#*༺ ❀ ༻* ; traveler from afar〘 promo 〙.

[yukioujo]

❝ [ ... ] and yoimiya , as a fireworks expert , knows how to create an atmosphere . ❞

❝ i’d say that the word ❛ ladylike ❜ was practically made just for her . ❞

@fireshot

#fireshot #*༺ ❀ ༻* ; natsu no yo no tsuki no hikari wa〘 fireshot 〙. #*༺ ❀ ༻* ; traveler from afar〘 promo 〙. #chinhands #they're gfs your honor #❄️ 🔥 ❄️ 🔥 #surprise gift for fauna #the girls were cute so i had to #aya and yoi : have known each other for a long time and work together closely and are constantly in official art together #also aya and yoi : absolutely zero screen time together #SCREECHES #they mention each other but we never see them together ! #and that is such a shame #*

[egg-emperor]

Thoughts on the idea of eggman doing horribly vile shit but still wanting to be seen as in the right for it, like “oh I’m not making them slaves it’s protective robot skin haha”

Feel like it could be an interesting twist on his char, kinda got some of those vibes from the park in colors, the full corporate speak and like, trying to make this obviously evil plan look not evil, feel like there’s a lot to be done there

I love love looove it, that's what I was expressing a desire to share more concepts of just the other day. I have some I've been meaning to share but my favorite part is when he finally drops the act and shows his true colors and mocks them for it like a cold hearted bastard so I focus on that most lol. I do wanna delve into the build up more though.

He has indeed done it in various official media already like X, Archie, games, and promo material and I absolutely loved every instance of it. But since I'm a game canon guy primarily I'm just gonna focus on that for this reply, though in the future I'm probably going to share what I liked about the cases even outside them because I appreciate it in many places.

I love how one of the things about how he likes to take things that are generally considered childish like toys, theme parks, carnivals, circuses, etc and has his own twisted fucked up spin on it is how it can also be used to lure people in with the bright colors and usually perceived innocence of it. The times Eggman has played into it is interesting.

With Eggmanland in Unleashed, he was upfront about the hell on earth that it was to Sonic because he knew he wouldn't have believed his trickery, plus he takes pride in the fact. He enjoyed teasing him with the "If you have any complaints, come deliver them to me in person. If you can, that is!" to emphasize that it was the theme park of horror >:)

Plus the atmosphere was a lot darker so despite the neon colors, it probably wouldn't have fooled anyone Sonic or not. But he still had the Eggshop be a thing where horrible sawdust and motor oil tasting food was sold to make it horrible and unpleasant for his sadistic amusement, so maybe he would've hoped to trick people regardless?

We don't get to know for sure there but in Colors he wants lots of visitors and he really had to do some immense trickery make sure it seemed innocent and appealing enough to get them to use a space elevator to travel all the way up there lol. It's a lot more colorful and fun looking than the more dark and polluted looking Eggmanland from afar.

So for the Interstellar Park, the trickery is both in its design and his words with how he pretended it was a happy wonderland of fun with nothing to do with any evil plot or premeditated misdeeds. What I love is how once you've gotten all the way up there in space, you're fucked. You'll get messed up and killed one way or another.

In his PAs when you're actually inside, the act is dropped quick. He lies about some of it being safer than it looks but for the most part? All his lines are brutally honest about how messed up it really is, with the Wisps he harmed, blatantly acknowledges the dangers of the rides and planets, and how they can cause death, horror, and fear.

I love how sadistic he is in the PAs and his morbid humor that reveals how truly sick he is and that this park was created for anything but pure innocent reasons. He intended for the rides to be deadly and food to be bad and finds it very amusing. He probably loves the idea of these tricked people coming in and quickly becoming horrified and afraid.

But it still looks so colorful and fun from afar! It's so beautiful and with the joys he promises, how could you not want to go? So while it works to lure people in, it can also give its true horrors even more impact when visitors expect something nice but the dangerous disturbing and terrifying reality is revealed and I'm sure that's very appealing to him too.

So you get this funny combination of him both trying to deceive you but then quickly becoming brutally honest as soon as you're successfully trapped in it. This is exactly what happened in the SPINGEAR ride too, where he was immediately like "haha sike you're actually in for a terrible time!" as soon as the ride began and was loving it.

But I think the idea of him playing the long game with his trickery and deceit is interesting too. We've mostly only seen cases where it's a lot quicker like that but he's set up well for him to do an elaborate scheme of dragging it out for longer and the impact would hit extra hard after all that time too, which he'd definitely enjoy and mock after.

The Eggman Empire propaganda Sonic Forces promo video was cool because Eggman was trying to convince people the world being a dark polluted hellscape is actually a good thing, which reflects his twisted idea of a "perfect" world shaped his image, where he has the power of the control and the sadistic enjoyment of the harsh conditions.

Then because people obviously need the clean air to live, he tries to trick them into thinking robotomy is a wonderful helpful treatment for it. That never needing to eat, sleep, or think again is a good thing and that they'll love it. When really it's a trick to get them to submit to him, have control over them and strip them of their freedom and free will.

But there's an eerie glimpse at how he really knows none of this right with how he says love is mandatory. Once he's tricked them and they've submitted and given up their freedom and will, he can use them as he pleases and keep them controlled and brainwashed but if they do realize how fucked up it is there's no going back, they're trapped in it now.

I'd really like to see more of that, where he tries to tell people the vile things he does are genuinely great, for their own good, are nice and selfless of him and genuinely beneficial for them. Where he manages to manipulate so well to the point of mass delusion and brainwashing with people that follow him believing he's doing something the right thing.

It's good to be a mindless slave under his control, never having to think for yourself again! Trapping living beings in robots improves upon nature and is better and more beneficial than natural! The deadly attractions are what real fun and excitement really is! The brutal sadistic punishments if they fall out of line is for their own good! There's no meaning to life if it isn't to serve him and the world is better under his control!

And the idea of people actually believing that in the Sonic universe and following him is interesting to think about. Even though it bothers me when people do it in real life and believe his lies and think he actually has good intentions but I mean hey, they give me an example of what it'd be like at least. Eggman really is a good actor, props to him! XD

I have a few ideas I'd like to share in the future. Showing love, care, and false acts of kindness to trick and manipulate, or not even hiding his vile actions but managing to convince people it's good or that the end justifies the means, and have them falling for it and he sees how far he can take it makes it especially impactful and devastating.

Delusion, deceit, manipulation, and gaslighting in general is very fascinating to me after years of experiencing it and I've always wanted to understand it from the perpetrator's perspective and portray it as dark and disturbing as it really is. It's always been interesting for me to explore in Eggman too, from when he's manipulating specific characters to the masses. I've actually been researching big cases of mass delusion in history again lately so this is timely.

Pulling people into the empire with the lie that it's something great that will benefit everyone but their leader has much darker intentions and the true final outcome will benefit only himself, but he strings them along on a lie, brainwashes them, and has control though mind games and trickery is fascinating and thrillingly devious.

Then slowly or abruptly realizing it's a lie and the impact when it all comes crashing down and Eggman spits and laughs in their face and mocks them for having a heart and wanting to see good in him/believing and having hope in good coming from it. It emphasizes his coldness and cruelty and how much of a threat he is even to the mind.

And if that happens he'll try to shut down their doubts and lie more to keep them deluded because he knows just what they want to hear and promises them they'll get it. So if they don't believe it's right, the ends justify the means. And if that doesn't work, he'll threaten them to keep them in so they can't leave, or have them dealt with.

But he's so good at taking advantage of people's vulnerabilities, saying what they want to hear, and embedding lies so deeply into their minds to warp reality into what he wants them to believe that sometimes they may be too far gone and never see the truth. And he takes it to the darkest places, using them all up and harming them and they die in vain.

Every outcome has the potential to be very fascinating, entertaining, and impactful!

#asks #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #my post #trickery #manipulation #headcanons #deceit

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

I wonder what he’s waiting for to announce the line up…maybe they’re waiting for all the artists to 100% confirm?

The Mexico FITF shows haven’t sold out yet. I think a few more promo days in Latam (Sao Paulo was brilliant) and they’ll be able to sell 5k more in Mexico City, and then they’ll announce AFHF lineup.

I don’t know whether LTHQ/ Louis got humbled by Asia (probably not), but they’re doing some last minute promo for Latam which is what they should have done for Asia. People with limited means and who have to plan for travel expenses need to feel the love, and they need to feel it from Louis, specifically.

Doing essentially two international tours in Europe but zero for Asia… well, we can all tell who Louis loves, can’t we? I mean even if the basis for this schedule is logistics, it’s a bad look, especially since Louis won’t even address the cancellation with any kind of candor. It opens the fandom to racism and xenophobia, exactly like what we see every single time he comes to Latam. Without fail.

Fans from India are some of the most enthusiastic and active Louies, but they have to watch from afar and get not even a little bone thrown to them. They don’t get merch, they don’t win contests, they don’t get meet & greets, they don’t get livestreams and conversations, they don’t even get the possibility of a tour. Same goes for the entire continent of Africa, as well as New Zealand and Asia.

To build an audience, there needs to be someone who will research the fanbases and local cultures, and some show of love. The audiences are there… the Google searches are there. Ed Sheeran just did an incredible tour across Asia. It can be done.

[hermionefae]

The Devil's Right Hand Woman

Part 3

MJF x Original Fem character

Part 3

Max was right, training was hard. It was the hardest I had ever experienced in my life and it made me evaluate how poorly I must have trained beforehand. I started to develop muscles I didn't eve know that I had.

He taught me moves that I had admired from afar but had no idea I'd be capable to execute. He also taught me how he would lie, cheat and steal his way to victory.

We also discussed how I'd present myself, he described me as a Lilith figure, the Devil's right hand woman but also utterly dangerous herself

We trained for about two weeks until one day Max walked into the gym whilst I was doing pull ups. He watched me for a few reps, first checking my form but then I couldn't help noticing his eyes travelling down to my butt. "My eyes are up here Friedman." I puffed out as I finished my last rep.

Max smirked and then said "stretch out and then come with me, we've got a meeting with Tony Khan."

"He's here?" I had only seen Tony once at a PPV launch party but I had never actually met him before.

"Yeah toots c'mon"

I finished stretching and then, with a towel around my neck I met Max out in the gym's foyer. "Tony, I've got a proposition for you." Max was saying as I joined them. "For my next angle I want to appear with Suzie by my side". For a brief moment Tony looked shocked but then he recovered.

"If your sure Max, I was think about pairing you and Adam Cole together. Going for the best friend angle but."

"This girl is great Tony, and I'm training her to be the best. You are looking at the next AEW Women's World Champion and once you see us together you'll see why"

My heart soared, I'd never heard Max talk about anyone like this.

"Ok, I'll give you a shot Suzie. Max you're booked to do a promo this week on Rampage if I like what I see then Suzie, you can wrestle Britt on Collision how about that?"

"Deal" I nodded shaking Tony's hand in a tight grip.

Wednesday night came around quick and I found myself pacing around the locker room waiting for Dynamite to end and Rampage to begin, we would go on first so I didn't have too long to wait but I was still a bundle of nerves.

