Akihabara in the Rain

A smoking area by the river

I was feeling rather disappointed when I snapped these photos, because I only had an hour to explore Akihabara, due to a last-minute change of plans, and because of the dreary, rainy weather that day. The streets were mostly empty except for a few maid-cafe waitresses who were standing outside to welcome customers despite the rain and wind.

Looking at them now, I'm glad that I got to see another side of Tokyo - rain makes everything look so different - and these turned out to be some of my favourite shots from the trip.

(Canon AE-1 + Kodak Gold 400)

Ariake, Tokyo

Last month, I visited Japan for the first time, with my family. While we were in Tokyo, we stayed at an apartment in Ariake. Although it wasn't the most convenient location - it's a 40-minute train ride away from Harajuku or Shibuya - it was nice to be able to return to this quiet neighbourhood at the end of each crowd-filled day.

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After looking through my many folders of unposted photos several times, I gave up on posting them chronologically and decided to just start from my most recent trip. More to follow!

I want to find myself by the sea

One of the things I liked best about Penang was how much time we spent by the sea, sometimes unintentionally. It wasn't Bali-gorgeous, but still so blue, brilliant and calming.

(Canon AE-1 + Kodak Gold 400)

Penang Chendol

Thinking about a hot December afternoon when we sat at a table along an alleyway in Penang and ate/drank sweet, icy bowls of Penang chendol...




... and a few other delicious things.

(Canon AE-1 + Kodak Gold 400)

Street art

Auckland (top) & Jogjakarta, Indonesia (bottom).

Although these photos were taken in different cities & give off vastly different vibes, they have one thing in common - looking at them makes me want to travel again!

Crochet 02

A few months back, I made a bag with this pattern and then did an impromptu photo-shoot just for fun.

(Canon AE-1 + Kodak Portra 400)

Lunar New Year

Even if you aren't celebrating it, I hope that you'll still have a weekend full of time spent with friends & family and lots of good food, which is how I'll be spending this holiday. Happy Lunar New Year!

(Canon AE-1 + Fuji Provia 400, from last year's celebrations)

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It's been quiet around here lately, because things at work have been quite hectic, but I plan to start posting more often from this week on. I've got some travel photos and random bits from here and there that I can't wait to share :)

One of my favourite parks

...is the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The trees shut out the traffic noise and make you feel like you're in a peaceful, sprawling garden far, far away from the rush of the city.


(Nikon F-801 + Kodak Gold 400)

New Zealand: Wai-O-Tapu

Apart from a lone hot spring, which continues to stump us with its existence, Singapore doesn't have any geothermal land-forms, so I was ooh-ing and ah-ing like a suaku (i.e. person who has been living under a rock) over every bit of bubbling mud or steaming soil when I visited the Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Park in Rotarua, New Zealand.



This is the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts every day at 10.15am as part of an informative mini show. I was a bit disappointed to find out that the eruption was induced, even though the staff assured us that the geyser would still naturally erupt about once every 24 hours if it were left to its own devices.





There was lots of fog that day, which made everything seem even more mysterious and magical. Some of the photos turned out a bit too foggy though - apparently film captures fog much more than the iPhone does.


Earth-coloured



I wish they'd had more explanations and diagrams showing how the geothermal features had been formed or how they "work", but it was still a really great experience. I loved how unearthly everything looked.

(Canon AE-1 & Kodak Portra 400)

Crochet 01

Crochet appeals to me because you can make something with just a hook & a ball of yarn. There are loads of complicated and advanced things that can be done with crochet of course, but at my current (newbie) level, I find it nice & simple.

My mom taught me the basics when I was a kid but I never got further than making rectangles and weirdly-shaped dolls' bags. When I decided to pick up crochet again, I didn't know where to start because the easiest beginner patterns all seemed to be for scarves which a) usually require lots of yarn and b) I don't need because we don't have winter here.

Then I found these mini projects which were useful and doable and basically perfect:

Textured Bow Tie pattern by Delia:
While making this for my boyfriend to wear to a friend's wedding, I promptly forgot that it was a kid's pattern and we ended up with a kid-sized bow and regular-sized neck tie. He wore it anyway, which was sweet of him. Moral of the story: you might need to scale up the bow if you're making this for an adult!





Little Treasures Envelope pattern by Shara:
I really like this pattern because it's simple (no sewing required), cute & functional. It's become my go-to handmade gift and I'm pretty sure my friends are going to get tired of receiving this as a present soon, ha.





(Nikon F-801 with Kodak Gold 400 & Nikon D300. I'm need to work on my digital photography & post-processing skills, shooting with digital so much tougher than shooting with film!)

Do you crochet? What's your favourite beginner pattern? :)

New Zealand: Tongariro Alpine Crossing

That's Mt Ngauruhoe on the left, which was used as Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies.
(Yes, I did squee a bit when I saw it.)






The gorgeous Emerald Lakes




Snow-capped Mt Ruapehu peeking out from behind Mt Doom




The rest hut suddenly seems very, very far away when you're in need of the bathroom.


(Canon AE-1 with Kodak Gold 400 & Kodak Portra 400)

I've gotten really behind on blogging (again!) lately, because a lot of my free time has been channeled towards finishing a crochet gift for a friend. But I'm back with more NZ photos, so I hope you aren't tired of them yet!

It's easy to see why some people consider Tongariro Alpine Crossing the best one-day hike in New Zealand. The uphill bits were a challenge for my weak, unexercised limbs, but the gorgeous volcanic landscape made it all worth while (especially those amazing turquoise pools! I was tempted to dive right in more than once).

Looking through these photos makes me feel really thankful. I'm thankful for the friendly shuttle-bus driver who was able to make everyone smile even at 6am in the morning, for the company of new friends who made the journey even better, for the perfect sunny weather. I'm thankful that my legs didn't drop off like they threatened to :P

I'd forgotten to pack a polarising filter for this trip, which, combined with the bright NZ sunshine, meant that most of the photos turned out slightly over-exposed and hyper-saturated. I didn't like the effect at first, but now I think the extreme colours complement the alien-looking landscape perfectly.

Previously: NZ via iPhone, Lake Taupo & Taupo Town

New Zealand: Taupo Town

sheep watching me watching them



Above: Waikato River, hills & farmland, natural hot spring along the Otumuheke Stream

The hot spring was hands down my favourite attraction in Taupo. There's nothing like soaking in a super-heated river, surrounded by rocks & moss, with pebbles between your toes. No need for electricity, or a changing room, just the essentials.

If exploring all these hills & rivers makes you hungry, head to:

Replete for coffee and killer carrot cake. They also have a kitchenware and food section, with exotic teas and Orla Kiely tins that I drooled over but did not buy.

Dixie Browns for good steak & fresh scallops. If you plan to go there for dinner on a weekend, be sure to make a reservation as they're often fully booked on the day itself.


More NZ photos:
iPhone snaps
Lake Taupo


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Google Reader officially shuts down today, ugh! If you're still looking for a replacement, I recommend checking out Feedly. Switching over is a breeze and its UI is very similar to Google Reader's. I've also heard good things about Bloglovin although I haven't tried using it yet.