#it ok i actually feel not bad for only 2-3 hrs of sleep before flight LOL i’ve been banking up the sleep so that rly makes a difference lma

[kuiinncedes]

:’)

[orionares]

BTHB: Concussion

BHTB: Concussion

Psych

@badthingshappenbingo

-----------------------------------------------

“This song’s going to get to get stuck inside your- this song’s going to get stuck inside your- this song’s going to get stuck inside your heeaaaddd.”

“Did you know that nine chefs in the San Francisco area have already purchased the Cutter Knife 4000?”

“Hello, Mr. Spencer. It’s Mrs. Harley, Shawn’s teacher. I’m here with Shawn calling to inform you of Shawn’s choice in daring a student to jump off of a picnic table during recess today-"

So, his brain is on fire.

Goddamnit.

On the bright side, Shawn Spencer's brain isn't a literal fire like the time he had tried to light a small bit of hair with Gus at the age of seven to see if he would turn into the Human Torch.

Or the time he and Gus had started a small..ish fire in Gus' backyard in an attempt to see if ants would actually explode under a microscope.

Man, Santa Barbara Fire Department came by the house a lot.

No, this is a new beast- his normally eidetic, pineapple infused brain is now a broken record skipping through memories good and bad.

All because he had tripped and fell down a flight of stairs. While running with Gus. From a man with a gun that had-

“SHAWN! How many times did I tell you not to climb that tree? You and Guster are in high school for Pete’s sake!"

That one never made sense to him- the saying, not the totally justified tree climbing competition. Who the hell is Pete and what's his sake?

"The doors are closing…."

"Welcome to the California Academy of Sciences-"

"Welcome to the California Academy of Sciences-"

"Welcome to the California Academy of Sciences-"

At the rate and speed he's going, he may become the first person to die from his brain exploding….maybe.

"-ca-hr-me? Wha-ppened?"

Who's voice, who's irritatingly LOUD voice, is talking above him?

“He fell down a flight of stairs after being chased by a suspect.”

The second voice is compassionate and strong and an easy one to recognize- his beloved Jules.

“Miss-” A deep voice answers Juliet O'Hara with a smugness that Shawn could open his eyes and see but-

“It's Detective," Juliet corrects sharply.

“My apologies, Detective. Thank you for letting us know. Now back up and let us assess Mr. Spencer-"

Uh-oh. Another overload coming in 3...2...

"Spencer Shoes semi-annual sale coming straight to the Santa Barbara Area-"

"Spencer Shoes semi-annual sale coming to the Santa Barbara area-"

"No-Shawn, we can't go over and steal Santa's glove-"

"Yuh-huh."

"Nuh-huh."

"Yuh-huh."

"Nuh- huh."

"Sirs , you need to leave the store. The Santa display is for those under 12."

Behind his shut eyes, Shawn tries to pull up anything to organize the catastrophic meltdown of his magnificent brain. The only thing that pops up is the explosion of pain at the back of his head hitting the last stair.

Head hitting concrete means concuss-

"More than one million individuals injure themselves on stairs, resulting in injuries such as concussions-"

"I triple dog dare you to spell concussion without using your phone-"

The doctor's voice scoffs, "Once we can do a neuro- wait, is he shushing us? What in the hell- why is he shushing? Why is my patient shushing me?"

Because you're loud, duh, he wants to say.

“Did he just say ‘duh’ to me?”

Whoops- came out loud.

Juliet sighs and retorts, “ My husband is trying to tell you that we’re talking too loud. It happens when he gets a concussion-”

“Ma ‘am-”

“It’s Detective and I’m telling you the in’s and out’s of my husband. I also work with him in my job as a police officer-”

Shawn winces at the sudden wave of pain across his forehead and the next round of spiraling, loud thoughts.

"Jules?"

"Do you ever confuse SBPD with SFBD?"

"Shawn? Go back to bed."

The overwhelming pressure growing in his head from the loud, uncontrollable thoughts are getting worse.

“Shawn! SHAWN! I know you two can hear me up there?”

“We can’t hear you, Dad! We’re ‘splorin!”

“Exploring and like many criminals I’ve arrested, you’ve just given yourself up. Are you going to surrender peacefully or will I need to send up SWAT?”

What would SWAT storming an attic to find two six year olds look like? Shawn feels a hand on his arm and he attempts to push the hand away. The motion triggers a louder, more painful overload of thoughts and memories that brings tears behind his eyes.

“I swear, you two are going to make my brain explode!”

“Never ever, Lassie- Loo- Hoo. We’d never intentionally annoy you into your brain exploding. Accidently, is a different story.”

He can feel Juliet’s hand on his cheeks but can’t hear anything words from anyone around him. Shawn chokes out a sob followed by a plea, “Jules, make it stop.”

He doesn’t feel the sedative injected into his IV or hear the directions from the doctor and Juliet. Shawn Spencer only feels the noise erupting in his brain and the pain throbbing in his head and then finally, silence and unconsciousness.

------------------------------------------

“How is he?”

Juliet turns her head to the door to Gus, staring sadly over to a sleeping Shawn. He steps further into the dimly lit room close enough for Juliet to see the stiches across his forehead and left forearm. She can also see the guilt in Gus’ eyes at the differences in their injuries.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Gus,” Juliet says. She sits up straighter in her chair as Gus approaches the foot of the bed and nods towards Shawn. “All I got was a few scratches and Shawn got a concussion,” Gus replies. “He pushes me out of the way from getting slammed against the wall and ends up getting pushed down a flight of stairs.”

“He’s ok, Gus. He did have some of his-”

“Concussion brain?” Gus finishes. Juliet and he stare at each other before sharing a soft chuckle.

“That wasn’t the term I wanted to use in front of the doctors, but yes,” Her smile falters at the moment the Doctor Calhoun had injected a sedative into Shawn’s IV. “It got really bad this time. They gave him a sedative.”

Gus inhales in and out slowly before asking, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m worried and….sad...and scared,” Juliet admits. “I wish there was a way that could help him through when he gets like this. I wish I could see inside his mind- have an answer on how to help calm things down.”

Unexpectedly, Gus snorts and motions over to Shawn. “You don’t need to do any of that, Juliet. I’ve learned about fifteen years ago...about the time Shawn was irritating a certain , as Shawn would call him, Lassito and his partner, that there are three things Shawn needs whenever he’s heartbroken or injured. Jamaican tacos, pineapple smoothies and you.”

“And I have him,” Juliet states with a smile. “But you have to cover the tacos and the smoothies.”

[nyruratchet]

Time...

“...Why you punish me?”

So, I explained last time the situation regarding the creation of my music...monetarily. But let me explain and expand on how my time is utilized on a monthly basis.

If I haven’t made it clear, I hate my job. But here’s the thing, it’s flexible (for the most part), has benefits: (insurance, free-ish air travel, scheduled pay increases). Cons: passengers are allowed to treat crew like shit, always working with new people (that you may not mesh well with), anyone you try establishing a relationship with has pre-conceived notions/little to no faith you will ever be around, pay SUCKS until you get REALLY senior (7+), and...more, but I digress. But that flexible schedule, albeit limited, has afforded me the ability to work on music; until it doesn't. 

See, I was getting “comfortable” in my work situation a few years ago until certain a situation beyond my control forced me into deep debt, bad credit, and deeper depression. In order to fix all of this, money is needed. How do u get money? Work more. More work leads to more depression and sometimes health issues. So, I’ve been stuck in this seamlessly endless cycle of paycheck to paycheck living. And my desire and NEED to work on my music has not helped it (as explained in the previous blog post). Every time I get a bit more money, it goes to my craft. 

See, after you put all that money into creating art, you have to then put it OUT there. And in the case of a performer, you need to do live performances. That is a whole other situation in itself. There are lots avenues to get live performance experience. Open mics, concert showcases, live cabaret/karaoke bars, etc. Guess what THEY ALL COST MONEY. But not only money, LOTS of excess time is involved. 

This past spring, I was dragged into a showcase by my producer friend (who I’m partially in love with but he’s straight...but that’s another story). In order to do a showcase, you have to apply for acceptance. Applications involve you submitting current work and having a worthy social media following (which you have had to spend constant time building). Once you fill out the application, send the files and info, PAY your entry fee ($25) and receive your acceptance, you then have to sell tickets. Yes, how do they get people to come to the showcase? By having YOU bring them. And if you cannot find people to buy your tickets, all of those tickets come out of YOUR pocket. So, I was given 25 tickets to sell (last minute mind you); 25 tickets to sell at $20 bucks each. So, if I don't sell them, I owe the company $500 dollars. Yup, that’s correct. In order for me to perform my original content on their stage, I needed to make sure they got their $525 and help them get people in the venue so that they buy drinks at the bar (which we were given ZERO drink tickets for). Now before stepping on stage, you don’t get a sound check. So, you show up early before everyone to check in and simply check they have your correct music file(s) then wait...and wait...and wait. But your music has to be edited within their restrictions (this means more studio time. Remember, studio time =more $$...just making sure ur following me. Too many times you’ll hear big recording artists talking about how they have just sat in studios for hours creating a song from scratch. Yeah, only if you are signed to major label is this a thing! But anyway...back to the showcase.) 

Needless to say, I did everything I needed to. But I had some help since I asked to do this last minute and told them UP FRONT they would have had to get that unsold ticket money from me in blood. I landed from working a redeye the day before, got a nap in, did my vocal exercises in my car on my way to New Jersey, checked in and sat there. Since some people didn't show up on TIME, I was abruptly grabbed from drinking my whiskey at the bar and told “YOU’RE ON NEXT!”  Being the seasoned professional that I am, took that shot to the head, said “Actually, that’s not my slot...but ok, I’m ready.” NO SOUND CHECK, NEVER given TIME on the stage beforehand...I went on. Sung my ass off with a standing ovation from the judges. Then, went back to drinking with my friends who were in shock because they had never heard me really sing live. Then I had sit for HOURS while mediocre “rappers” and “singers” rapped over pre-recordings of their own vocals. Finally, they were ready to announce the winners. I won that sucker.

But what did I win? ...A promise to be put into another show... *DICK FACE*  No money to recoup what I just spent getting to this moment. No free promotion on social media to help me and my art. NO, some bullshit. So, I took the experience fore what it was and cut my losses. I got some exposure and was able to test out an unreleased song...but besides that. Nothing but wasted time and effort. I left there feeling somewhere between elation and disappointment. Not to mention, I was exhausted; I had done all this after working my full time job, and had to work again the next day. So all I had time to do was drive home and sleep. 

“Like a wave bashing into the shore...

Since this, I have had some money issues and mental health issues, so I have just barely been able to work on music. On my days off, I have to sleep and get back in the groove of being a real person instead of a redeye zombie. Then when I’m feeling slightly normal, I’m back to work...it is a vicious, irritating, restraining cycle. I’ve tried working shorter flights so I’m home more; nope, the pairings (schedules) for those flights work you in a way that leaves you feeling raped. My company will build a pairing with a duty time of 27hrs and only pay you for 15-17 of those hours. DOESN’T MAKE SENSE. Then on top of that, your rest time at the hotel is set to 11hrs...WTF?? 

Let me explain this for those of you with normal jobs. On these pairings, you are schedule to work a number of flights each day. So, 3 day pairing means you work 3-4 flights each day and have 2 layovers. Now lets say FLIGHT time is 1.5-2.5 hrs each (8-12hrs). Then you land from your final flight for day one. We’re usually delayed at our carrier...honestly, rarely on time. So, you have minimum rest at 11hrs. BUT, before you can leave the aircraft we have to get all passengers off the plane, CLEAN the seats, wait on our shuttle which is probably late if your pilots are sucky human beings and haven’t called ahead to make sure they’re there (Pilots aren’t required to clean; just us lowly peasants). So, by the time you get to the hotel, down to 10hrs. If you get there and rooms are ready, great. IF NOT, another 20-30 min or longer. But, lets say you’re down to 9.5hrs now. Get to your room. Hopefully your key works, air/heat works, no one is already in you room (yes...it happens all the time), room already cleaned, no bed bugs, and you aren’t by a noisy ice machine/elevator. You then have to shower and eat. Let’s say you get all that done in an hour. You now have 8.5 hrs to sleep...BUT WAIT, the van is scheduled to pick you up from the hotel 45 min to an hour before you are supposed to report at the airport and you need to be dressed and ready to make that van. So instead of 8.5hrs, you actually have 7hrs at best to sleep and pop outta bed, get dressed and properly ready to do the shit show all over again; all the while, knowing they are really only paying you for the time you spend on the aircraft, AFTER THE DOOR IS CLOSED AND THE BRAKE IS RELEASED. Time before like boarding, checks, delays? nope...no pay. Just us waisting our fucking time. Literally.

Why, is this? cuz everyone does it is the answer. That is how all airlines do it, so you have no leg to stand on. Got a union, the company retaliates like a reprimanded toddler. Now as I said before, once you get to be a super senior in your company and can choose what you want to work, when you want to work, in the position you want to work, getting $40/hr at base hours and a crazy amount for premium (overtime) hour, etc. the job is GOLDEN. (Unless that company gets purchased/merged.) But for a young person/flight attendant in debt, living in NYC, with a high cost of living, life ain’t fun. I tried living in New Jersey for a lower cost; that came with its own issues. I’ve taken out loans, became a hermit to save money, worked holidays, etc. Dug my hole deeper is what I did. And I’m pretty good at setting goals and managing my time and getting things DONE. But for some fucking reason, life is not working in my favor. This job is not working for me. I see younger people coming up behind me doing LITTLE to no work, getting musical accolades with trash “music” (I know, matter of opinion...but really. C’mon now), young white/latino/asian twinks shaking their ass for anything that breathes and getting rich men to pay their bills or marry them, all the while telling me they just want my BBC or other racist BS like that (Yes, I have receipts) and I’m just like WTF AM I DOING WRONG?! Have I spent my time stupidly? 

