M U R U K U . C O M

S.E.O.U.L

2012-01-10T01:02:00.002+08:00

I’m flying to Seoul tomorrow for a week! <3

I’m having the Korean fever at the right time :)

I know I’m gonna love Seoul <3

The World As I See It

2011-12-26T22:18:00.002+08:00

The world as I see it, is a remarkable place,
A beautiful house in a forest, of stars in outer space.
From a birds eye view, I can see it has a well-rounded personality
From a birds eye view, I can see we are family.
It's not hard for me to love you
Hard for me to love you
No it's not a difficult thing

2011 : A Very Muruku Year

2011-12-25T22:16:00.005+08:00

My 2011:

Break up. Grieving. Farewell Siem Reap. Loved Universal Studios Spore. Travelled solo to Europe. Walked under the rain in Paris. Had a fiesta time in Barcelona with Ferlynn :) Shed tears of joy in Milan. Got really lost in Venice. Climbed over 400 steps to get the best view of Florence. Made wishes at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Felt holy in Vatican City. Job promotion. Chopped off my hair & until now still couldn't grow lol. Still grieving. Dark & depressing days. Watched fireworks in Disneyland Hong Kong. Hyperthyroidism. Self-resentment. Suicidal. Attempted to resign. Confused. Finally saw the silver lining behind those dark clouds. Never been this happy before. Bought tickets to Seoul for winter. Closure. No more sadness. No more grieving. Won a free stay at a 5-bedroom suites Villa in Bali through an online contest :) Syukur everyday for everything. A very happy Christmas. Welcoming 2012 with open arms and an open heart :) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! Buon Natale e Buono Anno Nuovo a tutti!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:06:00.001+08:00

因為你 (Yin Wei Ni)

2011-12-11T17:00:00.007+08:00

因為你 (Because of You)

Dearest Papa,

Happy 1 year anniversary, Papa :) This year we’ll be celebrating Christmas in our memories of you. You loved Christmas, you would play beautiful Christmas songs at this time of the year, and you loved having us around during Christmas :)

I know that you are much happier now, I am happy for you too. You are now in the safest place, with no sufferings or pain, in God’s protection. You can run freely with Emmet and Brownie, and other angels there.

It has been a rough year for me, but I am very happy now. I finally saw the silver lining behind the dark clouds. I’m sure you are very happy for me too.

Pain and loss makes everyone stronger, there is a reason behind everything, and I truly understand that now.

I will see you in heaven, Papa. Thank you for your continuous blessings, you will forever, eternally be in my heart even in my death :)

Lots of love,

Petrine XOXO

Any Public Mutual agents here?

2011-12-06T23:27:00.001+08:00

2011-12-05T21:57:00.004+08:00

From yCism to M U R U K U . C O M to my new blog : everybodylovesmuruku.tumblr.com !
My tumblr blog is so happy clappy! I don't know if I'll come back to blogspot though haha.
But I'll still keep blogspot cos of the many many memories and this is my first blog :)
Head over to my new one everybodylovesmuruku.tumblr.com for a visit!
I'm very happy now!

The Pursuit of Closure

2011-12-02T23:55:00.088+08:00

I'm better now, been happy for the last 2 days.
I really do apologize for all of the angry, suicidal and emotional FB statuses over the last 2 months, cos most of the times, it was my thyroid hormones talking (very unstable hormones), that wasn't me. I am actually a jovial person haha.
Now I'm happier cos I have stopped those hormones from controlling my mind.
In fact, I am actually contented with my life and grateful for everything good in my life.

A few days ago, when the memories of him and us became too intense, impulsively, I smsed him.
I was looking for a closure. I think.
He replied. He wanted us to be together again. As much as I do not want to hurt him, I also do not want to hurt myself by going through it all over again.
How I have wished that he would understand me more, and hurt me less in the past. But now all of these does not matter to me anymore.
We just do not have a future together. And we're better individually apart.
Now I'm either gonna leave it as it is, or reply him to "Please forget me".
I guess this is closure to me.

I really wish that I can erase selective memories. Then my life would be a little less painful, and easier to create new memories.
It took me so long to get a closure for this relationship.
I just don't want to give him hope anymore. Cos there's no point getting back together and then break up again.
It's better for him to find someone else who's more compatible with him.
I don't mind being his friend again but if he's not willing to, then there's nothing much that I can do.
I wish him all the best in his future undertakings, I hope that he will forget about me soon.

Now I'm running towards closure with an open heart.
I hope this means that I'll no longer think about him, no longer will have that longing.
Goodbye my dear and thanks for the sweet memories.

YC LOCO's Tips On How To Handle Complaints Effectively

2011-12-01T22:12:00.112+08:00

I've been in a mentoring role for about 4.5 years, also handled complex disputes/managerial escalations for about 3 years, and in a supervisory role for 6 months now.
I have learnt how to solve and/or improve the escalations (Complaint calls from customers) throughout the years. Hence, I'm here to share my tactics/experiences I had so far, on how to make an escalation call a better experience for your customers :

1. Sound calm. Customers are already frantic/agitated during a complaint call, and if they ever detect your slighest bit of impatience/annoyance, you're just digging your own grave.

2. Do NOT raise your voice. If you do, you're not solving the problem. You're only making it worse. If a customer is shouting at you, do NOT go to the same level as him/her, you must still sound polite and convincing nevertheless. Eventually, the customer will calm down hearing your calm tone.

3. Let the customer rant. Let him/her vent out all of their frustrations. Then only you can address his/her issues one by one. From there, you can identify the root cause that has made the customer unhappy.

4. Be aware of your choice of words. Do not use sentences that start with "I cannot", "I won't", "I don't want". If the customer's request is really unreasonable, then use sentences like "I'm afraid that we are unable to accede to your request..." Or "After much consideration from the management, your appeal was unsuccessful..."

5. Do NOT give the wrong information. This is already a complaint call, you wouldn't want another complaint call, would you? :p

6. Do NOT interrupt. Probably one of the worst things to do while facing a furious customer. In my personal experience as a customer, I did encounter situations whereby some Supervisors/Managers interrupted me while I was talking to them. That has made me even more angry & complained more.

7. Active listening. Your customer would rather talk to a tree than to encounter someone who's not listening to him. Believe me, it's really bad to ask a customer to keep repeating the story. I have blasted many officers who did this to me. Open up your ears and listen with an open heart.
Always remember that customers expect you to solve his/her problems once and for all, and not ding dong here ding dong there.

