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incendavery · 7 years

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gosh, thank you! that is so sweet??? I hope you (and any other of my followers who celebrate!) have/had a very happy Eid!💖 💕

on another note, I’ve finally gotten around to cleaning out my askbox! under the cut is almost every ask I’ve gotten that i haven’t answered in the past.... I’m not sure. it’s been a WHILE though.

as a warning, there’s all sorts of stuff, and it’s all untagged! also also, if you sent one of these asks and want me to remove it, just let me know!

yes!! @fuckaspunk IS super sweet and talented and i AM very lucky to have them! and I’ve heard from reliable sources that the feeling is mutual~~💕

i’m glad my comics make you feel less alone; that’s a rough situation you’re in. i really hope you find yourself in a better environment soon!

thank you!!!💕

thank you for understanding! and yes, aidan is a huge help to me??? even when they’re not answering asks, they’re always supporting me in some way, whether that’s making sure I’ve eaten enough, or talking me through my anxiety, or all the other ways they’re there for me every single day💕💕

ok, my tips are!!:

draw as much as possible! even if it’s just lines and shapes with no meaning, you’re still developing your hand/eye skills

BUT: dont draw if you’re not feeling it! if you’re feeling fried, it’s better to take a break. go on a walk to somewhere scenic, read your favorite book, listen to some new music, hang out with friends, or just take a nap! rest up and find some inspiration! you can come back to your sketchbook when you feel energized again

draw stuff that you like! you’ll improve way faster if you’re passionate about what you’re doing

look at art you like with a critical eye. try to examine the different components and figure out what you think works or doesn’t work. try incorporation those components into your own work

read a lot of tutorials and other resources, but take what they say with a grain of salt

ultimately, remember that the only real rule to drawing is that doing it should make you happy

good luck!! i do my best not to pick, but it’s a real struggle; i have lots of scars from it too. ;v; im cheering for you!!!

ALWAYS!!!! if you do, please show me!! my notifications get real busy, but anyone is welcome to IM me any time!

thank you! i actually get very worried about my style; i tend to admire artists with complex linework and delicate shading, so i often feel my style is far to simple! so thank you!!

that is really high praise????? gosh??!?!?!? best of luck with the next three years; i hope you grow to be someone you like even better than me!

thank you!!

peanut time is the best!! i haven’t gotten to do a proper one in a while though ;-; i’ve mostly been feeding the crows on my way back home from night shifts, when i give them the reject eggs from the continental breakfast.

wow, neat!! chickens are so wonderful; i cont wait until i can have some of my own :>

dont be nervous! i know i can be hard to get ahold of over the internet (bc i get overwhelmed easily) and hard to talk with irl (bc i get so nervous and interacting w ppl doesn’t come naturally to me AT ALL) but honestly i?? love making new friends??!

thank you!!? im thankful every day that someone as radient as aidan is in my life for the long haul

thank you!!!!!!!💕

i completely feel that? its ok to hit rough patches! just do your best!!

i dont remember what i felt bad about but THANK YOU💕💕

honestly its done me worlds of good to share my art?? hearing people talk about how they go through all the same shit i do makes me feel so much less alone, especially on the toughest days! so i guess thank you, and thank you?

youre welcome!!!! :>

huh!! i dont know much about shoegaze (other than thinking abt that post abt the guy who pronounced it like fugazi I THINK ABT THAT EVERY TIME) but thats real neat!! im glad youve found something that works for you!!

hey, neat middle name! and youre very welcome; i hope things have been looking up for you since you sent this?💕

i dont remember when this was from but im currently doing really well with my meds!! i switched to a combination of lexapro in the morning and benadryl in the evening, and its been working super well!✨

thank you??!! ;o; i would love to see all your favorite birds!!

hey, right back atcha!!!

ty!!!

hey. thank YOU

you’re absolutely not bothering me! thank you so much!!

!!!!!!!!!!

hey, nice! im glad you like both me and my music!

gosh thanks?!?!

she is the most beautiful and handsome!!!!!!!!!!!! i love her! thank you from both of us!!!!

aw, gosh! im sure i like you too!!

this was from.... A WHILE AGO.... but youre welcome?? i just wish i could have done more

hey, thank you so much!!!!!

thank YOU and a very very belated merry christmas!!!

that does make sense!! reconciling friendships and crushes is tricky business. the best i can say to you is to be as honest and open with each other as you can

i dont personally get those, but ive heard of people experiencing them as a sideeffect when coming off or switching meds

i think these two are part of the same message? but oh man yeah that sucks when ppl are misgendering you AND hitting on you at the same time. on a different note, ive never heard of using a corset to stim before! neat!

i mean, 1. depression doesn’t care if you have a “””good””” reason and 2. ive literally never met anyone w depression (including myself) who thinks that they do have a “””good””” reason for having it. thats the insidious part of depression, is that it makes you think that theres nothing wrong and that its all just you not measuring up in some way

so i guess that would make you.... someone with depression?

real BAD

💕 💖 💞 💓 💗

not yet haha THANK YOU

hey, im glad you like it!! since this blog has gotten so big, its kinda my happy place to be? (for anyone wondering, my reblog blog/personal is @spinels!

that IS a fun fact!! thank you!

it’s absolutely ok! i get a little bitter when people take my work WAY out of context (for example, straight people removing the caption that says “im just really gay” before tagging their bf/gf) but i am 100% ok and happy with people relating to my work in a different way than i intended (ex: a comic i made about being ashamed of my derma getting reblogged by someone struggling to be ok w their visible burn scars)

hoo gosh, thank you!!

glad to have you here!! im glad people can relate to some of the weirdly specific shit i write about tbh???

i’m sorry its taken so long for me to get back to you; that a terrible situation

if you have a teacher you trust, i would absolutely bring it up to them. that is 100% not an ok thing for those kids to be doing. at all.

im glad you at least have your friends that support you!

:0 WAIT is this someone i know through ucsc?? :0 :0 :0

aaaa thank you! that is high praise ;v;

i have no words; this is such a touching message. thank you so much ;v;

this is belated but!! the main creative community i can recommend is kzsc, the radio station! i had a real cool time there, and its a great way to make friends and connect with ppl of all sorts! :0

yeah, its totally normal! ive had roommates ive been super tight with, and roommates who i barely ever hung around with. its natural! i doubt you’ll finish college w/o finding a roomie that you get ~The Roomie Experience~ with though, even if its like a housemate or s/t!! ;0

i’ve never been told that, actually! neat!! (and wow?? i cant believe i inspire ppl.... wow......... what a concept tbh??)

oh yikes... i do hope youre feeling better :( im glad my comics can help a little bit at least!

💕 💖 💞 💓 💗!!!

HUGS

i dont remember what this was in reference to, but good to know?

also good to know!?

i think the crows and jays do! i dunno about the squirrels and other birds. and thank you!!

the youth gang..... i love it..... how good???!

i wrote about getting yuri right here! he’s a southern alligator lizard and i love him to bits.

heres a pic of the Long Boy doin his thing:

hey neat! i’m glad youve chosen a lame you can be proud of!!💖

ive never heard of that!! wow

what play is this?? :0 :0 :0 im so curious now!!

oh SHUCKS...,,,,,,,,,, ;v;

hahahaha omg thank u

i dont actually have any more of them interacting, unfortunately! the owl isnt one specific person, like a lot of my characters are meant to represent. the owl more represents as a whole all the people i run into in my life that i am very very gay for.

thank you!!!

youre very welcome! im glad you feel better!!!!

aaa gosh thank you!!!

hhhhfgh ive gotten less of it recently BUT YEAH that was bad times™️

thanks for the info!!! :0

no problem! a lot of the credit honestly goes to @fuckaspunk, who is always keeping me updated on that sort of stuff.

i didn’t know that! a lot of the symbolism seems to come from multiple sources sometimes, from what ive seen?

aaaa gosh omg thank you ;v;

aw thank you???!!

nice!!! oct 24 bdays go!!!

thank you!! it really does mean a lot actually!!!!!!!

of course?? antisemitism cant be ignored in this fight

aw, thats so cute! id love to hear what headcanons you have tbh???

hey thanks?! this is really cool to hear, tbh. i try to be positive most of the time, but im not going to like,,, kid myself when im not feeling it and im glad that other people can appreciate that too, ya know?

wow!!

(this one!) thank you i love that one too???!

hey, im glad you found your way here!! thank you so much!!!

aaaa ty!

hmmm i have two leopard geckos, and they made very good beginning lizards for me and aidan! but i would maybe ask someone a bit more experienced than me, like @kaijutegu or @wheremyscalesslither!!

thank you!!

one day at a time! (but seriously, thank you!!)

yummy yummy sauce...... ty!!!

awww, gosh! thank you!?

