last weeks of 2011

i know we say this every year, but they do seem to be going faster! i guess it's an age + time thing, as i mentioned earlier to someone, we're not spring chickens anymore ha

it is starting to feel christmasy, with the smell of pine trees outside my building, roasting chestnuts + the cooler weather to wrap up in. had a gingerbread latte today + decorated a christmas tree, haven't written any christmas cards yet, but will definitely get on to them soon. postal dates + deadlines are looming, some have passed already eek!

here's the calendar for this festive month. it was coincidentally taken on christmas eve in oxford. though the camera work is debatable, from recent photography lectures, you have to put yourself in the photographer's position + try to understand what they were thinking to appreciate the image. train tracks on a cold winter's night creating a nostalgic feeling, of holidays + travels far away, of new beginnings + fond memories, a journey to share + sometimes to go at alone. being unfocused draws upon emotions, perhaps a teary blurred vision or even the speed at which one is traveling. or more likely, it was just poor lighting + cold shakey hands!

happy holidays wherever you may be spending them!

coffee, cupcakes + christmas cards

christmas is a special time + we all have wonderful memories of past years spent with family + friends, waking up to opening presents under the tree, feasting on great big meals, and napping it off in front of the tv... die hard was always on in our household!

and so this year we're bringing together a few of the things we love - coffee, cupcakes + christmas cards, on an evening at knockbox coffee company, with some mulberry moment artwork on display (some never seen before!) in support of viva christmas parties.

please join us on

friday, december 2, 2011 

from 6pm onwards

hk$100 donations - you'll get a coffee, cupcakes + christmas cards!

viva christmas parties

a non-profit organisation called viva, works with local communities mainly in africa, asia + latin american to look after + care for children at risk. their mission - together we can give more children a safer, happier + brighter future. every year they run viva christmas parties, inviting children in the community for a day of fun, food + games, so donations + proceeds raised on this evening will go towards giving these children their very own special christmas moments this year.

hk.viva.org | current expedition - walking home from mongolia

knockbox coffee company

enjoy a unique coffee experience at knockbox. a company run by enthusiasts that offers espresso-based as well as specialty coffees with fresh, home-roasted beans. we sell beans, we sell equipments, + we share coffee-making skills!

shop b, 14 tai ping shan street, sheung wan, hong kong - click here for a map

facebook.com/knockboxcoffee | read a review of the place

hope to see you there!

moo-vember

i know this is a rather moody background, but for some reason i find it quite peaceful! i love how the blue skies are peering through the darken clouds. you can see them. they are there. and because of that i find peace in this imagery.

the past few weeks have been a rather testing time for of number of very close friends. it's hard not to be drawn into their situations emotionally as well, and though there have been restless nights there is hope and love, prayer and friendship. it's been wonderful witnessing things changing for the better, and even though some are still going through the valleys, what we can do is journey with them and point out the blue skies behind those heavy clouds.

quite fittingly as an accompaniment to this, is the inituition's piece - the sun heals us.

tminus3

oops, it's half way into october + i haven't put out the calendar yet, sorry about that! good thing there's only a few more months left of this year, the past few months have been a crazy blur, but all we can do is keep trucking on.

though as always, the last few months of the year is hectic with getting the christmas collections out, fairs + extra special designs/cards. if you're wondering, yes we'll be at a few holiday fairs, so will keep you informed of those + also we're just finalising a few details with some new shops that you'll be able to find mulberry moment in very soon! exciting.

if you are super organised + fancy getting onto your christmas card writing now, k11 - dymocks + hk book center will be displaying our festive ranges shortly. it's never too early.

here's the october calendar for all of us busy + unorganised people who are in need of a prison break. this was taken after a trip down the mekong river -

a little perspective

we're a few days behind with this calendar, but it's not the end of the world + we're getting back on track with the help of sophie. she's recently taken a liking to the camera + has been busy happily snapping away on her worldly travels. i love seeing the world from her eyes, so innocent... it's refreshing!

