Get Festives

# Day 9

Today, I will do the research regarding the festivals in Manchester & Salford. I felt sad that I'm going to UOS by winter, there rarely to have any other festive, other than Chinese New Year. But festive still a interesting topic for me to find out the fun part of it.

In Manchester & Salford, it's not only Christmas makes you feel festive. There are more festivals in this city than there are in a hilltop Spanish village and they cover a dizzying range of activities throughout the year. Or every two years in the case of the big daddy, Manchester International Festival, which welcomes  half a month of world premieres by major artists like Bjork, Marina Abramovic, Tino Seghal and Rufus Wainwright, plus performers like Kenneth Branagh, Willem Dafoe, The xx and Abida Parveen. Annually, the Manchester Jazz Festival and the Manchester Literature Festival are hugely entertaining and if that's not enough for you, there are celebrations of history, food and drink, beer and cider... the list goes on and on.

#Manchester International Festival
MIF15 will be started by two more days later, which is 2 July 2015-19 July 2015.
I found that MIF is a very important event in Manchester. It described as "probably the most radical and important arts festival today". Taking place biennially, it launched in 2007 as an artist-led commissioning festival presenting ambitious new works of performing arts, visual arts, music, theatre, dance and family events.

Advertising is the most important for events, same as MIF. There are huge billboard adverts everywhere and some of the local theatres are getting ready for MIF15.

#Manchester Food & Drink Festival
I love to eat very much. That's why I'm always have huge interest in researching topic regarding food.
MFDF15 will be held on September 10th to 21st, in Albert Square. It's an original urban food fiesta for 18 years. There are expecting to have 100,000 visitors this year. Sadly, I did have the chance to be one of the 100,000. The festival highlights a number of "Festival theme", issues which aaffect the food and drink industry in the region.

Like Manchester itself, this MFDF is both original and modern at the same time. From their promotional video, it's really look fun to join. I wish I can have the chance to join it, at least once.

Here and There

# Day 8

There are many great things to do in Manchester and Salford, there are a lot of famous tourist attractions, and there are also a lot of unveiling party hotspots and hidden gems. I had read a lot of articles regarding the attractions, the things must to, the places must go in Manchester and Salford - it's really fantastic.

Since there are soooo many attractions there, I had sorted out a new list for myself, so that I can quickly know where to go when I reach there :

# DogBowl

# The Town Hall

# Chetham's Library

# Manchester Art Gallery

# China Town

# Imperial War Museum North

# Sinclair’s Oyster Bar

# Walkden Gardens

# Gay Village

Take me Shopping and I'm Yours

#Day 7

I thought Mancunian not really like to shop compare with Malaysian. But after I did the research, I found out that actually I'm wrong, totally wrong. When it comes to shopping, Manchester has it all and shopping there is well worth more than one day's attention.

I found that there are quite amount of shopping locations in Manchester, and I had sorted two of them which attracted me the most.

#Manchester Arndale

Manchester Arndale is the centre of people's shopping experience in the city. It is easily accessible in the city centre with great transport links. We can go there by train, bus, tram, foot or car. Manchester Arndale is the UK's largest city-centre shopping centre. With over 200 retailers, there isn't a well known high street brand that you won't find.

Fashion lovers like me are always particularly looking for boutique shops while shopping. Since it is open seven days a week, I can enjoy shopping always.



# Trafford Centre

Loud, gaudy, and proud, the Trafford Centre is a gigantic out of town shopping centre on the outkirts of the city which boasts hundreds of high street shops. It's busy and tacky. This out-of-town mega-mall is the largest shopping centre in UK, with over 280 shops even accommodation. Days are easy to fill there: shopping, foods, leisure.

The Leisure facilities include a 20-screen ODEON Mutiplex Cinema, Aerial Extreme, Crèche & Play Area, Event City, Laser Quest, The Rock, LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre, Namco Funscape, Paradise Island Adventure Golf, SEA LIFE and Trafford Quays Leisure Village.


Wow, that's too great to be true!

曼澈斯特中國城

#Day 6
Yeah, it is China Town Manchester.
Today, I had done the research for top attractions where tourist must visit, and China Town is one of that in my list. Manchester Chinatown lies in the very heart of the city, focused around Faulker Street just behind the town hall.