8. Do NOT sound sleepy. Oh gosh, I have a colleague who sounds very sleepy/sad while talking to customers. One customer actually told him to sound more cheerful! Do not let customers highlight your weak points. Improve yourself before you even start talking with any customers.

9. Convince them that you are helping them in their best interests. Whenever a customer sounds that he/she has given up on us, I would convince them that I'm really here to help them. You must sound genuine and helpful as well.

10. Do not end the call yet when customer is still unhappy. By doing all of the above, you should be able to make customers happy before the end of the call. Always think of the best solutions, everything has a solution, and let customers know about their options.

Thanks for reading and I hope that this would somehow help you :)

Heal Me

2011-11-29T23:22:00.080+08:00

If God can fully heal my heart, that would be greatly appreciated.
I am still tearing up while listening to Cuo De Ren.
I couldn't stop listening cos this is like my ultimate heartbreak song.
It's like my song.
The soundtrack of my life.
My life that is full of heartbreaks and whatnots.
Maybe I was meant to be born as a loser.

Am always masking my pain in front of my close friends.
I find it really hard to express my feelings verbally.
And thus...I resorted to here.
Just the way of how Cuo De Ren was sang & how the music video was made, it's enough to make me miserable & cry myself to sleep for probably a week or two.

I didn't even give a second chance to him.
He tried calling me many many times but I ignored him for like, 3 months.
Maybe I should have given that chance to him, maybe I should have not jumped to conclusions.
Maybe I should have not given up on a relationship so easily.
Maybe I should have learnt on how to maintain a relationship.

Maybe in another life, I'll be his girl.
I'm always screwing up everything in my life, sometimes I wish I knew how to make things right instead of making things worse.

Wrong Person / 錯的人/ Cuo De Ren

2011-11-28T22:07:00.207+08:00

Ai de tai zhen tai rong yi rang zi ji xi sheng,
Tai rong yi rang zi ji cheng lun,
Tai rong yi bu gu yi qie man shi shang hen,
Wo tai ben ming zhi dao ni zhi cuo de ren,
Ming zhi dao zhe bu shi yuan fen,
Dan shi wo hai fen bu gu shen...

- Elva Hsiao - Cuo De Ren -

This is like, probably the first ever Chinese song that I've ever blogged about.
Its lyrics touched me so much, and I can totally relate to it.
Not like I understand all of the lyrics, but I understood the most emotional part of this song - "Wo tai ben ming zhi dao ni zhi cuo de ren"
To translate it literally - I'm so stupid, knowing all along that you were the wrong person.
I probably, like understood only 3 lines from that mandarin song haha. But the thing that matters is that I understood the main part of it.

In which it has made me terribly emotional tonight.
I have been avoiding to listen to this song ever since my break up with him.
I have also been avoiding talking about Cambodia & him anymore cos the hurt is just too much to bear.
I discovered this song in Siem Reap, Cambodia, where my friends were telling me how beautiful this song was. It also means that I liked this song at the very same time when I have realised my feelings for him.
I kept asking myself whether he was the wrong person?
But the feelings were too beautiful back then to have doubts.
It seemed so right, I haven't felt like that in a very long time.

Just like in this music video, the beginning seemed like a fairytale, where nothing seems to be able to make me come back to reality.
I sacrificed my money for him, making another 2 trips there.
Just because I missed him too much.
It was too unbearable to be away from him.
And for the first time in my life, I thought that finally, there was someone who loves me with all of his heart and soul.

We kept in touch extensively for the first few months, with me making most of the effort and initiatives.
Then, as time goes by, he started by contacting me lesser and lesser.
Then, it was a completely no-contact for 1 month. Or more. I couldn't remember.
And he was beginning to make more excuses. And more lies.
I finally snapped back into reality.
I then realised that he was not after my heart, but rather everything else.
I ignored him too, but sometimes I would still call him to make sure he was fine.
What a fool I was, to care so much for someone who didn't even give a shit about me.

We didn't properly break up then. But I have already given up on him.
Like, 2 months after we last spoke, he finally called.
But I ignored all of his calls and smses.
He even tried calling me when I was in Venice, but I just didn't feel like talking to him anymore.
Then he stopped calling in June.
Then he called again in July.
This time I picked up and broke up with him.
If he really cared, he would try to call after the break up, but no he didn't as expected.
Because I was nothing to him, and will never be.
He has caused just too much hurt to me.

Whenever I hear this song, it brings me back to those sweet memories with him.
I have moved on, but the memories are just....indescribable.
I still haven't forgotten about him, I still have the memories of him
I would tear each time I think of us, what we used to have, how we were happier back then.
Tell me how to erase the memories of him, and the memories of us?

A Thousand Years

2011-11-25T22:43:00.005+08:00

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
Watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow...

One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more...

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more...

11 Countries, 18 Cities

2011-11-18T21:12:00.011+08:00

October 2009 : Bangkok
December 2009 : Singapore
January 2010 : Beijing
April 2010 : Phuket & Krabi
August 2010 : Gold Coast & Sydney & Brisbane
October & November 2010 : Siem Reap
January 2011 : Siem Reap
March 2011 : Singapore Universal Studios
June 2011 : Paris & Barcelona & Milan & Venice & Rome & Florence & Dubai
September 2011 : Hong Kong
January 2012 : Seoul

One Year : A Memorial

2011-11-07T19:15:00.054+08:00

Since my father had passed away, I lost my will to write. I lost my will to live.
The pain seems just like yesterday.
A year has passed, and next month would be his 1 year anniversary.

He passed on just a week before Christmas last year. For the first time in our lives, we didn't celebrate Christmas last year.
Now Christmas is just around the corner, all of the emotions came back again.
All of the memories came back again - how I reacted upon finding out the bad news from my sister, how my brother-in-law rushed us back to our hometown while I cried in the car, how I cried & sobbed when I saw my father in his coffin, how I handled his funeral, how I fought with the church people to give him a funeral mass in our church so that the priest would bless him, how I kept crying in my bed at night, how I kept a strong face in front of our relatives when I was only crying inside, how my heart cried while me & my sister carried his coffin into the church, how we were so grateful to our Priest that he was willing to conduct a mass for my father, how I broke down in my eldest uncle's car when we were accompanying my father for his last journey around his beloved hometown, how I teared up during his cremation process and how my mother cried for him, and how we made sure the whole funeral process went smoothly and we rested him at Nilai Memorial Park, as a final gift to him.