'i want..' this is how it began

if you're interested in gaining perspective from a two year old, please follow her tumblr for regular updates - through the eyes of a 2 year old.

in the meantime, enjoy this month's calendar courtesy of sophie, taken at her granny's place:

my little sophie

it was actually two years ago that I did my first baby thank you cards, and it was a pleasure to do them for my first niece - sophie. she was only a few weeks old in these photos - she was so tiny!

we decided to make them as postcards, so they would be be easy to send out without the additional cost (or waste) of an envelope! they were printed digitally on 350gsm white card stock as we were only doing a small number of them. we received some lovely feedback, and also a recipient in australia who was expecting herself, liked them so much she ordered some, exactly the same for her baby girl!

sophie just celebrated her second birthday and as she's in enjoying herself in the uk, i sent along the details for her baby tree as part of her birthday present. in the meantime i'm looking after it and watering it for her until i see her in a few months!

here's the birthday girl, all grown up...

the baby "c" miracle

a childhood friend + her partner announced to us all on boxing day that they were expecting a baby. through tears, cries, clapping + giddy excitement we hugged congratulating them - it was indeed a miracle! my friend had been told that she may not be able to have children due to a chronic illness, but despite that, they were a few months in + we were all deliriously happy for them. 

and so the preparations began...

baby shower :: save the date

the ironic thing with this photo, is that they had decided to dress up as juno + bleeker the halloween the year before (even before they were together). this is the money shot. given their love for films + pop culture, the juno poster was perfect for the save the date. there are a lot of personal inside jokes throughout, but that's what makes it even more special!

baby shower :: the invite
having had something a bit more 'decent' requested for the invite, i happily used photos from a photoshoot taken by laku @ lovetruelight. the first one was a bit of fun, going for a diesel look or should i say chisel - for welcomed miracles. the second is what we went for - something very clean with strong imagery.

thank you e-card

lots of pink, balloons, ribbons + baby bottles adorned the baby shower venue. even the mother-to-be was wrapped up! there were lots of gifts, love + cupcakes. success!

finally :: the baby announcement
for the past nine months she had been affectionately known as "baby c" + now she had finally arrived! receiving messages throughout the night, we rushed up in the morning before work when she had popped out. hello little cwensuela danielle chan :) we've been preparing for your arrival, and you're most welcome into our lives. yay!

my baby tree

after realising that my efforts in planting trees in the friends of the earth 2010 tree challenge was burnt + washed away in a hill fire, i wanted to find some other way of doing my part in giving back in some way + making sure we continue to build a sustainable future.

i found out about wwf's 'my baby tree' program + decided to support in the reforestation of rinjani's forest in lombok island, indonesia. i purchased some as gifts for a few new babies of friends + clients - i think it's a wonderful collaboration of life + nature growing together (ok i won't get too sappy). in particular for my clients whom we have done baby announcements + thank you cards, it just seemed appropriate. of course, i got one for myself.

this is him:

he's actually alive + you have to water them every two weeks. shouldn't be too hard... you can keep them in these containers + carry them around, or take them out + plant them. i think i'll keep mine in for now + see how he grows.

you just need to register them online + you get a certificate and they actually plant a tree on your behalf (you can name them) in rinjani's forest, indonesia. you get the details of their coordinates so you can find them on google earth! how awesome is that?!!

mine is tree #1495 + he's a klokos tree, check him out:

i've decided to call him koko.

so to my other fellow baby tree owners - cwensuela, adelyn, romeo + sophie, i hope you look after + learn about your trees. maybe we can go visit them one day :)

note. we will be purchasing a baby tree for every client going forward. yes, we're building a forest.

for non clients - it's easy to get one yourself or as a gift, just go to wwf's my baby tree, they are only hk$149!

whirlwind weeks

the past wee while has been quite a blur - i didn't even realise that august was upon us, and it's the second week already!

