#13. Hee! =)

My desktop wallpapers make me happy. I hope yours make you happy too~

#10. Inspired.

Really cool way to invoke a sense of space and natural-ness, in a bit where there is none.

Remember This Moment.

Right now, at this very point in time...

- I have a job that I love, that I'm recognisably good at.
- My health is on the right side of average, all my bits are in the right place and nothing is falling off.
- I have an incredible network of friends and family, literally all over the world. They are never far away.
- I am financially solvent, a world apart from the state of affairs only half a year ago.
- I am completely debt free, apart from that owed to my ever-underrated parents.
- I am completely independent, my decisions are all mine - I accept all inputs and yet I get to have the final say.
- I have completely accepted my past, all its peaks and troughs, there is no longer truly any part that I regret.
- I have a great idea of where I want to go, and even more excited that I can't see the path.
- My wants and desires all fall into the "great to have, but fine without" box.
- I've learnt to throw away the "want so badly, it makes me sad that I am without" trap.
- I've learnt to embrace all my ambitions, ranging from...
..the frivolous... [a hammock]
..the next logical step... [a fridge]
..the not-too distant future... [a self-sustaining business]
..the roadmap... [a teahouse empire. a world-class team. a treehouse]


Right now, at this very point in time...
..I am exactly where I want to be.
..I am exactly where I choose to be.
..I am exactly, purely, utterly...
..content.
..happy.
..at peace.


Ahhh.

*smile*

cccxxvii) Distractions: Tasty Edition.

When in pain; Cook.

ccxciv) My Word.

People often ask me what the hell I'm doing here when my girl is all the way over there.

A while back, before I'd ever left England, I made a promise to myself that I would live in at least three different countries before 'growing up'.

She makes me wanna grow up to be the kinda person who never lies... and always keeps his promises.

ccxlviii) Wallpapers.

Ahh shush. I love her.

cl) Window Noir.

Hmm... must go bigger...

cxlii) Recurring Themes.

Ahh, now it feels like home.

cxxxvi) Long Lost...!

Not ashamed to admit I actually let out an audible gasp of delight when I saw this lil beauty. In such good condition too! Disregarding the busted side skirt, the wonky front bumper and that the driver was a fellow rocking a mullet in the 21st century - the little 500 was positively gleaming!

Much respect. (^^)b




...a lil bit of context - a pic of My First Car:


*sigh* I miss thee.

xcviii) 無限.

Looked up today.

xxviii) Little Big Heads.

Sometimes you just need to take a break with some giant eyeball action.

#328: Pure Bliss.

Ahh, the envy.

#303: Sunshine.

This is my Marshmallow.

Everyday. I miss her that lil bit more.

#295: Banana. Pineapple. Papaya.

Ahhh my sweet, how I've missed you so. How have you been? They've been treating you well I hope. Don't worry honey, I'm here now. I'm gonna fill you with all that I know you like.

Know me. Know my blender.

#272: Taipei, I Love You.

For a city that I'd never heard of before I came, and for a country where half the time people are mistaking for Thailand - this tiny island has proved itself to be pretty magical. It's like the best kept secret in the Pacific.

More than anything else, it'd have to be the people that has made this particular stop something special.

I've met with, lost touch with, kept in contact with, bumped into, drank with, ate with, danced with, travelled with, sang with, swam with, rowed with, walked with, climbed with, shot with, ran with, played with and laughed with some of the most awesome people in the world here. I love all you guys. Seriously each and every one of you peoples have shaped this experience into what it is and me into what I've become (That's right, I'm blaming you guys).

If it wasn't for a promise I made to myself before I left England, I probably wouldn't be leaving Taiwan now.

For sure this ain't goodbye...

See ya later, 我的台灣朋友.



Actually I have to come back. There's one last thing that I can't quite bring with me yet.

She couldn't fit in my suitcase.

#224: This Is The Difference.

With the others, I always developed this nagging feeling that I'd eventually be dragging them down.

With this one though, this one has a purity so complete that it simply overwhelms any corrupting influence I might emanate.

Instead, this one brings me up.

That is the difference.

#211: Live Forever.

Two weeks ago, I received a phone call from my mother that my grandmother had entered a serious condition while she was in hospital. My mother said she might not make it through the night. My grandmother thought otherwise.

Within the next couple of the days, I was on the plane back home and by my grandmothers side. When I arrived, she was the weakest I had ever seen her, but still coherent enough to recognise me. Every few days, we would get an urgent phone call from the hospital and every few days, my grandmother would show them just what she was made of.

At eight minutes past midnight this morning Grandma Lee passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was able to see all of her children by her side before she joined Grandad Lee.

It's strange to think that while we might not have shared the same kind of relationship as we did with Grandad Lee, she's probably the grandparent I've inherited most of my core traits from - from her stubborn refusal-to-give-up-attitude to her stubborn... stubbornness. She also used to have that boiling-pot temper that a few people might recognise... heh!

Not understanding the concept of retirement, at 83yrs old my grandmother woke up at 5am every day to go to work in the family business, nobody forced her - she just decided that she wasn't gonna stop no matter what anybody said. In her more coherent moments in the hospital, she would still be asking about matters in the factory and checking that things were hunky dory.

More than anything else, Grandma Lee taught me loyalty, dedication and bloody well sticking to your commitments.

So that's where comes from.

---

Grandma Lee was the last of my grandparents to move on up.
Grandad Lee is gonna have to start behaving himself again. =)

- Grandma Lee (1927-2010) -
- Grandad Lee (1928-2009) -
- Grandma Lau (1926-2008) -
- Grandad Lau (1921-2005) -

---

#174: A Forgotten Favourite.

Searching my old xanga for an obscure reference to a now-saved-for-later post, I came across this old poem that I had originally instantly fell in love with. As applicable now as it always was then. Definitely worth a repost:

It's called flowers wilt.
It's called apples rot.
It's called thieves get rich and saints get shot.
It's called God don't answer prayers a lot.
Alright, now you know.

- Stephen Sondheim, Merrily We Roll Along

Captures quite sweetly that cheerful-cynical-bastard attitude that this cynical optimist loves so much. Me likey... (^^)b

#167: This Is Why She's My Marshmallow.

After the news that Toy Story 3 was sold out, we decided to just jump on the bike and ride into the mountains. With no destination in mind, we stopped off after an hour or so at a quaint lil spot called "Little Oil Pit", which despite the name... was quite a scenic little area.

While we were sitting there enjoying the rare sunshine and taking in the views, amongst the curious kiddies and disapproving old grannies - we pulled out our DS's and had a few games of multiplayer Puzzle Bobble.

I've found someone who feels just as at ease at bringing out a Gameboy in the middle of nowhere as they would at home. And it's magic.

When mountain hiking, it always amuses me to see other hiker's reactions when I bring out my DS along with my regular outdoorsy stuff, there's always the look of, "Why did you bring that?!"

Heh.

I actually love hiking and going up high altitudes as much as I love my games and geekery. All I'm doing is combining my loves...

Think of your favourite dessert, a tiramisu, or a trifle, or something. Imagine eating that in your house, makes you smile, doesn't it?

Now imagine sitting in a meadow, under a warm blue sky, breeze blowing across the grass, and you're sharing that dessert with the person or the people that you love.

Magic.

#160: That Swishy Swooniness.

Gotta say (and I don't say it often enough)... but The Marshmallow looked mighty

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in her new dress today.

Dunno whether it's coz I have such great taste in buying dresses...

...or that she just happens to look good in pretty much anything she puts on.


Probably the latter, but I'm gonna go with both. (Always order both!)

(^^)v