Planning for the Big Trip...

So... a few of my friends are going on the big trip to Europe later this year and I thought it'll be good to start writing about my month-long grande évasion to help them with their planning. (Trust me, having tried to plan the itineraries of 10 cities ALONE, you'll need all the help you can get.)

First up, some general pointers:

Streets of Nørrebro / Copenhagen

#1. Train up, get fit and make sure you can walk for HOURS.

The big trip might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for most of us so you will want to make the most of your trip... and not miss out by waking up late (SIGH) and resting excessively (SIGH). I'm immensely guilty of both and I really wonder how much I could have squeezed in if I was a more hardworking traveller. Travelling can get very, very tiring so be prepared for that!

Buckingham Palace / London

#2. Good footwear.

There'll be a lot of walking involved no matter where you go. Good shoes are a must!

#3. Plan ahead together.

While planning for the trip, it will be good to have at least 2 person slightly familiar with the sights. Having planned most of the itineraries alone, it brought unprecedented amount of stress when something goes wrong. Plan the itineraries together! Having someone to share this responsibility with will make you enjoy the whole planning a lot more. Undeniably, possibilities for clashes will arise but at the end of it you can share the glory of having planned (and conquered) Europe TOGETHER!!!

Vintage Paris Map

#4. Prepare lotsa maps!

The very first thing you should buy at every city is a good map. Choose maps with with clear indicators of the major sights. Also, look for maps which includes a separate subway map within. This will help your commute within big cities such as London and Paris tremendously! Maps can be great souvenirs of trip so don't just rely on maps on the iPhone and tablets. (Online maps are great but they can be unreliable and inaccurate sometimes.) Get physical ones!

#5. Check the weather! And bring warm clothes.

I decided to go head to Europe during Summer for frivolous reasons - like wearing sundress and having a lighter luggage. I thought it'll be nice and sunny and the skies blue but we encountered a freak summer. Instead of the nice, cooling 20+ degrees, it was perpetually 12-15 degrees up north and half the time and I felt so cold that I wore three layers of clothing and wore leggings inside my jeans. Check up on the CURRENT weather before you pack! Bring a few warm jackets. That's always useful!

#6. Book tickets for the major sights online.

Don't waste time queuing for the sights and book your tickets online instead! Summer in Europe is packed with tourists so don't get stuck in the queues! Having booked most of the tickets for the attractions online, we managed to a save lots of time in Rome (and snigger at people stuck in the long queues. yes I'm mean like that). There are no additional booking charges online so DO IT!!!

#7. Don't miss out on night admissions!

The sun doesn't set till 10 pm so do check for night admissions! Ultimate time-saver.

#8. It's okay to be lost.

I wished someone had told me that getting lost is part and parcel of travelling. It can be intimidating to be lost in a land surrounded by people speaking in a language you don't know. Now take a deep breath and chill. It happens. Don't get overly anxious and enjoy the process of finding your way around! 

#9. Last but not least, be really, really excited.

And do a little dance whenever you can!

///

Flight:

Holidays in Europe are expensive principally due to the airfare. It's so hard to fork out SGD1500 for airfare! I know the pain, but psst, let me tell you a secret. I bought mine at SGD920 (all inclusive no less!). Ta-dah! *look of triumph* There's a common misconception that you should buy your tickets as early as possible to prevent the eventual heart attack that happens when airfares have risen beyond your budget. My advice would be this: book your tickets during the low-season, which is between March - May or September - December. Most airlines offer sale fares during this period so fret not! I flew Qatar Air, which is a much better airline than SQ imho. 

Accomodation:

Our apartment in Copenhagen! Dream home.

Definitely one of the highlights of the trip! Lotsa vintage furniture and funny Literature all over. THIS IS LOVE.

Unless you have a budget of 10k or more or am a room service junkie, there is no need to stay in a hotel. Opt for cheaper and much more interesting alternatives, such as hostels or local apartments! Hostels are a great way to meet traveller from other countries (or so I heard) and apartments allows you to live like a local (which I'm a total sucker for). Most apartments comes with a kitchen and a washing machine, which will help save you lotsa $$$! Preparing your own meals will definitely help reduce your expenditure and (reduce panic on getting cheated) while a washing machine allows you to bring less clothes! Win-win! 