I shook out my hands and went to the mirror. My newly reddened hair had been loosely curled and my make up had been done so my eyes were a smoky black with red on my water line and my lips were painted a deep blood red. I had chosen my dark red suit and black patent stilettos which I wasn't 100% sure I could walk in. I prayed that I didn't make a fool of myself in from of thousands of people.

There was a strong knock on the door and then came Max's voice. "We're on princess."

I sighed and then made my way to the door.

"Fuck" exclaimed Max when he first saw me. "You look hot"

I took him in as well, he was also wearing a deep burgundy suit with a back shirt and shoes, his signature Burberry scarf was around his neck. "As do you" I replied, lowering my voice a to a sultry tone just like we discussed.

"Uuuugh, I'm not sure I'm gonna make it through this promo toots but I'm gonna give it a go." He shook himself, getting into character. "Let's go"

We walked together side by side, I was slightly taller than Max in my new heels but that helped my confidence as we walked past our peers, especially Britt and Adam who stared as we walked by. "That's not little Suzie is it?" I heard Britt say to her boyfriend as we went around the corner.

We finally stopped by the heel entrance and waited for Max's music to begin. I held back as he climbed the stairs to the orchestral version of his theme song, my heart hammering with nervous excitement. I heard the cheers with still a smattering of boos, he was really over now and despite the short amount of time that I had known him properly I still felt a sense of pride that he had achieved so much since he did that vile promo and disappeared for a while. I climbed the stairs and waited for my entrance.

"Hush now, Daddy is speaking " he said and the crowd laughed but eventually quietened down " now I know you all want to know my response to Adam Cole's challenge for my triple b, this beautiful belt around my waist and you will get my answer but first you see, Daddy wants to introduce you to someone.

I met her when she was at her lowest and I dragged her down to my level and believe me when I say, the woman's locker room better watch out because she is dangerous, a demon if you will. Oh Suzie!"

The lights went out in the arena and my entrance music began, I took that as my cue to step out onto the centre of the stage. I had chosen a song called Secret Wedding (Ravagers of Time) by Destini Beard and Midnight Syndicate. A red spot light shone behind me lighting up my outline.

"Stay beside me, never leave me, hold on to me always love me" came the first lyrics as I made my way confidently down towards Max, who was standing in the middle of the ring, a white spotlight now lighting my face. The music continued until I joined MJF's side.

I could see many phones out filming me and I kept my face set in an evil smirk just as we discussed. "Doesn't she look hot New Jersey" MJF called out to the crowd and quite a few whistled back.

"But she's not just a pretty face, tell 'em Suzie"

"That's correct, I'm not. I have been distracted for too long now, I have been under appreciated by everyone in this company and now it's time to take what is mine, Toni Storm. I'm coming for you baby, and when I'm finished with you not only will that championship be mine but you will be on your knees, begging for mercy. I will turn your insides to your outsides. There will be nothing left of you because you do not mess with Suzie Q, Queen of Hell"

And then I went off script, adrenaline pumping through me I through down the microphone I was holding, turned to MJF and grabbed hold of his jacket lapels. I brought my lips crashing into mine. He was stunned for a moment and then moved his mouth around with mine, deepening the kiss.

I could hear the whistling and jeering around us and then too quickly we pulled away. I looked at Max, thinking he would be angry but he just smirked at me, put his scarf around my neck and then dragged me out of the ring, his arm casually flung over my shoulders.

Back to the locker room.

Part one

Part two

#aew #mjf #mjf aew #fanfiction #oc #mjf x Original Fem character

[triplechain]

[August 13th, 2022]

I teased before at Tre's other battle outfit. Entirely because of that one piece of promo art with green Link in the Legendary Dress, she's got it too!

But... it's a lot more than just a battle outfit. This whole thing was actually a bit of a later development that ended up adding to his character in the end.

The best way I think I can describe Tre is bigender, using both he/him and she/her. The two sets had a much stronger divide originally (with Tre not entirely accepting that she felt more like herself in a skirt or dress sometimes), but over time I think they'll be used more interchangeably. For the most part, though, Tre goes by she/her in more feminine clothing because it's more comfortable and it helps others get the point more often than not.

[please please PLEASE tell me if i'm screwing up with gender identities, I want to be respectful and I know everyone's experiences are different. gender is weird and while the dress is definitely a bit of a visual shorthand, I do wanna lean into the idea of "both are fine for me, actually" as time goes on for Tre.]

A more in-universe explanation of events from Tre's POV below the cut.

Tre was... different.

It wasn't a bad kind of different. It wasn't an easy to describe kind of different, either. It wasn't something that happened every day, and it usually wasn't a bother. Most days, he was content with just being himself, helping his parents around their traveling shop and taking care of the horses - Blackberry and Butterscotch - and that was it.

But somewhere along the way things changed. It was before arriving in Hytopia, and before getting attacked by that strange creature in the night, but beyond that...

...she didn't know. And it wasn't something she had wanted to bring up around her parents, either, because it didn't make sense. She was still Tre, but Tre was a boy and she... wasn't.

It nagged in the back of her mind every time someone called her "sonny" or "lad" when asking questions. It lingered when her parents called her their son to curious passerbys. It rubbed her the wrong way every time a father wouldn't want their daughter getting close to "that merchant-boy" or whatever new phrase they came up with.

Tre wasn't sure when he finally told his parents. He was still Tre, and he knew that much, but some days he longed to be someone else or look a little different. They didn't seem to mind, at least. Customers tended not to ask questions outside of her availability (to which her father would tell them to leave his daughter be. It was nice.)

Hytopia shouldn't have been a problem, then. People were fashion-forward or whatever and supposedly didn't care what you wore as long as it was well-made and looked good. Madame Couture's was no different, offering to make outfits if she was supplied the materials.

The moment she laid eyes on the "Legendary Dress", Tre knew she wanted it. The benefits were nice, sure, but the plain and simple reason she wanted it was feeling Right during the Badlands expeditions. Trois and Tri didn't question her much about it, and she was grateful. He wouldn't have known even where to start with explaining. It made him feel more comfortable sometimes, and that was that.

Something still lingered in her mind. Guilt over not telling his teammates the truth? Embarrassment about the whole ordeal? Frustration at himself for his inability to just spit it out already? Worry that his friends would leave him? Concern she'd never be able to be her truest self because the freedom she had would forever be out of reach unless she spoke up?

Eventually whatever it was managed to reach a boiling point for her. She didn't remember what she said, really, but apparently it was enough for them to understand. Tre was still the leader of their group. Sometimes he led them in the Sword Suit and was able to strike from afar, and sometimes she wore a dress that kept them alive longer.

(Tre only wished the whole cycle hadn't started over when they went through that damned portal.)

#triple chain #tc tre #events #doodles and designs

[beepboop358]

Donnie Darko & Stranger Things: Clocks, Memories, Time Travel, Fire & ST4 Clues

(ST movie DNA series: 3)

This movie is seriously like a goldmine of ST references and clues I was geeking out the whole time xD

Summary: A teenage boy named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. The movie makes us question what is actually real; is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness like everyone says he is, or is he seeing things everyone else cannot and the world is actually going to end?

What's Real?:

Donnie Darko depicts a "mentally insane" character. Donnie is seeing a giant bunny rabbit named "Frank" who he says tells him what to do, mostly bad and dangerous things, and that the world is going to end in 28 days Donnie takes medication and goes to intense therapy and everyone in his life is convinced he is insane and unwell. This idea of mental instability is a running them in Joyce's family, and I discuss that and the idea of Victor Creel this disturbed character in this post here.

We also see this same theme of "what's actually real?" in ST:

Mike to Will in s2 regarding the mindflayer: "Is this all real? Or is it like the doctors say, all in your head?" (this basically summarizes Donnie Darko LOL)

Joyce to Will in s2 regarding the mindflayer: "These episodes that you're having, I think Dr. Owens is wrong. I think they're real."

Donnie does have telekinetic powers, just like El does. Donnie can also talk to Frank, an "otherworldly monster". Reminds me slightly of how Will can sense the upside down monsters.

Clocks, Memories, Time:

In the opening of the movie, we see a clock. The clock in this movie indicates an impending catastrophic event and "time is running out" to stop it, specifically in this movie, it's the world ending*.

The clock is striking midnight, in the Donnie Darko shots and the ST4 sneak peek clips. *It's a reference to the significance of midnight on the doomsday clock, most prevalent during the Cold War when U.S. and Russia were both building up so many nuclear weapons that mass destruction was possible at literally any moment. Schools did bomb drills frequently in both countries, and people were on edge all the time worrying about if they were going to be bombed or if one was going to malfunction and accidentally go off.

There are a lot of war movies on the st4 video store Fridays list, and we know the military is being brought into Hawkins this season, so there's our idea of war this season, and ofc the show takes place during the Cold War so double jeopardy LOL.

When we see the clock, the words are referring to a memory, a past event.

I think the grandfather clock shown in the st4 sneak peek (rumored to be in Vecna's lair and also Creel's house but unconfirmed) is going to be a portal to past memories like a way to access memories and past events through the powers of the upside down.

(time travel "flashbacks" theory and clocks = memories/past times low-key confirmed LOL 😆)

Portals Through Time/Worlds & Water:

The film also deals with direct time travel and portals between worlds/times: Donnie opens a time portal, from water..... and ends up causing this jet plane to crash into his room.

My jaw literally dropped when this happened guys, my mind was exploding xD

Water in the show is surrounded with the upside down monsters/dimension along with those cryptic water tweets from the stranger writers and the clip of Steve underwater in the st4 sneak peek, so there's the origin of water surrounding the portals to other dimensions (the upside down) in stranger things.

And then ofc we know time will be a big theme in s4, and we have seen tons of clock imagery in the st4 promos, and there are some references to time travel in s3 with Back to the Future, as well as plenty of other shots of clocks in the entire show

Fire:

Frank tells Donnie to burn down this motivational speakers house, so he does. Donnie sets this huge fire, and we know Will is commonly associated with fire in the show. But because Donnie burns down the house, it sets off this other chain of events that result in several other characters deaths, indirectly cause by Donnie following Frank's instructions.

I'm 99% sure the person in front of the car is Will, because the shirt he's wearing looks like the shirt of a teenager, his hair looks similar to that one leaked peak of his photo double, and that image is the 7th of the st4 clips shown. Maybe this is another hint to Will's storyline in s4.

The idea of Will going "mad" or "insane" in s4 is actually likely. The Opera in the HNL control room video that came out one day before the 002/004 "Eleven are you listening?" teaser, where it appears that Noah (Will) is one of the lab subjects in the room, hints to this idea of Will going "mad" and developing "dissasociative amnesia" due to psychological stress and trauma. I recommend you read my post about the opera linked above^ because it explains this concept with way more detail than I did here, and I think it's going to be really relevant for s4.

Causation & Control:

Throughout the film we see the idea of causation; Donnie does something (because Frank tells him to) that causes something else. It's like a chain of events or dominoes falling, one thing causes the other to happen, so now we're playing with the idea of how much control individuals really have, do we really have control over things or does someone else.

