(17JAN25) It’s madness that after 2 days of landing in the UK, I went on a weekend trip to Lisbon, Portugal! This marked my 17th EU Schengen country (and my last, for now before I go on a travel break) and it’s certainly another different experience from other Euro trips that I’ve been. Lets say, that this capital should be on your list of go-to cities in Europe.

So here’s my 4-day itinerary of riding vintage trams, tasting unlimited pastel de natas and climbing several inclined steps to see the beauty of Lisboa.

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Japan Tales: more guides for TOKYO!

I hope everyone has a fresh start of the year!
(01JAN25) I literally travelled on New Year’s Day to Japan with my whole extended family. Most of them was their first time to visit Tokyo so we did a basic 1-week itinerary to tour the capital. This trip was certainly one for the books as even if I went to same locations from my previous visits, I had new experiences and one of them is going to TOKYO DISNEYLAND! ⭐️

So here’s a “Japan Tales” entry highlighting some tips for a first-timer to Tokyo and some additional attractions that you might want to try on your next visit! My previous tips are still applicable at this current period which you can read here.

the 2024 Season

Another year has passed and I really don’t mind ending it—like finally! I felt like this dragon year has eaten me alive with all these “adulting challenges”. From adjusting on a 9 to 5 job to living solo on a studio flat which is on the farther side from my friends’ cribs; I made several life-changing decisions but none is related to marriage/relationships, YET! Haha. Though, I’m glad I survived and still made it to my happy place this Christmas.🇵🇭❤️

Here are my highlights of 2024 with a couple of teas. NB: All thoughts are of my own.

My New York Times (pt 1)

(03OCT24) Allow me to cue in Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York”~ Plus, my comeback to America has finally happened! I have been planning for numerous occasions to tour here but it didn’t get pushed through due to other commitments. Though, I’m beyond grateful that this happened on my birth month and I have toured it with my college bestie.



Here’s a little throwback when I toured California and Las Vegas in 2016. My entry for this has forever stayed in the drafts because unfortunately, all my blog content for it got corrupted. I only got to save some of my personal pictures which are on my Facebook.

This first part of “My NY Times” is about my basic flight and accommodation tips, how we navigated the big apple and the events we went during my birthday week. Brace yourselves for this special fangirl entry!

The EAST Side Story: ROM/BLG

Please visit TripAdvisor for my specific tour and hotel reviews!
So I had a series of events after *Taylor Swift’s concert*---
I went to Paris and Brussels for a week with my parents and their colleagues. It was quite a similar itinerary I had the last time I went there 2 years ago which you can read about here. The only difference was that Paris was preppin’ up for the Paralympics so there were a bunch of road closures around the city. Nevertheless, it was interesting.

In addition to that, I saw this Emily In Paris-inspired restaurant near the Eiffel Tower and if you’re a fan of the series, then this is definitely a must-try!

(24SEP24) A month after that, I went on a 2nd round of solo traveling as part of my birthday escapades and it has led me to ROMANIA—one of the newest countries to join the Schengen zone. During the planning stage of this trip, I was really having second thoughts if I’m going to push through with it which I’m glad I did (Thanks to my dear friend who encouraged me so). I liked how the country was not as mainstreamed as other EU countries and that has built more of my confidence as a solo traveler. Other people said that it's unsafe, the language barrier is high and there are less Asians travelling there (but, so what?). However, I have to say that Romania has its own beauty and it’s another #EastSideStory for the books!

Here is my 4-day experience in my first Balkan country to visit with a short side-tour to Bulgaria!