Myself.
Hey guys! I'm Dina Malyana and I used to have a long introduction but now I feel like my name is the only constant in my life. So there.
Maybe you've always been here, following me through my days as I grow up. Or maybe you came to drop by during a short period of my life.
But whatever it is, thanks for reading. I sure don't know what you get from it, as this blog is more for me than it is for you.
But thanks for caring.
This is the way it’s been and always will be.
Saturday, May 03, 2014 | 7:08 PM
The Intro (prelude) in Paradise Fears's Battle Scars album is amazing
Haaai, whats up. I'm busy.. procrastinating. My last exams - in NUS. I can't wait to get it done and over with but I don't know what's ahead and that is terrifying. But I'll think about it, and I'll get there in time to come. For now, I'm nine days to Turkey and I'm really excited though I'm not sure how I'm going to get along stuck some of my buddies for like.. more than a month (particularly Mae my antithesis). But I do know we're going to have lots of fun petting cats (that will be Maryam and me) flirting with cute boys (maybe that'll be Ros..and me.. what, no?!) and arguing for the sake of arguing with one another (that will be Mae and me). I've already made a really nice Morroccan friend and we've been writing to each other for some time and I can't wait to meet up with him in Istanbul. (I hope it'll go fine.) I'm already one step ahead. And I hope I'll get a chance, or at least I'll try my best, to meet as many people and make as many friends as I can during the trip. That shall be my goal for the trip. Because Australia left me with so, so, sooo many good memories and it's all thanks to the people I met. I'm going to cherish those memories - forever. So I hope this trip will be amazing, crazy and life-changing.. somehow. My bags are packed, by the way. That's how excited I am. It's always been this way for
every trip. I'm like.. so ready to go, except I have three exam papers ahead.
Keep your head up, keep your love
Thursday, March 27, 2014 | 8:47 PM
It's been an interesting past few weeks and I hope I'm finally done with all the strange permutations of ups and downs. I decided on a few things - to work on the things I'm unhappy about. I'm doing pretty good, at least today. Tired of waking up and coming home grumpy because I'm hungry, because there's no food on the table, because my Mom doesn't cook (despite my feminist orientations I wish I have a domestic mother) - I decided to do the cooking today. Because someone (other than my Dad) must
do something. I'm tired as hell of the house in such a disgusting state, because nobody gives a shit, because we were brought up to leave it to someone else, aka the now non-existent maid, which is now replaced by my Dad. Nope I didn't do anything about it.. I can't clean up after other people's mess I'm sorry. But my Dad did a good job cleaning up the kitchen upon hearing my complaints (oops) Which makes the kitchen a little less disgusting for my utility. So utilize it I shall.
What else am I unhappy about.. Oh gosh. Alot of stupid things. And other things I can't do anything about. You know, I don't even remember anymore. All I knew was that I just wanted to be in a
happy place. I can't keep waiting till I can go there, I guess. Everything will get better one day, when I get everything I want. But I realise it's never enough, and I always want more. It sounds like a drive that brings people to success, but also one that keeps people in misery and discontentment.
You know what, I'm going to make a list of of the things I'm gonna change - about myself.
Because I'm good with lists. And I want to be more than the person I am now. In a good way, you know. Like I'm going smile and greet every driver when I board the bus, I'm never going to forget to say thanks to my Dad when he does something for me, I'm going to be a be a better listener, a better person in general. Oh well. Till next time!
The seasons change, our hearts remain the same
Thursday, March 13, 2014 | 8:17 PM
I'm feeling a little lost right now because I really had a good four days with Alberto, putting my life aside, and now he just flew off. I'm supposed to get back to all the things and thoughts I've left behind but maybe later, maybe later. I think I'm getting to somewhere important with my train of floating thoughts but I can't seem to put my finger to this.
I really like him (as a friend), more than anyone I've met - there's something about him, which I can explain, but my blog and the world don't deserve to know. I can't believe this was the guy who walked past me in the hostel three months ago, leaving my jaw wide open. Many words to describe him but let's just use one - he's so genuine. So real, so much underneath. I'll keep the good memories and all the laughs we had. And I'll keep the things he told me about his life that I just can't forget.. you don't hear things like that and just forget, you know. And afterwards how he suddenly said I was important, and i really wanted to hug him already but i hooked my arm around his and dude, that was an important few minutes of my life.
And yeah well okay all the time it was pretty hard to ignore the fact that he's bloody ass cute as well. I mean, who can look like THAT after a Southern Ridges walk under the sun? Life is not fair. When girls say they like nerdy-looking guys - It's not that nerdy kind of nerd. It's the Alberto kind of adorable nerd. :-)
Something happened to me the time you came to Singapore. And it's not because you were cute, (even though you are).. I'm not so superficial like that. I still don't know. It's got something to do with people, and getting attached to them, and the way they open up and unravel so beautifully (if you just give them a chance and spend some time together) and friendship, in general. And dedicating my time to making sure people have a good time - that was fulfilling as well. It was lovely. But now I'm really sad coz I suck like that. I get attached to people, and they leave, and after a while I find myself bawling. It's hitting me hard, only three hours later. Goodbye friend.
Maybe I'm thinking too much. I mean, I've showed my other international friends around as well. Nadja and Michaela, which I didn't even write about. But no. Yeah, I don't know. I hope to see you again, cute italian guy.
We always dreamed about this better life, (this better life)
Friday, February 28, 2014 | 11:56 PM
It's finally dawning on me - I'm twenty three. Not so psyched about growing up. It's been a good past few years, and I just don't want to move on from here. Either way, time stops for nobody. This year, I'm just going to go on the way I am, full of hopes, dreams and possibilities. After Turkey and Greece, I'm going to find a job, suck it up and work hard and pay my dues to my parents. Well, at least for a year, because I really don't know how joining the typical-life of the everyday working Singaporean will be like. The rush hour, the most-likely office job, the fixed hours.. yeah I just don't know about that. I want to stay true to myself and do what I like. I'm childish like that but what do I have to lose? At this point, probably only the things I don't mind losing. Recently, I found out my Dad is not so approving of his daughter traveling for months/years at a time - so well, that's something I will probably have to confront in future. That's what I want to do, Dad. I want to move somewhere and start a new life from scratch. I want to work in a seemingly dead-end job, struggling to pay my rent and work my way up from there. I want to buy my own house, or at least have an apartment to call my own. I want to meet someone and start a family, and I don't want to do it here. Then I want to have a kid or two, and knowing myself, I'll be the best mom ever. (My friends will raise their eyebrows at this, ohh dina hates kids they would say, but what do they know).