It pains me to write all these, can't hold back the tears at all, but I'm writing these with all my heart like how I have loved my father. There are so many regrets that I have now, and will continue to have these regrets for the rest of my life.

It makes me feel better to know that my father is happier in heaven now.

I know that my father is very forgiving, and I know that he has forgiven me.
But I still have not forgiven myself.

In Loving Memory of Peter Loh
(18 November 1945 - 19 December 2010)

2011-10-28T15:51:00.004+08:00

Every single thing in my life is just sad. My work, my sacrifices, my non-existent love life, my depressing mind, my suicidal self.

It's okay, my end is coming soon.

2011-10-15T22:41:00.044+08:00

It's one of those nights, listening to an extremely sad song, feeling totally miserable inside.
Probably having another quarter life crisis now.
I don't even know how to express myself anymore.
Heart feels numb, lifeless.
Mind feels aimless, lost.
Eyes sore from the tears.
Soul felt an invisible pain.

I dunno, but I felt different upon my return from Europe.
I felt so carefree there, so relaxed, so contented.
Felt like a brand new person.
For the first time, I wasn't thinking of killing myself while I was there.

It was such a huge dream of mine to leave my footsteps in Italy.
And now, I've achieved that. But somewhere somehow inside became sadder than ever once I've left Italy.
Probably the thought of coming back to reality made me depressed.
It was like a fantasy for 10 days in Europe.
Coming back to reality was a bitch.

Hiong Kong!

2011-10-14T22:00:00.000+08:00

Our girly trip to Hong Kong in Sept! The Disneyland's beautiful fireworks display (accompanied by the song "A Whole New World") is at the end of this video.

Music : Mel C - On the Horizon

Thanks for watching!

2011-10-04T20:34:00.005+08:00

Just when I feel like dying, I'll probably won't die. And next time when I have found my happiness and don't feel like dying, I'll probably die.

Always a dead end. Always stuck.

Forever depressed. Forever unhappy.

A Tribute To My Father

2011-09-06T23:06:00.124+08:00

I don't even know where to begin.
There are just too many thoughts flying in my mind, where the negative thoughts outweigh the positive ones.
The truth is, I have been depressed ever since Dec last year, when I have lost my father.
I hid it very well from my family and friends.
And I didn't blog much about it either.
I guess that's where the problem has started - I have kept it all to myself.

Until todate, I still haven't completed my eulogy for my father.
It's just too difficult for me to write that...
I have started it...but I just don't know how to finish it without tearing my eyes out.

The thing was, I have so many regrets ever since the passing of my father.
I kept blaming myself, I felt that I wasn't the best daughter to him, I felt that I wasn't the most obedient one, and I have taken him for granted.
I kept telling myself that I'll be closer to him, I kept thinking that I had more time with him, I have taken everything for granted.
Unfortunately, time was not on my side.
It was too late then.
I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to him.

Thinking back, there were so many opportunities, so many times that I could have made it up to him, there were so many instances where I could have shown more love for him.
My father is a simple man, he had always been helpful, kind and generous even when he didn't have much money.
He has helped many people in need, and his love for dogs was truly inspiring - he has saved many stray dogs before, and because of him, my love for dogs has grown a lot throughout the years.
I am now more involved in charities for dogs since last year, as a tribute to him, and also because I have actually made a promise when I was younger, that was, to contribute to help the dogs in need. And this year, I have decided to share more about animal rights on facebook, etc, to create more awareness out there.
I'm sure that my father would be happy that I've done all that he would have done too.

My father may not be the richest man on this planet, but his generosity has taught me a lot on giving without expecting anything back.
He had always stood by me despite my wrong decisions, and he had always forgiven me for my faults and disobediences.
He has never loved me any less, he always had such unspoken pride for me, he was always behind my back no matter what.
I love you Papa always and forever, through life and death I'll always love you.
If I ever have the chance to have one more day with you, I'll cherish those moments for the rest of my life.

Lots of love,
Your youngest, Petrine.

Frozen

2011-09-05T22:35:00.015+08:00

Out of the blue, I browsed through the old smses in my handphone yesterday night.
To my surprise, I was still keeping those smses dated way back in 2009.
Somehow, maybe I wanted to remind myself of how I was before.
How I was more affectionate, how I had more hope...
Now, I'm nothing but feeling constantly hopeless in this.
And my heart feels frozen.

My Version of Florence & Rome

2011-08-21T18:30:00.002+08:00

The final documentary of my European adventure 2 months ago. These are my memories of Florence & Rome :)

Music : One Republic - Say (All I Need)

My Memories of Milan & Venice

2011-08-21T11:40:00.003+08:00

Having the time of my life in Italy, my documentary of Milan & Venice.

Music : Coldplay - Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

My Paris & Barcelona's Documentary

2011-08-20T11:36:00.000+08:00

Bits & pieces of my documentary in Paris & Barcelona :)

Music : Jason Mraz - Make It Mine :)

Marhaba Dubai !

2011-08-13T21:47:00.006+08:00

16 June 2011
Location : Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates

Flew from Rome to Dubai for a stopover, giving me a chance to view the one of the largest airports in the world - Dubai International Airport.

Up, up, up in the air

Hello Dubai!

Reached there at about 11.30pm Dubai time, had a 3 hours transit before my flight back to KL

They have smoking zones in the airport

A middle-eastern restaurant

Citi's ads were everywhere

I was just window-shopping & didn't buy anything, cos I was lazy to change my money into UAE Dirhams lol.

Good night Dubai!

2011-08-09T00:27:00.003+08:00

I may have the courage to travel solo to the other side of the world, but when it comes to love & confessions, I'm a chickenshit.

Ciao Roma! - The Final Day

2011-08-05T22:56:00.057+08:00

14 - 15 June 2011
Location : Rome, Italy (Final Day)

Roma Termini Station

Piazza Barberini, nearby where I stayed at

Pene with mozarella cheese again haha

Hotel lobby

Lobby area

Mine :)

Souvenirs :)

And more souvenirs :)

Rosaries from the Vatican City for me & my family :)

Rome's map

Florence's map given by that hotel lengchai

Venice's map

Barca's scarf for my colleague

Hotel breakfast

The beautiful view from the 7th floor of the hotel's breakfast room

Egg mayo yummss

Pink building

Final walk around Rome

Their side-walk restaurants are really nice, in a glass house

Their government building

One last look at Rome :( before I head over to the Barberini's metro station

At Rome Termini's station - it's a shopping complex + train station all in one, quite cool

The train to the Fiumicino Airport from Roma Termini - Leonardo Express

Pretty pink flowers

Arrived at the Fiumicino / Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, Rome

Rome - Dubai ticket

Dubai - KL ticket

Crispy McBacon is so good!

