My Grey World » photos

Sep200907

I know it’s odd to start with the last photos, but I just want to do so.

The reason why is that these photos were taken by my phone (Nokia N70) instead of my camera (Sony T70). Pardon the quality. Ahem. Anyway. I’m a big freak of categorizing I even had to separate photos taken by different devices. Heh. Don’t look at me like that.

On the last night we spent in St Petersburg, several friends and I decided to go on a midnight boat trip through the Neva River, THE river of St Petersburg. Why midnight, you ask. Well when we were in St Petersburg back then it was the season of “White Nights”. Sunsets are late, sunrises are early, and darkness is never complete (White Nights on Wikipedia). Needless to say, this is a rare event, once in a year period. After cursing the nights because we were not being able to sleep for nights (it’s always still bright!), it was only fair then to appreciate the beauty of these White Nights.

By the way, if you ever go to St Petersburg and would like to go on the same boat trip, I recommend you Anglotourismo.

We started the boat trip cruising along the Neva River (after passing Fontanka River – where we boarded the boat and Moika River). A lot of the landmarks of St Petersburg can be found on the sides of Neva River.

We passed by Spit of Vasilievsky Island. The island was meant to be the city centre of St Petersburg, but it turned out that it wasn’t feasible to do so. As of why it wasn’t feasible, I can’t really remember. Hehe. It remains a completely beautiful island with a perfect view of Hermitage (the Winter Palace), and the architecture is perfectly symmetrical.

This is Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Also known as Kunstkamera (Chamber of Curiosities), it originally served as a place for Peter the Great’s quirky and strange private collections of fishes/reptiles/insects in bottles and other science instruments. According to the guide, nobody really wanted to visit the museum when it was first opened (in 1719), so Peter the Great had to give free vodka and sandwich to the people just so they’ll visit!

This is the building of St Petersburg Academy of Arts. Most of St Petersburg’s best artists were educated here.

And here we go to the star of the boat trip : the drawn bridges!

They have to draw the bridges at night to let boats pass through. Just before the bridge is drawn, warning lights will light up and you can see cars quickly zooming on the bridge. That makes sense because if you don’t make it in time, you can get stuck for hours on the wrong side of the river

This is the Palace Bridge, the most famous draw bridge in St Petersburg. It has been on tons of postcards, mugs, t-shirts, and God knows what else. I guess it’s easy to see why

Another shot. I love how the street lamps all go up too

The next bridge that went up – Holy Trinity Bridge. Unlike Palace Bridge that opens/draws at the middle, Holy Trinity Bridge only opens/draws the very last arch.

Does the Holy Trinity Bridge remind you of something…?

The company who constructed the Holy Trinity Bridge was the same one that constructed Eiffel Tower.

And that’s the end of our midnight boat trip.

On the very next day (our last day ever in St Petersburg), we went to walk on the sides of Griboyedov Canal. This canal is perpendicular to Nevsky Prospekt, THE road of St Petersburg. It also flows to the side of Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood. In case you need a reminder of how that beautiful church looks like…

So let’s see the church as it’s seen from the canal!

We also went to see this bridge called “Bank Bridge”.

There are 4 griffins decorating the bridge. At that time, the griffins were being repainted so you can see some patches.

By the way, right behind this griffin is University of Economics and Finance. Located very near to the main street of St Petersburg, I can’t help to associate it with SMU

That is all today. I’ll get other pictures up and about soon (I think…….).

Bigger photos in Facebook photo album : St Petersburg June 2009 – Midnight boat trip and Griboyedov Canal. I had to resize the photos in this blog post so that it doesn’t “overflow” from my post box.

Mar200814

Sylvia Giacinta

4

Motivation

I’m putting up some of my old photos in order to motivate me lose weight. =P I wanna go back to my normal weight.. Please support me =)

Photos taken from my friendster, which I set up since my years in high school.

This one was taken when I was 16.

similar as above

I was even younger in this one. I can’t be more than 14. It was taken when I was still in junior high school (secondary, if you may)

This one was taken after my haircut.. I think it was on 2005.. So I was about 17. Or even younger. I can’t remember.

Me and my friend in high school uniform. Cute, right? lol I was about 17, I think.. Coz I remember this was taken during the last year of school.

This was taken in Bali.. I can’t be more than 17. Hehe. I got a bit fatter in my last years of school. You can see I have a tummy here. Nevertheless it’s still thinner than what I am now.. Sigh..

This was taken in the Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali.. The plane was delayed, if I recall correctly.

At graduation day. No I didn’t win anything, in case you’re wondering. Every students had one of those medals. I was a bit fatter, the same as above picture.

Well. Do leave your encouraging comments! I’d love to hear it. =)

Feb200815

Sylvia Giacinta

2

Valentine’s day 2008.. =)

Finally.. I can celebrate Valentine’s Day peacefully and happily, after going through meetings and God knows what else.

My boyfriend arrived at my home at 7.30 PM.. With that HUGE smile on his face. Hehehehe.

He gave me this rose!

I’m so happy!

And soooo we hailed a cab and went to Suntec City. Initially he wanted to take me to Marche. He knows I love Marche! =P Apparently, Suntec City was very full of couples =P and some freaky people trying to sell roses. Ha.

But then…. Apparently Marche closed down!! =( It really just disappeared. We thought we were in the wrong place, but then we checked the directory.. And no… Marche is not there anymore.. Sigh…

Since Suntec City got many (maybe hundreds of) restaurants, we decided to stay in Suntec City. My eye caught Sizzler. My boyfriend had never been there, but I did, when my very very kind piano teacher treated me and her tenants (which are my friends) to christmas dinner there. I told him it’s nice, so he agreed to go there.

Well, you know.. Suntec City fountain terrace is huge, so we went there, and initially got lost, and finally found the restaurant. While walking along the fountain terrace we actually had a thought to switch to Fish n Co instead, but the queue was….er.. violent. LOL.

Moreover, my boyfriend really likes the ambience of Sizzler that night. They put candles on every table and the lights were kinda dimmed, so yeah

(I juz realize I didn’t take any pictures. I think we were too excited -_-)

We ordered the meal with free unlimited salad from the salad bar. And the salad bar in Sizzler is just goodness. They not only have some vegetables, they also have some meat, some delicious pre-made salad (potato tuna salad!!), a nacho bar, and a pasta bar! Moreover, it offers free ice cream with free sprinklers. So make your own ice cream! (and you can go back and forth again and again and again since it’s unlimited =P)

After that… We went back to my home. And this is the time.. Of unwrapping!

The two presents from my boyfriend =)

Opening the first one and tadah!

It’s a box of Ferrero Rocher. FYI, it’s a box of Ferrero Rocher that he brought to my house when he suddenly popped up that morning and said “I love you” to me. =D Er well.. I rejected him at first =P But now since we’re together, he gave me this box of Ferrero Rocher again =D