Gabrielle Nathania Jee

#147: Flight Home

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:20:00 +0000

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” –Arnold Bennett

That was a quote an old college mate of mine used to tell me, aside from scribbling Chinese proverbs in Mandarin on my biology book. Mind you, I can’t speak or write Mandarin despite being Asian and raised in an Asian country. Nor do my parents and grandparents.

#147: threw together whatever left in my suitcase.

#147: the pair of sandals that I packed and wore for the entire week.

Random bucket of beer.

Most people that I come across, will give me that incredulous look when I mention that I dislike the taste of beer. Cocktails would be more of a preferred choice for me but best of all, food cooked with alcohol. People often tell me that they enjoy drinking, it gives them a good or calm feeling. I never quite understood that, never had a ‘good or calm feeling’ from drinking. Feels like any other ordinary task such as drinking a glass of water.

Supper of squid and fish balls.

An oyster omelette.

Three more weeks of awesome Asian food before it’s time to face months deprived from such food. Hello Velvet Burger, abundance of beef and raw greens.

Sunset at the departure hall.

“A lot of people get impatient with the pace of change.” –James Levine

Propeller of the aircraft boarded.

Chinese New Year Update

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:03:00 +0000

“Do not fear going forward slowly, only fear to stand still.” –Chinese proverb

View along the roadside.

I haven’t bothered to do a outfit update since I travelled really light with just a couple of denim shorts in different shades, beaded tank tops, chunky bangles, a brown leather sling bag and a pair of sandals. Hence most days it’ll pretty much be a pair of shorts paired up with a tank top, just in different shades. I shall do an outfit update tomorrow.

An afternoon stroll with my parents and niece while my sister and brother-in-law ran some errands.

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” –Desmond Tutu

Little niece who shares the same birthdate as I do.

Afternoon tea.

Anyway, it’s my last day here. Catching an early night flight home later. I’ve lost track of the number of flights caught throughout summer. Unfortunately, my next flight would be one heading back to Auckland! Summer break sure ends fast.

Minced beef puffs and sardine puffs for tea.

Just a random photograph of a glass of carrot juice.

Random photograph of the seaside view.

“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.” –Chinese proverb

Another random photograph of the view of the seaside.

“A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers.” –Chinese proverb

Thursday: Four Photographs

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:28:00 +0000

“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.” –H.Jackson Brown, Jr.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” –Winston Churchill

“Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.” –Hugh Miller

“No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves to today.” –Brendan Francis

Things Unreal

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:18:00 +0000

One of my most recent little projects. After I snapped a photograph of it and posted, I realised I forgot to fill in grass beneath the rabbit’s foot… Too lazy to fix it at the moment.

“Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.” –Mark Twain

Hideaway Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:09:00 +0000

Snapped with a mobile phone.

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” –Gandhi

Here I am for Chinese New Year, location undisclosed. The weather had not been too pleasant. The hustle and bustle of Chinese New Year escaped. Partly.

Bad weather here.

#146: Flight Out

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:32:00 +0000

On board.

“Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” –Albert Einstein

#146: With a cardigan thrown over.

One of the most ‘productive’ things to do is to stay up the entire night, go off to the airport at 5.30AM, board the plane at 6.40AM and sleep all the way from till 8PM. Hence, a brief post for today. Spending Chinese New Year with my family here.

#146: The owl.

#145: Of Salads & Grill

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:05:00 +0000

“Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.”—Japanese proverb

Change comes with unpleasant side dishes. Then again, these are all in the mind until the transition is actually over.

#145: Random shades of beige and gold coupled with black.

So it is currently 4.00AM and I will be leaving to the airport at 5.30AM. I should be getting some shut eye but it pretty much translates to waking up from the wrong side of bed with such little sleep. Hence, I rather nap during the flight then have a long ‘nap’ after arrival. I pretty much get by on the average day with five to six hours of sleep. Looks like I will be sleeping away most of my Chinese New Year’s eve until it’s time for our yearly family dinner.

#145: A beige blouse which I bought because I thought it was interesting yet practical and by practical I mean it pretty much goes with anything if done right.

#145: One of my most frequently worn pair since they pretty much colour coordinate with anything and everything.

