It has been a smashing week, one which I get to spend with old friends that I have not seen for a while, once which I accidentally ran into an university friend quite by chance, one which I played peek-a-boo and sing-a-long with my niece, and one which I met my goddaughter for the very first time. I had such lightness in my heart when I think of just how fortunate I am to be surrounded with so much love.

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4 Nov: I don’t see calla lily all that often around the city, so it’s always a pleasure when I happen to spot one randomly while I’m out for a walk. It is one of my favourite flowers, afterall, but perhaps I am biased, given its name and mine share some similarity thus creating a sort of affinity between us. What truly draws me is its elegant form, just like the way tulips make their way into my heart.

5 Nov: Now that’s quite a coincidence that after last week, I would come across another modified no-entry sign, this time within my neighbourhood. I’ve taken to call it “ploup” and I guess the name is self-explanatory? ;) A quick web search revealed that these street arts are the works of Clet Abraham, a Breton by origin but now living in Italy. He had left his mark not only in Paris but also in London and in Florence, bringing smiles to many with his humorous hacking of what’s normally ordinary road signs.

6 Nov: Do you buy wine with novelty labelling or do you only go for those with classic labelling of chateau so and so? I must say, the couple of bottles with unorthodox labelling which I had previously weren’t particularly impressive. Nonetheless, I’m not familiar with wine to say if they were indeed inferior in quality, or just the mix of grapes that I wasn’t keen on, or some kind of subconscious bias (human brain makes fascinating judgements sometimes), or a combination of them.

7 Nov: I used to call this sculpture by the wrong name. Thanks to its sculptor’s name – Pomodoro, I kept on thinking it’s “pomodoro con pomodoro”, i.e. tomato within tomato, when the actual name is “sfera con sfera”, i.e. sphere within sphere. There are about a dozen of this sculpture worldwide, this one within the compound of Trinity College in Dublin. What’s rather fun about this sculpture is, it actually pivots on its base, so we can give it a push and it’ll turn on its axis.

8 Nov: The sky was pretty and menacing at the same time. Dark clouds had started to encroach the horizon and at the same time, the sun was determined to set with an intense palate of colours. The wind also then joined in the fun, pushing and pulling the clouds in various directions, creating a sort of dance overhead. It was a bit of a pity when the sun finally took its bow for the day. In darkness, the pacing clouds seemed rather mundane.

9 Nov: I found this beautiful bracelet while I was out a couple of days ago, and immediately I knew it would make the perfect gift for my goddaughter on the day of her christening. Elegant, subtle, and just ever slightly curved, it is not immediately obvious that it bears the motif of a cross. I have been thinking of getting her a charm bracelet initially, with aim to add a charm each year on her birthday, but I guess this makes a more appropriate present for now.

10 Nov: I woke up this morning to one of the most beautiful sunrises in my life. I stood by the window, mesmerised, and with a jolt, I grabbed my camera and hoped I could capture the scene as closely as possible so I can share it with you. Imaginative as usual, do you, like me, spot the graceful phoenix streaking across the sky, wings spread to fly on and at the same time breathing fire ahead?