A paragraph about Vietnam: Vietnam has a lot to offer! That’s after getting used to the initial shocks of crossing their roads. The trick is after a while, you will soon realize that the motorbikes will avoid the pedestrians. So, don’t ever run! This will make your movements unpredictable and cause confusion to the motorcyclists. Be calm and cross a foot at a time. Soon, you will fall in love with Vietnam (including their traffic). I like the energy of their cities, the sights and sounds. I like to observe the women (sometimes men), in their triangular straw hats, going through their daily routines. Away from the cities, I like the unending miles and miles of rice fields. I like the water buffaloes, busy plowing the fields.. Ok, that’s enough of I likes.. It will exceed one paragraph. Go to Vietnam with an open heart and an open mind and let everything sweep you away :)

So typical.. Women with triangular straw hats

Into the setting sun :)

At a glance, my mum thought they were sunflowers

The French influence is still very prominent in parts of Vietnam

Vibrant night markets

Fields and fields of vegetables (It is not the rice season in Dec)

I love the character of the old town in Hoi An

So beautiful..

The city of kings & queens

The traffic that never stops

And.. Magical Ha Long Bay

Everything was a sight to behold :)

____________________________________________

I know its been a month since I came back from Vietnam and this post has been in my draft for 3 weeks! Have been so busy. Firstly, busy earning money! When I came back, I was at my poorest state. Living from cents to cents.. :( Now I’m slightly better! Still working my ass off till end of Feb when school starts again. Secondly, an exchange friend suddenly surprised me with a visit to Singapore! Wow wow.. So, I, the patriotic citizen of Singapore, brought him everywhere in the most hospitable manner possible. Singapore must be proud of me! But honestly, I was as much of a tourist as him. It was my first time entering all sorts of temples, exploring new streets (like Geylang – aka red light district). There was a sense of pride when I brought him around and I never noticed it before, Singapore is beautiful! From Chinatown, to Little India, to Arab Street, to Clarke Quay, to Orchard Road. All a mishmashed of old vs modern. It is a nice time to visit Singapore.. The weather was perfect, and Chinatown, FLOODED with people preparing for Chinese New Year. It is a great time to soak in the festive atmosphere :)

Have a great reunion dinner this evening! And.. collect as many ang pows as possible this Chinese New Year! :D Happy Water Dragon Year!!

2011

Traveled a lot, a lot! I just did up my travelogue for 2011 (its one of my pages on the sidebar) and wow wow wow.. I was browsing through my blog entries that I wrote during my Exchange and after on, the countries and places that I’ve visited. All the accumulated experiences, the sights and sounds.. Just came rushing back at me. Everything just overwhelms me, the magnitude of all the experiences. I’m feeling kind of strange.. Like right now, I’m running and running, running at top speed, running with the wind, giving chase to dreams, reaching and reaching out.. And the world, an endless possibilities.

Met people from all walks of life, all over the globe. I’ve received love and in turn, loved back. People who changed my perspectives. People who showed me that I have the power to choose the life that I want, that my fate is in my own hands, that the greatest chains and the ones we impose on ourselves.

I had a lot of lone time and I got to know myself a little better. I am more in tuned with my character, my habits and what I ultimately want in life, the goals that I wanna chase. The years are pushing me into my next phase of life, come 2012, I will be laden with more responsibilities and more obligations to fulfill. No more living in a kids world, playing children games. I feel that as a person, I’ve grown a lot in 2011. I gained the confidence and independence of being a lone traveler in a foreign land, being able to speak comfortably with strangers and subsequently, forming a strong friendship with them. I am definitely more open-minded. I would also think that I’ve matured slightly and I know that I am capable of loving someone unconditionally. All in all, in 2011, I got to be very comfortable with myself :)

Right now, I’m getting restless. Restless for more and more.. For more runs through the wind. More swims in the ocean. More love to give and receive back. More adrenaline rushes.

Now, I would like to thank my mother. I wanna thank her for providing me with the finances, and indirectly, funding all these incredible, incredible experiences. I know I gave her a lot of distress by being away for close to 7 months this year.  My mother is simply, the b e s t. Who I am, who I will become and if there’s any goodness in me, it’s because of my mother’s love for me. I love you, Ma :D

2012 – What’s to be expected?

I didn’t set any resolutions for 2011 and I’m still contemplating if I should set some for 2012.

