Hola Barcelona Part 1 – IESE MBA Summer School

(yes, the title rhymes on purpose :P)

Introduction

After a rather dreadful long haul flight (which I normally enjoy; the undisturbed self selected movies watching and books reading, but Air China didn’t have that luxury and I forgot to bring a book -_-), I landed into Barcelona again after 3.5 years under the blazing Catalunya heat! I promised to be back but indeed it has been too long… I barely remember the places I have been to but Barcelona’s food and culture has yet again imprinted a flavorful and charming impression in my heart. It was and still is one of my favorite Europe cities 🙂

Thieves, thieves everywhere

Nonetheless, a city with thieves…sometimes I just ponder, what life scenario must they go through, to convince and justify themselves to cheat and steal? Lucky enough, we only ALMOST got picked pocket. It wasn’t a pleasant experience of course, considering we were at that time walking in a rather wide street with passerbys at merely 10pm or so. However, I think it is worth recalling the details to learn their stealing patterns to be more alert next time round.

First he asked if we have fire for his cigarettes, then he quickly came close and asked if we’re Koreans. We tried to ignore him and walk quicker but he just leaned in and started doing random soccer kicks…and there it was, the moment of truth.

I saw the guy’s hand was on the wallet already! Then I shouted and he just laughed and said he was joking…at the moment it was hard to react because we were both shocked. Anyways, note to self: STAY ALERT when in Europe! Or basically just anywhere you go unless it’s Taiwan 😛

IESE MBA Summer School

More updates are coming up now that I have completed the primary reason on why I am in Spain: IESE MBA summer school! Sadly, the 5 days course flew by quickly, but the great thing is I have met new people, made new bonds and germinated new thoughts 🙂

It was also a long 2 years since I was in a classroom again so I really treasure the time I had in class: learning new thoughts from Professor (like the implications of Brexit from Econ and ethical motivation from management prof etc.); spending hours and hours on discussions that are otherwise meaningless if not for the case presentation (but I really enjoyed the collision of ideas with my team from different backgrounds). All these are luxuries that I simply do not have anymore now that I started working. So this week-long experience together with the career advisor of IESE go me thinking about “career”. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but aside from that, there isn’t really anything else going on in my life.

I always knew that your 13730655_10155030589992785_1428188748_o life only really begin after you go through the set path of academics: Kindergarten to Primary School, to Secondary School and higher education. Because once you really graduated from your basic “teachings” and enter the real world, you are solely responsible for yourself. You are basically free to choose from anything and there is no one for you to follow behind anymore. I used to think that the hardest part is getting a job, then I know the toughest thing is finding a job you love. But now I realized, THE million dollar question is: what else are you gonna do for THE REST of your life? Because a job is only a part of it. I am thankful for this week of learning because now, I am beginning to have some idea and will continue to work towards it.

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The Prologue (or wechat pay “THE GREAT” customer journey)

Let the writing spree begin again! First of all, let me provide some context to this travel. I am going to be a student again although for just a week. IESE is a top business school that currently provides a summer week of MBA experience in BARCELONA (wooooo!) for young graduates around the world. With a kind scholarship in conjunction with my university, I am heading off to a week of 8am – 4pm cases discussion. Oh, how I’ve missed school 🙂 can’t wait to feel like a sponge bob again.

So thanks to my understanding boss and a luxury of paid dayoffs, I get to do some travelling as well after Barcelona in Sevilla and London, two brand new cities I have never been to!

So now is a good time to write a little prologue as I have already experienced so much before even stepping foot in foreign land!

Right now is 10pm and I am waiting to board my first Air China flight from Shenzhen airport. Shenzhen airport is way better than I expected. It is like the HKIA T2, both in size and traffic. Except police here are on Segway!

Did you know there are shuttle bus that brings you directly from Times Square to Shenzhen Airport? Actually there isn’t. You have to get off at Shenzhen bay anyways, get through immigration and take a bus to airport again. Luckily, I have buffered plenty of time and got to airport 3 hours ahead. This gave me the luxury to have a good leisure dinner.

Then I remembered, I didn’t bring any renminbi… but well we live in a digital era so I will just use a credit car…but oh wait, I saw a little sign saying they support wechatpay and other electronic payments hmmm interesting. Given that I have collected so many red packets through wechat, I have a good 200 something renminbi in my account but never knew how to use it; this seemed like the perfect time to try it out! I quickly entered my credit card details, and went to order food with an experimental mindset. I ordered my food and asked can I pay with this? (gesturing my iphone

Then the cashier lady looked at me like I’m from the stoned age and just scanned right away with her barcode scanner. Voila! And it’s done! I was still in shock when my food came. I mean…this is not the China I know…since when do they have more advance technology than Hong Kong? I’m sure this isn’t rocket science, but such adoption is still relatively low in Hong Kong. Imagine Chuiwah or Taihing supporting wechat pay 😉 I am still glad to feel like I have not paid a penny for this $41 RMB meal which tasted better than it looks! It was also such a seamless payment experience, without having to even reach for your wallet, let alone touch those disgustingly dirty full of germs and god-knows-what coins and notes.

