I cried so hard watching To All The Boys I've Loved Before on Netflix this week, a film based on the book by Jenny Han, which I haven't read yet but the trilogy is now on my to-read list.

I was embarrassed because it's such a sweet and funny TEEN movie so I didn't understand my feels. Why so emotional about a cute teen coming of age story? That night I went to bed still thinking about the film. The next morning I rewatched it because I'd enjoyed it so much the first time and also to see if I could figure out what about it intrigued me so.

I related to a film that had close to zero resemblance to any part of my life as a frumpy, grumpy, anti-social teenager. If anything, adult me is more like the lead character - I'm sensible yet emotionally naive and found myself in a 'second best / fake best' situation with a boy. But that's not why I loved the film so much.

As a tween I used to obsessively write fictional stories with teen girls as the lead characters. I have no idea if they were any good and they are all long gone because I wrote them on a typewriter and those pieces of paper were probably trashed by Dad Pham. He always threw out our homework as kids. I never realised until now that all of my fictional characters were white. That was all I read in books as a kid, that was all I knew. Representation is so important.

Watching To All The Boys I've Loved Before, I cried for younger me who would have admired and adored an Asian-American character like Lara Jean. I cried for what I missed out growing up, that feeling of belonging and acceptance. I cried because younger generations like my nieces will have books and films like this and realise they have a place in this world. They are not 'other', they are not invisible. I am so grateful to Jenny Han and Netflix and Lana Condor (who has Vietnamese heritage - woo)! Fingers crossed the other books in this series get adapted for film.

I'm going to see the movie Crazy Rich Asians on opening night with my (Not So) Single Ladies Valentine's Day Birthday posse. Wish me luck. I bet I'm going to cry like a baby.

I've been distracted from writing of late. Two things - One: I met a boy. Two: we moved in together. So, in your face, Dave! I did get a boyfriend with my OnePlus 5t.

It's been a whirlwind year of 3-month upheavals. After Europe last year Little Sissy Pham's boyfriend moved in with us. Then I met someone at work and three months in, we started dating. A few more months of share housing with my sibling and her man, and it became obvious I was the third wheel preventing them from being a bike. By that, I mean, most bikes need to settle down with two wheels. I feel like I'm not making sense but you get what I mean. In short, a few months ago I was tossing up whether to live in a sharehouse for affordability (but people, ew) or paying 30% more rent to live alone (but expensive, ew).

New boyfriend of a few months gave me a third option when he asked if it would be crazy for us to live together. Well, yeah it is. But we did it anyway. And so here I am a few months later and we're living together in a cosy apartment - him with his black and white minimalism. Me in my rainbow splattered everything.

We're complete opposites in most ways. He likes gyms, I like swims. He plays basketball, I throw pokeballs. He raps, I can't. He sings, I won't. I dance, he don't. I love the outdoors, he prefers temperature controlled environments. I'm all about summer, he's all for winter. And let's not talk about the long list of things he won't eat. There's one thing I don't eat - animals.

We don't even use the same words to describe things. I say extra, he says spare. I say drizzling, he says sprinkling. I say yah huh, he says nuh uh. I say shut up, he says shush. Why does English have so many words that mean pretty much the same thing?

Somehow we work though. After all the bullshit and mind games of online dating and being with a serial liar and cheater, this is the first romantic relationship where I haven't felt like it is an effort to make it work. When it's right, it's easy. Unlike all of my previous boy history, this one comes Phamly approved. It's nice to be in love with someone worthy of it. I'm a lucky girl.

So, I've been keeping a secret. I'm dating someone. I've been seeing him for a while but kept it offline because we met at work and were avoiding some inconvenient office politics. The good news is, he's since left the company so I can write about him. He's great - he's funny, smart, and my friends' favourite part is he's upfront and honest (unlike previous people in my life). A bit too honest. Which is why at 34, I learned that I don't know how to chew and breathe at the same time. I am a mouth breather when I eat. Little Sissy Pham backed him up enthusiastically saying I am so loud when I chew.

