1001 Journeys

Inspire me at National Entrepreneurship Forum

2010-04-21T00:28:00.000-07:00

The Intriguing Email

It all started on Thursday, 15th April 2010. I was sitting in front of my computer, working while occasionally distracted by the temptation of Google browsing and chatting. As a staff hired by UNESCO under a project, I work temporarily and my contract ends in two weeks.

While checking my hotmail account, I noticed an email with the subject: National Entrepreneurship Forum (NEF) 2010. Hmm..what kind of forum is this. Curiously, I opened it and found out it was an email informing a seminar and workshop about entrepreneurship at the University of Indonesia, held on Friday the next day and Saturday the day after.

Having planned to set up a business once I finish with the UN project, I felt the 2-day entrepreneur programme took place just at the right time. Plus, content wise, I thought it was relevant and interesting.

At first, I wasn’t be able to attend. The seminar organized on the first day would be on Friday working day and I couldn’t take a day-off. Plus, on the second day, Saturday, I had planned to survey potential business sites with Vina and as long as there was no urgent matter, I intended to stick with our plan. Oh, well…le’ts just hope similar forum will be happening in the near future, I told myself.

Then all of a sudden, the next day I got a message through my Blackberry messenger from Vina. She asked me to postpone Saturday’s plan since she and her fiancée needed to discuss their wedding details to her family. Hhhuff…tell me something not irritating about wedding preparation. Both my brothers’ wedding preparations were nerve-wracking! I totally understood her situation. “It’s ok,” I replied her message, “we can reschedule.”

Without doubt, I set myself to go to the entrepreneur forum. Saturday’s agenda was the workshop.

An Eventful Day

I went to the workshop with Trisna and her sister, Fithri. We got to the Faculty of Economics where the venue was located at 09.40 and although I was told the workshop would start at 08.30, thankfully, it hadn’t started when we entered the auditorium.

Trisna walked towards the empty seats at the front row. Fithri followed without hesitation. They chose the very front seats at the centre part.

“Are we sitting here?” I asked uncertainly, still standing, pointing at the chairs at the front row.
“Yes,” said Fithri, who was taking a seat, “so that we can get the most value out of our money,” she added.

Hmm, good point. Why not make each cent of Rp. 60,000,- ticket price I paid worthwhile, especially when I already missed the seminar on the first day. By sitting at the front, chances are, you will tend to absorb more information or ‘forced’ to pay more attention.

The auditorium was already 60% filled and judging from the appearance, I bet most of the participants were university students…which..kind of made me feel ‘senior’ - if ‘old’ is not the proper word to describe it.

Among the speakers that day were photographer Jerry Aurum, Bambang Ifnuruddin Hidayat of Property Plus and Hendy Setiono, owner of Kebab Turki Baba Rafi. In general, their presentations talked about the nature of each business; photography and graphic design, property as being the developer and food retail. What was more interesting, they shared their good and bad experience which naturally revealed their profiles, backgrounds and stories in the early days of their business.

Jerry Aurum who opened up the presentation emphasized on getting start with your business, making trial and error and learning from the mistakes. The essence of his saying is that, we gain experience by doing things wrong. We commonly do things wrong when we start making something. So, start making it happen and begin taking lessons from your failure.

For those who are in constant doubts, his message was clear: You don’t need to wait until you’re ready. It’s ok to make mistakes. The most important thing is to start first.

For those who think about running a business while working as employee, his statement was even more obvious: Impossible. As an alternative, he advised to set a deadline. For instance, quit your job, set a one-year-period to try a business. If it doesn’t seem to go anywhere at all then go back looking for employment.

For those who face negative comments from their surrounding, he referred it as a challenge that will grow as you proceed. He gave an example. One time he got complaints from his client, a big national company. All of a sudden, the discouraging response from his mother on his choice of career years back, seemed to be nothing.

He also pointed out creativity as being different. It doesn’t take an artist to be creative. Even a person with the slightest sense of art can differentiate him/herself from others (with his/her own unusual way).

Another story Jerry shared with us is when he employed 20 staffs, but felt everything had become too stressful. As a result, he decided to focus more on doing photography, making it the cash cow for his business and on the contrary, downsize the graphic design service. At the end, there was a total cut down from 20 staffs to only 5. But, he didn’t just sack these people. Instead, he supported them to be independent as part of his social responsibility. This support must have included knowledge-sharing, which I’m sure Bambang of Property Plus couldn’t be more agree.

Bambang Ifnuruddin Hidayat obtained his Bachelor degree in textile studies and pursued a career working for a textile company. After leaving his job 12 years ago with latest salary of Rp. 25,000,000,-/ month, he embarked on a journey as property developer. His solid experience in growing the business cannot be separated by what he called ‘local wisdom’ or ‘kearifan lokal’.

