. ..trip inside my head, spend a day here

hear the things i haven't said, see what i might see.. .



giz lau, toronto: a philosophy grad who somehow made it out of unemployment and became a passionate coffee drinker, a 'silly writer' and lover of life and love

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2009 photo blog
2010 photo blog
2011 photo blog

wed, dec 15, 2010 | emerald coast, florida

started in panama city, florida and went west along the emerald coast through to penscola. it was a little chilly throughout but i'll take 10-15 degrees on the beach over the -20's and snow flurries we've had in toronto the past week. here are some fave shots:








mon, dec 6, 2010 | northwest florida

just got back from a trip through northwest florida along the gulf coast. started in panama city and made our way through to penscaola. this shot was taken on the beaches of the emerald coast and is one of my faves of the trip.




sat, nov 20, 2010 | berlin & copenhagen

a final set of photos from our northern europe tour - from the netherlands, we made our way through to berlin for a couple of days before heading to copenhagen. here are some shots!







monday, oct 25, 2010 | netherlands

from brussels, we drove through to rotterdam for a couple days to see the windmills and do some destination dining. grabbed the train to amsterdam and arrived on a beautifully sunny day. i admit, i fell in love with amsterdam this trip - wonderfully picturesque city, lots of canals, sunny blue skies, friendly people - definitely my fave spot on this trip. hopefully the photos can show you why :)








tuesday, oct 19, 2010 | belgium

after paris, we took the train - first class with rail europe is incredible! - to spend some time in belgium. we stayed in brussels and went through antwerp on our way to holland. here are some belgium shots:






friday, oct 15, 2010 | paris, france

despite its food, wine, fine dining, and existential philosophers - paris is a city after my heart. paris in fall is also quiet, cool, and a lot more low-key - it felt moody, even grumpy this time around. in any case, here are some of my fave shots:




thursday, oct 14, 2010 | dublin, ireland

a lot has happened in the past few months - hmm, where to start?

i began working as a freelance writer at the beginning of august and i've been working from home. not having to be bound to 9-5 hours and an office is one reason why i decided to do some travelling in europe. with two friends working in europe, dublin and amsterdam, it was also a great excuse to catch up and visit.

here's the first leg of the trip: dublin, ireland.







also in wicklow, near the 'glencree centre for peace and reconciliation,' is a memorial for german soldiers that died in/around ireland during WWII.

beside the site, there's a rushing waterfall - here's another attempt at the 'flowing water' effect.


saturday, july 10, 2010 | chicago, illinois

chicago! went to work on some stories, take photos, and try some of its latest restaurants. mm came along this time - here are some faves:









last but not least, the trip ended with a trip to hot doug's. if you're looking for the craziest hot dogs, this is where to find them. lines start at 9am and the place doesn't open until 10:30am. we waited 1.5 hours - but made up for it by ordering almost every dog on the menu.

clockwise from bottom: sally vega corn dog, the elvis dog with chili, lamb pork gyros sausage, alligator sausage with fontina cheese, foie gras with sauternes duck sausage dog, the classic dog & cheese fries. worth a try at least once in your life :)


wednesday, june 16, 2010 | miami, florida

second time visiting miami and loved it just as much as i did the first time, despite spending a chunk of it on my own. here are my other fave shots/experiences from miami:










wednesday, may 26, 2010 | orlando, florida & langdon hall

went down to orlando, florida for pow wow 2010 - an annual travel industry conference supporting travel in/around the u.s. - 5,000 delegates makes one serious, serious conference. lots of meetings, networking & press conferences but every night had a different event in store - theme parks were closed down just for conference delgates and so we got lots of behind-the-scenes looks. here are some shots!






wednesday, may 5, 2010 | spring fun

spring is here :) here are a few shots from what's been happening:





sunday, mar 21, 2010 | wales

after a week in london, mm went back to toronto while i travelled to cardiff, wales for a conference - my first "business" conference! nice small city with great architecture, tons of welsh history, and really really good shopping. in any case - here are some shots in and around wales - most are a bit drab/flat but what can you do when it's always cloudy?







tuesday, mar 9, 2010 | london, england

hello from cardiff, wales! before coming to wales for the 2010 travel media association of canada conference, mm and i spent a week in london. for me, having never spent more than a few hours' time in london, one week still didn't seem like enough! but i'm happy to say that i liked london a lot more than i thought i would - being overly partial and bias to paris and all :)

afternoon tea, day trips to places like oxford and windsor, a bed and breakfast stay in bray for 24 hours of 6 michelin stars, watching wicked on broadway, "minding the gap" on the tube, and even a visit to hillsong london, it was a fun time. here are some of the shots i liked the most and the experiences worth telling you about.






tuesday, feb 23, 2010 | banff


the canadian rocky mountains of banff take my breath away.

this is a shot taken from mt norquay. photos can't even come close to capturing the majesty - and thrill - of standing at 8,000-something feet. read the dizzing heights of Banff for more.

'when you stand, the tall trees and mountains bow, when you speak, the fiercest of oceans is still, but i see sinners seek devotion, the lost become chosen, and i fall to my knees' - devotion


wednesday, feb 10, 2010 | st lucia & barbados

happy new year! it's been a busy one so far, but here's to another great year to you and yours:) just got back from a weekend in banff snowboarding with mm - thankfully we're both alive and in one piece! more to come soon on the amazing, amazing canadian rockies.

soon after the new year began, made my way to st lucia + barbados for a week, here are some highlights: