Early Morning Realisation

I was getting dressed this morning when it just hit me like Bang!

Nah.

It was actually more like sneaky 'realisation' came sneaking right behind my conscious.

That the one hour of frowning I had earlier this week while picking my clothes for our little 

I-hope-we-don't-look-like-some-idiots mini project, well... turns out it also saved me from an entire week's worth of my daily morning frowning routine. Hah!

I woke up this morning, switched on my computer (Terrible right? I know. I know.),

went to the toilet, took my bath, came back and got dressed. WHAT? No staring at the cupboard or digging through my pile of clothes? Eh? No panicky moments as time runs out 

and I just put on whatever that wasn't all that bad?

Nope.

I just got dressed with what was already a pre-determined set of clothes and sat 

in front of the computer with lots of time to spare. Hmm...

Nice.

But if you're thinking I'm all out with this new plan, then you're wrong. Nope. 

I don't want to frown an hour over a week's worth of dressing on a weekend night. 

Not gonna happen. In fact I can't wait for next week to come and all that little 

panicky moments along with it. Yay.

To be Simple is Simple

It all started one simple day when Yen-san came to me with a book and excitely whispered
"I have something to tell you." It was amusing to see someone being all excited yet trying hard to keep her volume down since we were at our workplace after all. 

She handed me a book and said "You guess what I want us to do..." and ran off just like
that as she made her way to another department to pass some prints. 

So I skimmed through the book and when she came back with her hopeful eyes
staring back at me, I replied "Umm... take photos?" 

 It was a close answer. 

Yen-san replied, "Well yeah... but there's more!" 

She flipped to the chapter "To be simple is simple" and there it was a photo of six pieces of clothing displayed out for the world to see and under the photo reads
"six pieces of clothing for a month's worth of wearing... try it." 

The author shared a simple yet provoking thought, "So what if we were not as fortunate enough to have a closet full of clothes in every colour? What if you are in a place with bare necessities and you are lucky even to have clothes over you?" Ever wonder these what if's? 

Well... 

"Obviously we can't go for a month's worth... but let's try for a week!"
exclaimed Yen-san. 

So I guess the cause behind our little project is not as worldly and bold as the author himself but it's still going to be one heck of a memory to remember. How we fussed for an hour in picking the ultimate six pieces that's going to last us for seven days. How we are going to lose some good little brain cells thinking about the variations to these six pieces of clothing so as to not look like we are poor unfortunate souls in dire need of some donations. Indeed, it's going to be an interesting week ahead. 

And so it begins. 

Six pieces of clothing, seven days to live in them. 

Here we go! :)

Just Because...

This stuff amuses me a lot lot.

And more often than not, it also pawns over the stuff we listen to these days.

*hearts*

[L.E.P.A.K series: Paris] Chap 15: Up, up and away Eiffel

We're finally at our most exciting part of our one day trip in Paris. Oh boy, oh boy! First, we rode the metro from Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, located right under Arc de Triomphe to Bir-Hakeim, which was one of the two nearest stops to Eiffel Tower. That shot up there, right on top of this post is a shot that Cik Anai took from the train we were in. 

 From Bir-Hakeim, we took a scenic walk along the Seine River and passed by many 'illegal' roadside peddlers selling all things Eiffel. From key chains to small, medium, big displays of the tower, this is the best spot to buy your souvenirs. We were pretty happy when we found the stalls here were selling the key chains at a better price than those at the underground pathway of Arc de Triomphe. With that we bought them from a stall without much hesitation only to find the stalls far down offered an even more better deal. Dang. So the moral of the story is to never buy from the first nor second nor third stall. Hahaha. Go waaaaay down down down and you will get waaaay low low low price. :P

And finally we're here! Time for a smile and say 

"Hey! I'm in front of the Eiffel Tower." :D 

 After a lot of look-see look-see around we finally joined the extremely long queue at 

the ticketing counter. :( What a bummer to spend most of the afternoon waiting in line. 

