kenwooi.com

Mar 20 2010

Cheers To Liverpool

Before anyone misinterprets the title, it’s actually cheers to the city – not the football club alright?

this is liverpool anfield

But admittedly, I did go for the stadium tour at Anfield – however that’s gonna be on another entry.

Here’s one interesting fact – when you thank someone in Liverpool, say “Cheers” instead of “Thank you”. The Liverpudlians rarely say “Thank you”.

Okay, so I was at Liverpool as well – where its famous icon is a lamb.

liverpool super lamb banana

A lamb called Super Lamb Banana. What a name right?

Actually, there are many of them – in different versions. There is one with beard and glasses drawn to depict Liverpool Football Club’s manager.

super lamb banana benitez baa-nitez

They call it Baa-nitez! Baaaaa!

Besides that, the city even has weird decorations around, like this…

liverpool junk

Old cases stacked together, forming a pile of… junks? More of a decoration I guess.

liverpool mac junk

And among that pile, there is a old Mac case as well. Is that what they used to keep Macbooks in the olden days? I don’t know lah.

Anyway, here are some pictures taken of certain places in Liverpool.

liverpool st. george's hall

St. George’s Hall.

liverpool cathedral

The Liverpool Cathedral. It’s really one huge structure and it can be seen from almost every part of the city. Unfortunately there was a thick fog when I was around.

liverpool cathedral afar

Here’s another view of the cathedral from afar. So distinctive.

Besides that cathedral, I also visited another one as well.

liverpool metropolitan cathedral

Although the Metropolitan Cathedral (kinda blurred by the fog) is not as massive as Liverpool Cathedral, its internal architecture is really unique.

metropolitan cathedral inside

Very beautifully designed, I must say. Perhaps it’s a more modern one.

liverpool china town

Liverpool’s very own China Town. Unlike having dim sums at Manchester’s China Town, I didn’t try any Chinese cuisine here.

liverpool eye

The Liverpool Eye as well.

liverpool albert dock

Albert Dock is probably one of the famous sites on Liverpool. Initially I thought it was just an ordinary dock where ships and boats can only be seen.

But I was wrong.

liverpool albert dock signs

In fact, there are many attractions located around that area. Museums and exhibitions in particular.

liverpool merseyside maritime museum

One example is the Merseyside Maritime Museum. In there, you’ll learn about different types of ships and how they are built. There’s a section dedicated specially for the famous Titanic too.

liverpool beatles story exhibition

Then, the Beatles Story Exhibition. I didn’t enter it though – not really a Beatles fan.

liverpool yellow duck marine

There’s also a ride called Yellow Duck Marine that departs from Albert Dock every morning. The ride uses a special vehicle that can operate both on land and water.

Besides Albert Dock, I also managed to see the University of Liverpool.

university of liverpool

This is the main building of the university. Doesn’t look like one right?

Anyway, moving around the city is quite convenient – since it isn’t that big. There are pedestrian pathways located almost everywhere.

liverpool city

If I’m not wrong, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes walk from different locations. Therefore, there’s no need for any public transportation in Liverpool city.

liverpool walk

Oh yeah, as I was exploring the city, I saw some thing very familiar. Something that resembles a phrase widely used in Malaysia.

liverpool one

1Liverpool?

So Dato’ Seri Najib Razak, was 1Malaysia inspired by Liverpool?

Anyway, cheers for reading! =)


Subscribe via readerSubscribe via emailFollow on TwitterFave on Technorati

|| Posted by kenwooi | Leave a comment - 59 Comments
|| Categorized under United Kingdom
|| Tagged in Liverpool

Mar 17 2010

Dublin, the Home of Guinness!

In conjunction with St. Patrick’s Day, this entry is gonna be about what the Irish is famous for – Guinness!

dublin guinness storehouse

While I was in Dublin, I had the chance to visit Dublin’s top attraction, which is the Guinness Storehouse. It’s the number one visitor attraction over there. A must visit!

Consider yourself lucky (if you haven’t been there) as kenwooi.com will bring you on another virtual tour!

guinness storehouse pint ticket

An entrance fee of €13.50 (RM67.50) will be charged for an adult. But since I had my Dublin Pass with me, it’s free. Actually paid lah since the pass cost €44.00 (RM220.00).

guinness storehouse floors

The adventure begins the moment you walk through the door and into the building’s giant, pint-shaped heart of glass. This 7-story building is dedicated to the history of making of this world’s famous beer.

guinness retail store

At the ground floor, there is a retail store selling all kinds of Guinness merchandises. I didn’t buy much though, but I got a wallet for dad.

guinness special edition leather wallet

Leather wallet – his favourite but he’s not using it anyway.

