When news of the Germany-Singapore Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) first unveiled, we were cautiously optimistic. While we took the chance to make our bookings almost immediately — after noting that the prices of air tickets were not bumped up to a ridiculous amount — we didn't make any solid plans or bookings until one week before our trip, when we were more confident that the holiday could actually happen. After all, the Hong Kong travel bubble was cancelled twice.

Travelling in the post-pandemic era was an inconceivable idea, and we were well-aware that the VTL could shut off anytime.

Instead of the worst that we feared, more VTLs opened up a month after we made our flight bookings. Instead of only Germany, we now had a myriad of European cities we could pick from!

Our first stop: Paris.

Not because it's the city of love or that we miss the smell of dried urine that hits your nostrils hard (seriously, there's no nicer way to describe this), but because the last time I was in Paris, I was on such a tight budget that I couldn't bear forking out €2 for a macaron.

This time, we're back for me to amend my mistakes!

The moment I arrived at the airport, I fell right out of my Grab car and onto my knees while alighting because I tripped on the kerb FML. the driver apologised frantically abut not stopping closer to the kerb but I assured him that it wasn't him, it's me. How can it be a YT story if I don't fall or hurt myself through clownish ways?

Fearing the long lines and checks, we reached the airport extremely early. But Changi Airport's efficiency never fails to impress — after checking through our travel documents (mainly passport and air tickets), we were free to go!

Walking into the departure hall after almost two years felt surreal, considering most of Asia is still closed off to the world at that point in time. 

Since we were still early, we entered SAT Premier Lounge at Terminal 3.

Wearing a beanie because my hairdresser cut my fringe two inches too short (no, I'm not exaggerating).

I already brushed my teeth before I left my house so I restricted myself to plan water while my fiancé grabbed a can of coke.

Soon, it was time for boarding. We made a beeline for the security, which was crowded as crowded as pre-Covid times. Social distancing was still observed at this point, but would soon fly out of the window as we were cramped shoulder-to-shoulder on the plane.

I had a master plan to follow European time upon boarding in order to combat jet lag, which worked perfectly the last time I was in Europe. Alas, although I face chronic insomnia in Singapore, being on a flight made me sleep like a baby, even in economy where everyone struggled with the lack of legroom. I zonked out entirely and fiancé had to nudge me several times before I woke up; at home, I usually wake up with the slightest movement LOL.

Most of the flight was uneventful. We had two meals — supper and breakfast — and I caught a sunrise!

We had made the colossal mistake of dilly-dallying and assuming that every airport is as efficient as Changi Airport.

Multiple flights were arriving at CDG at the same time, and the precious few minutes we spent in the toilet left us at the back of the snaking queue, putting us back by at least an hour *claws face*

We stood in the line for two hours before we caught a glimpse of the immigration situation: only two public counters were opened to cater to hundreds of visitors from multiple flights °(ಗдಗ。)° WHYYYY

When it was finally our turn, the immigration officer neither checked our vaccination status (a requirement to enter France without quarantine) nor requested for us to remove our masks to check our passport photo.

I was limping by the time we cleared immigration LOL. 

And that's the end of Day 0! Reviving my dead blog again to journal down this epic holiday, though admittedly I'm unsure how long this mojo will last *cues dry laughter*

Converting Singapore vaccination certificate to EUDCC

1. Download your digital vaccination certificate

2. Email the Italian Embassy

Buongiorno,

Can I convert my vaccination certificate to an Italian Certificazione Verde?

Attached are my details.

Cordiali saluti!

3. Wait for your EUDCC instructions

4. Fill in your particulars

5. Download your EUDCC

I love wearing and pairing my sneakers with anything! Suffice to say, sneakers are in again this season, with most people placing comfort over style — but why assume you have to pick either? That was my first thought upon receiving Lucca Vudor’s Fantasia sneakers.

If you don't already know, Lucca Vudor specialises in combining comfort with style, with their Lambskin Support insoles, a Lucca Vudor invention.