And the most recent shit that really hurt my feelings: If any of you remember (to the three of you reading this lol), a few months ago I posted about help getting into bartending. Well, I had actually asked a friend in person before that about bartending and if he knew any directors who could do a music video. This “friend” told me “no, not really”. Didn’t know anything about that, he just does movies and short films (which I’ve donated to his kickstarters for btw...) but no one who he thinks does music videos. THEN, I asked this same “FRIEND” how much he would charge to be IN a music video, as I had a song (the one I won the showcase with) that he would be perfect for as it deals with subject matter he rallies for. I wanted to help his career out in turn by help my video out, because I’m ugly and having beautiful actors in my video would be a better sell (as again, I need this song to make money. He then tells me me, he’s not sure how much he would charge for that. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER...this bitch releases a music VIDEO to his NEW SINGLE about a SIMILAR SUBJECT!! Without promotion, he gets instant 2.2k hits on the video on youtube. MIND YOU, he would always be shy to sing around me and I told him, “you need to give yourself more credit. You have a beautiful voice.” Meanwhile, I’m asking for some knowledge from him, and he wouldn’t help me with ANYTHING. I have NEVER asked for a hand out. Just tell me where the door is, I will get in even if I have to pick the lock. But he not only pretended he didn’t know where the door was, he was holding the keys, had lock picks on the side and duplicates to share; But, for whatever reason...didn’t want to share that with me. Even though, I was going to include him in MY art without any thought and was willing to pay. Now, I have some thoughts on why he did this. But seeing as I’m on the verge of tears, I’ll end on that note.

...You wash away my dreams.”

[jchichibu]

Everything about my exchange in Europe/Sweden.

Hej!!! (is it too long never hej someone already)

It’s been almost 4 months since I have been back from my exchange at Umeå University in Sweden and everything has been moving so quickly ever since I was back. Firstly, I was back on 16 January 2016, which means school in NTU has actually already started. My last exam in Sweden was 15 Jan :( Secondly, transitioning back to $tre$$fuLyf3 Singapore education isn't the easiest thing to do right after a 7.5-month break from NTU. Thirdly, having cleared very little/very lame AUs during exchange, I wanted to focus a lil more this sem. Hence I had to chuck the idea of wanting to blog something about my exchange till when I've got more time.

And now that finals are ended, LAO NIANG CAN SIT DOWN AND SAY WHAT I WANT 'CUZ EXCHANGE WAS THE DAMN BIG THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME!!!!!!!

Ok that being said, I'm not going to make this like a travelogue/tips on how to travel on a budget because I really am not the best person travelling (but i do have a friend, buttergoesbudget) because I have literally forgotten many places that I'd been to and eaten at, and I wasn't the biggest/best saver. 

However having made quite a lot of mistakes during exchange, what I've got here are my experiences from exchange and I hope to share to whoever who wants to read, and hopefully will be useful for those heading to Europe/Sweden for exchange :) Also pardon my limited vocab and simple compo writing, I shall just pen my thoughts as if I'm talking to someone irl ok LOL

Some background story...

current major | Mathematics and Economics (NTU SPMS) year of exchange | Year 3 Semester 1, Autumn semester place of exchange | Umeå, Sweden host university | Umeå University (I took economics mods there, they do not offer many math mods) duration of exchange | 3 Aug 2015 to 15 Jan 2016

I shall skip the preliminaries such as how to go on an exchange, course matching etc 'cuz I've forgotten LOL and jump into my 10 things I think will be useful for those going exchange! Ok here we go.

1) Air tickets (from and to Singapore)

Vanessa and I actually got our deal from STA Travel, which mainly includes:

Qatar Airlines 

Stopover at Dubai

Ticket from Singapore to Rome

Ticket from Stockholm to Singapore

1 change of date back to Singapore FREE

40KG baggage limit

Max stopover was maybe at most 2 hours, wasn't long at all

We also got our ISIC (International Student Identity Card) done for FREE as a complementary (usual cost about sgd 25 I think). I thought owning this card was definitely not an essential but it was nice to have it as I did receive some good deals via ISIC card (you can check their discounts at different countries in their website).

I got my 2-way tickets for SGD 1440. I am quite sure this isn't the cheapest. But the 1 change of date and 40kg baggage limit were useful because I did change my flight back once and my baggage was freakin' on-the-dot 40kg. So don't underestimate these benefits included!

2) Pre-trip planning

I'm typing more for pre-trip because the time period is kinda more predictable than the trips in between school. Maybe some ideas to help you kickstart planning for your pre-trip! After your pretrip, I'm pretty damn sure your other trips will be much easier to plan (or even last min!)

Travel mates:Initially the pre-trip only consisted of Van and I, but Hui Cheng and Yi Jin joined in :)

It was just 4 girls and I think it was a good number because too many people sibei mafan, but too little people quite dangerous. My parents had concerns about only 4 girls travelling but I guess they were ok after a while. But of course, always nice to have some guys around!

Choosing where to visit: We all did not have any preferences to places to go as everyone haven't been to Europe before. Hence we simply followed the common route most people do, we planned on: Rome → Venice → Florence → Pisa → Cinque Terre → Milan → Paris → Amsterdam So basically there was no particular reason how we chose our route, but for those who are as new to Europe as us, I must say it was a doable and fun route. And for suaku me, being able to witness The Colosseum, Vatican City, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Green light district of Amsterdam and Anne Frank House within 2.5 weeks was definitely sth familiar yet Europey to me! And can haolian to people you've been there seen those *flips hair*

However, the only bad part was probably the weather. On our first few days, it was super hot like 37°C during the daytime (early Aug) when we arrived at Rome (Singapore felt incomparable) (or was it) and I legit had a heatstroke-feeling-moment when I was in the Colosseum. But the nights are pretty chilly which was good. And then, within like 2 weeks or so, it was starting to get really cold by the time we were in Amsterdam (mid August). Cinque Terre vs Amsterdam within 2 weeks: From wearing like this...

to wearing like this.

So the weather changes up pretty quickly due to the how the seasons change, something not every Singaporean will understand (ie, me before exchange) and it gets quite unpredictable. Which means, you need to pack your summer and slightly warming clothing. But I managed through lower temperatures in Paris and Amsterdam with my baseball jacket and beanie (which I bought there). One note is that perhaps starting from lower parts of Europe (Spain, Portugal etc) can be a good alternative pre-trip route too, so as to get used to the temperatures in Europe and also the temperatures do not flactuate too much.

Duration of trip: We travelled from 3 August 2015 to 21 August 2015 (about 18 days). It was a good duration for me, not too long, not too short. But can I say I got a little sick of moving from place to place every few days :( Remember you are new to travelling for a relatively long time and travelling is not always rainbows and unicorns, it really gets tiring. 

This was the days spent in each city and my comments wrt the duration:

Rome- 5D4N: Had to adjust body clock, set aside time to settle my luggage matters and a full day in Vatican city. There were many things to see in Rome so duration was ok

Venice- 3D2N: duration was sufficient

Florence- 4D3N: too long LOL for me. I thought Florence was pretty normal only haha

Pisa- 3+HRS: too short LOL could have spent a lil longer but definitely less than a day. Although we only wanted to see the Leaning Tower in Pisa, taking the perfect shot of it took a loOooooOoong time and the distance by foot from Tower to train station was about 20min

Cinque Terre- 3D2N: loooove this place, wouldn't mind an extra day or 2 to properly visit all the islands! And even chill in the beaches

Milan- 8HRS: was a stopover so we did not do much actually besides eating and shopping at train station haha

Paris- 4D3N: would have liked an extra day to visit Disneyland!!! :( (which is quite a distance from the central Paris)

Amsterdam- 4D3N: duration was ok

Modes of transportation: For the route we took specifically, we took trains all the way. We used Raileurope to find the cheapest timings for each city. It is like a skyscanner for trains. And the trains were really great tbh!!!

So definitely take trains, takes about 2 to 4 hours between cities and they were ok priced I guess.

One of the perks will definitely be that the trains bring you to the city centre, which is always useful. 

Also, trains have no limits on baggage weight!!!!

We also got adventurous and tried the overnight sleeper train (Thello) from Milan to Paris. Comfort-wise, I was sleeping at the bottom deck in a 6-couchette, closest to the tracks, slept the entire night lol. I think they had blankets too! Price-wise, it wasn't the cheapest but definitely an experience! Safety wise, we were 4 friends in a 6-people cabin, and the other 2 being a mother and a young daughter. So we were lucky as they looked pretty harmless. I just placed my luggage filled with clothes in the unlocked storage area in the cabin and kept my belongings close to me like near my boobs when I slept. Also, the cabin door could be locked from inside. I advise to always have more of your own people than strangers in the couchette if possible, always safer this way! Initially we were wondering to try the eurail pass but I think we did not as it was only more worth it if we were taking the 1 month pass. But do compare the prices!

Another useful website to find out where are the best routes to take from a city to another is rome2rio.

Accommodations: We booked through airbnb. We mostly got a whole apartment to ourselves as we had 4 people, which was easier to find airbnbs for. Sometimes the airbnbs were for 3 people but had extra charge for extra person and worked out fine for us. So do consider that. We were looking for somewhere convenient, affordable and had good reviews. Tbh we just tried our luck with the area of the airbnb and basically was ok as long as the airbnb is near a subway or near some place of interest. It helps that airbnb now has the feature where the airbnbs are geotagged on a map with their pricing. 

Some better airbnbs/hostel that we stayed and were pretty decent in terms of location and airbnb itself were: Venice: link Florence: link Paris: link Amsterdam: link

In all, we basically we booked our train tickets, flight tickets and accommodation prior to the trip a few months before! Train ticket prices shouldn't change too much so tbh no need book so fast, same for airbnbs. But book earlier if you already have plans, try not to do last minute bookings as good airbnbs/train timings may not be available.

Administration: As there are travel mates with u and everyone may be paying/booking different things, do set up Googledocs with your travel mates for all the important documents, like train tickets, airbnb receipts and itinerary. This keeps accounting easier and ensures no tickets/receipts are lost. To be honest, it gets quite messy trying to split costs etc so it's always nice to write down who paid for what for future references when everyone needs to start paying! Don't care if your friends think you damn lame, IT JUST MAKES EVERYTHING NEATER because there will be so many tickets and receipts to remember. They will thank you next time lol. Another advise is to divide the workload if possible, so everyone in charge of finding accommodation/transport for different cities respectively. Divide the workload, lessen the mistakes, eliminate the possibility that one person has to tank all the errors LOL.

One mistake I made was to book the wrong month for our Paris airbnb, and to only realise after that and the cancellation policy was strict :( SO PLEASE CHECK AND CHECK TO ENSURE EVERYTHING IS CORRECT FOR YOUR TICKET, ACCOMMODATION EVERYTHING! DON'T TAKE CHANCES.

3) Packing list for exchange

I waited till the super last minute to pack my luggage as I returned from Japan just less than a week before flying off for exchange. And I was lazy (so Claria had to help me overnight haha <3). But really hor, I think if can pack earlier. Just start throwing stuff you think you need during exchange into your luggage as and when. You don't want to be rushing and be anxious about forgetting something important. 

Something I forgotten to bring was, MY FREAKING GRAPHIC CALCULATOR. And I am a Math and Econs student. *come I clap for you* So yes, just please remember to bring, you don't want to buy one there.

I basically followed this checklist for advise on what to bring. I thought it was useful to help me get started.

And after experiencing exchange myself,

These are what I think you SHOULD NOT bring:

Maggie mee/ cup noodles: It is damn ding dey (occupy a lot of space, esp the bowl cup noodles) The asians shops have it. And bringing 5 packets over wouldn't last you entire exchange lolol. For Sweden, ICA sells them!!!! So don't worry if you really craving for it.

Too much milo packets: tbh I wasn't craving milo too much, mostly gave milo away for my international friends to try. I mean, milo is really yummy (milo fan 5eva) everyone should try it. However, that being said, one big packet will do for your friends to share. I brought 2 packets and it was SUPER HEAVY. I carried all my food around during pretrip it was extremely troublesome. Will explain why below.

Too many Singaporean-y food: I know you miss your food but just bring some to cook for your international friends! Go enjoy the food over there since you're in Europe! And also, if you really need some oyster sauce or whatever, just buy it from Asian supermarkets. You definitely have one nearby you. 

New winter wear just for exchange: I did not have any winter wear prior to exchange, and I bought myself some Uniqlo fleece hoodie and 2 turtlenecks. Think those were neccessary, sufficient and pretty affordable. But if you do not have winter jackets and will hardly experience winter anytime soon after exchange like me, just buy them from thrift stores when you reach your city! There are usually a large variety and muuuuuch cheaper for a substantial one. Scored myself a reasonably warm black jacket. But also, thrift shopping is possible only if you are ok with wearing used stuff! :)

Boots: If you do not have those Timberland boots or whatever, no need to buy just to walk on snow. Because when the snow comes and it gets all slippery and shit, these boots still make you fall. If you have them already, bring them as they definitely are better than normal sneakers. But if you do not own them already, don't bother buying them. Get the detachable spikes when you are at a snowy place!