We were listing things we found annoying about one another because that's totally healthy. We couldn't think of anything really so we picked petty little things we don't really mind. My two annoying yet tolerable traits are I don't push in the chair at the dining table, which I've since started doing and I chew loudly with my mouth open, which I can't figure out how to do quietly.

I have a persistent stuffy nose because I'm allergic to life. My hay fever is nowhere near as bad as it used to be in Melbourne, my eyes aren't red and sore most of the time but my nose lives in two states - runny or clogged, never clear. So while I can't chew with my mouth closed all the time like a regular a person, I can suffer through it until I run out of breath then try not to suck in air too noisily before I begin chewing again. My attempts have been very poor, according to him... but at least I try or, think about trying. Some of the time.

Such is my life right now. But hey, we're all learning and growing every day, right?

Besides things like family and a handful of friends, the next longest relationship I've had in my life is with iPhones. I made the switch from Android to Apple back in 2011, and never thought I'd come back but here I am.

World, meet my new long-term potential, the OnePlus 5t. I wouldn't know this phone existed except work filed me under nerd and sat me with the IT & Development teams so I'm surrounded by tech heads - all of whom now have a OnePlus 5 or 5t phone. They tell me it's the amalgamation of features the premium phones like Samsung, iPhone and Google but at about half the price. I got the pimped up OnePlus 5t with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage on sale for AU$750.

I wish I'd move back to Android sooner. So much freedom, more functionality and better user experience all around. Guess that's what comes of giving developers more freedom. There is risk with open-source platforms where anyone can make anything so I keep to the trusted apps from mainstream, well-known companies.

I should have had ditched iPhone after my 4 because the 6 Plus was disappointing. The camera is awful - it's so bad that when I compared it to my sister's iPhone 6, I thought mine was broken so I brought it back to Apple who said no, the pixelated grainy image is the camera working normally. The OnePlus camera is crispy as and handles low light situations so well. You'll see the difference on my blog photos in coming months. The selfie is the front-facing camera. The cat photo below is main camera. Crispy!

The only downside of my OnePlus is no one will replace my handset if something goes awry because I got it online from GearBest (China). But if you don't want to risk it to save a few hundred bucks, you can get it locally from Kogan.com. Go forth and OnePlus!

You should totally try ballet if you want to ache all over, all the time. Oh god, why does it hurt so much? I exaggerate. It's been over 2 months of classes now with Queensland Ballet and my body is handling ballet better. In fact, I feel stronger, and have used my new knowledge of how my muscles work to improve my swimming technique. Bi-winning!

But boy-oh, the first week back in ballet, everything hurt SO much. I did the free trial class at the start of the year to see if I could get to class on time coming from work. And also to see if my old, inactive, inflexible joints could handle it. My thighs, my butt, my hips, my core (who knew I had a core?), my arms - it hurt to sit, stand, and move. I could barely think without flinching the next day after class, but I knew that was a good thing so I' enrolled in the 8 week Ballet Basics course, and now I take casual beginner ballet classes throughout the week.

Ballet is great for strengthening muscles, posture, wearing high heels and in my case, helping with my pigeon toe situation (though nothing will help the fact my hip is wonky making my left leg longer than my right). It seems like a gentle exercise and I suppose it is compared to impact sports like boxing, but it's a lot tougher than you'd imagine to keep control of all your muscles. I still ache after every class, though it's more developmental pain now and less these-muscles-have-never-been-used pain.

I was so nervous going into my first Ballet Basics taster class. It's been years in since I did beginner ballet the first time around, and I was younger and fitter then. I'd been thinking about it for months but it took my friend B prodding nonstop for me to book the class. Everyone needs an annoying, stubborn and pushy friend in their life.

I did beginner classes a few years back with Centenary Dance Academy on the Southside and even performed in their end of year showcase (I was so bad, it was good), but then I changed jobs and the commute was too far to make it in time for class. So I stopped. Until I started doing Groove Therapy classes and it got me thinking about body movement, and dance. I'm slowly becoming more active. I started with walks, then added weekend swims, then Groove Therapy, before I upped my walks to jog-walks (one day I hope to jog then run the full route).

