Guilty pleasures.
For me its those things that you know you shouldn’t be doing but cant help doing it anyway. Its your own inner voice going "Sam, you know you shouldn’t be doing that…" while your heart goes "I don’t care…stupid inner voice *grumble* *grumble*" We've all been there, we've all had that moment, and we've all gone with our hearts, the guilt of knowing we shouldn’t, only making that act of indulgence all the more deliciously enjoyable.
Here are my guilty pleasures, both travel and non-travel related, in no particular order. See how many you share with me :)
Sleeping In
…on weekends when I really should be out there making the most of it.
Because its a bright Sunny day in London
Because its only a two day weekend
Because I'm in London. Period.
(coffee in bed with a good book falls into this category too. As does spending hours reading in general.)
Travel
…when I know the exchange rate and how I'd be smarter to save it.
I almost died hitting the 'pay' button for hotel accommodation in Valencia. In the general scheme of things, it wasn’t really unreasonable, but when I found out how much it would be in Aussie dollars…! I almost got my flatmate to click the button for me it was that hard. But I loved, loved, loved my trip and it was SO worth it! The experience of that is something money just cant buy…yes, I've just moved into the 'Justification' phase of guilty pleasures.
And while actually travelling, sleeping in, wandering aimlessly, not making the most of where I am
...because I know how much it costs and chances are, with it being a big world, I might not be back.
Ive been away on travels and felt guilty pleasure in just lounging in the suuuuper comfy hotel bed when I should be out exploring. Also I've swapped lining up for 'major sights' for wandering around, getting lost and getting a feel of the place, but sometimes I do love doing that more you know?
Vampire Diaries (TV series)
…When I know I should be watching something "better"
Ian Somerhalder. First time I saw him was in another guilty pleasure TV show called Young Americans. I was hooked. Hot. Just Hot. Plain and simple. And he is possibly the only reason I watch the show. Don’t know who he is? Go Google him. Now. I'll wait……………………………Done it? Good. You're welcome ;)
Chocolate.
…like you need me to explain why…!
Ferrero Rocher, After 8 dinner mints and Muji chocolate especially, coz they are expensive to boot!
Buying books.
...when libraries are free and e-books are cheaper and don't kill any trees.
Unless its a really great book, I'll only be reading it once so buying a book that will just sit on my shelf after I've devoured it in a few days seems a bit of a waste of money. But I get such pleasure from walking into a bookshop, shelves lined with adventures, romance, mystery and magic, and adopting one, or two, or five into my home :) Luckily on my birthday last year, my friends just gave me book vouchers, I couldn't have been happier! When I'm feeling poor, or way too guilty, I'll buy books from charity shops. I cant help it, I will always be a book lover.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Join the travel link up with Emma, Kelly, Rebecca or guest host Polly and share your story or find more to read!
My first ever experience of foreign languages was Japanese in high school. It was also my first embarrassing experience of something getting lost in translation...or pronunciation.
Our school was playing host to Japanese exchange students and we were all crammed into the teachers lounge meeting and getting to know each other, the girls on one side, boys on the other, as you do in awkward teen years, when one of the girls asked me if I liked guys "with led back". I didn't quite get that, but after she repeated herself a couple of times, I was like "Ohhhh! Guys who are laid back!" to which she nodded, yeah. It was a bit of an odd question but I said sure, I liked guys who are laid back. I swear her face lit up and she gave me the biggest smile before running off to another student...a tall Japanese boy with a red bag....
Since moving to London, Ive come across a few words which can cause a bit of confusion. The most common one you're likely to hear about is 'pants'. Pants in the UK mean underpants/knickers/panties whatever you want to call em. In Australia they mean trousers. Ive lost count of the number of times I've said 'pants' meaning trousers and gotten funny looks from people here.
