Cities you MUST see before you die... part I

So, I've been blogging away my thoughts for one day and I already have 4 followers! YAY! Thank you for doing so! :) I haven't officially "launched" my blog so to speak, because I wanted to have sufficient content on all the subjects I wanted to cover and not surprise everyone with topics that make people wonder WTF? Lol.  So, I've been thinking hard whether or not to start on books or traveling. I think you're reading a lot already through this blog so I'll start on traveling. WOOT! Thumbs up if you like traveling! I know I do! The plane part not so much but the rest is a to the mazing!
On the side bar to your right, I posted a link of my travelstatus via Tripadvisor application for Facebook. I'm not sure if everyone can see it, without having me as a friend on Facebook. I still have to figure that out! ANYHOW, I have starred my favorite cities that I've been to and I want to share my awesome experiences with you! I think I probably have a Top 5 most loved cities but I'm going to start with my all time favorite which is HONG KONG! :-)

I don't think it's a -most likely to- visit city for ordinary people.... But hey...Read above I'm anything and everything BUT ordinary... No, but seriously it was by pure coincidence, and I must say I am a very lucky girl to have family over there.. And NO I'm not Asian..
My sister was to be married in January of this year, and I was her secret guest of honor... She had no idea whatsoever I was coming and I covered all our conversations in lies and lies..My BIL (brother in law) planned everything, and before you knew it I hopped a train to Dusseldorf, Germany and boarded my Emirates flight to Dubai.
I'm just a student  and I couldn't really afford a straight flight, and I actually  enjoy it more, because I get less claustrophobic, with stops in between flights. It took me a whole day and a half probably but it was totally wortthhhhh iittt!!! :-)

First things first... How to get there... I flew over there with Emirates...
My take on Emirates: I know I didn't make use of too many airlines.. But the ones I traveled with all SUCK in comparison with Emirates!
PRICE: approx. 600 Euros (INCL. round trip train ticket with ICE to Dusseldorf, Germany)
So, 600 Euros to travel all the way to Asia, come on talk about affordable!
SERVICE: SUBLIME!; crew members are so friendly, it's not even funny! I don't think I ever met such a lovely bunch of people!
FOOD: Really important! All food served on Emirates flights is Halal. And it tastes so so so so soooo GOOOD! You get a menu, with the provided dishes, and on top of that ALL drinks are on the HOUSE! (except for champagne, but hey I wasn't celebrating new year,so!) The food is fresh, and I could dare to say healthy, but it didn't taste like crap, like most airlines.. I was in heaven!
COOLEST service/gadget: You get to travel with a total of 35Kg luggage.. which I thought was really nice of them... AND they have cameras on the nose of the airplane or beneath it? I don't know where they are placed necessarily BUT, I could actually see the landing strip of Hong Kong, and also when we flew over some countries in the Middle East I could see the mountains and the mountains... and more mountains.. I thought for sure I could see a cave where some infamous person is hiding.. (hmmmm long beard, turban...) but I didn't! LOL! 
WOULD I USE AGAIN: DUH! Most definitely! Loved everything about the Emirates and I would LOVE to travel anywhere with them again soon.

So, Hong Kong.. After leaving Holland and Germany for the worst winter I have ever experienced I arrived after 9 hours in Sunny Dubai! Woot! I couldn't believe it, I have arrived at my first stop... I think my co travelers couldn't believe me either when I took off my jacket and stood in the sun like a moron. I was sooo happy it was warm and it had an early crisp morning breeze... My travel buddy as I called him secretly; Sasha was looking at me in a weird way, but I didn't care.. I was in the SUN! Sasha was my German travel buddy, Sasha if you're out there THANKS for helping me through the flight! Even if you slept through most of it! For some reason I always attract people to start talking to me. Apparently I have a friendly face or an invisible -to me- sign stating TALK TO ME! Well, as I mentioned before, I'm not really a fan of flying but ever since I flew with Emirates and Sasha, it has decreased a lot... Tnx guys!! :-)

Now, Hong Kong... it is an amazing city, to say the least. I will try to keep it as short as possible.. But there are so many things to say about that beautiful city that I would probably have to do a part 2 on this series. In any case, I stepped foot in Hong Kong, and from that moment on I realized that I would not only want to go there once more, but I could totally see myself living there. It's a true melting pot of cultures and I was floored to even meet people who speak the same language as I do, which is Papiamentu, there. I got a guided tour by my sister and her husband, as well as a friend of ours Val. I can honestly say that Lan Kwai Fong is my favorite places in HK. It is a long street of clubs and bars with global music. I danced to reaggeaton in Asia... are you kidding me? I went to the highest point in HK called the Peak and dined in the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant. (famous from the Forest Gump movie).

