Some things in life are actually still easy!

Today I applied for graduation. My university sent me an e-mail, and as I clicked on the link to the student portal, I expected the worst. I mean, after writing hundreds upon hundreds of research papers for the past four years, surely they can't let you off that easily. There must be some difficult quantum physics question that's required before they let you don that graduation gown and get your photo taken as you awkwardly shake hands with the university dean....right?

This is what happened.

The portal screen loads and prompts me with a question.

"Have you meet all the requirements to graduate this spring?"

I clicked on "Yes."

"Which faculty do you belong in?"

I clicked on "Arts and Humanities," then "Submit."

The screen loads.

Still loading...

and loading...

Then, "Congratulations! You have successfully applied for graduation!"

And of course I screamed and ran to the washroom and jumped up and down like I always do when I get really excited.

The Importance of a Good Book on the Train (A Swiftian Satire)

I love travelling by train. For one thing, there's the scenery which you miss when flying, and the comfortable seats that are nonexistent by coach bus. Unlike the "horrors" of flying or taking a bus, Hollywood is always trying to present train travel with an air of mystery and romance. I mean, didn't Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meet on a train? Didn't Wendy profess her love to Xavier as he boards a train? Didn't Harry Potter go to Hogwarts...by TRAIN??

And while I have yet to stumble upon a school of wizards by simply taking the train, I'm sure we have all heard some story about a friend of a friend who once met the prince of some random country, or their future husband/wife on a train (or maybe just some hot guy/girl they hooked up with for about a week), to know that train travel is indeed very, erm... magical.

Which is why it's highly advisable to always bring a good book with you when traveling by train, in case you really do end up sitting next to a prince, your future husband/wife, or some hot guy that you will hook up with for a week. I mean while we are secretly dying (just DYING!) to read about Brangelina in the latest issue of COSMO magazine, would you want to be tallying up your score of HOW GOOD ARE YOU IN BED?*, only to find out that you've been sitting next to the cute great great great great grandson of Voltaire the entire time?

Exactly.

Therefore, the key is to find a book that should suggest to the world (aka your seat partner) that you are in fact a clever, highly intelligent person, who would be a delight to talk to. You don't even have to be reading said book; as long as it's stratgeically positioned on the pull-out tray table with the book title prominately showing, so that your seat partner is fully aware that you are, in fact, the owner of such a book.

Note: It's best to buy said book secondhand to give the impression that you've read it several times. It should also not be listed in the TIME's 100 Novels of All Time...because then it looks like you're trying too hard.

Here are some suggestions.

• Dangerous Liasons - Choderlos de Laclos 
• Flappers and Philosophers - F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac
• Death in the Afternoon - Ernest Hemingway
• The Beach - Alex Garland

And now I bid you all, a happy book hunting!

* Why do the quiz on a train, when you can do it from the comfort of your home here.

** Also speaking of quizzes, the last time I took one (err...a really long time ago, of course), it suggested that I immediately dump any guy I date who owns in his posession, a Drake album. I've therefore come to realize that these quizzes are actually all created by a psycho ex-girlfriend of Drake, and therefore these quizzes are not credible at all.

*** I scored really high on that quiz by the way.

We all have our baggage

I am seriously in love with these luggage tags created by Anne Taintor! They're cheeky, fun and I can totally picture myself sticking those "size matters" tags all over my luggage, and fantasizing about that "size matters" guy (look at the size of that....fish!!). 

What do you guys think of these tags? They seem like an easy way of adding some fun to your boring luggage bags...although at the same time, they are most likely to increase the chance of you getting hit on by the balding middle aged man in the airport waiting area (you know, the one with the two kids who are busily playing on their gameboys). 

$8.99 USD/each at http://annetaintor.com

What Keeps You Motivated?

Not traveling anywhere this holiday made me realize that I actually haven't travelled anywhere in over a year (says the girl with the travel blog).

Well...I did go to Europe during the summer, and Montreal several times throughout the year, but the last time I went anywhere that I can sincerely say "I've lived there and fully experienced the culture" was Australia, two years ago when I backpacked the country for four months.

I tell my friends this and they all reply with the same answer, which is, "don't worry, you're saving up for Europe." (#firstworldproblems). While this usually makes me instantly happy as images of the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben engulf my thoughts, it doesn't really make the "in-between time" go by any faster. Travel memoirs usually always begin with the writer talking about how they spent a year slaving away to work to save enough money to travel, and while in writing, this only takes about ten words to express, in reality, a year is a hell of a long time...

So the question for this week is, what is your "in-between time" therapy? What motivates you to not let your mundane job get to you as you slave away to save up for your travels?

Here are some of mine (if you're curious):

- Watching travel related movies and reading travel memoirs. Then envisioning a spin-off of the story featuring me and a certain boy doing exciting European things like eating croissants and reading the untranslated works of Proust (of course he is European and fluent in French, so he probably already does this daily).

- Keeping in contact with my friends from abroad. This is also particularly useful when I need places to crash - just kidding!

- Buying travel guide books and reading them in public places. That way, everyone will envy you on the subway as you sit there engrossed in "Lonely Planet: Morocco", while they are forced to read about Stephen Harper's new flannel shirt purchase in the daily paper.

- Shopping. Reasons include: "when I move to Europe everything will be more expensive since it's in Euros so buying this is actually an investment," or "everyone is taller in Europe so I should...buy more heels."

image source: atjeh-news.com

Happy New Year!

According to the ancient Mayan calendar, the world will end on December 21st, 2012. Apparently there's going to be an apocalyptic flood to wipe out all of humanity. While it sounds like something out of a Steven Spielberg film, it's funny to see papers from newsstands around the city with headers like, "How Will You Spend Your Last Year on Earth?"