Inside Emirates :)

Arrivederci Roma, Farewell Italy :(

Watching Potter while having dinner LOL. They have blackcurrant cheesecake onboard!

Bought a huge Kitkat from Rome's airport

All of the souvenirs from the 6 European cities! The baby tee is for my niece/nephew hee.

The things that I bought for myself from each different city :)

One pair of souvenirs for the newlyweds - my sister & her husband :)

Next post : Marhaba Dubai !

Ciao Roma!

2011-08-01T22:32:00.099+08:00

14 - 15 June 2011
Location : Rome, Italy

Took the 6am train from Florence and arrived in Rome at 9am! If it was not for rushing to catch the 6am train from Florence, I would have had breakfast with that lengchai hotel guy in Florence LOL.

Roma Termini Station (their central station)

Had McChicken at Roma Termini station (was so hungry at that time)

Checked into Hotel Eliseo!

I super love this room! Hotel Eliseo is a 4 star hotel in Rome, nearest metro station is Barberini. It's nearby Spanish steps and the Spagna metro station too.

This hotel costs me RM500/night, cos somehow I decided to reward myself in the final European city of my trip, saved the best hotel for the last haha

Mother Mary's pic above my bed :)

The shower

My room number :)

They have excellent service and they allowed early check-in. I totally recommend this hotel.

Strolling along the streets of Roma :) :) :)

Smiling at beautiful buildings

Italia flags :)

First stop : The Trevi Fountain!

Just. Beautiful.

Threw 3 different Euro coins into the fountain with my back against the fountain, while making my wishes :) Legend says that if you throw a coin with your back against the fountain, you will return to Rome! So I threw 3 coins! Haha

Gelato is a must in Italy!

Had 3 Gelato flavors - Tiramisu, Chocolate and Pistachio

Enjoying my gelato while enjoying the beauty of Trevi Fountain

Piazza di Spagna, where the Spanish Steps are.

American Express Travel Service Office!

Spanish Steps!

Hi Horsie!

Piazza di Santa Maria del Popolo

Santa Maria del Popolo

An example of a suave-looking middle-aged Italian man ;P

My first day in Rome involved a lot of walking, hence I managed to do most of the attractions in just 1 day :) Fell in love with Rome and its history :)

Next Post : Ciao Roma - The Final Day

The Colosseum and Vatican City!

2011-07-31T21:53:00.106+08:00

14 - 15 June 2011
Location : The Colosseum and Vatican City, Rome, Italy

I was very excited to visit the Vatican City! The Holy City!

Stopped at the metro train stop : St Pietro - Musei Cipro (the nearest to Vatican City) but still needed to walk quite far haha

The view of Vatican City from afar!

Still walking lol

Entering the Vatican City!

St Peter's square! Omg I still couldn't believe that I was here. Just look at the longgg queue

Vatican City is very small actually, 2 - 3 hours here should be sufficient. And 1 hour is for queuing up only LOL

Beautiful city!

St Peter's square's view from St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Basilica! Can cry each time looking at the beauty of each detail of the Cathedral

The ceiling :)

Done my prayers here hence wrapping up my mission to pray in 4 main Cathedrals in 4 Italian cities :)

One of the windows is where the Pope's room is. I think

Swiss guards woots

Taking pic with the Pope lol

Magnificient

The Vatican Museum.

After Vatican City, I decided to walk to the other nearest metro station - Ottaviano (To go to the Colosseum next). But shit, it was even further away from Cipro's station!

Nevertheless, after much walking at the Vatican City lol, I arrived at the Colosseum by stopping at the Colosseo metro station. Luckily managed to reach there before the Colosseum closes.

Harro Colosseum!

Paid 12 Euros for the entry i think, couldnt really remember the exact price though.

Quite amazed at how they built this actually

Outside of the Colosseum

Some kind British girl helped me to take this pic, cos I helped them to take their pic LOL

Next post : Ciao Roma!

Hello Florence (Part I)

2011-07-26T23:23:00.056+08:00

13 June 2011
Location : Florence, Italy (Part I)

Arrived in Florence at 6am! Took the train from Venice at 3am, almost slept through the whole journey and almost landed all the way south in Rome instead of Florence! LOL
Luckily I woke up when the other passenger in my cabin exited the train. Panicked, I grabbed my heavy backpack and asked an American guy about our current location.
Although a tad bit unsure, he said "Florence!"
Thus i quickly jumped out of the train LOL.
Such a close call. Had almost skipped Florence, had almost landed in Rome instead.

Couldn't do much at 6am at that time, nothing was opened, hence went to search for my hotel. Luckily managed to find it, after asking for directions.

Hotel Aurora, just opposite the Santa Maria della Novella train station

Trams around the city. Florence is one of those cities that has no metro facility.

Somewhere near my hotel

The other side of Santa Maria della Novella Cathedral

The Duomo - Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral

Beautiful :)

The Dome of the Cathedral

The Cathedral wasn't opened until 10.30am so I followed the crowd to climb up the Dome first.

The ceiling inside the Duomo

Climbed 462 steps to the top of the Dome omg! Somemore I didnt have breakfast! And not to mention lack of sleep the night before! And such lack of stamina!

But it was so worth it, every single energy was worth it

Cos the view from the top of the Dome was so spectacular
:)

Can see the whole of Florence from the top

Climbed down 462 steps and rested outside the Cathedral

Look at the queue

Finally, 10.30am came so the doors to the Cathedral opened

Another beautiful Cathedral

Did my prayers here as well :)

Paid 4 Euros to climb up to the Dome

Florence is bellissima!

Next post : CIAO ROMA!

Tears Dry On Their Own

2011-07-26T23:13:00.008+08:00

All I can ever be to you,
Is a darkness that we knew,
And this regret I've got accustomed to,
Once it was so right,
When we were at our high,
Waiting for you in the hotel at night,
I knew I hadn't met my match,
But every moment we could snatch,
I don't know why I got so attached,
It's my responsibility,
And you don't owe nothing to me,
But to walk away I have no capacity

He walks away,
The sun goes down,
He takes the day but I'm grown,
And there's no way, in this blue shape,
My tears dry on their own...