AAAA TY BOTH I GET SO SELF-CONSCIOUS ABT MY VOICE,,,,, ;o;

:0 i havent watched that, but it sounds rly cool!!

i like that fun fact a lot! ty!!

pae stands for paerlin, which is what @fuckaspunk‘s internet handle used to be! i used it to refer to them on my blog in secret back when they still didnt know i had a crush on them.... ;//v//;

aaaaa thank you!!! ;o;

nice nice nice ty!!

>:0 get back down here!! (jk that’s rly neat! highfive!!)

those are all good words that i like!! thank you!!!!

i dont know anything about him, but i looked him up and i guess i can see it?!

@fishcrow is really cool! ive never really interacted with them, but im p sure were mutuals...? anyway yeah their comics are rly cute and cool!

that is me! thank you; i hope things go well for you as well!

hello to you too!

aaaa ty!!! tbh the number of nice anons i get way way way outnumbers the mean ones <3

thank you! thank YOU for existing!

:0 chocolate croissant, here i come!!!

thank you!!!!!!💕

its literally my pleasure!!!

aaa ty!!! 💕💕

hehe im glad!

sldf;j;sfjdklfdslfjs thank you so much?????? what a compliment omg gosh

yeah!! i have a hard time on settling what class id be, but i feel like id be a heart player!

ohh um! im not sure which pens youre referring to, but if you mean the ones I use for my comics, i color them with Winsor & Newton ProMarkers, and I do the lines with a purple fine-point Sakura Gelly Roll Classic pen! i also use micron pens of all different sizes and colors in some of my non-diary comic art!

aww thank you so much!!

:0 :) :0 !!!!!!

ty!!! ive grown to love him very much as well!!

thank you! i hope you are doing well also!!

i love them very much?!! id put a picture but i dont have one with all four of them so instead imagine me lying on the floor crying abt how much i love them bc thats me basically every day

you dont mean......

?!?!?!?!?!?!

awwww ty!!!

HEY WOW

aaa gosh thank you!💕

DOUBLE FOLLOW

gay dragons combine the best of both very good things: gay and dragons. im glad you appreciate them w me tysm ;v;

aaa what a lovely message! ty💕

3rd-shift-working, depression-having, corvid-loving solidarity fistbumnp!!!!

huh! ive never heard of that; ill check it out maybe!!

ah im really glad? tysm!!💕

my understanding is that it helps people who have text-to-speech readers? but im honestly not as well informed on that as i should be!

hell yeah!!!!

gosh!!!!!

hnmngnhng youve probably already made a decision but i just gotta say.........shadow rulez

delicious!!

i havent!! i really want to though!

oh man ALL THE TIME. i usually try to either reality check with someone i trust, or to do an activity thats easy and i know i can do, or both!

i love andre and karl!!! its actually a huge influence on me and my art tbh???

i had a good (and safe) trip! ty!!!

hey, thank you!!!

oh jeez thats bad :( i think this was in response to when i needed to wait between med refills?

i cant give a precise reason, tbh! when it comes to whats lucky, i just sort of.... go with my gut, ya know?

thank you!! 👍

that sure sounds like insomnia! its almost hard for me to say tbh, bc ive had trouble sleeping for as long as i can remember, so NOT having trouble sleeping is bizarre and unrealistic to me haha... but i think the bottom line is, if its interrupting your daily routine and making it hard for you to have enough energy, then its something you should look into remedies for!

:0 :0 :0

ohhh how nice! ill give it a try! :>

omg,,,, nope, just me!

thank you!!!!!!

honestly? thats such a good way to look at it i love the idea of my blog as a big zine

always!!!!! go for it!!!

hey, thank you so much!!!!!

omg, thats so great! thank you!

im so glad; thank you!!!

thank you so much!💖 (and mexico, neat! i love hearing where people are following from??)

aaaaaaaaaaaa ;//v//; thank you??? i get so happy whenever ppl tell me they like my singing aaaaaaa

aw, hey, no worries! money is all well and good, but in some ways, messages like this mean just as much!

its cool that comic gave you plural feels! im def not a system though :>

its tricky, isnt it? i still feel like im no good at it lmao

LISTEN,,, there is a 99.9999% chance i wont notice, and a 100% chance i wont judge. reblog away!

THANK YOU ARENT THEY THE BEST I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

thank you!! i hope you have a good day as well!

aaa ty!!💖

aa ty! (what a cool name!!! im kind jealous ngl!)

awww thank you💖

i do my best! i just worry when im not active, bc i tend to connect my self-worth to my output (;^; )

aaaaa ty!! 💖

!!!!!!!!!!!! omg wow i love being called a pretty boy???? ty???????

hey, neat! crow high-five!

aw, thank you!!! 💖

im doing my best! thank you so much, messages like this really help when im in a place like that tbh ;v;

gosh this is so sweet? thank you so muhc !!?

thank you all!! im sorry that saying thank you over and over sounds so repetitive, but i truely do mean it for every one of you!!!

i am..... one of those things!

well thank you!!

ohoho~✨

thank you! and honestly im sure it does??

hey, cool! good for you!!!!!!! and ty!!

aw gosh thank you!💖

hey, wow! thats super cool; thank you so much!

(i dont follow the first person i followed on tumblr anymore.... they became a hockey blog rip haha)

aaaah, thank you so much!!

almost???

i do!! drunken lullabies is an absolute banger!!!!!!!!!!

i am!!!! thank you!!

aw, ty!!! 💖

hee hee, thank you!

my biggest tip honestly?? have someone who can be by your side to help you with... basically everything... during your recovery. bc trust me, i was n o t a v a i l a b l e. i spent a lot of my recovery playing 2048 at the same time as watching tv, bc doing both at once distracted me from how much the bandages itched.

thank you!! (i think this was in reference to getting top surgery!)

how shitty??????? yikes. i hope your supervisor has your back??? bc wow????

hey!!! thank you!!! i draw all my comics traditionally on paper! im not sure what you mean by the writing though? if you mean the word bubbles, i do those by hand on paper too!

I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT FEELING,,,, im so happy ppl talk to me, but i get really nervous about saying the wrong thing.

when i’m down, i usually crave validation. i like being reminded about things ive done right! i also like gentle reality checks, like, ‘hey: this is the situation, this is what we can do about it. ok? ok’

i unfortunately dont have any!! i had a couple at one point, but they’ve since been lost to the depths of my old laptop. and hey, thank you so much!!

now thats a nifty trick!! im terrible at telling all my white tablets from each other lmao

!!!!!!! ITS ME!!!!!!!!

maybe you just need some space? i know i sometimes temporarily block people i know, if i need some private space or if i dont trust myself to keep cool and solve problems constructively. do what you need to do to feel at ease, and go from there, ya know?

thank you!!!

its,,,, up somewhere above in this monster post lmao i,m so sorry,,,,

thank you so much!!!

WOW NO WORRIES??,,,,,,,,, INCREDIBLE 10/10???????

all four of these came right after i gave myself a hair cut and THANK YOU SO MUCH??? i live for validation and it feels so good to have my actions affirmed ;o;

#WOW THAT TOOK LIKE THREE HOURS HAHA #hopefully next time it wont be as long!!#daveanswersstuff #long post

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jchichibu · 8 years

Text

Everything about my exchange in Europe/Sweden.

Hej!!! (is it too long never hej someone already)

It’s been almost 4 months since I have been back from my exchange at Umeå University in Sweden and everything has been moving so quickly ever since I was back. Firstly, I was back on 16 January 2016, which means school in NTU has actually already started. My last exam in Sweden was 15 Jan :( Secondly, transitioning back to $tre$$fuLyf3 Singapore education isn't the easiest thing to do right after a 7.5-month break from NTU. Thirdly, having cleared very little/very lame AUs during exchange, I wanted to focus a lil more this sem. Hence I had to chuck the idea of wanting to blog something about my exchange till when I've got more time.

And now that finals are ended, LAO NIANG CAN SIT DOWN AND SAY WHAT I WANT 'CUZ EXCHANGE WAS THE DAMN BIG THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME!!!!!!!

Ok that being said, I'm not going to make this like a travelogue/tips on how to travel on a budget because I really am not the best person travelling (but i do have a friend, buttergoesbudget) because I have literally forgotten many places that I'd been to and eaten at, and I wasn't the biggest/best saver.

