Onsen= Hot Spring Bath

We whipped out our trusty ol' lonely planet guide. It said Shirahama had a Not To Be Missed Historic Onsen (mentioned in not just one, but a few great epic texts and classic literature of ancient japan). Could we resist that?

So we took a trip out to the Kansai region having hopes of spending a Spectacular Onsen Soak where past emperors such as Meiji himself (and others that i can't quite remember now) have soaked in before. We happily paid the 110 sgd bullet train tickets only to find a completely deserted beach town (it's slum period) and the said Onsen. True enough, it was buried among the ocean cliff rocks, where one could enjoy views of the spectacular pacific ocean. Yes, the crashing waves lap up to the brink of the rock-and-salt-formed onsen baths. Magnificent.

It wasn't until the 20th minute soaking in the hot natural spring waters with an assortment of other naked japanese women that i realised that my body could take no more than 45 mins in the scalding sulfuric waters. I begun to see how these royal baths do demand such a royal fee. I begun to see how enthusiasm got the better of foresight.

Oh well. Lesson learnt. Do not get carried away with lonely planet descriptions as irresistable as they sound. No matter how much one loves to hot bathe (there are few greater relaxations), there is only so much time in it a human body can possibly take.

We later bummed around and laughed ourselves silly for the expensive escapade and ended the night with some salsa at the train station waiting for what must be one of the last trains to pull up. Shirahama rocks.

Japan- Onsen Hunting

photos, (click above photograph-link) though none of the onsen itself, save one we managed to get after chatting up the owner.

Happiness is.

an attic
an attic with a puppy
an attic with a puppy and paints
an attic with a puppy, paints and salsa.

happiness is,
having space
having space to breathe
having a year out and finally learning to enjoy it.

When Prada met Herzog

night falls, and i finally meet the building that so inspired me to continue with architecture back in my undergrad years. seemed larger than life in all its ETFE glory, it does.







Prada building, Herzog & de Meuron

butter/my/fly

"I like to pretend that my art has nothing to do with me."
- Roy Lichtenstein

it's true. i do too.


photograph off a lacoste showcase in harajuku at night.

here's the full suit.

back alas, from pink heaven.

"i'm back!"

suffice to say, japan is AWESOME. there is no other country i've yet visited to score so high on the delight quotient. there is no other place i know better to Spring in than in the land of sakura blossoms. pink snow showers amid fresh grass. some sweet mochi in hand, warm tea or some sake in another and a camera slung ready around your neck. and so, i promise, i will upload more pictures along with brief rants and raves about that crazy island country that i so adore. ^_^

zen fever

incompleted piece of drawing from the dregs of my artist days. thought it was appropriate, seeing that it says the things i don't. that aside, to osaka then tokyo, then kyoto i go. ah, the paradoxical japanese are ever so fascinating, i can't hardly wait to slurp some real ramen, feast on all the sights and foods, jump in with the sakura matsuri (hopefully in a yukata) and then soak in an onsen and meditate in their gardens on well,... what makes zen, zen.

Change of Wind

Sunday, a flurry of discussions regarding work permits, salsa and tennis courses, art-degrees and continuing architecture school and suddenly, I'm bound for Osaka on the 2nd of April and returning on the 12th in time for the evening salsa class. No art-school for me, not now anyway, and more work for me, but at a more flexible pace and place.

The realisation of living a season at a time and the grasping of time, timing and the timely, comforting words from a friend that bring clarity and hope. Not to forget the loving and patient support from my love and family, I slowly and surely find myself getting better, the veil lifting, the light starting to shine, however tenuously at first. I still have the words in my head, first, become the artist... Acceptance bleeds colour slowly into my breath, inhale deeply, exhale- God is good.

con.flict

"La Mano"

i must confess, the longer i spend away from the buzz of the architectural scene, the more i don't feel like returning to it. however, to start on a different path, a harder path altogether seems daunting to say the least. art, architecture. didn't i write about the amalgam of both in my entrance essay? somehow the reality of that starry-eyed ideal seems quite impossible at present. two paths diverge where i used to believe i could tread both at the same time. i, well, i'm running out of time.

te adoro...

...cada pedazo de ti. x3

ro.se bod·dhi·satt·va

"I dream of a crimson nirvana."

Diver Girl 4

"She always had her own way of doing things."

Extremities

oil and texture and what i can do with my hands. i guess the beginning of art lies in the beginning of faith... in oneself.



here's a detail.

Soñé que era una artista.

Yo he regresado a ti
desde la incertidumbre con espinas.

s u r f a c i n g

Complicated but fun. don't worry mum, i'm talking about the Xae's SLR. ;P

Love is Abstract

i rest my head on a warm breathing chest, watching
you shuffle between sleep and wake.

Lotus Flower

Everytime a lotus flower blooms in my garden, i can never cease to get excited over examining every single detail, taking in the colour, the texture and of course that light pretty feeling of happiness and delicacy that it brings with it. Thank god for Xae's new SLR.

Braces Me

hello all, having procrastinated enough about getting my teeth straightened, i've finally hunkled down to the dentist's, gotten 4 perfectly fine teeth extracted, and had these dastardly wires fixed in. do not be deceived by my toothy smile, i wasn't quite so happy getting used to them wires. that said, i've got more than enough reason now to insist on pigging out at Crystal Jade Palace with their amazing soft souffle egg white red bean and bananna concoctions, scallops dishes and dim sums. nyum-nyum!

the song's called "crime in the pale moonlight"

did this while listening to some strange jungle jazz. it actually started off as a badly taken photograph of a design submission.

those devily details

... i can read you just fine.

the chilean forest

is dark,
is daunting,
is magnificent,
is scary,
is breath-taking,
is difficult,
is magical,
is every thing that dreams are made of.

to those who want to experience more limits of their own humanity,
go.