Germany -> Zürich -> Milan -> Venice

Ok ok, this is a long awaited, overdue post yet again, sitting in my draft box for the longest time... here goes!

Last weekend in Austria, hence we decided to do some travelling! (Can you tell that I've been waiting for a long time for this to happen??)

So from the little town we were living in Germany, we packed our little getaway bags and set off on the little adventure. But before that, we got to send our beloved 洪爷 to Zürich Airport to take his flight back to SG. As usual, I was dozing off along the way (5 hours drive ah!). 洪爷 even commented that there was a lovely symphony of "the sound of music" from me and Milk from the backseat.

After sending 洪爷off, we decided to explore Zürich a bit. (of cos la! travel all the way here!). Afterall, it's the biggest city in Switzerland. So we grabbed the little tourist guidebook from the airport and chanced upon something very unique.

I've heard of this brand from a friend in SG (who by the way is very crazy abt this brand). Freigtag bags are made from used truck tarpaulins, seat belts, bicycle inner tubes, used airbags - promoting recycling. Hence not a single bag is identical - all unique on it's own. I think that is also why the price is also very unique. *wink* See the green bag? Yup I bought it! (but not for myself...damn!)

Moving on, we drove into the City Centre to see if there's anything to munch. So hungry! The standard of living is really high! 1 simple lunch (quiche and coke) set me back abt 15 swiss franc (about 18 SGD)! No wonder Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world.



Perhaps it's because I've heard so much about Zürich that I had quite high expectations. Cheese fondue, Swiss Chocolates, Army knives.. but nothing really caught my eye ah. The streets in Europe were about the same - just the different architectures and all. Was intending to stay there for a night, but in the end, we decided to move on to another destination - Milan!

It was another 2.5 hours drive, with me dozing most of the way again and the weather was dreamy cos it was drizzling. Along the way, we passed through a long tunnel, with a magnificient view of the Alps! There were a few mountain tops still wearing its snowy cap on the tip - imagine the temperature up there! Very nice view indeed!

By the time we reached Milan, it's almost dinner time. Did i mention that the days are longer here during summer? The sun sets only at around 9pm and rises at 5am! And by dinner time, I meant 9pm! We met up with a friend (Yuxiang) who currently resides in Milan and she brought us to a chinese restaurant for a sumptuous dinner. You might think that it's a normal chinese meal.... BUT! I got the fits when my drink arrives. You see, I've been in this very ang mo country for so long that I crave for soya bean milk for ages (not to mention Seasons Ice Lemon Tea!) so I pounced on the first chance I get to order the yummy milky drink! And here it is my dear readers:

Hahah.. I got the shock of my life when it arrived! I swear that there weren't any indication of how large the drink was, so naturally I assumed that it comes in a glass. ALAS! The lovely waiter brought me 1 Litre! Milk and myself were laughing so loudly that the couple next to us tot we were going crazy. But I tell you, it was really damn hilarious! YES, I miss drinking soya bean milk but NO, i didn't finish the 1 Litre! Too much la!

The next day, we woke up to the sunlight streaming into our room, with Yuxiang saying "太阳晒屁股了"! She had the day off and hence wanted to bring us to town, shopping, etc. BUT, she had to get a haircut first (from her already very short hair). Well, that leaves me and Milk alone to tour town (our Italian colleauge went home to Torino already).

Milan, together with Paris, is one of the leading fashion capitals of the world. In another word: a paradise for shopping! We took the train to Centrale Station and a magnificient sight beholds me:

The Duomo, in Duomo Square, is Milan's main cathedral, a massive late Gothic church (started in 1386) in white marble, with hundreds of spires and thousands of statues on its exterior. Well, I missed the chance to climb up onto the roof, missed the great views between the Gothic spires cos I was distracted by another sight:

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the mother of all shopping malls: upscale shops in a splendid 19th- century palace of a mall. It's really grand! Let me show u:

From where I come from, nothing matches this honestly. And nothing beats having seen this with your own eyes. Photos captured from my lumix 9 does not do this place justice, but hey, no choice la, this must suffice! It's the next best thing I can do! hehehe...