However having made quite a lot of mistakes during exchange, what I've got here are my experiences from exchange and I hope to share to whoever who wants to read, and hopefully will be useful for those heading to Europe/Sweden for exchange :) Also pardon my limited vocab and simple compo writing, I shall just pen my thoughts as if I'm talking to someone irl ok LOL

Some background story...

current major | Mathematics and Economics (NTU SPMS) year of exchange | Year 3 Semester 1, Autumn semester place of exchange | Umeå, Sweden host university | Umeå University (I took economics mods there, they do not offer many math mods) duration of exchange | 3 Aug 2015 to 15 Jan 2016

I shall skip the preliminaries such as how to go on an exchange, course matching etc 'cuz I've forgotten LOL and jump into my 10 things I think will be useful for those going exchange! Ok here we go.

1) Air tickets (from and to Singapore)

Vanessa and I actually got our deal from STA Travel, which mainly includes:

Qatar Airlines

Stopover at Dubai

Ticket from Singapore to Rome

Ticket from Stockholm to Singapore

1 change of date back to Singapore FREE

40KG baggage limit

Max stopover was maybe at most 2 hours, wasn't long at all

We also got our ISIC (International Student Identity Card) done for FREE as a complementary (usual cost about sgd 25 I think). I thought owning this card was definitely not an essential but it was nice to have it as I did receive some good deals via ISIC card (you can check their discounts at different countries in their website).

I got my 2-way tickets for SGD 1440. I am quite sure this isn't the cheapest. But the 1 change of date and 40kg baggage limit were useful because I did change my flight back once and my baggage was freakin' on-the-dot 40kg. So don't underestimate these benefits included!

2) Pre-trip planning

I'm typing more for pre-trip because the time period is kinda more predictable than the trips in between school. Maybe some ideas to help you kickstart planning for your pre-trip! After your pretrip, I'm pretty damn sure your other trips will be much easier to plan (or even last min!)

Travel mates:Initially the pre-trip only consisted of Van and I, but Hui Cheng and Yi Jin joined in :)

It was just 4 girls and I think it was a good number because too many people sibei mafan, but too little people quite dangerous. My parents had concerns about only 4 girls travelling but I guess they were ok after a while. But of course, always nice to have some guys around!

Choosing where to visit: We all did not have any preferences to places to go as everyone haven't been to Europe before. Hence we simply followed the common route most people do, we planned on: Rome → Venice → Florence → Pisa → Cinque Terre → Milan → Paris → Amsterdam So basically there was no particular reason how we chose our route, but for those who are as new to Europe as us, I must say it was a doable and fun route. And for suaku me, being able to witness The Colosseum, Vatican City, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Green light district of Amsterdam and Anne Frank House within 2.5 weeks was definitely sth familiar yet Europey to me! And can haolian to people you've been there seen those *flips hair*

However, the only bad part was probably the weather. On our first few days, it was super hot like 37°C during the daytime (early Aug) when we arrived at Rome (Singapore felt incomparable) (or was it) and I legit had a heatstroke-feeling-moment when I was in the Colosseum. But the nights are pretty chilly which was good. And then, within like 2 weeks or so, it was starting to get really cold by the time we were in Amsterdam (mid August). Cinque Terre vs Amsterdam within 2 weeks: From wearing like this...

to wearing like this.

So the weather changes up pretty quickly due to the how the seasons change, something not every Singaporean will understand (ie, me before exchange) and it gets quite unpredictable. Which means, you need to pack your summer and slightly warming clothing. But I managed through lower temperatures in Paris and Amsterdam with my baseball jacket and beanie (which I bought there). One note is that perhaps starting from lower parts of Europe (Spain, Portugal etc) can be a good alternative pre-trip route too, so as to get used to the temperatures in Europe and also the temperatures do not flactuate too much.

Duration of trip: We travelled from 3 August 2015 to 21 August 2015 (about 18 days). It was a good duration for me, not too long, not too short. But can I say I got a little sick of moving from place to place every few days :( Remember you are new to travelling for a relatively long time and travelling is not always rainbows and unicorns, it really gets tiring.

This was the days spent in each city and my comments wrt the duration:

Rome- 5D4N: Had to adjust body clock, set aside time to settle my luggage matters and a full day in Vatican city. There were many things to see in Rome so duration was ok

Venice- 3D2N: duration was sufficient

Florence- 4D3N: too long LOL for me. I thought Florence was pretty normal only haha

Pisa- 3+HRS: too short LOL could have spent a lil longer but definitely less than a day. Although we only wanted to see the Leaning Tower in Pisa, taking the perfect shot of it took a loOooooOoong time and the distance by foot from Tower to train station was about 20min

Cinque Terre- 3D2N: loooove this place, wouldn't mind an extra day or 2 to properly visit all the islands! And even chill in the beaches

Milan- 8HRS: was a stopover so we did not do much actually besides eating and shopping at train station haha

Paris- 4D3N: would have liked an extra day to visit Disneyland!!! :( (which is quite a distance from the central Paris)

Amsterdam- 4D3N: duration was ok

Modes of transportation: For the route we took specifically, we took trains all the way. We used Raileurope to find the cheapest timings for each city. It is like a skyscanner for trains. And the trains were really great tbh!!!

So definitely take trains, takes about 2 to 4 hours between cities and they were ok priced I guess.

One of the perks will definitely be that the trains bring you to the city centre, which is always useful.

Also, trains have no limits on baggage weight!!!!

We also got adventurous and tried the overnight sleeper train (Thello) from Milan to Paris. Comfort-wise, I was sleeping at the bottom deck in a 6-couchette, closest to the tracks, slept the entire night lol. I think they had blankets too! Price-wise, it wasn't the cheapest but definitely an experience! Safety wise, we were 4 friends in a 6-people cabin, and the other 2 being a mother and a young daughter. So we were lucky as they looked pretty harmless. I just placed my luggage filled with clothes in the unlocked storage area in the cabin and kept my belongings close to me like near my boobs when I slept. Also, the cabin door could be locked from inside. I advise to always have more of your own people than strangers in the couchette if possible, always safer this way! Initially we were wondering to try the eurail pass but I think we did not as it was only more worth it if we were taking the 1 month pass. But do compare the prices!

Another useful website to find out where are the best routes to take from a city to another is rome2rio.

Accommodations: We booked through airbnb. We mostly got a whole apartment to ourselves as we had 4 people, which was easier to find airbnbs for. Sometimes the airbnbs were for 3 people but had extra charge for extra person and worked out fine for us. So do consider that. We were looking for somewhere convenient, affordable and had good reviews. Tbh we just tried our luck with the area of the airbnb and basically was ok as long as the airbnb is near a subway or near some place of interest. It helps that airbnb now has the feature where the airbnbs are geotagged on a map with their pricing.

Some better airbnbs/hostel that we stayed and were pretty decent in terms of location and airbnb itself were: Venice: link Florence: link Paris: link Amsterdam: link

In all, we basically we booked our train tickets, flight tickets and accommodation prior to the trip a few months before! Train ticket prices shouldn't change too much so tbh no need book so fast, same for airbnbs. But book earlier if you already have plans, try not to do last minute bookings as good airbnbs/train timings may not be available.

Administration: As there are travel mates with u and everyone may be paying/booking different things, do set up Googledocs with your travel mates for all the important documents, like train tickets, airbnb receipts and itinerary. This keeps accounting easier and ensures no tickets/receipts are lost. To be honest, it gets quite messy trying to split costs etc so it's always nice to write down who paid for what for future references when everyone needs to start paying! Don't care if your friends think you damn lame, IT JUST MAKES EVERYTHING NEATER because there will be so many tickets and receipts to remember. They will thank you next time lol. Another advise is to divide the workload if possible, so everyone in charge of finding accommodation/transport for different cities respectively. Divide the workload, lessen the mistakes, eliminate the possibility that one person has to tank all the errors LOL.

One mistake I made was to book the wrong month for our Paris airbnb, and to only realise after that and the cancellation policy was strict :( SO PLEASE CHECK AND CHECK TO ENSURE EVERYTHING IS CORRECT FOR YOUR TICKET, ACCOMMODATION EVERYTHING! DON'T TAKE CHANCES.

3) Packing list for exchange

I waited till the super last minute to pack my luggage as I returned from Japan just less than a week before flying off for exchange. And I was lazy (so Claria had to help me overnight haha <3). But really hor, I think if can pack earlier. Just start throwing stuff you think you need during exchange into your luggage as and when. You don't want to be rushing and be anxious about forgetting something important.

Something I forgotten to bring was, MY FREAKING GRAPHIC CALCULATOR. And I am a Math and Econs student. *come I clap for you* So yes, just please remember to bring, you don't want to buy one there.

