Traveling Alone

For the longest time, I've read about all the perks of traveling alone, how you discover yourself and all that. Everything sounded great, empowering even. But there was always that small niggling of fear and self doubt. What if I got lost? What if people think I'm weird for eating alone? What if something bad happens to me? 

Travelogue - Madrid, Spain

I first started this blog as a way to slowly pen down on my exchange memories and for it to serve as a platform for me to look back on photos. I have too many on Facebook. Its much easier to look through a few that represent what the city is to me. While I'm struggling to find time to continuously pen down my thoughts because of my increasing work load, when I do find time to do so, its like taking a little trip down memory lane. It instils a yearning so strong. Day after day, I wished that I had the resources or the opportunities to simply book an air ticket to see more of the world. But till that day comes (if ever) I shall settle for my sporadic trips down memory lane.

My first stop in Spain was to the capital city of Madrid. I must say that I was expecting more from Madrid. Shopping wise, its lovely. But I'm not much of a shopper. 

Maybe we didn't plan our stay in Madrid properly, or maybe the city was not for me. Nonetheless, there were places that had their appeal. Photo below was taken while randomly strolling around the city.

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 - Auschwitz

The past we inherit, the present we create. 

One of the cities I visited whilst on exchange was Krakow. My friends really wanted to go to Auschwitz to see how it was like. Prior to going on exchange, I had zero interest in history. But after actually seeing the places you read about in books, and see in movies, it strikes you just how poignant history is. These places not only serve as reminders, so that those horrible episodes will not be forgotten. But they also teach. They teach the present generation to be thankful for what we have. When you're staring at a room full of shoes that used to belong to someone else from the past, someone who had their life ripped away from them, it strikes you deep inside. 

I found myself reading more about history after that, learning about the second world war, the cold war and recounts of those who by sheer strength and courage, survived. 

And this, is my journey to Auschwitz. 

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.

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! 

Life

So I just found out about the death of Cory Monteith.

I must say I'm pretty much in shock. I honestly thought my friend was joking with me when she texted me the news. I've been following Glee since its debut, and it's mad me laugh and smile at the end of a bad day. Finn Hudson was one of my favourite characters.

Yet again, we get reminded by the fragility of life. We never know when our time is up, or that of someone close to us. It's another reminder to live life to the fullest, and be happy everyday.

RIP Cory. May you suffer no more.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Choosing to go on Exchange

In 2012, I went on exchange to Maastricht University. I was overseas for a period of 6 months (end Jan to end July) and it was, without a doubt, the best time of my life.

I knew that I wanted to go on exchange since starting university. It was just a matter of making it happen. Going on exchange changed me. I learnt so much more than I ever would in any classroom. I got to marvel firsthand at structures made by mankind centuries ago. Soak in the culture and traditions of a country so far away from home. Meet people from all walks of life. Live independently for 6 months where I was responsible for no one but myself. Travel as and when I wanted. Learn history lessons where history took place. And most importantly, embark on a journey of self discovery.

When I returned back from Netherlands, I was no longer the same girl who had left Singapore a few months ago. I was bitten by the travelbug, badly bitten. No longer was I content to stay in one place, and dream about trips. I now knew that I could make it happen with a little planning and foresight. I had learnt how to navigate, plan timetables, book tickets and accommodation and other important skills. No longer was I the sheltered girl, it was as if I was a bird set free and could not wait to see the world.

Exchange taught me that I could survive and live on my own. The experience taught me that the world out there was bigger than I'd ever imagined, and that I had to wise up to survive. It taught me to appreciate what I had back home, and at the same time, be grateful for where I was at the moment.

Yes, there were homesick moments, but the thrill of visiting new places, and expanding my knowledge made up for that. I hated history back in my younger days, but Europe taught me that history is something that I should learn from. I came back richer in knowledge, with a thirst to find out more about the past.

