ccxlvi) The Music In Our World.

I can see the sounds...

ccxvii) Galaxies.

Where's a Hubble when you really need one?

Simply, incredible.

ccx) Twinkle Twinkle.

Look at the numbers of stars picked up by the camera and triple the density of lights in the sky.

That's how many stars we could see from the desert.

clxvii) Whatcha Lookin' At?

I'm gonna start a new trend of just sticking a lens in baby faces.

cxxxiv) Always Watching.

Awww, he looks so settled already.

cix) The Chocolate Factory.

Those Oompa Loompas sure are crafty.

cviii) On A Jet Plane.

This is not where you think it is~

lxii) Shall We Begin?

Last time I touched Java was in 1999. Erk.

liv) Travel Companions.

Man, I remember when everything I wore had some form of velcro on it.
Those were the days.

xiv) Grr, Lil Sis!!!

For all the kudos I get for having lived in three different countries. My little sister will still be the one who's currently living in her fourth. Goddammit!

#365: Three Hundred and Sixty Five.

I'm sitting on the bank of the Thames directly opposite the London Eye with the Marshmallow waiting for the New Years countdown to begin.

We're right at the very front of the very, very large crowd and we're passing the time with a coupla hours of multiplayer NDS action.

We just watched the New Years fireworks in Taiwan off my phone and keeping in touch with friends and family via Facebook.

To those that know me... there really couldnt have been any other way I would've entered 2011 with my gf in England would there?

Happy 2011 Everybody. =)

#344: Arbitrariness.

So here's an odd dilemma.

On the one hand, I've been saying that I'll be leaving in January...

On the other hand, I've got options to go snowboarding with my cousin, and storm around the Autobahn and tackle the Nurburgring with my Uncle.

In February.

#311: It's Fluidic.

Hmm... maybe Peru.

#256: Rediscovering My East/West.

When I first started learning Mandarin, one of the first things we learnt was that the Chinese word for 'thing' or 'something' was 東西 (Dong Xi), aka 'East West'.

This struck me as something quite quirky and poetic in that ancient Chinesey ethereal way. It became one of my favourite mental concepts as the image of two opposite directions that encompasses all things, both physical and abstract is a pretty profound knock on the head.

It was also something completely new to me, coz in spoken Cantonese, we refer to generic things as 嘢 (Ye).

That was until I was speaking to my Mum one day and I referred to a random object in the kitchen. Then I realised I'd just used the 東西 form of 'thing' in Chinese.

I speak to my Mum in Hakka, and in Hakka, we don't say 嘢, we say 東西.

I'd actually been using both forms all my life and to that point in time, I'd never realised that 'Doong Xee' in Hakka was in fact 東西, East West.

It took me coming to Taiwan and learning a third form of Chinese to make the connection.
Blew my mind.

#235: BYO Oyster.

Waitasec... Why am I limiting myself to just Argentina?

Shouldn't I check to see what's available in all of Sudamérica before I finalise just where I wanna plonk my bum??

#232: Todo List.

- Finish out my contract.
- Pack up the apartment.
- Sell off extraneous bits (Anyone wanna buy a scooter, a motorbike or a dustbuster?).
- Figure out if I wanna pass through Bangkok, Bali or HK on the way back to England.
- Fly "home".

See: De-Clutter.

#172: Altitude.

One of the reasons why I like going to high places so much is that it has a knack for putting everything in perspective. Everything is just toy cars and model trees from that kinda height.

The challenge is in retaining that perspective after you get back down...

#161: Saving It For That Special Someone.

The Marshmallow and I are concert virgins - I've been to open-air festivals before, but never an actual arena with a main headlining act.

So when the chance to see Usher in Taipei pops up - on our 1yr anniversary no less - we could think of no more perfect person to go celebrate the date with.

...how he knew that the day we became a couple was on the 4th July, I'll never know. It's uncanny, really. Can't think of no other reason why he'd be in Taipei on that date. Nope. None at all. Nada.

It's gotta be just for us. Only possible reason. Yup.

#135: Biznatches.

That simple urban definition prompted a crazy uncontrollable laughing fit last night.

First one I've had in a while...

Now if these could be made once-a-month-mandatory.

We'd definitely be living in a lighter place.

Heh!

#118: Deja VuVu.

Singapore has me all mixed up.

You get off at the absolutely ma-hoo-ssive shiny airport and get on the MRT, which is essentially exactly the same as Hong Kong's MTR, trains, signs and everything, but with the name of Taipei's MRT.

Passing through the suburbs I kept thinking I was in HK as well.

Then I got into the city centre... and stepped straight out onto Sydney, Australia.

With the mix of languages, the wide roads, the overall atmosphere... blindfold a person, drop them into either one of the two cities and they'd be hard pressed to identify which one they're in.

It's spooky. Seriously, somebody get me a blindfold and a jet. I got some experimentin' to do.