Because life is more than just travelling

Lessons of 2013

1. Love yourself, always. No one is going to do it for you.
You have to come first always. Everyone needs alone time, some more than others. Loving and trusting yourself is important. Self doubt will eat you away. Only with self love and respect, will you learn how to forgive yourself for mistakes made, and push past it.

2. It's ok to look back once in a while, and remember the good times. Just don't let it drag you down. 
Remember the good, and the bad. That's what makes the memories real. Learn from the past, don't wallow in it.

Travelogue - Bali, Indonesia

Bali is only a two and a half hour flight away from Singapore and yet, this was the first time that I'd been there. I was really excited about going to Bali as prior to the trip, I had seen many beautiful pictures of the island, and read about all the good food there. 

Travel Tips

I figured that it's time for some traveling tips! While I was on exchange, I heard many 'horror' stories of friends having their phones and wallets pick-pocketed. I even had a friend whose passport of pick-pocketed.

Some of the items that I fear losing the most include:

1. My passport - the troubles one would have to go through to get a replacement
2. Mobile phone - I stored important information (flight details, booking refs etc) in my phone
3. Wallet - Losing cash is fine. I'd rather not lose my identification cards and credit cards.
4. My laptop (When I do bring it with me on travels)
5. My kindle (Unrealistic I know, but there are hours of entertainment in there!)

Some things I do to stay safe while traveling:

Travelogue - Taiwan, The Last Few Days

Our last few days in Taipei were spent doing last minute shopping and checking out more night markets. This time we headed to Wu Pen Fu Night Market. The food there was needless to say, amazing! I especially love the grilled oysters! I would have eaten loads of it if I wasn't already so full. So. Damn. Delicious. 

Other delights at Wu Pen Fu include Braised Pork Rice, Pork Ribs noodle soup and more! Although this night market is smaller than others, the food is ridiculously good! Even though you're full, you tell yourself that you have to eat more because you don't want to miss out on any potential sumptuous dish. 

The last day in Taipei was spent shopping around, and hunting down more of our favourite food. We left the country happy, full of delicious food, and a resolution to go on a detox diet once we got back home. Taiwan was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back to explore other areas, and of course, try more food! 

And this, marks the end of my 2013 Taiwan trip. 

Chasing Life.

I'm starting to find it more and more challenging to be on track with updates. I'm two and a half months into my job, and the workload is starting to increase. More often than not, I find myself exhausted after a day of work, and having to come home to prepare for classes the next day.

Nonetheless, I enjoy work so much. Interacting with kids, and seeing their precious smiles can make your day. There's just something so heartwarming about a child you've taught before giving you a warm smile when they walk past you, or waving happily to you as though they haven't seen you in ages.

I'm going to do my best to be better at time management and dedicate some time weekly to sharing travel stories. Here's to better time management skills, easing (still!) into my busy work life, making time for friends, and hopefully, traveling more!

Till then.

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 11 (Taichung)

On the second day in Taichung, we set out to explore the Tung Hai University and the city centre. The highlight was the Luce Memorial Chapel - which was unique because of its architecture. The journey to the university didn't take long, and we got to enjoy some sights along the way. Traveling in Taichung is really easy, because the buses provide the stop names in both English and Chinese. We had a data plan which also came in useful at times. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 10, A little bit of Feng Jia

Woke up to a beautiful day! The sky was blue, the breeze just right. We didn't have much to do in the morning so we sat around the hotel's courtyard, taking in the sunshine, and enjoying a good read. This was our designated traveling day. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 9 (CingJing Farm)

After a night at Sun Moon Lake, we headed further up the mountains to CingJing farmlands. The nice cool weather was a welcomed relief from the hot humidity of Kaohsiung. We took a taxi up to save time! The drive up was scenic, and enjoyable, although I did fall asleep - I'm like that in cars. Once we stepped out of the taxi, it was like stepping into a fairytale. We were surrounded by greenery and clouds. To add to the magic of it all, there were adorable sheep all around, grazing as though they had naught a care in the world.  

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 8 (Sun Moon Lake)

One of the highlights of my Taiwan trip was our visit to Sun Moon Lake. I had done some research, and been wowed by the lovely pictures online. As a scenery lover, I could not wait to soak in the beauty of this lake. To my dismay, it was raining the day we went to Sun Moon Lake. The lake was shrouded in fog, and the weather, wet and cold.