Now I'm doing Queensland Ballet's Ballet Basics 8-week course before I get back into Beginner Ballet casual classes. They also offer Pilates, Barre & Tone and a bunch of other classes I'd like to try once I'm in better ballet shape. I need to pace myself though, because I am dopey and prone to hurt myself whenever I try new things with my uncooperative body.

Some of you may remember that I pranked Tuna Breath on his birthday by getting the whole team to buy him a tonne of tuna tins. He promised revenge, and put 3 calendar reminders into his computer to make sure he didn't forget. Well, guys, he delivered.

I arrived at work to find multiple types of chillies on my desk, in the tackiest, pinkest, most glitter covered bag and birthday card. He found out that I am obsessed with chilli - I have 3 types of hot sauce in my desk, pickled chilli in the fridge and sometimes fresh chilli too. Sweet Cakes was in on the prank too - she made me a beautiful birthday cake, with a side of minced chilli in a jar. Too cute. Tuna Breath nailed it. I'm going to be feasting on these chillies for months.


After work for Single Ladies Valentine's Day Birthday, I went for dinner with gal pals - 100% of whom were on loan from their boyfriends so my Single Ladies Bdays very not single these days. You're welcome, guys, most of you were off the hook for Valentine's Day - the most awkward days for going on dates, because romance is dead and people my generation and younger don't know how to cope with feelings. It makes for great people watching on the night, but from the looks of things not many great dates. The heat wave and everyone's face melting probably didn't help the looks of despair I saw on some lovebirds.

This year was my first birthday free from online dating horror stories since I quit Tinder and consequently dating. It meant I didn't have any hilarious / awful stories to share so instead we talked about travel plans, careers, hobbies, media, entertainment. It was fun!

Dinner was at Popolo in South Bank - one of my special treat places. You know, where the prices aren't cheap but the food is amazing, and the service exceptional so you go there only for special occasions. The awesome team at Popolo surprised me with a free cocktail, and free dessert. In your face Valentine's Day daters - I got freebies 'cause I was born. Bet you wish you were sad, alone, and born on Valentine's Day like me now, hey? Yeah, be jealous.

This past year wasn’t my greatest. I feel like every year I get more extreme lows and highs than the last. Is this because I’m adulting and am more aware of my life’s twists and turns now? Or am I just really bad at keeping balance in my life? Either way, I am glad to see this year end.

The highlight for me was definitely my trip to Europe and seeing my German Phamly for the first time in 3 decades. The lowlights were Dad Pham’s health scare, the ongoing boy fails, and farewelling work bestie and corny chips. It's always tough saying goodbye to good people.

Things ended well enough though. I’ve made some new friends to add to my small collection of excellent humans in my life; Dad Pham has PhamLe living next door; and I have cats everywhere I go now. Cats are the greatest reminder that humans should be humble because we are clearly inferior to these majestic (yet dopey) creatures. Also, I wish I had a domestic cat's life - lazing around for most of my life, and still being super athletic and wild when I'm active. If I'm inactive for more than a day, my hard earned muscles turn to mush and I have trouble getting out of bed. Lucky cats.

Here’s hoping I can keep up the good momentum from the end of this year into the next. Goals include getting fitter - not as fit as a cat, I'm trying to be realistic here. I’ve been keeping up my Groove Therapy classes, and have added 1-2 more swim sessions a week, I even started jogging after a fill-in Groove Therapy teacher put us through an hour of nonstop jumping and I realised my cardio needs a lot of work when I nearly keeled over during blass. Lastly, I’ve started adult beginner ballet classes again. Another goal is getting back to nature more - less city dwelling weekends. And lastly, my friends are a bigger focus now I’ve given up online dating people I don’t like. Phamly have always and will always be a top priority so they're not a goal, they're a way of life.

Wish me luck kicking all my goals for this year. I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year too!

Prague was our last stop in Europe before the long flight home. By this time, I was missing Dad Pham and The Phamly a lot, but not much else in Brisbane. Little Sissy Pham mainly missed her own bed. We were all worn down by week 4 of our trip, but I'm a little more stubborn than my companions so I stomped around the tourist spots while they opted to go shopping at the many, many retail spots in Prague. Such a shame because the city is one of the more beautiful places we visited.

