MiKE: Don't be yourself / Let them eat cake

Don't be yourself / Let them eat cake, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

Found at one of residences at the UofT.

MiKE: Why winter sucks

Why winter sucks, originally uploaded by mike.tan.

this is not to say that winter sucks, with no possibility of redemption. It is definitely a season that makes one appreciate the heat and humidity of summer, and having seasons makes one more aware of the passing of time.

But winter also brings along with it snow, and when snow melts and the temperature drops, and the water re-freezes, there will be ice. Ice that crunches underfoot is quite fun to step on, much akin to popping those foam packing bubbles. But when it is semi-frozen, and slushy, it can be a very slippery coating over the pavements that we walk on. Worst of all is the ice that is so dirty and so packed in that it looks like part of the pavement, but most definitely does not feel like it. I've slipped on the ice three times in the last week, twice yesterday alone. Which sucks.

So, here's a picture of why winter sucks, or rather, why winter can suck.

ReNe: south-east asia nostalgia

We were watching an episode of Top Gear, where the three hosts were sent to Vietnam, bought a motorbike (each) and rode from the south (Ho Chin Minh City) to the north (Ha Long Bay).

I was struck by a feeling of nostalgia. Typically, the challenges on Top Gear features a car race in a European county -- something rather foreign to me, as I can't drive and I haven't much familiarity with Europe. However, this show was shot in a Southeast Asian country, during the monsoon season, on motorbikes.

I miss it. As they complain about the heat and humidity, I can almost feel it. Though Singapore does not have highlands, the scenes of the misty mountains in the dusk remind me of many places in Southeast Asia -- evenings are my favorite time in Southeast Asia, cool and alive. (In contrast, evenings in Canada are mostly *cold*.) I even miss the heavy rains. I also wish I had a motorbike again.

I guess this is a particularly bad time to be watching such a show, as it's flurrying heavily outside in -10C temperatures.

MiKE: Toronto Islands in Winter

We went to the Toronto Islands last Saturday with the local photography group. Somehow, we actually missed the ferry that brought the group over, but fortunately met up with one other person who was as late as us. The Toronto Islands is like Singapore's Sentosa island, except this place is not as built up, and the place almost literally shuts down in winter. We walked around the few houses where some of the locals stayed at, and generally took pictures as we got progressively colder and tired. Nothing much more to say about it though. Just a pretty place for pictures where they don't clear the snow that much and there is less human traffic, so the snow is somewhat more pristine. Here are some pictures:

Berries! Still not frozen or shrivelled up even in that temperature

The CN Tower framed by trees around sunset. I like this picture; we were walking along to the ferry terminal on our way off the island, and I just happened to look to my left and saw this. It was easy to miss, since we were a little tired, and it was easier to have a tunnel vision like forward gaze.

And the best picture, in my opinion at least. The lake was pretty icy, with chips and blocks floating in the water. It was interesting to hear the ferry make its way through the water, kind of like how you would expect it to sound if you stir an icy drink with a straw, only MUCH louder.

Oh, the full set is available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-tan/sets/72157612135953066/show/