20th September to the 23rd 2013 :

20th September to the 23rd 2013 : The First day in the new world.

Ok. Yet again it has been a while since I have written anything. I must admit that I haven't had a personal drive to post anything. I have successfully landed in the UK and it has been a busy week at Uni.

Coming off the flight I was exhausted. The maximum I slept on the flight was probably 2 hours out of a total 12 hour flight. The seating was ok wasn't the best as I was on the aisle people were constantly asking me to move so they could go to the bathroom. It was irritating but what can I say. The food was surprisingly good. 40 minutes into the flight they gave you dinner, I had mashed potatoes, veggies and pork. It came with bread an ice-cream! Yum!
The food was a plus because it gave me something to look forward to in comparison to the woman on my left who was practically sleeping on my shoulder.  Cathay Pacific had quite the range of movies but I found that the touch screen was harder to use that I had expected and I must have annoyed the person in front. In total I watched 2 movies: Epic and Monsters University.
When arriving I thought ok I can do this but my suitcase weighed 35kg. Ridiculous I know but there really wasn't a lot in there ;p. Got onto the buses which was a hassle as one of the bus drivers refused to help me with my suitcase. So me, and 18 year old had to haul my 35 kg suitcase onto the bus. I was really annoyed.
Getting to the university took me about 3 hours by bus. And I managed to get there at 3 (UK time). It was a smooth process to my room except the 2 flights of stairs I had to drag my suitcase up. But luckily there was an elevator at the top of the stairs. Why? Don't even ask.

First thing I did when I got to my room was let things settle. My brain my heart and just sat on what was going to be my bed. I would be lying if I said that I didn't cry. Pathetic I know! But what can I say I'm a HK girl :)

After settling in my rooms now finally seems familiar. Still miss Hong Kong though. Even now the culture shock is pretty impactful, I have no idea how things work and the people here are very independent. At convenience stores like tescos and sainsburys they do not pack your plastic bags for you and you can self check out as well ?? What is this sorcery? haha!

Will post another post on things I have done at the uni and how to get settled in your room!

September 15th 2013~3 days left

Sunday Sep 15th 2013 ~ 3 days left!

Hand luggage

So I have been very organised and have written almost every day! Yippee for me! Anyways today's post will be about my hand luggage and ideas on what to bring! Also there will be a part on what to bring in your makeup bag. Since my flight is over 12 hours long.... soooo long. I will bring some travel sized cleansers and what not. Oh and I realised that my post from yesterday was wrong! You can bring any liquids under 100ml and no sharp objects!

A hand luggage can vary from person to person, for me it is a backpack but I heard from a couple of friends that they are bringing a duffle bag or a mini suitcase. It is really up to you! But I like using a back pack as it is stuck to me! I am well known for losing anything that isn't stuck to me so... Anyways here is what I plan to put in it:

Hope this helps!

Saturday Sep 14 2013 ~ 4 days left

Saturday Sep 14 2013 ~ 4 days

We are bubbling down to the last few days. This can be something super exciting for some while others not so much because of packing or the reluctance to leave HK. All in all there is no going back! Just tread the university experience as a mini holiday! Thats how I am taking it, for me school terms usually go by really quickly for me so in no time I will be back in HK to celebrate Christmas! Have a lot of Christmas blog posting ideas so stay in tune!

Today's post will be about Electronics e.g laptops, Microsoft Office, USBs, DVD drives etc. Here is what I am going to do: I recently bought a new laptop from Apple it is a Macbook Pro with retina display. Fancy right? When I got this I was super pleased because it was super light unlike my old Macbook notebook from 2009 which weighed a tonne! It had beautiful HD screen however it lacked a CD and DVD drive which you had to buy separately -_- and only had 2 USB ports. So before I leave I had to buy a USB to ethernet cable ($78), a CD and DVD drive ($550), a USB port that branched out into 4 other USB ports ($100-200). So the total was pretty high... Not going to be buying anything new for a while haha!
For my phone I got sent a Sim card through the mail by UCAS which was a top up one that I can use in the UK! It is pretty good as I don't have to go through the hassle of finding one myself. But if you want to make a call from the UK when you arrive to HK you can use your hk sim card if you have IDD which is explained in my old post (so check it out here). If you don't have one I'm sure you can get on in the airport :)
When you go to university some people get the Microsoft office for mac. You can do with or without it because on a mac they already have pages and keynote but it is traditional for a university to use Office so I would recommend buying it! You can find these in any apple store or in the Computer centre in Wanchai.

