Chocolate Cookies and Candies

06/02/2020

After 11.5 wonderful years here in the U.K, the time has come to bid adieu. I’ve pounded the streets of Wi******er for more than a decade and have seen many little ones including mine slowly transformed from cute little munchkins into (hormonal/dramatic - 10 emotions in 1 hour) teens. I’m immensely grateful for the amazing friends I’ve made in the U.K. We came barely knowing anyone but left with our hearts full. Thank you for your warm company, support, kindness and the numerous and often hilarious chats. It’s time for us to head to the tropics. There’s been many teary goodbyes but I’m sure I’ll see many of you again either in the U.K. or in Bali. The hubby and I will have to return to the European continent periodically for work. 🤗 As for my family and friends in Asia, I can’t wait to see you all!

06/09/2018

Short people problems:
1. Fat settles horizontally because there ain’t much room vertically. Not unless you count your fingers and toes.
2. The best stuff in the supermarket are placed at eye level. The giants’ , not yours.
3. Capri pants come up to your ankle.
4. You’re only a few inches taller than the steering wheel 🚗.
5. Your top is always wet...at bust level...when you’re doing the dishes.

05/09/2018

[Ad] The Alsace region fascinates me because it’s so close to the Swiss and German borders. Throughout its history, Alsace switched its nationality 4 times, tossing back and forth between Germany and France until World War 2. In fact, Basel airport is actually in France even though the city is in Switzerland. Imagine my confusion trying to figure out which exit to take in the airport as there’s an arrow pointing to Switzerland and another pointing to France.
Shot on OM-D E-M10 Mark III with 14-42mm pancake lens. ISO 1250, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec.

04/09/2018

[Ad] The fairy tale villages in Alsace do not subscribe to the minimalist rule. More is.....well....more. This is probably the only time being extra (I’m doing teen speak today) is totally rad. This photo was taken with the OM-D E-M10 Mark III camera with 14-42mm lens attached which is perfect for shooting wide angle scenes.

03/09/2018

[Ad] Entering into Colmar is akin to stepping into the magical world of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast cartoon. Any minute now, the residents would fling their shutters open as Belle walks past singing. Birds all chirping of course (never pigeons, the flying rodents). I’m in Alsace traveling and using OM-D E-M10 Mark III , a camera which I’ve used for years (the older Mark II version and now this). It’s a beauty of a camera. I’ve set aside my pro zoom lens and using predominantly the pancake 14-42mm. I‘m a lens snob but I was very impressed by its performance. Despite its size, the images it produces are crisp and beautifully saturated. See my Stories for more photos of Alsace as well as the technical details of each photo.

Discount code MARLENE10 to get 20% on https://shop.olympus.eu/en_GB/index.html

24/06/2018

It has been a rather surreal 3 days seeing the name and New Zealand plastered at every location I’ve been taken to here in Palma de Mallorca. I’m half way round the world from home and missing my friends and family. There were moments when I was a little teary-eyed seeing little reminders of home. The wonderful team had painstakingly recreated the essence of New Zealand in Palma.


@ Palma De Mallorca, Spain

08/04/2018

Few outside of Borneo have heard of a sleepy town called Sarikei situated along the Rajang river.

This was where my granddad first settled when he set off from Fuzhou for Nanyang (as the Chinese called South East Asia) and built a similar wooden house on stilts just like this one here. Sadly, his house has been demolished now. I was thrilled to find out that a family friend, Mary Wong and his son, Vincent had managed to preserve her mother’s old house and turned the ground floor into a cafe. It was built more than 70 years ago and had been left exactly as it was when her mother was alive. Life was extremely tough for the early Sarawak pioneers from China. Most left their motherland with little more than clothes on their backs and a single pot that doubled as a bowl.

@ Yi Garden

14/10/2017

Such a treat to see the images that I’d shot now live on ’s website. I love how Jennie named her scarves (rosé, prosecco, blackberry...). She’s wearing Amarone in the photo, otherwise known as rich full bodied dry Italian red 🍷 wine, an apt name for the pleated cashmere scarf. Pssst....I should mention that she’s currently offering free worldwide shipping.

10/04/2017

Here's a snippet of the shoot with for . I still can't bring myself to say I've shot someone even if it's with a camera 📷, not the weapon. Pop along to her blog to see more.

15/03/2017

Check out my blog post today about Dubrovnik if you're keen about visiting the Jewel of the Adriatic and how to travel with just an Carry-On for 5 days.

14/03/2017

5 Days in Dubrovnik
http://www.chocolatecookiesandcandies.com/2017/03/5-days-in-dubrovnik.html

I've become somewhat addicted to Korean variety shows, particularly ones that involve food and travel. It was through one of the prog...

05/01/2017

New post: My 2016 journey. The good and the bad
http://www.chocolatecookiesandcandies.com/2017/01/my-2016-journey-good-and-bad.html

The Journey I was moaning to the husband recently about my lack of progress in my professional life when he stopped me. He reminded...