Winter Break 2010

Number of days spanned: 28
Number of countries visited: 4 (Ireland, UK, France, Belgium)
Number of cities visited: 14 (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Dublin, Belfast, London, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, York, Liverpool, Cheshire, Lille, Paris, Brussels)
Number of airports passed: 8 (PIT, DTW, JFK, DUB, LBA, LHR, BRU, ATL)
Number of stadia/arenas visited: 4 (Motor City Casino Soundboard, The O2 Dublin, Old Trafford, Highbury)
Number of concerts attended: 2 (Air Supply, Meat Loaf)
Number of university campuses visited: 4
Number of museums visited: 4 (Westminster Abbey, The Beatles Story, National Maritime Museum, Old Trafford)

Number of nights spent at friends' places: 24
Number of friends who hosted: 6
Number of nights spent in hotels/hostels: 1
Number of nights spent in airplanes: 1
Number of nights spent in airports: 1

Number of mugs bought from friend's campuses: 0 (semua takde stock)
Number of fridge magnets bought for Fadzillah "I just bought a new fridge so buy me fridge magnets and kalau boleh beli yang getah punya" Aziz: 6
Number of movies seen: 5
Number of movies seen in cinemas: 4
Number of movies seen to simply kill time: 4
Number of movies slept through: 1 (sorry ya, Farah)
Number of French movies seen: 1
Number of runs for something: 2 (bus at Old Trafford, countdown during NYE)
Number of runs successful: 0
Number of laundry days: 3
Number of factory outlets shopped at: 1
Number of shopping arcades/centers entered: 9
Number of H&M entered: 8

Number of friends met (planned): 12
Number of friends bumped into: 9 (4 on Oxford Street on Boxing Day)
Number of friends mistaken by shopkeepers as my wife: 1
Number of friendly salah fahams: 2 (I thought "jom makan" was an invitation instead of a restaurant; I thought "subway" was the Leeds underground instead of the sandwich place that it is)
Number of times bumped into the French girl who gave us directions to the Metro station: 3
Number of times bumped into said girl, not in the direction she pointed: 3
Number of compliments received for the coat: 5
Number of people who assumed I was above 25: 4
Number of people who asked where I worked: 3
Number of times slipped: 5
Number of times fell down: 2 (first at Arsenal tube station; both after Yap arrived)

Number of airplane sectors: 7
Number of express bus sectors: 3
Number of train sectors: 5
Number of public transportation systems used: 9
Number of cab rides: 5 (all in Leeds, except one in Dublin)
Number of hours spent in airplanes: ~21
Number of hours spent in trains: slightly less than 5
Number of hours spent in cars: ~2
Number of hours spent in express buses: 13
Number of hours spent in airports: 27
Number of times stopped by customs: 2
NUmber of times late for flight: 1 (only late for baggage check in)
Number of redirections/rescheduling: 1

Number of meals at Malaysian restaurants: 2
Number of meals at Malaysian restaurants willingly: 0
Number of fish & chips eaten: 5 (3 cod, 2 haddock; 1 with mushy peas)
Number of waffles eaten: 2 (1 Brussels, 1 Liege)
Number of pieces of chicken cordon bleu we were supposed to buy: 5
Number of people supposed to buy chicken cordon bleu: 1
Number of people who bought chicken cordon bleu: 3
Number of pieces of chicken cordon bleu bought: 15
Number of crabmeat sticks in our pot of two Maggi Kari: 11

Number of cybercafes/internet kiosks visited: 2
Number of new facebook friends: ?????
Number of new songs in download list: 3
Number of new movies in must-watch list: 3
Number of new books in must-read list: 2
Number of books read: 3
Number of books bought: 5

Number of sim cards bought: 1 (Orange UK)
Number of text messages sent: >100 (Sent Items limited to 100 only)
Number of text messages received: 186
Number of "Welcome to the Orange network!"-type text messages received from Orange: 8
Number of "Inform your loved ones of your safe arrival" and/or Malaysian Embassy phone number and/or roaming partners text messages from Maxis: 18
Number of missed calls to Esther's phone when locked out of the flat at 4:00am and freaking out for fear of missing flight: 32 (using the Maxis sim...sorry, Pa. At least she never picked up, so there wasn't a phone call per se.)

