#we skipped church for covid vibes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

studioweus · 2 years

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hello frankie!!!

aah i'm glad you received it! tumblr often eats up asks or notifications so i'm not too surprised lol

i had a feeling you already knew day6 since you like kbands lol shoot me is just so good. as for btob, missing you is just one of those songs i can't skip it's been on my top 100 tracks for like 3 years (so since the first time i heard it lol) and i really recommend their most recent music (as a quartet and then as a full group).

i hope you've had time to listen to the songs, i enjoyed discovering the ones you mentioned 🥰 i actually already had flowering by lucy and hoppipola's cover of creep but i hadn't listened to them in a long time so it was nice to go back to them (i love that hoppipola makes long songs it's so rare). the guitar solo in montage is insane and i have a mutual who's really into yonghoon and he really has an amazing voice so i ended up listening to the whole album!

the dreamcatcher's concert was my first kpop concert (and it was so fun even if i was on my own)! i started listening to kpop like a year before covid hit so by the time i was enough of a fan of groups to consider going to their concert they had stopped touring (or they did online concerts which were technically my first concerts lol) - hopefully there'll be more! what about you, have you been to any concert?

oooh i knew hweseung could play guitar well but i had never seen that performance, it's so nice! i love their lol medley too (love the vid and that dongsung got to sing) but aside from that my faves are probably their live don't cry cover and their don't start me now and leave the door open covers, i really wish they could be on spotify so i could listen to them more easily (seunghyub and hweseung also have great solo covers!) but i think it's already really cool that they have full videos for them with different sets and styling to fit the song, it's liek they really make the songs theirs

as for my holidays traditions, i celebrate christmas 🎄 when i lived with my parents we used to put up the christmas tree together with my brothers but now that i live on my own i don't have enough space to have a tree lol so i'll be going back to my family this weekend to celebrate together 🥰 and other than that i took part in a christmas market at my church (we sell handmade cards and other stuffs as well as some food so that's always nice) and i also really like finding presents for everyone in my family in the weeks leading up to christmas. when it comes to new year's eve i used to do a movie evening with my family but i'll be working that day so i won't go back and i don't know yet what i'll do probably a movie evening of my own! what about you?

and now it's already time for my last question (next time you'll get a notification from me, it'll be your gift!): if you went to an nflying concert, what are the songs you'd like on the setlist?

your secret nfia ✨

i know what you mean 😔 it's a gamble sending asks sometimes. haha but thankfully i got the last ask, and this one too!

so far, i've listened to btob's newer releases (i just let the eps/albums play while i was working earlier!) some of the nct 127 songs - namely favorite and simon says - were familiar! i feel like i listened to parts of those songs. i love the chill vibes for gold dust 🥺 i also got the chance to listen to kihyun's ep, and ended up loving youth too 💛 i'll probably end up listening to the rest of the song recs while i work again. thank you for the recs 🥺💛

i also love that hoppipolla has longer songs too! i feel like it really lets the instrumentalists play around and showcase themselves more~ whoa that's cool! o: and i agree, yonghoon's voice is just *chef's kiss* was there a particular song that left an impression when you listened to the album?

aww that's a bit of poor timing getting into kpop 😔 but i hope the pandemic/quarantine period gave you the time to get into other groups! i actually attended one of the seventeen stops in north america this year during their world tour, and that was my first concert ever. it was so much fun 😭 i also hope there will be more opportunities to see seventeen again / and other groups of course! you said you saw dreamcatcher in their europe tour so i'm assuming you're from there/near europe 👀 unless you traveled to see them ofc. have there been any announcements for n.flying near you? i know they announced a north america one this january! as much as i want to attend, the nearest stop is still a bit far from where i live ;-;

i had to look up the don't cry cover and wow??? their vocals are insane, and hweseung's range is 😲 the rock vibes were very strong. i love don't start now too!! the bass line is so good 😭 leave the door open was great too! haha it's hard to choose fave covers because n.flying always does above and beyond with their arrangements.

it's always nice to spend time with family during the holidays 💛 sorry about the tree LOL the christmas market sounds interesting!! what gifts did you get your family! ah it sucks when work gets in the way of festivities 😔 i also spend christmas with the family! we normally have a big extended family party, but we held off on that during the pandemic so this will be the first time we'll be doing something big in a long while.

hmm setlist... i would definitely want video therapy on there, just because of that one live clip. everything down to the special effects was just great, i would love to see that live! moonshot as well, and of course their recent cb i like you! mainly because that's my first comeback with n.flying as a proper n.fia ☺️ how about you? o:

i can't wait to see the gift!! thank you for the fun conversations 🥺 i hope your week is going well 💛

#replies #secret nfia ✨

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frankwestpfahl · 2 years

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Dear reader, we are quickly coming to the end of our magical week aboard the AmaDouro. Today, it's time to finally explore the city that has never been conquered, Porto. We are up in time for breakfast and although not as early as some days, we are getting a jump start on the day. Today, we are doing a walking tour of the city, and let me tell you this is going to be some great steps, as the city is like San Francisco, the hills are crazy.

After our typical breakfast, we are up and out. The sun is shining and today is a national holiday. We are early, so the city is still a little sleepy, but things will pick up quickly. We meet our guide and we start out, we are on the other side of the river in Gaia so we start off with a stroll along the Douro and hear about how the wine ships brought the wine to this stop for storage. Of course the traditional boats are out in front and race annually.

We are then off to the famous bridge that Marty and I have already crossed on the lower level, the Luiz the I bridge, built by a student of Eifels. Interestingly the kings and queens of Portugal have not been welcome to Porto and therefore there are no castles. The city invited the king to the grand opening of the bridge to be named after him, but to the surprise of the city, the king didn't show. So instead of putting the name King in front of the name, they decided to just call it the Luiz the I bridge, so it isn't really named after the king. I like how the people here think.

We then stroll the amazing old town, and it is beautiful and coming to life. About 10 years ago Porto made its way onto the world map and tourism and investment has been thriving. This area is a Unesco heritage site, but was in disrepair and abandoned. Now things are being restored and it's so charming. However, it is a holiday and like our guide said, the Spanish have invaded Portugal again. However, this time, when they leave they leave their money.

