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Hospitalization

I was admitted on the 27th of March and today is the 28th of April. I have been here for exactly 33 days. My daily routine involves a 1.30am vitals check, 5am vitals check (blood draw at this time twice weekly as well), CTG monitoring for baby from 6.45-7.15. Breakfast at 8am. During this time, 3 groups of doctors visit us (from 7am-9am). At 9am, they give me an injection in my belly to thin my…

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23 and Pregnant.

After my ectopic pregnancy, my husband and I waited 3 months before deciding to try. Alhamdulillah, we managed to get pregnant. Which only further confirmed the feeling that Allah tested us with the ectopic pregnancy while I was on IUCD to inspire us to try for a baby. I think it was a good time for us because we both have full time jobs already (him, a civil engineer and me, a researcher). So…

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Ectopic Pregnancy at 22

Ectopic Pregnancy at 22

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST WILL BE KIND OF TMI but I think it’ll help women who might have had the same symptoms to know when they’re having an ectopic pregnancy. Hello Strangers, I’m back. Yes I know it’s been a while…but life’s been pretty busy and I just thought I’d come here and reflect on a couple of things that has happened in 2020. YES, I KNOW, 2020 has been a wild year. I’ll get to that in…

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Love is

Every time I read something I have written in the past, I am reminded of the bitterness and of the pain I put myself through. And each time I reminisce about the people who left me for nothing, I realize how far I have come. I have come so far. I have healed so thoroughly. And it is all thanks to you.

I never thought I was ever worthy of love. Reallove. I always thought love should hurt. That…

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If you’re an avid traveller like me, but you’re also a student and short on time, here are 5 things I recommend that you do in Sarajevo if you’re only there for a day or two.

The Latin Bridge. The northern end of the bridge was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Gavrilo Princip in 1914, which sparked the start of World War I.

Walk on the Latin Bridge.

Need I say more? The Latin Bridge is one where history was made and is definitely a must see in Sarajevo! It is located just on the outskirts of the old town, so you don’t have to worry about catching a bus! Come early in the day, when there are less tourists around.

Coppersmith Street, The old town, Sarajevo

2. Explore the old town and shop along the coppersmith street.

As you stroll along the cobbled streets, you will find yourself transported to a different time. Watch as coppersmiths prepare an array of items before your very eyes! With plenty of shops selling copper items, you will definitely be able to bargain for a good souvenir to take home. As we were travelling with one suitcase, we did not get anything but I would definitely go back and get one if I could!

3. Try some local delicacies.

No trip to Sarajevo is complete without trying some of their local food! For lunch, we ate at Staklo, and had their beef goulash, dolma. We also had Burek for dinner (which I unfortunately didn’t snap a picture of!)

4. Visit the War Childhood Museum

A visit to Sarajevo is not complete without learning about the lives of those who lived through the Siege of Sarajevo. Thought-provoking and moving, the museum gives a good insight into how life was like during the war- From hiding out in their homes, to awaiting packages from overseas aid whilst fearing for their lives. If you have only a day in Sarajevo, definitely stop by the museum and spend a few hours there.

View from Yellow Bastion

5. Hike up to Yellow Bastion

What better way to end your day than to witness the sunset over the city at the Yellow Bastion? The walk up includes passing a Jewish Cemetery so be very quiet and respectful! We snapped so many pictures as it is an amazing vantage point of the old town. The best part was definitely hearing the call to prayer echo throughout the city from various mosques. It was serene in it’s own way and an experience I will never forget.

There you go: A day’s itinerary in Bosnia. Don’t forget to stop by some of their mosques and talk to the locals while you can! We learnt so much about their plight during the war and about how they managed to overcome the loss they experienced in the war.

Happy travelling!

A day in Sarajevo If you're an avid traveller like me, but you're also a student and short on time, here are 5 things I recommend that you do in Sarajevo if you're only there for a day or two.

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Our trip to Bosnia started in Tuzla. We flew from Vienna to Tuzla, as the flight was the cheapest from Vienna. We packed one carry on and decided it would be all we needed for the 10 day trip.