I basically followed this checklist for advise on what to bring. I thought it was useful to help me get started.

And after experiencing exchange myself,

These are what I think you SHOULD NOT bring:

Maggie mee/ cup noodles: It is damn ding dey (occupy a lot of space, esp the bowl cup noodles) The asians shops have it. And bringing 5 packets over wouldn't last you entire exchange lolol. For Sweden, ICA sells them!!!! So don't worry if you really craving for it.

Too much milo packets: tbh I wasn't craving milo too much, mostly gave milo away for my international friends to try. I mean, milo is really yummy (milo fan 5eva) everyone should try it. However, that being said, one big packet will do for your friends to share. I brought 2 packets and it was SUPER HEAVY. I carried all my food around during pretrip it was extremely troublesome. Will explain why below.

Too many Singaporean-y food: I know you miss your food but just bring some to cook for your international friends! Go enjoy the food over there since you're in Europe! And also, if you really need some oyster sauce or whatever, just buy it from Asian supermarkets. You definitely have one nearby you.

New winter wear just for exchange: I did not have any winter wear prior to exchange, and I bought myself some Uniqlo fleece hoodie and 2 turtlenecks. Think those were neccessary, sufficient and pretty affordable. But if you do not have winter jackets and will hardly experience winter anytime soon after exchange like me, just buy them from thrift stores when you reach your city! There are usually a large variety and muuuuuch cheaper for a substantial one. Scored myself a reasonably warm black jacket. But also, thrift shopping is possible only if you are ok with wearing used stuff! :)

Boots: If you do not have those Timberland boots or whatever, no need to buy just to walk on snow. Because when the snow comes and it gets all slippery and shit, these boots still make you fall. If you have them already, bring them as they definitely are better than normal sneakers. But if you do not own them already, don't bother buying them. Get the detachable spikes when you are at a snowy place!

These are what I think you SHOULD bring:

Running shoes: You need to exercise in exchange. Lol

Wifi router: I stayed in a school dormitory hence I was glad I brought my router so I had access to wifi the first day there. It is cheaper to bring it from Singapore!

Coffee packets from Singapore: I'm speaking for people going to Sweden for exchange. Swedish enjoy coffee, so bringing some good kopi packets for them to try may actually be very useful and nice.

Party wear: Not chao clubber but there are parties and parties to go when you are on exchange, so you may consider bringing some dresses/skirts that will keep you warm for the girls so you look presentable and ready to party!

Extra credit card: My parents got me another UOB Lady's Mastercard, on top of my existing POSB card which I usually draw my money with. I put my POSB card in my wallet and my UOB card somewhere else in my bag. The POSB card is for normal usage while the UOB serves as a backup in the case when I lose my wallet/card. This will kinda of save all the trouble of your parents having to send you money from Singapore and you will never be penniless/have insufficient money. This UOB Mastercard merely serves as a backup financially, it's always good to have extra "capabilities" to pay up. lol

Body pouch: Yes, those lao kok kok one that your parents may force you to use. Surprisingly 3 out of 4 of us actually wore it throughout our pretrip. I kept some extra cash and my passport in it and strap it close to my body.

Sling bag: I carried my crossbody bag throughout my trip and put it in front of me ALWAYS. I kept my wallet, handphone and iPad in this bag and constantly checked to ensure these 3 things are in it. Do not put too many junk in your bag, so you can just touch your bag to know that these 3 things are inside. I check my bag like 10 times or more a day not even kidding, better be safe than sorry because some European countries can be really unsafe! Even when we were travelling in trains, this crossbody is always with me. I do not put my valuables in my luggage. I mean if people want to steal my luggage they can la, they can have my clothes lo. Do remind each other about checking your belongings too, am thankful no one I travelled with lost anything.

Wide angle lens/fisheye lens: Good for taking photos with your friends and the whatever chio thing y'all trying to take with, that is if you do not own a DSLR like me!

Some nice things that represent Singapore that you want to share with your international pals: For example, chicken rice paste, chilli crab paste, NTU shirt, NTU file, etc

This list is definitely not exhaustive. Refer to the post above for a more detailed one (I used that checklist to prepare for my trip!).

4) Transporting your hugeass luggage from Singapore to host university

I'm talking about the luggage with 6 months worth of supplies. As my university was in the northern parts (read: ulu) of Sweden, it was quite expensive just to get a flight ticket, fly there, leave my luggage, then proceed for my pre-trip. Furthermore, my room was not ready yet and I would not have a room to store my luggage. And I did not have a friend living in Sweden or whatsoever. What Van and I did was, we brought our luggage (we had 40KG baggage limit for our flight from Singapore to Rome) to Rome and from Rome, we hired a door-to-door bagagge delivery service, sendmybag.com. It was definitely cheaper to send it from Rome to Umea, than from Singapore to Umea. We liased with our host uni prior to flying off and they agreed to collect our luggage for us and safekeep it for us in the general office. We had to print this tag and paste it in on our luggage, so do bring some tape! We also managed to find a printing shop nearby to print our tags. One bad thing is that they do not deliver food items, which explains why I had to carry all my cup noodles and milo packets around, throughout my entire pretrip TMD. Ended up eating all my Hello Panda even before I reached Sweden LOL. And also, gels, liquids etc are not allowed. You can read more on their website! Another bad part is that they did not tell us when they were coming to our Rome airbnb to collect our luggage, but instead gave us a time range, which was pretty much the whole day. That was why we actually allocated more time in Rome. So we have decided to wait in our airbnb for the delivery man to come collect our luggages. And thankfully (I still rmb we shrieked) the man came to collect at about 12pm so this means more time to explore Rome!!! Apparently, our luggage got delivered safely to our host uni and to Yi Jin's and Hui Cheng's apartment. Do remember to lias properly with the person in charge of collecting your luggage, don't cock up! But once our luggage was delivered and received, ALL WAS GOOD FROM THEN!!! I think I paid about 160SGD for the service.

Other alternatives is to place it in a friend's house first then fly for your trip, place it in your apartment if it's ready then fly for your trip or send it straight from Singapore a few days before you get your room. Please don't think of carrying your bigass luggage around please, IT'S REALLY DAMN TURN OFF TO CARRY SUCH HEAVY THINGS AROUND.

5) Packing list for pre-trip

For pretrip, just pack what is required because heavy luggages really makes travelling very sian. I expect a pretrip to be around July to end August, which is the season of transition from summer to autumn and sometimes the weather change is drastic. You don't need your winter coat yet, a hoodie and thermal should be enough. For a rough idea, what I suggest is: Thermals, 1 jeans, 1 shorts, 1 long pants, 2 cooling tops, a dress, 2 warm clothes, slipper, sneakers, socks, a good hoodie/jacket, beanie, AND SCARF if you want. I swear a scarf keeps u sooooo damnnnnnnn warm. This was about what I brought for my pretrip of 18 days. I kept my clothes highly matchable with one another. HAHA and I think I was pretty ok dressed for photos ;)

6) Phone services and banking services abroad

Different countries have different SIM cards, so if you were to travel so many places it would be expensive to get SIM cards for every country you visit. I mean you can also la. For me, I did not buy any SIM card for any country/city I visited. I just relied on wifi and I did not have any problem. Wifi are usually available in food places you visit, Macs and sometimes even the public transport. So this makes marking out on Googlemaps where you want to go before leaving your house very important. I kept my Singapore number and phone service so I am always contactable by my family. For my solo trip, I constantly kept in touch with my family via SMS. My dad decided to keep the line too, so that if I ever need to call them or anyone, I can do so. And I also did not get a Swedish number. LOL. But my city was really tiny without metro whatsoever so I wasn't actually very bored travelling from one place to another that I needed to use my phone. The prepaid card wasn't that expensive but it only limited me to call within Sweden, which apparently is quite useless for me because I don't have anyone to call to. The data plan was slightly pricier and not so worth it.

I relied solely on wifi throughout my entire exchange and travelling.

With regards to how I got cash, I did not open a Swedish bank account because it was just for 6 months. Instead, I withdrew money (5000SEK was maximum, about 840SGD) each time using my POSB bank account from their ATM. This can last me for quite long if I did not travel. Sweden is also a highly cashless country, so you can just use Mastercard for the cheapest thing in the supermarket. I understand that I lose out in the exchange rate and all, but ya, just sharing with you guys how I did banking while on exchange. Of course, I do have many friends who open bank accounts in other cities/countries.

