life, oh life!

Guilt

2007-10-07T20:54:00.000+08:00

Lost

Have you ever felt so bad

for not feeling bad

when you really should?

ode to my family - Granny

2007-08-04T10:48:00.000+08:00

my 96-year-old grandma whose mind's still sharp as knife

Granny

one of the very few persons who had seen you naked before (unless you are a porn star)

who shares all the same worries your parents have for you

who loves you no less then your parent do

Get well soon, Granny

p.s. love you

journey to destination

2007-06-15T22:04:00.000+08:00

road trips are meant to be taking your own sweet time, enjoying the journeys that bring you to the destinations

When I was little, I loved long distance travel in car, especially at night (because the weather was cooler and I loved gazing at the stary night sky). I would have this weird fantasy that we would never reach our destination and forever travelling in the car. I suppose I'm more of a pro-journey traveller. However when it comes to long distance flight, I'm definitely a pro-destinationer!

So which type of traveller are you?

man's best friend

2007-06-06T12:03:00.000+08:00

Sheba the border collie

Ever since I was little, I had always wanted a dog. Well, in fact in my wildest fantasy I wanted to keep a tiger, a leopard, a monkey, a horse, and a puppy. In fact I did have them at one time, every night I would go to sleep surrounded by them and felt safe. Yeah, they were my pillows and bolster. I had assigned each of them an animal role. I guess that didn't really make me a nerd or freak, right? I mean isn't it absolutely normal for kids to have imaginative friends right? Whatever.

Anyway, I reckoned a dog would be most possible to happen. However, my mum never allowed us to keep any furry animals, because 4 out of 6 members in our family were asthmatic, regardless the fact that had never been the trigger for our attacks. It wasn't until high school has we really had a pup for a very brief period. It was an abandoned pup we found at hawker center that kept following us. We brought it home and by then we were too old and bold to ignore my mum's protest. It was a mixed breed of Rottweiler and it was absolutely adorable. I named it Coco. Only problem was the fleas. But we bought medicine and believed given some times, it would be cured. However, there was another bigger problem. No matter how happy Cocoa was playing with us during day time, at night, it would cry and whine all night. After a week or so, my gramma had enough of it and ordered us to send it back to where we found it. I didn't know why we hadn't insisted. It was sad and heart breaking to leave Coco behind and drove away. I couldn't look into her inquisitive eyes that seemed to ask: why? After that, I never had any other pet.

It's sad to admit to myself that till now, I still can't afford to have one yet. Let's see why. First I'm still living in rented place; second my parents are not really a dog lover so I don't think it's fair for me to get one and have them take care of it for me; third the dog would be awefully lonely and depressed to be left alone when everyone is gone for work most of the time...... These might sound like excuses but that's true. Having a dog isn't about having someone to wag it's tail when you are home from work, or something cuddly to hug when you are in the mood. A dog should be treated like a friend, a companion, for that's what they really are. Just like kids. Don't say things like a family isn't complete without kids; or having kids can strengthen and enhance the relationship of married couples; or that's an obligation to continue the family's bloodline; yadda yadda yadda..... The only reason one should have kid(s) is to give all the love and happiness to the life/lives you have brought to this world. Period.

So don't keep a dog, or any pet, until you are ready to love him/her in return.

autumn colours

2007-06-04T09:18:00.000+08:00

trees in autumn costume

autumn colours in vineyard

Autumn has always been my favourite season.

It's the perfect time to slow down your pace to watch how trees put on warm colours in the cool weather; to listen to the rustling of leaves in cool autumn breeze; to smell the sweetness of harvested fruits in the air; and to feel the soothing tranquility of the nature.

sushi therapy

2007-05-30T14:04:00.000+08:00

when sad
eat sushi with lotsa wasabi
and blame that green stuff for all the tears

i would walk five hundred miles (and five hundred more!)