The following are some essential tips from him:
- Networking and keeping in touch (silaturahmi)
- Sharing
- Make mistakes and learn from it (just as Jerry had said)
- Patience
- Look for land with favourable terms of payment – the more you can extend your payment period, the better it is
- Excellent at negotiating

I think of all the above-mentioned points, the latter is the most crucial one, particularly when it comes to convincing a landowner to release his/her valuable asset – land. I can imagine the level of trust you would need to build upon. Nevertheless, I’m sure it’s worth the effort.

He also reminded me of the art of delegation by outsourcing. In his case, he has always outsourced bureaucratic legal and administration stuffs. Save the time, avoid the fuss, focus on your main task.

The last speaker, Hendy Setiono, is 26 years old, yet he has won several awards in entrepreneurship nation-wide and in Asia-Pacific. His initial business was Kebab Turki Baba Rafi which he started 7 years ago when he was 19.

He quoted a research done by Action Coach which shows that 80% of business fails between the first year until 5th year, making only 20% succeeds. But, from this 20%, only 20% of it continues to survive until year 10. This fact shows that business indeed takes hard work, planning and commitment, which underlines Hendy’s statement that there is no such thing as side-business (bisnis sampingan/ sambilan). I suppose what he said is parallel to what our first speaker said that it is impossible being an employee and running a business at the same time. Business is about focus. Business is about being consistent.

In addition to this, Hendy quoted Sandiaga Uno’s 5 factor to be successful entrepreneur:
- Passionate
- Creative
- Dedication
- Believe
- Grateful

One of Hendy’s food businesses, Ayam Bakar Mas Mono was originally traditional food stall he found in Tebet area. He transformed the traditional management into professional management which eventually elevates the brand.

He believes that the stronger a brand, the more premium the price. This is called brand value. Still, brand value is something you may want to consider at the later stage of your business. Prior to that, developing the system is the element you need to think at the early phase. Most business starts off their operation manually, which is ok. But, as you progress and competition gets more intense, it’s a sign to change the traditional management into professional management. Here are his suggestions on how to do it:

Traditional Management VS Professional Management:
- Learn something new everyday
- The bigger the opponent, the greater the hero (consider our competitors as motivation to be more competitive and creative)
- Put a great team behind you (leaders do things that staffs don’t do, for instance: concept, market research, planning to expand the market, adding outlets, etc)
- Be bankable

Pave My Way

This kind of workshop, I can tell, is not the first I’ve ever had. When I was in Glasgow I went to a young entrepreneurship workshop held at SECC with Ika and Lulu. The speakers were successful Scottish entrepreneurs, like Charan Gil (owner of Indian chain restaurant, Ashoka), Michelle Mone (who ran lingerie business), one guy who made a fortune from media business and a young man who operated catering company and whom Ika once worked for as freelance staff. It was very inspiring and I remember having this ‘bubbly’ feeling when the workshop finished.

Now, after yesterday’s workshop, I also have ‘light’ feeling, but somehow it’s different from the one I had. The thing is, I joined the workshop in Glasgow 3 years ago before starting the soap business. This time, I came to the forum after having the experience of running a soap business. Consequently, I can relate bits and pieces of what they said with my own story. Some of the shared experience is relevant to my own experience, although they are success stories, while mine is not even a profitable one :P.

When Jerry Aurum suggested taking a full year to do business, I thought to myself, I’ve been there, done that. I did the soap business for a year after leaving my job at a nation-wide retail group. When the soap business turned up to be a loss, I began applying for jobs again. Now, after working for nearly 9 months, my conscience sort of pushes me again to give another shot and launch another business venture. I would do more sharing and delegating, too as I should have done in the past.

This self-reflection gives me some sort of confidence. I think the lessons learned have never been so real especially on how to measure, take logical action, do things better and be committed. Indirectly, it has paved my way to carry out more realistic business steps, not just relying on mere dream and hope.

Choose UK

2009-09-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

If you were given a chance to study abroad, where would it be?

To an Indonesian, Australia may be an interesting place because of is close proximity. USA being somewhat the centre of the world can be exhilarating and little things in the Netherlands can somehow make you feel like home (after all, it’s the only place in Europe where you can find ‘Kerupuk Udang Sidoarjo’ written right on your prawn crackers’ plastic packaging).

However, I’ve got my own reasons and motivation to choose UK as a place to study. Despite the presence of American influence which have been going on around me ever since I was a kid- from American music, Hollywood movies, (fast)food to NBA matches - for me, the British influence has always stood out.

Top: London Bridge, the prominent British icon, taken on a visit to London, 2006

My first encounter with the British culture is its language which I first learned when I was 6 years old. My parents enrolled me to an English course near our house but it wasn’t until I was sent to a larger language centre that I really got to know more about UK than just the language.

There, we were taught English - the British way - by native speakers from England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. These teachers showed us how to pronounce words in proper British English. Also, through reading and writing materials, we were introduced to city names like Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, Scarborough, Edinburgh, Bristol (along with the River Avon) as well as things like Double Decker, typical English policemen, fish and chips and one that sounded really weird to me – betting shops.

