A Do-It-Yourself Trip in Galway

What brought me to Galway? I would say it is Jenny dear. According to her colleagues Galway is a nice place to visit. So here we go GALWAY! Before reaching Galway we stopped by at Pei's home which next door is her marvelous bakery workshop. Once she opened the door, we all went 'yayyyy'. Pei was so generous for us eating and sampling her good stuffs.

Pei's wonder tarts

Today Galway has become a popular tourist place in Repulic of Ireland. It is only a few hours drive from Dublin. It has an atmopshere which is same like when you visit Edinburgh. Lots of foreign tourists and excursions available. Instead everyone here decided to follow my DIY excursion. I picked up some of the excursion leftlets and start drawing out routes and plans. It is easy to plan since we have the car plus it is cheaper.

Some weird stuff seen at next to the motorway to Galway

My initial planned route: starting from Galway --> Blackhead --> Cliff of Moher --> Galway
Then turned out: Galway --> Ballingvaun Bay --> Blackhead --> Ballingvaun Junction --> Cliff of Moher --> Galway

My planned route using the tourist brochure

1st scene is Dunguire Castle

Behind Dunguire Castle

The Burrows

Until we reach the Ballingvaun Junction

Break for lunch

Sundried tomato

Nightime in Galway. This area was full of Irish pub and free Irish music.

*actual date May 2010

Wing Wah Restaurant, Birmingham

My so young sister mentioned about this place. Wing Wah besides doing restaurant, they do supermarket and travel agent too.

You can have just buffet or buffet and steamboat. The buffet has dim sum and usual chinese buffet food. There are only few kinds of dim sum, that all in photos below. They have porridge too (made immediately once you order). All dim sums tasted nice. Does anyone know any good dim sum buffet in UK?

My plate of food. However I think their usual Chinese buffet was bad. Too dry and bad bad bad. I guess it is only worth if you go there for steamboat (thumbs up when I looked at their food). It costs ~£15 includes steamboat £13 just buffet.

*actual date 13 Jun 10

Taste of Persia, Newcastle upon Tyne

Nice to have this place in my city! There are still many undiscovered (by me =P) gems around the city. This one is obvious and I pass by all the time and now I finally step into here to savour their yums! I felt the food seem similar to the eastern Europe dishes e.g. Turkish, a bit of Greeks and some Middle east.

We didn't order much because I wanna leave some room in my tummy for dessert at other place. By the way, go here during lunch time (12noon - 6pm) for their lunch time special ~£6.50 for 2 courses. We ordered mirza ghasemi (chargilled aubergine and tomato grounded into dip) and nan. You may try the Persian tea too, it tasted minty and has cardamon seed flavour.

We have shishlik (lamb chop marinated and chargrilled) and porlow rice.


Is all the guys from country as such like making up conversation with people? Not that I'm annoyed but just find it really seems to be. I like people like this! But don't come to close coz I'm married =P

Verdict: 7/10 for now since I only tasted two of their yums!
Location: Left side of the Centre for Life main entrance, you will see a row of shop and there is Taste of Persia. Go taste taste lah~

Best Spring Ever in Ireland

It was my great idea to book this trip so to be with Mei & the saints there and also to have a break from work during my week. We bought the easyjet ticket flying from Newcastle and that time was before the airlines disaster due to the volcanic ash. Mind you a week before we travelled, there was another volcano eruption hence cancelling all the flight to Ireland from Newcastle. But our flights to / back that week after were fine.

I'm so glad to be in Ireland. I miss everyone. What a bless to be in the church life. You should join me in the church life. You get the enjoyment everywhere in the world and where ever you go and live. This time in Ireland we have Sharon & Ray brought us out to tour Belfast city and the Trouble sites / attended the book of Roman's seminar in Belfast and met somelocal Irish friends / babysit little Daniel and ate a feast at his home that filled me outward but also inwardly / experienced Annie's warm hospitality. Then Mei driving with us and Jenny to visit Dublin, Galway and also the Cliff of Moher. In Dublin we have the Lord's table meeting and good fellowship with Pei Pei, Kenneth & Shirley, Alferdo & Catriona at their home. Kenneth even treated us nice Si Chuan cuisine before leaving Dublin. We did the Giant's causeway too. All in all the trip was awsome, please go check out each of the highlights underlined here.

*actual date 22 - 27 May 10

Belfast, The Troubles and Us

First day we in Belfast and we got Mei to pick us from the airport. Sunny weather here, nice! Everytime we have a sunny day, I felt bless because sunny day is hard to afford in the UK. Sharon & Ray, originally from Phillipines took day off to be with us and show us Belfast. David from Birmingham is here too for the Belfast seminar.