But oh well before that, I really want to get down traveling till I get sick of traveling, if that's even possible. New Zealand is calling out to me and that's where I'll probably be after my one-year stint in the working life. I want to sleep in tents again and spend the nights playing cards or sitting around fireplaces. I want to be under the starriest night sky, hell I want to see the milky way as well. I want to spend my time chasing shooting stars (I'm serious though, I want to catch a meteor shower), and sunsets and sunrises. I want to get bored. I want to miss home. I want to read books and get lost in them. I want to start again. I want to be reckless with life, I want to infuse it with so much meaning that I can feel my heart. I want the best the world has to offer. I want to look back with no regrets, with nothing I would do differently at all.
I'm always speaking like that.
Gosh. Get real. You have an essay to write.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014 | 1:08 AM
Happy birthday dina.
Say something I'm giving up on you
Thursday, January 30, 2014 | 10:53 PM
I just had a thought over dinner. Somewhere between me growing up, lots of things have went wrong but in many ways I still turned out right. But there are pieces still missing, pieces that should be there. And some days it's a struggle to find these pieces. And it's no use to blame anyone for how I turned out because I should be, at this moment, able to make my own choices and decisions about the person I want to be. I thought that if I were to die today, I'd die with too many regrets. And they wouldn't be about the places I haven't been to, or the things in my bucket list I haven't checked off. They'd be about the people I haven't treated right, about the words I never said, about the things I didn't do to make life easier for those around me. That I can see things are wrong but I don't do anything about it. The fact that I care about myself too much, that I don't care to understand, that at some instances empathy doesn't come naturally to me, that at some cases I still don't even care to make a change.
This period thing is really good for some serious self-reflection.
A drop in the ocean, a change in the weather
Thursday, January 16, 2014 | 9:56 PM
It has been almost a week since I got back, and life has been a roller-coaster.
I started out really pumped out about doing this exploring my own country thing. I love it when I travel and I meet people who speak so passionately about theirs, and I thought that it's about time I start getting to know mine a little better. I love maps. I collect maps everywhere I go, yet I've never been oriented well around Singapore. So I bought a travel guide, finished reading it, grabbed a free map from the visitor centre, and I even spent a day out alone exploring. Damn guys, I even saw the Merlion! I really did felt like a tourist, and well yeah, Singapore is really quite amazing in terms of architecture.
I love change, I embrace change, I need change. When talks about moving to the East finally died and got postponed, I switched rooms and now I'm roommates with my fourth sister, Naili. Not such a huge change like moving houses, but a change nonetheless. It feels good to leave that half clean (mine) half eyesore (my third sister) space and start fresh. I'm going to Ikea tomorrow to grab some stuff, and this room is going to look amazing when we're done.
I'm still trying to get over my huge crush on the adorable italian guy, but chances are I'll still be dreaming about him till I find someone else to dream about. Or I'll continue dreaming the rest of my life, actually, who knows. Kiss me when you come to Singapore, maybe? No? Okay. All I have now are photographs and memories. Australia was as real as it could get, but it all feels so distant now.
It was real. It happened. And it was great. And it's over. That's life.
I started editing my resume. It sucks. Can I put some pretty picture as a faded background pretty please? You don't like it, you don't have to hire me.. Oh yeah speaking of which, more than ever, I am now highly out of touch with reality. I'm going to have to refuse the rigidity of working life, the fixed number of leave days I can take in a year, the fixed working hours, the position with a fancy name and unmeaningful job scope. All I know is I need $10,000, and I'm going to get the working holiday visa and get my ass to New Zealand as soon as possible. And what I really want apart from that is to go somewhere, start from scratch, have a little apartment of my own, and just lead a quiet peaceful life. Or be a hippie, or a transient, living life poor in material stuff but rich in experiences.This country.. is not for me. And yada yada dina goes again.
School is going to be one hell of a challenge this semester. It's only the first week, but I can tell. I felt my hair turning white from just searching for the readings online and printing it out. Plus I need to earn at least $600/month to have enough for my grad trip so boohooooo. I can't give myself a break, even if I want to. Not at the expense of my plans, neverrr.
So hug me when you see me, because I might need some hugs.
By the way, these are the Malay peeps from the Sociology Honors cohort!
The last of Australia
Tuesday, January 07, 2014 | 2:09 PM
I really didn't expect this trip to turn out the way it had, and after having gone through this, I cannot possibly imagine the alternative to this - myself spending this holiday in Singapore, reading books or watching movies. I can't imagine missing out on this crazy experience. It's coming towards the end of my trip, the point where I start to get nostalgic and lost in my thoughts, thinking back and thinking about the future. I'm running out of words to describe everything I've been through - I think I need an expansion of vocabulary or something like that. Amazing, awesome, beautiful.. it's not enough, it's not accurate anymore. But you read what I've written - and some stuff must sound incredible, but it is way more than that to have actually lived through all this. I am so blessed to have had all these amazing things happen to me.
I spent yesterday with the cute italian guy. Just me and him. It was his twenty-fifth birthday. We did the Bondi to Coogee beach walk which was on my list of things to do and it was great - the view, the company. I thought about it. Two weeks ago I was just in Hobart, having lunch in the common room of the hostel and I looked up to see this really good looking, totally-out-of-my-league guy walking past, and I thought
wooaahhh. Fast forward and there I was, spending his birthday with him. He's incredibly nice, good-natured and smart, adorable with his italian-accented english, sort of geeky but really handsome and even more with those glasses. He reads, and he keeps a piece of the sky in his bag. Hmm. '
It's hard because I really wanna kiss him, but we're just friends.' Heyyy I've heard that before. Ain't that the story of my life. That night I had dinner with him and two of his italian dude friends and it was really funny because I was just sitting there in his apartment, and they were all getting really dressed up - like suited up, and I'm like in my sandals, shorts, and best shirt. Hey, nobody warned me about a dress code. Maybe he wore a bermudas under his smart shirt to make me feel better about it. But yeah, it was a really good italian dinner in a japanese restaurant, just because he was beside me. Not the dinner. I have it baaaad, i know. I should know better than to fall for guys on my travels but what can I do… he's great. I look at him and yeah,
that's it - there he is, standing there so prim and proper and oh my goodness, marry me and lets make babies.
