Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A birthday to remember...



Happy Birthday to my fellow blogger
Inah@AussieBUM...hehehehe

October 1, 2008
May you have a great birthday ever, 
great year ahead, great life too...

so make a wish!

No way to blog...

Arrrgggghhhhhh...the internet connection is too slooooooooow...i can't live under this situation...it's killing me and i can't update my blog! hope that i will find a decent speed later and so i can blog again...till then, i have to be a lot of patience...still jet lag...the night is my day...haiyah...

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Winter breakaway...

My initial planning for winter break...








let's see the world
let's explore the charm
let's find love and joy
immerse in a rainbow colours of life
open your arms, open your heart, open your mind
spreading love and peace across the continent
free your spirit...


Thursday, September 18, 2008

Let's chase the sun...


time to stuff my sack
not forgetting mr. teddy 
my great travel companion
...chasing the sun
thousands miles away
across seven seas...


Sunday, September 14, 2008

Night without star

Some pics which have been taken around  4.30 a.m.  after a long day staring at my laptop...an orange peel's tea candle cup...took out my camera, lit up the candle, turned off the light and ...taddaaaaaaa...



It's Mid-Autumn!


let the lantern lights up your autumn night
 and warm up the breezy night
with the little wind chimes singing 


Thursday, September 11, 2008

Autumn in my heart...




the day passing by so fast
and northern light slowly fades away
cold breeze from the north sea 
 blow the leaves along the pathway
the cold night creeps into my long sleep
wreck away my dreams
autumn begins...

Saturday, September 06, 2008

I'm shocked! I no spik ingrish!

I'm so shocked and ashamed of reading this...even though my English can be considered terrible and I no spik Ingrish! What a shame of University Tun Hussein Onn and The New Straits Times Malaysia...



FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 05, 2008

"MASTERPIECE" ENGLISH from University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia
Posted by: thelittleone


NEW Straits Times published an advertorial entitled "Honorary Degree Award, 7th Convocation Ceremony University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah binti AlMarhum Sultan Idris Al-Mutawakil Alallahi Shah, D.K.II, S.P.M.J., S.P.C.M." in our Aug 23 issue. The advertorial contained gross factual and grammatical errors. The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad, as publisher and printer, hereby expresses deep regret for inadvertently printing the advertorial, which was unfit to be published. The advertorial was produced by University Tun Hussein Onn to announce the honorary degree award to Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah binti AlMarhum Sultan Idris Al-Mutawakil Alallahi Shah, D.K.II, S.P.M.J., S.P.C.M. by the university.


ADVERTORIAL
New Straits Times
23 August 2008, page 43

HONORARY DEGREE AWARD 7TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY UNIVERSITY TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA TO YANG AMAT MULIA RAJA ZARITH SOFIAH BINTI ALMARHUMSULTAN IDRIS AL-MUTAWAKIL ALALLAHI SHAH D.K.II, S.P.M.J., S.P.C.M.

Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Al-Mutawakil Alallahi Shah has born on 14th of August 1959 in Hospital Batu Gajah, Perak. Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith is a third son to Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan Perak Darul Ridzwan and Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja Mazuwin binti almarhum Raja Arif Shah.

Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah get early education in Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Datin Khadijah Kuala Kangsar in the state his birthplace namely in Perak. After end of the education in primary school, Yang Amat Mulia continue the education to form one at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Raja Perempuan Kalsom Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

In the month of September 1972, Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah have set forth to England for further education in Chaltenham Ladies College, Gloucestershire to form six. Then, Yang Amat Mulia continue learning it in Davies College London in September 1977 and his following year in receive enter to Somerville College, London after having passed Oxford Entrance Examination.

After graduated at Oxford University with Bachelor of Art in June 1983 and follow the traditional University of Oxford, Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith will receive Master of Art after three years in 1986. Yang Amat Mulia also is a linguist follow several courses including language Mandarin at the tertiary level, French and Italy language.

As his father, Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah is a person that talented in picture arts. Refinement of soul, Yang Amat Mulia always watching natural beauty environment immortalize in the form photograph and painting to make look and reference. Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith performance become guide to deliver the message education to general public. Yang Amat Mulia concern on women and natural world and it custody aspect in become deep theme in painting.

Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah comply have interest profoundest field documentation. Apart from producing book, Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith doubled up guest writer in the The New Straits Times newspapers and in personal column it “Mind Matters” in The Star newspaper. Besides writing, Yang Amat Mulia comply active presenting a working paper at the conference national level and international.