2007-05-18T11:53:00.001+08:00

top to bottom:

polished pebbles on the river bank at Franz Josef Glacier, South Island

green green grass in Taupo, North Island

autumn fallen leaves in Arrowtown, South Island

couldn't help falling in love

with every inch of land i'd set my feet on

and yes,

i would walk five hundred miles

and i would walk five hundred more

if that would bring me to the kiwiland again!

p.s. against mun onn's better advice, i still wore the canvas shoes instead, but lucky me it only got wet once throughout the trip when I brilliantly decided to stone-hop in a stream!

colours of the nature

2007-05-18T11:32:00.000+08:00

top to bottom:

long clouds and blue sky, north island

green leaves and dews in little river, south island

well-polished pebbles on Rakai River bank, south island

red autumn leaves in arrowtown, south island

Li'l Jessie

2007-05-16T17:23:00.000+08:00

Jessie was the little 2-year-old girl whom the daugther of my farmstay host in Karamea, Lakei, would baby sit sometimes. She reminded me a lot of my own nephew, Ethan, mainly because of their age.

I captured this image while we were playing football outside the farmhouse one afternoon. Jessie was so lively and always on the move. When asked to smile at the camera, she would do the exact same face as captured in the shot above. I guess that's her idea of special 'smile' for the camera since she was already smiling and laughing most of the time even without being asked!

intertwined

2007-04-06T12:30:00.000+08:00

hands

2007-04-04T12:25:00.000+08:00

hands that once rocked the cradles in my family

Luck

2007-04-04T10:34:00.000+08:00

the lucky (twisted) bamboo

an auspicious Chinese New Year plant believed to have the ability to change one's rotten luck

I've been having rotten luck recently. My brother suggested I hit my head with one of these lucky bamboos.

yesterday once more

2007-03-28T17:44:00.000+08:00

Today, while I browsed through my sis' photo folders in her pc, I stumbled upon some precious old pics of us and brought back memories of our childhood. Those were the days....

this was me at few-month-old

i couldn't stop laughing at this picture and the caption my sis put as file name 'my shy bro and pilot sis' (lol)

and the caption for this was 'unhappy baby trying to ruin m cake'i was the unhappy baby, even at that young age, I knew my sis was gonna be a bully

and my dad once owned a purple pants!!!!!!
(*won't you take me to, Funky Town? won't you take me to, Funky Town?*)

my brother nearly turned this family shot into a child pornography!

and how my sis always commented that i looked like a monkey with little hair

and how our height used to be in accordance to our age

this family portrait tells so much about us: mum's a secret fetish over afro, and dad's retro (well back than i'm sure it was the latest fashion) floral shirt, granny's still-relatively-smooth skin, yc's ghost-sighting expression, my relatively normal baby look, and my, that's before yd even exist!!!

and daddy's good old Mazda!!! this car had been with us for over 2 decades!! that's mum posed and dressed like a school girl and yc dressed like an eggplant..i realised there's someone in the car and i assumed that's dad, then who took this picture?!

i'm going to new zealand!

2007-03-15T12:14:00.000+08:00

It's like a dream comes true, nz has always been on my must-go list.

After I've made this big change, i.e. to quit my job, pack my luggage, and drag along my brother, this is finally happening.

Here i come, kiwiland!

surreality

2007-03-01T16:00:00.000+08:00

rootless lifeforms

Who would not, finding way, break loose from hell, . . . . And boldly venture to whatever place Farthest from pain? --Paradise Lost

If the origin of the pain is unidentified, how would you know which direction leads to the Farthest place?

If life is but a dream, would you rather wake up sooner, later, or never?

romance drowned

2007-02-11T19:05:00.000+08:00

How can the commercialisation of St Valentine's Day be stopped?

When will them so-called lovers realise romance is dying...

character

2007-01-16T13:49:00.000+08:00

chinese caligraphy art work in an antique shop in Malacca

There's such saying that you can tell a man's character from his handwriting.

My handwriting is terrible.

I wonder if it means i have terrible character or that i am a terrible character.

