what a coincidence!

I stumbled across a website that led to another and another and... arrived at this Wikipedia list of "Carfree places". Can't help but notice that my next destination actually coincide (on the same page!!) with my previous destinations!

Gulangyu (a.k.a Piano Island), Xiamen, China
Fort Collin Old Town, Colorado, USA
Melbourne City Center, Australia

Suddenly (!!!!) it became clear! Perhaps, my life project is to set foot on all these amazing carfree places! One after another. And the best part? I don't even need to get a driver's license! haaahaa maybe I should have the list somewhere and start striking out the places I've been to!

i dreamt that i killed a snake, squeezing and forcing the poisonous slime out, then throwing it into a lake. strangely enough, it found its way back and i was staying in this weird 2 storey looking house. whoever i was staying with passed me an axe and i charged desperately towards it and killed it all over again. so gross so gross so gross!!! what's worse was the skull underneath! very disgusting. argh!!!

i _ _ _ _ running, but i bought an expensive pair of shoes - the supposed "right arch" for my over-turn-out feet. so i diligently bring them out for jogs every weekend.

i _ _ _ _ the sight of passing trains every time i jog by that corner, reminding me that life is but a routine, doing the right thing at the right time. nothing more nothing less.

i _ _ _ _ that awkward sound made by soccer players when they kick the ball. see, the jogger's path is in between 2 fields. whenever the ball goes over to the other side, i'm paranoid that the ball will hit me.

i _ _ _ _ people walking their dogs in the opposite direction of me. every time i see a JRT nearing, i lose focus. even when they pass me by, i turn to take a second look. once a wired-haired JRT turned back the exact same moment i did, we repeated that gesture twice. although i knew it wasn't you.

i _ _ _ _ children who park their tricycles and spill their toys along the jogger's path. why doesn't their parents do anything about it? i don't go running into the field or obstruct the goal post so why can't they be more considerate?

today i want to start _ _ _ _ ing the things i _ _ _ _.

Kuching - Semenggoh Wildlife Centre

Orang Utan Rehabilitation

Feeding Times
Morning: 9.00 am to 10.00am
Afternoon: 3.00 pm to 3.30 pm

I love how the orang utans are free to roam. They are trained as "semi-wildlife" - they don't attack humans (unless people get too near) and they are not trapped in an exclosure.





Mother and Child

Kuching - what a sight!

The window view revealed the beautiful curves between the mountain, the sea and the river... S P L E N D I D !





As the car made its way out of the airport, I was so thrilled to see the lamp posts along the way - they looked like birds in flight! With the mountains in the background, I felt close to mother nature again - a feeling that I felt so strongly when I was in Colorado.




The girls were dozing off in the car and all of a sudden, I caught sight of the reflection on the lake. Joey's friend, Dick, was really nice to make an introduction and a detour into the secluded compound. This is the Sarawak State Library (a.k.a Pustaka Negeri) - tucked mysteriously among the trees and sitting majestically on the lake. Dick pulled the car by the road side and I totally forgot about how tired the girls might be and how much the mosquitoes wanted to suck my blood, I was so blown away. Especially with the full moon in sight. I began to visualise how going to the library could be like a walk in the park. I love lakes. I want to come back again.

Good Morning!!!

Off on an adventure to Kuching, Sarawak!!

One fine day at work, Irene exclaimed "Shall we go Hong Kong?!!" She decided that we should have our annual "department outing" - somewhere. To me, anywhere is good! That very night, her text msg said "Bring your passport, we are going to Macau!" haa i DID bring my passport the very next day! Every week of december seems so impossible and january seems so far away. We wanted something to look forward to, soon. What about november? Joey is going back home. Shall we? Shall we? Shall we??

Yipeee!!! We are going for the adventure today!!! The weather is great! I can't wait!! woohooo

Jinhua - Architecture Park

Hangzhou >> Jinhua
By train



View from train window



we finally arrived... it was scorching hot but we never once let the sun look down on us! we went on - one pavilion after the other with our ice-cream tubs in hand!







Partner in crime!



Love my view

Canon City - Fort Royal Stables

1 Block East Of The Royal Gorge Turnoff
Canon City, CO 81212



The weather was so fine and my first horseback ride was just perfect! Uncle Don said that I've always wanted to do this since when I was what, 4 yrs old? haaa so finally, I did it! I love how we were surrounded by mountains and we did not go round in circles! We had a pretty scenic one-hour ride - towards the mountains and away from it.






Uncle Don & Aunt Patsy


Raven & me










Raven is perpetually hungry... just like me. I think we got along pretty well. Although he DID try to be funny and walk me into the bush!!







Trio




You are so beautiful.

Canon City - Skyline Drive

This was great fun! There were dino-trails along the Skyline Drive and I was really thrilled by the size of each dino footstep and the fact that we were walking right underneath history!!

Canon City - Royal Gorge

4218 County Road 3A
Cañon City, CO 81215
www.royalgorgebridge.com

According to the website, this is the highest suspension bridge in the world, with the scariest Skycoaster ride.

Height above the Arkansas River: 1,200 ft
Speed: riders reach speeds of up to 80km/h.

A week ago, U.Don asked me in an email if I'm afraid of heights and I thought that was for flying. Turned out that, they were sending me into the sky in a much crazier way than I had imagined. The tagline on the ticket read: "Goodbye Earth, Hello Sky". WOAH!! I freaked out! I said NOOOOOooooooo way!

Well, looking back now, I'm REALLY glad that A.Patsy prompted me again on our way out (A BIG THANK YOU). Yes, we did it, OUR very own adrenaline rushing adventure! I can finally put sight & sound to the word "breathtaking" - an experience with a view that was enough to last a lifetime. Spectacular!!!

