december days

this month started with hong kong's much welcomed music festival, clockenflap... despite the patchy weather it was a great weekend filled with talented artists/musicians, both local + international. this picture is of the international commerce centre, the tallest building in hong kong. it's a different style image to previous month's but i though it was rather interesting seeing the full reflection in a puddle at such an event. 

great start to the end of the year

the last quarter of the year seems to snowball with events, parties, projects, travels until it hits the tipping point of the actual festive season where being busy is an understatement. don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining, most of these things are by choice... but it's almost a choice of doing a or doing b. regardless, there's another thing to add to the calendar or to do list!

despite all that, there's been some great news that has caused for much celebration in terms of friends' predicaments + future, which is amazing given some things they have gone through this year, and are still going through - hold on to the hope that good things are yet to come.

i started this last quarter in a beautiful country, a place that's been on my list for a long time... even with great expectations, it did not disappoint. only an hour from hong kong, taiwan is a island full of food, friendly people, great coffee + cafes, outdoor pursuits + more - i have to go back to explore the rest of the place, but from what i've seen, i like it, i like it a lot!

this picture is taken from the train wereby i made use of my 3-day metro pass by going all the way up to tamshui on my last day. lovely open spaces + scenery along the way, i caught this train yard on the way back into the city :: enjoy.

what a stunner

recently the weather has been absolutely gorgeous in hong kong! this weekend i spent a lot of time in mui wo, lantau partly for moontrekker training and also visiting friends who have recently moved there. it is a great place, very relaxed + best of all is that you can enjoy the amazing scenery.

this was en route on the slow ferry...

it's HOT!

we're well into the summer months, hitting a scorcher of 34deg today! it's almost criminal making us work inside all day long wasting such a beautiful day. though once outside, you immediately melt in the humidity. to add to the heat, we currently have the abercrombie & fitch guys running around town... topless, oh my!

we all know distractions can be an adversary, one we have to work with + push through, and well it certainly takes quite a bit of will power to refocus our minds + thoughts from one thing to another. something that i've found helpful when walking around the bustling city streets is listening to some stunning instrumental pieces... and i get caught up in them, forgetting the crowds + pushy ignorant people... it's a lot more peaceful + it actually makes the day a lot better! you should try it some time.

and so this month's calendar is of a cyclist out on the railway tracks... maybe it'll help you escape from the heat or the busyness of your day.

just a tad late...

i know i totally missed july's calendar, i didn't really think much about it until at lunch there were some comments about how people have still got the old calendar up! it's nice to know people use them :) sorry about the lack for this month, if it's any consolation here's one for your records. it's a butterfly cage that is made entirely of chocolate! yes you read correctly, there was a chocolate art exhibition a while back where everything was made from the substance, much to my delight. this was a beautifully designed piece, very delicate + even the individual butterflies were made of chocolate + strung up!

refreshing plunge into june

this month's calendar is of rocky bay, porirua in new zealand. it was a beautiful crisp day + we went for a dive in this bay to mark the start of winter. yes it was cold!! with a water temperature of 13degree celsius, i wore a 2 piece 7mm suit with a hood, gloves + booties, having not been diving in a while i was a little apprehensive about getting back into such extreme waters. we had to kit up + walk down to the bay across the slippery rocks + mud. given the extra weight i had on, i slipped several times + laid helplessly on my back, struggling to get back up. my guide was awfully gracious offering his hand + help. despite losing my fin at one point + having ridiculously numb fingers + toes, it was great being back in. you lose all sense of time down there. the dive itself was an interesting one, with rocks + seaweed to navigate around, i spotted an octopus too!