Lamb cutlets.

I tried this pretty new grill place, Porkie’s, which opened around middle of last year. I must say that I wasn’t too impressed with it. The lamb chewy and tough. If I’m not mistaken, those are lamb shoulder chops and those are one of the tougher cuts. On the bright side, the lamb tasted fragrant. The pork ribs were tender but bland. Quite like eating steamed pork chops dipped in barbecue sauce. The grilled chicken was dry.

Then again, this is what you get when you pay about MYR20 ($7) for a plate of grilled meat.

However, I must say that the Caesar salad was scrumptious.

Random photograph of the day, a photograph of a local back lane coffee shop selling noodles at 10PM.

#144: Some Cured Bits

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:14:00 +0000

“I’ve a grand memory for forgetting.” –Robert Louis Stevenson

Now that is one grand sentence.

#144: Shiny acrylic and metal. I have this love for bangles like that.

Today’s the 20th of January, I have precisely one month before I’m shipped back to a world that revolves around sweaters, burying my nose in a book, preparing for tests and exams or in a laptop, researching for some assignment. Or rather, I hope I will be burying my nose more often this year. One year down (which felt like three months), five more years of medical school to go.

#144: Light grey version.

#144: Fishtail braid. I just realised that my hair has heaps of shades.

While I was shopping for cable knit arm warmers this afternoon, I decided to hunt for one of those Navajo pattern cardigans. I was inspired to do so after flipping through Esprit’s current season’s collection. There was this beige cotton cardigan with a fringed hem that had those patterns in bright shades. Eventually, I settled for one after browsing through a wide array of them in different shades and designs.

Slices of smoked ham and cured bits that tastes herbed sausages with a texture that’s quite the fusion of sausages and luncheon meat. That was supper (or again, late dinner at 12am). Slices of ham sandwiched between sheets of nori (Japanese seaweed). Weird but I rather that than slices of ham sandwiched between bak choy leaves which was the only other alternative.

#143: Seeing

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:18:00 +0000

“We only see what we want to see.” —unknown

Homecooked breakfast of black pepper prawns with bak choy and spinach noodles. I got told by a friend that I was a nutter for eating prawns for breakfast.

#143: Black lace and denim shorts for a casual supper.

I had a yam basket for supper and that made supper awesome. Technically, it was not really supper but more of a really late dinner at 11PM.

#143: Black lace.

This afternoon, I was trying to be a scrooge on wrist warmers, tried to buy a pair of wrist warmers for $14 on Modcloth but there was some error with the processing and I was told to try again. Again, transaction failed to clear. On my dad’s end, he received six notifications that the transaction was cleared six times. Pretty much freaked him out. That’s $84 for six pairs of wrist warmers. False alarm anyway, the transaction was not cleared online or over at the bank’s side.

#143: The same old brass dragon bangle and a rose quartz bracelet given to me by my grandmother.

An Oriental Twist

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:55:00 +0000

“Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt.” –Lao Tzu

I saw some colourisation of black and white photographs on 9gag and I thought to myself, “hey, I could probably do that too!”. So I sat down, rummaged through my computer, found a scanned copy of a black and white photograph of my grandmother from my dad’s side and started work.

Here’s a comparison of the before and after. The whole process of refining the photograph and filling in the colours took about half an hour.

A little sketch I did this morning, inspired by the fact that this is the year of the dragon according to the Chinese calendar. Unfortunately, I could not see an oriental dragon in my head.

Cooked myself breakfast this morning, spicy rice noodles with chicken, mushrooms, chilli, lemongrass and shallots. As you can see from the photograph, a pair of mismatched chopsticks. That’s because I actually broke the top of my chopsticks.

“Large scepticism leads to leads to large understanding. Small scepticism leads to small understanding. No scepticism leads to no understanding.” –Xi Zhi

The Dreamcatcher

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:01:00 +0000

“To be upset over what you don’t have is to waste what you have.” –unknown

While I was about to call it a night, I had the sudden inspiration to do a new piece of artwork: The dreamcatcher. Hand drawn and digitally painted.

Just a random photograph of a plate of nuts and figs that kept me company while I took the whole afternoon off to finish my little dreamcatcher project.

