The amazing things I always pack into my luggage

I dread packing, I really do. Even thou, to quote myself,

“I have reached a point where I do not fret the day before each departure. All I need to make sure is if I have gotten my passport with me. Because money can buy everything else (the money will come from my colleagues of cos, in the event I forget to bring even my wallet)”

Easier said then done!

I have a packing list which served me well for a couple of years now. But each time before I start to pack, I need to recall where the hell I have left it. Is it in my external hard disk? Is it in my C drive? Or D Drive? Home net book? Or office laptop?

I am easily distracted when I pack. 99% of the time, I will be commenting on FB, lamenting on how I dread packing. This time, I am blogging away while toggling between my packing list (yes, I found it as a tab behind my Japan itinerary, do not ask me why its there)

There are still some amazing things that you will never thought a frequent traveler will pack into her bag (in fact, frequent traveler packs the weirdest stuff). I have listed my top 5 :

1. Cup Noodles

 

I usually pack Nissin cup noodles (especially the seafood and the curry and those chilli flavored ones) because Nissin is hard to get in Cheena. And when I find them, they are usually on the imported produce shelves, Japan-made nissin and freaking expensive.

This time I decided to bring zow zow with me because I found it on Carrefour earlier. If you do not know what’s zow zow, read here.

You will definitely ask why need cup noodles when there are so many cheap and good eateries in Cheena.

Cos I had bad first day experience, many bad first day experience I would say.

Ok, I confess first, I DO NOT WORK ON DAY 1. So there will be nobody to bring me around. When I first arrive in a new place, I will not dare to wonder on my own. It may be dark when I arrive at the hotel. I refuse to eat at the resting points along the Cheena expressway because the food sucks. I only eat at those places when the drivers complain they are hungry. Sometimes, flights may be delayed, by the time I reach the hotel, the hotel cafes are already closed. Sometimes I may eat at the airport before the drive but the drive may take 2-4 hours. By the time I finish my check-in, its meal time again. Sometimes hotel room service are unpalatable. I usually let my staff try, they tell me its nice, then I order (oops).

In short, I am lazy, I am fussy, so I usually stay in for cup noodles.

2. 3-in-1 Coffee

Everyone who works with me before will know that I have a serious caffeine addiction problem. I need one cup before I step out of the house to get to office in one piece. I need a second dose immediately after lunch to keep myself awake till knock off. I would need a third dose at night when I am stress and need to stay up to finish my work.

Cheena coffee, made in china Nescafe included, are usually diluted and sweeter. I did saw Nescafe Intense on the supermarket shelves during my last 2 trips but I have not tired them I am not brave enough to risk going thru the entire trip without sufficient dose of my caffeine.

3. Chopsticks

In case you are mistaken, only one pair of chopsticks will be used for eating out of the cup noodles in (1) above. The remaining chopsticks are really used as stirrer for my instant coffee in (2) above. I do not need chopsticks for Cheena cup noodles because Cheena noodles maker are attentive to consumers’ needs, all cup noodles sold in Cheena comes with disposal fork.

My colleagues suggest I just buy a GOOD pair of chopsticks (which is available across Cheena cheaply) instead of ruining mother earth by using disposal ones. But I am way to lazy to wash my own chopsticks really and not all chambermaids will be kind enough to wash personal chopsticks. And to really save mother earth, I need to finish my pack of 50 disposal pairs first before buying a good permanent one. And this task is indeed taking me forever…..

4. Bedroom slippers

I know I know, hotels will offer them no matter how run down, how low end and how star-less they are. But some hotel bedroom slippers have such flat soles that I always thought I was wearing cupboards.

Anyway, I bought this pair on my first day in UK. The carpeted floor was still way too cold for me to walk on. Since then I had developed a habit of snuggling my feets into this pair of fluffy slippers whenever I am in any Cheena hotel room.

5. Router

Ok, this is the most amazing piece that I am sure not many people would think of. Thanks to my ingenious staff, as usual.

During those unfortunate moments when we had to share room, this piece of technology does wonders. There is usually only one connection point in every hotel room. So with this device, both roomies can surf the net at the same time. Even when I have my own single room, this device provides the ultimate luxury, i.e. surfing the net from the comfort of my gigantic hotel beds!!!!!

(Please read the hotel fine prints before you try this yourself, some hotels do ban the use of such router in their rooms)