These are what I think you SHOULD bring:

Running shoes: You need to exercise in exchange. Lol

Wifi router: I stayed in a school dormitory hence I was glad I brought my router so I had access to wifi the first day there. It is cheaper to bring it from Singapore!

Coffee packets from Singapore: I'm speaking for people going to Sweden for exchange. Swedish enjoy coffee, so bringing some good kopi packets for them to try may actually be very useful and nice.

Party wear: Not chao clubber but there are parties and parties to go when you are on exchange, so you may consider bringing some dresses/skirts that will keep you warm for the girls so you look presentable and ready to party!

Extra credit card: My parents got me another UOB Lady's Mastercard, on top of my existing POSB card which I usually draw my money with. I put my POSB card in my wallet and my UOB card somewhere else in my bag. The POSB card is for normal usage while the UOB serves as a backup in the case when I lose my wallet/card. This will kinda of save all the trouble of your parents having to send you money from Singapore and you will never be penniless/have insufficient money. This UOB Mastercard merely serves as a backup financially, it's always good to have extra "capabilities" to pay up. lol

Body pouch: Yes, those lao kok kok one that your parents may force you to use. Surprisingly 3 out of 4 of us actually wore it throughout our pretrip. I kept some extra cash and my passport in it and strap it close to my body.

Sling bag: I carried my crossbody bag throughout my trip and put it in front of me ALWAYS. I kept my wallet, handphone and iPad in this bag and constantly checked to ensure these 3 things are in it. Do not put too many junk in your bag, so you can just touch your bag to know that these 3 things are inside. I check my bag like 10 times or more a day not even kidding, better be safe than sorry because some European countries can be really unsafe! Even when we were travelling in trains, this crossbody is always with me. I do not put my valuables in my luggage. I mean if people want to steal my luggage they can la, they can have my clothes lo. Do remind each other about checking your belongings too, am thankful no one I travelled with lost anything.

Wide angle lens/fisheye lens: Good for taking photos with your friends and the whatever chio thing y'all trying to take with, that is if you do not own a DSLR like me!

Some nice things that represent Singapore that you want to share with your international pals: For example, chicken rice paste, chilli crab paste, NTU shirt, NTU file, etc

This list is definitely not exhaustive. Refer to the post above for a more detailed one (I used that checklist to prepare for my trip!).

4) Transporting your hugeass luggage from Singapore to host university

I'm talking about the luggage with 6 months worth of supplies. As my university was in the northern parts (read: ulu) of Sweden, it was quite expensive just to get a flight ticket, fly there, leave my luggage, then proceed for  my pre-trip. Furthermore, my room was not ready yet and I would not have a room to store my luggage. And I did not have a friend living in Sweden or whatsoever.  What Van and I did was, we brought our luggage (we had 40KG baggage limit for our flight from Singapore to Rome) to Rome and from Rome, we hired a door-to-door bagagge delivery service, sendmybag.com. It was definitely cheaper to send it from Rome to Umea, than from Singapore to Umea. We liased with our host uni prior to flying off and they agreed to collect our luggage for us and safekeep it for us in the general office. We had to print this tag and paste it in on our luggage, so do bring some tape! We also managed to find a printing shop nearby to print our tags. One bad thing is that they do not deliver food items, which explains why I had to carry all my cup noodles and milo packets around, throughout my entire pretrip TMD. Ended up eating all my Hello Panda even before I reached Sweden LOL. And also, gels, liquids etc are not allowed. You can read more on their website! Another bad part is that they did not tell us when they were coming to our Rome airbnb to collect our luggage, but instead gave us a time range, which was pretty much the whole day. That was why we actually allocated more time in Rome. So we have decided to wait in our airbnb for the delivery man to come collect our luggages. And thankfully (I still rmb we shrieked) the man came to collect at about 12pm so this means more time to explore Rome!!! Apparently, our luggage got delivered safely to our host uni and to Yi Jin's and Hui Cheng's apartment. Do remember to lias properly with the person in charge of collecting your luggage, don't cock up! But once our luggage was delivered and received, ALL WAS GOOD FROM THEN!!! I think I paid about 160SGD for the service.

Other alternatives is to place it in a friend's house first then fly for your trip, place it in your apartment if it's ready then fly for your trip or send it straight from Singapore a few days before you get your room. Please don't think of carrying your bigass luggage around please, IT'S REALLY DAMN TURN OFF TO CARRY SUCH HEAVY THINGS AROUND.

5) Packing list for pre-trip

For pretrip, just pack what is required because heavy luggages really makes travelling very sian. I expect a pretrip to be around July to end August, which is the season of transition from summer to autumn and sometimes the weather change is drastic. You don't need your winter coat yet, a hoodie and thermal should be enough. For a rough idea, what I suggest is: Thermals, 1 jeans, 1 shorts, 1 long pants, 2 cooling tops, a dress, 2 warm clothes, slipper, sneakers, socks, a good hoodie/jacket, beanie, AND SCARF if you want. I swear a scarf keeps u sooooo damnnnnnnn warm. This was about what I brought for my pretrip of 18 days. I kept my clothes highly matchable with one another. HAHA and I think I was pretty ok dressed for photos ;)

6) Phone services and banking services abroad

Different countries have different SIM cards, so if you were to travel so many places it would be expensive to get SIM cards for every country you visit. I mean you can also la. For me, I did not buy any SIM card for any country/city I visited. I just relied on wifi and I did not have any problem. Wifi are usually available in food places you visit, Macs and sometimes even the public transport. So this makes marking out on Googlemaps where you want to go before leaving your house very important. I kept my Singapore number and phone service so I am always contactable by my family. For my solo trip, I constantly kept in touch with my family via SMS. My dad decided to keep the line too, so that if I ever need to call them or anyone, I can do so. And I also did not get a Swedish number. LOL. But my city was really tiny without metro whatsoever so I wasn't actually very bored travelling from one place to another that I needed to use my phone. The prepaid card wasn't that expensive but it only limited me to call within Sweden, which apparently is quite useless for me because I don't have anyone to call to. The data plan was slightly pricier and not so worth it.

I relied solely on wifi throughout my entire exchange and travelling.

With regards to how I got cash, I did not open a Swedish bank account because it was just for 6 months. Instead, I withdrew money (5000SEK was maximum, about 840SGD) each time using my POSB bank account from their ATM. This can last me for quite long if I did not travel. Sweden is also a highly cashless country, so you can just use Mastercard for the cheapest thing in the supermarket. I understand that I lose out in the exchange rate and all, but ya, just sharing with you guys how I did banking while on exchange. Of course, I do have many friends who open bank accounts in other cities/countries.

7) While travelling

This is just some (read: MANY MANY) random tips I have for travelling in general, like anytime you travel!!! They may be very random/small/common-sensical as I'm just typing out whatever pops up from my head.

1. Always keep your train tickets/air tickets/airbnb itinerary/impt documents in your ipad or phone before leaving your house. You do not know if you have wifi outside so please save everything before leaving home. 2. Some airlines allow for digital tickets (ie, just show your airticket from phone can already) but some strictly only allows for hard copy air tickets. 3. Train tickets are basically ok if in soft copies. And you can buy your train tickets on the spot for city to city. So don't worry if last minute you missed your train etc! Still same price I think. But buy beforehand if possible. 4. RYANAIR requires Singaporeans to do a visa check before boarding. So you need to get a stamp at the ryanair booth before going to the boarding gate. Leave some time for that! They will state you need to check your visa in the ticket, read carefully! 5. Always keep your bags in front of you. Don't ever put it behind you. 6. Always put minimal valuables with you, and always check for them. Remind your friends too whenever leaving a place. It's the time to be naggy and paranoid. Chances are, if you lose sth you will never find it back. 7. Do not be too kind and help other people. I think everyone has heard enough pickpocketing stories. Don't go dark alleys in the night, be smart! 8. Try to collect all dem geotags on Snapchat. I mean, why not since you there already! 9. TAKE MANY PHOTOS AND VIDEOS!!!! The photos of my travelling still brings back fond memories and You Are A Tourist Just Do Your Thang!!! Chances are, you will not come back anymore so just take photos. But do be mindful of the time you take to get that perfect shot la ok, I mean those who I travelled with were really just looking to take nice touristy step shots with our samsung or iphone. But if you are those into professional photography and wouldn't mind spending half a day to take that one perfect shot, do see if your friends are on the same page with u! 10. Don't be specially on a hunt to buy soveniers for your family and friends. You can buy some along the way but don't be like on a full force hunt for them. To be honest I could not find many good soveniers that I feel were useful and worthy of the price. If something looks nice and affordable for a large bunch of people back home, just get them. So at least you solved your sovenier issue because trust me, there isn't many good soveniers la LOL. For me, I got 1 thing from some cities I went to, which were mostly small and not too pricey. Then I put them into goodiebags for my friends, so they get a range of soveniers from different places. Some ideas are, chocolates from Belgium, Eiffel Tower keychain from Paris, chio keychains from London, teabags from London and Ikea meatball sauce from Sweden. 11. Try sandermans free walking tours. Book in advance although you can just show up at their meeting point if you did not book (however at Prague they only allowed people who book to join because the crowd was overwhelming). The tours usually give me insights and interesting facts about the city and most of the time I'm not disappointed!! They are free tours and you pay how much the tour guide deserves after the tour has ended. We usually each give 5 euros or more each, don't be cheapskate and pay nothing la!!! 12. Googlemaps is da bombz. Prior to the trip I did not really use googlemaps. So for those who do not know what it is, lemme tell you the greatness of this feature. Save all your locations that you want to go before you start the day (you need wifi for this) and you get all the pins to plan your day. Most of the places of interests are really walkable, so once you get a rough gauge of what you are doing for the day, head out. To know how to walk from point A to B, switch on your gps (no wifi needed) and follow the route. TADA. Ok you may think this is stupid but I really did not know about it till I was there. I hardly got lost with googlemaps. 13. Be flexible with the itinerary. Don't tire everyone out with a full day pack plan. Enjoy the company and the places, that's more important. 14. If you need wifi, go to MacDonalds!!!! You may need to buy something to get the wifi password but ok, worth it. Saved my life many times. 15. Pay an entrance fee for something only if you want to. Some entrance fees may be pricey, so only go in if you want. Then again, don't sting on it if most of your friends want to visit. I mean, you are already there so just go in! Do take note if there are discounts using your ISIC card. I elaborate if you should or not visit some attractions below! 16. Try not to break the rules. I sound damn toot for saying this but sometimes, just pay for the bus or train if you need to. My friends and I paid for most of our trips ('cept in Prague, you really do not need to pay for the trains LOL nobody pays and nobody cares) like any good citizen would and I think it makes me less paranoid about train attendants coming to spot check on us and whatnot. In Cinque Terre, we did not pay for our bus and I swear the bus attendant came in one stop before we had to alight. I forgot what happened but I rather play on the safe side so I don't get hurt~~~ 17. Allocate more time to travel to the airport. DON'T DO LAST MINUTE BOARDING OF THE PLANES. You do not want to miss your flight because of security checks man. Don't try to think you have a lot of time, go about 1.5 hours before the flight. Some airports really do have extremely looOoooOong wait for security checks, like London. And rmb for Ryanair we need to get our visa checked. 18. Be a good travel buddy. It may feel like a fun getaway with your pals but sometimes when you are to spend 24/7 with them, their habits may not be in sync with what you like. This may be worst travelling with people you do not really know. Learn to be more accomodating, but voice out your opinions and preferences if needed. Know each other's spending habits, level of cleanliness, dietary preferences, whether they are on the more careless side or more laid back side, or even come to a consensus on what time you guys want to wake up... And try to work things out. It does help to have a bigger heart, yet rmb to be firm when it comes to serious matters like safety and train and flight timings. But then again, I had not much problem with those whom I travelled with HAHA. I think maybe I was the good travel buddy then *flips hair 19. Be adventurous and try new things, like new food, talk to new people, experience new activities but always be safe. I regretted not going skydiving before it colder, but I did not regret trying rabbit meat (sorry) in Prague, dressing up as Snow White in London, solo-trippin' in Helsinki and Tallin, cliff-jumping in Cinque Terre, random talking to some Korean and Chinese people under the Colosseum in Rome, 2eur cheap sexy thrill and smokin' in Amsterdam, iceskating in a Christmas market in Berlin and many more! 20. Be accountable to your parents because while you are having fun in Europe, trust me, your parents are worried sick back in Singapore. Even if you are a guy. Just ensure you always tell them which city you are at and let them know when you leave and return to your airbnb. Don't go mia because you are just making your parents more worried! This is the least you can do for them. 21. Try to be safe. I haven't couchsurfed or hitched a hike because mostly I travelled with girls and my parents are not that fond of the idea. I mean, I did not mind not having this experience too because my parents always tell me scary stories la. But if you ever do, I just want you to rmb to be safe and do these with caution. I mean if you alone one girl, try not to couchsurf or hitch a hike if got nothing la. Am I too naggy? 22. Be mindful of the luggage limits when you are taking a plane. It's damn expensive to pay extra baggage in the airport. Try not to bring too many unnecessary things, and wear your thickest clothings on your body to save space. I remember sweating like dog but had to wear my winter jacket on my body LOL. I did my travelling without any extra baggage, so everything handcarry (I didn't even own those bagpacking dk how many litres kind of bag). So really travel light, and try not to buy unneccesary things. I resisted myself so much at London :( 23. Get a good thick scarf!!! In extremely cold places I give credit to my scarf for protecting my coldass face. 24. Always bring a charged extra battery or portable charger to remain contactable by your parents, for directions purposes and to take photos. 25. Spend when you need, scrimp when you can. Don't go all budgety for every single thing you do there, spend on an entrance ticket for a place of interest you want to, splurge on a good meal if your friends want to. Rmb, since you are already in Europe, just enjoy yourself. Of course, don't spend money like it's free. Scrimp by going to the nearby grocery store to get breakfast and snacks for when you are hungry. Or take a walk instead of taking the metro or bus, anything within 5km of walking is definitely manageable. 26. Collect something from every city if you want! For me, I collected Snapchat geotags and postcards. 27. Be aware of the bus/flight/train timings! Just a personal experience. I was waiting for my overnight bus from Stockholm to Umea alone and was actually 1 hour early for my bus at 9pm. However, I was waiting and was so engrossed on my phone that I just missed the timing of my bus. Apparently the bus has left without me and I had to stayover at Macs, waited till 8am the next day for a 9-hr bus ride back. Waste money, wasted time and made my parents worry. Just be mindful that buses and trains are actually pretty damn accurate SO DON'T MAKE STUPID MISTAKES. 28. Singaporeans are really not that uncommon in Europe, you sorta can recognise that they are Singaporeans. Always nice to seek help from them if you need. I mean, always nice to talk to Singaporeans when you are so far away from home! 29. Document your exchange life on instagram, fb or even a blog. I'm glad I posted my feelings/things I did on exchange on Instagram because reading them now just gives me all the good vibes, and it reminds of things that I may have forgotten. 30. Check-in online beforehand. Different airlines have different days prior to flight to check in, some 3 days, some 24 hours.