Overtime I’ve become fascinated not only with the language (with its complex grammar and unique accent), but also with the cultural knowledge I learned.

Then after that comes the music. My father was a big fan of The Beatles. Back in mid 80’s, he played The Beatles cassettes in our living room so often that my brothers and I eventually became fans as well. Maybe we were too young (we were still in primary school and frankly, this made us look a little bit old fashioned), but we thought their music was so cool and started collecting the cassettes, put their posters on our bedroom wall and even bought their videos (DVD wasn't invented yet).

Growing up, British music continued to flow in as my uncle introduced me to the sound of The Police, with Sting’s notable voice. Plus, I started listening to Queen.

Later on, during high school came the era of British Invasion with its so-called Britpop. It was the music trend amongst boys and girls in mid 90’s and I particularly couldn’t resist being a huge enthusiast of Oasis, Suede, Pulp, Blur, and Radiohead. Friends who played in bands started to play Britpop songs and those taking part as lead vocals copied Britpop singing style when they performed.

Top: Me, while in junior high, proudly showing The Beatles poster on my wall

After the era, influential bands such as Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Keane and Kaiser Chiefs continue to flourish and the trend doesn’t seem to end anytime soon. I guess it’s the strong British pop culture that remains and will always live. I have often wondered, perhaps if I am lucky, I might be able to see my favourite bands perform live in the UK.

But anyway, aside from this personal experience, UK education itself offers outstanding qualification. Recently, I came across a list of 200 Best Universities 2007 on Campus Asia magazine. It was ranked by Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) based on criteria such as research findings, academic and management practices, international students and international staffs. The latter is considered as one way of skills and knowledge transfer that can help prepare students to compete globally.

Both Oxford and Cambridge University rank number 2 and 3 behind Harvard. UK universities which confirm their position in the top 10 are Imperial College London and University College London. Whilst University of Edinburgh, University of Manchester, London School of Economics, University of Birmingham and many other UK universities dominate the list which indicates the reputable status of higher education in the UK.

With all this in mind, I wouldn’t think twice to make my decision. UK is definitely the place to be. It’s the only place where I can benefit from its well-established education system and at the same time fulfill my childhood and teenage thirst of British bits.

My Adaptation Period in the UK: Getting to Know Strathclyde and Glasgow

2009-09-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

Just like we react to changes, most of us tend to adjust ourselves with the rules, culture and norms of the place where we move into. During the early months I spent in the UK, adapting became my main agenda, and as I was there to study, adapting with the education and academic life was one main priority.

I was a student of the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, pursuing a Master degree. Although I did not have any significant problem in following lectures or understanding reading materials, I did find it much harder to get outstanding results.

I once got a chance to discuss it with my professor. I asked her about what the grading system was like and what I could do to improve my works. From this meeting, I learned about the grading system in my university which, according to her, was also commonly used in other UK universities. All I can say is that UK education has strict rules in giving out marks. My professor also said some students who came from outside the UK and were not used to this grading system took this fact in a surprise and got disappointed after seeing their scores, yet the scores were actually not as bad as they seemed.

-Top: In front of Glasgow Catherdral-

I was also required to apply the reference method acceptable in my university (and most probably in other UK universities), the Harvard referencing. Plagiarism is a serious issue that cannot be tolerated. If you fail to put reference of your quotation or do not follow the Harvard referencing accurately, you could severely loose points and be accused of committing plagiarism. This may lead to notification from the university (oral or written) and even termination of your study.

Outside academic life, getting used to the weather was an interesting experience. I arrived in Glasgow in September, which was autumn at the time, but it was already felt like winter. Rain and heavy wind seemed to be daily routine and you could spot broken umbrellas lying on the streets here and there. Faced with this kind of weather and anticipating for the winter to come, I worked out that the best outfit to wear in order to stay dry and comfortable was waterproof jacket with some fur in the inside part and an attached hood. The jacket I bought in sport clothing and equipment store was not exactly a fashionable one, to be honest. Still, it was enough to adjust myself with the cold, wet and windy weather in the following months to come.

I found the people of Glasgow (the Glaswegians or Weegies) as friendly, outgoing and love to party. They are also very proud of being Scottish and certainly do not want to be called English. Some even mind to be called British, which was quite confusing to me, since Scotland is part of Great Britain, isn’t it? Later on when I learned more about their history, I became more aware of it.

Yet, on top of everything, the best part of my cultural adaptation was to understand Glaswegian accent. If you have watched the movie Trainspotting, then you would know what I mean. The accent is so unique that it even sounds differently from other Scottish accents (say, the accent from Edinburgh and the Highlands). Some Glaswegians speak with thick accent that even English native speakers from other regions, like my flatmate from London, could not understand a single word they say.

-Top: With flatmate Lulu, at The Armadillo, Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre-

One time, I was at the university’s accommodation office and I overheard an American student complaining, saying that he had chosen an English speaking country as a place to study yet he could not get what the local staff was saying. I too, was overwhelmed by their accent. I had heard about how difficult it could be before arriving there, but not until I heard it myself that I understood what it was all about.

