University of Manchester and KDU College

London has decided to give up the job of capital and go into quiet retirement. When everyone north of Leicester is done cheering, England looks around for a substitute and after some consideration the nation turns to... Sorry Birmingham, but it can be only Manchester, the uncrowned capital of the north and a city embracing change like few others in Europe.

Manchester knows all about improbable scenarios and has never shied away from responsibility. After all, this was the city that gave birth to capitalism and the Industrial Revolution, so what’s a little self-inflating urban redesign to a burgh that knows a thing or two about altering the history of the world?

Highlights
Manchester Central Library
The Central Library is one of Manchester's most famous and best loved landmarks. For generations of Manchester residents and students, it has been not only the place to study but also somewhere to meet friends. It is open to all.

The Lowry gallery
The Lowry houses two main theatres and studio space for performing arts (1,730, 466 and 180 seats respectively) presenting a full range of drama, opera, ballet, dance, musicals, children's shows, popular music, jazz, folk and comedy and gallery spaces (1,610 metres of floor space); showing the works of LS Lowry alongside contemporary exhibitions.

University of Manchester
University of Manchester is a prestigious university that was involved in splitting the atom as well as creating the modern computer. It is the largest campus in the United Kingdom and is known as "Britain's #1 Student City." Whether you are going to tour the beautiful campus or you enroll in the esteemed classes, the University will not disappoint.

University of Manchester

University Place

My Friend, Annabelle

The John Rylands University Library

Old Trafford
Old Trafford is home to Manchester United, who is one of the best teams in the world. The stadium has a massive capacity of roughly 76,000 and is one of the biggest stadiums in the world! Old Trafford is nicknamed the "Theatre of Dreams" and is a brilliant stadium. The atmosphere is amazing and when a goal is scored you see a sea of red of all ages jumping up and down in joy. Most of the fans sing songs and football chants and if everyone is shouting the noise is phenomenal.

Exchange Square
The IRA bombing in 1996 ruined the City Center. Its redevelopment has created a large, impressive shopping area. Dozens of shops, such as the largest Marks & Spencer in Europe, combine with the comfortable open space of the Square, making it the perfect setting for the avid shopper. A new entrance to the Manchester Arndale Centre and the upscale Triangle are all found in or around Exchange Square.


Best Way To Get Around:
Metrolink Rapid Transit
Manchester has an excellent integrated transport network, which includes the Metrolink tram system which services Manchester airport, the city centre and the local boroughs. The trams are fast and efficient.

Buses
The Metroshuttle City Centre Buses are free and run on two circular routes, which include all major rail stations, bus stops and Metrolink stops.

Cycling
Manchester also has a system of cycling paths, although these can be a bit risky during times of heavy traffic.

Life @ Manchester
I'm sure you're excited with all these offerings by now? Imagine...Studying at a top university, watching the Red Devils play at Old Trafford, hanging out with the greats like Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, watching gigs from popular bands such as OASIS, TAKE THAT and SIMPLY RED. Now your dreams can become a reality when you register as a student of KDU College's twinning programme with University of Manchester.

KDU-University of Manchester (1+2) B.A. (Hons) Economics

This twinning programme is offered by the School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) of KDU College. This twinning route gives its students an opportunity to be part of the outstanding community that belongs to University of Manchester, UK. The university holds a long standing reputation for producing some of the world's finest graduates. So, you too can be part of the success story as a student of University of Manchester. The students will finish their first year in KDU College while completing the remaining 2 years of the programme in Manchester, UK.

Majors available: Accounting, Accounting & Finance, Business Studies, Economics, Economics & Social History, Development Studies, Social Anthropology, Sociology and Social Studies.