8) Next trip after school started

When I first started school I did not travel much because I want to fully integrate myself into life in Umea. Our uni had a buddy programme and I kinda joined and attended most of the activities. I studied too HAHA. I think it's quite important to familiarise and enjoy yourself in your city since you are already there! Then when you see a break you can try to plan for your first adventure :) As my area predominantly required a plane to travel out, I used skyscanner to search for the cheapest places to fly to from Stockholm. Skyscanner has this feature that allows you to fly "Everywhere". Then you plan from there lol I also asked my Swedish friends what is the best ways to travel out and sometimes they do have good tips to share, like how SAS Airlines has a youth discount.

Then once you are ready just BOOK IT, don't think too much. I actually booked my Iceland trip assuming to go all myself because I really wanted to visit Iceland. Think I got cheaper tickets because I booked several months in advance.

As for itinerary, you can do it on the day itself when you start your day of travelling hahahaha. That's what I usually do, but it's normally not as detailed and well-planned as your pre-trip would have been.

One stupid mistake I made while booking my flights was to suaku-ly assume that every country has only one freaking airport. I had to take a flight from Umea to Stockholm, then Stockholm to London. However, there are 2 airports in Stockholm but I was so blur, so I booked one from Umea to Aranda Airport and the other from Skavsta Airport to London. And yes, Aranda to Skavsta airport is like super far. But I had to suck it up and buy an additional bus ticket to travel that distance, alone. And had some little adventure which made me take a taxi instead...... moral of the story, be alert!

Also, try not to think that you can skip all the lessons. I had trouble catching up and had to dabao one mod, not the best scenario. So do travel during school time mindfully! Exchange really need to study one!!!!!!

9) Being on exchange in campus

Umea uni is one of the best rated universities for exchange students and I do agree with it. We have a buddy programme whereby it's similar to a OG system in Singapore context, with group leaders and activities planned out. Always be active on Facebook because events are usually posted there. Parties invitations are also posted on Fb so really remember to check on Facebook to avoid missing out fun activities. It may be quite intimidating talking to a bunch of angmohs at first but don't worry because we are brought up with English as our first language, so communication is not a barrier. In fact, other Europeans don't even speak English as well as we do. Even if you speak some (for me, a lot) of Singlish in your conversations with them, just try to teach them some Singaporean culture! But of course, try to speak proper English and we all can if we want to really. I think it is also nice to talk to Asians first, if that is within your comfort zone. My first few friends and closest friends are actually Koreans! It's also always fun to speak Mandarin to Hongkongers and Taiwanese for a start :) Speaking of first day of class, I was petrified as hell because I really hate to go meet new people all by myself. I was srsly feeling left out when I entered the classs because I was late lol and most of them have already begun talking to each other. And worst still, I was the only Asian. I rmb going to the toilet to sit down during break because I was just so not used to being friendless LOL. But in the end I did try to introduce myself to my classmates and as days passed by, it got waaayyyyy better. Thankfully my class was small of about 7 people, we even had parties together and even go for gym classes tgt. Another thing is to always be willing to join activities. I was pretty enthu to join any activity and attended any party I was invited to, and it got me exposed to many fun and interesting things. Sometimes you may be so lazy to go out but trust me, it's going to be better than you think! I also try to be myself, and be as outspoken as I can be. You now have a buffet of international exchange students from all over the world in front of you, why not just take the time to know their culture better? And maybe teach some hokkien bad words to your international friends lol.

For my school, we have a ebay on Facebook so people can sell and buy things. Do check those places out if you are interested to buy something but do not want to spend a lot.

Living by yourself in exchange also means lots of cooking. In Sweden, food is so expensive outside so I cooked almost every meal. I do not cook much in Singapore so it was actually pretty damn exciting to start making my own meals. I was more on the lazy side but you can be a masterchef here in exchange!

I also think exchange is a good time to set some personal goals. You are finally left to live by yourself without your family or any Singaporean friends, so it's just you and your discipline. I am regretful that I did not achieve my goal of losing weight LOL, because I drifted off so badly after my gym membership ended with my terrible eating habits. But I did exercise at least 4 times a week which was applaudable I suppose. Take this golden time of your life to make some changes, whether is it to eat better, exercise more, get that 6packs, lose weight, learn how to bake, learn how to knit, learn a new language... whatever it is. Exchange is actually a good time.

Lastly, stay in touch with your friends and family in Singapore. I was homesick for the first week and then never ever again LOL. But it always feels damn nice to skype/call/text those back home so that you stay in touch with their lives. Like really, seeing their faces just WARMS MY HEARTTTTT they have no idea.

10) Places I have visited throughout my exchange

This is just a summary of the places I've visited and my thoughts about them! I try to be as consized as possible, highlighting mainly the places YOU NEED TO GO, places YOU CAN DON'T NEED GO, duration at the city, accomodations I recommend and food to eat. ALSO I WENT ON THE SANDERMANS FREE WALKING TOUR WHENEVER I HAD TIME TO ON THE FIRST DAY WHEN I REACHED A CITY. They usually bring you to the highlights of the city and introduce the best things to do there.

Rome, Italy

3 August 2015 - 6 August 2015 Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill were side by side and there's a ticket that covers all 3 entrances. PAY FOR TICKET! Vatican City visit is a must!!! I'm not the most historical person but this place blew me away. Go get cheaper tickets from the stand outside and go there earlier because we reached late and the tickets were sold out. Paid for those seemingly scamming tours but oh wells, pretty worth it. You can also choose to queue up (crazy queue) at the St. Peter's Square to enter for free, but I think just pay la, THE SUN AND QUEUE WAS CRAZY. St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, etc.... Beautiful. PAY FOR TICKET! Pantheon was not bad but pales in comparison imo after I saw the churches in Vatican city lol. Spanish Steps is just steps... lor Trevi Fountain was renovating when we were there :( One famous gelato to try is Giolitti Gerlateria. It is walkable distance from the Pantheon! Not bad, just don't try g.nutella. HC and I chose it and totally regret 'cuz it was too damn dui (g stands for GAO, GAO NUTELLA)

Venice, Italy

7 August 2015- 8 August 2015 The only mode of transport in Venice is WATER TAXIS, ie they don't have cars/metro/buses. When you first reach Venice, buy their water taxi card depending on the number of days you are there for. It's quite pricey but no choice. I did not sit on a Gondola and think it is ok la, because really damn ex! There are 2 major islands in Venice, Burano and Murano. Murano is famous for its glass craftwork while Burano is the one with the colorful buildings. If you are short of time, give Murano a skip and just go to Burano. Murano got nothing much really unless you are into glass craftmanship! But can get a nice glass jewellery as a gift for your friends back though. Burano, on the other hand is super photogenic, just snap all your want and allocate more time here for some awesome shots. We had some time on hand so we went to Lido Beach too, which is awesome to see sunset. However, slightly out of way as it is the last stop of the water taxis. Nice spot to visit and chill if you've got some time. Food-wise, I Tre Mercanti is the place for yummy tiramisu. PISTACHIO ONE OMG. It's near to St Mark's Square, so just drop by for a taste!

Florence, Italy

9 August 2015 - 11 August 2015 Climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the beautiful sunset. Many people will already be there so be sure to reach early to grab a good spot and CAMP THERE. We reached pretty early but sat down and nua, to find out when the sun was setting, everyone freaking chiong and needed to squeeze a lil to get a good spot. Visit The Mall for outlet shops such as Gucci, MK, Prada etc. I got myself a MK bag and watch for a pretty decent price so yay! But take note it's quite a bus ride away from the city centre, and the price of the shuttle bus xiao ex. But since you are already on your way to getting yourself some luxury brands, don't hiam on the bus ticket LoL. Pointe Vecchio was pretty normal (right outside the airbnb I lived in!). Florence Cathedral was pretty unique and pretty to me! Florentine steak place to go is La Fettunta. It was my first time eating steak (lol) and it was yummy!!! And affordable too. Gelato choice is the famous Carapina!

Pisa, Italy

12 August 2016 We dropped by Pisa on our way to Cinque Terre to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa :) Think of cool creative poses because everyone is doing the same ones. Also, be patient to take a nice photo because everyone gna photobomb you like every other famous attraction.

Cinque Terre, Italy

12 August 2015 - 13 August 2015 Can I say I super love this place?! It can easily be one of my favourite places throughout my entire exchange. I think I really liked the clear blue waters and the seafood and the sun and the swimming. However, it's quite hard to find airbnb there that was near to the islands. So book very early!! Ours was pretty damn faraway from all the beaches :( Cinque Terre consisted of 5 lands/islands and each land has a different feel to it. Wished I had more time to visit all of them. Only visited 3 (Manarola, Riomaggiore and Monterosso al Mare) in the end, and decided to stay at Riomaggiore 'cuz lesser people. It can get really crowded!!! Siao right, so crowded. Swim if you can! And cliffdive! And wear chio swimsuit! I got many scratches though because the rocks are super sharp but YOLOOOOOO.

Milan, Italy

14 August 2015 Nothing much happened as it was a stopover :(

Paris, France

15 August 2015 - 17 August 2015 Besides the Eiffel Tower, visit the Palace of Versailles! You need to take a more ex train because it's further away. The Palace was sadly closed when we were there :( But I heard it's really beautiful, at least the Gardens of Versailles which was opened gave me a good impression! One of my fav Sandermans walking tour was in Paris too! So definitely go for it. We then got tickets to Montparnasse, which is the highest point in Paris to view the Eiffel Tower and the city landscape at night. This was what we saw, and the ticket from Sandermans. I think can don't go up if wanna save! Just view it from below under the Eiffel Tower for free :) Near Mountparnasse though, there is a street filled with yummy pancake cafes. We wanted to visit La Crêperie de Josselin but it was closed the two times we were there. So we randomly visited one and it was still good. Just google for Josselin and you will find that street filled with all the pancake shops. I visited The Louvre museum too and got the tickets at 18euro to skip the line. Sadly, I was bored as hell and it was stuffy inside. Really no need to go in unless you really sibei artsy fartsy. I guess at least I can haolian that I saw the real Mona Lisa painting. But really quite bohua if you dk how to appreciate. A regret is not visiting the Disneyland Paris. It's a bit far away and we did not have time for it. Would totally wna visit it if I had a chance!

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

18 August 2015 - 20 August 2015 I went for the Red Light District free tour by Sandermans again and it was interesting! I mean, the whole rld is really eye-opening because you finally get to see the fishtanks people talk about. NO PHOTOGRAPHY THOUGH!!! Don't be a ccb and stick to the rules ok, 'cuz I really saw one lady scolding a tourist who took photos super fiercely. Not fun. There's also a 2euro cheap thrill shop, where you see people do stuff in a container for a few minutes for just 2 Euro. Ok la yolo And for weed... try but rmb weed stays in your system for 4 days la I heard. Don't kena caught in airport. Visited the Anne Frank museum too! Read it in school before and it's just really cool to visit it myself. The ticket is 9.50 euro and it is really quite small. But if you have cash to spare, go because it's like whatever you learnt in school come to life!!! It is about same as what you read from the book, just that you really see it real life I guess. Vondelpark was great to chill and watch how the Danish people cycle and enjoy life. I took a 2 hr nap on the grasspatch too, shiiiiiiiiiok Albert Cuyp Market is da bomb 'cuz food haven. It's not the cheapest but ok priced la if you share share. Please try this if you like fish!!! It's called Herring. I love the taste of it though my friends hate it :( Also, not sure it will still be there but there is a Birkenstock shop that sells reasonably cheap Birks!!! Some good beer place recommended by Van (who is beer expert) is Brouwerij 't IJ. I got damn tipsy I don't even know why, like I almost blacked out while I went to the toilet. LOL.