Chinatown in Manchester is reputedly the largest in Europe, its collection of restaurants, bakeries, businesses and supermarkets concentrated across a fair few blocks in the city centre. It's all marked by a beautiful Chinese gate announcing the area's entrance. At any time of year, Chinatown is a great place to visit, but the last few years have seen Chinese New Year become a much bigger part of the city’s cultural celebrations, extending the reach of Chinatown across the city centre. As a collection of excellent places to eat and shop, it’s not to be missed and, whilst there are of course other opportunities to experience Chinese culture, the selection on offer here is hard to beat.

Manchester's China Town is fantastic, is a little mysterious part of the city. I'm going to UOS about February, it's the time where I will celebrate Chinese New Year. So I would like to found out how Chinese celebrate CNY (Chinese New Year) there. In Malaysia, Chinese New Year is a big event, where the city will become full of fireworks, Chinese Lion Dance, Red colours everywhere. So, I wonder I am I going to celebrate my 2016 Chinese New Year at Salford. I'm Quite excited with it.

This picture is about Chinese New Year in China Town which I found online. It looks fun and great. The Dragon Parade there ate very famous, plenty of tasty (and luck) culinary options and the irreplaceable firework display, it just fun like Malaysia, or even more fun!

I can see there are a lot of tradisional red lanterns lighting up there, makes me feel warm and happy. Chinese like red, that's true.

Other than that, I also found out that the China Town will be a market featuring over 50 stalls and a fairground too! Manchester has the biggest CNY celebration in Nothern city of UK. The food fair, the live music, the performances, and perhaps it will have a light show like this CNY 2015. I'm very excited and I'm looking forward to it, a different Manchester.

Let's have a brew

# Day 5

Let's have a brew.
Today, my research is about the "brew culture" in Manchester and Salford. I found out that Manc's "brew" always means tea and beer, but not coffee. Tea is king in Manchester. Tea rooms are springing up all over the place, making tea trendy and putting the joy back into baked cakes. Finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and a pot of Earl Grey tea or glass of champagne, what a better way to spend the afternoon. There is nothing more important and quintessentially than the ritual of Afternoon Tea. There are a lot of great spot for tea and beer, so get a drink and relax.

Tea
# Cloud 23

Served within the elegant surroundings of Cloud 23, enjoy a sumptuous afternoon of mouth watering indulgence. Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23 blends an innovative menu with classical combinations to infuse this timeless classic with contemporary style. Traditional and Champagne Afternoon Tea is served daily from noon to 5pm.


# Teacup

Enjoy a delicious afternoon tea while listening to good tunes in the relaxed surroundings of Teacup, Mr Scruff’s very own café. Choose from any loose-leaf tea, served with a selection of sweet and savoury snacks. Available from 2.30pm every day, £12.95 per person.

Beer

# Port Street Beer House

With seven hand pulls, 18 draught lines and fridges stocked with more than 100 bottles, the Northern Quarter boozer boasts one of the most extensive beer selections in the city. Be sure to check the menu before you make your selection though - some of the rarer imports can cost as much as £40 for a 750ml bottle, but there are plenty of affordable options too. The CityLife pub of the year nominee also regularly hosts beer tastings and tap takeovers by breweries from all over the world, making it a must-visit for any ale aficionado.

# Brewdog

When it comes to craft beers, few companies are flying the flag higher or getting the word out there than Brew Dog. Located just off Deansgate near the Great Northern, this brilliant addition to Manchester nightlife is a must-visit for a fan of craft beers, with a menu that's always adding new gems and also some great food to go with it.

# The Marble Arch

The original home of Manchester’s Marble Beers, this gem of a pub offers a great selection of real ale and craft beer, both the brewery’s own and from further afield, across 11 hand pulls and three keg lines.Its remarkable interior, with original Victorian tiling and fireplaces, is worth a visit in itself, as is its restaurant-worthy pub grub.

Dabble in the Taste of Manchester & Salford

# Day 4

There's never been a better time to eat out in Manchester & Salford. Today I had done the research regarding food. Yeah, I have to be honest that I'm very concerning about my stomach's feeling. Food always place first for me. There are a lot of website about "Best of Manchester" lists have hit the spot with me - study in UOS is a chance for me to dabble in the great meals. At the end of this blog, I had listed out my top 5 of food/restaurant which made me want to eat the most.