2012 is definitely going to be an interesting year. Number 1 on my mind right now is that: I will be setting foot into the corporate jungle. There will be job hunting and interviews (which have already started), school loan to pay, mother to retire and a brother to see through university. Ahhhh.. One thing at a time. But it’s gonna be a new year. New year, new beginnings eh? I’m excited for the uncertainties in all new things. What will this new year bring on? For me, every year, is always full of surprises and I’m always looking back at the end of the year, full of awe and it goes something like “whoaaaaaa.. what a year!!” I believe 2012 will be the same. It might be a tough year ahead but it will definitely be full of surprises and self discovery. After all, I think 2011 has made me a stronger, improved person eh? (I hope)

What will the wild streak in me lead me to do in 2012? My eye is on a little red Vespa….

As we slowly made our way from the South to the North, we got to experience the different specialties that the various places had to offer.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Vietnamese Suong Bee Hoon - At Ben Thanh Market

Fried Spring Rolls which you wrap in rice paper with the noodles and some herbs. Dip it into their delicious sauce and Viola!

Crab soup noodle. With such thick soup broth & chunky pieces of crab!

Grilled Mussels (Chem Chep)

BBQ Pork - Looks are deceiving. A single bite, a burst of flavor and a swoon of satisfaction. That's how good it is.

Flaming prawns

BBQ fish - Ooooo the freshness of it. Only costs SGD10!

Fried Spring Rolls (Nems) - My all time favourite!

 Phu Quoc Island

BBQ seafood mixed grill - A night of indulgence on the island :) But for only SGD10!

Sea Urchins - It's an acquired taste. SGD1.25 each.

 Dalat

Fish noodle soup (Bun Cha) - See that brown cube at the corner, that's curdled chicken blood. Its supposed to be good for health. The taste is quite alright.

Ahh.. here, I remember we had the best pork chop rice. A pity I don’t have a picture of it. Pork chop rice can be found all over Vietnam. The pork is marinated generously with a sweet sauce and the rice is cooked fragrantly with pork fat. Yeap, sinful but extremely delicious.

Duck eggs with a duckling growing inside (Check out the veins!) - A local delicacy. Super nutritious! A mother who just gave birth would usually eat one of these eggs a day. Taste wise, it is actually quite good! :)

All the shell creatures - I lost count of the number of times we had all these as snacks. I'm avoiding testing my cholesterol level. If you're a fan of escargots, Vietnam is the answer for you with a significantly much lower price.

Nha Trang

Rolls with pig ears - Not my favourite. The locals love it but I find the ear too rubbery.

Fresh spring rolls

 Hoi An

Cao Lau Noodle - A Hoi An specialty.

Banh Xeo

White Rose - Another specialty. Tastes very much like our Har Gao. Dip it into the Vietnamese favourite fish sauce and its good to go!

 Hue – Vietnam’s food capital! This is where we had the best food that Vietnam has to offer. Yum!

Nem Lui - The meat is wrapped around the lemon grass and then BBQ. Slide the meat off with a rice paper, add some herbs, dip it once again into their favourite fish sauce and you get a gourmet treat!

Banh Khoai - Easily our favourite! Dip it into the store's famous sauce and oh my... Twice, we just had to go back for more.

Banh Beo - A very delicious snack! The orange flakes are prawn flakes.

Banh It Tran - A slight variation of the previous one. Equally delicious snack.

Similar to the previous two. Most times, I have absolutely no idea what I'm eating. All I know is that, THEY ARE ALL SO GOOD!

Bun Bo Hue - One of the best noodle!

Dessert? :D

Hen Tron voi banh da - A seafood dish. Oooolala!

Ha Noi

Bun Cha & Nem Cua Be - Delicious, delicious! BBQ pork in fish sauce.

Fish spring roll - Restaurant: Little Hanoi

Banh Goi - Similar to a puff, filled entirely with minced meat and some vegetables. Melted my taste buds!

Nom Bo - A type of salad, with meat from all parts of a cow (inside and outside)

Xoi ga Xeo - Chicken sticky rice. Best glutinous rice I've ever tasted!

Note that these are just a few of the best food that I’ve tasted in Vietnam. The Vietnamese like their food either salty or sweet, sometimes at an overwhelming level. The food itself usually is healthy, but most times, they are served with this fish sauce called Nuoc Mam in a separate bowl. Go easy on the fish sauce if you don’t want to control your salt intake. But it is difficult because the Nuoc Mam is just great with almost every single dish! Also, I find that the amount of sugar and condensed milk in their coffee or milo is way too much. So usually, I will just ask for either very very little bit of sugar and milk or I will just have it “on-the-rocks” :D Be sure to try the Vietnamese coffee!