Maybe both.

survival

2007-01-11T14:16:00.000+08:00

are there actually natural born survivors?

or the instinct simply will kick in under extreme environment?

either way,

i'll survive

(i hope)

at dusk

2007-01-10T12:24:00.000+08:00

when darkness comes

please remember

that the sun will rise again

silver lining

2007-01-09T09:28:00.000+08:00

every cloud has a silver lining,

right?

i certainly do hope so

new year resolution

2007-01-08T11:58:00.000+08:00

1. Help yd get motivated again

2. Quit current job and do something more interesting for living

3. Farm stay and back packing in NZ for a month

4. Materialise the 'family business' plan

5. Practice yoga regularly - but first, get that damn mat!

6. Get a Nikon D80 and keep blogging

7. Be more positive - stop getting upset and depressed easily

8. Pick up Japanese again

waves

2007-01-07T20:22:00.000+08:00

I wonder

if waves ever get tired

of their never ending routine

what i need

2006-12-18T14:18:00.000+08:00

a little more passion

a little more sunshine

post note: after i posted this entry, it kept raining on me, well, on the entire Singapore and Malaysia in fact, and flooded many places...oops..

lesson learned: i'm jinxed, i shldn't simply wish for anything :(

blk 181

2006-12-11T13:29:00.000+08:00

blk 181

where i'm staying now

quench that thirst

2006-12-08T09:53:00.000+08:00

my practical creativity work:

a balinese-wood-sculpture-turned-jewelry-stand

(no I didn't carve it!)

my mind's made up
gonna quench the thirst for freedom!

the scent of happiness

2006-12-07T11:09:00.000+08:00

My favourite fragrance: clinique happy series

been wearing 'em for over 5 years..my! how loyal i can be!

If there's a scent for happiness

i wonder how would it smell like

fruity? minty? citrus? floral?

imagination

2006-12-05T09:59:00.000+08:00

Imaginative Manhattan City Skyline

from my bedroom window

--my latest daily dose of fantasy

I am imaginative. Heck, sometimes I even hallucinate.

I like to escape into my own make-believe fantasyville, where life and people were more interesting, eventful; where I can ride on the emotional roller coasters, again and again, before I have to come back down to the piece of land called earth.

And I'll still be the same self-controlled me when I'm back.

Down to earth.

the spirit is in the air

2006-11-30T12:25:00.000+08:00

I feel it in my fingers

I feel it in my toes

Christmas is all around me

And so the feeling grows

--Billy Mack, Christmas is All Around (Love Actually Soundtrack)

hang loose

2006-11-27T13:40:00.000+08:00

Been a little too uptight recently.

I need to unwind and loosen up myself, to chill and to take it easy...

I know I do.

And I wish I know how.

p.s. Gosh, I'm such a whiner!

lost count

2006-11-22T12:50:00.000+08:00

How many days have passed by,
insignificant and meaningless
How many dreams were put off
by those invisible obstacles
How many plans were postponed,
time and time again
How many friends have lost contact
and drifted apart
How many feelings were burried deep down,
untold
Just how much more time can I afford
to waste at nothingness

distance apart

2006-11-17T16:13:00.000+08:00

How far apart is considered far?
And how close together is considered close?

Not a Saint

2006-11-16T18:06:00.000+08:00

I aint no Saint!

so please don't try my patience

for it has a limit and it's coming close to it

replacement

2006-11-15T16:46:00.000+08:00

an identical replacement for my stolen heels

I lost a pair of heels some time ago. Later, I bought another new, identical pair to replace the lost/stolen pair. If only it's that easy to replace anything we lost....

Well, on second thought, maybe not, otherwise we would have taken everything for granted and do not know how to appreciate what we have/had. What makes something so special and important to us is knowing that something can never be replaced...

true colours

2006-11-14T16:51:00.000+08:00

Colourful Beaded bracellets at Kek Lok Si, Penang

fragile

2006-11-09T17:01:00.000+08:00

Please handle me with care when I'm fragile
Do not apply pressure 'cos that might crack me up
Give me some time, and I promise I'll be tough again

complicated

2006-11-08T13:53:00.000+08:00

if only i could do what i really like

if only i could quit what i don't like
if only options were simple and obvious

if only..

the story of five balls

2006-11-07T16:17:00.000+08:00

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls.
The balls are called work, family, health, friends and integrity.

And you’re keeping all of them in the air.

But one day, you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball.

If you drop it, it will bounce back.

The other four balls - family, health, friends, and integrity - are made of glass.

If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.

And once you truly understand the lesson of the five balls, you will have the beginnings of balance in your life."