within the last month, we've been working through several projects that have been going on for a while, and it's definitely been satisfying finishing some of them off! baby announcements + thank you cards, which i'll post about separately as it was quite a fun project for a lovely french couple and their new little bubba; animated e-cards + invitations; wedding invitations + decorations; and we're just currently tying up the final ends of a young girl's art collection we compiled into a book (98 paintings), yes it's been quite a project!!

with the million of things going on, and constantly checking off the list, i'm having to play catch up on certain others things that tend to be the first to get neglected (such as this years christmas cards!) and here's the calendar for this month...

welcome to july

the heat is on, and the humidity is high. it's hard walking out in the streets without soon becoming drenched in a layer of your own sweat (and sometimes others if they brush past you!)

this picture was taken outside of xi'an at one of the terracotta warrior sites. the low lying area was incredibly dry with mountains surrounding, an idea location for the vast caverns home to thousands upon thousands of individual warrior figures. exposed to the heat, as we all were too, the dryness was evident in the vegetation and the earth contrasting the clear blue skies.

here's to heat of the summer - keep cool.

memories

this website captures the wonderful essence of life, love, memories, relationships....

it's called 'dear photograph'.

a breather

apologies for running a bit behind on this month's calendar... it seems to be a habit of late with the list of things-to-do growing, but somehow time doesn't seem to be growing with it! as said recently to a friend, we can be busy, but that doesn't mean we're stressed, and rightly so. the old adage of if you want something done, get a busy person to do is not an understatement; there is a sense of productivity and accomplishment in just getting things done.

in saying all that, it's important to take time out for a breather and escape a bit. i managed to steal some time away to lie on the beach and be lulled to sleep by the waves... hmm it was much needed.

speaking of escapes, this picture was taken in the south island of new zealand, just by mirror lake. it was a little too cloudy and breezy to see a perfect reflection on the lake, so we just decided to take in the peaceful surrounding fields before heading to the glacier. breathe in...

keeping it fresh

a recent trip into the beautiful rural areas of xian, chengdu + songpan was an eye opener as to what the vast country china has to offer. in contrast to the rapid development + economic growth the nation is achieving, it was refreshing to experience genuine hospitality and humbleness as we shared in the simplicity of the local's daily lives. it really helps to put things into perspective. like that.

this month's pictures are from the picturesque jiazhaiguo national park, where the colourful waters are crystal clear reflecting the natural surroundings. it was really hard to choose what photo to use so here are two options for this month! in saying that, my photos really didn't do the place justice (though no post production has been done on them), you should definitely go visit yourself :: enjoy!

early mornings

given my recent move and lack of curtains or blinds, i'm finding myself waking incredibly early. with the arrival of spring, the sun rises around 6am warming and flooding my room with light. i much prefer a natural alarm clock than relying on phones, watches and the likes. they tend to shock you up, which is never a good start to the day.

here's the calendar for this month taken from mt. kinabalu. it was so serene sitting on the mountain side and i was on my own as everyone was heading up to the peak and i took a little detour off to the side. it was simply breath-taking and an amazing way to start the day :: enjoy.

marching on

until we come to the month of march... this month starts a little different, being in a new place, well en route to a new place, new positions and perspective for what's to come. likewise with our calendar this month we take a slight detour from our usual landscape backgrounds.

i've tried to capture the simple delight and innocence of these children playing. we were in line to go into the taj mahal and it was hot, the lines were long and we just had to wait. i love the expression on their faces as they race across the marble floor, pure joy. something we all need a little more of in our days :: enjoy :)

february haze

this year's calendars seem to have a nostalgic feel to the images, i'm not sure why, maybe it's just the mood i'm in when taking the photos or as a result of the pollution we are subject to in hk! either way, i am quite liking it. 

this is taken whilst on the 50km hike, yes i did stop and take a few pics along the way, but it was only for brief moments and then we continued plodding on.

hope you enjoy it :)

...and so we walked

the day started in pitch black, with the wind howling through the lift shafts as i prepared my carb and protein loaded breakfast and layered up. at the top of the peak it was very cool and other more competent hikers sporting hiking sticks and fancy gear were stretching and warming up. when we started it was almost as if we were in mong kok or causeway bay, shuffling along with the hoards of people. not ones to enjoy the crowds (there were over 3000 participants!!), we weaved our way through the chatter and walking sticks to find some space and avoid getting stuck in the backlog!

