the sunday currently vol. 4

Currently...

Reading

Only a few pages away from finishing The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I have been folding some of its pages as tabs so I could flip through the ideas that I thought were very wise when I want to re-read them (e.g., It's easy to be heavy; hard to be light).

Writing

Queenie and I have agreed to write prompts again four times a week. We have completed the first week, but I completely failed on the second week because I did not have any time to even open my laptop when I get home at night. Topics vary, depending on the second word of Huffington Post's headline of the day :)

Listening

I have been listening to a lot of old school R&B for a dose of nostalgia lately, plus a bunch of instrumental songs to help me get focused while working. Because of the former, I realized that Brandy really knows all the facets and feels of a girl on the verge of falling in and out of love (Sabe??) From Sittin' Up In My Room to Brokenhearted to Have You Ever? I don't think I will ever get out of late 90s/early 2000s music.

Thinking

About how I might have jeopardized a chance. I really need to stop myself from spoiling life's little gifts of fun.

Smelling

These stale barbeque chips beside me.

Wishing

That things are not over.

Hoping

If the aforementioned "things" are not over, that they start/resume and go on naturally, in its rightful time. Also hoping that my finances will cover themselves up, heh.

Wearing

my heart on my sleeve. NOT.

Loving

The travels and activities lying ahead :) I cannot wait to do what I love after weeks of (what seemed to be) never-ending tasks. Also a bit excited for some ways that I thought of to celebrate April! :)

Wanting

To write, and somehow document this current frame of mind/heart.

Needing

A generous time to look inside that tiny viewfinder, squint my other eye, hold my breath and release it two seconds after I press the shutter.

Feeling

Hopeful. As always.

Clicking

Tumblr.

The Sunday Currently blog link-up

hong kong: at night

neighbor walk

once, there was a cat

unforgivable

I have not shot a single frame since March began. Quite unforgivable.

this is how i see it

"This is how I see it. As an artist, it is my responsibility to not have a boring life. To feel deeply. To listen to the stories of strangers. To try new things and go new places. To say yes. To question everything. To find beauty in the commonplace. And to fall in love. Over and over. Because through the highs of love and the lows of heartbreak I truly know what it is to feel."

~Nirrimi

hong kong: tian tan buddha

Because our guided tour will not yet start until the second day of stay in Hong Kong, I decided that we first make a trip to Ngong Ping Village while we were on our own. Since I was the one who booked this trip (who else) blindly for my parents (I booked them without them knowing, not as a surprise, but because I had to catch an airfare promo quickly haha), I racked my brain on the whole planning stage.

It was my first out-of-country trip with the two of them, so the pressure to keep things on the itinerary tidy was ON. And to make it a bit easier for me, I booked the cable car trip online, days before our departure. Thanks to my traveling gods and angels, I have managed to bring us from the hotel to the MTR, to the cable car, and finally to this village smoothly (you can see here that I can't help but to feed the pressure of making my parents see that they have nurtured an awkward but decent [still questionable] human being who can travel outside the comforts of her own country.).

One of the Offering of Six Devas

One thing that I've liked about Hong Kong, as most people did I guess, is you can have the best of both worlds -- the bustling side, and the calm side. These sides, and the transition between them were both apparent in our MTR ride from our hotel in Yau Ma Tei to Tung Chung station, which is the end point of the orange line.

We went on the 268-step climb to the Tian Tan Buddha (aka Giant Buddha) slowly -- because I did not see any other option than doing so haha (a wobbly non-athletic person can come up with many excuses as you know), and also because the trees and plants on the way to and from the top are also worth the attention as the giant destination was.

The Po Lin Monastery viewed from the steps of Tian Tan Buddha

go cook yourself

the sunday currently vol. 3

Currently...

Reading

I began March with David Nicholls' Starter for Ten, which, by the feel of it, is probably not going to stick with me for the rest of the month. So I decided to start The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, which I just picked up yesterday despite having four other books in my reading queue. I feel ashamed for being this way, but sometimes, it really just depends on your reading category mood.

Writing
is still as elusive as it was to me 10 years ago. I usually laugh at myself and ask if I will ever find my writing voice, and why am I so persistent for thinking that it exists somewhere, to begin with.

Listening
to the whirring sound of the electric fan, barking of the dogs and roaring motors of tricycles in the street.

Thinking

I have been thinking a lot about almost everything recently. From should I sell some of my film cameras? To how far long should I hang on to my day job? To how do I squeeze in photography in a daily basis and what should be my strategy? The things I ask myself should bother me, because it only does involve me. Phew.

Smelling
the black, thick, grease dripping from the engine, waiting to be set in motion for another Monday morning.

Wishing
I wish I do have the same urgency when I am trying to figure out things in my life as to how I can help other people with what I have already figured out for myself. Basically, just to be less engrossed on the details of my own life and really realize that the world is HUGE and there are far more important things that needs to be overanalyzed.

Hoping
to be more present and be mindful, especially with my relationships to people.

Wearing
Oversized shirt and boxers.

Loving
My bestfriend gave me a Mighty Bright book light which will change and add up to the whole reading experience! ♥

Wanting
more quiet, free time to actually write (and not just mind-scribbling all the thoughts on a train ride). Also, to shoot more, if not exclusively with, black and white film.

Needing
Long days and nights of mind-boggling, life-figuring, conversations.

Feeling
Tenderly :)

Clicking
Agoda smart deals :D

The Sunday Currently blog link-up

hong kong: ngong ping village

hong kong: ngong ping 360