---James Patterson, Suzanne's Diray for Nicholas

Question of the day:
How many balls are you able to juggle at the moment?

prayer

2006-11-06T09:40:00.000+08:00

I say a little prayer for you

my family and friends

I wish you health and happiness

and when life's harsh

please remember

I'll always be there to share

impulsive urge

2006-11-05T20:19:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I would have this funny sudden urge to do something. Something I may not be good at. Many a times, I procastinate and let the urge subside. My latest impulsive urge was to pick up water colouring. The last time I did it was in high school, and it's for the compulsory art class assignment purpose.

So I was having this sudden urge when I was shopping at Popular bookstore with my brother. With a bit of encouragement from my bro, I bought the kits. A pretty and pricey sketch book, a set of water colour paint, some brushes, pencils, etc. I was ecstatic. It was 2 week s ago. To date, I haven't completed a single picture, just some practice on random objects, a winged-apple, a floating staircase, a window, and a balcony...and they weren't as nice as I thought they would turn out... :(

me and my silly impulse.....

sheltered.blessed

2006-11-04T12:30:00.000+08:00

raindrops scribbling on the window of our moving car

time of life

2006-11-02T13:25:00.000+08:00

some are glowing

some blooms are off

comparison

2006-11-01T15:34:00.000+08:00

pale in comparison and yet standing out nonetheless

heat

2006-10-31T20:20:00.000+08:00

hot!!!

escapade

2006-10-20T12:08:00.000+08:00

gone fishing - be back soon

turn back time

2006-10-17T14:43:00.000+08:00

if you could turn back time

just for once and just for a day

which day would you want to be back to

would you relive the moment of happiness

or amend the mistake you've made

if i could turn back time

just for once and just for a day

i would hold on to it

till i've experienced

the greatest happiness

or the greatest regret

Scam Alert

2006-10-16T10:57:00.000+08:00

Feel obligated to share this to serve as a warning reminder:
Beware of Timeshare (or alike) scam in Singapore (and all over the world)!

Last Saturday, garren and I went shopping around orchard road aimlessly (except to get a replacement for my lost heels) as we have nothing better to do. Just as we stepped out of Takashimaya after I finally found and bought another identical pair of heels, and planned to just chill out at coffee bean or starbucks at Paragon (because the one in Ngee Ann city was over-crowded), we were approached by this young, innocent looking college girl.

Tired of the never-ending survey on the road, we simply wanted to walk away. But she was almost pleading us and promised it was just a short survey (didn't they always promise this)? Anyway she started to explain that she was doing a short holiday survey for this company called Asian Travel Club (ATC). Before we agreed she had already started the questions:

Are you guys Singaporean, PR, or EP holders working in Singapore? How old are you? What are your occupations? yadaa yadaa standard questions to gather our demographical information. When it comes to street surveys, I would usually continue walking away saying I was in a hurry or if I couldn't escape in time, I would try to finish the survey as fast as I could. However that day, we had no particular plan for the day and I just had that sudden mischivious urge to give all sort of false info to this survey. We told some lies and some truth, just for fun such as we are tourist from Malaysia, staying over the weekend, and that I'm self-employed doing online business, etc...

At the end of the survey, she presented us 1 scratch card each and upon scratching, we won something (unsurprisingly). I won a $30 Takashimaya voucher while garren's *gasp* a 7-night free accommodation in one of the 6 country choices. Immediately she called her 'supervisor' to inform of the prizes we won. And a more senior guy came within...10 seconds. And excitedly they told us that we just need to attend a 80-min presentation at the building opposite the road and no obligation to purchase anything at the end of the presentation, after which we can collect the prize.

It all sound familiar so I asked the name of the company again and even asking him if they are affiliate of Timeshare. He assured me it wasn't.

'Oh no..we are not timeshare, we are Asian Travel Club, and it's just a promotion we are having to invite people to go over and take a look..blaa blaa...'

so were thinking, ok, since we have nothing to do and the prizes are quite attractive, and we are very skeptical and know that we won't fall for any timeshare-alike scam as we had heard too much about it. I was also curious and keen to find out what is the whole thing look like. So we went along.

