Italy

Duomo Milano

Working somehow has not diminished the idea of "Summer holiday" for me. Granted, this has turned into week long sojourns, but it's good how much you can really fit into that 1 week break if you really wanted to. So this years' destination was....ITALY!

Yes, Italy, gorgeous gorgeous Europe. I figured I've never really been on mainland Europe, save Austria and a day trip to France. But going around Italy was amazing especially when you have a friend doing all the planning/arranging/booking/buying tickets for you =P.

Oh Romeo, Romeo...

Started out in Milan for 2 days, first day was spent napping and went out for dinner at a bar place where for the price of a drink you also get a buffet spread of pasta/breads/rice etc. Then amazing pistachio ice cream and an early night.

Spent the next day tiring the feet out to the point, that we had to end up buying Birkenstocks!  Duomo climbing, oh was soooo gorgeous. Amazingly gothic architecture, castles, more gelato! Dinner across the little canal.

Masquerade!

Early start the next day to start the week long sojourn. First stop...Venizia!

After getting horribly lost in the small windy streets, we went for lunch and wondered around St Mark's Square for a bit. Checked in, freshened up, and up we went into St Mark's Duomo and the adjacent Doge's palace where we crossed the bridge of sighs and got lost a bit more in the cellars down below (the first of many times we get lost on this trip! Lost in alleyways, lost in prisons, lost in gardens, lost in Rome, lost in streets...yeah). Then up to St Mark's Campanile to take in the view from up top. Breathtaking stuff.

Japanese Tea Houses

Next day went to the morning markets. Eating cherries in the shade of the fish market on a Monday morning is a must do for anyone. So far removed from work! Then, on a hunt for Lonely Planet's recommendations of places to eat...only to find teahouses shut..as always. Also, Venice's roads on maps can be meter wide passages between buildings =S. Settled on a small restaurant instead, then taking water taxis down to Ca'Rezzonico museum, nothing too interesting in that one besides expensive rooms and Murano Chandeliers. Found Grom after that, and a lovely little Japanese themed teahouse (come to think of it, reminded me of AA Cafe Japon).

Bling Hoops

Modern Art Museum was tremendously different, horses stuck in walls, chandelier basketball hoops, prostitute themed exhibitions, clowns yelling at each other through TV's....enjoyed it immensely, just for the fact it was kinda grotesque!

The Pumpkin

Found La Zucca and had good pumpkin appetizers and a vegetarian lasagne. Ginger, prosecco and melon ice cream was something else. Proceeded to get lost in the streets of Venice with a full moon and not too much lighting, but before we knew it we had ended up back at the main Rialto bridge somehow. Ridiculous stuff.

Florence BnB's

Next day we bid adieu to Venice and it was off to Florence. The BnB was a GORGEOUS place, pale blue walls, terracota coloured flooring, a cooling breeze and a street-side view. Sigh, I could've stayed there forever. But yes, Florence! A little less touristy than Venice, but still quite touristy. Headed to yet another Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, this time a gorgeous little number with pale green and pink accents. Looked like a dollhouse really.  Climbed up the the top of the dome.

Perfection

Then to the Uffizi museum where we spent an hour+ queueing and another hour speeding past most of the pieces...main thing there was Botticelli's Venus. Other than that, I have no clue of appreciating art =S. Total fail.

Florence bridges

Took a walk to the bridge past dinner where sunsets start at 930pm. Was nice sitting bridgeside with a cool breeze and a 99% moon above.

Had a half day to kill the next day so we decided to choose the Boboli gardens and the Pitti Palace as our morning activity. Nothing too interesting in Pitti besides the amazing jewels and really nice dresses! Boboli gardens were way too big, steep and hot, not to mention so gravelly. I then also got lost in the Bardini garden for about a half hour.  Not enjoyable.

By the time we got to Rome I was slightly exhausted (highlight was sitting next to a guy studying William Blake). Dinner where we stuffed ourselves too much of antipasti to actually enjoy the mains! (veal half finished and the guy is convinced I can still eat). The Trevi fountain definitely made things more amazing. 3 coins and 3 wishes!

Sitting on the Spanish Steps

Next day consisted of Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Bernini fountain visiting, before the Vatican city for the second half of the day. Vatican museum was amazing, Michelangelo! Leonardo! Raphael! Sistine Chapel! Gosh. Too much to take in! Sat in on mass at St Peter's Basilica, definitely a highlight of the day! Ate fried artichoke at Giggetto, then proceeded to get lost trying to find Tango that night. :( unfortunately did not get to tango. boo.

Hello God, can you hear me?

Forum

Coliseum visiting and the Roman Forum the next day while navigating un-working subways due to strikes. Monumental crumbling structures requiring quite a bit of imagination and the Big House...original! Coffee at Sant Eustachio and final night in Rome with a dinner at Leoncino's pizza! mmmmm, then ice cream by the Pantheon while watching a march go by and capped off with people watching on the Spanish Steps. Such fun times!

Back to Milan the next day and meeting Mattio, a spot of shopping, last gelato's, 3/4 of Serendipity and a send off :(. Arriverdaci Italia! You were amazing.

