Korea Trip 2017 Update

It has been a few days since we came back from our Korea 2017 trip. It will take me a while to update my blog posts on the trip as I have lots of work to catch up on. Please bear with me. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Travel Insurance

There are quite a few good offers for travel insurance from now until mid April 2017. Since I will be buying travel insurance for my Seoul trip in June, might as well buy now for my daughter, my mother and myself.  

Japan Trip 2016: 2 - 14 Dec 2016

Juliane and I are off to Tokyo, Japan tonight! It is our first trip to Japan and we are very excited. And what do we have for dinner before our Japan Airlines flight at 10:25am? Japanese food!

It is a Pokemon themed Christmas decoration at Changi Airport. These are all the Pokemons that I will ever catch with my camera because I don't play Pokemon Go haha. :P

Waiting at the gate

Boarding on time at 9:55pm and by 10pm, we are in the plane. 

I take my hat off to Japan Airlines. Boarding was punctual at 9:55pm and the plane really departed punctually at 10:25pm! About 40 minutes later, our special meals were served - my seafood meal and Juliane's child meal. My special (seafood) meal is one of the best airplane meals that I have had, having tried Singapore Airlines' and Qantas' special meals. 

I should have caught some sleep but I just couldn't resist watching Shin Godzilla! Seems really apt watching it while enroute to Japan haha. I also watched Gods of Egypt. I did dozed off for a bit. 

Travelling

soon in a few hours. 
Going to a conference to present my PhD work. As it is not project related, it will be a holiday for me too. :)

Needs

need a change of scenery!
need a change of pace!
need to get away!

The Airport Test

Based on the quiz on how I behave at an airport, I am revealed to be independent lol. :) Must say it is not too far from the truth. 

You Are Independent

You question everything and break all the rules. You believe that nothing is set in stone. You know a lot, and you're always learning more. You believe in being self-sufficient. You are at your best when you are left alone to ponder your newest ideas and experiments. You like esoteric things. You can see the beauty in the strange.

The Airport Test

Travel

I still have so many places to visit!

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Well Traveled in Australia (50%) You Are Well Traveled in the United Kingdom (50%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Western Europe (29%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Scandinavia (20%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Asia (17%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Southern Europe (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in the Western United States (11%) You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%) You Are Untraveled in Canada (0%) You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in Latin America (0%) You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Midwestern United States (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Northeastern United States (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Southern United States (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

Wanderlust

Juliane has been hit by the wanderlust bug. She disclosed to me that she would love to go away again at the end of the year, preferably to Korea. Haha she is my daughter. 

What Famous Landmark should I Visit?

Since young, I have been fascinated by the ancient worlds and civilisations such as that of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Peru, Mexico, etc. To see the pyramids is actually Number 1 on my travel bucket list! One day I shall go. :)

You Are the Pyramids

You are drawn toward the ancient world and all the mysteries it holds. You find very old cultures and beliefs fascinating. You crave an otherworldly experience. And while ancient Egypt is not another world, it's as close as you're going to get without leaving this planet. You're not the type of person who likes having all the answers handed to you. In fact, you're pretty sure that no one even has all the answers anyway. You think that life's primary joy comes from discovery. You love a good puzzle, and it's fun to put things together on your own.

What Famous Landmark Should You Visit?

Wanderlust

Why do I feel like I need a holiday?
Even though I had a holiday recently with my girls in Penang, I still feel the wanderlust in me largely unsatisfied. :( Travelling with my girls, I can't always do or see what I want and/ or when I want. I had to be mindful of their needs and limits (e.g. cannot walk too much lol) and changed the travel plans accordingly.
I love nothing better than to travel on my own, to do and see what I want and when I want, ... 
Maybe I should go away ALONE...

Travel Journal

Although I was pretty tired from the trip (making sure kids were safe and had enough to eat in a foreign land haha), I worked on the travel journal which the kids were supposed to have done in Penang. I always have a travel journal for each overseas trip so that we have a scrapbook memory of what we have seen and done, other than the photos such as brochures, ticket stubs, etc. :) 

Jetsetting Style

My girls and I will off to our short holiday break next month. Here is my jetsetting style. :)

You Are a Shopping Jetsetter

You love to travel to amazing places, and you like to take a bit of those places home with you. You love to shop, and you especially love doing it internationally. You are great at finding unique items. You aren't always a luxury shopper, but you don't mind a nice boutique. You enjoy the finer things. You're just as comfortable at a foreign flea market as a high end store. You love hunting for the perfect treasure!