The streets are crowded, but we go on learning about the history, particularly how Porto worked hard to keep its Jewish population during the inquisition. We visited the old Jewish Quarter before making our way to the amazingly beautiful train station. We of course visited the romanesque church on the hill before crossing the upper level of the bridge back to the Gaia side. It was packed and the height was a little unsettling, but I made it across and Marty was pretty patient with me, there was a crack that you could see through and so I kept walking on the tram tracks to avoid it. Silly I know but this bridge is high, and windy, but wow the view.

In Gaia we take the aerial tram down to the ship. Of course we finished with a wine cellar tour and tasting. Marty and I skipped this to head to the ship. It's time to have a quick Covid test to return to the US tomorrow. That goes quickly and boy did she really get up in there, I think she tickled my brain a little.

After lunch we head out for a walk, today we walk up the hill on the Gaia side to the food trucks and people enjoying the park and views. Every inch of space is taken with people just enjoying the weather, and it really has a great vibe. We stroll the bridge again and walk down to the river, through the old town. I want to come back when it is less busy, but from what I understand it is a hot tourist spot and pretty much always busy now, but the prices are fantastic so I see why. Plus the charm of the architecture is awesome

We head to our final sip 'n sail and watch the photo contest. This was fun, as people submitted photos for prizes for the best in categories. There are a lot of talented people on this ship. The one submitted for the landscape was amazing. We then head down to our final dinner with our new friends Mary Kay and Tom. We laugh and enjoy ourselves. It is really a nice night. We say farewell to our wait staff and then make the rounds. Some people have very early mornings tomorrow so we may not see them. It was such a treat to meet so many incredible new people on this trip. Also, note to self, we need to have cards made to share our details with people. I'm putting Marty on that task when we get home.

It's getting late so off to the stateroom to start to pack up and get things ready. We have a transfer at 8:00 am tomorrow to the airport, so we want to get a good night's rest before breakfast. It has been an amazing week and I've enjoyed it so much, I'm lucky to have such an incredible travel companion that is as obsessed as I am to experience everything this world has to offer. Thank you for joining me on this journey. See you tomorrow as we make our way to Amsterdam before heading home.

#selfie #justfrank #vacation #vacation2022 #urlaub #urlaub2022 #reise #spaß #friendship #adventure #2022 #spring #fernweh #video @marty.reynoldsohana #april #funtimes #AmaWaterways #Portugal #Douro #2022EnticingDouro #travel

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classyfoxdestiny · 3 years

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Tucker Carlson: There's no more fearful despot than Canada's Prime Minister #اہمخبریں

New Post has been published on https://mediaboxup.com/tucker-carlson-theres-no-more-fearful-despot-than-canadas-prime-minister/

Tucker Carlson: There's no more fearful despot than Canada's Prime Minister

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Do you ever notice how almost all of the leaders of almost all the countries in the Western world, particularly in the English-speaking Western world, seem kind of the same? They’re what we call neoliberal. They’re all weak and fearful, if you think about it. And yet if you listen to them talk, you’d think they were omnipotent: ‘We’re going to reverse global climate change. We’re going to vaccinate the world. We’re going to end all human prejudice and replace it with equity. We’re going to spread democracy to the untutored nations with guns, and they’re going to love us for it. We can do all these things because we’re all-powerful. We’re like gods. You shall have no gods before us.’

Now, mostly they’re puny people. But when they speak, they sound like Caesar standing in purple robes in the forum, commanding the known world. Joe Biden very often sounds like this, so does that squeaky little woman with weird teeth who runs New Zealand. They all sound like this. They’re unbelievably grandiose. It’s by design. They’d rather talk about redeeming humanity than bother to fix your kid’s school or replace the stop sign at the end of your block.

CRITICS MOCK ‘PUPPET’ TRUDEAU FOR FLEEING CAPITAL DURING TRUCKERS PROTEST: ‘TYRANT ON THE RUN’

So you’ve got to wonder, why do they talk this way? And the answer, of course, is because they’re terrified. They claim to be powerful because they know they’re not. It’s a bluff. It’s a calculated pose. In fact, they know exactly how weak they are. They understand how little popular support they actually have, and they can feel their grasp slipping. And if you wonder if that’s true, notice how they overreact to the slightest challenge to their power. Remember a year ago when the QAnon Shaman skipped through Congress on his mescaline trip, giggling and spreading good vibes? It was kind of amusing. But Democrats in Washington were panicked by it, so panicked they called in the U.S. Army and sent that poor guy to prison. It’s weird how touchy they get when you suggest they stole the presidential election, I wonder why?

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a media availablity held at a location which is not being made public for security reasons. via REUTERS

But this is not the behavior of secure leaders. This is how despots act when they fear they’re about to be overthrown. And there’s no more fearful despot in the world than Justin Trudeau of Canada. Over the span of just a few years, Trudeau has turned a nation long famous for Molson and sled dogs in niceness into a relentlessly punitive surveillance state. People have long whispered, in dead seriousness, that Justin Trudeau is the biological son of Fidel Castro. You could laugh it off, but now it’s becoming pretty easy to believe. Trudeau has used systematically COVID to short circuit democracy in Canada and to end organized Christianity there.

Canadians can no longer travel freely within their own country. They can no longer return to their own country at certain parts. Pastors have been imprisoned for holding church services. The unvaccinated can be sent to jail for buying certain products in stores. In the town of Gatineau, family members were arrested for celebrating New Year’s Eve in their own home. Every large institution in Canada pretends like all of this is perfectly normal, it’s always been this way. Canadian media, which are largely controlled by the government, support these policies and Trudeau uncritically. In Nova Scotia, protests against Justin Trudeau’s vaccine mandates are now banned by law.

CANADIAN NEWS HOST SLAMMED FOR SUGGESTING RUSSIA BEHIND MASSIVE ‘FREEDOM’ TRUCKER PROTEST

Rarely has a nation changed this quickly or more unequivocally for the worse. And last week, thousands of Canadian truckers reached their limit. A convoy of truckers converged on the capital city of Ottawa to demand, peacefully, cheerfully but persistently an end to Justin Trudeau’s tyranny. Justin Trudeau’s response to this display of democracy? He fled the city. Trudeau evacuated his official residence and hid in an undisclosed location. He is still cowering there tonight. Will he come back? Has he abdicated? Will Canada be ruled by a hunta of truckers? Well, not at this point. He emerged by video conference from his lair to declare that Canadian citizens who disagree with him are in fact attacking democracy.