Number of photos taken: 725
Number of photos deleted: 318 (blurry, wrong settings, similar)
Number of videos taken: 4 (all of them of people playing Wii Dance Central)

Number of Monopoly Deal wins: 5
Number of Monopoly Deal games: 21
Number of Rock, Paper, Scissors/Osom wins: 1
Number of Rock, Paper, Scissors/Osom contested: 2
Number of football games seen in pubs: 2 (Man Utd vs. Arsenal; Arsenal vs. Chelsea)
Number of football games followed online: 1 (Man Utd vs. Stoke City)


Quotes of the Trip

DETROIT
"It's nice to visit a new place. After a career of 35 years it's hard to find places we've never been to before. Now, if we want to be 'Lost In LOve' we have to set the mood right"
- Graham Russell, Air Supply

ANN ARBOR
"Well, yes it's not that clean sebab tengah nak exam. But it could be worse"
- Dian Hikmah on the state of her home

DUBLIN
"Testes--you should be aware of the number, shape, size, lumps and tenderness. It was mind blowing to me when a patient didn't know he was supposed to have two."
- Dr. Arthur Jackson, lecturer at RCSI

"If you have your own concert and you play 'Bat Out Of Hell' as your third number, you'll know what it feels like to be fucking 63"
- Meat Loaf

LEEDS
Text from Farah: Wait, nnt dah smpai train station, msg aku. Jgn amek city cab. Mahal. Kau pegi carik subway dlm train station tu. Lepak situ."
*You can see why I was looking for an underground metro thingy*

Farah: Kat sini banyak bus stop, so nak pergi mana-mana senang je by bus. Rumah kawan aku dekat situ je, One Stop tu.
*You can see why I thought it was 'one stop' away by bus. One Stop is in fact a kedai runcit*

Farah: Baiklah. Situ ada bus stop. Situ pun ada. Aku tak sure bas yang mana, so kita tunggu saja in between dua-dua.

LONDON
"Bodoh la, these facelifts. That car looks like it has a bloody misai. Tak nak lah!"
- Hanaa Zainuddin on why some cars just aren't for her

"Umur aku sembilan tahun pun aku kencing dalam seluar."
- Wawa defending her 6 year old cousin wetting his pants

"Kau cantik, Wawa... dari segi dalaman kau memang sangat cantik."
- Freddy yang jujur

"You don't like the gloves? Too expensive? He doesn't like it. Give it to him for £15. Give him £5 change. And here--free gift for your wife"
- How Imi got free earmuffs

MANCHESTER
"Eh...I actually feel a bit better!"
- A nauseated Julyana appreciates the help of Dr. Pepper

"Yap is diarrhoea. You, Kimbu, are constipation."
- Julyana, when things get rough during Monopoly Deal

"But she comes from Seremban so she's accustomed to that lifestyle."
- Yet another gem from Julyana

"Best gila ada heater! Semalam I tido nyanyuk!"
- Julyana Ng Li-Ling waking us up

"What are you cooking for breakfast? Mee Yaggi?"
- July, the gift that keeps on giving

LILLE
"Eijas, aku bawak Maggi, aku bawak perencah nasi garing..."
- Yaser Nur

"You--I respect. You--I respect. But you--I don't respect. I don't respect you."
- Some black guy on the verge of tears when Yap didn't understand his request for a cigarette

"I was with an Australian girl for eight months now. It's feckin' awesome"
- Emmerich

2 penises + 4 balls + 0 vaginas:
Me: Ok, we should ask for directions. "Ask the young, for they know English..."
Yap: Area sana macam bandar je?
Me: Ok, jom! You do realise we could be walking in the wrong direction?
Yap: Of course. Tapi kita harus yakin!
Me: Ya!