(My mind goes to Tess of the D'urbervilles, which is famous for exploring themes of free will, determinism, and the domino effect)

Which makes me think about how this idea may be in ST:

1. Will is controlling things through the DID theory

2. A character we haven't met yet, (my guess would be Victor Creel) is controlling things in the upside down because of a deep connection to it (maybe he created some version of the upside down)

^That idea also fits into the theory that Creel is an evil father/grandfather with special abilities who is pulling the strings from afar which would complete a Star Wars parallel (discussed here.)

Hmmm much to think about!

#st movie dna series #st movie dna series 3 #st movie dna series donnie darko #stranger things #stranger things analysis #stranger things obsessed #stranger things speculation #stranger things spoilers #stranger things 4 #st4 #stranger things theory #stranger things season 4 #stranger things 4 spoilers #stranger things 4 clues #stranger things 4 theory #stranger things season 4 theory #stranger things season 4 video store fridays #stranger things season 4 spoilers #will byers #will byers has powers #the opera in the hnl control room video #st4 spoilers #st4 theory #st4 speculation #stranger things 4 sneak peek #st meta #stranger things meta #st analysis #victor creel #victor creel theories

[wizkiddx]

I lovelovelovelove ur writing. Was thinking if u could do one where readers relationship w tom exposed bcos someone recognises her but she isnt famous? And its all backwards and caught out sort of thing

thanks for being so kind! also I feel like me narrator-y voice has gone WAY too far, what do u guys think? I won't be offended promise I just think it sounds so fucking annoying rn

Tom Holland x reader

summary: you run into possibly the most infuriating family members the one time u and ur boy are showing PDA

warnings = none I think :)

///////////////////////

It was a late late evening, on the last train of the night towards manchester, the British countryside plunged into darkness that appeared as a blank, black canvas out the rounded-rectangular windows. 

And although the serene surroundings were calming, the regular and rhythmic movement of the carriage on the tracks - you were more on edge. Your relationship with Tom had yet to be revealed to the world - though you’d travelled as part of his extended entourage before under the guise of a ‘family friend’. So now it just being you, Tom, Harry, Andrew and Rachel - you felt more exposed. Of course, you were incredibly grateful that Tom had planned this weekend away for the two of you (after a work commitment, hence the presence of his manger, makeup artist and Harry). But it was scary.

Coming out of Euston station, the earlier time meant the train had been more of a hive of activity. Kids running up and down the aisle, inevitably recognising Tom and then asking for a photo. Enough that you’d had to move a few seats down the carriage, so no one would associate you travelling with the a-lister. 

But after you’d past Birmingham and the clocks past eleven pm, everything had quietened down and Tom convinced you to come and sit next to him on the table of four.  Andrew and Rachel were taking use of their little duo seat across for you to catch up on some well needed beauty sleep. They’d all been working with Tom doing promo for his most recent movie in London so it’d been pretty 24/7.

That left you, with all the energy, contrasting greatly with the two flagging Holland boys. 

“Lets play heads up!” You announced to the much less enthusiastic faces round the tables. 

“You can’t play that quietly and the whole carriage dont want to listen to you screeching.” Harry rolled his eyes whilst slightly ripping into you, then picking up his phone - thinking that would shut you up.

“I can play quietly!” You huffed, looking for Tom for backing… which never came. He didn’t even need to try and defend himself before you whacked his chest in false-annoyance. 

“ It’s not a bad thing, just passion.” Tom murmured, desperately attempting to sweet talk your round - which of course, was not going to happen. 

“No way! I’ll prove it to you!” 

“Nonono darling, look I’m tired.” He straight refused, wrappings his arms round your shoulders to try and cage you in. He ended up with his back pressed against the window and your back against his chest. “Lemme just relax with my best girl.”  You huffed in reply, worming round in his clutch before eventually giving up and relaxing your head onto his collar bone. For the reasons previously mentioned, you did not for a second believe he was serious with this PDA. Just sitting next to each other was risky enough,  now he was very clearly hugging you in a public place. Arching your neck back, you were shocked he already had his eyes shut - looking perfectly contented and relaxed. 

“T, are you serious?” You whispered, making him crack one eye open with a questioning look. Instantly he knew what you meant, I mean, it was him that was most worried about people finding out about you - for your sake. His horror stories of previous relationships hadn’t helped, to the point now only your mum dad and siblings knew about your relationship to Tom - mainly for the sole reason your nan was the biggest gossip in the world and could NOT be trusted. 

“Course love, it’ll be fine no ones around and I got my cap on. No one will notice us.”

Foolproof. Or so you both thought. 

And honestly for an hour or so you relished in the fact that in a public space, your boyfriend was showing you physical affection. It was exciting, which meant as Tom’s arms grew lax round you as he slumped slightly in the chair your energy only increased. No one else was being any use either - Harry had his head in his arms on the table and similarly neither Rachel nor Andrew were conscious enough to keep you company. Finally you settled on playing a game on your phone whilst also ever so softly wiggling round on Tom’s chest, purely because you enjoyed the little huffs and the way he’d squeeze you tighter as he snoozed. 

You were engrossed in shitty little iPhone game when a person who was walking down the aisle slowed down, drawing your attention away from the phone. And then your heart literally dropped because you instantly recognised your uncle and cousin, who was 12. Worse though, they had most definitely clocked you. 

Of all people, your uncle and boy cousin too. Possible the best (or worst depending on your point of view) at winding you up, at messing  with you, for genuinely causing all chaos and mischief with you. They were most certainly not going to be discrete. They’d rib you till your dying day. 

“Y/n?” Your uncle spoke first, noticing the that the group you with all seemed to be asleep, so at least trying to be a bit sensitive. Not that it mattered on Tom’s part though, you instantly bolted up and away from him, making him groan as he slowly woke up. 

“Er yeh, I-um  fancy seeing you guys here. Why were you in London?” Because yes half your family did live in manchester - a fact you felt slightly guilty about, considering you couldn’t fit in a quick and explainable reason as to  why you were in that area of the UK during a ‘pop in’. So you’d chosen to keep the whole trip a secret too.

“We’ve been at the footie, could ask you the same question.” Your uncle smirked, noticing toward Tom, who now was blinking his eyes heavily - looking with furrowed brows between the two of you. 

Because yes, the cap had been great to stop people recognising Tom. Neither of you were to expect it’d be you that’d be YOU stopped by someone who noticed you. 

“Oh um… well er this is my friend Tom, he’s got a work thing in manchester so thought I’d tag along. What was the score?” Yes you described your boyfriend of 9 months as a friend, when it was clear to everyone you were more than that. Though frankly, you still felt sick introducing him as ‘boyfriend’ - that itself was cringe as hell. The reference to football was an in-vain attempt to distract them with the most-boring-sport-in-the-world talk. If only Tom had kept his mouth shut. 

“Sorry mate” His voice was a little hoarse, making him force a cough before stretching his hand out. “I’m Tom”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ritchie and this is Matt” Your uncle motioned to his twelve year old son who was smiling politely but his expression seemed to drop as he made eye contact with Tom. Blissfully unaware, Tom shook Ritchies hand your a soft smile. 

“How do you guys-“

“I’m her uncle. Tell you what, didn’t imagine bumping into my niece on the 11:30 train to manchester.” 

Tom’s face fell and he froze. You’d both been caught out. Massively. It couldn’t get worse, till it did. 

“Y/n is that Spiderman?” Because yes, Matt was prime Marvel fanboy age. And yes, of course his favourite hero was Spiderman. And yes, this would probably be the most exciting day of his life. And the most embarrassing of yours. 

It was at this point Harry was sufficiently disturbed, enough to make him sit upright whilst also backing away into the corner of the booth, watching from afar.

“I-uh” You didnt really want to say it, for the sake of that meant he was revealing this secret you’d guarded with your life. But at the same time, you had this overwhelming sense of pride for Tom because “yeh, yes he is spiderman.” Matt started jumping up and down like an overexcited boyband fan which made you laugh, heart swelling as Tom chuckled along beside you.

Yes by no means was this ideal. And yes you were now forced to tell your family (so ultimately the world) about your relationship. Maybe that wasn’t so bad though?

hope u enjoyed + thank you for reading <333

tagging: @hollandfanficlove @hallecarey1

#Tom Holland fluff #tom holland #tom holland blurb #tom holland x reader #Tom Holland blurb #tom holland fanfiction

[boyneriver-fraser]

How ‘bout that early release of Episode 1 The Fiery Cross? Spoilers, shmoilers. Pfft… what’s a 75-hour Tumblr embargo* when you’re accustomed to a 25-hour one?

After much whining, Season 5 finally arrived chez moi. What did I think?

Cold Open: Gave me chills, despite having seen it during promo. Murtz. In a kilt. Walking across a grassy field. Wind blowing through his hair. Reassuring a bereaved child. What’s not to love?

Theme Song: Missed (Mrs. Bear McCreary) Raya Yarbrough’s solo, but the choral version is already growing on me.

Opening Credits: Quietly thrilled to see Producer Caitriona Balfe, Producer Sam Heughan, and look forward to seeing their influence mid-season forward. (Remember, they received the new gigs after S5 production was well underway.)

Wedding Preparation: Beautiful dress with so many details to highlight the Scottish heritage the bride only recently discovered. So many sweet moments between Claire and Brianna and between Jamie and Brianna. “Je suis prest.” Da, your daughter’s a Fraser.

The (New) Wedding: The Frasers of the Ridge are here! (Chills 2) Loved the callback to S1E7 The Wedding — Jamie and Brianna’s walk through the doorway into the sunlight. Thought the juxtapositions were poignant — A reluctant bride in a dark church, hesitatingly saying her vows. A joyous bride in the great outdoors, eagerly saying hers. A small group of men, a tavern hostess, a prostitute, and no family-of-the-bride as guests. A huge gathering of friends and tenants of all genders and ages, and the bride’s parents, son, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, great-aunt… and great-godfather, who managed to catch a glimpse from afar, as guests.

Fraser-MacKenzie Kids: Germain and Jemmy and Joanie, oh my! And Fergus and Marsali’s privately celebrating Félicité “in utero” was a lovely moment. (For anyone confused about number of the babies, Lizzie looked after Jemmy during the wedding ceremony, while Marsali held Joanie on her knee.)

“Some Shakespeare, anyone?”: Really, Lord John? 🤦🏻‍♀️

L is for the way you look at me: If you’ve never had someone pick up a guitar and sing a love song just for you… well, let’s just say Murtz wasn’t the first man to steal my heart. Rik Rankin truly has a lovely singing voice, and I will dearly miss Roger’s when… well… you know. Sigh.

Favourite Line: “I’ve got more on my mind than kissin’ and what have you, Mr. Fraser, Sir.” (Josiah Beardsley) What have you… 😂

Jocasta Cameron: Snob? Sly? Slut? All of the above?

Black Jack The Sequel: What is it with these corrupt redcoats? Governor Tryon annoys me more with each scene.