The tour starts at level 1, where the Master Brewer guides us step by step through the brewing process.

guinness barley display

Do you know that barley is one of the main ingredients of producing Guinness? I don’t know about that until the visit. *Okay I admit I’m not a Guinness fan*

guinness barley

Barley is malted, roasted, milled, mixed with hot water and mashed, then the liquid is filtered off and boiled. Yeast will be added and the fermentation begins.

guinness tasting laboratory

The next station is the tasting laboratory, where you can sample the finished product.

guinness testing pint

After that, the Guinness Advertising area is on the 2nd floor. Guinness has certainly left its mark on the history of advertising world wide.

guinness black is beautiful

Black is beautiful.

guinness is good

I’m not sure whether Guinness is really good for me, but it’s definitely good for the Irish. They drink Guinness all day, just like how we drink water.

And at the 3rd floor is the Brewery Life. The tradition of Guinness continues in which you learn stories, see how your body responds to alcohol and quiz yourself.

guinness drink IQ

I tried the Drink IQ quiz but I forgot how I scored. I think I “whacked” all the answers. =P

Then at one of the later floors, there’s a place where you can pour your own pint of perfect Guinness.

pour your own guinness pint

I didn’t try that though, and then continued to the Gravity Bar – located at the 7th and highest floor in the building.

guinness storehouse pint ticket

With the bottom portion of the entrance ticket, each visitor can enjoy a complimentary pint of Guinness.

guinness storehouse gravity bar panoramic view

And at the same time, drinking with the unique 360° panoramic view of Dublin city. It was almost sunset when I reached the top.

guinness storehouse gravity bar

The bar was very crowded, everyone was holding a pint in their hand.

pint of guinness

These are what they claim Guinness at its best, because it’s freshly brewed.

guinness is the best

My pint of Guinness and I.

creamy guinness

Just look – so creamy and delicate. It’s actually Guinness Draught, not Stout. I personally find Guinness Stout unbearable! Guinness Draught on the other hand, was good!

I don’t like drinking but I managed to finish up my pint.

finished pint of guinness

I finished it at one go, you know. Pro right? But I felt a little, just a little, dizzy after that. Yeah yeah, I’m a noob drinker. =/

Anyway, ever since I left Dublin, I’ve yet to savor another Guinness. That’s why this experience is definitely an unforgettable one!

Just look at how I savored every “amazing” drop of Guinness at Dublin!

enjoying guinness

Okay, that’s not one of my best personal photos.

So yeah, that’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour, specially brought to you by kenwooi.com!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! *some Irish tune starts* =)


Subscribe via readerSubscribe via emailFollow on TwitterFave on Technorati

|| Posted by kenwooi | Leave a comment - 60 Comments
|| Categorized under Ireland
|| Tagged in Dublin

Mar 14 2010

Dim Sum at Manchester China Town

After the tour at Manchester United’s Old Trafford, it was time for lunch!

I don’t know whether it’s official or not, but apparently the dim sum here in Manchester is quite famous. And it’s located at its China Town.

china town manchester arch

Manhester’s China Town is located in the middle of the city. It’s a walking distance from any parts of the city.

manchester china town

The interesting about the place is that once you stepped into the area, it looks more like “Shangchester” than the UK-ish Manchester. All you see is mostly Chinese people and decorations.

Anyway, off to the famous dim sum restaurant.

manchester pacific restaurant

The Pacific Restaurant!

The first thing I noticed was it wasn’t crowded at all, unlike Ipoh’s famous Foh San. The restaurant was really quiet and high-class.

dim sum menu

At the table, the waiter presented the menu. Unfortunately I can’t read a single thing because I’m a “banana“. I wonder how the local Englishmen here make their order. Perhaps they have English menus as well, but since a group of Chinese comes in – they give Chinese menu. Stereotypes!

Anyway, here’s what my friends and I ordered for lunch!

manchester char siew pao

Char siew pao – Barbecued pork buns.

manchester har gao

Hou dai ge har gao – Really huge prawn dumplings.

manchester salad prawn

Salad fried prawn wantons. *My favourite!*

manchester fried wanton

Fried meat wantons. Yeah, looks different over here in UK huh?

manchester steamed wanton

Steamed meat wantons.

manchester custard bun

Custard buns. Delicious!

manchester porridge

Some porridge.

manchester wu gok

Wu gok – Fried taro dumplings.