7) While travelling

This is just some (read: MANY MANY) random tips I have for travelling in general, like anytime you travel!!! They may be very random/small/common-sensical as I'm just typing out whatever pops up from my head.

1. Always keep your train tickets/air tickets/airbnb itinerary/impt documents in your ipad or phone before leaving your house. You do not know if you have wifi outside so please save everything before leaving home. 2. Some airlines allow for digital tickets (ie, just show your airticket from phone can already) but some strictly only allows for hard copy air tickets. 3. Train tickets are basically ok if in soft copies. And you can buy your train tickets on the spot for city to city. So don't worry if last minute you missed your train etc! Still same price I think. But buy beforehand if possible. 4. RYANAIR requires Singaporeans to do a visa check before boarding. So you need to get a stamp at the ryanair booth before going to the boarding gate. Leave some time for that! They will state you need to check your visa in the ticket, read carefully! 5. Always keep your bags in front of you. Don't ever put it behind you. 6. Always put minimal valuables with you, and always check for them. Remind your friends too whenever leaving a place. It's the time to be naggy and paranoid. Chances are, if you lose sth you will never find it back. 7. Do not be too kind and help other people. I think everyone has heard enough pickpocketing stories. Don't go dark alleys in the night, be smart! 8. Try to collect all dem geotags on Snapchat. I mean, why not since you there already! 9. TAKE MANY PHOTOS AND VIDEOS!!!! The photos of my travelling still brings back fond memories and You Are A Tourist Just Do Your Thang!!! Chances are, you will not come back anymore so just take photos. But do be mindful of the time you take to get that perfect shot la ok, I mean those who I travelled with were really just looking to take nice touristy step shots with our samsung or iphone. But if you are those into professional photography and wouldn't mind spending half a day to take that one perfect shot, do see if your friends are on the same page with u! 10. Don't be specially on a hunt to buy soveniers for your family and friends. You can buy some along the way but don't be like on a full force hunt for them. To be honest I could not find many good soveniers that I feel were useful and worthy of the price. If something looks nice and affordable for a large bunch of people back home, just get them. So at least you solved your sovenier issue because trust me, there isn't many good soveniers la LOL. For me, I got 1 thing from some cities I went to, which were mostly small and not too pricey. Then I put them into goodiebags for my friends, so they get a range of soveniers from different places. Some ideas are, chocolates from Belgium, Eiffel Tower keychain from Paris, chio keychains from London, teabags from London and Ikea meatball sauce from Sweden. 11. Try sandermans free walking tours. Book in advance although you can just show up at their meeting point if you did not book (however at Prague they only allowed people who book to join because the crowd was overwhelming). The tours usually give me insights and interesting facts about the city and most of the time I'm not disappointed!! They are free tours and you pay how much the tour guide deserves after the tour has ended. We usually each give 5 euros or more each, don't be cheapskate and pay nothing la!!! 12. Googlemaps is da bombz. Prior to the trip I did not really use googlemaps. So for those who do not know what it is, lemme tell you the greatness of this feature. Save all your locations that you want to go before you start the day (you need wifi for this) and you get all the pins to plan your day. Most of the places of interests are really walkable, so once you get a rough gauge of what you are doing for the day, head out. To know how to walk from point A to B, switch on your gps (no wifi needed) and follow the route. TADA. Ok you may think this is stupid but I really did not know about it till I was there. I hardly got lost with googlemaps. 13. Be flexible with the itinerary. Don't tire everyone out with a full day pack plan. Enjoy the company and the places, that's more important. 14. If you need wifi, go to MacDonalds!!!! You may need to buy something to get the wifi password but ok, worth it. Saved my life many times. 15. Pay an entrance fee for something only if you want to. Some entrance fees may be pricey, so only go in if you want. Then again, don't sting on it if most of your friends want to visit. I mean, you are already there so just go in! Do take note if there are discounts using your ISIC card. I elaborate if you should or not visit some attractions below! 16. Try not to break the rules. I sound damn toot for saying this but sometimes, just pay for the bus or train if you need to. My friends and I paid for most of our trips ('cept in Prague, you really do not need to pay for the trains LOL nobody pays and nobody cares) like any good citizen would and I think it makes me less paranoid about train attendants coming to spot check on us and whatnot. In Cinque Terre, we did not pay for our bus and I swear the bus attendant came in one stop before we had to alight. I forgot what happened but I rather play on the safe side so I don't get hurt~~~ 17. Allocate more time to travel to the airport. DON'T DO LAST MINUTE BOARDING OF THE PLANES. You do not want to miss your flight because of security checks man. Don't try to think you have a lot of time, go about 1.5 hours before the flight. Some airports really do have extremely looOoooOong wait for security checks, like London. And rmb for Ryanair we need to get our visa checked. 18. Be a good travel buddy. It may feel like a fun getaway with your pals but sometimes when you are to spend 24/7 with them, their habits may not be in sync with what you like. This may be worst travelling with people you do not really know. Learn to be more accomodating, but voice out your opinions and preferences if needed. Know each other's spending habits, level of cleanliness, dietary preferences, whether they are on the more careless side or more laid back side, or even come to a consensus on what time you guys want to wake up... And try to work things out. It does help to have a bigger heart, yet rmb to be firm when it comes to serious matters like safety and train and flight timings. But then again, I had not much problem with those whom I travelled with HAHA. I think maybe I was the good travel buddy then *flips hair 19. Be adventurous and try new things, like new food, talk to new people, experience new activities but always be safe. I regretted not going skydiving before it colder, but I did not regret trying rabbit meat (sorry) in Prague, dressing up as Snow White in London, solo-trippin' in Helsinki and Tallin, cliff-jumping in Cinque Terre, random talking to some Korean and Chinese people under the Colosseum in Rome, 2eur cheap sexy thrill and smokin' in Amsterdam, iceskating in a Christmas market in Berlin and many more! 20. Be accountable to your parents because while you are having fun in Europe, trust me, your parents are worried sick back in Singapore. Even if you are a guy. Just ensure you always tell them which city you are at and let them know when you leave and return to your airbnb. Don't go mia because you are just making your parents more worried! This is the least you can do for them. 21. Try to be safe. I haven't couchsurfed or hitched a hike because mostly I travelled with girls and my parents are not that fond of the idea. I mean, I did not mind not having this experience too because my parents always tell me scary stories la. But if you ever do, I just want you to rmb to be safe and do these with caution. I mean if you alone one girl, try not to couchsurf or hitch a hike if got nothing la. Am I too naggy? 22. Be mindful of the luggage limits when you are taking a plane. It's damn expensive to pay extra baggage in the airport. Try not to bring too many unnecessary things, and wear your thickest clothings on your body to save space. I remember sweating like dog but had to wear my winter jacket on my body LOL. I did my travelling without any extra baggage, so everything handcarry (I didn't even own those bagpacking dk how many litres kind of bag). So really travel light, and try not to buy unneccesary things. I resisted myself so much at London :( 23. Get a good thick scarf!!! In extremely cold places I give credit to my scarf for protecting my coldass face. 24. Always bring a charged extra battery or portable charger to remain contactable by your parents, for directions purposes and to take photos. 25. Spend when you need, scrimp when you can. Don't go all budgety for every single thing you do there, spend on an entrance ticket for a place of interest you want to, splurge on a good meal if your friends want to. Rmb, since you are already in Europe, just enjoy yourself. Of course, don't spend money like it's free. Scrimp by going to the nearby grocery store to get breakfast and snacks for when you are hungry. Or take a walk instead of taking the metro or bus, anything within 5km of walking is definitely manageable. 26. Collect something from every city if you want! For me, I collected Snapchat geotags and postcards. 27. Be aware of the bus/flight/train timings! Just a personal experience. I was waiting for my overnight bus from Stockholm to Umea alone and was actually 1 hour early for my bus at 9pm. However, I was waiting and was so engrossed on my phone that I just missed the timing of my bus. Apparently the bus has left without me and I had to stayover at Macs, waited till 8am the next day for a 9-hr bus ride back. Waste money, wasted time and made my parents worry. Just be mindful that buses and trains are actually pretty damn accurate SO DON'T MAKE STUPID MISTAKES. 28. Singaporeans are really not that uncommon in Europe, you sorta can recognise that they are Singaporeans. Always nice to seek help from them if you need. I mean, always nice to talk to Singaporeans when you are so far away from home! 29. Document your exchange life on instagram, fb or even a blog. I'm glad I posted my feelings/things I did on exchange on Instagram because reading them now just gives me all the good vibes, and it reminds of things that I may have forgotten. 30. Check-in online beforehand. Different airlines have different days prior to flight to check in, some 3 days, some 24 hours.