Exchange taught me to open up, and take risks, because that's how you enjoy life to the fullest. Yes, I have certain regrets from exchange - not doing more, not visiting more places etc. But I remind myself, that one day, I'll be back in Europe.

Go on exchange, take flight. Your world might be changed forever. You learn so much that no classroom will ever teach you. It's a time to discover yourself. Make new friendships, lose old ones. While some may be afraid that going overseas for so long can change your life back home, my advice is, your true friends, will always be there waiting for you. No matter how long you take to come home. Open your heart, mind and soul, and the rewards will be boundless.

Given a second chance, I would repeat the whole experience all over again.

Hazy Days

It's really hazy here in Singapore right now. I feel as though I'm breathing in smoke. Been hiding out in aircon places.

Doesn't help that I'm still recovering from a cough. I hope the smog clears up or that it rains soon. Visibility is really bad. Even the buildings across the road (while still prominent as ever) look fuzzy.

And the real kick is, I'm off to Bintan over the weekend. I hope all is good over on that side. Yikes.

For current updates head on to the following link: http://www.nea.gov.sg/psi/

Trip Planning

I love planning trips. There's something so magical and exhilarating about planning your next destination and hunting down cheap hotel and flight deals.

There was this period of time after my exchange where I went through a withdrawal period and just randomly surfed travel sites in an attempt to find a good deal - even though I was in school and could not simply jet off to somewhere.

Anyhow, when planning a trip, I usually do the following:
1. Stare long and hard at my calendar trying to maximise my trip
2. Search skyscanner for cheap flights. And also check out a few of my favourite airlines to see if they have any offers. (I usually fly budget for short haul flights though.)
3. After coming flight dates, its time for booking.com, hostelword, hostelbookers and agoda.com to source for cheap, but yet good accommodation. Accommodation is so important in my opinion.
4. Search tripadvisor for must see places. Lonelyplanet works too.
5. Random google search to see what others have blogged about.

I also usually download wiki travel into my kindle for on the go information. Tripadvisor also has city guides which are really really useful!

Finally, I pre download the map into my phone because you don't need wifi for GPS. Works like a charm every time.

And to end off, here is a random photo that I took at Gardens by the Bay awhile back. 

My Travel Essentials

I've always hated packing. Hated it with a vengeance  I'm a last minute packer, which annoys the hell out of my mom (she likes to pack for trips 1 week in advance at the least). I'm the type who will pack on the day itself if I have a night flight.

While I was on exchange, I mastered the art of packing. I was able to stuff 2 weeks worth of clothes and what-nots into my 30L backpack. Packing sort of became second nature after a while. I remember that at the start, my friend had to literally go through my backpack to make sure that I'd pack just the right amount of stuff, and not any nonsense that I wouldn't require.

So anyway, I thought I'd list down some of my travel must-haves just for the fun of it. :)

1. Passport + Travel documents(Always, always important.)
2. Pouch for money + Small wallet that fits into my pocket. (I don't like displaying all my money to everyone. I usually put a few dollars in my pocket so that I don't have to take out all my cash and slowly count it in front of everyone. Hide thy wealth while overseas.)
3. Handphone (Can't survive without it really. I load all my travel information into my email so that I can access it on the go.)
4. Kindle (How else will I entertain myself on long haul flights?)
5. Windbreaker (Multi-purpose. Protects me from the cold, and from the rain.)
6. Ziplock bags (Helps me to compress my clothes, and holds my liquids. What's not to like.)
7. Camera (I know phones nowadays take nice photos and all, but nothing beats a camera.)
8. Energy bars / chocolate bars (I usually pack a few because I'm the kind who can forget to eat lunch while traveling. I usually snack on the go. Plus if you fly budget, it makes for a handy snack.)
9. Headphones (To block out unwanted noise wherever you are. And because I can't live without music.)
10. Trusty daypack or sling bag (I made sure to buy a smaller bag that would be big enough for me to carry around while sightseeing, and yet have enough compartments to hid important things.)