Please click here... for more information on this twinning programme or other Business programmes offered by KDU College

You may also contact KDU College programme counsellor, Mr. Lita Tan at 03-7728 8123 Ext. 633 or E-mail: best@kdu.edu.my

About The Author:
The author is an avid backpacker and has traveled to 120 cities and 50 countries. He enjoys meeting new people and learning new cultures. He writes destination reviews on his blog at http://www.davidtann.net

SMK Victoria Institution Visits KDU College

Form 6 Students of SMK Victoria Institution recently paid KDU College a visit. Led by Puan Vasantha, their Guru Cemerlang, the students had a fun time touring the campus and enjoying the culinary workshop.

Secondary schools that are interested to have complimentary culinary workshops at KDU College are advised to contact KDU College. For more information on the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (SHTCA), explore their website at http://htca.kdu.edu.my or KDU College site at www.kdu.edu.my

You may also contact KDU College counsellor, Mr. Jerome Heah at 03-7728 8123 Ext. 625 or E-mail: best@kdu.edu.my

Power Chef, HotCat & SHTCA Open Day 09

What a day! Besides a number of workshops, an open day, and the Power Chef finale, the 9th of April also was the day when the 4th Hot Cat Tour hit KDU College.

Our Hospitality Race alludes to Hotel, Catering andTourism, the main pilars of hospitality.

Sixteen schools from around KL and the Klang Valley, a total of 57 teams, came over to KDU to battle against one another in a treasure hunt / race, that demanded stamina, knowledge of the world and the hospitality industry and strong team spirit.

We had 12 exciting tasks prepared for the participants. The race took them all through the college, end even to the car park area, where they solved puzzles, prepared dishes, identified foreign countries and almost teared down the Student Service Centre. Sweat dripping and out of breath they were chasing for more clues. At around 11:15am, the first team had completed the last activity, our “Minefield”, and crossed the finish line. It was almost ten minutes later, that the next teams entered the minefield and the outcome here could not have been any closer. It was literally only one second, that decided between second and third place. So, here are the results:

2nd Runner Up: SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4, B
Runner Up: SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 4, D
Champion: SMK USJ 12, Rainbow

The champion team took home a cheque over RM1,000 and of course our challenge trophy.

We're sure, to see many more teams from all those school for the next installment of this event in 2010!

For more information on the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (SHTCA), explore their website at http://htca.kdu.edu.my or KDU College site at www.kdu.edu.my

You may also contact KDU College counsellor, Mr. Jerome Heah at 03-7728 8123 Ext. 625 or E-mail: best@kdu.edu.my

Welcome To The World of Molecular Cuisine

I’ve just begun to read Harold McGee’s recent revision of On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen. The book covers a wide range of topics in detail – from how cheeses are made, to the science behind tempered chocolate. As you might expect, the explanations can sometimes become quite technical. But the writings I’ve read so far have been very clear and concise, and relatable to my own cooking (haha, yeah right). Hopefully this book will help me become a better cook. After all, who can question your cooking technique when it’s been scientifically proven to work?

While I’m on the topic of molecular gastronomy ('the science of deliciousness’), I thought I would compile a list of resources to help keep track of developments in this rapidly changing field. I came to know this topic only recently from the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts and the event jointly organized with Master Chef Heiko Antoniewics.

According to my ever reliable Wikipedia, Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking. It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general. YES, the terminology seems mouthful but you must first try the cuisine before you can appreciate them.

Coming back to Chef Heiko, he is an independent consultant and trainer. The "Magician of Molecular Cuisine" (Catering Inside 07/05) shares his knowledge of molecular cuisine, product development, and quality management with others.

Chef Heiko is currently working with KDU College to provide his expertise in the culinary diploma programme of which KDU College is the FIRST in the world to offer such a module. WOW! For those of you readers who wish to know more about molecular gastronomy, you may check it out with KDU College counsellor, Mr. Jerome Heah at 03-7728 8123 Ext. 625 or E-mail: best@kdu.edu.my

For more information on the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (SHTCA), explore their website at http://htca.kdu.edu.my or KDU College site at www.kdu.edu.my

Degustation

Chef Lecturer Kenneth Kam and his culinary competition team - Independent, recently organized a dinner event for their preparation for 2 different culinary competitions; HOFEX2009 (Culinary Competition in Hong Kong in May 2009) and MIHAS2009 (Culinary Competition in KL also in May 2009). The dinner took place at Café 87, a casual-dining restaurant at KDU College. A different menu every week for 4 weeks is prepared until the end of April 2009. Last week featured 12-course Asian themed dinners, whereas this week's 11-course dinner with more Western themed.

