The Girl Who Levitates

June 17, 2012 Leave a comment

(Shared by Martin – The girl who levitates – Natsumi Hayashi.  She made it so effortless and natural. Amazing.. she defies laws of gravity in all her levitating shots. Some are almost impossible to mimic. All the photos are very beautiful composed and shot. Very arty and sensual. Her blog says: “Lives in Tokyo with two cats. Photographs mainly levitating self-portraits (and cats not levitating). yowayowa is a Japanese term meaning “weak” or “feeble.” Since I’m yowayowa, it’s really heavy to carry SLR cameras around.” See her beautiful portraits here at: http://yowayowacamera.com/)

Filed under Cool Stuffs

24 Happy Hours

June 16, 2012 4 Comments

Just when I least expected… I received one of the most special birthday gifts of my life – presence of my loved ones (My 139th and 140th new HK visitors – Chester and his friend)! Thanks for making my day so special and unforgettable. I am touched by your blessings and love. Just like what I wrote in my last blog post – “It is never about the gifts I received. It is about the people I love and miss most. It is their presence I long for.” Thank you very very much!

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong, Wahbiang

You are the best gifts of my life

June 15, 2012 Leave a comment



Thanks to all the great birthday wishes I received last year, I had the happiest and the most fulfilling year of my life.  Looking back at all the past year’s blog postings and photographs, I was blessed by all the love showered by God and my loved ones back home. Be it work, love or family life, it has been a colorful and amazing year for me! Every day is a new gift for me. There is always something new to look forward to.

Despite away from home, I had many great reunion times with my wife, son, father, mother and friends. From my last birthday celebration in Gold Coast to icy cold Christmas at Harbin, I have visited many new places with my favorite travel-mates (Kalinda, Tracy, Meijie, Felicia, Elkan and Harshad). Many friends flew in regularly (brothers like Gareth, Francis, Jimmy, Desmond, Meijie, Cousin Bin and Yei) to light up my lonely weekends. 2 visitors I missed most are my dad and mum. In their presence, I felt like their little boy. For some strange reasons, I miss their nagging. It is a great feeling to roam the streets with them, have dinner together and live under one roof. Thanks to my mum, she has been imparting family recipes to me during my past visits back to Singapore.

Whenever there is reunion, there is goodbye. I have a love-hate relationship with both Changi and Hong Kong airports. Despite so many years and countless farewells, I admit it is not my strongest attribute. I still find saying goodbye difficult. Especially to my son and wife. (mmm…also my dad and mum too!)

Thanks to all my friends in Hong Kong, they made me feel at home. My clients and my colleagues are wonderful friends. Not to forget that I have the 2 most faithful and supportive souls around me everyday – Harshad and Tracy. Gosh, I see both of you every minute of my life for the last 3 years (okay, maybe not for Harshad.. Sorry that I abused you badly at work.) Back in Singapore and Shanghai, I have a group of friends that I can 100% count on. They are always there whenever I need them.

Looking back at all my birthdays. It is never about the gifts I received. It is about the people I love and miss most. It is their presence I long for and not the presents they give.

It is my birthday today and I want to say a big thank you to all of you. Thanks for filling my days with so many colorful memories, tons of whatsapp/QQ/Facebook messages. You are one of the key reasons why my blog exists! Thanks for being there with me during my low and high periods. Thanks for being there with me virtually, physically or sometimes durianfully. Thanks for understanding me so much (in fact, I don’t quite understand myself as much as you do). And thanks for remembering my birthday (even though quite a few of you sent me greetings 2-3 days earlier..including my mum!) You are the best gifts of my life. And thanks for another 365 happier days.

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong, Life in Singapore, Wahbiang

Rooooaarrr….My name is “Made in China”

June 10, 2012 Leave a comment

(Photo Taken: An installation art by Chinese artist Sui Jianguo – Harbour City, Kowloon Hong Kong -  China has been producing million tons of toys for the world. Sadly, many consumers do not remember the brand names of these Chinese-made toys. What consumers constantly see is the mark “Made in China”. Sui Jianguo’s inspiration came from the tiny toy dinosaurs that are mass-produced in China. He transforms these cheap, plastic objects into a monumental work of art. Since the words “Made in China” is more recognizable that any other Chinese brand names, Sui decided to name his iconic dinos “Made in China”. These “M.I.C.” dinos aren’t cheap at all. In 2008, the gold Dino was auctioned for HKD650,000. Now, that is quite a massive name.)