My last three nights in Sydney me and my sis stayed in a hotel room, thanks to my Dad's partial sponsor. I felt really, really lazy to be a tourist already. It was strange not to be out with someone to do something. (My sister doesn't count). Best part of the day was spending some time with the cutie (just look at him, rawrrr) in the morning. Pancakes on the Rocks breakfast and a walk. He sooo doesn't know I have a huge crush on him. Then just more walking, walking, walking, souvenir shopping, daydreaming, always daydreaming.
Breakfast the next day as well, my last full day in Sydney, this time at Lindt Cafe. Swiss chocolate cake with an Italian guy in Australia. Feelin' internationaaaal. I can't not put his picture here, ya know. He's so good looking, like gee, sthaaap it you. I love that face he makes that says 'oh my god this tastes so good.' Oh god, that face. (I refuse to grow up and stop sounding like a teenager having a big crush..) We went for a walk at the Botanical Gardens, and finally, after five weeks, I have a picture with the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
We hugged goodbye, and he promised to make it to Singapore. It's really nice he told me he started planning for his trip, even though it's rather far off in August this year. So, in the meantime, I'm just gonna go back, look for a nice decent Malay guy to date for a bit and maybe even settle down.
*Rolls over floor laughing my internal organs out*
I ran off to Oxford Street to meet dearest Tansy for her lunch break at this gem of a bookstore cafe. I had the best tuna cheese sandwich. Tansy is this terribly awesome girl, and I love her spirit, her bubbly personality how she embrace change, love travel, and yeah.. just this awesome, awesome Australian. I love how the few Australians I've met were so open to making friends and hanging out, even though they are already home. It's fantastic, and I have such a great impression of Australians.
I did some final souvenir shopping. Thank you
Lovisa for existing.
I got waves of emotions. Last day in Australia, you know, after thirty-seven whole days of adventure. I sat at Darling Harbour, a place full of memories, all teary-eyed for a while. What's with me and ending my travels with tears.. Luckily, this time wasn't a heartbreak - and I wasn't an overflowing tap. It was just really.. wow. Really, I never had all this in mind when I booked my flight to Australia. I thought it was going to be just another trip, you know. But it turned out to be one hell of an adventure. It wasn't quite the places I went to anymore, but the people I met, the memories I made with them, and all the feelings that came along with that. Tomorrow when I get back to Singapore, the drudgery of life will come by, and this whole trip would just be sort of this dream I had, not quite real anymore. Except for the pictures, the distant memories, and this writings. I will not quite believe the time I had, and the people I met.
Even so, it will be the best dream I ever had.
The Coast Track - Royal National Park
| 2:08 PM
26 kilometres of coastline, from Bundeena to Otford with my sister.18 kilometres on the first day, and the last 8km on the second. We spent the day before at Cronulla, which is a great little beach town a ferry-ride away to Bundeena, Cronulla YHA is a great place, because I stepped in and all I saw were boys, boys, many shirtless boys walking around or zipping by the hallway in their scooters. I was thinking.. 'Woah, did I get to paradise?' Instead of the dorm room we booked, we got a private ensuite room and it was the first good (though still rather short) rest I had since I had to sydney. I told myself not to make any friends on that day, because honestly the past week has been crazy interactions after interactions, new friends after new friends, and I just needed a break. So a break I got, just chilling by Cronulla beach and preparing for the next day.
The Coast Track. What can I say about it.. It was my first walk with an overnight camping stop so in hindsight, I learnt so many things that will make my life easier the next time I attempt to do something like this. I was carrying a 3.3kg tent on hand, a sleeping bag and 3litres of water in my backpack. My fitness is just average, and it was honestly really exhausting. I would have managed better if I had a proper medium-sized backpack with waist straps that can fit the tent and all the stuff I need so I could keep my hands free. And the shoes.. something about my Kathmandu hiking shoes just doesn't cut it for my feet, my toes in particular. I need to buy another more comfortable one. The track would have been more enjoyable had I been thinking less about reaching the overnight stop rather than enjoying the views.
The view was great though. It's always great to walk by the coastline. Cliffs, rocks, beaches, and just endless blue water. Beautiful. We strayed away from the tracks a few times, but knowing that we are supposed to be headed south and never too far from the water, we always knew when we were headed the wrong way and had to get back to find the correct trail. Marley Beach is great.. quiet, and fun waves. We got in and jumped the waves. Then Wattamolla Beach - you could hear it from the distance. The music, and all the swarm of people who drove there rather than hiked to get there. What the hell, it was sizzling hot and we threw our gear in the sand and jumped in the water as well. And Garie Beach, North Era beach.. The overnight camping. The sunrise, the rock climbing.. And not to forget all the nice people I met along the way, always kind to share more information and wishing me luck in getting to my tent site before the night crawls in. I'm going to write a proper blog post for my travel blog for the Coast Track and I'm just kinda lazy to do it right now. But yeah it was good, just really exhausting and no I wouldn't do it again unless i have more confidence in my fitness and mental strength. I'm completely unevenly tanned at the moment thanks to that one whole day under the sun, and my shoulders have it the worst.
