Friday, June 6, 2014

The Wanderlust in me.....

Took me ages to complete this travelogue of mine......objective of putting this down on paper is so that, looking back, I do not forget all the beautiful memories created when I was at these faraway lands, little things that truly make my life that much more beautiful and blessed. I hope this will also motivate and give me the determination to one day be able to set foot on the land known as South America.........

"Travel is my passion and being able to travel around the world is a great privilege that I am thankful for"

I was in my hotel room in Fisco, when the TV commentator asked what's interesting about San Francisco. That got me thinking of what's memorable to me in each station that I've visited so far and hence, the list as below:

Amsterdam, Holland
Flower market, Tulips garden 'Keukenhoff', water canals, windmills, the red light district, Kraverstraat, clog wooden shoes, weed.

Athens, Greece
Acropolis, Parthenon, Beautiful coastal shores, grilled seafood, Aegian Sea and its many islands (island-hopping), Olympic stadium, Olive and citrus trees.

Paris, France
Seine river, The Lourve Museum, Portrait of the Mona Lisa, Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, Moulin rouge, Champ el selyse, Arc de Triomphe, Euro Disney, tea-sipping at the many cafes, Palace of Versailles.

Manchester & London, UK
Stonehenge, Roman bath, red double decker bus, Buckingham Palace, Soho, British Museum, Chinatown, Tralfagar square, car boot sale, Waitrose, M&S, Old Trafford shopping centre, National Gallery

Frankfurt, Germany
River Rhine cruise, Old castles, German wines and vineyards, snow, small italian joint where crews like to hang out having delicious spinach pizza, F&N orange.

Lisbon & Sintra, Portugal
Tango, Belem tower, Portuguese egg tart, Moorish castle & Pena castle in Sintra, beautiful forests and simply walking and exploring the old town of Lisbon

Rome, Pisa, Florence, Venice in Italy






Thursday, June 5, 2014

Inspired......



Inspired....

I was listening to Mariah Carey the other day and pondering on what or who actually inspired me to start writing. Hah! me? I was never known to be a sentimental person. Well, I finally dug out my 'diary' the other day which i kept tucked away in the bedroom drawer for almost a decade. This 4" X 6" note book was filled with so much raw emotions that I could feel myself tearing....vivid memories that I've penned down so that I would not forget. Happy ones, regrettable ones and downright silly memories that made me laugh.....

 I sort of stumbled upon a picture of me and my parents on my graduation day, glued to the back of its front cover. My eyes automatically scanned for my late mother's face in the picture and on one of it's pages read:

"Never really cherished what I had till I've lost someone really dear to me. My mom. This was perhaps my most accomplished moments so far, my graduation. I managed to emerge top in my class. It was a great event. Family, boyfriend and friends were there for the ceremony. It was a great feeling. I guessed my mother's death actually inspired me to write. Writing was my outlet for grief, unspeakable sadness due to her untimely death. Writing made me realised that life must go on and I promised myself that I will live my life to the fullest and cherish the people in my life. I missed my mom so much. Mom, you will always remain in my heart till the day I die. I love you mom."