Words could not describe my feelings at that instant. It was as if everything was frozen in time. I was about to enter the building when I realised it was only 7.30 am and the doors were still locked and bolted.

So... change of plans. I decided to go down to Quayside instead. For your information Newcastle Upon Tyne is a coastal city, where the River Tyne runs through it. On the other side of Newcastle is another city known as Gateshead. It usually takes about 20 minutes to walk from the city centre to Quayside.

So I walked... through the new University accommodation (with much envy I must say. It looks in much better condition than the other halls of residence. But then again, its new. With en-suite showers and bathrooms. And its much more expensive too.), across the bridge to Pandon building, passing by Glenamara House (another student house) and walking all the way towards the old Warner Brothers cinema (which has been acquired by Northumbria University) and although I could see the Tyne Bridge and the Millenium Bridge from a distance... it was QUITE a distance before I actually arrived at my destination. A heavy backpack did not help... so I was pretty tired by the time I reached Quayside.

As with any other rivers in England, the River Tyne boasts an array of majestic bridges linking Newcastle city and Gateshead. Two significant ones are the Tyne Bridge and the Millenium Bridge.

This is the Tyne Bridge.


This is the Millenium Bridge.

The Tyne Bridge is open to vehicles and pedestrians but the Millenium Bridge is only for cyclists and pedestrians only. My friend has a night shot of these two bridges, which looks absolutely magnificent when lited up at night.

Directly across the Millenium Bridge is the Newcastle Crown Courts. I remember attending criminal court hearings as part of my Bar course requirements. Security is tight and you need to scan all your bags and personal stuff before you can actually enter the building. Next to the Crown Court is the Employment Tribunal, which I also attended as one of my coursework assessments. I remember it quite clearly because my lecturer for that particular subject actually asked if she could use my report as an example for future students taking employment law subjects on the Bar Course (Yeah... you will say, gloat all you want, its been ages ago)

Anyway, back to the scene :P. Gateshead has a new addition- The Sage Gateshead, a state of the art theatre which boasts world class facilities for musical performances. Being a music freak I had to go inside. But first... must take picture of the strange looking building. The exterior is made of glass and looks somewhat like a caterpillar. When you see the picture you will get the idea.
So I leisurely walked across the Millenium Bridge and looked around for signs leading to the entrance of the Sage. Fortunately I was able to spot the "small" sign pointing towards a flight of stairs leading to the building.

Oh man... more walking. Never mind. I'll just take it as musical pilgrimage. Up I go... the endless flight of stairs... and yeah! Finally I am there.

But was it open?
You bet it was. In I went and the first thing I saw was a music library. Complete with CDs ranging from classical music to jazz and rock, it was a music lovers' paradise. Upon enquiry, if you registered as a member of the library, you would be entitled to use the services for free. There are 15+ (approx) internet-ready pcs located at the far end of the library which you can use for free if you register as a member. And the best part of it? Registration is free!

So I started browsing through their collection of CDs and books, and was quite impressed. The layout of the library was neat and had a relaxing atmosphere. A perfect place to chill out when you are done with your studies.

Oh man. Why didnt' they have something like this when I was a student. Not fair!

Anyway, as I only had a day in Newcastle, I proceeded to the main reception where souvenirs and brochures were on display. Apparently, I was very lucky. The Sage was only officially declared open the Friday before, and that very day I visited the Sage was the first day it was open to the public.

Being Malaysian and all I helped myself shamelessly to the free brochures (which had lots of pictures of the various theatres housed in the Sage) and bought some souvenirs. This time round I forgot to calculate in RM because I was just too excited.

The Sage also offers music lessons in different instruments for children and adults alike. How nice.

Being impressed and all, I decided to leave one memorable souvenir in the Sage's sewage system.
Ehehe.....the toilets were being used for the first time... so you get what I mean... :P

Right...I decided to forgo the Baltic Musuem, which was next to the Sage because I had an appointment with my ex-lecturer and I was really looking foward to seeing him. So I left the Sage with a bag full of brochures and souvenirs.

Now...walking from the city centre the Quayside is enjoyable because you are going downhill. Going back to the city centre is the difficult part. Especially for me who has short legs and all. After like 30 agonising minutes of climbing uphill... I finally reached Grey's Monument again and walked all the way to Sutherland Building (again!). Without further delay... I walked up the flight of stairs leading to my ex-lecturer's office. This was how well I remembered the building. I reckon I was functioning in beta mode... auto pilot.

