Pachelbel Canon in D

One tune, single hand, three fingers playing. Your super smug expression. While tinkering with Y’s piano.

The ride into Mexico

Getting there is half the fun.

Xue Hui

Image of a proud father

My friend. A beaming proud father. Tenderly cradling his precious girl in his arms.

A boy at heart, rejoicing at the marvel of life, heartily embracing his role as a father.

Already starting to feel tiny tugs of anxieties about the baby’s future.

Melting at his girl’s every smile and expression.

I am really happy to see you moving on happily into another stage of your life.

Congratulations, Daddy!

The Value of Diamonds

Qn: Will you spend a five figure sum on Diamond ring?

My answer: Guess not. When I was 24, I brought myself my first Diamond ring using the bonus from my first year in the career. I was delighted for a while (maybe about 2 weeks). Then, one day, the delight wore off and I suddenly felt that it was kinda of silly to be spending so much money to acquire such a tiny stone. I have never particularly have the urge to own a particularly large and flashy solitaire since then.

As to all the advertisements featuring diamonds as a declaration of a man’s love. I said “Bullshit!” I certainly hope love goes way beyond the superficial front of a flashy diamond.

What drives this post? Maybe, soup grapes! Ha Ha!

Well, I seriously do think it is dumb to be spending so much money on a ring when you guys are not very loaded in the first place. If you are truly loaded, then, by all means, buy extravagant jewellery and flaunt them at your pleasure.

Er…am not referring to a certain someone. Just a gal fren and her soon to be spouse.

Treasure Hunt

Have you ever need to retrieve something from your storeroom only to find that the very item you need, seem to have been devoured by messiness of the room? After rummaging for a long time, you suddenly realised that you have unwittingly emptied the storeroom cos the very item you are seeking just so happens to be sitting right at the bottom, in the most inner corner of the store.

But, I am not complaining. Cos, along the way, I found my treasured copy of my favourite book! My favourite literature book “To kill a Mockingbird”. And a couple of other books I like to read again.

After so long (16 years), this is still my favourite passage. I still think this is one of the most beautiful passages every written. I am still moved every time I read it. Here it goes:

“Daylight…..in my mind, the night faded. It was daytime and the neighbourhood was busy. Miss Stephanie Crawford crossed the street to tell the latest to Miss Rachel. Miss Maudie bent over her azaleas. It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk towards a man approaching in the distance. The man waved, and the children raced each other to him.

It was still summertime, and the children came closer. A boy trudged down the sidewalk dragging a fishing-pole behind him. A man stood waiting with his hands on his hips. Summertime, and his children played in the front yard with their friend, enacting a strange little drama of their own invention.

It was fall, and his children fought on the sidewalk in front of Mrs Dubose’s. The boy helped his sister to her feet, and they made their way home. Fall, and his children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes and triumphs on their faces. They stopped at an oak tree, delighted, puzzled, apprehensive.

Winter, and his children shivered at the front gate, silhouetted against a blazing house. Winter, and a man walked into the street, dropped his glasses, and shot a dog.

 Summer, and he watched his children’s heart break. Autumn again, and Boo’s children needed him.

Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”

I grew up with this book and have read it countless times. At 15, when I first started reading it, it was homework to me. Reading it was studying. By the time, I have to answer exam questions on it, I was familiar with all the characters and the themes running through the book. Somehow, along the years, I was drawn time and again to pick up the book and re-read it. Everytime, I read it, I seem acquired additional perspectives that was absent before. These additional perspectives came from my experiences when growing up. This book accompanied right into adulthood and have helped shaped my values and beliefs in many little ways. Today, it is still teaching me about the way of life. Patiently. Repeating itself as many times as I care to read.

Love Story in Havard

The Theme song: So In Love. The stuff that dreams are made of, portrayed in a typically K-dramatized manner with lots of romantic and teary scenes. Comes with a fairytale ending too.

I enjoyed watching their study days at Havard the most. The library is awesome. Somehow, I wish studying at that library for days without sleep is a phrase of my life too. Also sharing apartments , cramping for assignments, stressful Moot court cases to prepare for, working part-time, falling in love, making great friends from all over the world. Just the experience of studying overseas, being on my own and taking care of myself. I know it is tough but those were the stuff my dreams were made of when I was young and yearning for freedom. And of course, romance in the air is icing on the cake.

When we are young, we paint beautiful images with our dreams.

A happy moment at Sacre Coeur

One cheerful man. With a deep mesmerizing voice. One guitar. A pair of skillful hands playing effortlessly. Performing songs after songs. From love ballads to popular classics. Filling the place with wholesome smiles. The whole atmosphere of the place is totally transformed. We are all captive audiences, lost in our enjoyment of music, soaking in carefree atmosphere around us, idlely watching the hoad of tourists making their way up.

Btw, T is in Paris. Apparently, there is a transit strike there. Well, Paris is a place made for walking. The Parisians seem to walk everywhere.  

Memory lane again

A long ago conversation.

Me: What do you usually do when you are unhappy?

 Your reply: I sleep. When I wake up, things look better.

Me: So if it is not better. What else do you do?  

Your reply: That means I need to sleep longer to get over it. So, I sleep some more.

 How come it is not working on me?

Your birthday is coming up again. I suddenly wonder if you still have the cross-stitch I did for you? Last week, I passed by the bus-stop where I completed it. I suddenly had this version of myself stitching anxiously at the bus-stop for over an hour so that I could finish it in time for you. Somehow, the image makes me smile. It was so long ago but I can still remember the words I stitched. Not something I am likely to do now.

There are all these kinds of little flashbacks at unexpected moments.   

Photoshop Craze

This is what happen when I can’t sleep at nite. I start to convert my photos with Photoshop filters, testing out the different effects. Pure bo liao-ness. I do it until I start to feel sleepy. Seem like this Photoshop craze will linger for a while.