Dinner at this Chinese fast food chain “Real Kungfu” (which I highly doubt they own the IP to use Bruce Lee’s image but we are in China after all, so what’s an IP anyway :P)

Boarding soon and hopefully both the inflight meals and entertainment is good! (updated: meals were okay but entertainment system was shit…same as the ones I had when I was 8, fixed low res programs that kept looping -_-)

P.S. ANOTHER equally if not even more mindblown moment: Wechat pay works on vending machines too! But instead of letting a barcode scanner read my wechat code, I use my wechat QR code reader to scan the vending machine screen. THEN magically, I got a bottle of water…what is this, a wechat marketing campaign to capture authentic customer satisfying journey in airport hahaha?

P.P.S I couldn’t upload this in Shenzhen airport as I don’t have a China mobile no. to verify for wifi nor would it recognize my boarding pass…huge minus point for this shitty airport. LUCKILY I have wechat on my iphone, so I could verify via the mighty mighty wechat. At least got wifi on my phone.

Has anyone tried electronic payments method and how did you feel about it? 🙂

written in Shenzhen airport, updated in Frankfurt airport.

Random thoughts on in flight meals

During one of my 10 flights in the first quarter of 2016 (3 times to Taiwan, round trip to Moscow, and to and from Berlin & Munich), the idea of writing about how I cope with meals on plane sparked. So here it is, Tips for getting through that dreading in-flight meal experience. (Obviously this excludes that juicy steak they serve on china and metal cutlery on business/first class)

(^ China Airlines upgrade business class meals with local taiwan XinYe欣葉 restaurant menu)

First tip may not be applicable to everyone but try to order tomato juice instead of soda or other beverages. Downing that thick salty sour liquid before eating opens up your stomach and stimulates your tongue to better prepare you for the undesirable in-flight meal ahead. I also always ask for extra water because you have NO idea how dehydrating the atmosphere is 40 thousand miles above ground.

（^super tiny Aeroflot in-flight meal)

Next common observation: their portions are always extremely small even for a petite girl like me (though arguably, I have a big appetite). So how to make your meal last when you are only given 2 meals in a 16 hours flight? I always eat SLOW. Drink plenty of water throughout; I cannot stress the importance of keeping yourself hydrated enough. Ration your food like mixing the sauces well with your rice and save up the best parts for last like the seared chicken pieces. For the little snack they place along the tray as dessert (mars bar, crackers…) I usually save it for an hour later to deceive your brain and prolong the feeling of a full stomach.

Third, in long haul flights, you often get a bread roll + butter. You notice since the bread is rock hard, the ice cold butter is barely spreadable. Since it’s not possible to toast your bread; warm the butter. What I always do is let it sit on top of my hot meal for a minute. Then when you open it, you can see that the yellow cube has transformed into this beautifully viscous, golden liquid, which you can then easily apply to your bread. I always eat up the butter even if my bread’s finished because nobody likes to waste food, especially not something as yummy as butter.

(^ Breakfast meal from BKK to HKG in CX. Notice it’s tomato juice again!)

Next, notice how they always give you pepper and/ or salt. Use it. Your taste buds are 30% less sensitive up in the air as they would on the ground. These black and white pixie dusts are guaranteed to make your meal more tasteful (not more delicious, but at least it no longer tastes like tissue paper. Well, it’s a taste you can imagine though I am not to say I haven’t tried it as a kid 😉

Last tip, savor the one thing that still taste as good as it would anywhere else you consume it: HOT COFFEE. It helps you feel reenergized through not only its caffeine in your blood stream and hot liquid down your throat, but also the unmistakable aroma that you can inhale like some kind of drug. Flights tire people anyways so it’s always good to get some energy boost.

How do you feel towards in-flight meals? Any personal tips you got? To conclude, picking out a good film (if you are lucky enough to have entertainment in flight) always distract you from the horrid food 😛 My all time favorite is Gone with the Wind which occupies a solid 4 hours and lately the Martian and Ex-Machina is pretty intriguing too.