French Toast prepared by my Amsterdam Host. :')

Bagels for Breakfast! It is here where I fell hopelessly in love with bagels. 

Throughout my trip, we mainly stayed in the apartments of locals who listed their apartments on airbnb.com. Kinda like renting a house for a few days or couch-surfing but with an actual room. Some of the houses we stayed in are so full of character and the owners are so nice! Our host in Amsterdam made breakfast-to-die for during our stay and we're eternally grateful for her hospitality.

and.... that's that. Hope this helps! 

Next up would be a guide to Rome!

Au revoir!

Tiffany

Bye Bye January!

oh, where was i?

January was a good month - I cooked, I ran, I ate more veggies and quit fast food. 

How's your 2013 shaping up to be?

✐ Tiffany

Blue Monday

HongDae/MMMG Anguk/Seoul 

◆

Life has a funny way of spiraling out of control. 

Monday must be the one greatest moderate villains in the universe.

◆

Nursing the Monday Blues,

Tiffany ☁

Seoul Edition : The Book Society

The Book Society - HongDae/Seoul

If it's possible, i'd like to have a quaint little shop just like The Book Society. I'll sell nothing but zines - zine of funny propaganda, zines of extended heartache and longing, zines of fascination and lampoons. They can be the most ordinary of things - of flowers, of cats, of trees, or stranger's backs; they'll all have a space one place, one day, in a little shop filled with people's tiny thoughts.

That's would be nice.

At meantime, I'll try my hand at making a zine... one day, one day. It can't be hard, right? Maybe one day, I'll find my little world condensed into zine form in a little shop somewhere, maybe here, waiting for curious guests to find it stacked amongst it's many shelves after hours of browsing and when

they stumble upon it they'll go

"Oh!".

That's exactly what my experience at The Book Society. An inspiring little place - a little whimsical and it's easy to get lost in. I spent a good hour browsing through their extensive collection and came home happily with the first issue of AVEC.

The Book Society

Mapo-gu, Seoul

Hapjeong 371-4102

(alight at Hapjeong Station, Exit 7, walk down Seungil-gil, turn left at 2nd alley)

Tiffany▲

Weekends : Nouvelle Vague

Originally, I wasn't planning on introducing the band. All I wanted to blog about was this song, which is, in my opinion, THE perfect tune for Sundays. Unfortunately I can't 'cos of the pesky copyright hawks that have swept all available audio copies of the song off the internet so... here we are.

Nouvelle Vague - which means "new wave" in French, à la the eponymous 60's "new wave" French cinema movement (hence the sexy french cinema screen sirens on the covers)  is a band that does bossa nova covers of punk rock, post-puck music popular back in the days. I feel a little need to introduce the band simply because i'm sure it'll make your sunday better! Like pancakes-in-the-morning-better. Sweet la-dolce-vita better. 

Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans for Nigel

Have a good day!

Tiffany ♫

Frank Ocean/Tame Impala

We're a week + 1 day into the new year and I hope everyone still feeling fresh and new! Never mind if the weather's kinda crazy these days. (It never behaves the way we want it anyway, no?)

As we move further and further away from the beloved 2012, the cool quotient of things discovered in 2012 plummets faster than you can say 'last year' and fades into a dark oblivion, until someone else points it out and make you realize, oh, I really did miss out on some really good things in 2012 huh? This lag normally takes a good 6 months to culminate but I'm feeling it right now, 8 days into the new year. 

I first heard Frank Ocean's Channel Orange someday in  2012 and didn't thought much of it. When it came out tops in many of the "Album of the Year" lists, I gave the album a second spin and finally understood why it's good. Channel Orange sounds like a more subdued and minimalistic version of Neptune's sleek jams and riches that once dominated airwaves circa 2003-2004. If the R&B of those years were an endless MTV of luxurious lifestyle of champagne and candy girls, the first half of Channel Orange exists as an honest introspection to the vanity and emptiness of the obscenely rich (Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Sierra Leone) while the second half laces the usual drugs, sex and a stinging heart with references to really spiritual stuff (Monk, Bad Religion, White). Whoa pretty deep there isn't it. Impressive or what? Great story-telling matched with a great, great voice. 