The second day of the coast track, we woke up at sunrise and began trudging the 8km to Otford. A crazy huge climb up the hill is a part of this morning. We conquered that, got on the train, got back to Cronulla to grab our bags, and off we go to Wollstonecraft to stay two nights with this nice lady who was renting out her apartment through airbnb. A great apartment, really clean, nice, good location and everything was working. I didn't get to spend much time talking to her because I was always out and she was out working as well most of the day. When I got there, I jumped into the shower, and ran out to meet Thomas and the other friends I've made at Pittwater (the Kuring-gai chase national park) for a barbecue. That night, still exhausted as I was, I felt so much love from all these new friends I've made. We were at Tommy and Katherine's house, and had a nice fire at their backyard. Everyone was just so nice… and I can't help but to think how amazing it is to be doing something like this with some people I've just met. It was like we were a small family, even if it was for a short while. I'm sure my sister had a good time as well, because everyone took the time to talk to the usually-quiet her as well, so that's really good. That night was amazing and I was really sad it it was time to say goodbye to Thomas. He's incredible and my trip wouldn't have been the same without him. I'm sure for him it must have been pretty good to end off his time in Australia under the stars around a fire with all the new friends he made. Beautiful, isn't it. I almost wished that was how my trip ended, and that night was my last night as well.. but nope. Life has other plans for me, and I need my last few days to make some memories I wouldn't trade for the world. Yeah yeah you know what's coming up. :)
Blue Mountains
Wednesday, January 01, 2014 | 1:08 PM
The Blue Mountains was the first of life in a tent. Outside a hostel. It was really good, and I lovee living in a tent. I was thinking that my luck of meeting new people on this trip must run dry eventually and this is the place for some quiet alone time. We did some exhausting walks - some not quite rewarding despite the effort it took. Then on New Year's Eve a guy from the hostel asked if me and my sister want to head down to Sydney to catch the fireworks. I was like.. 'well... what the hell, okay.' The three of us eventually drifted off the not so friendly big group in Sydney, had some lunch, and realised we had like ten hours to wait. As it turns out on that day, my sister was being quite this moody thing walking three metres behind us, shrugging off to every question we asked her and well it was really quite awkward - to have met this great guy from Copenhagen and to have your sister just really spoiling the mood. I must add that I asked her twice if she was sure about going - and that it wasn't too late to change her mind, but she didn't say no. We decided to call it quits, took the long journey back to the Blue Mountains to drop her off and caught the sunset and play some games to end off the new year. That night I was so sure, even if I had to come out a thousand dollars to send her back (which she wants), I'd rather do that to have some quiet and nice mood for the next ten days of this trip - my holiday. Quite a mistake I made here - she probably wasn't ready for my type of traveling (meeting new people, making friends, lots of nature). Who knows. And well, I could have easily done this trip alone and had equally as much fun.
The new year. Started off with a morning hike with Theis, the same guy. Our conversations were good and thinking back, i think he would have been a great Sociology student. On the way back the afternoon sun started slowing us down. Slow steps, slow steps. That night, i chatted with a German and three Israeli girls and I really felt that the hostel I stayed in met up to its reviews in being a having great social setting. Three thumbs up for the flying fox backpackers! I was starting to get a little bored of the blue mountains - after a while, everything sort of looks the same. I mean, I love water, and I'd prefer a hike with clear streams, more waterfalls and by the coast, or something like that, or something with a more diverse landscape. But it is what it is. The blue mountains is the blue mountains. Still spectacular - I can't just hope for nature to be everything I want.
The last day was spent alone with Thomas. It's really great to go to a place like a wildlife park with someone who takes an interest in animals. It's always nice to meet people who.. likes things, you know. Long train ride and back to the blue mountains for a walk. I think we both must have started to feel tired, and strange enough that was when he started with lame jokes and i play along. That was when i knew i was really going to miss this guy. I might just get teary-eyes the last time I will see him next week. Maybe i'm just another person he met in his travels.. But for me, yep, he's quite a special one. He's just really super duper nice, and cool, and smart, and handsome, and interesting. The pizza, the waterfall, the swing, his smile. Yep i'm pretty sure i now sound like i have a crush on him haha but neh, he makes a really good brotherly friend. I grabbed my bags and my sister that night, and we all had to wait for the last train to Sydney. I made a new record of checking into a dingy hostel.. At 2am in the morning. Good on ya, mate!!
Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
Sunday, December 29, 2013 | 8:22 PM
I must say that more than anything, this trip is by far the best for me in terms of meeting new people and making friends with them. Its been two days around sydney and thinking back, i can already say that it has been one hell of a trip.
I must make a mention to the cutest italian roommate we had in Hobart, because at this moment I'm completely crushing on him like a hormone-fused teenager. The best story i have to tell is how we left for Sydney at different times on the same day, and somehow bumped into each other again at Sydney's darling harbour. Considering the small inkling of possible circumstances that would have made that possible - i can only say that more than ever, given the events that has happened to me, if i don't believe in things like fate then there's no hope for life. First day in Sydney and we went to his apartment for tea.. How sweet as is that. But well, fantasies aside, take into account that my sister has always been present, and how I'm just a weird asian girl in the sea of jaw-dropping physically perfect beings (him included), i should just wake up my idea. But just look at him.. Oh my god he's so beautiful. And add on his shy smile and the way he carries himself - just marry me already.
It's terrible, i know. And how the day after, i got a picture from the handsome boy in Berlin of the bench that we met and spent the time watching the sunset together... Life is so crazy i swear and just all blossoming and interesting but truly, deep inside it's hollow. As hollow as the bottles that we drink, my love life stands at zero.
I spent Christmas night on the floor of the dorm room, deep in conversation with two Chinese girls about anything and everything. It was beautiful, how we all just dropped everything to just.. engage. Across borders and across nationalities, special nights and simple talks leave the deepest impressions on me. It was a good night. That night reminded me of the reasons I travel. Exactly for that. Just the little, sincere connection which is so beautiful you wouldn't know it unless you've had it.
Fast forward a day and I was completely out of the city, in the middle of the national park jumping across rocks, standing on the edge of what felt like the world, bodies across the bushes with a newly made friend from Belgium. He listened to the chatterings of the bird in the forest, got closer to lizards and bent down looking at insects. I don't know... The lenses i view the world just changed right there. Wallabies, flying grasshoppers, screeching cicadas, leeches and cockatoos. And a guy full of knowledge, stories and interest in the world. I wondered when I will reach that stage. I sat at a hammock, and for the first few minutes I swear it felt like I could just stay there forever, swinging in the sunlight. It was all there is to do: to take it all in. Cut off from the virtual world, deep inside the natural one. Turn to my left is the view of the vast forest and the blue sea, and a wallaby chewing grass. A simple dinner and card games into the night in the middle of the forest. Was it not how I imagined spending the night in a hostel so isolated from life outside.
The next day i was at the beach, in the water thinking that this is the life. Yellow kayaks and life vests. We paddled to that beach, together with Thomas (the belgian guy) and a couple we met in the hostel. It is a pretty unique hostel, right in the middle of the national park, a fifteen minute walk uphill with our heavy backpacks and three days supply of food. I almost died. But the kayaking - that I had a great time. From far and from the viewpoint above we saw the water and its gradient, and i wondered how it was like to be down there. And we did found out. With our legs in front of us, and oh the water. I love kayaking or rafting or anything that brings me close to the water. I can do it for hours.. If i don't have to do the paddling. ;) there is no life without water, and there is no life without water.
