I. Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

II. Ruth 1:16-17
1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
1:17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

III. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
4:10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.
4:11 Again, if two lie together, they are warm; but how can one be warm alone?
4:12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Want to help?

In the typically hot Taiwanese summer of 2002, whilst I was busy preparing for my imminent departure to Britannia, my brother and two other lads formed a Taiwanese hip hop band called Tripoets. Like most indie groups in the making, Tripoets began with a small underground audience. Gradually the island's hip hop lovers were drawn to their unique lyrics discussing a broad range of topics, which were quite unlike the usual swearing and biatching sods. Most importantly, they don't make an effort to sound/dress like hardcore North American rappers. Their fan base grew, and they even self-recorded a limited edition album, which according to Taipei Times, was listed as one of the top ten local albums for 2004, an 'example of underground Mando-rap at its mellowest and rhythmical best'. Besides the press, I found out about Tripoet's amazing performance through this fan, and I can tell that this fan was happy when he received his precious Tripoet album, Mixtape. The group had involved in other commercial activities, too, and after signing with an agent last year, their official album and book will be out soon!

I only learnt about my brother's secret hip hop career on the Internet (thanks to my amazing Google skills); during day time he's an anthropology researcher--A-li is reserved like that. As his agent has said, my brother likes to talk about anthropology in the songs. You can read the lyrics here, or else, buy the album when it hits the shops!

1) London Monthly
2) Kulture Flash
3) Urban Junkies
4) Daily Candy
5) Time Out
6) Le Cool
7) Flavor Pill

However, being penniless I'm quite happy to be the capital's armchair traveller.

Sandwich Monster

Day II

Pennine Way

Rabbit Proof Fence

Lunch Break

Male Love (HY resembles Derek Zoolander, no?)

Day III

Waste Land

Home and Dry, not

54 sandwiches. 24 miles. 9 people. 2 days. 1 destination. 0 tales.

Last weekend a group of 'pilgrims' conquered 10% of Pennine Way in Peak District, said to be England's oldest trail. According to Grandpa Albert Wainwright and the Observer, this is a severe route, with rough terrains, rocky slopes and harsh weather. The first day's eight-mile walk was generally pleasing; in fact we were able to take off our winter coats and enjoy a picnic under the sun. After a good night's sleep at a newly built, decently clean youth hostel, we were all set for the second day's even more difficult task to our final destination Edale, but somewhat confident that the conditions won't be as bad as how the weather forecast described. After half-an-hour or so, it started pissing down like mad and getting quite chilly. The ground was muddy and boggy, and my gloves and boots were so soaked as if a boat could float in them. My chocolate bar was covered with bits of dirt, but what do I care? They are of the same colour anyway, and I'll just eat it to survive. At some point my left leg was stuck in a hole up to my thigh, and for the rest of the route I looked like a mud monster. The Beaklow and Mill Hill scenery were a no-man waste land, with 60mph wind. Braving the elements, some walked in pairs for fear of being blown away. The track petered our after flat land, and we were left to our own devices on the mountain top. About to descend, wind speed now increased against our advantage, and at that moment it seemed wise to veer off the original route; slowly we trod further and further away from Edale. Disappointed? Not really. One knows that success in not necessarily about completion, but about seeking alternative ways to come back in one piece. Gradually nine weary bodies and somewhat cheerful spirits arrived at a small town called Hayfield, and waited for the next bus to civilisation.

Back in London, I've elevated myself to God-like status after this hike. For all you city slackers, click here for a healthy tube walk.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Here's a plate of fish heads to wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year.

So it's the Year of the Golden Pig in London, and with Mayor Ken Livingston at the helm, this western capital is multicultural at its best. Red lantern-shaped lights were lit up at Oxford Circus, as well as festivities around China Town for a fortnight. However, some people's merrymaking can be pain for others. My chavy neighbours downstairs were raving from 4am till after midnight on Chinese New Year's Day! These white trash were not celebrating our holiday of course, but simply being world class ASBOs. Their ongoing awful techno makes cacophonous firecrackers sound like heavenly music. Yes, in fact that's what I'll do: the day I move out I shall release Chinese firecrackers to celebrate!