Tame Impala's Lonerism ranks high in 2012's lists and I'd recommend "Elephant". I'm not a big fan of the rest of their songs but Elephant gets my feet tapping all the time! Forgive me for saying this but I think the lead singer sounds like John Lennon. I always imagine the Beatles jamming to this tune in their preppy suits, which is funny, 'cos unless the Beatles are floating in space, the image really doesn't go with Lonerism's psychedelic soundscapes. 

Listen to Channel Orange here and Lonerism here.

Tiffany♫

Good Morning!

Good morning! Sundays are great for pancakes with really liberal amounts of berries and syrup. 

Have a sweet, sweet day!

Tiffany ☀

LC-A Korea

Taken with LC-A/Lomography CN400

Spent a good 9 days with the family in Korea and I thereby conclude that I'll never travel in winter again. My tropical body just can't take the cold! I reached a new level of sloth by relying mostly on the LC-A throughout the trip, simply because it was just wayyyy to hard to adjust lenses and settings on the DSLR with gloves! Thankfully, the pictures on film turned out to be more amazing than it could ever be.

For film of choice, I used Lomo's Color Negative 400. The bluish tint of the film gave a very nice contrast against the frost and accentuated the blueness of the sky. The richness in color could also be a result of the very vacation-friendly LC-A - the camera is the King of Vignettes! All in all, I think it's great film to use, especially if you like your pictures bright and blue. Really happy with the photos :)

Tiffany☃

Drinks on me

Hand-dripped Latte at Alice&Dorothy (Hongdae/Seoul)

Drinks at Maison Ikkoku 

Tea (& new specs!) at Henry Congressional on it's last day of operation

Happy new year lovelies! Sorry for the short hiatus. The whole of December was split between exams, birthday preparations for my man and a long, snowy holiday in Korea. 

1) 

Korea has a really strong coffee-drinking culture. There are so many coffee houses everywhere in the city! It's been said that Alice&Dorothy has the best hand-dripped coffee in Seoul.....but I was pretty disappointed. Which was such a waste since it's such a nice little cafe! A more detailed post up soon!

2)

Had a drink at Maison Ikkoku on new year's eve before heading out for the annual firework outing. I really like that place. It could be the false sense of intimacy that the no-menu principle brings - the bartender concocts a unique blend according to your tastes and safe to say, the drinks were really palatable. Or, it could be the odd emptiness during my hour of visit, or the dim lighting that seemed perfect for a little swirl of the wine glass and candidness.

3)

2012 was the year I learnt to drink tea. I thank the English weather for leading me down that path and pssst, i'll make a little confession - I'll pick tea over coffee anytime. I hope to be drinking tea (or coffee) with more people this year! 

Getting my blogging momentum back!

Tiffany ✌

喜欢做梦的日子

sunday.rain.cakes.dreams.nostalgia

// Drawn to Nostalgia exhibition by Jacqueline O //

dröm//dreams

they say it best - "for everything starts with a dröm"

we all need a space to dream.

i think it's wonderful that we have a little dröm store here on our sun-dried/rain-drenched shores.

Singapore is notorious for bulldozing the old in the name of progress and we've lost more than we'd gained. this place is a sweet reminder of the days of childhood playtime and sentimental adventures, of the days that had quietly slipped away. 

whoever thought of combining a cake shop with this whimsical little space is a genius. 

little dröm store //  k-ki sweets

7 Ann Siang Hill  Singapore 069791

Tiffany ☂

NOVEMBER

Img creds: 1. SWF/2. KIMBRA/3. FUGUE/4. VOTE/5. little dröm store/6.ARTSYFACT taken by amasou-umasou
/7. MAAD/8. POLAROID LAND 210 by pinkshirtsncarwrecks/9. LANEWAY/10. SIGUR ROS

It's assignment week now, which explains the sluggish updating (partly influenced by the weather eh?). There's so many things going on and I can't wait for work to go away so that I can head out without feeling guilty.

