This blog is a medium to share and to archive the memories of my travels around the world, interior decoration works, photographic images and cooking recipes. Other than sharing, it is hope that this blog would spark some colourful ideas to some of the people out there. You are welcome to comment, advice and share your experience here too. Have a nice day!
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Edinburgh.....the Capital City of Scotland
Hollyrood Park, Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat
This post will introduce you to Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. When I was in Scotland, I used to visit this historical rich city at least once every year, just to run away from the busy Glasgow. Edinburgh is located at a region of iconic landmarks known as the Lothians. What are the interesting places to visit or to do here?
Edinburgh Castle and the main entrance
A must see attraction is the Edinburgh Castle, one of Scotland's most iconic attractions, sits on its own volcanic rock at the top of the Royal Mile. It was the mighty fortification and favoured residence of Scotland’s kings and queens. The Royal Palace located inside the castle was created in 1617 in honour of James VI. The real Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny are kept in the Crown Room. Since 1861 at 1 p.m. daily, watch and listen at the One O'clock Gun fire. Admission fee for the castle is about GBP 14.50 to 16.00 (RM71 to 78) depending on season.
The Royal Mile
Next, why not leisurely stroll down the Royal Mile? The Royal Mile is the main road of Edinburgh's Old Town that runs from the Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Most of the museums are located near this route. While strolling down, observed the building surrounding and feel the historical vibration. John Knox's House, the oldest Royal Mile mansion is also located somewhere near the middle of the stretch.
The museums; the People Story, the Writers' Museum and John Knox's House
Running off at right angles in a fishbone pattern along the Royal Mile is a unique collection of closes, vennels and wynds. These relatively small but bustling passageways gave access to the many dwellings, businesses and spaces which lay behind the Mile. At the bottom of the Royal Mile take the opportunity to see inside the Scottish Parliament on a free tour.
The closes
Afterwards, if you’re feeling up to the challenge, climb to the craggy top of Arthur’s Seat for dramatic views of the city below. If you still have the energy and MOTIVATION, then climb to Calton Hill, set right in the city centre. It is unmistakable with its Athenian acropolis poking above the skyline. The acropolis is in fact an unfinished monument - originally called the "National Monument". Initiated in 1816, a year after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, it was meant to be a replica of the Parthenon in Athens, as a memorial to those who had died in the Napoleonic Wars.
The National Monument on Calton Hill
The top of Calton hill is a usually quiet place to come on any day, with its grassy slopes and panoramic views of the city. From here you will have a good view of the ruddy-coloured cliffs of Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat, and the undulating slopes of Holyrood Park. There are two observatories on the hill, the Old Observatory House and the City Observatory. Also of interest is Nelson's Monument which has a famous timeball mechanism by which ships used to set their chronometres.
The Museum of Edinburgh
Edinburgh has plenty of fantastic museums and most come without paying admission. Try spend your time exploring the vast collections of the National Museum of Scotland or learn about the history of the capital at the Museum of Edinburgh. Just stop by the Writers’ Museum celebrates the lives of three great Scottish writers such as Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. Then view masterpieces by the Impressionists and Dutch Masters in the Scottish National Gallery, or see portraits of the country’s most iconic figures in National Portrait Gallery.
The Monument of Sir Walter Scot....the great writer
The Queen's Gallery and the Old Town of Edinbvrgh
Princes Garden and Princes Street
A poem by Robert Burns....in Scottish accent
Although Scotland is very glummy, I still miss Scotland very very much!
What to do if a ready made furniture is not able to fit in the space that is available? Your choice will be either build a customised furniture or hacking a furniture for a different purpose. Hacking a furniture will cut almost 70% of the work required to build a customised furniture from zero. Here, I share a step-by-step process on one of my DIY weekend projects converting bedside table to portable wash-stand. What will be required for this project? Tools (e.g. saw, metal ruler, hand drill), sand paper and brushes for wood work, base furniture to be hacked, water-resistant paint and metal knob. STEP 1. Get some ideas on the design and materials by visiting several furniture galleries/shops. For example here, the idea was from an IKEA wash basin base cabinet, Lillangen. The material mainly particleboard, which might not be that suitable for Malaysian humidity and bathroom practice. For that reason, I choose solid wood material the project. The dimension of the IKEA cab
Too dark or too bright.....this is due to poor exposure of the sensor to light. Is it a problem if my photo is too dark or too bright? May be yes and may be no, depends on what you want in your image. If the photo is too dark (underexposed), you will loss the detail of the shadow. If the photo is too bright (overexposed), you will loss the texture of the cloud and sky. Exposure is a combination of two fundamental settings: the aperture opening and the shutter speed. Aperture opening is the function in your lens and the shutter speed is the function in your camera. Optimal exposure can be achieved with many combinations of aperture opening size and the shutter speed, BUT each combination will have differences in depth of focus, motion blur and etc. How this exposure can be controlled? The answer is by having a good understanding of the combination of aperture and shutter speed. Shallow depth of focus, focus point was on the middle broccoli, focal length of 50 mm, large aperture ope
The scone baking project was to fulfill the weekend afternoon, and not because of the "doughnut story".....hihihi. Here I share the basic scone recipe. As I have mentioned earlier "Now everyone can bake", as such the recipe is easy to follow. Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 1 egg (medium) beaten with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 cup whole milk 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1:1 ratio of egg:milk wash Method: Pre-heat the oven to 180-200C. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (photo 2) and then follow by the egg and vanilla. Add in the milk slowly to form a firm soft dough that can be roll out. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add in the dried cranberries and raisins. Roll out the dough on floured surface to 2 cm thickness. Using a 5 cm round scone cu
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