the last of april, the first of the couple.

He is officially the Duke of Cambridge. She is officially the Duchess of Cambridge. And they are officially husband and wife.

Today marks the first day of William and Kate living their royal marriage as partners for life. Having known each other for more than a third of their life and been together for seven or so years, the wedding was just a public revelation of how deep their love and feelings for one another. The small glances, the joyful smiles, the sweet kisses, you just cannot help but wish your marriage would be like theirs.

Wearing a diamond tiara and a simple yet exquisite dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Kate Middleton appeared at the entrance of Westminster Abbey with her arm slipped to his father’s crooked elbow. She gracefully walked towards the altar as people hold their breath, admiring how elegant and poised she looked entering the beautifully decorated Abbey. You can see the very special moment of history for yourself; it was the wedding that put the date into a national holiday.

Being the first royal bride with a university degree, Kate is definitely not just any ordinary princess. Having studied in St. Andrews of Scotland in the same art history class with Prince William, I believe it is not questionable that Princess Diana would have approved her to marry William. The late Princess was certainly so much missed by her family, but it is even so moving and heart rending that there was an empty seat reserved for her at the royal wedding.

 

   

The ceremony was such a serene and peaceful service. The bride looked picturesque and radiant; the groom looked confident and charming. And as they exchanged vows, a beautiful Welsh gold ring was placed on Kate’s ring finger. It was such a perfect day for a prince and his princess to tie the knot. A sincere and heartfelt prayer then followed the vows of the lovely couple. 

“God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the business of each day, keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy. Strengthened by our union, help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Following the royal tradition, the couple then waved to the cheering crowds when they finally appeared at the balcony of the Palace.

And the fairytale wedding was sealed with two kisses.

Until then,

xoxo.

Photo courtesy of Samuel Alexander.

n.b. click on the last picture to witness the long awaited royal balcony kiss!

Kate who?

How would you feel if you come up at the top when you type your first name in google search?

Well, you can ask Kate Middleton.

It is April the 29^th. The long awaited day has finally come; it is the day of the wedding of Catherine Middleton of Bucklebury. For any of you who are much uninformed and happen to not know who she is, she is the girl who is going to marry Prince William. And for any of you who are much more uninformed – I honestly feel sorry for you, he is the prince of England.

Wearing military uniform, he has just left Clarence hotel, heading to Westminster Abbey, where the wedding ceremony is going to be held. With 600,000 spectators around the Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Mall, you can just imagine the cheering of the crowds. Expecting the balcony kiss of the couple, people are coming from all around the world to witness a history in the making.

Being covered by over 500 reporters from 180 countries and watched by two billion of people worldwide, it is not overrating to say that this is the wedding of the century. And not only Elton John and the Beckhams are in the guest list, the royal family has also invited a homeless girl who was rescued from the streets by a charity supported by Princess Diana.

Serenaded by ‘Guide me, O thou great redeemer’, Kate will walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, having the most memorable moment of her life. The hymn is chosen to pay a tribute to Princess Diana as it was played at her funeral fourteen years ago.  This international event is certainly putting immense pressure for the couple. However, with Philippa Middleton and Prince Harry as the bridesmaid and the best man, William and Kate are both relaxed, preparing to have their marriage with 1900 guests attending the day of their lives.

Kate, who once was just a girl from Bucklebury, is looking exquisitely beautiful on her way to the Abbey, having the fairytale of her own. And she is going to be the Duchess of Cambridge in less than a few minutes, bidding her single life a goodbye.

Until then,

xoxo.

more than just a plastic bag.

“Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?”

“Do you ever feel already buried deep, six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing?”

The thought of being alone and single handed already gives me the jitters, let alone being abandoned when you have done the best you could in life. This may look overstated, but what lies beneath is not always seen from where you stand. There will always be a number of ‘nobodies’ around, and you just don’t realize more than their mere existence. Having been surrounded by relatives and close friends may let you not see how there are people out there needing extra support and encouragement. What you have to do was just to open your eyes and take a closer look.

A life full of joy may leave us taking pleasure in what we have. I am not saying there is nobody who is caring and thoughtful – there is. And I am not saying that you should not enjoy your life – you should. It is just that when you are doing fine and having the time of your life, why consider the burden to care about others?

The world that we live in is one that is hard and complicated. Things happen, and we are expected to survive through thick and thin. The ability to effortlessly get into the swing of things is just not what we were born with. And not all of us were born to be thick as thieves either. But when you start to see how people live within tragedy and loss, you get the big picture of the lives on this world. It is not only of beauty and mystery, but also of pain and misery.

People need to be told that hope is real, and help is real. Taking the first step is always the hardest, but when you have gone past that, you realize how valuable a flicker of hope is and how worthwhile is an “I can help you.” People are just not meant to live by themselves. People need others.

And the least we can do is to spread the faith and hope.

“If you only knew what the future holds, after a hurricane, comes a rainbow.”

Until then,

xoxo.

when the eggs were hatched.

“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.”

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is a two week event welcoming the joy and delight of Easter held in Olympic Park. Having been celebrated for the last 188 years, the event is always full, not only of Sydney siders, but also of people from other parts of New South Wales and all around Australia. As the sixth largest event in the world, the show offers various attractions, including parades, competitions, amusement rides, games, shops, foods and showbags stands. This annual event is definitely one not to be missed. 

Farm animals, including horses, goats, llamas, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks and pigs participated in the competition. They were judged and top score achievers were gathered in different shelters for people to take a look. When I was there, people were walking and stopping every here and there, taking pictures of the animals. So I had to walk at the same slow pace! I couldn’t help but wonder how these people could stay there for so long. The pigs and cows were so smelly! The only place where I could stay for longer was the animal nursery. It was this large built shed where young animals are allowed to be pat and people can get up close with them.  

The showbags stands were so packed last weekend, you literally can’t walk without bumping into someone or hitting something. They were selling stuffs like chocolate, dolls, candies, magazines, bags, as one package at competitive prices. Some stuffs were available to be bought separately though. I got my sister a Wall-E and an Eve plush dolls. And I also bought a strawberry scented Lotso from Toy Story 3. They look a bit weird together, hand in hand, don’t you think?

There were also games stalls where you get to play games and receive souvenirs if you win. I tried once and I got this cute little unicorn.

The shows were held during the evening. The Grand Parade took place at the main arena, followed by a rodeo competition, motocross action and Cobb. & Co. wild ride.

And spectacular fireworks put the day to an end.

Until then,

xoxo.

the first bell.

So here it is. My very first blog post.

I actually have no idea of what to write at the moment, but I’m afraid the urge of writing might just fade away once I leave the blog alive with nothing posted for so many days. To start with, the question of why I am blogging is the one of with no certain apparent answer. Secondly, the question of what I am going to write about might be the one with shadowy unclear solution. But, I’ll try my best to keep my writing relevant and interesting and not getting you, readers, fall asleep while reading.

I am currently in the middle of a ten day easter break, in which, I still have assignments and reports to be done once university starts next week. I know this sounds awful. Well, it is. Anyhow, I am trying to enjoy the break while I can, and you should too! Time does fly - it is always the case where before you know it, you’re already at the end of the holiday! I just can’t figure out how time goes very quick when you are having fun but the clock ticks slower when you are, like, in a lecture. I guess I just have to grin and bear until the end of this semester, which is in around six weeks.

Hope you had a happy easter.

Until then,

xoxo.