Couple of classic novels that I bought to keep me company for the coming week that I will be away. Catching an early flight out this Saturday, seventh flight taken this summer. Those novels were unbelievably cheap, just about $3 for each.

“After all, everybody has secrets and there are some things that nobody knows about you but only you, right?” –Halle Berry

#142: Vintage & Nautical

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +0000

“Trust that little voice in your head that says, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if…’; And then do it.” –Duane Michals

I often think it is interesting to not do something and see what happens as a result of that.

#142: vintage-looking handbag that I borrowed from my mum.

A near fifteen year-old handbag with an actual lock and key. Once again, talk about quality back in those days. Oxblood is an interesting shade.

#142: Today’s random throw-on.

This morning, I was looking at a leopard-printed skirt hanging from a hanger in my hand when a lady in her late forties approached. She grabbed a skirt and exclaimed to her daughter,

“This skirt is gorgeous! It will so make me look like Lady Gaga!”

… I abruptly hung the skirt back on the rack… I’m not too sure if I would want to dress like Lady Gaga of all fashion inspirations…

Spent some time at my grandparents’ place later at night, mostly spent time looking for interesting things to photograph. Anyway, that’s a photograph of a handmade chandelier out of wineglasses that my grandfather made from scratch. He was a marine engineer and a naval architect, hence the truckload of photographs of nautical antiques in today’s section of random photographs.

Fluffy ball of fur… I don’t think he has a name yet.

Ball of fur uncurled.

“Every opportunity has a shelf life.” — Sean from the movie Burlesque

People always say that when one door closes another door opens. Another saying revolves around something along the lines of if you keep passing up opportunities because you think you will encounter a better opportunity, you will end up with nothing. Looks like the ‘another door’ has a shelf life.

Ship bell.

Uncle’s handmade key rack.

Another of grandfather’s handmade chandeliers, the ship wheel was carved by hand.

A flush mount compass.

#140 & 141: Stamps & Post

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:52:00 +0000

“Everything has beauty, just not everyone sees it.” –Confucius

This morning I was greeted with unexpected mail, a postcard from an old friend’s trip to France. It is always a pleasant surprise to open a letter box and find something in there that’s for you that isn’t official mail.

#140: white, black and more black with studs.

#140: same old tan belt. Actually, that was my dad’s back in the days when he had six packs and was a good few trouser sizes smaller.

That reminds me a conversation I once had with my dad,

Me: When I grow old, I will make sure I won’t grow fat!
Dad: Ya right. That’s what we all said last time too.

Anyway here’s a random photograph taken at a Chinese-operated haberdashery: Traditional Chinese fabrics.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” –Confucius

So far, I don’t think I’ve seen one of these back in Auckland or perhaps I was not observant enough.

“Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor”—Aleichem

Taiwanese beef noodle from a local stall along the streets. I used to not fancy beef until I started having yukgaejang (Korean spicy beef noodles) pretty frequently.

#141: Swapped to something warmer at night since the weather was pretty windy.

#141: the big gold handbag.

#139: The ‘Look’

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:46:00 +0000

“If my world were to cave in tomorrow, I would look back on all the pleasures, excitements and worthwhilenesses I have been lucky enough to have had.” –Audrey Hepburn

#139: Floral sundress from MNG which says made in India, shirt, tan leather belt and a beaded necklace which was a gift from an aunt. Is it just me or it is actually interesting to flip over a tag and find out hey, it’s not another item made in China.

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend which went something along the lines of,

“You don’t look like a medical student, you look more like someone who’s doing architecture.”

#139: The beaded necklace.

Is there really such thing as the ‘occupation look’? There was this once when an uncle of mine brought his wife to one of their children’s school events and was greeted by one of the staff along with the question, “is this your maid?”

So medical students should be bespectacled and gangly or somewhat along those lines? Hey, you look like a garbage collector. Definitely one thing for sure, it’s never a good thing to make assumptions.

Anyway here’s a photograph taken during late evening when the entire sky was blood red. Happens pretty often around here.

Random piece of artwork of the day: Minimalism.

#138: Since When?