The presentation was indeed well-organised and the people were firendly and pretty convincing. There were about 20 other couples or individuals at the vast meeting room with loud pop music blasting over head. Each group attended by a well-grommed, smartly dressed concultant. Our consultant was a young malay guy called Mizam, and over the course of presentation, his manager, a British guy called Regee would join and took over briefly...

In short the whole concept sounded great and you would really think it's a great way to travel in style and luxury at affordable price. Every once in a while, the lound music would be tuned down, and a bell rang and announcement made and applause given to welcome the new member on board. Throughout our session (about 2hr+, way beyong the promised 80-min), the announcement were made at least 6-7 times. I felt sorry for those who had fallen for it.

Anyway, as attractive as it sounded, we were not buying as we were still very skeptical (honestly we couldn't be sure at that time if that was a scam either as we had not been to similar presentation before), but we played along well and asked a few genuiene concern and questions. Some were answered better than other but all along we did not show our suspicion.

In the end we insisted we were not ready to sign up even they offer from the standard price of a whopping S$25,000 for 30 years to $12,000 if we sign up on the same day. And later went down to a 3-year tiral period of S$2990. And they promised at any point of time if we decided to withdraw they would help us resell the remaining membership free of charge. We insisted still.

In the end, we collect the gift vouchers and walked away. I'd double/tripple confirmed with the staff that the accommodation is absolutely free and we would not have to pay any tax or booking surcharge etc and was assured that it was all paid for and we need to make at least 28-day advance booking and that there will be $100 cancellation fee for no-show.

As for the takashimaya voucher, I had not used it but I'm pretty sure it's good. Those were just a small cost for them and the gimmick must have pretty high conversion rate to bring people to the presentation.

I did some online research the night and confirm our suspect, many victims had fallen for the companies (there were a few with different name but most probbaly affiliated to one another).
Check out some of the related forums/links:
http://www.ppcsg.com/index.php?showtopic=81946&st=10
http://www.singaporebrides.com/forumboard/messages/4/72245.html?1149486908

I'm glad we did not fall for the scam and felt sorry for those who already had. Garren and I are actually thinking if we should really claim the so called free accommodation to find out more about it. But we haven't figured out a plan and we do have some concerns about the risks and time and money involved.

Anyone who has similar experience to tell? Wonder what we can do about it to prevent more victims falling for it and a way to take action against scammer who con innocent victims out of their hard earn money!

sun-burn

2006-10-16T10:35:00.000+08:00

vicious souvenir from a beach vacation

love-bite from signorina del sole

city of lost soul

2006-10-13T10:52:00.000+08:00

alienation on a foreign land

in the alley

2006-10-12T10:12:00.000+08:00

stair case advertising

a diifferent advertising approach

creative but not necessary effective

Marketing 101:

The essential components of a Good Advertisement -

1. RIGHT message

2. RIGHT channel

3. RIGHT audience

4. RIGHT timing

Absolutely common sense right? But still we see thousands of sucky advertisements and wonder where had the advertisers left their common sense at?

p/s: the advertisement shown is bad (because it's not effective) but not the worst, at least it didn't cost!

窗外有蓝天

2006-10-10T22:18:00.000+08:00

the sky was 15-storey closer

mission impossible

2006-10-10T14:26:00.000+08:00

books..if only i have all the money and time

Who ever said where there's a will, there's a way, was obviously wrong. Wrong as in it's not a fact, it may be true in certain circumstances, but not always. And a truth requires the hyppthesis to be 100% correct all the time.

So if someone tells you there's no such thing as mission impossible, I say you can tell him in his face that's bullshit.

To prove my theory, let's take reading for example. I say no one can ever finish reading ALL the published material in the world. This (refering to one being able to finish reading all published material in the world) can only be possible if ALL the following assumptions are achieved:

1. A person can access to ALL the published material in the world without missing a single copy out.

2. A person understand ALL the languages of the published material. One must read all the different translation of a same work as long as it's published.

3. A person has to be immortal so he/she will have unlimited time to read ALL the published as well as going-to-be-published work continuously.

4. A person's reading speed must be faster (a lot) than the publishing speed so he/she not only can finish reading all the published works but also able to keep up with the speed of the never-ending new publishing.