Helsinki, Finland

25 October 2015 - 28 October 2015 (duration was ok, since there was a day trip to Tallinn) This was my solo trip and I took a ferry to Helsinki. It's a pretty calm and safe place to visit. I visited Suomenlinna, which is a UNESCO heritage site. was ok LOL hahahaha I visited the Temppeliaukio Church, which is really cool church made from a rock! I do not know if the Market Square was just like that but there weren't many many stalls as I expected, so I was pretty sad. I walked everywhere and did not spend on transport. I suppose when you are alone you have more time to do what you want haha I stayed at Eurohostel and got a single room. The location is damn good, near the Market Square, Helsinki Cathedral and the ferry port. Helsinki in general is pretty boring (maybe I did not explore enough) but I did enjoy myself some alone time and did not feel lonely at all. Definitely do a solo trip if possible!

Tallinn, Estonia

27 October 2015 (1 day is sufficient) Took a 2-hr ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, which is an old town. I spent less than a day there and went back to Helsinki. Simply roamed around Tallinn, enjoyed the architecture and ate some Estonian food too! From Helsinki you can take a ferry to Russia too, wished I had time to visit a little of Russia too!

London, United Kingdom

30 October 2015 - 3 November 2015 (Could have added one more day to visit the Emirates Stadium (and get sth for YH), and for shopping if you want) Was pretty honored to be brought around by Yvette HAHA so Peizi and I basically followed her and did not do much thinking. We visited Borough Market and Camden Food Market for fooOooOooOood. Gosh there were so much variety and I WANTED TO EAT EVERYTHING. Just something to make you excited about food markets in general. Pz and I also queued up early (we reached about 9ish am) on the day of the musical, at the ticket office at Apollo Victoria Theatre to buy discounted tickets for Wicked. Surprisingly, we were the only ones there LOL so hennnng ah, got our front row tickets (I mean like right smack in centre, front row, so good u feel a bit paiseh) seats for only 29.50 pounds. It's a huge discount considering the seats we are getting. So definitely worth considering! And can I say I super loved it!??!?! If I were to start London again, I would definitely watch a musical a day. Watched Wicked on our last night, so no more musicals! 10/10 WORTH THE PRICE! Visited the Harry Potter Studios and had to chiong all my Harry Potter movies. I thought pounds as euros so I got the tickets wtffff end up it was 33 pounds. Oh wells, but definitely eye opening. We went on the 6pm tour and we did not really visit the entire thing fully (it closes at 10pm). So try to book the earlier tours to really see everything, it is a free and easy tour :) Lucky for me, I chionged my HP movies and was able to understand what was happening. Pz didn't HAHAHA. Only go if you are a Harry Potter fan!!! Because the ticket is really quite ex. You need to book the tickets in advance and the timeslots avail do run out fast. Also note that the HP studio is a lil out of London so we had to take a train which costs almost 20sgd to the studios. Other awesome things to do in London is go for the walking tour where they bring you to see the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben etc. And eat Lobster and Burgers!!!! GOSHHHH Just to pre-empt you, London Bridge is really underwhelming. Tower Bridge on the other hand, is pretty!! And go shopping if you can, OXFORD STREET. I had to restrict myself because London was my first stop and I had to watch my baggage restrictions. Maybe can make London your last stop so you can shop enough, buy additional baggage space and go back to your uni. Wanted to watch a soccer match but there weren't matches while we were there. Some London people can be quite racist, just saying.

Lisbon, Portugal

3 November 2015 - 5 November 2015 (duration is sufficient!) I loved Lisbon!! Look at all the beautiful tiles everywhereeee. Although the streets here are all pretty steep. On the places that I don't think you need to pay for, just visit can already: Belém Tower, Santa Justa lift and Jerónimos Monastery. I got the Lisboa card, hence these attractions were free. However, if you are not getting the Lisboa card then no need buy tickets for them. The famous Portugese egg tarts were heavenly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pasteis de Belem OMG. Haven't eaten dan tats like theirs. Also try the hot chocolate, yumzzzz. Another place I enjoyed was the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. It is actually quite modern and slightly pricey, but serves awesome food. Like a higher end food court. Try the seafood risotto! Also, there is a Best Chocolate Cake ever from O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo. But it was realllllly normal lol. We had time and visited a town Cascais for its beaches but it was very underwhelming. Was quite sure we were at the right place, but we caught a very beautiful sunset :) I wanted to find the airbnb I stayed in but I can't. However, the address is: Rua da Esperança 8 Lisboa, Lisboa 1200 Portugal (nearest Metro station: Cais do Sodre) Anywhere around this area is good!

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

6 November 2015 - 7 November 2015 (sufficient duration to roam around and shop) Basically visited Rotterdam because pz stays there and I get free accomodation hehe. I did not do much there except shop at Primark. I visited the Blaak Markt too and there were many things sold there such as food, flowers, clothes etc. My kind of thing! I did visit the Kinderdijk, a windmill area in Rotterdam myself. It was quite out of the way but definitely pretty. Wished I had cycled there if I had more time!!

Brussels, Belgium

7 November 2015 - 8 November 2015 (sufficient for me) This was a solo trip again and I took a bus from Rotterdam to Belgium cheap. Was expecting the chocolates to be damn heavenly but sadly idk if it's just me, but the chocolates are pretty underwhelming. Was googling for the best chocolate around, went there but the chocos were meh and pricey. Visited a flea market, Jeu de Balle, and I really liked it. They sell everything and anything! My kind of shopping. I stayed at Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles which was walkable to all the normal touristy places. And the hotel was not bad too.

Stockholm, Sweden

13 November 2015 - 16 November 2015 (sufficient for me) Finally visited where I always stopover at. The best takeaway was prolly finally meeting Mandy and watching my first ice-hockey match! Although I did not understand a single thing about ice-hockey prior to the match, the atmosphere is just awesome! Visited the Vaasa museum which was pretty much an eyeopener. I really liked it, so go visit if you can! However, Skansen (a zoo and museum) and the museum I visited in Gamla Stan (I don't even rmb the name) was mehhhh. I followed the tour around Gamla Stan and it was interesting to know the history and background of Sweden.

Barcelona, Spain

15 December 2015 - 17 December 2015 (sufficient duration) Thank goodness the weather was so much more bearable than in Sweden. We did not pay for La Sagrada Familia but the exterior is so pretty, except for the ongoing construction LOL. However, we paid for entrance of Casa Batlló..... gosh not worth it. Visited Casa Milà (lame), Park Güell (think it have been beautiful if it was in the morning) and Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (however it was closed during winter T_T). Nonetheless the food made up for it. Churros, paella, tapas, llao llao (they taste the same as Singapore's). Food market: Mercado de La Boqueria Paella to try: As long as it is a paella. Ok where I went was La Tertulia but it was xiao ex Tapas: La Flauta We also visited Camp Nou but I did not enter due to time constraint. Not a soccer fan so not too much a loss for me! We walked everywhere without public transport. Also, from the airport to city centre you needed to take the shuttle bus, at 10.50eur if I did not remember wrongly. I reached at midnight alone at Barcelona but many mama shops were still open, and our airbnb was walkable from the city centre. Decent airbnb and the host was super friendly: link

Cologne, Germany

18 December 2015 - 19 December 2015 (sufficient for me) Welcomed Christmas season with all dem Germany's Christmas markets. Definitely up a notch for the xmas atmosphere this year. Very very crowded but 'tis a season to be jolly! I didn't do much in Cologne 'cept shopped at Primark HAHA. Just take note that during xmas times, it's very hard to find accomodations because hosts usually do not host you during xmas so book hostels earlier!

Hamburg, Germany

20 December 2015 - 21 December 2015 (sufficient for me) Another Xmas market by the Town hall! Took the time to go on the walking tour. Hostel we stayed was Generator Hostel Hamburg, super convenient and pretty.

Dresden, Germany

22 December 2015 - 23 December 2015 (sufficient for me) Bussed via Flixbus to Dresden and the buses were really comfy!! Xmas markets again and did some shopping since there was shopping streets near us. Tried Glühwein, a common xmas wine and I HATE IT. You can keep the cup or get a refund for the cups. But it's really heavy to collect mugs, so only collect if you rly like the design. The food in xmas markets are usually rather overpriced. And of course how can I not try some wurst (German hotdog)! Quite normal but just try la since already in Germany and they are everywhere!

Berlin, Germany

24 December 2015 - 25 December 2015 (could have one more day to visit more since there is soooo much history!) My favourite city out of the 4 I've visited in Germany, so much history and super interesting city. We visited Berlin on Christmas Day so basically everywhere was closed. And so I went on a concentration camp tour at Sachsenhausen Memorial for almost the entire day and it was mindblowing. This is a paid tour (14eur) by Sandermans and WORTH IT. Just remember to get your train tickets beforehand! Cheaper if you have 4 people to share with. Took quite a while to find out where the Berlin wall was LOL... it was pretty far from where we stayed gosh, but HAVE. TO. GO! Even if you live in West Germany (which I did). Do allocate more time if you want to take photos and walk through the entire wall... I didn't have sufficient time to walk everything. Food-wise, we wanted to try pork knuckles before we left Germany. Food-wise, we visited the famous Hofbrau Munchen Berlin for our xmas dinner. The food was yummy but the service SUXXXXXXXXX. Not sure if it's because it's xmas so everyone is damn angsty or what.

Prague, Czech Republic

26 December 2015 - 28 December 2015 (can shorten a bit!) This was the only city we took the transportation for free. The old town square has no fountain/wishing well LOL. Jolin was lying :( And the Charles Bridge is so crowded, walked it several times. But the Prague Astronomical Clock was just nearby so worthy to take photos there, though it is just a clock, but still a cool clock. I liked the Prague Castle too, really pretty. A place to oversee Prague's landscape is Petřín. A place for traditional Prague dishes at affordable price is U Parlamentu, it's nearby the Old Town Square. Dancing House was pretty underwhelming, no need go if no time. Our airbnb was great, shared with other strangers but we even made friends with the other Chinese girls pretty cool. Almost everywhere I wanted to go to in Prague was walkable from the Old Town Square, so it was quite convenient. Airbnb: link

Copenhagen, Denmark

29 December 2015 - 1 January 2016 (can shorten a bit, or probably just hated the weather LOL) Not sure if it's just me, but I really HATED the weather in CPH. The winds were so strong and the sky is constantly gloomy :( And it was very very cold, like it felt even colder than in Sweden. Little Mermaid statue was pretty out of the way and very underwhelming, as you can expect. The trip was pretty sian because I really hated the weather and we had to walk about 5km or so out to the city centre everyday. But my highlight gotta be visiting Freetown Christiania, which is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood. They call it the Green Light Zone because there are so much weed. But rmb no photography! So interesting though the smell of weed was literally everywhere. Definitely an interesting place to visit.

Malmo, Sweden

30 December 2015 (a day trip is sufficient) Took a day trip to Sweden on a bus from CPH, wasn't very expensive. Malmö didn't have many things to do but my main aim was to visit Ikea and try meatballs. So I did. Not sure if it's a psychological thing but Ikea meatballs just feel more legit when eaten in Sweden ;)

Reykjavik, Iceland

2 January 2016 - 6 January 2016 (can extend, there are still many amazing things I could have done/ places to visit in Iceland) Instead of driving around as I was the only driver, we booked everything under tour packages. I recce all the tour packages and found out these were the cheapest (although nothing is really cheap here LOL). Northern lights tour: We flew wowair so there were some promotions for the tours, which was organised by Reykjavik Excursions, and we paid SGD63.24/pax. Southern Iceland Tour: Consisted of to and fro from Blue Lagoon (entrance fee not included), Southern Iceland tour and Golden Circle tour. The company we hired was bustravel, and we paid SGD273.40/pax. For the Northern lights tour, you check the Reyjavik Excursions Facebook page to keep updated if the tour is on as it is subject to weather conditions. As the appearance of aurora is unpredictable, we went on the first night we reached to maximise our chances of seeing aurora. You can keep rebooking the tours, whether you see the aurora or not, and it's valid for 1 year. So no worries! For the Southern Iceland tour, I really enjoyed myself. Had a terribly hard time walking on slippery glaciers LOL bring better shoes if can because I literally felt I would slip and die anytime. But the view was worth it. Blue lagoon was pretty overpriced though it is definitely a must go. The tour only included the transportation so we had to book the entrance ticket ourselves. Book early because if you book when you are there, chances are you will not get it. We paid for the 55eur COMFORT package and it was certainly comfortable. You get a drink and some trial mud mask thing, beer by Blue Lagoon is quite shiok experience. To take photos, do bring along those transparent handphone holders from Singapore yourself! They sell it there but really expensive. This makes taking photos with your phone easier, you don't want to get your phone wet. Another favourite view of mine is the Gullfoss. We decided to do Icelandic horseriding at the last minute at Laxnes Horse Farm. It wasn't a bad experience, but I was feeling extremely cold and sorry for the horses lol. Got boring after a while as the horses weren't galloping all the time. Definitely can skip this if you are not into horseriding, wasn't cheap either! But at least, my first horseriding experience checked! Food-wise, we tried some Icelandic food and didn't like it, wasn't cheap too:( So maybe just buy one dish for everyone to try. We stayed at Baldursbra Guesthouse Reykjavik which is avail for pickup for the tours we did, and there is free breakfast! Everything was nice about the place :) Once you sign with the tour, the bus will state a time to pick you up so you just wait at your guesthouse for pickup and start your day! It's pretty convenient this way. Also, they send u back to your guesthouse at the end of the tour. *** This is all and hope it has helped a little! Enjoy yourself because exchange is really a privilege and stay safe! Signing off, Jasmine

[hellosophrosyne]

2017 recap

6/2/2018

Fun fact: I used to be very active and present with myself in the sense that I would journal quite often on a blog. My form of therapy. And one of my absolute faaavorite things to do in the beginning of each year was to recap each month of the year that had just past just so I would always remember what the heck I got myself into someday when I’m old and trying to remember my life.