(All found on Apple US website) 

Insurance                                                         

(logo from endsleigh website) 

A lot of my friends have asked about whether you should get insurance for your electronic devices, musical instruments, bikes and more. Below I have found on company that works with international students to ensure insurance for thier devices and will issue a replacement if they are stolen. The company is called endsleigh.
Facts about them:

•  UK's No.1 student insurance specialist according to them.
• 24hour replacement service 
• You can create your own package and do it online. 
• "we'll replace your laptop or phone with the latest compatible model"
• "Cover includes theft, accidental damage and loss. 

Sounds pretty good to me. Here is the website www.endsleigh.co.uk/UCAS or call: 03303030284/ 01282672108.

The Final Countdown... Read my thoughts

Continue reading on my "Road to Uni" page...

September 13th 2013 ~ 5 days

                                                    (www.timeanddate.com/countdown)
                       
Ok so the real urgency comes now. I may have skipped some days in my countdown however I think it is essential that the last few days are the most informative and for those who like makeup I will do a section on travel makeup.

On this post it will be strictly information based on what you should pack into your hand luggage. Baggage load etc. However, on my "My Road to Uni" page I will upload some of my thoughts ever since the countdown calendar became single digits as I think that page is getting a little bit bland. I assure you that right now my blog is pretty empty (of pictures) but when I get there I will take loads of pictures of my journey and my room etc.

Down to business, by now you should have begun to pack your luggage and bought some winter clothes if you don't have enough. Those vacuum bags that I recommended buy the small sized ones. I tried to use them last night an well they were huge! So if you have large now you could go back to the store and get it exchanged or if its past 7 days you have 2 options: One to continue using it folding it to fit your suitcase. Two to save it for when you are moving house! They are exceptionally good at saving space! In my suitcase I actually also have a few hk cooking sauces that I love like lemon sauce, hoi sin sauce mmmmm!!!! This is highly optional but make sure you buy a roll of bubble wrap to wrap anything breakable.

Depending on your flight you are given a maximum baggage load. For some it will be 25kg while others get 35kg. You probably disregarded this as it doesn't seem to important but you need to Now! You pack to much you will have to take stuff out in the airport! So get a bathroom scale and weigh it la!

Hand Luggage!
On the day I love to bring a hand luggage in my case a backpack. I put in my little makeup bag with lip balm, hand lotion. make sure that your liquids i.e your hand lotion is under 10ml. They will take it away if it is over that! Also don't bring your nail clippers, nail scissors etc. (any sharp objects) will also be taken away! I know it seems like a thing where you say "duh" but I have done it plenty of times!
I am putting my Laptop into my backpack as it gives me more space to bring stuff in my luggage.

6th September 2013

6th September 2013~ 12 days left

Quote: 
Came across a though provoking quote it relates to my future and made me consider what IS it I want to be and would like to do without having to think of everything else (a dream with no strings attached).

Climate: Wrapping up & Home sickness

Before you get there make sure to check the weather. Where I am going it is currently 12-14 degrees compared to HK's 24 degrees. So make sure you buy some winter clothing before you get there, can't afford to get sick! You can get autumn clothing in both Sogo, M&S, H&M, Cotton On etc.

Home sickness... Even though I may be going there for a few months and will be back in HK for christmas I am pretty sure I will be home sick. I'm sure it will be the same for most of the uni students so rest assured that you are not alone. Here are a few tips to beat homesickness or keep it at bay until you arrive home:

1. Photos : It is a yay or nay kind of thing and may not help homesickness but might act as a trigger.
                  However, see it as a way to help you get by, make you smile and keep you going.

2. FOOD: I am a big fan of HK food and most of it you can't find in the UK like Bo lo bao (Pineapple
                 bun) or cup-noodles. Even the little things can be real tear and stomach jerkers. Haha!
                 Solution, if you have room in your already fat suitcase bring some along the small stuff!
 

(Image from Google)

3. Skype/Phone calls: This is also a yay or nay thing but for me it is a BIG yay!

4. Keep yourself busy: Many people think that this is a way to fight it but it is often not the case, it is
                                     only temporary and the problem still remains there

5th September 2013

5th September 2013~ 13 days till flight!

