Throwback: Brunch in Dublin

The hubs, with the unofficial designation of food-hunter, found this lovely brunch place in Dublin. Strategically positioned along River Liffey, the cafe directly looks out to the Ha Penny Bridge, simultaneously fulfilling #4 and #5 of my traveling favourites.

The Winding Stair gets props for both quality of food and atmosphere. Needless to say, I’m missing our time in Dublin.

The location of our brunch

Our view of Ha Penny Bridge

Irish seafood chowder

Smoked salmon with homemade potato waffle

The games we used to play

Okay, I admit, I’ve been slacking off a little. I’m still trying to get into the groove of the new year. (Hello 2015!)

As always, my mind climbed aboard its own train (of thoughts) today, and I found myself looking at…. retro electronics handheld games! (What a geek!) Anyway, I actually started out looking at the old Tetris handheld console because I love Tetris and I used to play it every time I could get my hands on it at my cousin’s place (no, I didn’t have one). I just wondered whether it was possible to still get one…

This is exactly like the one my cousin had | Photo credit: http://www.eurogamer.net

… and then one thing led to another and I was looking up all the old games kids from the 80s and 90s were playing. As I looked, I stumbled upon this website that hosts a digitalised collection of handheld electronic games! I’ve never seen anything like it before! You can actually play these old games on your computer (without downloading anything too!). Plus its design – how the games are presented – is so slick and simple.

I hope at least some of you out there (fellow-geeks, I’m talking to you!) will be as excited and pleased as I was to find this.

For those who aren’t as excited (or maybe not at all), another website with games come to mind. I used to play the games on this site frequently when I was in university because it is superb for people who procrastinate studying and such. The games are simple and straightforward, nothing fancy. But what I love about them are the adorable graphics! Which, I guess, is why I say that perhaps more people will be able to appreciate this collection of simple games.

So now you know some of the things I do when I procrastinate. Happy procrastinating, you guys!

Throwback: My Favourite Destinations in 2014

2014 has been a blast for me. I’d really like to do it justice by savouring my memories slowly, going through the best of them. Travel-wise, I’ve really been blessed in the past year. I’ve been to India (and also live there now), China, UK, Ireland, UAE, and my lovely home Singapore.

So to round up the year, here are the top 5 favourite destinations I’ve been blessed to have experienced:

#1 – Scotland. Rugged landscape, beautiful lochs, and medieval castles are only some of the awesome experiences Scotland has to offer. Edinburgh itself may possibly be one of my favourite cities of all time. Add to that bagpipers and hairy coos, and Scotland seals the deal for my top destination in 2014. See more here and here.

Bagpiper in front of Eileen Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

#2 – Ireland. To be fair, I’ve wanted to visit Ireland since I was 13 or so. It was everything I imagined and then some. The gloomy rain doesn’t get the Irish down. They are a happy people, proud of their land and their heritage. There’s so much greenery and flowers and coasts, and with it, peace and calm and tranquility. I share a few of the many highlights in Ireland here, here and here.

The view of Ha Penny Bridge from a lovely cafe | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

#3 – Great Wall of China. The Great Wall literally took my breath away – blame it on my poor stamina. It also did take my breath away figuratively speaking. I hadn’t expected it to be as vast and as far-reaching as it was. And the landscape was as vast and hilly and never-ending. We made it to the 5th tower before we decided that it was an achievement that we could be proud of, and turned back in spite of all the older but physically fitter aunties and uncles who continued on (actually they were all well ahead of us).

Conquering the Great Wall one step at a time | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

#4 – Ladakh. I’ll always be glad to have braved the high altitude and cold for Ladakh. In my opinion, the best place to explore within the Indian subcontinent. (Disclaimer: I have not been to Sikkim and Darjeeling, which I have heard is amazing as well.) I would definitely recommend the Ladakh region to any of my friends who are coming to visit India. Most visitors make it to Delhi and to Taj Mahal. Leh is a mere 1 plus hour flight away from Delhi and would fit nicely into your India itinerary. Read more about my favourite Indian adventure here, here and here.

Nubra Valley, part of the ancient Silk Route | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

#5 – Shanghai. Or Beijing. So hard to choose because they are both amazing places but for different reasons. I ultimately chose Shanghai because it felt more modern Chinese which I really liked. I had a great time eating a wide variety of mouth-watering Chinese food too – from soup buns to Chinese-style high tea sessions to authentic Shanghainese cuisine. My belly was grateful for the culinary adventure. Shanghai also had quaint, albeit slightly touristy alleys and lanes that I loved getting lost in. Bonus points for it’s proximity to Zhujiajiao Ancient Water Town which is a must-see for every visitor to Shanghai.

The famous Shanghai skyline – prettier by night | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Not in the list but of notable mention:

1. London. I’ll always love London, but since this was my second trip there, it’ll have to make way for the other exciting destinations.
2. Singapore. Going home feels like a holiday these days. I love taking trips back home, but it just seems unfair to list my home as a favourite destination. It’ll always be my favourite cos I’m biased.

Flying away from Singapore for the umpteenth time this year | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Throwback: Delphi, Greece

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

The Temple of Athena is the most photographed site in Delphi, Greece. Yet, in terms of it’s significance in ancient times, it was of less importance when compared to the other ruins in Delphi. Delphi itself, however, was considered to be the centre of the known world, the place where heaven and earth meet.

One of the other more significant structure was the Temple of Apollos. Though, its ruins are not as photogenic as this one above, it’s significance lay in the belief that there was once an Oracle who would dispense advice to the people who came. Of the people who had sought wise words from the Oracle, Socrates was one of them.

Even if you’re not a fan of ruins, Delphi was a welcomed retreat for us during our Greece holiday last year. We were just starting to recover from our food poisoning episode and so the long bus ride from Athens was worrying. However, when we got to the little town of Delphi, it felt like it was just what we needed to rest up for the rest of our trip.

We checked into our room for the night, and went out to take a stroll before dinner. Although, we weren’t really looking forward to dinner because our appetites were still down from the food poisoning. The town itself is really small and there’s not as much to see as there is to feel. We eventually decided on a place for dinner, mainly because its alfresco tables had stunning views of the mountains and valleys. The food was good too, and this was despite my lousy appetite. The experience was calming and relaxing, and we didn’t even walk through the ruins before we decided that we liked the place.

Throwback: Queenstown, New Zealand

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Queenstown is hands-down one of the most picturesque towns I’ve been to. Despite being a largely tourist-centric town, it’s natural beauty more than makes it a worthy stop on your New Zealand adventure.

Facing the town, across the lake, is a range of mountains known as The Remarkables. Truly, they are a remarkable sight even without their snow caps on when I visited in summer.

The town itself is small around to explore solely on foot (pun intended!), which was good for us cos none of us could drive. It is well-known also for adventure sports – sky-diving, bungy jumping, parasailing, etc. But since we’re not really the adrenaline junkie type, we hopped onto the historic steamship, TSS Earnslaw for a ride to nearby farm, Walter Peak.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

I almost cannot believe I actually captured the photo above. Queenstown is really the kind of place where random, half-baked shots can look amazing because God’s creation does all the work for you.