5. Still thinking but i think the 4 mentioned above are sufficient to prove my theory right.

So i say, "where there's a will, there's not always a way". Prove me wrong!

lost

2006-10-09T20:21:00.000+08:00

to be found

Bizarre incidents of the Day:

Why do bizarre things always happen to me? This morning alone there were two of them!

1. Missing heels

I was about to leave for work only to find out my black heels were not on the shoe rack. I always leave my shoes on that rack by the corridor as the owner assured there has never been any shoe theft before. Beside the shoe cabinet inside the house was almost full, and reserved for more expensive ones. I'd also double-checked the cabinet in vain. My missing heels weren't exactly expensive, but they were pretty new and most importantly, they were my only black heels at the moment! Great! I was dressed in black today and I didn't have a matching shoes!!! I resorted to the dark brown pumps reluctantly. Why? Why me? That wasn't even a designer brand or extraordinary design, just a decent black heels I wear to work. :( And no chance any housemate would have worn it by mistake, size is one thing, but trust me, women can always tell which pair are theirs given 2 identical pair. Basic instinct. Urghh....no matter how I'm gonna try my luck again when I go home tonight. Worse comes worse, I'll have to look for another pair (or perhaps the same design).

2. Wrong bus

I boarded on the wrong bus :( I swear I saw 975 coming, but I don't know how it became 190. Must have been 190 bloody cutting in before 975 could pull in. Must be so because at a turn I saw 975 overtook my bus..:( Luckily 190's route was similar to 975 but terminated earlier at CCk interchange, so I had to alight and wait for the next 975 from the station across the interchange...so I was 10-15 minutes late.

world of concrete

2006-10-09T10:54:00.000+08:00

each day tress are fallen

lands are reclaimed

to make way for civilization

for a better place to live

what a wonderful

world of concrete

panic attack

2006-10-08T22:12:00.000+08:00

your mind starts racing madly
your thoughts flickering at 10000rpm
you scream on top of your lungs
silently
all you can do
is to wait for the crash

to bring it to a cease

colour mood

2006-10-04T07:07:00.000+08:00

Discovered an interesting fact about using colour and b/w effect to give different perceptions to a same image:

a sad, lost-in-thoughts look

a sober-after-a-pint-or-two look

(which happened to be the truth, or not quite, bro?)

ambiguity

2006-10-03T10:20:00.000+08:00

confession/confussion of a commitment phobe:

linked or chained?

you are not alone

2006-10-03T09:54:00.000+08:00

the journey is long

but we have each other

take a bow

2006-10-02T22:04:00.000+08:00

burberry window display at Ngee Ann City

the monster within

2006-10-01T23:55:00.000+08:00

a paw-shaped lamp post stand near Clarke Quay, Singapore

shooting grass

2006-09-29T23:12:00.000+08:00

Last week i had the chance to be in touch with nature again, after so long...I couldn't even recall when was the last time I ever took a closer look at any wild plant...

When I spotted this grass, I was so excited. Brought back the childhood memories in me. We were staying at this palm oil plantation estate, surrounded by what seemed like an endless plantation of palm trees and the vast undeveloped nature surrounding. We didn't have fancy video or pc games then. We played with natural resources we could lay our hands on. We would pluck wild mushrooms, catch little fish in the streams, cycle along the bumpy country roads... those were the days!

And this was the grass we would play shooting game with. You trim away the leaves, and leave the small ball like thing on the stem, then you hold the stem end and make a twist around the furry ball with one hand, and the other hand holding the untwisted stem (closer to the ball), aim at a human target, pull it like a trigger and watch the ball shooting out...it's fun and safe I tell ya. I taught my toddler nephew and he simply loved watching me do it, even most of the time I was shooting at him! :D

leaking

2006-09-29T10:07:00.000+08:00

quiet sanctuary

2006-09-28T11:46:00.000+08:00

Every now and then, I have the urge to be far away from the noise and hectic routine, and find a quiet place where i can truly relax..forget about the role responsibilities, forget about people's judgement or perception...i just want to be alone, and honest to myself. Couldn't agree more to the verse from the song Hard to Say I'm Sorry..

