Ideal body shape? I am more than my body.

When will enough ever be enough?

"Just few more kgs, just few more centrimetres, and I'll be at my ideal shape."

"Just gotta skip some meals and stick to veggies/fruits, and I'll be able to fit into my old pair of jeans."

"Just need a sharper face and I'll be able to look better in photos and on screen."

"Do I look fat in this outfit?"

"If only I don't have those flabs on my arms, those folds on my tummy,
a more defined jawline, thigh gaps, a smaller waist, etc etc."

"Argh. Fats"

"Sigh. I'm no longer as skinny as before."

"Damn. My face looks chubby!"

Do these thoughts appear in your mind frequently? Let me be honest with you, such thoughts occur to me occasionally too.

As much as I advocate a healthy lifestyle with frequent exercise sessions and balanced diets in order to feel good and look good,

there are still days when I struggle to accept my own body, and when I don't feel good about my body at all. 

Vietnam: Sapa, Halong Bay, Hanoi.

Dear neglected space,

I'm back to leave you with some happy memories from my recent trip to Vietnam.

This impromptu trip gave me one of the best memories.
I loved the trip to Sapa especially. It was nothing glamorous.
I went without make-up, flat & oily/sweaty hair,
dirty bottoms from falling onto the muddy ground, stayed in homestays, etc,
yet it nourished my soul
and left me with so many beautiful and warm memories.
Simple travels are the best kind to truly relax and replenish.

Traveling is undoubtedly therapeutic.
It allows you to escape from your problems and leave them aside completely (temporarily of course);
by the time you return, you are usually able to look at them from a different perspective,
and somehow, they do not seem as big or as terrible as you initially made them out to be.
You find a new form of energy to deal with these problems, and move on with life.

'Why do you go away? So that you can come back.
So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colours.
And the people there see you differently, too.
Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.'
--Terry Pratchett

In a week, I visited Sapa, Halong Bay and Hanoi.
Let me begin with the pictures, followed by some descriptions/details of the places I went.

5 things I did in Hong Kong in 3 days

5 things I did in Hong Kong in 3 days

Frankly, 3 days were a lil' too short for me.

If I could, I would have stayed longer, just to go for more hikes in Hong Kong.
We skipped the touristy spots such as Disneyland, Ocean Park, Victoria Peak, Tian Tan Buddha,

Avenue of Stars, and I did not even get to visit Lan Kwai Fong!

1. Eat & eat & eat

Bangkok - The Land of Smiles (W Bangkok)

Europe Journey: Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice)

Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice)

After much procrastination, I'm finally done with the set of pictures for Italy!

(Still have Switzerland, Paris and London untouched.....)

Italy was totally a culture exploration for me.

Although it was a lil' tiring to stay alert and having to hold on to my bag tight all the time,

I truly enjoyed observing the Italian culture (and loved the food of course!)

I will try my best to make this post less wordy;

so I'll just list the names of the places that we visited, 

followed by the photos of these beautiful sights.

Rome

From our Airbnb accommodation,

we walked to Garbatella station and took the train to Ottaviano Station (changed line at Termini),

and walked to Vatican City.

After lunch, we explored Piazza Navona and Pantheon.

In the evening, we visited Trevi Fountain, only to find out that it was under renovation.......

(Not too sure when will it be fully done, so it's better for you to check

if you are heading there anytime soon!)

The next day, we visited San Paolo Church,

and visited the Ancient Rome (Colosseum, Roman Forum),

and Altare Della Patria (Vittorio Emanuele II).

Headed to Castle Sant Angelo with the intention to catch sunset,

but arrived too late because the queue was way too long.

(So head there early if you intend to catch sunset there. I think the view will be magnificent!)