yen's scribblings
                                         
latest travel                    photography                      latest artwork                      music     

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~ new! relatively.. ~

fotoart scotland ~ to the shetlands ~ 2009
revisit to my favourite place on earth..
and i had to go up its most northerly point

Art Trip Blog: Mornington Peninsula ~ 2008
Beaches, golf, wineries beckon..
but we're here to paint!

6-Part Travelblog: France & Scandinavia ~ 2006   (Pg 1 2 3 4 5 6)
My 8 weeks in Europe, from
no-english France to fish-soup Scandinavia.
( p.s. any opinions expressed are personal and
oft, on the spur of the moment... )

~ asia ~

Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon ~ 2003
Bhutan ~ The Druk Path Saga ~ 2003

"...Going to Bhutan this Oct. Your pictures and descriptions are beautiful..."
Bhutan ~ Sojourn to Punakha & Wangdue ~ 2003
A Dose of Nepalese Warmth ~ 1996

"...Good morning from South Africa. I enjoyed browsing through your site. Lovely photos. How do you manage to travel so often?"

~ africa ~

Beyond the Pyramids ~ 1997

"...Awesome site! Ancient Egypt is the BEST :)..."
The Beautiful Cape ~ 2002
"...Thank you for sharing your pics with us. My husband and I will be spending Christmas this year in Cape Town so these pics made me all the more excited..."

Behold the Drakensberg! ~ 2002
"...Spent a year in Lesotho in 1965/6 but was not lucky enough to get to this area. Very good site..."
Kruger Safari ~ 2002
"...Sure sounds like you had a great time at the safari. Someday..."
foto memoirs ~ victoria falls ~ 2002
"...I have always dream of Africa and you have given a sweet dream to remember. Someday I will visit these wonderful falls..."

~ europe ~

Exhilarating Highlands ~ 1998/1999
"...Thank you for a very pleasant trip round part of my native land. I used to climb and ski in Glen Coe when I was younger. Now 77yrs and living in Ontario, Canada..."
Beautiful Orkney ~ 1999
"...Great site! Your photos make me want to go to the Orkneys myself..."
Tale of 3 Scottish Isles ~ 1999
"...I hope someday to see Scotland, maybe a visit or maybe for a lifetime. In my heart it has always been home. I am American but my roots and heart are buried deep in Scotland..."
Elegant Edinburgh ~ 1998/1999
"... I love Edinburgh! Lovely way of portraying the most beautiful city in the world..."
Gaudi - Barcelona's Famous Son ~ 1998

"...Nice work and the story you told of Gaudi is very heart-warming and touching. The graphics you used to frame each of the Gaudi photo adds a lot to the whole presentation..."
Charming Geneva ~ 2000

~ north america ~

Canadian Rockies, the Hiking Paradise ~ 1996   (Pg 1 2)
"...Your site on the Rockies is great, and true to the core. I was there in the Spring of 2001, and the experience with mother-nature was simply breathtaking, exhilarating and priceless..."
Mont Tremblant's Autumn Splendour ~ 2000
"...Thanks for your great essay and pix of Mont Tremblant, am going to Montreal this Sep, think I must make a sidetrip there..."
foto memoirs ~ montréal & québec city ~ 2000
foto memoirs ~ niagara falls ~ 2000
"...We have been to the falls and we loved it, but we moved too fast to get any really good pics like you did, they are great. hope you loved it in Niagara falls..."
Alaskan Sojourn ~ The Inside Passage ~ 2002
"...Wonderful website especially the black and white photos..."
Alaskan Sojourn ~ Ketchikan & Sitka ~ 2002
"...what a wonderful story, and good photos. I am heading up to Sitka for Whalefest, and to teach at the U of Alaska. it is good to be informed before i get there..."
Alaskan Sojourn ~ Juneau & Tracy Arm Fjord
~ 2002
Alaskan Sojourn ~ Skagway & White Pass/Yukon Route ~ 2002
"...Enjoyed everything about the Mascot Saloon as I lived there about 1938 as it was then a Drug store owned and occupied by Perry Hern, my
father-in-law..."
Alaskan Sojourn ~ Whitehorse & Klondike Highway ~ 2002
An American Tale Part I: Amtrak-ing in the West
~ 1995   (Pg 1 2 3 4)
"...Planning a trip from Oklahoma City, OK USA. Enjoyed your site..."
An American Tale Part II: Tribute to the East ~ 2000   (Pg 1 2)