I haven’t done a recap in YEARS, but I still kept my makeshift calendar/planner that I used in 2017, even though it’s already halfway through 2018 already. I think I kept it so I could try and recap it on here sometime when I could... & I guess that time is now, so...

(it’s currently 2AM, I just said goodnight to you on ftime, so here i gooo)

JANUARY

January looks like it was a boring month by the look of how little I wrote on here. I think I was depressed still. From failing my boards in October 2016. I had rescheduled my retake for the NCLEX on February 8, 2017. All I have written down is checkboxes of “150″ as a reminder that I should do at least 150 practice questions before going to sleep. But whoa, looks like I happened to go to my little’s installs this month too. Feels like that was ages ago. I can’t believe my old ass actually crossed a little sis even though it was years later. It’s too bad the chapter died, and I wish we were closer. Our age gap plays a big factor, but I’m glad I met someone like her.

FEBRUARY

February 8th- I retook the NCLEX. Most stressful day ever. Thank god I actually have a youtube video commemorating that entire day. I remember eating lunch with Sarah after and just crying because I did the hack into the site to see if I could get the results early and it looked as if I actually passed. Even though it was still uncertain, I had some peace of mind.. and found out I officially passed 2 days later at 6AM when my mom came barging in to show me my name on the official boards website. I remember I was sooo into yoga during this month. I thought it really helped. I was gaining all this flexibility, finding a sense of peace within my body partnered with daily practicing of meditation. Like damn, I need to incorporate that kinda stuff in my life right NOW. I went to Bear Valley to check out the snow. Got to ride in my first snow mobile kinda thing... I would totally do it again. I tried AcroYoga with Jessy, first and only time. I kinda wanna try another class again. I got invited by an old high school friend to go see the FIreFall at Yosemite. Such a crazy experience, getting to wait around with hundreds of photographers just for one opportune moment where the waterfall looked like it caught fire just for 3 minutes. At this time too, I was heading to SF a lot to have dinner with everyone I could. Still working at the job that I hated, training to be supervisor. I think this was the month they tried to screw me over too, trying to make me do things I was never trained to do.

MARCH

My 23rd birthday month. This month felt freeing. I started applying to anywhere and everywhere. Had dinner with Freda (my therapist friend) (i have to document whenever I see her because i feel like i never see her), started planning my Havasupai trip with the girls (Jessy, Veronica, Britney, Sherry, Amanda). Getting fitted for backpacking backpacks, buying backpacking gear... SHIT BE EXPEEENSIVE. For my birthday weekend, me, Jessy and Veronica headed to LA and got to spend the entire time just being gluttonous, going to disneyland, being housed by Johnny Ta. Never felt so carefreee and wreckless with my money. and whoa, I just remembered now.. i was STILL vegan at this time! We went to this $$$ vegan sushi place.. had vegan take out.. dude my friends are so cool to have gone through 2 years of dealing with my lifestyle choices hahaha.

APRIL

I started my BSN online school this month. Had 2 interviews and got both jobs. Got the job at DMC and right after I got the OK that I got accepted, I QUIT THAT B-ass job and vowed to go a little bit crazy and treat myself to 4 months of doing whatever the F I wanted (they told me my start date would be in July). It was Tien’s birthday, and he wanted to go to Pismo so we did. He rented out this hugeass house and we had a house full of 20 people but somehow we all still had beds. Me and veronica sand dune buggied for the first time and stayed safe while everyone else was being wreckless AF. Went to Fresno for my baby niece’s birthday. Hiked mission peak. Went to Hometown heroes for the first time. Went to the outlets with Jayne. And wtf.. it says here on my calendar I went to Vegas??? Wuuut. With who LOL.

---- ok so i had to reupload snapchat to my phone just to see if I had documented it in any way. AND I DID. This vegas trip was supposed to be celebrating one of the newer girls’ birthdays, but me, kat, and tiahs flight got delayed for days so we ended up going to that club. The club where I saw YOU for the first time in 5ever and realized that hey, you are one cutie. But I didn’t think much of it then, just that I remembered you were the first guy I recognized as cute for the first time in what seemed like forever at that time. So long since I had found anyone cute that it was something I HAD to document and tell my girlfriends about because it had felt like such a huge milestone. That I was finding some attraction to someone physically for the first time in years. Maybe that’s why I was so drawn to you in the first place, when I saw your snapchat pop up just a few weeks later. (but too bad you didn’t feel the same about meeee that night lololol)

MAY

What a fun month. My big bro took me to True food Kitchen where we had the BEST vegan flan, it was insane. We have to try it if we ever go. I went to Utah/Arizona with my parents for 2 weeks. Saw the ‘seven magic mtns’ in vegas, went to see a LOT of red rock, hiked my first water hike into a canyon (kanarraville falls), went 4wheel driving into a desolute absolute no service area to a place called White Pocket which was absolutely beautiful. Saw horseshoe bend, went to grand staircase-escalante for the coolest canyon hike I’ve ever attempted where you have to squeeze through the small canyon walls (remind me to show my snap story from this day to you someday), hiked to see waterfalls. Damn looking back.. I was pretty active this month. In just one week after coming back from Utah, only had to head out again to Havasupai with the girls. We flew into vegas, got our rental van, drove it to Arizona, slept in the van (but i couldn’t). Woke up at 3-4am to start our hike into the Indian reservation. Made it to the campsite at noon (after taking a faaatass 3 hr break at the village). Saw the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen in my life. Hiked back, drove to horse shoe bend, saw antelope canyon, then trekked it back to vegas to have the most amazing “last hoorah” if you may call it that. Because not only was it my last trip in vegas to document to this day, but it was the best because it was 100% free and we had complimentary tables and bottle service the entire damn weekend. It was also the time your name finally popped up on my snap. I added you, but you never got to see my last day in vegas snaps go through LOL. Good thing though, you woulda just seen a bunch of bad singing to loud alesso songs. Straight after this weekend, I had Lemonade for the first time with Arielle (what an expensive ass place LOL). Jeez what a jam packed month. I can’t believe that was literally just a year ago.

