Sundays

I'm back again because I have nothing else (that I want) to do right now, and the past month has been seriously hectic. Yet another Sunday evening, and I've hated Sundays ever since the 2nd weekend of my year abroad in France when I realised nothing is open and there is nothing to do. It's gotten better moving back to London, at least the shops are open until 6pm. But the summer days are long, sunsets are late and I'd rather be out and about instead of laying in bed at home. Recently it's been better as I've also developed this habit of watching a movie on Sunday evening (thanks Vitality for the free tickets), although I never pick the ones that show too late as I don't like getting home late. Today I watched Patrick, which is a British comedy about a pug. It's based in London, and some scenes reminded me of places I have been, which was pretty nice. After the movie I just came home and got myself a cold drink and an ice cream, then put in some laundry. I am being reminded of 6 weeks ago, the evening walk in Wapping, and various flashbacks from earlier this year. I miss those times very much.

Geneva: Days 2 and 3

Blogging about the rest of my Geneva trip on the flight back to London now as this flight is only an hour. I’m so sad the trip is over but so thankful for the amazing time especially to A and her family for their amazing hospitality and everything!

Yesterday was my second full day in Geneva, and we went to visit A’s Aunty M and Uncle L. A and I both woke up super late, alarm didn’t go off for some reason, ate a hasty breakfast, and then we took the bus to Nations where the UN Chair statue was as we were meeting her aunt there. Before that we also stopped halfway at a Coop near Avenue Louis Aubert and I swear I’d been there before!! The street looked very familiar and somehow my phone got automatically connected to someone’s WiFi named “Guest” and I think that was where my Airbnb was when I visited Geneva in 2014. I wasn’t the one who booked the Airbnb so I didn’t have the full address so couldn’t check but I think I will check when I get back but how coincidental was that! We went to the Coop and I bought about a kilo of Caillère chocolate as well as some snacks and drinks. When in Switzerland of course ...

We then caught the bus again and passed by downtown Geneva and saw the Jet d’Eau from the bus - I had already been a few years ago but weather was so much nicer yesterday as the last time I’d came in winter. We got off the bus at Nations, then walked for a bit and met Aunty M halfway. Aunty M drove us back to her place which was across the border in France as we were meant to be staying over in her chalet in the garden (super nice of them). On the way Aunty M showed us around the area where there were lots of old farmhouses as well as the woods. I love being back in the country side, and it also reminded me a lot of my Workaway experience at the farm in 2016.

Aunty M and Uncle L also have 4 dogs (!!!) - 2 white bichons and 2 golden retters who are absolutely the cutest and also have an abundance of energy. We’d already met the 2 white dogs at the barbecue on Sunday but was our first time meeting the 2 bigger dogs, and all 4 dogs rushed out to greet us once we arrived. We took the 4 dogs for a walk around the woods with Uncle L afterwards and had the opportunity to SIT IN THE BACK IN THE CAR TRUNK WITH 4 DOGS. In A’s words this was a life goal accomplished(!!!) and of course it was SUPER ROWDY but at the same time absolutely hilarious because all the dogs were so excited and chasing their tails and wagging their tails super hard and also sticking their heads out of the window (classic dog thing). We took a walk until the start of the circuit in the forest then we had to go back, but the dogs were literally just tearing around and one of the dogs kept running off but was so funny.

Went back to the house, where Aunty M cooked us a snack (pasta with this sauce made from wild plant which I forgot the name) and had some tea and chocolate, and then we went for a second walk with Aunty M but this time around the circuit. We took the two small dogs with us but they had to be kept on a leash sometimes to prevent them from running off, but of course Biggles ran off again halfway before we saw him in front. Got bitten by so many mosquitoes while in the woods as well but was such a nice walk, and everyone we passed by were really friendly and stopped to say hi.

When we got back to the house it was already past 7 (explains the numerous mosquitoes), then we helped Aunty M to cut some kale from the garden for dinner. We also had sangria, pane con tomate and other snacks while waiting for dinner. Aunty M made this amazing quinoa bowl for us - it has quinoa, brown rice, kimchee, kale, this homemade sauce, avocado, and a soft boiled egg for mine (as A is vegan). I want to put up a photo of it because it was SO GOOD but this mobile version of the site is really limited and can’t upload from phone.

Then we had some nougat for dessert and was too full to have the boiled fruits from the sangria (wish I had the space but I was absolutely stuffed). We sat outdoors in the garden (sheltered) and it rained a bit but was really cooling and refreshing to be so near the mountains with a view of the Jura. After that we went indoors and A had to work on her laptop and I went back to the chalet to wash up and sleep. Was such a good day!

This morning we woke up late again (the alarm didn’t work) and had a small breakfast as Uncle L was making choucroute for lunch. I hadn’t had choucroute since Strasbourg so had been looking forward to it and it was delicious and I had 2 servings!

After lunch I had to leave for the airport so we didn’t do much else except packing, then Uncle L drove us to the airport and A stayed with me at the airport for a bit. Everything else was rather uneventful (thankfully) and I guess my plane is about to land soon so will post this tonight when I get home!

Geneva: Day 1

First proper day in Geneva, but thankfully this trip is going to be chill bc I honestly just need a break tbh. Had a really good sleep - A helped me to set up the sofa bed (which is a double) in the guest room, slept really well, woke up at 7am (body clock lol) but fell back asleep until about 10. Spent 2 hours in the pool until noon and got super tanned, but I think the tan has already faded. I did get sunburnt again, not too bad this time, but I really need to remember to apply sunblock.

We made sandwiches for lunch, then decided to go to the Téléphérique du Salève which is this viewpoint you can get to via cable car. It is really near A's place so we decided to walk there, but it is actually across the border in France so we took our passports just in case. We passed by a small town on the way, but as it is Monday most of the shops were closed. I also forgot how expensive things are in Switzerland - we passed by a convenience store on the way and a bag of crisps cost like 5 CHF. Got some snacks anyway so that we could have a picnic up the mountain.

It was also pretty empty when we got to the cable car station, probably as it's a weekday. There are 2 cable cars and there's one going up every 10 minutes, and a return ticket costs €8.70. The ride itself was only about 2 minutes and it goes up pretty quickly, then when we got to the top there is a restaurant up there as well as a small shop selling ice cream and postcards etc, but the panoramic view is absolutely amazing. We took lots of photos (as always), then went to sit on the grass on the hill. We also saw a sheep there! Its ears were tagged so it probably isn't a wild sheep, and it kept following us around because we had food. Took more photos (I haven't transferred them over from my phone and in general I am too lazy to actually post photos - maybe one day I will), ate the food then went to catch the cable car that was going down. We also saw people setting up for paragliding on the same spot we sat after we left, and one of the guys circled around a bit but then came back down shortly but still looks super cool. Idk if I will ever dare to try though.

After we descended via the cable car we heard thunder and the clouds above the mountains looked really dark and ominous so we walked back quickly. A had to send her dad to the airport and I just stayed in and it started to rain so I took a nap until the evening. Perfect weather for a nap though. After that she made dinner and we ate and watched 2 episodes of Friends and now just chilling. Will sleep soon though so will stop here!

Back in Geneva

The rate at which I am going on these trips far exceed the rate at which I am blogging about them ... Naples day 2 is still sitting in my drafts and here I am, out of London again. I am currently in Geneva this time visiting A and staying with her super nice family! The journey here was rather uneventful, but I’m glad my flight was mid-day instead of some unearthly hour in the morning as I could wake up at a normal time today + flying from Gatwick means it only took me half an hour to get there. I rarely fly from Gatwick but can see why people prefer so. Anyway, after landing in Geneva I came straight to A’s house where her family was having a barbecue so had my second lunch. I also went on a trampoline for the first time in my life!!! And had a swim in the pool before it started to rain. Spent the evening chilling and playing games with A’s sister, then had dinner and A helped me to set up the sofa bed in the guest room. Hoping for good weather tomorrow as it was really warm today but very cloudy. Will hopefully work on finishing at least that Naples post soon ...

Pompeii

Greetings from Naples!!