TRUDEAU: There is a right to protest, there is a right to make your voices heard, loudly and clearly. There is not a right to shut down our democracy or our democratic processes, there is not a right to abuse, intimidate and harass your fellow citizens.

So expressing your views is an attack on democracy? And by the way, how dare you express your views as if you were free people. That’s tyranny. Democracy is when you obey like serfs. Trudeau just effectively said that. And then because he has no self-awareness whatsoever, Trudeau announced that he’s contracted COVID, which is perfect. In other words, take this shot or else, as you can see from the fact I am now sick, it works perfectly.

NOVA SCOTIA OUTLAWS SUPPORT ON HIGHWAY FOR ‘FREEDOM’ TRUCKERS DAYS AFTER MASSIVE PROTEST

If Canada were in a country, it would be a remarkable dark comedy. So you may be wondering about these hordes of Visigoths who’s descended on Ottawa, the ones who drove Justin Trudeau out of the city. What do they look like?

Freedom, love, patriotic displays waving Canadian flags. Terrifying. But if you look closely at those pictures, you can see the real problem. These were working-class people. They’re the guys who deliver your Amazon boxes. And Justin Trudeau is repulsed by them. These people have stepped way outside their lanes. Just leave the package on the porch and get the hell out of here. But they haven’t gotten the hell out of there. They’re still in Ottawa, and Justin Trudeau won’t meet with them because he never meets with people like this, not simply because they are blue-collar and dirty, though obviously they are, but because they disagree with him. As a reminder from Justin Trudeau, that’s what democracy is. Democracy is lecturing people who nod a lot in response. Watch him explain.

TRUDEAU: I have attended protests and rallies in the past when I agreed with the goals, when I supported the people expressing their concerns and their issues, Black Lives Matter is an excellent example of that.

Trucks sit parked on Wellington Street near the Parliament Buildings as truckers and their supporters take part in a convoy to protest COVID vaccine mandates. via REUTERS/Patrick Doyle

So I’ll meet with the people at a rally as long as I agree with their goals, as long as they agree with me, it’s totally fine, like Black Lives Matter. You get the sense even someone as dim as Justin Trudeau realizes this is not a winning argument. He needed his friends in state media to help. So they trotted out some attack lines against the truckers lines they borrowed directly from CNN and NBC News here in the States. So here’s Canada’s state broadcaster inventing a claim, out of nothing, that Vladimir Putin himself may be responsible for this trucker convoy.

TRUDEAU SLAMS ‘FREEDOM CONVOY’ FOR ‘HATEFUL RHETORIC,’ PREFERS TO SUPPORT BLM PROTESTERS

CBC NEWS: You know, given Canada’s support of Ukraine in this current crisis with Russia, I don’t know if it’s farfetched to ask, but there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this, as this protest grows, but perhaps even instigating it from the outset.

Russia. You’ve got to love Canada. But let’s be honest, they always steal our ideas and produce a slightly shoddy copy of them. We have Wal-Mart, they have Canadian Tire, not to be mean. Russia, of course, Putin did it. There’s no evidence of that. No sources. They’ve just been reading American Twitter. And the state media anchor is deeply concerned. Who buys this? No one’s going to buy this, it’s so prima fascia absurd, so they just kept going. Here’s Justin Trudeau from his bunker offering yet another reason to distrust the hunta running the newly formed nation of Truckistan, formerly known as Canada.

TRUDEAU: We won’t give in to those who fly racist flags. We won’t cave to those who engage in vandalism or dishonor the memory of our veterans.

CANADIAN ‘FREEDOM’ TRUCKERS MASSIVE VACCINE MANDATE PROTEST CONVOY MAY SMASH WORLD RECORD

Dishonor the memory, too many Canadian flags. There are like three bad people in the crowd, so ignore them all, ladies and gentlemen. Thankfully, by contrast, no one in any BLM rally ever torched a courthouse or shot anybody or burned down a building. But these truckers, apparently, there was a racist flag. So pay no attention. Now in the United States, we probably wouldn’t fall for this at this late date. We’re a little jaded at this point because we’ve seen it so many times. Oh, they had a Confederate flag, never mind, we can ignore their concerns. The election was totally fine.

So again, we’ve seen it before. But in Canada, they probably haven’t seen it, they’re a few years behind us. And so, you know, they’re kind of impressed by it. Claims like this happened here a few months ago, as you may remember, when Democratic operatives carried around tiki torches to smear Glenn Youngkin as a White supremacist. Again, Trudeau had reason to think Canadians hadn’t seen that, and he might be able to get away with it. Trudeau has been honing this line of argument for months now. Last September, you may remember he accused people who opposed mandatory vaccination, getting a shot because the government requires it, of being racist.

TRUDEAU: But also, there are people who are fiercely opposed to vaccination. Who don’t believe in science. Who are often misogynist, often racist too.

Poor Canadians. They’re good people. They don’t have a lot of news sources. They’ve been exposed nonstop for two years to this kind of propaganda. If you don’t believe in mandatory injection with an experimental medicine, you’re a racist. Apparently, some believe it, at least one counter-protester this weekend believed it.

WASHINGTON POST, MSNBC TRASH CANADIAN ‘FREEDOM CONVOY’ TRUCKERS: ‘IT’S A CULT’

REBEL NEWS: What did it say, sorry?

PROTESTER: So it says, ‘F*** your White nationalist agenda.’

SECOND PROTESTER: I am not White; this has nothing to do with White. This is nothing to do with truckers. This is about freedom for all Canadians. You can’t be Brown, Black, White, whatever color you want to be. This is about freedom. Trudeau no right to put us in this condition or indeed want the country to going to school. It’s a terrible thing to do.

Oh, thank God for Rebel News. You think Fox is an anomaly in the United States, how would you like to be Rebel News? Literally the only people in all of Canada who are playing it straight. So there they are, trying to tell you that some guy from the subcontinent is a w=White nationalist. They’re trying, they’re trying hard. And now they have evidence, it’s brought to you by CNN, naturally, working in tandem with the CBC. Apparently, brace yourselves, there was a Trump sign in the crowd of truckers.

