Old World Charm in Geneva Despite constantly trying different accommodations in Geneva, I’ve never been impressed with any of its apartments offerings on Airbnb until I managed to book this old world charm. I was incredibly lucky, this apartment is usually always booked. But I was determined this time to keep searching until I found […]
I initially knew Sri Lanka only in terms of its conflict since 2007. My first exposure to the concept of displacement, war and persecution was through the testimonies of those who fled this island. Their resilience, intelligence and desire for a better beginning always impressed me. I also wrote a 30,000 word thesis on a […]
Malacca Melange Often touted as one of the most historical city in Malaysia, Malacca (Melaka) certainly reflects its past in its architecture. No trip to this city situated about 1 1/2 hours away from KL can be considered complete without a stroll down Jonkers Street. We went here close to the Chinese New Year season […]
We took this trip back in 2012. I had some vague recollection of a childhood family holiday here but as an adult with a fresh lens of the country, it all seemed so much more meaningful and special of course. Izmir in general had a wonderful Mediterranean coastal town vibe – laid back, easy, simple, […]
Oh so modern Concrete jungles oppress me. Physically it feels like an assault – the first time I stepped out onto the streets of Hong Kong and came face to face with her collection of sky scraping towers (after having just left the magical dream that was Shanghai) I actually felt like something was pushing […]
Old and New The old and the new is what the Montreal facade seems to be about. The exit staircases outside the buildings are also one of her idiosyncrasies. I wish I spent more time observing and photographing the different styles of Montreal’s properties but this is all I’ve got so far. Enjoy!
Windows of Geneve I never truly paid much attention to Geneva’s architecture and to be honest I still don’t know how to describe it. My German comrade defines it as ‘Southern’ but I can’t be sure what that truly means. Wikipedia indicates that it is a confluence of Romanesque, Classicism and Gothic but my crude […]
Introduction I’ve attached a year to this post because the fact is, this enigmatic country will continue to be an aesthetic feature in this blog going forward, hence the need to confine this update as discoveries of 2014. By this time I had already experienced India to some extent, having lived in Delhi for almost […]
AirBnb Choice in Prague This Prague apartment impressed us not just because of its perfect location in the Old Town but also because of it’s extraordinarily high ceilings (maybe more than 20 feet?) its gorgeous facade and also the beautiful courtyard garden of the property. Perhaps it’s a pretty conventional place for Prague, but we […]
Muddy Confluence I always assumed Kuala Lumpur was one of the more overlooked cities in the region so was pleasantly surprised (albeit vaguely perplexed) that she was rated the 10th most visited city in the world by the Euromonitor International, trailing behind New York(!) which was ranked at number 9. Proud as I am of […]
A tale of two neighbourhoods Harrods and Portobello Market are about four tube stops from each other but speak of two different Londons. Uber Luxury and Uber Boho. As I sort of self identify with this whole Les Bobos phenomenon (bourgeoisie and bohemian) both give me equal amounts of aesthetic pleasure. Here are her best […]
Architectural Fantasy For a facade lover like myself, Prague was a place where my camera ran out of batteries fast. As I understand it, the city’s architecture is a melange of Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, Art Nouveau etc. We arrived at night but could already get a sense of how there was an intriguing majesty about […]
Doors and windows of the world I never really used to pay so much attention to the external details of London’s properties, but usually assumed the English architectural facade is much like her people – calm and stately with no frills or flamboyance. This time around, with the time and inclination to keep going through […]
There is a French excess in this blog, admittedly but what can I say, it is a photogenic country and coincidentally, Paris happens to be a European capital I’ve visited twice in the past year. This post is more or less a visual diary of this September’s observations of the city. I had the privilege […]
The resident of this delightful Haussman habitat curates her wandering history in every crevice and texture of her living space. Enjoy these exquisite accents from different corners of the atlas as much as I did!
In 2015, we did a road trip from Kuala Lumpur to Penang Island, and also took my mother in law to Singapore. The terrain is one of rich green rainforest and the architecture is full of post colonial accents. For me, it is ultimately, the region of which I call home. Enjoy some of these […]
My dear and old friend (we are nervous to admit that it’s now been almost two decades of friendship and what that means about our present age) has always been, amongst other forms of inspiration, one of my introductions to European art and literature. Of Prussian-Anglo origin, she opened the window of Herman Hesse, Schubert, […]
Given how art touches even a dust bin in a petrol station in Bali, it’s no surprise that her doors are also symbols of intricate carvings and rich colours. These are my favourite Balinese doors.
Another one of those Local Entries posts. Mundane for some, positively exotic for me. Love the different and elaborate design for doors all over France, and these were good enough to capture.
Last summer, we were utterly besotted by 12 days of these turquoise waters at the Cote d’Azur. Read more about our Riviera Summer under Riviera Anecdotes – 12 Days of Beauty and Riviera Anecdotes – Mougin but in this post, it’s all about the Aesthetics! If you are allergic to words, then drop by Quirks […]
A temple town which sits on an elevation, sprinkled with the intricate beauty that a kingdom of spiritual artisans can produce. I couldn’t walk past anything in Chiang Mai without needing to inspect, stare and photograph. Admittedly I don’t always connect with some of their art work (at times there are too many whirls, curls […]
I’ll need to start the post by explaining these were taken back in 2012, when I didn’t own a proper camera. I had already begun my windows-doors-arches fetish by then but had no plans to compile them. So ultimately, they are not the most compelling of photographs, even if this is your type of interest. […]
This is a brief Aesthetic post on the boutique hotel in Nice, La Ville Nice Promenade. It’s on Rue Saint Phillippe, 5 minutes bus ride from the Gare and 3 minute walk to the Promenade. I will eventually write a post on our week in the two most visited towns of the French Riviera – […]
Ernest Zacharevic is a Lithuanian artist trained in London and was commissioned by the Penang Municipality Council to invigorate the streets of Georgetown with his art in 2012. His focus is on the dynamics between art and the urban landscape. I was impressed with how he could bring life to a local culture despite being […]
French colonial style, and full of feminine colours…Luang Prabang gave me a lot of material to photograph for my local Doors and Windows collection, and this comes as a follow up to my previous entry on the same topic. I love the pastels, the lattice and the shutters. I’ll be updating on a post about […]
The French are so good at elevating the most banal matter to something desirable. It’s like the language. You can basically say I need to post a letter and still sound like you solved an existential quandary. It’s trivial and essentially just beauty for the sake of beauty. But these are the things that stops me […]
These were hung in a corridor of the Eastern Oriental hotel in Georgetown, Penang. Penang island is one of those must-see places of Malaysia. I would love to write more about it as it’s one of those cities that has a lot to offer in terms of history, architecture, cultural aesthetics, beach relaxation not to […]