footprints of a mighty God

My island hometown is significantly divided by a range of mountains and hills right in its middle..although quite small but my memories of home are always  the mountains and the sea. Thus  the  Third Day’s song   These Thousand Hills are footprints of a mighty God”  has become  one of my favorite…indeed when I see nature I see an awesome God behind it…the hills and the  mountains became my signposts which  reminded me  that He is bigger than everything else in this  life…in this world…

a nice sunrise and a doggie morning

My sister  and I  went to a nearby island last weekend for s short break. On our last morning in the island we were greeted by  a wonderful sunrise and pretty much  scruffy barking beach visitors…most of them were waiting for their fishermen owners  to come home…but while waiting they sure know how to play in the waters.

a taste of home

It’s winter break and I have a chance to be back  to my “tropically hot” homeland. I am more than happy to leave the chilly wind and snow of  China and bask in the sunshine again.   Coming home always brought mixed emotions for me. I am happy to see my family and friends yet also sad that I missed most of their milestone experiences…happy to see  my “mama’s” remnant of  a garden yet sad that most of her flowers are gone…happy to see my hometown’s booming economy yet sad  that her natural beauty is slowly fading overtaken by the “so-called” urban development…BUT  still I  am grateful to God who gives me this short break to enjoy and cherish home ..although I will leave it again yet at least I have the chance to experience the sights and smells of my “beloved” home.

beauty in white

The first snow of  this year…coming from a tropical country, I’m always fascinated with snow ..I especially  love the fresh snow that comes in  the morning. so pure and beautiful …also love the way it clings to the pine trees like this …just awesome beauty in winter! Winter is a paradoxical  season for me . Although  I love the sight of snow like this and love wearing winter apparels  yet I hate    the biting chilly wind that comes with it in this part of China.

strange appetizer

Attended a Chinese friend’s wedding last week. The whole process takes half a day plus more pictorials in the afternoon.  While waiting in our table for the bride and groom to appear, I took notice of this interesting sight.Who would have thought that among the  plates of appetizers served already on the table some  sticks of cigarettes could be one of them? Actually, after the wedding ceremony the bride and groom would go to each table of guests  then  they will give a toast to  all   then  they will give either another toast or  they will lit a cigarette for each male guest on that table and  offer sweets for the ladies to show their respect and gratitude.  Normally there will be about 25-35 tables with ten people in it ..so just imagine how tired they will be after the whole event.

the “beloved” lotus

I don’t know if you are familiar with lotus flower but this is the pod. It’s a special delicacy in this part of China. The petals  as  well as these  pods  are made into special dishes. It has a peculiar taste and  they  said its very nutritious. Well , everything is nutritious here as Chinese have all this balance of the yin  and the yang food…which is really hard for me to get the basis of. I don’t know really know which food has more yin  and which has more yang.I have tasted a lotus pod dish but I  never did  see the raw stuff in the market… but alas!  in the streets of Suzhou I found this one so I quickly took a snapshot.

Cooling off

Since I  can remember I always love looking at National Geographic’s  vivid  pictures of all sorts of wildlife. Last summer,  in a hot afternoon  in Suzhou, a Chinese friend and I visited one of its many nature parks. By the way Suzhou is famous for  its canals and gardens. I thought it was just perfect to spend it in a park full of man-made ponds and  lots of trees. As we stroll leisurely we came across this sight. I’m thinking this is my first almost like a NG (magazine) shot, of course it is far from it since my camera is below par  for that. But it was  refreshing to see these geese just immersed in their own world and oblivious to us.

cherishing autumn

Took my first autumn shots today. In this part of China I can’t almost experience the fall season . Winter sneaks in too soon unknowingly.  Where I’ m in the wind is  strong so one moment the leaves are still on the trees and the next moment  the wind has blown them away. But this year seems different . It looks like  autumn is lingering  for me to enjoy its magnificent colors. My favorite is  this climbing ivy with a blueberry like seed. It is a beautiful sight as it changes colors slow enough for me to enjoy  its changing hues. Indeed coming from a tropical country autumn has become my favorite time of the year more so because of its color. I love it!

treasure in a bamboo

I had  a short trip to the south just this summer and visited the town of Suzhou near Shanghai. In one of  my street wanderings, I found this very exquisite bamboo lamp. I could  have bought one had it not been too bulky to carry back. I don’t know what is it with bamboos , I always find myself drawn to it whether it’s a dish , a painting or just anything made out of  it . I find its simplicity and versatility  simply alluring.

privileged

A home to a privilege few VIPs. The place overlooks a pristine view of an uninhabited rock island called Bang Chui Dao . Here government officials have their meetings and relaxation while on transient in the city. . We got a glimpse of it last holiday , the residences were mostly western -style town houses. The place is very nice but  the crowd of people ruined the experience for me, but I managed to take this shot from a nearby hill.