As we wander, we wonder
Because Bangkok is a city of so much diversity, describing her food scene is probably best done in two themes – trendy dining catered for the urbane crowd and just good wholesome local fare for everyone. The first post will start with her trendy dining outlets. These are 5 of my best experiences. The Blue […]
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There are some words and sayings which seems to perfectly describe what you never even knew you felt. In this scenario, the sentiment precedes the words. You already experienced it inside, and the word or quote declares it out loud. And then there are the quotes that resonates with your aspirations and guides your evolution. […]
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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.
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Hanoi was the first city we visited in our 1 week trip to Vietnam. It was my second Indochina experience and I initially thought it would be somewhat similar to the cool, relaxed vibe of Siem Reap. Obviously I soon realised that Hanoi and Siem Reap could not be more different. In general, I found […]
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This extract is based largely on a few true stories, with some details amended to protect privacies. It is written with the objective of reflecting the reality for millions of people in this world, and not to focus on any one single individual. It was shared with me by a beautiful soul from the Jasmine […]
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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.
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Seminyak is not one of my ultimate favourite spots in Bali but it’s a semi rites-of-passage visit that I somehow feel compelled to arrange for newcomers to Bali. I lump it in the ‘party heaven’ category, beloved by tribes from the Southern Hemisphere and if that is your type of adventure then by all means, […]
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“The blood of women, children and old people shall not stain your victory. Do not destroy a palm tree, nor burn houses and cornfields with fire, and do not cut any fruitful tree.” The First Caliph, Abu Bakr (Dieter Fleck, The Handbook of Humanitarian Law in Armed Conflict, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2004, p. 14.) […]
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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 […]
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Throwaway descriptions of Cambodia often include ‘Angkor Wat’ ‘Genocide Museum’ and ‘Beautiful People’ and I am no exception. We went there for an extended weekend and were told that we would be mystified by the people and the ambiance. Sure enough once I got into a taxi to head for the hotel, I felt pushed […]
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For almost a decade, I used to live within and breathe the soul of London. Today, it seems clear that she is beautiful only as a memory of an unfinished self. Lost, ambitious, capitalistic and incapable of true empathy. It’s sort of how I would describe myself as a teenager, and sort of how I […]
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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 […]
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French Summer, 2017 For us, Cote d’Azur was ravishing in every way. I had always, always wanted to go but never wanted to attempt it as a student because well… it’s the kind of place you want to stroll around romantically with your life partner, no? When you feel more of a grown up, […]
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Escaping the Bubble Recently I realised I was living in a bubble. I was offended by my own self-realisation when I discovered this, as I’d gotten so used to proudly defining my identity as one who had seen and been with global extremes but that was ultimately an exercise of conceited self delusion. My daily life, […]
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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. […]
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The Lanna Kingdom is our favourite place in Thailand. It’s what I would describe a Thai version of Ubud + Luang Prabang – an artisan temple town, set on a hilly terrain with much to see and do as you stroll around an old town and within a serene atmosphere. As is always the case […]
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Alora.We’ve gone through the whole reel now really. Delhi was the First Love, Ankara the Big Love, Bangkok the Convenient Rebound and Jakarta was pretty much The One You Marry. Many say this is what happens in the trajectory of those who sailed around the world only to realize that her heart lay deep with […]
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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 – […]
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Shanghai was the first city I visited in the mainland of People’s Republic of China and I was completely disarmed by her. Many have told me that Shanghai isn’t perhaps the most accurate reflection of China so I guess I will need to explore other parts of this vast country to understand her better. For […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Montparnasse When trying to figure out where to stay, I initially really wanted to stay at the 1st, 7th, 8th or 16th arrondissement (Champs Elysee, St. Honore, St. Dominique, Trocadero or St Germain). Yes, I am a super conventional traveler and definitely less of an alternative off-the-beaten path wanderlust. But it was hard to find a […]
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The United States of America has always been a polarising world player and millions argue that her foreign policy has been so duplicitous, self-serving and deeply destructive to millions of those who lay behind ‘enemy’ lines or was an inconvenient collateral damage to their pursuit for more power and control. There is also popular anger […]
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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 […]
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It’s trite to love this UNESCO heritage town so much but I guess cliches come from some kernel of truth or at least a repeated sentiment by a collection of observers. For me, it’s definitely my favourite town in the Indo-China strip. It doesn’t have the breathtaking silhouette of Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat or the […]
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While Delhi was my First Love, and Ankara was my Big Love, I pretty much define Bangkok as a Convenient Rebound. I can’t say I love Bangkok but I have become familiar with her and she was a convenient duty station. That’s not to say that it is not a fabulous place to live in, […]
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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 […]
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Looking for The Higher Self 