I don't understand,
Why do I stress A man,
When there's so many bigger things at hand,
We could a never had it all,
We had to hit a wall,
So this is inevitable withdrawal,
Even if I stop wanting you,
A Perspective pushes true,
I'll be some next man's other woman soon,

I shouldn't play myself again,
I should just be my own best friend,
Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men...

So we are history,
YOUR shadow covers me
The sky above,
A blaze only that lovers see

I wish I could say no regrets,
And no emotional debts,
Cause as we kiss goodbye the sun sets
So we are history,
The shadow covers me,
The sky above a blaze that only lovers see,

He walks away,
The sun goes down,
He takes the day but I'm grown,
And in no way,
In my deep shape
My tears dry...

The Late Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own

Hello Florence! (Part II)

2011-07-25T21:29:00.046+08:00

13 June 2011
Location : Florence, Italy (Part II)

Hopping merrily around the streets of Florence :) They have Italian flags hanging from buildings everywhere :)

Got the Florence's map given by my hotel's lengjai receptionist hehe, and landed in Piazza della Signoria, where The David is!

Amazing right, they have statues like these in a piazza (square)

Isn't Florence amazing?

Palazzo Vecchio

Hello David!

I like Florence cos it's a more low-profiled city, and almost everywhere (the tourist spots) are within walking distance!

Inside Palazzo Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio (Ponte = Bridge)

Walked across the Ponte Vecchio into the other side of Florence

Palazzo Pitti

Zara

Lunchtime at a nice side-walk cafe somewhere near the Piazza della Signoria :)

Fusini with mozarella cheese & tomato

Santa Maria della Novella Cathedral (next to the Santa Maria della Novella train station)

Piazza della Santa Maria Novella (In Italy, the big square around any Cathedrals is called a 'Piazza' = Square)

My lovely room in Hotel Aurora, 3 star hotel, just opposite the Santa Maria della Novella train station, it was about 460/night (105 Euros). Needed a room near the train station cos took an early morning train the next day to Rome.

I like the princess-y feel of the room lol

Cute wardrobe :)

The view from my room

The view of the Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral) from my room

Another view from my room

Cute walls in the room

Would definitely recommend this hotel, clean & nice room, cute hotel guy, very near to the train station. Lol

The view of the mountain from my room

Souvenirs from Florence :)

Inside the hotel

At the train station at that evening, cos needed to buy the early morning train ticket to Rome the next day

Train ticket to Rome!! (My final Italian city)

Outside the train station

Italia flag everywhere

Bullet train.

The Trenitalia's ticket machine that I used in all of their 4 cities to buy train tickets!

The board showing many platforms & destinations. Indeed they have many platforms, but not as many as the central train station in Sydney, Australia or the ones in The Centrale station in Milan, Italy.

Dinnertime!

My first Ravioli ! With mozarella cheese (again lol) & bacon ! And Coke Light! I tend to drink a lottt of Coke Light while travelling. Cos I walked a lotttt during this entire trip I felt like I've walked the whole of Italy lol.

yummeh!

Good night Florence! Buona notte Firenze!

Back to hotel

The night view, the tram was still operating at that hour of the night

The view of the Dome :)

Gennaro Gattuso on TV! Love! (He's an Italian National football player)

Woke up early next morning to catch the early 6am train to Roma!

Also Hogwarts style!

Next post : Hello Florence (Part I)

2011-07-24T21:01:00.001+08:00

Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.

~James A. Baldwin

The Old Trainer

2011-07-19T22:00:00.035+08:00

Am currently attending a 4-day Management course in a 5 star hotel in KL, along with other Managers from other departments.
It has been an interesting one so far, as I'm still new in my role, and needs more knowledge about the management - the processes, strategies, skills, managing resources, managing staff, etc.
I'm now socialising more with other Managers whom I have never spoken to before lol.

The trainer for this course is my ex-trainer when I first joined SCB 2 years ago, she is a Singaporean woman who is a really good trainer/firm/no-nonsense kind of trainer. Now she has been promoted to be a Global Trainer, which means that she would travel all over the world to train staff from branches worldwide (really interesting job right!). Hence, here she is, in Msia, training us this time.

The highlight of my day today was when our trainer said this in front of the whole class : "2 years ago, I was the one who has interviewed YC, trained her for 10 days last time, now she's sitting here as a supervisor, I feel so proud of her."

I still cannot believe that she still remembers so much about me, it was such an honor to me that she said that about me today :)

St Mark's Basilica

2011-07-18T22:24:00.046+08:00

11 - 12 June 2011
Location : St Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy

I gasped when I saw St Mark's Basilica! The paintings on the building are just so magnificient, beyond words. So so so beautiful that you just have to see it for yourself.

Ahhh pigeons everywhere

Am amazed by this painting on the building

Inside St Mark's Basilica :) Walls & ceilings covered in gold :)

The view from the top floor of St Mark's Basilica

Another view from the top

I just love the fact that the 4 main Cathedrals I visited in Italy are all individually beautiful in their own ways, and so mesmerizing.

I'm so proud to be a Catholic, and to be able to see these Cathedrals with my own eyes is a huge blessing.

Did my prayers here as well, which means I've done prayers in 2 Cathedrals so far (1 here in Venice, and 1 was in Milan's Duomo), 2 more Cathedrals to go :)

Venice is such a beautiful city that I would love to revisit next time if there is a chance to. The people here are all so laid back, so different from the ones in big cities like Rome or Milan, and its beautiful island itself makes it different from all other cities in Italy.

Next post : Hello Florence!

Venice : City of Water - Part I

2011-07-16T23:07:00.116+08:00

11 - 12 June 2011
Location : Venice, Italy (Part I)

Took the afternoon train from Milan to Venice, the journey was 2.5 hours. Enjoyed the Italian countryside views as the train passed by a few cities while on the way to Venice. Reached Venice late afternoon. Stopped at Venezia Santa Lucia's station. (Venice consists of 2 parts - 1 part is an island, while the other is the mainland).

In the train heading to Venice Santa Lucia station. So excited to see water!

At Venice Santa Lucia train station

This was the view as soon as I stepped out of the Ferrovia (Train station).

Straightaway needed to take sampan over to the hotel. I'm kidding. Ferry bus, I mean.

The waiting area for the ferry bus

The stations' map

Ferry arrived!

Inside the Ferry bus (Vaporetto)

Some gondola man lol

The grand Rialto bridge

San Stefano square, where I stayed

Lunchtime!

A big Pizza Magherita all by myself (it's a plain pizza with mozarella cheese and tomato paste yums)

My hotel in Domus Ciliota, about RM360/night, bed & breakfast, considered cheap as compared to other hotel prices ranging from RM500 - RM1k per night in Venice.