First you line up for your tickets, then you have to line up for the lift that takes you up to 

the first level and, and! If you're heading up to the very top, that's another snake around 

the lift area. Boo. No fun. 

 But wait we have to, and wait we did.

We were then squeezed into a little lift that takes us up, up and away!

"Hello, people down there. It's cold up here and I'm only half way there."

The view at this level was total unobstructed. So you can marvel away at the 360º view of Paris. However it of course did not stretch out as far as what you will get at the very top.

Another 45 minutes of waiting later, we were finally at the very top of Eiffel. Sadly, it's dangerous to be that high and windy without any safety precaution. Thus the ugly wire mesh all around. :( The view here though was amazing!

To the extend that if you zoom in close enough, you will the Arc de Triomphe right there.

Who says all roads lead to Rome? The way I see it, they're all heading towards Paris. :P

 Now the top level is not very big, duh. So we managed to round the place for about twice, taking some photos with Paris behind us when we decided to split up. How bad can it be right? It's just a little space. No way to get lost here right? So here I am at one side of the tower and Cik Anai at the other when I heard a little commotion going on. What? What? Before I had any idea what was going on, I was ushered down to the lift area by a security guard telling us that we need to leave immediately. 

 WHAT? 

 WAIT!!! 

 I'm missing my partner! I quickly explained that I had a friend up there but the guard insisted that I need to go and the others will come down real soon. 

 Umm... okay... 

 *worried* 

 And Cik Anai appeared! Hooray. Except we did not have any time to say our 'hoorays' when we were once again told to line up and leave. Now that we're together again, our thoughts head off to other more 'interesting' stuff. 

 Like why are we leaving? 

 I paid 13 euros to be here and now you're asking me to leave after an hour and a half of waiting and barely 30 minutes of sightseeing? How can? How can? Are they just trying to get rid of us so that other people can have their turn at the top of the tower? 

 Umm... wait... the staff and guards are looking worried and they're staring everywhere. 

 OMG! 

 Is there a bomb?!?!!

Gotta go! Gotta go! Everyone move.

 And finally when we were at the bottom, look at what was awaiting us.

Look at all that police cars!!

And look at us still thinking about taking a photo. :P If we're going to die *choi choi choi*, we might as well remember every second of it. Now leaving the tower wasn't enough, we were told to leave the entire vicinity. What's more, the enforcement people blocked the roads all around, including the way we came from Bir-Hakeim. Noooo... we had no choice but to divert from the plan. Ahhh!!!

AHHHHHHH!!!! 

 Alright. I think I have made my point clear.

With that, we found ourselves at Trocadéro Gardens instead. No plans, no pre-planned guide on what train to sit, no idea where the metro was even. All because of a bomb scare. It can't get more excited than this. Well, I guess we just have to make do with what we can do.

Regardless of the situation, we shouldn't let a good shot go to waste, right? 

 Luckily, my months of research had somehow managed to prepare me for this. Muahahaha. Crazy obsessive planning for the win! You see, although the map in our 32-page itinerary cuts off at the Seine River, I was the one who cropped it. So I sort of knew what was at across the river. Thus, I can agak-agak assure Cik Anai that I agak-agak know where we were at.
"Don't worry. Stay calm. We can do this." 

Except when we finally found the entrance to the Metro,
it was closed for construction!! 

 *sigh* 

 Why lah? WHY? :( 

 Luckily the other entrance down to the Metro is within eye-shot. Before we took off to our next destination, we decided to slow down our pace, stop and appreciate some street art.

Mr Scuffy Man at work. 

 Can you see me in the picture, taking another picture of Mr Scuffy Man. Hehe.

And here’s the picture from my angle. :) 

Can you see Cik Anai in this photo, taking the above picture from her angle.

Hahaha.  

