September 2024

The cold weather continues into spring. Still it is that time of year for spring cleaning time. What springs to mind is how I have been sloppy for the last 5 years and how I have let my table to go the dogs. I so gotta get my act together and prepare for advancing years. The expectation will be more medicine and more document and they require space on the table... I do not have a table. Sis fill every table draws with nail polish and eye liners like mom has done to every draw in the bathroom. Hoarding, hoarding, and hoarding some more.

I cannot wait to de-clutter my life. Well, one aspect of it anyway.

August 2024

When August pulled up people started throwing projects my way. Wow. I am willing to try and manage as much as I can. All the while I need to devote my energy and voice to this month's event, the Family History Month. The projects range from food event ideas, crafting event ideas, reviewing policy documents, discuss accessible workspace ideas with no budget available. Oddly enough not many hands want to pitch in. Off the topic, I enjoy having my matcha latte throughout the week though. It is very nice to have a hot cuppa during these really cold days, totally warms the guts. When I'm outside of work that's when I get inspiration.

I’m learning when there are native birds there are no feral cats around. When there are cats there are no native birds around. It seems you cannot have the best of both worlds. 

August was Family History month at work. We had some interesting enquiries. A few patron wanted to find their ancestors in the 1500s. We do not hold any in Australia. They best try England I suggested to them. I explained that Australia was discovered in 1788 and that civil registration only came into existence around 1850s during gold rush period. I went on a quest to research into the books we hold and where medieval records and parish records could be located. Only nobles, dukes, viscount, marquee, and royalty were mentioned in published books from 1100 to 1500. The Domesday book had daily accounts of some peasants. 1538 is when parish registers became a thing in England.

1100 domesday book

1100 to 1538 maybe church records?

1538 parish records (NA UK)

1837 civil registration in UK (GRO)

1850 civil registration in Australia per state (PROV)

1924 civil registration in Federated Australia (NAA)

Quite the discovery I must say. I learnt something this month myself.

Wisdom offering:

People always tell me that they deserve a sexy partner. I tell them there are 23 million people in Australia and 8 billion in the world. Is that enough? 

Then you hear them complain about individuals they have rejected in the past. This was coming from men telling me stories of women they have rejected on the first day I met them. Geez. What part of my face says, “psychologist”. 

The usual complaints were:_

• Short hair/height
• Spoilt (nail painting/brand wearing)
• A single mom with children
• Lives with/cares for their ageing parents
• Has too many friends/goes out a lot
• Not into doing extreme sports daily/every weekends
• Works on weekends

Uh. These are females who have a life of their own life and priorities. What’s wrong with that? Really. I don’t see a problem. What I see is someone who is unwilling to compromise and not keen to meet their partner half way. 

July 2024

The modern day is riddled with bullet holes. 

My latest mobile phone fiasco has led me to feel I have no choice but to wilt down my memberships and cut my losses. Bye-buh useless retail shop memberships!

The local council has issue you an infringement notice for not mowing your grass. If your grass has exceeded 150mm then it has violated the local by-laws. Ugh. 

Work

Some progress to take place.

PoGo

Quiet in the western end. Unless you are attending those summer Go Fest events, there is nothing really happening in the local areas.

Dating

Another guy tried to keep on the line while he no longer wish to meet up after our first catch up. Hey, if you do not following up with a second date, consider yourself binned!

June 2024

I find so many people are filled with regret as they get older. Whereas I have too many weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. And for some reason and somehow I would physically injure myself. Which in turn delaying many of my projects. This age-ing process is trying to slow me down. However, I find sitting down and watching videos to be boring.

Work

We are trying to find ways to make searching the collection easy and an enjoyable experience. We have started to consult a digital strategist. How interesting.

PoGo

I got a hundo Komala (aka a koala). God damn cute! Then a hundo Oranguru. Finally!

Dating

Scammers lack romantic skills in wooing me over. They are getting lazier by the day.

Men need to learn to enjoy life without groups of people.

Men need to stop saying travelling overseas is a bucket list thingy, when it is a regular thing for the most people. Here is a tip for you, if you are elderly and frail travelling overseas or camping where there are steep hills and cobble steps you are more likely to get hurt and you will take longer to recover from norovirus on cruise ships.

Many of these men seem to lack stills in privacy and protecting their and close family member's personal data. Shockingly piss poor.

May 2024

It is bitter cold these mornings. The sun comes out for the most part and during mid afternoon. The leaves have fallen from the elm trees in the city. Not much city sweepers abuut near the leaves. Only the main street where the shops are located can you spot a street sweeper vehicle go by.

Work

It has been steady. However, I feel immensely tired right after dinner. I find myself sleeping until the next day.

PoGo

I am starting to come across shinies and hund again. From my guess, my casual way of play while travelling does not reap a great deal of rewards compared to going ham with selective friends in Melbourne.

Dating

No action here.

April 2024

Overall, the cruise was an okay experience.

The boarding pass was a problem on embarkation day. Thankfully, the security staff at Civitaveechia was kind enough and allowed us to proceed through with printed paper booking from travel agent as proof. The check-in staff wrote down our room number on paper. There were no team leaders to guide anyone. Most people loitered around the centre of ship looking dazed. We guided ourselves to our state room haphazardly.

The double days at sea was some what fun on the cruise. The food was salty and bland. The Sun Princess seem to be inexperience at food experiences. 99% of the activities were listening to cover songs being performed by talented musicians or singers. A few times there were trivia nights. One magic show. One puppet show. The mediterranean sea was rough. Pretty much every night the pool deck was closed up and activities were cancelled due to wild winds. Ha Ha.

