Golden Week choices

The Golden Week doesn’t always live up to the promise of rest and relaxation. Multitudes try to make the most of it searching for a way to get away from daily routines. It’s either the city or the countryside. Alas, wherever we turn we find that someone else has already had the same idea of fun, and so, we end up wandering about places and queueing at restaurants, cinemas, museums, and other attractions. 

This year we decided to veer off the usual hot spots and went to find a patch in the city that would offer a semblance of relaxing countryside. We got lucky. We found just the place in Jindai Botanical Gardens surrounded by plenty of blooming roses to look at, smell, study and admire. In the end, we found the peace and quiet we'd been looking for and even got to enjoy a picnic of rose-flavoured cake and ice cream! Yum!

AP

  

  

Flower power

Spring season brings mixed reactions. With the awakening of nature marked by cherry blossoms, outdoor activities, and warmer temperatures there’s a lot of optimism and a sense of adventure. On the other hand, many of us have gone through relentless waves of allergies and colds that derailed our daily routines and plans as soon as we dared to poke our heads out into the breezy spring air. Personally, I have found a lot of tranquillity in the beauty of nature, its variety, and colours, and despite some health risks and annoyances I always look forward to this season. As the saying goes, always look on the bright side!

  

AP

That time of year

When the emergency food rations are nearing their expiry date 

Pretty good actually. I'll try it with some furikake next time.

AH

Into the world of Ghibli!

There’s something for everyone. I honestly don’t think you can ever go wrong visiting Ghibli Museum. If you’re a Ghibli movies’ fan, there’s still a lot to uncover such as the art, inspiration, and engineering behind most bizarre of Miyazaki’s creations. It’s like watching a good sequel to your favourite story. Things become more familiar, clearer and fall into place as you manage to delve into the mind of the artist. And for those who are new to anime and are just curious about the genre, it’s a relaxing trip into a home from another world. The designers of the building and attractions thought of your comfort, sense of discovery and learner-friendly education. Whether you feel like exploring museums or just want to spend a relaxing afternoon with friends and family, this place makes you feel welcome. It surely made my day!

AP

 

 

 

Pareidolia

"What's that?" I hear you say.

Well, .... take a look at this picture.

Did you just see a Ferragamo bag? Try looking again. If you see a face, then that is pareidolia. Pareidolia is the tendency to see a combination of shapes as a pattern - such as a face.

I often see faces in everyday objects and patterns. A common example is the western power socket:

Cute, isn't he?

How about you? Have you seen any cute or funny faces in everyday objects?

AH