~ down under ~

foto memoirs ~ cairns & its surroundings ~ 2001   (Pg 1 2 3 4 5)
"...Beautiful collection with informative commentaries from a seasoned traveller, great for sharing them with others. Missing are beautiful places from China..."




Comments






theresa

very well done


Natalie

Nice website.


joe

Very detail outline and fabulous picture to capture every imaginable sequence of your travel.congratulation, very well done


sally

thank you for a wonderful tour


Sky

Hi my friend, Understand that you are an experienced traveler from Singapore.. I am also from Singapore too you really do have an awesome site.. those travel pictures you have taken are really lovely! Wish to invite you to this new travel forum..


lillian

enjoyed my visit


Jim Staats

Would like to visit the area this summer. My home is in Alabama ad it is very hot in the summer. What clothing should I bring for August?


Tim

nice site i've come back a few times now I envy your trip there. well done.


CIAO

I love this site and many thanks to the Colin family(Victone mob)Friends of Friends


Prasad

great inspiration for my site http://www.myenglandtravel.com


JP

Thanks for a good read Yen.


daleanne

please let me know if I can use your picture to illustrate the beauties of asia on my site


...

Hi Hwee Yen, i really enjoy your travel blog. As a S'porean, i am proud of you. Keep writing. From someone who knows all 3 of you.


Pringles

Hi there, just visited your website ... I must say, those things you wrote, very well written, and the pictures were great. ;)


Norita

Very beautiful pictures.8)


freda

I wish to travel to such exotic, beautiful places myself someday.


James (Intersection Music)

woo.. nice site! quite alot of content hor? Will check out the painting "shifu" you spoke of soon. Thanks.


Craig

These photgraphs are SUPERB!!! Good work!


vikram

brilliant man!!!good work


ernest

how's life ? anymore exotic travels ?


Rosanne Dyck

Beautiful work! Absolutely glorious colours!


vikram rao

hi ,wow wonderfull work....keep updating it with more pictures and designs.... make u r website more convenient and easy.... vikram.


Bebe

HI...alwasy facinated by your travel journal and photos...keep it up :-). Me just another girl who love travelling..


Bebe

hey... I kept your webpage since I first landed here many years back. Love your travel diaries, your photo ...and of course envy your for having such opportunity, space and resources too. wish I could be like you..I regret not planning my time and resource when I was younger...but certainly seriously working towards the same travel path as you...wish to see more of your sharing..an encouragement for me to see the world through other's eye. Happy New Year..take care.


HERSHAL FRYD

THANK YOU!











~ prologue ~

7 years ago, i wrote:

"what does a single woman like to do? travel, of course, and absolutely no qualms about it! so married folks, go green with envy.

not that the trips are any easy... not for me the hassle-free (i prefer the thrill of getting lost), relaxing (backpacking's more authentic, albeit also backbreaking, aargh), guided (or should i say, cattle-herded?) tours; i'm simply too lazy to rush from place to place and a languishing pace suits me better where i can take my own sweet time and, if i'm lucky, get to really SEE a place.

for you see, i'm a traveller, not a tourist, or so i like to think. can't beat those aussies who take a year off but a decent couple of weeks off work can still do wonders. after all, how many people have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, witnessed the beauty of a snow fall up in the lovely Canadian Rockies, experienced the harsh yet surrealistic landscape of the Scottish Highlands, not to mention being relieved of my beloved camera on one cold Christmas Day in Madrid, or an unfortunate first-hand encounter with the "Pharoah's Curse" (aka food poisoning) on the Egyptian Nile...