Here are some of the resources that I found:

1. The best restaurant in Manchester: 
http://www.restaurantsofmanchester.com/top10.htm

2. The best restaurants in Manchester: Out guide to eating out:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/best-restaurants-manchester-guide-eating-9081430

3. 9 of the best places to eat in Salford
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/9-best-salford-restaurants-cafes-7550220

4. Taste of Manchester
http://tasteofmanchester.com/

5. Top 10 budget places to eat in Manchester
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/oct/02/manchester.travelfoodanddrink

6. 21 Things Everyone Needs to Eat in Manchester
http://www.buzzfeed.com/harriew/things-to-eat-in-manchester#.okKryENo1

7. The 12 best places to eat in Manchester
http://www.inthefrow.com/2015/01/the-12-best-places-to-eat-in-manchester.html



After I had done the research and findings, I had sorted out my own top 5 food list as below. These will be the dream food that I must try when I study abroad there.


# Pizza and Calzones from Slice
Slice is a good place for an affordable slice of fresh pizza and a drink. The variety is just incredible but I think I would firstly try for a slice of "Mozzarella, Broccoli, Sausage and Red Chilli".

# Burger from Almost Famous
After I done my research, I found out that there has been something of a burger boom there, in recent months and years. Almost Famous is one of the top place to have a burger in Manchester and it is the trailblazer. I found an image of a burger from Almost Famous which attract me the most, it is "The Shut Up America burger". The name is so unique and attractive, and it looks great by the way.

# Street Food

Some of the best tasting food might be found in Manchester is served up by the street food traders who pop up around the city. There are Guerrilla Eats, Urban Food Fest, Street Food Market and Levenshulme Market. I think I will firstly try for Levenshulme Market.

# Amazing Breakfast at Teacup Kitchen

Best known for tea, coffee and indulgent cakes, Teacup also serves an array for breakfast, lunch and evening meals. I would like to have a try on eggs florentine there.

# Home Sweet Home

I have a sweet tooth, that's why I think believe that Home Sweet Home is a very much the place to go to on the list. The cakes done by Home Sweet Home was amazing! And they also served others food.

Manc Words and Sayings

#Day3

Languages is very important for communication and it always localised with the culture and the environment of a place. So, today I would like to do some research regarding the language, accent and dialect in Manchester, Salford and North-West of England. After I done the research, I found out the the dialect in Manchester is an "own language" , just like Malaysian have our way of talking.

Mancunian
Mancunian (or Manc) is a dialect, and the name given to the people of Manchester, England, and its environs. It is claimed that the accent has subconsciously change the way people from other regions speak through television shows such as Coronation Streey and bands such as Oasis and The Stone Roses.

The dialect is distinguishable from other Northern English dialects. A major feature of the Mancunian accent is over-enunciation of vowel sound when compared to the flattened sounds of neighbouring areas, This is also noticeable with words ending in <er>, such as tenner. Traditionally, the Manchester area was known for glottal reinforcement of the consonants /k/, /p/ and /t/, similar to modern speech in the north-east of England.

The Manchester accent is relatively localised, covering much of Greater Manchester including the city of Manchester and immediately adjoining parts of Bury, Oldham, Salford, Bolton, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. It is also prominent in 'overspill' towns and estates such as Hattersley, Gamesley, Handforth and Birchwood.

Some would say some of Manchester's most natable words, phrases and sayings:
1. having buzz - have a good time
2. scran - food
3. gaff - residence, house or flat
4. sorted - okay
5. scrote - low-life
6. safe - on good terms
7. muppet - ignorant
8. sound - okay
9. dead - for emphasis (dead busy, dead friendly)
10. the dibble - the police

A video for Manchester Accents

Mancunian dictionary: The 50top words and phrases that say you're a Manc:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/mancunian-sayings-guide-common-words-6465030

UOS and MediaCityUK

#Day2

Since I am going to study abroad at UOS, I have to do some research regarding the campus.

The University of Salford is located in Salford, England. Founded in 1896, the UOS has a rich history of innovation in the community and economy. UOS has more than 20,000 students, including more than 2,700 postgraduates and more than 2,400 staff.

