27 Aug 2017
After the attacks in smaller cities, like Turku in Finland, a port city in a sparsely populated country, I have no idea where it is safe from terrorism-related risks to travel to in Europe, outside of towns and villages.
On the other hand, the trend in downgrading from bombs to vans and stabbings supports my theory that the drop in oil prices was, at least partly, done to fight against ISIS.
09 Oct 2017
So decided after all to accept my mother's share of the money made from the sale of her mother's flat, after consulting most of my aunts (her sisters). Basically they all told me to take it, so I'm taking it for my bro and I. I plan to keep most of it separate and give it to some of my cousins when they go to uni, if they can.
NZ was nice but the two weeks there last month reaffirmed my belief that we shouldn't migrate there.
Mainly, it's the economy.
Even my aunt there admitted that while everything was awesome in her adopted country, making a living was the only downside. Canada didn't feel as nice the few times I stayed in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, but survival looks easier, with a more active job market that needs people like us more.
Of course, if it is all about making a living, I should just stay home in Singapore LOL
Canada is still the best balance.
Also, finally cleared all my Asia Miles with this trip so I can let my Marco Polo membership go next year. Cathay Pacific is one of the best airlines I've taken, both in the past and in the more recent years, but their uncompetitive prices outside of China make it hard for me to justify frequenting them every time I'm looking for air tickets. During the AKL-HKG leg, for example, I absolutely loved their tablet holder that comes with a cup holder just under the screen that has a USB charging point underneath. It's large enough to hold my drink, my phone, tissues and snacks while narrow enough to allow anyone to move pass with me out of the seat even when it's open. The variety and quality of snacks at the back of the plane was also amazing, making our flight so much more enjoyable.
03 Dec 2017
Going to Austria with Van tomorrow. Airport transfer has been arranged and so have 90% of the transport and lodgings. Not the castle-hopping trip we were initially gunning for but it will be nice. I just hope the public transport in Czech and Austria are as punctual as they're supposed to be because there are a few occasions when, if I remember correctly, we have 5-10 minutes to move from one vehicle to another.
Plenty of snow. Maybe we will even find new suppliers of winter clothing during the trip. Who knows?
Prague is going to be snowing when we reach there, and before that, we will try to get a free tour of Doha during the 12 hours of transit in Qatar. Speaking of which, they really tempted me when they offered to upgrade the both of us to Business class from Singapore to Prague for about S$2000. That's basically tripling what we paid for that journey, which is really still a decent deal, but it's not within our budget to spend on that; Austria is already expensive enough as it is.
Which brings me to how worth it my credit card is this year. It credits me one night's charge excluding taxes for each 4-night stay in a hotel I book through them. There are a few restrictions, mainly in that they can only book either through Expedia or directly with the hotel, but so far it's more than paid for itself through that alone, and I still haven't considered all the airport lounge uses Van and I have gone through over the years, plus the free airport transfers . In other words, despite the credit card's annual fee, the card is pretty much paying me to use it.
Wow took me this long to find a chauffeured ride from the surprise place I booked for her to Prague near the end of the trip that is below 400 euros. Previously everyone was quoting me close to a thousand!