I’ve been really busy the past few weeks and I meant to finish up my post on Cinque Terre but literally have had no time at all + the draft is on my laptop ... but will write about my Naples trip on the go here so as to reduce my backlog. Seriously wish I’d blogged about all my trips in the past bc they are nice to look back on and also so many recommendations on places and all. But anyway I will eventually get to them - I think.

So, I am in Naples right now. YM and I landed this morning at 10am here, but we’d been out of the house since 3am. Regarding pre-trip preparations - YM did all the planning for the itinerary (lol serious not even kidding) - she booked the flights and the accoms, as well as the actual itinerary. What I did was to apply for days off on those days, hehe. We managed to get flights at a pretty good price (~£50 return), and Airbnb for £88 for 3 night’s (for the both of us). Our Airbnb is quite nice but simple - it’s in a central location and our host is really friendly and gave us great recommendations so far. I’ll rave about that later at the end of the trip as we’re still staying here now.

The journey to Naples was quite a close shave as we’d almost missed our flight. We saw the wrong gate number so went to the wrong section of the gates, then once we got off the terminal train there was no way of going back. We had to call for the help via the airport phones and the transport staff came to bring us to the correct gates ... pretty sure we were the last ones to get on but at least we barely made it!!! In all honesty nowadays with the amount of surprises I have had during my travels I wasn’t even panicking anymore LOL was just quite chill and was sure that we would be fine ... I mean the worst case scenario get the next flight to Naples (been there done that on the missing flight part sadly) but anyway we did make it in the end. Then both of us promptly knocked out and slept for the whole flight.

Getting to the Airbnb from the airport took quite a while - we had to get the Alibus which is an airport shuttle running between the airport, stazione centrale and port. It costs €5 and is valid for 90 minutes after the first validation. We got off at the central station Garibauldi, then YM wanted to stop by this famous bakery called Sforgliatelle Attanasio. So a Sforgliatella (still having issues pronouncing the “sf” consonants) is this croissant-shape-like pastry that has multiple layers and is apparently usually filled with ricotta cheese. The bakery is so popular it was super crowded and they have a specific queueing system in place where you have to go to the counter first to order, pay then get a ticket number, then they will call your number and prepare your order for you. I guess as they were mostly locals they are presumably familiar with the menu. However we were pretty clueless and ended up getting the ticket number first then ordering and paying but they saw we were evidently not locals and were fine with that. YM got both variations of the Sforgliatella - crispy and original, while I got a chocolate filled one as I don’t take cheese. She strongly recommends the crispy Sforgliatella, by the way. The chocolate one was pretty good too, the sauce had a thick and silky texture - I would like to compare it to Nutella except that they're not that similar in taste but anyway just amazing texture and had lots of filling AND the best part was it wasn’t liquid enough to drip which was amazing and defo made it less messy to eat. The pastry texture is exactly the same as the Sforgliatella with multiple layers so I guess it was just a different flavour. And they were only like €1.50 or €1.20 can’t remember. Side note the train station area is apparently quite dodgy, and we were warned to be wary of pick pockets.

Got the pastries, then took the metro to the stop near our Airbnb using the same Alibus pass as it was still within the first validation time. Checked into our Airbnb, got changed as it was really hot, and then we set off for Pompeii! To get to Pompeii from Naples we had to take this train called the Circumvesuviana, which literally translates to around the Mt Vesuvius. The ticket is €3.50 and you have to buy it from the ticketing offices so we just went to Toledo which is our closest metro and found one of those ticketing stands just right outside the office and bought 2 tickets from there. Had to catch the Circumvesuviana from Garibauldi, YM got a quick lunch as I had a wrap from Stansted, then boarded the train. Journey took around 40 min, I think the view must’ve been amazing but we were both super tired and slept again for the whole ride.

Arrived at Pompeii. Tickets are €15 each and you can join a tour guided group for ~€12 per person, but neither of us wanted to follow a group so we just got the normal tickets. Apparently people can spend up to 3 days there but of course that is probably if you are super into archaeology or ancient history.

We spent the afternoon walking around and spent almost about 5-6 hours in Pompeii. Weather was super hot (guess we got lucky) and really sunny so was great for photos. Unfortunately I have little knowledge of archaeology / history so found it hard to really understand in general and after a while all of the ruins started to look the same to me ... but we managed to cover more or less the entire city. Some of the main prominent attractions are: the Forum, the Temple of Apollo, the Basilica, a few of the rich houses that were well preserved, Villa of Mysteries, and of course the Amphitheatre which was unfortunately closed. Water fountains are everywhere in Pompeii, so no need to worry about running out of water and they also have quite a few toilets. We also saw some exhibitions of artefacts as we were exiting the site, so was a very productive afternoon.

We fell asleep on the train back to Naples again, but arrived in Garibauldi and went for dinner. As it was Sunday most of the restaurants that YM had bookmarked were closed, but we managed to find a Pizzeria Trianon which was very near the famous Pizzeria da Michele. Took us about 20 min to walk from Garibauldi to there, where we were actually the very first customers. YM ordered a Margherita and I got a Marinara con Prosciutto. The pizzas were huge but they were only about €4 each, not including the 15% service fee that is the standard for eating in. I don’t consider myself a food critic or connoisseur but YM said the pizza was too oily as the oil was literally dripping from the pizza. I thought the pizza was rather good for the price HAHA so was very satisfied.

Managed to finish 1 whole pizza each and we were absolutely stuffed. Came out and saw a gelato shop. I hadn’t had a drink with my pizza as the drink prices were quite expensive so ofc was craving a gelato I mean we are in Italy! Land of gelato! The gelateria is called Gelateria Al Polo
Nord, just opposite Pizzeria Trianon. Prices start from €2 but they had so many good flavours. We tried the mela annurca (Apple breed(?) local to Southern Italy) and melon and both were so good and blended in so well. Have photos but a bit difficult to post on mobile site so might add them later but 100% recommend!!! The gelato lasted us half of our 30 min walk back home which made the walk back less tiring of course.

That’s about all for day 1 I’m super late didn’t actually finish this post last night but setting the publish time to yesterday lol. Still trying my best tho will write about day 2 in Naples tomorrow!

Arrival in Pisa

Got busy since my last post and forgot to post again but making it a point to blog about my current trip in Italy (as well as upcoming trips!!!). Been super busy with work the past few weeks but glad to have a break this weekend.

Took the evening flight from Stansted yesterday - went straight from work to the airport. Slept pretty late the night before as I had to pack and back up my photos from my phone to laptop which took ages and still didn’t even finish. Met YM at the airport and check-in and everything was pretty smooth and we each bought a meal deal for dinner. Slept almost the entire flight because I was so tired and only woke up when the plane landed.

We arrived in Pisa close to midnight and took the Pisa Mover, which is this train shuttle service between Pisa airport and Pisa Centrale train station. It was really nice and quick and was only €2.70 per person. I think we arrived at the train station in less than 5 minutes, but the area around the station was unsurprisingly super deserted at that hour. Our Airbnb was closer to the leaning Tower, so walked via the Main Street but took a while before we finally found our Airbnb. The host was really sweet to us and offered lots of tips and advice and the room was pretty nice but we were only staying for one night sadly!

Got up at 7 this morning to wash up + pack. Currently on the train to La Spezia, weather is meant to be really hot today and very looking forward!

Money Diaries: Day 2

7:10AM

Took the bus to the DLR station instead of walking like I do usually bc it was -3 deg this morning - free bc I have a travel card. I was not ready to leave the house after 2 whole days ... but actually it didn’t feel that bad. The station was really crowded and even the train was more crowded than usual. Actually taking the bus proved to be a really good idea. I’m going to do it until the days get warmer.

7:35AM

Arrive at office. I get some breakfast from the pantry (free).

12:00PM

Lunchtime. Had to call Royal Opera House as T and I have decided on the date to switch the tickets to. Waited about 10 min before finally getting through. It’s £2 to change each ticket so £4.

Went out to buy lunch + had to go to the post office (£2.68). Got a chai soy latte from Starbucks on the way back (free from my health insurance woo!) and got a salad from Tossed as I had a discount code (£4.47).