Until next time,
Rach

written on Mar 27th.

to date travel:

7 times round trip Taiwan (I know… tiring)
Open Jaw HK to Berlin and Munich (stopping in Moscow, it was snowing and I had to walk from the plane to terminal so yes I have stepped foot in Russia 😉
Round trip Bangkok (yay relaxing for once)
Okinawa (again, but was so fun nonetheless!)
second half of the year will get more exciting I promise 😉

THE ultimate trip of U.S. Exchange – Cliché New York Part 2

To continue, let’s begin with random photography. It is amazing how a tiny camera can produce art so easily. Although I cannot draw nor paint, I would say writing and photography are the closet art form I can do 🙂

Wall Street – errr…checked. Of course, we had to visit the famous Wall Street. Yea, it was just… a street. And the bull. Way too many people… wasn’t a nice experience at all, BUT the cup of Christmas Starbucks Coffee afterwards to warm our hands and stomach was great 🙂 I mean I’m not really into the whole Starbucks culture, it’s fat and expensive and I have had much better coffee at random cafes in Europe at cheaper prices. With that being said, however, I must say I’m just an ordinary consumer who simply cannot resist their Christmas Marketing packaging around coffee! ❤

911 Memorial – Essentially, there were two giant fountains where, unlike traditional fountains that shoots water upwards, the water is pouring downwards. As if there were some sort of suction deep down that drains away the water, which I think is really sad. As if there is a black hole deep down in every victim’s friends and family where they throw in their memories and happiness, that is forever gone along with their deceased loved ones. As the sun set, a thin layer of the last ray of light casted over the buildings in a sad and ominous red. When I first noticed it, I could not help but saw it as a symbol of blood. (Perhaps a result of taking World Lit classes this semester.) I remember this taxi driver from NJ told me that his best friend, a fireman, died in 911 and he never quite got over it even after that many years. This also reminded me of a movie I watched alone, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I cried so much it was definitely a good decision to have went alone.

Staten Island Ferry – checked exhaustedly. Since the 911 memorial was delayed, we got to the Staten Island ferry really late. It was so windy and freezing cold walking towards the pier, we were bending lower n lower and almost crawling on our hands in the end; while New Yorkers strolled by us casually like we were freaks.

The ferry probably meant more to us as a resting stop. Someone then fell asleep looking like a dog. Speaking of which, my hat resembles a cat and hers a dog, can you tell? 😛 In general though, New York was glistening with lights because it’s almost Christmas. My absolute favorite festival of the year, presents, feasts, fireworks, friends and family. Home. Nothing gets better than Christmas ❤

Night View of Manhattan (Top of the Rock) – done that. I can’t say the view was spectacularly gorgeous because honestly, coming from Hong Kong, I have seen one of the prettiest skylines at night when I was just a kid. Somehow the “New York” Magic did not work so much on me. I mean the view was decent, but nothing unexpected. New York was in many ways nice, like Time Square and the neon ads but other things made me appreciate Hong Kong so much more. The new and efficient metro system, safe and clean streets etc. When there was constantly no signal underground, I couldn’t help but exclaim, AND THIS is NEW YORK!?

Bryant Park / Christmas! – OUTDOOR ICE SKATING RINK 🙂 Now this, this is different because I don’t see them a lot. One thing, out of the not too many things, I love about New York are their parks. We can definitely use more of these in Hong Kong, a system that cleanses the air and soul. Since it is Christmas, they had an outdoor ice skating rink set up with pink lights shining upon it. It was so magical and warm. I felt like I could just stare at it forever watching people glide by loop after loop. I took like a million photos there.

And this concluded the NYC trip. I have been to NY several times now and in my humble opinion, it looks prettier on screen. To end on a special note, we were walking along this street and saw some cities written on the building: Milan, Stockholm, Rome. And I shouted to my travel buddy “OMG THESE ARE ALL THE CITIES WE HAVE BEEN TO!” Yes, perhaps we have just been to too many major cities, or may be it was destiny. But these names that marked Barclays’ global presence are somehow like a prophecy of our friendship 🙂 It was just a pleasant surprise from life.

Eventually, we concluded that Miami is our next destination after Singapore 😉

But before THAT, the next stop would be LA! And to my GREATEST surprise, there is a modern city stinkier than PARIS! I just couldn’t believe it at first.

THE ultimate trip of U.S. Exchange – Cliché New York Part 1

After this 10 days trip (that included an unfortunate tiny accident at the end as usual), it took me an ENTIRE week to catch my breath and catch up on schoolwork. Now that school is FINALLY coming to an end (2 more SNOWY DAYS ONLY), I better start getting back on my writing spree because there is so much to note down before they slip away from my memory…weeeee 🙂

First part is New York and I think we did a pretty good job covering everything we wanted to see together, Chicago The Musical, MOMA, Time Square, Staten Island (Statue of Liberty), SOHO (which essentially just means GROM!) and NY at night.

