A price to pay from a seasoned traveller!

Was I sacrificing vanity for comfort when settling for my pair of Snowfly wedge heel boots which eventually killed me?

Honestly, no. The cold weather had been the deciding influence on my choice of footwear! I least expect this pair of shoes which had kept my feet warm and served me well during my Scandinavian trip to prove otherwise!

But then again, it wouldn't be fair blaming the shoes, considering the amazing distance in city coverage of Rome yesterday and Florence today with my much abused feet......

Shopping around for TEMPORARY substitutes, I brushed aside Ca-Ryn's suggestion on sneakers! I do not wish to add further to my possession of Timberland, Reebok and Fila walking/hiking shoes, a pair of which I may have brought along if not for weight constraint since we decided to travel light!

Whatever, I finally decided on a €59.99 (Rm252) pair of flat soled boots to move on with my journey ....

Had awakened 4.15am local time, 11.15am Malaysian Time. Ciao from Florence!

Have money, can travel....

With that mindset, Ca-Ryn had, on 6/2, impulsively booked us on a flight to Rome 12/2 and a return from Paris 26/2 without casting much of a thought about the climate, accommodation, visits to places of interests and means of point-to-point transportation!

Planning the fortnight's itinerary, anxiety set in when she encountered the odd hours of arrival and departure from one country to another. Incidentally, we have included Portugal and Spain in our exploration as well....

Had I not cautioned her repeatedly about the time difference, we may have, metaphorically speaking, ended up sleeping on the street in Florence!!

Massive warnings about pickpockets from concerned friends and relatives vide FB PM, SMS and Whatsapp, kindled a sense of fear in me!

Most were astounded when learnt that we are traveling on our own! My nephew-in-law, Eric, even suggested we looked our worst to distract attention with several echoing his sentiment! Gracious! Can it really be that bad?

Discussing it out with Ca-Ryn, I soon realized, I am not paranoid being a victim of the pickpockets....more so if we were confronted and asked to relieve of all possessions.....

Since such confrontations were least likely as confirmed by some other friends, my worries just vanished into thin air......

By the way, except from some sucky actions of the cab drivers, our eventful day one passed by pretty excitingly....with all the sightseeing and shopping!!

Check out on this page again when I upload our photos on our return home....

Had awakened at 4am local time, which is 11am Malaysian time! With love from Rome.......

Stay young and pretty always!

Ironically, such were the felicitations from well wishers on my recent birthday!

How I wish so too!! However, sadly,  there's no beauty that withstands time..... 

Of late, lots of attention and comments had been drawn to my physical looks whether in person or on Facebook!! Why? Ahem! Simply because I look good following my successful weight loss!!  

Some even insinuated I went under the knife!!.... That the cosmetic surgery must have been performed while I was holidaying in Korea! That my frequent absence from home, were in truth, trips abroad for beauty enhancement!! 

I've learnt that friends or not, it is in the character of some to be maliciously envious of others, who fared better! Hence, just so that they feel better, I would comply sarcastically with "So it's obvious, huh? The beauty transformation? It's well worth all my $$$$ spent, then!!" 

Frankly, except for downsizing my diet portions and refraining from shoving table scraps down my throat, harboring thoughts of rather to waste than to my waist, I had done pretty much nothing!!  

Oh no, sorry.....that's not all.... I have been diligently attending the dance and yoga sessions and the facial and body massage sessions....all activities, my passion now!!  

Above all, it is the state of mind....THINK, ACT and STAY POSITIVE..... 

When I had once shy away from the camera, I welcome the lens now.... 

My faces plastering all over my blog and FB will be testimonies of HOW I WAS, ONCE BEFORE, decades down the road......