19:53PM

Home and typing this on my phone (I actually hate using the laptop lol). Was so cold on the way back! And transport was free because of my travel card. The Vitamasques hydro face mask which I did yesterday turned out to be really good and I saw a girl selling one on Depop for less than half the price. £3. But Vitamasques also just sent me an email today with a 40% off code, so I’m quite tempted to order more ... nooooooo.

Also got an email that my VS return from a month ago has been received and processed! -£19.69 ahaha. Currently waiting for my housemate to return home as he offered to cook dinner (thankful for amazing housemates).

23:29PM

Pretty late now, but tonight I managed to video-call my parents for an hour, finished my leftovers from yesterday and K cooked ravioli and pasta so had some of that too. I also managed to sell my American Apparel jeans which I never wore and will never wear on Depop to a really nice girl and hoping it will fit her!! But okay not counting in those amounts like refunds etc bc I'm trying to track my spendings here. But I will have to make another trip to the post office tomorrow again.

On a side note, my Missguided order from yesterday as well as the ASOS order from Saturday have both arrived today, but I haven't had the time to try on anything yet ...

Day 2 total: £14.15

Breakdown
Food/Drink: £4.47
Entertainment: £4
Clothes/Beauty: £3
Travel: £0
Other: £2.68

Money Diaries: Day 1

12:37PM

Woke up at 5am not feeling better at all so called in sick. Currently hiding under 3 duvets ... and had no idea it was snowing until I checked fb but that explains why it’s so cold I guess. The heating in the house is switched off at the moment and in all honesty, I have no idea how or even where to change the settings. Just ordered some takeaway from Just Eat as I have no food at home except for snacks and instant noodles ... £14.56.

That’s actually pretty expensive for a single meal compared to Meal Pal which I’ve just signed up for (but not yet activated my account will probably do so later in the week as not at work today anyway), but I did order enough food for 2 meals I think so that would include dinner. Really craving a smoothie as well but have no juice at home, might pop out later if I feel better but doubt it. Now I just need the food to come quick bc actually starving ... bless the people who do food deliveries on cold days T_T

16:12PM

Food came early. I ordered a chicken + mixed veg with rice, chicken noodle soup and a wonton soup. Was not worth the money, but well it was the cheapest Chinese takeaway in the region. Made some of the French tea from Maison Bourgeon that I bought in Toulouse last year, and I think the random yellow spot stain I found on my palm might have been from washing out the tea thing yesterday. I haven't opened the bowl of wonton soup yet so not sure whether it'll be good, but I only finished half the rice and the chicken noodle soup so saving the rest for dinner!

Agreed to do a swap on Depop with a girl - swapping my Topshop satin maxi skirt (which I will honestly never wear because it's too big and too long for me) for her Real Techniques Drape + Colour Brush set and YSL Black Opium Gift Set. Had to pay £0.33 in all for Depop + Paypal fees.

In the meantime also tried on stuff from my Missguided order from last week. I ordered a bikini set and a lilac crop top, everything was on sale. Didn't like the lilac top at all and contemplating whether or not to order another size for the bikini bottom (obviously I will return one of them) - and also they have free next day shipping now!!

16:54PM

I caved in. Terribly. Was meant to just order one bikini bottom, but then the stuff which I had in my bag were selling out in my size so obvs I had to get them first ... Also I would feel bad getting the delivery for just ONE item. Also the free UK next day delivery was ending in a few minutes, and they normally charge for delivery, so I might as well have bought them first - got a pair of lilac joggers, a pair of black culottes and a pair of black trousers. They are for work so that's fine. It's always fine if it's for work ... isn't it. £64

The first item was the Purple Double Side Stripe Jogger. They are 50% off now. I wasn't going to get them at first when I first saw them last week because they featured a blogger wearing it and the colour looked completely different. But today I went to take a closer look and realised the photo of the blogger they had was a completely different pair of trousers as the one in her photo is missing the front seams down the leg. I am hoping the actual pair will be true to the colours on the website:

The other stuff were the 2 pairs of black trousers for work: the Black Belted High Waist Cigarette Trouser and the Black Crepe Culottes. Both have quite good reviews, and anyway they are basic trousers. But it's still quite cold now so don't think I will be able to wear the culottes until summer. I currently only have 3 pairs of black trousers for work which isn't really sufficient. And they were half price!! I did order them in 2 sizes though, which means I can still get £26 back. So my net spendings should only be £38.

I am going to close the website now so that I stop looking at things to buy.

Total for now: £78.89 (omg). I don't think I have to spend anymore for today though as I already have dinner covered.

On a side note, I was organising my Pinterest and realised the stuff I put up for sale for the CNY flea last year - I actually managed to sell about 20 items as I had to delete them off the page.

19:26PM

Had the chicken noodle soup and wonton soup for dinner, still haven't finished my chicken and veg with rice yet. Did a face mask after dinner - Vitamasques Hydro Face gel mask is amazing. I got it from my February Glossybox last year and finally took the time to use it today. My skin has been really dry and flaky and the mask says up to 120 hours / 5 days of hydration ... well we shall see about that. But it was my first time using a hydro gel mask and it felt pretty good. Had to stop myself from ordering more of them until I actually see the results. They are also rather expensive for one-time masks as they cost £8 each usually.

I take back what I said about not spending anymore today. Had to book Stansted Express tickets for April. Good that I'm booking them in advance as they are cheaper. £21

Also, I made a really stupid mistake when I booked my flights because I forgot I booked tickets to see a ballet on the same night. Now I have to change the tickets for the ballet ... but waiting for T to tell me which other day she can make it. Bad planning on my part argh.

20:19PM

Just booked my return ticket for the trip in April because when we booked the outbound we hadn't decided on how many days to stay for the trip. Decided to come back on Monday instead bc travelling is tiring, and also can save on one extra day of accoms. £21.45

Now I don't think I'll be spending anymore for today since 1) I don't have anything to buy atm 2) Royal Opera House is closed and T hasn't replied me about the dates so can't change the ballet tickets yet 3) Going to sleep soon as have to go to work tomorrow 4) I have £3.83 left in my debit card. I hope the refunds for the stuff I returned on Saturday comes through tomorrow (please).

Day 1 total: £121.34

Breakdown
Food/Drink: £14.56
Entertainment: £0
Clothes/Beauty: £64
Travel: £42.45
Other: £0

First post of 2018

Hi again. It’s been more than a year since I last blogged omg. But last year was really busy with final year and exams and apps and all. I might resume blogging this year just because I’ve been travelling so much and I do want to be able to remember what happened HAHA.

I’m ill now and down with a really bad cold and lost my voice today. I also have an exam tomorrow as well as the remote cert which I’m not even sure if I can do at this point seeing as I can’t really speak. Also I’m pretty sure there used to be an app for Blogger, now it’s just annoying to blog on my phone ...

In other news I’ve been following the Money Diaries section on Refinery29. Pretty interesting and despite them not having invited me to contribute (obviously) I thought it might be fun to try it out for a week and see where is my money going. And it is the end of the month next week (hooray!) but I’ve spent so much since Christmas and I’ve also made a pact to myself to not buy anymore clothes ... the sheer amount of clothes I own at the moment is actually horrendous. I’ve put some stuff on Depop and eBay now so hopefully they’ll be able to find new homes! But yes, starting tomorrow I’m going to record my spendings and see how much I spend in a week.

First post; back in London

First post of 2017, and I got back to London a few hours ago. The past week in Strasbourg has been eventful but also weaved with sad moments because it was my last week, and I have no idea if I'll be going back. Final term (of uni wow) starts tomorrow and I need to focus again. I had such a good holiday though I really don't want it to end :(

Goodbye 2016, thank you.

As always, I tend to do a last post of the year on New Year's Eve to remind myself of the past year and just recap everything. So, a monthly recap of 2016:

- January: Italy trip, quiet times back in Strasbourg after half the Erasmus gang left, snow in SXB, weekend in London, Car's birthday weekend in Paris

- February: Visited V in Brussels, day trip to Antwerp, hanging out with K, Italy round 2 with YL, exploring Venice alone (amazing place) and meeting up with YS there, back to SXB for classes

- March: Oh Wonder concert in SXB, day trip to Colmar, generally quiet and mostly classes and revisions

- April: Birthday with friends, Paris after my birthday, exams, Dijon with A and YX

- May: Post-exams with amazing weather, 10 days in Spain, went back to London, collected keys and moved into new house!