Like any other trip, of course the spotlight is straight on food. And this is just what heaven would look like if translated into cake…ok may be that doesn’t make sense, but the cakes at Cheesecake Factory are just so delicious (although really really overpriced too :P) the melted marshmallow clings closely to the chocolate cheesecake and it was so velvety and smooth and sweet and dreamy ahhhhh…

Right, now I shall tick off our checklist one by one:

Chicago – absolutely checked. It was just so exciting and glamours, the band were so professional and the choreography was excellent. It was humorous and very entertaining. However there technically wasn’t a set and don’t expect much from the costumes. The special effects were sparse but spot on. What makes it even better was the rush tickets we bought at 30 bucks. We sat right in the front row center seats on the balcony. SO worth it.

MOMA – yea just.. checked. Yes the atmosphere and the space is really something. But both of us are not very artistic. And the art there, which I’m sure must be pretty darn good because of the famous names (Picasso, Matisse etc.), just made it even HARDER for us to appreciate compared to say Musee d’Orsay or The Louvre. At least those paintings look like SOMETHING (lotus, bridge, sky, woman etc.)

But these? These were just SO abstract: RED painting = art, PINK Plank = art, White background scribbled with words = art, Phallic object chair = art…Anyway, it is probably us, and not you, so it’s okay…I guess we will just stick with food which we are so good at appreciating.

Then of course there is me acting like I completely understood what the artist is trying to do there 😛 and attempting to look artistic..elegant even (everything I’m not XD)

And this, my friend, is art.

Time Square – checked! Of course, how can a girls trip be one without shopping? The giant Toys R Us, Disney store, chocolate stores and F21 etc. are must go. It was so much fun because who doesn’t like some sizzling heat in the chilly winds of New York? 😉

And, no, we are not too old to be taking photos with giant MnM. (With glasses! 😀 although my favorite is probably the short Red one)

Asking strangers to take our photo has proven to be one of the toughest challenge yet. After picking someone whom we think we can outrun (just in case they steal our cameras), we also need to make sure that they are adequate with technology…More often than not, the photo is not the angle we want it to be (I know…it’s a favor…I shouldn’t be too demanding but I just can’t help it :P). Eventually we are just happy that it’s not blurry, it’s a straight photo and at least it is ACTUALLY TAKEN. Sometimes we just stand there for 5 minutes and no photo was captured LOL. This below is actually an A+ capture (y)

Washington Square Park / SOHO – ICE CREAM CRAVING checked. This is a pleasant surprise because the best gelato place we tried in Milan/ Venice actually has a branch right here in Greenwich Village. It was just as good :’) so happy that we thought we will never get to try it again yet ended up running into it so soon.

I guess this is life sometimes. When you think you lost something, look closer or hang on a little longer because the miracle might be just around the corner. It has happened to me a few times now and yes, the losing part will be devastating, but don’t lose hope because all of that is necessary to get to the rediscovery part. Not one tiny detail, however seemingly insignificant, can be skipped in order to arrive at the exact right place.

If you follow the Humans of New York page, you probably will remember this scene 🙂 Another pleasant surprise of running into them in Washington Square Park!

Of course last but not least, this posture must look familiar ❤ yes how lucky and fated this is that this year we get to spend our respective birthdays TOGETHER :’) since she has given me the best meal experience ever (the gorgeous twinkling lights view and good food) I had a high benchmark to follow.

But Cramine’s has lived up to the standard. It has REALLY good food and generous portions for the price we paid. The cherry stones were very fresh, the riggatoni with sausage and broccoli in white sauce smelled so good and was so flavorful that we forgot to take a picture of it. Lastly, the Tiramisu was HUGE and I just loved the chocolate “skin” 😛 We finished it before our musical as dinner as well 😉 kind of.

To be continued…

Birthday Weekend @ Chicago

It is this day of the week again, first class starts at 8:10 and the last class end at 21:40. Aaaaargh…at least finally all mid terms are done and I am half way into my second exchange. As leaves turn from green to yellow, then to red (yes, leaves here turn Scarlet Red!), and eventually fall off and touch the ground, winter is surely approaching. Sigh my favorite season is so short lived this year 😦

Anyway, unlike my first exchange where I basically roll with my hand carry every other week, Chicago is the first time I flew. It was a tough time due to my poor management; a lot of avoidable problems complicated things. But after all I had a great great time for my last teenage birthday. I cannot complain about anything 🙂 Before and after the trip was hell though, trying to make sure I am up to date with classes…yes although I AM on exchange, student is my first occupation!