Walking through the long passageway, I come to a clearing in the middle where there are four shops facing each other in a circle. Big brands with the brand name braced in gold against black background - really grand! Guess what, the famous "M" is one of the BIG brand of the four shops, taking a prime spot in this famous building!

Coming to Milan, what is a MUST? SHOPPING OF COURSE!! Without further ado, I practically hopped into the shops, one after another, with Milk on my trail, trying to catch up with me. Shops after shops, brands after brands.. and FINALLY, we bought something...

I bought the white wallet for the lucky man in my life and my lovely, generous, always-make-me-angry irritating friend Milk bought me the shiny gold coin purse for my xxth birthday! Simply love it my dear! My dear readers, it's really nice right? Comments pls!

Moving outside, I learned that I'm actually a very famous person in Italy! Don't believe me? Take a look:

They have me as an art statue! Gosh, I'm honored really. But I dun feel that great, parading my nude body in public la. But, for the sake of art, I shall just close one eye! Hahaha!

Night beckons yet again, so does our tummy. Yuxiang brought us to a very nice Italian restaurant in the town she lives in - Serengno. Lovely decor, rowdy kids and adults (due to a wedding held there with very very loud music, singing and dee jay's ranting in Italian which we dun comprehend) - all made up for with delicious food! YUMS!

They had long utensils, complete with big servings of food! Yuxiang ordered a plate of mussels - I think there should be at least 50 of them, Milk ordered a seafood pasta cooked in white wine (look at his face - simply in haven!)and for yours truly, a tomato based pasta with a huge crayfish and crab claw. We were so engrossed with the food, that we forgot to chat! hahaha...

Half day in Zurich, 2 days in Milan - This is indeed a fruitful weekend! But dear readers, there's more to come, stay tuned for......VENICE!!

P.S: This has been a VERY LONG ENTRY indeed (I'm falling asleep already)...

.:: Juan Juan ::.

Long Awaited...

It's been a long time since I've blogged... my faithful reader Milk is complaning that I'm lazy everyday. Well, to satisfy my only reader, I shall dedicate this long entry to him. =)

I've been in Austria for about 6 months (excluding the 2 weeks that I've been home) and of cos there are ups and downs during these 6 months. To sum it all up, it was a good experience - experiencing the culture, weather (very fresh air and snow!), food (the stuff here are mostly fried), different cities (actually only been to 2), crazy colleagues (esp a very crazy Italian colleague), etc etc.

And of cos, there is Milk. What would I do without him? I think life will be quite unbearable if not for him. Well, he definitely tops my list of my "Most Irritating Friends" List (actually there is only 1 person on the list) as he loves to "shake" my fats when I'm not noticing, esp around my arms! It's really damn irritating!! Not to mention the amount of things I find under my pillows and in my comforters - PLATES, BOTTLES, - you name it, you got it.

But on the whole, I felt much happier when I was asked to move to Salzburg (where Milk was stationed for the past 3 months). Although work is more hectic (cos the whole operation team is there) but there was fun.. esp when we played "Shanghai Dai Di".. really fun! Gambling rules! Esp when u win your bosses' money hahaha..

Here's a glimpse of where we stayed.



It's a small town in Germany called "Berchtesgaden". It's located near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich. We stayed near the mountain where the "Eagle's Nest" (also known as Kehlsteinhaus) is located. The Eagle's Nest is actually the retreat where Hilter stayed. (nope, I didn't go there) There is also a deep glacial lake called "Königssee" which my irritating friend Milk promised to bring me but never did.

Well, everyday we have to drive about 30 mins into Austria, Salzburg to our office to start work. The journey is usually very serene as we are all busy napping, with only the driver (usually is Milk) concentrating on the roads.



After a hard day's work (and a taste of my boss's cooking and many rounds of Shanghai Dai Di), we finally can get to go back and rest.