Then there is the less common 'pull'. A friend of mine was chatting with a colleague at work and asked him if he pulled a girl. I was shocked! I was thinking 'How rude! Why would he pull a girl? That's not very nice!' Before I jumped in on my high horse to say just how rude and disrespectful he was and that women should not be manhandled, my friend saw the look on my face and quickly explained that 'pulling' meant chatting up a girl. Thankfully she had the grace to laugh at me only for the rest of the afternoon.
As an Aussie, I have been in the position of confusing others too. Bludger, dag, mozzie, Maccas and arvo just to name a few. Can you guess what they are?
When travelling, I'm always amused to see how English is used and it can provide a few giggles. Japan has been the oddest, all the above photos are from there, but I did spot an interesting store name in Brussels recently.
Do you have your own "Lost in translation" story to tell? I'm so excited to be guest hosting this months blog link up with lovely Kiwi trio Emma, Kelly and Rebecca. Why not join in and have a laugh? Details below!
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I started this blog way back in 2005. Wow! Huh! I didn't realise its been almost 10 years till I wrote that! Okee...scary! Haha. Um yeah, so I started this blog when dinosaurs still roamed the earth...It was pre-facebook and I was embarking on an adventure in the Middle East, working as a flight attendant and travelling the world. I wanted a way to share my photos and adventures with my family and friends and this blog was born.
I have kept it through 2 years of cabin crew life in the sandpit, then returning home to Sydney, where it almost died due to lack of travel, and then accompanied me on my move to London where it really has really grown.
I really do love blogging, and it has given me so much more than I expected when I started out all those years ago.
So here is my list of the unexpected benefits of blogging, in no particular order:
1. An online home
Through lots of changes in physical addresses, this blog has been consistent and there is something calming about having your own virtual space that has 'always been there'.
2. A way to meet new people
I have met some wonderful people through blogging, virtually and in person. It has helped a lot with my moving to the UK and creating a new network of friends. Its nice to have others who are as interested in exploring London and don't mind when you ask them to hold off eating their food in a restaurant for a minute so you can take a photo.
3. A nudge to get out there!
I find that having a blog gives me that little nudge, a little friendly poke to get out there and do something, do anything. Try a new cafe, book some theatre tickets, go on a day trip.
4. Improving my writing
I know at least one person who will laugh at this point. I'm notoriously bad with my grammar - mostly because when I write, I'm more interested in getting my thoughts and ideas on paper than worrying about sentence structure and punctuation. However, as I've grown with this blog, I've tried a few small changes here and there to, hopefully, make my writing easier to read and more enjoyable.
5. Learning about social media
Its weird and perhaps the most unexpected benefit of blogging - you end up learning a lot about social media and technology. As part of maintaining this blog, I've read about self-hosting, migrating to my own domain name, some coding (though I tend to ask the lovely Stephanie to do all the grunt work), blog designs, different blogging platforms, Twitter, Facebook, blog readers, SEO (I still don't get it) and so much more.
I'm sure there are more benefits that i haven't listed here, but these are the few that come to mind at the moment. If you are interested in seeing what other bloggers have to say about this, pop over to Emma, Kelly, Rebecca or Sara's blogs and see check out post by the other bloggers linkup - or add your own if your keen!
What have been your unexpected benefits of blogging??
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A room with a view, its the icing on the travelling cake isnt it?
Most of my views while travelling have been, sadly, forgetable. A couple have been just horrible, namely a basement room looking on to a brick wall in London and a ventalation shaft in New York. But who cares about that really? Bad views dont make for compelling dreamy photos. So here are the nice, very nice, and downright jaw-dropping views i've had - feel free to daydream about the last one ;)
Most recently in Edinburgh, I had the pleasure of this lovely view.
Ive been know to rave about Japan on this blog and it comes up yet again here. I stayed in the heart of Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan.
The absolute best view i've ever has has been in Santorini, Greece. Can you blame me?
Keen to see other amazing views or share your own? Why not join the blog link up and hop over to Kelly's page to add your link and check out some other amazing posts!
What has been your favourite view while travelling?
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