Right now: Onboard a 14hour overnight bus from Hue to Hanoi. Date: 18 Dec 2011. We are fast approaching the end of our Vietnam expedition.

Route: HCMC (Saigon) – Can tho (Mekong Delta) – HCMC – Phu Quoc Island – HCMC – Dalat – Nha Trang – Hoi An – Hue – Ha Noi – Halong Bay – Ha Noi

It’s tough to summarize a whole new experience into a single page. Vietnam is food to the soul. I love everything of it. From the thrill of crossing the motorbike congested roads to the super delicious food served by the roadside stalls. Vietnam (especially Hue) has amazing food! Their soup base is ultra tasty and they do not use a single gram of MSG. Ooolala! I had the privilege of enjoying the hospitality provided by my Vietnamese friend and her family in HCMC and another in Hue. All so nice and wonderful people!

We rode scooters as and when it was allowable. I took a shot with the scooter one night and almost went straight into a wall. It was like the wall and I were opposite poles of a magnet. After that, I am just glad to be a pillion :DD I think I progressed well as a pillion. From a tensed pillion on my first night in HCMC to a fully relaxed one who can now take pictures, sing and shout at people while riding.

Ahhhh.. And Phu Quoc Island. A place that deserves special mention. My friends said that I left my heart in Phu Quoc. I had the most memorable magical night. I went for a spontaneous midnight swim with a new friend that I met at the Mekong Delta. Stripped right to my undies, I submerged myself into the cooool (& cold) waters. The sensation is amazing. Floating on the sea under the full moon, feeling the calm of the sea all around me. Listening to the waves. Once, when I was talking to my friend, I saw a shooting star!!!! Amazing. It was quite cloudy and then I saw it! Magical, magical. I hope my wish comes true! It was so nice but all good things come to an end, no? Nonetheless, at least we got to spend the last night together.. And the next day, a last dip into the sea once again :) Forever in my heart, yo.

Oh another thing! I love the sleeper buses in Vietnam! Their seats are all beds. I always sleep like a pig on them although I don’t think it’s very clean. The blankets & pillows look quite dubious. Still, it’s comfortable!! Makes overnight long journeys more bearable as compared to my bus experiences in Turkey and the Middle East, this is VIP treatment.

A good friend of mine recommended a book, The dancing girls of Lahore by Louise Brown. It’s about the academic Louise Brown who went to Lahore’s red light district, Heera Mandi, where sex is sold for as cheap as 34cents and virginity is prized. The society of Heera Mandi speaks of a woman’s value in monetary terms. The author did an amazing job, describing the cyclical nature of the women in Heera Mandi. I especially liked the part when the author said that when she came to Heera Mandi, she was all prepared to document a story of this awful trade. But after immersing herself herself into the culture, and getting very involved in a Heera Mandi family, she realized how the women did not see it like they are in something so awful. In fact, it is simply a way of life to them. It is normal, nothing out of ordinary. Of course, given a choice, they would like to break out of this vicious cycle so their daughters do not have to end up in the same trade as them.

It’s a great book. I really liked it :D

Another great read is Love in a torn land by Jean Sasson. I was so fascinated reading about the story of a half-Arab, half-Kurdish girl in war torn Iraq. The story revolves around the conflict between the Kurds and Arabs in Iraq, the cruel rein of Saddam and the live of a freedom fighter in “Kurdistan” – a country that is not even recognized. Definitely a must read too.

There are so many things happening in this world that in my opinion, require a huge major change. I read about Lahore’s prostitution trade and the oppressed, discriminated lives of the Kurds. Both infringe human rights on a number of levels. Then again, all these screams for changes all seem naive. It is said that it takes one to make a change. But it takes a collective effort to make an extensive and impactful change. Could the developed world ever put on a honest compassionate lens and provide aid to the developing, war-torn world? There are many things that should not have gone unnoticed, why is it that they have stayed hidden and unknown throughout all these years? It just proves the futility everything whereby the rich just gets richer, and the poor, they sink deeper and “fade” away from notice.

