Reminders

Going to start chronicaling everything while I'm over here so I don't forget. I cant possibly remember 2 weeks at one shot, so I'll start while in the hotel somewhere in Venice. The thing about going overseas, is that it tends to make you think. A lot. More so with Timo here and the only person he can think of is his Angeline hahaha. While waiting on the plane, in transit at the airport, eating some sandwhiches. Angeline LOL. But I understand. There comes a point in life where you stop thinking of the future in terms of just yourself. But well, moving on.

Day 1 has mostly been just travelling. Plane to Charles De Gaulle airport before we were due to transit to Venice. The only kinda interesting thing that happened was that the baggage handlers at the Venice airport went on strike LOL so we were diverted to Bologna. 2 hour bus ride brought us to the Venetian airport, and then we took a speedboat to Venice itself. Even at night when you can't see much, the place is really wonderful. It's exactly like how they depict it. The waterways, the bridges, the alleyways. Happy me is happy because OLD BUILDINGS hahaha :D I like thinking about the history of things. Too caught up in the past :P Pretty cool place (literally). Had dinner then we closed up for the night. Timo's talking to Angeline now and it's kind of amusing actually, in a sweet kinda way. Sigh my phone battery dies too fast :P Oh well now for the second day.

Wake up in the morning got my glasses and shit. Slept pretty early actually but woke up super shagged. Had a nice breakfast (croissants and ham and cheese yay) then we set out to explore the rest of the place haha. Went to St. Mark's Square. Ok wtf Timo is rly distracting now LOL. K back to the Square. The one thing I noticed about the place is that the pigeons are badass. In that, they don't give a fuck, walking around like they own the place (they probably do) and aren't scared of people. If you take food out they'd jump on you and try to snatch it away whutttttt. Went into this Basilica which was really nice, and just looked at the paintings on the ceiling. The thing that kind of irritated me was the blatant commercialism and shit. Like in the middle of the square there was this bigass LG advertisement which just ruined the view. There's also beggars that lie around. It's really really heartbreaking to see people just hunched over like that, but maybe I don't understand the situation in Europe. Then again, if someone was being a dick to them, I'd probably be too much of a shithead to help anyway. Pfft. The 2 moms did the shopping and stuff while Timo and I went around exploring the place and such. After that we went to Murano, which is where they make all the glass around here. Went to see a factory where 2 of the craftsmen were making this vase. The whole island is really nice, and the glass pieces are damn pretty hahaha. Too bad they're kinda expensive though, I thought of getting one. Checked out this old church, and the paintings inside were super nice also. Lit a candle for some people. After that we just went back and lepak-ed. Not rly having a proper dinner.
Freaking charger won't charge my phone properly. Or maybe it's just the electricity here. Ferry rides are nice to think during, cos you get a look at the sea at the same time. And I realised that every story has that person. The Asami (which kinda changed to Korra, shocker). The Leo Valdez. The Nico di Angelo. The Gale. The Sokka. They're all part of stories with happy endings. But there's always something more. Everyone loves a good story. Maybe there's another Calypso somewhere. That's all for today I guess.

This writing thing is pretty nice. I feel like some travelling writer taking down my autobiography hahaha. Currently at a rest stop somewhere in the mountains and it's snowing :D Sian I cant really type properly with my fingers so cold but BEAR WITH IT. We're on our way to Assisi now. Breakfast in the morning as usual before we left Venice. My dad's driving us to Assisi and it's gonna take a while. But I think after a few Malaysia trips I think I'm kinda used to long car rides alr :P Timo's phone was playing songs so we just sang along to some hahaha. If These Sheets Were The States, Jet Lag and Tonight played one after another :O I THINK NOT. Oh well there's nothing much now, gonna eat a bit, maybe Enjoy the snow a bit... will update later

We're here in Assisi now and the wind is superrrrr strong. Got here at around 4pm like that, and the scenery on the way here was... perfect. The mountain range, snow-capped trees and lakes, the open fields... it was really like looking at a golf course except it was natural LOL. Assisi turns out to be this small-ish city on a hill and it looks like Minas Tirith from below hahaha. The hotel room is damn cool there's a staircase to an upper floor :O The room overlooks the rest of the city and the view is frickin nice :D Dinner was at the hotel restaurant downstairs and it was really nice too :) More or less wraps up today.