The castle and gardens on the westside of the river is stunning - highly recommend that if you have to pick one spot in the city to wander around in. Though, if you have a few days then check out the old town area - we stayed right near the town square and it's beautiful. The outer 'burbs reminded me a lot of Melbourne outer west - we got suckered into a tourist shopping trip at a mall on our last day, we were too tired to tourist anymore so had a chill day of shopping for Phamly gifts instead.

Ideal.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Sep 7, 2017 at 1:02am PDT

The people in Prague are much more cold and abrupt than what I'm used to. Little Sissy panicked a couple of times when retail and wait staff demanded she do things. It was hilarious, and intimidating. I suddenly understand my Czech friend better though - I used to think maybe under her cold exterior there was a softer side if only I could win her trust, but no - she really is just that unapologetic and blunt.

And there ends my Europe travel series. I'm so happy I finally got back to Europe after all this time. I do wonder sometimes about what life would have been like if Mum & Dad had opted to stay in Germany. Where would we be? What would we do? Who would we be closest to? Would we even speak English?

Heaven.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Sep 7, 2017 at 1:04am PDT

After Phamly reunions galore in our hometown, we went to Berlin and did what everyone should do - went grocery shopping at Lidl. It has anything and everything, and all of it is so good. We went a bit nuts though so had a lot food stuffed in our bags on the last train ride out to Prague at the end of our stay.

Berlin is a mix of modern and historic buildings. We went to the museum island, but by this time I was over seeing so many museums so we just went walkabouts around outside. We indulged in tourism life and took a tour boat along the river, then had late lunch on the needle (rotating tower) and enjoyed panoramic views of the city and a bit of motion sickness too. There was a massive rainbow the day we went so that made it even prettier.

Democracy.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Sep 3, 2017 at 7:44am PDT

The Reichstag building tour is an interesting insight into the modernisation of an old, historic building. Worth the visit if you're into, you know, knowledge and whatnot. For those of you who don't like to think much, then I recommend walking through the neighbouring massive park and gardens by the Reichstag building. We wandered around for hours just chilling, and climbed the tower at the round-about at the centre of it all to get a beautiful view over the park and city.

Berlin is a very liveable, I can see why so many Aussies move here. Berlin is also where I had a Tinder win. My last and only fun online date I've had in a long time. I've since quit online dating altogether. Berlin date was a funny, intelligent, interesting, well-rounded human being. He and all the other European matches I chatted to showed me it's not the dating app I don't like, it's the people on the app that make or break it. Sorry, Brisbane men, I'm not that into you.

Reach for the sky.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Sep 3, 2017 at 7:45am PDT

The train ride through north Italy into Switzerland was absolutely stunning. We went from Milan to Geneva via a town called Stresa. It went from grassy green fields to rich, green mountains and lakes during the trip. I wish the ride was longer than it was so I could feel that relaxed for longer watching the scenery go by.

All the photos I've seen don't do this picturesque country justice. There were waterfalls along the way, and I saw people hang-gliding off mountain tops. I adore this experience, and recall the memory fondly - if you're planning a trip to Europe, Switzerland is worth a stop-by or ride through it's honestly that beautiful. We were there at the end of summer, but some mountains were still snow capped because they were so high. Switzerland had crispy blue skies the whole time we were there - I loved it.

Hello Geneva.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 26, 2017 at 7:53am PDT

We had two days to explore Geneva before we moved onto Germany for our Phamly Reunion. The lake at the city centre and the giant mountainous backdrop makes it idyllic. I can't believe a place like this exists. The first day we went for a walk along the lake to the far side and saw the flower clock then backtracked for cheap food near the hotel.

We randomly saw a police dog show in the park near the flower clock because why not? Geneva I found really relaxing, probably our second most chilled spot to visit besides Barcelona but for different reasons. It's a quieter town with not much hustle and bustle - going for strolls by the lake was the thing to do, and on the weekend locals set up little charcoal BBQs all over the park. It was perfect for my audiobook + walking habit. I think I'd get bored if I lived there but visiting was a fun time.