And those, are my travel must-haves. What are yours?

Travelogue - Disneyland, Paris

Ah, Disneyland. The place where magic happens and dreams come true. I grew up watching Disney, and I still love Disney movies. One of my all time favourite movies is Lion King. 

I was tripping over with excitement about going to Disneyland, although I wasn't a kid anymore, let alone a teenage. But I firmly believe that everyone should have a Disney experience, and pretend to be a kid for a day again, regardless of how old you are. After all,  if you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you'd know all the Disney classics. 

Traveling with friends.

Over the past few years, I've come to realise that traveling with friends can be tricky. It's hard to adapt to different traveling styles, especially when you are so used to your own. It's even harder to find someone with a similar travel style to you.

I am one person who can do without a plan, but horribly anal about meeting plane or other transport times. Other than that, I'm pretty adaptable. I'm the kind of traveler who knows what I want to get out of a place, and I'll be able to work out a plan once in the country, as long as I have internet access.

Then there are those who need to have every single detailed worked out to a t. There are also those who are chill, and want to take their own time to see the sights, and it doesn't matter if they accomplish much, as long as they have fun.

Everyone has developed their own travel style, whether they know it or not. Traveling with different groups of people is never easy, especially when everyone wants something different out of the experience, or when one is unenthusiastic. It's just difficult.

I've never traveled alone, and it's something that I will definitely want to do one day. Being a girl, I've got to let my mom let me go, and not worry so much. Hopefully I'll be able to do this in the near future. I'll start with a country when I am able to speak the local language.

There are friends whom I travel well with, because we're so used to each other. And friends whom I can only travel with for a few days or go on with a certain type of holiday. There was this friend, who I developed a strong rapport with - our traveling style worked in sync, and was almost like second nature. Unfortunately, that friendship is gone (another long story for another time), and I can only hope to find someone whom I can travel so comfortably and with such ease again.

It really makes the whole traveling experience different when you travel with someone who has the same interests, is able to look out for you and vice versa, and knows you well enough. Till then, I guess I'm searching for a travel buddy to take the world on with.

Apologies for the rant. I just miss sharing traveling experiences with that someone, and I'm kinda stuck in a rut now.

As much as I love traveling, there's no place like home. A little less than 24 hours before I see my family again. :)

Buds of Spring.

I got a little bored this morning, and decided to superimpose two photos that I took of the view of Maastricht from my room window while on exchange. 

It showcases the changing of seasons from Winter to Spring. 

And that's just me, with a little too much free time on my hands. 

Traveling is about self discovery.

I never knew I enjoyed traveling until I went on exchange last year. To me, traveling provides more life experiences than anything else. You meet with new people, experience crazy things that some people might not belief, but most importantly, you learn things about yourself that you never knew. 

No textbook or university will ever teach you that. 

Traveling taught me so many skills. How to adapt to situations. How to not be afraid to ask for help if you need it. How to appreciate local culture of the city you are in. How to enjoy the moment, and also take time to absorb the rich history of the places we visit. 

Traveling opens you up, in so many ways. It creates memories that will last you a lifetime. I believe that these are the moments that help define who you are. You can find peace atop a mountain, appreciate the finer things in life while watching the sunset. Appreciate how lucky and blessed you are, as you sit in a bus, and watch the sights roll past you. 

Not many people get to travel extensively. I've been blessed. And I hope, that my future, holds much more traveling. 

Getting Started.

It's the end of week 11 of school, and I should be busy rushing projects out and preparing for presentations. But in the midst off all this chaos, I find myself wanting to write. 

I've always enjoy writing since young, just never enough to actually try to make something of it. So here is my attempt to combine some of the things I love into one space, namely travel, instagram-ing and writing. 

I'll be back with more soon! Till then, I leave you with a picture of a place I miss very much. 

Maastricht, Netherlands 

(View from my room window, Feb 2012)