Egg-ohs from Budapest

Egg-ohs, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

My final destination was not Doha but Budapest in Hungary. We stayed at the intercontinental hotel just beside the Danube bank and within walking distance from the chain bridge. The view was amazing. We didn't get rooms facing the Danube but we saw the great majesty of the Buda Castle at night which was truly breath taking. ( A separate post on that).

These egg-ohs were found at a shop along Vaci Street. They're very big into eggs here I gather. Don't you just love the colours? I spent a lot of time taking pictures in the shop. Here is just one of them

NO swollen feet

making sure I hydrate self thoroughly....on flight., originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I'm glad to report that I suffered NO swollen feet during this trip. Which leads to the question; are my feet posh? Seeing as I flew business class this time.In all honesty I suspect not. Although I would have loved to be able to brag like so. its because I walked a bit more to the toilet and back plus I hydrated self quite a bit. ( See picture above as proof)

Doha

dusty Doha greets us, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We flew Qatar airlines out of KLIA and into Doha via business class. So I'm pleased to say I got the free jim jams ( as read in the forum) and yes finally I got to sleep flat rather than at an incline.( I find sleeping at an incline annoying cos you tend to slip down by the end of the flight and the blanket ends up in a heap)  The blanket was nice. Not the thin ones so they kept me warm. the jammies helped too. The movies weren't exciting or maybe because I've watched most of them already. the stewardess were attentive and the food was good.

Doha airport isn't too big from what I gather. the planes land in a bunch in the middle, you disembark and walk to a bus which brings you in a rather long and loopy route to the terminal. Again, what the forum says is true, we only mingled with the first and business class passengers. Economy folks apparently are taken to a separate terminal. Presumably with more shopping involve.

In comparison to Dubai, Doha's shopping was meagre in the business class terminal.  They sold cameras, handphones, sun glasses, some handbags, nuts, and minimal sourvenirs all Qatar air related. The lounge was spacious but the seats ( like the MAS ones) were rather more upright than needed. And this made any plans of sleeping difficult. We found that out enroute back when our flight was delayed for a few hours and we were forced to stay at the lounge. The shower was good but it took some time before I realised they had a rain shower.( I was sleepy)

From the bus journey to the terminal, everything looked dry and dusty. I did catch a glimpse of some rather big houses on the edge of the airport. When we got off, even the short walk from bus to terminal allowed the nose to sniff some rather dusty air.

Coffee coffee anyone?

Coffee coffee anyone?, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The "keep calm and carry on" logo seems to be on most things;mugs, T-shirts, Fridge magnets,notepads, posters and now coffee cans. It was a logo to boost morale just before the start of world war 2. And the poster was produced by the ministry of information in the UK. Fancy it being resurrected and used today. Goes to show...the phrase can boost morale even now when we're not in the midst of war.

Antique Chairs

posh chairs....will get one!, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We found a shop at Solaris selling antique furniture. Walking into it, was like walking into Mozart's house. Nice delicate chairs with lovely embroidery. I spied two footstools and an ottoman which would look good in my apartment. ( Once I chuck some junk out). The owner ( she served us) was a lovely lady who told us a bit about each piece of furniture which caught our eye. There was also a delighful dining table for RM 5000. Worth the money. But no place to put it.

Hundreds and thousands

image, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Hundreds and thousands. What do these words mean to you? Agatha Christie used this word in one of her Miss Marple murder stories. Together with the word"Banting". The banting bit was easy enough to figure out. Some old fashion means of dieting. But the hundreds and thousands bugged me for a while. This was before the era of wikipedia. I found out some years later. And on Sunday I found this at BIG at Solaris. Sprinkles is another name for it.

A separate note on "Banting" nothing to do with the man who co-discovered Insulin and won the novel prize together with Best in 1923. This "Banting" in the Miss Marple series is William Banting an obese undertaker who was the first to popularise the low carbohydrate diet around 1863. Fancy that!

NUI Galway Reunion

Galway Reunion, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

This was held two weeks ago at Le Meridien. Reunions make you nostalgic for what has passed. It's been more than 10 years since I've seen some and the bulk of the folks were many many years our junior. The College President gave a speech as well as a virtual tour of UCG as it is now. Definitely progressed a fair bit since I left in 1997. Good memories in Galway I'm more determined than ever to return for a visit

Kinokuniya KLCC

books galore, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I've been to three different branches, Singapore, Sydney and KL.Ours is the best. Love the wooden flooring and that its in KLCC so you can head out to more shopping ie coffee or tea once you've bought your books. Sydney's is big but didn't feel as cosy. I took a bus there and found it after a feel foiled attempts. Not a good map reader you see.

I nearly always get some books which can't be found elsewhere. And which make good reading.

ALK talk at PJ Hilton

sushi from PJ Hilton, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

PJ HIlton 's drive down to the basement carpark is murderous. But the parking itself once you( safely) reach the bottom is okay. There is a cosy feeling in the lobby. Something which sadly KL Hilton lacks. Maybe its the space, PJ Hilton has nooks and crannies. And there's a place to the right where it levels off slightly to a row of shops. There was a huge crowd yesterday afternoon. A bunch of school teachers and new students were having a pre-post registration lunch. I was there for an interesting talk on testing for the ALK mutation as a marker for lung cancer. When they said small group discussion...they weren't exaggerating...there were 7 of us in total excluding the speaker and reps. Small! we had a room with large glass panels so I saw the thunder and rain and the sunshine after...from the safety of the room. Lunch was a bento set. Again, a reminder that PJ Hilton serves better food than KL HIlton.

chic lit

chic lit, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Have you read any book by Rebecca Shaw? She writes about the "village" and there is a separate series on vets. I found this gorgeous book at Kinokuniya on Saturday. Her latest in the series so you can well imagine how pleased I was finding it. I've given up my promise not to buy any books. It lasted almost 8 months before I caved in. And so now...I have three piles of books waist high messing my place up.

Mornings!

t shirt, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

No posts recently due to lack of time...plus tiredness. Middle-age. It's not a joke. You no longer plan 3-4 things to do after work. Instead, you think about lying down in bed as a huge reward for surviving the day intact. Mornings are still my favouriite time of the day except the last few weeks....I blame Barcelona for messing with my internal alarum clock causing a reset ( iike daylight savings") to my mornings starting much later in the day. Am working on resetting the body but it takes time.

uitm medical campus sg buloh

uitm medical campus sg buloh, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I was here on Tuesday morning to give a talk. The drive there was smooth until after the last tol where I hit a mini jam. I used "waze" and I'm going to give Waze an 8/10 for accuracy. It led me to Hospital Sg Buloh which was the destination I set. For an odd reason I cannot explain, I was convinced the campus was linked literally to Hospital Sg Buloh. I drove into the carpark and drove about and around it looking in vain for any sign of the UITM campus  before heading out...only to drive on and enter a hotel directly after that. So I asked the guard at the hostel...who told me the campus was way beyond.

He was right...you cannot miss it. The buildings are positioned nicely and you can see it to your right as you drive. Parking was LOVELY. I got a spot right in front of the auditorium. No where else can you get such a good parking spot.

The talk itself was okay and I got back in time to do some real work for the rest of the day.