Switzerland + Liechtenstein - June 2018

Finally, here comes the impromptu A&A 4D3N girls-trip for 2018. While trying to quest for a center meeting point in between London and Helsinki, we have finally decided that this tiny country of Liechtenstein is attractive enough for us to spend a long weekend. Due to the size of this country and without any airport, we have to travel to the nearest one in Switzerland, which is in Zurich. Despite the high cost of the flight and accommodation, we proceeded with the meet-up plan anticipating some fun moments even though the trip has almost turn out to be a pipe dream due to the recent stressed-fracture I suffered on my knee which very much impaired my movements on a temporary basis.

15.06.2018 (Friday) 

We were lucky to have our arrival hour almost close to each other, and we both managed to arrive at the same time at the Flughafen Zurich Airport. To our surprise, we fail to bump into each other despite that both of us firmly claimed to be standing at the Arrival Gate 1 and was in-front of the Information Center (but apparently there are 2 identical arrival hall at different floor levels). We begin our trip by picking up our rental car - the brand new white Fiat Tipo Hatchback (instead of the VW Polo we booked) and drove all the way to Lake Walensee. We were both starving and decided to stop-by one of the rest station along the motorway to have our late lunch. The choices we were offered was surprisingly above expectation, and this is where we enjoyed our first Rösti and some fried mushrooms. Nonetheless the insipid and dense textured cheesecake has not been one of my favourite.

Driving in a foreign country might not be as easy, especially when the signs wasn’t displayed in English nor are they the same compared to the home country. The all-time driving failure includes:

1. Walking to the right side of the car due to the familiar left-hand traffics that I am used to for the past decade.

2. Almost turning to the left while getting into the roundabout.

3. Constantly stuck and wondering which is the correct traffic direction.

4. Slapping my hand against the car door thinking that the gearbox is on my left.

We spent our first night in Zentrum Neu-Schönstatt, a monastery-styled hotel run by 29 nuns. The rooms were not equipped with TV but comes rather with a bible, a cross on the wall and a bottle of holy water instead. But seriously, who cares when you have the best view of Lake Walensee just outside your windows!

After spending some relaxing hours in the room, we headed out to explore the surroundings. We took a stroll to captured the best view of Lake Walensee from the top of the mountain. But we arrived too late and missed the chance for a cable car ride. The dusk came soon and we decided to have the famous Swiss Cheese Fondue for our dinner hence driving all the way to Bad Ragaz looking for the highly recommended Restaurant Zollstube. The waitresses were offering us the best smile, foods and services. We ordered the YingYang pot with both the Älpler Fondü (mushroom) + Heidi’s Fondü (Beef), where a full basket of bread cubes and a fair portion of potatoes were served together. We walloped almost everything on the table to the extent that the waitress was so surprised and told us that not many customer has done this far to finish the servings and we must have been starving (opps…).

16.06.2018 (Saturday)

The church bell which started at 6.00am has somehow awaken us from our beautiful dreams. The breakfast was pretty simple and basic but yet we find it tasty and delicious. The nun tried to greet every table personally but since neither of us speaks German, she politely rendered a sentence and a kind guest besides our table has helped to translate it and conveying the wish for us to have a nice day. After returning from breakfast, we noticed a note on our doorpost reminding that we have to check-out on time by 10.00am (despite that the official check-in was after 2.00pm).

Since we have nowhere to linger, we drove to Balzers and visited the Burg Gutenberg. This castle wasn’t principally made as a tourist attraction, hence we were only able to admire the building from the outer garden. The way up along the vineyard offers us a panoramic view of the city, however the narrow path often forces us to the edge of the road whenever there are vehicles coming by.

Finally we were able to unload our luggage and we fell in love immediately with the Airbnb villa we have rented. The house was situated at a high latitude and what more could you ask for when you could stay in a cozy cabin, facing a spectacular view of greens and mountains, with the private pool, garden and benches freely accessible 24/7. The friendly host with an artistic talent has decorated the house exquisitely.

When two gluttons get together, it is natural that food becomes the main subject of all times. Despite the fact that we just had a full pot of Cheese Fondue the night before, we were again craving for the cheesy meal during the lunch hour. We were delighted to find a hotel restaurant nearby that serve our appetite. The restaurant was build right on-top of the hill and posted us the absolute challenge to drive the swirl and narrow path all the way up. Most of the roads come with uncountable twists and turns, and some two-way streets were only enough for one car to get through at a time. But looks like there is no obstacle that could prevent or deter us from getting the food we wanted or could beat our unquenchable desires, and we ultimately devoured another pot of cheese.

Being a Catholic and religious country, it was literally challenging as we struggled to find restaurants or convenient stores open after 7pm on Saturday. Not left with many choices, we went for the simplest deal – McDonald with the thought of enjoying the sunset beside the pool in our holiday villa. While on our way back, we unintentionally spotted the wooden bridge which connects both the countries and without a second thought, we stopped by for an hour of crazy + fun photoshoots before we call it a day.