 Next up: More art coming your way... meeting Mona Lisa. :)

[L.E.P.A.K series: Paris] Chapter 14: Triumphing Elysees

 As we strolled down the road with a crepe in hand (well I had the crepe, Cik Anai had her camera :P), we soon realised we were no longer surrounded by trees but instead magnificent buildings. When we saw the many al-fresco cafes lining up the street, we knew we have arrived at the famous Champs-Elysees.

 SEE SEE!

Told you there were many!

And they probably had a written code that RED was the official colour.

 SEE SEE! Told ya.

And as we walked and walked and walked, suddenly cars came out of nowhere! At the walkway! Or at least we thought that was the walkway. They came from underground, nifty eh. *snap snap* *click click*

Who can missed the grand Louis Vuitton building when walking down Champs-Elysees? 

Look at the lady in the picture, betul-betul ada gaya, mutu, keunggulan. Truly French. 

Truly Paris. No?

Something really interesting happened here. While we were busy taking photos and being all touristy, suddenly two Chinese women approached us for help. First they asked us if we knew Mandarin, while being unsure of the entire situation, we nodded a little and said yes. Then they asked us if we can help them buy some LV bags and instantaneously we went like "Whoah!!" Defensive mode on. They went on explaining to us that they have bought just enough for themselves but they have friends back home that have asked them to buy too. However there was a limit on how many bags one can buy so yeah, that was why they needed our help.

Cik Anai and I looked at each other and probably had the same thought in our minds. These people are either damn rich or are some con women at work. Either way we're not risking it. So we told them no. And guess what?

They told us they will even pay us for helping them.

Hell, NO!

And after a few stubborn sorry's and no's later, the ladies' faces turned black and finally walked away. Shhh!

As we continue down Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe grew bigger and bigger. We were figuring out how to get a good picture of it when suddenly we saw the divider in the middle of the road and got a light bulb turned on right above our heads. *ting* The divider was actually there as a midway point for pedestrian crossing since it was a pretty wide road. So while everyone was busy zooming pass us, we stood at the very tip of the divider, hopefully out of the way, and took our money shots.

*ka-chak*

"Look 'ma! I'm standing in the middle of the road."

As we reached the end of the road, right across the arc, we got ourselves another good spot for some photos. And then we were lost. We stared across the road, looking in awe of the majestic architecture before us that was surrounded by busy traffic all around and wondered... how on earth are we going to get to the other side?

The answer was well... at the other side of the road. 
The other side side. :P

TADAA!!

There was an underground passageway that led us to right under the arc. If you are a lover of art, you will find yourself walking pass street artists along the underpass. By the looks of it, if you have amazing negotiating skill, it's not impossible to get some nice paintings for a fair price here. 

As we opened the doorway leading to the arc, we were once again left in awe of pure architectural beauty. The Europeans do have the tendency to "GO BIG!" with everything, from food to buildings. 

They also have a good appreciation of space. I guess another fact to consider is that us Asians are generally smaller in body size, so we somehow see everything here as just big. 

Though I don't think we were the only ones feeling small. :) We spent a little while resting our tired feet here as we sat along the base of the columns and took in the chilly breeze. After awhile, we decided we had enough. It was not the chilly breeze that was freezing us out, it was the ice-cold marble under our butts. LOL. From here, we went back down to the underground in hunt of the Metro. Our next stop was Eiffel Tower!

That's me being all crazy while waiting for the train at the platform. We finally took our first Metro ride instead of the RER. The Metro trains are more similar to our regular LRT / MRT / Tube / Subway trains found everywhere else in the world while the RER gives an impression of a more upgraded version. 

There were cute little foldable seats on the train. Space-saving during a crowded ride yet conveniently provide extra seats whenever possible. Make sense, right? As we sat and enjoyed the view outside, we noticed something odd. The doors do not open automatically at each stop. You have to do it manually. *shocking*

So I'm ending this post with Hiyashibeeps' L.E.P.A.K Travel Tips No.9! 