We landed in Tuzla at 9pm, which was our first mistake. However, I didnt think too much of it until I realized that the city was a 30 minute drive away from the airport. And so I had booked a $26 room that was supposedly really close to the airport – ’10 mins walking time’ they claimed. Little did we know it was actually a few KMs away and the only thing connecting the airport to the ‘sobe’ or room, was a long stretch of road which was surrounded by nothing but grassland. We decided to flag a cab and showed him where the place was by showing him the address on our phone. This was our first interaction with a local.

The taxi driver was surprisingly helpful and he could speak a bit of english. So he told us he was muslim and that he was happy to see us. He drove for a few minutes before coming to what seemed like a desserted town. We were terrified-really. He got out of the car and knocked on a random house – mind you, I was expecting a hostel or something – turns out, it was a room in someone’s house. The owner chatted with him and he told us that he was expecting us. The driver gave us his card after unloading our bag and told us to call him if we needed another ride. When we asked about payment, he simply shook his head and said ‘fisabilillah’ which means, “For Allah”. He meant that we didnt have to pay. However, I insisted and handed him the equivalent of SGD5 for his generosity.

Our room was adequate and the owner was very kind to us. The next morning, he even helped us call the taxi driver from the night before as we needed a ride into town. However, this was when I learned something horrifying….THEY ONLY ACCEPT CASH. I was very unprepared for this. And soon I learnt that this was the case throughout Bosnia. I don’t think I used my card in Bosnia, at all. I fact, I had to withdraw money from the ATM – TWICE. Which really put a dent in my savings as I there was a $7 admin fee on the Singapore side each time I withdrew money.

Our Airbnb in Tuzla

The next day we explored Tuzla, which was a very calm town. Plenty of locals helped us get around and I found the city to be so very calming. We dragged our bags everywhere as the airbnb was only going to be ready at 4pm. And when we finally checked in, we found out that our airbnb was on the 7th floor so we decided to cook instant noodles and stayed in till the next day,

Van for Balkan Transfers

I had booked a shuttle service for the next day, where we were shuttled to Sarajevo- The capital of Bosnia. , which cost us SGD$53 and I booked the shuttle on www.balkantransfer.com.  The transfer was very private as it was only the two of us and another passenger. The ride was non-stop and lasted a little over 3 hours. He stopped us right at our hotel and we waved goodbye to our driver and found ourselves in the centre of town.

  Pigeon Square

Sarajevo was beautiful. We stayed at Hostel Pigeon Square which was right in the middle of Sarajevo’s city center! I highly recommend this hostel as it is very close to the city centre! I booked our room on booking.com and I believe it was $30/night for a three bedroom hostel with attached bathroom! We spent 3 days in Sarajevo and I will go over the highlights of Sarajevo in another post.

To get from Sarajevo to Mostar, we took a bus to Sarajevo’s bus terminal. This process was slightly disorienting for us, but the bus driver told us how much to pay when we got on and the locals helped us validate our tickets – yes, the locals are realllly helpful and nice!

Once we were at the bus terminal, I had booked tickets on ‘busticket4me’ – please note that you will HAVE to print the tickets out and pay an admin fee once you get to the bus terminal where they will validate your tickets. It’s about 3km per person and then when you get on the bus, they have a baggage handing fee of about 3km per bag.

Here’s how our tickets looked like!

Mostar was BEAUTIFUL and in Mostar, we had the most amazing host who offered to give us a tour of Herzegovina. We spent 3 nights in Mostar, were we toured both the city and the surrounding area. I WILL post a separate post on Mostar, but here are some pictures!

We then travelled from Mostar to Dubrovnik, Croatia which meant our time in Bosnia was over. I booked the ticket to Dubrovnik on getbybus! It was SGD21 per person. The ride was very scenic and immigration from Bosnia to Croatia was really quick too!

Bosnia is truly an amazing place to go to and I recommend everyone to visit it if you have the opportunity to do so. I will be doing a post on 5 reasons you MUST visit Bosnia and I will link it here.

