Europe: Day 2 (Netherlands)

Dear loyal readers,

Let's continue from Day 1 shall we? Just for a recap, Day 1 is all about my journey with Etihad Airways and technically it's a 2 day journey coz it took like 24 hours including layovers. Now I'm gonna share with you the beginning of our trip from Schiphol Airport to Zaanse Schans to Dam Square and red light district.

All the windmills at Zaanse Schans are still working.

Europe: Day 1 (Fly with MAS and Etihad)

Hey wanderlusters!

Finally I'm gonna blog about our Europe 2nd honeymoon. Our 1st honeymoon was during springtime in Korea. This time we wanted to experience winter wonderland and Christmas season. You can read about our budget and planning and a short summary of what I think about each city. There's also a video at the bottom of this post to let you experience a bit of my trip.

Beautiful ceiling of Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Central Europe: Itinerary and Budget

Note: This was updated again on 2015 after I return. Due to exchange rate and inflation, the figure might be slightly different so just treat this as a guideline.

Dear fellow travelers,


Here's a simple draft of my Europe budget. This is not a budget backpacker's trip coz it is a birthday trip for hubby and also our second honeymoon after our first one in Korea. Moreover hubby wants good food, hassle free transport and no hostels. So we booked a tour however not everything is included like entrance fees and meals. Total damage was set to be within a budget of less than RM7000 per person. 

You might be asking why I did not enter famous attractions like The Louvre (we did hang around outside), Palace of Versailles, Sacre Coeur, Palais Garnier, Disneyland etc. That's coz time is a budget too and it's not up to you to decide where to go when taking a tour. How I wish I could visit more countries like UK and Italy but my wallet...no my whole bank is already burning!

Click "Travel" on top of this page for more details on each country.

Review: Clarins Shaping Facial Lift Total V Contouring Serum

Dear beautiful readers,

I can't wait to share with you about Clarins Total V Contouring Serum. I will update again in next Clarins post because the result is said to be visible in 4 weeks. However I think the sample amount given to me will only last for 2 weeks or less.

Thanks to the Clarins branch assistant for teaching me on how to apply.

Japan: Kyoto Day 2

Hey there!

We visited Kyoto again. If you wanna know where we went on the first day click here. We are truly in love with Kyoto that we think 2 days isn't enough. We have not visited Nara, Ginkaku-ji, Philosopher's Path, Ryoan-ji and many more. We hope to visit again when hubby is not on a working trip and we can spend more days in the city.

The red torii gates of Fushimi Inari is a prominent landmark in Kyoto. It is a must to visit such a beauty.

Japan: Kyoto Day 1

Hey Wanderlusters,

Finally here's my first day trip to my most favourite city in Japan, Kyoto. You can read another day trip to Kyoto here coz we went again. So much to see that one day wasn't enough.  So glad that we made a decision to visit this wonderful down to earth city. It's a huge city hat maintains its traditions. There are lots of places ending with "ji" meaning temple or shrine.

Here's a golden pavillion. It's one of a famous landmark in Kyoto.

Japan: What you can do in Osaka for a day

Hey fellow travelers,

As you know we spent 2 nights in Osaka at Hotel Taiyo at the end of my long long so called business trip. For more info on the places I went in this article and what passes I used, do refer to my Japan guide. You can also read about my whole day spent at Universal Studios on the day before this one.

Welcome to Osaka!

Japan: Evenings in Osaka

Dear loyal readers,

So let's continue from my previous post on Kobe. If you read my past entries on my Japan trip you would know I stayed at Itami temporarily and only went out when my husband comes back from work and during weekends. So in this post, I will share with you some evenings I spent at Osaka. It was a vibrant and lively city full of night activities. For full plan and details, read Where to go in Japan. I listed maps, budget, hotel etc.

Here's an evening scene at Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori as we hunt for dinner.

Japan: An evening in Kobe

Dear readers,

After for so long I realized I did not complete my Japan trip blog. So far I've only shared about My Life in Itami and other topics like where to go, how to ride a train, Universal Studios and food. You can find more topics under Japan tag that might be useful for your future trip.

Anyway, on the second week of my stay in Japan hubby accompanied me to Kobe after work. If you have read the earliest entry in my Japan series I explained why I stayed in Japan for a few weeks but barely have time to go out. Itami is where I stayed temporarily so I don't overnight at the cities I visit except Osaka but my husband and I just travel to and fro on day trips. So glad that Itami is strategically located in the middle of everywhere. I would suggest visitors to spend about 3 days 2 nights at Kobe. You'll love it. Here are some of the photos to guide you through coz I'm lazy to do the typing...

Japan: My life in Itami

Hey there!

Sorry for the very belated update coz i was busy organizing and packing for other trips. Anyway, here's how my life was at Itami during late summer 2013. I stayed in this outskirt area due to hubby's business trip. That's a great thing being a wanderlust wife haha...

Japan: Arrival at Kansai International Airport, Osaka

Ohaiyo!

This entry will be about my experience at Kansai International Airport from arrival to departure. As for flight experience you might wanna check out Japan: Fly with Cathay Pacific or simply click on the Japan label on the right side.

After about 10 hours of traveling including transit hours we finally arrived.

Japan: Fly with Cathay Pacific

Hey peeps!