So there I was, landed O’Hare at 7 am (Time difference and all) and caught a glimpse of the friendly first ray of sunshine in Chicago 🙂 The moment I stepped out of airport, I knew it will be a great weekend ahead. As I waited for my travel/ eating/ rooming/ gossiping / shopping / comforting/ buddy (I think the abbreviation is BFF) to arrive Union Station, I rested at *drumrolll* Starbucks (so clichè I know) and had their seasonal special, Pumpkin Spice Latte. ❤ It was not particularly good, in fact it was weird even but it is just a personal attachment I have…pumpkin. hm 🙂

Before she arrived though, I went to the only place I know of Chicago before I came. As I walked towards my destination following my phone’s GPS, I cannot remember, not even imagine how I survived navigating my way back in Europe with just a good old paper map. One of the most fascinating part in life is to go through the toughest things without realizing how hard it really was. Until you look back and it is already over. Again, we are stronger than we think. Smarter, prettier? That I’m not sure, but definitely tougher. We often underestimate how strong we can be but it is these moments of flashbacks that remind you, there is nothing you can’t overcome.

As I arrived Millennium Park, I was greeted by two tall, sleek buildings…no wait, they were fountains!

Beautiful pools of water reflecting my favorite kind of sky. What a brilliant way to start off my wonderful weekend. I love how empty the park was at 9am. Then as I wandered, I caught a brief glance of what I am here for!

THE INCREDIBLY CHUBBY AND CUTE CLOUD GATE! aww bean bean bean. I was so thrilled when I saw it because it was so much better than I thought it was. It is bigger, fatter, shinier, funnier. It was just so lovely. How can someone come up with such an art piece that integrates nicely into its neighboring landscape, yet at the same time stand out so brilliantly?

I walked around it for like 10 times, dragging my luggage along. Sat on the benches opposite the bean for no less than 30 minutes just watching it. Like it will move or something. It looks different depending where I look at it from. And here below is my favorite angle of THE BEAN ❤

Thank god I came early and it was a beautiful day. At one point, I was fascinated by this area of sunshine / shade. Is this the line that I am standing on, that as I graduate from university, I am out into the wild. As I step across this virtual line, I am no longer a teenager, I am not longer an adolescence. Whatever I decide or do will matter in the long run and I am no longer sheltered.

It is a big wide world out there and as a twenty year old, there is a lot to think about. Where to go? How to get there? I am running out of time. But all worries aside, I believe I am stepping into a brighter future, a warm and welcoming zone. All I need is courage, determination and knowing that I am always backed up by my dearest family and friends.

And finally, THERE SHE IS 🙂

I don’t remember since when we got so close to a point that she bought me an iPad case that has the exact illustration as one of my favorite puzzle; how we picked out the same VS scent; dressed in complimentary colors; fascination of the Great Gatsby etc. etc. It might not seem like a natural pair at first when we were roommates, but time has proven that we belong together ❤ THANK YOU HKUST, for giving me such an awesome roommate. It is fate that we had such similar upbringing, interests (decadent interests) and ended up in the same place at the same time.

From that point on it was everything we do best:

1) EAT. CHICAGO DEEP DISH.

We went to a famous restaurant, Giordano’s and ordered a Mushroom and Sausage deep dish pizza to go as it would take an hour to be seated!

We were seated at some outdoor area and as we savored and indulged our pizza, we realized finishing it is impossible. Then we saw yet another homeless man…I must have seen more than 10 hobos on the streets in one day. It was striking to see how bad the economy in U.S. is. He was so thin and was searching for food in the trash.

It somehow pulled a string in my heart and we offered our 2 slices of delicious pizza to him unanimously. To our surprise, he was so grateful and kept mumbling “you are great great people” “god bless you” and I just felt so bad because he took such a minimal gesture of ours as a big deal. I really wish him well.

2) SHOP. AURORA OUTLET, MICHIGAN AVE.

3) BEING CRAZY. NON-STOP TALKING (we finished a packet of cough drops ha ha.)

This beach is definitely another favorite spot of mine in Chicago. I mean how often will you see a beach in the middle of the bustling city? We got to the beach at the perfect timing, it was that mash of colors again, blue, white, yellow, pink and violet. Although it was the same color scheme, it was completely different from the beaches at Côte d’Azur.

Somehow Europe sunsets are rosier and warmer. May be it is just me being sentimental and bias though. Nonetheless, both were stunning views and it reminded me of how badly I miss the beaches at my hometown. 😦

Then of course, the highlight of our trip: My Birthday Dinner :’)

The food was great, awesome atmosphere, spectacular view and incredible companionship. There is nothing else I can ask for more on my last teenage birthday. So blessed that I got to spend it with someone significant in my life. What a beautiful coincident 🙂

On the last day, we tried to have a final chat at Starbucks…but somehow fate has placed the marathon route right between us and the closet Starbucks…so we could see it but could not reach it. Sigh. Why do we always run into big groups of people?

