Images with Words

24º Rain

This blog was done for my Beyond Layers blog but thought I'd also post it here too, anyway just my interpretation of these quotes.


follow your bliss ~ my love of baking and food photography gives me the perfect mixture to give me the bliss I feel when I see my final results ...

hold a true friend in both your hands ~ you don't need many friends just a few that matter ... when you do find them hold them with all your might ...

we need never be afraid of our tears ~ crying tears of joy or sorrow is a way for us to release that joy or sorrow, if it is left brew inside us we will never feel joy to it's extent and never put that sorrow to rest...

wherever you go ... go with all your heart ~ if you never do, you will never know how far you can go.

there is no remedy for love, but to love more ~ what can I say, love is a complicated emotion, don't think many people have or ever will know how to grasp it properly ... for the ones that have, consider yourself lucky ...

•    •    •    

Summer's Finally Arrived

Sunny 27ºC

We had a beautiful Summer's day today, full on sunshine with a cool breeze, have missed it so much this Summer.  Today's sunset is the best one I've seen all Summer.

An Instagram creation.

Mouse over to see original image.

It's nice to sit in a quiet spot under the shade with a cool breeze blowing on a warm Summer's day and just blur out the world around us ... just a little ... not too much ... just enough to forget the day's rush to collect the kids ... do the groceries ... rush off to work ... all those things that we do to keep our little world turning. 

Zone out a little and keep dreaming ... 

The Natural Progression of Life

25ºC {Gloriously} Beautiful

So here's how it's supposed to go ~

Have a happy childhood ... 

Boy meets Girl ... Girl meets Boy ...

Boy and Girl marry ...

They become a family ...

Raise their children and grow old together ...

Well that's how our road should be travelled, but inevitably, there will be some who run into road blocks and have to take detours to get where they want to go .... some that take a wrong turn and get terribly lost ... some that choose to turn instead of taking the road ahead ... and then there are some that just don't want to take the road everyone else travels on and build their own roads to get to their destination.  For the lucky ones that are able to travel a smooth and straight road, treasure it and be grateful.

We all hope to have the most colourful and fulfilling life we can, so whatever way you choose to travel this journey, hope yours is all that you have hoped for.

••    ••    ••

So Far This Year

Cloudy 25ºC

Idyllic ...

Centennial Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

It's been a month since arriving back from my holidays and gradually I have continued my photography from where I left off last year with my last Project 365 post on 31st December ... and may I just say it has been an idyllic journey so far. Unlike the "must get the shot everyday" feeling, it has been "well if nothing gets shot or uploaded today there's always tomorrow", I am truly enjoying the process now.  

Don't get me wrong Project 365 was totally amazing, a challenge every amateur photographer should do, the intensity and sense of achievement is almost enough to push you through.  I did say almost because you do also need a great support group to give you that extra push when you just don't feel like picking up the camera, to get you over that finish line. My support group consisted of many amazing photographers [and you all know who you are], some also on their very own 365 journey and others who are on journeys of their very own, thank you guys from the bottom of my heart.

Enjoying a leisurely stroll at the park ...

Take the time, have a stroll at your park and keep dreaming ...

•    •    •

old things new again

Cloudy 27ºC

Old iron found in the same place.

I am finding myself more and more drawn to old things that were such simple additions to peoples lives not so long ago (well maybe quite a few years ago, judging by the looks of these) ... but is it age or is it interests that make us start to see things differently ... these two objects, to some may be just old and ready to be trashed but to me they are an instant photography subject.  Maybe it just shows if we have been shown how they could look, we will realise once tweaked, you will see it in a total different light.

Hope you see it too...

End of Summer break

Alas, time is so fleeting, six weeks of my children's Summer Holiday break is over in the blink of an eye, though this year we were overseas for half of that ... time to say goodbye to the lazy days and time to prepare for another year filled with schedules, school work, extra-curricular activities and a whole lot of busyness ... probably our last visit to the beach yesterday ...

A quiet moment ..

A sweet moment ...

A funny moment ...

"Rubiks Cube"
An artist's contribution to the beach.

Textures of life

Rain 23º

I love textures ... I love layers ... they can enhance an image any way you want ... brighter, dreamier, stronger, denser...the results are endless and it's all up to you to decide which way you want to go.

Just like in life, you can also enhance your life any way you want ... happier, darker, fuller, emptier, quieter, duller ... by making choices in the things you do and the things you see.  

But when processing images, we can always click the undo or delete key and start again... in LIFE, it is not that simple, we cannot just click undo to start again so careful consideration is required as we add each texture, each layer to our lives.

six word memoirs

"plain as jane, that will change"

I am
inspired by Kim Klassen

who was

inspired by O Magazine

who was 

inspired by Smith Mag

WOW so much inspiration!

new year celebration

Family gathering for the Chinese New Year.