Imagine my dismay when I saw his room door locked. So I took out my handphone and saw an unread SMS. "Sorry, am down with flu and fever, can't meet up today". I was soooooooo dissappointed. More the fact that I had taken a 7 hour bus journey, walked all the way in the freezing cold and was so looking foward to this reunion. And my feet hurt from all that walking. :(

Well life just doesnt work the way you want it to, right? Never mind, I thought, since I am already here, I will look for other lecturers as well and try my luck. I was really lucky to be able to meet up with the Director of International Affairs, who remembered me very well. (He called me by my full name correctly. How scary is that) So we exchanged news and I learnt that he would be making a student recruitment trip to Kuching in February. And of course... very important, we took a picture together. As evidence of my trip to the university. Since this was an unexpected visit, we were unable to have lunch together as he had an appointment.

I tried my luck with the other lecturers but most of them had left for their Christmas holidays. So I had lunch by myself in the kebab shop that my friends and I used to go when we were students. For some strange reason I felt the quality of the kebab meat had deteriorated somewhat. Or I havent had English quality food for some time already, being pampered with authentic Malaysian food.

After lunch I decided to try my luck (again?) by catching the university bus which would take me to my old halls of residence, which was three miles away from the city centre. I used to take the bus during my first year there. So I waited at the bus stop for about 15 minutes and told myself that if the bus doesnt come, I will take the normal city bus instead.

As luck would have it... the university bus did come. And it was light blue in colour, not red as it used to be. And there were no other students in the bus. Hahaha....I was personally chauffered all the way to Coach Lane. That feeling is absolute bliss, I tell you. A bus. All to yourself. Add the factor of handsome but balding bus driver and you get the idea.

The moment I arrived at Coach Lane I was overwhelmed by emotions. Again... I felt as if I were a third year student in Newcastle for the first time... everything was still the same. Every building, every tree... nothing had changed. My first instinct was to go to the hall that I used to stay in.


It was still the same. The window that I used to stare out from was closed, but I remember it well. The tv room was still there. The kitchen that I used to cook, the laundry room, etc. etc... all the buildings came alive with my memories.

I had promised my friend to look for the potato plant that we had planted years ago... but sadly, it wasnt there. Some animal/hungry student must have eaten it... or simply the fact that it did not survive.

I took a good look around and of course, took pictures as well. Coach Lane is home to students of clinical health, education and sports. I was given a room there because the university had run out of rooms in the city campus area. It is an ideal place to relax.

Ah... its time to leave, I tell myself. Before the last university bus leaves. So I bid Coach Lane goodbye and proceeded to the bus stop. And yes, the very same bus driver took me back to the city campus. With another cute Japanese student on board. :)

I spent the rest of the afternoon at Eldon Square, one of the longest shopping malls in England. Being the final week before Christmas, everybody were rushing to get their last minute Christmas shopping done. There were just so many people. As I had promised my sister to take pictures of Christmas decorations, I went to the centre of Eldon Square where a choir of old men in red suits were performing. There must have been about 20 or 30 of them I think. And their voices were absolutely beautiful. My mom would have loved it. They were singing Christmas songs and all the shoppers were mesmerised by their voices.

After the choir ended I walked to the end of Eldon Square and took the elevators down to Greenmarket, where you can find stalls selling cold meats, sweets, porcelain dolls etc... kind of like a Sunday market. I intended to go to Grainger market which is the "authentic" Mat Salleh pasar pagi. Don't get the wrong idea. Its not wet and dirty. ON the contrary... it is very clean and organised. This was the place where I used to get my cheap groceries and meat. I was trying to look for "My Favourite Butcher" (yes it is the name of the butcher's stall) but it was not there. Hmmm.... must have moved somewhere else I think.

Enough of the markets...I needed a place to sit down and rest my legs which simply refused to move anymore. So I went back to the university and sat in the university career centre, again taking all the free brochures and leaflets shamelessly... (after all, I was once a student there) and I believe I must have been there for about an hour or so.

I found out that the law library would be open until 9pm, so I went there and did a bit of reading until approximately 8pm. Again, I took the free law magazines (not one, but a few) when I left the library.

Armed with lots of documents and magazines and sore feet to boot, I decided against walking to the central station and forked out 55p (approx. RM4.20) to take the bus to the central station. Had dinner there, which cost like GBP2.20 (approx. RM16) and then walked towards the bus station, which was NOT sheltered. Cold winds and drizzle got the better of me so I had to go inside a pub nearby. Which was surprisingly empty. Did not get anything to drink as the pub owner did not bother coming to take my order. After like years (which was about 3 hours later) the bus finally arrived and I made my way back to London.

So thats it for my Newcastle trip. All in a day's work? I don't think so. But I am amazed at how much walking I did in a day compared to the distance I would walk in a year back home. Ok, I am exaggerating. But I think I did lost a pound or two (in fat I mean), although I would never know for sure because what followed after that was continuous good food throughout, which almost caused my trousers to burst.

I will continue my update on how I spent my Christmas in Portsmouth and my trip to Copenhagen and Sweden.

Till then, enjoy this entry! (I hope :P)