On the first day, there was a protest AGAIN (like in Madrid, Copenhagen and Brussels etc.) Notice that the police is on SEGWAY 😀

Then there is the happy me being a tourist roaming around Chicago.

The first thing I thought of upon seeing this track was… BATMAN. So at the end of the day, I seem to like Chicago more than New York. (Not because Gotham City was somehow based here) Perhaps It has wider streets and more elegant buildings? Or perhaps it really is because I went with someone special? 🙂

Final Thoughts:

I saw these balloons at Millennium Park and when I saw the word “RECESS”, I realized just how old I have gotten. It is just such a primary school word. Remember how we would tell people we are 8 and a half years old? Remember how we would refer to ourselves as our full names? The times we would write our names, class and number on EVERYTHING we own?

When was the last time you give yourself a recess?

What I remember of Paris

I couldn’t possibly delay this any longer; despite how occupied my days were, there was a teeny part of me that kept reminding myself I have got to finish this. Of course it cannot be that I couldn’t squeeze an hour out to write this piece, perhaps a bigger, more emotional part of me did not want this to end.

It is like if this whole documentary never ended, my memories in Europe would linger forever. In 3 weeks time, another new chapter will begin but nothing can overwrite what happened in Europe.

I could never forget the beautiful evening on the top of Arc de Triomphe. As I moved along the rectangular roof, my eyes were drawn towards different streets and views, Avenue de Champ Elysees, Montmartre, Eiffel, La Defense etc. The wind was blowing and the sunset shadowing on us.

Of course this gorgeous view came with a price : climbing 284 stairs was not a joke.

I could never forget Versailles. It was so posh and huge. (Or perhaps chic is more suitable 😉

I could never forget the confusing and overcrowded Hall of Mirrors.

Or One of the few cleared sky rain free day in Paris

Or the perfectly symmetrical french garden.

Or the wide and long hallways with gigantic paintings hung up proudly on both sides.

Oh and that Delicious lunch (oh so small portion) and the sauce! The sauce was the heart and soul of the dish.

As I was queuing to get in, I turned around and stared at the far end of the palace. I tried to imagine what is must be like 300 years ago when there was nothing BUT this gigantic, lavish palace.

Where the King purposely took the imperial power away from the people (Paris); where only the selected few nobles can “watch the king rise from bed”. Where horses and carriages were used instead of automobiles. What the world must be like back then! (Almost forgot there was no flush either!)

I could never forget the concentrated faces in Musee de Orsay, sketching famous sculptures. I mean will you ever see that in Hong Kong? I doubt it.

The very last time I walked these symmetrical gardens. Trimmed trees and no grass.

Then of course there was Disneyland. I thought I would be ecstatic but I wasn’t. Is it because I am old now? I mean after all it is special, the 20th anniversary of Disneyland Paris (what a coincident there).

I had fun of course, the Hollywood Tower Hotel ride was such a huge surprise. I could still see how freaked out my friend and I were in the “haunted elevator”.

But honestly, it was not that great. I remembered Hong Kong Disneyland and Florida to be so much more fun. Or was it because I was younger?

Well, at least I learnt something new: This is Duffy, I first met him in Florida. He is a special bear Minnie made for Mickey to bring along to his sailing journeys. Mickey’s very own travel buddy. So “he would never be lonely.”

“ne se sente jamais seul”

Secret Wallet.

Gums and Ricola. Think again.

Good idea to outsmart thieves I think 😉

Final Chapter – Paris, Part 1.

The final trip of my first exchange to Europe. Paris. In all honesty, I loved the French Riviera more. But how can I skip Paris while visiting Europe? It just cannot be. So this is me and Paris in a week.

1) Montmartre

Looks familiar? The carousel must remind you of Amelie, fascinating movie. We went to the Cafe where she worked in and had tea there.

The girl who loves the sound of tapping spoon on creme brulee crust. Super touristy I know, but I just couldn’t resist 😉

After climbing what seemed like never ending stairs, we arrived the gigantic Basilica. It was filled with people on a warm Sunday afternoon. It felt so local to be lying on the grass slope sunbathing and sitting on the staircase watching impossible performances.

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Within this green district, time paused. No one cared how long they have spent doing nothing . Everything else was secondary and we were all there for one glorious purpose – chill.

This performer climbed up the lamp post with his football, spinning and flying like he was spiderman or something. His performance was so good that I actually gave him money at the end. Coming from a poor student, this must mean something.

Montmartre is also famous for its artists. We saw numerous painters in the square and I was so close to actually getting a portrait of myself, but then I thought, what if it turned out to be really ugly? Or what if it turned out to be so pretty that isn’t like me? Or perhaps, I was just too stingy after all 😛

Over 100 euros for a show in Moulin Rouge. Sigh. I will definitely watch it when I start earning my own money.