However, as the old saying, practice makes perfect. So, I tried to make conversation as often as possible with the locals. By doing so, I gradually picked up a wee bit of their accent along with the intonation. At first I felt so funny listening to myself when the accent came out naturally of my mouth, but then again it was a sign of cultural influence, aye?

Bagpipe, Kilt & Ceilidh

2009-05-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

Bagpipe and Kilt

The first thing that pops into your head when you think of Scotland most likely would be an image of a Scotsman wearing a tartan kilt playing the traditional instrument, bagpipe. Well, this whole package can actually be spotted in Scotland’s main cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Whether outside shopping malls, next to a museum, at the city centre, in the old town area or simply randomly on a corner of a street. If the time is right, you can even catch a festival or perhaps a more formal stage performance. I was lucky enough to catch Glasgow International Piping Festivals with participants coming from around the world.

Generally, I have found those who are able to play bagpipe come from all sorts of people: teenagers, adults, professional artists, street musicians or even students. Combining the sound of bagpipe with other indigenous musical instruments is always possible, just like the street performance I watched of a man playing a bagpipe collaborated with African musicians playing tambourines. What a mix of culture.

Hardly inseparable with bagpipe, there is the Scottish tartan kilt. Tartan kilt is originally worn by Scottish men from the Highlands and each motive represents a clan. But this certainly does not restrict people from other countries from wearing them. Some even add their own style. At Glasgow International Piping Festivals, I saw a group of participants from India (or maybe Pakistan) wearing long hats, trousers (instead of kilts) and tartan motive robes.

I guess bagpipe and kilt have gone through cross cultural scheme that one can always create a unique blend of Scottish and other adopted culture.

One thing you may want to remember, never say a kilt is a skirt. Although that’s the meaning you’d find in dictionary, I got snapped at by a Scottish friend by replacing the word ‘kilt’ to ‘skirt’ in one conversation. He responded in sharp voice, “It’s not skirt”. Oops...

Ceilidh

Ceilidh (read: kay-lee), the traditional Scottish dance is one good example of how the Scottish celebrate togetherness, joy and happiness. The dance is performed by a group of people and everyone (including you!) can join. Don’t worry about how to do it, because most of the time, an instructor will lead and guide the moves and all you have to do is let your hands, body and feet go with the rhythm and the rest, just enjoy the cheerful beats of the Scottish music.

The moves are not just enjoyable to do but also to see. Often the dance requires an equal number of ladies and gentlemen to become couples, so that everyone has the chance to move around and change couple. There is also one part of the dance I remember in particular where couples stand opposite each other and place their hands together forming a tunnel, and then each couple takes turn to go through inside the tunnel rapidly. Another part is where everyone makes a circle and one female and a male dance inside the circle, then go back to their place and followed by those standing next to the previous performers.

While Ceilidh is especially held during festive moments (it is also a must-do at Burns Night, the night where Scottish commemorate the great poetry, Robert Burns), you can join the dance at the local bars when they have special events. I did the dance 3 times: with classmates and other students from the same faculty at the annual faculty ball, with other international students at an on-campus bar called Todd’s Bar and with the locals celebrating Burns Night at a friend’s house in Dunkeld.

Each one has left me with wonderful experience. It’s just so excited when you get yourself immerse with the local culture.

Road Trip to Highlands

2009-05-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

The natural beauty of Highlands takes you to the tranquility of its sparkling lakes, mountainous landscape and arrays of leaves and trees. If you have enough time to explore Scotland, then going up to the Highlands is definitely a must.

The Initial Trip

My first journey to Highlands was in winter 2005 and I did another trip in summer 2006. So, I was lucky enough to see the pristine nature both covered with snow as well as lightened by sunshine. However, it was the first journey that really got me, due to 2 reasons. Firstly, it was a rather spontaneous road trip, whereas the second journey saw me going on an organised one-day tour. Secondly, with good companions it turned out to be one of the most memorable moments I had in Scotland.

There were 5 of us, joined by 3 friends who came all the way from London by bus and arrived in Glasgow the night before we set off. One friend had arranged renting a van from Arnold Clark. He and I had also made a reservation at a hostel in Isle of Skye after looking for information at Glasgow Tourist Office. Other friends had bought food and drinks from Tesco for our supplies, and that surely included bread and instant noodle!

As it was approaching end of year 2005, celebrating New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh was also part of the plan. Briefly, this was our itinerary:

Friday, 30/12/05	Glasgow – Loch Lomond – Fort William – Isle of Skye – Stay overnight in Portree
Saturday, 31/12/05	Portree – Tour around the island for a wee bit – Inverness – Loch Ness – Edinburgh
Sunday, 01/01/06	Leave Edinburgh at around 2 am, expect to be back in Glasgow at 4 am

Winter Wonderland

Friday morning at 8, a green van picked me and the other 2 girls up at my flat. It was our friends, 4 guys and a girl all set to explore the long road to Highlands. We were heading north to our first destination, Loch Lomond (loch is lake in Gaelic, the indigenous Scottish language). Loch Lomond is the largest lake not only in Scotland, but also in mainland Britain and presumably the most famous after Loch Ness. It is considerably close to Glasgow (32 km away) and I am pretty sure it should have more visitors during other times of the year.