It got even better from there. The next morning, the 5am wake up and catching the sunrise from a viewpoint nearby. Out of a whole lot, only two of my roommates got up: Thomas and a french roommate Chris. We were joined by Tommy and Katherine, strolling up with their cup of coffee in hand. I realised, with surprise, that it was my first time just sitting down catching a sun rise. It was pretty beautiful (though I must admit the pictures we slightly edited).
That afternoon, I headed down to Palm Beach with Thomas and Chris. It is a really beautiful beach, quite the ones I always thought beaches should be - sandy, and crashing blue waves. After a while, it just dawned on me how I was ya know, just chilling at the beach with a Belgian guy and a French guy like it's just another normal day of my life and yeah that was quite funny for a while. We did some rock-climbing to get to the lighthouse, took lots of photos, walked knee-deep across the water, saw a stingray.. yeah it was a great day. It got dark on our way back. Two buses and a water taxi under the stars later, we trudged up the hill in darkness, save for Thomas's lifesaving headtorch and a glowstick I clutched in my hands.
I left Ku Ring Gai Chase National Park thinking we got really lucky on this one- to have met Thomas, who have been nothing short of a great and kind company. Initially he was just this guy standing by the door without his shirt on - and any guy who likes to walk around shirtless has got to be a little strange somehow, right? But neh, he is my favourite.
TEN DAYS INTO AUSTRALIA
Saturday, December 07, 2013 | 4:40 PM
DAYONE (Sydney, NSW)
Day One in Sydney reminds me a lot like my first day in Auckland. Cold, windy, just walking around hands in my pocket with no hurry at all knowing there's more to come. I wasn't ready, not that there was a need to be, but I just finished the last of my exam papers the day before and haven't got the time to digest the idea of another long adventure. We slept a little in our comfy dorm in Sydney Central, and woke up in the wee hours of the morning to catch a flight to Tasmania.
INDUCTION (Hobart, Tasmania)
The start of Hobart is our induction into Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA). We got to our accommodation - a little apartment house by the river. It's right beside the parliament house and the royal tasmanian botanical gardens. A strange location, really, because it's rather isolated and even has a big field of cows next to it. We're staying here with three volunteers (Davide, Corina and Nadga), all coincidentally from Switzerland as well as our Australian team leader Geoff. I just asked Geoff and found out that this building used to be a police station, and even have little prison cells at the back.
THE TOWN OF HOBART
It may be known as the second oldest city of Australia, but it really is a town. There's nothing much to do in Hobart. It's quiet and peaceful. Aesthetically it doesn't scream of astounding beauty, but it's still beautiful nonetheless. A less than New Zealand's Queenstown, with houses dotting the little hills that emerge from the blue river and Mount Wellington (well of course there has to be a mountain!) standing proudly at the corner, often its summit shrouded in clouds. The weather's great but erratic; chilly cold, and warm in an instant and back to cold, rain for a while and then the sun peeks out.
"If you don't like the weather you can come back in about ten minutes"
UNDER ONE ROOF
I think with the little bit of traveling I've done I have gotten over the big deal about socialising and meeting with new people. It's been especially pleasant knowing that I'll be living with the same bunch of people my whole stay here, with plenty of time to get to know each other over grocery shopping, volunteer work, cooking dinner, or just leisure time together. It's sort of we're like a temporary little family, and I feel at ease here under the same roof with them. It didn't need time, it just sort of happened immediately. The old me would have cooped myself in the room to avoid as much interaction as I possibly could, but now I find myself hanging out in the living room or reading a book in the kitchen, open to hellos and little conversations. Way to go on the improvement of the introverted personality. It's nice to listen to people and the stories they have to share, especially so when they come from a completely different background than you.
CONSERVATION WORK
The reason for signing up for conservation volunteers is plentiful: From always having had the intention to go to Australia, Tasmania specifically; to being lazy to plan a big stop-and-go backpacking trip; to doing something meaningful within the community and just being with nature.. The list goes on. I'm so glad I signed up for this. Our first project is three days at a nature reserve to the north of Hobart, plucking out weeds and removing other invasive non-native plants. It involves really physical manual work, going right into the bushes and dealing with thorny spiky plants. It gets tiring but the view is great from up there and it feels nice to be in the greenery, the rolling hills, the fresh air, the field of little flowers. While at work, yeah I couldn't wait for it to end but I actually do quite like it, especially on hindsight. Another project we have is building fences at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary for the old Tasmanian Devils to retire in. We have access to the animal park because of this and I spent some time roaming around friendly Kangaroos and taking selfles with them. It's great that this project takes us places we might not have been to otherwise. Plus it feels great to be in our yellow vest; feels like we're doing something meaningful wherever we are.
Funny how a melody, sounds like a memory
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | 11:15 PM
Hey there Dina. Where have you been?
Oh, i don't know. Been busy with things that matter. Apart from school, i've been putting myself through the mundane job of cashiering at the petrol station, picked up another job as a lesson facilitator at the discovery centre and yes, being the gem of a tutor to one lucky kid. No, i don't know how i manage to do everything at once. Yes, my schoolwork is suffering. But once I want something so bad, nothing can stop me. It's like I put myself through this, push myself to the limit. My dreams are only as big as what I can achieve at my fullest exhaust-level capacity. And so I exhaust myself.
But not all is bad. I'm quite enjoying my new job at the discovery centre because of the new things I have to learn - handling kids and speaking/ conducting small lessons in front of classes. Public speaking and kids (and lord, the combination of both) has never been my thing but I'm slowly morphing into this total teacher-mother material. HAHA. I took the two kiddos out to the library today for goodness sakes, like this tutor-cum-babysitter.. And I've been spending waaay too much time lately entertaining and talking to kids. What is happening to my life? I don't know yet I have to say at times i feel accomplished and fulfilled.
Me & the cutest little one Aqylah
I chopped off my hair sometime back. I thought I needed a change. Is change good? I don't know. Maybe I'll come to regret some decisions I've made but oh well. I've decided to keep a reign on the things I could actually control and couldn't disappoint and let the rest go. There's a very strong sense of changing priorities. I smell the future, it's about to take a turn. I don't know what's in store for me. I wish I know what i'm good at. What am I good at? So many things I want to do. Do my masters (despite my lousy grades),. Get my ass to new zealand again for real. Walk the world. Work for a humanitarian aid organization. Champion foreign workers' rights in singapore. Start my own make-up business.. Gain financial freedom. Have enough passive income so I eventually don't have to even work (haaahaaa). Help people.