Blackholes

Swirling instances of time passing, laughter, clinking glasses of wine, late night scrapbooking, pink toenails and slate grey fingertips. Hours and hours spent crunching numbers, flights to catch, moments away from this reality. THIS reality.

Running on a never ending road, being chased by zombies and memories of imagination. The silent pounding of half marathon runners at 6 am starts in the dark and rompe played at full blast. Pacing. Pacing. Pacing.

Goals achieved. Let's rewind this year again. More goals.


Now 2012, what shall I do with you?

1) Get promoted
2) Run a half marathon
3) Travel to someplace new
4) Kick bootcamp ass!
5) Keep saving money!

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/things-i-wish-people-told-me-when-i-entered-my-twenties/


"Games of phone tag will go on for six months until it’s reduced to a catch-up email. “How are you, my old best friend I used to share everything with? Is the weather nice where you are?” This is acceptable for a lot of friendships but with certain ones, you’ll want all or nothing. You’ll want to respond, “Either be in my life completely or not at all because it’s too painful to have you in the in-between.”

There's something fishy...

..going on in the air right now. Pollution + Cough + Painful jaw/throat makes for a terribly unhappy Christina.

Stanchart this weekend+Italy next week and a whole backbloodylog of work makes for a chaotic week. I miss bootcamp already. Urgh.

Sekeping Tenggiri

Weekend's are such islands of contentment.

Sekeping Tenggiri comes across as such a raw retreat smack in the middle of Kurau and Bilis streets. Lol. But really, I'm tempted to rent out the place for my birthday this year, might just do that! It's totally awesome.


Watched Madagascar3 which was a so-so movie but there really is nothing else better out right now! Caught up with the KLASS girls over a civilized tea session at TWG with not so civilized manners and clanging of teacups and knives in an attempt to cut semi-hard scones. Wasted money on plug chargers when I should have checked whether it came with the Iphone to begin with. Gah, chalk up another stupid thing I do.

Eschewed family dinner for Tango seeing how I missed Tuesday. I'm beginning to think I like leading more than I do following. Egads! So much more fun! Control...

And Monday back in full force again. Flying under radars for now. Phew.

花樣年華

Siempre que te pregunto Que cuándo cómo y dónde Tú siempre me respondes Quizás, quizás, quizás Y así pasan los días Y yo desesperando Y tú, tú, contestando Quizás, quizás, quizás Estás perdiendo el tiempo Pensando, pensando Por lo que más tú quieras Hasta cuando, hasta cuando

I've been wanting to watch "In the Mood for Love" for ages especially since it has spilled into common culture and passing comments of "one of those" movies, like "Farewell my Concubine", or "Raise the Red Lantern".

It was definitely a slow film, but sometimes you don't need words, action or conversations in order to entertain. After all, passing through life, I can't help but figure that reality is defined by the silences. Like walking through a foreign city by yourself and being silent while the noises of traffic, people and activity overwhelms. Surprising isn't it? That the island of quiet can exist. I often feel that I'm quietest when I'm in the midst of activity.

So this movie captures that perfectly, those silent walks to a quick takeaway. The rain and conversations and routine. Completely mundane, but her Cheongsams make me wish they were common day dresses nowadays. The absence and pain of  a cheating spouse turned slightly comical when they were re-enacting the scenes of confrontation. Where imitating the person that is hurting you becomes the only salvation to get through reality.

But the ending was something else. When the word flashed on the screen, I was left with the stunned silence that comes with completely unfulfilled endings. Seemingly no one is ever happy by the end of chinese movies.

That's life isn't it? Where two people's threads of life connect and dissipate, overlap and diminish. What you're left with is nostalgia. νόστοςἄλγος.

But, oh, so, restrained! Throughout.

Opulance

The beautiful things in life enthrall us all do they not? But with constructed beauty also comes a recognition that there is a $ sign behind every object that's presented in the pages of a magazine.

Sitting in The Bee yesterday with my absolutely gorgeous boozy milkshake and waiting for friends to come, I was thumbing through the magazine before stumbling upon coverage on Chanel's Metiers D'Art show which took place in Paris with a "Bombay" theme. Which involved lots of kohl and some Indian models thrown in the mix obviously. Oh, and Karl has never gone to India. Duh. He would die the instant he steps into that place.

That's where I started contemplating about how sometimes we are often disillusioned by the romanticism of a place. This means the constant references to obscure locations, "Oh have you tried Ku De Ta in Bali?" or "Have you never been to Paris? Milan? Barcelona? You should! It's beautiful."

Often I then find myself in these places, these mythical "Shangrila's" of the world and fairly, it's gorgeous, but after a while seems disappointing-Niagara Falls..seriously..you're water going over an edge-.

What I do remember are scenes like, sitting in the Highline writing an epic diary entry. Waiting by the sidelines of my first Milonga. Reading in Sweetwaters. Making epic treks from AA to NYC on a bus with chinese people who do not speak mandarin. Searching the streets for the original Magnolia Bakery. These are the stories I pull out that touched me in some way, because the convergence of purpose and emotion. Concoctions of life. Like those boozy milkshakes. So perfect.