good or bad, the experiences are unforgettable. so i certainly hope you'll enjoy these travel pieces, most of which are meant to be informative, and to lure you into fishing out that rustic cam and heading for the "wilderness"..."


wow! i think i can safely say i've seen much of the world now, more than most people do anyway.. although the more i see, the less i see. for the earth is just too big and you cannot never say you've been to a place and know it unless you have been living there for maybe a good 10 years and experience all its seasons, flavours, trials and tribulations..

i am just grateful to have the privilege of experiencing what i have, the adrenalin sky-highs, the end-of-the-world lows, and still come home in 1 piece to live again for yet another trip.. although i may be less-inclined to backbreaking stuff nowadays haha..

i have also learned to appreciate home.. the place called Singapore that we Singaporeans love to complain about (incidentally there are not many of us left nowadays with all the foreign talent ;p) but this is home. where my family and most of my friends (still) are, and the food of course. a place where i find it weird to take photos as it is just too darn familiar. but if people are flooding here, there must be something good about it.

at this point, i am almost tempted to break into a chest-thumping Majullah Singapura.. ahem, maybe not. i still do hate our hot humid weather, and let's not start on the.. oops, it just comes so naturally ;p

this is my webpage. i never did get into this blogging thingee although people are calling my webpage that. so maybe i better start pretending to keep up with the times. and i will endeavour to improve my sterling record of 1 blog posting every 7 years..


~ a wannabe artist's ramblings ~

besides photography which helps me to remember the images of my travels, the one creative outlet that really allows me to vent my feelings is art. it sounds cliche but i had vague thoughts of being an artist as a kid. i also knew it would freak my parents out big-time haha.. anyway that was that. so now that i have done my dues earning my keep the conventional way, it is time to go back to my (drama pause) true artistic roots..

but seriously, art is fun. the story my friends like to tell me about why they can't draw goes that some stupid art teacher in their primary school gave them a D and sentenced them permanently to the Can't Draw to Save Their Lives group. i say shoot the artless teacher.

anybody can draw. in fact, the beautiful thing about art is nobody can with 100% certainty pronounce your work to be lousy; you are just misunderstood. like van gogh who only sold 1 painting in his life. at least that's what i tell myself. and man, it's so cool to be called a painter ;p

so here it is, ladies and gentlemen, my art page: . and my lofty artistic ambition is to go 1 better than van gogh ;p


~ music interlude ~

as you can see, i have a pretty strong need for creative outlets..

once upon a time, there was a group of idealistic music-makers called

Intersection Music Lab. yes, we were the (unknowns) of xinyao (local Singapore compositions movement) which is incidentally enjoying a renaissance of sorts today with all the run-of-the-mill stinging, i mean singing, competitions.

luckily we were ahead of our times and didn't have to subject ourselves to the sadistic survivor-style yet strangely-popular music contests of today's world where the once-almighty record companies are falling like bowling pins (when will they ever learn?)

so before the CD becomes a dinosaur relic from the past, let's give 1 last hurrah to the last album effort of the acclaimed Intersection Mahjong (sic)

Lab: . hey, we did hit a favourable review with
You Weekly review :) :) :)


~ other musings ~

these doodlings are probably the closest i come to blogging. okay i am a pretender. but hey the label shouldn't matter and, cross my heart, i will endeavour to post more of these.. er.. blogs.

Life's Punctuation (new)
Watch Out Before You Use That Zebra Crossing
The Cinema Strikes Back !
Confessions of a 30-Year-Old-To-Be, Come Y2K
Free Orchestra Music, Anyone ?
Singapore "Myths"
"...Read your article. Love it. 100% agree to your points..."
Of Shooting Condors and Red Snow
"...Keep writing. I enjoy your light-hearted musings alot!"

afternote: ironically, pretensions finally led to the real thing, or rather, i've found a less tedious way to publish my doodlings without the aesthetic bells and whistles, and perhaps.. ahem.. improve my posting rate, so tada! introducing my musings blog ;p





© Ong Hwee Yen 2001~2009

! travels ! photography ! art journey ! guestbook !

