welcome to 2013

i ushered in the new year in an idyllic environment - a remote island off borneo, with limited electricity only from 6pm-7am, and pay by the hour wifi (which i wasn't even tempted to use)... it was refreshing to be unplugged, given the constant connectivity in our daily lives. it just shows how much we don't actually need it. every one seemed happy to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. and i very much did too.

this photo was taken on one of the walks down the beach, the water was amazingly clear and cool. these local kids were fishing, jumping off the boat and diving in. a good reminder for me this year to take time to unplug + enjoy :)

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!