The Netherlands, The Land of Windmills - Part 1

Zaanse Schans, The Netherlands 

Holland and windmills are inseparable and a great place to see windmills is Zaanse Schans, a countryside where you can also find clogs and cheese shops.



The way to get to Zaanse Schans is to take bus no 91 from Amsterdam Central Station, approximately an hour bus ride and costs 4 euro for the one-way ticket.





I couldn't believe what kind of luck I had when the bus broke down at this "ulu" place which was just one stop away from my destination. It was so cold and windy and I was so inadequately dressed!!

WINDMILLS!! Finally reached Zaanse Schans after a long one hour bus ride. Isn't the windmills so beautiful?! I shall let the pictures to do most of the talking now.

This would be my most satisfied photo! Great timing! What kind of opportunity to have three sheep standing side by side together! I was chasing after the sheep to snap this precious shot. Lovely photo!

Windmills, the icon of Holland.

Love the countryside feel!







Clogs, another Dutch icon.



Clog making process.



Cheese making process.





Freaking fat bla bla white sheep! Lol!



Smoked salmon sandwich for lunch and a nice cup of hot tea to warm myself. A pure enjoyment in such chilling weather...and oops, I was too hungry that I forgot to take picture first. Heehee..

And yes, that's me. Irene, the little explorer! ;) 

Alright folks, please stay tuned for Part II ya! :D

Best Friends Forever! - Bangkok Day 6

Bangkok, Thailand

This post is the last installment of our graduation trip to Thailand. ;)



We went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market on our last day in Bangkok.



Everywhere was crowded with people and the weather was madness! I think I almost had heat stroke! I do not really like Chatuchak Market cos there is nothing to shop for me. The weather was too hot for us to take it so we went back to the hotel earlier than planned. I think you will either hate or love this place. There is a lack of photos for this post cos the camera's battery finally died on the last day. Lol! Tadah! This was how we spent our one week together in Thailand. ;)

We are Best Friends for Life!

I have really enjoyed myself with you girls! You girls rock my life! It was an AWESOME TRIP with sea kayaking, grand palace visit, elephant riding and cruising along the Damnoen Saduak canal!!

Heehee! LOVE our stupid faces! :D

We had a freaking awesome and memorable last night together!! 3 of us getting wasted and high!!~ Someone was even hugging the toilet bowl!! HAHAHAHA!! :D Talking nonsense and sharing our darkest secrets in life!! Made so much noise till someone knocked on our door!! What a night man!! I am so glad that I have you girls to share everything under the sun! :D :D :D

I LOVE YOU GIRLS AND I REALLY HOPE WE CAN GO ON OUR 2ND TRIP TOGETHER SOON! :D :D :D :D :D

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!! :D

Copenhagen, the City of Cyclists

Copenhagen, Denmark

Disclaimer: Some of the photos may look a bit blurry/ weird angle/ underexposed/ overexposed cos it was my first time using my Nikon D5100.



Cycling is an important means of transportation in Copenhagen and you can find bicycles at every corner of this city. There are dedicated bicycle paths on the city roads and it is separated from the main traffic lanes.



My favorite hobby is cycling and how can I miss a chance to cycle in this City of Cyclists? And it will be fun being a Dane for one day and join the locals to cycle on the road too!

Armed with a map with confusing streets' names in alien Danish Language and ooh la la, I made my way to explore this city.



My 1st Stop: Rosenborg Castle





Rosenborg Castle was built during 1606-1634 by King Christian IV as a royal pleasure retreat and it is now used as a museum to showcase objects from Danish monarchs during the last 400 years.



This is the bridge that links from Rosenborg Castle to Kongens Haven, which means the King's Garden.



The Kongens Have is the oldest and most visit park in Copenhagen.



My 2nd Stop: Den Lille Havfrue (Little Mermaid)

The Little Mermaid is the icon of Copenhagen and one of the major tourist attractions. I do not understand how can the Little Mermaid make its way to be the icon of Copenhagen cos the statue doesn't seem interesting to me at all. However, you must see it when you are in Copenhagen. If not, how can you say that you have been to Copenhagen without seeing the Little Mermaid!! Lol!!



