My recent rendezvous!

Madurodam, Den Haag, Netherlands:

Land of the miniatures! Left to right: Downsized Dam Square, and clock towers in Amsterdam.

Zaanse Schans, Zaandam, Netherlands:


Village of Windmills, Cheese farms, traditional 17th and 18th century houses.

O'Porto, Portugal:
This was my second trip to Porto and the first for Naf!


Clockwise (from top left): At the Ribeira with the wineries across the Douro River, Naf and I shopping, view of the buildings (mostly churches) from the Church on the hill, and Naf at the church on the hill overlooking the Douro River.

Lisboa, Portugal:




Clockwise (from top left): Lisbon city centre, old houses in narrow streets, view from the top of St. George's Castle, Naf at St. George's Castle, the beautiful coastline of Cascais, the cliffs of Cascais.

Barcelona, Spain:


Clockwise (from top left): One of the many talented buskers on the main La Ramblas street, a square with countless restos and bars - all selling the popular Paella dish, an artist who did all those pieces with only SPRAY PAINT - amazing isn't it? The renowned Sagrada Familia by Antonio Gaudi, another busker, and a busy busy Catalan street!

Palma de Mallorca, Spain:
With temperatures no less than 23-25 degrees, and the white sandy beaches with blue blue waters, this was paradise!



Clockwise (from top left): The airport looked like a resort in the Caribbean or something with the Palm trees all over, the view from the plane, the not-so-crowded beach, white sand with blue waters and the little hut-like umbrellas to chillax under, and the oh-so-breathtaking sunsets. BEAUTIFUL! By far, the best place to relax and unwind, and even retire!

SOLD!

I just sold my bike that i loved so dearly.

On a brighter note, i sold it for more than it was worth! Here's the story:

I bought 2 bikes for €95 - one for €40 (which got stolen); and the other one for €55 (which i just sold). And i sold it for €70! Good, huh? So technically, my bike usage here in Amsterdam, for the duration of 6 whole months, costs only 25euros!!

And i have to say, the bikes were really a blessing. Sometimes you just don't wanna walk, especially if it's raining. And just thinking about walking out the long never-ending street of mine is dreadful. So it has been a joy having the bicycles around. However, it's gonna make me poor if i rely on the public transportation - buses, trams, etc. A bus ride costs a flat fee of €2.60 (that's SGD$5). What a rip-off! But my time here is short and i guess i could do more walking to absorb as much of the city as i possibly can before i go home.

Bye bye bicycle.

hiatus

apologies for the inactivity for the last 2 weeks or so.

Just so you know, the first week since my last entry, i had guests over from Singapore.

The second week, we were all city-hopping; from Porto to Lisbon, to Barcelona and to Palma de Mallorca. What can i say? Portugal and Spain were exciting countries to be in. They all had their share of entertainment and beautiful sights.

Once my sister leaves, i will have ample time to update the blog with photos too. :)

gloomy overcast

It's May, it's supposedly Spring and it's 7°C outside. What cruel irony is this.

one-shot update

i know, i've disappeared for quite some time now. It's only because i've been so busy, i had no time whatsoever to update. So i'm giving a one-shot update of things i've been doing, starting from where i left off..

1. From the 8th to the 24th of April, my parents were here. We travelled to Rome, Venice, Zurich, Paris and London and had an amazing time. We saw the main sights each city could offer. Thankfully, we weren't affected by Iceland's volcanic ash cloud. (Photos can be found on my FB. Got some really beautiful photos. Do check them out!)

2. Once they left, i had to resume school work. And because i ensured that I had nothing due during those 2 weeks, it means i had everything else due after the 2 weeks. So i had presentations, small assignments due and etc.

3. And then it was Queen's Day on the 30th of April. It was enjoyable. Funny to see drunk people do silly things. Like one guy was in a shopping trolley and his friends pushed him so hard into a row of parked bicycles. DUMB, i know.

4. Then i had one more presentation which was postponed to next week.

5. Then it was WWII Remembrance Day on the 4th of May (mourning the WWII freedom fighters and victims). There was chaos at the Dam Square, amidst presence of the Queen, Prince and Princess. Check this out! The next day, was Liberation Day with concerts and festivities across the country. Liberation Day celebrates 65 years since Germany surrendered and the end of World War II and the Netherlands was freed.

