Nine months away from blogging, I must’ve broken the record haha.

So much went on these past nine months, I don’t actually know where to begin… I meant to keep using this platform as a way to share my travel experiences but with the ongoing pandemic, long were the days when I could book a flight to somewhere spontaneously and then write about it after.

So anyways, while I’m stuck in tiny Singapore, life can get pretty mundane when you're now an adult without school or "being a student" to cheat your way out of things lol (still, I do not miss LASALLE and the way my mental health yo-yos every semester). Even more so if you're working a 9 to 6 job every Monday to Friday... :')
That's right. Your homegirl is now a full-time photographer! After doing freelance for a bit and going through somewhat of an existential quarter-life crisis, I decided to work full-time cause I believe it's the best course of action for me to take now.
Although the full-time nature of the job is draining, the work I get to do on the daily is still very much like what I usually do, so that's somewhat fulfilling still. Gotta pat myself on the back for the arduous hours I spent on my portfolio/resume and sending them out at a time when I wasn't exactly feeling like my best self hehe.

Okay, I digressed. Point is, since I started my full-time job, it’s been a while since I last dabbled into other creative mediums aside from photography. Soooo the pseudo art bitch in me (yes, she’s back) decided to be a little creative by collaging some of the things I've been up to in the past nine months.



One of the most recent things would be a cafe trip with Yau to Merci Marcel, where we had some rly good bunch at their Orchard outlet. It’s one of those days where we dressed up a little and felt posh lmao.



A mix of film/phone photos from Rumours Beach Club in January.



One of the Sunday mornings in late March where we all decided to go on a 20km hike!! The sunburn I got from that day though… The tan lines are so ugly I can’t even wear half my wardrobe till today lol.



Sometime in October last year, I also picked up muaythai after sitting on my laurels about for it forever. After doing yoga, F45 and a bunch of fitness regimes, I’ve been wanting to pick up a new sport for a while and martial arts have always been something I considered, but could never find the balls to do so. That is, until a friend who’s been training at her muaythai gym for a while recommended me to go for a trial with her (and also because I was getting bored of home workouts since covid happened).
Of course, I had to drag another newbie with me when I signed up because what fun would it be if I was the only noob right? I vividly remember how intense the first few trainings were, and the ridiculous amount of bruises/injuries I got from bag work. I didn’t know punching bags were that hard?

But anyway, it’s about eight months since I’ve started muaythai and I’m still loving it!! I got to meet new friends, push/test my own limits and I love how training is a definite mood-lifter for when I’m having a bad day. Something about sweating buckets and having a physical outlet to vent it all really helps.
I haven’t sparred that much yet, but I’ve been doing more of that lately after switching gyms last month since the previous one was so far away from home. Plus, I got to meet friends too! Anyways, I’m glad it’s finally something I willed myself to pick up!! And I think I will continue this for a long while.




Some night time shenanigans captured on film with my girls, and just other random photos in my phone roll that were particularly fun and memorable for me!!

Just a due update about my trip in December because my lazy ass has been leaving this space to die, again.

After a few weeks into school, one my of LASALLE friend (Yau) and I decided that we deserve a break from all the stress our curriculum has been giving us. And so, we spontaneously booked tickets to Tokyo to spend the New Year's!
Yes, I went to Japan again (I swear I don't mean to be this boring with my travel destinations but Tokyo seemed like the most apt choice), but spending New Year's there was a different experience. Also, I shopped a ton more than I usually would since it's supposed to be a therapy trip of sorts. Anything for mental health, right?

We ate a lot, had pretty stays and visited quite a number of cafes. I bought my camera and was already thinking about the "5 hipster cafes in Tokyo" or "aesthetic and affordable stays in tokyo" posts that I was going to write until... I felt exhausted.
For the first time in a long while, I felt like photography and writing was a chore. Constantly doing these for school just took the fun out of what were once my hobbies. I think part of it has got to do with how I've been so burnt out with my FYP, and... It's just been a hell.

Anyway, I digress. Point is, I ditched my camera and decided to just enjoy myself. So no note-taking, no keeping of receipts or doing the extra legwork to find out more about the places I visited etc. Basically, all the stuff I usually do prior to composing a post on this blog. All I got are photos I took with ig story filters :')



The best souffle pancakes we've ever had, which we literally had to wait hours for because there's a waiting list and the chef makes every order fresh. Definitely worth the wait, but probably make a reservation! We didn't so we strolled around omotaesando while waiting for our turn. From Micasadeco & Cafe.



Would recommend this to people who are fans of beef. They're known for their beef sushi assortments but the beef is raw. If you love sashimi, this will probably be up your alley too! From Pallet46.




Of course, Japan is not complete without a high-tea buffet!! Yau told me about this and I was so excited about the conveyor belt mini desserts and savoury treats. For 2100yen (for females), you get a bottled drink and 40 minutes in the cafe. From Cafe RonRon.



Our milk and strawberry dango from a store at an alleyway after a visit to the Asakusa temple during the New Year week! It was sooo delightful.