Canon City - Holy Cross Winery

3011 E. Highway 50, Cañon City, Colo. 81212
www.abbeywinery.com
From Denver, take Interstate 25 south to Colorado Springs, then Colorado 115 southwest to Penrose and U.S. 50 west to Cañon City . The winery is 12 miles east of the Royal Gorge.

Holy Cross Abbey continues the tradition of the Catholic Church’s long history with grape-growing and wine production. We went for wine tasting at the Holy Cross Winery and bought a bottle of their Merlot =) The sitting area among the trees was so charming. OOOoooo I think the picnic bag (with the wine glasses fastened within) is such a perfect set to go with the Summer Gatherings book. Infact, everything in the shop made me happy. CHEERS!

Click on picture to enlarge

Canon City - Holy Cross Abbey

We were on Interstate 25 the entire day from Fort Collins to Canon City, passing by Loveland, Denver and Colorado Springs. This is the north-south highway that runs from New Mexico to Wyoming.

By the time we arrived at Canon City, it was quite a gloomy evening but our spirits were still high. There wasn't much we could do by then so we went walking around and we stumbled across the Holy Cross Abbey. I love how it's tucked away between the trees. Very exclusive.

U.Don explained that with the gargouilles and spaces made for patron saints, this was built as a catholic church in 1924. Over the years, things might have changed and it's been converted to become an abbey.

Fort Collins - Casual evening

Uncle Don & Aunt Patsy brought me to Old Town for an evening stroll and I heard the Bear telling the Fish "We can never be together darling... cos I'm always hungrrrry"






FROZEN FOOD CENTER
This is interesting. U.Don explained that (very long time ago) when fridge wasn't popular yet, this was where people store their frozen food. Like P.O Boxes!! How very charming! Imagine saying this "Yoohoo! I need to retrieve my ham from locker number 133790!"



And while we were talking about food storage, we came across Mr.Squirrel who's busy storing acorn into his mouth. HAA! He's not afraid of us at all!! He posed for a picture! Cool dude!






WOODY'S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA
518 West Laurel, Fort Collins, CO 80521
Open daily from 11am - 2am
www.woodyswoodfiredpizza.com

Dinner was fun at the salad bar! I could pick whatever I fancied!
Sunflower Seeds
Cherry Tomatoes
Goldfish Crackers
Beetroot
Greens



U.Don ordered Anchovies & Olives Pizza... YUMMMM!!!




Isn't it great to stay around nature? Imagine after a hearty meal every evening, we'll drive up to watch the deers and the sun set.



Click on picture to enlarge

Fort Collins - 云的影子

以往看云的角度
都是从陆地上抬头仰望
当飞机慢慢和云成平行线时
我开始享受
能和它们面对面的这一刻
感觉和乘坐大型的商业飞机不同
至少对我来说
这是更亲密的接触

城市里的遮荫不是大厦就是树
终于在这片辽阔的大地上
流露了云最真的影子

这样的懈逅
是可遇不可求的









云的倒影让我想起了《东邪西毒》里，独孤求败练剑的一幕。

Fort Collins - the sky is the limit

N33196 was eager for an adventure and so was I! We went soaring and gliding into the sky... never a dull moment from the hangar at Fort Collins to Long's Peak at the Rocky Mountain National Park. I felt really fortunate to be flying on a Monday Morning with boundless landscapes & great company.

last minute changes
deadlines
emails
MSN
phone calls
dusty floor
monday blues

Fort Collins - waking up to the mountains

My adventure started when my connecting flight to LA was delayed and I missed the following one to Denver. When I finally made it to see Uncle Don & Aunt Patsy, I was soooooo delighted. It was almost midnight and I was still hyper despite spending 2 days in & out of planes & airports. The faithful lamp posts guided us back from Denver to Fort Collins, otherwise the place was in darkness, hiding all the magic away.



When the sun came knocking on my window, I saw the first spillage of magic. I jumped out of bed and scampered down to the kitchen... Aunt Patsy let me out to the back of the house. Gooooood Morning... there stood the Horse Tooth Peak at the far end.


Click on picture to enlarge

summer holiday

spending friday night ziploc-ing ALL liquid items, packing bag into bag into bag... it's just summer and i've already got so much to pack!! really looking forward to running away.

1442

sometimes when i close my eyes i feel like i can go a long way. unlike life. i ran 14 rounds tonight. new found relieve. next week this time, i'll be somewhere far away in search of lost time. not really looking for a particular something but more like examining a certain surge of emotion. i hope by doing that i'll discover something new about myself.

i dreamt of my first watch last night. i wonder what that means.

great company

My last run was dated 10 years ago - that compulsory 2.4km during graduating year. Two great things about entering art school after sec 4: 1) no more uniforms 2) no more running. I HATE RUNNING.

Last night, my inspiring colleagues got my spirits up and we headed for the stadium. I LOVE MY COLLEAGUES. They are always there for me. (That includes Joey who went to do Brazilian waxing with me last week! OOOoooo!)

Okay i survived! Ran 36mins (4km) and walked 24mins (2.4km).

I'm beginning to see running from a very different perspective as before. Maybe because I had Nodame Cantabile Orchestra playing from ear to ear. The entire journey felt more passionate and less strenuous. I had my eyes closed during some parts of the run, imagining that I'm conducting Rachmaninov's piano concerto no. 2. They said I ran strangely with my hands swinging everywhere hahahaa but I knew I wasn't running, I was Stresemann in the making! wahwawawhhhaa. I like the stadium, especially the floodlights. I understood why Hitler loved them so much.

Okay I'm gonna train up for my next travel destination!

subtracting the blues away

first attempt in removing the blues from my life...
i wonder if that'll make me a happier person?