We parked at a rest area where there was a restaurant that was also a hotel, and found ourselves looking into a vast white ground just opposite us. It could just be an ordinary playground, but since it had snowed the day before, it turned out to be a snowy field and it seemed like it was laid there deliberately for us. We were all originally South East Asians, making the view undoubtedly a rare thing for us to experience. We were so thrilled and soon found ourselves playing and throwing snow balls at each other.

The excitement must end, however, as we realised we still had a long way to go. But we knew the best has yet to come. Before leaving, we did not forget to take some pictures with the white snow and shiny lake as the background. Pieces of souvenir from the winter wonderland.

Welcome to Highlands

Loch Lomond is like an indirect border of Highlands. You could see mountains slowly coming up to greet you as you go along and before you know it you have reached the Southern part of Highlands. The lake which stretches for 35 km, also offered us spectacular view from our window over and over before it finally disappeared from our sight.

Gradually, the scenery character changed into grey-coloured mountains covered with snow. Lush trees still showed their green leaves while some others on the lower ground were mere trunks and branches, resting and waiting for another season to grow. Hills were emerging from behind forests.

We told our friend who was driving to drive cautiously as the winter weather had left the road to be slippery with the remains of snow. The continuous rain, although not heavy, added another case to be careful with.

We kept on going until we arrived in a little town called Fort William. It is known as a base for those who want to go mountain-climbing or hiking. It was a good place for us to stop, especially when we had not had proper lunch. When we got there it was 3 in the afternoon, but it already looked like 5 o’clock (winter made the day shorter). After parking the car, we walked and searched for a restaurant which was quite an easy task as there was a line of eating places. We picked one with a nice interior and warm atmosphere, offering competitive price. Despite of the cold weather outside, the late lunch felt like a luxury in our long journey.

When we finished with our meals and after-lunch chat, we thought a little walk to see more of the town would be nice. It was getting dark and we ended up dropping in on a souvenir shop not far from across the road. I remember buying a set of playing cards with red and green tartan motive on the back side of the cards. It might just be something made in China. Still, it would remind me of our moment in Fort William. As part of our ritual, we took some more pictures of us near the parking lot, by a lake with the evening sky falling over behind us.

Our next destination was Isle of Sky, Scotland’s biggest island.

Towards Skye

We were now passing through the dark and there was not much to see along the way. Instead of getting numb, we made our own lively scene by throwing jokes, playing riddle and singing silly songs. The only object that drew our attention was Eilean Donan Castle which was shined with lights like a glitter amidst the night. The castle which is located on a small island has a stone-arched bridge linking it with the mainland.

Isle of Skye or the ‘Cloud Island’ is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scotland thanks to the breathtaking scenery of its stunning cliffs and mountains, shimmering lakes and extensive green fields. From mainland, we crossed Skye Bridge to get there. It was quiet and only very few cars were passing by. When we finally got to the island, we followed ‘Portree’ sign. Portree is the main town where stayed that night. I called the hostel and told the guy we had reached the island and that we were on our way to Portree. He suggested ringing him back once we arrived in town, and that was exactly what I did.

He gave us direction to the hostel but we still could not find it. We told him our location and he politely asked us to stop where we were because he would come to us. The tall, blonde, rather big guy who appeared to be the owner, waved his hand on a corner of a street not too far from where we stopped and led us to the hostel.

Bayfield Backpackers

Bayfield Backpackers was a modernly designed hostel and it looked as if it was newly built. We had booked 2 rooms (1 for the boys and 1 for the girls), each with 2 double deck beds. The shared shower rooms were clean and neat. I found it very comfortable and was the first to take a shower, while the others were in the kitchen lounge, relaxing. The spacious dining area had long tables, resembling a school canteen. The fully equipped kitchen was big enough to facilitate 3-4 people to use it at the same time. I think the £ 12 pounds a night per person was worth it.

The next morning, with 8 people in our team, we dominated the kitchen and dining area while there was only another guest who was making a toast. Our breakfast menu was instant fried noodle and bread. One friend who came from London was amazed by how we could arrange the meal at the start of the day. He said normally when he went backpacking he just grabbed a toast and munched it as he went off. In this case, I have similar travel behaviour as his. But when it comes to more than 3 people in a group, then one must be flexible with his/her habit.

Discover the Beauty

We left Bayfield Backpackers, ready to travel around the island. The morning chill and mist along with the wet weather did not demotivate us to discover Skye. We started off by going up north. The magnificent landscape boasted hills and mountains and occasionally islets separated by small lakes. The silence of Skye was accompanied by the sparsely located houses. All too often there were towering cliffs and rocks, and we could not help noticing a few sheep here and there.