45minutes later we emerged + made our way back up to the car. the sun was a nice warmer, but i too cold to do the second dive, so have left that for another day. also my body is still recovering from the workout getting across those rocks!

may day

this picture was taken a few weeks ago at pui o as we started our hike back to mui wo on lantau island. the old village homes + sedentary life we witnessed was calming, almost allowing us to reminisce of days gone by. it just seemed right to have this as a black+white photo. would you agree?

as days go by

i've been digging through old print photos for some upcoming big birthdays this year, which has been a wonderful trip down memory lane of childhood friendships + growing up. it's exciting to see how things have changed, the paths we've all taken + looking to what the future holds for us all.

the photo for this month is from my time in dunedin, new zealand. we were returning from a road trip down south, tired, looking forward to a hot meal + shower... the beautiful dusk was her way of welcoming us home.

drawing on inspiration

i just attended a talk by hong kong based photographer alex capri, who works with black & white photography, both digital + film capturing stunning fine art pieces of serene, natural beauty.

inspiring to say the least, his favourite elements, as evident from his showcase tonight are trees, clouds, naturally occurring lines + curves that subsequently evoke motion in a still image. aesthetics are important, you need to be captured by the image, and then he likes to let himself wander around.

so on my way home i was thinking about what image to use for this month's calendar + this one from my trip to india came to mind. the linear lines, a tree (!), three main subjects + how it somewhat allows you to wander around seemed to work.

admittedly it's not the best photo, i was on a moving bus so it was a little difficult to get it exactly how i wanted, something i need to work on. also he emphasised that should should always carry your camera around. will try to!

run seb run!

congratulations to sebastien who finished the half marathon in a great time - 1:40:02!

also, a more exciting thing is that the fundraising target of $1,888 was greatly exceeded by the wonderful generosity of friends + family supporting sebastien + smile train in raising a total of... $8,326!! wah, that's a-mazing! there's definitely a lot of smiles for those miles :D

we just received some pictures to share with you all:

seb - the man himself, running for a great cause

our design even featured on sift cookies!

a smile for every mile!

doing what you enjoy the most is made more worthwhile when you help others at the same time. so i was more than happy to support + sponsor through my momumen designs, delphine + sebastien in the standard chartered half marathon run on february 5, 2012.

having done the race myself (just the half), i know it's not easy + it's great that séb is doing this for a good cause, to raise money to donate to smiletrain.org - an organisation that helps children  his nephew, jules jiehu was born with a cleft palate + harelip, and found abandoned in wuhan, china. adopted into a loving french-italian family, two-year old jules has already had one operation + will undergo further surgery.

the momumen design below is the first in colour! we kept it bright + bold so it will stand out on the tshirts + other supporter materials. excited to see how it turns out!

please visit sebastien's page + support :: fundraising page (some people are donating more money the more time he shaves off his personal best!)

jules jiehu

"run seb run"

just run it

i've always had a love affair with the beach... the rush of the waves, the saltiness in the air, the sinking of your toes into the sand, it's incredibly calming. it's the perfect place to start + end the day, something i plan to do more often.

juquehy, along the coast of brazil is known for it's beautiful white sand beach, which was definitely enjoyed last christmas. morning runs offered peaceful reflective moments, syncopated with amusing ones as other people celebrated their morning walks in teeny tiny garments... it is brazil! the beach was more than ideal, a long stretch of around 5-6km, relatively flat with some inlets. the beach on either end is lined with dense green forestation + several small islands were not too far from the break.

on my morning runs i witnessed the start of the day with vendors, opening up their carts with coconuts + snacks, others setting up sun chairs + umbrellas for hotel guests... the heat of the sun could be felt, it wasn't even 8am, but what a way to start the day : )

there are a few running events on this month that though i'm not participating in, will be supporting in some way or another... so more on them soon.

one quiet evening in juquehy, we wandered down the beach for a stroll + to catch the sunset, it was beautiful + features below in this month's calendar :: now imagine running on it, go on.

new waves of 2012

a moment of all moments is the turn of the clock from one year to the next. this moment was spent standing on the beach in stunning punta del este watching fireworks coming at us from all directions, exploding just above our heads + lightning up the sky. amazing!!

when i was younger, i always thought the few hours after midnight foretold what your year will be like... so 2012 for me this year will be with loved ones + by the beach (that is part of the plan!)

as always, a new year brings an opportunity of change + renewing. it's like the change of tides + new waves come to refresh, though some may be more challenging, you have to keep your feet on the ground + know that come what may, you'll still be standing at the end of it all.

this picture is of jose ignacio where we spent a number of days - a beautiful beach with equally beautiful people. the lighthouse at the end is a little reminder when you start to lose your way. 

be ready for all that 2012 has for you + enjoy it!