The Little Mermaid is a gift from Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of Calsberg to the city of Copenhagen. He was fascinated by the ballet choreographed by Hans Beck and Fini Henriques based on a tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The statue's head was modelled after the primaballerina, Ellen Price but the sculptor's wife Elina Eriksen was used for the body as the ballerina did not agree to model in the nude.



Everyone wants to capture a piece of memory with the Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid statue has been vandalised many times and the statue's head was beheaded a few times and right arm was sawed off before. The life of the Little Mermaid is so uneventful but it is still sitting strong on the rocks. Salute!



Cycling on my way to my 3rd stop Christiansborg Palace.



The Christiansborg Palace now houses the Danish Parliament Folketinget, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. The palace is also used by the Royal Family to host functions and events.



King Christian IX Mounument in Christiansborg Palace.



The best way to explore Copenhagen - Cycling! ;)



My 4th stop: Nyhavn. Nyhavn is lined with colorful townhouses.



I wanna own a boat like this and travel around the world freely. ;)





My 5th stop: Strøget.



Strøget is the longest pedestrian shopping shopping in Europe.



I like the dramatic dark blue skies effect with white puffy clouds of this photo that I have taken with polarizing filter. :)



The water fountain found in Strøget.



Close up view of this interesting man. I find this man interesting cos he seemed immersed in his own world, sitting alone with his dog and holding a bottle of beer in his hands.



Alas, 200 Kroner (SGD48) spent on this meal to end my trip in Copenhagen. I think I was crazy...

My 3rd time to Melbourne!

Melbourne, Australia

I am going to sidetrack from posting about my graduation trip and blog about my recent trip to Melbourne. ;)

I have been to Melbourne for 3 times. The first time when I was here, we were gambling around with beer in our hands. Getting a little tipsy in the casino. Met a stranger who gave us money to bet. Loitered around the streets to find more alcohol. Bunked in with the other two girls. Lol! This sounds so UNLIKE ME but nonetheless, we had a pretty fun and crazy night!!

I hibernated in my room the second time I was here cos all the shops were closed when I woke up. It was S.O...B.O.R.I.N.G!

And....I finally went out to explore in this city on my third time here! 

It was S.O...B.E.A..U.T.I.F.U.L! So happy that I managed to take such a nice photo that made the whole trip was so worth it! :D



I rented a bike from one of the Bike Share stations which is easily found in Melbourne.

The Bike Share station will look like the photo on the left. I took this photo from the internet cos I forgot to take a photo of it. The Bike Share is designed for short trips across the city. I paid AUD2.50 with my credit card for the daily access fee. There is also a AUD50 security deposit for each bike which will be returned to you. The trip is free if is within 0-30 minutes and you will have to pay extra subsequently according to the trip duration.



@ Swanston Street. Nice clouds! :)



Flinder Street Station. Sunny weather always make the photos look much better. :)

"Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear."

A pleasant surprise after a heavy downpour in the evening. :)



An interesting sight is that the other side of the sky was very gloomy.



This is the bridge that links to the Crown Entertainment Complex.





Interesting street performance.







The Melbourne Skyline at night with reflections on the Yarra River. Enjoying inner peace while cycling along the Yarra River. I love to cycle and the other country that I enjoyed cycling at is Copenhagen, Denmark.



The Art Centre Tower from afar and it reminds of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  I wanna go Paris very badly!!



Interesting building structure.



Flinder Street Station at night.



Captivating night view.



Bought my fav Jacobs Creek sparkling wine and enjoyed my lonely drinking session in the hotel's room. I am definitely not feeling emo but just a little alcoholic.



I finished the whole bottle by myself. Tadah! This is not the way to enjoy wine but heck, I just want to get drunk.





And...Aha! I really got drunk and start taking stupid self-shots.

Australia feels like a second home to me now cos I visit this country more often than I go to town in Singapore. I am starting to enjoy my stay here cos there are a lot of hidden gems in this country.

I wanna go to Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, Ayers Rock and Phillip Island in Victoria. I gonna conquer all these places one by one and I really hope that I will have kaki to travel with me to all these places.

Australia, I am seeing you again tomorrow! 5th time to Sydney, here I come! Hahah! ;)