Hair Tics: I’m confident me ol’ pal @saint-hildegard-of-bingen​ is unable to count the number of times I’ve referred to myself as a heretic while talking to her, something I never did prior to reading the Outlander series, particularly The Fiery Cross. 😎

The Kilt: Oh, the kilt! (Chills 3) And the callback to S2E9 Je Suis Prest with the song Moch Sa Mhadainn. Powerful Scottish stuff.

Lighting Of The Cross: (Chills 4) I loved it and I’m not sorry. Highland chieftains set fire to a cross to call their men to arms. Period. Jamie lit his cross 90-something years before someone bastardized the long-held Scottish tradition.

Stand By My Hand: (Chills 5) So. Many. Feels. Loved the callback to S1E4 The Gathering. Isaiah Morton’s** realizing Roger didn’t quite get Jamie’s invitation, and teaching by doing, made me smile. Jamie’s being impressed Roger didn’t need to “Repeat what I say” made me smile more. Jamie’s looking to Brianna for confirmation before accepting Roger’s pledge made me tear up. Marsali’s pride at Fergus’s pledging his fealty — and at her not having to prompt Jamie to recognize Fergus’s worth — released those tears. The rest of the men’s lining up to more Moch Sa Mhadainn sealed the deal. Favourite scene, hands down.

Ghoistidh: Jamie’s knowing he’ll abandon Tryon eventually to fight alongside Washington, conflicting with Murtagh’s need to lead the Regulators and antagonize Tryon now, breaks my heart. And don’t get me started on Jamie’s releasing Murtz from his decades-old vow. 😭

Forewarning: If Murtz dies as a Regulator, and if Jamie is directly involved in his death, I will be inconsolable… about losing TV-Murtagh. Real Life Murtagh™ is safe, at home with me. 

Sadly Absent: Young Ian. I really missed Ian. And Rollo. (Which is more than I can say for Lizzie. She looked at Josiah Beardsley on the big house verandah the same way she looked at Young Ian on the Cape Fear boat.) Hurry home…

Reality Bites: Too clean? Too modern? Too fancy? Too funny. Three of the four main characters touched a rock and instantaneously travelled 200 years. One of them three stinkin’ times. Reality left the building at 37:41 of the first episode. (Well, Frank saw a ghost at 24:20, but who wants to talk about Frank?) Embrace the fiction…

Closing Credits: Reports of Ronald D. Moore’s executive-producer death have been greatly exaggerated. Like the author’s, we see his name in big, bold font immediately before and after the episode. **I recognized Isaiah Morton by John Quincy Myers’ “Come on, Morton, time waits for no man” during the drinking game (if you didn’t catch him there, Isaiah was the first man to pledge fealty to Jamie), but I can’t put faces to book-familiar names Murdina & Arch Bug, Margaret Chisholm, Duncan Innes, or Ronnie Sinclair. Could you? 🤔

Get your act together, Starz, and offer your app to the rest of the world. *On W Network in Canada I’m able to start watching Outlander 25 hours after Starz app users in the USA and Puerto Rico start watching it. Of course when you change your cable package without subscribing to W Network and discover your thinking it’s available for free preview in February is a mistake, 75 hours extends to 85 hours, minimum, what with having to wait till morning to call to subscribe. Blah blah blah. 🧀 🧀 🧀 to accompany the whine.

Note: If you choose to read my recap/review(s), and think, “Of course she’s all positive and happy about the show; she wouldn’t say shite if her mooth was full of it,” you’re sadly mistaken. Few things come more naturally to me than being negative and critical. I grew up in an environment where, if you have nothing nice to say, you make sure everyone can hear it. I wrestle with the ghost of that environment every time I open my mouth. I refuse to let it haunt my blog. #TV #Fiction #Fun

__________

Gifs: @mclintocks​ (1 & 2), @thewanderingace​ (3)

#Outlander #Personal #Review #TFC #S5E1 The Fiery Cross #Claire Fraser #Jamie Fraser #Brianna MacKenzie #Roger MacKenzie #Fergus Claudel Fraser #Marsali Fraser #Jocasta Cameron #Ulysses #Too Much Of Frank #Murcasta shmurcasta 🙄 #Slut #190 #021820

#Outlander #Personal #Review #TFC #S5E1 The Fiery Cross #Claire Fraser #Jamie Fraser #Brianna MacKenzie #Roger MacKenzie #Fergus Claudel Fraser #Marsali Fraser #Jocasta Cameron #Ulysses #Too Much Of Frank #Murcasta shmurcasta 🙄 #190 #021820

[finishinglinepress]

FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: Swimming Grand Canyon and Other Poems by Rebecca Lawton

TO ORDER GO TO: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/swimming-grand-canyon-and-other-poems-by-rebecca-lawton-nwvs-160/

978-1-64662-535-2. 2021 RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY. Please share/please repost [PROMO]

Rebecca Lawton is an author, fluvial geologist, and former Grand Canyon river guide. She’s swum most of the biggest rapids on the Colorado River, often not by choice. Her writing honors include a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair, Nautilus Book Award, Ellen Meloy Award for Desert Writers, Waterston Desert Writing Prize, WILLA for original softcover fiction, three Pushcart Prize nominations in poetry and prose, and residencies at Hedgebrook, The Island Institute, and PLAYA. This is her first book of poetry.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR Swimming Grand Canyon and Other Poems by Rebecca Lawton

Truth flows through these poems like a cold deep river, and human love for hard things settles on that river like late sun, casting a steely sheen over all of it. Read Swimming Grand Canyon to be there—on the restless river, and deep in the knowing heart.

–Kim Stafford, author of Singer Come from Afar

Rebecca Lawton’s poems jump off the page. She is achingly alive and heartbreakingly present in Swimming Grand Canyon, “living mortgage free” in her life as a river guide. We travel with her, meeting the characters with whom she shares the risks of that life. I love the immediacy of her narratives, her lively verbs, and her open heart.

—Elizabeth C. Herron, author of Insistent Grace

Rebecca Lawton’s Swimming Grand Canyon has the inviting rhythm of a river trip, quickly going from names on a map to the “first rapids” to “there is no turning back.” These poems have something of that cobble-essence, in spite of the losses she describes, finding “we are far richer than we thought we’d be.” What Lawton places in our hands is a rare gift, smoothed and polished.

–Arthur Dawson, author of Where the World Begins: Sonoma Mountain Stories and Images

#flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry

#poetry #chapbook #preorder #flp authors #poets on tumblr #american poets #leah maines #women poets #chapbooks

[valeriemperez]

Did the mystery girl have purple AND yellow lightning, or did I see wrong? If I saw right, I take that as confirmation she is their daughter. Why else would she have both of their colors? And I think it's kind of cool if she gets two colors.

You are correct! She had both purple and yellow, so she’s definitely their baby girl.

@eboniangelvibez said:

Mystery Girl’s behavior in 4x21 of TF makes me think that either something happens to Joe and Cecile, or that she possibly won’t exist in the future if DeVoe wins.

I definitely think that her future is bleak af, with most of the team dead or gone. My guess is that Barry disappeared “for good” in 2024, things are really ugly whenever she’s from, and Iris is the main one left. Of course, Iris raised her not to time travel, so now she’s very much going against her mother’s wishes and therefore avoiding her.

But her worried that Devoe means she won’t exist is an interesting thought. The only reason I’m not convinced is because she’s not doing anything to help them, even from afar.

Tati what did you think of last nights episode? That Dawn scene tho 🤩🤩🤩

I haven’t had a chance to rewatch, but I liked it! Cisco and Cynthia broke my heart, but Carlos acted his ass off. Marlize leaving Clifford was wonderful. Barry was annoying but in a cute way, and Iris did her best to keep him in check and coach the team. I even liked the Harry/Cecile stuff, it was really only Caitlin’s story that was displeasing. AND MY BABY DAWN RUNNING AWAY SO HER MOM WON’T CATCH HER!!!!!

They... cut another Westallen scene. Why even release the promo photo of it if it was no longer in the episode? 🙃

Maybe that’s why 4.21 released zero stills of Iris, rofl. That way her even being in the episode is a happy surprise.

Was this the episode CP said Iris goes out on the field to investigate or is it 4x21

She said 4.21, so let’s hope she was right.

I love how TF revealed MG is a speedster and has yellow/purple lightning when she runs but there’re still people who believe she’s Joe and Cecile’s kid or anyone else except Iris’s. I wonder why that is.🤔

People love to play dumb when they don’t like the answer.

@eboniangelvibez said:

I read a theory on Twitter that the Mystery Girl is Nora Allen or Cruise. Barry Allen and Jessica Cruz from JL Legacy 😡🤬I accidentally hit the Ask button while texting... I was going to add that perhaps the show will give WA Nora, Jason and Jenny!

LMAO, well, clearly she’s not. That’s not how race works. I don’t need those others, though, rofl. Nora Dawn Allen and Joseph or Francis Don Allen are enough for me.

so they are doing yet another cliffhanger to end the season? does every season HAVE to end on a cliffhanger? why can't we have a happy ending for once and introduce new stuff in the premiere?

Hopefully it’s a happy cliffhanger this time around, lol. Barry and Iris headed to the future together to help Dawn!

Given the obvious lack luster excitement Grant's been feeling towards some of the season and all of the accusations made about AJK, do you think they got along? Do you think there was tension on set between them for whatever reason and caused the season to lean so Ralph-heavy?

I don’t, simply because AJK wasn’t on set with the cast. It’s possible Grant was feeling a little burned out at first and asked for a lighter load, which they took way too far, but I have absolutely no proof for that. All I can say is that Grant is gonna want more story next season, lol, and I hope he gets it.

You’re a legend. I love everything you do for the Flash fandom & if no one has told you today I appreciate you so much. Love you 💜😘

Thank you so much!!! Love you too. 💜

#the flash #toolezbionic #eboniangelvibez #anonymous #tatiana's thoughts #more asks under the cut #long post for ts

[skarchomp]

Hey there! I was asking docktorpeace about the characters of your D&D campaign, since I've seen them from afar and think they're really cool! Could you tell me more about Thana? I too am a fan of playing fish PC's.

Thana Thresher is a merfolk/orc (a Morc, as I call it) who was raised to be the perfect soldier since she was three years old. So when, twenty years later, the war she’d been training for was called off through a peace treaty, she was devastated. She decided she had to find her purpose in life, so she left her home city of Umarine and went on to travel the world and find a cause to fight for, hopefully get involved with some kind of war.

She’s got a very carefree attitude and, while she technically can take things seriously, loves to live life at 100% all the time. She will flirt with, fight, and become best friends with everyone she meets, possibly in that order. She eats absolutely anything you put in front of her but will only drink water and god help you if you suggest anything otherwise.

She’s big dumb and gay and everyone loves her. She knows @doktorpeace‘s Caroline through working as her bodyguard in the past, she and @twerkyvulture‘s Loradove are BFF for life, she gets along with @spitblaze‘s Viivi in a sort of “bickering siblings” kind of way, and she first met @draayder‘s Foxglove when she was sent to arrest him but she came around on him cuz she loves his ability to punch anything to death.

