Yell.

My editor-in-chief Lily-san and I at the historical Olympic stadium. It was soo bright we couldn't open our eyes, thank you.

YELL FOR JAPAN and, JAPAN TO THE WORLD.

Two days of Japanese music festival to commemorate and celebrate the final days of Tokyo's National Olympic Stadium before it gets demolished and rebuild for Tokyo Olympics 2020 (it was ready in 1963 or -4) - the day I got to firstly visit the stadium after the work begins with a proper press meeting, this is the account of the 2nd day of the trip and I made it to the stadium, where the Olympic flames were lit up among the huge attendees!

See what happened on the first day to catch up where I left off - including meeting the musician and producer Aiji after being Twitter friends what it looks like at the Shibuya scramble at 3AM - is it busy, or empty?

Bookmark this link as this gets into major details from morning to night of day 2. To enable the full experience read it bit by bit and play the music later!

Tanning.

TGIF folks!

I went in August, and here I am backtracking for a #laterpost (in following to #latergram) from last summer's trip around the EU. Remember the big mess I had in preparing for my trip? Well this was the outcome.

Tanning is the title because of the crazy heat that has targeted Europe to be a very hot ground. Not blaming, it made the beaches of Cannes look glorious with lots of ripples and sparkles from the sun. It was so beautiful and ... when you are there (don't enjoy the ladies bathing, enjoy the seaview lah) the very azure blue ocean is simply mesmerizing. (apart from that, my FB album is also called 'Greatest Tanning Trip of Le Life' and I turned 20% darker than usual for my arms).

I still hate the hot weather. Which is why 3 hats accompanied me, and two of them are showstoppers because of the size (see below).

Winter's absolutely game over in the tropics and I'm sourcing for new inspiration for the colors and layers of the summer! Within my natural instinct, I head back for my 16-day tripping under the hot sun and managed to wear all the heels I wanted without feeling that I was the tallest in class. It's EU, I feel small.

Think a truckload of lemons (shoes, accessories, pins, dresses, jackets, hats) and is skimmed through to make lemonades + honey (accessories and the extra oomph of fakq) = squeeze of the summer for the azn girl on holiday and turning 20 on the plane. I meant, on the way to the plane airport. Here's #WIW...LY.

(whatiworelastyear)

Morocco King's palace; and the tomb of one of the wives in the olden days with the very cool guard with his sniper. 

Wearing flower visor, Lalalove London tee, striped pants and red wedges from Platinum BKK

At Alhambra, literally translated as the Red Castle in Spain.

Wearing the eye-stopping blue hat (a tourist actually had asked me to take a picture of me and the hat, it was that famous among the group AND people looking), Batik Keris red dress, Bata sandals

(PS. the day I bought my beautiful kawaii Bimba self birthday present)

Small town Mijas, I left my heart with you!

Wearing a smaller version of the hat, Oink throw on, halter dress and Bata sandals.

Top of Lisbon, hola hola!

Wearing Cotton On shades, batik PJs (yep, doesn't it look swell, and actual PJ), DIY vest, Payless wedges.

 

Lisbon, the next day, in front of the famous patisserie that made the first egg tarts and made Portugal famous. 
Pirates Ahoy!

Wearing an electric blue hat, DIY drape stripe dress. (See the dress' transform)

 Self birthday present of Bimba y Lola necklace I've been hunting; siesta time in Toledo. 

Wearing a Uniqlo striped dress.

 "Merci, merci beaucoup, Cannes! Muah"

Red carpet moment in the summer.

Wearing the just-got-in-this-trip Zara vest for $10, vintage dress, just-got-in-this-trip Portugal sandals.

"Madrid and the walking stabbil0 alien" (if there was a newspaper headline)

Wearing the pixelated Sunnies, neon green top and skirt.

Back to the Gaudi Cathedral from 1999 and of course, still not done but it is totally beautiful. In the centre between those shopping streets of Barca.

Wearing Purple version of the hat, Tosavica pink top, ASOS blue dress, just-got-in-this-trip Zara wedges for $10!

Milan's centerpoint in front of Duomo, the sun's being really nice.

Wearing Oink rose throw, black sleeveless, Zara pants, Payless wedges.

Bright.

The Ps'ed photo beauty of the bay.

Sitting down likka boss on top of the ship that carried my tour package group, we headed to sail over the UNESCO protected, chilly, breezy, and lovely Halong Bay that's rich with amazing seafood and stalactite and mites sites (although the ones in China are absolute grandeur and other places I forgot that was amazing).

So shine bright... tonight... I translated literally onto the clothes prepared like a normal Jap teen. It's been a while!!!!!!!!! *don't know how much I was excited for winter weather, peeps. I felt home*

What can be considered as luxury? Most will immediately trace their dreams to tote a monogram bag. I, on the other hand, think not.