the sun joined us and it started getting rather warm as we briskly walked on. time passed with lots of random conversations and laughs and we continued on down the stony and paved paths. the scenery was indeed beautiful, with blue skies and plenty of greeny - hk is a beautiful place, we just need to take the time to notice it. after some much needed toilet breaks and re-strapping, we fueled up at the support stations with bananas and liquids and made it through to the 25km mark in little under 4 hours.

 

 

team mulberry lite started around 12:30 and throughout the hike we were trying to figure out where each other were and how to try catch up. but then came the grueling part with a monotonous flat that seemed to go on for hours and the ridiculous never-ending steps going up... nurofen and powerbar gels helped us get through this part. and for some overzealous reason we decided it would be a good idea to run the last 5km. however that was short lived for about 500m, when we quickly sobered up and decided perhaps to leave it to the last 2km and a light jog if anything.

at about 2km from the end we caught up to team mulberry lite who were happily plodding along :D it was a lovely way to end the long day catching up and crossing the finish line together. well, once the finish line was in sight, the competitive side of our team made us sprint the last few meters, clocking in at 15:34. we managed to complete the hike in about 9hours, and we'll have to wait for the official times, not too bad for a first long hike. the fastest time for the 50km was 3 hr 41 min 22 sec!! that's intense.

great job to both mulberry and mulberry lite teams, such awesome troopers and there were lots of smiles even at the end!!

get your hike on!

checking the observatory for the weather is always a good start to get you ready for a race - hko has kindly encouraged me with it's cold weather warning that is enforce. will layer up tomorrow so when and if it gets warmer it'll be easy to peel off the layers.

so the green power 50km hike... besides preparing yourself physically, it's also important to prepare yourself mentally. it's what will determine whether or not you finish. it looks like a lovely route, but i doubt we'll be stopping to smell the roses along the way. i'm rather competitive when it comes to things like this, so regardless of how tired you may be or whatever physically limitations you may get, giving up is not an option.

physically the team is feeling a little ginger on the edges, with an old ankle injury in strapping, another having been admitted into hospital for several days due to an asthma attack and the last deciding to have a big night and arriving home at 4am this morning - go team!!

well, we'll be fine. as stated before, we're prepared mentally so that's what will get us to the end. so we'll see you after the finish line, a little tired and sore, hopefully having crossed the line upright ha

on the weekend

we spent the weekend at the jccac winter fair, despite being fairly under the weather, but what a great creative space!

the jockey club creative arts centre is a renovated factory building in skep kip mei and has a courtyard, studios for rent, galleries, cafe + tea house. there were over 80 different stalls featuring + displaying local artists + talent, designers, illustrators, clothing, bags, jewelery, leathergoods... it was awesome to see so many diverse styles. it just goes to show how creative hk is!

 

two that really stood out for me were temp house - william's illustrations are so detailed + fine. he draws them and finishes them off in photoshop. the website is fun + interactive, and reminds me of a wonderful little game called machinarium.

the other one was ballzi yau's innocent shop with her quirky plush creatures, which are more art pieces for display than actual toys.

a great place to meet interesting + inspiring creators :)

good morning 2011 :)

it's amazing to think that each day starts with a sunrise - it never fails to do so! faithful + reliable it brings us light, warmth + promise of new things the day will bring.

today's sunrise is significant in the fact that it not only starts a new day, but it also starts a new year; welcome to 2011!!! people commonly look back + reflect on the year gone by, and based on that set new resolutions + goals for the one ahead. but i think it's much easier to just let what happen be... and what we should do is keep looking forward, be thankful for each sunrise + expectant of good things to come.

i love the tone of this image with it's slight nostalgic feel, but in fact it is of the sunrise this morning - jan 01, 2011. here's to a new day, a new year + new things to come :)