2) La Defense

This slick architecture is the icon of La Defense. Central Business District with Shopping malls and everything. You can actually see it from the Arc de Triomphe at the end of Champs Elysees. I watched Iron Man 3 here!

3) The Louvre

Speaking of this world-renowned museum, we were kind of ashamed because after merely an hour, we fell asleep while resting on the indoor bench. I blame the heating. But seriously, Mona Lisa was just so small with so many people pushing to get closer (which is still like a meter away). The most fun part was taking photos of ourselves 😛

The sign on the pyramid is the Trinity sign. Kind of like two infinity signs blended together.

Even after a few months in France, I still couldn’t locate my love for Western Arts. I am just so not an Art-museum lover after all. These interactive exhibitions, however, were much more entertaining.

4) Avenue des Champs Elysees

They say it’s the most beautiful avenue on earth. Well may be it is. Even the A&F store there was super glamourous.

Who knew Benz produces perfume?! While we were strolling along the street after dinner, I commented that people who live on this street must be extremely wealthy.

Then my friend added, “either that or they are hobos.” Haha. Very true. We did see homeless people sitting outside of branded stores that were already closed. What a striking contrast.

5) Eiffel Tower

Unfortunately we didn’t see it light up at night because everyday the sun set at 10pm and we live an hour away from city, which means we have to go home by 9pm latest 😦

During our free tour, the guide told us a touching story about the Eiffel Tower. Before Hitler arrived Paris, the French cut down the elevator chord to the top of Eiffel Tower. Thus, Hitler could only look up from the ground during the 4 years occupation and never actually stepped foot the tower. Even when the world was crumbling down, falling into the wrong hands and covered with blood stains, Eiffel Tower was always free. I hope it will always remain free.

The famous Notre Dame de Paris where the “Hunchback” lived. It was the last Cathedral I visited in Europe. Coincidentally, it reminded me a lot of the church I first saw in Monaco. Where have the time gone?

6) Seine River

Along the banks, I saw so many stalls selling paintings and mini Eiffel Towers. Highly recommend buying from these stores instead of hawkers on the street. (Because we saw a hawker pissed on the street and touched his merchandize without washing his hands.)

From afar, I thought the bridge had golden fences. On a closer look, however, all the golden were locks! Love locks, where lovers throw the key into the river after securing it on the bridge. So that their love/promise whatever will stay forever.

I wonder who started it. The whole thing doesn’t make much sense. I guess it’s supposed to be romantic. My dad suggested that I should sell these locks and copy a million keys so every time after the couples left, I can unlock it and resell it again 😉

7) Place de la Concorde and Tuileries Garden

This pointy thing is an Obelisk (yes I wiki-ed it). Turns out the French not only robbed artifacts from around the world, claimed ownership over them and placed them in the Louvre; they actually helped decrypt the Ancient Egyptian language! That’s why their Government thanked them with this “stairway to heaven.”

This is just me resting (second thing I did most in Paris, after tea-ing) next to the big fountain in the Tuileries Garden. Interestingly, all gardens in France are highly symmetrical. This is because they think symmetry is the most beautiful form. The tour guide also told us that’s why you don’t see much grass in French gardens… grass were very difficult to maintain back in the days, so you see a lot of sand instead. They are more “manipulatable” (Control Freaks!)

8) Food. Along this road with purple trees, we had a “reunion dinner” sort of.

Yes, Laduree is in Hong Kong now ! But they don’t have the ice cream with half a macaron on top… I handled some bank issues at BNP while eating the Coffee flavored ice cream. I almost left my bank card on the table but most certainly remembered my cup of ice cream.

9) Glass ceiling of Galeries Lafayette

This is where we saw high tech and extremely chic kitchen tools. This is also where we fantasized being future housewives/great cooks/ mothers. Brunch on Sundays and our kids playing together! Oh, I hope that day will come soon when I get that auto pepper grinder with light as housewarming gift 😉

End of Part 1

Capital of Scandinavia – Stockholm!

If only time could go back to my exchange and stay right there…Just looking back at the photos brought back absolutely happy memories.

I picked the perfect timing to go back to the Scandinavia. Stockholm in May was so much better than Copenhagen in Feb. (Not quite a fair comparison I agree.) Bright sun hanging on the clear blue sky everyday radiating warmth all over the place. Tall blonde (there were so many blonde people) people with their sunglasses sitting at cafes were spotted everywhere.

We took a stroll across the shopping street and entered the old town where the palace and parliament are. Along the way we arrived the crowded King’s Garden.