Education from her father and mother over concern to the people, make Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah likes engaged in voluntary activities about as Deputy President of Majlis Wanita Johor (ROSE), Chief of Persatuan Pandu Puteri Malaysia Johor branch, Chairman of Nationalistic Community Service Red Crescent Malaysia, Patron of Spastic Children School in Johor Bahru, Patron Rotary Club of Tebrau Foundation, Advisor of Traditional Arts School International in London and become Pro Chancellor University Technology Malaysia (UTM) and becomen Royal Felllow Faculty of Language and Linguistic University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

As the appreciation towards her contributions of ideas and efforts in the development of education in Malaysia, Chancellor of University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Duli Yang Amat Mulia Tunku lbrahim lsmail lbni Sultan lskandar, Tunku Mahkota Johor, has approbation to presented the awards to Yang Amat Mulia Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Al-Mutawakil Alallahi Shah the Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Education at 7th Convocation Ceremony of University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia in this year. Congratulation from us, University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia members.

Around the City: Bridges of River Tyne

Some bridges along the Quayside of Newcastle City Centre and Gateshead Quays. There are 22 main bridges that span the River Tyne. The first bridges were built by the Romans. The Pons Elii Bridge in Newcastle, the Stone Bridge at Corbridge and a bridge close to Chesters fort near Chollerford.


...the four bridges in the heart of city centre seem to outdo each other...




...the High Level Bridge was built in 1849. This bridge was opened to traffic in August 1849. Queen Victoria crossed it a month later, 28th September 1849.The bridge has a two-deck structure upper for Rail and the lower a roadway. The bridge is made up of six spans of 125-ft...
 

...the Hydraulic Swing Bridge. This bridge was completed and opened for road traffic without any ceremony on the 15th June 1876. The swinging portion was first used on the 17th July 1876 when the "Europa" of the Italian Navy, passed up to the Elswick Ordnance Works to take on board a gun weighing 100 tons for the Italian Government... 



...the famous Tyne Bridge is an iconic structure of Newcastle City. HM King George V accompanied by H.M Queen Mary on 10th October 1928 opened the Tyne Bridge. Mott, Hay and Anderson designed the bridge and the contractors were Dorman Long & Co., Ltd of Middlesborough. The bridge is almost identical to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia, which was designed and built by Dorman Long & Co., Ltd. of Middlesborough, the same company built the Tyne Bridge.

The main span is 531ft, it has a clear headway over the river of 84ft, 2ft higher than the High Level Bridge. The Tyne Bridge cost £700,000 to build but recently it has just finished a makeover costing £1.8 million. The granite-faced towers were intended to be used as warehouses consisting of 5 floors but the floors were never completed...



...the newest bridge of Tyne River, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge was built in 1999. The £22million bridge was designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and engineers Gifford and Partners. Work first started on the bridge in May 1999. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is the first opening bridge to be built across the River Tyne for more than 100 years. It has become a link between Newcastle and Gateshead just west of the Baltic Flour Mill, the biggest contemporary gallery in Europe.



...another three main bridges just after High Level Bridge...

...the blue steel structure is Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, mainly for the Metro service, next bridge is King Edward Bridge for train service, and the concrete bridge after King Edward is Redheugh Bridge, which connects to A1/M1 highways...

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Back to life...

Phhheeewwww...i'm back...the internet connection restored...wow! now i can see the future...yeehhaaaa...

Around the City: The Millennium Gateshead Bridge

Had a chance to see the bridge tilted last Sunday. Every 12.00p.m. the bridge will tilt to let a river cruise to pass.


...people cross the bridge before it tilts...




...slowly...the cruise will pass the bridge...



...the cruise is passing the bridge...



...and it hold like this around 30 minutes...



...the jet ski too makes the passing...



...after that...slowly, slowly...the bridge is moving back to its position...

...tadaaaaaaaa...back to its position...

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Lost...

Arrrggghhhhh...i am losing contact with the outside world since Monday, 1st.september...no internet connection at all at home and the Virgin's engineer will come tomorrow...what lifeless...
outside blogging

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Around the City: Eldon Square


Last Thursday spent around two and half hours walked around the city centre. Had an hour plus meeting before that and i need a little short break from my work. So i went back home and took my camera and off to the city centre. Stopped at the Eldon Square Bus Station adjacent to the Eldon Square, a small park in the middle of the city between the Monument and Eldon Square Shopping Mall. This park has just opened to the public after refurbished since last winter. A little history of Eldon Square, which now one of the meeting and relaxing spot in the city centre.

Eldon Square got its name from John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon (1751 – 1838). Lord Eldon or John Scott, as Eldon was formerly known, was born in Newcastle. Whilst he had originally intended to enter the Church his famed elopement with Bessie Surtees (the daughter of a wealthy alderman) forced him to reconsider and embark upon a career in law. After setting up in the law practice Eldon became King’s Counsel then a Member of Parliament. He was later appointed Attorney General and eventually the Lord High Chancellor. Lord Eldon drafted the Regency Bill of 1788 and in 1821 he was elevated to the House of Lords as Viscount Encombe and Earl of Eldon. Lord Eldon was a dominant figure in Georgian public life and ranks amongst the most important Lord Chancellors in the long history of the office. John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon died in 1838 at the age of 86.



...this is one of the lamp posts with bronze plaques inscribed 
with the history of Eldon Square...
 