People in HK are friendly, public transportation is at its best, and the food is extraordinary! Products there are relevantly cheap. 100 HK Dollar is 10 Euros (on average). And the nightlife... oeefff... Party till the sun rise. Now that's what I'm talking about!
When I think of China, I think of Panda's. Don't ask me why, I just do. I actually went to Ocean Park HK and came face to face with these amazing creatures. They are the cutest, fluffiest and most adorable bears in the world! I really want one for Christmas!

I would recommend HK to anyone, because, it is a very multicultural city, the possibilities are endless, shopping wise, for dining and culture - I actually peed in a hole at the Stanley Market- awesome!
Public transportation is amazing and most of the locals speak English, even if they don't speak it too well, they are still more than happy to help you.  The language spoken there is Cantonese, but Mandarin is widely understood and spoken as well as English in the city center.

I purchased this phrase book to get around, and it is pretty uhmmm difficult I'm not going to lie.. However if you put your mind to it.. You can actually say a couple of words.
Hong Kong is divided in two parts the Kowloon side and the Hong Kong side.. If you watch CNN as much as I do... (Thumbs up if you like Christie Lou Stout!) they always have a shot of Hong Kong side.. and this is a picture of me actually sitting there..it was really cloudy and rainy. And I must say that the weather there in January wasn't all that pleasant. Really misty. So my guess would be, visit during the summer, when its nice and hot! :-)

I could go on and on.. about this place, but it has been 10 months since I visited, and I need to get my facts straight first.. So, I will close this part I by saying that I give Hong Kong a grade of 9 out of 10. Get your piggy banks together and save up!  It is worth while!

Semper ad Meliora,

Sha*

Twiettttaaaaaaa :)

Twiiieeetttaaaaa (Twitter) the new hype sensation of the web! Can you tell I'm all over the Internet? Social Media addicttttt.. hihihi... SO, I follow a lot of people but few follow me back... No prob tho.. I would love to follow anyone who has interesting things to say... ssssoooooooooo
Follow me on Twitter... ShainahC  (because I feel I have interesting things to say too... Most of the time...) lol

I promise I will follow too :)

Trying a new look with over the top lashes...whooeeiiii

 

A look from the "top"

I was trying do to a Kim Kardashian inspired look.. It was the first time I tried it.. so bare with me...

Paso Doble Amsterdam

Jeez, I don't think I had the chance to actually share in my introduction my passion for food... I will eat anything.. and I mean MOST things by that LOL! Recently, I had the great pleasure to go on a dinner date with 3 of my gorgeous, self proclaimed Desperate House Friends.. Well.. I named us that way.. Because there's 5 of us.. and we all have some characteristics of those lovely ladies down Wisteria Lane.. :) Well, more like Sex and the City I guess.. Oh well.. these friends of my have been in my life since junior school... and we have shared some memorable moments with each other.. and I adore each and everyone of them in my own way... In any case.. we went to this amazing little Tapas restaurant in Amsterdam called "Paso Doble".... aahhhh I felt like I was in Sevilla... For real! And I never went there..!
As I am sipping on some Prosecco right now, I reminisce on the amazing tapas served that evening! Wonderful! Amazing atmosphere, lovely service and nice people, not to mention the AMAZING tapas.. (said that already!) it is by far one of the most coziest and cutest little restaurants I have ever been to, here in the Netherlands  and your wallet will be happy at the end of the evening! (really important!) SO! If you are in the Amsterdam area, please find some time in your schedule to dine at this wonderful restaurant.
Big props to my girl Francine, for taking us there...:-)
If you're interested I'm posting the link below...

http://www.dobson-uzcudun.com/tapas/pasodoble.htm


Semper ad Meliora,

Sha*

So, how YOU doin'?