It's clean and quite spacious for a single room

Souvenirs from Milan

Hotel entrance

Having a chilled Coca-cola while walking under the hot sun

View of Venice from the Accademia bridge :)

Accademia Gallery

I love the Meditteranean music played by random street musicians.

Giant black dog in front of Santa Maria della Salute Cathedral

Romantic picture

:D

Vaporetto stop

Restaurants along the Grand Canal

Sunset

Another romantic pic

The Grand Canal is so beautiful

Birds in the sky

I just love Venice :)

Next post : Venice - St Mark's Basilica

Venice : City of Water - Part II

2011-07-15T23:15:00.097+08:00

11 - 12 June 2011
Location : Venice, Italy (Part II)

Evening shots of Venezia.

I just love how Venice looks.

Birds flying peacefully across the sky

Such a stress-free city. Maybe cos they don't have any cars on the streets.

Venice has never failed to take my breath away. Every single time.

Even the dogs look happier here lol

Sunset shot <3

Cute Labrador <3

Took a map of Vaporetto's stations just incase I needed to refer to it. (Vaporetto = Ferry bus)

Classic Italian balconies

Such a romantic city

The Accademia bridge that connects San Marco and Dorsoduro.

Gondola

I think I left my heart here.

<3

At San Stefano square, where I stayed.

Somewhere near my hotel

Resting ! Walked the whole day around the island lol

Restaurants around the square

My 3 euros dinner LOL. Love the chips!

Souvenirs from Venice :)

The next morning, hotel breakfast. Love the crispy danish apple croissant

Breakfast in the garden of the hotel, with the sounds of birds chirping and church bells chiming :)

Street choir performing at San Stefano square

Venice is filled with maze-like narrow streets like this

Basilica Santa Maria della Salute

Inside Santa Maria Della Salute

:)

June 12 was their boat race festival, I was lucky to witness it :)

I was looking for St Mark's Basilica, and it was at this point where I've realised that I've sesat/went the wrong direction LOL FML. Had to ask a handsome policeman for directions. I was stupidly confident that I could do Venice WITHOUT a map. I was so wrong.

But never mind, camwhore dulu LOL

The Accademia bridge again. So many people watching the race at that time.

Boat race.

This is somewhere near St Mark's Basilica. At this time, I was still WITHOUT a map LOL. I just walked straight, following the view of the Basilica's Dome from afar lol.

No, this is not St Mark's Basilica. But I dunno what is the name of this lol.

(This post will not feature St Mark's Basilica cos I will post a special post dedicated to St Mark's Basilica after this)

After visiting St Mark's Basilica, I was walking blindly, thinking I knew the way back (like damn hero like that), I was following the buildings' numbers (Venice has numbers on each house/building) so I thought that it would be easy to do it without a map. But as I walked, I began to realise that I've went to the wrong direction again. I have actually walked to the other side of the island already! (This pic proved that I have almost reached Arsenale! It was the other end of the island *pengsan FML). Then I patah balik all the way back to San Marco again wtf.

Was hungry like a dinosaur cos it was already 4pm and I still haven't had my lunch. Cos apparently I was too busy getting lost in Venice wtf. Had a hugeass Pizza with hams, shit I forgot the Italian name of this pizza.

The guy sitting in front of me paid for his meal with a traveller's cheque. Steady wei. The owner was damn boh song.

One last look at San Stefano square. Am missing Venice now

Final walk around Venice island :(

This statue is near the Venice Santa Lucia train station

The train station

So funny, I actually took a free Vaporetto ride from San Stefano (island) to mainland (the train station). It wasn't my fault, their ticket booths were all closed, probably due to the boat festival, but luckily they didn't check tickets on board lol. So, I have saved 6.50 euros :)

My train ticket to Florence!

Bye Bye Venice :(

Inside the train heading to Venice Mestre's station. Needed to take the train to Florence from Venice Mestre station, not Venice Santa Lucia.

Hello Venice Mestre :)

Spent hours at McD while waiting for my 3am train to Florence

Had quite a few dodgy characters lurking around the train station after midnight. Was quite scary actually but thank God for protecting me.

Reminds me of Hogwarts Express! :D

Not bad, their Euronight train is very posh-looking :) And so, I slept like a pig in the train LOL, the story continues in Florence :)

Next post : Venice : City of Water - Part I

Don't Say You Love Me

2011-07-12T22:40:00.003+08:00

I’ve seen this place a thousand times
I’ve felt this all before
And every time you call
I’ve waited there as though you might not call at all

I know this face I’m wearing now
I’ve seen this in my eyes
And though it feels so great, I’m still afraid
That you’ll be leaving anytime

We’ve done this once and then you closed the door
Don’t let me fall again for nothing more

Don’t say you love me unless forever
Don’t tell me you need me, if you’re not gonna stay
Don’t give me this feeling, I’ll only believe it
Make it real or take it all away…

The Corrs - Don’t Say You Love Me

2011-07-10T01:53:00.003+08:00

At times, when a relationship fails, there's no point beating up yourself over it. If it's not meant to be, then it's not meant to be. But it's normal to feel sad though. Perhaps, sometimes, it's better off without those tears and heartaches.

Ciao Milan!

2011-07-03T15:15:00.228+08:00

10 June 2011
Location : Milan, Italy

Ciao Italia! Buongiorno Italy! FINALLY I'M IN ITALY! *Tears of joy! You have no idea how excited I was, I was literally hopping around the streets of Italy, grinning ear to ear to myself, smiling at random strangers. Still felt so surreal :D
Oh how I have missed greeting people in Italian!
After bidding goodbye to Barcelona and Ferlynn, I flew to Milan via Easyjet again.
Plane was delayed for 30 mins cos the plane flew in late from UK to Barcelona.
Luckily I was not rushing or anything like that.
But the downside was that people would start queuing up early (cos Easyjet is a free-seating plane), hence the queue would become very long, and I was at the back of the line carrying my super heavy pink backpack (Easyjet only allows ONE hand carry bag so I had to squeeze everything into 1 bag oh gosh), somemore I bought so many souvenirs at Barcelona, my shoulders were numb from the weight lol. But it was a budget airline, so I had no complaints. Cos my ticket was quite cheap, i think it was only about 20 - 30 Euros, can't really remember hehe.
And so I touched down at Milan Malpensa Airport's Terminal 2.
Didn't know that we had to take a bus to Terminal 1 to get the Malpensa Express train (The distance between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 is quite far actually).
Didn't research this part, my fault lol.