Lei See (red packet)...well the bw version anyway.

On the road heading to our place of celebration.

The red drop...what's a celebration without some.

Eating tool, the good old chopsticks...couldn't do without them either.

A good night had by all...Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year (Again?)!

Showers 24ºC

Yes it's Happy New Year again, for me and every other chinese person in the world...we say it again, even though I'm not living in an asian country and haven't been for the last 37 years our family still retains a small part of our original culture and celebrate with our extended families with a dinner and giving of red packets.

We are only celebrating in a small way, as opposed to the milliions of people in Asian countries that celebrate in a big way, some even have a three days across the board holiday, no exceptions, doesn't matter what industry, everything is closed.  And everyone will spend those three day holidays visiting family and friends bearing lots of lollies and red packets.

There are many traditions such as decorating their houses with red decors, flowers, sweets, chinese cakes of the savoury and sweet kinds.  All things red (symbolising good luck) are a go and everyone wears something new (symbolising a new year a new start) and preferably red would be the fashion of the day.

Just a little sneak peek into our Chinese New Year.

Lots of Reds to ring in the New Year of the Dragon ~

祝大家 新年快樂 花開富貴! 

While on my trip to Singapore we explored an antique store in Chinatown and found this Chinese Fortune Sticks set - usually found in temples where people shake the container until one of the stick fall out and take it to get their fortune told according to a few words corresponding to the number on the stick.

福 meaning blessings / good fortune

Good fortune to all who is reading this and of course we have to remember our fortunes are in our hands we can decide which path our lives take.

magic hour

The magic hour ~ the hour before sunset can be the best hour when you're in a good mood or it can be a depressing time of the day when you're feeling down. Not sure why but for me it is the case.

Tonight I'm enjoying it with my children on an evening walk making the most of our daylight saving light. Some quiet moments and some filled with questions. These will be the moments I will look back on long after they have flew the nest, though sometimes I feel that time cannot come fast enough but there are times when I don't want it to ever come, why is being a parent so confusing? Such contradiction.

circle of life

Sunny 26ºC

Life is like a...

 merry go round

ferris wheel

water wheel

Each year after 365 days we start anew, refreshed and ready to do it all over again

but will we just trudge along and repeat the past or live the next 365 to the fullest and change life.

seasons come seasons go seasons will come again

flowers bloom flowers wither flowers will bloom again

life begins life ends
for some who believe...life will begin again

This post has been inspired by my good friend Jorunn.
She is right "Take risk, jump into each day with joy with a smile on your face and you will get one back", we should remember this every day.

how big is your world?

Sunny 28ºC

A sneak peek into the miniature world of a Venus Flytrap...

Our world is an amazing place, but when you look through the lens 

at the world around us you will realise there are many other little worlds within ours.

If you only just stop, look and listen you may just discover them.

Take this time, a lull in our busy lives, to discover what we never notice before because we are just so busy.  

The wheels will start turning again when the New Year rolls over and life gets busy.

So STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN & keep dreaming...

My Phobia...

Cloudy 23ºC

I am an arachnophobic, oh I'm not just an arachnophobic, in fact anything with more than four legs and two eyes will freak me out, nothing in this world could make me go within metres of them...

until one morning, seeing a photo opportunity, I realised my passion is stronger than my phobia, we will accustomise ourselves in pursuit of that passion...mine which is to capture the beauty of our world through my lens helped me overcome this phobia, don't get me wrong, my phobia is still very much alive but for a few moments one morning it was overcome...

A predator and it's prey (all wrapped up ready for dinner).

Overcome those fears, you never know what you can achieve until you do it.

 and keep dreaming...

Reflections...

Sunny 21ºC

It's that time of the year again...

for us to sit down and reflect on our year past.

For some it could very well be a reflection of happiness,

For some refections of sadness,

For some a mixture of ups and downs,

And for the rest, probably best not to reflect at all.

Whatever your reflections are, you will be glad in knowing that in a few weeks time

you will get the chance to do it all over again.

Happy reflections and keep dreaming...

our lines...

Cloudy 22ªC

Do our head, heart and life lines on our palms determine our lives or do we determine them?

Something to think about and keep dreaming...

christmas is near...

Sunny 25ªC [afternoon storms] 

...can almost feel it!

Introducing my Christmas Bunny...

"This is my hand...

this is my jewels...

this is my trumpet...

this is my ear...

 and this is ME!

and ME!

AND FINALLY ME AGAIN!"

just a little hello from  a christmas bunny.

Hope you're feeling it too...so keep dreaming...it will be here very soon!