Swan lake.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 26, 2017 at 7:55am PDT

Rome
The train rides to, from and in Italy are beautiful. My favourite train rides of the whole trip. The rolling hills behind flat green fields and farms is so beautiful. I loved the views.

Though, Rome is where the whole group got different symptoms of the same sick. Fevers, runny noses, loss of appetite (I know, in Italy where all our favourite foods live - how horrendous!), fatigue - we were bedridden for two of the four nights here. So, Rome was fun but exhausting. We did all the tourist things - walked the inner city and visited lots of fountains, obelisks, and buildings so old like the Pantheon that our little minds were blown. Unfortunately for us, it was peak summer heatwave while we were there so our sick bodies did not cope so well. Watching the sunset over the city from different viewpoints was definitely a highlight. It's a stunning city.

Another day, another country. Hello Vatican City.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 22, 2017 at 11:30am PDT

Vatican City
Do not go to Vatican City without a tour booking. The lines looked godawful. We booked ahead, and it was a breeze getting in and around. We went with City Wonders who I highly recommend - it was a really friendly, professional and knowledgeable experience. I wouldn't have appreciated the city as much if we hadn't learned about its history and purpose as we ventured around.

Look back in time.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 22, 2017 at 11:34am PDT

The Colosseum & The Forum
As part of the Vatican City tour, we also booked a trip to the Colosseum & the Colosseum with the same tour promoters. It was bloody hot and everyone struggled in the sun, but I loved the historical elements. Still can't believe I walked where famous gladiators, emperors and philosophers walked in the past. Crazy.

Hello Venice.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 24, 2017 at 11:22am PDT

Venice
Venice is beautiful but one dimensional. There's not much to it. But it is very pretty.
the big saint Marc building had such a massive queue to get in we didn't want to waste our one day there waiting. So we walked around and to the other side of the island where we had lunch at a dockside restaurant overlooking the cemetery island. So pretty. I sacrificed a gondola ride (which is a must-do!) so the loved up couple I was with could have a romantic evening, and walked around the whole island instead. I could have done with a second day of exploring there but if you're short on time, one day is enough to get a feel for the city.

Hello Milan.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 25, 2017 at 6:57am PDT

Milan
I'm not huge on consumerism at the moment, mainly because I don't have money to burn and partially because needless consumerism is terrible for the planet. Do I really need another pair of sneakers? Well, no...but maybe yes. But no. If I was here to shop I'd be in retail heaven because the stores here are huge compared to Australia's small shopfronts.

The city itself though, was underwhelming compared to the other cities I'd just visited. There are beautiful big, old style stone buildings throughout the city centre, but they lacked personality because they were so pristine. I wouldn't visit here again unless it was for a massive spending spree I know I'll never do, because if I had that much money I'd be traveling the world hoarding experiences, not things.

I've decided to stop online dating, and I suppose that means offline dating too since I only meet dudes online. I like failing to some extent, because it means I tried. However, I believe there are only so many times you should fail at the same thing over and over before you admit defeat. I'm no good at online dating - it's better for people who like texting which I hate, being flirty or playing mind games which I’m terrible at, and random hookups which I don't enjoy. I don’t know why I kept it up for so long. Dating is clearly not for me.

Our Phamly fortune-teller said I live in the world as it should be, not as it is so I will always struggle to make my idealism a reality. He is right - I want the ideal partner; someone of substance who'd become my best friend and back me on things, since I'm always taking care of other people but haven't had someone in my corner since Mum Pham passed. It honestly sucks not having someone you trust around to reassure you things will be turn out OK.

Now I think of it, this must be why I started (attempting) to date in recent years. I'd always been content to be single before Mum’s death. I never questioned why I suddenly thought dating was a thing I should do until now. I missed having someone that had my back the way she did - no matter what happened, I knew she’d always be there for me whether to support me or to shut my dumb idea down. But I’m not going to find that in the online dating world - it's full of broken people, and I'm too unlucky to meet a good one. My one attempt at a relationship from Tinder was a total fail because I met a lying cheater and was stupid enough to think we could build an honest relationship. And I've been failing at all other types of dates before and since then too.