Notable accomplishments include:

-throwing a car at an ogre

-flirting with an NPC who’s a giant sewer-dwelling worm monster

-beating an alligator in an official swamp wrestling match

-enchanting her warhammer with the ability to drain life from enemies and calling it THE HAMPIRE (yes all caps)

-dunking a fire elemental into a river and punching it in the face

-successfully gaining the help of a group of wild wrestlers through kayfabing a promo with their leader

-buying the party a bunch of terrible Christmas gifts including a dead rat and a “bath bomb” she found in a gutter

-killing one of the main villains by tearing his head off with magical acid gauntlets

-forcing everyone to stay in the car until the CRJ song on the radio was done

-naming the party’s dragon “Trucknutz”

#monstar-mash #Thana

[thefaeriereview]

Blitz: Tempting the Scoundrel

https://ift.tt/301JBB1

House of Devon, Book 3

Historical Romance, Regency Romance

Release Date: September 23, 2020

    Only $.99

September 23-27

  Below stairs is where the romance begins..

As the most distinguished watchmaker in England, Christian Bainbridge believes in accurate timepieces, not love. He secretly offered his heart years ago, and he’s never gotten it back. When Raine Mowbray stumbles into his life again, Christian realizes the woman he’s worshiped from afar is still the woman he desires above all others.

Raine Mowbray needs solitude and employment, not love. A housemaid forced to flee a loathsome earl’s grasp, the last thing she’s seeking is a man’s amorous attention. When she finds herself unexpectantly paired with a gorgeous watchmaker in need of an assistant, she’s unnerved by his wit, kindness—and clandestine devotion to her.

If you like spirited heroines who fight falling in love and charmingly arrogant heroes who think they know best, then this is the book for you! Snuggle up with Tempting the Scoundrel, a steamy second chance, love-at-first-sight Regency Romance!

  This is a Downton Abbey-ish novella at 98 pages and 25K words!!

Find the entire House of Devon Series on Amazon

    About the Author

Award-winning author Tracy Sumner's storytelling career began when she picked up a historical romance on a college beach trip, and she fondly blames LaVyrle Spencer for her obsession with the genre. She's a recipient of the National Reader's Choice, and her novels have been translated into Dutch, German, Portuguese and Spanish. She lived in New York, Paris and Taipei before finding her way back to the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

When not writing sizzling love stories about feisty heroines and their temperamental-but-entirely-lovable heroes, Tracy enjoys reading, snowboarding, college football (Go Tigers!), yoga, and travel. She loves to hear from romance readers!

  Sign up for my newsletter HERE

Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

BookBub

Promo Link

  Purchase Link

Amazon

  Only $.99

September 23-27

via Blogger https://ift.tt/3mLPI6k

#Blogger #RABTBookTours #book blitz #Historical Fiction #Romance

[royvelasco]

Come Again in Camiguin: A Travel Guide to the Island Born of Fire

You will definitely say that you’ll come back once you have explored this beautiful small paradise. Not just famous for its multiple volcanoes and sweet lanzones, Camiguin is a paradise of unspoiled scenery and joyful people.

Related Post: The Ultimate Cebu Backpacking Guide for Solo Travelers

Where is Camiguin?

Located in Bohol Sea, off the northern coast of Mindanao, Camiguin is the second smallest province in the country after Batanes. Used to be part of Misamis Oriental, Camiguin is now an independent province under the Northern Mindanao Region or Region X.

A view of Tres Marias

How To Get Here?

There are multiple ways to get to this island. The one I took is the fastest and most convenient, yet can be the most expensive. Good thing, I was able to book a promo flight from Cebu to Camiguin for only around Php900 (Usd17) roundtrip. Make sure to follow local airlines on all their social media accounts and subscribe to their newsletter to be notified of their seat sales. As of writing, Skyjet is the only airline that offers a direct flight from Manila to Camiguin. You need to have a layover in Cebu if you’re flying Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines.

You can also reach Camiguin coming from Mindanao, either fly from Manila or Clark to CDO (Cagayan De Oro) or Butuan. Go to Balingoan Port to take the ferry to Camiguin (Benoni Port). Benoni Port is on the other side of the island, opposite the capital Mambajao, but is already near Mantigue Island. Plan your itinerary accordingly.

Another way is from Jagna, Bohol entering Camiguin (Balbagon Port) via Super Shuttle Ferry. This port is located in the capital.

 Where To Go?

Touring around the island requires renting a motorbike or hiring a tour guide/driver. I went to Camiguin as a solo traveler and since I am not confident enough to drive to this new place, I opted to hire a tour guide to drive me around with his habal-habal (motorbike). Multicabs and vans are available as well for group travelers.

My tour guide that time was Kuya Mel whom I met on one of the travel groups on Facebook. He is definitely recommendable as he’ll make sure that you will make the most out of your Camiguin trip. You can reach him here on his Facebook account (Ako si Mel) or contact him at [phone]. Please let him know that you were referred by me. ;)

White Island                

Boat: Php450/Usd8.6 (RT good for 4 pax)

Environmental Fee: Php50/Usd1

I stayed in Camiguin for 3 days and had enough time to visit this island on my first day. I did it on DIY by hailing a motorella from my accommodation in Yumbing to CheckPoint (Php9/Usd0.17). I had a quick satisfying lunch first in CheckPoint Camiguin then had a short walk to the White Island Ferry Terminal. The best time to visit White Island is around 5AM to 8PM in the morning and 3PM to 5PM to avoid the scorching heat of the sun.

  Mantigue Island

Boat: Php600/Usd11.5 (RT good for 6 pax)

Environmental Fee: Php30/Usd0.57

You can stay in the island for a maximum of four hours only.

Sunken Cemetery

Entrance Fee: None

You can hire a small boat to take you to the cross for Php100/Usd1.9 good for 5pax.

Old Gui-ob Church Ruins (Old Catarman Church Ruins)

Entrance Fee: Php10/Usd0.19

  Katibawasan Falls

Entrance Fee: Php50/Usd1

  Tuasan Falls

Entrance Fee: Php50/Usd1

  Pamunglo Spring

Location: Sagay

Entrance Fee: None

I almost ditched off this destination but thankfully due to my tour guide’s persistence, I approved his offer to go here since we’re already around the area. There was no entrance fee anyway. And indeed thanks to my tour guide, I was in awe when I saw the clear water of Pamunglo Spring. We were also the only people when we got there. Its cold flowing water definitely eased the afternoon heat.

  Camiguin Mark

Location: Mambajao Town Proper

Entrance Fee: None

  1914 Plaza

Location: Mambajao Town Proper

Entrance Fee: None

  Sto. Nino Cold Springs

Entrance Fee: Php50/Usd1

  Ardent Hot Spring

Entrance Fee: Php50/Usd1

The heat was manageable. The water was actually lukewarm. 

  Tongatok Cliff Viewdeck

Entrance Fee: None

This is one of the spots perfect for sunset-viewing.

  Walkway to the Old Volcano

Entrance Fee: None

 Old Parola

Entrance Fee: None

The Province of Misamis Oriental on the other side

  Moro Tower

Location: Guinsiliban

Entrance Fee: None

  Sagay Church

  Lagoon Fishpen and Zipline

I opted not to enter anymore and just settled with this overlooking view of the area with the Mantigue island from afar.

  Below are some of the spots that we’re unable to visit as most of them were not operational by that time:

Bura Soda Water Pool – It was a Monday and unfortunately, they do cleaning and maintenance on that day. My tour guide was kind enough to still bring me here to taste the water that comes out on this community’s faucets as I was really intrigued about it. He said that it’s safe to drink anyway. One thing is for sure, it doesn’t taste like Sprite. ;)

Saay Cold Spring

Giant Clam Sanctuary

Where to Eat?

CheckPoint Camiguin  – 'Probably the best restaurant in Camiguin that serves cheap delicious meals.

The Beehive – ‘Quite off the track but definitely worthy of visit. 

Dragonfruit Shake and Honeycomb Cookie

Island Pizza Express – 'Located in Mambajao, just along the main road. This pizza chain serves brick-oven pizza that is budget-friendly. White Island Pizza is my personal favorite and was recommended by my tour guide. 

La Dolce Vita – ‘literally just in front of the airport. It’s more on the expensive side but serves delicious authentic Italian cuisine.

Where to Buy Pasalubong (Souvenirs)?

Most of us always make sure that we have something from our travel when we get back home. It can be a remembrance to one’s self or a gift for families and friends. Probably the most famous would be a ref magnet, a key chain, or if budget permits, a nice printed tee. My tour guide Kuya Mel advised that the cheapest souvenirs such as ref magnets and key chains can be bought in any of the souvenir shops near the Sunken Cemetery. I was able to purchase 7 (mix of ref magnets and keychains) for only Php100 (Usd1.9). On the other hand, I got a muscle shirt in the “Pasalubong sa Camiguin” near the airport for only Php170 (Usd3.2).

For something edible, Lanzones is definitely on the top list. Camiguin is one of the places that produces the sweetest Lanzones in the entire country. They actually celebrate the Lanzones Festival every third week of October so this might be a good season to go here. For pastry lovers, you need to hoard boxes of VjANDEP Pastel of Camiguin. This delectable bread with its sweet filling is surely loved by everyone.

This trip is part of my 11-day Journey to Cebu and Camiguin. Check-out my Cebu post HERE!

DISCLAIMER: Information above is based on my actual experience during my visit on August 2019. Details like prices, contact information, etc. may change due to different factors. Feel free to comment down below for updates.

NOTE: I own all the images used on this blog post unless otherwise stated. Please don’t use these for any purposes, unless you acknowledge the owner. Thank you.

#Travel #Philippines Travel #Camiguin Travel #Blog 2019 #Philippines 2019 #Camiguin 2019 #Philippines #Camiguin #Solo Travel

[junker-town]

Brook and Robin Lopez reunited on the Bucks is a dream for their mother

The Lopez brothers are reunited again. | Deborah Ledford

The two are playing on the same team for the first time since college.

Deborah Ledford would sit in her living room, repeatedly pressing the “last channel” button on her remote control.

When this television conflict first began in 2008, she switched back and forth from Nets games to Suns games, quickly changing the channel during timeouts or free throws. Last year, with mobile devices having become hand-held high-definition televisions thanks to streaming, Ledford would put the Bucks on her TV and the Bulls on her cell phone, or vice versa.

On game nights this upcoming season, though, her remote control and cell phone will remain on the coffee table in the living room of her Central California home. Her seven-foot twin sons, Brook and Robin Lopez, will be playing on the same channel and the same team: the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I would always have to hope their games would be on different days or different times,” Ledford says. “When they were on at the same time, sometimes we simply missed what the other did. It will be much easier now.”

And much more enjoyable for a mother who, for 11 years, has watched her nearly identical sons square off against one another multiple times a season.

The twins playing alongside one another for the Bucks adds something of a final chapter to the family’s history in Milwaukee, the city in which their mother was born. In 1949, Ledford’s father, Bob, was invited to try out for a recent start-up league called the National Basketball Association. At the time, Ledford said, the NBA paid $300 a month, and Bob Ledford, with a baby on the way, needed a more secure income. He instead accepted a job as an engineer for Allen-Bradley, a factory automation equipment company, and from 1949 to 1951 played center for the Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys of the National Industrial Basketball League, which was comprised of teams sponsored by large companies and players employed by said companies.

