Friday, April 6, 2012

♥ Lisbon

Lisbon kind of sneaked up on me. Didn’t know what to expect and ended up being blown away by the city. Portugal is often side-lined when people plan for Europe trip. I don’t know why, probably because there is no direct flight from KL. But seriously, Lisbon is amazing. I love the unique hilly neighbourhoods, the charming cobblestone and mosaic streets, the friendly people, the artsy quirky shops and the city is utterly romantic.

I realised I haven’t even posted photos of our last year’s Europe trip into Facebook. Mainly because my travel companion only passed the photos from her camera over not too long ago, and after such a long gap, I got lazy to sort them out.

Anyway, take a look at some here..

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Rua Augusta in Baixa, downtown Lisbon, leading to Praça do Comércio through the arch. Our guesthouse is very near in walking distance to this lively street with row of shops, cafes, and occasionally street artists performing.

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The popular tram 28 is the way to go around passing through the old quarters and climbing steep hills.

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All the walking up & down hills were good exercise too to tone those leg muscles!

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Yes, we stepped into many narrow alleys and I even enjoyed getting lost there.

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Great weather for outdoor dining. One of these restaurant even provides blanket for customers who are cold.

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Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) - Vasco da Gama's resting place.

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It's amazing seeing art everywhere, whether you're looking up or down.

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Discoveries Monument (Padrão dos Descobrimentos). The monument symbolizes a ship on which embarked famous figures from the prolific era known as the Age of Discoveries. You'll see the Malacca map crafted on the stone too.

It was right after the rain stopped and we were kind of freezing, resulting in silliness such as this :

how to make a gif


Found a very nicely produced short film that I heart too (I LOVE the song!) -
What do You Love about Lisbon?



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

For the Love of Books

I love books. I love to read them, to touch them, smell them, to spend time happily wandering around bookstores to browse for them, to wrap them up when I have them in my possession, to stack them up in piles, to line them up on shelves. I love looking at them, so yes, it can be said that I’m also a borderline hoarders of books. They bring me a great deal of satisfaction. My book collection is currently not all that large, but it is growing. Currently, my book buying funds are pretty much non-existent, but between my prioritization; I’ve been spending more on books than my once lavish clothes and accessories shopping.

I used to keep track of my booklist manually, but have recently started listing my inventory online. After virtualizing my library, I still need to deal with the actual books. You know, the books that demand on taking up space and they are ever expanding. It’s my day dream to have a home library.

You should probably take a look at the state of my current one before I proceed..

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Yes, I’ve perfected the art of double and triple-stacking the books – cramming rows of books beside & on top and more above them. I don’t have a photo, but 4 years ago when I wrote this, my bookshelves in my room at my parent’s place were much more presentable than what I have now. My now husband, bf then, promised a better planning & storage in our future home. Alas, 3 years later, I’m still waiting...

Every avid reader imagines a personal home library. Whether it be something simple, contemporary or extravagant, we all imagine having one to call our own.

Some of my dream home library inspirations..

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By the way, you may browse through my bookshelves here and offer a swap if you have something I’m interested to read too (but I do want my book back). Or you may make a rental donation if you would like to check out any of the books, in the name of my future home library. Otherwise, my dear friends, I’m sorry, my days of generous books lending have ended. I am deeply in need of funds or options for new reading materials.

And if you will excuse me, I have a book waiting for me right now..

What are you currently reading?