What Kind of Jetsetter Are You?

The results are absolutely true of me. Yes, I love shopping especially when I am in a foreign country! :) The girls better start building up their leg muscles for our holiday trip next month. Haha :P  

Settled

The last detail of our June trip to Taipei, Taiwan has been settled by my mother who arrived in Taipei yesterday. Remember the three days/ two nights that we are supposedly to be staying at my aunt's place? Well, although my uncle-in-law is back at home resting after his operation and we are more than welcome to stay with them, we decided we shouldn't disturb his rest. 
My mother booked one of the three accommodations in Jiufen (九份) that I had shortlisted in the afternoon. :) That was really fast of her lol. Now I also realised who I take after in getting things done as quickly as possible once it has been decided. :P  

Why???

Why are all the special fares and offers for air tickets valid for flight until 30 May only?! School holidays start ONLY on 1 June this year!! So close yet so far... SIGH.

Flying Soon

In less than two weeks, I will be flying off to Sydney for my conference and thereafter, a visit to my best friend and her family. I realised there is still a fair bit I need to do before I leave - top up my Australian bank account, get travel insurance, get my travel medication, get travel stuff like wet wipes, etc., re-confirm accommodation booking, book airport transfer, get pressies for my best friend and her family, ... 
Ok that's quite a FAIR BIT to do. :P

Travel Fair

Lots of people said it is a good bargain to book the holiday packages at the NATAS travel fair which is held over the weekend. However, I really dislike the crowd and have never attended any travel fairs before. I believe there is always a good deal around (if you just search for it) and not only during the travel fair. Why go through that hassle of jostling with the crowd and long queues just to save a few bucks? I prefer comfort any time lol.

Travel Insurance

I will be going to Bali at the end of the month. I couldn't remember which insurance company I used for my last trip so I decided to search the Internet. Oh dear, there are so many companies dealing with travel insurance! Finally, a good friend recommended an insurance company. I did some comparisons and decided to go with friend's recommendation as it is offering the same benefits as the others but at a lower premium. :)

Airplane Seat Quiz

This is very interesting results from Blogthing quiz! Especially with regards to what happened recently, and today... :P

You Are an Aisle Seat

You are an assertive and energetic person. You know what you want, and you're very decisive. A colleague and friend said I am an Indian Chief. You are willing to speak out, and you're definitely not shy. If you want the aisle seat, you'll ask for it. My colleagues and friends will agree with this totally, especially with what happened today lol. :P You like to stay busy, and it's hard for you to stay still. You definitely need to "move about the cabin." Again to my colleagues and friends, it is very hard for me to remain ZEN and not do anything!! Haha. :P You don't believe in obstacles... you overcome them. You are a natural problem solver. Maybe it is the Indian Chief in me, need to have control, need to solve... lol.

What Airplane Seat Are You?

It is quite interesting how I used to love sitting at the window seat when I was younger. However, I started preferring the aisle seat in the last 10 years or so. :)

Jet-setting Family

We are one jet-setting family. I was away overseas for 8 days and returned on 7 December. My father was away overseas for 1.5 months and returned on 8 December. My mother has just left for Taiwan this afternoon and she will be away for 1.5 months. We just love travelling haha.

USA Conference Trip II

Would you believe me if I told you that I have already planned out what I am going to do on my USA conference trip?

Yup. I have it all planned. :) From the first day I arrive, right up to the last day I depart. Besides the 3 days where I will be at the conference, the rest of the time I will be sight-seeing lol. :P I already have in mind which are the day trips that I will be going on - Orange County experience, LA/Hollywood, San Diego & Mexico and of course, not forgetting Universal Studio, Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure Park. :) Yes, I will be packing a lot into the limited days I have, hahaha. Oh yes, and outlet shopping too! :)