Week 1 Menu

Week 2 Menu

Guests were treated to a whopping 12-course dinner menu. I must admit that at first i thought it would be easy for someone like me to conquer 12 different dishes. I was almost full by the 8th dish and wanted to 'tapau' the remaining dishes but managed to push myself further to reach the finishing line...the Dessert. Nevertheless, it was a great experience for me to try out all 24 different dishes over the span of 2 weeks.

I have included the pictures taken during my dining on the 8th April. Tune in every week for more sumptuous images of the culinary creations by these competition bound students and chef lecturers. For more exciting programmes offered by SHTCA, please visit their website at http://htca.kdu.edu.my/ or KDU College at http://www.kdu.edu.my/

The Critics; Me (in red shirt) and colleagues

An Asian Trio
'Yee Sang', Miso Cod & Chilled Scallop

Mee Suah Soup
in superior consomme

Tandoori Quail
with cucumber Mint Yoghurt and Naan bread

Seafood Tomyam
Tomyam Soup with Mixed Seafood

Mango Kerabu and Chilled Soba with Yabbies
A duo of mango kerabu & chilled soba with Australian red claw Yabbies

Duck Kut Teh
Herbal Duck Soup

Roti Jala Wrapped Chicken Roulade
with Japanese curry & long beans

Roast Duck Wonton Noodles
5 spiced Roast Duck, Bok Choy and a Chinese Mushroom

Assam Red Snapper
served with saffron and date rice & 'Acar'

Pan seared Salmon and Cod with Saffron Mash
a duo of salmon and cod served with saffron mash

Chocolate Brownie and Raspberry Millefeuille
with vanilla ice cream and passion fruit coulis

Orange Pancake Gateau
accompanied by a poached pear and lemon sabayon sauce

Molecular Cooking with Chef Heiko Antoniewics @ KDU College

Master Chef Heiko Antoniewics from Germany recently visited Kuala Lumpur and made an exclusive appearance at KDU College PJ Campus. Chef Heiko, as he is popularly known, spent time in demonstrating molecular cooking to a group of KDU College students.

This Molecular Cooking class is unique and will be offered as part of the current two Culinary Diploma programmes at KDU College. This Molecular Cooking module is the first of its kind in the world being offered at the Diploma level.

The event was organized by the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts (SHTCA). For more exciting programmes offered by SHTCA, please visit their website at http://htca.kdu.edu.my or KDU College at http://www.kdu.edu.my

David Archuleta visited SMK Sri KDU

Friday April 10, 2009

Students go ga ga over American Idol runner-up’s visit

The real world and cyberspace were caught up in the David Archuleta mania as the runner-up of last year’s American Idol made a surprise appearance at SMK Sri KDU in Kota Damansara.

“It was crazy as I did not realise how many kids would be there.

“I did not expect them to be that enthusiastic and have that much energy,” said Archuleta of the big crowd at the school yesterday.

He was mobbed by an equally huge crowd when he landed at KL International Airport on Wednesday.

The students of the school were rewarded with the special visit after having won the Hitz.fm “Bring Archuleta To Your School” campaign.

Students were required to answer questions and vote for their schools on the radio station’s website. The school garnered a whopping 65,700 votes.

“I voted for our school so many times. I just kept clicking the submit button (on the website) over and over again!” exclaimed Form 4 student Goh Lih Seng, who added that he enjoyed Archuleta’s music but was never a big fan. “Now I’m a huge fan!” he said.

The 18-year-old singer spent about an hour at the secondary school, posing for pictures with the top students before entering the hall where he was greeted with screams.