JUNE

~~~~ exciting things start to happen

June was the month when we started texting. I planned my whole solo LA trip to see the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra, and I remember I was texting you the entire time. JUNE 17 [i marked it in my calender] was our first lunch/ idk date at the korean place. Ugh so crazy, it’s SO SO crazy that here I am writing this post on June 2, 2018, when our first real interaction was just 11 months and 2 weeks ago. Time flies. What a successful first meal together. I remember being so nervous because I didn’t want to scare you off by the fact that I didn’t eat meat and that I was barely starting to eat fish again (in preparation for Hawaii). We had the most amazing lunch partnered with no phones, just plain conversation. It was seriously just so nice. and so innocent. I knew at that moment that I was in dangerous waters, feeling so attracted to you and not knowing how to deal with these new emotions I haven’t felt in so long. But I was accepting and ready for whatever was to come.

I ended up going to Hawaii for 2 weeks (Kauai|Oahu). We were playing loads of phone tag here. I feel like both of us were drinking, trying to build up liquid courage and give us a reason to talk late at night on the phone. I remember you texted me once this month too something like “so why doesn’t someone like you have a boyfriend?” :p Ugh, it makes me smile just thinking of how we were when we were just barely starting.

JULY

I went to my classmate Sarah’s wedding. I think at this time I was already smitten by you and our random phone calls here and there. JULY 11 ~~ (again written on my planner) was our ICHI date. I personally didn’t know what to expect from this, if it was a date or not. When you put your arm around me when walking to that ice cream place (smitten?), to us awkwardly trying to cozy up at your house watching those movies. Me being an alcoholic just tryna BRING SOME LIQUID COURAGE into our lives. HAHA do you remember how you wouldn’t kiss me after I *ahem*? Ohhhhh how times have changed. 

Because of how well this date went, (and how we both knew you were leaving so soon already to socal), we halfhazardly made a new date on July 15, to go to Land’s End. I remember all I wanted to do was just see you again. Confirm if that night was just a fluke or if there really was something there. I didn’t plan to stay that night..... but I did. And there we went, kissing for hours and hours until I had to go. (can you believe I went to 6flags the following day, i was fucking crazy man). You officially moved to Anaheim shortly after this... I wasn’t sure when the next time I would see you next (IF I would even see you again). But I’m so sosooo happy we remained in contact, probably even stronger than ever, with late night calls, constant texting. I went to the John Mayer concert with my big bro at the end of this month and I remember I just could not stop talking about you or to Johnny Ta about you (since he came up for the concert as well). I was soooooo sprung (i still am soooo sprung babe). Talking with you was so exciting. I feel like my personality had been brightening up with each passing day we got to know each other more. 

AUGUST

I don’t know how it happened, but I decided I was going to drive to see you that one fateful weekend (August 12-15). I had already started my job just 2 weeks prior, but already I wanted to drive down to see this guy I went on 3 dates with? Ugh. I am SO glad I did. I remember feeling so uncertain if things were gonna pick up from where they left off.. if things were going to be awkward.. if we were going to be “fuckbuddies” or something more. I needed moral support, so I made plans to see Veronica that first day I came. We ate at EMC, went to the OC fair, then headed to the packing house to drink a little at kettle bar. Met up with Blake and then you finally showed up and man, what. a. whirlwind. of a night. Headsup, drinking, lots of snowboarding, you attacking my neck/face while I was trying to brush my teeth...  I remember specificially at THIS moment, I felt like we were already SO comfortable with each other. Everything just flowed so easily. From the way we kissed, to the way we brushed teeth next to each other, from the way we slept together (for the first time), to the way we cuddled in bed. It felt SO natural for me. (I wonder how it felt for you). I felt like it was such a big deal too... everyoneeee knew my business at this time. I feel like every single one of my friends became such huge supporters of me “putting myself out there” after I had been solitary and avoiding all men for so long. I had created such a persona for myself that even blake and veronica the following morning thought that we didn’t even do it. Which was fine with me (although down there I was a little bit dying already. felt like I had lost my vcard all over again tbh). Waited for you to get off, and you took me to Tanakaya for the first time. Then we headed to the 626 night market. Went home and drank whooo knows what that night that we had to go get pho the following morning and brodards to top it all off. Remember waiting in line for hours for that .86 cent coffee? We ended up taking a nap then going to Laguna Beach before deciding to go to Kang Hodong for the vurry first time. Damn, all these lowkey traditions were formed just from this first weekend together, now that I’m reflecting on it all. The next day was when I had to leave... we had tanakaya (AGAIN), then I had to head back home :’(. And I remember feeling so... sad. I realized I felt so so excited and full of happiness being with you.

But crazy enough, you came to visit me in Modesto literally less than a week later. I was wearing my Burgundy scrubs, we went to get Crown Royal.. I’m sure you remember how the rest of night goes. Damn we were all up on that yayyy this whole beginning of our relationship LOL.

Then literally 5 days later on August 25, I came to see you in SJ, got hyped up on too much black coffee, watched HIMYM, met your parents, ate at sushi confidential.. We already seemed to have done so much in so little time, but I wasn’t complaining. Even though we werent official, or even had the talk of wondering what we were, all I knew is that I just needed to keep seeing you, and I didn’t care how.

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 3 ~~ aka labor day weekend, another 4 days I had off work. I had Guads for the first time! Chilaquiles. I think this weekend was when I literally had to study for my EKG test. I tried 1/2 of my first sweetbird sandwich. Went to that one vietnamese place MY’s kitchen with Hieu, David, and Michael. Had my first Michelada and was like whoooa, this beer is meant for my taste buds.

I tried out the wine bar here in modesto based off Yosemite with Cassandra. Such a cute place, I would totally take you here someday.

This was a pretty jam packed month at work for me. I had tons of tests going on and all I wanted to do was be finished with it because I wanted to see you again.

SEPTEMBER 29 ~ I flew down to SD to get picked up by veronica to head to LA. We were housed again by Johnny Ta after we hiked up this “wisdom tree trail” and saw the psychic who told me that me and you are soulmates. Even though I knew I was taking this time to bond with my friends, you were the only thing that consumed my mind. I just wanted to talk to you, be with you, call you to hear your voice.

OCTOBER

OCTOBER 1-3 ~~ Veronica drove me to fatty tuna and you ENTRUSTED ME WITH YOUR CAR for the first time. The next day, we tried Meiji Seimen before going to the Botanical Gardens and going to Newport Beach. Interesting enough, I don’t have many pictures of this weekend... so I can’t remember much of what we did. But this trend of us drinking a lot LOL jeeeezzuhs. This was a very very short trip, but I was so happy I got to see you. EVEN THOUGH I already made plans to see you just a week later.

OCTOBER 8-12 ~ we went to Sun Non Dang with Drew and Wonnie(?) for that galbi jim that i wanna try ohhhh so bad again. After, we went to Puzzle Bar where I met Kevin. This was a weekend where you were starting to work a lot a lot at sweetbird so we really didn’t have too much time together. It was also when that huge fire happened in the hills that caused that apocolyptic looking sky when I went to have orange roll sushi during one of your lunch breaks. (we went to try out that indian place the next day too and tanakaya for dinner). Although we didn’t get to spend a real day together this trip, it really was everything to be there for you to come home to. We WERENT EVEN OFFICIAL HERE YET, but I felt like we had something real.

OCTOBER 20 <33333 ~ was our planned staycation in san mateo. the time where you slept in through your alarms and missed your morning flight :p. We had brunch with your mom, headed to burlingame, went to eat at b street & vine, and i asked you out with a card I made. #makinmoves

This day was fulll of wonddderrrrful lovemakin, ugh. The couch...the table..the king sized bed... the blackout curtains. We had shabu before I had to say goodbye :( 

NOVEMBER

My calender says I visited you Nov 1-6, but I don’t have any recollection of what we did :c. Maybe someday I’ll go through my harddrive and try to find out... 

I went to Napa with Jessy this mid November! We had the BEST pasta I’ve ever had in my life (MUST TAKE YOU), so much wine. i trimmed my hair for the first time in 3 years. I randomly got my car November 17 out of necessity from my truck tires being unreliable.

I went to visit you Nov 19-22 (again another trip I don’t have any pics from rn...) and we flew back together Wednesday morning! I think this is when I watched stranger things season 2 at your parents house, we went out with the guys, and the next morning was thanksgiving (when I had to work)  and we had that amaaazing *** in the bathroom hehe. Right before eating at that vietnamese hotpot place. I had to say goodbye to you yet again... i sang to you that eric bellinger song (what you want). I knew I was going to see you literally a week later, so I was excited. Just had to work 5 days and I knew I would be with you again.

DECEMBER

This was my first 8 day trip visiting you and it was JAM. PACKED. This was when we made an LA trip to go see Museum of Ice cream, LACMA, went to the counter for the beyond burger. The fail to see the sunset at griffith observatory. Disneyland with Jayne/JJ, Anny and her boo. The day after disneyland, you had work until dinnertime where we went to NANA SAN, and had omakase with jj and jayne. Again, I think Im gonna have to go through my harddrive and see what other pictures I may possibly have to remind me more about this weekend, but it’s all a little bit hazy for me right now.

Jessy’s bday was this month. Ate at her workplace Kokkari, saw the christmas tree at union square.

I went to visit you Dec 17-20, you gifted me the calpak that I use now everyyyyytime I travel thank you baby. We also ate at sushi confidential with Vanessa. (THIS WAS ALSO THE TIME I WAS STARTING TO GET SICK AND I WAS SICK THAT ENTIRE DAY CUS OF THOSE HOT CHEETO CURDS)

I worked for days in a row but had christmas off, which was when I came to visit you and your family. Had dinner at your aunt/uncles place. The next day you made ratatouile and we had taco night at your house. And boy was I sick.... This was probably the fastest sickness I had ever experienced surprisingly. Typically, I will cough for weeks... but idk, maybe you just took care of me well :)

I then had to say bye to you just for a couple more days before getting to visit you just in time for our first NEW YEARS EVE!

AND THAT, is my 2017 recap. Going through it now, I can only see how much of an impact you have had in my life right from the very very start when we first “met.” I am so happy to have met you and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be cared for and loved by somebody so amazing as you.

I have so much more to say, and so much more love to give, but i started writing this at 2, and it is now 350AM, T__T.

I am gonna try to head to sleep now, I can’t wait to hear your voice in the morning. I LOVE YOU OTTER. You’re seriously the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

[wayneooverton]

All the mean, nasty and godawful hateful things people say to me online

Guys, why do people troll on the internet? Why are blogger hate comments a thing? Let this be the philosophical question of the day. Please, god, why? WHY? WHY?

And of all the people, why me? I’m a perfectly innocent little travel blogger over here, just minding my own business. The purpose of this blog is to inspire people to travel, what is so confronting about that? Move along. Why can people be so mean to me online? I don’t get it. I’m lovely, alright?

Just kidding. Sometimes I’m a shit stirrer. I stir the pot on purpose. If I see something I think is wrong, I say it. Also, god did not see fit to gift me with grace or tact. I am really good at regularly putting my foot in my mouth, often publicly. I also don’t know when to back away. And I’m cynical. Is this a recipe for a well-loved image? I’m not quite sure.

At least I’m real, right? Of all my flaws at least I like to think I’m authentic, the only truly honest blogger in a sea of vapid, shallow fools.

Stop talking, Liz. Like right now.

Anyways, it’s no secret, I get mean comments on the regular, so regular in fact that I have been doing annual round ups of the best mean comments I get every single year since 2012. I know I’m shamefully overdue on this post. I completely missed 2016.

2016 was an intense year for me, and when it came down to digging through comments looking for the horrible ones, I just couldn’t bring myself to go down that particular roller coaster. It was also the first year I started to get death threats. I just wasn’t in the mood. Can you forgive me?

Hate comments aren’t a novelty to me anymore, and they haven’t been for a long time. I’ve gotten tens of thousands of comments over the years, with a small percentage of them being ugly, and I’ve learned to just let them slide by in a giant wave of pity – I truly for sorry for anyone that takes the time to hate me so much online. Also, I’m probably laughing at you.

The best hate I got in 2015

The best hate I got in 2014

The best hate I got in 2013

The best hate I got in 2012

Also, I’ve really just stopped paying attention when people troll me; five years of regular trolls has given me armor. I went from being a delicate rose who bruised easily to a goddamn rhino. Go on, try and say something to mean to me. It can hardly be any worse that what I’ve gotten before.

And to be honest, it’s the same shit day in and day out. You’re privileged (yeah I know), you’re entitled (no I am not, thank you), you travel off your daddy’s money (HA, if you only knew…), you’re ugly, you’re fat, you’re stupid, you swear too much, you’re a know it all, you do this why don’t you do that, blah blah blah it never fucking ends.

Honestly, I yearn for the creative insults. I think my trolls have gotten lazy. Where’s the witty banter? The colorful backhanded comments? The passive aggressive DMs? They’ve disappeared into regular grammatically ugly “what a c*nt” and “how is this blog even popular” lazy comments. I mean for fuck’s sakes guys, if you’re gonna come for me, try a little.

But I digress. Back by popular demand, I’ve taken the time to dig through my work and find the best of the best blogger hate comments, the most entertaining, the ugliest, the cruelest, the worst hate comments I get just for you. Because at the end of the day, the only way we can deal with this BS is just to laugh. You’re welcome. Enjoy.

1. The most popular Facebook comment in response to an article about how I built my career in blogging

And if she wasn’t a young blond with a penchant for putting out to old men she’d be working at Officeworks for $15/hr

I want to start an argument about feminism here but just can’t be fucked.

2. And the second most liked comment on the same article 

The only thing worse than a human that resembles a vacuous opportunistic sponge is the plethora of parasites that aspire to be just that.

Just so we’re clear, I’m the sponge and you’re the parasite in this allegory.

3. Writing about how Jane Goodall inspires me to be better with conservation

You are not an “activist for saving the planet.” The number of flights you take each year creates more carbon emissions that most of us create in our LIVES. If you actually cared about the environment you would travel solely by bike and public transport with an occasional flight, not dozens of international flights a year. Get a grip.

I mean, fair point. I’d love some tips about biking overseas from the island of New Zealand where I live.

4. I really hate it when people don’t get sarcasm online on my how to cheat on Instagram

Teaching young people that life depends on Instagram. Thats great and people were wondering what was happening to our decaying society. Telling them that their popularity will increase if they sell their sexuality too. Wow what a true feminist you are. Pathetic. The whole millennial generation is going to be morally bankrupt.

I just facepalmed so hard.

5. Speaking of Instagram…

Not to be rude, just honest, but I noticed your photos have extremely low engagement for “168K” followers. I wonder if the companies who pay you notice this.

Guys, I’m literally one of the ONLY people who doesn’t cheat on Instagram! That’s why my engagement isn’t out of this world. But thanks for pointing that out.

6. That one time I wrote that Central Otago is one of the only regions in New Zealand that has four distinct seasons (which is true)

Seriously? The only region in New Zealand that experiences four distinct seasons? You need to travel more and drink less Pinot. I’m not even sure how I got your spam mail, but I live here, not just a FIFO tourist. If you want to trade travel stories, I’m sure you’ll lose.

You can’t make me drink less Pinot!!!! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!

7. When I wrote a million years ago about things that I hate that people do on airplanes

Sounds like a person who wrote the original article needs more than Ambien. probably could use some Xanax and some Prozac also. when you travel on a plane you know there is also something called other human beings. Get a grip. judging by your photo, You’re not that cute or anything special…..

Hope you find the help you need.

Kisses!

You know, funny story. One time in Bangkok I went to a pharmacy to get some sleeping pills for upcoming long haul flights – sometimes in Southeast Asia I can get strong sleeping pills over the counter. They gave me Xanax, no questions asked. Best flight ever. In fact, imagine if Xanax was provided on all long-haul flights. Who do I need to speak to about this?

8. Any time I provoke the vegans, one of my favorite pastimes 

Me: writes thousands of words about wildlife, travel, sustainable tourism practices or about anything really

All of the vegans: You should consider going vegan

Me: but, bacon? So tasty.

All of the vegans: PITCHFORKS AT ATTENTION!

As a close friend used to say, do not negotiate with terrorists, Liz.

