South East Asia adventures await!

Good evening dear readers!

I’m writing tonight to let you in on my latest travel plans! That’s right, I’m heading off on a new adventure very soon, and it has nothing to do with work! Hurray!

For quite a while now I’ve wanted to get off the beaten track and see somewhere really different and a bit out of my comfort zone. In my years of travelling I’ve seen a lot of Europe, Australia and America where there are a lot of manmade tourist attractions, museums, malls, parks, towers, palaces, shops, restaurants, bars, clubs and yachts. I am feeling the need for something a bit less superficial, a bit less materialistic, a bit more natural and untouched with just as much history as some of the countries I’ve already visited. Then a few years ago I saw the Joel Edgerton/Teresa Palmer movie Wish You Were Here, which was set in Cambodia, and I decided that Cambodia was one of the places I had to go on my next big adventure.

For that and so many other reasons I have decided to try to conquer South East Asia, and I am jetting off for this trip on March 8^th! I will be spending time in Thailand, Vietnam and of course, Cambodia and I’ll be away for almost a month. I am BEYOND excited, as you can imagine. If not just for the opportunity to gorge myself on rice paper rolls and phad thai for four weeks. Mmmm.

Planning, planning, planning!

Because the only places I have been to in Asia in the past are Bali and Singapore (at the ripe old age of eight!), I feel a little out of my depth and not totally comfortable as I don’t speak any languages other than English, and have never been to Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia before. So I decided to do a Contiki tour around Vietnam, which will last for ten days, five days in Phuket in Thailand, three days in Bangkok and three days in Siem Reap in Cambodia. I wish I could see more of Cambodia – like the beaches *tear* - and more of Thailand – like Chang Mai – but I only have four weeks off work, and only so much money. So some things will have to wait until next time!

I am so keen to get going and have already started making lists upon lists of all the stuff I need to do before I leave and what I should pack. I only have about 10 days all together at home in Perth before I leave, so I have very limited time to get my shit together, so to speak! But I cannot wait – I haven’t been on a proper holiday like this since August 2012! Far too long between drinks, that’s for sure!

Typhoid vaccination - check!

I know people must think that being a flight attendant is like a nonstop holiday, and it is, in a way, but it’s still work. I don’t get to spend weeks on end in any destination like you do when you’re on holiday. I cannot tell you how excited I am to just sit in an aeroplane and be a passenger, watch some movies and read my book. To not have to serve meals and sort out passenger problems will be a nice change! It’s not often I get to be on this opposite side of the fence!

I will be blogging hopefully plenty between now and when I leave, and then plenty when I get back, with tales of all my adventures. I am so looking forward to sharing it all with you guys. I hope you will enjoy the photos and tales of South East Asia – so please check back often to read about them! I am not taking my lappy with my on my travels so I won’t be blogging on the road – as per my belief that travellers should get out there and SEE stuff rather than being hunched over a laptop missing it all – but I will be writing A LOT when I get home!

Whenever I have free wiffy during my trip though I will definitely be adding pictures and tweets to my social media accounts, so be sure to follow me on Instagram @brindabella24 and twitter @Brindabella24 !

Happy travels!

Jorgs

What's In My Bag?

Hi readers!

I am a bit under the weather today – of course I fall sick on my days OFF grrr! – so I thought I would get blogging since I really cannot even fathom getting off the couch right now!

I thought today that I would do my own version of the ever popular ‘What’s in my bag?’ post. I have seen this everywhere from blogs to in magazines, so since I just bought myself a gorgeous new bag the other day I thought what better time to do it. Plus it breaks up my blog posts for those readers who don’t always want to read about travel!

 

Last week I was in Dallas for work, and found this gorgeous faux leather handbag from Forever 21 for only $33! I love it – it’s big, it’s classy, it’s a lovely colour (let’s hope I can keep it clean!) and it looks a lot like the famous Celine bag I have been coveting for ages now and still cannot afford.

I always need a big handbag. I just can’t get by day to day with a small bag – I carry my life around with me in my bag so it needs to be big. It kills my shoulders of course, but hey, pain is beauty.

So here goes…

 

 

My wallet

Well duh. I bought this wallet only recently with a Colette gift voucher I got for Christmas. I was attracted to it straight away because it’s so lovely and bright. I love bright and colourful things! Turns out the compartment for your credit cards is not so great, but I can live with that for a while.

Seafolly Kendwa Sunglasses

I bought these sunnies about eight months ago and adore them! Only certain styles of sunnies suit my face I think and I wear these quite often. Plus they came in a super cute neon pink case to keep them nice, which is good, as I tend to throw my sunglasses around with reckless abandon!