  Bosnia, in sum. Our trip to Bosnia started in Tuzla. We flew from Vienna to Tuzla, as the flight was the cheapest from Vienna.

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As some of you may know, I have just returned from having travelled around New Zealand for 11 whole days. Here are 5 top places to see in South Island if you’re planning to head there!

Akaroa

Akaroa is about an hour’s drive away from Christchurch and while the drive there is winding, Akaroa itself is a beautiful little town. My family and I went on the nature tour with Akaroa Dolphins and despite the $92 price tag, it was very worth it! We saw plenty of dolphins, seals and even a cute little penguin. The team was also very hospitable so I highly recommend choosing them to take you out onto the harbour/sea!

2. Astro Cafe, Lake Tekapo

View from drive towards Astro Cafe

  Random person on a rock

View from Astro Cafe

View from Astro Cafe

Perched on top of a hill, Astro cafe offers stunning views of Lake Tekapo! Just take note that entry into the road that leads up the the cafe requires an $8 cash payment and the drive up is very steep! Some of the road is also one way so be very careful! Nonetheless, the view from the cafe will be worth the drive.

For my muslim readers, do note that their cakes are not halal and most of them contain gelatine, so we went for the vegan coconut cake! Please do ask before purchasing their cakes!

3. Queenstown, New Zealand

View from Skyline Queenstown

Queenstown is known to be an adventure capital and the best part about the town is that it is surrounded by mountains! AKA STUNNING VIEWS. I highly recommend staying for at least 2 nights here and trying out some activities. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT give the skyline a miss! The view from the top was incredible and the luge was really fun!! As for the number of rides to go for, 2 rides was just nice for us because we managed to try both the beginner and advance tracks! We booked the package on Changi Rewards!

If you’re adventurous and want to try out canyoning, do check out Canyon Explorers! For rafting, you can look at Go Orange. For the BEST deals on either of the places, do check out Bookme.co.nz or Klook! We found that they both had the best deals for most of the activities in Queenstown (and most of the South Island).

4. Milford Sound, Te Anau

Milford Sound is home to Mitre Peak, the 8th wonder of the world. I still remember how we had to run from the carpark (a hefty $10/hr btw) to the terminal so it’s a good idea to get there early. The cruise is 2hours long and the captain of the ship was extremely informative. He shared with us how the waterfalls were formed and brought us out to sea to see the difference between the freshwater in the harbour and the sea water. I had so much fun on the cruise! Especially when the captain brought us really close to the waterfalls and we all got drenched. Milford sound is definitely a place to see and you will NOT regret paying for the cruise! We booked the cruise on bookme.co/nz.

The area also has lots of great hikes and walks for those of you who enjoy long walks in nature (as I do). Unfortunately, we did not get to go on any of the hikes as it was raining the day before and after our cruise (yes we were very lucky and the sky was fairly clear during our cruise). So do check out the area and hopefully, if you’re there on a sunny day, you’ll have more luck than we did!

5. Mount Cook

Mt cook off the most beautiful glacial views and while it rivals Franz Josef, I found that the Hooker Valley Track was one of the best hikes I have ever done after Zakopane, Poland and Plitivice, Croatia. I was so glad that my family members managed to hike the track as standing atop the mountain and looking upon the view was absolutely euphoric. Unfortunately I didn’t take my phone with me on the track (as my battery had died) so you’ll have to take my word for it!

While these places are my top 5 in South Island, I also recommend the following places if you have more time! – Goldfield’s Mining Centre (To learn about New Zealand’s Gold Rush and to try your hand at gold panning) – Wanaka Lavender Farm (For fans of lavender!!!) –  Jackson’s Orchard (To try your hand at picking cherry, peaches and berries!) – Royal Albatross Centre(For penguin viewing and wildlife spotting!)

Lastly, if you are travelling across the East Coast, do bring along a pair of binoculars as there are lots of wildlife to see at places such as Curio Bay and Nugget Point!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Instagram (@Hazirawrs) !