So TIL I'm a fucking hypocrite. but then again, hasn't that always been the case. SO woke up showered blah blah. Breakfast wasnt too bad, the croissant with jam inside was quite nice. My lips are starting to crack pretty badly though. Got one on each side and it hurts like a BITCH. Apparently I can't even lick my lips to keep them moist because saliva makes the cracking worse. Only thing left is lip balm which annoys me to no end but bopian lor. First thing this morning was the Basilica of St Francis. The place is sooooo nice, and the view from the top is even better erghmahgerd. Attended a short mass also, and went to see St Francis' crypt as well. Next place another Basilica. There's this really cool statue of St Francis with doves in the basket he's holding. Like legit doves. Coooooooooollllll. Having dinner now so I'll just babble a bit while waiting for the food. Came to me while I was outside for a bit. And you come to realise you hardly know what it truly means to be ALONE. To have only your thoughts for company and staring into a billion colours as the sun sets. It's almost poetic. And I learn that I'm degenerating into the self-pitying, craving for attention and the approval of others, kind of person which I detest to the core. Time to stop depending on others.   

Nice places make you think a lot :P

Ohmytian was too tired yesterday so didn't get anything down. Got to the hotel at like 12.30am? Back to the start first. Morning we went back to the St Francis Basilica but this time we had a guide with us. Learnt quite a few interesting things about the Basilica and his life from the guy. That day was really foggy though, could see like some mini-snow ice crystals in the air around. But the sun was out bright and nice so it wasn't too cold. Went for mass again before we went back to the hotel. Left on another ride heading to Rome, but planned on stopping by Lanciano first. Now this. THIS. Has got to be the most fucking retarded part of the entire trip so far. It goes like this. We drive. We stop at rest stop. Aunty Nat, my mom and myself get off at said rest stop to relieve ourselves. We get out of previously mentioned rest stop, and the van is no. Fucking. Where. In. Sight. I can't call anyone or text because there is no network, and I can't even get a data signal. So we're stuck inside blind and deaf waiting for something to happen. And after like 45mins of stoning LO AND BEHOLD THE VAN ARRIVES. AND EVERYONE INSIDE HAS THE SHEEPISH LOOK OF A CRIMINAL. Because guess what. They didn't realise we weren't in the van and drove off. YEAP. THAT HAPPENED. You can't imagine how fucking pissed off we were OHMYGAWD UGH. Went down to Lanciano after that to see the miracle. The one where the host and wine turned into live flesh and blood. It was quite... inspiring, I think. To see the actual thing in the flesh (2/10, I know that was terrible). Had dinner at some Kebab place and it was goooooooddddd, especially with the hot sauce LOL. And so I learnt that Middle Eastern Kebab is best kind of Kebab. And it was relatively cheap too :P Drove off to Rome after that and checked in. That's about it I think.

Started watching some parts of Naruto and finding out more about the different characters, and I think the Ame orphans of Nagato, Yahiko and Konan are easily my favourite. Watched the battle between Konan and Obito and I was really damn sad that she died :( Her post-death scene really shook me up ( plus she's kinda hot too :P ). I think that why I like the trio is because of the idealism bounded by their loyalty to each other. And maybe it stems from my sentimentality, but I really value loyalty a lot. The 3 of them are the true heroes, to me. Naruto is just a whiny shit, and yeah the Kage are powerful, but they just do their job. The 3 of them actually tried to change the world for good, and died in the process. That really got to me. Hopefully they can get revived or something, because they were true characters worth loving.