CNN: Given the potential risk, Jim, Justin Trudeau and his family, he has three kids, live about a mile from Parliament Hill. They have now been moved somewhere. We don’t know where, it’s an undisclosed location out of an abundance of caution. I will also say that former President Trump certainly is supporting this group. I’ve been out there. I have seen Trump supporter signs out there. And this leads to a larger question, Jim. They’re still in the downtown core. Police just released a statement saying, look, we need the trucks to leave, we need people to leave, this city has to start functioning again, and the issue is how to leave. The people who have organized this say that they will stay out there months if needed.

JIM ACOSTA CNN: All right. And we know you’ll stay on top of it. Alarming situation there in Ottawa. … thank you very much.

‘FREEDOM CONVOY’ BANS MAINSTREAM MEDIA FROM FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE: ‘SABOTAGE’

Now we don’t know who that woman is, but she should be completely ashamed of herself. She’s a journalist, and yet she just told you that the ruling party of Canada wants the people who are protesting their policies to leave. And then she nods gravely that they need to leave. Things need to get back to normal. They’ve got to run the city doing all the important things that Canadians do in Ottawa. CNN is siding openly with the Trudeau government, because you can’t challenge power. I mean, that’s what we do in the media is to remind you: Obey, accept your fate, rich people have spoken, get in line. And we’ve got a Trump flag to prove it.

But it gets worse. There were more racist flags this weekend. One of them imported conspicuously from this country. Now we have definitive evidence of this. We’re getting this from Canadian media that there was a racist in the crowd.

TWITTER VIDEO (to a man holding a confederate flag): But now he’s going, now he’s gone. We called him out. He knows he’s going to hold his head in shame now.

Oh, it’s so great. You’ll notice in the shot there’s only one person who has his face completely covered. And he happens to be carrying a Confederate flag. Now the crowd looks at him and says, oh, wait a second, we know who you are, you’re Ray Epps. Oh, sorry, but we don’t trust you. In exactly the way the crowd in Washington the night before January 6th of last year said to Ray Epps, Get out of here, fed.

Protestors stand in front of the Parliament Buildings as truckers take part in a convoy to protest coronavirus vaccine mandates. Via REUTERS/Patrick Doyle

So the people on the scene didn’t believe that guy was anything but a provocateur, and we don’t know exactly who he was. We’ll let you make your own conclusions from that. But we’re supposed to believe that this one guy in the full face mask with a Confederate flag proves the entire protest is racist. Justin Trudeau has every reason to run away like a terrified, wuss that he is, and we can ignore the concerns of the people in the trucker convoy. But we’ve got a couple of questions.

Who exactly was that guy holding the flag and where is Justin Trudeau right now? It’s not clear where he was broadcasting from this weekend, but what is clear is that unlike Saddam or Moammar Gadhafi, we’re never going to be able to find out.

Now you think to yourself in a democracy, you should know what the head of state is, right? Don’t you have a right if you’re a voter, shouldn’t Canadians have a right to know where he is? Yeah, but it doesn’t matter because Justin Trudeau can hide anywhere. He’s a master of disguise. Any place in the world Justin Trudeau could blend in, and you’d never know it was him.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

And to prove it, we have a series of photographs. All of them are real, and all of them depict the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. You can see him looking very much not like a French Canadian, looking pretty dark, actually. This is an Arabian Nights-themed gathering when he was a high school teacher. Oh, he’s got Black face on. Interesting. You can also see him blending in convincingly as a Bollywood star in India. Hands grasp together in reverence and prayer. Or, you can see him flanked by his new countrymen, they have no idea they’re in the presence of a Canadian politician. That’s how convincing Justin Trudeau is when he decides to play dress-up. They think he’s one of them. I love samosas, Justin says. We do, too, say the Indians. They have no idea they’re talking to a Canadian. But when he’s not fooling people in India, he’s fooling Native Americans. And yes, there is a difference bigot. Not all Indians are the same. Justin Trudeau wore the traditional headdress of one of Canada’s many indigenous tribes, like the Aztecs, Justin Trudeau will rip your heart out, ladies. And, is that Clark Kent of Superman fame? No, once again, is just Justin Trudeau.

He can impersonate fictional characters. You can see him looking like a stranded pilot in the desert from one of the Star Wars movies. He could literally be hiding on a soundstage in Hollywood as we speak. He can even be on a ranch. Unbelievable. As long as no one hands him a gun or asked him where food comes from, that’s a convincing rancher right there. So, yes, Justin Trudeau can change far more than his skin color. If you see that man in any of his various disguises, do not approach him. He might be hiding in a nondescript cabin in the middle of nowhere, but he’s very much in control of Ottawa, at least for the moment.

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thecoachsdiary · 4 years

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"We had been together fifteen years; courted for five and married ten.

In those years Denroy diligently held the family together.An enviable husband and a father; he showered me with affection,was a good provider, and led us to church every sabbath.He assumed that role with dignity, and carried it around like a badge of honor. He was just perfect for me, until he wasn't.

The night of February 13th, for the first time, I came home to an empty bed.The garage,where he packed his Benz, was empty.My Roy was gone.For good. He wasn't there to cuddle me any longer.I spent a better part of that night gazing through the bedroom window, into darkness, hoping somehow he would drive through that gate one more time.

I missed his strong hands holding mine, his deep voice pouring assurances into my ear after a long day at work.He would always tell me it was gonna be okay, even when we both knew it won't be.That's the kind of positive vibe he brought to the household.

For days I found myself bargaining.With God.In fact I cursed him.In all fairness,how could he? I'm I not his child?If indeed he is God, why would he hide his face at my hour of need? Doesn't that make him an irresponsible father figure? I had a lot to ask him.

Prior to Covid, I had lost my position at the Insurance firm.And with my little savings I started a clothing business at the Lavington shopping centre,hoping it would support the household as I looked for other prospects.

Little did I know I would sell the only asset I had - a parcel of land I owned in Kitengela, just to meet my rent arrears.The landlord has been on my neck, threatening to evict us, should I fail to pay my dues by end of September.

Mukami is my only child, and I raised her right.She has been understanding of this whole situation.

However, the last few weeks have been different.She's been skipping meals and turned unusually cold towards me.For some reason, she thinks I am to blame for what's going on.

