil...bile dah kena panggil, pi kaunter, serahkan semua dokumen yang berkaitan...then duduk sat, tunggu plak nombor dipanggil untuk buat biometric scanning...the masuk bilik biometric scanning untuk scan all your fingers...the person incharge will then issue you a receipt yang perlu disimpan rapi sbb nanti bile nak collect visa perlu tunjuk receipt tersebut...

7) Bole balik umah, dan kalau rasa nak check status visa anda, boleh lah ke website ni: http://www.vfs-uk-my.com/ dan pilih track your application. kat sini lah receipt tadi memainkan peranan penting sebab atas receipt tu ade tulis application reference number yang perlu diisi untuk access info about the status of you UK visa application..

tu je lah for now, nanti kalau ade ingat lagi akan ditokok tambah..

OK, bye.

masalah nak dapatkan ATAS certificate

Dear earthlings,

Siapa yang nak pegi UK for PhD mesti tahu yang kita kena isi borang ATAS untuk dapatkan ATAS certoficate tu kan..

1) Sila isi borang kat sini https://www.atas.fco.gov.uk/public/welcome.aspx
2) Tunggu la bulan jatuh ke riba untuk dapatkan clearance. (die cakap 20 hari bekerja masa yang diambil untuk dapatkan clearance)

As for me, saya kena tunggu dari 16.06.2013 sampai lah 21.08.2013 untuk dapatkan clearance...2 BULAN!! memang dah tak keruan sangat dah masa tunggu tu..yelah..kita kan nak dapat CAS letter dari university lagi, pastu baru bole nak apply visa...homaiii...depa semua ni tak pikir ke yang kite banyak urusan lagi nak settlekan? Nak stat 2.09.2013..alamatnya delay lah..ape lagi...

Yang paling haru lagi adalah, they dont have any contact number..x ade telepon number!! yang ada hanya lah alamat email yang mereka tak reply...pffftttt...baik tak yah bagi contact details kalo mcm tuh...

walau bagaimanapon, kite try jugak la contact dengan cara yang ade tu..iaitu email..nak tunggu depa reply memang orang kampung sy kata, don't hold your breath...bile email sendre tak jalan, mintak university representative intervene untuk pihak kita..try je la ape cara yang boleh nak dapatkan attention depa..last skali, sy email, cakap tolong lah reply sebab saya dah nak start 2.9.2013 which is like 9 hari bekerja lagi yang tinggal..lepas tu, baaaaaaaaru lah depa reply, cakap ade masalah technical (pffffttt banyak2) and akan issue the cert esoknya...boleh pulak nak issue cecepat kan..
ape2 pon, alhamdulillah dah dapat cert tu..this post will remind me of the times when hoping was the only option despite that hope being crushed day after day..stay strong!

OK, bye.
Adventure Addict

Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe (Baked)

Dear earthlings,

So the festive season is here again..Eid Mubarak to all muslims out there..Here's a simple way to make yummy blueberry cheesecake..I made this on for the first day of Raya, and it was as sure hit (despite me thinking otherswise, initially)

Stuffs you must have:

For the base

• 10 Digestive biscuits (Crush until the biscuits become fine crumbs) 
• 50g of butter

For the cake

• 500 gm of Philadelphia cream cheese
• 200 ml of light sour cream (I used the Bulla brand)
• 2 tbsp of plain flour
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 175gm of caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
• blueberry filling ( I got some left overs from the blueberry cheese tart that I made, you can get them at any shop selling bakery stuffs I think, got mine at Seksyen 7, Shah Alam)
• fresh blueberry (from Cold Storage)

Here's where the magic happens

The base

1. Melt the butter in a small pan or you could even melt in in the microwave.
2. Mix the mashed biscuits together with the melted butter until the mixture seems to stick together well.
3. Pour all of that biscuit crumbs mixture into a springform tin.
4. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes at 170 Celcius.
5. Take it out and let it cool.
6. Put it in the fridge to cool it even further for another 30 minutes.

The cake

1. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla essence, eggs and flour in a bowl. Using a hand mixer, whisk all the ingredients until they are fluffy.
2. Add in the sugar and blueberry filling then continue whisking.
3. Pour all that yummy goodness in the springform tin that you have prepared with the biscuit crumbs earlier.
4. Bake in the oven for 170 Celcius for 55 minutes. (make sure you use the waterbath method, if not, you are going to get your lovely cheesecake quite tanned on the sides)
5. Once you are done with the baking, take the cake out, let it cool and then chill in the fridge overnight for best results.

The topping

Halve the blueberries and put them nicely on top of your cheesecake.
Pour the remaining blueberry filling on top of your fresh blueberries.

Have fun trying!

My super tanned cheesecake..I did not use the waterbath method to bake this one hence the tan.

Can you taste that soft, fluffy cheesecake in your mouth right now?

Another mistake was I used too much Digestive biscuits and too little butter so they did not stick well

What made me truly happy was the cake was happily gobbled up by the relatives who came for Raya...Someone even said I should've made 2 or 3 batches of that cheesecake..yeaayy :)

Yours Truly,
Adventure Addict

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Dear earthlings,

This time I'm going to take a break from blogging about the tedious preparations for going to the UK procedures...Let's talk about something much more enjoyable and meaningful..

