久しぶり

3 years.  久しぶり

Looking back at all the posts.. forgotten memories.. feelings..
Almost seems like another person's story... so distant, yet so close.

Been too long.. no point trying to catch up.  Most recent shots from Waterton National Park...

On the way back...

Hopefully not the last post of the year.
Too much to do, too little time.

Can’t get enough of this.

It always amazes me how fast the sun seems to sneak away.. how one cannot capture the moment, or hold onto it.. yet we can count on it to return, never the same, but always beautiful.

 

I will miss this.

Timeless

Approximately 4 years ago I created this space. Since then my efforts have dwindled.. with the first 2 years having 13 posts each, quickly dropping down to 4 posts in 2009, then 1 single post in 2010. Certainly there are always reasons and excuses that I can pull up. But in reality, in reality.. why is it always so hard to maintain a passion? Why is it that one can do so much in the beginning, then let things dwindle down? Is it because with time, we get used to it, and familiarity eases out motivation? It's too easy to fall back into our comfort zone, to stop putting out extra effort. Is this what we're all about? To try to survive in minimal effort mode without falling under and suffocating?

Somehow, somewhere along the way, things change without us noticing, including ourselves, for better or for worse. Yet nature remains timeless. Here I am, greeted by nature's miraculous rays upon my return to Ottawa.






















The colors look almost too vibrant.. I did NOT do any post-processing besides from batch resize in iPhoto. As usual the battle between landscape mode and portrait mode continues..

Remission

This blog has been in remission for 12 months. It’s about time for a flare-up. Tired of looking at food from Europe already. In 12 months, what have I done? Learned some medicine. Played a lot of badminton. Watched a ton of TV.

Pictures from Sichuan (四川) from last summer..  This is Jiuzhaigou National Park (九寨溝) aka “Valley of Nine Villages”. Absolutely stunning views of nature at its purest best.

 

 

 

 

 

Also in Sichuan is Huanglong (黃龍), famous for its limestone pools..

 

Not complete without a visit to the famous Mount Emei (峨嵋山) and its Golden Summit (金鼎)

 

And to wrap things up, a glimpse of Leshan Giant Buddha (樂山大佛).

 

And the best part of the entire trip is.. exploring it all with my parents!

Lastly.. totally random, but a song I like.


In the end, everyone ends up alone
Losing her, the only one who's ever known
Who I am, who I'm not, who I wanna be
No way to know, how long she will be next to me

Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lyin' on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, you found me

A Taste of Europe

Final entry of Europe for now. The trip took 6 weeks. Blogging took 10 months to complete.. I am the definition of inefficiency (and/or lazy).

Since I like to eat, the final entry will be dedicated to food. But as most people know, I’m quite impatient when it comes to food photography, because I’m more interested in eating it while it’s hot. Please forgive the terrible white balance, exposure, focusing, composition ..

Part I:  A taste of Denmark! Traditional Danish pastries and smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches). A pizza sandwich from my favorite pizza place in Copenhagen, and a savory crepe from a side street.

 

Part II:  A Taste of Belgium!

From Brussels: Waffles, Mussels + Fries + Beer, A traditional beef stew in wine sauce.

From Bruges:  A traditional dinner (baked seafood stew) with Mort Subite (“Sudden Death”) Raspberry Kriek (Belgian fruit beer) and a complimentary appetizer. Shrimp croquette for lunch.

 

Part III: A meal from Amsterdam. Was hanging out with people mostly.. didn’t get to eat specialty items too much. An eggplant pastry dish with salad.

 

Part IV: A Taste of Germany!  Currywurst, the new best-selling snack in Berlin, is a chopped up wiener with curry powder (plus a piece of bread). Traditional pork knuckle and pork chop (tastes and looks like Chinese roasted pork). And another pork-based dish that is actually kind of “hollow” ..

 

The best thing about travelling alone is you get to eat what you want, when you want, and spend whatever you want on food.  The worst thing about travelling alone is.. eating alone.  I hope my next adventure will be shared with someone who loves to eat just as much as I do.  :)

Munich

Final destination- Munich, in the heart of Bavaria. Quite a different “culture” from Berlin.

 

 

An excursion to Dachau to visit the historical first Nazi concentration camp.

A gas chamber… How many have met their end here, naked, in anticipation of a shower?

 

 

 

 

A trip to the BMW Museum.