Waiting for dinner again so I'll get something down if not I'll be too tired later. My lips aren't as dry here in Rome but the cracks are bleeding and I can't even smile/laugh properly LOL. Hope it gets better soon. Anywayssss, went for mass in the morning after breakfast. Met up with a sister there from our parish and then we made our way to the Vatican. It was damnnnnn windy today like "sweep-you-away" kind of windy hahaha. The immigrants selling stuff are starting to get pretty annoying also, but I guess that's more or less all they have. Made it just in time to observe the Pope's address which was pretty cool :D He was quite far away though, so couldn't get a good picture. Went for lunch after that and then we went to the Colosseum! Had a short tour by this guide who had a super thick Italian accent but was mostly understandable. She kept saying "imagine ______" which made it sound damn lot like OP hahaha. Stayed a bit more at the Colosseum before we left.  Next place was this fountain which was REALLY beautiful. Lotsa people were throwing coins in and I made a wish and threw one in too XD Dinner today was not bad, but not as nice as the meals we had at other places though :P Guess that's about it for today, quite full at the moment ._. Need to remember to start updating on schedule lol. Was distracted with my phone and book last night ._. So for 2 Dec (wtf it's Dec alr) we went to the Vatican museum for a guided tour thing. Oh wait we went to another church in the morning (too many basilicas here in Rome) before we headed for the Vatican again. Thank God the guide didn't have a super thick Italian accent this time. So went in blah blah and the first place we went was the garden. In the garden they set up some boards with pictures of the ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, so guides could explain them there cos you weren't supposed to talk in the chapel. Learnt quite a bit about Michaelangelo and the dick-ish pope he was working under LOL. Surprised to find out that the ceiling he did was he first painting gig, which is quite an achievement already. Went to look   
at the Raphael rooms after that, done by Raphael of course, and then we went to the Sistine Chapel to see the actual ceiling. Gosh it was beautiful~~~ and the thought of observing a painting hundreds of years old in front of your eyes tends to catch you off as well. Went to St Peter's Basilica after that. IT WAS HUGEEEEEEEEE ERGHMAHGERD. One of the things I realised about Basilicas around here is that they're so freaking big they have like side chapels along the left and right sides. Saw the tomb of John Paul II which was quite awe-inspiring. Attended mass at the basilica also which was super cool, then went out looking for dinner. Saw this damn funny guy trying to get us to patronise his restaurant and he started shouting random stuff when we passed by like "KONBANWA" and "ANNEONGHASAEYO" LOL WE'RE NEITHER. Had dinner at the chinese restaurant again because we missed local food that much. Shopped for souvenirs at this shop manned by a pretty cool Fillipina and her friend. She could speak Italian quite well and then she told us 谢谢 before we left :D And I guess that's about all. Thought I should start on today at the same time, so I won't procrastinate later. Timo asked me to go to the hotel gym this morning but well uhm... I couldn't wake up WOOPS. So breakfast and stuff then we went down to the Forum, which is this HUGEEEEEE site filled with the ruins of ancient Rome. Overall it was quite nice, just that some parts were abit boring because :ruins: so yeah. The impressive ones were the columns of the old temples, mainly the ones of Castor & Pollux (And so TIL Dionysus' sons in Percy Jackson are named after 2  Roman gods) and also the one of Saturn aka ZEUSSSSSSS which was the coolest because there were still like 8 columns. Mighty impressive I must say. Walked  around for quite a while, saw an awesome view, before we left. Went to St John Laterine's Basilica after that (another one LOL). Saw the holy steps which were said to be the one Jesus walked up when going to Pontius Pilate. You couldn't simply walk up the steps though you had to climb them with your knees. So one flight of steps later my knees hurt like crap, but it was a good experience actually. Didn't know what to pray for so I prayed for a different person on each step, which kinda helped me clear all my worries about each person at one shot. Had a small mass again after that then dinner. Last night in Rome so my dad ordered a bit more stuff hahaha. The lasagna was super good and the waiter here is super friendly and nice also :D hooray for nice and friendly waiters (Y) Having gelato also for the first time. I GOT THE LEMON ONE IT'S HEAVEN UGHHHHHHHH. It's so good wtf I could give birth to more lemons after eating this. It's lemon gelato inside A REAL LEMON. JIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Oh man SO GOOD. Ok no more spazz, that's all for today. Alessio restaurant.

OKAY so I'm waiting outside the baths which I avoided thankfully LOL. I still want to preserve my eyesight and innocence so yeah, nope nope nope nope. Yesterday was just travelling. Woke up in the morning for the flight to Paris. Had a small lunch there before we took the bullet train. The train was quite nice actually, comfortable and all. Just that the ride was soooo bloooody long. 6hours of pure nothing-ness lol. There wasn't even nice scenery to look at. And for some reason the pressure kept changing and it was damn irritating tch. Arrive in Lourdes at around 9plus? The room is okay, just really cold because there isn't a proper heater per se. So yeah, about it.

Next day~~still freezing cold here. Went for mass again at a small chapel nearby, then went to visit the grotto of St Bernadette. Everyone else went for the bath thing first, but I didn't feel like going, plus i was a bit sick anyway. So yeah, came out and looked around the grotto. For some reason from the pictures I saw, I thought the place would be bigger lol. And there's seats there so mass can be celebrated there, but it's cold I don't know how people can tahan an outdoor mass. After that we had lunch at this asian restaurant which was not bad also, then went back to see the basilica. We were damn tired already so I basically stoned around until we went back to the hotel. The basilica is damn dark though, hard to see much. The crypt was okay also, but it wasn't the one with St Bernadette's body, just some "fragments". Had dinner at this super nice super atas place hahaha. Most high-class dinner of my life, but it cost a bomb. Quite worth it though, I think. Went back and crashed, and thats about it.

