Crossing the Oceans

Approximately 12 hours to my boarding the plane headed to our annual London sojourn.

It will be a tad bit different later tonight.

See . . . I'll be crossing oceans with Nad in tow. All of her 12 months and 23 days. No M to help me out on a what could be a long 13 hour journey for that lil' adventure seeker/explorer.

So, I have my luggages packed and stroller pimped. A diaper haversack and a pseudo diaper tote bag all packed and ready to go.

It will be an adventure, I am sure.

She was a good traveller when she was 5 months old. So I have been praying for the same this time. (On top of talking to her about taking the plane, showing her what a plane looks like, pointing to where UK is on the globe --> yes, I am all for getting the lil' one all mentally prepared even though she may not understand everything. At least she looked like she had fun whilst I point out to her these things.)

Anyways, I am anxious.

And a lil' bit crazy to attempt to fly alone with a 12 month old.

M . . . otel

Damn!

I always thought of motels as seedy and crime ridden (think: murdererers hanging out in the rooms in CSI:Crime Scene Investigation).

Boy, am I wrong after seeing the rooms here.

Think cool, hip and beautiful!

(All images courtesy of The Presidio Motel)

Old Tech

My recent chat with ~e~ recently reinforced the need for me to "upgrade" myself to a digital SLR camera. We decided that the Canon EOS 500D would probably be the best option for me considering I am still a Canon girl at heart. And there's 1080p video recording to boot!

Alas, because I was still trying to get the best of deal of the current price tagged to the camera (yes yes, we all know what a cheapie I am!), I brought my faithful film SLR camera for our travels this time - which may be archaic but I'm hoping will show Marrakech in all her grainy rosey glory.

Here are teasers of Marrakech (which M has taken) with the Panasonic Lumix:

 

Ps. With the recent purchase of the new apartment in Singapore, I am trying so hard not to purchase any "home" items or I would probably need a whole container to ship the gems I have fallen in love with  whilst out exploring the souks.

Desert Rose

Marrakech is old world vs new world.

Yesterday, we explored a bit of both and I have to say that as much as the souks are daunting to tackle with an almost 5-month-old, I still prefer the old world charms.

Our first modern introduction to Marrakech is via the Marrakech-Menara Airport:

Borough-ing at the Market

We traipsed down to somewhere near London Bridge last week on our epicurean hunt at Borough Market.

But because we ended up having an extra long fresh seafood lunch at Applebee's, most of the retailers have closed for the day at 3pm(!!)

But I managed to score these:

(More info here)

(Link yourself here for more info on cookies)

I may yet make my way back the week after when we are all back in London from Marrakech.

Love at First Sight (of the day)

Since arriving in London last Friday, we have got up every morning to glorious sunshine (what stroke of luck!) and a view of this:

Sometimes, if we're luckier, we get to see squirrels and that black cat (perched on top of the outdoor shed in the picture) stalking them. :-)

I'm glad Nadine gets to see and be part of nature at such a young age.

London Calling

We made the flight safely (save for the last 5 minutes on landing when the "cattle class" - aka economy class - got a "taste" of Nadine's stubborn cries. She had been really good throughout the flight - not even a squeak so I know it's the air pressure. Poor bebe!

Anyhoo, yes kids, we all made it to London.

(Apart from the red luggage bag, all the rest are Nadine's - really!)

(The iconic Tower Bridge)

Miffy

This made me go through my stack of photos and finally, I found a photo of Miffy and me at Amsterdam's V&D:

Sydney Love

Time flies . . .

A week has gone by and I now sit here. At Sydney Airport, waiting for our flight back home to Singapore. In the lounge overlooking the expanse of blue skies and the wing-tip airplanes whilst enjoying my cup of English tea.

I don't know yet whether I love Sydney whole-heartedly (as M has) but my fascination and fondness for this this city is growing.

Autumn Love

I sit here, guilty of ignoring this repository for quite a bit of time.

I promise, in time, all will be revealed.

For now, suffice to say, M and I in London.

I sit here in our temporary residence in the old french part of the city. I love South Kensington and have always felt at home here in this part of town.

Autumn. Autumn has always been my favourite season. Fresh crisp air. Leaves of amber and crimson.

For now, I leave you with the view outside our bedroom window:

Czeching Amsterdam

It's been a crazy week.

I finally managed to get the rolls of film from our last holiday, developed from the lab.

I really really really love the black and white photos I took in Prague using the Czech film Fomapan. This is going to sound like a obsessive compulsive geek talk but I love the raw grains in the photos. And at under $10.00 a roll of 36exp, it's a bargain compared to what the market allows here on this island. Thankfully, I stocked up on the film. :-)

Prague

And . . . what can I say about Amsterdam? I love the city! ~ Inspira

Amsterdam

(PS. As usual link yourselves to the image hosting site to view more photos).

I:AMsterdam

9.00pm.

Sunday night.

Amsterdam.

Somewhere in the Oud-Zuid, M and I are looking out the large window framing the living room of our rented holiday apartment. ~ Inspira

Bali

Bali for our 2nd wedding anniversary was magical - such a tiny island with so much to offer.

We're going back. Hopefully this year.

And as much as my friends would recommend staying by the many beaches Bali is famous for, I would rather camp out at The Gangsa again, in sleepy Sanur. ~Inspira

Cambodia

M and I spent the long Chinese New Year weekend in Siem Reap and Angkor.

We had a fabulous time putting up at FCC Angkor - I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to go to Siem Reap.

