click photo to enlarge.
It was the perfect way to start the day. I woke up to a knock on my front door.
A box of delights was sent from afar, by an angel who’s close to my heart.
It is little delight like this that makes life beautiful.
What was the delight that made your day?
Mr K had Scotch Fillet, served medium-rare on a bed of baked potatoes with red wine, cracked pepper and peppercorn sauce, while I opted for my fish of the day, grilled with lemon, served with cauliflowers and potatoes.
We went to this little Italian restaurant called Invito which is located at the Chancery in Auckland CBD last weekend. The restaurant provides both indoor and outdoor dining. Lovely place to relax and enjoy fine dining on a lazy spring afternoon. We were there late afternoon and opted for the open-air area as it was quite a sunny day, the ambiance was quiet and nice. The food was exceptional with great service. I especially love their tiramisu, it’s probably one of the best I’ve had in a while, very rich yet not too sweet. This place is definitely one of my favourite hang-out places, absolutely divine! Drool away people! 
It’s happy Friday again! Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Sunset over Civic Theatre click photo to enlarge.
5:52pm . Sunday . Queen Street
People hurrying away home, preparing for the week’s start.
A stray of orange clouds appear in the sky, over the heritage Civic Theatre.
I stroll along the street, observing the beauty that is the city.
Sunset came and went away, so beautiful, yet so quickly.
Like many things, it’s gone before we even realised it’s there.
Carpe diem! Seize the day!
The day started with drizzles as I decided to go for a walk in the city.
I am always bedazzled by skies reflected on the many buildings. They seem so surreal.
Strolling down the busy street, I found a corner in a café and sat down leisurely watching the day goes by. It was fascinating to watch people passing by. They all seemed to have a story to tell. There’s the little girlie with her lollipop, the teenager with a frown, that middle age man with an emotionless face, and an old lady with an amiable smile. Time and again, I found myself deep in my thoughts, wondering about their life stories.
A sip of latte. A taste of the mellow cheesecake. My fair share of loot from winter sale.
Life, as of this moment, is great.
Rain falling down in stream, forming a river running deep into my heart;
Di Da Di Da, the melody plays on, of the psychedelic sound of yesteryear.
It’s been raining on and off the whole day, gloomy clouds and blue skies alternate in the space up above. Sitting by the window, the droplets of rain caught my eyes. Every single one of them seemed to be the same yet so different, forming dots that dazzled under the rays of the occasional sunshine.
As I was mesmerized by the psychedelic dots, a song started to loop in my mind. It’s not particularly special, yet seemed so fitting on such a day. The melody brought me back to those innocent years of youth, when everything was much simpler and free of worries. For a minute I lost track of time and space, I seemed to be back in those days, feeling the droplets of rain falling on me once more, round and round I twirled in the rain like I used to, into that golden year that seemed so faraway.
coming soon:
click photo to enlarge.
It was not a particularly eventful day, just one of those days when there was so much on my mind. I just wanted to get away. So off I went for a walk around the neighborhood, randomly snapping away. Along the way, I saw a familiar red van parked by the roadside. A postie was clearing the mails. I contemplated whether to approach him. It was then our eyes met and a smile greeted me. We struck a conversation and he kindly let me take some pictures. A few clicks later, I thanked him and we parted ways. As I saw the van disappear into the horizon, a smile blossomed on my face. It’s amazing how a kind gesture from a stranger can affect us. The brief encounter certainly brighten my day.
Fresh air, friendly souls. It’s wonderful how little it takes to put things back in perspective. On the way back, I saw the most breathtaking scene. Thus the story behind my previous pictorial post ‘Shadows in the sun‘. It was also the very same day I took the picture in the post ‘Window of innocence‘.
Let’s slow down our steps to do a second take, to admire the things around us. For good things come in small ways.
A hauntingly beautiful view of the park in the afternoon. click photo to enlarge
The sun finally came out Monday afternoon, winds blew away the gloomy clouds.
Rays shining through tall trees towering from a distance, casting long shadows on the emerald field.
Walking along the familiar path, relaxing myself in the lush atmosphere,
I detected a mist of sweetness in the air.
The storm didn’t come, it’s a good day after all.
Share with me, my friends, your relaxing moments of the day.
當我獨自漫步，聽風的歌，看影子舞動。生活也就如此，悠然。
View outside my bedroom window. click photo to enlarge
It’s been a very wet and gloomy winter down under, raining more than usual. The weather pattern surely has changed dramatically in the past few years. Auckland weather can be very unpredictable. With the sun shining one minute, and gloomy clouds roaming the next. Climate over here is direct opposite to those in the northern hemisphere, with summer starting from December to February, autumn March to May, winter June to Aug and spring September to November. While the weather here is generally temperate, mainly maritime, summery sun can be quite unbearable. Though the general temperature seldom hits the 30 Celsius mark, the UV levels are very high due to its closer proximity to the sun at that time of the year. It is really not advisable to expose oneself under the hot sun for a prolonged period of time, even if sunscreens are applied.
Coming from the tropics, the thing I enjoy the most about living in the temperate climate is the many colours that comes with it. While summer is too harsh, winter too gloomy and spring too garish, autumn yields the perfect season for me. It is then when everything turns colourful and breezy. The whole town seems to turn into a big dazzling picture, with coolness in the air and leaves swaying on trees in shades/hues of reds and yellows. Even the most unromantic people will feel the poetic moments in the air. A walk in the park is most pleasurably at this time of the year. I always feel a little surreal emerging amongst the breezy air and splendid colours of the season. It never fails to amaze me.
On another note, forecast said another storm is heading our way. This gloomy winter weather is killing all my fun to get out of the house for some decent photo shoots. Somehow the sun only comes out occasionally during the weekdays and rains all day long in the weekends! The sky pretty much looks like the above picture lately, albeit a little less dramatic (what to do, I’m all about drama!), but still, gloom! I’m just going to roll into bed and hibernate.