Hello all you social media users out there! Yes, I know yet another blog!
So, where do I begin? Well, I could start on the WHY I started a blog in the first place. The thing is that I don’t have many reasons let alone a good one. I just thought that I could make use of this platform to express whatever it is that needs to be expressed. I guess I’m just one of the gazillions of people out there doing the same.
I guess I always secretly wanted to be part of this hype, but I never had the courage to publish to the world what I was thinking or doing. I discouraged the use of social media, until I became heavily addicted myself! Way to practice what you preach ha?
Well, I always wanted to create a travel blog and I think I was about 20 or 21 or maybe even younger when I sort of started one on my 500 year old MySpace account – that didn’t work out too well- you never heard of it right? LOL! Besides, I am a student on a budget and I don’t travel as much as I would like. However, in the last few years I’ve been to some amazing places and those I would love to share with you!

Bon, you’re probably wondering who in the name of the Lord is this blabbermouth (fingers in this case) talking about???  well shake my hand and look me in the eye because I am Shainah [sha-hie-nah] which is a Yiddish name, a variation of the Hebrew Shayna and the Arab Shahina. It means beautiful and princess depending on which variation you choose. I go by many nicknames and for this particular occasion (blog) let’s keep it clean and simple and I shall call myself Sha. Benefits everyone’s tongues and brains for trying to pronounce that name right?!
I am 25 years old and I’m a 3^rd and last year student of International Communication and Management at The Hague University in the Netherlands.  I made the decision to move to Holland for my studies in 2007 and hopefully I will be graduating in 2011. So, I’m really excited about that!
I was born and raised on the tiny island of Curacao in the Caribbean Sea; with my dear parents and older sister. I am very close to my sister, she is one of my best friends, and I admire her a lot. Oh, and one very important “person” in my life, is my best friend, the only one who truly understands me, my beloved half Jack Russel half Chihuahua, Benji! J

I recently have been encouraged by some very special people in my life (AHUM!) to start a blog. Apparently, they believe that what I do and say is in a way to be shared with all of you.

Well brace yourself. J

At a very young age I discovered that I had a passion for writing. I would always write my thoughts and ideas, not necessarily in proper English, in journals. I could write all day and all night; some of my adventures, experiences and even heartbreaks. Some of which would somehow turn into my idea of a poem. But I always followed a strict rule about my writings … just because no one understands you doesn’t make you poetic, for which reason I never actually published any of them.

So, years have passed by and I discovered many sides of my intricate Libra personality. I enjoy many things in life and I wanted to focus on the ones that give me the most pleasure on this blog.
So, that’s the main idea behind this blog, sharing with you pleasures of life, in a way that only I can. Providing you with my knowledge and my take on things, giving you an idea of how life is for a student in the Netherlands. But most of all I would like to make use of this platform to share my increasing passion and admiration for make up and make up artistry.
It is the main reason of me starting a blog, and yet it is not my only focus.
I have developed and tremendous amount of interest in make-up, and I started collecting make-up I was around 17 years old, without much use for it because I was a real tomboy and didn’t think much of it. Nevertheless, I NEVER threw away anything. I still have some old blushes and eyeshadows that I just don’t have the heart to throw out. I know that they’re old and I can’t use them because I will breakout.. but come on.. They have real sentimental value to me.. ( I will post pictures of them).

I must say in advanced I am NOT (yet) a professional make-up artist but aspiring to become one. I realize that I have much to learn and I am trying to do as much as I can; juggling school, work and a passion for make-up is really hard work!
Thankfully, I have the most amazing family and friends, and my beloved pet Benji, who support me and are behind me for whatever it is I choose to do, after I graduate from school ! yyaaaayy!!

I think my introduction is a little bit all over the place, but that’s just how my personality is. I’m a little bit of this and a little bit of that! After a few blog posts you will be able to follow..
I wanted to start a more structural approach, how I was taught to write.. But I’m doing this Shainah style.. So keep up, or get out! J

It doesn’t get any better than this…

Semper ad Meliora,

Sha*