My brother and I got the stomach flu on the 7th day. I was ill but I was able to walk to shore to see a chemist in Genova. Overall, the cruise was okay. So-so shore excursions, and several add-on cost shuttle bus services. 

====================

Day 11 - 01 April 2024 at Gibraltar.

We gathered in Horizon dining hall deck 7. We were allocated a number and colour sticker upon entry and waited until our bus has arrived. Bro and I had silver 9 sticker. We were aligned to a small coach with the sign silver 9 and a tour guide, Linne. A retired grandmother.

The bus tour took us through rough rugged built looking tunnel roads. Arriving at a port with a playground, a cafe, toilets, and a soccer field. By the light house were cannons facing the Mediterranean Sea. Here you can see cannons on cliff tops. Across from Gibraltar was Morocco. Wow. 7 miles apart. Then the bus went up the steep roads to St Michael’s Cave. Note: I didn’t book cable car or sky walk. Not that bro was keen to do it. 

The St. Michael’s cave had a dazzling array of light shows and music. It enhance the lime stones formation with the way it hugged the lines. We took as much pics as we could. Certainly wet inside. Both on the ground and from the ceiling. You needed a rain coat with a hoodie Apparently, there are over 200 caves in this area. We are only shown one on this tour. When we exited the cave. Bro purchased a can of coke. I saw a monkey by the bin and took pics of it.  Next thing everyone took a pic of it too. lol. The monkey was willing to pose for pics. 

While the bus was heading to the Under the Siege tunnels, we stopped by the Apes Den area and I got the chance to film several monkeys interacting with each other. The little ones were by far the cutest. The monkeys were playful and showed off for a good 5 minutes. It was a great stop by. I was able to take many photographs of them. 

The military tunnel had strategic view of the airport and neighbouring bays. The walk way was a narrow slope. Walk slowly okay. The tunnel goes deeper, but our host was only hired for 3 hours and was expected to only cover the gist of main attractions. 

The bus drove us through small narrow streets to show us what life was once like from behind the sea wall. Mainly, schools and hospitals were relocated to reclaimed land. More flat and ease of access. Meanwhile, the churches remained in the same location. 

They dropped us off at Castmate Square. We went in search of a supermarket and looked at the souvenirs. Bro bought several packs of smoke and toothpaste. I found a store selling UK’s Hotel Chocolate bars and bon bons. Okay looking. I went with the smallest pack for 4 euros. It tasted bland. We purchased a plush monkey pencil case for 8 euro. The coin souvenir machine asked for 2 euro and 5 cents. I had no 5 cents. Oh well. Another loss. No monkey coin then. 

Bro came back to the shop at 3pm. He didn’t want to explore the city. When you don’t set an agenda the man just wants to return to his room. No one gets fit by sleeping all day. 

The cruise ship deck 18 and 19 has a few bird poo. It seems if you stay still birds will shit on you. 

=====

Day 12 - 2 April 2024 at Cartagena.

We took a morning stroll through the shopping street. Too early. Everything was closed. Walked to the round about to do a dragon raid. HaHa. Way to go Pokemon Go. The suburbia streets begin here. Local shops and restaurants. Schools even!

Bro and I headed to Muram art gallery and it was pretty cool. Some of Salvador Dali bronze work is kept here. Wow. Scary staircase. Made of recycle plastics and transparent. Shook too.

There were some local police blocking a small section of a street. Searching for someone as it more police cars came by. After taking another route, we found the electronic elevator to the up parts of the castle.

We went up Ascensor panorámico. View is lovely up here. Teatro Romano de Cartagena (roman theatre) was amazing. Barco Turístico ship ride was worth it. #SPAIN

Roman theatre

Boat tour of the bay

==••==

Day 13 - 3/4/2024 in #Palma (#Mallorca) #SPAIN beautiful food, sculptures, and many narrow streets. No time to go in the palace or cathedral. 600 yo olive tree by the town hall. Whoa. 

====

Day 14 - 4/4/2024 Barcelona 

Day 14 - 4/4/2024 #Barcelona #SPAIN We scrambled to Mirador torre Glòries and was there upon opening. No queue. What a view. Then hopped on bus V25 to Parc del Laberint d'Horta. A white cat entertained us on the way out. Then late seafood lunch. Big oysters at Boqueria market. Back to shuttle after that. 

====

Day 15 - 5/4/2024 #Marseille has a pretty bay and highly elaborate Cathedral de ja major (good diorama) and Notre dame de garde (best view of the city and bay). We went on a walking tour then took a choo choo train up the hill. Lavender ice cream has a unique flavour here. #FRANCE

The cafe bar by the bay was rude and did not take our order despite we knew what we wanted. the waitress was busy serving the big American family. Oh wells. 

Off to the cathedral we go. The diorama inside were very vivid. It would be even better if the blind was allowed to touch them. Unfortunately, they were hung high up.  You are lucky to be able to take a photograph of it. 

In the back ground, they have an audio tape playing in the background. Those attending the church can repeat after it without staff attendance. 

We left the cathedral la major to find outlet shuttle bus. We found a way down to it. Bro wanted to find snack food. Nothing but bars here. He was disappointed. 

When we got back to the ship and we ate some sweets from the International Cafe. After having the small piece of brownie I fell asleep. I woke up and felt like vomiting. I continued to do so during dinner and after dinner and after watching a movie. Strange. I haven’t vomit so much in years. Odd is when this vomit makes you have diarrhea at the same time.

Pissed off bro. All he could think of was cancelling the visit to the next port. Shame. As I am in need of medicine. Something he is incapable of asking for. Hence why females call him man-child. 

I had to replenished my own water bottle in my weaken condition. I had to turn off the light as he was lazy to get up and turn off the lights. I had to take my medication in the dark. 