I've been ‘taking breaks’ from Tinder the past year and a half since we broke up, and it's taken me this long to realise I don’t want to take breaks, I want to stop. I am totally burnt out, and so over spending time getting to know people I don't like. If I'm going to bother with other humans I'd rather my energy go towards friends who care about me.

It's not all dire though. Life took pity on me, and delivered a friend who's new to Brisbane so he’s up for random ventures about town. Things my coupled friends don’t have time for because they’re doing things with partners or other friends. It's the time out I need from boring dates I never want to see again. I might get back into the dating thing one day - whenever I next feel like punishing myself with disinterested bozos who treat me like a piece of meat, or interested weirdos who treat me like an alien species. For now - boys, bye.

We did a day trip from Nice that took us along the French Riviera and to Monaco. It was one of only 3 tours we did this trip. We lucked out - our tour group was a really fun South African family who joked around and poked fun at everything in a good natured way making the whole day more fun.

Monaco is such a strange country. How can somewhere so tiny be so rich, have helicopters as an Uber option, and so many fashion model-looking policemen? Ridiculous! We basically did this tour because it included Monaco and Little Sissy Pham’s boyfriend is a mad Formula 1 fan and this tour took us to Monte Carlo along part of their Formula 1 track. We got to see the starting line, but then a Harley Davidson festival and hundreds of bikies closed down the infamous tunnel so we couldn’t drive through. Worst timing.

The country will forever be the first time I’ve seen an elevator weight limit get triggered. The tour group went up in the lift together, but then we all had too much to eat at lunch, and on the way down the tour guide sacrificed himself for the overweight tourists and ran down the stairs. Achievement unlocked.

We visited a small town called Èze - a gorgeous stone town with gardens along its cliffside. The whole day was filled with picturesque locations like this. Afterwards, we went to Cannes which I found underwhelming. The beach is nice but the whole beachfront was covered in hotels and not nice cute buildings like in Nice. We also went to Antibes, the deepest natural port and had a quick walk around the town.

To end the day, we went to Saint Paul de Vence the second most visited small town in France. It's ancient and beautiful and set on a mountain top and full of art galleries. We only had one hour there but if I had more time it would have been nice to look at all the galleries. I was drawn to the street art vendors but there was anything and everything there. 


Definitely in Monte Carlo.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 19, 2017 at 10:07am PDT

Nice is a fun town. It’s a relaxed port and beach town. I thought Marseille would be more like this but it was too rough for my liking. Nice is much more chilled out and friendly tourist vibes in the old, heritage part of town where we stayed. Not as fab as Barcelona but still a nice atmosphere.

The pebble beach was an experience. Walking into the Mediterranean Sea was tricky but fun. The trek out once my skin was all soft and sea-soaked was a lot more painful. I gave up on trying to keep my dignity and crawled out of the water - it was really slippery where the waves broke on the pebbles. Suddenly, the locals wearing full foot-covering water shoes made sense.

The water was divine though. I spent most of my time not swimming and just floating on my back, looking up at the clear blue skies and being rocked by the waves while I listened to the sound of pebbles swaying to the water. I can feel my shoulders relaxing just remember this moment of bliss.

Hello Nice.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 18, 2017 at 7:56am PDT

The city itself is fun to walk around and explore in. The buildings are colourful and bright, the esplanade by the beach stretches as far as the eye can see. There is a massive park called the Jardin Albert-Ier right by the main esplanade with statues and water features - we walked through it twice, once during the day and once at night to make the most of it. We slept terribly in Nice because we were in an old apartment and could hear all the noise on the streets where people partied until 5am or 6am each night we were there. It’s definitely a good place to holiday and party. I can see why Parisians head to Nice when they want a beach trip.


Cliff art.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 18, 2017 at 8:03am PDT

Most of the time I feel really anti-social on social media. It’s like the lazy person’s way of keeping in touch with folks instead of emailing, messaging, calling, or meeting up with friends. But every now and then social media does what it’s supposed to do.