everybody needs a little time away

i've heard her say

from each other

even lovers need a holiday

far away from each other

self-defence

2006-09-27T21:24:00.000+08:00

a barbed-wire fence used to keep trespassers out

li'l cowboy

2006-09-27T14:25:00.000+08:00

ethan, my nephew;

he's one of my favourite photography subject

in a state of confusion

2006-09-26T10:12:00.000+08:00

a night shot of street lights from a moving car

Sometimes I wonder, if confussion is caused by not thinking straight enough, or by having thought too much. Our mind is such a funny, complicated thing I don't think I'll ever understand fully..not even my own thoughts. I always get lost in my own sea of thoughts. Just like now, I have something on my mind but I couldn't put 'em down in words..and the harder I tried, the further they seem to be drifting away..I decided to give up, and admit that I'm confused now. Just like when you're having a panic attack, it's better to stop fighting it and just let it come, knowing that it won't last forever.

Urghh!!!! i better stop..getting more and more incoherent....

perception

2006-09-19T16:44:00.000+08:00

I used to dislike orchids. Orchid was one of the flowers I hated most among with Rose.

I think Roses are overrated. Beauty is in the eye of beholder, but I think when people look at roses, their judgement is blinded by it's symbolism for romance and love. And romance and love are meant to be beautiful.

As for orchids, I simply thought it is ugly. I still think some are, the typical orchids if you know what I mean. Those with weird, skimpy little petals that look like aliens, yuckk!!

Until I came across this particular species called the Phalaenopsis - aka the Butterfly Orchird. They are simply gorgeous!

silhouette

2006-09-13T16:06:00.000+08:00

surfers strolling along waikiki beach

the view from Lulu's

(I need a break. I need to recharge. I need a mental/emotional detox. I need some peace of mind..I need a vacation)

battered old jeep

2006-09-12T09:09:00.000+08:00

abandoned or still in use?

a real proud you must have been

all sparkling and brand new

a true warrior you must have been

to have seen the sunshines and the storms

a sturdy friend you must have been

to have gone through all the thicks and thins

but now

you're just a useless piece of metal

abandoned and all forgotten

are you waiting for your time to come

are you hoping he would take a look at you again

and recount all the glorious past you two had shared

a fan of

2006-09-08T09:10:00.000+08:00

I am a big FAN of.....

Fictions by Nicholas Sparks, James Patterson, John Grisham, Stephen King...etc.

A Walk to Remember, The Note Book, When the Wind Blows, Maximum Ride, The King of Torts, Pet Cemetery, Kira-Kira, My Best Friend's Girl, Angels and Demons...

Movies, especially horror flickers, thrillers, all Adam Sandler's pictures...

Dark Water, The Eye, Click, Dreamer, I am Sam, The Pianist, Crash....

Musicals (both movie and theatre)

Evita, Sound of Music, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, The Graduate, Mamamia*, Fame*, Sunset Boulevard*, West Side Story*..etc* (* - yet to watch)

Spicy Food & Lamb/Mutton

Jalapeno, chili padi, spicy buffelo wings, curry mutton, tomyam, asam laksa, aglio olio, lamb cutlet, lamb kebab, mutton soup...

Air Borne Activities except long distance flight

sky diving, parachuting, parapanting, paragliding, wind surfing, hot air ballooning, flying-if i have wings (all mentioned yet but dying to try)

Travelling

been to

Europe: London, Brighton, Bath, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Scotland, Paris, Beaujolais, French Riviera, Florence, Rome, Venice, Vetican City, Austrian Tyrol, Hopfgarten, Vaduz-Liechtenstein, Pissa, Verona, Munich, Heidelberg, Swiss Alps-Jungfrau, Rhine Valley, Amsterdam, Ibiza, Barcelona

U.S: Ames-Iowa, Chicago, San Jose, San Fransisco, L.A, Las Vegas, Napa Valley, Valejo, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Oahu-Hawaii

South East Asia: Phuket, Burnei, Sarawak,

must go

NZ-north island, Christchruch, Australia-Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Japan-Hokkaido, Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, Tibet, Alaska, China-Jiu Zai Gou, Greece, Aegean Sea, Egypt, Maldives, South Africa, Mexico.....etc etc

San Fransisco

2006-09-05T08:01:00.000+08:00

Some of the old shots taken while I was in San Fransisco in 2003 - 2004. It seems I'm in the mood of B&W recently.