Lucca Vudor’s lambskin support insoles are supposed to relieve pressure from your feet, avoiding blisters and discomfort from extended walking periods. 

Look at how cushioned these sneakers are! Leather is usually associated with tough breaking in periods but I had none of that with the Fantasia sneakers — Lucca Vudor specially designed their shoes to mould to your feet quicker, requiring a shorter break in period. 

Fun fact: Lucca Vudor even widens each single pair toe box for you, preventing tightness to your shoes. The Fantasia sneakers are certainly one of the most comfortable sneakers I own!

My only gripe is that I wish the shoes cane in more conventional colours, like black or white instead of the navy or beige that they carry but that’s really my personal opinion.

All in all, I would really recommend these shoes for anyone who’s looking for a comfortable pair of stylish sneakers. Trust me, you wouldn’t regret owning them :)

If you're looking for a pair of comfortable sneakers, check out Lucca Vudor!

If you've followed me on Instagram, you'd know that my whole family is a huge fan of Sudio earphones! My mom uses her Sudio earphones literally every day and raves about it to anyone who'd listen :') Naturally, she was the most thrilled when Sudio sent me Sudio Nio to review, along with the new Sudio apple leather case.

Sudio Nio comes with interchangeable wingtips that fit perfectly into your ears, with four sizes available to choose from. Amongst my family with differing ear sizes, we could all find something that fits each of us.

With 20 hours of battery life and reliable IPX4 rated protection, Sudio Nio is perfect for every occasion, from travelling (whenever that may happen for us) to gym sessions. I read that even if you're caught in the rain, your Sudio Nio will be protected by its IPX4 ingress protection!

The Sudio apple leather case is made from repurposed apple peels from an Italian orchard, in an effort to support sustainability causes. The process creates a plant-based, cruelty-free leather that is hypoallergenic and eco-friendly material.

For someone as clumsy as me, the leather case is god-sent because I feel less guilty about dropping my earphones with my butter hands *sheepish laughter*

You can get free worldwide shipping with your shopping along with three years of international warranty with no additional cost if you join Sudio SPHERE.

Use HELLO2021 for additional 15% discount off your Sudio purchase. Buy your earphones here today!

I have naturally thick and stubbornly straight hair, so drying and styling my hair has always been a pain —a daily routine I unfortunately don't look forward to. I was naturally excited when Plavogue sent me their one step hair dryer brush for a review. You mean I can solve my problems in one step?! :O I quickly placed my order on Amazon and the package reached me the day after.

The package came with:

• Plavogue onestep hair dryer
• Support card
• Instruction manual
• Travel adapter 
• A face mask as free gift

Plavogue-branded travel adapter that came with the hair dryer.

It's gonna be a while before I can put this to use since travel has been unfortunately halted by the pandemic :(

Using the hair dryer brush is supposed to deliver salon blowouts from the comfort of your home while keeping your hair healthy with extra volume and shine.

I tested Plavogue's hair dryer brush on half-wet hair in this video because I found the method to work the best. It takes a while to dry a head full of wet hair, resulting in the process taking longer while completely dry hair does not have much holding power.

A closer look at the brush bristles.

The bristles are really soft, and they're gentle on my hair. Despite my tugging my hair rather violently several times, you can see that Plavogue's hair dryer brush did not pull of many strands of hair from my head.

Three different heat settings

The cool setting also produced some hot air, and it's best if you're just using the hair dryer to dry your hair without styling. For your hair to stay in place after styling, I would recommend using the hot and hot+ options.

And how does my hair look after styling?

Left: normal hair dryer | Right: Plavogue hair dryer brush

It's a subtle difference, but my hair is definitely neater with Plavogue's hair dryer brush :)

Plavogue's hair dryer brush works better for my bangs compared to my hair, perhaps because my bangs is shorter and lighter. Nonetheless, it's a nice option to have if you're looking for an everyday hair dryer which can also style your hair and give you a neater I-woke-up-like-this look, Plavogue's hair dryer brush is a rather reasonable option.