quaint melody

Snippets of my China trip. click photo to enlarge.

夢想的旅行，可以很近也很遠。對我來說，那是一場回歸根源的旅程。

許多人都跟我說過中國人給他們的衝擊，現在到我親身體會一下。
或許是因為自小在華文教育的背景長大，對這片華人的祖地總有一分微妙的感情。
那片我們祖先生活的土地悠遠流長，一直都是我想去的地方。它牽系著我心裡最深處。

要去看看上海的繁華，蘇東坡口中初晴后雨的西湖，見證明清興滅的紫禁城，
依紅樓夢裡的描述而打造的大觀園和被英法聯軍洗劫焚毀的圓明園遺跡。

中國於我來說，是根的所在和中華文化千年歷史的依歸。

Where’s your dream destination? For most of my friends, it’s Japan, Europe or the Pacific. For me, it is the home of my forefathers, China. It’s been said that one must always treasure his culture and heritage. Those are the key factors for one to define oneself with. This oriental land of wonder has always been my dream destination. My Chinese educational background must have something to do with it. I’ve yearned to witness the many historical heritages I had read as a child. The metropolis city that is Shanghai, the beautiful mystical West Lake, the grand Forbidden City that witnessed the prosperity and decline of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

To me, this long-awaited trip is a journey of discovery, a chance to get to know my roots.

Photos to come soon. (Gazillians of them, please give me some time to edit ok! )

As I slowly strolled between the majestic red walls, trying to imagine the days that were
A quaint feeling arose out of nowhere
A mixture of sorrow and grandeur; almost a weird sense of belonging
For a minute, I lost myself in the overwhelming rushes of emotions…

Stay tuned, more to come soon!

My apologies for the lack of updates lately, I’m having a grand time traveling at the moment. Thousands of photos have been taken, but this little laptop is simply not fast enough to process them all right now. Here’s one for your viewing pleasure. Can you tell where I was?

Sunset under the Auckland Harbour Bridge. click photo to enlarge.

The little things in life
Ones worth savouring over
Those that seem so mundane and ordinary
Those worth a second look on many occasions

Time and again, we make choices
Decisions that mold us into the people we are today
Some righteous and some wicked
Of all we come to embrace
Of which we grow to love

Life can be an eccentric witch
Along come sorrow
But laughter is always not far away

Ain’t it grand!

note: You haven’t seen my expressive self over dropping comments because I’m busy planning an upcoming holiday, but I am reading via my reader. Stay tuned to find out where I’m heading!

click photo to enlarge.

When the glistering lights are finally quenched and darkness creeps in,
you will see the eloquent beauty of life.
Darkness can bring out the tenacity in us.

But are you afraid of the dark?

click photo to enlarge.

Wishing all my muslim friends a prosperous Raya and happy holidays to the rest!

Pathway. click photo to enlarge.

The path we choose to walk on
It can be a lonely one sometimes
Doubts and dispute, they creep in like a sneaky thief
Take heart, light is always not far away

I wonder between the good and evil
Trying to grasp that centre point
The delicate balance of life
It’s fragile like a bubble sphere

We live in a labyrinth, walking around the intricate maze
Taking in the scenery as I figure my way around
I see the light shining towards me
When will I reach there, I will never know
I just keep striding on
Letting out a resounding roar

When choice is a way of life, do we make them from our heart or the scrutiny of society?

Mr K had Scotch Fillet, served medium-rare on a bed of baked potatoes with red wine, cracked pepper and peppercorn sauce, while I opted for my fish of the day, grilled with lemon, served with cauliflowers and potatoes.

We went to this little Italian restaurant called Invito which is located at the Chancery in Auckland CBD last weekend. The restaurant provides both indoor and outdoor dining. Lovely place to relax and enjoy fine dining on a lazy spring afternoon. We were there late afternoon and opted for the open-air area as it was quite a sunny day, the ambiance was quiet and nice. The food was exceptional with great service. I especially love their tiramisu, it’s probably one of the best I’ve had in a while, very rich yet not too sweet. This place is definitely one of my favourite hang-out places, absolutely divine! Drool away people!

It’s happy Friday again! Have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Explosion of reds . photo by cc. click photo to enlarge.

Happiness exploded into a jubilant of reds
I let my feelings run free
There’s no need to justify how I feel
Letting go is incredibly liberating
No matter what that might be

I hope you’ll find your sea of reds too