- June: Came back to SXB, Hamburg to visit V, last 2 weeks in SXB and pre-internship prep, packing, goodbyes :'( , back to London, BM garage sale and started internship

- July: Internship, hanging out with friends on the weekends

- August: Internship, came back to SXB for K's birthday, end of internship, P's birthday back in London, left for Paris to visit YM!

- September: Paris and day trips with YM, came back to SXB for 4 days, back to London for the weekend, BM garage sale 2, left for Tours, farming for 2 weeks, back to London

- October: Start of uni, apps and networking, came back to SXB for one weekend, O's birthday, lots of work and school basically

- November: More work and school, interviews, figure skating etc, Black Friday sales and BM sale round 3

- December: More work and school and figure skating, Lazy Oaf and BM garage sale round 4, started working at HCo, came back to SXB for Christmas and New Year!

---

If 2015 was an amazing year, then 2016 was a strange year. On 1 Jan 2016 I embarked on my first solo trip to Italy full of positive vibes and everything felt so refreshing and full of hope. But this feeling didn't continue for the rest of the year, even though I wish it did. The first half of 2016 was exciting and adventurous - I'd booked so many travels and I remember going back to London on a whim, weekend in Paris, mid-week trip to Belgium, Italy again and exploring Venice on my own, day trip to Colmar, Paris after my birthday, exploring Dijon with friends, 10 days in Spain, and finally my last Erasmus travel to Hamburg before returning and departing Strasbourg. Erasmus was like a dream, and sometimes I felt I lost myself in it. The second half of 2016 came like a reality check, and there were moments where I felt truly miserable, lonely, tired and disenchanted. Following my short respite of exploring France and farming in the Midi-Pyrénées I was back in UCL and launched into an intense period of work and apps. But hard work pays off, and I'll always be grateful for all the opportunities and second chances I've been given. And through the ups and downs of this year I've become more conscious and aware of my own priorities. I guess it's true that sometimes you gain some and you lose some, but I always believe what's meant to be will be. 2017, I think I'm ready.

Last days of 2016

Second last day of 2016. Tomorrow is NYE! This year has gone by crazily fast. But I've realised that the older I get the faster time seems to pass. Childhood felt like it was so long. Maybe it's because we're more occupied as (semi-)adults (haha). I have not been very productive in SXB ... brought all my notes but barely did anything except for French omg really need to do econ. K introduced to me this chess game called "Backgammon" a few days ago and I've been addicted to it lol. It's been really foggy here in SXB and the temperature's gone below zero so haven't been out much and basically just staying indoors and watched a lot of movies haha.

28 Dec Wednesday:

Woke up even later than usual, I think I attempted to read a bit of econ?? Was super foggy so didn't go out except to Rivetoile to get some groceries, and that was super late like before it closed. K cooked dinner for me!! Super good. Started playing Backgammon and hence began the game addiction lol.

29 Dec Thursday:

Woke up late, super cold and had cramps the whole day so didn't leave the house at all. Attempted reading Finance again, but ended up playing Backgammon (again). I finally made my soupe forestiere! Favourite soup of all time and I couldn't find it in London so defo gonna have to stock up before I leave + pomme poire too!!! I can't leave Europe ah how else am I supposed to buy all my French food ... Anyway watched The BFG, The Holiday and City Island. Been wanting to watch the BFG since summer but it came out in July and I was busy with internship back then so didn't have the time until yesterday. The Holiday was really nice but didn't really like City Island as much I felt that the beginning was too long and they took ages to get to the climax of the movie. 

30 Dec Friday:

A.k.a. today. Woke up early but basically went back to sleep until about 11 then stayed in bed to play Backgammon LOL. Facetimed the fam back in SG then went out to centre-ville because I really wanted to go to that bookstore at Place Broglie and I didn't know if they were going to be open tomorrow. And I'm so glad I went!! Got 3 colouring books (the only books I'm obsessed with now lol) for €12 and one of them is this coloriage calle Merveilles Sous Les Mers which I've been eyeing since maybe April?? It was also the last one so super glad I went today! The other two I got were the colouring postcards but they only had 2 versions and I even went to the other store at Place Kleber to check but they didn't have the others in the series. Nonetheless am super happy with my purchases! Walked about a lot and took different routes back and discovered a lot of streets that I've never seen and also revisited a lot of familiar places. Then it got too cold so I quickly went to Simply to buy some stuff and came back. Was really bored after coming back so went out again to HCo at Rivetoile to try on the shirts so that I could order my size online LOL. Couldn't decide between XS or S but decided to go with the bigger one so that I can wear it more as an outerwear. Then went to Leclerc to get more food and stuff and came back. Ordered my HCo stuff online and basically been procrastinating since then ... and I haven't even had dinner yet. I will read at least half of my Finance notes tonight sigh. I was supposed to have finished revising 2 econ mods by this week! T_T

Christmas in Strasbourg

I've been back in Strasbourg for about a week now (10 days to be exact) and I can really say that nowhere else feels more at home than here. It's weird, but I'm just so used to living here in SXB and the city and the places and everything. Post-Erasmus blues is real, and I'm not sure when I will get over it.

Anyway going to post brief updates about my life so far! I really want to remember things because today K was just recounting to me how we ate at Le Tarbouche once but I have absolutely no recollection of that at all. Like at all. It's so weird because he recounted the whole incident and I can imagine myself saying the same stuff but I just can't remember the actual incident happening?? And what's weirder is that normally I keep track of my spendings and take photos of my meals etc but I can't find anything about it. The only time I remember going there to eat was with V and that was back in December 2015 ... so weird. But anyway point is I wanna be able to remember what happens in my life!!

Okay so week 10 of term 1 was quite crazy. I started working at HCo and wasn't scheduled for any shifts that week since I just got registered onto the system on Monday (12/12), but managed to pick up 3 shifts from my colleagues to cover so was pretty cool. I really like working in the store haha. I worked on Monday until closing, then bought stuff with my associate card for K and the housemates for Christmas hehehe. Tuesday had a full day of classes until 6 and went to C and MH's place for curry dinner! Worked again on Wednesday from 12 since I only had classes until 10 - was actually planning to dimsum lunch with S and K but couldn't in the end so I just went to work early and worked until closing again. Was supposed to do until 6 but manager asked me to extend cause they needed people for closing I guess. Super tired. Thursday I had class in the morning, lunched at Farmer's Market with C and XP then went to Westfield to shop / return stuff. Came back in time for Finance tutorial and French, but went to Regent St again after class to buy stuff from HCo lol. Then Friday was quite crazy - had class from 1 to 4, went to work at 4.30, worked until closing, bought a Subway dinner and went to M's place to chill - literally didn't get to see him for the entire term until last day of term LOL. Then I went back about 11 cause P was waiting for me to watch the penultimate episode of The Apprentice together since we both didn't have time to catch it the night before. By the time we finished it was about 1, then I had to pack my luggage for France while P just played Fifa downstairs until like 4 or something. I was organising all my notes and everything and time just passed so quickly - didn't even realise it was already 6am and I had to leave at 7 to catch my bus at Victoria. So quickly shoved the rest of the things into my luggage, ate my last avocado from the fridge and left. Was freezing and foggy when I left the house and I think I missed the bus I was intending to catch by 2 minutes. So had to wait super long for the next bus and I was calculating I would have about 5 min to spare when I reached the coach station. The bus was quite slow and I was literally watching the minutes and dashed off when I reached my stop. Dragged my luggage and ran towards the coach station and actually made it with indeed 5 minutes to spare but what a close shave!! I started to regret not having bought the Eurostar ticket.

