whine & dine

So it’s been a dreamlike 9 days, and after the past week and a half have flown by, it’s time for me to make my soujourn up north towards Rhode Island to meet my nana, before we head off to ski then hang out in Boston before the next half of my holiday is over.

This has probably been one of the best holidays I’ve had – visiting a city I’ve long dreamt of getting acquainted with, taking photos like a mad fiend (I need to tone that down now that I’m going to be computer-less), and hanging out with bunny’s friends. (I even managed to take control of the kitchen in the short time we’ve been here!)

Anyhoo, I thought it befitting to leave the Manhattan/NJ portion of the set with this scene that I shot from the Staten Island Ferry, a b/w of the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which kind of reminds me (and a couple of my friends) of the opening scene of CSI:NY. :)

I won’t be updating as frequently after this – since I don’t think I’m going to have such ready access to the internet – so the next time you hear from me at length will probably be after I’m done flooding flickr and max-ing out my January upload limit. Oh wait, I’m also going to be moving house then, so maybe you’ll only hear from me when I’ve got new complaints about the moving/delivery people. Hurhur.

So anyhoo, Merry Christmas everyone, hope you’re all enjoying your holidays as much as I am, and those of you back in Singapore who will be around and free around Christmas, go ring my bunny up and drag her out. It breaks my heart to think that she’ll be alone at home on Christmas Day (while I’m eating instant noodles with my nana) and keep her company ok? Thanks guys. :)

xxx

Edit: Hello from Brown, I’m getting sleepy and just popped by to add this – Bunny doesn’t want to be dragged out, but just check in on her now and then for me will you? I miss her loads already. :(

So no trip to New York can be complete without a mandatory touristy shot of the Statue of Liberty (I was vaguely contemplating linking the wikipedia site but I’m going to assume all of you know what it is since anyway if you don’t there’s a picture above) and I’m caving and posting my very warped picture of it not just on my flickr but also on my blog. Yes, that’s right, the torch is shining. They turned it on for me. Keep reading →

The bunny and I were still kind of jetlagged yesterday so we ended up waking up at about 5.30am and decided to wander down to the boardwalk and watch the sun rise.

What I certainly didn’t expect was to see the Manhattan skyline being crept up on from behind by such a furious red, and yet just before it was all but enveloped by it, the vermillion suddenly dissipated into clear blue skies, speckled with fluffy, cotton-wool-ly clouds.

So far, the Manhattan I’m seeing isn’t really the Manhattan I’ve imagined – yes, it’s my first time on the East coast – but it has already far surpassed my dreams. Until I venture into Times Square, I suspect the streets of this city will continue to be emptier than I had been prepared for, and the buildings will continue to loom higher than my neck can crane to see.

Right now, all I can say is this: Thank God I bought the 16-35mm. :p

So apparently I have a knack for making Manhattan look very empty, which is quite strange if you think about it, but hey – the streets really were quite empty today.

Covered quite a fair bit of ground, brunch in an European styled cafe, Union Square, Flatiron, camera-paraphernalia shopping, Empire State Building (no we didn’t bother to climb up), Grand Central Station, Chrysler Building. An early morning walk along the river on the New Jersey side, and trying my hand at some more b/w landscapes, and the day was capped off with a couple more sunset shots before we boarded the ferry home.

New York’s been very kind to us so far, what with the beautiful weather, the blue skies, the lovely hosts, and yummy food. I’m a happy camper. :)

For those who can’t wait, I’ve started a photoset, so you can keep refreshing that page to see when I’ve updated. I should be uploading most nights till the 18th, then I run out of computer and will have to wait till January to sort and upload. This way, hopefully I won’t completely bust my January upload limit. :P

Well hello everybody back in sunny Singapore (and wherever else around the world you may be reading this from). Jetlag is a bitch. It’s like 7am here in bunny’s friend’s very lovely flat in New Jersey – I’m making a point of mentioning that I really do think it’s lovely also because I know she reads this haha – and I’ve been awake for two hours.

I heart the cold. And, more importantly, I heart my ski jacket. :p I can’t wait for the rest of the trip (in particular I can’t wait for the sky to become bright so it’s not freezing and I can go outside) and I’m altogether very excited.

Blogging will probably just happen from the apartment, i.e. until the 18th, then you guys will just have to hang tight till I get home. My 30D and my 1V are also raring to go (and sitting by the heater) so I’m gonna.. I dunno. Find some TV to watch.

/talking-nonsense