Happy travelling!

The Best of South Island, New Zealand As some of you may know, I have just returned from having travelled around New Zealand for 11 whole days.

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I'm back

I’m back

It’s been a long while since my last post and I feel like so much has happened in my life. Gone are the days that I used to find solace in writing, for I have found a physical human diary- my husband.

Nonetheless, I still feel like it is my duty to update my blog for those of you who enjoy reading about my life. And it’s a great way for me to immortalise some of the things I have learnt in life.…

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Thank you, God.

Who I was before you was a girl who sought emotions where she couldn’t find them. Who I was before you was a girl who wore her heart on her sleeve and a girl who balanced the weight of the world on her shoulders.

There were people who loved me too much and undoubtedly, there were people I loved too much – Individuals I would swim oceans for and people I gave my everything to, only to be…

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5 tips when travelling to Italy (when time is of the essence)

5 tips when travelling to Italy (when time is of the essence)

Before I begin, here’s our rough itinerary while we were in Italy!

6pm: Check out of Airbnb, take train to airport

10pm: Flight to MIlan 1am-7am: Rest at BGY

7.45am: Take Shuttle to Milan & Drop bags off at Hotel

8am: Explore Milan 12.05pm: Milan-Venice

14.40 Reach Venice, take water taxi & walk to hotel

Check into Hotel in Venice

Venice at night. Explore Venice 09.25: Venice-Bologna

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Adventure begins today

Hi everyone!

My much awaited travel series is about to begin!!! I know, I’ve procrastinated for far too long! In my defence, I’ve been really busy with work and school. Finding the time to write hasn’t been a priority!

Anyway, I am going to start posting one blog post per week on different countries and cities. They’ll range from tips to my personal reflections- whatever pops into my head when I…

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Zakopane

View from Gubalowska

On the 28th of September, my husband and I rented a car from Ostrava and drove 3 hours and 22 minutes to Zakopane, a beautiful town nestled next to the Tatra mountains in the south of Poland.

I found out about Zakopane by chance and it was almost as though God had answered my prayers. I wanted to go somewhere scenic and somewhere mountainous. I love love the mountains and as…

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21 and Married.

Frankly speaking, I never truly envisioned myself married at 21 despite it being one of the things I often joked about with my friends. There were a few times in my life that I was sure of who I wanted to spend it with and other times where I simply imagined myself spending my life with someone to see whether he was worth keeping in my life.

In today’s post, I hope to answer a question that I…

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We got married.

I know, whaaaaaat?

I can’t believe it has been over 4 months since I got married!! It’s still super surreal and I still sometimes turn to my partner and ask “Can you believe we’re married?”

I knew from the very beginning that he was the one. Looking back and reading my old posts such as ‘Clarity’ only highlights how sure I was after having only known him for a few weeks. I guess when you know,…

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Loss

I know I haven’t written anything in a long time and each time I tell myself I would write more, I write less. Recently, my loved ones experienced the passing of someone beloved. And I guess, a part of me wanted to write about loss and grief. So here goes.

I remember the day I heard my own grandfather had passed. In fact, I lost both my grandfathers at a young age. Unfortunately, as they passed…

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BBDC - Class 3 Driving lessons (Stage One)

BBDC – Class 3 Driving lessons (Stage One)

Hello guys!!! I really wanted to write about my experience at bbdc because I love reading other people’s blogposts on their own experience. So…here goes. Before I begin, it’s important to note that I am currently at stage 2.10/2.11 (for my next lesson…which is tomorrow) so I will only be writing about my stage 1 experience for now, before I forget everything. I enrolled in July 2017, but didn’t…

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I quit sugar

Heyya nerds, In light of my upcoming wedding, I have decided to quit sugar for the next 3 months. This means, as of Monday, I am swearing off: -Sugary drinks (except teh tarik or hot tea) -Chocolates, ice cream (once a month!) -Cutting carbs to 1 meal a day. My goal is to lose 5kg in the next 3 months! Since I will be too busy with school, making time to work out will be pretty tough (with finals…