Friday, August 31, 2007
Oui oui!!

Do not kid traveling to a country that uses Euros. For an asian like myself, its very important not to splurge unnecessarily since the foreign exchange is not very friendly in a sense. So today I'll be looking at some Hôtels en Paris that is worth checking out for poor tourist like myself.

Paris is all about culture, arts, architecture and atmosphere. Its a waste to be in France and not visit this vibrant capital. There's so many Hotels in Paris, which one should you choose?

Make sure you check out the many Paris Hotels close enough to the party zone so that you can easily stumble your way back to your room and not someone elses :P

Labels: travel

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The land down under

Good day kiddos, today's travel edition, let's virtually fly to Australia. Haha! Again, lets look at accommodations that we I can afford, you know, for budgeting purpose.

Perth Hotels - Under AUD$80!!
Criterion Hotel Perth (AUD $60): Convenient location, right in the city area, a baby in the industry only opening doors on June 1996 but the best place to hunt for the best price even at the last minute! Walking distance to many places you're sure to be going to and also in close proximity to the airport.

Sundancer Backpacker Perth (AUD $62): 2 star accommodation but 5 star in price and location. Look out for a 110 yr old award winning historic building in the heart of Fremantle for a guaranteed good time to wind down, chill and get to know your fellow travellers and not forgetting also the beach located about 500m away!

Billabong Backpackers Resort (AUD $67): Just like the name, this backpackers accommodation tagged with 4 frickin' stars. Located in Northbridge, a good distance from both the nightlife there and Perth!

Sydney Hotels - Under AUD$50!!
Bernly Private Hotel Sydney (AUD $15): From the airport you need not waste your moolahs on cab fares as shuttle bus are available to drag your jetlagged arse and oversize backpacks right to the reception area opened 24hrs. For the price you pay, you'll be sleeping in bunk beds but top it up a little and you'll get your own 'suite' with an attached bathroom.

Manly Guest House (AUD $40): Not burly kind of manly but that's where its located, Manly. That town is known for the beach, only 100m away!!

Eastend Lodge Sydney (AUD $45): Very centralise location, high in security and most importantly its well kept clean. Its only abour half hr walk to the Opera House, Harbor Bridge and the Rocks.

Adelaide Hotels - Under AUD$80!!
Raglans Backpacker (AUD $62): This accommodation is a heritage hostel with central location and clean and comfortable to suit travelers from all walks of life. I love the place just by looking at the building! Location wise, its very very near to the Adelaide Bus Station, Central Markets, Rundle Mall and Hindley Street.

Glenelg Motel Adelaide (AUD $69): Its just 5 mins walk away from Glenelg beach where the sand and water is so inviting, you can never say NO! Its gonna set you back a bit on cab fare from the airport though. Other than that I'd say this is the place to stay!

Plaza Hotel Adelaide (AUD $75): Pretty colonial styled building amidst the business district of Adelaide can offer you awesome discount even on last minute requests. In case you might get mixed up, this is Plaza Hotel and not The Plaza. It has a pretty extravagant price tag for a 2 star though, therefore this is not my first choice... only if I have to.

I think I should set a separate blog for my obsession with travel planning :P

Labels: travel

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Monday, August 20, 2007
Fida, travel advisor... for real!

Many times I've stressed the importance of doing an in depth research on your travel planning and do not just rely on travel agencies. They'll rip your pockets, I tell ya! Here's a few pointers from me.

DISCOVER
Influences on places you might want to visit will come from many sources like TV, magazines, internet and friend's recommendation. But that is not enough. They might like it but you don't. Mass media portrays good elements of the place but it may be a hassle to you. Things you must consider includes...

1. Are you on a tight budget?
2. What do you intend to do there?
   
3. Are you prepared to live on the edge?
4. How troublesome will it be for you to get there?
5. Who are you going with?

LEARN
Once you've identify your needs, now is the time to evaluate from the many countries shortlisted earlier. Use the internet where you can find many online trip planner that will offer you good reliable tips to aid your planning. But the best method of all is to join their communities and interact with many experienced traveler like yourself to exchange information and experiences.