We stopped at one particular spot, which could be purposely made for scenery-sighting. Overlooking a clear, blue lake, we were overwhelmed by the mist and puffs of clouds above the water, reflecting colours of white, blue and grey. Now, we know why it is called Isle of Skye.

There was also a waterfall below left from where we stood. The water ran down along the cliffs and splashed when it touched solid rocks at the bottom, before making its way to the lake. So beautiful.

It was time to head back to mainland. We drove down to Portree and discovered the town’s pretty harbor which must had been missed out when we passed through it the night before. We stopped for a while and enjoyed it for a wee bit before continuing our route.

The journey from Isle of Skye to Inverness gave us a string of unspoiled nature consisting of forests forming a fine shape leading to hills, crystal clear reflection of mountains on the surface of a lake and snow from 2 days ago that still remained untouched. At one rest area we stopped, there was a tiny frozen lake surrounded by snow. We thought it was really cool and had our picture taken with the glacial lake.

Inverness and Loch Ness

We eventually arrived in Highlands’ main city, Inverness. It was the first time we found considerably lively site in Highlands. Aside from filling the gas, we also looked for a place to eat and got ourselves fish and chips at a small restaurant near the gas station.

After that, we went off again and looked no further for the ‘Loch Ness’ road sign. Winter shortened the day and the evening came earlier than usual. As we caught the sight of the deep, narrow Loch Ness, the sky was getting dark, mist was drifting far on the other side of the lake. We got out of the car. Cold and chilly. Most trees had lost their leaves and simply looked dead. We could sense the mysterious mood sweeping in. Was the monster there? We never knew.

Nevertheless, we were there for fun and fun was what we had. We made silly shocking-look and posed, pretending we had spotted Nessie and got it all photographed. We also found a sign nearby with the words ‘Loch Ness’ written on it. We used it as proof that we had been to the legendary lake by taking our picture with the sign.

Done with the fun and foolish acts, we moved further down towards the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, to spend New Year’s Eve.

Every year Edinburgh hosts a street festival known as Hogmanay to celebrate New Year. It goes along Princess Street right at the city centre. I heard the festival is one of the biggest New Year parties around Europe (perhaps, apart from London and Paris?) and pulls thousands of visitors every year.

Hogmanay

We parked the car and walked down to Princess Street. When we came to one end of the main party area, it was still quite early. To get into the main party area, we should have tickets that actually had been sold widely on the internet months before. To tell the truth, none of us had got it. In fact, it was not really well-planned that we were discussing whether to celebrate outside the main area (as it was crowded as well) or to buy tickets from those sellers wandering around offering last-minute tickets. I could imagine the disappointment of the Londoners, not having to see the real celebration, and to be honest, I too, was very much keen on getting in.

A few other friends who were joining us from Glasgow were also thinking of going to the main area. So, finally, we decided to go in. A friend who had been approached twice by a ticket seller made a bargain and purchased the tickets – 12 of them.

The main party area was tremendously packed. In one part we even got stuck by the traffic of people. Now, I understood the meaning of Hogmanay being the largest New Year’s party scene in Europe.

Loud music of top 40 songs was banging, decorative lights shined brightly and they even put a wheel like that of London Eye, only this one was smaller.
We settled at one spot where we could have better view of the fantastic fireworks. Edinburgh Castle was far away above the opposite side of us. Then the countdown began…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year! We congratulated and hugged each other. It was a lovely night and we had such a great time.

Back to Glasgow

At 1.30 we drove back to Glasgow. I could not resist the tiredness and fell asleep. It was then 3 in the morning when I got to my flat.

It was a fabulous journey. A compilation of natural sight-seeing, wonderful winter moments and joyful companions even with friends who joined us later in Edinburgh (some of us even just met that night).

Memory that will surely remain for years to come.

A Glimpse of Glasgow

2009-04-27T21:40:00.001-07:00

I would never see Glasgow like I see any other cities in the world. I stayed in this biggest city in Scotland from mid September 2005 until beginning of March 2007, and there, I had one of the most tremendous times of my life. The culture, the people, the food and the unforgettable Ceilidh dance.

The name Glasgow itself comes from the word Glas-Cu meaning 'dear green place'. In AD 453 St. Kentigern or St. Mungo ('dear one') built a wooden church on the site of where Glasgow Cathedral now stands. The area gradually grew larger and St. Mungo became the patron saint of the city.

Top: Glasgow from my window on one snowy night

As a post-industrial city, today's Glasgow has transformed its image from rough labour living into lively cultural city. Glasgow is a vibrant city with great restaurants, cafes, pubs, clubs and shops selling international as well as local brands. The friendly, outgoing Glaswegians (or 'Weegies') would also be more than happy to help you whenever you get lost and tell you more about the city (just make sure you pay enough attention when they speak, as the accent can be a whole new English language to your ears!-at least that's what I thought).