9. When I wrote a blog post about how to move to New Zealand as American (if you need some entertaining, go read through the comments) which is a minefield!

It is not your home. even if you wish it was it’s not, it is new zealands home. fuck off to your own home. leave mine alone… just fuck off back to usa and leave nz to be nz. stop telling people how to get here, we don’t want you. most nzers hate americans, you are boring n have no sense of humour, just fuck off bck to usa and leave nzers to our own country, plus u don’t get my point cos u dumb american.if u don’t want to be thought of a american sterotype don’t act like dunb american cunt….you are such a dunb cunt. this is why we hate you.

I can’t look beyond the grammatical and spelling errors in this, honestly I tried, but I can’t.

Yes go ahead pls MOVE out from US we don’t need weak, pathetic, ignorant ppl here who need “safe-spaces” You have been brain washed by fake media like cnn, fox, abc etc for too long

I just can’t.

Congratulations on proving again that liberal thought is shallow and feelings-based. Too much reading making your head hurt?

I’m literally the biggest reader you’ve ever met. Don’t even.

I read the first couple of paragraphs and had to stop. As a Trump supporter, I am offended by your words and will now stop following you. It’s really too bad that you offend some of your followers, here I thought I was following a travel blog. Please do move to NZ, because America will be better off without you!!

It’s ok, I’m ashamed to have had you as a reader.

That response obviously shows why 20 something women shouldn’t even have the right to vote.

*Begins to pull hair out of own head*

Im just trying to save you from having to take depression medication for the rest of your life thats all. What are you on now Zoloft or Prozac?

Neither, unfortunately. I sure could use one after reading this.

10. I appeared in a big NBC Dateline special about American’s moving to New Zealand and man, that opened the floodgates of crazy

Stay out of America you traitor bitch.

This was the first of many comments calling me a traitor.

STAY OUT OF AMERICA YOU BITCH. HOPE A HOBBIT KILLS YOUR SORRY ASS CUNT.

LOL!!!

STAY OUT OF AMERICA YOU BITCH. I hope a sheep kills you and your family you faggot, the USA is the best country ever.

Me: I feel so sorry for you

I feel worse for you, you no good commie bastard. Stay out of my country and fuck off cunt. Fuck you you no life blogger get a real job.

Me: You feel better now?

Yes, I’m living in the US of A #MAGA fuck. Cuck.

Me: Well I feel better living in a place with people nicer than you. And I have healthcare. And I can spell.

BOOM! How’d they do? What’s the worst thing anyone has said to you online? Do you get trolled? How do you cope? Spill!

The post All the mean, nasty and godawful hateful things people say to me online appeared first on Young Adventuress.

from Young Adventuress http://ift.tt/2hA9518

[goodlifexplorers-blog]

Traveling to Rio with a baby started a little shaky as we missed our flight out of Denver and almost missed our flight again out of Miami, but in hindsight it was actually a lot easier than we thought. Our trip to Brazil this year was a mix of family/attending my middle brother’s wedding and having some much needed vacation time.

I have explained before that traveling with a baby is actually worse than traveling with an adult. There is so much more to carry and plan for. You can read some tips here. Often I feel it would be easier to wait until Roark is older to travel again, but the hubby and I made a pact before we had children that this part of our lives would change, but it wouldn’t disappear, so we carry on.

Another fact about having a baby is that we are never on time anymore. Which is exactly what happened this time. I made the foolish mistake of booking a flight leaving Denver at 8:50am. The thought was that it would give us plenty of time to get ready and drive to the airport. Haha! Wrong! After several feedings, changes and everything else, we got out of the house and made it to the airport about an hour and twenty minutes before our flight. Usually that wouldn’t be so bad, because we were flying domestically at first and the Denver airport was empty, but misery loves company, so it was all downhill from there.

First, I stayed in line to do curbside check in just to be told I couldn’t check in with a baby curbside, which I had done before on Delta, but apparently American doesn’t allow. Now 10 minutes are gone. Ok, so I go inside with Roark and the stroller, car seat, diaper bag, pillow, purse and a carry-on, while my husband brings our bags. In the 2 minutes he took to help me, our car is almost fined and the hubby has to go park the car leaving me with 4 bags, a baby and all the baby’s stuff. I stand in line behind 2 people and have to shuffle everything when the line moves. At this point we have 60 mins to board, my spirits are still high.

The airport attendant pulls me off the line to use the kiosk with the assurance that I will be able to check in a baby. I follow him with all our things. I pull up the reservation and the attendant goes to help someone else. Because we have an infant, he has to do something on the kiosk, but he is helping someone else so I flag him and wait. He comes, slides his badge and then… warning. Ok, now I start to panic a little, we now have 50 mins to go through security and board. The computer tells us that we can’t check any bags because we are passed the 45 mins till boarding. What? I have never heard of that. The attendant tries to get us an exception because he feels guilty and the counter attendant does not want to give us an exception. We will miss our flight. Ok, so now I am getting mad. I ask him what I need to do, he tells me I need to get back in line – the same line I was in to begin with except that now, there are 10 people in line. There is no way we are getting on that flight. So I rush to the line, still being positive – or delusional- that things will work out. There is still no sign of the hubby and no help to take all the luggage from the kiosk to the line. I am sweating now and I haven’t even left Denver. But, I breathe in deep.

Twenty minutes later I am resigned that we will have to pay a fee and change our flights. I finally get to the counter, the lady was in a bad mood, says I may not even leave Denver that day. Sadly, I am used to this kind of attitude so I just let it brush off. I am not leaving that counter until I am booked to Rio. I ignore her attitude and respond with kindness. She says I need to pay $650 to change flights. I say no way! I am responsible for the delay, but the airline also shares responsibility. If I had stayed in line, I would have made the 45 min cutoff to boarding, so there is no way I am paying that much. She calls some people, they don’t budge. She types and types on the computer, nothing. The husband finally arrives sweating- he has had to jog to the terminal from the parking because the shuttle didn’t come by. He is furious with me, but doesn’t say it and I know he has the right to be. The lady tells him about the change fee with an attitude- bad mistake, he snaps back. You can imagine the scene. But now, I look like the more reasonable person to deal with, so I ask the lady to check other flights to Dallas since that is the only leg of our journey we have missed. She hadn’t considered that.

Twenty mins later we find a flight, the supervisor approves it, we pay $150 to change our flights and voila- we are back in business. I am tired just telling you this story! We fly to Dallas and then to Miami just to have another setback- our flight was late and the gate check took forever. Our next flight was leaving in 40 mins from a gate on the other side of the terminal. I go ahead with baby, diaper bag and carry on while the hubby waits for gate check.

I get to the gate and everyone is already boarding. The baby needs to have his diaper change so I run to do that. I get back to the gate and no sign of my husband. I call him and he’s on the way. I go to board and there is a problem. The lady at the counter says they have given our seats away. What?

I tell her we need to be on the flight, she needs to find us the seats. Because the hubby is still not there, she is not letting me board. 10 minutes later, the hubby arrives jogging with the stroller and car seat. We finally board, just to sit on the tarmac for another hour with maintenance problems. Yep! That was the beginning of our trip.

But we finally made to Rio. Moral of the story- I need to add a couple more hours to get to the airport when traveling with a baby.

We were so tired though that upon arriving at the hotel and having a 3 hr lunch, we checked in and I laid in bed and passed out. We just woke up to order room service and go back to sleep.

But the excitement was not over. While we were eating overlooking the beautiful beach of Copacabana, I heard a gun shot. I look at my husband and ask “That was a gun shot, wasn’t it?”. He confirms it. A second later, we hear several shots from a assault rifle or whatever you call a gun that fires rapidly in succession. I get Roark, run away from the window to the other side of the room. After several minutes we don’t hear any more shots and we go to sleep.

Next day I asked the waiter in the hotel restaurant about the shots- he says it happens all the time. Welcome to Rio! Then I remember why I haven’t visited it since I was a child.

That same day, my dad and my brother visited us and we had lunch. This was the first time Roark was meeting them and a very special day for us. Too bad they couldn’t stay longer. We ate at one of the oldest restaurants in Rio- Confeitaria Colombo. The place is amazing! The decor and the food are exceptional! A great place to visit if you like architecture and good food. The mirror were imported I believe from Belgium. They are huge! I can’t imagine how they survived the trip!

On our third day in Rio, we enjoyed the pool in the morning and left the city towards Paraty in the afternoon. Paraty is a town of about 35,000 people on the coast between Rio and Sao Paulo. The location of my brother’s wedding. It took us five and a half hours to make the drive and we arrived pretty late, just in time to have dinner and go to bed.

I can’t write everything here or this will be a book. Watch the vlog– it’s a lot shorter!

Part 2 will be posted soon.

You can read more posts about Brazil here.

xoxo

Jana

Traveling to Rio with a Baby Traveling to Rio with a baby started a little shaky as we missed our flight out of Denver and almost missed our flight again out of Miami, but in hindsight it was actually a lot easier than we thought.

[dtphan824]

What’s Hong Kong like in front of my 35mm lens?  Check it out below in Journey to Hong Kong (2017).  

A view of Kowloon from Lion Rock Hill in Hong Kong.  I’m a novice hiker and wanted to quit maybe at the start of the steps but I powered through it… 

“China??  Didn’t you just come back from Japan??” Haha… yeah, a month after coming back from Japan I was talking with John Zhang aka 1013mm and he had planned a car meet on Feb 18 in Kowloon.  I immediately checked my calendar and saw no bookings for that week so of course I browsed for flights and lodging.  Flights weren’t too bad 2 weeks out and for lodging I decided to stay at a hostel in Causeway Bay.

“What was the cost of your Hong Kong trip like?”

My flight was $626 USD.  This is actually an average price and can range from $450 to $900+ USD.  It wasn’t a direct flight which was ok because I don’t think I could’ve sat for 20 hrs in a row.  The hostel stay was $18 USD per day.  Since this was a vacation / semi work travel, I had to be thrifty or cheap.  One week before leaving Houston, I decided to add Taipei to the trip as well… it would be my first time in there.  The flight from Hong Kong to Taipei was $150 USD which is normal pricing all day.

“What did you pack for 4 days in Hong Kong?”

After the most recent trip to Japan, I had to travel lighter and smarter.  I opted to just have 1 backpack and 1 rolling 45L carryon rolling case.  In the backpack, I had my Macbook Pro, accessories, Nikon D750, 35mm lens, battery charger, mobile wifi, and moist disposable towels.  In the rolling case, I packed clothes for 4 days, towel, toiletry bag, etc.  Details can be seen in the itinerary below.

My itinerary for Journey to Hong Kong and Taipei trip… it’s a little incomplete but that should be most of it.  Click on the photo if you’re interested in checking it out… 

I chose to fly United Airlines internationally.  Not as nice as EVA or Delta to be honest but it wasn’t too bad…

2.5 hrs flight to Chicago, 1 hr layover, 16 hrs to Hong Kong, and then a 30 minute bus ride to Causeway Bay, I finally arrive to my hostel.  After checking in I walked and explored a bit.  Not pictured but I did stop by Ichiran HK for late night ramen meal…

The next morning in Causeway Bay. This cross section is actually 1 minute walking distance from the hostel I was staying at…

Yeah… not sure exactly what they sell here but I’m guessing street fashion? Which makes sense if you’re homeless…

Another cross section walking around early in the morning in Causeway Bay…

Waiting for the bus while the morning light shines through the tall condo/business buildings…

Forgot where this bridge view was at but should be on the way to Lion Rock Hill…

If you’re interested in hiking to Lion Rock Hill, visit this site as she points out step by step where to go… 

I think this is an entrance to a temple near the Temple Mall North from the previous photo… probably a tourist spot since a bunch of people were taking photos in front of it…

If you’re going in this direction, you’re going the wrong way…

One of the check points from the online guide to Lion Rock Hill… I was already fighting for oxygen at this point and the slope was just getting steeper….

After about 15 minutes into the entrance of the start of the damn Lion Rock Hill climb, you kinda get a glimpse of what the view is like…

I want to say there were 30% smooth paths and 70% steps.  No bueno if you have bad knees but I powered through somehow…

After a long 2 hrs hike up, you’ll feel like you’ve conquered a huge mountain, but then realize it’s only 1600 ft and want more…

So I definitely need to do more hiking trips before I’m past my limit…

I want to say it’s doable for anyone if you have the support, physically and mentally.  I saw 90 yr old men and women hiking the damn hill -___-

The infamous Lion Rock Hill from the East…

My legs haven’t had a good workout like that in a while so I took refuge in a small market in Kowloon City…

Food court in the small 3 story market…

An hour later, I went to the busy streets of Mong Kok…

Mong Kok shows really how crowded it can get in Hong Kong with tourists and locals…

  The Ladies’ Market during the day.  I was pretty much done sight seeing so I got a foot massage (legit) and ate some noodles for dinner.

  The next morning behind the hostel…

Saw this dog pretty often…

A bit busier later in the morning around 10 AM in Causeway Bay….

Definitely busier since it was a Saturday morning…

Street Handpan Player.  Follow him on Instagram guys…

My same reaction when see that sweater…

Street cell phone accessories…

Lots of Tesla Model S in Hong Kong…

One of the famous high rise buildings in Quarry Bay – Yick Cheong Building in Quarry Bay

It was that popular a few years ago when I visited but now it’s filled with visitors and tourists….

Almost wish I had a wide angle lens for this, but #35mmlife…

The next day I went to a day trip to Macau.  For Macau, I’d recommend staying for at least 1 full day as boat tickets are somewhat expensive.  Take advantage of the boat/speedjet.

  JZ and Nicole were my day trip mates as I was their third wheeler… 

Sleeping while dabbing or dabbing while sleeping…

Really wanted to use this at one point since the “TurboJet” was going 150mph…

Not a boat but a jet…

We be tourists…

Legit taxi drivers drive like they’re in F1 Macau race…

I think our main day trip to Macau goal was to find a decent place to have Portuguese egg tarts…

Looking for portuguese egg tarts…

We got tired of looking so we just went to a random one…

Hypebeast/1013mm in Macau 2017…

Senado Square was really busy on a Sunday…

You can definitely see the European/Portuguese influence in the building architecture…

Pro-tip:  Sight see or day trip on a weekday…

Then in the back alleys, you see China influence…

You can tell who’s a local versus who’s a visitor…

I really like the back alley’s of Hong Kong / Macao / China…

These were popular in Macau – sheets of beef.  Almost like beef jerky…

Popular portuguese egg tart baker I guess…

After…

Before…

Free samples are awesome…

Bunch of people and stores on the way to Ruins of St. Paul in Macao…

More people and stores.  Very skeptical to buy brand names from these stores because China…

I think I’m in their vlog somewhere online…

We trampled through the crowds and reached the Ruins of St. Paul…

Bridal portraits going on…

In front of us was a bridal shoot and then behind us looked like a K-drama filming.  I guess there’s always something going on near the Ruins of St. Paul…

Kids on a leash were a common thing.  Could be a China thing…

There were so many people, you can’t really get a clean shot of Macau from the Ruins…

View from going up to Macau museum…

Ruins of St. Paul 2017…

View from Below Monte Fort…

Museu de Macau…

This fool here…

Kinda weird because you can see the poverty line in Macau from the Fort…

Free to visit for everyone and really peaceful place if you’re a local…

We weren’t supposed to stand on top but the security guard left…

This side of Macau or China looks so gloomy…

Can’t wait for the 1013mm vlog to drop… 

Probably a 500 yrs old tree…

Nicole always getting in my shots… hmph. 

More back alley suburban shots…

We made our way to a back alley full of food stands…

Had to choose this place – Kam Wai Beef…

“Ancient Secret Recipe”?  Hell yea.

JZ and Nicole ordered while I walked around…

Really good variety of stands/stores around…

Fresh mango juice??

After waiting about 20 minutes we had our ‘Curry Beef Offal’.

It wasn’t too spicy but after awhile it did kick in… worth it.

The aftermath.

“COMEBUY”. Pretty catchy name…

    Finished our day trip to Macau around 5 PM and got back to my hostel at 6 PM.  Just took it easy and packed for my Taiwan trip the next day.

Hong Kong is always a great place to visit because of the different types of cuisines and history around.  With the housing market prices increasing, I’m not sure how people make enough to survive.  Maybe next trip, I’ll try living in Hong Kong like a local for a couple of months.

As always thanks for reading this really long post!  If you have any comments or questions, you can contact me via email or social media!

http://www.danhphan.com http://www.danhphanphoto.wordpress.com http://www.instagram.com/dtphan

Gear: Nikon D750 Sigma 35mm f1.4

  Journey to Hong Kong (2017): 35mm Life What's Hong Kong like in front of my 35mm lens?  Check it out below in Journey to Hong Kong (2017).