* This webpage and/or its stories are listed on:
Yahoo, Google, MSN, LookSmart, Dmoz, AltaVista,
Rec.Travel Library, The Lost Luggage Tales, My England Travel,
Scottish YHA, Trail Canada & ChangingLINKS.com.

do visit yen's art blog for works on travels, life & leisure

   
     
 

Comments


may

great site you have there.


Jeannine

Great website! I hope to visit someday!


BONQUISHA

WELL I LIKED YOU SITE I LIKED ALL THE PICS WELL YOU NEED TO GET MORE INFO LOVE LOTS BONQSHA.!!!!!


Templar

Nice knowing you!


Shaggy

Just checking in to see if there's anything new! Gee. Not seen any familiar names here yet, but I see that you have wowed for yourself some "international" friends huh. :=) Keep writing. I enjoy your light-hearted musings alot! Hope to get my own site soon..


Molly

Amazing photos! ..Great composition! Keep up the good work


Tina

I'm writing from work (coffee break) so no e-mail address, but wanted you to know, your trip was wonderful & you really seem like a fun person who enjoys nature-really nice job of the photos & narratives. Happy trails to you! Keep at it---I am a 52-yr


Roger

Yen, you are one of the few people on this Earth who is experiencing her life in the most rewarding way. Most people stay harboured in one place and, yes, may learn much, but you...you travel and observe...


Joe Buck

Great photos, very impressive.


Christine

Just passing through and found your site. Nice job. Enjoyed it.


Dale

What amazing photos !! Do you process your own ? and what film do you generally use?


John Mclane

Your site is a gateway for extreme adventure sport escapades.


Juanita

Wonderful website especially the black and white photos. I plan to visit in late June of 2003. Can't wait. A definite contrast from my U.S. home of California


gal'z2812

nice to meet you


Norwegian Cruise Expert

I really enjoyed your site...


Dom Farr

Hey man cool site, really loved the pics


Brendan

The site was very good, hope you dont mind i used it for my report. Great pics. too!


Anita

This is truly a great site that shows you what reserves are all about. One that informs people about the diversity of animals and plants in the reserves. The pictures are amazing and they really make you want to come and see them for yourself.


Judy Barrett

excellent historical narrative.


Penny

Hi! What a beautiful place!


lisa

AWESOME PIX!!!!! NOW I WANT TO VISIT! THANX!! =]


stephan

Beautiful pictures can't wait to see more, do you know what a geyser is?..For a school project.


Robin Jollie

Would love to see photos of cherubs you find in your travels! Have FUN! Robin


Lisa

excellent, informative and beautifully thought out website! It was a pleasure!


Tom Dodd

Beautifully put together site. Cheers


Kathy Thompson

Howdy Yen, Your website is lovely, great pictures with very good info about your visits. I truly injoyed the time I spent with you on your travels. Kathy in Texas


Allan Svensson

Hi, You have a beautiful Website here. The photos are very good.


Tay

Beautiful collection with informative commentaries from a seasoned traveller, great for sharing them with others. Missing are beautiful places from China!


Raok surfer

wow, what a great place you have here, can't wait to go see some more of your travels....:)


Kristoph

This is a very interesting site. Quite impressed with the photos and their clarity!


Jessica

Great site! I love all of the pictures!


Tan Wee Cheng

Such a beautiful website. Well done! Glad to see a fellow Singaporean traveller. Check out my travelogue site at http://weecheng.com Wee Cheng


David

You have a pretty amazing website here and lots of wonderful photos as well. I can only hope to get to travel as much someday.


Velia

WOW!!!


Bill Newell

Enjoyed visiting your site and seeing the pictures.


Sharon

Great website! I will be there for a visit soon. I am very excited about my trip now.


David

Nice job on this. I enjoyed the photographs and commentary.


shameer

THANKS FOR SOME BEAUTIFUL PICS OF MY FAVORITE W.F. THEY WERE REALLY NICE ,AND I ENJOYED IT VERY MUCH.


Knight Rider

Take care !