Getting into the city centre and you would instantly know this is a Victiorian city. High-street buildings from banks, post office, government and private offices, shops, hotels and cafes can be as far as 100 years old, designed in Victorian architectural style. Glasgow is also proud of its Art-Nouveau outlined by the brilliant architect, artist and designer Charles Rennie MacIntosh whose works can be seen at the Glasgow School of Art, the Willow Tea Rooms and the beautiful House for an Art Lover. For a more ancient feature, Glasgow has Provand's Lordship, where you can witness an example of a dwelling house back in the 15^th century.

With all the exciting things, it is not surprising that the city is shifting tourists' attention from just visiting Edinburgh to including Glasgow on the list. This is deservedly so, as Glasgow has turned into a fascinating tourist destination.

I sum up 9 visitor attractions worth visiting. Here they are:

The Hub of the City Centre

George Square

George Square is a good starting point for exploring the city. It is perfectly located North of Argyle Street, East of Buchanan Street and West of Merchant Square, all three are the main points for shopping and dining. Moreover, if you happen to visit Glasgow by train and hop off at Queen Street Station, the square is just 2 minutes walk from the station.

At the centre of George Square stands a statue of Sir Walter Scott rising on top of a 24m-high Greek Doric column. The initial plan was to set a statue of George III (after whom the square is named) at the central part. However, due to the fall of Tobacco Lords that left the economy in turmoil, he forfeited his place of honour that was later substituted by the Scottish author.

From top: Walking in George Square on one sunny day; George Square and the City Chambers in snow; Statue of James Watt

Other statues of famous figures dotted the square namely Robert Burns (Scottish poet), Lord Clyde (British soldier, native of Glasgow), Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, but my favourite is James Watt, the inventor who refined the steam engine which led to Industrial Revolution. Tourists normally like to take their picture facing Eas, so that they can have the formidable lion statues and the glorious City Chambers as the background.

City Chambers

Built in 1880's, it took 7 years to finish this imposing building, situated just off George Square. It is arguably one of the finest civic buildings surviving 19^th century Britain. The magnificent exterior with its superb domes has appeared in many films as backdrop to replace Vatican and Kremlin. Yet the interior is more extravagant than the outside. I went inside once with a friend to attend a seminar held in one of the conference rooms, and instead of listening to the speakers, I ended up admiring the interior over and over.

Top: The magnificent City Chambers.

Right: The Chambers with Christmas lights and decorations

It has grand staircases, Italian marble, nicely colourful Venetian mosaic and lines of columns…for a person coming from Asia like me, the ambience is just so…European. Highly recommended for a visit.

Discovering Medieval Glasgow

Glasgow Cathedral

The present form of the building dating back from 15^th century and it is the only cathedral to have survived the ravages of the 1560 Protestant Reformation in Scotland. It is an awe inspiring place, with its darkened stone casting a gothic shadow over the beautifully landscaped Cathedral precinct, which actually was used for burning witches and heretics. On the other end, you can see the Necropolis, a garden cemetery, set as the background of the cathedral.

Top: Glasgow Cathedral with Necropolis far right

Popping your head into the cathedral, then you will see the dark interior. Not quite a pleasant feeling when I entered though, as the atmosphere made me shivering a bit. Still, it is an unusual experience. You might as well find St. Mungo's tomb if you decide to walk further inside.

Provand's Lordship

Provand's Lordship is the oldest surviving house in Glasgow built in 1471 where you can discover a piece of Scottish medieval history. The house is part of the Cathedral complex, you can just cross the Castle Street once you finish with the cathedral.

While buildings surrounding the cathedral fell into ruin, one remnant has survived despite the extensive demolition and redevelopment programmes in the area over the past hundred years. This ancient monument used to serve a variety of purposes from a manse, an alehouse and even a sweet shop.

It is close to where I lived that I did not bother to visit it until a few days before moving to the West End.

Top: The medieval kitchen inside Provand’s Lordship

Getting into the house gives you the authentic feeling of the living history. The ceilings and doorway are so low that a friend kept wondering about how small the people could be in medieval times, or perhaps that was just a trend at the time?

The wooden table and chairs in the dining room are like the ones you see in Robin Hood movie, and the fireplace reminds you of the fairy tale flicks like Narnia or the Lord of the Rings. On the upper floor there is a bedroom where they put a mannequin of a priest sitting on a chair and you could hear religious music from the room. It could be a representation of the chaplain who was a resident here.

Apart from examining the interior, you can also learn more about Glasgow and the people from the stories displayed. This includes the city's street characters in the 19^th century and some images of the city during Victorian era.

Take the exit door at the back and enjoy the tranquility of St. Nicholas Garden.

Top: St. Nicholas Garden

Thirst for Art

GOMA

Just a block South West down George Square, stands a popular site for contemporary arts, the Gallery of Modern Art or GOMA. It displays modern art works ranging from painting, sculptures, installation depicting social issues from worldwide artists. Downstairs there is a café and library where you can lend books, use the free internet access and multimedia.