Anyway, I was just thinking. Is it even effective to look at these issue in the eyes of a more developed person? Why should we impose our standards onto them? Perhaps they are happy where they are. Currently, they lead a very simple, no frills life. Ahhhh.. Seems like it is gonna be a never ending argument and probably, being status quo is the best solution.

That’s enough thinking for the day. Read those books!!!! Highly recommended :)

When death comes knocking, nothing material matters

Our brief chat got me thinking a lot. It got me thinking about all the trivialities of life. At the supermarket, I pitied the woman on the other lane who was snapping at the cashier. I pity those who let all these small, negligible things affect their mood so easily. I imagine the darkness in them and I feel sorry for that few minutes (or hours) wasted, as they get consumed by anger. What would the world be like if everybody lives with the mindset – Someday, I am going to die? I’m glad and thankful for this reminder. Otherwise, when I’m face to face with death, perhaps, it would have been too late.

My dear friends, what I’ve learnt? Be slow to anger and be attentive to what truly matters. Don’t make your happiness be dependent on something tangible, rather, nurture it and let it glow like a flame in you.

____________________________________________________________________

Anyway, what’s up with my post title? :) I will let you in in a little secret of mine. I secretly like aunties. Hahaha! That’s if they are not the stare-at-you-suspiciously, shove-you-up-the-bus kind. I like their loud voices (especially at the coffee shops), when they scream at you for your orders. It is so amusing! I like it when they call me “ah girl” or “xiao mei”. I like it when some of them are being so friendly and strike up a little conversation with me. Don’t be fooled by these aunties, their calculation skills can trash us easily! Today, being cheeky, I called the Ya Kun aunty “大姐”. Hahahah :D Have you ever seen an auntie beam at you before? It made me feel like a saint. I love flirting with aunties! Now, please respect this secret of mine.

:DD

To my own naked eyes, my parents haven’t changed much. But I am very sure they did. Everybody experience a constant state of change throughout their lives. What have changed that went unnoticed? Yes, appearance-wise they seem a little older but what about their thoughts? What’s going through their minds? How about the dreams that they had when they were young? What are their secrets?

I see my brother and I saw the years that we grew up together, when I was his little shadow, following him everywhere he went. I remember our playfulness, our mischief. And how after a gap in the years of entwining our lives around friends and other worldly affairs, we finally drew back together again, finding support and strength in one another.

It’s amazing how 4 complicated beings, with our own unique layers can evolve together and at the end of the day, congregate together for a nice evening dinner. There are so many mysteries in life that it is almost impossible to uncover them all. For me, all I can say is that I look at my family and I’m contented where I am now. Let the mysteries grow because they will never stop.

I’ve been meaning to write since I got back to home sweet home. There were so many things that I wanted to write about, to journal them down so that I will never forget. But most times, when I open up a new post page, I find myself being lost for words. Where should I start? It’s been almost 3 weeks since I came back and what can I say? Nothing changed around here and yet, everything has changed. Sounds bizarre eh? When I first came back, it felt as if I never left at all and yet, I know I am different from the one who left for Istanbul in February. It was difficult getting used to all the familiarity all around me. Walking down roads that I have laid foot on countless of times. I was so used to seeing new things, experiencing new things daily. I must say, I miss that. I miss being lost in a culture and environment so different from the one I am so used to. I’m surprised at how attached I got to the Turkish, Middle-Eastern and French (or in general, European) culture. There are many things that even without documenting down, I will never ever forget :)

However, despite all these, I am so thrilled to see all the people that I have missed while being away. After initial greetings, hugs and kisses, the most most popular comments to me are “you are so tanned!!!”, “why are you so black!”. And apparently I am still getting darker everyday back home. A friend whom I met a few times since I came back commented that I look darker each time we met up O.O Is it that bad?? I know I became significantly darker but I sort of like this new look. The next time you see me, it would be nice to say “I think this dark look suits you” and not look at me and say “you are really very dark!” It leaves me hanging – is it a good or bad thing? Hahaha but anyway, I have been avoiding the sun like plague. Let’s not do further damage to it eh?