What's happening:

• Singapore Writer's Festival runs from 2 to 11 November! Check out the list of happenings going on! (And don't say Singaporeans can't write without checking out what they have to offer okay? heh) I'm rather keen on going for the launch of Bang My Car x Spectre by BooksActually.
• MAAD Pyjama at red dot museum takes places on 9^th November, 5pm to Midnight. Be ready for the endless bouts of creativity bursts.
• United States Presidential Election 2012! Which happens... today! That's fast. I follow the campaigns and debates purely because it's super entertaining! It's really fascinating how quickly lies can be debunked and how facts can be reinterpreted and used in a wholly different context. I have no idea what are facts and what's fabrication. Everyone says a different thing about the same thing! Anyhow, I'm hope Obama gets reelected. 
• Politics aside, Icelandic indie icons Sigur Ros comes to Singapore! That'll sure be a audio-visual experience. I can't wait for goosebumps. Click here for one of the saddest songs ever written.
• Yoga Lin does Fugue in Singapore the next day! Probably one the most hypnotizing voices in the Chinese music industry, his new album was Ace. I loved it. 
• Drawn to Nostalgia exhibition by Jacqueline O. happening at little dröm store from 1^st to 30^th Nov. Cute.
• Up and coming Keong Saik Road is practically screaming "VISIT ME!!!" Oh yes I would, very very soon. I can't wait to pay ARTSYFACT a visit. 
• This darling came in the mail last week! Can't wait to run a roll through it. 
• Laneway hits our sunny shores again! The line-up is POOF FANTASTIC!!! You have no idea how happy I was when Kings of Convenience was confirmed in the artist list. YEAH!
• Oddly addicted to Kimbra's Cameo Lover. I'm a little slow. She'll be here for Laneway too!

Long list of happenings! Take your pick! Also, I miss Huiling here! Where is she? :(

Jumbo Post! (I tend to blog on Mondays, I don't know why)

Tiffany ✌

Vintage // World Savage

If it isn't obvious already, I'm going through a nostalgia phase... which to be honest, I never got out of. I've once read a quote on nostalgia that goes "I don't believe in nostalgia. It has no future." It's both duh and snap, but nostalgia is here to stay. 

While gallivanting one weekend, we found World Savage! It reminds me a lot of the vintage stores in East London - a little grungy, a faded shades of yesterday's neons, it was hard to resist. 

Massive collection of male shirt in lovely patterns! 

Another one to the list!

Tiffany

Halloween!

How was your weekend? We had a great one dressing up for Halloween! It's our first and we did it simply because we wanted to paaaarrrrrrty! Till date, we still have no idea why people celebrate Halloween but heck, it was good fun! Huiling dressed up as the very elegant Audrey Hepburn while I sewed my own quintessential red cape for Red Riding Hood-dom. (Oh, you have heard about the modern incarnation of the wolf being LRH herself right? Wicked!) I'm not sure whether it's appropriate to call Justin's extravagant costume 'Shakespeare', but well, you get the idea. 

I can't wait for next year. I'll be an evil SIA girl. Ha!

Finally, the end of monday!

Tiffany 

SAGA

Adenanthera pavonina／相思豆／Saga seeds

Whenever I'm near the National Museum, I'll tiptoe to the back of it's grand facade to pick some saga seeds. 相思 can be loosely translated into lovesickness, but it's actually much more nuanced than that. In chinese, 相思 actually means keeping each other in your thoughts. The special thing about these seeds is this - they never lose their fiery red shade and it stays hard as a rock for as long as it lasts. Pretty apt description for unyielding love aye?

Long weekend this week!!!

Tiffany

THERE IS THUNDER IN OUR HEARTS

I'm a tote bag kind of girl. 

What's not to like about tote bags!? They are light, they can hold A LOT of things and they come in all kinds of prints! With the right print, it can really send a message. And no, they are not ugly, (and certainly not inferior to any other bags just because they're cheap!) They are the bag equivalent of every girl's best friend - the kind that won't judge you ever for looking sloppy on a bad day. Branded bags, on the other hand, are real princessy bitches. #justsaying

I've been looking around for a new tote for months and I finally settled for this by fieldguided (who just married recently. Congrats!)

I wasn't expecting much but the bag came in a beautiful package...

Ribbons and roses..

... and a handwritten note! So sweet!

Needless to say, I'm really happy with the tote! :)

Mid-week Madness!

Tiffany