Advent Sunday in Hong Kong

we passed this flower shop somewhere in SoHo on our way to dinner,
smelling wonderfully of fresh fir

and we just had to walk in to buy a small fir branch to put in our hotel room

being so far away from home on the first advent sunday we all of a sudden felt a tiny little bit sad and just wanted to have some Christmas atmosphere...

Weekend Afternoons

I like lazing around in comfy chairs under fans slowly moving the warm tropical outdoor air.
I like reading magazines about this and that, chatting about life and the world, watching other people.
I like sipping my cappuccino, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the ever-busy mall.
I like spending my weekend afternoons here.
Thanks for being the perfect chill-out place, Pacific Coffee Company.

APEC kills hopes for COP15

Last week Singapore hosted the APEC Summit. US President Obama was there, the Chinese President Hu Jintao was there, some Latin American leaders were there and a lot of ASEAN heads of states and government. A real high-level political meeting with a full agenda. Talking business, trade, cooperation in general and, of course, climate change.

Unfortunately, the leaders couldn't agree on having binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, they agreed on a 'new growth paradigm' and 'enhanced economic integration'. For the COP15 this means that expectations have now officially been slashed, and all we can expect as outcome is merely an agreement on agreeing that binding targets for emission reductions will need to be postponed. What a joke.

Hopefully the 'new growth paradigm' will provide enough money for rescuing all the people affected by rising sea levels, food shortages due to droughts and floods, and any other impacts that human-induced climate change will eventually have on our lives.

Last-Minute Melakka

Having worked on stuff all week I finally managed to finish most things on Friday - and qualified for a treat during the weekend!

After lots and lots of tries we eventually got a room in the lovely Hotel Puri in the heart of old Melaka. And so we jumped on the bus for another journey to Malaysia, explored all the little shops and roads of Chinatown, enjoyed great Nyonya food, homemade apple pie and crepe, and then indulged in a fabulous spa evening....








Can you imagine how super-relaxed and happy you feel after you've been scrubbed with hibiscus, covered in cocoa and bathed in milk surrounded by flower petals?

I had the best night of sleep ever and felt like a new-born baby in the morning - ready to tackle another week of work.

"you smell of Baliness"

this is what the cab driver in Singapore told us on the way back to the city
I guess he was right...



maybe because we inhaled every single moment during our stay on this lovely island so deeply
maybe because we spent hours in the water, by the beach and under the sun
maybe because of the incense burnt in the many many temples
maybe because we came so close to the volcano
maybe because of the flowers in and around our room
maybe because of the mix of all these different aromas






all of this makes the place so unique
and the island really has its own scent



it makes you wanna stay
and we promised to come back again

for more Baliness

cheer-up jazz

I had an awful day in the office and desperately needed some distraction

luckily we found a jazz place in the city
where they played great music all evening

while I took these random pictures

also on the menu was some satisfying dinner

and a lot of conversation with my favorite person ;)

(pictures edited with poladroid)

wenn ich nicht hier bin...

...bin ich aufm Sonnendeck...

oh why can't the weekend be looonger...?

Bye Pulau Rawa!
Terima kasih for being such a cute island!