Fell asleep when the bus started moving and woke up about an hour later - we had already reached Folkestone but there was a massive jam to get to the Eurotunnel. We were delayed about an hour or so then when we finally reached the check in for Eurotunnel the bus driver told us we were already delayed by an hour. Thank goodness I planned for 3 hours of transit time in Paris, but messaged YM to tell her that I most probably wouldn't be able to meet her for dinner in Paris that night. Wait more on the bus and finally the bus started moving and we got onto the Eurostar shuttle fairly quickly. The bus driver then told us somehow we managed to get onto an earlier shuttle which was great news. Slept on and off after that, arrived in France then realised my bus was taking another route via Lille instead of going directly to Paris. Checked the bus timetable and calculated we were about 1.5 hours behind. Weather was really awful - it was foggy and rainy and cold. Finally arrived in Paris and even then there were a lot of traffic jams. Arrived at Bercy at 6.30pm and there was no way I could make it for dinner. Took the metro for free to Paris Est - they were encouraging people to take public transport because of the air pollution in Paris so public transport had been free for Friday and Saturday, which was great for me as I didn't have cash so didn't have to buy a ticket. Travelling with luggage definitely takes more time than usual, so I only arrived at Paris Est at 7.15 and had to wait an hour for my train. Bought a French Meal Deal from Casino (the supermarket chain lol) then sat and waited. Spoke to a lady who turned out to be going to Strasbourg as well and had quite a nice chat with her. Finally the train arrived and boarded and slept on and off again on the train cause I was so tired. Arrived in Strasbourg at a quarter past 10 and K was already at the tram station waiting for me! So happy to finally be back aha. 

18 Dec Sunday:

Woke up quite late at 11, but K cooked brunch! I washed my hair then went out to meet LJ and friends who were just there for one day. Went to Cafe Atlantico (the boat by the quay!!) for drinks and cheesecake, then Sushido for dinner. The sushi was amazing I'd been craving it for about 3 months now lol. Then we went to take photos at the Christmas Market entrance and somehow my instax wouldn't work and there was this other girl who asked us to help take photos with her instax and her instax also stopped working. So weird but after I went back I realised the counter was actually wrong and I'd in fact finished the films. But still we managed to take 1 instax of all 3 of us together and I gave LJ and W the ones with them. I haven't used my instax ever since and I can't use my Christmas films anymore now that Christmas is over ...

19 Dec Monday:

Woke up at 7am to collect the key from I, then went back to sleep again and only woke up again at like 1pm so only moved in in the afternoon. K helped me with my stuff, then we went out to lunch. Wanted to eat at Franky's but it was closed so we went back to Rivetoile and had Buffalo Burger. Then went to HCo since it was right opposite Buffalo Burger and I discovered the amazing thing that I can use my associate card in France!!! So bought some stuff hehe and now I'm waiting for the new triple A's hopefully coming soon in Jan?? Shopped around a bit but not much to buy, then went to Leclerc to get groceries. Then came back and did work caused had prep to do but nothing much exciting. I ate a really French dinner of baguette and pate that I bought from Leclerc - hadn't had it for ages like maybe since March lol when LJ first introduced me to it but soooooo good.

20 Dec Tuesday:

Woke up quite late again but had a nice French breakfast of croissants and tea hehe I love croissants. Went to Rivetoile again with K but went to other shops this time like Bershka. I saw this super cute pink knit jumper in Bershka so am just waiting for it to go on sale. Also found the Mom Jeans that I tried on in Westfield that day but the queue was too long to try. Then we went to the Christmas Markets!!! Finally!!! I got a new Christmas Market cup without the vin chaud and some tea from Maison Bourgeon - it's called Delice Detox and it smells absolutely amazing, probably because of the melon inside. Apparently they only have a physical store in Provence but they sell their stuff at the Christmas Markets every year. Also bought some Alsatian cookies from Fortwenger and a baguette (so French lol) and we came back to try the tea with mille feuille and cakes that I got the day before. Then K had to go for work and I ate Nongshim for dinner that night lol basically just eating it everyday. Was quite unproductive and didn't do much work but still went to sleep really late argh.

21 Dec Wednesday:

Woke up late (as usual), had some brunch and went out. K and I found the Danish butter cookies in Simply but we couldn't find it in Leclerc strangely. Went to Rivetoile (again because there's not much places to go LOL), went to HCo and I tried on a couple of shirts which turned out not too bad but I think I'll order them online when I go back. Then we had froyo at Smooy which I've always wanted to try!! It's almost exactly like llaollao and I'm pretty sure it's from Spain/Portugal as well ... But it was really filling and basically settled dinner for me lol. Went back and I literally spent the whole night going through the entire HCo playlist trying to find this song which I heard but no success.

22 Dec Thursday:

Woke up late but did some French this time before going out. Went to Rivetoile (again I know) with K and had KFC for lunch lol. Went to Place Kleber but it was raining so we took the tram but it got delayed at Homme de Fer. Managed to get off after about 10 minutes of delay and went to Uniqlo then K went for dinner and I went to explore the Christmas Markets by myself. Took a lot of pictures and found the bracelet shop from last year but they sold out of the nice colours and the owner was just meh about it so was quite disappointed. Also saw Stand La Bonumeur in the same spot as last year and the realisation hit me that these things will always be there but the times have changed ... Like the Christmas Market stalls will be the same but the feelings and memories from last year won't ever come back. Felt really moody and nostalgic plus it was raining. Bought 2 postcards - one for M and one for me to keep. Was tempted to get a vin chaud but I knew I couldn't finish one by myself and didn't want to get too woozy on the way home, so I got a Sushido takeaway for dinner instead. Came back and listened to music and did French so at least I did some work.

23 Dec Friday:

Went to post office and sent out M's postcard! Weather was really foggy again and the cathedral looked like the top half disappeared. Went to Place Kleber with K and it was super crowded since it was the second last day of the Christmas Markets. I finally found a belt that fits me in Mango so bought that. There were a lot of street musicians and generally a lot of people. Went to Galeries Lafayette and found this amazing Topshop Velvet Embroidered Jacket but it was like €98 and apparently sold out on the UK website. Then went to Place Broglie in search of spatzle!! Bought a vin chaud on the way with a very pretty rainbow cup - it's the small one but I didn't mind cause I didn't see that design on a big cup. The vin chaud was amazing haha then went to find the spatzle store and it was in the same spot as last year - I still remember visiting the Christmas Market there with V and O and we all bought food and crepes ... but they changed the spatzle by adding cabbage this year and K didn't like it. Walked to Les Halles afterwards and went to a Persian grocery store. K got some stuff and I found some amazing pastry things (I think they are called swissi or something I need to ask again) then went to Paris Store which actually sells Asian groceries lol. Then went to Simply and took the tram back because it was raining. K cooked the long Persian rice and this Persian veg thing from a can for dinner then we had some nice wine called Monbazillac that we found the other day which is apparently one of the sweetest white wines.

I also found my post from last year on the Christmas Markets here:

http://lesarcsenciel.blogspot.fr/2015/12/first-time-at-strasbourgs-christmas.html

24 Dec Saturday:

Christmas Eve! K and I went to Parc du Heyritz because I've been wanting to visit the park ever since seeing it on Instagram lol. It was really quiet and peaceful and I'd never been to that part of SXB before. We found a playground and spent some time just chilling on the seesaws and stuff. I wanted to go see the Christmas Market at Petite France since it was the last day. Bought another cup of vin chaud with the verre to keep and found another stall selling spatzle but without the cabbage so got K to try that which changed his mind about spatzle lol. Took more pictures of the Christmas decorations and lights then came back and K cooked Christmas Eve dinner! Nothing fancy just a simple meal of rice and chicken and the veg from the day before but very nice and satisfying.

25 Dec Sunday:

Christmas Day, plus Sunday so everything is closed and super quiet outside. Watched movies the whole day and didn't study LOL but it's Christmas!! Had noodles for dinner hehe.

26 Dec Monday:

Boxing Day but unlike the rest of France it's still a holiday in Alsace. But unlike the UK there are no sales sadly and I spent the day trying to get into the LUSH website in vain - I was like the 100kth+ person in the queue which is ridiculous. But S managed to get a Snow Fairy shower gel for me in London!! Very thankful. Ordered some stuff from Miss Selfridge including a velvet embroidered jacket but I think it's slightly nicer than the one in Topshop also it was cheaper!!! K and I actually went out but not much was open except a few restaurants in Place Kleber. I bought a baguette on the way back and some Turkish Delight from a Turkish grocery store that was open. K cooked dinner (chicken with veg and rice) then went to work and I spent the night watching Mickey's Christmas Carol and Finding Dory LOL been wanting to watch it since June before I left SXB!!! It was so cute hahaha. Still no work done but I'm consoling myself with the fact that Boxing Day is a holiday ...