We actually had far more places shortlisted for our trip, but since we went over the New Year week (27th Dec to 3rd Jan), many of the places were closed for the Japanese New Year. Also, hotel prices increased by threefold for the last day of 2019.
But still, no regrets! I've been to Taiwan and Bali with Yau before, but this is the first trip where it was just the both of us so I'm glad for times we got lost together, met weird people, gushed over pretty things and what not. I also realised we didn't actually took photos together... Other than crappy selfies or terrible snaps of each other haha. Thank you friend for the trip <3


On an entirely different note, I dyed my hair pink for CNY. Previously, it was an ash-blue-grey that has since faded into bleached blonde (no photographic recollection of that on this blog cause of my lack of updates, apparently) so I thought to give it an update.



I love the new shade and I hope that it lasts!! It's been 1-2 weeks and it's already starting to turn copper...

So this post is a more personal life update. Thought I'd take a break from the work content I usually post, and also because I don't have other travel posts at the moment.

I do have other upcoming travel plans after my graduation. By then, I do hope to continue with travel writing once I get school off my back. It's always been fulfilling, knowing that others found my posts helpful while they're planning their itineraries. To better content!!

I finally got around to editing the photos I took from my backpacking trip in Japan. I was pretty sure I was just gonna scrape those photos since I couldn't find the time (or the motivation) to edit the photos since they've been sitting in my hard disk for a while now. Something like old works losing their appeal (or me being a sorry excuse of a human being), I just felt uninspired to work on them in every way.

The everyday work/school grind has been so sterile lately that it got me engaging in very unproductive escapist behaviours. You know, gaming for hours on end, watching Netflix, reading manga, shopping online and so on just so I can avoid dealing with any of those responsibilities. Do you feel me?



So anyway, my overwhelmed, procrastinating, unproductive ass finally decided to do something a little more constructive!! Hence, this blog post and a series of travel photos that... probably isn't helpful since it's just going to be a visual vomit. If it somewhat inspires you creatively, then that'll be rewarding for me. :')

I took these series of photos back when I couchsurfed and travelled solo in June. You can read about my couchsurfing experience here.
Having been to Japan several times, capturing and editing photos of the same old cityscape does get kind of bland after a while. This time, I tried to focus more on the everyday elements of Japan, with emphasis placed on their minimalistic architecture because... Idk I just wanted to unleash the art bitch in me lmao.

I tampered a lot with the colours this time. And played a bit (who am I kidding I spent at least two hours) with the layout so that the photos will look somewhat more aesthetic as a photo series.














The original raw images were the most uninspiring but after tweaking the colours and hues, I'd say I'm quite satisfied with the outcome?
Because I've been so used to being hammered with layout designs over the past couple of years, I just had to do one for this photo series (and the recent Chinoiserie one) for presentability's sake. Although this is so basic... Also please pardon my occasional outbursts of sarcasm and self-depreciating remarks throughout this post cause uni does you dirty like that sometimes.

Okay I've spent way more time than I should have on this blog post. Clearly, I don't have my priorities in order hahaha but on another note I can't wait to be a piece of shit with a bachelor's degree.

Six. More. Months.

2018 breezed by just like that, in intangible fleeting moments I can barely grasp before it all slipped past my fingertips. It has actually been a pretty comfortable year. Yeah, there were some difficult challenging times especially when it came to work, but it was alright. And here we are now, just a couple of hours away from the New Year. Wew.

December was a pretty festive month for me (more so than the previous years) cause I've spent almost the whole of it overseas. It was just only a few days ago when I came back from my month-long travel — 33 days, to be precise. It's a trip that I've been looking sooo forward to, because I finally got the chance to revisit my favourite country again and have a long break with Han. The travel plans were also what kept me going on through the hectic school and work schedule.





There's just so much about the 33 days that I want to write about. The places we've been, the kind of people we got to meet, and the slips of reverie from moments of luck that lead to the most memorable sights.

It's the longest I've been out of Singapore at one go, and it's also the trip that gave me many firsts. The first time watching the snow fall on my palms and scarf, the first farm stay in the Japanese Northern alps area, the first stunning Christmas fireworks display over the lake and the first humbling couchsurfing experience with very thoughtful hosts. The list goes on.

In those 33 days that we covered parts of Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, my heart was so full from the people I got to meet and the experiences I got to encounter. Sure, there were bad moments too — like cramped hostel rooms, the temperamental gloomy weather and how everything closes way too early in the winter — but I guess that's the beauty of travel. The bad makes the good far more endearing, and in the end, these shenanigans will all be stories to tell some day.

Coming back from the trip honestly dampened my spirits. It feels like I haven't had enough and that I left a part of me back at wherever I was. But then again, it always feels this way after every travel venture. This time just makes me yearn a little more, because I got to spend December and Christmas there after all. It's like I don't want the allure and magic that comes with the festive season to end.



Anyway, it's just one more week before I'm thrown back to the bustle of a school curriculum so... I guess it's time to sober up and move on with work and the daily grind!

At least, I still have videos and pictures for keepsakes so I can't wait to start editing and writing about them. To welcome 2019 with some pleasant flashbacks of 2018 to keep me going doesn't sound too bad. Just working on some of the pictures you see here (with a switched up style of editing) already got me stoked for the remaining images to come.