I blabber on too much sometimes I think :P Timo's gone to meet his Angeline, and I'm here eating dinner at 10.30 lol. Ok I'll try to finish 2 days at once. So yesterday morning we left for Paris from Lourdes. The taxi driver was super friendly and nice chattimg with us. Learnt from him that in Europe mostly people chiong work for like 7 or 8 months then lepak during the rest of the year during winter time LOL. Sounds quite shiok sia, can go skiing and all, but don't know if the chionging months are worth it. Maybe, cos back home we chiong all the time anyway :/ Reached Paris after a 1.5hr flight, and got to the hotel. The hotel is the coolest I've stayed in, the design and furniture is super modern and artistic LOL. And colourful! :D Kept our stuff then we went out to jalan jalan for the rest of the day. Went to this pasar malam kind of place which was really vibrant hahaha. Was nice to see people enjoying themselves and having fun :) Walked down all the way to see the Arc du Triomphe (think that's how it's spelled) and then turned back. Spent A LOT of time there cos my mom kept looking at shit but not buying most of it. Saw quite a few street performers which really brightened up the street and vibe also. Tim kena pulled into one of the performances to do some weird dance shit LOL. Had dinner then went back.

Okay on to this morning. Woke up kinda late and we went to the cafe next door for breakfast (was sorta brunch already). Lol they're playing Blurred Lines now. Ok back on topic. First stop was Notre Dame! Looked impressive from the outside. Went inside and it was okay okay lah. Not much interesting stuff though. They were celebrating mass also and I was wondering how they could even concentrate with all the visitors walking through. Oh well. Went to the Saint Chapelle after that. Had to queue for abit before we went in. Adults had to pay so only my mum accompanied the 5 of us inside. The stained glass was jaw droppinggggggg. It was damn colourful and serene and made you feel nice inside hahaha. They were still restoring some of it so we couldn't see the whole thing. Still enjoyed it nonetheless. Went to the Louvre next. Crossed the love lock bridge and Timo went to find the lock Angeline placed there LOL. Sooo mushy :P It was a number lock so it wasn't hard to find at the side heh. Went into the Louvre after that (the facade outside is REALLY nice). Looked around the section the Mona Lisa was in. The place is HUGE. One section alone took quite a while. Finally saw the Mona Lisa. Was a bit anti-climatic though. Took some pictures and shit then we left. Last stop, and I think the best, was the Eiffel Towarrrrrrrr. The sparkling lights every hour were well... sparkly 8D The queue for the elevator was too damn long so we went for the stairs instead. Climbed up to the first (which had disgusting toilets) and second floor, the view was AMAZINGGGGGGG. But the best was the top floor which we took a lift up to. That was easily one of the best moments of my life. Took lotsa pictures then we went down. Had dinner super late then went back to sleep.

Woke up early because we were going to Versaille that day. Took a kinda long train ride to the small town and went for mass there. Visited the Versaille palace after that. The place is freaking big lol. The palace itself isn't really the main part, it's the gardens! Like don't know how many football fields combined. Like, 15? Maybe more. Found out some cool stuff about the place before we left. Went to Aunty Nat's friend's house after that for lunch. Not much this day actually  was just like general lepaking and lazing around until dinner then we went back :P The friend's son plays quite a few games also though so that was pretty cool. DOTA, D3, SC2 (wings of liberty only but meh), but no LoL hahahaha. Played some MW2, like the good old times, and Fifa 11. Really felt like 2,3 years back :P

Last day of the holiday before we go back home. Had to wake up damn early cos we needed to catch the train to Nevers. 2.5hr ride before we reached, slept all the way lol. Nevers was the coldest place so far. When we arrived it was like -3 degrees like that. Got some hot chocolate before we went to the chapel and museum where St Bernadette's body lies. There's something about an uncorrupted body that gives you chills, and not just because it's cold. Maybe if I want an uncorrupted body I should suck up to Mary hahaha. Felt really strange, in a good way, after seeing it. And reading about her, I'm beginning to like her a lot too. She seemed to have quite the sense of humour :P Attended mass and then we travelled back to Paris. Went to the Chinatown area here to have dinner. Was quite funny when we wanted to order the food, because we tried talking in English. But the guy was like "You don't speak French, I don't speak English" so we tried Chinese which worked. Then he said something in Cantonese so Uncle Arthur, Aunty Nat and my dad just conversed everything in Cantonese. Amusing way to have our last dinner here in France. Went back to the hotel to pack up the shit then sleep.

I guess TLDR; Went to some cold places, saw models everywhere, spent shit ton on food, saw lotsa churches, and had a good time.

Reddit thread for this post. About hard decisions

I'm gonna soak up the sun, gonna tell everyone to

 lighten it up