Well, it's obvious she misses her father, but her newly acquired gesture weighs me down as a mother.

Slowly I'm beginning to understand, that single parenthood is twice the work, twice the stress.And it bears no notice.It could meet you anywhere at any time.Even in the middle of a pandemic,with no source of income and no one to talk to.

Last I talked to Denroy, he was issuing a subpoena.Ordering me to attend court, as we begin the divorce process.

I ran into him again last month, together with his new wife.They were holding hands, as they sauntered gracefully into the mall.Ooh, and she was pregnant.

When I saw him kiss her belly, I almost fainted.I almost choked with envy,watching my man in the arms of a clandestine.A woman I considered a friend.A family friend.

I'm still filled with resentment every time I remember that scene. I have even contemplated suicide, especially when I think of how much effort I put in, for that marriage to work.

It is not easy, but gradually I'm learning to let go. I'm choosing peace.

Somebody wrote: "it's not what time steals,it's what it leaves behind."

I have chosen to live by that line.

It's my only source of inspiration as I purpose to begin a new chapter."

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aabikeadventure · 4 years

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Day 3 and 4. By Adam.

Hello friends! So day 3 was pretty uneventful so we skipped a day of blogging. The hurricane was supposed to roll through with some heavy winds and rain so instead of biking we decided to take our hosts up on their offer to hunker down in their barn while the storm passed. It was a pretty sweet setup and it felt silly to risk getting caught in a storm when we had a giant empty barn to ourselves with a bathroom, sink, wifi and electricity. Oh, and they had a giant garden with tomatoes and corn and zucchini and other tasty vegetables that they told us to help ourselves to. To try and get to telling you about today i'll try to make my summary of Tuesday quick.

We woke up and did yoga in their yard with the neighbor who leads weekly yoga classes. She took a liking to us and offered us a room in her second, unused home next door while the storm was coming through. We were grateful to have a place to stay but the interior was like a 1960's timewarp nightmare plus a yoga studio??? We kinda wished we just stayed in the barn next door with all the good vibes over there... The mattress was awful and we got a horrible nights sleep so we got a rough and late start to the day, getting on our bikes around 9.

We biked into Portsmouth which is a really cute little town! We didn't get to see much of it, but had our breakfast at a nice park on the water. We have been eating really well and mealtimes are definitely a highlight to our days. We then biked through kittery and then up through some beautiful roads with light traffic. And the best part was as soon as we crossed into Maine we were welcomed with a cool ocean breeze that gave us life. Like 10⁰ cooler out of no where! If felt so good. Amalia saw a swim spot that looked nice on a little ocean inlet and wanted to jump in. Im more picky than she is about swimming so I got my feet wet in the very cold water while she swam around and got out with goose bumps, but with a smile on her face. Omg. I have so much to write but it's already 1040 at night and Im moving my fingers as fast as they can go!

Ok so we biked up the coast. More beautiful roads. Then through York, an INSANE touristy beach spot. It was like covid wasn't even real with people packed like sardines on the beach.

It was pretty overwhelming to be around and though I wanted ice cream, we figured there would be more places to stop that weren't so crazy. So we skip doodly dood the fack outta there.

More beautiful roads and it was time for lunch. I saw a beautiful old church with a sprawling shady lawn and plenty of privacy on the side of the road and it was a perfect pick. We were both so tired from no sleep that we ended up curbing out daily mileage goal and spent around 3 hrs making lunch, napping and hanging out. The weather was beautiful and it felt like what we needed.

Then through Ogunquit. Another densely packed tourist trap. Now out of water, we had no choice but to stop. I got us water and some ice cream at a little shop and we sat and people watched as we enjoyed our frozen treat. I love people watching and it's been so long since I've seen many people out and about it felt like overload!

It was now nearing 7 and we needed to find a place to camp before it got dark. Amalia felt a little concerned about finding a good spot since its such a dense touristy area, but I knew we would find something. The bike route took us off route 1 and through a very vacationer heavy beach neighborhood. Things weren't looking so promising and we were hoping maybe we could use a little corner of someone's yard, yet how to make this happen we didn't know. While checking our map a man chatted us up and asked about our tour and talked excitedly about his love of biking and told us of some good trails in Rhode island I didn't know about! We tried to drop a hint that we were looking for a place to crash but he was either 6 beers too deep or just didn't catch our drift. I cut the conversation short when we suggested an RV campground down the road.. oh well. On we went.

And then it happened. Half a mile down the road we biked past a house that looked like it had been here for a while. Not like 90% of the other homes which looked newly remodeled rentals or vacations mansions. An older couple was on the front porch and the man waved and said "hi kids" as we biked past. Amalia and I looked as each other and simultaneously knew we should turn back and see if they could help. Ernie and Sarah are their names and they are SO cute and sweet. Ernie walked is to their beautiful back yard with overflowing garden, wind chimes and hammock and told us to set up where ever we liked. After a moment of internal deliberation he also extended us an invite to use the bathroom and shower in their rear building. What an angel. He said cute things like " I know it's covid but this is how things are supposed to be"- referencing the warmth between strangers that was unfolding. And " we aren't crazy people, we're just old people, you'll be safe here". Ernie grew up in Maine and he and Sarah have lived in this house that belonged to Sarah's parents for twenty years. We set up camp and walked down to the ocean to catch the last of sunset. I'm filled with so much warmth at this experience of bike touring. Amalia told me that it restores your faith in humanity and it really is true. When we got back to our tent there were 2 cold bottles of water waiting for us 😭.

Tomorrow we hope to make it to make it to Brunswick. Though Amalia's goal of 70 miles a day has yet to be met. If we actually get started early it is very doable, though I've been having a lot of problems with comfort which has been slowing us down. My brooks cambium saddle is awful and no matter how I adjust it there's way too much perineal pressure. And the weight on my hands, even with gloves is so much that I'm starting to get hand numbness. I'm kinda bummed that my newly built up touring bike might not be the right fit. Hopefully I just need some different bars and saddle. Amalia and I might switch bikes bc her riding position is much more upright with her bars. Bon nuit all! Good night! Xoxo

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sapphired17 · 4 years

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It feels surreal to me that we have passed the 2010s already. Time went ahead like an express train without a single stop. What’s more shocking, the first half of 2020 hasn’t even come to an end but the hassles have been getting out of hand. It was peaked with the news of corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak since the beginning of January 2020 and is still an ongoing issue up to the present time, albeit, thankfully, we have also seen a lot of recovered cases. One of the biggest aftermaths of the outbreak is in the tourism department, in which most governments would put a temporary travel ban as a means of preventive measures.

