It seems like I am back to square one.

"Take your time"

So I was Line-ing (you know, the app) with my dad (who's based mostly in Cambodia now) when he asked about my employment status. I said (somewhat bitterly i may add) that I am still a "无业游民" (which basically means an employed person).

Honestly, I am not in a rush to get a job since I am still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life but a part of me feels kinda aimless/useless just doing nothing. Most of the time I enjoy it but I wish I were paid for it ^^

Anyhow, he added that I should just take my time to find a job and that it is ok to start with a low pay and progress along the pay. Well, low is subjective and I believe my degree has to be worth something, right? I must add that my parents are the unconventionally cool kind. They don't expect straight A's but am contented if I have done my best. And tough love helps too. I believe in being independent financially and working for what I want.

In the meantime, I am keeping my fingers crossed. May, please be good to me (:

Travelogue Part I: Hola! Barcelona

This is part I of our Euro-trip and I will be adopting the LIFO (last in first out) system where I will chronicle the latest destination and so on and so forth.

Before setting off to Barcelona, I had serious reservations about its safety. Have heard one too many stories of friends/friends of friends getting pickpocketed/robbed there. So what <3 and I did was to strap valuables underneath our clothings and not carry any bags at all. I guess that worked pretty well cos we didnt meet any crooks like in Paris :/

Day 1:

Here's a look at our gorgeous duplex apartment during our stay in Barcelona. It's located along a bustling alley so it can be noisy. The upside is that there are plenty of cafes, restaurants and bakeries nearby (Y). My airbnb host was a super friendly man whose love for his city is apparent. He not only showed us around the apartment but also recommended places to have authentic Spanish cuisine and his favourite places to visit. It's always great to get insider/local tips to maximise the experience.

We didnt do much cos it was close to 10pm by the time we reached the apartment. Though the streets were still buzzing with activities (Spaniards live on their own timezone where dinner starts around 8pm ^^), we were too tired to venture out. Settled for some instant noodles and then it was time for bed.

First level: Love the collage and spiral staircase!

Second level: Bed's on top of the wardrobe and toilet. It's quite a hassle, actually.

Day 2:

Explored La Rambla, which was just a stone throw away from our apartment.

First up, breakfast! Based on reviews, this is one of the best bakeries in town and also one of the oldest.

This was the first church we passed by but I cant recall the name :/

 At the foot of the church, there was a vintage fair going on

Chanced upon a wet market of some sort and look at the fresh produce! We also saw what looked like a skinned cat *gags* Four months on, the image is still fresh in my mind

Barcelona's very own Arc de Triomf. I always thought there was only one (in Paris)

After a late lunch at 3pm (living like the locals much?), we queued to visit Casa Batllo. It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, the figurehead of Catalan Modernism (he was also behind the world renowned La Sagrada Familia). 

I am no art guru so I will try to describe the building as accurately and elegantly as possible. As seen from the picture below, the exterior itself is already very eye-catching, with its use of pastel colours and mosaic tiles. The interior was just as impressive but I didnt manage to take any good shots.

Casa Batllo from the outside

I believe this is another work by Gaudi.The distinctive feature about his work is the facade. They're always so three-dimensional due to his use of colours and shapes

First attempt at visiting La Sagrada Familia. I said first attempt as we went there at 5.30pm (closing time was 6pm) in the hopes of avoiding the crowd. But, they cut the line off saying we wouldnt be able to make it in time :( So, we went to have ice cream to cheer us up. Heh

To sidetrack a little, I miss the ones in Italy. They were the BEST :p

So after a day of Gaudi, we decided to check out one of the many dinner recommendations our host had for us - Can Majo. It is located towards the end of La Barceloneta. La Barceloneta reminded me of Clarke Quay where rows after rows of restaurants and bars reside.

Anyhow, we reached the restaurant at around 7.15pm and it was dark and empty. Feeling cold and hungry, that was not a good sign. It turned out that the restaurant opened at 8pm so we walked around for a bit before heading back at 8pm sharp (hungryyy).