I want everything. I know nothing. Where do I even begin?
Monday, August 26, 2013 | 1:26 PM
I've decided to work on a travel blog
www.travelwithdina.wordpress.com
"The question isn't who is going to let me.
It's who is going to stop me?" - Ayn Rand
Wednesday, August 07, 2013 | 2:23 AM
Hello from my new Macbook Air! So happy to get my hands on this new friend of mine which I plan to take with me on all my future travels. Speaking of which, I might have the coolest plan right after my last paper this semester, which is to hop on the plane that very night to make it in time to start the conservation program I signed up for in Australia. Got my confirmation and settled my plane tickets. How about that for an exciting life? Life has been really good to me. At the same time, I've been working really hard and juggling two jobs to finance my little dreams. Honestly, I'd rather stay home but I can't stop because there's so many things I can't put off and they all require money. I want to do them at this age right now. Work at SPC has been terribly mundane but well, at least my pay has increased significantly since they implemented a new scheme for undergrads. But I shall not begin to speak about the injustice in my favour.
I haven't been here for a long time for a few reasons. First, my life has been terribly boring since I got back. Initially it was looking good with regular jogs and days spent watching interesting and educational videos and catching up with the news after living in a cave for half a year. Then I dived straight into work, work and work with intervals of meeting some friends here and there. Seriously, boring. Next, I was trying to stop myself from writing any pathetic posts with regards to some good looking boy half the world away. It took me more than a month to get here - sitting here and feeling
fine. Well at least today I feel fine. My god, it has been crazy but I wouldn't have had it any other way. I wouldn't trade the memories for the world. So screw happy endings and thinking about the future. It has been great and I'm perfectly grateful for that.
And looking back beyond that, to life in Montreal, trips around Canada and to the Europe trip. It's amazing how dreams turn to plans and plans were executed and I was there, the living being in every passing moment, through everything I had imagined and more. I have moments of flashbacks to the little things I went through. Like waking up to Yuri staring at me, tossing bagels into the oven for breakfast. My orange room with the huge windows and the view I became so familiar with, one I somehow know I'll never get tired of. The white of winter. The walk through the mountain. Grocery shopping, my hobby. Things like the sometimes-dreadful walk up Ridgewood Avenue.. I'd love to walk up that damned hill once again. Traveling solo. I remember my first trip to New York. The excitement, the fascination, the strange, slightly awkward sense of freedom of being completely alone and free to do anything I like. Being..
free, that felt really good. I had the best time with Sarah and Radhiah in Quebec City and also hosting them in Montreal. All the jokes and stories we shared with one another. Other friends I barely knew. Then Europe, the big trip with Rosazlin. Passing by amazing beautiful cities one after another. Being on the go, life on the move. Waking up with a fun purpose every single morning. Not knowing what is coming up day after day but ready to embrace anything. Ended with the last night of Europe with one hell of a date... That was the life. Everything was amazing, it was really really goddamn amazing.
I had an bloody fantastic time. I just needed to put that into words.
Possibilities. It must be one of my favourite words. Something I can't stress enough, something I live by, something I surround myself with. Something I gravitate towards. Everyone's growing, priorities changing. I'm headed towards a building my idea of a fulfilling life and always, always making time for the things that matter. That's where I'll be. Hope to meet you there.
I'm obsessed with the stars, how we're all under the same night sky.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013 | 6:50 AM
It doesn't feel that great to be back. It's not like I'm not trying, ya know. It's hard. I forgot so many things from bus numbers to how it feels like to live in this house. I'm supposed to be home, where all my friends and family is but I feel so alone. I spend days by myself, I spend nights listening to music trying to stop all these thoughts in my head, trying to go to sleep instead. I somehow revived my sony walkman which I thought was dead a long time ago, and now I have a music player full of the songs I used to listen to, how nostalgic. It doesn't help. Being alone in Canada was nothing less than blissful. Like I had a reason to be alone: because hey, all the people I grew up with are back home anyway right? Now I'm back and who the hell was I kidding. I'm still on my own. Because that's life. Especially mine. I think I'm terribly lonely. But not anyone will do. Such a sad thing to admit. To add on to that, he told me he love me, and then never spoke to me again. Way to play it, my handsome boy, I can't even have the illusion of a long-distance lover.
There are so many things I miss. The main one is just being in an environment where nothing can touch me, where my mood is dependent on nothing but myself, and nobody is around to disturb my peace. I hate being in my room and hearing my dad having a bad mood out in the living room - bad vibe just passes on to me and I feel uneasy. I feel so much anxiety when I go out in the day. I feel my palpitating heart. So many fucking people. People, people everywhere. And i'm just getting through the crowd wondering how the hell I managed to grow up here. Each time I tell myself there is no way I am going to stick with living here all the way in future, this is not how I want to live. After work when the bus to Woodlands is packed to the brim and I have to stand at the stairs by the front door. When I feel like bombs are dropping on me just by stepping into Causeway point. I don't know.. This is stupid but i think I'm facing a reverse culture shock. After being truly settled and comfortable in Montreal, now I have to try to get used to everyday life here again. But I don't want to live in an overcrowded environment where everybody just can't help building up this 'each man for himself' mentality and where most of the days you just don't care anymore about anything but yourself. I miss the culture of saying hello and goodbye to bus drivers, of smiling strangers and just people at ease generally, out to have a good time. There are so many admirable things that this country has to offer but the main ones that I personally need to have a good quality of life is not within reach. Beyond all the basic stuff, I need space, i need nature, i'm sorry but I need good weather to enjoy nature. I need a friendly caring culture, and a non-materialist one at that. (Fucking shopping malls everwhere, how much is enough)
Then there are good days. Nights when I go slow jogging with my sister, chilling out at woodlands waterfront. Feeling peace. The food. The bumping into my good friends at random places. The cats. The good times spent with my family.
The good stuff, the bad stuff.
I don't know, man. I'm still making plans to get the fuck out of here as much as I can. Probably doing a two-three week conservation program or a full-fledged hiking trip to Australia this December. Working holiday in NZ not longer than one to two years after graduation. I think I want to work for some human rights organization that fights for woman's rights in middle east, or even India. Or just human rights in general. Been watching so many short documentaries on life in other countries (mainly the middle east) and I just want to do something I feel strongly for and this is one of it.