6. My sister is coming on the 20th of May. Later, my cousin too. We're heading out to Portugal (Porto and Lisbon) and to Spain (Barcelona and Mallorca). I can't wait for them to be here. EXCITING!!

7. Right this instant, i am working on, or trying to work on, an assignment. I'm at the midway mark now. Once this is done, i have 2 more to go and i plan to complete them before the 20th!

8. The weather today is not exactly very pleasant. It's cloudy. But as long as it doesn't rain, it's good for me!

Mama & Papa

My parents are here! They arrived on the 9th of April. They were supposed to arrive at 6.35am but really arrived at 8, and came out of the gates at 8.30am. I was supposed to get up at 4.30am and make my to the airport BUT i overslept and woke up at 6am so i rushed and reached the airport at 7am. i still find that amazing that i managed to reach there in 1 hour.

They are having a good time here but feel that it's a tad too cold. So that's a bit of a bummer i guess. But they think it's a beautiful beautiful city!

Tomorrow, we're setting off for our mini Euro-trip from the 14th of April to 23rd of April.
AMSTERDAM >> ROME >> VENICE >> ZURICH >> PARIS >> LONDON >> AMSTERDAM.

5 countries, 2 weeks. I'm stoked! Honestly, i'm more excited for my parents than i am for myself. I really hope they have an awesome time here and around these countries. And since tomorrow is Dad's birthday, we'll be celebrating his birthday - Roman style (don't know what exactly that entails, but we'll see..)

Will update you guys with photos when i'm back. So no updates till then!

Have a great week ahead, people!

x

yes, it's that bright...

Yes, this is what it looks like at 8pm!! The sun is only starting to set! it's still so bright. Crazy! Sure need to get used to this. Man, i'm gonna miss this when i'm back in Singapore; where by 7pm, it starts getting dark. But of course, it's only like this in the summer!


Yesterday, i caught this fat bird sitting on my balcony railing. Ohhh, it was FAT.

locksmith, locksmith

I got locked out of my place by accident this evening. keys inside... with the window open... no jacket... no shoes... all in an attempt to clean the stove's ventilation hood.

I was just chilling in front of the computer, opened the window cos the weather was great.. enjoying the sun and then since my parents are coming this thursday, i thought i'll clean the kitchen and the stove's vent. it was extremely dirty from previous tenants, i HAD to take it out and 'kebas' (i cant find the english word) it on the balcony. so i unlocked the door, left the key there, stood BY the door and started cleaning it. i took 2 steps forward for only 3 seconds and i heard the door behind me close with a CLICK.

mouth agape, i panicked. it wouldn't open! so i went to my neighbor's place to seek refuge and used the internet to get a locksmith.

man, that ain't my fault! in 3 seconds?? come on.. who would have expected this to happen.

BUT i'm in my house now. eating and keeping myself warm. The 3 hours felt like a good 5 hours.

What can i say? This just enhanced my Amsterdam experience!

of pillows, feathers and fluff...

Today, I attended a rather feathery affair - World Pillow Fight Day in the heart of the city center. Hundreds of people, some decked in normal clothes while others in pyjamas/chicken costume/gorilla costume/bear costume/etc, gathered at the Dam Square to whack random strangers with their own pillows - till they tear...or burst!

I took Cheryl as a pillion on my bicycle. I feel quite bad cos her bum must be hurting quite bad but i must say, it was my first time taking someone else on the back of the bike, and we got from A-B and back to A very safely! :) Cheryl, you stand witness to that.

Well, we whipped out our pillows, jumped into the throng of people and started hitting anyone and everyone. Some freaks were really whacking the daylights out of other people. Talk about venting your anger! Feathers were flying in the air, it was like snow. Quite beautiful when they were big but tricky when they were small cos they got caught in our hair, coats and throats! I can safely say i have a fur-ball developing in my throat. And 5 minutes after we left, Cheryl found some in her coat pockets!



While leaving the venue, we felt a drop or two of rain and decided to cycle home as fast as possible. 10minutes into our journey, it began raining cats and dogs. Like that wasn't bad enough, it started HAILING...HEAVILY. it was really painful. so we got off the bikes, ran to the nearest shelter shouting "Aw! Aw! Ouch! Ahhh!". Literally.

So i was drenched with feathers stuck in my coat, hair and throat. But i'm glad i went! :)