Master of the Ceremonies, by Ric Birch

This is what I am currently reading and I honestly cannot put it down. I carry it round with me everywhere so I can pull it out anytime I am on a train or bus or plane or in a waiting room, and it is one of the best books I’ve read in ages. I am a huge Olympic nut, and first fell in love with the Olympic Games during Sydney 2000. Ric Birch produced the opening and closing ceremonies in Sydney, as well as many other large scale events such as Expo 88 and the Barcelona 92 Olympic ceremonies. This book details every moment of these huge events, and I am finding it fascinating! I found this book months ago in a used book store in Cronulla, where I used to live before I moved back to Perth. I love used book stores, and can spend hours browsing the shelves in them! I love how you can find little gems like this inside used book stores, and the books are never really that expensive! This one was only twelve bucks!

The Spotlight, by Roxy Jacenko

Since I am almost done with Master of the Ceremonies, I have this one in my bag ready to go as soon as I do finish Ric’s tome. I love Roxy Jacenko and am totally fascinated by her rich and glamourous lifestyle as Sydney’s most famous PR maven. I follow her and her uber cute daughter on Instagram (follow them at @roxyjacenko and @pixiecurtis) and wish I could have their lives some days! I’ve also read Roxy’s first two books in this series, Strictly Confidential and The Rumour Mill, and am super keen to get into this new instalment very soon after I received the book for Christmas.

Fantastic Delites

Just because I am totally addicted to their salt and vinegar flavoured ones! And I know it’s weird but I feel like the mini packets taste better – probably because there is more salt and more vinegar piled onto these tiny delicious rice cracker thingies! I have only been able to find the mini packets at one supermarket near me, so I bought up big recently and keep a packet in my bag for snack attacks. I figure they’re better than eating a bag of chips or a chocolate bar!

Diorshow Iconic Over Curl Mascara

I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect mascara because I am so fussy with this beauty staple. The wand must be made of bristles and not plastic, the wand must be a brush, not a comb, it needs to be the blackest of black and it can’t be clumpy. This Dior mascara ticks all the boxes and I have now put it into my top two alongside Maybelline’s Falsies Volum Express. I flit between using them both whenever I wear make up – it is usually just whichever of the two my hand grabs first from my make up bag!

 

Victoria’s Secret Angels Only Au De Parfum roller ball

I know I am super late to the party, but I have only just discovered how awesome roller ball perfumes are! Oh man, I love them! They have a concentrated, strong scent and will fit into even the smallest of clutch bags (always good when you’re trying to stash all your essentials into your fave bag for a night out!). And I love the smell of Angels Only. It’s no fancy brand – just Victoria’s Secret – and I think I got it on sale for $10, but it is just awesome.

BIC blue biros

Is it weird that I have a favourite type of pen to write with? Well I do. BIC biros in blue are my absolute fave. I wish I could write with them for the rest of my life. I do a lot of journal writing, travel diary writing and list making, and I always prefer these pens. They’re basic, but I just love them.

Bath and Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel hand cream

My hands get so unbelievably dry with my job, it’s ridiculous. It is not uncommon, when I get home from a trip, for the skin on the knuckles and joints of my fingers to be cracked and raw. It’s pretty painful I must say, so I try to put hand cream on as often as possible, and I usually put it on quite thickly the night I get home from a trip and then put cotton gloves on over the top and go to bed like that. It really helps to absorb the cream into your hands. Plus this scent – part of BBW Christmas collection – smells so yummy I want to eat it!

 

Victoria’s Secret Body Mist in Bombshell

Another cheap but lovely smelling scent I always throw into my bag. I often use body mists like this and feel like it doesn’t matter if I dowse myself in it because it’s only body mist and not proper perfume so it’s never going to last too long or smell too strong. Who can afford to have a bottle of your favourite expensive perfume in your handbag, in your work bag, on your dresser and in your bathroom? Not me!

Icebreakers

Because who wants bad breath? I absolutely hate when people have bad breath. I have been known to actually stop talking to them and move away because their breath is so hard to take.

Lonely Planet’s Portuguese Phrasebook and Dictionary

I am yet to open this, but carry it round with me in the hope one day I will get my act together and actually start trying to learn! I am part way through the process to become a volunteer at the Olympics in Rio next year, and I am going to need to know some basic Portuguese – hence why I bought this book!

 

Eos Lip balm

Oh my god, I love Eos. I don’t think it is available in Australia yet, but I regularly buy in in America when I am there for work, and it is so great! I have one in every bag I own! This flavour is strawberry.

Vaseline Rosy Lips

Another awesome lip balm that I use even more than my Eos. This one is so cute and tiny which means I can also fit it into my pocket. Plus it gives you a nice bit of colour on your lips without it being too full on a colour like a lipstick is. And it’s so good for your lips, because, well, it’s Vaseline.

 

And that’s about all kids! I hope you have enjoyed this entry. Do you carry any of these items around in your own handbag? I’d love to know if you do – so leave me a comment and let me know!

Jorgs