And have I told you about my yearn of traveling, haven’t I? I wrote a post about my first-time-backpacking-experience in Singapore last year, and my journey didn’t stop there. I’m making my itineraries for my upcoming trips to Japan and South Korea already just to showcase my utmost excitement upon discovering brand new things. Unfortunately, the trip schedules are still on hold as I’m waiting until the whole pandemic comes to an end. As an self-comforting attempt, I decided to write about my previous one-week vacation in Malaysia last December 2019 so that I could reminisce a bit about the lingering feelings.

Day 1: Mind-cleansing and peace-making attempts

By the time one enters the pit of adulthood, there are endless things to do, and I really mean my words. Working earnestly, either to fulfill your or your parents’ desire; adjusting with the workplace and making sure to get along well with everyone; getting the work done without skipping meals or sleeps; socializing with friends even if it requires you to be present in tame parties or gatherings; building new meaningful connections while maintaining the existing ones; finding a lover and deliberating whether you both will make a great match, then proceeding to marriage if it is, or starting over if you are doomed; and also making more money; not to forget about looking after your family and attending family occasions to meet with relatives who might shower you with ruthless curiosities; also taking part in side volunteering activities in case you are a social person; then definitely making sure that everything goes well in between. Whoa, being a social being is surely busy, isn’t it?

Just like how humans need sleep everyday in order to stay alive, breaks are also needed so that we may keep living. I didn’t think too much on my way to Malaysia, only overwhelming excitement within. And my crazy journey slowly began.

I booked a direct morning flight with AirAsia without extra-baggage to save cost, then went straight to my friend’s apartment from KLIA2. There is a Skybus service that departs every 30 minutes on weekdays (and 60 minutes on weekends) from KLIA2 to various routes available daily, and I left for One Utama stop for MYR 15. It’s one of the biggest and most popular shopping centres in Klang Valley. My friend stays in a condominium nearby along with her co-worker, leaving a one-room space for me to sleep for the next three nights. Later that evening, another Malaysian friend took me to Tanjung Bungah Nyonya in Petaling Jaya’s SS2 area, known as an authentic restaurant to grab essential Nyonya dishes.

As for the public transport, Malaysians mostly use Touch n Go card to commute with train or bus services. You need to buy the card for MYR 15 with a purse value of MYR 9.80. This reusable card can easily be topped-up in convenience stores.

We had sweet fried chicken, fried tofu and sayur Paku, a vegetable dish known in English as wild fern shoots. I didn’t think I had ever had one in Indonesia but that one was pretty pleasant to my tongue. They all reminded me to my mom’s home-cooked meals.

We stopped by at Restoran Kayu Nasi Kandar SS2 nearby for this delicate roti canai and roasted chicken with dip-in curry sauce, not to mention this sweet roti tissue. Thanks to her, I went home with happy tummy and smiley face.

Day 2: Fun trip, group trip

Haven’t I told you about the superb Couchsurfing app, have I? So basically I managed to gather more people for a one-day trip. Long story short, there were five of us going to popular tourist attractions like Batu Caves and Genting Highlands.

The history of Batu Caves is affiliated with Hinduism, and this is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, which was built in honor of Lord Murugan. If you are familiar with a huge statue at the entrance of Batu Caves, yes, that is the statue of Lord Murugan. Batu Caves itself is always swarmed with visiting tourists.

It cost me my bloody sweaty t-shirts and tanned complexion to reach the huge cave on top of the stairs.

The next destination was Genting Highlands. With the entrance fee of MYR 16, you can roam around the French village, Japanese village and also many other awaiting attractions. We stopped by Colmar Tropicale, a gorgeous Medieval French Village in Berjaya Hills. The cold wind was mild but humid and I indeed felt like leaving for a far far place.

One of the most fascinating experiences was visiting Amber Court, a 23-story apartment building known more as a haunted hotel in Genting. Legend said, a lot of gamblers committed suicide there after losing everything in the casino. If you look up on Google, you might find several interesting testimonies from people who once visited Amber Court. We, too, entered one empty room once and felt something creepy inside. It definitely isn’t a place you’d be comfortable roaming around.

To wrap up the visit, I visited Sky Avenue Shopping Mall and entered the Sky Casino, known as the largest casino in Genting Highlands. In order to make an entrance, you need to register the membership to receive a membership card. As part of the regulations, you are allowed to enter the gate unless you are underage, a Muslim or wear slippers. Photo-taking is also forbidden inside the casino, but it is definitely a huge-scaled casino. You can top-up the balance of the card in order to play the game. Machines are everywhere and people are busy gaining money under the supervision of CCTV cameras and security guards.

Later that night, my local friend took us to Restoran Tiong Hokkien Mee (non-halal) located around Damansara Utama to try the oriental Hokkien Mee there. The texture of the noodle is thick and coated with greasy seasoning, also added with seafood and samcan chops. Definitely a great meal to end day for only MYR 45 (a big portion for 3-4 moderate servings).

Day 3: Lone wanderer in Malacca

The days ahead were pure solo traveling for me. I took off at 7 in the morning to catch the bus to Malacca, a historic state located in the southern part of Malay Peninsula. There is a plenty of bus services that depart from TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) every 30 minutes with particular operating hours. I bought a TBS – Melaka Sentral bus ticket for MYR 11.4 (including TBS Passenger Insurance Protection for MYR 0.40). The trip approximately lasts for two hours, but the seats were comfortable to sleep on so it didn’t matter. December is still on the rainy season so I was told to bring an umbrella with me in case of any drizzles, which did happen upon my arrival there.

One of the most popular tourism spots in Malacca is Jonker Street, known also as the centre of Chinatown. Although it is mostly packed in the evening for the fabulous Night Market, some shops are also open during the day to welcome local or foreign visitors. Snacks, full meals, handicrafts and souvenirs are available along the long wide alley.

