Jacqkie | Travel and Lifestyle

Now that I’m older, and presumably wiser, I have built my own opinions on a lot of things and another, style. Most times I am either clad in a simple top with dark pants, pearl earrings and my famous string bag pack. Other times you’ll see me donning something sweeter, mostly in white, I like the clean, crisp and casual feel of a white shirt / top. Perks of traveling around the world is seeing a lot of interesting things, learning new stuff and eventually exploring new ideas. Food, architecture, people and fashion to name a few are the things that I truly love to observe. I picked up so many new ways of fashioning myself throughout my travels; scarves, bracelets, anklets and a little bit of everything else to mix and match. My style is a cross of bohemian, sweet (pearls, braided long hair) and just chilled. (unless I'm in the office 9 -6, then, I am in my monkey suit) This is a rare post of me talking about the ladies fashion around the world that I’ve come across with, but...

This post is dedicated to the people of Turkey. Thank you for taking care of me and my mum when we were there a couple of years ago. It is unfortunate that the capital city of Turkey, Ankara suffered a gruesome attack last week. Giving into fear is exactly what these monsters want us to do. They want us to live in fear, and triumph us over a psychological battle.  But they will not get that from me :)  Spoiler and warning: THERE WILL BE LOTS OF FLOWERS IN THIS POST. LOTS. For my other posts about Turkey For other posts about the International Tulips Festival by The Istanbul Insider   My euro trip with mum was initiated by photos from Fresh's Istanbul trip. I knew mum's favourite flower was tulip, so I showed mum some photos of her trip and she literally dropped everything from her hands, looked at me and said, "That's my dream".  There's a long story of why we wanted to realize all my mum's dreams. The fact that she's much older now, she h...

I was walking down the street the other day and a flash of all things Istanbul came to mind. Maybe it’s the fresh juices around, maybe it’s the crowd, maybe it’s the festivity singing but for whatever reason, Istanbul came to mind. The thing about traveling on foot is you get to experience the cities hand (and feet) on. It’s no surprise that I idolized Anthony Bourdain so much or the idea that he moves around close to the city’s pulse – because the truth of the matter is, there is no other way to experience a new city but by walking right into the streets’ pulse! I loved Istanbul. I love the cultured, eccentricity and originality of a city like Istanbul. I had little knowledge of Turkey, but through Istanbul I am educated by bit. And now, I miss it. There are a few things about the city that I think one MUST experience (especially if you’re an easily amused, lady like me). 1) Teas  How can you not? Turkey is voted / prized as the number 1 nation that drinks most...

After the FunnyMalaysia article circulated around and went viral on my newsfeed, I was inspired to calculate my own Nine Days Eight Nights self-planned Paris - Amsterdam - Istanbul trip and log down how much exactly it cost me here. I love the fact that some of us are really exemplary when it comes to budget traveling and are still able to enjoy every little thing during their trip. Which goes to show that really, you could go wherever you want so long as you plan it carefully and with a bit of a discipline, IT CAN HAPPEN! (without breaking your bank). First of all, you must register into yourself that a euro trip (anywhere for that matter) is not impossible and is not as far as you thought.  Mum infront of Rijksmuseum. I LOVE THIS ART MUSEUM! 

"Like a Tequila Shot after a couple of Long Island Teas. A perfect closure." - that was first thing that came to my mind when my friends asked me to describe the place (after Paris and Amsterdam). I just couldn't think of another way to end the trip but with a jolt of energy like Istanbul. Istanbul was the final leg to our 11 Days Trip from Paris - Amsterdam - Istanbul. Ladies and Gentlemen, Istanbul was One of its kind. The more I know about the beautiful city the more I fall really really hard for it. The people, the east meets west culture, its scenic esplanades, THE FOOD. Good glorious food. Turkey Democratic and liberal, Turkey is a beautiful mish mash of a nation that is in the border with about 8 countries - Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria. Largely, of Islam by religion. Contrary to popular belief, Turkey's capital city is not Istanbul (although it is the largest, Ankara takes pride in being the main city). However, Istanbul is ...

Before I really start dissecting on my Paris - Amsterdam - Istanbul trip, I've decided to write an overview of each city that I could identify with. To start, I need to tell you that traveling in / to Europe is not cheap but NOT IMPOSSIBLE. I spent a total of MYR 8k inclusive of return flight, in between flights and trains, as well as accommodation and truckload of souvenirs which in my opinion is really-really cheap. Give me a few weeks to update on my trip but for now, here's a quick run through. Paris While we were finalising our trip, Paris came last to mind and we were deciding between Brussels (simply because we heard really nice things about the city, it was a cross over between Netherlands and France) and London (because it's London) as well as Paris (because it's the most famous city in the world). After much consideration, we finally imagined ourselves more strolling around Champs Elysees towards the Arch de Triomphe. Eventhough we were heading to Europ...