Bali is one of the few cultures with origins in one of the great ancient cultures which is still alive.

26.01.2010-30.01.2010

kuta, bali

i love bali.

seriously... :)

The Best Wedding Locations in Australia

Every bride and groom wants to get married in a unique and romantic location. Whilst overseas locations can be very exotic they can also be extremely costly and difficult for most guests to attend. Australia has many ideal locations for weddings, whether you fancy a wedding on the beach or in a tropical rainforests why not choose one of the many romantic locations on offer. Here are some suggestions for weddings in Australia.

The North of Queensland is renowned for some of it magical rainforests complete with beautiful waterfalls. So whether its Cairns or Port Douglas you could choose to have your wedding nestled in the rainforest or on the amazing white sandy beaches of the North. Imagine a sunset wedding on the beach in Port Douglas followed by a wedding reception in a marquee. Or for something a little more formal have your reception in one of the many five star resorts Port Douglas has to offer. For your honeymoon you need travel no further as the North of Queensland has all the elements of a romantic honeymoon destination, with the Daintree forest on the one side and the Great Barrier Reef on the other. Your choices of activities are limitless. And if you just want to relax, have a cocktail by the pool.

Why not have a wedding in the Australian outback? What better location than the famous Uluru (Ayers Rock). Imagine Ayers rocks as your backdrop and the magical colours of sunset or sunrise. The photo opportunities would be endless. And every bride would look spectacular with the morning or afternoon sun glistening off her perfect skin. Following the ceremony have a beautiful reception in one of many 5 star resorts nearby.

Getting married in a Botanical garden is another great idea for your wedding location. Australia has many botanical gardens which are perfect to host a wedding. Whether you choose to get married lakeside, or in a butterfly enclosure, by a water sculpture or secluded private garden, there are many choices to suit all tastes. The reception can also be held outdoors on one of many of the landscape gardens or if the weather does not permit then choose from many function rooms the gardens have on offer.

The Zoo is another great location to have your wedding ceremony and reception. Australia has some fantastic Zoos which have spectacular function rooms or beautiful manicured lawns for both an outdoor or indoor ceremony and reception. Not only can your guests soak up the sights and sounds of the surrounding wildlife but also bask in the tranquil garden setting. Imagine the amazing photo opportunities available in this location with the wildlife and animals as your backdrop.

Theme Parks are another unique place to host a wedding ceremony and reception. The Gold Coast has some of the best theme parks in Australia with Movie world, Dream world and SeaWorld as potential venues. Hire out a section of the park or the entire venue for a truly extraordinary experience.

Monkey Mia in Western Australia is a beautiful location to have a unique wedding ceremony. With the Sandy beaches, palm trees and landscaped garden, you could have a ceremony of your dreams. After your wedding have a reception on the manicured lawns watching the magnificent sunsets. For a more formal affair have the wedding reception celebration in your 5 star resort. You and your guests will be entertained with the numerous activities, such as swimming with the dolphins or exploring Shark Bay on one of many tours. At Monkey Mia you will always have something unique to do.

Australia has one of the most diverse and interesting locations in the world to host a wedding followed by a romantic honeymoon. Not only are we beginning to explore all the attractions Australia has to offer but so are international travelers who are choosing to celebrate their weddings and honeymoons in Australia. Surrounded by some of the most magnificent beaches in the world it is the natural destination for a romantic wedding and honeymoon.

Bad Romance Outfits

Robots

I'm mad too!

Church.Shopping.Visiting.Jogging. :D

TODAY WAS FUN.

Started my day with going to church. I thought I was going to suffer since I slept around 2 yesterday. Didn't happen. Going to get BAPTISED this year. YESSSH!

After that went to KLCC. NICE, MAN. Bought new year clothes. From Miss Sixty, AX, burberry, MNG.

And in Burberry I was looking at this bag, and I took it up and put it back again for about 4 times and then my Dad saw what I was doing and he was like, "Get it. Suit kids!".