It's a nice cosy room, equipped with a mini kitchenette, balcony and attached bathroom with tub. Not too bad until it became too hot to sleep! The summer here was a bit weird.. very cold, average 12 degrees everyday but then suddenly, became very hot! But on the whole, it was a nice stay. So make a guess - which is my bed? =)

Like I said, this entry is dedicated to my most irritating friend (note that I've said it 3 times - means I mean it haha) - Milk. Thanks for everything here in Austria (and back in Hong Kong and SG too). Without you, it's quite meaningless here actually. Although you do make me very angry at times, but what would I do without u?



We've survived thru this together, finally seeing the rainbow (double rainbow in fact!) at the end of the day. Let's sit down one day and reminisce about the wonderful days spent here in Austria, shall we?



Next to come - my weekend trip in Europe.
Guess where? =)

Till then,
.:: Juan Juan ::.

Don't do it.. I'll be there..

"Dying is easy, it's life you've got to face."

I guess that's what's going through people's mind when they wanna just escape from this world, from all their problems. A permanent solution would be to take the easy way out, but think about the people who will grieve after you are gone. It won't be easy for them.

Just like Kewei, I don't believe that he took his life. Or maybe we choose to believe it this way. Was wondering if he had a soulmate/ close fren to actually talk to, bare his soul out, share his ups and downs - maybe the accident won't happen? 'Cos that soulmate / close fren would have been there with him on that fateful night?

To all my beloved friends out there, please don't ever allow such accidents to happen / do such things to me. I won't be able to take such shocks. Talk to me anytime if you want to - you know I will definitely be there for you, no matter what.

Be it a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a warm fat hug - I'll be there.

I'll be there, really.

.:: Juan Juan ::.

"Things not within my control"

To me, the things that are not within my control, are things which no matter how much effort I put in, there are still no improvements/ results are not what I expect/ want.

Natural disasters, World Peace, Deadly Diseases, Death are some of the many things which I classify as "not within my control". How often do we hear our friends and family saying "there are things which aren't within my control"? Well, of course I'm guilty of that too.

I have a few bad habits (okok A LOT A LOT! happy?!? hahah) that I always use that sentence to counter my friends.

One of which is being late - all the time.
I do know that it's a very irritating habit of mine. I really dunno when and why I've cultivated this very bad habit of being late for all outings with my friends. As much as I want to change that, I don't seem to be putting in a lot of efforts. To all my dear friends out there, I promise that I will put in effort to arrive on time from today onwards. So do pat me on my back if I do ok? Encouragements are very much needed in this area.

Bad Tempered & Stubborness is my second on my list.
Perhaps I show this side of me only to the people who are very close to me for e.g. my family and the "Arobar" gang. Cos they are the only ones who complained abt this trait of mine. Yes, I admit that I'm stubborn cos I stick my "so-called" principles when it comes to certain things. And I can be VERY unreasonable if things don't go my way. But I can be very understanding too, so I guess that balances out? (trying hard to make amends).

Last on the list is Snoring.
I do snore. I think everyone does as well, BUT in terms of different audible "levels".
I used to snore so badly that I kept my travelling partner up all night even with her ipod earphones (with music of cos) firmly in her ears. Even Uncle Cheh complained abt my snoring. But in turn, Uncle Cheh starts to snore lately due to tiredness and I finally realised how bad it is to disturb others in their sleep with snores. Being a non-light sleeper, I drifted into sleep easily as he only snores in the first ten minutes of his sleep.

I'm not completely cured of cos, but I do try to minimise the audibility by sleeping on my side or front, learn to breathe the correct way and try to lose weight (to no avail hahah). I am also more conscious about the fact that I snore and be more cautious when sleeping. Of cos there are times when I really control cos I'm dead-tired but I try to sleep lightly when possible too.

Well, having said all that about my bad habits, I guess I can only conclude the following: "what goes around, comes around".