“So, it’s kind of like a circle that has been completed with the twins now coming to play in Milwaukee,” Ledford says.

The twins’ height mostly comes from the Ledford family, said Deborah, who is 6-0 and whose father was 6-7. Brook and Robin’s eldest brother, Alexander, who is a teacher and also serves as the twins’ personal trainer, is 6-10. Their older brother Christopher, who Ledford said is writing and producing a basketball graphic novel, is 6-7.

Raising four growing boys presented certain challenges, one of which was feeding them. Ledford said that shortly after dinner was served and the dishes were loaded into the dishwasher each night, at least one of the boys would invariably ask, “What’s there to eat, Mom? I’m hungry!” She kept plenty of cereal and milk on hand for those post-dinner appetites.

“I would estimate three or four boxes of cereal a week,” Ledford said. “They ate well.”

While many of the twins’ similarities remain, such as their appearance and their affinity for all things Disney and Star Wars, as Brook and Lopez grew older, the differences in their personality, preferences and playing style began to develop. Ledford would take the twins to the barber to get haircuts together until junior high school when Robin said he wasn’t going because he wanted long hair.

“I said fine because he saved me some money,” Ledford said with a laugh. “It’s his head and as a parent you always have to choose your battle.”

To this day, Robin’s unkempt curly locks and beard - as well as his ongoing feud with NBA mascots - are defining characteristics that make it easy to tell him apart from his short-haired, clean-shaven, mascot-friendly twin brother.

The twins’ difference in temperament became clear while playing one-on-one in the driveway. Ledford said if Brook beat Robin, no damage was done. If Robin beat Brook, basketballs were thrown, screens were torn, lights were shattered. (Robin’s penchant for breaking glass continued during his rookie season when he shattered a door after losing a game of 3-on-3, sending shards onto the court and echos of what sounded like the open to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme music reverberating through the Phoenix Suns practice facility).

The twins have since played against one another in 22 regular season games in the NBA, with Brook having gone 13-9 against Robin. And Ledford has been in attendance for all of them, wearing the jersey of the home team and the hat of the road team to equally support her sons. Knowing that one of her boys would lose each time, she was placed in something of a constant no-win situation.

“Whenever they played each other, I didn’t have fun because I knew that one’s success would be at the expense of the other,” Ledford said. “If one got a dunk on the other or one blocked the other’s shot, it was good for one and bad for the other.”

The days of playing against one another are now over, meaning they’ll win together and lose together. For the first time since they played for Stanford University, the Lopez twins will wear matching outfits when they put on the green and white of the Bucks (unlike when they were younger and Ledford dressed the twins in color-coded clothing so people could tell them apart -- blue for Brook and red for Robin). Robin, who signed a two-year deal with Milwaukee this summer, now joins a team that his older brother - one minute older, to be exact - helped lead to a 60-win season and the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season with the Bucks.

“Since Brook has been playing the center spot for his whole NBA career, and there aren’t that many seven-footers around, I had almost resigned myself to the fact that they would never be on the same team,” Ledford said. “And then for this to occur, it was the most wonderful thing. The people who are running the Bucks are just really astute people because when you have Brook and Robin play together, you have a synergy.”

Brook and Robin will now look to turn their sibling rivalry into sibling royalty as they attempt to become the second set of brothers to win an NBA championship, joining Pau and Marc Gasol. Unlike the Gasols, the Lopezs have an opportunity to win the title together, as do their teammates Giannis Antetokounmpo and his older brother Thanasis, who also signed with the Bucks this summer.

“I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch,” Ledford said. “But that would be awesome.”

As close as they are in bond and proximity, the Lopez twins will not be living together, although shortly after reaching an agreement with the Bucks, Robin did tweet a clip from “The Simpsons” of brothers fighting over the top bunk. Nor were they roomies when Brook played for the Brooklyn Nets and Robin for the New York Knicks during the 2015-2016 season. For that they blamed their cats, who couldn’t possibly live under the same roof because they didn’t get along. This time around, Ledford said that Robin simply prefers a downtown apartment while Brook enjoys his private house (no word on the cats’ real estate preferences).

“So, no, they won’t be living together,” Ledford said, “but I suspect they’ll be hanging out at Brook’s house quite a bit.”

In the past when the two played against one another, Ledford said, the road twin would often stay at the house of the home twin. The two would discuss everything but basketball and play board games deep into the night, just as they did as kids.

“To this day they have huge collections of board games that I’ve never ever heard of,” Ledford said. “And they know all the detailed rules.

When the board games are packed up, and the cameras are turned on, the brotherly love dissipates. When playing against one another, from opening tip to the final buzzer, there was a mutual silent treatment between the two. While doing interviews, they endearingly teased one another and exchanged verbal jabs, often sounding like wrestlers recording a promo for their upcoming match.

That hostile side of their relationship didn’t develop until the two were in the NBA, separated for the first time.

“They had always been on the same team, always on the same side,” Ledford said. “Barbs at each other was not a part of it.”

Now back on the same team and the same side, the barbs haven’t stopped just yet.

When Brook was asked By HoopsHype what he thought of the Bucks’ offseason, he said, “I thought we made all the right moves...pretty much. Except for signing Robin.” After the Bucks’ media day, Robin retweeted photos of himself and teammate Kyle Korver saying, “Two best looking guys on the squad no question.”

That nemesis behavior, though, is something of a facade. A crowd-pleasing act by a pair of witty, seven-foot performers. Off the court and away from the spotlight, Ledford says, the twins are no less a tandem than the kids who grew up creating stories together, with Brook doing the writing and Robin the sketches, and planning their next trip to Disney Land, charting their itinerary for each ride following their 8 a.m. arrival at the theme park.

“In reality,” Ledford says, “they are always really supportive of each other.”

Their supportive mother will will be traveling to Milwaukee once a month this season to visit her sons and attend home games. When not in attendance, she’ll be watching from afar, just as she always has. Only this time, her sons will be playing on the same court, in the same city, and on the same channel.

[marulikestea]

Indochina Trip - Bangkok, Thailand

Last November of 2015 (Yes, two friggin years ago, huhu), my friends and I embarked on an 8-day journey to Indochina. Though we say Indochina, we actually just visited three countries: mainly Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The reason behind this trip, aside from the fact there was a ticket promo from Cebu Pacific Airlines, was because Arlyn and I wanted to experience travelling abroad for the first time. As for me, I’ve always dreamed of going to Cambodia due to their ancient ruins, so having that country as part of our destination was definitely a bonus, as well as an incentive.

Originally, there were five of us who were supposed to be going, but unfortunately, the tickets got sold fast so Denise was only able took three.

So it ended up with only us females. :<  

For the trip planning, we equally divided the task of coming up with an itinerary, wherein each of us had an assigned country to deal with. Mine was Cambodia (naturally), Denise was Thailand, and Vietnam for Arlyn. Since Arlyn and I had no prior experience traveling outside the country, Denise took it upon herself to book our hotels for each country. Aww, thanks so much mommy Denise~ <3

Anyway, since blogging all 3 countries in one go would be a total chore, I decided to discuss each nation separately in the following posts. So for this one, it will only focus on our stay in Thailand adventure. Be warned though, there will be major photodump ahead.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 

FLIGHT TO THAILAND

Our flight departure was in the evening (9:35pm) but Arlyn and I got to the airport several hours earlier (as commonly practiced). Denise was the last to arrive, lol. 

We had our dinner at Tapa King before going to the waiting area of the terminal.

Took a photo of us at the airport with my old crappy samsung galaxy 1 cellphone. I was black-haired back then. ;P

Our flight got delayed a bit due to various reasons, but we were able to depart eventually. After a few hours in transit, we finally arrived at Bangkok, Thailand.

My flight ticket. :3

Upon our touchdown, we took an airport taxi (200 THB) to drive us to our hotel destination. Since it was already past midnight, there was no traffic at all. So we were able to have a smooth ride while marveling at the city’s night lights.

I must admit, even from the airplane window view during landing, Thailand’s night lights differ so much from Philippines; having more of a white-ish organized glow compared to our yellowish scattered embers. Nevertheless it gave me this alienated but excited sort-of feeling; an emotion that served as further proof that I was no longer home.   

BANGKOK CITY HOTEL

After our long ride from the airport, we finally arrived at Bangkok City hotel. Transaction went rather smoothly, since their staff were well-versed in the English language. So after verifying our reservation, we then checked-in to our room, dumped our luggage on our individually-claimed space and slept like a log for a few hours before our call time at 6:00 am. 

When 6:00 am came, we got ourselves ready for the hotel’s breakfast buffet.

According to Denise, this hotel has been suggested by one of her acquaintances due to its breakfast buffet feature. And evidently enough, when we got to the lobby, almost all the dining tables were already occupied by tourists and other hotel occupants, and the buffet line stretching as far as the table could go.

 After a few minutes of searching for open seats, a table has finally been vacated. Like a hawk, we zeroed in on the spot and secured it for ourselves. We took turns in getting food while someone remained to guard territory. 

But apparently, that didn’t seem enough because in one occasion, a seat got stolen from us by some random Chinese tourist right under our noses. During that time, Denise was on the buffet line while Arlyn and I were busy chatting with each other. Then we just realized that the chair where Denise was suppose to occupy was suddenly taken. It happened all so fast that we weren’t able to react, lol. Luckily, we were able to get another seat for her when she returned. Since then, we vowed to never again get slighted by the likes of those ill-mannered tourists who can’t even ask for permission before taking someone’s chair. Tsk.

Setting that aside, food was very delicious and we certainly had our stomachs filled to the brim and satisfied.

Our hotel room.

We then went back to our room to take a bath and prepare our stuff for the first agenda of the day.

DAY 1

We took a cab to our first destination: the grand palace complex. Our cab driver, who was probably friendly and chatty by nature, thought that we were from Malaysia. After telling him that we were from the Philippines, he said that he had Filipino passengers in the past and continued to talk about stuff that I can no longer recall lol. The ride cost us 200 THB and was paid in full when we reached our drop off point. As expected, even arriving early, there was already a huge crowd of buzzing tourists who had the same agenda as us.

Welp, on to the ticket booth then.

GRAND PALACE COMPLEX

“The Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and it consists of not only the royal residences and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It covers an area of 218,000 square meters and is surrounded by four walls, 1900 meters in length.”, as said in the pamphlet guide. 

Our entrance ticket worth 500 Baht.

View of "Wat Phra Kaew" from the outside of its protective walls.

Even before we went to Thailand, the three of us were already aware that most of the places we were going to visit were temples or structures that are highly respected and revered  by the locals; thus it was advised that we wore decent clothing. Alas, Denise sleeveless top was deemed unacceptable by the palace guard (even with a shawl as cover), so she was forced to buy a shirt to wear instead so we could proceed inside, LOLOLOLOL.

