1) Many events have transpired in the past two weeks. The most pressing story is the recent eviction of students living in Champion Hill. We first learnt about our impeding moving out literally hours before our Module 2 exams. Apparently, the reason for relocating us is due to the building not passing their fire safety hazard inspections. So where would we move next?
2) After some discussion, my friends (those living in Champion Hill) and I requested that we be relocated to the same residence. In the end, we were assigned to Louis House, in Westminster. And so began the dreaded week of packing, but credit where it's due, King's tried their best to ease the stress. For instance, they provided counsellors on standby everyday till we moved in case we had any questions or problems. They also provided us with huge boxes, bubblewrap, tape, and labels to help us pack our stuff nicely. Moreover, on the day of relocation, they hired coaches and cabs to send us to our destination.
3) And so it was with a heavy heart that I left my accommodation at Champion Hill. I had grown used to the environment here, and for me at least, once I develop a routine it's quite hard to start from scratch. Nevertheless, we arrived at Louise House and I was immediately happy with my room. The insulation was great, the room itself felt warm (!), and there are common rooms and a cinema room too, with free laundry! Nearby, loads of street food are available, catering for all palettes. And next to our accommodation is the Channel 4 Television Network - how cool is that?!
4) In between all the commotion of leaving and relocating, I've visited my cousin Wilson in Spitalfields, where we went out for some lovely Thai food. On another occasion, I met up with my good friend from secondary school, Hon Wa, in Chinatown. We had Malaysian food at a cafe, before playing some really wacky board games at Imperial. Just yesterday, I attended a conference organised by Imperial College Neuroscience Society, called "Meeting of the Minds 2020". It was a full day conference, with some really nice emphasis on AI and 3D printing in the field of neurosurgery.
5) As yesterday was Chinese New Year (Day 1), I visited my cousin and his friends at their apartment, to celebrate the new year together. They had prepared a lovely hotpot and ordered some Crosstown Doughnuts (which Wilson swears by). I had a wonderful time, with the the hotpot keeping us warm and fuzzy, in stark contrast to the cold, wintry weather outside. We then started a game of Catan, a multiplayer board game, which turned out to be quite fun, if not as simple as my friends made it out to be. Before we knew it, it was getting close to midnight - so I took my leave and got the tube home. It's been a hectic two weeks, but hopefully I've settled down and am adapting to the new environment.
6) That's basically it for this edition of the blog - Happy Chinese New Year 2020 everyone! May the Year of the Rat bring much prosperity, wealth, and happiness to you. Cheers! :D
P.S. Loads of photos over the course of two weeks, painstakingly captioned and enlarged so do take a look see :)
Happy Chinese New Year 2020 from London, UK!
From l-r: Myself, Adrian, Wilson, Stephanie, Kar-Mun, Petra
Apparently I didn't get the memo to wear red XD
Tis the time for reunions and ang-pows (red packets)
Roast chicken with mash and kale :)
Fish and chips will never not be good haha
Attended the Neuroscience Careers Meeting at the Wohl Cafe
A beautiful day, looking across the River Thames
The Shard visible in the distance :)
Tower of London
Lunch menu at Som Saa Thai Restaurant, Spitalfields
Meet-up with my cousin Dr. Wilson
@ Som Saa Thai Restaurant
Nahm dtok pla thort - whole deep fried seabass with roasted rice and isaan herbs; the restaurant's signature dish was heavenly :)
Palm sugar ice-cream with caramelised banana was supremely decadent; a delight for someone with a sweet tooth
As was this sweet treat whose name I can't remember XD
Classic bubble milk tea
Another day, another trip across the River Thames
Didn't know there was an Institute of Chinese Medicine in the heart of London
The National Gallery, located in Trafalgar Square
Nelson's Column, built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson,
who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
Chinatown Gate
(which contains some traditional Qing Dynasty design elements)
Chinese New Year decorations already starting to appear :)
The "nasi lemak" at C & R Cafe Restaurant
(It looks quite authentic but if I'm really honest the sambal was quite bad - cold and pickle-ish)
This "kuey teow" felt much more authentic though
Hon Wa and myself
Mickey Mouse and I, in front of Chinatown Gate XD
The Royal School of Mines
Some board games to pass the time on a lazy Sunday
Lamb with potatoes, onions, and a solid portion of rice
Dinner at Oriental Canteen
The night lights looked wonderful on the way back
Champion Hill - one of my last days here before getting evicted
Guidelines for packing up
Just marvel at how I folded the box without tape :)
Final checks complete - now just waiting for the cab to arrive
All my bags are packed, and ready to go...
Back to just how I found it 4 months ago )':
The view outside my window
One final picture in front of my room -
B-125,
King's College Hall of Residence,
10 Champion Hill,
London
SE5 8AN
Cab driver took us to the wrong Louise House - had to point out to him to go to the one in Westminster, rather than Dullich! :D
(to the petrolheads out there, those rear air vents belong to a Mercedes-Benz E-Class; talk about travelling in style XD)
Moving in to our new accommodation - Louis House
33 Medway Street, Westminster
Channel 4 Headquarters, 124 Horseferry Road
(less than a min walk away from my residence)
The choice of street food is incredible here - from Western, Asian, Middle Eastern, Fusion, and everything in between :)
My kitchen (on the second floor)
Seafood paella was delicious! :)
My current room
Voila! My box (and luggage) has finally arrived :)
A meal deal from Tesco Express (very cheap and convenient at only £3)
Need all the oranges (金) I can get haha
Long overdue, will blog about it after I'm done :)
I now take the 185 to the IOPPN
Bus was completely empty today
Morning commute to class (little did I know BOTH lectures would be cancelled)
The Laughing Halibut - fish & chips dinner it is then
Huge fish on a huge-r bed of chips
Celebrating the Lunar New Year with lo mein noodles with chicken stir-fry
(plus a fortune cookie!)
So take more risks then? XD
Such a huge Cornish pasty for just over £1 is incredible
Meeting of the Minds 2020 - at Imperial College London
St. Jame's Park Station
Waiting for the train to come
South Kensington Station - home of the affluent
Natural History Museum
Imperial College London - venue for the Meeting of the Minds conference
Meeting of the Minds 2020 - hosted by the Imperial College Neuroscience Society
Am I My Brain?
No, I'm my brain and all the other structures of the human body
First talk of the day by Prof Giovannoni, who hails from Barts
Lunch is served!
Some of the art pieces were very detailed
Brilliant model of what I assume are neurons
Axial 3D Printing in neurosurgery talk
This 3D model of a segment of spine (showing two bullet hole penetrations) was completely recreated with a 3D printer
The green blob represents a meningioma
According to a consultant neurosurgeon, completely resectable
Very well done by one of the Imperial College students
MOTM 2020 art
Waiting for the final panellist (Professor Kate Jeffrey) to arrive
Some questions were very thought-provoking, others not as much...
Karen, Myself, and Sai - after the conference ended
The pandan doughnuts that Wilson speaks very highly of certainly lives up to its hype
Hotpot (plus wall decoration) made for perfect Chinese New Year reunion with family and friends
Mushroom/abalaone/more mushrooms dish prepared by Chef Wilson - delectable
Decadent chocolate cake
Wonderful selection of Crosstown Doughnuts
Westminster Abbey at night