Meanwhile, the team from The Star’s youth platform R.AGE was hard at work at the school, keeping fans of the baby-faced singer updated with what was happening.

Using the social networking tool Twitter, which allows people to follow updates of fellow “Tweeple”, the R.AGE team was able to notify anyone with immediate updates and pictures on site, including replies by Archuleta from an interview conducted after the event.

Earlier, Archuleta told the crowd how much he loved Malaysia and what a surreal experience it was for him to be in Malaysia, all the way from Utah, United States.

He also talked to the students about how he got through high school with good grades.

“I wasn’t the smartest in my class but I took my time and worked at (my studies). The effort is what helped me out and got me the grades I wanted,” Archuleta said.

After the event, Archuleta held a press conference at the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park. He will perform a special showcase at Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre at 3pm on Saturday.

Dine with Confidence

I add neither sugar nor milk in my coffee until I taste it. I prefer to taste the fresh brew before deciding how much sugar or milk I want to add into the coffee. I get puzzled looks every time I do that. For many, adding a certain amount of sugar or milk into the coffee is routine but I beg to differ. I taste all my food or drinks before deciding if I’d like to enhance the flavor with the help of seasonings. Well, I guess we are habitual beings and I’ve had that habit for a long time.

From my observation, Malaysians are an impatient lot when it comes to food or drinks. The moment the piping hot soup is served, many of us are guilty in adding pepper or soy sauce nary a second thought… This may be a common sight in many restaurants in Malaysia, but I bet many foreigners are amused by our dining etiquette, or rather, lack of it.

This brings us to my recent mini dining etiquette lesson at the Bon Appetit fine-dining training restaurant at KDU College, Penang. The dining etiquette lesson is part of the Executive Development Training (EDT) program which is a short program to give graduating students finishing touches before they venture into the working world. Fifteen graduating IT degree students attended the short albeit informational course. Table manners are vital as all of us want to leave favorable impression on our clients, colleagues or bosses. Table manners are also visible signals of the state of our manners and therefore essential for professional success.

I was taught not to make too much noise on the dining table, place my elbows on the table and chew with my mouth open as a kid. And I still diligently follow those rules. These are some common etiquette many Malaysians are familiar with. Enter the Western dining etiquette and many of us will be clueless and overwhelmed by the elaborate table setting, cutlery and stem wares, and not to mention the many unfamiliar customs and practices.

The mini dining etiquette lesson I attended was a good crash course for those who are unfamiliar with Western dining etiquette. Aptly themed ‘Dine with Confidence’, the lesson was easy to follow and the instructor, Mr. Prakash from the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Culinary Arts at KDU College, Penang is accommodating and has a good sense of humor. We began with an overview of dining etiquette and Mr. Prakash agreed that there were so many things to learn in a proper dining setting and the mini lesson was meant to provide a general understanding on how to behave or avoid making embarrassing mistakes when dining in a fine-dining restaurant.

We had a good 2-hour lunch cum lesson at Bon Appetit. We had a hands-on experience as we were fed while we were following the lesson. It was a fun session and everyone was enjoying their meals, almost forgetting that we were in a lesson. Mr. Prakash was kind enough to answer all sorts of questions and shared some tips with all the diners. Good food, good company and nice ambiance…sound pretty much like the perfect meal, isn’t it?

Sri KDU 'Achieve Your Best Result' Videos!

Achieve Your Best Result (Sri KDU Workshop)

On Wednesday, a team from KDU led a session with 175 Form Five students from Sri KDU entitled, "Achieve Your Best Potential". As always, we combined fun with learning, interaction and a healthy dose of daring. Our team - comprising of Dr. Tan, Datin Lily, Allan, Alwyn, Alex and Ann - covered topics like goal-setting, time management, teamwork, synergy, communication and even character-building.

We provided tools to a) map their future goals against present achievement and to b) identity role-critical activities to manage their time better. We put them in situations requiring coordinated communication and cooperation. We even challenged all of them to a mid-air race on plastic pipes!

Stay tuned for more photos and videos!