27 Dec Tuesday:

Woke up late as usual, went out because nice and sunny weather!! And finally the shops are open and business as usual. Went to Bershka at Rivetoile and I am actually tempted to get the pink knit jumper but I don't actually NEED it and I am almost sure it would go on sale. Wanted to try on trousers from Stradivarius that I saw online but didn't find them in store. K and I went to Place Kleber and it was really crowded. Went to Galeries Lafayette because I got the email that their sales started today and indeed ... and that Topshop velvet jacket went on sale for 50% off!!! But it's still €49 even after the discount and I can't bear to spend like €50 on a jacket I would hardly wear ... plus I already ordered one from Miss Selfridge (no idea if that will fit because they sold out of 6 online so I had to order an 8). Also another Topshop denim jacket was on sale for also 50% off so €26 but I'm pretty sure I already have one in that colour. Also it was a bit small. Ah I need to stop buying stuff!! So I didn't buy anything. We went to 7eme art for dinner then FNAC. Wanted to go to the bookstore but it closed at 7. Craving chocolate after having one after dinner so went to Simply and got a huge bar of Milka and some limonade to make diabolo. K walked me back and went to work and I've been writing this post but finally done!!

Can't believe I've already been here for 10 days and it's already half of my winter break :( :( Time always flies when I'm in SXB and I should really do some work - want to at least finish writing my French notes before the new year lol. Time is passing way too quickly :( I also have some way overdue posts on the 4 Brandy sales I went this year and have no idea when I will ever post them ...

Term 1 Week 7

Yet another week has passed. 3 more weeks until end of term! Time is passing by too quickly.

Currently rather pissed at myself for forgetting to prolong my French number. It was supposed to expire on 28 Nov but didn't realise Free was just going to terminate my line at 28/11 midnight. Oh gosh. I can't believe I've been so busy the past 2 months I completely forgot about it. Now I will have no French number for the whole of Christmas ugh.

Nothing much happened last week except for Black Friday sales. Had classes everyday and went skating on Wednesday. I wish I could say I learnt more tricks but no HAHA. Can't do a forward lunge literally because I'm not even flexible enough to do it on ground haha sigh need to practice off-ice stuff too.

I went for the Brandy Black Friday sale at Covent Garden!! 50% off everything but of course they kept away the new stuff omg I wanted the Kenzo jeans. But still managed to get sooooo much good stuff need to do a hauls post soon hahaha. Met C for dinner at Chinatown - it was completely dark because there was a power cut in Soho and Chinatown. Most of the restaurants were closed so we went to Wong Kei which was still open but they could only serve like 4 dishes. Made C go with me back to Brandy after dinner for round 2 HAHAHA. I need to stop buying clothes omg .........

Spent the whole weekend at home. Slept a lot, did work, finally did my accounts, even booked my return tickets and still can't believe I completely forgot about my French number argh. But yeah the weekend is over now and I feel like no amount of sleep can ever cure my fatigue in winter. It's almost half one, I should go to sleep now.

Half a year later

It's been such a long time since I last posted!! Almost half a year, considering we're now in late November. Can't believe time passed by so quickly, and so much has happened since May.

Brief summary of my life since May: Spain trip, London trip, Hamburg trip, last days in Strasbourg, internship, Strasbourg for K's birthday, Paris to visit YM, back to Strasbourg, second Brandy garage sale this summer in London, Workaway on French farm, back to uni, back to Strasbourg in October, reading week, more work and now we're coming to week 7 of Term 1. Crazy days! I've had so much work I didn't even travel during reading week. Also didn't have time for orch this term but I've started figure skating. Can't decide what to do for next term yet because I would really love to go back to orch but want to continue skating as well. More decisions sigh. But yes basically been swamped with work and nothing much interesting. I don't even shop as much anymore (because poor) and also no time. What is life at this point ......... Also have had no time to pack my room or do my colouring books even though I'm so stressed I actually should relax. Ah I don't know. House is settling in quite well, days are getting colder and I'm still contemplating getting a portable heater. O and P have also been reminiscing Strasbourg times with me, I'm glad I took photos of literally everything and everyday back in Strasbourg. I think that was just the highlight of my degree / life and now everything is going downhill from now onwards. I don't know I'm just really tired. I just wish to go back to the moment when I first arrived in Strasbourg and relive my whole year abroad again. Really.

A week of sun

Been soooo long since I last posted but basically went to Paris after my birthday then had exams for 2 weeks! I finished my last exam on Thursday (the FLE oral exam) then left for Dijon for the weekend on Friday morning. Had such a lovely time with A and YX in Paris and Dijon hehe my fantastic France travel buddies!! Also stayed with the nicest hosts in Dijon!! ^_^

Came back from Dijon on Sunday afternoon and this whole week has basically been soaking in the sun and enjoying Strasbourg. I got sunburnt!! And weather was truly amazing this week.

02/05 Monday: Had lunch with G and L at The Dubliners, then we walked to Kehl! Went to Jardin des Deux Rives, Kehl city centre and finally had dinner at this place called Alte Zunft which has pretty god rosti!

03/05 Tuesday: Rained the whole day almost so didn't do much except for grocery shopping and returned my library book. Met one of my classmates outside and talked a bit. Then went to Rivetoile and bought a colouring book! They're so cute hehe. Went for a walk after dinner to Petite France and walked like for 2h!

04/05 Wednesday: Did laundry in the morning, then lunch with G and L at Academie de la bière. Walked around Place Kleber afterwards, went to bookstores and got 2 books. Came back and wanted to go out to enjoy the last bit of sun before sunset but K came over with smoothie so we hung out a bit then I spent the whole night colouring lol.

05/05 Thursday: The Australian students invited us for a picnic at Parc de L'Orangerie so spent the whole afternoon eating then we went for a boat ride!! Then went for dinner at Irish Pub since P came back but unfortunately they didn't serve food that day as the kitchen was closed so we went to Mémé instead then Happy Hours pub to watch a football game.

06/05 Friday: Met L for lunch - wanted to get flams at Troquet / Flams but both were really busy so we ended up at Au Brasseur again. Got an ice cream after lunch and walked about the cathedral then sat in the sun at Place Kleber. LJ came to join us afterwards and L had to go home so we just walked around a bit before LJ had to go for work. I came home and slept a bit then went out again and sat by Rivetoile colouring before meeting YS for dinner at Kim! Finally tried Kim and been such a long time since I last had Korean food hahaha. Then went to meet E and her friend R who came to Strasbourg for the weekend! They are staying in Petite France so we decided to go for drinks at Academie. Had a very nice time then walked around Strasbourg to give them a tour of the city at night.

Not much going on today but I have to pack for Spain! And a bunch of stuff to do but mostly packing LOL and some last min stuff for the trip. Very excited!!

End of March - April

I know it's April but I haven't updated for like 3 weeks ... Life's been like a rollercoaster ride really. So much changes within such a short span of time. Anyway, I stopped at 27 March I think, so continuing on! I just wanna do my daily summaries so that I can look back and remember what I did with my days.

28/03 Monday: Woke up really early and actually went for the morning jog with LJ! We jogged (okay fine walked halfway) to Parc de l'Orangerie. It was my first time there actually and was really nice to see all the magnolia and Japanese cherry blossoms blooming in spring! But weather was still really cloudy lol. Spent like 2 hours in the park, came back and had a pretty good breakfast with cakes and teh tarik, then was supposed to revise but ended up playing on the violin. We transcribed a Chinese pop song hahaha. Then wanted to go for lunch at this Vietnamese Pho place but it was a férié and the tram waiting time was too long so decided to go to this burger place nearby that O and V and I went last semester. Was pretty good then took ootd on the way back LOL. Didn't do anything for the rest of the day, wanted to see K but he had prac and work and at night I booked my Eurostar tix! But that concluded my last férié lol we don't actually have that many ...