Filed under Life in Hong Kong

The Walking Dead (of Democracy) II

June 10, 2012 Leave a comment

(Photo Taken: 10th June Protest, Hong Kong – Marching blindfolded, thousands of people took on the street today in black and white to mourn the recent mysterious death of Chinese labor activist, Li Wangyang. Li was arrested on 9th June 1989 for his advocacy for independent trade unions. He was imprisoned behind “labor camp” for the past 20 years. It was reported he hung himself in the hospital 1 year after his release. His “mysterious suicide” raised suspicions amongst the other activists who demand the Chinese government for explanation and investigation.)

Filed under Life in Hong Kong

Wish you can read this.

June 10, 2012 Leave a comment

Wish you can see this.
The great assembly of your loved ones.
Your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Your siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Your friends and neighbors.
We are all here by your side.

Wish you can hear this.
Your loved ones calling out to you.
In tears and joys.
Our deepest gratitude and respect.
Reminiscing our good times with you.

Wish you know this.
The unity of your dividing family.
The deep love we have for you.
Your triumphs. Our celebrations.
For the great legacy you left behind.
Your words, your spirit. Your kindness. Your strength.
Lives on forever in our hearts.

Wish you can be here.
To cook our favorite Chinese New Year dishes.
To spend time with our children like the old days when you cared for us.
To remind us to be good and live a good life like you did.
To let us celebrate your birthday once more.
To keep this big family intact.

Wish you can forgive me.
For being late to say goodbye.
For not being with you at your final hour.
For not telling you how much I love you.

 

(4th JUNE – 5th JUNE 2012 – Over the weekend, I was very worried for my granny. Desperate and despair, I took a night flight out of Hong Kong to Singapore on Monday. The next morning, Felicia, Elkan and I boarded the first bus to Muar, Malaysia. We were on our way in when Felicia answered a call. Her expression told me everything I need to know. Auntie Amy was on the other side of the line. Felicia handed me the phone. My heart sank. I was late for my granny. 3 hours late. My hopes to see her one last time were shattered. It was a dreadful and painful slow ride to Muar. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I sat quietly alone, trying to hide my emotions from my little boy. Elkan was the antidote to our sadness. He kept us distracted with his sunny smiles and hugs. Goodbye Popo. Thanks for hanging on for me. Sorry I was late. )

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts

Granny

June 2, 2012 1 Comment

It is a dark weekend for all of us. Yesterday afternoon, I received a bad news from my cousin, Leon. My granny in Muar fell into a coma and is dying. She was in perfect health when my families gathered in Bintan last year. She has always been cheerful, bubbly, and energetic.

To keep our families from worrying, my mum kept my granny’s illness a secret. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer a while ago. My mum, aunties and uncles didn’t want her to occupy too much thoughts about her health. Depression and negativeness would make worse for her illness. Thus, they tried all ways to keep her spirits high and happy. Somehow, this formula worked. For a long while, my granny was in high spirits until recently, the cancer cells prevailed and took over her frail body. She eventually collapsed into a coma yesterday.

I called my mum yesterday and she told me to be strong and happy. “There is nothing to be sad about. Don’t worry about granny. It is her time for her to move on. She has had a great life and she wants us to be happy too. We should celebrate her passing instead of grieve.” My mum reminded me how short life is and we should live a great life like my granny. She has been a tough lady, bringing up 9 children all by herself. She is blessed with 17 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Her words and strength moved me to tears. Trying hard to hold my sadness and tears, I couldn’t find my voice to answer her. My mum almost couldn’t hear me further, as I was choking in tears. Thinking the line went off, she hanged up the call.

It was an unbearable night.  I couldn’t sleep well, kept thinking of my granny. I was browsing all the old photographs of my granny the whole night. Just realised I didn’t have a lot of photos of her. She visited us in Hong Kong 2 years ago. And that was the last time we met and chatted. Every time we meet, she will always remind me to live life fruitfully.. stay healthy and be happy. (And I did – all these years – trying to balance my life, keep them colorful for my family and loved ones.) Sadly, these farewell shots at the Hong Kong Airport Express are the last I took of her.

Granny, no matter how bad and uncertain life can be, I will live positively, strongly and happily like you did. I miss you so much.

 

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts

Golden Headlines

June 1, 2012 Leave a comment

(Crowbar Awards 2002, Gold Copy-writing – I thought I have lost them when I renovated my house back in 2002. Just found these old award-winning ads which I wrote back in 2002 when I was still a creative.)

Filed under Jo's Thoughts

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