Denise in her new instant-souvenir-shirt. So tourist-y~ XD

Thotsakhirithon, Demonic guards (or yakshas) at the temple entrance

From left to right: Phra Sri Rattana Chedi, Phra Mondop and Prasat Phra Dhepbidorn (The Royal Pantheon)

A closer look of the buildings... sort of.

Entrance to Phra Mondop, with guardians

Trying to be spiderman, eh birdie? ;P

A mini-replica of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

Woot! Tourist mode! :3

Even from afar, the emblem of the Chakri dynasty (three-bladed sword in a sharpened disc) on the door is still visible.

The Chakri Maha Prasat hall

BOAT RIDE TO NOWHERE

After we finished our sweaty stroll inside the palace, we left the premises to continue to our next destination. Seeing as we had no idea how to get there, we stopped and asked for directions.

Which led to one of the worst decisions we have ever done in our stay in this country.

The person we’ve asked directions from insisted that we take a boat ride around the city, so as to experience a better feel and understanding of their city and culture. While pointing to the map we held with a guiding finger, he further explained that riding a boat through the river would take us to all the hot spots Bangkok had to offer, and at the same time recommending a particular boat service that offered a much cheaper price compared to the usual fee being charged. Being the gullible tourists that we were, we agreed to such stupidity and paid 900 THB each for this “chance of the lifetime”...

...Only to see nothing of importance, get bored and sleepy, and waste a large sum of money that we could have used for buying souvenirs or food.

UGGGHHHHHHH.

The expensive boat ride around the city. Ngiti nalang mga bes, huhu

To those who plan on having a boat ride around the city, I advice against it because it’s a total waste of time and money. (’ -_-)>

When that long ordeal was over, we were dropped off near the souvenir shacks by the docks, just a few blocks away from Wat Pho. But because it was already lunch time and the 3 of us were utterly famished, we took a short break and ate affordable lunch from the local street vendors. 

Reminds me of the karinderyas back in the Philippines. ;3

My lunch: beef noodle soup for 50 THB. :P

WAT ARUN

We were suppose to go here as indicated in the itinerary, but sadly, the place was undergoing renovation and restoration at the time, so we opted to skip this part.

WAT PHO

For our next (and last; huhu, wat arun whyyyy) destination of the day, we went to Wat Pho, the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Bangkok where the famous Reclining Buddha resides. It houses the largest collection of Buddha images in the country as well.

Wat Pho is also the oldest learning center in Bangkok. It is also the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.

Wat Pho entrance ticket for 100 Baht, with complimentary bottle of water. 

The side entrance.

“Welcome to Wat Pho”

The Bell Tower.

For those who are directionally challenged... like me. >.>

Koi party~

Denise strikes again, lol! Better cover those arms before going inside the temple mah dear~

The Reclining Buddha in Viraha Hall

Measuring 46 meters long nad 15 meters high, this golden statue is something first-time visitors must see in Bangkok.

Look at that enormous golden beauty...

Reclining Buddha in a different angle.

Detailed paintings that depict their history and culture adorned its walls.

Temple Grounds

Aside from its main highlight, the vicinity inside is worth exploring. Similar to the grand palace complex, intricate architectural designs and several golden buddha statues lined up together can be seen here.

Colorful Chedis that are said to contain the ashes of the members of the Thai royal family. Four of these are dedicated to the previous kings of Chakri dynasty.

A Golden Buddha altar inside Phra Ubosot.

Phra Prang (tower) at the corner inside Phra Rabiang

A line of golden Buddha images in the cloister.

Entrance of Phra Mondob.

When it was beginning to get dark and the feeling of our legs were turning into hard lead from all that walking, we “threw in the white towel” and headed back to our hotel to take a short rest before dinner.

NIGHT STROLL AT KHAO SAN ROAD

When night came, we took a 100 THB taxi ride from our hotel to Khao San Road, a famous district where backpackers and tourists alike go to eat food and buy souvenirs.

One of Denise’s goals in Thailand was to eat their famous ‘Pad Thai’. Luckily, there was this pretty lady who was cooking such a dish (in such high speed and precision!) so we ordered 3 servings from her for 50 THB each. 

The Pad Thai queen in her element.

There weren’t any tables and chairs available for eating like the ones we were accustomed to see at food courts, so we had no choice but to take a table reserved to a particular restaurant. Of course, the waiter (who looked rather annoyed at us) spotted us and asked (or demanded? can’t remember) if we were going to buy anything, so we bought a bottle of water for 29 THB so he wouldn’t have to kick us out. Hahaha, business is business after all. Wish I could have seen him do that to the other foreigners taking advantage of their tables. ;P

Aside from our dinner, I also bought a pomegranate juice for 40 THB and a coconut ice cream worth 20 THB for dessert.

Coconut ice cream with coco crunch and chocolate syrup on top. XD

Not one to miss such an opportunity when a horde of clothes are being sold everywhere from left to right, I browsed through every booth on the street and was rewarded from the search with a sleeveless cat-printed shirt, which I bought for 100THB.

Vintage style by Indy - Recession Over!

We also decided to get a Thai massage too, to feel the authentic experience first hand. Therefore we paid 150 THB each and got on top of the mattresses...

...only to be brutally tenderized by these Thai masseurs who didn't know the meaning of pain. DX

To those of you who are not aware of what a Thai massage is, here's a perfect description of it from Wikipedia:

"Traditional Thai massage uses no oils or lotions. The recipient remains clothed during a treatment. There is constant body contact between the giver and receiver, but rather than rubbing on muscles, the body is compressed, pulled, stretched and rocked." 

How I wish I 'd have known this piece of info before subjecting my poor body to torture, lol. Oh, don't get me wrong, the massage did indeed healed whatever tension or stress my muscles were subjected into, but the process of getting there was total SUFFERING.

I literally felt like a pretzel dough being kneaded, stretched, and pounded by a brutal patisserie, lol. At first I was anxious because I've never had a massage before. And since the one in charge of me was male, I had reservations being touched on my body.

Well, My reservations couldn't have been any more wrong.

Such concerns were useless and soon disappeared because there was nothing sexual about it at all  (bless their professionalism and shame on my dubious heart) . It was just pure... pain, so intense, that when the masseur asked if it was painful, I was utterly speechless. Arlyn, who was beside me, was already pounding her pillows, and not out of happiness ROFL.

That massage session made me realize that it was possible to crack bones in some parts of my body which I never knew were possible. It was a  totally eye-opening experience. >.<

After that ordeal, I've never felt so cheated by those posters of relaxed females who seem to be feeling good when having Thai massage. A piece of advice: don't be fooled by them. Hmph!

Anyway, since it was getting late and had ran out of things to do, not to mention having our bodies turned to jell-o from the berserker massage (lol, get it?), we agreed to go back to the hotel (via 67THB worth of taxi fair) to get a good night's rest.

DAY 2

AYUTTHAYA

For our second day itinerary in Bangkok, we were suppose to go to Ayutthaya. We even rode 2 trains to get to the train terminal for it. 

Instead of cards, one of their train lines use a token that has a built-in chip for scanning. So neat! XP

Unfortunately however, there was an issue in our schedule, since we didn't take into account the timetable of the train that would take us to the aforementioned UNESCO heritage site.

Because we didn't want to push it and ending up messing our itinerary, we decided to forego with Ayutthaya and just go shopping. Denise mentioned that the ruins were similar to Cambodia's Angkor Wat so it wouldn't be a total loss.

MBK CENTER

Having enough free time due to the cancellation of our Ayutthaya plan, we took a taxi to MBK Center, one of the famous shopping malls in Bangkok for its variety of goods being sold at an affordable price. 

Of course, with that being said, we bought our souvenirs here. Here's a list of some of the stuff I bought:

Magnets for 100 THB

Barquillos snack for 10 THB

Tamarind for 250 THB

2 Chapter clothes and woodprints for 950 THB

Olive green deer shirt (for Ian) for 200 THB

Cute cat shirt in mint green for 200 THB 

One out of the two lovely wood prints that I bought for myself. The other one, I gave to Ian. <3

Unfortunately, some of the items I intended to buy were a bit pricier compared to the ones I saw near the shops at Wat Pho. So I asked Arlyn and Denise if we could return (after dropping our stuff in the hotel first), and have lunch there in the process. They were kind enough to comply to my selfish request. <3 

And as usual, here’s the list of what I bought in that place:

bundle magnets for 200 THB

patterned pouch for 100 THB

mini statue for 100 THB

artwork for 250 THB

fan hat for 100 THB 

Going to another country has always been a major dream of mine since I'm the only one in my family who haven't set foot yet on a foreign soil. So to commemorate such a big leap forward in my personal goals, I've decided to buy myself a piece of the country I've been to, as a remembrance of the memory.

And keychains and magnets were out of the question.

So I bought the one thing that would represent the country's culture, and at the same time cater to one of the hobbies that I love: art.

Yes, I bought artworks. And here's one that I hand-picked: :3

Artwork of buddha.

When we were satisfied with the items we've purchased for ourselves and for our loved ones, we walked a bit to the area where food vendors and kiosks were stationed together. Imitating the other tourists there, we bought our food (mine cost around 110 THB) ala-"turo-turo" style. We then looked for a shaded corner with seats and ate happily while watching foreigners pass by.

Can you spot where I am in this pic? :P

For our dessert, we bought sticky rice (50 THB), which was recommended to Denise by one of her acquaintances. It's basically almost like suman with ripe mango, topped with condensada.

Totally yum!

Once we were finished with our affairs, we headed back to our hotel to make our preparations for our trip to Cambodia the following day. While I was organizing my stuff, I realized something dreadful that demanded immediate attention and solution: I ran out of Thai money.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

Due to my souvenir-hunt splurging (and also, curse you damn boat ride!), I mismanaged my funds and therefore didn't have enough money to buy transpo tickets for our trip the following day. Echoing my despair to my 2 friends (who were also low on money), we went back to MBK Center to exchange dollar to baht.

Since we wanted to save money and the mall was a walking distance from our hotel, we did just that: walk. The distance was similar to going to Trinoma mall from my condo.

I thought my problems were solved once we got to the mall, but the universe had its own way of amusing itself.

And making me suffer in the process.

We went to 3 money exchange places, but it was either they ran out of money or they were already closed. We literally went to every nook and crany of the shopping center to exchange money but it was the same thing.

Running out of time and feeling quite desperate, I was at the tipping point of my panic when we arrived at our final money exchange booth. Good news was, they were still open. Bad news was...

Well...

Uh.. I’ve already forgotten the actual details of it, so LOL.

But from what I can remember, it involved using our local money to exchange it to baht. Haha. Talk about repressing a bad memory hahahaha. 

So when the whole shenanigans was finally done, we walked back to our hotel, but not before stopping by at 7 Eleven first to buy cheap dinner (Got smoked salmon onigiri for 28 THB) and some toothpaste that tasted salty when we got to try it. It was weird, to be honest.

We ate at our room after we came back and enjoyed our last night at Bangkok, Thailand.

A final view of Bangkok from our hotel, before our departure to Cambodia.