A picture of the table set-up and menu (plus my panda coin pouch, lol). 

Vegetarian paella (it had some fancy name but I cant remember). A worthy thing to note is that the paella at Can Majo is served in two servings. Meaning, it only prepares paella for two pax. Interesting but this can be discouraging for people who dine alone or try multiple dishes. Oh and a special note of thanks to <3 cos he wanted to try the seafood paella so badly but we cant possibly finish two portion on our own so he had the vegetarian one instead.

Here's him with his Mediterranean seafood soup ^^

Servings were generous so we were stuffed after the meal. The food were a tad too salty though. Overall, it was a good dining experience (ambiance, food and service wise).

Streets of La Rambla at night

Day 3:

Woke up bright and (not so) early for La Sagrada Familia. I think we reached there around 10am but the queue was horrid. And once again, the staff cut the line off saying that we could no longer get tickets at the physical booth. Instead, we had to purchase the tickets online via this app. I dont know what the rationale is since we can gain access to the church either way.

Anyhow, we spent some time downloading the app using the free wifi and spent some more time trying to purchase the tickets. We tried multiple times but was unsuccessful. It was quite frustrating so we approached the staff for help. Turned out that the viewing towers werent accessible that day and hence, we couldnt proceed with our reservation.

After almost an hour of trying, we finally booked our tickets for the 11.20am slot. We were then faced with another issue as the confirmation email said we had to produce the credit card which was used for reservation but it was left at home. We almost wanted to rush home and back but decided against it. Checked with the staff at the information booth and she said it was ok (whew!).

So we queued to collect our tickets and I remembered holding my breath just in case the lady asked for the credit card. Thankfully she didnt and we were in!

Here's the interior of the church:

I thought I took photos of the altar but apparently not. So, can I visit again? ^^v

Here's the workshop where the craftsmen do up prototypes before constructing the real exterior (i.e. trial and error)

Poster detailing the stages of construction. They are aiming to complete it by 2030. Construction started in 1882 so that's a whopping 148 years.

One last photo before we head for lunch

The Tripadvisor app is a real handy when insider/local insights arent available. Through the app, we decided on having Indian cuisine at Mayuna for lunch.

The food tasted as good as they looked. They had lunch set menu (drinks + mains + dessert) so it was really value for money. Each set cost slightly less than SGD20. Gosh, I wish they have a branch here.

Me and my chocolate mousse

After lunch, we headed over to Park Guell which was designed by surprise surprise, Gaudi. Some parts of the park require tickets to enter but my suggestion is to skip those. In my opinion, there werent much differences between the paid and unpaid portions of the park.

Ending this post with one of my favourite photos taken during the trip <3

Next up, Nice and Monaco!

New Beginning?

I started this blog in secondary four so it's been a good...six years *gasps* And the last time I blogged was more than a year ago so this blog is as dusty/rusty as it can get. Went through quite a bit to gain access to this blog as I totally stopped using my old email account and naturally, I cant recall the password. Long story short, I am back!

Time flies (cringe at the use of a cliche) and now I am into my last three weeks of school. Well, it's technically one week of study week and two weeks of exams. It's funny how I spent the last three years willing graduation to come but now that I am almost at the finishing line, I am lost. 20 years of education and now I am supposed to know what I want to do with my life. Hmm, I think I need more time.

Looking back, I think I have developed as an individual. University has given me the opportunities to try out different things. Most notably, overseas community service project (OCSP) and international exchange (best part of my uni life but more about that later). Traveling aside, both have enabled me to become more independent and mature as an individual. I signed up for both alone so it forced me to get out of my comfort zone and be open to meeting different people and the environment I was in. Thankfully, both experiences were nothing short of fantastic and I'd love to blog more about each soon.

I guess writing three paragraphs is a pretty good start to me "re-blogging". Look out for my Europe travelogue, till then!