Hohoho. It's pink, with the subtle burberry plaid. A bit on the casual side. I LOVE IT.

But mind you, it's not like I spend like there's no tomorrow all the time.

AHHHHAHAHA. CHINESE NEW YEAR. YEP YEP.

And then after that I went to visit Ah Ku's new house. i-Zen Mont Kiara, I think.

The pebble thing is inside the house. The house is tastefully done. My aunt was the interior designer.

Very fun to explore the building. I went to the swimming pool once before, played in the playground for a while with my brother and my cousin.

JUST HAPPY TODAY. :D

Oh yeah, went to take my dogs for walk after that. Exercise is great. I hadn't find the time to take my dogs for walk recently, but now I need to crack the whip and get back into action.

RUN WITH THE WIND!!!!!!

HAPPYHAPPYHAPPYHAPPY
WHAT A NICE FEELING IT IS!

A fitting farewell

Jessica Zafra is all about the irony, so it was indeed ironic that she posted a photo of my office on her blog on the very weekend that it ceases to be my office.

It's a perfectly timed goodbye to the old place, from one of my favorite writers and bloggers no less. 

Also this weekend, I inquired about a pair of earrings displayed on Rajo Laurel's blog and he was kind enough to send me a personal reply. It seems to be Pinoy celebrity blogger week around here!

Subaru

"SUBARU" is a Japanese word meaning "unite," as well as a term identifying a cluster of six stars which the Greeks called the Pleiades – part of the Taurus constellation. According to Greek mythology, Atlas' daughters turned into this group of stars.


In the Pleiades star cluster only six of the stars shine brightly, the seventh, Merope, shines dully because she is shamed for eternity for having an affair with a mortal.

In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, is an open star cluster containing relatively young hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky.

The nine brightest stars of the Pleiades are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology: Sterope,Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Celaeno, and Alcyone, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione.

 Seven Sisters 

Maia

Electra

 Taygete

 Alcyone 

Celaeno

 Sterope

 Merope

After Atlas was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders, Orion began to pursue all of the Pleiades, and Zeus transformed them first into doves, and then into stars to comfort their father. The constellation of Orion is said to still pursue them across the night sky.

"And if longing seizes you for sailing the stormy seas,

when the Pleiades flee mighty Orion

and plunge into the misty deep

and all the gusty winds are raging,

then do not keep your ship on the wine-dark sea

but, as I bid you, remember to work the land."

 Hesiod - Works and Days 618-23

*

"Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising through the mellow shade,

Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies tangled in a silver braid."

Lord Tennyson - Locksley Hall

Goodbye Oxley Road

The company I work for is moving to a new office this weekend. With Lilian gone and James leaving soon, moving out of the house on Oxley Road feels like an end of an era, a farewell to the "old" BDA. I wonder what the new one (both the house and the company) will be like.

I admit I had my doubts about it at first, but I could see the potential. My love for old houses soon won out. With some minor improvements and a fresh lick of paint, the beauty of this pre-war house (which is considered ancient in Singapore) began to shine through. I began to fall in love with its airiness, high ceilings and the abundance of natural light, which I will miss. 

The main workroom for me, the interns and the boys (designers). The light fixtures are vintage and come with the house. The floors are polished cement. 

It always fills me with pride to hear the reactions of clients and visitors who step into our office for the first time. People just love it. 

We used to have clients who would come over for meetings more often than usual just to escape the tedium of their own offices. Everybody would rave about how beautiful it was, how we must love working here, how it doesn't feel like an office at all, how they would love to work here, what a bomb we must be paying for a place like this (it rents for substantially less than people might suspect). I couldn't agree more. Even when I have to come to work on Saturday, the house is a consolation. It never feels like work. I sometimes find myself calling it "the house", not the office.

Our head office in London hates it. I think they just don't understand the culture and how aspirational this kind of place is for people in the region. I don't understand how our group director could have called it a shithole. :( Thus the move. 

