Some of my favourite quotes & See you in 2weeks...

One of the best things about tumblr is you get quotes, sentences that appear on your dashboard that best describes how you felt at that moment. In that instance you are relieved that you are not the only one and someone out there gets it too.

 Images from here, here, here, here & here

Onto an unrelated topic, Mumford & Sons was amazing. They sound even better live. I was up on my feet and singing along. It was fantastic. One of the best concerts I've been to.

Also, I will be overseas from tomorrow onwards so the blog will be on temporary hiatus until I'm back.
If you wish to follow my adventures, you can do so on Instagram - twosides2jo which I will be updating frequently. If not, I shall see you all in 2 weeks!

 image from here

Hope you have a great weekend ahead.

Playlist #4

Current playlist for the month of October. Sang Ed Sheeran and Fun. during a karaoke outing with friends over the weekend. It was loud, wild and fun. I'm surprised we did not get kick out for causing such a ruckus. Cherry Lips is such an awesome song to dance around to. I have been playing it continuously.

Slowly going through my music library and downloading new songs to update my iPod. Will be needing lots of good music for my 10hr+ flight. If you have any songs to recommend, please do.

I have been trying to pack but I stared at my luggage bag for 10mins and ended up surfing the internet for places to visit/food to eat. I'm not a fan of packing. It's like trying to predict what you are going to wear for the next 2 weeks. I'm more of a spontaneous "let's-see-what-I-should-wear-today-mood-type" dresser. I'm contemplating on bringing an empty bag and buying the clothes there. But I don't know if that's a good idea.

Chocolate zucchini cake

Images from La receta de la felicidad

Ingredients

• 300 g shredded zucchin, 125 ml vegetable oil, 200 g sugar, 250 g flour, 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) and 1 pinch of salt (optional)

I'm extremely curious about this recipe from La receta de la felicidad.  A dairy and egg free cake. Perfect for those who are allergic to one or both of the mentioned ingredients. If you love to bake and have the talent in the kitchen, please try this recipe out and let me know if it's yummy.

Personally, I'm lactose-intolerant which I didn't know until I was in my late teens. I have always wondered why I was constantly suffering from cramps and diarrhoea, especially in the mornings after my cup of hot chocolate or glass of milk. My primary school teacher told my mum that it was normal for kids to go through it, so did this doctor that I used to go to. Hence for a time, I thought it was normal to have tummy aches frequently.  It wasn't until a friend pointed out that it was unusual and my subsequent consultation with a different doctor that I found out. So it was goodbye milk and hello soy.

But it hasn't stopped me from indulging in the occasionally ice-cream or dairy-related food. I have gotten used to the consequence that it doesn't really bother me that much. Ok, sometimes it's bad. Yes, I should stop but I really do love ice-cream.

Do you have an allergy?

Currently......

It has been a busy week for me, hence my sporadic blogging. Here is a summary of what I'm currently up to.

Listening to:  Feist's Metals album

Watching: Game of Thrones. It's so good. I'm hooked. Peter Dinklage is amazing as Tyrion. Now to patiently wait for Season 3.

Obsessing over: Origami. Met up with a friend and reminisced about how we used to hang out at Starbucks after school to fold paper cranes. Good times.

 Images from here & here

Planning: my upcoming holiday! Slowly filling up travel journal with information. Also on the final stages of organising accommodation etc.

Dreaming: of owning this Alexander Wang small golf bag.

Image from here

Busy: with work. Meetings and projects. Need to finalise/handover some things to my interns before I fly off. Adding more stress to my already hectic week.

Thinking of: enrolling in a Spanish Beginners class. Hola! Buenos dias.

Looking: at this and it's making my mouth water. Make your own burgers. Will try this when I next have friends over.

 Image from Wit & Delight

I'm already in my pre-holiday mood which is annoying people around me. Especially because of my extreme chirpiness.

For the next 2-3years, my travel plans will focus on Asia. Mainly because it's closer - with my limited days off from work and Australia is, somewhat, part of the Asia Pacific region as well as being friendlier to my bank account. Plus the poor thing has been feeling rather neglected due me gallivanting around Europe and bits of the Americas the past few years.

Therefore I will be heading to Hong Kong and Taiwan for two weeks! It's my first visit to both places. I foresee myself getting lost and conversations being lost in translation but I'm excited. First visits always excites me.