The building itself is an eye-catching icon of an 1827 mansion with its grand portico of columns. It used to be mansion of a Tobacco Lord before taken over by Royal Bank of Scotland.

Top: GOMA cheering up during festive season

Later on it served as Royal Exchange, then a public library before transformed into GOMA.

The tight square surrounding the building is known as Royal Exchange Square and is home to terraced cafes there you can sip a cup of cappuccino and feel the nice weather during summer (only sunny summer days, of course, as the weather can be unpredictable even in summer).

Outside the gallery, you cannot miss looking at the statue of Wellington which often has a traffic cone placed on top of his head. First time I saw it I thought it was funny and took a picture of it. But as I became used to it for months to come, it turned out to be more like a regular view.

However, for tourists, who do not see it as often, it is considered memorable feature and some souvenir postcards even has the picture on it.

Top Right: Wellington outside GOMA

House for an Art Lover

Charles Rennie MacIntosh, Scotland's most renowned architect, artist & designer sketched the House for an Art Lover in 1901 as an entry to a competition run by German magazine. His works were not celebrated during his lifetime and failed to achieve credit he was so richly deserved, mainly because his genius was ahead of his time. Today, MacIntosh's distinctive Art Nouveau style is highly praised and yields a great interest and demand.

The construction of the house took place long after his death, started in 1989 and accomplished in 1996. The permanent exhibition comprises of decorative furnished rooms. Amongst them, there are three that I like the most. The Oval Room which is oval in shape, the Dining Room with its fireplace and rose motif wall, and the dazzling white Music Room with round bow windows and an ornate piano at one end played regularly for music recitals.

Top: The lovely House for an Art Lover; Below: The wonderfully decorated Music Room

All three rooms have typically high-back chairs, the characteristic of MacIntosh's masterpiece. Changing art exhibitions by gifted Scottish artists are also held regularly and the house functions as part of Glasgow School of Art.

This white-walled country house is beautifully situated within Bellahouston Park, creating a picturesque setting for a day out. It is also available for private celebrations, like weddings and private parties. Sadly I could not afford to use it as a venue for any of memorable events with friends =(

Must-Visit Museums

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Moving on to museums, we have Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, located on the banks of River Kelvin. Internationally renowned for the quality of its international art collection works by major impressionists, Dutch, French and Italian Renaissance artists. It also exhibits history of wildlife, ancient Egypt (look out for the mummy!), pre-historic life (a 4m Ceratosaur welcomes you), awesome weapons, remarkable suits of armour, and other interesting variety of objects. The permanent collection is augmented by an array of temporary exhibitions.

Top: Friends are just too excited to visit the museum =); Below: The wildlife in Kelvingrove

Top: Living predator?

Below right: Kelvingrove Park

The building itself is also of particularly note. A large richly ornamented and impressive red sandstone monument opened in 1901. You can also see the sight of Glasgow University and its gothic tower which is sited not far from the gallery. Don't forget to take a stroll along the lushly green Kelvingrove Park once you exit the museum.
I spent 5 months living in the West End, in an area called Yorkhill which is just across the gallery. In fact, the bus stop in front of the gallery is my daily spot for going to and back from the city centre.

People's Palace

Built in 1889, the museum shows a well-documented history of the people and the city from 1750 until now. It has interactive and creative displays, such as World War II air raid and an example of slightly 'vintage' kitchen set. Another unique object that you can't miss (cause they are so remarkably yellow) are Billy Connoly's quirky banana boots!

Top: Welcome to People’s Palace

Below: The big and beautiful Doulton Fountain

When I went there they were having a temporary photo exhibition of Glasgow in 1955, very interesting to see all the major changes the city has gone through in the past 50 years. Next to the museum is the Winter gardens, one of the largest glasshouse in Europe which contains blossoming tropical plants. I don't know why they call it Winter, but it certainly is not freezing in there. A café is located within the garden so you can relax while enjoying a cup of tea in the green.

Outside the museum there is Doulton Fountain, a magnificent fountain providing a great spot for a memorable photo.

Both People's Palace and Doulton Fountain are situated on Glasgow Green, a vast public park (also the oldest in Glasgow) which is a site of annual fair, festivals, entertainment & sport.

Top: Enjoy the green at Winter Garden

Football Fanatics

Scottish Football Museum

Relive the games. Go to the Southside and visit Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park, the home of Scottish National Team. Not only you can appreciate the long history of the game in Scotland by getting to know more about the local teams, namely Celtic, Rangers, Partic, Thistle, but also the breakthrough of Scottish National Team in international matches.

Get excited with the impressive memorabilia, match tickets, caps, jackets, hall of fame and some inspiring stories of Scottish football players. Get some nice souvenirs at the shop (I got myself a jacket and a scarf).

Top: the way to the stadium

Right: The home of Scottish National Team

A tour of the stadium is worth it if you are really obsessed with football. In that case, also test your footballing skills by attempting to score a goal.