Her cake

I was there

I've lost count on the birthday parties I've been to these past few weeks, and it's not the end. Birthday party invites are like spring flowers sprouting across your gloomy winter social calendar, you welcome their appearance more than you want to pluck them. You catch up with old mates, and make small talk with new ones--it can be a boring routine, unless once in a while you do meet an interesting soul. Or, say, you happen to sit next to a BA flight attendant, and you secretly think if this new found friend can upgrade your ticket to business class. People are always n.i.c.e., but I'm extremely choosy when it comes to picking shells from the sand. But such feelings must be reciprocated. I am lucky--ones I like happen to like me as well. Birds of a flock group together. In any case, just sing the song and eat your cake.

It's the Opium War all over again

What are you looking at, R?

Here is Virginia Woolf speaking as a spoilt middle class of the Bloomsbury set; however, had she been to Pasha, her previous dining experiences would seem like a paler shade of grey. London is about multiculturalism and once in a while, about splurging inappropriately. One of HY's former colleague organised his leaving do at this Moroccan restaurant, and by the end of the night, I had filled my belly and emptied the wallet. It started like an endless supply of appetizers, and just as we thought there was no space left in our stomachs, a large bowl of couscous, saugages and lamb followed, and finally it was the plates of dessert. But food was not the only treat--melon and grape flavoured shisha were on the menu, and drop-dead gorgeous belly dancers make you feel like a Moroccan king. I, too, like to look at beauties.

Together, 21 July 2007

This weekend HY's room turned into a little card-making factory. We did everything ourselves: from designing the invitations, choosing paper, printing, cutting and folding. (Of course, HY will tell you that he's the sole designer, but we'll let him believe that.) The idea began whilst browsing through D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself at Magma. We also used a paper-folding method which I learnt at my bookbinding course at City Lit--a piece of A3 size paper can simply turn into a two-page (four-panel) pamphlet without using staplers nor stitches. We searched for quotes that were related to the theme 'together', and spent some time over the appropriate Chinese wording. It is a bilingual invitation, one that is also suitable for the Mandarin-speaking visitor. And red, being our favourite colour, and being ultimately Chinese, shall be the theme colour that lays before your eyes.

Wooly hat, loafer flavour

Now you can become one, too.

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After Jobs' inimitable speech and a product that speaks for itself, the tech-savvy are already oogling over Mac's new phone. Sadly, Brits have to wait a couple of more months till iPhone sails across the pond (yes, it's so cool it can swim as well). And HY, who already has a fairly new mobile phone in his hands, is already unsatisfied. I adore it, too, just as much as I like my MacBook. However, I've never spent a penny on mobile phones, and will stubbornly stick to that rule. People have given me their unwanted, second-hand mobiles, and what more do I need than a phone that allows me to answer and dial? Coloured screens with a camera and mp3 player? Nah, that's too complicated. Shock horror! I don't even know how to send texts. After four years in the UK, I am still using pay-as-you-go. There was a time when I was conned into a monthly payment contract, and after receiving a 60 quid monthly telephone bill, I am saying no to these monthly deals. Call me old-fashioned, yes, I'd rather use doves to send you messages. iPhone, nah, iNotBothered.

Measure for measure

It's another day, another year.

To celebrate the end of 2006 in true suburbia fashion, we had roasted coffee ice cream and snuggled in front of HY dad's home cinema watching An Inconvenient Truth. By 23.30 we were already in sleep land. On a crisp New Year's morning we walked to our flat-to-be, imagining our lives there and inspecting the brick work. Just then a pale-legged Korean chap came out to his balcony for a cig--so that's what my future neighbour looks like. Note to future neighbour: I don't care if you smoke, but you better be quiet. We even timed ourselves walking from the property to the closest train station: it only takes 9 minutes 20 seconds. If one's to depart with that sum of money, one has to be sure that transportation isn't impossible.

Have a peaceful and rewarding 2007! If you're good enough, I'd like to invite you over.