Last Sunday, hubs took me a short retreat right in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.. Despite getting lost a few times, we finally managed to find ourselves on the doorstep of The Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur..The moment we arrived, my eyes was straight away attracted to the person who was welcoming the guests..He was dressed like some kind of British soldiers in the Colonial days...

When I stepped inside the hotel, the staffs were immediately attending to my check in needs..and guess what, the staff incharge even escorted us to our room and gave a brief room orientation (gasps!)

Enough chit chat, let's have a look at this worth-every-penny-stay...

a super comfy King-sized four poster bed

this bath tub was THE determining factor in choosing this hotel..hehe

modern decor

very useful for people who wants to sew some beads on to their baju raya (yes, that would have to be me)

since I'm all about soft-sinking-head-pillows, I'm loving this!

What better way to relax than this, you can just soak in the bath tub while watching your favorite movie! Super Loike!

Since it's the fasting month, The Majestic KL offers sahur brought up to our room for a price of RM55++ per person...

OK, so, all in all, we were very satisfied with our stay at The Majestic Hotel..we will definitely consider coming again some other time..

Yours truly,
AA

TB screening for UK Visa in Malaysia

Dear earthlings,

For those of you who are going to the UK, you must know by now that in order to get a UK visa, you have to undergo the TB screening test. Now here's the catch, there are only a few places that is authorized to perform the TB screening test. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur/ Lembah Klang area there are 2 places where you could go:

1) Gleneagles (03-41413282)

2) Life Care Diagnostic Medical Centre,
    1st floor, Wisma Life Care,
    No 5, jalan Kerinchi,
    Bangsar South, 
    59200, KL
    (1300222369)

Hubs and I chose to go to Life Care in Bangsar because according to a trusted source, their service is tip top..here's what you'll need to bring along with you:

1) Original Passport
2) A passport sized photo  (bring extra, just for safety)
3) A fee of RM210.00/ person
4) Your UK address. If you don't have one yet, no need to worry, just put down your university address.

We arrived quite early, despite having some detour due to following instructions from Waze, but that's a whole different story..Now, here's what you do when you reach Life Care.

1) Go to the receptionist at Level G. Tell them you are there for your TB screening. They'll ask you to fill in the necessary forms. Now, mind you, be extra VIGILANT when filling out the form. You have to make sure all are in capital letters. NO MISTAKE whatsoever (I looked up my university address and there's like 3 addresses on the webpage and I just happen to choose the wrong one..instead of Byrom, I wrote down Bryom..So hubs and I needed to fill out a fresh new form)..Your handwriting must be neat and readable. 

2) You go up to Level 1 and take your number. Wait while they call your number. They'll attach a cute pink tag to your wrist.

3) You need to pay the RM210.00 fee per person.

4) Wait for the radiologist to call out your name.

5) Once you are done, wait outside to see a doctor. Don't worry, the doctor did not ask tough questions.. He only asked what I was going to study, when I plan to leave for the UK..Do I have a tattoo? In which he himself answered, "No lah, mesti x ade"(I mean, do I look like I have a tattoo?)..are you experiencing any cough right now..He then said, your X-Ray is normal so nothing to worry about..

6) After coming out of the doctor's room, a nurse called out my name, asked me to sign indicating I have already receive my report form back..once she hands you the form, you can now cross off TB screening off your list..yeeehaaaa....

I hope this helps for those of you who have yet to do the TB screening. Good luck everyone!

Yours Truly,
Adventure Addict

Why on earth is it taking so long?

Dear earthlings,

If any of you ever had the experience of waiting and waiting and waiting, then you must understand my feeling right now..I'm sure everyone who is waiting for their result is feeling exactly the same as I am right now..super duper frustrated..

Just wanna update myself, my progress so far...

1) Forms submitted to a certain body incharge a while ago and guess what? At first they said, they would bring my application into the 18.06.2013 meeting...but no...they did not..they postponed that to 10.07.2013 (nearly a month after their initial set date) and penat je saya menahan nafas menunggu keputusan sebabnya, they postponed the meeting yet again..i see red tapes all over...

2) Submitted my ATAS application online on 17.06.2013 and they said it would take 20 working days for me to get my result but, it's already 15.07.2013 and still, no result yet...

A lag in getting the above two results of course leads to other major consequences...hubs still hasn't tendered his resignation since there is no assurance and black and white that the body incharge would actually approve my application and provide the necessary documents..we still haven't been through the TB screening procedure because again it relates back to the decision of the body incharge...I wish they could understand the angst and restlessness of ordinary people like me..

Let's all pray that they speed up the meeting. Amin.

Yours Truly,
Adventure Addict

Not yet...

Dear earthlings,

Just a quickie...I'm freaking OUT since the department incharge of approving my scholarship tak nampak gaya pon nak meeting anytime soon..oh my...oh my....menggelupur sekarang please..sungguh menguji kesabaran daku di bulan puasa nih...

Ya Allah, please ease this journey for us...Amin..

Yours Truly,

Adventure Addict