8) Next trip after school started

When I first started school I did not travel much because I want to fully integrate myself into life in Umea. Our uni had a buddy programme and I kinda joined and attended most of the activities. I studied too HAHA. I think it's quite important to familiarise and enjoy yourself in your city since you are already there! Then when you see a break you can try to plan for your first adventure :) As my area predominantly required a plane to travel out, I used skyscanner to search for the cheapest places to fly to from Stockholm. Skyscanner has this feature that allows you to fly "Everywhere". Then you plan from there lol I also asked my Swedish friends what is the best ways to travel out and sometimes they do have good tips to share, like how SAS Airlines has a youth discount.

Then once you are ready just BOOK IT, don't think too much. I actually booked my Iceland trip assuming to go all myself because I really wanted to visit Iceland. Think I got cheaper tickets because I booked several months in advance.

As for itinerary, you can do it on the day itself when you start your day of travelling hahahaha. That's what I usually do, but it's normally not as detailed and well-planned as your pre-trip would have been.

One stupid mistake I made while booking my flights was to suaku-ly assume that every country has only one freaking airport. I had to take a flight from Umea to Stockholm, then Stockholm to London. However, there are 2 airports in Stockholm but I was so blur, so I booked one from Umea to Aranda Airport and the other from Skavsta Airport to London. And yes, Aranda to Skavsta airport is like super far. But I had to suck it up and buy an additional bus ticket to travel that distance, alone. And had some little adventure which made me take a taxi instead...... moral of the story, be alert!

Also, try not to think that you can skip all the lessons. I had trouble catching up and had to dabao one mod, not the best scenario. So do travel during school time mindfully! Exchange really need to study one!!!!!!

9) Being on exchange in campus

Umea uni is one of the best rated universities for exchange students and I do agree with it. We have a buddy programme whereby it's similar to a OG system in Singapore context, with group leaders and activities planned out. Always be active on Facebook because events are usually posted there. Parties invitations are also posted on Fb so really remember to check on Facebook to avoid missing out fun activities. It may be quite intimidating talking to a bunch of angmohs at first but don't worry because we are brought up with English as our first language, so communication is not a barrier. In fact, other Europeans don't even speak English as well as we do. Even if you speak some (for me, a lot) of Singlish in your conversations with them, just try to teach them some Singaporean culture! But of course, try to speak proper English and we all can if we want to really. I think it is also nice to talk to Asians first, if that is within your comfort zone. My first few friends and closest friends are actually Koreans! It's also always fun to speak Mandarin to Hongkongers and Taiwanese for a start :) Speaking of first day of class, I was petrified as hell because I really hate to go meet new people all by myself. I was srsly feeling left out when I entered the classs because I was late lol and most of them have already begun talking to each other. And worst still, I was the only Asian. I rmb going to the toilet to sit down during break because I was just so not used to being friendless LOL. But in the end I did try to introduce myself to my classmates and as days passed by, it got waaayyyyy better. Thankfully my class was small of about 7 people, we even had parties together and even go for gym classes tgt. Another thing is to always be willing to join activities. I was pretty enthu to join any activity and attended any party I was invited to, and it got me exposed to many fun and interesting things. Sometimes you may be so lazy to go out but trust me, it's going to be better than you think! I also try to be myself, and be as outspoken as I can be. You now have a buffet of international exchange students from all over the world in front of you, why not just take the time to know their culture better? And maybe teach some hokkien bad words to your international friends lol.

For my school, we have a ebay on Facebook so people can sell and buy things. Do check those places out if you are interested to buy something but do not want to spend a lot.

Living by yourself in exchange also means lots of cooking. In Sweden, food is so expensive outside so I cooked almost every meal. I do not cook much in Singapore so it was actually pretty damn exciting to start making my own meals. I was more on the lazy side but you can be a masterchef here in exchange!

I also think exchange is a good time to set some personal goals. You are finally left to live by yourself without your family or any Singaporean friends, so it's just you and your discipline. I am regretful that I did not achieve my goal of losing weight LOL, because I drifted off so badly after my gym membership ended with my terrible eating habits. But I did exercise at least 4 times a week which was applaudable I suppose. Take this golden time of your life to make some changes, whether is it to eat better, exercise more, get that 6packs, lose weight, learn how to bake, learn how to knit, learn a new language... whatever it is. Exchange is actually a good time.

Lastly, stay in touch with your friends and family in Singapore. I was homesick for the first week and then never ever again LOL. But it always feels damn nice to skype/call/text those back home so that you stay in touch with their lives. Like really, seeing their faces just WARMS MY HEARTTTTT they have no idea.

10) Places I have visited throughout my exchange

This is just a summary of the places I've visited and my thoughts about them! I try to be as consized as possible, highlighting mainly the places YOU NEED TO GO, places YOU CAN DON'T NEED GO, duration at the city, accomodations I recommend and food to eat. ALSO I WENT ON THE SANDERMANS FREE WALKING TOUR WHENEVER I HAD TIME TO ON THE FIRST DAY WHEN I REACHED A CITY. They usually bring you to the highlights of the city and introduce the best things to do there.

Rome, Italy

3 August 2015 - 6 August 2015 Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill were side by side and there's a ticket that covers all 3 entrances. PAY FOR TICKET! Vatican City visit is a must!!! I'm not the most historical person but this place blew me away. Go get cheaper tickets from the stand outside and go there earlier because we reached late and the tickets were sold out. Paid for those seemingly scamming tours but oh wells, pretty worth it. You can also choose to queue up (crazy queue) at the St. Peter's Square to enter for free, but I think just pay la, THE SUN AND QUEUE WAS CRAZY. St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, etc.... Beautiful. PAY FOR TICKET! Pantheon was not bad but pales in comparison imo after I saw the churches in Vatican city lol. Spanish Steps is just steps... lor Trevi Fountain was renovating when we were there :( One famous gelato to try is Giolitti Gerlateria. It is walkable distance from the Pantheon! Not bad, just don't try g.nutella. HC and I chose it and totally regret 'cuz it was too damn dui (g stands for GAO, GAO NUTELLA)

Venice, Italy

7 August 2015- 8 August 2015 The only mode of transport in Venice is WATER TAXIS, ie they don't have cars/metro/buses. When you first reach Venice, buy their water taxi card depending on the number of days you are there for. It's quite pricey but no choice. I did not sit on a Gondola and think it is ok la, because really damn ex! There are 2 major islands in Venice, Burano and Murano. Murano is famous for its glass craftwork while Burano is the one with the colorful buildings. If you are short of time, give Murano a skip and just go to Burano. Murano got nothing much really unless you are into glass craftmanship! But can get a nice glass jewellery as a gift for your friends back though. Burano, on the other hand is super photogenic, just snap all your want and allocate more time here for some awesome shots. We had some time on hand so we went to Lido Beach too, which is awesome to see sunset. However, slightly out of way as it is the last stop of the water taxis. Nice spot to visit and chill if you've got some time. Food-wise, I Tre Mercanti is the place for yummy tiramisu. PISTACHIO ONE OMG. It's near to St Mark's Square, so just drop by for a taste!

Florence, Italy

9 August 2015 - 11 August 2015 Climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the beautiful sunset. Many people will already be there so be sure to reach early to grab a good spot and CAMP THERE. We reached pretty early but sat down and nua, to find out when the sun was setting, everyone freaking chiong and needed to squeeze a lil to get a good spot. Visit The Mall for outlet shops such as Gucci, MK, Prada etc. I got myself a MK bag and watch for a pretty decent price so yay! But take note it's quite a bus ride away from the city centre, and the price of the shuttle bus xiao ex. But since you are already on your way to getting yourself some luxury brands, don't hiam on the bus ticket LoL. Pointe Vecchio was pretty normal (right outside the airbnb I lived in!). Florence Cathedral was pretty unique and pretty to me! Florentine steak place to go is La Fettunta. It was my first time eating steak (lol) and it was yummy!!! And affordable too. Gelato choice is the famous Carapina!

Pisa, Italy

12 August 2016 We dropped by Pisa on our way to Cinque Terre to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa :) Think of cool creative poses because everyone is doing the same ones. Also, be patient to take a nice photo because everyone gna photobomb you like every other famous attraction.