Main Campus
The main campus is very near from the Manchester city centre, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of it. UOS had 18 square miles of parkland, on the banks of River Irwell. UOS has a £22m Health and Social Care building has purpose-built practice clinics, hospital ward facilities and a human performance lab.

The info and map of main campus:
http://www.salford.ac.uk/about-us/travel/campus-map/University-of-Salford_Campus_Map-and-Guide.pdf

MediaCityUK Campus
MediaCityUK Campus is located at MediaCityUK, which is the only one University to have a presence at there, with a space designed to encourage creativity, innovation and collaboration betweeen academics, students, professionals and industry.

The info and map of MediaCityUK campus:
http://www.salford.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/42500/MediaCity-map.pdf

MediaCityUK
MediaCityUK a 200-acre (81 ha) mixed-use property development site on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salfordand Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is a new waterfront destination for Manchester, with digital creativity, learning and leisure at its heart. The project is being developed by Peel Media. For UOS, there are over 30 undergraduate and postgraduate course taught at MediaCityUK.

MediaCityUK's map and the location on UOS Campus

Building and Facilities in MediaCityUK
Traditional street name are not used in the development. The main thoughfares are styled blue, white, pink, yellow, orange, purple and green. The street furniture and coloured ambient lighting will be colour-coded to match. A stylised map of MediaCityUK has been devised. Landscape architects, Gillespies regenrated the brownfield site to create public spaces. The focal point is piazza and landscaped park, which stretches to the ship canal around which the building are located.  The buildings are: Quay house, Bridge House, Dock House, The Orange Tower, The studios, The Pie Factory, The Greenhouse, TheHeart and NumberOne. UOS is in The Orange Tower. It is an 11-storey building, designed by architects Sheppard Robson. It is glazed structure with four types of cladding, including one made of folded aluminium in a diamond pattern. It houses departments from the UOS on three floors and on seven floors, staff from ITVGranada.

SKYPE Module Briefing for CCCP2

#Day1

Today, we had met Johnny & Roy thru SKYPE, for CCCP2  (Creativity, Communication, and Collaborative Practice 2) module briefing. This CCCP2 module is started by today, right after the briefing. The duration of the module will be 6 weeks from today onward, which the approximately dateline will be end of July 2015. Besides, this module holds 20 credits.

In the briefing, we had been assigned to start our preparatory phase, where we have to do research and gather materials to show and promote Manchester, Salford and the North-West of England.

I had started my research and try get some general knowledge of Manchester, Salford and the North-West of England before I go deep into it.



Manchester
Manchester is located in the north-west of England and it is the largest city in the north of England. It lies at the heart of Greater Manchester. It is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation. In the year of 1853, Manchester had achieved city status and it was the first new British city for three hundred years. And in the year of 2013, Manchester had achieve the population of 514,417. The local authority is Manchester City Council.

Manchester is more than a business destination. It is a town with great industrial and cultural heritage, which packed with architectural gems such as the Town Hall and Central Library, imposing statues and memorials to famous pioneering academics. Other than that, Manchester has its own international airport, which is the second largest airport in the UK.



Salford
Salford is city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England, immediately to the west of the city of Manchester. Salford borders Manchester and Trafford to the east and south and Wigan and Warrington to the west and south west. To the north are Boroughs of Bolton and Bury.

The city has a population of 218,000 and is administered from the Salford Civic Centre in Swinton. Salford is sited in a meander of the River Irwell, which forms in parts its boundary with the city of Manchester to the east.

The River Irwell marks the border between Salford & Manchester

Greater Manchester
Salford and Manchester are part of the Greater Manchester.
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.7 million. Greater Manchester encompasses on of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom. It comprises ten metropolitan boroughs, which are Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan and the cities of Manchester and Salford.

As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, Greater Manchester was created on 1 April 1974, and designated a City Region on 1 April 2011. The name SELNEC (South East Lancashire North East Cheshire) was used for the area before the creation of the metropolitan county.

North West England
North West England, one of nine official regions of England, consists of the five counties  of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.The major towns and cities in North West England are Salford, Manchester, Liverpool, Lancaster, Chester, Carlisle and Preston.

That's done for my first research, where I was finally able to breifly descirbe about Salford, Manchester, and North West England.