If you have any suggestions/recommendations on food, things to do and see, what not to do etc. Anything at all on these two destinations, please let me know. If you are feeling shy, send me an email instead. I would really like to hear your suggestions.  

Travel recaps: Budapest

 

It was not a love-at-first-sight moment between Budapest and I. From the moment I got off the train, I did not like it. In fact the first 2hours, I hated it. The city was loud and filled with people. I was constantly being bumped and stepped on as we try to navigate our way with our heavy backpacks. Due to lack of a proper map and bad instructions, it took us nearly 30mins to find our accommodation. I was aching all over and my mood was at the lowest of lows. But things did not get any better, the lady at the reception proceeded to tell us that we weren't staying at the address given but somewhere else as they had no more rooms. At this point, I may or may not have shouted out an expletive (friend said I did but I do not recall - I'm sticking with I did not). We were subsequently escorted to a taxi with a driver who spoke no English to god knows where.

Thankfully we were brought to this brand new apartment and things started to look up. The next day, Budapest completely blew me away. Extremely beautiful and there is so much history embedded in the city. It really is an architectural paradise - surrounded by buildings of various styles such as Roman, Turkish, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and others. At the end of the fourth day, I was truly deeply in love with it and was sad to leave. 

I guess that's the charm of traveling. We remember the bad, unfortunate incidents during our travels more vividly than the good experiences. Even now, when I reminisce about past travels, I recall train strikes, getting lost, being pick-pocketed, missing trains and crazy gypsies with great fondness. 

I cannot wait to go on my next adventure ... in 12days!

I want a vespa

Images from here, here, here, here, here & here

Amongst my friends, I'm probably the only one without a driver's license. Therefore I have been receiving strong opinions about this. So much so there seems to be a campaign going on at the moment for me get my license, which consists of many many emails listing the pros of getting one.

But I don't see the need to have one here in Sydney to get around. I live near the train station and the bus stop is practically in front of my door step. Sure, it takes me a while to get to work every morning and driving will most certainly cut the travel time in half but it's costly to maintain a car and petrol isn't exactly cheap. So it isn't that appealing to me.

Then it hit me - what about getting a scooter license? I've always wanted to own a Vespa ever since Italy. Plus it's small, pretty and cute. Upkeep will be cheaper and fuel consumption will definitely be much less than a car. I guess the downside is the weather - I won't be able to ride it when it's raining or during any crap weather Sydney decides to have.

I think it might be a better alternative. Though friends and family are against it. They are convinced it's dangerous and inconvenient. Hmm... what do you think?

20 most beautiful bookstores in the world?

 

Shakespeare & Company, Paris; The American Book Center, Amsterdam; Ler Devagar, Lisbon; Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires;VVG Something, Taipei and Cook & Book, Brussels - images via flavorwire

How pretty are these bookstores? These are a few of the bookstores listed in Flavorwire's 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world. It makes me want to visit every single one of them. I've only been to one - Shakespeare & Company, which I found to be quirky and adorable.

Every since I was a little, I've developed a great love of books. Every weekend I would beg my parents to take me to a bookstore or library just so I could surround myself with books and read to my heart's content. It was a place for me to explore and set my imagination free. But with the emergence of internet, ebooks and electronics such as iPad and kindle, I realised I haven't spend time in a bookstore lately. This definitely needs to be rectified. 

When was the last time you visited a bookstore? Have you been to any of the 20 bookstores mentioned on the list?

October Wishlist

Top (L-R) : H&M Chiffon blouse, JW Anderson for Topshop quilted silk skirt, The Casual Vacancy
Bottom (L-R) : Superga classic sneakers, Cambridge Satchel Company batchel

Hi October! Here is my Spring wishlist. Just realised the items match quite well together. A complete outfit. All the more reason to get them :) .But sadly I'm on a self-imposed shopping ban (2months and counting). Must resist. Only less than 3 weeks away before I'm set free. I can do it.

Okay, maybe not. I might have placed an order online for one of the items above. Yes, I did. It should arrive next week. I couldn't help it. Only one. I swear *raises right hand*.

I love October. It has always been one of my favourite months of the year. It's when the weather gets warmer and the sun stays out longer. This year is no exception especially since my holiday is coming up soon and I'm going to see Mumford & Sons live! At the moment, both albums are on repeat in preparation for a sing-along. And last but not least, Topshop is opening a store in Sydney this week - October 4th.

Are you looking forward to October?