Cinque Terre, Italy

12 August 2015 - 13 August 2015 Can I say I super love this place?! It can easily be one of my favourite places throughout my entire exchange. I think I really liked the clear blue waters and the seafood and the sun and the swimming. However, it's quite hard to find airbnb there that was near to the islands. So book very early!! Ours was pretty damn faraway from all the beaches :( Cinque Terre consisted of 5 lands/islands and each land has a different feel to it. Wished I had more time to visit all of them. Only visited 3 (Manarola, Riomaggiore and Monterosso al Mare) in the end, and decided to stay at Riomaggiore 'cuz lesser people. It can get really crowded!!! Siao right, so crowded. Swim if you can! And cliffdive! And wear chio swimsuit! I got many scratches though because the rocks are super sharp but YOLOOOOOO.

Milan, Italy

14 August 2015 Nothing much happened as it was a stopover :(

Paris, France

15 August 2015 - 17 August 2015 Besides the Eiffel Tower, visit the Palace of Versailles! You need to take a more ex train because it's further away. The Palace was sadly closed when we were there :( But I heard it's really beautiful, at least the Gardens of Versailles which was opened gave me a good impression! One of my fav Sandermans walking tour was in Paris too! So definitely go for it. We then got tickets to Montparnasse, which is the highest point in Paris to view the Eiffel Tower and the city landscape at night. This was what we saw, and the ticket from Sandermans. I think can don't go up if wanna save! Just view it from below under the Eiffel Tower for free :) Near Mountparnasse though, there is a street filled with yummy pancake cafes. We wanted to visit La Crêperie de Josselin but it was closed the two times we were there. So we randomly visited one and it was still good. Just google for Josselin and you will find that street filled with all the pancake shops. I visited The Louvre museum too and got the tickets at 18euro to skip the line. Sadly, I was bored as hell and it was stuffy inside. Really no need to go in unless you really sibei artsy fartsy. I guess at least I can haolian that I saw the real Mona Lisa painting. But really quite bohua if you dk how to appreciate. A regret is not visiting the Disneyland Paris. It's a bit far away and we did not have time for it. Would totally wna visit it if I had a chance!

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

18 August 2015 - 20 August 2015 I went for the Red Light District free tour by Sandermans again and it was interesting! I mean, the whole rld is really eye-opening because you finally get to see the fishtanks people talk about. NO PHOTOGRAPHY THOUGH!!! Don't be a ccb and stick to the rules ok, 'cuz I really saw one lady scolding a tourist who took photos super fiercely. Not fun. There's also a 2euro cheap thrill shop, where you see people do stuff in a container for a few minutes for just 2 Euro. Ok la yolo And for weed... try but rmb weed stays in your system for 4 days la I heard. Don't kena caught in airport. Visited the Anne Frank museum too! Read it in school before and it's just really cool to visit it myself. The ticket is 9.50 euro and it is really quite small. But if you have cash to spare, go because it's like whatever you learnt in school come to life!!! It is about same as what you read from the book, just that you really see it real life I guess. Vondelpark was great to chill and watch how the Danish people cycle and enjoy life. I took a 2 hr nap on the grasspatch too, shiiiiiiiiiok Albert Cuyp Market is da bomb 'cuz food haven. It's not the cheapest but ok priced la if you share share. Please try this if you like fish!!! It's called Herring. I love the taste of it though my friends hate it :( Also, not sure it will still be there but there is a Birkenstock shop that sells reasonably cheap Birks!!! Some good beer place recommended by Van (who is beer expert) is Brouwerij 't IJ. I got damn tipsy I don't even know why, like I almost blacked out while I went to the toilet. LOL.

Helsinki, Finland

25 October 2015 - 28 October 2015 (duration was ok, since there was a day trip to Tallinn) This was my solo trip and I took a ferry to Helsinki. It's a pretty calm and safe place to visit. I visited Suomenlinna, which is a UNESCO heritage site. was ok LOL hahahaha I visited the Temppeliaukio Church, which is really cool church made from a rock! I do not know if the Market Square was just like that but there weren't many many stalls as I expected, so I was pretty sad. I walked everywhere and did not spend on transport. I suppose when you are alone you have more time to do what you want haha I stayed at Eurohostel and got a single room. The location is damn good, near the Market Square, Helsinki Cathedral and the ferry port. Helsinki in general is pretty boring (maybe I did not explore enough) but I did enjoy myself some alone time and did not feel lonely at all. Definitely do a solo trip if possible!

Tallinn, Estonia

27 October 2015 (1 day is sufficient) Took a 2-hr ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn, which is an old town. I spent less than a day there and went back to Helsinki. Simply roamed around Tallinn, enjoyed the architecture and ate some Estonian food too! From Helsinki you can take a ferry to Russia too, wished I had time to visit a little of Russia too!

London, United Kingdom

30 October 2015 - 3 November 2015 (Could have added one more day to visit the Emirates Stadium (and get sth for YH), and for shopping if you want) Was pretty honored to be brought around by Yvette HAHA so Peizi and I basically followed her and did not do much thinking. We visited Borough Market and Camden Food Market for fooOooOooOood. Gosh there were so much variety and I WANTED TO EAT EVERYTHING. Just something to make you excited about food markets in general. Pz and I also queued up early (we reached about 9ish am) on the day of the musical, at the ticket office at Apollo Victoria Theatre to buy discounted tickets for Wicked. Surprisingly, we were the only ones there LOL so hennnng ah, got our front row tickets (I mean like right smack in centre, front row, so good u feel a bit paiseh) seats for only 29.50 pounds. It's a huge discount considering the seats we are getting. So definitely worth considering! And can I say I super loved it!??!?! If I were to start London again, I would definitely watch a musical a day. Watched Wicked on our last night, so no more musicals! 10/10 WORTH THE PRICE! Visited the Harry Potter Studios and had to chiong all my Harry Potter movies. I thought pounds as euros so I got the tickets wtffff end up it was 33 pounds. Oh wells, but definitely eye opening. We went on the 6pm tour and we did not really visit the entire thing fully (it closes at 10pm). So try to book the earlier tours to really see everything, it is a free and easy tour :) Lucky for me, I chionged my HP movies and was able to understand what was happening. Pz didn't HAHAHA. Only go if you are a Harry Potter fan!!! Because the ticket is really quite ex. You need to book the tickets in advance and the timeslots avail do run out fast. Also note that the HP studio is a lil out of London so we had to take a train which costs almost 20sgd to the studios. Other awesome things to do in London is go for the walking tour where they bring you to see the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben etc. And eat Lobster and Burgers!!!! GOSHHHH Just to pre-empt you, London Bridge is really underwhelming. Tower Bridge on the other hand, is pretty!! And go shopping if you can, OXFORD STREET. I had to restrict myself because London was my first stop and I had to watch my baggage restrictions. Maybe can make London your last stop so you can shop enough, buy additional baggage space and go back to your uni. Wanted to watch a soccer match but there weren't matches while we were there. Some London people can be quite racist, just saying.

Lisbon, Portugal

3 November 2015 - 5 November 2015 (duration is sufficient!) I loved Lisbon!! Look at all the beautiful tiles everywhereeee. Although the streets here are all pretty steep. On the places that I don't think you need to pay for, just visit can already: Belém Tower, Santa Justa lift and Jerónimos Monastery. I got the Lisboa card, hence these attractions were free. However, if you are not getting the Lisboa card then no need buy tickets for them. The famous Portugese egg tarts were heavenly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pasteis de Belem OMG. Haven't eaten dan tats like theirs. Also try the hot chocolate, yumzzzz. Another place I enjoyed was the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. It is actually quite modern and slightly pricey, but serves awesome food. Like a higher end food court. Try the seafood risotto! Also, there is a Best Chocolate Cake ever from O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo. But it was realllllly normal lol. We had time and visited a town Cascais for its beaches but it was very underwhelming. Was quite sure we were at the right place, but we caught a very beautiful sunset :) I wanted to find the airbnb I stayed in but I can't. However, the address is: Rua da Esperança 8 Lisboa, Lisboa 1200 Portugal (nearest Metro station: Cais do Sodre) Anywhere around this area is good!

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

6 November 2015 - 7 November 2015 (sufficient duration to roam around and shop) Basically visited Rotterdam because pz stays there and I get free accomodation hehe. I did not do much there except shop at Primark. I visited the Blaak Markt too and there were many things sold there such as food, flowers, clothes etc. My kind of thing! I did visit the Kinderdijk, a windmill area in Rotterdam myself. It was quite out of the way but definitely pretty. Wished I had cycled there if I had more time!!

Brussels, Belgium

7 November 2015 - 8 November 2015 (sufficient for me) This was a solo trip again and I took a bus from Rotterdam to Belgium cheap. Was expecting the chocolates to be damn heavenly but sadly idk if it's just me, but the chocolates are pretty underwhelming. Was googling for the best chocolate around, went there but the chocos were meh and pricey. Visited a flea market, Jeu de Balle, and I really liked it. They sell everything and anything! My kind of shopping. I stayed at Hôtel de Ville de Bruxelles which was walkable to all the normal touristy places. And the hotel was not bad too.