This is the widely-known chicken rice ball that I tried at Famosa Chicken Rice Ball outlet. the savory rice ball cost MYR 1.20 each and tasted like the Japanese onigiri. Added with a steam otak-otak for MYR 13, they made a mouth-watering palatable lunch menu to my mouth.

In Malacca, you may discover gorgeous ancient landmarks and fortresses that spark British, Dutch and Portuguese vibes. It is a relatively small city but I only had half a day to roam around. Thus, I managed to witness several ancient churches and other buildings upon walking down the road from Jonker Street. Some buildings of walkable distance are Christ Church Melaka, St. Paul’s Church and A’Famosa Fort. No entrance fee required.

I ended my solo trip in Malacca at around 5 and went back to KL using the same means of transportation and the same bus fare as well. Upon my arrival, my local friend took me to Big Big Wantan in Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya for a bowl of warm wantan mee for MYR 6.5. I would say that it was one of the best wantan mee I have ever tasted with great thin mee’s texture and yummy pork dumplings, 10/10 lah.

*Not exactly a photogenic angle, if not an atrocious one, but yeah.

Day 4: A fresh start in Penang

I wanted to experience another side of Malaysia after spending some days in KL, and my choice fell on Penang, or known also as Pulau Pinang. It is a state located in the northwest coast of Malaysia Peninsula. Many people, including myself, probably have heard of Penang because of the prominent advanced hospitals. You can ride a bus, take a train or fly with a plane from KL to Penang. I flew with AirAsia airline for around MYR 80 and stayed with a host from AirBnB. It was a cozy room in an apartment located in Bayan Lepas, about 5-minute distance (by car) from Penang Airport. The rent cost about MYR 13 (including the service fee) per day. I think AirBnB does a great job in accommodating single or group travelers with clean cozy budget rooms in strategic locations of the town.

The capital city of Penang state is a city named George Town, or officially the City of Penang Island. It has it all; good signature cuisines, entertainments, night markets, malls and cultural heritages. Bayan Lepas, however, is a free industrial zone that contributes to the financial improvement of Penang as the financial centre of the northern part of Malaysia. It roughly takes around an hour or more to reach George Town from Bayan Lepas by bus. I had to go past more than 30 bus stops in order to get there, but staying close to the airport surely has its own perks.

The astounding breath-taking view from the window of my AirBnB room during the day.

And the rest of day was all about food-tasting experience.

This is the authentic hokkien mee from the Three Road 888 Hokkien Mee at Presgrave Street, George Town, and dawet cendol from the stall in front of the store. It comes with yellow noodles, bean sprouts, half a boiled egg and pork. The soup is thick and robust and everything else perfectly fits into places. 8.5/10 for me. And the dawet cendol makes an awesome fresh dessert.

There is this popular place to eat Nasi Kandar, a northern Malaysian dish that comes with well-spiced curry broth. Nasi Kandar is originally brought by Tamil Muslim traders from India that settled in Malaysia. Restoran Deen Nasi Kandar is quite well-known in George Town and the queue is crazy. I waited for around 20 minutes before being able to finally sit down and have a proper dinner. It is somewhat similar to Nasi Padang, one of Indonesia’s signature food from Minangkabau, North Sumatera. Regardless, if I have to compare the taste between Nasi Kandar and Nasi Padang, I’d say that Nasi Padang is more on the spicy side and Nasi Kandar is richer in spices. Both are delicious in their own ways. Prices are affordable depending on your choice of add-ons.

Lastly, my final culinary experience ended with a koay chap from a regular street stall in George Town’s night market. Made of hard-boiled egg, mushrooms, pork belly, pig intestines, pig skin, this is not a kind of food I would like to eat on a daily basis, but still acceptable as a culinary choice. It probably cost around MYR 10.

Day 5: A lost day in George Town

The next day was another solo adventure to George Town. Penang isn’t as advanced as Kuala Lumpur in terms of public transport, but they surely provide a lot of buses to hep people commute from here to there. However, the biggest downside of public transports in Penang is that they accept cash but do not give change. I only had the RapidKL card with me, surely non-usable to tap in the buses in Penang. There is this Mutiara card which local people use as a top-up card, just like the RapidKL card. However, I believe that it’s only applicable for locals because you need to register with your identification card. Thus, I spent lots of coins and banknotes more than I should have done because they offer no change.

Another point to note if you are about to travel around Penang by bus is to pay serious attention to the bus stops mentioned by the loud speaker or written on the screen because there slight differences might occur with the guideline written in Google Maps. One time I received quite a backlash from a bus driver for being accused as a free-loader. I initially planned to visit Snake Temple so I checked the location via Maps and even memorized the stops. Unfortunately, I missed the stop because the names of the bus stops were unfamiliar (I was sure I did check the route of the correct bus number, though). I wanted to get off soon but the driver saw my bus ticket and he thought I purposefully checked in for Snake Temple for a cheaper fare. It was indeed a baffling situation for me and I ended up putting in more coins and got off in George Town. Nonetheless, that experience left a bitter taste in my mouth.

George Town is a beautiful town surrounded by classic yet historical buildings and polished by modern infrastructures. The weather was relatively hot but also quite windy, so walking down the long street is not exactly devastating. The sky and floating clouds offered a marvelous view along the horizon. And my first quest was all about food.

I found Yeap Noodles Cafe by accident while walking down Lebuh Chulia street. This is Yeap Noodles in Herbal Soup with pork slice, crab sticks, fish ball and beancurd skin for MYR 11.9. Not aesthetically pleasing, I would say, and it tasted quite bland in my opinion. Maybe I should’ve ordered different menu like the ones with thicker broth or the fried noodles. 7/10 since I was starving at that time, but I believe that the price was quite overrated.

And of course I didn’t want to miss the view of Batu Ferringhi Beach while in Penang. It took around an hour to reach the beach from George Town by bus (I took the bus from Komtar Terminal, where nearly all local Penang buses make a regular stop). Sky was disgustingly bright and clear at that moment, definitely a great place to clear your mind and rest for a bit. They offer banana boat and parasailing activities too!

