At Nikki's House

Nikki's house. That is the huge mirror i was so much in love with before it was hung up high... :-/

I must say I'm quite obsessed with those massive mirrors at Nikki's house ;)

... yet another one... ;)

Gosh... they're all over the house! ;)

That's Zoe, posing. Beautiful !!! :)

I said: you both look great here. Alma said: ya it's Nikki who looks great! Nikki: ah yes, i'm photogenic! ;P She is adorable! :)

I love her kitchen - small, compact, everything is in and everything is within reach :) That was where i sit... it was a cosy morning tea~ :)


Despite her age, Nikki is full of zest! 佩服!!! :)

Nikki is an expert in decorating TIME!!! One of her many interesting qualites that charms me... i'm learning... :)

Can't believe Nikki has my FAV version of trees in her HOUSE! It looks beautiful, doesn't it? And so is she :)

Her beautiful garden... :)

Carola & Nadia

Popping over to a teacher's place... nice area... pretty, quiet and not too far off from town...

Her colourful garden...

Her fabulously beautiful bright pink roses... :)

I love her spacious, brightly lit and full-of-wonders kitchen. She looks as great as ever and is always spontaneously ready for the camera. She gets ready in a second :)

She said that was mess; I said that was personal touch. Nice! :)

love her piano room...

She told me how her younger pupils would love to, each time they come for their piano lessons, arrange these piano ornaments a different order around... She later insisted that i keep the 'wired piano', something Carola left behind in her piano studio when she passed away 2 years ago... she said she knew I would love to keep it. I gladly accepted, and was almost in tears :')

That's Carola... the magician in my musical life... :')
Always always thankful~

I admire her strength, in many ways. She's amazing!

Oxford

Arrived - my best loved city :)


It was a sunny day to be here... lovely~

love this familiar smell and sight...

My favourite music shop in Oxford... :)

Another of my favourite shop...


Crowded and busy as it may appear, it is very organised. And one often doesn't take long to find or not find his item...


Each time i step into Oxford, my mood turns warm and brown... :)

I was fairly surprised to see Oxford being packed with more tourists than before... spotted many chinese too...

I continued to walk quite a fair bit after departed with Sue... was right in the centre of the market street when i took this pic... though i was feeling a little tired and moody, it felt good to have me-space amidst the crowd and noise... :)

I had been craving for chips since i'd arrived 5 days ago. However, since it's such a common food that I feel I could get it just anywhere, I didn't make any deliberate effort to look out for them. Then as I was making my way back to the Oxford railway station, feeling a little moody, I spotted this...

I was asked, 'salt or vinegar?' I replied, 'both, plus mayo.' Hehe, as sinful as it sounded... but i felt good... :P

Then i popped into this open, found a bench and started eating... it was a little un-glam, but nevermind... who cares... ;P

Oxford looks especially beautiful in a sky that is clear and grey... :)

There were 3 wedding couples (one of which is a pair of chinese bride & groom) taking their wedding shoots that very sunny afternoon. This handsome couple was one of them... :) To all my getting-married-soon friends: How nice it is to have wedding shoots done in Oxford! Worth a thought! :)

I happened to snap at the right moment... so sweet and candid ya :)

The cake that described the Royal Wedding... how lovely ya!!! ^^

Our First Trip Together

Our very first trip together... after 12 years! To Edinburgh~

Merging into one OR Spliting into two... ?

The mocha with cream that saved my/our tired and walk-alot-afternoon... love the look of the scottish dollar notes...


Old Waverley Hotel - old, beautiful & charming, just like Edinburgh... :)

There is almost always 'something'... at the end of the street... and I love the wait :)

That was how bad i needed my fair share of dark sky, especially in summer... it was around 3am then... everybody was sleeping soundly... I didn't deliberately tune in to the UK hours, I let my jet-lag took over me - happily sleeping at 7pm and happily waking up at 1am... just so that I could still get my 3+ hours of dark sky. I can't function properly without me-space + dark sky :)

One of the many beautiful sights in Edinburgh - City Arts Centre~

A stylish Starbuck entry, that contains more browns than greens... :)

The Music Department, of the University of Edinburgh~

St. Giles Cathedral... Alma walked into my picture, without me knowing... ;)

St. Giles Cathedral... from the inside...

Love this street...

Castles~ ^^

My favourite version of trees... they look awesome against any skies, grey or clear blue alike... :)

The walls - telling their untold stories in their very own unqiue ways...
斑驳的墙总有道不尽的故事... :)

Reid Concert Hall - one of the earliest surviving purpose-built musical museums in the world...

That particular day had exactly what an ordinary summer should have! Alma and I couldn't agree upon a common eating place. She wanted sun; but i opted for shades. Something perfect for her would be too bright for me, and vice versa. Came across some interesting shops while walking and browsing for food... so it wasn't a bad thing to disagree afterall :)

Love this shop~

Love this shop more! Had almost decided on one design but gave up eventually. It was too much hassles to bring it back to London, then back to Singapore... especially when I am not (and NEVER) a light traveller :-/

Love the smell of the books... :))

Couldn't resist the charm... :)

This place have the most lovely potato soup~ Yummy :p