Lake Iseo

We have been in Italy for a week now, starting at Lake Garda and then Verona and now at Lake Iseo. Buon girno. Lake Garda was very beautiful, the waters were very blue. We  took a boat ride to Sirmione which was beautiful as well. I didn't know that many Germans go there for summer vacation. Our b&b was fantastic and the location was good but we had to walk quite some distance with our big luggage to the b&b. The train rides were quite a headache because of our big luggages and there was no space to put out luggages and I feel so apologetic that my luggage occupied a seat. Yes before I forget, on the first day from airport train ride to lake Garda we met this super nice elderly couple who made space for me and helped me fend off a lady asking for money. I'm very very thankful to them. Verona is a city with many old buildings and history. Of special mention was the opera experience at the Arena di Verona. Outdoor opera and no microphones. You get to see the sky turn dark. The day is longer here in Italy too, the sky is still bright at 9pm. Lake Iseo is quieter and smaller than I expected. Wanwen's wedding is tomorrow, I think tomorrow will be a long day. Ciao ciao.

The Trip of a Lifetime - Bhutan

The weather was very good despite it being the monsoon season (29 July to 8 August 2018). The 10 days trip was very very good. I enjoyed myself a lot and I hope my mum and sis did too. Nature is everywhere; right in front of our eyes. The first thing that we saw in front of us when we woke up in the morning was mountains, blue sky and clouds. It seems strange and unreal to me; that nature and development can co-exist. Humans and animals; nature and development; king and democracy; culture and education ... I'm unable to describe in detail but Bhutan is a special country. The land size is over 300,000 sqm but they only have a population of around 700,000 people. People just chat casually with one another and tease one another. Within 10 days we did 4 hikes including the challenging 7.5hrs up to Tiger's Nest. That was epic. We even hiked through paddy fields and got all muddy. Every day we laughed (including laughing at ourselves). The land of chilli cheese and potatoes. We met Chen Hanwei and Sheila Sim at the SG airport and stayed at the same hotel in Thimphu. We even passed by in our van and saw the 4th King cycle up the mountain when we were on our way to embark our first hike in Thimphu. It gave me more than I expected and taught me more than what I could possibly ask for - What is important in life?

From Paro airport > Thimphu (1hr ride. We stayed 3 nights) > Punakha (2.5hr ride. We stayed 3 nights at Hotel Lobesa, the best hotel of the trip) > Gangtey (2.5hr ride. Stayed 1 night. Recall the blackout and no internet access) > Back to Paro (6hr ride. We stayed 3 nights).

I like Thimphu and we went to a cafe across our hotel (Hotel Osel) and a cup of latte only cost 110nu or S$2+.

I like Punakha and the endless green fields; the guide and driver also brought us to the hot spring and prepared the picnic lunches; and the warm hospitality of the hotel staff during our stay.

I like Gangtey and its peacefulness and beautiful valley. A pity it was not the season for the black-necked cranes.

I like Paro; the extreme test of our physical and mental strength up Tiger's Nest and it was really worth it; the beauty of Haa Valley and strawberries and flowers and the craziness at Chelela Pass. Bhutan is so colourful that I'll never forget. I miss even having the whiff of cow dung in the air. =p

Thank you Passang and Tandin for making our trip so memorable!

Thimphu- first hike

Long drive from Punakha- Hot Spring & Picinic Lunch

Paro- Tiger's Nest

Paro- In Bhutanese traditional wear

Chelela Pass

Learning to cook Potato Chilli Cheese 

Reflections 2017

What a year. Was just browsing through facebook and realised that so many people around me (of same age) are doing very very well. JPS nurtured so many talents! I'm proud of them of course, but looking at myself... it makes me feel so tiny and puny. I've been dormant for so long; it's time to awaken.

Spa Wellness Retreat @ Museflower Chiang Rai 4-9 Jun 2017

I'm back. Feels rejuvenated and that my body is lighter than before. I signed up for the spa wellness retreat and the daily itinerary is: morning wellness activity which can be yoga or stretching etc, breakfast, daily massage and steam session, lunch, afternoon wellness activity which can be yoga or cooking demo and followed by dinner. Museflower is a resort that is close to nature and you can hear the birds chirp or insects call at all times of the day. The weather was very hot when I was there. When I was there, it was non-peak period and there was only another Singaporean apart from me. As such, I felt that the services such as the meals and exercise sessions were very personalised. It was a good getaway. The 6 hour flight which I thought was long turned out to be quite ok. Flew by Airasia and the 2hr transit in Bangkok DMK airport was just nice, I didnt have to wait too long for the next flight. Airport was a bit chaotic though. The cooking session was very fun and the other interesting or intriquing activity was the energy healing session by Laeticia (from Switzerland). I was in the resort during my entire stay and did not venture out into the city. The swimming pool was also interesting in that it was himalayan salt pool (they use himalayan salt instead of chlorine). The meals served were vegetarian and they use himalayan salt and no MSG. The vegetables were self-grown in their organic farm.

3 Jun 2017 - In Need of a Break

It's been so long since I wrote. I didn't update my recent trip to Taiwan with my mum and sis in Apr. It was a very relaxing and fun trip. We booked a cab and travelled around Taichung, Tainan, Alishan and Cingjing. It was more expensive but worth it - comfortable and the driver Niao ge helped us to book the accomodation and settled the itinerary as well. We didnt have to do any planning or thinking. Will be going for a wellness retreat at Museflower Chiang Rai tomorrow. I'm looking forward to the break...

2 Nov, Wednesday, Singapore

I managed to catch my flight back to Singapore and touched down on 29 Oct. The past 2 months have been amazing and I wouldn't trade the experience with anything else. I'm really glad that I chose Dresden and spent the 2 months there learning the language. Perhaps the only regret that I had was that I spent the second month there mostly in the dorm or the Mediothek and I didn't have the time or chance to get to know the rest of my classmates better. It could have been better on the social front. That's a shame. I got a surprise on the last day of my class - I received the results of my exams and I have passed it with flying colours. I look forward to B2 maybe late next year. Work wise, I've not had the chance to sit down and think it through but my bosses are really happy that I'm back on team. We have new duties on top of our existing scope. I'm not sure if that's what I want to do for the rest of my life but at the moment, maybe.

21 Oct, Friday

Had my written exam yesterday and my oral exam will be on Monday. This is my last weekend in Dresden. I really enjoyed these past 2 months in Dresden and I hope I have the chance to come back again. The 2 months have been interesting, challenging and sometimes frustrating. It's interesting to be able to get to know people from so many different countries and to learn a foreign language together with them; it's extremely challenging to speak only German any time and anywhere and yes, I did it; and sometimes it's frustrating to try to accustom living with someone from a different culture, referring to my roommate from Uzbekistan. The experiences have been fantastic. If I have the chance to stay here for another 6 months, I believe I would be able to improve my German much much more. My classmates this term are from Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Netherland, Ukraine, Ecaduor, Slovakei and Czech Republic. Some of my classmates are still studying (in Uni, either finishing their Bachelor or doing their Masters/ PhD) and I find it awesome that they travel all the way to Germany to perfect the language. I wonder how things would turn out if I were to know/ be able to decide at their age what I wanted to do in life. They know what they want and are here to achieve their goal. I'm sure I will miss here. Very much.

It's now autumn and the leaves are changing colour. The weather has been poor the past few weeks, compared to the sunshine we have in September.