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Thirty Nine

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39. The last year of my 30s. I have envisioned celebrating it somewhere exciting, doing something memorable. This was supposed to be the year I experience New York , the year I celebrate with fun, laughter, alcohol and reckless abandon, the year I end my 30s with a bang! Another notch to be added to my travel and birthday adventures. But my 39th was nothing but anticlimactic. I have spent 7 months in lockdown, with my only route being any of my Naughty Nachos branches and/or grocery runs. I woke up with indifference, knowing days before that my birthday will be greeted like any regular day. I have always made it a point to make plans during my birthday, if not with a trip then preparing something special. This time around I didn't feel anything different. It just felt like a normal day and adding to that the expectation of celebrating made it all the more sombering.  We started the day with an unexpected NN run and despite driving all the way to Fairview for the unplanned task, I w
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Down Under Series: Mischievous Melbourne

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Rock and Roll. My first impression of Melbourne is that it's more rock n roll than its relatively behaved and laid back sister, Sydney. People I encountered were either on their way or in the stages of getting drunk. If Sydney was your older sister or responsible big bro, Melbourne was the youngest sibling not yet done with their partying ways. We took an early flight and arrived with a slight surprise, we were NOT in Melbourne! Our plane landed in Avalon Airport which was actually in city of Geelong, Victoria. Looking outside the arrival area, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere. Avalon flights were common alternative for Melbourne bound passengers. Both cities are part of the state of Vic. I guess that's what I get from choosing the cheapest flights and booking budget airline flights without enough research haha. We had to take a 45 minute shuttle to get to the city and lugged our bags, trolleys and excited selves to the coffee capital of Australia for our next ad
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Down Under Series: Favorite Cafes in Sydney

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Australia is known for its third wave coffee culture and all day brunch scene. This is quickly evident in Sydney where every street and district has its coffee spot, brunch place...Or BOTH. Throughout my nearly 6 month stay, I scoured Sydney for cafes and these are a few of my favorite spots.  1. QVB Jet Bar Caffè  Address: Queen Victoria Building, 55/455 George St.  Situated in Queen Victoria Building or commonly known as QVB in Town Hall, this building was built as a monument for Queen Victoria in 1898 and has long been turned into a mall but still retaining it's beautiful architecture. Jet Bar is found right before the building entrance which you can't miss. It's right across the beautiful Sydney Town Hall and gives you the perfect spot to relax, people watch and enjoy your cup of coffee.  My amazing cousin brought me here upon my arrival and my first stop upon setting foot in the city. It was the best greeting and anticipation for the adven
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Down Under Series: G'day Sydney!

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Sydney. This city has long been my favorite visited place ever. From its perfectly weird weather to its laid back crowd, countless beaches, active lifestyle loving people forcing one to be healthy, and most of all their coffee culture is like no other - a coffee lover's dream destination. It's been exactly 15 years to the day since my last visit, I was a naive innocent fresh graduate seeing the world with wonder and amazement, first time to be let lose and excited for the possibilities. And here I am now, in my mid 30s juggling duties and responsibilities with a lot of adulting badges in my sleeve but still Sydney kept me in awe and my appreciation for this wonderful place is the same as when I first laid my eyes on it. Just like my initial arrival, first order of business was to roam the CBD area and walk all the way to Australia's most famous landmark - The Sydney Opera House . The cool crisp breeze was perfect weather for a walk
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