2010 in retrospect

ferrero on vday; baby xiaoxiao in february; bali during end of february; our first time at zoo negara in march; early 21st birthday present in the form of a golden key honours society membership invite; my very first camera on my 21st in april; annual vay-k with the gang in june; last monash ball in september; xiaoxiao all gorwn up in october; grandpa's water lilies in full bloom; rita's birthday end of october; taiwan and hongkong family trip in december; xiaoxiao frolicking here and there despite being blind in one eye; a pretty face at one of our favourite tomyam noodles joint.

looking back at 2010, honestly there are things still on the resolutions list that have not been crossed out -- like getting a job for summer. but at least i lived the year with no regrets, saved xiaoxiao from drowning in a drain, achieved the results that i aimed for, attained membership in golden key, and am learning to take more beautiful pictures as well as loving and cherishing my loved ones.

au revoir 2010, bonjour 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

pet.portrait.

xiaoxiao trying out the new toys we bought for her from taiwan while we try out dad's new d7000 (on her). the "pet portrait" mode was superb! so much so that even her damaged eye looked cutely normal :3

in the meantime, sorting out a combination of almost 6000 photos of our taiwan and hongkong trip from 2 cameras. so do expect heap lotsa vacation-related posts!

live from hk

the spectacular hongkong skyline and laser lights show

reporting from the novotel hotel lobby in hongkong, eavesdropping on the basketball coaches from india and united states talking about the games and the lakers and whatnots. (i dont understand why the photo with my sister's face refuses to rotate!) left taiwan for hongkong yesterday morning, witnessed hongkong's crazily congested mtr stations, learnt about their freakingly high cost-of-living, but am amazed by the cars people drive here. convertibles -- mini coopers especially!

oh and it's hui's 18th birthday today! so nice to be celebrating it in hongkong! she made a wish without candles, and with fruit tarts and assorted cakes in the hotel room. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUIIIIII :3

i miss you

retreat; therainneedstostop

in jiu fen, staying the night and tomorrow at this quaint little inn, with all the units having its own distinct themes. soft toys and cozy couches, beautiful lamps and paintings provided us with an indoor activity shielded from the prolonging rain -- chilling out and taking photos! the first step into the room was like arriving in heaven after carrying our luggages up flights of stairs in the pouring rain towards the inn atop a steep hill.

the rain's picking up speed outside; it's probably time for a warm bath.

from taiwan with love

behold, a map of taipei. catching cabs to go around the city is so convenient, cuz almost everywhere u turn u can see a little yellow car.

touched down last night at 10.40pm, and arrived at our little hotel 50minutes later. no sign of winter here yet, at 20 degrees we still see girls in mini skirts and furry boots -- bare legs! skinnies tucked in boots were slightly unnecessary.

went up to the taipei 101, had lunch and walked around xi men ding for a few hours. loots included snacks and 3 very cute hand-sewn owls. lunch was satisfying, sushi and garlic bread and bean curd with red bean. yums! shall take a rest and try our luck at shih lin night market later. *waves*

feather in a whirlwind

"why are you, peasant boy, here in this magnificent city? throughout my childhood i had always dreamed of coming here. i had always believed i never would. yet now i was here, among fifteen million people. i felt like a feather swept up in a whirlwind. i was only eleven years old. nothing could have prepared me for this."

-- "Mao's Last Dancer"

only 140 pages into this book and i'm deeply engrossed in Li Cunxin's world.

cat diaries

1. while playing, lying low focusing on my feet preparing to pounce on me
2. looking regally beautiful, with her only eye
3,4. taking catnaps, on flat ground, and in grandpa's gigantic plant pot well shaded from the sun

melancholia

sometimes when you are not what others think you are, you tend to go all mellow inside. sometimes when you are all mellow inside, you tend to retreat into your shell. under all those laughter and playful giggles, no one believes you are actually breaking up and being torn apart by the facade that you are putting up.like a clown putting on too much make-up, drawing a smile that is way bigger than what the heart portrays, pretending to be something larger than life; that in real-life, when the dream is over, the people all gone and the laughter fades, the mask strips off, leaving you to bleed under your own heartbreak and sadness, under the tears and the gurgled breaths that you take. suffocation, the walls are closing in, the phantom manifesting itself, the darkness that was once buried deep in the roots of the soul, suppressed until it can be concealed no more. no more, there is no more. no more happiness in the small hole that you called home, the empty space with no love and no hope, the space where the heart once lies. a beating heart, now substituted by a piece of glass, broken into a million pieces.

"melancholia"; blackhumour 201012011513

havent been writing alot like i used to, trying to channel my inner poet, inspired by the constant rain and grey skies that seemed to engulf the whole world this past week, making the house appear to be darker and gloomier than it usually is. even with the lights switched on and the wooden door open ajar, the world outside still feels dead, no cars on the street, no cats meowing like they used to, flowers and trees all bending their heads like they were saddened by this downpour too. where are the sunny laughter of kids at the playground? it is the school holidays, aren't they supposed to be out and about, chasing each other and riding bicycles and shrieking with joy going on the swings? what is childhood like today that it was not 20 years ago?

photo taken at bali

sweaters and faux fur coats

are these early-winter-appropriate for hongkong/taiwan that are expected to have a temperature of 14-20 degrees in mid december?

images from here, here and here

lately,

trying to get in touch with my thoughts
to get inspired
should write more
reading torey hayden's "the tiger child"
take more pictures
spending time alone at home
waking up late
doing chores
watch films
arrange our photos in an album
plans to bake
learn to shoot in manual
make a skirt from scratch
scooping spoonfuls of haagen dazs ice cream from a tub

puts a smile to my face

a cat and a concert

tuesday. xiaoxiao sleeping on grandpa's tool shed roof the whole afternoon. air supply "love never ends" world tour in penang, with dad. it was super awesome! looking for their songs online!

bye, pasar malam (night market) now :)

"do you want my corn?"

that's an inside joke, which involved someone shoving her half-eaten corn in everyone else's faces which then resulted in bursts of laughter so tremendous it breaks windows and makes heads from tables away turn.

barely finished our last paper in time -- 2500 words in 2 hours? -- and immediately escaped to empire subang for dinner at chilis. when 5 hungry and liberated girls meet food, u can guess what happens next!

this is simin's diy tlr. so cool!

nachos!those jalapeno peppers are scary but it was gooood!

cajun club sandwich which michele and i shared

simin's fish and chips with weird-tasting dip sauce

anusha's lamb shoulder with ah-may-zing mashed potatoes! we ended up packing away 4 boxes of mashed potatoes!

kaireen's chicken chipotle with "the corn"

my hauls (from left) today, and yesterday, from f21 and diva.

nothing beats post-exam holidays, especially when they are 4 months' long! packing 4 months' worth of stuff to go home tomorrow! bliss!