Siem Reap is a beautiful place.

Despite the genocidal Khmer Rouge iron hand rule in the 70s, and the still struggling backdrop of her people, Cambodia welcomed us with open arms. Her people are always smiling no matter where we go. ~ Inspira

Travelocity

M and I have finished planning our vacation blitz for the first half of the year:

There's (1) Siem Reap in February (post birthday "gift" for M and pre-birthday "gift" for myself), (2) Bali (yes Exp, when I booked the flights to Bali, I stupidly keyed in M's Frequent Flyer number so before he finds out when he goes into his FF account, I told him in person one fine day - he was totally surprised - thankfully - phew!) in April for our wedding anniversary. And in May, a trip to (3) Amsterdam and Prague (with London somewhere in there as usual but this time a concert to Bruce Springsteen at Emirates Stadium is included much to M's excitement).

So, M recently suggested an exciting way to travel - that we take 2 weeks off to a new location not known to us until just 24 hours prior; that we do a random selection (via Excel) the night before intended departure to find out where we are going to. Of course, there will be certain criteria which will have to be considered i.e. visa requirements, countries at war (eg. Iraq, Afghanistan etc). Other than that, it'll be departing Singapore on Saturday, random selection on Friday night and more or less 12 hours to pack accordingly, change currency, last minute accomodation bookings if at all etc.

I am excited! It'll be a new insight and perspective to our relationship.

Maybe in October/November, M? ~ Inspira

City of Love

I am owing a few people, pictures from our trip to Paris.

Paris

I was the ultimate tourist in Paris. I was taking photos like there was no tomorrow - and this was in late Autumn! Imagine if we had been there in Spring or Summer --> I'd probably be lugging back rolls of film (yes, I'm still an old-fashioned 35mm kind of girl) instead of spoils from the City of Love. ~ Inspira

Ps. As usual, the full images have been cropped somewhat from the slideshow embedded here. And there are 200+ images uploaded. Link yourself to the hosting image site by clicking on "Paris".

Deutschland

M and I have been in Berlin for 2 days now. A side-trip for M's conference.

I haven't done much in this city apart from sleeping in - a deliberate attempt to nurse my (still) flu-ey state of mind.

I haven't been back in Deutschland for 20 years now. It has changed so much I forgot how beautiful it can be even even in this cold weather.

I love this land for its precision. Everything is well thought of. Germans are one of the most environmentally concious lot;, there's a recycling bin at every corner - one for plastic, one for glass, one for recycled paper. What I love best - the supermarket cashiers will not pack for you your groceries as they do not provide plastic bags. A move that will not only save billions of dollars but one that is of concious effort towards a better living environment. ~ Inspira

Oooh La La!

Exp, we got to Paris in one piece and thank you - British Airways far exceeded our expectations when it came to in flight food - they were good! :-P

M and I watched the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday and it was amazing! The atmosphere was electric and even though the English lost, the fans who flooded the city congratulated the Springboks for a good match well done. Now that's what a game should be. Good game, good play, good fans. ~ Inspira

Ready, Set, Go!

Things have been a tad bit chaotic.

Work seems endless (so what else is new?). The girls have been a handful. Home requires a bit of the magic wand for quick clean-up. And in between all that, I have been busy making notes of our Parisian holiday.

You'll be glad to know that M and I finally bought our flight tickets. On British Airways. (ahh...for those who have followed our story, I decided to drop Singapore Airlines off our list as they don't award mileage for open-jaw tickets! Is it cartel or is it not cartel?!?) Anyways, I'm sure I will enjoy my BA flight. Besides, if Exp says her experience is good, then I dare say, it's good enough for me.

So, I have quite a spot of shopping to do whilst in Paris. From the flea-market trawls to the high-end wallet bursting trip. And yes, I belong to the former camp. I'll be spending my friends' money at the high-end high browed boutiques. But maybe just this one time, I'll crawl into a Longchamp boutique in Paris or a Mulberry one in London --> I'm old-fashioned that way. M is intrigued and surprised that apart from my wallet, my bag collection does not have "membership" with the high society of the Parisian or Italian couture.

Most will say I'm cheap. To that I say, it's the design not the brand dah-ling. You can buy a brand but you can't buy style. ~ Inspira

Tripping

Exp asked me whilst having tea with our hubs last weekend whether we have decided where we're going. The itinerary of our impending Singapore-Paris-Berlin-Paris-London-Singapore trip.

It got me thinking for a while and then I exclaimed that we have not even bought our flight tickets - and we're supposed to be travelling on 19 October(!) Eeeek! The recent debucle over our Koh Samui trip comes to mind and I'm shuddering.

A few months ago, I was set on British Airways (Plan A). At a price that was not too shabby for all that multi-stops we are going to be doing. Then, fairly recently (ok, you got me there - it was last night), I may just book us tickets on Singapore Airlines' direct flight into Paris and return to Singapore from London's Heathrow. The British Airways' one-way flight from Paris into London will tally the total flight cost about $300 more than our original Plan A. I figure that S$300 is money well spent considering we'll save on the waiting time for connecting flights (about 4 hours) and the comfort of the flight.

Then M "announces" he may not want to take Singapore Airlines (--> can you tell already I'm exasperated after all that planning?) That is M's way of really retaliating for not being able to bid to be on the first A380 flight to Sydney on 25 October. The bereaucracy of the bid organisation etc.

I say, honey, f*%k 'em all and let's go to Paris. You can lodge a complaint later. ~ Inspira