Inside the Malpensa Express :)

Took Malpensa Express to Milan Cadorna's station, and then changed to Metro Line 1 (Red Line) and stopped at Cairoli/Castello station. And this was the view that I saw as soon as I hopped out of the metro station :)

Walking towards my hotel

Genius Downtown Hotel, 3 stars, on Via Porlezza, 10 mins walk to the Duomo, and near to the Fashion Boulevard, about RM400/night, single room, room is small, pic above is the size of the room lol, no air-conditioner, just a fan but was alright cos it was cold in Milan. To me, it's more like a bed & breakfast style, but oh well, it was just 1 night that I was there, hence no complaints.
By the way, this is the ONLY hotel out of the 6 hotels that I stayed throughout my trip that has no free wifi. They charge it at 9 Euros, a bit the mahal, so I didn't opt for it.

Not bad, they have wine in my room lol

The fashion boulevard as soon as I walked out from my hotel.

Pizza stalls

Trams around the city

Side-walk cafes near the Duomo

The Duomo!
It was seriously so so so beautiful, I cried inside the Duomo Cathedral while doing my prayers.

I was like wow here wow there

AC Milan babeh!

Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II - the oldest shopping mall, just beside the Duomo

Went inside the Duomo, free entrance. But Italian guards will check your bags before you can enter the Cathedral.

Inside the Cathedral. Was using my Pink Lumix for all of the shots inside the Cathedral cos I didn't bring along my Canon DSLR at that time (cos it was late evening already and I was paranoid, takut kena rompak while walking back to the hotel LOL)

Before coming to Europe, I have told myself that my mission was to pray in Italy, which means that I would pray in all of the 4 Italian cities - Milan, Venice, Florence, & Rome.
Have done my prayers at this Duomo in Milan, 3 more to go :)

Visiting beautiful Italian Cathedrals like these has made me so proud to be a Catholic :)
It has made me feel so insaf, so holy, so cleansed, so much closer to God now. I asked for forgiveness from God for all of my sins in all of the Cathedrals, and prayed for my family and myself, and prayed for eternal life for my late father.
I thanked God for bringing me to Europe, and thanked Jesus and Papa for protecting me throughout my trip in Europe. I believe that Papa is my guardian angel :) Until now I still feel so blessed.

Inside the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II

The ceiling

Look at the top of the building, it has such a nice painting :)

The Italian Commercial Bank

McDonalds

Zara

Trams everywhere

A Feizhu!!!

So nice, the owner told his dogs to sit down to let me take pics of them, the Italian man was so friendly to me aww.

Barclays Premier fuh

At Cafe De Ville, near the Duomo. Has a very friendly Italian man owner who looks so suave and handsome in his 40s omg. I was asking for their wifi password and there was a technical error so he kept following up with me to make sure that I can use their wifi. Such a sweetie :)

Spaghetti Carbonara yummy, better than any restaurants back home

The next day, I went to the Duomo again LOL.

A British couple offered to help me take my picture lol

Police van

I would take maps of metro lines so that I can view them in my camera incase I forgot which stations to stop at. And cos in Europe, it's quite hard to get their metro maps at the stations, dunno why.

The Duomo station

The metro train

Arrived at Milan Centrale Station

What a beautiful train station man

Trenitalia's board

Trenitalia is the main train in Italy, like KTM in Msia, but Trenitalia is far more efficient. And it's actually inexpensive to travel around Italy using trains. And so I used Trenitalia to travel between the 4 Italian cities :)

My train ticket to Venice!

Bye bye Milan

The train would pass by beautiful countrysides, which made me feel so peaceful just by looking at the sceneries :)

The train would pass by a few different cities, and this is the Verona train station. Unfortunately, I couldn't schedule my time to Verona and Pisa :( but it's okay.

If only I have the ability to bring my family with me to see the beauty of Italy. But it's okay, at least I bring back souvenirs and photos for them :)

Next post : Beautiful VENICE!

Year 2011 So Far

2011-07-03T00:03:00.127+08:00

It has been a very surprising and unexpected year for me so far.
In a good way, thankfully.
In April, I spontaneously bought my ticket to Europe.
Thus fulfilling my Europe dream, like finally.
In June, I flew alone to Europe.
Flew 11,000km to Paris all on my own.
Met Ferlynn in Barcelona and had a fiesta there.
Then I flew to Italy alone again.
Cried at The Duomo in Milan.
Got lost in Venice.
Climbed 462 steps to the top of the Dome of the Duomo in Florence.
Threw 3 coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome (If you throw coins with your back against the Fountain, you will return to Rome).

Came back from Europe with a really satisfied feeling :)
Some friends and mum's friends were in awe that I had such courage to tour Europe on my own.
They said that I was damn berani lol.
I said to them, "We should live our lives fearlessly. This is how life should be."

I don't know if it's because I'm an Ox, or a Sagittarius, or both, but sometimes I tend to take risks in life.
From choosing not to further studies, leaving HSBC, leaving American Express, to travelling alone, who knows what's next lol.
Who knows later you might see me bungee jumping in New Zealand lol.

Leaving American Express was one of the biggest risks that I've ever taken. I ventured into the Collection side after being in the Customer Service side for 3 years.
Luckily the risk paid off, cos I was recently promoted to be a Supervisor after being with SCB for 2 years :)
It was really unexpected to receive this news after coming back from my long holiday lol.
And unexpected that I got this because there were others who wanted this position too.
A bit challenging for me to face them now, but I'll just focus on my job now.
Hopefully the remaining months of 2011 will be good to me :)

The Magical Fountain

2011-07-01T22:39:00.080+08:00

08 - 10 June 2011
Location : The Magical Fountain, Barcelona

We saw this beautiful monument the moment we stepped out of the metro station.

Walking excitedly to The Magical Fountain

The water smelled so nice that we wanted to jump inside LOL

Latin street dancers. They are all from South America! Love it whenever they speak Spanish LOL

The Magical Fountain!

Just look at the crowd lol

It was really magical. Breathtaking. Amazing. Awesome. Super cool.

They would play songs like Mariah's or Whitney's and the fountain would shoot up higher when the songs hit the high notes. We were like wow here and wow there.

Colourful fountain :)

One day when I'm free, I will upload the videos that I took of this Magical Fountain!

Latin street dancers again lol

We watched the show twice lol, until we missed our dinner FOL

Next post : MILAN BABEH!

