Last week, I was in Bali for four days and then flew straight to Hong Kong for another four. It was the craziest week of traveling and flying that I've ever had in my life.

I have learned quite a few things from those days, but now that I'm trying to settle back into my normal routine, there are a few things I hate about the end of a holiday.

1. Unpacking
At the beginning of each trip, I have this neat and organised suitcase of clothes, shoes and toiletries. At the end of the trip, I turn I go into fuck-it mode and just dump everything in. BUT, I still make sure to keep the dirty clothes separated from the clean ones. Which brings me to my next point...

2. Laundry
The things I bring home to mama. Oh yes. Filthy little things that pile up and come back to haunt you after you've had a rolicking good time out in the beach. The use swimsuits, the B.O.-ridden shirts and dresses and not to mention the lovely-smelling worn socks. I turn my nose up at my own mess.

3. Buyer's remorse
I really shouldn't have bought that hair clip with the foam flower design...or that throw from Ikea...or those new sneakers...or those extra packets of food that I plan to give away to people when I get back. You get the picture.

4. Going back to normal
Going back to work the next day and thinking "What the hell am I doing all this for? Why am I not exploring and having the time of my life? I'm gonna die miserable!"
 

5. Wishing to go out again
There's always coming home to battle the post-holiday blues. Even after you've spent a fortune on your recently-concluded holiday, you scour the internet for cheap flights and places to go to, when you really should be thinking about recovering your expenses and holing up in your cave until your savings are back into its original state.

But no, you just gotta have a teensy-weensy look at those websites.

When I heard the news of David Bowie's passing, I wasn't sure how to take it. I know he was an icon, a very prolific music legend. 

The Royal Mint had launched a new set of commemorative coins over the weekend and they may just be the coolest ones on the planet right now.

I can't pinpoint when I fell in love with Neil Gaiman's stories -- it could've been American Gods or hearing him read The Graveyard Book -- I just suddenly knew he's one of my favourite authors. So when I had been given the chance to stay in London for two weeks, I quickly hatched the plan to go on a Neverwhere tour.

I keep telling everyone that the UK version of The Apprentice is much, MUCH better than the original, especially now that Donald Trump is making an arse of himself by running for US president.


Practically nobody outside of the UK knows who Lord Alan Sugar is. In fact, even I have next to no knowledge of his business ventures (he's apparently an electronics magnate). However, he has given the series so much personality and his input results in very practical business lessons, that I can't imagine anyone else doing the job.


I've spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day watching a marathon of this year's episodes and I'm still quite satisfied with the series that I feel like I've been on an MBA crash course!


Here are some clips to give you an idea on what the show is like.

Anyone who has spent enough time in the UK would have come across Costa Coffee. It's literally everywhere.

Every once in a while, I would find myself craving for a Mocha Flake. It's silly, really, because that's just a normal mocha with a Cadbury Flake piece on the side. I could order a mug of this in any coffee shop, if only I could find Cadbury Flakes in this town.

Oh, well.

When I was in the UK last October, I couldn't get enough of Costa's Hot Spiced Apple drink. It's basically hot apple juice laced with cinnamon and topped with a cute piece of star anise. It's unfortunately not part of the regular menu, but I just can't forget about it.

Some bit of good news, though -- Costa Coffee's now in Manila!