I never knew there were cherry blossoms in the King’s Garden. Everyone was out enjoying the Bee- U- tiful weather. (Of course in earlier months it would be completely covered in snow and -30 degrees C)

We stopped by an ice cream shop where they make the ice cream cones fresh from waffles 🙂

The next day I went to the Blue hall alone. I’m sure everyone would know of it because this is where the Nobel Prizes (except the Peace Prize) are given out each year.

However, nothing is blue inside…hmm strange. Well that’s because originally, the architect wanted to paint all the red bricks blue to symbolize it being a water city. Yet he ended up liking the way it looks as it is so so much that he decided to leave it.

During the Nobel banquets, over 1000 guests will gather here to dine with one long table in the middle. Everyone gets merely 60 cm of space, except the royal family and guests of honor who gets 70 cm each. After dinner, they would dance in the sparkly golden room above.

The staircase in the Blue hall was chosen from 7 staircases; the Architect had his wife walked down over and over again to pick the best one. The hall also holds the largest organ in Europe that is now digitalized. The council meetings of Stockholm are also held in a special meeting room with open ceiling that looks like a Viking ship. It also symbolize that all decisions should be made open to the public, accentuating the importance of freedom and democracy.

It was such a special feeling to be stepping on the very tile Nobel Prize winners have stepped foot on. Probably the closest encounter I will ever get to the Nobel Prizes. Another must see place in Stockholm would be the Vasa museum.

After crossing the river(?), I arrived at the Museum area. The Vasa sunk on its Maiden Voyage (I know right, so fail) almost 400 years ago and was recovered around 50 years ago. The ship was so amazingly preserved it was incredible. Only the paintings were off, 90% of the ship was still using it’s original materials.

Back then they believed why the ship sunk was because there were women on board…yea.. but obviously now they can prove that the ship was too narrow and tall. It simply couldn’t withstand the strong wind.

Lastly, 2 more MUST SEEs in Stockholm.

H&M. They were EVERYWHERE! And like the next must see, the shop doesn’t look like there’s an ending to it.

IKEA. I went to the World’s largest IKEA 😀

It’s not because I am small, but the compound was actually gigantic. The food was so cheap and meatballs were so delicious 😛

Now who would like a cup of Slut? xD

Also, there was an ABBA museum that just opened. I never knew they were Swedish! In general, Sweden has so many cafes, nice looking people who speak English very well and it was such a safe place. Definitely one of my favorite cities overall. 🙂

Hello Captain Teddy bear ❤

Netherlands – part 2 (Maastricht, Eindhoven)

Definitely the longest time I have put my blog on hold as I have finally returned to reality; back to GMT +8. Now finally, a break from meeting family and friends, time for some self indulgent me-time.

I know I know, a Church in Europe, no big deal. But hey, guess what’s actually inside?

Wait a minute, doesn’t that look kind of like a bookstore? Well because it IS a bookstore! For once, 9gag posts aren’t myths! Of course there is big Miffy at child section 🙂

On a side note, highly recommend this funny and enlightening book from Sweden “The hundred- year -old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared.” It made me laughed a few times on my flight back.

Haven’t had any good waffles after my visit to Belgium in late Feb…until I met this pink store! They actually put chocolate sticks INTO hot waffles so by the time you bite till the middle, it melts in your mouth. hmm delicious.

I have seen many tourist trains, but solar paneled ones? Definitely the first time!

Somehow everyday was bright sun white cloud blue sky in Netherlands. Chilling by the river under the swaying shadows of slender trees; resting alongside people smoking weed, ahem, I mean enjoying themselves under the sun; watching mean black ducks chasing kinder ones on the water surface… I can picture myself doing this for another few months.

Perks of being young: seemingly infinite time we’ve got. Seconds, minutes, hours that make up lives. Yet, the last 5 months flew by so quickly and before I can fully process it, I am into my last year in college. Time is so precious, do what you want to do and meet who you want to meet. Tomorrow might sound like a big promise but it really is no guarantee.

I was told the Treaty that created a common currency – Euro was signed right here at Maastricht 😉 To be honest, politicians should be more creative than naming their treaties after where they signed it…

Young adults playing saxophone next to the river, and I assume that’s what they do every weekend!

Then a nice long reading break with…unknown drink, well we ordered lemonade but as long as it’s cold I am happy.

Roads are paved completely in old tiles making it extremely difficult to ride a bike.

It felt like Spring, everything blooming and you never know what to expect around the next corner 🙂 So many things are just waiting to happen.

Banks in Eindhoven somehow looked like big mansions…

And that’s a store inside an egg. Why is every building so unexpected?

Lastly, the first time I live in a room all by myself. The door number was not the luckiest but it was such a lovely single room. I actually had to buy an old school clock as my phone was lost thank god I did not miss my flight. NOT even once. 😉

Miss Tofu

My journey in life

Category: Travel