So what have I been doing these past 3 weeks? The no.1 thing is gorging myself silly with Singaporean food. It might be a little mean to say this but I think the only thing that Singapore has, it’s a food culture. I’ve been meeting family, friends and the first thing I would say is “let’s have Singaporean food!” and I never get sick of hokkien mee, ba chor mee, chai tao kuey etc. (By the way, the Parkway BCM auntie has retired and the standard isn’t there anymore. To have the BEST BCM in Singapore, do yourself a favor and go to Upper Thomson. I can eat 2 bowls of it at once. Heee) I revamped half of my room. Painted the walls, decorated them, threw away (and bought) a lot of furniture, disposed of old stuff and set up the curtains. When things are done, I will have a mini room-warming party :) I did a 10km Marina run that at that point, seemed to last forever. Completed it in 1hr 15mins. I always wonder why do I sign up for such things. Probably I feel some sadistic pleasure from being tortured.

It’s strange but since I’m back, I find myself being able to survive on a less-than-8hours-of-sleep day. Even after a late night out partying, after 7 hours or so, I wake up automatically, ready to seize the day. Something within my system is changing. But I like it, the days seem longer and I get more things done. Productivity SOARED. But I think every thing will change when school starts. (GROANS!!!!!) But before that agony haunts me again, I will be celebrating my 18th (HEEE!) birthday this weekend and with a little parties in lieu, I am excited.

Meanwhile, I have chicken rice date today! My friend refuses to tell me where is this chicky rice place that we will be going to. Hehhh exciting! I am also going to update the old posts with some pictures because I don’t like lengthy, wordy posts. So, to you out there reading this, I WILL PROBABLY SEE YOU THIS WEEKEND. Have a good day & week. XOXO

with love.

if only I could..
pen down all the conversations we never had
but what’s the use of words
because we are never going back 

perhaps one day the tides will turn
and when seasons have past
the connection unbroken
we will meet again 

an empty canvas
a beautiful picture we will paint 

14 July 2011, 12.48am – at Marseille Airport departing back to Istanbul.

Just bade farewell to Camille. It was harder than I thought.. I hate indefinite goodbyes. Ugh! We have been living together for 6 months! Traveling all around Turkey, then Africa (Jordan and Egypt) and lastly, France. We stayed at crappy places together, met weird people, had parties. I really don’t know how to describe it without sounding too lesbianic. She’s French and I’m Singaporean. Who would have expected us to become such close friends. I’m gonna miss her so much!! That said, I’m definitely going to come back in France and she has promised to come to Singapore and we will explore Asia together :)

I didn’t write down anything about France till now. All I can say that, I’m in love. With the people, the culture, the language and of course, the food. Camille was (I hate this past tense) so great to invite me back to France with her for her brother’s wedding. Her hometown, Saint Jeoire is so extremely freaking beautiful. Her house is set in a perfect pictureque spot, with mountains as it’s backdrop. It is really possible to fall in love with a place. And… What a wedding! The most fun and interesting wedding I have attended. I met a lot of nice people. I will forever remember this wedding. Ever. We partied hard after the wedding, I reached back home at 8am. It was crazily memorable. Ahhh…

The lovely couple :)

Camille & I at the wedding!

Ahhh superrrrr good food served at the wedding

Things happened, one thing led to another and I ended up staying an entire week at St Jeoire. Explored all the surrounding areas that were so extremely beautiful. Annecy! With the beautiful lake and the mountains. Once we had a hangover so bad and were so tired. We rented a water bike, paddled and in the middle of the lake, we jumped into the icy cold water. What can I say? It was the best way to cure a hangover. Unforgettable experience.

Charming Annecy

A dip into the lake of Annecy with the beautiful French Alps in the background.

Chamonix! With the majestic Mont Blanc. So extremely beautiful. Im over using the word beautiful because there’s not a word to describe how superb the places were.

Chamonix - Pointing at Mont Blanc

Yvoire! A quaint and cute medival village by the lake Geneva. Takes your breath away.

Yvoire - Castle basking in the sun set. Ahhh..

Transporting back in time. Take me back, please!

I forgot to mention that the wedding couple was a French and a Irish. So I got to meet plenty of Irish too. Lovely people! I love their songs and their dance moves with its joyful beat.

Everybody was so nice to me. Especially Camille’s mother. Some French speaks a little English but all always try their best to speak to me. And me, in my 0.007% French. My only French sentence I knew was vous le vous ku shay a vay mua. Hahhaha if you knew what it means. Then I progressed with “le poisson et la fraise sont rouges” which means.. A fish and a strawberry are red. Hahahha of course I managed to catch some of those very fundamental greeting words, their vulgarities and was kissing everybody on their cheeks. Muahhh!