You know what – “Taro” reminds me of Ultraman Taro! Maybe in one of the series, the mighty Ultraman Taro “teeeetttttt!” the monsters with his Taro Dumplings!

ultraman taro dumpling

Okay lame, I know.

manchester siew mai

And yeah, siew mai – Traditional Chinese dumplings.

Overall the food was pretty good. The whole meal cost 4 of us ₤8.00 (RM44.80) each, totaling up to ₤32.00 (RM179.20). Yeah I know – “super expensive!” – but I think it’s worth it (in Manchester only lah). =)

On an unrelated note – I think the China Town in Manchester is too Chinese!

Too Chinese that one of the Chinese citizen has THIS…

mr yip car

…for his car’s number plate!

So awesome! I want mine as “WOOI MR” too! =D


Subscribe via readerSubscribe via emailFollow on TwitterFave on Technorati

|| Posted by kenwooi | Leave a comment - 81 Comments
|| Categorized under Eating Spree, United Kingdom
|| Tagged in Manchester

Next »

  • Savvy Search

  • Recent Ramblings

    • Cheers To Liverpool
    • Dublin, the Home of Guinness!
    • Dim Sum at Manchester China Town
    • A Place to “Dieu” in Paris
    • The Journey from KLIA to UK
    • Deadly Messages on Cigarette Packs
    • Royal Armouries Museum at Leeds
    • Manchester United’s Old Trafford Tour Experience
    • 5 Things About Chinese New Year 2010
    • Everyday With York
  • Top sTalkers

    • Himmat (34)
    • nikel (32)
    • foongpc (31)
    • suituapui (24)
    • manglish (23)
    • tekkaus (23)
    • uLi (22)
    • wenn (20)
    • Manju (19)
    • Alpha Ace (17)
  • Crazy Comments

    • lechua on Cheers To Liverpool
    • lechua on Dublin, the Home of Guinness!
    • syamansor on Cheers To Liverpool
    • erwinator on Cheers To Liverpool
    • edaolala on Cheers To Liverpool
  • Aging Archive

    • March 2010 (7)
    • February 2010 (7)
    • January 2010 (6)
    • December 2009 (8)
    • November 2009 (7)
    • October 2009 (7)
    • September 2009 (8)
    • August 2009 (10)
    • July 2009 (9)
    • June 2009 (9)
    • May 2009 (6)
    • April 2009 (5)
    • March 2009 (3)
    • January 2009 (1)
    • December 2008 (1)
    • November 2008 (1)
    • October 2008 (2)
    • September 2008 (1)
    • August 2008 (4)
    • July 2008 (1)
    • June 2008 (1)
    • May 2008 (2)
  • Crappy Categories

    • Contest Entries (4)
    • Eating Spree (9)
    • Events n Happenings (10)
    • INTI (9)
    • Intriguing Ipoh (7)
      • Ipoh Delicacy (3)
    • Life Documentary (20)
    • Life Reflections (4)
    • Out of the Ordinary (14)
    • Parody (9)
    • Random Thoughts (21)
    • Shoutout (5)
    • Tech Junks (4)
    • Traveling (28)
      • Europe (20)
        • France (4)
        • Ireland (2)
        • United Kingdom (13)
      • Malaysia (8)
    • Women Insight (6)
  • Chit Chat


    To comment on the entries, please click "Leave a Comment" below the particular entries.

    To say "Hi" or something unrelated to the entries, click here.

    Thank you for your co-operation.

    "Comments at comment section, not at chatbox"
    - public service announcement
    by kenwooi.com =)
  • Me Me Me

    • About Me
    • E-mail: me[at]kenwooi[dot]com
    • Facebook Fan Page
    • Twitter
  • Meta Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries RSS
    • Comments RSS
    • WordPress.org
  • Sloppy Stats


  • Subscribe & Stalk


    Subscribe via feed Subscribe via email Follow on Twitter Fave on Technorati
  • Followers & Fans

    kenwooi.com on Facebook
  • Sassy Sponsers


  • Twittering Tweets

      follow kenwooi on Twitter
    • Bla Bla


      Blog Explosion Technorati
      Blog Catalog My Blog Log
      Blogged.my Blog Hub
      Top Blog Area Best Blogs Asia



      Feedburner