Stockholm, Sweden

13 November 2015 - 16 November 2015 (sufficient for me) Finally visited where I always stopover at. The best takeaway was prolly finally meeting Mandy and watching my first ice-hockey match! Although I did not understand a single thing about ice-hockey prior to the match, the atmosphere is just awesome! Visited the Vaasa museum which was pretty much an eyeopener. I really liked it, so go visit if you can! However, Skansen (a zoo and museum) and the museum I visited in Gamla Stan (I don't even rmb the name) was mehhhh. I followed the tour around Gamla Stan and it was interesting to know the history and background of Sweden.

Barcelona, Spain

15 December 2015 - 17 December 2015 (sufficient duration) Thank goodness the weather was so much more bearable than in Sweden. We did not pay for La Sagrada Familia but the exterior is so pretty, except for the ongoing construction LOL. However, we paid for entrance of Casa Batlló..... gosh not worth it. Visited Casa Milà (lame), Park Güell (think it have been beautiful if it was in the morning) and Magic Fountain of Montjuïc (however it was closed during winter T_T). Nonetheless the food made up for it. Churros, paella, tapas, llao llao (they taste the same as Singapore's). Food market: Mercado de La Boqueria Paella to try: As long as it is a paella. Ok where I went was La Tertulia but it was xiao ex Tapas: La Flauta We also visited Camp Nou but I did not enter due to time constraint. Not a soccer fan so not too much a loss for me! We walked everywhere without public transport. Also, from the airport to city centre you needed to take the shuttle bus, at 10.50eur if I did not remember wrongly. I reached at midnight alone at Barcelona but many mama shops were still open, and our airbnb was walkable from the city centre. Decent airbnb and the host was super friendly: link

Cologne, Germany

18 December 2015 - 19 December 2015 (sufficient for me) Welcomed Christmas season with all dem Germany's Christmas markets. Definitely up a notch for the xmas atmosphere this year. Very very crowded but 'tis a season to be jolly! I didn't do much in Cologne 'cept shopped at Primark HAHA. Just take note that during xmas times, it's very hard to find accomodations because hosts usually do not host you during xmas so book hostels earlier!

Hamburg, Germany

20 December 2015 - 21 December 2015 (sufficient for me) Another Xmas market by the Town hall! Took the time to go on the walking tour. Hostel we stayed was Generator Hostel Hamburg, super convenient and pretty.

Dresden, Germany

22 December 2015 - 23 December 2015 (sufficient for me) Bussed via Flixbus to Dresden and the buses were really comfy!! Xmas markets again and did some shopping since there was shopping streets near us. Tried Glühwein, a common xmas wine and I HATE IT. You can keep the cup or get a refund for the cups. But it's really heavy to collect mugs, so only collect if you rly like the design. The food in xmas markets are usually rather overpriced. And of course how can I not try some wurst (German hotdog)! Quite normal but just try la since already in Germany and they are everywhere!

Berlin, Germany

24 December 2015 - 25 December 2015 (could have one more day to visit more since there is soooo much history!) My favourite city out of the 4 I've visited in Germany, so much history and super interesting city. We visited Berlin on Christmas Day so basically everywhere was closed. And so I went on a concentration camp tour at Sachsenhausen Memorial for almost the entire day and it was mindblowing. This is a paid tour (14eur) by Sandermans and WORTH IT. Just remember to get your train tickets beforehand! Cheaper if you have 4 people to share with. Took quite a while to find out where the Berlin wall was LOL... it was pretty far from where we stayed gosh, but HAVE. TO. GO! Even if you live in West Germany (which I did). Do allocate more time if you want to take photos and walk through the entire wall... I didn't have sufficient time to walk everything. Food-wise, we wanted to try pork knuckles before we left Germany. Food-wise, we visited the famous Hofbrau Munchen Berlin for our xmas dinner. The food was yummy but the service SUXXXXXXXXX. Not sure if it's because it's xmas so everyone is damn angsty or what.

Prague, Czech Republic

26 December 2015 - 28 December 2015 (can shorten a bit!) This was the only city we took the transportation for free. The old town square has no fountain/wishing well LOL. Jolin was lying :( And the Charles Bridge is so crowded, walked it several times. But the Prague Astronomical Clock was just nearby so worthy to take photos there, though it is just a clock, but still a cool clock. I liked the Prague Castle too, really pretty. A place to oversee Prague's landscape is Petřín. A place for traditional Prague dishes at affordable price is U Parlamentu, it's nearby the Old Town Square. Dancing House was pretty underwhelming, no need go if no time. Our airbnb was great, shared with other strangers but we even made friends with the other Chinese girls pretty cool. Almost everywhere I wanted to go to in Prague was walkable from the Old Town Square, so it was quite convenient. Airbnb: link

Copenhagen, Denmark

29 December 2015 - 1 January 2016 (can shorten a bit, or probably just hated the weather LOL) Not sure if it's just me, but I really HATED the weather in CPH. The winds were so strong and the sky is constantly gloomy :( And it was very very cold, like it felt even colder than in Sweden. Little Mermaid statue was pretty out of the way and very underwhelming, as you can expect. The trip was pretty sian because I really hated the weather and we had to walk about 5km or so out to the city centre everyday. But my highlight gotta be visiting Freetown Christiania, which is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood. They call it the Green Light Zone because there are so much weed. But rmb no photography! So interesting though the smell of weed was literally everywhere. Definitely an interesting place to visit.

Malmo, Sweden

30 December 2015 (a day trip is sufficient) Took a day trip to Sweden on a bus from CPH, wasn't very expensive. Malmö didn't have many things to do but my main aim was to visit Ikea and try meatballs. So I did. Not sure if it's a psychological thing but Ikea meatballs just feel more legit when eaten in Sweden ;)

Reykjavik, Iceland

2 January 2016 - 6 January 2016 (can extend, there are still many amazing things I could have done/ places to visit in Iceland) Instead of driving around as I was the only driver, we booked everything under tour packages. I recce all the tour packages and found out these were the cheapest (although nothing is really cheap here LOL). Northern lights tour: We flew wowair so there were some promotions for the tours, which was organised by Reykjavik Excursions, and we paid SGD63.24/pax. Southern Iceland Tour: Consisted of to and fro from Blue Lagoon (entrance fee not included), Southern Iceland tour and Golden Circle tour. The company we hired was bustravel, and we paid SGD273.40/pax. For the Northern lights tour, you check the Reyjavik Excursions Facebook page to keep updated if the tour is on as it is subject to weather conditions. As the appearance of aurora is unpredictable, we went on the first night we reached to maximise our chances of seeing aurora. You can keep rebooking the tours, whether you see the aurora or not, and it's valid for 1 year. So no worries! For the Southern Iceland tour, I really enjoyed myself. Had a terribly hard time walking on slippery glaciers LOL bring better shoes if can because I literally felt I would slip and die anytime. But the view was worth it. Blue lagoon was pretty overpriced though it is definitely a must go. The tour only included the transportation so we had to book the entrance ticket ourselves. Book early because if you book when you are there, chances are you will not get it. We paid for the 55eur COMFORT package and it was certainly comfortable. You get a drink and some trial mud mask thing, beer by Blue Lagoon is quite shiok experience. To take photos, do bring along those transparent handphone holders from Singapore yourself! They sell it there but really expensive. This makes taking photos with your phone easier, you don't want to get your phone wet. Another favourite view of mine is the Gullfoss. We decided to do Icelandic horseriding at the last minute at Laxnes Horse Farm. It wasn't a bad experience, but I was feeling extremely cold and sorry for the horses lol. Got boring after a while as the horses weren't galloping all the time. Definitely can skip this if you are not into horseriding, wasn't cheap either! But at least, my first horseriding experience checked! Food-wise, we tried some Icelandic food and didn't like it, wasn't cheap too:( So maybe just buy one dish for everyone to try. We stayed at Baldursbra Guesthouse Reykjavik which is avail for pickup for the tours we did, and there is free breakfast! Everything was nice about the place :) Once you sign with the tour, the bus will state a time to pick you up so you just wait at your guesthouse for pickup and start your day! It's pretty convenient this way. Also, they send u back to your guesthouse at the end of the tour. *** This is all and hope it has helped a little! Enjoy yourself because exchange is really a privilege and stay safe! Signing off, Jasmine

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