Each time the vomit made me poo, I had no choice but to change my pads. Which I’m running low on now. I washed my underpants and pants as the diaoherra has overloaded the sanitary pad. Geez. In my weaken state, I was able to use the shower head to blast hot water on them. Lucky, I kept spare shorts and undies and panty liners. 

I do feel I am on my own sometimes. I book everything, I use Google map to find everything, I fill out every paper work. I feel my travel companions are not the most dependable individuals even if we are edging closer to old age. 

=====

Day 16 - 6/4/2024 Genoa

Day 16 - 6/4/2024 #Genoa #Italy

in my weaken state, I will continue to get out there. Despite I’ve lost my appetite. The Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno had huge sculptures for time stones. Wow. Cathedral San Lorenzo was pretty inside and outside. The mariner was quite lively today. 

Sore throat just got real. I have tried to prevent it but the amount of cruise passengers coughing has worsen my condition. 

You have to repeat yourself when you sit by yourself in Horizon dining hall. Not once, not twice, but four times. Staff have poor memory here. 

====

Day 17 - 7/4/2024 La Spezia Italy

Last day on the ship and we are off on a shore excursion. 

Day 17 - 7/4/2024 ship docked at #LaSpezia #Italy Bro and I went on a half day tour of #PISA and we only hung around the field of miracle. We got to pose with the leaning tower of Pisa. 

I feel too ill to walk along a port where all the shops are closed on Sunday. 

Bro and I remained on the ship sun baking and surfing the Internet on our mobile phones. While Harry styles music was played on the giant screen on the ship’s pool deck. 

We watched movie: The Guardians of the Galaxy III. Plus Saltburn. 

Most of the production were talented musicians doing cover songs for the American crowd. Which appealed to many but it bored the pants of some travellers. 

=====

Day 18 - 8/4/2024 Fiumicino 

Woke up at 5am. Visited the loo x3 times. Stomach flu still around. 

Bro wanted to leave the room at 7:30am instead of 7:55. Sigh. Then he didn’t want to stick around deck 9 and sit down and get some sun. Heads straight down to deck 7 when our roll call is not until 9:15am. Geez. We arrived here 7:50am too early. Boring. 

Disembarking the Sun Princess while feeling semi sick and heading to Fiumicino. Hope to find a pharmacy soon. 

Day 18 - 8/4/2024 disembarked ship and hopped on transfer coach (USD 80) to #Fiumicino.. After a late lunch at Fish Take Away shop.  Off to Spiaggia Libera (free beach). Sand wise looks polluted. Water has life: crab, sea cucumber, and fishes. We detoured to Todis (grocery store) to buy some water.

I purchased yogurt drink, carrot juice, bananas, and red bull for bro. 

We found a pharmacy nearby and I purchased medicine to heal from the illness I had caught earlier while on the cruise ship. The pharmacist said you are suppose to take 4 Imodium tablets on the first instance. Oh. 

We saw a few cute cats long on our afternoon walks. People would be fishing by the piers. Bro saw one dead fish floating back to the ocean. Ew. 

The area is very local resident based and not much tourists here. Maybe by the hotels but not on foot in the streets. 

Many of shops cover basic necessities, variety stores, and elderly fashion. 

=====

Day 19 - 9/4/2024 Paris (arrive)

The airport shuttle bus driver drove really well and delivered us to terminal 1 smoothly. We arrived just in time for a bag drop. The staff at EasyJet were nice. 

We went through security control okay. Bro was stopped because his hands smelled of tabaco smoke. Other than that no problems. 

The CiccoloItalani served hot chocolate hazelnut drink £5.70. So delicious. 

There is so much local produce here from around the country. Truffle, olive oil, lemoncello liquor. I have no luggage space left. Aww. 

Bye Roma. You have been delightful delicious to visit. 

I had plenty of hazelnut and chocolate gelato, lots of pistachio filled sweets, locally made pasta, bread, and meat. Bro loved the markets and deli stores the most. Followed by churches with amazing ceilings, highly decorated chapels, and walkable rooftops. 

I was getting the hang of drinking my hot chocolate by the counter. Buying gelato and hot chocolate from CiccoloItalani, chocolates from Verdi, basics from Todis and Carrefour, and having porchetta panini everywhere for lunch or hot pasta for dinner. 

I would highly recommend people visit Italia and go beyond Roma to see local attractions and food. 

Now to Paris to visit Loire Valley chateau and to see Bro’s friend after 7 years. 

Day 19 - 9/4/2024 Arrivederci! #Rome the land of delicious chocolate hazelnut ice cream. Bonjour! #FRANCE and buck wheat crepes (more than 5 crepe cafes on Rue du Montparnasse). Walked around 6th ARR. 

=====

Day 20 - 10/4/2024 Nantes

I had bloodshot eyes. None of my eye drops are working. 

Bro sure does not like these early morning train rides. He snoozed all the way to Nantes on the train. While I had to source my own water for my sore throat. With the kindness of strangers I had someone point me out to a working toilet. While I was waiting to use the (broken) toilet, the ticket inspector came by and I got them to scan my pass and advised them my brother was fast asleep in the carriage nearby. Phew. 

The station was big. We took the south exit. I managed to find Tram number 1. Which bloggers recommend to use. However, forgot to mention it was in the north exit. 

We got to see the giant elephant animatronic. What an experience to come across such a machine in person upfront. The grand elephant sprayed water at me while I was filming. Funny. To ride you have book it at the main building. Only 3 sessions a day: 10:15, 2:15, 4;30pm. Bro didn’t want to walk back to the area. Just a visit to the gallery of selective animatronic and see demonstrations. It was pretty good and fun to be part of. 