I have always loved flying. I love the experience and hospitality provided by the airline and crew and the thrill during take off. So here's a little bit about my experience with Cathay Pacific as it was my first time flying with this airline. Our destination was Kansai Airport, Osaka, Japan and the purpose was for business trip. We transited at Hong Kong International Airport then a short layover at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan which was not expected. You can read about my Taiwan blog here. News has it that Cathay Pacific no longer operates flights to Penang from March 2014 onwards but will still maintain flights to and from Kuala Lumpur.

My simple ootd at Penang International Airport. Blazer was bought in Taipei, laced blouse from a local mall and skinny jeans from Bukit Kayu Hitam. Call me cheapo but I don't fancy designer stuffs.

Interview with BBM Live Travel Magazine

Hey there wanderlusters!

I'm so excited to share with you that I've been contacted by BBM Live, a travel guide magazine based in Australia. Big thanks to Hannah Shakir, BBM Live editor and Charlotte Mellor, BBM Live sub editor for getting in touch with me. It's my first time to be featured and I never felt so honored as a travel blogger.

The Diary of A Travel Blogger from Amsterdam to Macau...do check out here.

Recipe: Chocolate Lava Cake

Type: Dessert
Servings:1
Category: Halal, Non-vegan

Ingredients
1/4 cup chocolate chip
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
few drops vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Prepare double broiler then melt chocolate chips with butter until smooth.
3. Next add sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Remove mixture fro broiler and allow to cool then whisk in egg.
5. Mix in all purpose flour.
6. Coat ramekin with butter and pour the cake mixture.
7. Optional: I like to add a piece of chocolate into the middle of the batter.
8. Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C.
9. Serve by covering the ramekin with a plate and gently turning over.

Review: Wireless Mobilephone Monopod from TripHobo

Hey dearies,

I just received a wireless monopod for cellphone courtesy of TripHobo. Actually it was from a travel planning contest but I thought it would be interesting to write a review for all you tech savvy esp selfie lovers.

To charge, simply plug the white cable into an outlet on your laptop or you can use your cellphone charger. It might require frequent charging tho.

The Fujifilm X-perience: Preview of X-T10

Dear readers,

Finally found time to blog again. This time I will share my experience on a Fujifilm event I attended last week. The event was held at Dataran Underground at Kuala Lumpur on 3rd June and Royale Bintang Hotel, Penang on 5th June. I attended the one in Penang from 2:30pm til 8:30pm. All these photos were taken with my trusty phone coz I didn't bring out my camera due to different brand.

Unveiling the Fujifilm X-T10.

Bruno, more than a pet, a brother

Sad announcement to make. There has been 3 deaths in a row between March and April. First my cat then my godpa and now my little dog brother. Be warned this is gonna be a photo heavy post but in the end it's for my dog, 15 wonderful years in a page.

My Shih Tzu dog, Bruno Boey of 15 years has returned to rainbow land on a sunny morning at 9:50am April 13th 2015, Monday. I still remember cuddling him on the first night when he arrived. I was only starting my high school at that time. I had no idea how to take care of a pet too. We didn't pick him from a litter. A middleman couple took from a breeder and brought Bruno to us after months of begging to my parents therefore Bruno was Godsend.

The Aurora Dream

I do not want to keep this to myself anymore. It has been like a couple of years since I made my mind to save up to chase the Northern Lights but failed to do so due to spontaneous trips that kept coming in. Until 2 years ago Walter Mitty came along to remind me. Not forgetting Tomb Raider, James Bond, Prometheus, Oblivion, Interstellar, Thor, Star Trek, Star Wars, Game of Thrones and many more.


So no excuse now...I will put a halt on all travels for 2 years to concentrate on my "project". There are a number of countries you can view the dancing lights; Alaska (USA), Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland and even New Zealand. Initially I chose Tromsø , Norway but for no apparent reason Iceland caught my eye. Many travelers advise that you can't only emphasize on the lights or else your dreams will be shattered coz these beauties are very unpredictable. So you should focus more on exploring the nature that surrounds Iceland like geysers, countless waterfalls, volcanoes, mountains and more. I need free flow of tips and suggestions in the comment section below coz people rarely go to Iceland.

Source: http://translageek.trworkshop.net/

Review: Macau Tower 360° Café buffet dinner

Hey, peeps!

Today I will be reviewing Macau Tower 360° Café's buffet dinner. 360° Café is located at level 60. Opens daily serving lunch buffet (11:30am - 1pm and 1:30m - 3pm) , tea set (3:30pm - 5pm) and dinner buffet (6:30pm - 10pm). Lunch priced at MOP258, tea set at MOP178 and dinner at MOP363. The meal prices include entrance to observation lounge. International buffet is served with mainly Chinese, Fusion and Portuguese dishes.

This is what I call dining with a view.

Review: Bene Italian Kitchen, Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel

Happy Throwback Thursday!

Before I start blogging about my Dream Trip to Macau, I am eager to share with you on Bene Italian Kitchen located at Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central. A huge gratitude to Sheraton Grand Macao for providing us a 2-course lunch at Bene Italian Kitchen. It was a wonderful semi fine dining experience. If you are looking for a traditional Italian homely dishes with cozy environment, Bene is the place for you.