Category: Travel :)

Around the world

Of Music and Food

Still remember the times when I travelled to Paris with my friends…They would shop while I roam around the streets in search for good food. It was always best to dine alone because that’s when you can have your own time to savor each sip of coffee or tea and indulge in all the delicacies without being rushed. Here in Singapore, if I dine alone, I would always have some music in my ears because most of the restaurants don’t play classical. They play identical pop songs which I am unable to say that I can appreciate. So back to Paris! There is no need to bring my music out because classical music is played everywhere, even on the buses! I say, Paris really live up to their City of Love label. It is the existence of the medieval history and architecture, the appreciation for art and music which makes Paris a romantic place. In the restaurant, while I eat, I would admire the architecture of the building, the interior designs and decorations, and the story behind the building. With the right classical songs playing in the background, the whole dining experience automatically elevates to another level. The service staff has their mannerism and they are all well groomed. They don’t give you too much attention (staring at you while you eat) yet they are observant. They cannot speak English but they never fail to assist you with all that they can, with smiles on of course. That’s all we need to wrap up a good dining experience. I really hope I can travel again to places I have never been to. I crave to explore restaurants, old towns and streets, revisit history especially palaces where you could put those headphones on and there the story telling begins and the classical music goes on….

Life, I have missed you so.

Traveling is in the blood

I cannot do without it, even if it is doing it alone.

Traveling is no longer a hobby, it is my life. I live through each season as it passes, walk the streets at night, drive the roads alone, see the beautiful places, watch the people, meet the smiling faces, hear the laughter, exchange the languages, appreciate colors and pictures, drink the drink, indulge the food, dance along the rhythm…

When I was young, I used to be so excited before I travel. I start to think about the trip perhaps one month before, google about the places few weeks before, pack one week before, and not sleep the day before. Having traveled to so many places, I have now reached to another level of traveling: Start to think about the trip when I am on the airplane with nothing else to do, NOT google about the places at all, pack one hour before…

I am proud to say I am an experienced traveler but a laid-back one right now. I won’t allow pictures to spoil the first impression, won’t allow travelers comments to ruin the surprises. I like the whole experience strange and new. I prefer to not do any homework and just go wherever I like, also do without any itinerary so I could have my own time. I admit I end up with a tiny bit of fear when I see strangers, cannot speak the same language, cannot count the currency…but thats thrill for me. Hunting for food and drink is the best part of the traveling experience- I would try local food no matter how disgusting they look, and would eat the same specialty everyday at different shops to see if there is any difference. I also conclude that shopping is a risky business because no matter how local you act, they know you are foreign so, you either bargain well or not buying at all. Again, that is cheap thrill. Transportation- Hate public transport because this is the part where I fear the most: of getting lost, the stares and the smell. BUT I would at least try the public transport ONCE just to feel local. If time grants, I wouldn’t mind getting lost..Just sit on the bus and enjoy the scenery and new sights. Scenery- I go to every places with the thought of “This is the first and last time I am here”.

Here in China, I am doing considerably well though its called Living Abroad rather than Traveling because I treat it as though I am on a trip. During my off days when I am not tired, I would just go to somewhere new and do food and shopping hunting. At times, I would watch a movie or dine in a restaurant alone, take my own sweet time to enjoy my favorite music, book and thoughts…At the end of the day, its left with me smiling to myself, “Well done Jocelyn, you explored a new place, ate something new and delicious, saw something ugly/pretty/funny/unique, experienced new culture, bought something, got lost but found yourself back!”

So what’s my favorite hobby  life?

TRAVELING!

Brussels- Belgium

The smell of chocolates and waffles in the air, and the very grand square which I stared in disbelief for a minute. I like this place, minus those rowdy hooligans. I put up one night in the city’s only 19th-century hotel which is designed in French Renaissance style and it used to be a chapel! Heard it is a luxury hotel accommodation for discriminating travellers since 1895 and being a committed traveller, I knew it was a place to go.

Beppu & Kyushu

Beppu is nothing like a busy city with tall buildings however, it is most  famous for hot springs. The experience to soak in the hot springs with mum and grandma fully naked was one of a kind and it has became one of the most memorable events of the trip. Of course, no pictures of us naked. Just pictures of the many types of hot springs. By the way, I do not know Beppu economically/geographically, but it seems like a really quiet small city, not as rich as Tokyo. It was as though we went back to the 1960s, an altogether different feel and I enjoyed the unusual environment. Meals we had there was also unique and very authentic. The boys had the horse sashimi and no, I dare not eat it because….it’s fear factor to me.



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Hiroshima

Site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack. Can’t believe I would ever see the site with my own eyes. Don’t ask me if they deserve the attack or not since they gave us hell and took our blood  in history because that is a difficult question. I just think that there is no such thing as a right war even though there is the saying of an eye for an eye. No further sensitive comments on history. However, I just hope that one day, people would walk out from that shadow of  hatred. I have many chinese friends (as in china chinese) and they hate Japanese due to history. I also know some Japanese who dislike Americans and its unfortunate because they are all youth. Wonder how nice the earth would be without this hatred. Okay, to sum Hiroshima up, I just have one word for it and that is, “Humble”.

Tokyo

Tokyo is a city of color and a must-go city if you have a thing for people-watching. Maybe the whole Japan is. In my own opinion, it isn’t a place for you to do hardcore sight seeing. There might be places which would make you stare in awe, but I would go again for its culture, food, shopping, religion, and more food. 🙂 Shopping is way better than Bangkok/Hong Kong/Some other misc places in Mainland because of their quality, service, unique styles and one very important factor which is- you don’t have to bargain. If you think Tokyo’s fashion is all about being KAWAII (cute), then you’re wrong. The girls here dress up in all kinds of styles, as long as it fits their body, suits their appearance and character. They look very pretty and not Kawaii (justified by my two brothers who hardly give compliments). I realise that most of the girls in Singapore dress up for the sake of following the trend, trying hard to make a fashion statement but many times, they (including me) are in something which doesn’t look right on them. So the Japanese girls have no trend to follow. They all wear something they like and I like that. If you are thinking of going to Bangkok or Hongkong to shop, save up alil more and go to Japan. And when you pack for Japan, bring all the clothes you dare not wear for a long time, mix and match in an anyhow manner, wear more than three colors and the people in Japan would just pass you by without those “aiyo-this-girl-si-bei-ah-soh-aunty-ah-lian-leh” look. If you look at how I wear in the pictures below, you may have lots of comments like 1). whats with the brown belt and the blue polka dots shirt? brown and blue? 2). white hat, blue blouse, brown belt, black shoes, already more than 4 colors on your body. 3). can wear nicer shoes or not? 4). your style is what style arh? 5). what you are wearing is no longer trendy ok and the list goes on…but I had fun mismatching my clothes in Japan because everyone does it without feeling uncomfortable!

 Besides shopping, I know I don’t have to go into details about the food and culture because everyone knows how good that is. Believe me or not, there is no quite other place like Japan.