If I had to mention a recommended noodle place in Penang, this is it. Hong Kee Wan Thun Mee (also known as Hong Kee Bamboo Noodle) in Lebuh Campbell, George Town. They seriously serve one of the most authentic Chinese mee in town. Thick and chewy in texture, added with yummy dumplings on the plate. I’d give 9.5/10 on this one, really. Spent MYR 8.3 and it’s really worth-it.

In the end, my lost day was impressive enough albeit I did spend hours roaming from here to there even with the guide of helpless Google Maps, or helpless me. I walked from here to there, even went as far as visiting Batu Ferringhi Beach by myself and made an entrance only to sit on the sand for hours with blank thoughts. I was exhausted and my legs almost gave in but somehow I managed to catch the bus and rest my body for an hour before I reached the apartment by 10 PM local time. It marked my last day in Penang and I felt that time flew too fast but I was fortuitous to have seen good things, eaten good food and met good people. I believe that I have found the true joy of traveling, which is all about good experience. And although getting lost was not exactly a pleasant experience, it has told me that as alone as I might have been, I still have myself and this self will never leave me in whatever mess I have gotten myself into. And that being said, I should take a really really good care of myself, and so do you.

Day 6: A Medan day

I didn’t have a particular reason for visiting Medan other than a short escape in an unfamiliar place. Medan is merely an hour away from Penang by air transportation, so why not? Coming back to place where people speak the same language as I do after quite a long time was finally breathing a fresh air after suffocation. There weren’t many things to do other than eating good food and sight-seeing good things. I booked a room for a night with a cool budget price from AirBnB.

I found Rumah Makan Tabona upon surfing on the internet to look up iconic food and places in Medan. It was established in 1983 with curry bihun as their signature dish. I ordered curry mee and it’s heavenly-tempting and rich in taste. The curry broth surprisingly matched well with the mee and I was really in awe. 9.5/10 and I believe everyone should have a try!

In the evening, I was recommended to try Kwetiau Ateng by a friend, to which I welcomed with an open hand. I mean, who doesn’t like kwetiau and the chewy texture that digests well in your stomach?

The complete set of kwetiau dish includes fishball, lapcheong, chasio, shrimp and egg. It’s inarguably 10/10.

Indeed one of the best kwetiau I have ever had in my life. A legit 10/10!!

Day 7: A night at KLIA2

In order to fly back to my hometown, I took multiple flights as following; from Medan back to KLIA2, then KLIA2 straight to my hometown. It had been planned beforehand as I had calculated lots of different options and this one was the cheapest, if not counting the extra-baggage cost that I paid later.

I woke up quite early in the morning and prepared myself for a brief adventure before an evening flight to KLIA2. The weather was great and the sky was as clear as crystals, so there wasn’t any reason to be dispirited.

As a choice of breakfast, I tried Soto Kesawan Medan, another prominent culinary option for tourists and locals. Usually soto is served as clear chicken soup, but soto kesawan comes with thicker broth (but different from curry broth) and is served with shrimp as the main menu (but chicken is also available so you can choose anything that goes better in your mouth). Personally, I don’t find soto kesawan mouth-watering enough to be willing to come over for the second attempt. 7.5/10 is enough. Not my cup of tea, I guess.

Before my flight back, I visited a historical place named Tjong A Fie Mansion, a classic residence located in a neighborhood called Kesawan, West Medan. It is registered as a historical landmark as well as one of Medan’s cultural heritage. Entrance fee is IDR 35k including tour guide-service to go sightseeing around the two-storey mansion. Tjong A Fie is a successful Chinese entrepreneur who literally built an empire in Medan that employed over 10,000 workers at that time. He became a prominent figure of Chinese leader respected by the people.

When the time was close to a farewell, I got back to the airport and waited for my upcoming flight. It was only like a short two-hour flight that I was already back in KLIA2 at around 5 PM local time. The upcoming flight to my final destination was early in the next morning, which marked my first attempt staying out in the airport. It was bothersome, anyway, to leave the airport and commute again so early, so I’d rather hold out until the final straw. It was a brand new experience beyond shadow of a doubt. I kept walking here and there without direction like a lost puppy.

The stores inside KLIA2 generally close at midnight and reopen at dawn, but there are a few food shops that open 24/7. When I was extremely used up after a long walk, I sat down on the floor near a charging outlet so that I may recharge my smartphone. There were also people beside me who did the same so it didn’t feel weird at all. I waited for a long time trying to stay awake amidst the fatigue and cold room temperature. Finally, I visited a food shop at 3 AM named Ah Cheng Laksa to digest something warm to my stomach. The one i ordered was Asam Laksa without any meat, and it turned out to be one of the worst food I had ever had all my life.

The distateful laksa that burned down my MYR 21 huft

Didn’t know exactly how an Asam Laksa is supposed to taste, but this one definitely made me lose my appetite. Thin soup with highly sour taste, bland laksa and fresh-looking veggies. Not gonna give any score because of how bad it was, sorry.

It’s an unfortunate thing that I haven’t been able to experience the real Malaysian laksa (that fits well to my appetite) during my visit to Malaysia.

Some traveling tips which might be useful for beginners (like myself lol)

Budget airlines are not exactly budget-saving if you plan on buying souvenirs, this is the most important thing I realized after I spent extra cost on over-baggage fee on the spot, which was almost twice the regular fee. AirAsia, for example, offers super affordable airfares compared to fellow airlines. However, they don’t come with baggage facility unless you add baggage to cart during the purchase. Not necessarily making the airfare pricier, but baggage cost does make a difference, so pay attention more carefully on it.

Bring yourself an umbrella when you travel around the end of the year. It rained occasionally in December when I visited Malacca, and securing an umbrella in the bag is surely much better than spending extra cost on buying one, isn’t it? Frankly speaking, I was lucky that my host was thoughtful enough to remind me to take her umbrella when I went out.

Always prepare extra small-denomination banknotes if you plan on taking public transports. Just like what I experienced in Penang, it would become an utter hassle if you run out of money just because you spend large bill only to be notified that the bus service doesn’t provide change money.

Anyway, let’s pray that the pandemic shall end soon so that traveling and face-to-face interaction no longer become impossible and let’s not take any relationship for granted. Stay safe people!

Total budget spent: around MYR 1,400k to 1,500k

Go Backpacking: 6D5N in Malaysia It feels surreal to me that we have passed the 2010s already. Time went ahead like an express train without a single stop.

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