#travel #personal #indochina #thailand #bangkok #wat pho #grand palace complex #mbk center #philippines

[nadyanatasha-2016]

Summer in Sydney

Memang rezeki itu gak ada yang tau kapan datengnya. Siang bolong lagi bengong di kamar tiba-tiba dapet tawaran terbang gratis ke Sydney thanks to Nusatrip and Malaysia Airlines! Being an impulsive person that I am, I took the chance right away. Setelah menentukan tanggal, aku langsung urus visa di VFS Kuningan. Sempet deg-degan karena jarak waktu semenjak dapet tawaran ke tanggal keberangkatan singkat banget, gak sampai dua minggu. Sedangkan ketentuan proses visa Australia dari VFS itu sekitar satu minggu atau lebih. Alhamdulillah approved dan jadinya cuman dalam waktu tiga hari kerja. Biaya urus visa Australia di VFS adalah 1.5juta. So that’s the short process I went through pre-departure. Nah pada tulisan kali ini aku akan share tempat-tempat dan aktivitas yang aku datengin dan lakuin selama traveling 8 hari di Sydney bulan lalu.

But first, how did I get there?

Kalau bagian ini udah pada tau pasti aku terbang ke sana (hahaha!), tapi aku akan cerita sedikit tentang pengalaman terbangku bersama Malaysia Airlines. Secara keseluruhan it was okay. First impression sebuah maskapai menurutku bisa dinilai dari delay atau tidaknya flight kita. I have to say Malaysia Airlines made a good first impression since there was no delay for all my flights. Pesawatnya enak! The interior doesn’t seem dull. I love the seat, untuk ukuran kelas ekonomi it’s quiet spacious. Ruang untuk kaki juga cukup luas. I’m very judgemental when it comes to food, thank goodness they serve proper food. Otherwise I’d have gone cranky all the way lol! #happytummyhappylife. Pilihan in-flight entertainment pun bagus. Walaupun sedikit lebih lama karena dari Jakarta harus ke Kuala Lumpur dulu, but it didn’t feel like forever. Plus, if you check on the flight rates, flying down under from KL with Malaysia Airlines harganya bisa lebih murah apalagi Malaysia Airlines punya banyak promo menarik yang bisa kalian check di Nusatrip.com. Bagi yang belum pada tahu apa itu Nusatrip.com? Nusatrip.com adalah sebuah online travel agency yang selalu memberikan harga terbaik untuk tiket pesawat dan hotel kemana saja. Btw selain ke Sydney, Malaysia Airlines juga punya rute lain di Australia dan New Zealand yaitu Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, dan Auckland. Jadi kalau mau kemana-mana baik domestik or international coba check dan bandingin dulu aja lewat Nusatrip.com dan check harga Malaysia Airlines ya. It’s not a bad idea at all untuk transit dulu di KL, you can even manage to do day tour in KL first ;)

What to do and where to go in Sydney?

Sydney is big, there’s A LOT you can do and there are SO MANY interesting places. Ada beberapa orang yang tipenya city explorer banget, ada juga yang nature seeker banget. Good news; Sydney has the best of both worlds.

>> cafe and coffee shop hopping <<

Cafe culture game is strong in Sydney. Berhubung trip Sydney ini low-budget, aku gak banyak brunch di luar. Sekali makan di Sydney bisa habis sekitar 200ribuan kalau di cafe (yaa ’makan cantik’ Bahasa Indonesia-nya sih). Tapi aku sangat rekomendasi untuk kamu budgetin satu kali aja proper brunch di sana. Salah satu area yang terkenal sengan tempat-tempat brunch lucu ada di Surry Hills dan Newtown. So after this you can go google on your own. However, I do got one name as a recommendation and the place is called Le Monde in Surry Hills. Aku tau tempat ini dari Nidya. I didn’t end up meeting Nidya there, but when I first checked about the place online, they say the food is good. Price wise it is also reasonable.

Jelas ada satu tempat yang terkenal banget sampai ke kalangan turis. As you may already knew, it’s The Grounds of Alexandria. Di sana ada beberapa tenant. Dari mulai burger stall, lemonade stall (ugh I miss the rose lemonade, it’s so good), donut stall, sampai cafe yang emang jual makanan berat semua ada. The place is beautiful, I love it. Location wise memang agak jauh dari city center, tapi sejauh-jauhnya di Sydney tetep gak sejauh BSD-Depok. Selain ke Grounds, aku hanya ngopi dan makan di tempat yang selewat aja. Sekitar hostel pertamaku di daerah Kings Cross ada dua cafe yang menurutku kopi dan tempatnya enak. Namanya Glider dan Holm. Selain dua itu ada beberapa tempat yang sangat eye-catching juga dari luar sepanjang Victoria street, Kings Cross.

From the top in order: The Grounds of Alexandria, famous donuts from The Grounds, Glider Cafe, Holm Cafe.

Honorable mention: These three are unlike the cafes mentioned above, but they totally worth a try and visit. First, it’s Harry’s Cafe De Wheels mereka terkenal dengan Australian meat pie-nya, yang kedua itu harus banget ke Sydney Fish Market! On a more specific note: go buy aburi scallop at Peter’s when you’re there. Demi apapun enaknya bikin gak mau pulang dari Sydney. Ketiga adalah jajan es krim di Messina.

Picture one and two: Chilling by the sea with my little friends while eating Australian meat pie from Harry’s. Picture three: Look at that sexy melting cheese on top of aburi scallop.

>> museum hopping <<

Terutama untuk yang emang demen jalan-jalan ke museum atau galeri seni, Sydney is a good place to be. Sebelum ke sana pastiin kamu udah googling untuk cari tau exhibition yang menarik untuk kamu kunjungin. Hari keduaku di Sydney aku udah janjian sama temen untuk gallery/museum hopping. We managed to visit the MCA and Artspace that day. Selain dua tempat itu masih ada beberapa museum besar dan galeri seni lainnya juga sebagai opsi lain.

Picture one: MCA with Dilla the big city indie gal. Picture two: One of my favorite works from the exhibition at Artspace.

>> visit the landmarks <<

Coming from Indonesia, my hands are completely down over Sydney’s exquisite old buildings and landmarks. Walaupun aku harus jujur kalau selama seminggu di Sydney kemarin aku gak ke Opera House cuman lihat dari jauh aja hahaha #travelergadungan. Here goes the list of my favorites: walk from Town Hall building to Queen Victoria Building, another walk from Government House to Mrs Macquarie's Chair (both are located in Royal Botanic Gardens) where you can see Opera House from afar, and a visit to Darling Harbour. I also have a list of what was on my plan but I didn’t get to do: Jalan kaki di Sydney Harbour Bridge dan di sekitar Luna Park, leyeh-leyeh di Observatory Hill Park dan Hyde Park.

Picture one: Town Hall building from across the street. Picture two: Opera House from Mrs Macquarie's Chair.

>>  beach hopping  <<

Do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk! It was truly an awarding walk (you can do it reverse way too). Kalau full track sekitar dua jam, tapi aku kemarin cuman jalan dari Bondi ke Bronte and it only took me an hour to finish sudah termasuk waktu yang habis buat dipake bengong-bengong in awe. Masih gak paham gimana bisa kota gede kaya gini manage pantai-pantainya untuk tetep bersih dan terjaga. Itu kesanku sepanjang coastal walk. Btw, kalau di Bondi ada Iceberg pool, di Bronte ada natural pool yang kelihatan sangat tempting. Sayang banget belum beli burkini jadi kemarin gak bisa berenang-berenang :( Below are some shots that I took during the walk.

From the top in order: Someone was enjoying her reading time with a view of Bondi - On my way to Tamarama - Seru banget ya kalau ngobrol sama temen di Ancol tapi viewnya begitu? #mimpibabu - Tamarama; A beautiful tiny beach between Bondi and Bronte. 

It’s also nice to take a ferry ride from Circular Quay up to Manly Beach! Gak jauh dari Manly kamu bisa jalan kaki juga ke Shelly Beach. Orrr, if you have feel like going to a non touristy beach, you can also go all the way up to Palm Beach. I was lucky enough to spent a couple of days with a family of a friend of mine who lives in northern Sydney. That’s why I had the chance to visit Palm Beach and explore the surroundings teehee~

Peaceful Palm Beach is peaceful.

>> national park hopping <<

Australia is irrefutably one of those lands full of national parks. Selama di Sydney aku berhasil main-main ke tiga taman nasional, those are; Blue Mountains National Park, Royal National Park, and Sydney Harbour National Park. Aku berencana untuk bikin post terpisah untuk berbagi tentang tiga taman nasional tersebut. In the mean time, here’s three photos from each national park

From the top in order: Blue Mountains National Park, Royal National Park, Sydney Harbour National Park.

>> markets and cool events <<

Banyak area di Sydney yang rutin seminggu sekali ngadain market. Misalnya Bondi market, Manly market, etc. Jadwalnya pun beda-beda. Mostly weekend sih.. Jadi kalau kebetulan di Sydney pas lagi akhir pekan, bisa pilih untuk pergi ke salah satu area yang lagi ada marketnya. Market di sana itu semacam acara bazaar produk lokal. Barangnya lucu-lucu dan menarik untuk dilihat-lihat. Waktu di Manly market, ada juga yang buka booth ilustrasi muka. Selain market, berhubung aku datang waktu summer jadi ada banyak pilihan acara-acara yang seru. Dari mulai music stage sampai openair cinema. Karena aku tertarik banget sama Ben&Jerry’s Openair Cinema akhirnya beli tiketnya online dari Jakarta (ots juga bisa tapi lebih mahal). I chose the Sundae Session which means the cinema plays on a Sunday and on that day I can take as many scoops of Ben&Jerry’s as I want for free. Fortunately the movie being played that day was Arrival (yes by this I’m telling you that I’ve watched Arrival a month prior to its screening in Indonesia’s cinemas #cocky) and I was lucky to have myself a couple of companions —middle school friends who were visiting Sydney at that time too. Both the openair cinema experience and the movie were amazing! I’d love to do it all over again with more friends, different movie, and of course a warmer weather because damn Australian summer it was 17 °C when it happened???

Enjoying our free Ben&Jerry’s scoops. Hijab from @cottonpatch and legging from www.happaofficial.com.

So that was my Sydney trip in a nutshell! Ada yang sehabis baca ini jadi makin pengen ke Sydney atau jadi masukin Sydney ke must-visit list nya? Kalau belum, di post lanjutan ini pasti kalian akan makin atau mulai kepengen karena aku akan share gimana caranya traveling di Sydney seminggu cuman 5juta! Exclude return flight dan visa pastinya :)

// Anyways, terima kasih banyak untuk kalian yang udah ngikutin perjalanan aku di blog ini, tulisan ini adalah tulisan terakhir di nadyanatasha-2016.tumblr.com sebelum semuanya akan dipindahin ke blog baru dengan nama address lama yaitu nadyanatasha.tumblr.com. Semua konten akan pindah ke sana dan di sana pula aku akan berbagi cerita perjalananku yang selama ini masih disimpan di draft saja hehe. Follow (lagi) ya! —> nadyanatasha.tumblr.com //

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366 + 11 / Jakarta, Indonesia.