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:32:00 +0000

In my chiller, sits a big bag of American marshmallows. What’s better than a mug of Milo and marshmallows during such an ungodly weather and hour? In my books, hot chocolate can never top Milo.

“Everyone chases after happiness, not noticing that happiness is right at their heels.”—Bertold Brecht

#138: Grapes on a jumper in three dimension.

Again another of those sleepless nights but that was probably a result of me waking up at 2PM. I can’t even pull up the old excuse, jetlagged since that would mean I woke up at some even more ungodly hour.

Been reading ‘The Economist’, a small interest of mine developed after a pretty traumatizing interview with the Dutch company, Shell nearly half a decade ago. Recent discoveries of oil in Central Asia, countries getting rich from all these discoveries, Trans-Asian railway and so forth.

Anyway, certain countries are developing at a rate too fast for citizens to keep in pace with. Every dime matters. Hence all the unscrupulous means of earning and saving. I was talking to a friend of mine about these this morning and he made a pretty good statement: Since when is any form of earning money scrupulous?

I reckon there’s a borderline to being an unscrupulous businessperson or saver. Would you consider pulling some sort of financial scam on a cohort of elderly if you know it earns you a couple of grands?

#138: Just got my peacoat laundered.

Malaysia, definitely not one of the richest countries but I’m constantly hearing rants from –not adults but rather people about my age. From rants on their utmost loath for Malaysia to rants about their desires to emigrate to political rants. If you’re well beyond your forties and ranting, then that’s legit since you possess a good deal more experience with Malaysia.

Now really, I think it’s worthwhile to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Emigrating to a better place? Really? One might be of high socioeconomic status in Malaysia but converting all assets into foreign currency of higher exchange rate, one would drop more than just a couple of notches in terms of status. MYR1,000,000 converted to GBP, what does that leave you with? About GBP200,000? Then what? Wind up in the East End of London? Not to forget the truckload of subsidies one can get living here, from petrol to postage. I spent freaking MYR80 overseas on the exact book that I could get for MYR40 here. Unless you’re awfully wealthy, then that is a completely different case.
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the pasture. Certain countries have extreme distributions of wealth. What have they got new in the US just three years ago? Fairgrounds in California have been turned into a make-shift tent city for the homeless as due to the rapidly increasing unemployment rate. Sweden has a pretty even wealth distribution but now, that’s just one out of many others. Though Canada does have a really good health system that pretty much pays for everything. PIIGS – Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain, countries that gone bankrupt. Malaysia doesn’t even face anything half as bad as all that. We don’t even have slums to begin with.

Politics in Malaysia, now that’s an issue that one would wisely tiptoe around but really, which country does not have their own political issues? Issues published to the public and ones kept behind closed doors. Any country would have political unrest and instability, bickering between political parties and unpleasant moments. Racism? That happens in any country that isn’t uni-racial and which country is made up of completely one race with no trace of immigrants?? All these, probably just varies in terms of intensity from one country to another. Malaysia may not have it as good as some but definitely far from the extreme end in terms of political unrest.

If one rants any of the sort and can provide an explicit argument not five-sentenced rants then that’s legit.

Homecooked jjampong. I must make a mental note to buy some hot pepper flakes if I ever come across any while tagging along for grocery shopping.

My Day In Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:04:00 +0000

New Zealand

"Greed probably figures in my intellectual life as well, as I attempt to absorb a massive amount of information with consequent mental indigestion." –Etty Hillesum

Malaysia

"In the end, it's not going to matter how many breaths you took, but how many moments took your breath away." –Shing Xiong

New Zealand

“I never think about the future, it comes soon enough.” –Albert Einstein

Malaysia

“The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best”of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.” –unknown

Shifting, Settling

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:27:00 +0000

“Sometimes our best decisions are the ones that don’t make sense at all” –HIMYM

Was not expecting or hoping for answers but at last, a clear mind. I must say, two things less on the mind is a brilliant bargain. Sometimes, one has to set their priorities right and it takes a bit of a good shake to realise these priorities.

So I’ve been busy for the past few days, an old high school friend was here on a brief break. High school days were awesome but what makes it even more awesome is that after so many years, you’re still in touch with people you first met so many years ago.