29/03 Tuesday: Overslept for the 8am class again massive regret cause it was the last class T_T Went for Morpho at 12 thenLexicographie (also last class so can't miss) then half a session of revision for Pragmatique! Went for a Macs burger with LJ after class was absolutely famished then did some grocery shopping, then came back and she helped me to bring my violin to the luthier for re-stringing while I just sat in my room eating M&Ms lol. It's so weird how I can still remember that day so vividly. But yeah blew bubbles and stuff then LJ came back and we went downstairs for dinner (plus ootd lol) and I don't remember what else I did that night but probably rotted in my room ...

30/03 Wednesday: Had last class for Phonologie in the morning, went for lunch with classmates as usual at the resto, absolutely no memory of what I did in the afternoon (probably slept I think) then went for Italian at 6pm followed by dinner with classmates! I think I went back to library to work on Italian afterwards?? Can't remember that week was a blur really.

31/03 Thursday: Went for FLE and managed to finish the resume more or less with my project partner. Came back and met LJ right outside so we decided to go for lunch at the resto. Was supposed to go library to study but ended up nua-ing in my room but K came over to find me! But he was going out that night so just hanged around while he was waiting to leave.

01/04 Friday: Went for 2 ateliers in the morning and made a new friend so we went for lunch together at the resto. Got a text from K halfway through lunch and so went up to find him. He had bites which we thought to be bedbugs so went to Pharmacie and stuff to get meds then in the afternoon he was going out again. I went to Simply afterwards to pick up some drinks and went for prinks at P's place then LIVE afterwards since it was Katia's last weekend here.

02/04 Saturday: Spent most of the day sleeping LOL and was actually watching Tom and Jerry cartoons and some old Disney movie clips on YouTube HAHA. Was supposed to have tea at I's at 2pm but we were all too tired so was postponed to 4pm! Had a nice tea sesh and did another round of Turkish coffee reading by I plus tarot card reading by P LOL. I took notes this time lol!! Went for dinner at this Korean place called Douri afterwards with LJ and YS which was really good! Then LJ and I walked YS to the tram stop and otw back home I got a message from I saying they were going to Exils so of course I said I'd go since it was Katia's last night. Had a pretty chill time but we were all pretty tired from the night before so went back home lol. Couldn't sleep afterwards while waiting for my hair to dry and turned out K was awake so talked until morning ... But I still managed to wake up rather early the next day.

03/04 Sunday: Studied a bit for my exam on Monday then got a message from K in then evening so went over. We got pizza then watched Toy Story 3! I think it was that. Hahaha. Then came back and slept early cause I had a long day the next day ...

04/04 Monday: Missed Syntaxe to do a bit more revision for the exam at noon, had classes in the afternoon was so tiring after the férié cause Monday's are always so crazy. Came back and had dinner at the resto with LJ, washed my hair and saw K who was watching Star Wars before work. Revised lexicographie rather unsuccessfully then decided to sleep early.

05/04 Tuesday: Woke up early and went to the library before Morpho, but the class got cancelled so had an unexpected extra hour to study for lexico. Had the exam, was so tired came back and overslept so was late for dinner. Rushed to Le Michel to meet G, P and I for dinner before the concert at Palais Universitaire, but because I was late dinner overran and by the time we got there the concert was already full and I missed my chance to hear Dvorak 8 ... Heard it was good though! We went to this bar called the Public House instead to chill then decided to pay a visit to K at work before going back and everyone came with me lol. But yeh finally they all met I feel like my social circle is now complete lol??

06/04 Wednesday: Was supposed to have a revision sesh with classmates but overslept so met them directly for lunch instead ... Then dk what I did in the afternoon I think I went to Portique to work on Italian but can't really remember, but went for Italian at 6 then dinner with classmates after, saw K a bit and we walked out together as I was going to meet P and G for a gig by the Razorblades. Was pretty cool though my eardrums aren't really used to this type of music and my ears were totally buzzing at the end but they were cool and I had a song called Smart Phone dedicated to me LOL. We went to see K afterwards cause his work was near the pub and got him a kebab hehehe. Came back and did my final version of the resume for FLE until like 2am omg ...

07/04 Thursday: Went for FLE and submitted the resume then did a bit of revision for Morpho. Was talking to Pauline from class and it was really nice so ended up staying back and talking to her for almost an hour after class! Then decided to go to Place Kleber to get Chinese takeaway and the holographic Stans and check out the new Starbucks. Got the Stans but Starbucks was just having it's opening and was not operating until the next day but was really craving a chai tea latte so I tried this other cafe near my place but they were out of soy milk! Totally no luck with chai tea latte lol. Came back and ate my Chinese takeaway lunch which had turned cold and finished the remaining orange juice. Then met K and we went to try Buffalo Burger at Rivetoile and made K take his ootd and played billiard afterwards! Weather was so unbelievably warm LOL.

08/04 Friday: Got a message from G saying he was nearby asking me to go for lunch when I just woke up so had to quickly get changed and go out! Texted P to come along too and ended up having a nice lunch in the sun at the pasta place (usual hangout lol). Weather was really good and I actually got a tan line like omg and G got sunburnt. Came back and met K and went to Rivetoile to do grocery shopping and found that they opened HEMA! So bought tons of snacks from there lol. Also finally returned my Stradi jeans cause I didn't think I was gonna wear them. But we both took ootds near Rivetoile HAHA. Got takeaway pizza and watched Toy Story 2 then Meet The Parents.

09/04 Saturday: My birthday!! Woop woop woke up really late then showered and video called parents. Went to Rivetoile with P to get food and drinks for the evening then came back to wake K up so that we could go bowling with G and P and I. Haven't bowled in ages and despite it being my birthday my luck was awful and I came in last in both games but K's score was just unbelievable like thrice my score?!?! We played 2 rounds then got Domino's on the way back then went to P's place for food and drinks and Jenga!! Had a really great time and was so happy to spend my birthday with all my friends here, really lucky to have met them all ^_^ Came back past midnight and was so tired fell asleep for an hour then had to pack for Paris and by the time I was done it was 4am and had to leave at 8am so basically didn't sleep much ... But yeh managed to leave on time and made it to Paris!! I should post about it really in a separate post but gonna end this post now! Have an exam at 8am tmr and it's already 12:40 but really just wanted to write stuff down so I don't forget and I should go shower omg.

Easter Weekend

Having a long Easter weekend this weekend but it's already Sunday! I always feel like I don't do anything but time passes so fast omg.

Gonna do a basic summary of my week so that I don't forget what I've been up to!

19/03 Saturday: Can't remember what I did in the morning but think I managed to see K before orch, then kinda lazed around until 1pm then went to Rivetoile to get the Adidas shirt for Anthea. Came back and lazed a bit more before finally dragging my ass to the library LOL but not before making a detour to Simply to buy some gummies first. Texted LJ to ask what she was doing in the evening then she invited me to dinner with her other friend, so I basically spent like less than 3 hours in the library since I only got there at 3pm and had to leave by 5.30pm ... But yeah was rather productive I guess, arrived back punctually to leave at 5.45pm then we went to meet her friend at Observatoire. Took the tram to Homme de Fer and decided to make a reservation at Brasserie Max for 7.30pm, leaving us about an hour to shop! We went to Galeries Lafayette and Stradivarius and Sephora, and LJ and I both bought stuff from Stradivarius lol. I bought another pair of Mom jeans in an indigo shade of denim but now thinking that I might return them cause spring is coming ain't nobody got time for long pants! But seriously the weather is looking so good for the next week like almost 20 deg and I can't wait to wear my skirts and dresses!

We went back to the restaurant pretty early cause most shops were closing at 7pm. Had a really great 3-course dinner - food was amazing - followed by a Monaco and we had so much fun talking about languages and dialects and stuff. Then after dinner we didn't really want to go back yet so we went to another bar called Meme dans les Orties or something. The last time I went there was with the English gang and that was like the week before our very first term break so all the way back in October?!? Crazy how fast time has gone. We sat there for a while and got another round of drinks and left about 12. LJ and I walked her friend back home first then we went back to PA together.