Camille's mum - Presenting Marie Christine :D

Ahh.. France. Then, we had to move on. Camille and I set off for our road trip. After a 9 hours drive, we arrived at Toulouse aka pink town because all the houses are made of bricks. The journey was long but it was enjoyable. I was playing DJ and the scenery racing by was ooolala! Sunflowers, cows, cows mating :D

Toulouse - Pink town!

Toulouse - where they are famous for their duck! We had an overdose on duck and foie gras! :D

After Toulouse, we drove 6 hours to Camille’s sister’s house near Marseille, a little village called Cuges. Her 2 kids are so adorable!! The little baby boy, Clement, is probably the best baby I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t cry at all!! Extremely heartbreakingly adorable. All of them are such nice people.. Ahh..

Emilie with Clement (pronounced as Clemont)

Based at the sister’s house, we visited many beaches (the Mediterranean Sea), Avignon, Roussillon (Red Town), St Remy de Provence, Les Baux, Saint Tropez and Cassis. All the villages towns never fail to impress. In Avignon, there was the famous theatre festival going on and the whole place was buzzing with performers out advertising. St Remy, there was Van Gogh, Les Baux was a medival village up a hill. Beautiful! Saint Tropez is the glitz of France, with yachts dotting the harbour, pristine beaches and of course, luxurious shops together with the houses of Dior and Chanel. Cassis is quiet and quaint, similar to saint Tropez minus the crowd. Absolutely lovely.

Avignon - The annual famous performing arts festival was happening when we visited. Very interesting advertizing gimmicks!

Roussillon - The red town

Provence - Inside the hospital where Da Vinci resided

Facade of the hospital with a garden of Lavenders and Sunflowers :)

On the top of Les Baux (I miss you Camille!)

Les Baux

St Tropez - Now, where are the celebrities?

I’m so lucky to have a French with me all this time. It just made the entire experience so authentic. Something that I will truly cherish forever. Merci beaucoup Camile!! Hahah go on, laugh at my french. Lol!

One day, a package was delivered to the house and we were so curious what it was. Turned out, it was a gift from Camille’s maman (pronounced as ma-moo)!! A lonely planet guide about France!!!! If anything defines a touching moment, that was it. Not only did they housed me, pampered me with 10star hospitality, she gave me a gift. It was too much man :)

Alright, I just boarded the plane. Now back to Istanbul before flying back to Singapore. Feels so weird.. I’m missing France already… Everybody is speaking in Turkish, sounds familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. Istanbul seems like a distant memory.. A memory that I’m going back to.

3.52am – if there’s one thing I cannot stand in the world, it is a baby crying and kicking directly behind you on a night flight. I’m always super unlucky to get these annoying crying babies seated right behind me. Sometimes the more you can’t stand it, the more it will happen to you. Gahhh!! I’m trying to get some sleep here, dude.

1.09pm – Its prayer time with the song of the mosques. Welcome back to Istanbul. Hahhaha feels so unreal to be back.

I feel like a local back in Istanbul. It’s been a month since I was here and nothing has changed. Hahaha what was I expecting? I got terribly lost this morning after I arrived at Taksim. I took a wrong street and ended up walking up and down roads, 3 quarters afraid the wheels of my luggage will fly off. I almost gave up. The directions given by my friend were so straightforward and simple yet I almost ended up at the Old Istanbul side (by foot with my luggage and lack of sleep). I was in a dream like state so I just walked in whatever direction the people I asked pointed me to. After auto piloting for a while, dragging my 20kg luggage up bumpy roads, viola!! I found it. So tired!! And there was something wrong with my ears. During the flight, my right ear refused to pop. Problematic eh.

I had breakfast by the bosporus, karsalik (cheese) toast and coffee. It is indeed strange to be back with all the old memories. Hmmm.. Walked down the small streets from the spice bazaar to the grand bazaar. Roamed around Fatih district and I got some shopping done. Bloody lamps are so heavy.

Oh I just remembered! I forgot to brush my teeth since last night!

15 July 2011, 9.52am – One crazy guy was sleeping naked in the dorm!! WTHHH. Anyway my 21 hours journey back to Singapore will begin this evening :) Spent all my money last night in Taksim.

Can’t believe my 6 months long ride is gonna be over. I definitely feel different as I was 6 months ago. I have many hours to reflect on my way home! But I just got a feeling that I’ll be watching a lot of movies :D