i think for the first trip, you should worry more bout bringing enough clothing and maybe minimal stationery items like leads for mechanical pencils. they cost a bomb here, and those things aren't very heavy. of course, don't be silly and bring test pads and all. there's plenty here, and you're better of packing more valuable things
Food wise, i only brought stok ikan bilis, stok ayam(cause the ones in uk won't be halal), some perencah nasi goreng, kuih tart (heh. first raya away from home then ), clothes for matriculation, and t shirts. you could bring some packet noodles for the first few days, just in case. but u should definitely be able to find those things in london. i mean, be grateful u're not stuck in some properly english town like settle (that's near york) where apparently (according to my mat salleh friend) the closest asian shop is in the next town.
o, another important thing is RICE COOKER!!! make sure at least one of your future housemates has this important electrical item. i didn't bring my rice cooker with me, but thank god my parents came that first christmas

I don't think there will be any problems with dairy items. as long as it is store bought, and properly packaged, it should be fine. which means that stuff like serunding may not be accepted (i'm not sure tho. cause i've brought it with me several times, and tak nah kena tangkap pun.) Australia is more strict when it comes to dairy items, and they are an absolute no-no. in fact, if you manage to package it properly, you could even bring ikan bilis to uk. i think the maximum weight for ikan bilis is 1kg, and it has to be for personal use. i also have friends who bring ikan kering (apparently the kind of fish she wanted isn't sold in the asian shop )

just remember to pack your things properly, especially if you do decide to bring kicap or bottled sambal (i recommend singlong sambal tumis. without belacan i lived off this and mi bandung adabi packets in my second year ). my mum would usually wrap the things in newspaper, and consequently wrap it in plastic. Wrapping the items is important to prevent the item from dirtying your clothes if the bottle or seal accidentally broke in your bag

i'm not sure how it works now, but i got an isic card for myself, and i managed to get my baggage limit to be 30 kgs when traveling with MAS. I think it has to be your first trip as a student, meaning you have to show your visa and all. for those traveling in groups (i.e. scholarship bodies groups), i'm not too sure how this will work out. i STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO FIND THIS OUT BEFOREHAND cause overweight baggage costs a lot. (my dad just reminded me bout this - i got a letter from "someone" after i applied for the extra baggage limit and i showed it to them during check in)

When i traveled to uk for the first time, i managed to check in 32 kgs. the only reason i couldn't put more was cause the max weight limit for a bag is 32 kgs - for the safety of the airport workers who will have to carry the bags and all.. though i do admit i really was pushing it there

and traveling to uk means that u can have one laptop bag and one cabin bag as well. what i did was i stuffed my laptop bags with some clothes, and other random things which i needed but couldn't put anywhere else and same goes with the cabin bag. so, if you folow my strategy, you should have a total of roughly 50kgs worth of stuff which you can bring with you to the UK

hehe.. that's all i can think of for now. yes, i NEVER travel light. i've traveled home several times now. and my bag from heathrow has always been between 25kgs to 30kgs. 25kgs was with MAS and 30kgs was with emirates. The key, i think, is to travel alone, and appear lost. and unfortunately, i don't do this on purpose. and it helps to be short, too And alhamdulillah, i've never had to pay for overweight luggage.

o, do remember that having heavy bags to carry means that you will have to suffer pulling it from the airport/bus station/etc to your accommodation. from personal experience, it is worth the pain

This post has been edited by mushimuro: Sep 11 2008, 12:44 PM

which college do you go to? your counsellor should be able to help you with these questions.

i was in sunway (doing 18mnths gak ) and they basically gave us a talk in june in the first year of my a levels, and told us bout ucas. I suggest you to go to the website for more accurate details..

This is the flowchart for what you have to do with uni applications.. the point is, if you want to apply to study in uk for autumn 2009, you have to start your application NOW. and if you want to apply to medical schools or oxbridge, you have to do it by october 15th.

If you apply now, you will be using your predicted. if you apply next year, i guess u will be using ur real grades since you would've finished your a levels by then.

i suggest you go the ucas website. mabecs deals with applications to uk unis. so, give them a call or visit their office for further details.

a... i bought mine with reliance. so i think i had to apply via malaysian airlines enrich thingy.. but my friend told me (later on the flight) that he got his via isic

i think that's true. my dad used to transfer money via his account in jakarta, so i guess it won't be a problem transferring money to ur account in uk.
but with hsbc, u will have to pay a monthly fee to keep your money there if u opened a student account. i'm not sure how it works now, but that was the case when i looked for banks two years ago.

i ended up opening a natwest account, tho they didn't let me get a cheque book until 6 months ago.. lucky for me my bro was still around during that time, and i ended up doing online banking for most of my dealings with the bank. so, it wasn't that much of hassle not having a cheque book. bad thing is its hard to buy plane tickets online la.. the plus side is i don't have to pay for the service..

This post has been edited by mushimuro: Sep 11 2008, 07:47 PM

*quick reply before i dash off to pick up dad from klia*
just bring a phone which you already have from home. i mean, u probably use one now, right? just bring that one. then u dont have to worry bout getting a phone in uk. prepaid sim cards are easy to get. much easier and cheaper than a phone (duh)


*gone*