Having lunch over the seas in a rare place on earth, on the boat, with the view, and eating my heart out, is the best thing ever in life and the best to end 2012! (See how late I'm posting this)

It was 30.12.12. Where were you?

The boat that took us away!

What was so astounding on set was S was sporting a white jacket (I only wore on daily) and the wool hat we bought at the same street shop the day before in Hanoi. How similar and how cute!

A-YO AZN IN D HAUS.

From the back... [via Instagram]

Uh, uh, two cupcakes cherry-topped with a toast of gin and white.

Postcard from location! Definitely not the Ps'ed one.

Service.

The proud emblem batch all tour guides wear in their shirt. [via Instagram]

It was a very small gesture - literally something you can buy loads, but because the gesture was like no other (Sony is really the first technological brand in my heart, they sure be most charmed their TM is everywhere).

My Cambodian tour guide, a young graduate who's been in service for maybe less than 2 years, and leads tours that's conducted in English and Korean (yes, he said "I sing Gangnam Style better than Cambodian songs") has prepared on the last day, those tourist keychains we saw usually in the markets.

At first, I said, "Wow, the tourism org. here must be awesome, they have prepared this to give to all the tourists."

Yep, my tour guide. Laudable effort.

Maybe it is the case, but more and more it has lead that my tour guide (so sorry I forgot your name) has actually bought it for us and shared it to all the passengers. It was small, sweet, and memorable - the value was very little, but the memory is etched in my service 101 book forever.


Take advantage, tourism ministers, of your local manufacturers (especially China, Indonesia, India, all of ASEAN) to really push and train your ambassadors for they're the first contact with foreigners who'd like to understand a culture, a society, a country. On the serving side, one needs to have 110% open heart and passion to follow through.
Might be the reason why I'm not scared or to visit back the country again one day... hospitality is the number one case.

All smiles to the hot ASEAN country! (squinting of the sunbeam in Siem Riep's Palace too)

This is what anyone can do in 10 words or less...

Take cue for #hospitality #service #tips from my #Cambodia trip.

Croatstal.

Croatia + Coastal = Croatstal.

I know right, I know. I'm right now blogging all for the sake becase of these pretty pictures sitting in my old reliable desktop in my home sweet home country, out of Singapore has this annoying folder which I didn't get to go (BECAUSE OF Student Duties, WHAT ELSE.)

Moreover, I'm down with a serious flu I've never had before - and I could only entertain myself bedresting and drag myself to the computer. This is pain. Seeing these pictures to kill time is pain.

So now, Croatstal: is the sound of my voice cracking, ears clogged during this break which I'm supposed to sort of half enjoy leisure and do my essay, I can't do both.

Where did my holiday goal to do my essay?

Because the mucus and phlegm has infiltrated the veins of my brain and my ears (DEAF) and I can't think straight.

My parents are having this 'fourth honeymoon', a trip without me, to the land of Balkan and Croatia! Without me! Imagine! During October, the best times to TRAVEL to your DREAM DESTINATION.

Well, I couldn't do anything much except /facepalm and gape in awe how fantastic the place is, a bit like those France coastal area. For the sake of my friend's profile secrecy, she's my usual pal in touring around the world and because SHE has a week off or two she could join and I COULDN'T stuck in a rathole in Singapore. From far she can look like me with my mom.

Pass.

Want to see those? Click on for more selected pics that caught my eye and the story of the trip - won't bombard ya.

Where The Wild and Limited Oxygen Lies.

Welcome to the higher altitude areas in my summer holiday! In order to survive, you would need to purchase beforehand before entering the town of 'Shangri-la' an oxygen spray tab. 


It would look like a Baygon bottle and the best thing about it is you suck whatever it presses you. Do-oh, oxygen doesn't have smell - then what were we smelling this whole time? It's not Baygon, it's oxygen. Only the bottle is like Baygon. So you can pester and bully your friends later back home because they don't know anything about this and spray it immediately to their face (on the other side, you waste a really good thing and they are expose to a really good thing because oxygen is good). 

The trip journal continues on several short chapters, after the jump.

Shangri-La.

             Yes, I'll be going to the place where James Hilton describes as a Tibetan utopia in his novel, Lost Horizons.

             No, I don't think it'll be as paradise as he says. I'm not sure. But I'm not very much looking for it, but I do need to prepare some things for this summer trip! It's going to be in the mountains but sure is the sun shining bright!

             My questions are answered by one Nylon Korea's post, "The Price is Right" with the concept of only having 100,000 won and wanting to travel somewhere. Only the third suits me well, but overall, it suits to where I'm heading with the ethnic theme!

•The first image is too cute to pass with her facial expression! The second shows the strong embroidery, showing ethnicity, and the last is what I can do at least - 

need to find a straw hat!

 Places to see and to be visited!

Broadway Market in London; Williamsburg in NY

NY will always be referred to Ira and Putra, the NY-citizen wannabes. Heehee~