PLAN
The moment you've roughly firm up the first 2 parts, its time to lay it down. Plan your itinerary in detail but give yourself some flexibility to be fickle, cos it WILL happen!

1. Places you wanna go to/visit/see
2. Transportation - how can you get to those destinations and how much time will it consume
3. Food - proper sit-in dining or street stalls will do
4. Photography - what kind of pictures you wanna capture to show you're actually there
5. Always set aside time to rest. Nothing spoils a vacation when you end up being fatigue, cranky
   

SAVE
Here's a few way to pinch the pennies...

1. Make your booking purchase (accommodation, flights etc) to enjoy their early bird deals
2. You can take advantage of off-peak season to travel. Not only you save $$ but you will avoid excessive crowds too
3. The bigger the group, the more money you'll save! Trust me on this
4. Don't bother staying in expensive hotels... think about it.
5. If that place is not big on food, live on food like sandwiches etc... you'll live, don't worry
6. Travel light if you're planning to shop a lot in case it might be heavier than the baggage limit
7. If possible, avoid taking cabs... try their public transportation frequently used by the locals
8. Get to know the locals and they'll be of use to introduce non-touristy area that charges you touristy prices
   

SHARE
This is not compulsory but it'll be nice to setup a nice website online and show the world what you've learned and discovered and help your fellow travelers too in this way! Have an awesome vacation!

Labels: travel

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Sunday, August 19, 2007
Interior Designer.... me?

Paulino Rubio once said lights are very important in one's home. Unlike her, we're not very lucky to convert a cement factory into a place we can call home. Since my living space is small, I'm sure floor lamps are out of question. I've always wanted torchieres too like in medieval times. I found this lamps specialist website that featured so many pretty ones till I feel like building my own house on a much larger piece of land.

Among the many latest collection featured, one that caught my attention have to be the Fine Art Lamps series. Their design may be traditional but all handcrafted with fabulous finishing touches. Too bad its only available in the US and I sure hope one day Ikea will come up with something alike... hehe.

If you're not into the 'heavy' look, the more contemporary version by Studio Italia Design Lighting might be your cup of tea. Their designs are clean, chic and their detailing is commendable.

Even though such lamps are more suitable for smaller living space like mine, there's no harm admiring from far. I should stop watching MTV Cribs!

Labels: whatever

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Schtuck!

I felt very heaty today as if I am gonna be coming down with something. Too many things to do and so little time. I need another extra pair of hands, and eyes, and brains... Do you wanna be my mini-me?



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Thursday, August 09, 2007
New love...

I met someone new. So foreign yet so appealing. I am still unsure if I should move on. My mind is saying yes but my heart kept saying no. I'm confused!



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Hello!

Just saying hi.. Plenty of updates coming up... Stay tune!



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Monday, August 06, 2007
Guess who!~

Hint:

1. My fave song from them EVER is MISS YOU LOVE
2. They were HAWT in the 90s
3. They're not a 'boyband'
   

Labels: hot, music

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Saturday, August 04, 2007
Save money!

Found a cool site called CouponChief.com and if you're an avid fan of online shopping, you better bookmark this site! You have your famous boutiques like Gap.com, Hot Topic, Macy*s and many more!

I know what you're thinking. Why shop online when I can buy stuff directly from the store. Well, bad news most of the good stuff ain't available in Singapore. Even if it does, I think its much more time consuming and you save your moolahs on travelling out. You don't just spend money on the stuff you want to buy but also on transportation and of course, you gotta eat when you're out with your friends.

The site is very user friendly and you can browse through different categories of your choice like Kitchen stuff, Electronics, Music & DVDs and many more! There's always something for everyone. So just get your credit card ready and visit the site for a spree

Labels: shopping

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