Oh and course, some new year's resolution: To shoot a lot more, spend more time with loved ones, start a new workout regime and STICK TO IT (god knows how short lived my motivation is), pick up a new language (i said this two years ago and still haven't gotten anywhere cause #excuses), start cooking more anddddd to seriously get my driver's license because damn I've been putting this off forever and anything above the age of 23 just seems to old and lame to only be starting out.

Ha ha. The sudden realisation that I'm already turning 23... Just when did I become this old.

The absence of my holidays certainly makes my heart grow fonder of those carefree days. So much so that I finally decided to edit the photos from my Khaoyai trip in July, after putting it off for like four months now. I should have done so sooner cause the photos are friggin' hilarious lmao. I had a good laugh while I running through all the lame role-playing we did.

So in July, I went on a short trip to Khaoyai with my homegirls. It was a surprise trip Trisha and I planned for Miaolin's 22nd birthday. She only knew that she was going overseas just literally 3 hours before our flight. Even then, she had no clue where we were taking her.




^I myself wanna know wtf were we doing hahaha.

We wanted a trip that was kinda chill, and Khaoyai was just that! It's the kind of destination where you just spend most of your time sightseeing, taking photos, eating and catching up with your companions. And taking photos again. Everything was slow paced (not the kind of place you'll wanna go if you're looking for lots of adventure or activities), which was just what we needed.

Having a mini photoshoot everywhere we went just about sums up our entire trip. That and eating amazing local food/cafes recommended to us by our Khaoyai driver.

Yellow Submarine Cafe

Primo Piazza

This a very quaint, European-style spot that's full of beautiful buildings and a farm area that allows you to feed the alpacas. It's much smaller than we expected, but still a picturesque place that we enjoyed idling around! You need to pay an entry fee to enter the piazza.











When you pay the entry fee to Primo Piazza, the counter will also hand over to you coupons where you can redeem the feed for the alpacas.

Chok Chai Farm

Here, we got to try some amazing dairy products made from their cow's milk. Here, you're supposed to kinda follow a guided tour around the farm, but everything was spoken in Thai so we were actually quite lost.

But it's fine because the farm was beautiful!! There was a cowboy show, a dog show and some games that you can play to win prizes at the farm too. All of which, we went for and participated. It was quite cool!






Then we wounded up on one of their fields just to take more photos again heh.


^Furbreeze advertisement??

Palio Village

Another quaint, European-style spot, the Palio Village was one of my favourites! Compared to Primo Piazza, there was a lot more to do here since there were many shops, cafes, and galleries around. So whether you wanna appreciate local artworks, buy souvenirs, get some ice-cream or chill around the open area listening to live music, it's all there.

It's not that big a place either, but we love all the pictures it gave us.

Hobbit's House

Lastly, the hobbit's house!! This was actually an attraction we decided to add at the very last minute, because we weren't sure if it would we worth the hour's journey and extra money which we had to pay our driver to get there.

There were many other places in Khaoyai which we could choose from (Panther's Creek, Midwinter Green etc.) but these dining places just didn't appeal to us as much after we found this local night market that serves amaaaaazing street food at very cheap prices!! The Pak Chong Night Market is all three of our favourite! The only downside is the language barrier because not a lot of tourists seem to go there.

Anyway, I digress. The Hobbit House is the perfect attraction for those who love to take photos of themselves with small houses, props and random statues. That's us.





Wannabe cinderella on a pumpkin carriage with a lost Nike Roshe??


Clearly, we have very different impressions on what it's like to be on a horse carriage.



Birthday girl wanted to be Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons and breaker of chains lolol.





Me: Which idiot sold rotten things? Now this customer want to refund the whole basket?!
Miao: Confirm is this selling fish auntie la! Her fish always not fresh one. Spoil my vegetable business also.
Trisha: Eh hello, you better watch what you say hor. Limbu fish the best around here.



Okay at this point I am done with coming up with cringey captions for our role-playing nonsense LOL. Still, when you and your friends go all out to be extra, the results are hilarious haha.



At the Hobbit house, there's also this other mini Santorini section! It's just a superrr small area, but pretty nonetheless. The staff was also really nice that morning to allow us to explore the rooms in the Santorini part. Their rooms have this all-white interior with hints of blue.

Pete's Maze

Last stop, the maze!! Honestly nothing much here, just a maze which we got lost in while coming across sometimes creepy statues. Yeap.





So yes, Khaoyai is the perfect spot for you to go to if you all you plan to do is just sightsee and take pictures!! After the three of us had gone to Khaoyai together, we all agreed that it's the kind of place you'd want to go with your girlfriends.

Well, simply because only your girlfriends will be so enthusiastic and vain to want to take all these pictures HAHA. Because that's literally everything you're gonna do there.
If our boyfriends came along, they will just end up being the typical Instagram boyfriend. And knowing all three of our boyfriends, we know they won't enjoy the trip as much if all we did was take photos LOL. You know, guys being guys.

So yes, if you want to Khaoyai, come here with your girlfriends. Don't say I didn't warn ya.