Or I need to find an anchor, something, somewhere, somehow, someone, to keep me happy here. Or at least something to care about more than I care about my own life. I can't do it on my own, not here. Or I can go, till I get sick and then i'll come back. Or whatever. I'll find my way. There have to be a way for people like me out there to get by with life, to find some contentment. To kill all this resentment and anxiety. There has Got
To be
A way.
Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul
I can tell you there's no place we couldn't go
Monday, July 01, 2013 | 9:04 PM
So let's talk about life. I mean, let me talk about life.
Life goes on. It's already July and I've been quickly settling back to life in Singapore. It was really hard at first, the waking up at 4am feeling miserable and empty, all the sad songs, then it shifted to waking up in the afternoon unable to get out of bed because I had no purpose to. Then I went crazy thinking of all the things I really want to do, like doing a full-fledged grad trip to Turkey next year, maybe Australia, and all the sudden strong impulses to just get a ticket back to Berlin. Then came the need for money, what makes the world go round. So I applied for some jobs here and there, but nothing looks promising or exciting so I'm just going to start waitressing at Raffles Town Club starting tomorrow with my third sister. It took me some time to contact my tutee's mom. I'm afraid I'm going to be weak and continue with tutoring even if it makes me miserable, just because I find it hard to take my stand and say no. Then again, money is always welcome. I have one month before school starts and I'm sure there is a bunch of administrative stuff I have to complete now after getting back from my student exchange program, but everything is still up in the air somewhere. I've been meeting up with my friends and that's been fun. It took a short while to get used to the this country: the crazy crowds, the lack of gorgeous white people around me and dear lord, the terrible singaporean english; it cringes, it makes me smile and shake my head from side to side, no.
As for my dear boy back in Berlin, I guess I shouldn't be thinking too much about it. I've already taken down all the terrible heart pouring posts I written a few days back. If you read it.. well I'm really sorry and I'm terribly embarrassed about it. Nobody needs to know about what goes on in my love life. We both are still young and have our whole lives ahead of us. The hard part was probably the fact that everything was perfect up till I left, so I pretty much lost what has been perfection. I still wish I had more time to get to get to know him. Seriously, two days was all I got, amidst the dearth of love in my life, like really, can't cupid be a little more generous to little miss deprived? I'll see if he's still around months down the road. I'm still learning Arabic because I really want to (among the obvious reason). I hope we meet again. Or not, you know. Maybe that was just a hit-and-run, that was all there is to it and it's fine. I'm thankful for the good memories and it's alright if I'm destined for a life alone, or if there's someone else out there. Maybe a boring love story will creep in quietly not like a bang like how this one happened. Why do I always want more? (Because it was so nice, my god it was just so nice to have him with me).
"Yet you still value the things you’ve lost the most. Because the things you’ve lost are still perfect in your head. They never rusted. They never broke. They are made of the memories you once had, which only grow rosier and brighter, day by day. They are made of the dreams of how wonderful things could have been and must never suffer the indignity of actually still existing. Of being real. Of having flaws. Of breaking and deteriorating. Only the things you no longer have will always be perfect." - Iain Thomas
I'm going to do what I do best which is to keep so busy I can't spend too much time alone with my thoughts. I'm going to be busy trying to earn money and saving up. I hope more exciting stuff is going to happen to me. I don't do well with boring routines. And yeah, hope all my plans are going to materialize, this big adventure to step into after the next full year of slogging my ass off. And well, I also hope I'm going to stay alive and that I can find happiness and peace where ever I am, in every little thing I do and not just when I'm halfway across the world. Peace out. I'm finally talking sane.
Slovenia; Having a blast in Bled, Bohinj and Ljubljana
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 | 5:00 AM
On the eight hours bus ride from Florence to Slovenia, I had so much time to just sit back and think. Everything felt simply phenomenal. One year ago I was just talking about this Europe trip, then afterwards days was spent planning out the route, picking places to visit and hostels to stay in. Along the way, every cent counted and I remember waking up at the crack of dawn on weekends to head to my menial cashiering job, and the much-dreaded tutoring after school hours, keeping in mind that all the money was going towards funding this trip. This trip was the biggest motivation for many things I did. Now that it is almost over, I'm feeling rather lost and unsure of what I'm supposed to do when I get back. This was almost my everything and I really don't know what I'm coming home to.
Back in Italy, I was also actually quietly thinking that it would have been great to have ended the trip with Cinque Terre, since that would count as ending the trip with a bomb, but who would have known.. Slovenia IS the bomb! I thought that Ljubljana was going to be just another European city, maybe a little run down because frankly, who's heard of Ljubljana anyway, right? WRONG. This capital is picturesque, vibrant yet chilled-out at the same time, and has all the modern convenience that any modern city has. (Their H&M was having a big sale.. heheh) There is so many things going on in this city every single day, one can never be bored. On the first night I was here, we arrived in the evening and went out for a while at night along the Ljubljana river, to immediately be sucked into this magical and lively atmosphere with pretty lights, talented performers round the corners and good music, everywhere! Five minutes away from our hostel at Congress Square (Kongresni trg) that night, we caught a full blown orchestra. The second night we caught a little of the gay pride parade and at night a dance performance. The last day a concert of Evergreen, some kind of music that is. Apparently, this whole month, day and night there is always some free cultural performance to catch at various location, from ballets to rock concerts, which is so awesome. The only sort-of bad memory I have of Ljubljana is the HEAT. I know I wanted the sun, but damn, in the day, this is definitely just as hot and humid as Singapore. The heat affected our last day in Ljubljana. I sure haven't got anything like this for the past six months, and boy, it was bad and I constantly have this thought of flinging myself into any body of water I see.
Sorry I have so many photos with myself in it, whooooopsie!
Though we fell in love with the city, I couldn't wait to set out for nature, so we took the two-hour bus ride to Bohinj Lake on the second day, the largest permanent lake in Slovenia. The lake was stunning and picture-perfect, with crystal clear water and resting below huge mountains. I love how the water had clear gradients of clear, green and blue depending on the depth of the water. Seeing it in pictures and then actually being there.. wow. We took a walk along half the length of the lake, and along the way found our own quiet spot to call our own for the day. I didn't need an invitation to get into the water, though it was really cold and I couldn't swim as the temperature of the water was markedly colder the moment the I got deeper. Also, I was creeped out by the fishes swimming around me. I think they were curious, and eventually I sat at the shallow area and watched as at least fifty fishes swam around me, some kissing my feet once in a while. Free fish therapy in a natural lake.