17.06.2018 (Sunday)

It was a cloudy morning but we were determined to drag ourselves up to the top of Malbun. It was my first time taking the chairlift and I am lucky enough to not have suffered from acrophobia since that height could be alarming for some individuals. We were both like the curious and laughable tourist staring at the stairlift until the kind attendant offered us a hand to get on to it (he might have been silently ROFL…). After a short stroll, we sat down in the restaurant and enjoyed our bucolic lunch showered by a bit of sunshine (but it was still freezing after all!) before we depart.

We have had a long conversation with our Airbnb host that afternoon, where she showed us many of her artworks including plants, paintings and sculptures. The dialogue went on to discuss the stand points and perspectives of living in the different era. She was born in the 1950s very much admiring the modern society with gender equality, while we on the other hand starting to miss some of the old school lifestyle when not everything has been invaded by technology. Nonetheless, she is now living an unwind life doing what she likes – Taichi, clay sculpturing, painting and gardening rather than sparring in a big organization dealings with all sorts of hypocrites trying to strive to the top of the hierarchy.

After having the 2 full cheesy meals and the McD, we started to crave for some savoury Asian cuisine. It was fortunate that we found a Thai restaurant serving the tomyam, somtam and stir-fried beef, even though these dishes were not spicy enough for us but… no complaints!

18.06.2018 (Monday)

Switzerland is a country where you would definitely love to visit more than once in a lifetime. The incredible scenery, the welcoming folks and the convenient of getting around will certainly entice you to return once more. After accomplishing our last mission of groceries shopping (cheese, chocolate and…  corned beef?!), we took a quick lunch before finding for our way to the airport.

Both experiences and conveniences come with a cost, and looks like we have learned them the semi-hard way. Despite all the fun and luxury we enjoyed, there are still countless of hiccups along our journey that eventually makes our heart sank. As usual, life isn’t smooth and many lessons we have learned in this trip:

1. We only noticed that we were not permitted to enter Liechtenstein with our rented vehicle after we have spent our 2 days in that “forbidden” country. (Facepalm…waiting for the issuance of the violation ticket)

2. The manual car with the reverse gear at the opposite end of the direction causes some confusion whereby a slight miss resulted to a damage on the hood.

3. One of the A had a flight delay and a late arrival back to Helsinki, and another A misses her flight due to the long queue at the immigration.

4. Speed limit certainly requires a full attention especially when it is below 50kmph, as a ticket + admin fee would cost around €100.

Therefore:

- Always scrutinize in detail the car rental agreement and ensure that a proper copy of the contract has been received and well kept.

- Purchasing the excess protection is always a good idea as you could never anticipate what is going to happen along the journey.

- If you are coming from another country, try to do some research online and study the meaning of each road sign as different country do have them uniquely displayed.

- Always pay attention to the speed limit.

It’s been quite a while since I have had the last long conversation with a close friend without the disruption of the phone and the internet. Undeniably, the technology of smart phones and apps has somehow killed the quality conversation between many people. One of the regret is that we weren’t able to locate any restaurant serving the chocolate fondue within the radar. Alright, I have now met Ms.A in both Asia and Europe this year, but we shall see each other again before wrapping up 2018 in the third continent, stay tuned!

寻之.空 15

走向了婚姻，却没有了爱情，这样的结局，你还想要吗？

寻之.空 14

五五分缔结的血盟，哪寻?

没关系，我还有我自己

不要高估自己，因为在别人心里我真的没有那么重要。

寻之.空 13

既然上了舞台，唯有赔笑演下去。活着活着，年复一年，日复一日，真的很疲惫。寻的，没找到。盼的，没等到。看着那遥远的自己，伸手触不着边沿。缺少灵魂的躯体，只能像木偶般存在着。

或许活着，比自戕还更需要勇气吧。

如果天空只剩下灰色，海洋只剩下黑色，你还会选择徘徊在这地球上吗? 今生或缺，来世再寻。最冰点，终。

寻之.空 12

要是不曾飞翔，就不知道天地有多辽阔。我从一个小小的世界，一路走来，跨洋过海，独自漂流。经常问自己，如何活出一个传奇人生？我的生活，足够精彩吗？

每个人都选择了自己的路，各自飞翔。告别了周围的人，也告别了曾经的自己。在这个年代，维持自己的初衷仿佛相等于停滞不前。忙碌的生活，让我对周围的人，事，物都缺少时间去关心，欣赏和品尝。听歌的悠闲没了，喝茶的感觉变了，看书的闲情忘了。人，真的很可悲，总会被现实和社会的规范打压得喘不过气来。小时候，大家都勇敢认真的做自己。长大了，却用双倍甚至是三倍的时间来找回当初被时间遗忘的自己。人与人之间的相处，总要很多的耐心。难怪总觉得人际交流很累，周末多数只想窝在屋里不出门，只想活在自己的世界里。不要指望每个人会用同理心来理解你的困境。毕竟痛和苦不在别人身上，有谁会费心去理解你所经历的心情。