I shared a photo of the Eiffel Tower on Instagram and an old housemate from Melbourne commented to ask if I was in France. I wasn't at the time we messaged but I told him I was in Paris, and would be back in France but in Marseille and Nice next. Teeny, tiny world - he was visiting his hometown of Marseille at the time and we arranged a meet-up!

Marseille, the city, I didn't get to experience in full because we'd only planned to stay a night in a proper hotel (not an airbnb apartment) with nice air conditioning and roomy bathroom (all the luxuries we take for granted at home). We didn't do any of the tourist things, just went to the city docks, had food then met up with my old housemate for drinks. And then to make our small world even smaller, turns out 2 other French guys I'd lived with were both living in Marseille now. One was in the city so came to meet us, the other was heading out of town for a festival.


I loved seeing them, and remembering the wild old days back when I lived with 9 boys in a party warehouse space. Two were little boys when I knew them - it was their first time being away from home and they were living large in a different country on the other side of the world. I remember going on late night adventures together with the one I was closest to - lying on a little grassy mound in a park watching clouds pass over the stars, and sharing a kiss at a warehouse party. Now they're grown men, and lovely humans to boot.

I wish I'd known they were in Marseille and spent more time there, but that's what happens when you've only got 4.5 weeks to explore part of a dense continent and have no idea where any of your friends are. My impression of the city is it’s a bit dirty (so much dog poop) and super aggressive drivers that made it scary crossing roads. It had a strangely agro vibe considering it’s a picturesque seaside town, but it could just be the area we were staying in - we didn’t explore Marseille so I don’t know what it’s like elsewhere. If you have to choose between more time in Nice and more time in Marseille, I’d definitely go more time in Nice. Which is where we went next.

Stopover in a 'lil place called Marseille.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 17, 2017 at 1:11pm PDT

We went from rainy, cold Paris to hot and sweaty in Barcelona in August. Barcelona is hands down my favourite city in the world. True, I haven't visited many places but it easily tops all the places I've ever been. There's something extra special about the atmosphere in this beautiful seaside city. The place is so warm and welcoming, and the people so friendly and playful. Everything's just so relaxed yet full of life there unlike at home in Oz where it's relaxed 'cause we have a culture of laziness - probably because we are all lethargic from not having siestas and/or in a drunken stupor.

We did all the tourist things, visiting the otherworldly architecture of Gaudi, visited a castle by the sea, walked by Olympic Park for the novelty of walking by an Olympic Park - primary school me still remembers those Games, that year was my favourite of Olympics memories, and I remember our cousins got us Barcelona game tracksuits - white with black, teal and yellow streaks. Ah, the memories. I wonder if I have a photo of those somewhere.

So beautiful.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 15, 2017 at 8:17am PDT

We visited the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya - for the view, not the art because we overdid the art in Paris and needed a break. The gallery overlooks a massive water fountain feature, but we were there during off-time and didn't have time to come back for the fountain show. Instead, we opted to go to the beach for a swim in the strangely calm ocean. The waves break right on the shore and the rolling waves are really gentle - not like the waves at home in sunny Queensland that try to smush you on a bad day, or push you over on a good day. I could have floated there for hours being rocked by the sea. But I didn't because we got hungry and went for dinner at one of the restaurants on the beach. Oh, take me back!

I did a solo trip to the Aquarium by the sea because I am a child trapped in a slow-to-age Asian woman's body, and went for a walk along the beach on my last night in Barcelona. Looking back, our time in Barcelona was the most chill and happy time we had on our trip (apart from our Phamly Reunion). That's what all ideal holidays should feel like - I felt small and humble and appreciative. I hadn't felt that relaxed and happy in years.

Morning.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 15, 2017 at 11:11pm PDT

We left Barcelona the morning of August 17, and the terrorist attack happened that afternoon. I only learned about it because our cousin in Germany messaged me to ask if we were OK. I messaged the Phamly straight away even though it was night time back home, then waited til night in Marseille to call dad in case he heard about it through the news and worried. It's so sad that people think killing randomly is the answer to their problems with the world. The three of us were wandering that street just the day before. It's dumb luck where you are when these attacks happen. On this leg of the trip, we were on our way to Nice where the truck ran people over a year ago. It makes me sick to think people out there have so much hate and anguish in their heart, they think the solution is to kill people randomly.