Listing

The best types of lists are the ones that are thorough. I feel handwritten ones are the best however, for those of you who are 21st century kids you may feel that this isn't for you. Below I have added a few websites that can help you:

1. Samsung Apps: If you have a Samsung phone you can try the app "TickTick" it is free and acts as a
                              list maker. You can add stuff to your list as you go.

2. Scribbless: Helps you make lists really quickly that you can send to your own email. Make public,
                      print and if you want to delete something just drag it to the bin. Free as well!

3. Slugbooks.com~ college packing list: Online interactive packing list. This can give you useful ideas
                                                                for what to bring but some of the stuff is for the US only. The
                                                                site is super easy to navigate around you can check their tips
                                                                bar as well or delete stuff off the checklist. You can even get
                                                                this on your iphone!

4. Dormsmart: This site is not interactive and you cant do as much as the slugbooks website but it
                        serves its purpose. It also goes into great details as in bringing in your immunisation

                        records, registering your bicycle, setting up bank account. Slugbooks does not have this.
5. Seventeen: A more general website with lots of pictures for those who enjoy pictures. More
                      appealing to the eye.

If all else fails just search up dorm list on google and you have so many great websites or gather ideas from all 5 of these websites and more and create your own list. If you want me to upload my list I could do that as well just comment below and I will post it :)

3rd of September 2013

3rd of September 2013: 15 days to go!

Medical Preparations + Beauty Review!

I recently checked my University pages on Facebook (their forums) and their official website and found out that you need to get immunized before you arrive. For me this is pretty terrifying as I am not a fan of needles. My University requires an up to date flu shot, MMR and Meningitis C. This may seem odd but rest assured that most universities don't need you to do a full body scan, but you might want to check that one. Remember to bring your medical card to the UK. Keep in mind that after these injections you may have some side effects.

Beauty Review 

Ok so this is going to be a short one a basic summary. The longer more in depth version of this will be on the "Beauty reviews page later this week".

innisfree Capsule recipe Pack Mask~ Green Tea

Location of Purchase: innisfree store near Hysan place Causeway bay 
Price: $15 
Volume: You can use this 3 times 10 mins each time
Claims: moisturizes your skin to leave your skin soft as well as soothing skin muscles when massaging. 
Texture of the mask: Jelly like

Pros:  1.refreshing to put on the face. 
          2.makes your skin supple and smooth after 1 use.
          3.you can use it more than once
          4. Smells sooooo goood! 
Cons: 4.It is a very small packet 
           5.Not as effective when put on really dry skin

Summary: Overall I like it! It does what its suppose to do it make your skin more moist however, if you 
                  are looking for super moist maybe look at another product. 

Overall Score:  8/10

September 1st: 17 days till Flight

September 1st: 17 days till Flight

On A Serious Note~ 

Creating a UK Account: Is it better to open it in HK or when you get there.

OK so this is a very important post as it concerns money which is a big thing if you are going overseas. It is best to get a safe bank or a bank that you or your parents have used before so there is a sense of familiarity and trust. I personally will narrow the options down to the big Banks for example: Hang Seng bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered etc.

                                                             (found on google) 

One Key tip is after hearing from numerous friends who got their UK credit cards/VISA. They said that  if they could choose again they would create an account in the UK because it is easier and quicker. You have to go through numerous amounts of steps before your card is activated in the UK. You will have to wait around 1-3 weeks depends because they have to send it to the UK to be confirmed and... yadda yadda yadda... all internal bank stuff :)

However, the choice is up to you whether you do it over there or HK the card works both ways it just depends on the number of steps and the time it will take to do this. Remember to do this earlier at least 3 weeks before you leave and BOOK EARLY!

My Experience: 
When you want to register for a new account you will be referred to an address in my case Central and you have to book an appointment. The line/waiting list shouldn't be so long however you have to bear in mind that it isn't just you who is planning ahead. Remember you need to be 18 to do this if your birthday is in between September or October your card will be rejected because the time you signed the papers you would have been 17 and will be given a "children's credit card" (this expires the moment you turn 18).
The Process is rather quick. You get there on time. They will ask you what kind of assistance you want. Then comes the paper work, you have to sign a bunch of papers and make sure you read the terms and conditions!! The signature should be one that you will remember as you will have to sign every time you want to use the card (when you use VISA).
Overall the experience was alright but I decided to create a bank account over in the UK because it was easier/faster.