Day 6: The Day I Cleaned Again

.................Fresh, Clean, New.
.................Theme of the Day.

Day 5: Bloodlust

Today, I did nothing.
Though the colour was Red - Blood, Lust.
Sometimes together, sometimes apart.

Day 4: The End

Today was even more uneventful than the day before yesterday. I was going to head to the History museum, but things such as this amazing idea about taking a (much needed) nap got in the way. Of course, it's messed up my sleeping schedule now, so since I couldn't sleep, I decided to finish reading Breaking Dawn and here's a short review I wrote about it on Bookmooch:

Once you're done reading this book, the world will seem to be a happy, sappy and mushy place. It is by no means a work of art (like the other books in the series), but it is still a very entertaining read. I'll definitely recommend the series to others, but be warned that the moment you try to look deeper than the surface of what is written, you will be lost because the books are shallow and lack substance. The characters are hollow, the relationships are often weak, the plot leads to random places at times and the blatant fundamental (but hypocritical) Christian concepts can get a little annoying. So save yourself the trouble and just read them as pure entertainment. Stephanie Meyer's a weak writer in most rights, but she knows how to hold the attention of her readers to deliver a general glance at the story, which works great for escapists as the lack of brain power needed to get through the series is reason enough to pick them up!

Needless to say that despite the lack of substance in the story, the very predictable happy ending has left me in a state of utter mush unlike many critics who've written about the story being dull and unrealistic etc.

As I was reading it, I thought I was agreeing with them, but towards the end of the book, I don't understand why they say that? Rather I don't see why it is important for the book to be realistic in order to be a good read. Have they forgotten that some of the most loved stories out there are fairy tales? And honestly, how realistic can one expect books to be when they are about vampires and werewolves?

I suppose one argument towards that could be that the characters and the story are not relate-able to everyday life unlike, say... Rowling's work. But does that really matter? Could you relate to Belle? To Cinderella? Yet you loved their stories.

So what makes Twilight different? Doesn't Stephanie Meyer constantly make references to the fact that this is Bella's fairytale?

Anyway, I don't get it and I don't know if I care really. But then, like Bella, I see the world through rose tinted glasses, so maybe I do relate to the story...

Question of the Day: Why is reality such a grey picture?

Day 3: A True Nightmare Before Christmas and All Other Holidays

The building where I live has been under construction for nearly 3 months now, every day of which has been miserable because of the intensive drilling and half naked - and usually incredibly unattractive - men staring through my window into my room.


The renovation has not only made my building look like a demolition site, but has also turned the corridor where I live into something that could very easily be out of a film about the holocaust; I feel like I am now living in a badly maintained concentration camp and/or an equally badly maintained asylum of some sort. Heck we even have barbed wire on one of the walls on the side of the building! Pretty.

The point of all of this? I'm just trying to understand why people in Hong Kong feel the need to constantly drill and renovate their apartments every few months. I often question if it is just my bad luck that every time I move to a new place, the people who live directly above me feel the need to renovate their place (in as loud a way as they can think of). The current upstairs-landlords have already renovated their apartment 5 times in the last 2 years that I have been here and my immediate neighbour has fixed up their flat twice. And there are sections along the main road where my apartment building stands that are closed throughout the year for maintenance work and random digging and re-filling. What the hell?

Question of the day: Can the Hong Kong government seriously not think of a better way to spend their money than encouraging urban renewal of the same areas every 5 minutes?

Day 2: Breaking Backs and Making Love

Today was utterly uneventful as I did absolutely nothing except for killing more of my braincells by watching Survivor: Gabon and reading an extremely mushy and sappy vampire romance, Breaking Dawn (4th in the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer).

And I would be lying if I said that I did not fall in love with the series. Sure, it is not the next Harry Potter and His Dark Materials as some people claim it to be, but it's great entertainment - after all, who doesn't love to read about a "perfect" romance with the "perfect" lover?

But that was it. That was my whole day...and I'm ending it by calling a few universities to get some final information before I place my graduate program applications through. Paperwork. Hurrah!

Question of the Day: Why does the idea of perfection entice us so?

Day 1: Dead Fish and the Stairs of Mordor

After going to Bangkok and looking at their horribly constructed steps and stair systems, I never thought I would use the words "Stairs of Mordor" again, but going to Peng Chau definitely changed that...and what's more, I was treated with an abundance of dead, sun-dried fish. Pleasant smells.
The walk around the island started innocently enough, with flat terrain for most of the northern part of the island and very slight gradient slopes heading down towards the southern farms. But then I reached Finger Hill, the highest point on Peng Chau.

From the first glance, the hill looks innocent enough, being no more than 95 meters in height - a quick 30 minute climb, one should say...but that is before you look at how steep the slopes are and worse - how horribly constructed the steep steps are as you get closer to the top. In fact, it felt as though the steps were literally constructed on a gradient of 80-90 degrees! And of course, as luck would have it, they were endless. Unfortunately I do not have a decent image of these steps as I was too busy huffing and puffing loud enough to blow my house down in Kennedy Town from there.

But I managed to climb up without too much trouble and all in all, I'm very proud of myself. I did not think I could do it with the recent heart problems I've had, but all I needed was some sugar and water when I got up at the top summit before I was ready to head back down to join the dead fish.

Question of the day: Why do they cover the dried fishes' heads with paper?

365 Days in the Life of Joo

Ever wonder what it is that keeps you going through life? What makes it worth living when the world around you and the world within you is collapsing? When sadness is the only rational option and when failure becomes your friend? What is it then that keeps you motivated, that gives you a reason and hope? That allows you to live in a cocoon where the world seems a happier place and though it shuts all that is around you, it makes you think. It makes you happy. It keeps you going. It makes you wonder.

It's the little things. The silver lining. The moments you take for granted each day as you struggle to pull a smile when all is grey.

This is the world I'm looking to explore. Taking a single moment from my day and presenting it through a photograph, be it to express my emotion, sum up my day or simply show an inspiration or thought.

365 photographs, for each day of the year.

EDITED (Sunday, 26th): My god this entry sounds depressing and drabby! This blog is not serious. It's a fun project for me, and yes, I'm hoping to just look more into the "little things" through it. Hope you (el reader) enjoy going through it and oh - quick note: all photos that are part of the "365 project" are most likely going to be unedited. I'll post edits later if I can be bothered :)