Barceloneta Beach

2011-06-30T21:56:00.016+08:00

08 - 10 June 2011
Location : Barceloneta beach, Barcelona

It has been such a crazy busy week for me, was preparing for my new Supervisor role tomorrow. Hence would be nice to unwind and relax now by blogging about the Barceloneta beach :)

Let the pictures do all the talking :)

Hullo Barceloneta!

Next post - Barcelona : The Magical Fountain!

Good News Good News

2011-06-27T21:15:00.011+08:00

Got a good news today. They said that I am their first choice. Really unexpected. New milestone, new duties starting soon. Not sure if I can rock it, but let's give it a try shall we :) Wish me luck :)

Barcelona : The Camp Nou Football Stadium!

2011-06-25T23:40:00.200+08:00

08 - 10 June 2011
Location : The Camp Nou Football Stadium, Barcelona, Spain

And so I have visited the Champions' City! Should I remind how Barcelona beat Man Utd to win the Champions League this year? LOL

I must thank Ferlynn Lim for accompanying me into the Camp Nou stadium! It was fun! And I'm still grateful to her for accompanying me to Barcelona! Barcelona was colourful because we were there haha. Thanks hun muaksss :)

So we stopped at the Maria Cristina metro station. It took about 10 mins walk to the stadium from here.

Champions' banners were all over the place while walking towards the stadium :)

Camp Nou! :D

I became Barca's fan when Spain won the World Cup in 2010 :)

I still can't believe that I came here :)

Barca's Megastore is really hugeeee

Inside the Megastore :)

Choosing a scarf for my colleague!

Their jerseys

Paid 19 Euros to enter the Barca's Museum/Stadium

Pictures along the bridge towards the Museum :)

Inside the Museum with their Cups/Trophies :)

At the top floor of the stadium! :)

Comel haha

At the Press Conference room

Changing room!

Ooh just imagine them showering together ;)

A jacuzi in their washroom ooh *started imagining again

At the foot of the stadium :)

Where the players sit

The commentators' room

A section where they have ALL of their players' names. ALL means since the time Barca FC has been established! Cool!

The screen that keeps playing the "Barca chant"! Hehe, on the screen were fans from different countries from all over the world, doing the Barca's chant :)

Hehe, specially for you, Man Utd fans LOL

Their archives corner

Pics of players along the bridge

Hey there ;P

Us holding the Champions League Cup! Hee

Mi marito e io. My husband and I. LOL.

Next post : Barcelona - The Barceloneta beach!

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So true

2011-06-25T23:31:00.000+08:00

"Falling in love is always magical. It feels eternal, so assured that it's meant to be. As the magic recedes and the reality takes over, problems creep in, resentments build, communication breaks down, mistrust increases. The magic of love is lost. Love dies, it happens to almost everyone. People said only fools rush in, we all are after all."

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2011-06-25T23:21:00.011+08:00

And so, now I get to blog in another private blog that's shared by both me and my friend (the pretty girl who went to Barcelona with me hehe) to share our most private emotions/feelings about love and relationships when it feels like no one else wants to listen.

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We could have had it all

2011-06-24T01:06:00.000+08:00

I was tired of repeating myself. I have already said what I’ve wanted and needed to say. Yet he still did not seem to understand. Or perhaps he didn’t even bother to understand.

Perhaps I was nothing to him.

We weren’t together for a long time to begin with. None of my relationships could last more than 6 months anyway. That’s really sad, I know.

But I know that I’ve made the right decision to leave him when I knew for sure that I was not going to marry him. Like, why wanna waste both of our time when we knew that we are not perfect for each other? It’s always better to end it early than to prolong the pain.

Furthermore, at times, I couldn’t help but suspecting that he was more interested in my money than our relationship. At one point, I even told myself to try to love him less cos I didn’t want to hurt real bad if my suspicion turns out to be true.

I was just too bummed at that time, forecasting yet another failing relationship. It was not easy, those who have been through the same would understand, cos it was tiring to keep meeting the wrong guys when others have met their match. It was just unfair. But what’s fair in life, right?

I am happy being single at times, but it does get lonely too.

I could use a hug sometimes.

Now all I want is someone who is genuine, faithful, understanding, ready for a commitment, matured, and funny.

I’m actually on the brink of giving up on guys now but deep down in my heart, there’s still a tiny flicker of hope.

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The Colourful World of Barcelona

2011-06-21T22:02:00.134+08:00

08 - 10 June 2011
Location : Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is a whole lot of fun, colourful, beautiful, interesting, different, one of its kind, and the list can go on and on.
Barcelona is the capital of the Catalunya region (Catalunya is one of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain).
They still regard themselves as an independent nation, and not part of Spain, because they are really proud of their original identity. And I can see the reason of their pride - because their city is really worth a visit.
Barcelona is my favourite city after visiting 6 cities in Europe - Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome.

Touched down in The El Prat Airport, Barcelona!

Random interesting rappers rapping in Spanish in the train heading from the airport to the city centre. I just love listening to Spanish :)

Nou Carrer de La Rambla street, where our hotel is

Love beautiful little streets like these.

At Hotel Gaudi, a 3 star hotel, nearest metro station : Liceu, hotel was named after Barcelona's most famous architect - Antoni Gaudi who has amazing modern creations around the city. Room was priced at RM400 per night, very comfy with a balcony and a great view :)

Our view from the balcony

More little streets like these

The famous La Rambla street!

Love this breakfast! The toasted croissant on the far left tasted like roti canai and I love it! Bacons here were huge! And being Hakka, I love eggs!

Crab salad yums

Gelato while strolling along La Rambla :)

La Boqueria Market, a famous market here

Things here are super colourful!

Another bacons & eggs breakfast !

The bony structure of Casa Mila (or also known as La Pedrera), a great work by Antoni Gaudi

Pepperoni pizza and seafood paella yummss I began to love paella! Paella is a Valencian rice dish, very good!

Tapas!

Colourful vandalism lol

Artwork :)

One of the statues at Placa Catalunya. At that time, they were having a protest against their government due to the 50% unemployment rate in Spain, one of the locals informed us. He said that in order to survive here, one must earn at least 1500 Euros, but now some of them are only earning about 1000 Euros.

Hence they camped here at Placa Catalunya for days to protest.

It's like a carnival here in La Rambla, with eccentric and elaborate street performers like these.

Flowers! :)

The pond in our hotel lobby, very Gaudi-inspired :D

Next post : Barcelona - The Camp Nou Football Stadium!

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