Disneyland, Paris

Although it was never my childhood dream to go to Disneyland, visiting the site made me (falsely) feel like I just made a dream come true! I was actually hesitant to visit the place at first because I knew going on the scary rides was inevitable. But when I was already there, and my friends dragged me to the rides, I was surprisingly having a lot of fun! So fun, I wished we could go on more rides. Due to the extremely long queues, we unfortunately only went to three rides: The Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain and The Tower of Terror. 

The Phantom Manor. This ride was not scary at all (but I think children will find it scary). The ride slowly took us around the manor to see ghosts and (supposedly) scary phantoms. The ghost holograms were really outstanding; and they seem so "real!" I might actually be scared if, let's say, my brother will set up that kind of ghost hologram at home!

Big Thunder Mountain. We killed almost four hours for this ride because we didn't opt for the fast track option. In the fast track option, we get to book the ride and come back during the specific time. The queue looked deceptively short. But it took us four grueling hours of waiting. Nevertheless, it was so worth the wait. The scariest part was when the vehicle entered the "mine" and everything turned pitch black. The ride went up slowly at first. Upon reaching the peak, the speed picked up and with bullet-speed, the vehicle took us all the way down. That couple of seconds in the dark felt like forever! Oh! I forgot to add, when we exited the dark mine, and of course, my eyes were wide open, I saw giant cactuses all over the area. They were so beautiful! 

The Tower of Terror. My friends really had to drag me to this one. It's one of the scariest ride I've ever had in my life. Can you imagine going up the elevator to 12th floor and suddenly dropping to the speed of gravity? Then the elevator comes up again; and when you reach the peak, the huge window opens and you get a bird's eye view of Disneyland. Repeat the entire process for a minute. Oh yes, I screamed 'til my throat ached!

I had so much fun visiting Disneyland. I'm definitely going back with my future kids someday.

Shells in a pot from l'Etoile D'or, Leuven, Belgium

Other than studying for my exams and preparing for my thesis defense, I spent the last few months in Belgium dining out with my friends. Although we spent a hefty sum, it was much lower than the usual since we were able to avail of numerous discounts thanks to the Social Deal website I chanced upon one day when I was lackadaisically scrolling my facebook page. One of the best deals we had was from l'Etoile D'or. The restaurant served us with a pound of shells for only 12 euros (although the original price was 24 euros)! It also came with a bowl of  Belgian frites. The deal was for us to get a pound of shells and we choose from a list the flavors we want. I chose "knoflook met room" (garlic with cream). My friends chose other flavors which I can barely remember because in the end, the one who luckily got the best flavor was me! The restaurant is located near the train station in Leuven--just in front of the bus stops. I haven't tried their other dishes but the pound of shells in a pot is definitely a hit!

Flemish beef stew

I had a three-hour "nap" awhile ago, that's why I'm having difficulty sleeping. Right now my mind travels back to Belgium. There are so many things I missed in that beautiful country. One of which is my favorite traditional Flemish dish: the Flemish beef stew. It's a must-try when you visit Belgium. It goes well with veges and (of course) Belgian frites.

Sydney Opera House

The first touristic area I visited in Australia was the Sydney Opera House. A lot of people told me it's beautiful that's why I was very excited to see it. But when I finally saw it, my heart sank. It was not as spectacular as the Eiffel Tower in France nor as breathtaking as the palaces in England. It was simply a building with a unique architecture. Maybe if I saw the Sydney Opera House before I saw the other landmarks around the world, I would probably have been awed. But at that time, I already had some points of comparisons. Nevertheless, I don't really want to boldly declare that it's not worth-visiting. In fact, I want to visit the site again so I can hopefully give myself a second chance. I also haven't gone inside; I might appreciate it more if I do so. It might also be breathtaking in the morning. I need to find out. Hopefully I can visit the Sydney Opera House again this February. Crossing my fingers.

Hyde Park, London

I flew back to my home country almost three weeks ago. Now I will be spending at least 5 months doing nothing. But "doing nothing" does not literally mean not doing anything. It just means I need not go to school nor do school chores. Nevertheless, I will be spending the next 3 weeks or so, writing proposals so I can finally get PhD in Molecular Biology and fulfill my aspiration of becoming a researcher. There is no doubt in my mind that I want to be a scientist. :)

Moving on to our featured travel destination: London!

I went to London last month. Luckily, my sister's bestfriend is studying in the UK, so she met me in London and showed me around England. One of the tourist areas we visited in London is the Hyde Park. It's one of the biggest parks I've ever seen in my life. The streets surrounding the park are so busy, turning the park into a portal where one can escape the busy metropolis life for a while. My friend and I were too lazy to survey the entire park.  We just decided to find a beautiful spot to have our photos taken. The weather was so beautiful that day. The sun's rays were delicately hitting my skin. And surprisingly, I was enjoying the tanning process!