Apart from that, I took a day off and redecorated my room. To be more specific, just my workstation area. Here, I stacked two shelves on top of each other to be filled up with a subwoofer, photo frames and a couple of random ornaments. Back in Auckland, I did so to make myself a shoe rack simply because I was too much of a scrooge to buy an actual shoe rack. Those things were cheap, just $10 for one. I mean really, who buys a proper shoe rack while staying at a university accommodation??

Did a bit of tidying. Only colour that needs to be added to the shelf: yellow.

#137: Chasing Time

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:10:00 +0000

“Go home but not in the same direction. Do not be afraid of change, do not be afraid to live out of your comfort zone. It may be difficult but not impossible.” –sermon at mass
#137: They’re not zebra stripes nor swallows, just random patterns.

A different background this time, my mum said she was bored of looking at the door in all of my photographs.

#137: Green shoes that are pretty much close to wearing out soon.
#137: Fishtail braid.
Finally had curry mee but that was such a huge plate of noodles.
Random photograph of the day.
Another random photograph snapped at the traffic light.

#136: Monsoon Season

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:19:00 +0000

Just a random photograph to start off today’s post. No context intended.

“Everything in life is luck.” –Trump

#136: Green, gold and white lace.

Yesterday, I decided to trial and error with a new touch-up technique. I was trying to go for look between a photograph and digital painting. Anyway, I can never concentrate for more than ten minutes learning something new off a page or a screen. Typically what I did was… Google for the desired effect… search for keyword… aha! CURVES… exit webpage… click on curve button in Photoshop… monologue a little…what does this do? Who cares… begin experimenting.

#136: Gold heart on a chain.

#136: Gold flats.

Particularly dislike getting my feet wet on rainy days, hence the covered shoes.

This is pretty much everyday weather during the Northeast Monsoon season here. Rain and wind. Back in Auckland, rained most of the time especially during autumn and winter. Seems like a year of rainy weather for me. Unfortunately, it floods here.

Foochow fried noodles with huge prawns at a local coffee shop. MYR30 for a plate but worth it.

A random photograph in one of the local haberdasheries.

Portrait of an old friend.

I have not been to church often this summer. All that flying back and forth had been clashing with mass hours. However, free for the evening for today. Hence, popping off to mass.

Friday Gallery: 5 Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:26:00 +0000

Portrait I : Street photography on the streets of Auckland, “captured a stranger”.

Portrait II : Self photography, something I do when there is absolutely nothing to photograph for days.
Portrait III : A friend with a pair of chopsticks (apparently holding it better than I, an Asian, can).
Portrait IV : A friend at a ball.

Portrait V : Self photography. One can practically count my freckles in this photograph.

A Thursday: Going Places

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:22:00 +0000

“Some people fear changes, some are just too impatient to wait for a change.”

So a friend asked me yesterday over frozen yogurt, “what do you want out of life? Do you have any self interests?”

Does scraping through remaining five years of medical school with at least a pass and eventually becoming a specialist counts?

I think when you gradually grow older, your ambitions and aims substantially reduce in amount. Back in high school, it was all about coming off top, being an all rounder, getting a full scholarship. Check, check and check. So now what?

See the other half of the world.

From nooks and cranny in Europe to Dubai, Cairo, Turkey to north India.

Mail from fifteen years ago.

#135: A Little Irish Luck

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:21:00 +0000

"You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before." –Scully
Received a parcel today from an old friend who is currently in Dublin, Ireland. =)
#135: on hot, lazy tropical afternoons, tank tops and shorts are the one’s best friends. The laziness probably resulted from me sleeping at 6am and waking up at 12pm.

#135: stars on denim shorts.
#135: metal rings.

Yes, a very short post for today.

#133 & 134: Tea & Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:12:00 +0000

“Intuition is a suspension of logic due to impatience.” –Brown

Bought a new piece to hang in my bedroom, a quote by Saint Augustine.

I must say that Brown is absolutely right. Been through one of those times in your life when uncertainty pays visits pretty often? Uncertainty in making decisions, uncertainty in deducing? So yes, I do what I do best at moments like that: sit back and do absolutely nothing. It pays to be ignorant to intuition.
#133: One of those perpetually rainy and windy days when long sleeves in a tropical country is actually appropriate. Bright blue!

