The Weak Bitch's Handbook: Travelling the UK

I know, I know. It's been so long since I updated with a travel post despite all my promises to. My writing took a turn halfway through my exchange when I'd experienced a paradigm shift of sorts. There was just so much more to travelling than taking photos and writing travel guides and I was happily lost in all of that. The previous post I wrote upon my return was somewhat about that - the realisation that my experiences were mine and I didn't have to feel obliged to share them.

But lately I've been separated from the last batch of friends I made on exchange (the sg warwick kids have finally started term) and waves of post-exchange nostalgia have hit me hard. Looking through my albums I realised that I've still got some photos here and there that haven't seen the light of day, so why not give them airtime while reviving this space?

So here's hoping that the remaining instalments of The Weak Bitch's handbook will allow those of you who are reading this to discover their own adventure, take a 5 hour bus ride to wherever and perhaps find themselves along the way.

I'm starting with UK just because.

The Strong Bitch's Guide to Surviving Sexual Harassment

Feel the weight of his arm against your shoulder through an inch of down and nylon. Feel it for two days afterward.

Shake his hand when he offers it because you don't know how to say no. You never knew how to and you still don't, your mother never taught you. She taught you not to follow strangers, she didn't tell you what to do if they followed you.

Reject him politely when he asks you if you'd like to get chips.

Stand there like a fucking idiot as he tells you to turn around to show him your ass. See his hands grope you through the air.

Feel his hands on you although they were never there. Dirty, dirty, dirty.

Ask yourself if there is anything you could have done. There is always something you could have done. Something you should have worn, something you shouldn't have worn. Something you should have said, something you shouldn't have said.

Today instead of covering yourself from neck to ankle in winter clothing you should have also worn a helmet maybe.

Today instead of being an Asian female you should have been born a white male.

Today instead of waiting for the bus by the main road like a normal member of society you should have waited inside Tesco.

Today you shouldn't have cried because it is not your fault.

It is not your fault.

Go home and take the longest shower anyway.

Sunday Squares: Santorini

Hello from Crete, Greece! I'm currently at the airport waiting for my next flight out to Rome (I know, even I'm finding it hard to keep track nowadays). 

For a few days last week I was in Santorini, an island so beautiful it was surreal. But I'm not gonna lie, it was one of the most expensive stops I've made so far in terms of accomodation/food and living expenses. 

The Weak Bitch's Handbook: Don't Miss Your Bus in Lyme Regis

Hello, it's me, I was wondering if after all these weeks you'd still read my blog. Before I get on with the actual stuff here's a quick life update: I'm done with my sem at Warwick (drowned in essays, thus explaining the absence in March) and I'm currently on a 3-month tour around Europe.

In February I took a trip down south to Exeter to visit Olivia and we took a day trip to Lyme Regis, a coastal town known for its fossils and for being the premise of John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman. I know this sounds very boring to non-lit people but I assure you Lyme was one of the quaintest little towns I'd ever been in. There were artist nooks at every corner, and every door was marked with the imprint of a fossil - utterly adorable.

Sunday Squares: A Tale of 3 Cities

Hi friends! This is a backdated post from about a month back, which means I didn't actually visit 3 cities this week. I haven't gotten down to blogging about all the places in the UK I've been to this last month because there's been an average of two places every week. As you can imagine, I'm exhausted but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Top Left:

I spent the Chinese New Year Weekend with Harpreet and Lynette (friends from NTU MJ) in London where we basically did all the touristy things, ate yum indian and went for dance class at Pineapple. After being in Coventry for the last two months I became so flustered while taking the tube because suddenly everything went back to being fast. And London isn't even as fast as SG tbh, I have no idea how I'm going to adapt when I'm back in July. Anyway, it was nice to be back in the city again after 2 years. I know I'm romanticising London but I always find it the best combination of grit and grandeur. Still not a fan of the weather though.

Top Right:

Right after I returned from London I took a day trip to Sheffield to meet my dearest Belle for food (that's basically almost the only thing we did - eat and talk). I really needed that, hanging out with someone who knows your entire history can be so comforting and restoring for the soul. Thanks for a wonderful day out Belle, you know I love you!

Bottom Left and Right:

On Friday of that same week (I was being ambitious), I booked myself a trip to Chester, a little town adjacent to Liverpool and South of Manchester. The city still had its walls from the roman days and was just so lovely and quaint. I highly recommend it for a day out if you're in the midlands or the north, the city is so small and accessible that you could cover all the sights by foot in an afternoon. I'll probably do a full post or photo journal on Chester soon.

That's it for Sunday Squares this week. I'll try to be more frequent with my updates but it's hard because I don't bring my mac on short trips. Many of you have questions for me about my UK exchange, I might be doing an FAQ soon so please leave your questions for me (if you wish) through ask.fm and I'll compile my answers in a post.

Time to pack for Dublin, I'm flying in 12 hours. See you soon!

The Weak Bitch's Handbook: Packing Light for Short Trips

Hello and welcome to my official travel series for the next 6 months: The Weak Bitch's Travel Handbook.

You guys know I tell it like it is. So now I'm telling you: I'm such a weak bitch.

Sunday Squares: Stuffed Peppers at Mambo no. 5

This Sunday was absolutely perfect - went to church with my flatmates kayla and elizabeth, then came home and prepared stuffed peppers together for brunch. 

Sunday Squares: England and Other Things

Happy 2016! Considering the way 2015 ended for me, this January has been going swimmingly well. It's not Sunday anymore but here are a few snaps of England aka where I've been for the past week.

I'm currently in Coventry for my exchange programme at Warwick. I've moved into my flat and I'm the midst of documenting what it's like in here (next week's Sunday Squares perhaps?). Over the last week I've flown from Singapore to London, taken a coach to Coventry, sat on a bus to Stratford upon Avon, hopped on a train from Coventry to Guildford and back again. The travelling has barely begun and my senses already feel overloaded from just about everything. I've laughed at the bus system (my concession bus pass is a slip of paper with my face on it), swooned at Shakespeare (ok more like at his hometown) and teared and the sight of my mother leaving me on a bus. 

There's so much to do, so much to see, so much to feel in the next 6 months and I can only hope for your company on this amazing ride.