The plan was to head to Bled right after Bohinj, but we didn't have enough time to do all we needed in Bled, so we headed back to Ljubljana and saved Bled for the next day. Bled looks really fairytale-isq, with a little Bled Island right in the middle of the lake and the Bled Castle perched on a cliff overlooking the lake. I badly wanted to head up to the best viewpoint from above, so off we went to climb the Osojnica and Ojstrica Hill. It was a steep, steep climb. There was even an area to hold on to ropes so we don't fall off and die. We got to two really good viewpoints, but did not make it all the way to the peak because of the poor signage. We did, however, got lost in the middle of the frikking forest.
After that, we walked a few kilometres from the Western end of the Lake Bled all the way to Vintgar Gorge. It was at least close to thirty degrees, under the sun, and the heat definitely got to my head for a while. It only cooler once we got to our destination by the valleys. Still, it was worth it for the gorge was simply gorgeous. One of the very beautiful natural features of Slovenia, with cascades, rapids and clear pools. The pathways and bridges span a whole 1600 metres, with the gushing crystal clear Radovna river running through beside or below us. Amazing. Then of course, the hike back. Probably one of the most intensive outdoor day for us this whole Europe trip, but we survived and it was worth it.
This is the last new destination for my Europe trip. We're heading back to Berlin next. I'm staying for four nights there, and then I'm heading back to Singapore.
Labels: europe, travel
Italy; Everything I always dreamed of in Cinque Terre
Saturday, June 15, 2013 | 5:39 AM
It's a little amazing to look back and realize that I've been away from home for about six months now. That's half a year. It's close to the end of the journey, almost time to go back home. From the beginning, the thought of this fills me with dread. All along I've had this really independent mindset that I'm just to strong to be homesick, or simply even miss anything back home, apart from the food. I'm starting to finally think about it now, be honest with myself and just let myself feel. I guess one meaningful thing I can truly say I miss is having good company around me. I may have made a small number of good friends, a whole bunch of acquaintances and had great times with people I hardly know, but it doesn't come close to being around those that truly matter. There's one side of myself that I feel haven't been out in a long time, and that's the side of me that can make people laugh, dropping jokes like bombs and snorting the day away with laughter. And that's the side of me that can only come out when I'm with those I'm really comfortable with, around with those I can truly let go. She came out for a while when Atika was around for the first two weeks into the trip, and then hid again. I really, really miss Dina the joker. How fucked up am I that I can miss myself; I know. No, I miss being around my real friends. I miss having my Dad around, buying food and checking up on me. I miss my cats. Though not as much as Yuri, the best friend I left back in Montreal. Sad to say, I haven't been great with keeping up with anyone back home. I can count with my fingers on one hand the number of friends I actually keep up with. I forget birthdays, well truthfully, I don't even remember them in the first place. I'm terrible, and it's an eye-opener to figure out that I can meet so many people yet at the same time, nobody in my life can be replaced just like that. I miss not feeling alone. I miss the people I grew up with. I'm tired of being around people yet feeling so alone. I'm tired of never being truly present in any conversation I'm having. I crave connections. It feel like I'm drifting. I miss talking about the things that matter, with those that matter. I miss people who actually listen. I miss people who think before they speak, people who speak with maturity, those who delve deeper and deeper, those so much more than meets the eye. And I also miss those I can just have a simply have a good laugh with.
Those things aside, I really need to write about Cinque Terre because this place is beyond amazing. Cinque Terre can be translated into into '5 Terre' or '5 lands,' namely Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. All the towns are incredibly picturesque, sitting by the cliff overlooking crystal clear waters. I'm staying in a fantastic room in Vernazza (the picture right at the top) which I would say the prettiest out of the five because of the beautiful harbor area. To make me fall even more in love, all the five towns are connected by hiking trails, easier ones through the coast and also longer paths through the hills behind them. I went through a bunch of trails during my three days here, some easy and some rather challenging, but all oh so lovely. As long as I've got good shoes and sunscreen on, enough water and snacks in my backpack, I'm all good to go. Sadly, Ros is not such a hiking enthusiast as I am, but we still did walk till our legs almost dropped off, which meant great use of all the time I had here. Cinque Terre has a very laid-back vibe, with is just my kind of things. Comfy shirt, shorts, minimal make-up, my hair up and sandals in my bag. People head for walks and then down to the various harbor area, stripping to their bathing suits sunbathing or just jumping into the glorious cold water.
I have to mention a very interesting thing I did here, which is sort of embarrassing and crazy at the same time. I went to a nude beach. It was a rather secret one which only locals know about mostly, and to get to it we had to walk through a pitch dark unused tunnel for about a kilometer. We were actually there just for the beach (how could I resist a freaking secret beach, it smells like an adventure) and the nudity was optional which sounded alright to me. So we headed there, and when we got down the steep rocks we were greeted by a small number of people, some naked, some not. Got a spot at the corner to chill out and drink coke, but not swim because it wasn't a sandy beach and it was much smaller than I anticipated. Then the creepy part. A completely naked man walked to us and started a really awkward conversation. Him standing there, in front of my eyes, naked. I have to let you know that through the three whole excruciating conversations we had with him, never once did my eyes stray to his not-so-private part. The third time he came to talk to us, he made it clear he wanted us to take our clothes off, and he started talking to us about his crooked penis. Even then, I never looked, alright. Then we also realized there were some guys at the top of the rocks that we met at the tunnel entrance, whom I believe was hoping to catch us without our clothes on from up there. It was clearly cue to get the fuck out of there, which we did. I believe the usual protocol for a nudist beach is to respect each other's privacy but it seems like that wasn't the experience we got at that beach. That wasn't cool at all. I know it might sound crazy to read what I just wrote, and to even think back at that incident, it does sound quite out of the world. Strangely enough, when it was happening it felt like the most natural thing in the world, like it wasn't a big deal at all.
To bring myself back to a more pleasant experience, I finally satisfied my longing to jump into the sea for a swim. On our last day, we found a really nice marine area in Corniglia and that was just it, man. I jumped into the glistering green and blue paradise and it felt so good. Except for the slimy rocks. And the salty water. And a huge wave that came crashing from nowhere, scared my pants off and signaled time to get out of the water. Still it was bloody good and I look forward to more swimming in Slovenia, hopefully.
Labels: europe, travel