And here's the crazy part LOL. I went back to my room thinking I was gonna shower and quickly sleep then as I was opening my door my neighbour R and his friend M opened his door and they asked me if I wanted to go to Kehl. LOL. I had absolutely no intention of going out again but when did I ever turn down a night out anyway HAHA. So I asked them how much time we've got and they told me 10 min so I quickly got changed and packed my stuff then we went to catch the bus. Felt so weird going to Kehl again cause the last time I went was like December with the English gang again right before everyone left for Christmas break! But I hadn't drank much just 2 Monacos so was very sober. Got into Gold then met all the Brazilians there and we had not a bad time but was so tired I couldn't wait for the 4am bus back LOL. Got the bus back with O and A and this other girl and we all went back to PA tgt and finally I could sleep LOL.

20/03 Sunday: Managed to wake up early at 9am nonetheless (barely slept like 5 hours?!), saw that K was awake so went over then watched videos and stuff. Was so hungover and tired lol but I was supposed to go to I's place for afternoon tea so I eventually left at 5pm. Got there and they were all waiting for me felt so bad! But we had a nice time and had tea and biscuits and also Turkish coffee reading by I which was really cool. The other 2 girls had to leave early after that but I stayed back with I until about 7pm then her friends were coming and I was supposed to meet P and G at this bar called What The Fox for dinner at 8pm. Was rather punctual and we had a nice dinner and finally tried the Printemps drink which was supposed to be pamplemousse but couldn't taste too much of it! But yeh was a nice way to end the week.

21/03 Monday: Woke up feeling sick and tired so missed Syntaxe and was planning to go for the classes in the afternoon. I went for Rhetorique et Stylistique at noon because it was the class class before the exam but felt so awful and dizzy outside thankfully the class was only one hour. Came back and just crashed without even eating lunch omg. Then slept the whole afternoon even though I was meaning to go for Histoire at 5pm but completely overslept until 6pm. Texted LJ then she invited me over for dinner so I went downstairs. She'd made pasta with avocado and even baked a cake which was amazing omg so I offered to do the dishes but her dishcloth was dirty so I went upstairs to get mine. Met one of my neighbours on the stairs who told me someone was looking for me and I guessed it was K lol and I was right but went to bring the dishcloth down first and dos the dishes before coming up again. Managed to talk a bit before leaving for work then I went back to LJ's place again and we had cake for dessert and watched Big Bang Theory! Left around 10pm cause we were both tired and also had 8am class the next day.

22/03 Tuesday: Actually woke up for the 8am class LOL such a struggle every week (even last term I had 8am on Tuesdays!). After class LJ and I went to Simply first cause I hadn't had breakfast so was craving some cakes. Bought some food then came back to PA and neither of us wanted to go to the library for the 3h break so I just stayed in my room and ate breakfast slowly then packed A's adidas shirt for postage. Went for Morpho at noon then had Lexicographie after where we got back our exam scripts. Was happy that I did relatively okay for it. After class Kathrin and I went to get some food then we went to the library together cause she was waiting for a film meet in the evening while I had to study for the Phonologir exam the next day. Stayed in the library until closing time at 7pm then walked tgt and met Henrietta and her friend that I met once at FLE at the crossing. Came back home and showered early and was supposed to study more for Phonologie but I'm so bad with studying at home it just didn't happen ugh. Ended up sleeping early instead and decided to wake up earlier to study.

23/03 Wednesday: Waking up early to study is a myth LOL. Woke up but couldn't absorb anything then went to class but luckily the stuff were similar. Didn't go for lunch but spent the one hour in the library with LJ and YS then we went to take the exam. Was so tired after the exam I came back and just ... Slept the whole afternoon. Was actually intending to head to the library again but was honestly so tired I slept with my shoes on lol and woke up at 5.30pm barely in time for Italian! Went for Italian at 6pm and after class YS and I went for our usual post-Italian dinner but this time wth another Vietnamese girl from our class and LJ said she'll come along too. Ate in the Resto U and had a nice dinner but I left early and managed to catch K before work so we walked over tgt.

24/03 Thursday: Didn't manage to wake up for FLE LOL but had this weird dream where I was messaging my groupmate that I can't make it and didn't actually send the message?! Woke up quite late then ate some stuff for lunch then texted LJ if she wanted to go to the library and she'd in fact just gotten back LOL impeccable timing. We went to the library at Patio but it was too nice weather to study so we both got pretty restless then decided to go to Macs LOL. Went to Macs for an afternoon snack sort of meal but she had work at 6pm so we decided to just go to centre ville. Took the tram to Homme de Fer then went to some shops then she had to leave before 6 while I went to Galeries Lafayette to try on some jeans from Topshop. There wasn't much to do so slowly strolled back and stopped by at Simply to grab some groceries before the long weekend since shops were going to be closed. Ate dinner and didn't do anything else seriously I get so bored in the evenings lol.

25/03 Friday: Good Friday! Video called parents in the morning, I woke up at freaking 7am the only day that I didn't have to wake up early LOL. Then had to meet the English gang for crepes at noon. We went to La Crêpe Gourmande which was not too bad and I had this crêpe that was on fire!! Walked back tgt with P and G and actually wanted to check out a museum but it was closed for the férié. Came home then went to find K a while before he had to go out then saw that I had 2 emails regarding the internship so talked to Gee a bit about it. And had another extremely boring evening again I was so bored that I wanted to go for a morning jog the next morning and catch the sunrise LOL so slept really early at 11pm.

26/03 Saturday: The morning jog never happened LOL. I actually did wake up at 6am and texted LJ but think she wasn't wake so I went back to sleep and only woke up again 5 hours later LOL. So I slept a full 12 hours in fact. Saw that LJ had texted me at 7 saying she overslept too so oh well! Ate some peanut butter sandwiches for lunch then went to find K about 2pm. The bad news was that Zootopia didnt have the English version anymore so we decided to go see Batman vs Superman at 5pm. Turned out to be a good decision cause there weren't that many people so we got the best seats then when it ended there were so many people queueing for the next show! It was not too bad haha though I didn't understand a lot of the film. But it was 3 hours so long I thought it'd be only 2 hours or something! I like Wonder Woman HAHAHA. After the movie we went to Franky's for dinner and saw they had all the new exercise stuff near Rivetoile super cool! We went to spin around on the spinning things I don't even know what they're called LOL. Came back to PA and had a game of billiard!! My first time playing HAHAHA. Also wanted to see Man of Steel afterwards but was too sleepy and too late by then.

27/03 Sunday: Woke up at 10am but didn't realise that the clocks had changed to BST so actually I woke up at 9am hehe :D But fell back asleep again until 1pm LOL. Had brunch and watched Man of Steel with K omg can't wait for the rest of the movies to come out LOL think the next one is coming out in August ... Then K wanted to go prac but couldn't get the room so came back up but had to leave again at 7. Felt so weird now that the sun only sets at like 8pm LOL but hooray for longer days!! And I'm going for a morning jog tmr with LJ but just washed my hair tonight argh HAHA. But tmr is férié again so glad for one more day of holiday and this has been a really nice weekend so far besides me rotting in boredom almost every night I need to find things to do what did I even do last term?! Missing V and O hahaha they were always up for stuff all the time hahaha.

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Had an equally good day today even though once again I failed to present myself at the library but OH WELL. Was v happy cause I actually woke up early like at 8am (I am becoming more light-sensitive but that's a good thing hooray for longer days!) then saw a text from K who then came over so we spent the morning tgt and had a nice breakfast. I fell asleep again in the afternoon and barely woke up just in time for the atelier at 4pm which I'd signed up for! Went for the 2 ateliers then decided to stay for the 3rd one since it was in the same classroom and was glad that I did cause it turned out to be really fun and interesting! Met Sofia in class so we walked back tgt then I went to Simply to buy some fruits and drinks while she went to the bus stop. Came back and ate a (solo) dinner at the resto'u but so convenient now that it's open in the evenings as well since the one at Esplanade is undergoing construction. But all in all it was a really nice day! I haven't decided if I will go for more ateliers tomorrow but gonna need to go to the library realised I have so much work this weekend :( All the classes this week were really hard for some reason omg and first exam starts next Wed sigh what is year abroad???

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Before the day ends I just wanted to pen this down: Had the happiest day in a while today. Incidentally it also happens to be St Patrick's Day today and while I fulfilled neither of my plans to go to the library nor the pub I think it was a very well-spent day.

Thank you, for everything.