Full of expletives (good ones)

So, it's official - we've moved from Luxembourg to Istanbul. And boy, I can tell you it's a HUGE change. Goodbye quiet living and hello 'WOAH!'.
I'm filled with mixed emotions, of course. I adore Luxembourg for all the super duper amazing people I've met and come to love and I'll miss the quiet serenity of this charming little city town, but it's hard to not fall head over heels in lust with everything Istanbul has to offer.
Hustle, bustle, colour, vibrance, life, smiles... It's a shock to the senses. In a good way, of course. For now. Everything is so amazing, and I'm impressed at every turn.
But to keep me on my feet and to show you that I'm not completely blindly enamored, I must also say the traffic is horrendous and the internet connection everywhere really sucks.
But other than that, I now know why everyone who's been to Istanbul loves it the way they do. Food is great, service is smooth and smiley, shopping is AWESOME, restaurants are chic, architecture is SUPER and the views are DIVINEEEE!

  (at just two of the many restaurants we tried. Can you see how amazing the views are?)

I could go on and on, and I'd really have loved to show you better pictures but none of my pictures does the stunning views or architecture any justice whatsoever. So, since I have no job (for now), I may fill my time by taking up photography classes and getting myself hooked up with a nice, big ass camera to while my leisurely days away.

The other could-do's in the meantime, in no particular order are:

1. enroll in some jewelry making classes and have an excuse to trawl the souks for some super sized stones and dress myself up in all the bling I see the women everywhere around me sporting.

2. make a baby.

3. blog regularly.

4. take up yoga.

We'll see :)

Any other ideas?

The view

From my new home

Guess where?

Valid

I promise, there's a valid reason for my absence... :)

Will be back soon with exciting news.

Silence of the lamb

I keep a very low profile when huge changes are going on in my life.
So, as you can see from the lack of posts in the past two months, MANY life changing things are happening at this point. I can't share much here now, but thought I should at least document the bits and pieces of the past two months in my recent very colourful life as I turn 32 today.
Yes, I've turned 32. It's a little scary when I look at that number, but I can honestly say I still feel 21. Young, gawky and oh-so optimistic.
Anyway, come what may, here's to blue skies, rainbows and happily ever afters for me, Beyonce, and everyone else born today. :p
And to all of you reading, thanks so much for being a part of my journey - literally or virtually, you're all so very appreciated :)

Circa Aug 2011. The Malaysian Buddy Bear in Berlin. The Buddy Bears were 'born' and founded in Berlin. Countries from all over the world paint and decorate their respective bears, and then the bears go on tour all over the world promoting unity and solidarity. They've been in all five continents and are now back in Berlin. I was so excited when I managed to catch the bears on a recent trip to Berlin again, and went in alphabetical order to look at each and every single bear. I saw all bears from America to Zimbabwe, but could not find the Malaysian Bear. To say I was disappointed is really a gross understatement. Then one fine day as we were driving past the Malaysian Embassy in Berlin, I see this boy standing in front of it all alone, far far away from all his friends. I was thrilled and took this picture, but to this day still wonder why in the world does our Buddy Bear stand in solitude whilst all the other Buddy Bears are all together so happily, promoting world unity?

Circa Aug 2011. Friends in Phnom Penh. It's a small, mixed up world. In a table of 4 people, blood, cultures and ties of Cambodian, French, Moroccan, Malaysian, Filipino, Chinese, Lebanese, Scottish, Luxembourgish and Portugese are represented.

Circa Aug 2011.

I love love. 'Nuff said :)

Circa Aug 2011. Included in this post just cos (I think) I look pensive and reflective.

 Circa Aug 2011. Berlin Streets. And I love my tee.

Circa July 2011. Super daddy at one of our lovely dimsum jaunts at home/

Circa July 2011. I heart tom yum mee hoon. Despite the terrifying MSG aftermath, I still salivate looking at this pic. I've said this before but I'll say it again. Yum yum tom yum :)

Circa July 2011. At our fave sui-jiow and wo-tie shop.

Circa July 2011. I love this pic. Shiny shiny star bright.

Circa July 2011. Coconut water on a hot afternoon after a massive MSG attack = life saver.

 Circa July 2011. Pan Mien at my current fave kopitiam in KK.  Love good food and leisurely breakfasts with Super Mi and my Sario clan.

Circa July 2011. Le final Harry Potter in 3D. So sad it's over and they're all grown up now.

Circa July 2011. When I played model and caught up with all my beloved old friends.

Circa July 2011. Camhoring, and caught red handed by the reflection of our sunglasses.

 Circa July 2011. Reminiscent of a breezy and perfectly lovely sunset experience @ Sunset Bar.

 Circa Aug 2011. Cousins reunited in Luxembourg.

 Circa July 2011. Woai my sisters. So dearly. 

 Circa July 2011. An almost perfect long haul flight (when unable to fly on Business or First) = emergency exit seats, funny socks, flight blankie, thrashy magazine and hubby's shoulder to sleep on.

Circa Aug 2011. Another one of the one I love most ardently, my most exemplary vegetable (inside joke).