每个人，都在等一个人。我当然也不例外。只是我的人生里，却少了那么一个他。今生的梦想，只能等来世再实现。如果说缘分可遇不可求，那么还真是遇不见，求不了。真正了解我的人，也许会像御狐神双织般了解白鬼院凜凜蝶吧。

每个年龄，都有不同的勇敢。年轻时对爱情勇敢，却在受了伤之后才懂得真心是多么的可笑。成熟后对生活勇敢，却在经历了重重困难后才发现真实的孤单。很多感觉，需要反复的练习着，因为久了，就会忘了。忘了恋爱的甜蜜，忘了有人关怀的温暖，忘了一大班好友相聚的快乐，忘了有人陪伴相依的滋味，忘了庆生的感动，忘了轻松的生活。我们现今的改变，究竟是因为成长了，还是忘了最初的自己？不同方向的梦想， 该往哪个指标前进？有了不同的方向，即便是感情，也将会分道扬镳。要是每十年的岁月里都有一部放映机，播放着流失岁月中的点点滴滴，也许很多人会在感叹中发现，记忆里曾有许多被遗忘的美好和感动。一味的追着自己的梦，却忘了成为更好的人。

每当望着曾经辉煌，后来却没落的各个景点，总觉得特别感伤。也许怀旧，也许就不忍看着那些被逐渐遗弃和遗忘的事物和回忆。人，确实很可怕也很可悲。披着时代进步的借口，用尽丑陋的手段去破坏周遭的一切美好。

时间的胶囊里，即有带得走的感动，也有带不走的悸动。原来，又一年了啊… 时间带走的包括感动，记忆和自己。肉体离开了，心却依然在原地 。曾几何时，不再敢追根究底，因为知道自己已经没有力气和勇气去挖掘真相了。疲惫不堪的心，已没有能力去承受自己不想发现的事实。谁让所谓的真相，都是残酷割心的。

如果生命能再重来一次，人生会更完美和幸福吗？改变得了想改变的吗？改变了的结局真的会比较窝心吗？也许要到了生命的尽头，人才会对自己坦白。或许不存在这世界上的，才是我需要的。奈何桥上的一碗孟婆汤，也许是解脱。

寻之.空 11

五万四千里的自己，十万八千里的梦想。

终究还没遇上我想遇见的自己。虽然曾在梦里见过那个我朝思暮想的我，然而却怎么追也追不到，赶也赶不上。

梦如人生，人生如梦 4

近来耳闻的自杀事件，不免让人感慨万分。然而感叹的群众，却存在着平时都盲目参与施压却浑然不知的草木愚夫。

忧郁症难道就只能是一无所有之人的特权吗？比别人拥有更多的能力，财富，名望，经验之者，难道就连做人基本难过的权利都没有了吗？当这类人心情不好想发泄一番时，周遭的人总会指责说做人理应知足常乐。那些自称为心直口快，其实却只是缺乏同理心的人啊，不要以你们自己的无知去评论别人的感受。为什么有些人会选择在巅峰时期结束自己的生命？因为不是每一种伤别人能懂，不是每一种痛别人能体会。毕竟每个人的心底，都有自己的痛苦与挣扎。钟铉，Chester Bennington都是把世界看在眼底的名人，可是或许就因为他们今时今日所拥有的身份及地位，却也让他们丧失了某些普通人可以享有的基本权利。

你们的痛，我明白，安息吧。

Year End Review – 2017

And so…this is the summary of how I waved goodbye to 2017:

• Dined at a classy Chinese Restaurant that looks impressive but the food was fairly below expectation.
• Watched the movie “Jigsaw” at the cinema. (Facepalm…a horror movie to wrap-up the year?!) 
• Instead of having some drinks as initially discussed, a colleague and I ended up having King Prawns & Octopus platter, Escargot, Cheesecake and Pana Cotta on the table.
• Rather than mingling with the crowd, we headed straight back home almost immediately after the countdown. (Our bed has been summoning us…)
• Not forgetting the last kind gesture I received this year where I was spared from carrying a bag of goods meant for an exchange, as the kind storekeeper has thoughtfully offered to me a gift card instead.

All in all, it has been a challenging yet wonderful 2017. It was another year which I have deliberately lived without having any official resolution. Nonetheless the twists and turns in life have challenged me with another big leap of faith, and had miraculously brought me to this Nordic land of Finland.

Despite all the hardships during the transition period, I am at least happily enjoying my cups of coffee now, cherishing the flexibility of working hours, getting busier but advancing my knowledge while working with a boss whom I could admire and respect.

After letting my life flow freely for the past two years, I guess it is now the time to pick up the shattered pieces beneath my soul and to pursue my objectives with complete strength. I must be back in control to be the person whom I have wanted to be. I will now count on 2018 to be a better one.