Travelogue - Taiwan, Day 7 (Fo Guang Shang Monastery)

Back with yet another day trip out of Kaohsiung. We took a bus out of the city to Fo Guang Shan Monastery. I found it really interesting to just soak in the sights and atmosphere of the monastery. It was a real change from the cathedrals I had visited in Europe. I found the buddha statues really (for lack of a better word) extravagant. The monastery was peaceful and calming, set atop a hill. 

A little R&R in Bali

Greetings from Bali! The trip's been lovely so far and today's my last day here. A little reluctant to head back to SG and back to work tomorrow. Alas, I take joy in the fact that everyday at work is different, and that interacting with kids is so much fun. Their little antics put a smile on my face. 

More about Bali soon, but here's some pictures! 

Bali's been lovely. Our hotel is awesome. 

I can't wait to be back again! 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 6, Kaohsiung

Second day of my travels in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We found ourselves waking up to a bright, sunny day. Kaohsiung is much more humid as compared to Taipei! We decided to spend the day exploring Lotus Lake, and boy was the lake huge. 

Travelogue - Taiwan, Kaohsiung, Day 5

Back with the 5th day of Taiwan. We took a long train ride down to Kaohsiung, even though we could have taken the high speed rail. Enjoyed some lovely sights along the way. We reached Kaohsiung in the afternoon, and immediately checked into our hotel. It did not take us long to get out into the sunshine and explore this town. 

We roamed around with no particular stop in mind, our end point being the night market. And we chanced upon a park! 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 4, Taipei

Fourth day of Taiwan! We spent the day exploring some of the famous sights in Taipei itself. Our first stop was Taipei 101! The tallest building in Taiwan, and a sight to behold. Had to scurry around trying to find decent photo angles to get a nice shot of this building. 

This is home, truly.

As much as I love to travel, nothing beats coming home after a trip. Home is where my family is, my friends are, where the roads are familiar, and memories lurk around every street and turn.

Today is Singapore's birthday! So Happy National Day to us. As much as we complain about this tiny island, it's still awesome. Peace, stability, occasional great sights, and lots of gastronomic food.

:) 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 3 - Beitou, Taipei

Day 3 of Taiwan! We headed up to Beitou to try out the hot springs. Beitou is supposedly the uprising place where many expats stay. Its easy to get into central Taipei via the trains, and yet quiet enough if you're looking for some peace and quiet. 

We decided to explore a little of Beitou before heading to the hot springs. And I must say, it's a quaint little town. I particularly love the library there! It was designed by a Japanese architect, and has a very zen feel to it. So relaxing! 

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 2, Taipei Day Trip

Day 2 of Taiwan saw us taking a day trip out of Taipei. We decided to spend the day exploring northern regions of Taipei.  Our first stop was Jiufen to explore some mouth-watering Taiwanese delights. We took a train down to RuiFang, and headed on to Jiufen by bus. 

We were immediately greeted by this lovely view upon alighting.

Travelogue - Taiwan Day 1, Taipei

Moving away from Europe for the time being and focusing on a place that's much closer to home. And that place is Taiwan. I was in Taiwan for a period of 2 weeks on my grad trip and had lots of fun. Taiwan is also most known for their night markets - and I must say, the amount of food there is crazy! I didn't even know where to start.

But before I delve into more details, the first leg of our travels in Taiwan was Taipei. Taipei has so much to offer, from food to shopping, temples to nature sights. There's plenty to do within Taipei itself, and you can also choose to take day trips out to see what surrounding counties have to offer. Our Taipei itinerary was pretty packed. I'm gonna do a day-by-day travelogue here because I took too many photos, and Taiwan just has too much to offer.

Our first stop after checking into our accommodation and getting a little rest was the Fo Guang Shan Temple! It's a really intricate piece of architecture, and would have been better, if it weren't for all the flashing tourist LEDs. Took a walk inside, while my friends offered prayers. Was really impressed by the detailing that was done! 

S.E.A Aquarium, Singapore

I visited the S.E.A Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa awhile back with my family. Having previously visited the aquarium in Ocean Park, I had high hopes for this one. Especially with all the hype that had gone on prior to its opening, and what was proclaimed to be host to the largest viewing platform. 

Why you should travel young

People normally say that your golden years are when you get to take time out to travel, see the world without having to worry about the future. I beg to differ.

Yes, traveling in your golden years does have its perks, but I feel that traveling should be done in the prime of your youth too.

Your 20s are the best time of your life to travel, have fun and do crazy things without having to worry about being judged. Well, we will probably still be judged, but not as harshly. Where else in life can you party without a care in the world, stay up till 3 or 4am in the morning and still have energy? Jump of a plane above the swiss alps or bungee jump down the Macau tower?