I read one of these papers on a commute one day, and I was really surprised with what people had said. Nobody wrote that they wanted a billion dollars, or to own ten BMW's, but rather people wanted things that are attainable...like to quit their jobs and travel, or to get a divorce, to see their friends more, to find love. There's really nothing stopping us from being happy...we put these limitations on our own lives. So while the world isn't ending in 2012, let's live everyday like it's the last.

Here's to a new year full of traveling and adventures. Here's to a new year to make our dreams happen. Happy 2012 everyone! "For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice." - T.S. Eliot

January 2012 will also mark the one year anniversary of this blog, and in a year, it's definitely come a long way. As of today, I have 134 followers, and countless more subscribers, a total of 158,349 page views, 492 blog comments, and readers from all parts of the world. None of this would be possible without you guys...so thank you! :)


Lastly, the new year isn't complete with a set of resolutions and a to do list. 2012 will be an eventful year  as I'll finally be graduating uni and moving abroad. Here's my list below. What's on your list?


My 2012 to-do list & resolutions

• Graduate uni and receive my BA degree this spring! Can't wait!

• Move to Europe this fall. I'll either be moving to Germany in September if I get the teaching position (fingers crossed!) or the UK on a holiday working visa in October. 

• Apply for international grad schools this summer for September 2013. I've already started looking for programs I like and have found some in Germany. I'll most likely do my Masters in International Relations, or something in that field. 

• Pay off my student loans by the end of September. This should be possible....hopefully I can find a part-time job at a sports bar during the summer as well so I don't miss out on watching the Euro Cup and the Olympics!

• Work on a collection of art this summer so that I'll have an art portfolio to bring with me to Europe.

• Continue going to the gym at least 5 times a week. My gym routine has been going well for the last few months...

• Work on this blog. I know whenever I'm busy I tend to neglect this blog, but in the new year, I'm going to try to post at least one entry a week, if not more. Especially since I will be traveling a lot this year, I'll have more to post about. I also want to change the direction of this blog...right now, it's a bit scattered with random "top 10" lists and scattered posts about travel. I might try to make it into a more personalized travel journal by the end of the year, and share more stories about my life abroad...

• Become fluent in German. It's definitely become a lot better this year through my intermediate German course at uni. If I get the teaching position in Germany, I think I'll definitely be a lot more comfortable speaking it. 

image source: http://renaissanceconsignment.blogspot.com, sodahead.com

Merry Christmas!

Feliz Navidad!

Joyeux Noel!

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Shub Naya Baras!

Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto!

Buone Feste Natalizie!

God Jul or Gledelig Jul!

С Рождеством!

Holiday Holidays...to wherever you may be! Drink lots of eggnog and be merry!

                                                     love, Michelle

7 Interesting gifts for your traveller friends

One thing I hate about malls is that everything looks the same. No matter what stores you go to, everything is probably produced in the same factory somewhere in Asia. This is especially bland when you're trying to do some Christmas shopping, and you're forced to sort through rows of generic looking sweaters to buy, wrap and gift.

Usually when I'm abroad, I love browsing quirky shops and clothing boutiques and buy things and find interesting and fun things to give friends and family on birthdays or for Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised the other day however when I discovered this Diesel Surplus boutique that sold not just Diesel, but also Tom Ford, Marc by Marc Jacobs and G-Star in this small but really trendy shop relatively close to home, where I was able to finish my Christmas shopping. It's kind of nice when you discover a nice hidden place like that, isn't it?

Anyway, with only a few days left until Christmas, here's a few interesting gift ideas for your traveller friends, for those who are in need of some ideas.

1. Vintage maps
I love maps and I love vintage things, so why not vintage maps? Like most travelers, I always find maps to be an endless source of possibilities as it's great for planning trips, and reminiscing on past trips. If your friend already has a world map, subway or transit maps also make for a great present, especially if it's a city that brings back fond memories. Make sure you obtain these maps legally though! I remember when I was living in Chicago, stealing maps from the subway became a pretty big issue...

2. A Scrapbook
With the popularity of digital cameras and Facebook, I feel like hardly anyone ever prints out their photos anymore. It's sort of a tradition in my family to browse through our photo albums during Christmas, and I still remember the excitement of looking at my photos after I get them developed from a trip. A scrapbook, put together with a collection of photos and captions from a backpacking trip across a country or continent would be something I can see being cherished forever.

3. Calling cards
While the idea of giving calling cards as a gift seems a bit boring, we all get a bit homesick on the road, and sometimes those calling cards can feel like they're heaven sent.

4. eReader
I much prefer reading paperbacks, but with publishers such as Lonely Planet creating travel books for the eReader, an eReader seems like a good alternative to lugging around heavy travel books. Especially with the Kindle or the Kobo reader costing only around $100 these days, it seems like a reasonably priced method of always having books to read on the road while avoiding overweight luggage fees.

5. Moccasins
They're light, comfy and great for walking. Plus who doesn't want to channel their inner hippie?

6. Travel journal
While a journal seems like an obvious gift for a traveler, it is something that definitely won't be sitting in their closet collecting dust, like for example, a hand-waving disco Buddha. I always bring a few journals with me on the road, and they always get filled up by the end of my trip. Try looking for journals that are eco-friendly, hand-crafted or with lots of side pockets or storing photos, ticket stubs, or (more excitingly!) love notes.

7. Polaroid camera

These are possibly the greatest invention on earth. They're fun...instant, and therefore guaranteed to bring instant fun. It's a must have for travelers who especially can't be bothered to painstakingly edit through all their photos and great for capturing "in the moment" moments. And developing those pictures make us want to shake it, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture. 

image source: www.viator.com