Nowadays, I find myself in the same situation as with my travelling partner, plugging music to no avail due to extensive audible snorings from my roomie here.

It must be retribution.

Well, all I can say is "This is not within my control" - the ball is in her court.

.:: Juan Juan ::.

P.S: In order to boost the "comments" traffic in my blog, suggestions to improve the situation is greatly appreciated.

What is wrong?

I've been losing my eyesight lately, for whatever reasons.
I'm having blurry vision for the whole day (many days) and I have to squirm and squirt my eyes in order to see whatever I want to see. Not sure why, perhaps lack of sleep and having too bright lights in the office?

There are many things that contribute to a perfect (or rather better) working environment.

Firstly, we should have good working partners - which is sadly lacking in this place I'm working in. People are just only interested in what they are working on, and aren't willing to help each other out. Else, there aren't initiatives to help each other out and rather spend their time doing other stuff.

Second - Communication
If everyone can communicate properly to each other on what they want and need, I guess things won't be in such a mess now. There are things which I don't and won't understand since I'm not an engineering person. Hence if there are no clear instructions/ briefing, I won't be able to complete the job throughly despite putting much efforts into it. The worst thing is, when the party is not listening to what I'm trying to say based on what I know. It might not be right, but at least it explains what I'm working on (based on my knowledge) and that you'll get a better picture. I won't say that I'm an expert or whatsoever, but at least I try my best. Everytime I try to get a confirmation, I'm being "pushed away" with reasons being "busy" or "just ignore it". Well, how can I complete my work then?

Third - Workflow
If there are proper workflow dictated to us, work should be done easier. I guess too many cooks spoil the broth. Everyone has their own opinion and tries to injet their own "flavour" and opinion. It's even worse when the boss himself do not know what he wants.

I guess it's just my luck to meet all these obstacles.
Perhaps I shouldn't expect too much.

Well I always believe that I can do it, and I shall.

But
.
.
.
.
.
you've really disappointed me today.


.:: Juan Juan ::.

旅程

今天无意间在 itunes 里听到这首歌。

感触很深，所以想和大家分享。
别误会，我并没有失恋。只是听了有点感动罢了。
当然梁小姐的唱功真的了得，完全带出歌曲的感觉。

一对正在热恋中的人，会不会害怕因了解而分开，还是很期待未来能带给他们些什么？
时间真的比爱情伤人吗？还是距离会把一切拉远？
有些时候，真的不知道是什么维持两个人的爱情。
是感情？是习惯？

昨天牛奶问我是否会想念谢伯。我回答“不会，因为每天都在线上看到他”。
牛奶又接着问我是否会很渴望他的拥抱。
我想了想。

答案是：非常想。想到要死。

我的旅程才刚开始，就要接受距离的考验。
但我相信，应该没问题吧？

.::娟娟::.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

歌名: 旅程
歌手: 梁静茹
曲: 黄子达 词: 管启源

最近的天气有一点冷 我就不想出门 只想安静的独自一个人
最近的生活并不认真 总是坐着发愣 偶尔会需要这样的过程

是我的责任 让你心中 乱了分寸
你小心的问 不停的问

其实我并没有你想像中完整 不会永远都像当初单纯
不要把我当成小孩 能不能
其实你不需要总是为我心疼 不想永远依赖你的体温
我害怕你爱到最后 失去灵魂

因为怕失去所以迷人 你的每一个吻 让我明白怎样才算认真
因为时间比爱情伤人 我不得不承认 熟悉的最后都变的陌生
你不要追问 未来还有什么可能
这一段旅程 还没有完成

Grouchier than ever...

i hate mornings.

well, perhaps more in Austria only.

i hate the feeling of waking up in the morning, feeling damn irritated.
i hate the feeling that I don't get enough sleep due to extensive snoring from my roommate.
i hate the feeling that I don't have any personal space here.

ijust feeling damn grouchy these few mornings.
just ignore me.

Sidenote: (but Chanel made my day today. Thanks gal! CB* rocks!)
*sorry folks, private joke