Home Sweet Home!

It truly is nice to be home. Yes, travelling can give one a real adrenaline high, hotels may have the most plush beds and pillows, one may get to experience new sensations that could possibly to difficult to replicate back home, but, the warm fuzzy feeling one gets when snuggling into your humble and"well seasoned" sheets and blanket is, quite simply, incomparable!

Colin and I had the most lovely time in Barcelona and Lisbon, both of which are beautiful cities with rich cultural heritage. We loved Barcelona for its vibrancy. Apart from its great architectural monuments, there was great shopping, nightlife, beaches, and of course, excellent food! It really is all-rounded exciting city worth visiting, and Colin and I even managed to catch a soccer game at the infamous Camp Nou, where we witnessed FC Barcelona skim through to win their 3 points against FC Mallorca,scoring that very precious goal in the 89th minute!

Lisbon may not be as cosmo nor as excting, but it more than made up with lots of quaint sights, rich and interesting history and warm people. I also had a field day shopping at Colombo, one of the largest malls in Europe! During this trip, I was especially thrilled whenever I came across shops from Inditex (and believe me, they were everywhere!). We bought stuff from Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius, and Bershka!

Do visit the following link http://sg.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/colin_ellen_album/album?.dir=ac5ascd&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//sg.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/colin_ellen_album/my_photos if you would like to see photos of our Barcelona/Lisbon trip!

Now, back home, alone (poor Colin had to go to Bangkok for an exhibition immediately after our trip), I caught up with some friends today. Had lunch with the girls from KK at Hong Kong Cafe at Novena where we devoured their signature instant noodles, peanut butter french toast and carrot cake.
After lunch with the girls, I proceeded to the new mall at Novena, Square 2. This newly opened mall, which is essentially a one-stop mall for Korean merchandise and services is linked to the Novena MRT Station (towards Tan Tock Seng Hospital direction). Apart from Korean merchandise, the mall also houses a NTUC supermarket, many eateries, and numerous unique shops that can't be found in other malls.

One little gem is BUD, a shop selling all natural skin and body products at #01-66. The shop carries various brands of natural and/or organic products,including The Organic Pharmacy from London, a brand used by Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kylie Minogue! If the fact that celebrities swear by this brand does not move you, the promise of No artificial preservatives, No artificial colourants, No artificial fragrances, No petrochemicals, No harsh detergents, No animal testing should! Check out their website at www.budcosmetics.com.

I got the Organic Pharmacy's Lifting Eye Gel for my tired puffy eyes, Sante's Lotus and White Tea Moisture Fluid as well as a Anti-Stress Mask for my totally dehydrated-from-travelling skin. Here's a photo of me and Eric, the owner of BUD,who incidentally, is a long-time buddy of mine! :)

Sayonara Nihon, Hola España

Colin and I just returned from Japan a few days ago, and boy, I wish we didn't have to come home! Japan! A country where rich cultural and historical treasures stood side by side with modern, futuristic sights. This is really a country that stimulates all your senses, and I do mean All! From the temples, shrines, castles, to the theme parks, hot springs, and shopping malls, there is just endless things to do in Japan! And what better time to do them than now, the season of Cherry Blossoms?

I had planned for us a 11-day trip, 5 days in Tokyo, 3 days each in Kyoto and Osaka. I loved Tokyo for its excitement (our favourite day was spent in Odaiba, of which we highly recommend visiting the Sega Joyopolis, which is essentially a games arcade and a theme park rolled into one!), Kyoto for its rich cultures and beauty, and not forgetting its cheap and delicious cuisine, and Osaka? Frankly, I did not think there was much to do in Osaka, apart from eating (food paradise) and shopping (shinsaibashi), but after spending the first 8 days sight-seeing, Osaka was the perfect end to our Japan trip.

During the trip, we slept all we could, ate all we wanted, and generally just let ourselves do everything our hearts desired (as all vacations should be), and surprisingly, our total expenses added up to $200 less than our budget! Japan need not necessary blow your bank account as long as you do some planning. Of course, I ain't complaining that Colin had enough reward points to redeem our flights as well as a few nights of accommodation for free!

As the saying goes, a pictures speaks a thousand words, so if you would like to share our Japan experience, lean back in your seat, take a deep breath, and click on!
http://sg.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/colin_ellen_album/album?.dir=/7786scd&urlhint=actn,del%3as,2%3af,0

We'll be leaving for Barcelona tomorrow, and won't be back till 10 days later, so, for now, its Farewell Japan, Hello Spain!