One of the Best Places to Eat in the World is in Florence, Italy

Florence to me is such a beautiful city.  She has a marvelous and striking appearance – her natural beauty is apparent in the morning, but after putting on her “makeup” at night, she becomes radiant.

Notable famous people who were born in Florence included Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.  Things you have to visit include the Uffizi Gallery, Galleria dell’Accademia and the Florence Cathedral.

People have suggested that the word Florence is derived from the Latin word, florere, which means blooming, which is pretty close to the Italian word for flower which is fiore. Continue reading One of the Best Places to Eat in the World is in Florence, Italy

Artsy Venice

Before coming to Venice, you would have this romantic image of the city in your mind – gondolas with strong masculine men with baritone voices singing while the gondola tours around the city, buildings floating magically on water, and an abundant number of celebrities being spotted here and there.

Unfortunately, this blog post isn’t going to continue on with this illusion, but rather I will paint you the proper picture of what Venice is.

Despite its water canals that you see on its postcards, you get quite used to it within a couple hours while reaching there.  Instead, you’ll see these water canals very soon as similar to roads, whereby they are sort of “hurdles” you have to get through.  You get water taxis that bring you to different places.  Maybe it’s the murky weather I got when I was there, but Venice was definitely much more romantic hearing about it than actually seeing it. Continue reading Artsy Venice

Inspirational Role Models

Here on this post, I will write the names of persons that I am inspired by, motivated by, or have learned a lot from.  I will continue updating this post due to new role models, or perhaps any role models that I have forgotten to include that just suddenly spring to my mind.  This post is more for myself, but feel free to see if any of these role models also inspire you.

By the way, just because I put them on this list doesn’t necessarily mean I adore them, respect them, or like what they do (so I guess perhaps Role Models may not be the most appropriate term, but whatever).  Instead, it’s more that they shaped who I am, or intrigued me.  For example nowadays a notable controversial figure, Donald Trump, is on my list, because all these years I’ve been taught to raise people’s potential, don’t bash on other people, yet he has these abrasive demeanours that serve him well, abolishing everything I learned.  Someone like Trump makes me revise what I’ve learned, like perhaps being polarising is more important in influencing audience than being just nice and kind to everyone.  He therefore intrigues me.  Another one is Gordon Ramsay.  I have no intention to be an extraordinary cook, but his passion in cooking is contagious.

And by the way, this post will mainly comprise of well known persons. Continue reading Inspirational Role Models

Mount Kilimanjaro and Tanzania Safari

Kilimanjaro just happened to be the place where, for the first time, I felt as if I was brought out of the bubble I was living in and realised just how different and large the world was.

Just before we delve deeper into this blog post, I must warn you that a majority of this post will be mainly a photo blog post just because… this trip was taken more than 12 years ago!  We’re talking about a time when smartphones didn’t exist, and I was using my digital camera to take the pictures below, printed these photos from long time ago, and then I had to scan them to my computer one by one just for this post.  That said, there are aspects of the trip, the emotions I carried with me, that linger within me that I will do my best to express them in this blog.

Mount Kilimanjaro is famous for being the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.  You would think that such a description was the reason why it allured me to sign up to partake in this school trip, but rather, it was my own naiveness and my own bubble that I was living in that really made me participate.

You see, I had just switched schools and I guess was consuming too much information at once at the new location.  When a trip to Kilimanjaro was announced, I imagined in my mind to be a Cross Country race instead in Hong Kong, which having been participating in Cross Country school teams, I was like, “Yeah, sure, I could do this.”  They even mandated that there would be two extra-curricular sessions per week a month before setting off to raise our fitness levels. Continue reading Mount Kilimanjaro and Tanzania Safari

Bravo to Anyone Who Has Driven the Amalfi Coast and Other Useful Tips For Italy

Seriously, bravo to anyone who has driven the Amalfi Coast.  That place is no easy drive and from the reviews I’ve read online, so many people have expressed the same sentiment.  I felt really horrible since I wasn’t the best driver in the world and I had a difficult time driving Amalfi Coast, only to realise that even people like an ex military pilot expressed their trouble when driving that route.

This post will allow me to share my tips and strategies that I’ve learned after my recent trip to Naples, Amalfi Coast and Milan.

Driving in Amalfi Coast

Continue reading Bravo to Anyone Who Has Driven the Amalfi Coast and Other Useful Tips For Italy

We’re Here Milan, Fashionably

Milan, the fashion capital of Italy, rightfully deserves its name.  With multiple shopping streets such as Via Montenapoleone and Corso Venezia rivalling that of Paris’ Champs Elysses, it’s no wonder everyone dresses so elegantly and differently in Milan, despite being in a country notable for being impeccably fashionable.

But fashion isn’t the only thing that makes the city stylish; it’s the entirety of its environment.  The architectural design, its presentation of food, and even Milanese mannerisms are all very classy.  Yes, Milan is a stark contrast from Naples, a city that is just one hour away by plane.

I love Milan.  This trip, I definitely put Milan and Capri Island as two of my favorite cities, no doubt.  Despite how people tell me how dismayed they are about how “old” Milan is, I don’t really agree.  Sure, it’s not Barcelona, but Milan has its own charm and beauty.  It sort of reminds me of New York, but without the hectic, hustle and bustle, and much cleaner.

Continue reading We’re Here Milan, Fashionably