We painted these murals using the company motif (fish) and color (blue) last January when the economy was down -- business was so slow that we had nothing else to do. It was a brilliant idea of Lilian's -- it was fun and kept us busy until work started to roll in.

When we first moved in, I made sure to get a desk beside the window for the sunshine and the greenery.

Speaking of greenery, there is so much of it around. I will miss it. Here's the second floor hallway where Jerrold likes to have his coffee and smoke with James. 

And right across from us is the yoga studio. Sometimes when I feel stressed I come up here and look out into the green and the neighborhood. 

Or I go into the backyard and take a breather. More recently I've developed the habit of having lunch outside even though most people find it too warm out. I'll miss the backyard too. 

It's a perfect place for barbecues, which we do quite often. 

Barbecues seem to be one of the national pastimes of Singapore, right after shopping and queuing for something. 

We had the last official barbecue last night and I still smell like liempo.

I'll even miss the kitchen, which is too small to fit more than three people at a time and reminds me of a hobbit kitchen. 

I'll miss the neighborhood and stepping out into this sunshiny, quiet street (which enjoys special protection, considering Lee Kwan Yew lives on the same street). I'll also miss the five-minute walk to Orchard Road -- goodbye Uniqlo megastore, long decompressing lunches, quick decompressing shopping escapes, Mang Kiko's lechon. I'm sure Chinatown is pretty happening as well, but well Orchard is different.

Goodbye, 55 Oxley Road. You were a lovely home to all of us. Too bad we only knew you for a year and a half. 

Headline Of The Day

PETA calls for robotic groundhog to replace Punxsutawney Phil   

(RAH)² (AH)³ + RO (MA + MA MA) + (GA)² + OOH(LA)² = Bad Romance

Juno's Night Job

Looks like Juno has been moonlighting as a model -

She wasn't thrilled that her secret had been found out.

Fry day

Was drawing just now. The girl looks so pretty. Hohoho.

Kind of tired. Glad that I don't have to wake up before 8 tomorrow. Saturday is my only chance. Have to get up on Sunday for Church. Thinking to get baptized soon. Dad isn't so sure about it because he's worried that when he's dead(choi!) I can't pray for him with the joss sticks... I don't like joss sticks/incense. Air pollution. :[

Chinese New Year is coming very soon. Not feeling the mood, yet.

I also lost my yellow kiara shirt somewhere along the way, so today I was punished for not wearing P.E attire. Do sit ups in the basketball court. And it was a nice gesture that Annie, Yih Wern, Xuan, Miao Miao came to give me STRENGTH for the sit ups. Very unexpected indeed.

After P.E the whole class smells, because my class has mostly guys, and they start spraying this Adidas deodorant thing. They got way too into it and sprayed like there's no tomorrow. I felt like puking. All the chemicals in the air suffocating my nostrils.

And then after school I got some sushi from Rakuzen and stuff my face with it. YUMMEH!

REMINDER, GET ADD MATHS TUITION. And buy sports shirt.

Me sleepy. ZZZ

Subaru WRX Rally

Now that I am going to own a Subaru Impreza WRX Turbo I am all about Subaru Rally Racing. LOL. Not that I would really be a Rally racer, but it is fun to dream.....

At a loss for words....

I'm already failing at my goal to post each week! I have no fun things to share this week. There have been big changes at work, causing me MAJOR stress, and Adam's granmother died last weekend, so needless to say we're having a hard time sleeping, let alone getting projects done! But we did build awesome shelves in the garage, built some little things for the house, finished painting the chairs, and started demo on the bathroom, so we've been doing a lot, but nothing complete to show pictures yet! But since I hate writing a post without a picture, here's one :)

Don't you just LOVE that chair? So classic, so neutral, so AWESOME! I'm loving the buttons too. What do you think? I'm thinking about building some just like it...that is if I can convince Adam to build the frame for it, but I think I could do it :) Wish me luck!