Belfast, the main city in the Northern Ireland and is bigger than Newcastle. It has more taller buildings than most cities in UK. And no chewing gum stain on the floor! Sadly it has The Troubles too. I only know the Troubles was due to the political conflict hence war and fight occurred and still occurring between these two christian groups. The people with Catholic and the Protestant background seldom go along together due to there was a time in society, discrimination was seriously bad against the Catholic ones (usually poorer or lower class citizen and not supporting the Queen). The Protestant ones are the opposite. So you can identify yourself by the hanging flags at that area to tell where you are now in Belfast.

It get so bad till a wall and gates are needed to separate the two areas.

Tourists do come here to take photos and also print their name on the wall.


Here is the loyalist area. Meaning only for the loyal ones here.

Hope this trouble will end soon not just good for the people but also to end the disgrace to God. It is very ungodly for either group to treat their brothers that way when they still say to worship in Christ.

Anyway we also went to Queensland University,

Belfast City Hall (where Titanic, the film have their interior layout especially the grand staircase all copied from this place) and there was also the first ever continental market in Belfast that week and I tried my first Ostrich burger. sosolah~~

Ulster Museum, found inside the botanical garden (the history about The Troubles is here and don't miss the Ice Age exhibition there)

and many shoppings street and malls. The Victoria Albert mall will definately delight or sadden a person I know who also is an architecture from home. He has an idea for a mall as Victoria Albert but got rejected by the engineers due to they think it was impossible to build. The whole building is unique which sorta like indoor shopping but still seem like an outdoor.

There is GBK too and the burger was like 5 stars ***** burger, meaning so so good. Their promotion time is Mon to Fri at 2 - 4pm, £4 instead of the full price (£6 - £8). So I chose the best and popular one.Original price was £8.00 for this bacon, cheese and Angus beef with tomato chutney.

You can also see the whole Belfast city centre when you go up the spiral located centre of the mall.

*actual date 22 - 27 May 10

Ireland Where a Time with The Saints

... is a blessed time for me. In Belfast it was a good summer time and we were all sitting outside enjoying, talking and ...playing with the babies.

Sis Yang (holding the little Daniel) and Mei in apron have been cooking for us lotsa food...chicken stew with potatoes & carrot, pork fried rice, steam fish with soya sauce, hoi sin duck & wrap, veg Indian curry, M&S lemon meringue and Sharon home made choc cake for little Daniel.

You ask little Daniel "where is Lord Jesus?" he'll go tap tap with his hand to his chest. meaning Lord Jesus is in me. How cute.

This is Annie and her husband both are deaf but you will never imagine how well we each communicated. The hospitality with them was wonderful!

Coincidentally this weekend there is also the 3rd seminar on the book of Roman. And Belfast is chosen for 1 of the 12 cities that holds this seminar. We were in Glasgow for the second one. You should go to one next time if you haven't been to any. I tell you this seminar shows you the revelation of the Bible (this time is from the book of Roman) not from a perspective of man and the holy religious culture that kind but from a perpective of God. I personally have heard enough about Roman but this time I really enjoy the seminar when all the things that reveil is really something I never thought to see it that way...the perspective view from God. Go here for more info.

Then Dublin Here I Come! Knowing that Dublin is a cosmopolitan place like London and most important there is the church there too! We went down in Mei's car very early after a night at Annie's place. Lord bless the church in Dulbin and the propagation there. Here outside the meeting place in Dublin.

in Bro Kenenth & Shirley home during our stay in Dublin. Happy to see saints also from Malaysia.

Do you know meaning of the church, the Body and to you church life is such a life to live? Then it will be meaningful in your Christian living.

*actual date 22 - 27 May 10

1st Time Achievement - Peiking Duck + Wrap

This is some other things I will do during my weekend if I'm not away for trips and blending meetings. I hope I can be more active in doing the receipes (I have collected so far). And so I can share you the receipe I successfully pull through or unsuccessfully done. No offence to the author, I'm just sharing my experience here. I know I'm bad in following a receipe diligently but just for normal people like me can do very well in that dishes if that receipe is 100% good.

So I did Peiking duck. Why? Because that weekend Tesco duck was on offer £6. As simple as that. The roast duck here in Chinatown usually £7-8 for half and more for a whole one and I want duck =)

Did some googling and Euphocafe seem to have good & successful Peiking duck receipe. Oh by the way I use bicycle pump to blow air into the duck breast instead. I don't have such breathe to blow with a plastic straw.

Good luck to those who are doing Peiking duck at home. It tasted good but now I know I rather buy instead =P. Well one achievement for this girl. Oh must never substitute with honey. Just myself felt it doesn't taste as very authentic if with honey.

I substituted chive for cucumber strip and spring onion because I have none at that time. The wrap was perfect!

The look of my duck that just out from the oven.