See that little button Cik Anai is pointing right there? You gotta press it for the doors to open. So before you go all panicky that the doors are not opening when you are in Paris, remember that little magic button right there. ;-)

Stickywordsstick

Because I was told that's how they appeared in some feeds. :(

They look fine in the blog though and I don't know why.

See the thing is, that was my very first post using the new Blogger workspace.

And I'm not liking the fact that my words are sticking together.

Who say change is good?

Hmmph!

So let's see how this one goes.

Because I have a long post coming up soon.

The one Video Contest that You and I have a Better Chance of Winning than Mr Spielberg himself

Remember how I won myself some (seven) session of Free Antioxidant Hot Bed Therapy at Ecoparadise (which I have yet to use *sigh*) by doing what I love… BLOG! Well, the kool people at Koolred are having a contest once again. Although this time it’s not one of my many fortes but it’s definitely something some of you guys love to do. I personally know a handful of people who seem to live, eat and sleep camera. *eyeing PSP-san and Mr IdunTalkMuch* Okay, okay, it’s not exactly photography but it’s one of the many functions in the camera anyway.

VIDEO SHOOTING!

It’s a natural thing that we do when we travel aside from taking thousands of photos. There are just some things that a still photo can never capture, like the smiles and waves from the locals or the silly shrieks of excitement whenever we land at a foreign place. Come to think of it, I have a bunch of those in my folders. Maybe I should dig them out and join the contest myself. Hmm…

After all, the prizes are FREE HOTEL STAYS!

It’s like you take one holiday to earn yourself another.
How awesome is that?

If you have yet to discover this little growing community, well, I say it's a pretty kool 'place' to 'hang out' since there's members from all over the world who share their travel experiences well, all over the world.

The Koolred Team is also sneaky enough to keep us members excited by having random big and small contests from time to time. I'm not crazy enough to join every single one of them but that doesn't mean I can't share it with those who I believe will be more interested than me. Hmm… however, all these “Come on, let’s join and win this contest” talk are making me have second thoughts on this matter. I might just join the contest myself. After all I do have my travel videos sitting readily in my folders. Tempting. Very tempting.

Not to mention, I've done the necessary competitor analysis too
and my favourite entry at the moment would have to be this.

I just think it has truly captured the essence of what this contest is about which is to share a video that will make a tourist want to visit that destination. Winning entries are based on two main criteria, one is creativity and the second one is how 'Kool' is the video. Basically there's a 'Kool' button that works very much like the Facebook 'Like' button and the more 'Kool' your video is the better your chance of winning.

Anyway, will I be one of the competitors to beat is besides the point. Check out the contest and prizes here (you gotta hurry though since the contest ends in about a week's time, 17 November 2011 to be exact) or even if you’re not into the contest, check out Koolred’s website. It's a travel website after all, so you can roll around in lots of pretty pictures from all over the world and read up on useful information that can help you plan for your next travel, wherever that may be. ;)

I’m back from the land of smiles yo!

Were they all smiley over there? Not really. Were they grumpy? Not exactly. They’re just humans like you and me. LOL. My silly rhymes amuse no one except myself.

I might not blog about it since I did not take a lot of photos myself. There were at least four other cameras doing the job so I figure I just relax and pose for them.


So for now this is all you get!

Sawadika!

I still can't believe approximately twelve hours from now I will once again be in
a foreign land. Frankly, I am not too sure what to expect from this short trip.
It's only for a night's stay but the itinerary seems very interesting.
Hmm... if we are to do what we all set out to do. We'll see. We will see.

Anyway, trip starts 6 freaking am, so it's time to zzzz.

I’m very tempted to watch the fresh new episode of Vampire Diaries though.

On a side note, Happy Birthday Papa! Although we celebrated the big day a week earlier
but it's still the actual day today so...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!

Ok. I really need to go now to speed through the episode. Grrr...