Day 20 - 10/4/2024 #Nantes #FRANCE #LoireVAlley Bro and I saw so many things here. Les Machines de l'Île, La Cigale, Passage Pommeraye, île de Versailles (mini Japanese garden), and walked along Château des ducs de Bretagne’s walls. Quite the view. 

La Cigale was a classic French bistro. The menu was filled with fishes. The potato puree I had was fluffy light as whipped cream. Not sweet but savoury. 

Passage pomme was decorative but time was limited and we have to head to a mini Japanese garden and the chateau. 

There is a great deal of history here. Inventors. Self regulated government. Female movement. Beyond the old city area is some steep hills. Bro did not want to venture too far out. There were many little shops along the cobble streets. You can walk for hours and not know where you are. Hee hee. I purchased some biscuits to eat later. 

=====

Day 21 - 11/4/2024 Tours

Transferred at Saint Pierre Des Corps to Château de Chenonceau. Omg! It is so picturesque and the garden(s) so many and so big that they cannot be captured in 1 photo. You will need aerial view. 

To get to the kitchen and its many little spaces you walked down a narrow staircase. There were covered bridges. Stairways that lead down to the river. Quite elaborate. 

Spit roast stand with mechanism connected to turn them evenly. A wood fire oven for baking bread. Two small dining areas. 

There were several master bedroom. The upper floors had darker covered bedrooms. 

There was a labyrinth made of short hedges. Hee hee. A few of us wondered around in it. 

Day 21 - 11/4/2024 #Tours #FRANCE Château de Chenonceau was a good choice and easy one to start with in #LoireVAlley. Many rooms and gardens. Loved the maze. Easy to navigate. The elaborate rooms, views of the river, forest, and garden. Quite surreal to be standing in such a historic building. 

Tours has a main road that goes a very long way. There is not much of ruins or huge attractions in Tours. Plenty of locals going about their daily rituals. Peaceful here. 

=====

Day 22 - 12/4/2024

Slept in. Still got red eyes. Coughing fits have reduced and throat is somewhat loosen a bit. 

Sussed out the airport train and it is not speedily at all compared to Tokyo or Zurich or Sydney train to the airport which is much more direct. Quite retarded and slow. I am working out the kinks on my lonesome. My brother’s friend cannot give us any hints as she has family members drive her to the airport. She is has not been an independent traveller. Ah. I see. 

Anyways, bro want to take a stroll through a mini market and have a smoke break. I waited until he is finished then catch a train to the Battle Kart (digital go kart) centre. All the way in zone 4, Parc des Exposition metro station above ground. We only purchased a daily ticket for zone 1 and 2 that did not get us anywhere much. We had to go back to Gare du Nord and buy card board ticket one way. 

The only way to cross over is to go underground via locked gate. Strange!

What bro doesn’t understand is Asian food doesn’t mean cheap in Paris. Unless you make it yourself. He insists on hot Asian food. He insists on wearing a t-shirt because it is sunny. Ugh. The wind is cold and if you plan to hang out until 9pm you better have thermal wear in the evening.

Bro keeps thinking grocery stores will open until midnight. Ugh. In what city? And if you say convenient stores then you are wrong. Those are not grocery stores. Expect to pay more for everything. 

Day 22 - 12/4/2024 #Paris #Nord Slept in so body can heal. Heaps of bakeries in Rue Daguerre (street) near metro stn Denfert-Rochereau. Battle Kart (digital go kart) was in zone 4 and via a locked under pass. We had bento box dinner at Bonjour market (19th ARR.). 

=====

Day 23 - 13/4/2024 #Paris the 11th ARR. has some creative food outlets and classics. We had croissant at Blé Sucre. Lunch at Le Picotin. Stared at Medici Fountain in Jardin du Luxembourg. Ice cream from Amorino Gelato - Paris Huchette (sold by cup size). Dinner at Menelik (Ethiopia cuisine). 

Croissant at Ble Sucre was buttery yum. The canele had a bit medicinal after taste. Hmm. We ate it in a park called Square Trousseau. . 

The area  had young families gathering by the playground. Parents and child would play tag tiggy game. 

Bagels and chocolate stores nearby. 

Just stroll around Paris. 

Stopped by Notre Dame. We had ice cream at Armino. Sells by the size of cup and you can put several scoops of flavours into it. 

Day 24 - 14/4/2024 #Paris we started brunch at Sain Boulangerie (Rue des Gravilliers) > Saint-Eustache Church > Galeries Lafayette “gourmet” and “dome” + glass platform walk >  Printemps Haussmann roof top. Breath taking views all day. 

Brunch 

Shopping mall

Dome viewing 

Glass platform

Rooftop viewing on 7th floor of Printemps Haussmann building. 

Ramen for dinner at Hakata Choten (near Opera). It was Bro’s first time having black garlic oil in his pork broth. Hee hee. 

Day 25 - 15/4/2024 

In the wee morning my brother and I proceeded to double check our documentation and luggages. We checked out of the hotel. Bro had a sore throat. I did all the talking. It was cold as can be. We dragged out bags to bus stops in search of the one that goes to La Defense metro train station. It was the only metro station that goes to the CDG. That or you take a taxi. 

Once we got to the CDG airport, we saw shuttles, long corridors, several check points, and a circular building structure. Also, we were told we were too early for check-in. I went in search of hot food and cool drink for bro's burning throat and hunger. Boy, were there many students by Maccas. They were hidden behind the check-in counters. Big and plenty of signs for toilets.

After we got past all the security, custom, and tax check points, we made it into the oval hall for our flight gate. Bro wanted a place to nap, but everywhere were people excited and chatty. There were no shaded area for those who wish to rest. Nothing but lights and noise. It felt like a casino floor. No pharmacy either. I could not buy more supplies for bro. We had to wait until we reach Singapore airport and hope for the best. I gave bro my remaining cough lollies.

Singapore airport had two pharmacy and I was able to buy stronger medicine for bro. Another cool drink and hot food to eat. While I had treats. Damn those chatty old folks on mobile phones ruining bro's nap by the napping area. The butterfly area is still warm and beautiful as always. 

On the aeroplane I watched a fair few movies:

Anyone but you

Wish (Disney cartoon)

My SHINee World (over the decades concert highlights and reflection)

Ferrari

Dream Scenario

March 2024

The cold winds have started to gather their pace. The evenings are feeling just a little bit nippy now.

Work

Intense. An event at work was cancelled and was labelled as "risk to children", ouch, what a way to state it and publicly too. Um. I would have used another term instead. This really hurt the participating parties. Meanwhile, internally we are trying to grasp how we would like to celebrate "multicultural", I would say equal opportunity would suffice, since tea parties does not really make people feel good, it is more like a slap in the face. 

PoGo

The events are bland and not exciting. Arthur and I have gone into lazy mode. Just not catching as much and really sitting back.

Dating

The apps bore me at this point in time. I keep coming across scammers-liars.

=====

The vacation. 

Europe round 2. Italy - 10 day mediterranean sea cruise - France.

Day 0 - 21 March 2024

A hot day.  Tiding up little loose ends.  I will be taking my Kathmandu two piece jacket as it can be cold on aeroplanes and it might rain in cities. Climate change has changed seasons and making everything unpredictable and more wild weather. 

At Changi airport, terminal 3, gate 16, there was a hot water dispenser instead of a cold water one. The ladies and I who were in the queue could not help but laugh at how insane that was. In the end, we did find cold water to fill out water bottles. Bro suggested it might be for warming up milk bottles because it was located next to the parents room. I watched some movies on the aeroplane: Nun 2, Death in Venice, Barbie, Past Lives, Equaliser 3, and Priscilla. Bro found sleeping upwards a challenge. I could not help but doze off while watching movies.

Day 1 - 22 March 2024. Rome. 

Bro and I hit up the usual historical spots upon arrival. The Trevi fountain, Patheon, 3 fountains in Piazza Di Navona, Colosseum, Basilica San Pietro, Castel Sant Angelo. We admired them from the outside. Lunch at Pasta el Vino - Palombella near the Patheon. They made gluten free pasta for me. I had cacio e pepe and it was delicious. Bro had porchetta tapas. We went into a church. Basilica Di Saint Andrea Delle Valle. The ceiling was beautifully painted and decorated. There were many ceramic sculptures at this church. Plus it was free to enter too. Also, it is located on the main street. Dinner at Mama Eats Lab near Castel Sant Angelo. We tried to catch a bus back but the lady at the metro sold us a one way card board ticket instead of the 10 trip ticket booklet.

Day 2 - 23 March 2024. Bologna.

Bro and I popped over to Padova after missing 1 high speed train in Rome. I bought a pair of sunnies from the market by Prato della Valle. Ducked into Abbazia di Santa Giustina and The Basilica of St. Anthony Basilica di Sant'Antonio di Padova (omg! U get to touch S’Antonio tomb!). After a donation you get to take home an olive branch. 

We missed my booked train at Rome. Upon arrival it stated platform 27 then it changed to platform 10 in the last 10 minutes before departure. It was too far away to run for. The staff at the office box was able to book us on to next the train. Phew. While on the train the ticket inspector came by and said you have activate each person pass individually and add journey in advance and turn it on, even if you have paid for a seat reservation ages ago. The inspector showed us how to do it. Still I had to pay a fine of EU 100. Ah. My fault for not mastering how to add a journey and validate my fare. Well, at least we have a seat on board the train and we will get to our destination on time. 

After having dropped the suitcases off, we went to catch a train to Padova. It has really beautiful sculptures and small streets. It is the basilica that won bro over. Antonio tombstone. You were allowed to touch it without payment or a ticket! Wow. Visitors would bring a photograph of their children and pin it to the board. The painted ceilings. The gold relics. Metal gates in front of each chapel. Quite spectacular. No photograph allowed. Sad. The fountain Prato della valle was pretty. Surrounded by youth gathering around in clusters. Also, there was a Saturday market selling discount clothing, accessories, fruit, and flowers. We purchased sunnies and mandarins. We had to catch our train back to HQ and had to skip Scovergni chapel. Not enough time to browse and gawk. Also, ticketed entry. The tram was always packed! Lots of fare evaders here. Meanwhile, there were plenty of buses on the road. They go beyond the tram line. Just need to flag them down and you are good to go. Padova is a busy transfer station. A sea of youths would rush on in every hour. You gotta watch for pick pocketing people. 

Day 3 - 24 March 2024. Bologna.

Another sunny day in #Italy. Bro & I sussed out the #Bologna mercato. From Despar, Coop, to Mercato di Mezzo. Stroll thru Basilica di San Petronio, Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita, Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano, and Santuario Madonna di San Luca. 

The mandarin from the Padova market was nice for breakfast. Cools the throat. Basilica di San Petronio was Huge! Much of the area was sectioned off for mass attendees. It made sense. Sacred areas. One must respect their choice. Mercato di Mezzo was a small food hall. Oh. That’s what it is. Similar to Granville Market but smaller. We had a bite of some fried anchovies chips and they were salty delicious. Around the corner from Mercato di Mezza was a deli selling panino with fresh cuts of meat. It was called Tamburini. (Via Caprarie No. 1, 40224 Bologna). I had the mortadella e mozzarella bufula panino was very fulfilling and fluffy soft. Bro had the porchetta. The meat was buttery without needing to butter bread. Yum. We were unable to find the third arrow along the passage way. The more we walked along we came across the Basilica Collegiata dei Santi Bartolomeo e Gaetano. It was a cool spot to rest your feet. Note: there was no bench in sight. 

Then we went past Museo musica before walking to find bus 20 to go to San Luca hill. There we took the stairs up 1600 arch ways to the top to see Santuario Madonna di San Luca. It was gorgeous! The views of rolling hills, farms, and mountains were beautiful. Fresh air. Nothing but blue skies above this amazing structure. The interior was magnificent. We were allowed to walk up to the altar! The Madonna was encased in gold frame. Small as the painting of Mona Lisa. Hee hee. They had fresh water for bottle refill, a church shop, and toilets. 

I noticed all the churches hand over olive branches to visitors to take home with a simple request of a donation. You don’t give the branch to god though. You just take it home. 

We took the bus headed home, purchased some water bottles. The Coop supermarket had self check out machines but to get out you have to scan the barcode on your receipt against the pole or get stuck. A local kindly showed us what to do. We decided to rest and only wake up at 9pm. Since it was Sunday most late night joints were closed. We went to a pizzeria bar by the corner. Our pizza came out soggy. 

Day 4 - 25 March 2024. Florence.

Bro purchased a pistachio creamer croissant. It tasted yummy. 

The Bologna train station has monitors everywhere so you can watch if your train switches and arrives on another platform. Much better than Rome. It even has screens indicating coach numbers. Saving you time on working out where to line up. Feels just that little bit smoother. Now we know why the locals hang around the giant television screen each time they arrive at the train station. 

The morning walking tour was great. I learnt a great deal about influence and workmanship it took to build this city great architecture. Rings around old building were for horses. A crest was a family business marketing tool. 

The windows placement were designed by Michael Anglo for the

Medici family and he desired symmetry, support beam, mini roof above each one. All this was for the people’s well being. Each arch way makes a perfect square. Building design can bring about well being?

Porchetta with salsa verde panini from a store in a window and it was delicious. The meat was cut from a whole roasted pig.  Bro and mine were close to the head of the pig. Ew and Wow at the same time. The skin was clacking beautiful though. 

Grom ice cream was decent. Still it cannot beat Gelato Messina. 

The procession finally took off at 3pm near of the squares with a carousel. We saw men wore different outfit from the ages. Some carried flags, weapons, and even wheeled a small cannon. To see the changes that took place shows great maintenance of culture and language. 

The evening walking tour was also great. I learnt about merchant built churches. Crest. Monograms. Symbols. Shows of wealth and branding. 

Monday is not a good day to look for local produce, most of tiny food eatery were closed. Especially outside of Florence city center. 

The Mercato centrale was a big food hall. It had two floors of seating. A bar waitress would come around to take your drink order. How amazing. Bro and I had a glass of rose and coke cola. For dinner we ordered rigatoni carbonara and beef brisket with potato.  Tiramisu and mini pistachio layer cake. 

Day 5 - 26 March 2024. Venice.

The cafe at the train station served us hot drinks very quickly and tasted delicious. Pay at central counter and pick up by drink section. 

Marchini time (bar passticceria) near the Rialto bridge sold me a pistachio cookie with chocolate chips. Yum but dry. You have to be pushy to place an order here. 

Bro found a public toilet and once we made it in. A group of Chinese tourist tried to barge in. The staff at hand was very cool and heard the group. However, the tour guide was slack in clamping down her herd of people. I told one at a time and slowly in taking turns. 

The buildings here look a bit common. Only the few listed as tourist attraction were grand on the outside. The queues were long and bro didn’t want to line up. I didn’t book in advance just he didn’t want to see it. 

While on the water bus we saw lots of private gardens. When we walked around the narrow streets and come across bridge we saw how low the rooms are to the waters. 

The streets all blend into one. One can easily get lost here. Not great for people with bladder problem, heart issues, or need ambulance help. Rainy days make the place a slip hazard. The churches here prefer the grey appeal. Amazing ceilings. Grand chapels. 

Florian cafe was beautiful and classic service was top notch. The food was delicious too. Those who cannot withstand cream or need gluten free option might want to skip the dessert. 

Lots of glassware not robust or friendly for air travel sadly. A few scarf on sale. Some of the designs were tacky looking or plain for the price. Once you seen and touched fabrics from Japan, everything seem to be of poor workmanship. Overall, it seems Italy only has churches and paintings of Christ. It makes you wonder else are there here to do.

Oh. Racism exists outside the touristy area of Venice. I kid you not. There this place refused to sell a cookie tin. Those who came after me ordering coffee got responses. Cf.  https://maps.app.goo.gl/Tqrk5tGgVw7etWe66?g_st=ic

The water bus is fun way to experience and see Venice. All day ticket is a great. There are some

Fare evaders here. Lots of school groups and walking tour groups. 

By the time we got back to Bologna, we put down our bag and went to dinner in the city centre. Bro said it was my fault for not telling him to bring warm clothes. I said I’m not your mother and I would never buy clothes for you or tell you what to wear. I’m a traveller who carries all season layered clothing. That’s how I’ve been rolling for 20 years. How can I teach someone who won’t listen and just watches YouTube all day long? Seriously? There is the Internet and it tells you the weather everyday and forecasts. For fuck sake learn to look up information on your own. 

Day 6 - 27 March 2024. Milan.

The day started off rainy and cold. Upon arrival we were greeted with a giant station and you had to go 3  to 4 floors below to reach the Metro station. There we brought the 24 hr transit ticket for 7.50 Euros. Which is cheaper than city pass 15 Euros. We saved 50%. Hooray!

We got to the Milan Duomo on time. We entered with no problem. Only a small section was open to the public. The centre and the altar was off limits. The crypt and roof is an extra cost. I got the combo ticket online. We had to exit the church and go to gate 1. From there security found bro had a pocket knife in his bag. Why would anyone carry that to church. Anyways, security took it and we were allowed to proceed up to the roof top. For someone who is into hotels and travelling overseas totally forgot the rules of prohibited items. Also, there is no point in yelling at me. I’m not the idiot traveller.  Besides who needs to clip his nails in public! I just sand down my nails, I’ve never clipped them in public. 

Besides the minor drama. The view from the rooftop was amazing! Way better the duomo in Florence. Every spire was adorn with a sculpture. Every inch of the way was slippery due to rain. You can easily fall off the balcony. The marble staircase was steep. No chance of filming it. It would be a balance problem to be holding your mobile phone and grappling the walls. Definitely an experience. More than a dome. More than city views. It is praying on a rooftop. Wait! How did those monks in robes move around this duomo? Hmm. The coin souvenir machine asked for 2 euro and 5 cents. I had no 5 cents. Oh well. No Milan Duomo coin then. 

After the journey of the booked and paid for visit to the rooftop. We went to the old open mall to use the toilet and eat ribs n burgers for lunch. The place had high end brands and some restaurants. Most of the tourist and I posed in the centre on top of the shield. I twirled anticlockwise and posed in the centre of the old Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and made a few people laugh. I hope good luck will come my way. 

We then walk to Uniqlo to buy bro some warm clothes and jacket at the lowest price. Those he could have bought clothes at Padova market for a fraction of the price. Oh wells. Two jackets and merino wool jumper later he felt better. 

The Castello Sforzesco was huge! Free to enter. I saw four cats. The park behind it had squirrels. We headed to the giant arch and went to catch tram 10. As we got closer to the tram stop bro said he has misplaced his day pass. Ugh. Dude learn to put things into pockets. We are travelling here. Found it after a tram has left. Lucky they were frequent and you can hop on any time before 6pm. 

The canal was empty on one side and full of eatery offering happy hour drinks with buffet. I took a break to try gelato made by CioccolatItaliani and it was yummy. A whole hazelnut can be found in the chocolate ice cream. The frozen chocolate on the wafer and drizzled on my ice cream looked like magic chocolate as it harden. I chose the dark chocolate option. 

There were two bridges where tourists can pose and one had pad locks on them. At least we found it. After a short stroll, the canal was empty of shops and bars, becoming a residential area. We proceed to find a tram stop to take us to a shopping strip street. It had lots of brands and bland clothes. We got bored and went back to the main station for a light dinner. Venchi store has delicious chocolates, it had either filled orange jelly or pistachio nuts in the centre. I got mom a book box. Yay!

Day 7 - 28 March 2024. Civitaveechia.

The regional train to Rome had no baggage storage facility. So much families on board. Poor bro had to sit by the corridor. We will need to book our transfer train once we arrive in Rome. The regional train to Civitaveechia was packed with people with suitcases. There isn’t much space for all. We were just able to find pull out chairs by the doors. Meanwhile, the suitcases were left in the pram area. Heh. Wrong I know. 

Civitaveechia is a port town with rough waters. Otherwise, it could have been a beautiful beach town. They actually close restaurant between 2-6pm around here. There is a shuttle bus to cruise for 6 euros. The hotel has a personal shuttle bus that leaves at 11am for 15 euros and direct to the door. 

We took the regional train back to Rome to eat gelato one more time and buy two more book boxes. Venchi spoils me. We had a light lunch and when up a hill to look at the Colosseum up close. One more time. The lasagna from a cafe set off the hives in me. I took my medicine and sat by the stone bench shaking. It took 2 hours for it to settle down. We walked back to the station to buy some snacks and caught a train back to Civitaveechia. 

Day 8 - 29 March 2024. Civitaveechia.

We had brekkie at the Mercato Central. L’Angolo Della Carne. 2 Porchetta sandwiches. Spicy herb sauce. The butcher offered bro a sample of the pork jerky. The streets around the market were lively after 10am. People would fill the streets and cafes. We did not wonder too far, as we had a shuttle bus to catch.

The shuttle bus from the hotel did take us directly to the entrance of the check-in for the cruise ship. Neat.

Some of the Princess packages were 50% off when you purchase on board via the QR code or queue up and speck to the cruise’s guest service desk staff. We skipped it.

There were no general ship tour. Only back of house kind of tour available said Lee. The stateroom guest room attendee. 

Corinne. The ship entertainment director gave a presentation.

Dial 5555 - dining reservations.

Deck 6 & 7 - Formal dining style. 

Deck 8 - Americano. 10pm. All day meals. No booking required. 

Deck 9 - The Eatery (buffet). 

International cafe - 24/7 food. The drinks are not included. 

Nive. The customer service manager. Lead a tour showing the main eating spots. Horizon hall has 3 floors. The specialty restaurants have limited seating so reservation is a must. A few of the bars will offer live music. Princess Live small room offers entertainment and demonstrations through out the day. 

I went and proceed to walk around the ship a bit longer. I learnt only through the midship lift can you find doors on deck 17 and 18 that leads to pools. Which you then take outside stairs to deck 19. 

Bro found the laundry mat and went to line up. He felt bored and stressed. I told him, he can go to deck 9 to eat anything and drink anything he liked. It was the buffet station. He started to calm down a little after that. Bro spent most of his time doing laundry and returning to his room to sleep.  While I waited for the sail away party and it was so so. Felt like shopping centre level entertainment. 

In the evening, Bro and I attended a jewellery talk about diamonds and received a green stone sun pendant. We watched David Myers and musicians perform. It was brilliant. Dinner at Horizon Hall was ok, service was slow, you have to be pushy be noticed. The staff refused to answer if a meal was an additional cost for those who did not buy the food package. It frustrated Bro. 

Bro went for smoko. I went to watch Movie under the stars. The staff setup different lounge chairs and placed a blanket on each one. Tonight’s movie was Avatar: The way of water. Bro later joined me and watched the ending of the movie. He enjoyed the experience of sitting outdoors and watching a movie. 

=====

Day 9 - 30 March 2024 at Sea. 

When you don’t buy a package or upgrade or stay in the signature suites. Your questions goes unanswered in the apps. Quite the discrimination. Oh the messages comes through at 8:52am! Omg. Woke up to watch My Big Fat Greek wedding at 10am. I had an early lunch from The Eatery. Attended another shopping talk and fell asleep in it. I got another black stone sun pendant from it. 

The eye treatment session was delayed and then cancelled. We had a introduction to Spanish lesson. Bro went back to room to nap. I went to watch Snowball bingo and Music Spoon lesson in the Irish O’Malley bar. Then I went and did 30 minutes of brisk walking on deck 19. 

The captain champagne reception was well received. A lot of people dressed up informal gear for the evening event. We had free bubbles for once. So many events here seem to skip on the bubbles when it was listed in the program. Johan Anderson sang Winners Takes All in Swedish language. Wow. Quite the good arena show. After that we watch the rest of the movie Megan. Bro was shocked by its advancement and hilarious dance moves. 

=====

Day 10 - 31/3/2024 at Sea

Slept in. Then proceed to The Eatery for a fish curry and Thai green curry, and strawberry mousse for lunch. 

We went to another sparkle event. I learnt about the table head of the diamond is old and dated. Americans prefer dome top diamond. The brand that creates it was called Crown of Light. Run by Diamond International company. I have never heard of them. I can see why people rob those who have been on a cruise through the Carriabeen Sea. 

2:30pm, Dk4, The Landing. Spanish language lesson. We had a good lesson on placing a food order. H between two vowels is not pronounced. Accent letter means we emphasis that syllable. Ción = Sion. 1 glass of white wine. Cameraro por favore, un copa vino blanco. Paella = Paell-yo-a

3:30pm Dk 19. Topple the Giant Tower.

A group of us took turns to take a block without toppling the tower. The wind would like a turn too. The first attempt ended pretty quickly. The second time in a corner we managed to do 1 and half rounds. A few time the wind wanted to topple the tower. Luckily, we had 4 people who knew to how to play it. It was so much fun. 

Rest in room. Bro watched The Bullet Train. 

6pm, Dk7, P/Live. Genoa w Destination Expert Johanna. The expert cannot tell me where to buy bus ticket. They only know about excursions and trains. Odd.

7:30pm, Dk 6, dinner. They had an Easter theme dinner. Cool. The food was bland.

8pm or 10pm, Dk, Arena. The Trawlermen: Furious Folk. Scot and Irish performers. Doing cover songs. Quite a few patrons left the arena after the first two songs. 

February 2024

Stars are not lining up for my family in lottery winnings. I feel tired when people give me a shopping list when I am already busy as it is. The weather has been super hot on the weekends that it can melts brains.

Work

More and more people resign for some reason each week. Project work wise we still carry on and hope to meet our goals. A few of my projects were positively received than others. Still no all gendered toilet or maternity fitted toilets. Accessible toilets in staff areas.

PoGo

By far the most successful aspect in my life. With the increased lucky friends I was able to trigger lucky with many of my friends. One player and I traded a shiny Rayquaza and it went HUNDO! Ah! OMG! Me of all people got it. This was unbelievable, especially when so many players were concerned that I will milk them for a hundo legendary. Well, well, there are players out there who are not afraid of me getting a  successful outcome from the trade. Besides it just one pokemon. 

Then I was able to catch a Galarian Zapdos with an ultra ball and golden raspberry. OMG! Followed by a rare hatch of a Larvesta. Oh yeah! 

Then a normal trade turned into a lucky hundo Drampa. The most newest pokemon to date.

Dating

Fake people still. One insists on talking about Bitcoin, ugh! Another boast about how he can beat others in sports. Yawn. These are not even AI. They lack conversation skills. 

And another one asked if I would be keen to move to another chat app just to waste my time and sell me Bitcoin, ugh. The person never message back within the dating app since.

January 2024

I get that grey skies make for a gloomy day. However, that does not mean we give up working on projects. Projects mean something to someone somewhere. It will bear fruit if you just put in the effort. No what people say. People seem to always have a perspective, they wish to share, which is fine, but do not go asserting them badly and destroying people's project goals. 

Such as when mom wanted to throw out the burn slices of white peaches. I said I can save them and I asked her kindly to set them aside. Sure, mistakes in cooking can happen, but try to understand the vision of the dish being put together. before binning someone's effort. Gosh. I just had remind her that we not rich and we cannot indulge in food waste, as we would only be poorer. Besides I did manage to save 75% of flesh for each piece. I am good at salvaging food from becoming trash unnecessarily. Sis and Bro found the peaches added a touch of sour and sweetness to the pork mince in our tacos. Everyone finished their small bowl of taco meat with ease. Phew. New Year Eve meal solved!

PoGo

No hundo gained from this Christmas event.

Work

I was lucky to given the week off.

Dating

It seems to be on a pause at the moment. Well, I am no hot AI lady. Just a human full of flaws.