At the turn of the 17th century the area now known as Eldon Square lay on the northern agricultural boundary of the fortified town wall, near the site of Bertram Monbucher (Mumboucher) Tower. The tower was named after its founder, Sir Bertram Monboucher, who was High Sheriff of the County of Northumberland and Knight of the Shire. The line of the northern part of the old town wall runs along present-day Blackett Street. To the southeast, between Pilgrim Street and Newgate Street, just inside the town walls, a 12-acre estate known initially as Newe House and then Anderson Place occupied part of the original grounds of St. Bartholomew’s nunnery and Greyfriars. In 1646 King Charles I of England was held captive in the Newe House for ten months following his surrender to the Scots.

The Newe House, constructed near here in 1580 by Robert Anderson, was sold in 1675 to Sir William Blackett who extended the property. In 1782 his descendant Sir Thomas Blackett sold it to George Anderson, a successful local builder. On George Anderson’s death the property passed to his son Major Anderson who renamed it ‘Anderson Place’. To the south west of what is now Eldon Square lay St. Andrew’s Church, one of the oldest existing churches in Newcastle, and the White Cross, a marker point for the town market. The site of the White Cross is believed, from historical maps, to be on Newgate Street at the junction with Low Friar Street. Prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, there were known to be communities of Blackfriars and Greyfriars, as well as St. Bartholomew’s Nunnery all within the immediate vicinity of what is now Eldon Square. Much of Blackfriars still exists today.





Until 1824, the northern boundary of Newcastle was the town wall that stretched from Newgate Street to Pilgrim Street. After a square was proposed as part of the laying out of Blackett Street, the Corporation bought the site and in 1825 – 26 work began on the construction of Eldon Square with the remains of the town wall being dismantled. This was the birth of Eldon Square. Designed by Thomas Oliver with influence from John Dobson, Eldon Square originally consisted of 26 high-class terraced stone houses, built in Palladian style with smooth stone fronts and first-floor cast iron balconies surrounding a private, central garden. Richard Grainger built all but 4 of the houses in Eldon Square. The remaining east side gives you an idea of the grand architecture of the original Eldon Square.




At the same time as developing Eldon Square, Richard Grainger was involved in building 41 or Blackett Street or The Northern Academy of Arts for T.M.Richradson and H.T.Parker, both celebrated local artists. Built at a cost of £2000, raised mainly by the public subscription, The Northern Academy of Arts opened in 1828 creating a Victorian fusion between the merging arts and grand architecture of Newcastle and offering the opportunity to see the works of local, national and international artists. Exhibitions included artists such as the North East’s John Wilson Carmichael as well as Old Masters. In contrast the Academy also hosted ‘Uncle Toby’s Exhibition’ that saw 20,000 visitors through its doors to view an exhibition of toys donated by the public for distribution to the poor and sick children of the areas. ‘Uncle Toby’ of the Newcastle Weekly Chronicle organized the exhibition and the toys were given out on Christmas day 1888.



A monument for the centre of Eldon Square had been proposed at the same time the square was planned. A statue of Lord Eldon was considered but nothing was ever erected. Photographs of the square at the turn of the century show a central stone pedestal topped with an ornate lamp. At the end of the First World War, a number of ideas for a war memorial were considered before Councillor Sir Arthur Sutherland started the ‘Shilling Fund’ with a donation of 20,000 shillings (£15,000) and funded the erection of the War and Peace Memorial that now proudly stands in the centre of the square. Designed by Charles Hartwell the memorial, which unveiled by Field Marshall Earl Haig on 26th September 1923 in front of over one thousand people who had taken part in the official ‘pilgrimage of homage’.



Between the First and Second World Wars Eldon Square became known as ‘the place to meet’ in Newcastle and provided a welcome area of public space in the city centre. Close by, the city centre was expanding with large stores such as Bainbridge and Fenwick. Bainbridge was the country’s first department store, and Thomas Bainbridge, the son of its founder, was a great benefactor of the ‘Poor Childrens Holiday Association’ who had their headquarters in nearby Percy Street. During the Second World War large water tanks were placed in the square as part of the air raid precautions. These water tanks ensured that water supplies to the Fire Brigade always available. In the recent years that followed the memorial and surrounding Eldon Square again became a well-respected meeting place, a place of relaxation as well as a place of remembrance.



From the early part of the 20th century (1920 - present) Eldon Square and Blackett Street formed part of the main shopping area, Blackett Street being one of the main thoroughfares across the city and a major bus and tram route. By the 1960s many of the fine Grainger and Oliver buildings had fallen into disrepair. Concurrently, in 1973, the northern and western facades of Eldon Square were demolished. The demolished buildings made way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre which, when it opened, was the largest development of its kind in Europe. Many of the mall names reflect the history of the area such as Eldon Way, Whitecross Way, Chevy Chase and High Friars. In 2008 the square was refurbished by Newcastle City Council and Capital Shopping Centres, recreating the original setting for the war memorial whilst maintaining a safe and welcoming green haven for all the people of Newcastle.

Snow Effect