 Circa August 2011. Trees in a Luxembourg Park. Birds chirping, kids laughing, slight breeze, blue skies. Pure bliss.

 Circa Aug 2011. Corn on cob at a friend's BBQ session on a cool Luxembourgish summer evening. Days like these make me feel so so blessed.

Circa Aug 2011. How I ended up in the Museum of Video Games in Berlin. A story for another time.

 Circa Aug 2011. Card games with Luxembourgish besties. Stress. Fun. All rolled in one.

Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom.

Everyday of my life.

And this pic is here just cos I love my dress so much. :) :) :)

Favourite

 What better way to capture the magic and fun of a carnival than the cool shots of a hipstamatic?

Featuring my most beloveds in Luxembourg, using my most loved lense (Matty ALN) and film (Kodot XGrizzled).

Useful info:
1. The carnival/ fair happens in Luxembourg once a year, for about 3 weeks during the summer break.
2. Entrance is free, but rides are approximately 2.50 to 5 euros.
3. Burger costs 3.50 euros.
4. Fish dish costs 19.00 euros.
5. Waffles costs 4.20 euros.

Phnom Penh

The sun's shining brightly today, but I've been stuck to my sofa since 6am today and have been very reluctant to move. It's a veryyyyy painful time of the month. Almost makes me think that giving birth would cause less pain. Just almost.

Anyway, sofa time is a good time to catch up on blogging. Today, let's take a trip to Phnom Penh. I might end up giving you some good travel advice or I might not. I dunno.

Donc. Here goes.

I liked Phnom Penh very much. Had a lot to do with the fact that I loved my company very much too. I'm all about the company, ya know?

Then, there was the hotel we stayed at. A brand spanking new boutique hotel owned by a super elegant, chic and teeny tiny lady who's also the chef of the hotel restaurant. Super Mi and I became her super fans.The hotel is small, cosy, clean and wonderfully maintained by a dedicated and friendly crew. It's cheap too. I'm debating on whether or not I want to share the scoop about this awesome place, and I thought I should. And I just might. If you ask me nicely.

Then comes the next best thing. The food. We decided to eat a LOT at the hotel simply cause it was just so brilliantly good. And our gorgeous idol did all the cooking. *swoons. she's so awesome* Look at the pictures. I'm salivating again.

I didn't take many pictures apart from these because it was infuriatingly hot and humid while we were there. Super Mi and I were also getting over our jet lag and we somehow wanted to sleep ALL the time. THAT could also have been due to the fact that the beds in our rooms were crazy comfortable.

I was about to end here, but thought I should add in some travel tips so you don't feel your 3 minutes of reading this was entirely un-informational.

So, voila: Heather's guide to discovering Phnom Penh.

1. Bring lots of USD in small denominations. You don't wanna get change for $20 in trillions of riels (Cambodian currency) which will confuse the hell out of you.

2. Tuk-tuks are the main and best form of transportation for tourists. They're available everywhere, 24/7, and they take you everywhere. I tried bargaining real hard, but the lowest I ever got was $1 for a 10 minute ride. On an average, rides are $2. Though they will try to fleece you and say something like $5. Stick to your guns, and they'll cave. But tip the ones that are nice to you, please?

3. Shop at the Russian Market. Yes, it's commercialized. Yes, it's hot. Yes, it's disorganized. Yes, it's full of stuff you can find at lots of other markets all over Asia. But it's also a treasure trove of very fun stuff and good quality factory overruns. It's also THE place where the locals shop. Be prepared to dig and sweat a lot though. And bring a huge bottle of mineral water. I think I almost fainted from dehydration when we were there once in the afternoon. Average prices we forked out for some buys are as follows: polo shirts for men: $5 / 925 silver hoop earrings: $7 / Backpacks: $7 - $10 / Lace panties: $2 / Men's boxers: $2 / Assorted silver stuff: $5 - $20 / A kilo of fresh lychees: $2 / (I'm told I paid too much for everything, so if you're a better bargainer than me, knock yourself out and go as low as you can) 

4. Dress decently when you want to go visiting. I know, I should have known better but the heat had fried my brains, and I went a-visiting in teeny tanks and shorty shorts. I was of course denied entry to the Royal Palace. I learned my lesson and covered up (my legs) when we visited the museum the next day.

5. Eat at nice places. We didn't try any street food, and judging from the violent reactions of our stomachs the last night we were there after eating at a shopping mall food court, I'd say we were smart not to. Also, since food is so cheap in Phnom Penh, a nice meal at a nice, slightly upper market Cambodian restaurant costs approximately $10 - $20 per person. Which is a fortune compared to the $1 you'd spend on street food. But I tell you, great dining places in Phnom Penh are aplenty and comfy, so why not splurge on something you'd probably pay 4 times more for in your own country/ somewhere else? Also, good Cambodian food is fine, flavourful, and most importantly, plays with your senses very, very delicately. Something they do really well in their nice restos.

6. Eat beef. Cambodian beef. They have good beef there! Tender, succulent, flavourful... Not at all like the local beef we normally get around South East Asia. I had steaks, beef salad, beef soup, beef curry... All tender! All good!

And that's it for now folks! If you've got more to add on Phnom Penh, I'd love to hear from you!