Mental note to self: find some good resources on B&W photography and processing skills

distance apart

in the glare of sunshine

flying high

hot and cold

2006-09-04T10:36:00.000+08:00

hot + cold = warm

troubled

2006-09-03T22:22:00.000+08:00

what's troubling you, my dear?

was it the morning glory I insisted tucking onto your ear?

yes, yes, i know your are a boy

just thought it'd make an interesting pic

sorry if that borthered you

green blossom

2006-09-01T09:37:00.000+08:00

anyone knows what this flower-like plant is called?

no, it's not an artichoke

close encounter

2006-08-31T12:07:00.000+08:00

a giant truck brushing pass our car,

so close I could almost touch its moving wheels

" I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something" -- qoute from movie Crash

Question of the day:

How many strangers have you brushed pass indifferently today?

sail away, sail away

2006-08-30T11:25:00.000+08:00

sailor, sailor,

could you take the emptiness in me and sail away with it?

wonder of time

2006-08-29T10:49:00.000+08:00

Time is the most destructive power of all.

It can virtually bring anything to ruins..

Even the saying 'time heals'?

It's just another way of saying time brings pain and sorrow to ruins

One fine day at Golden Gate Park

2006-08-28T10:01:00.000+08:00

The Trio - such carefree abundant!

Framed

2006-08-25T08:53:00.000+08:00

A haunted mansion look-alike at Alcatraz, aka The Rock

drifted

2006-08-24T14:05:00.000+08:00

relationships in our lives evolve constantly

sometimes we are closer than ever

sometimes we just couldn't stop the drifting apart

you may preserve the moment like a mental picture

but there's nothing you could do about the fading

The Sweet Surprise

2006-08-23T14:26:00.001+08:00

plump plum

There was a plum tree behind the little garden we had at the rented house around the corner of Saint Kitts Court. It wasn't impressive and I didn't even bother to take a second glance at the little tree when I first moved in at late summer.

Seasons changed from fall to winter to spring. And one day I walked around the house snapping shots for my assignment, there it stood right where it had been all the while, with hundreds and hundreds ofsweet little plums dangling all over the the tree. And hundreds of them fallen ones scattered all over on the ground..It's the picture of a California Spring.

And the plums were sweet! And boy that was one hell of a fertile little plum tree! The plums ripened much faster than our consumption and giveaway rates by far...

It was simply sweeeeeet!

wrinkled

unplugged

2006-08-20T05:17:00.000+08:00

just how nice it would be if life can be temporarily unplugged

(and recharged too!)

masquerade

2006-08-20T05:15:00.000+08:00

life itself is a big masquerade where every participant keeps changing different masques

which one are you wearing now?

while you were sleeping

2006-08-18T15:12:00.000+08:00

paparazzi in me: sneaking up on my family while they were least expected

fun experinment:

you can easily wake up people from deep sleep simply by fiddling gently on the person's eyelash (yes, even only 1, single lash)
even my deadest experinment subject proved my theory without fail

splurge

2006-08-18T15:09:00.000+08:00

i splurge when i'm depressed

roadtrip

2006-08-17T13:38:00.000+08:00

we were young, we were fun,

we drove all the way from Iowa to california

the skies were blue, the clouds were white

and the meadows shades of green

somehow i knew this journey

will last forever in my memory

unconditional love

2006-08-16T16:18:00.000+08:00

blood is always thicker than anything

imposter

2006-08-12T03:54:00.000+08:00

I hate imposter!!!

Took this picture on a family trip to Cameron Highland, thinking I had captured a bee at work and didn't aware at all till the picture was uploaded to the laptop!! How I hate 'em pretentious little pricks!

working life

2006-08-11T12:08:00.000+08:00

drain...draining...drained

runaway

2006-08-11T12:01:00.000+08:00

sometimes I just feel like running away....

self portrait - me, my dad, and my brother

2006-08-08T17:40:00.000+08:00

aim....focus....

peekaboo!!