#133: vintage belt borrowed from mum that is older than I am. My mum bought it when she was in her twenties. Talk about quality back in the olden days. Still looks brand new despite frequent use.

#133: a bright pink bag.

“What you wear should always have some contrasting colours” –dad

#133: one of my recent staples. One can’t live without a pair of black shoes.
Anyway, had tea with mum at a local café. They had really lovely interior decoration.
Pretty-looking tea cakes.
Smoked salmon salad with mangoes and almond flakes. Seriously, how can anyone call this salad when there is only a leaf of romaine??
Wall decorations at the café: vintage-looking clocks.
Table decoration: lamp.
A little something from this afternoon apart from the new bedroom decoration I got. I have a huge affinity for chunky bangles. Unfortunately, having played the piano for about twelve year… I think… had resulted in me having rather bony wrists. Hence, I have quite a difficulty in finding bangles that actually do not slip off my hand. Couple of shakes and this bangle actually falls off my wrist too. Got to be extra careful then! Or wear it on my right wrist instead…

#134: on a pretty cooling and rainy night, I dug out a shiny-grey-gold knitted top to throw on over jeans simply because I was too lazy after an entire afternoon out.

Caught up with an old friend that I’ve known for six years later that night over a movie and supper. Sherlock Holmes was an awesome movie. My expression looks a bit wonky here…

Random photograph from this morning: tops hanging in a random Asian shop.
Random photograph from this evening: construction during the downpour. Somehow this photograph makes me think of Deadliest Catch.

Random photograph from this evening: Construction, heavy traffic and downpour taken in a different perspective.

Angry birds seem to be spamming every part of Malaysia in every form from bags to plushies to mugs… angry birds overload.

#131 & 132: All

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on” –Ellis
#131: Hues of orange. I have no idea why everything in this photo is coincidentally so orange… even my sheets. Eh, even my hair looks orange…
#131: Coloured like a pumpkin.
#131: Golden but close enough to orange.
Sarawak laksa. Probably one of the best hawker food available.
Kolo mee. You can’t get it cooked in this style anywhere else but here in Kuching. I remembered reading about the history of kolo mee (yes… snigger, laugh or ogle in disbelief? A weird topic to read about, no doubt) and apparently it was ‘invented’ generations ago because it was one of the cheapest sources of carbohydrates and protein for those who were less well-off.
Anyway, random photograph from this morning: Baubles hanging from the ceiling.
Did some shopping in the noon with my mum. Overall, shopping wasn’t too productive. Just three pieces of clothing and a necklace. I did not exactly manage to get what I wanted, a nice pair of denim shorts. Either cut-offs or ones with studs. Shall hunt for that again sometime this week.

Random photograph of one of the boutiques. My only complain about finding clothes in Asia is that standing at 170cm, shorts, skirts, dresses and occasionally, trousers, are often way too short! Most times, the sizes are freaking small as well. Take for example, shops stocking heaps of size zeros (which is a size 24). Are you serious??! If someone who’s 170cm and fits into a size zero, that someone is freaking emaciated. Tops from Asian shops are also freaking short.

I can hardly ever buy anything from Asian boutiques! I see a nice dress, try it on and it hangs a good eight inches above my kneecaps. Almost every time!

One of the products from this afternoon’s shopping: one of those made-in-China necklaces for $6. Seen this in Auckland, selling for $15.
#132: Later at night, swapped to red and polka dots before heading out.
Another random photograph: Smokes and booze.

Hawker food, as awesome as ever.

“I'm going to sleep well tonight knowing that I made the right decision” –Ryan

It dawned upon me that in the midst of all the clutter, it was nothing but temporary confusion. Old friend could not have been more right. Good morning world! =)

#130: New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Gabrielle Jee) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:41:00 +0000

“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.” –Bob Marley

#130: on a New Year’s night. Purple!

#130: Once again, hijacked from my mum. Another reason not to buy handbags this year.

Random and was told this looks like a bridal photograph?

Seafood for this New Year’s dinner. I took heaps of photographs of food but then I thought to myself, who would want to scroll and view nothing but photographs of cooked sea creatures?