Beach vibes.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 14, 2017 at 10:23am PDT

Pics: Dad & Mum Pham in 1988 versus Little Sissy Pham & me pulling my best mum face in 2017

Beautiful, grand, pompous, over-the-top Paris. It was our first stop on the Europe trip so we spent a little longer there than other cities on our whirlwind trip, in case we gots the jet lag. Instead, we got the cankles which was unfortunate because Paris was the biggest city we visited with sites spread out far apart. Nice walking distance for the fit and healthy. Torturous and painful when your sibling has cankles and is in agony.

The people were arrogant, (though very very good-looking so I forgive them) and generally did not give a crap about tourists or anyone for that matter. The food we had was expensive and the worst we had in Europe - I'm guessing Paris is one of those places you have to be in the know to find the good food spots. Basically, we did not have a good time in Paris. I'm glad I experienced it but will never go back - there are too many other places I'd rather explore or return to in Europe.

Day 0. We arrived, took a while to get to our airbnb apartment, then took another little while to find a SIM so we could call the host and get inside. We adventured as far as the nearest supermarket to gawk at all the things that looked same same, but different. Then went back to sleep because it was 10pm in Paris but 6am in our body clocks.

Skull candy.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 10, 2017 at 11:26am PDT

Day 1. We went to the catacombs because it felt like the thing that you have to do when in Paris. It was a mildly stinky adventure, and not creepy because everything was well lit but boy, I would not want to be the tourists who got stuck down there in the dark for days. You'd have to walk along the corridors, feeling your way, along dead people's bones. Ew.

We walked through Luxembourg Park which was gorgeous - our favourite park on the entire trip. Though, the Gardens in Prague trump it for beauty. As a public park, it was so beautiful and vibrant and full of activity once the rain cleared up.

From there we walked to the Notre Dame, which is my favourite of all the buildings we visited in Europe. Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona was stunning in its uniqueness but there was something about the Notre Dame that I adore. This early in the trip we were still excited by buildings so went into the Sainte-Chapelle as well. We'd soon burn out and just look at the outside instead of paying to go in and mozy about.

Day 2. We went to the Louvre because, duh, you have to. It's so bloody big, and full of art history. The Mona Lisa I didn't expect to be so tiny, crowded - I didn't get it, hey. But then I'm not into historic, traditional art. We also went to the Musée de l'Orangerie to see Monet's Water Lilies - probably my favourite art piece on the trip. I found it soothing to sit and stare at the paintings. Then we soldiered onto see Napoleon's grand tomb before we called it a day.

Eiffel Tower.

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 12, 2017 at 3:27pm PDT

Day 3. The Eiffel Tower was awesome but probably because of the personal connection. It was one of the few places Mum & Dad Pham made it to on their honeymoon before Big Brother Pham had an asthma attack, and they rushed back to Germany. We opted to cheat and take the elevator because Little Sissy Pham's cankles were killing her. The view was stunning, and the novelty of being on the friggin' Eiffel Tower made my day.

We also went on two boat tours of the city at the recommendation of a French friend. A day one to see all the beautiful buildings, then a night one to see all the beautiful lights. I enjoyed the day one more because I love architecture, but the Eiffel Tower lit up is gorgeous at night so I’m really glad we had time to do both. Hoard all the experiences!

Day 4. Versailles aka the day from Hell. It was a spur of the moment decision to do a day trip to Versailles and we thoroughly regretted not doing our research and booking a tour group in advance so we could skip the epic, 5 hour queue in the sun to then walk in a dusty and old albeit decadent castle. I loved the gardens WAY more, and while I would still see the castle again given the choice, I'd have booked in advance to allow more time adventuring in gardens with the water fountain shows.

Day 5. We took our first and only local flight from Paris to Barcelona, which I'll tell ye about next time, in my Europe 2017 series.

How is this even real? #nofilter

A post shared by Jade (@thephamly) on Aug 10, 2017 at 11:09am PDT