my point is, it is the previous midland bank, which was one of the big 4 retail banks in the 80's.....ie, a very british bank, because the re branding as hsbc gives some people an impression it is a 'foreign' bank in uk.....

there is no need for health insurance.....as all students will be covered under the nhs for free....

the nhs was one of the british accomplishments celebrated during the opening of the london olympics.....

it is not a requirement by the uni, but by ukba....when you first arrive at the airport in uk, they may want a cxr, and to avoid delay, it is best to have one done in msia and bring the xray and report with you in your hand carry.....

you do NOT need a 'full medical checkup'.....just the cxr...

don't bother with travel insurance, you are going there to live and study, NOT travel....

payment of tuition fees is not a requisite for issuance of the cas by ukba......and i think most unis also do not need payment of fees on acceptance of offer....unlike the practice in oz....

one could have avoided all these translation issues if the money is transferred to the student at least 28 days prior, and you will just need the statement/bank book showing the student has the money in his/her account the last 28 days....then no need birth cert, parent letter etc.....

enrol with the mas grads programme, and i think they will give you another 10kg....

emirates' connection at dubai is not very good, and it's NOT a direct flight.....but the plus point is they fly direct into manchester, newcastle, glasgow and birmingham, in addition to heathrow....

i mean it is not a short connection, and the transit may be quite long, depending on where your final destination....i generally consider it long if it is more than 3 hours....i hate transits (unless it's at changi!).....

you will be issued the boarding pass dxb-lhr(or whatever), so you just need to clear security and then go straight to the departure gate.....or wander around the transit area, is the transit is long....don't worry, there will be thousands of transit passengers connecting at dubai......

that is why i said emirates connection is not very good....

the a380 is definitely more spacious, although the seats may appear the same, thinner seats mean more leg room, very much quieter, and more space to move around/exercise on long flights....but the difference is not the aircraft, but what the airlines do with it....so you will find different levels of experience with different airlines.....even in cattle class....

i like qantas' self service counters, where you can help yourself to drinks, fruits, biscuits....unfortunately mas has decided not to do likewise....

joke aside, the self service counter does not provide hot food, nor liquor, only can soft drinks, a water fountain, fruits like apples and bananas and small pack of biscuits.....it's meant for people who are hungry in between the main meals on very long flight, eg the 14 hrs to lhr....save them some work....

in contrast, sq runs a mid flight hot snack service with cup noodles and hot drinks......which some people may prefer.....

etihad is pretty good, with decent connection at abu dhabi.....good avod/ife but not many top current movies.....

if one intends to do cooking, and one is a rice eater, then a rice cooker will be very useful.....there is no need to buy anything fancy, there are local brands which make small pots of 0.8-1.2L capacity, and that is adequate....

you will not be able to find small rice cookers in uk....they all seem to be designed to feed big families....

are these rice cookers, or boiler/slow cookers?.....they are not the same.....although, the later may also be capable of cooking rice?.....

that looks okay for one of two persons....0.72l.....

but the price!! i think that's double what it cost here!

and they have only 4 branches, none near east midlands.....explains why i have never heard of them.....

people not near their 4 branches will probably be better off buying one from msia...

if it is a small one, it will actually fit inside a 25" luggage, so what we have done is stuff some other items inside the cooker, and then place the cooker inside the bag....

do note that unless you have lots of help, and someone to receive you at the airport, it is best to restrict the number of items to carry if you need to make you own way alone...

actually, it is true it's not easy to find daylight white bulbs/energy savers.....they use warm whites (yellow) mostly.....

it's already discussed in this thread, recently...

it is not customs, but immigration, called ukba....

no need check up...

just chest xray, and bring the film and report in hand carry...

m & s do sell winter jackets....i have one....

while brand names are good, you can get generic/high street brand jackets for a lot less, and they are just as warm.....during sales, they may be as cheap as 20 quid, but something about 50 quid during a sale will be pretty good stuff, as the list price may be double....

winter wear is also just as fashion fickle.....you may not want to be wearing an 'obsolete' jacket for years on end.....

yes it is waterproof (as far as the drizzle in uk is concerned, but will of course not be resistant to the msian tropical downpour...), and yes, it has an inner lining which can be detached when it is warmer.....

i also have 'cheap' one (bhs sale, 20 quid) which works just as well, and no, one wash did not produce holes..... even if it did, i can buy another one the next winter....it's only 20 pounds....

maybe i am just a cheapskate.....