Like a candle burning selflessly to dispel darkness
Like a star in the night sky releasing energy traverses its interior to shine
Like a lotus flower blooming to its fullest regardless of the circumstance
Like the cheerful sun of happiness giving hope to the despairs
Your selfless dedication to work for others' happiness is beyond imagination
Your trust in others' greatness is projected in your behaviour
You are a great inspiration to many, both locally and abroad
You are a great friend, sister, comrade and teacher
Looking at the world population exceeding 7 billion
Meeting you in this beautiful land full of natural resources
Our encounter is truly fated, phenomenal and mystical
Like the Chinese proverb "the right time, right place and right people"
I am truly blessed to have met you
I am truly thankful for the trust you have in me
I am truly grateful for your presence and encouragements when I needed most
I am truly appreciative for your strict yet compassionate lectures when I was in darkness
All I want to say is long live to you!
Saturday 29 September 2012
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World
Have you ever thought how would life be if you could travel back to more than two thousands years ago? How did the people live? What would be their past time? What did they do for a living? What did they study?
From the history that we learned, could we really tell the complete story of the people who lived more than two thousand years ago? We learned about the dark ages, industrial revolution, flourish and decline of various civilizations in the world, the born of world great philosophers and thinkers, major world events that took place such as world wars, mass massacres of certain races or religions, economy depression and recessions, etc.
Fast forward to today, it is an age of fast pace, with great advancement in technology, science and medicine. We talk about high speed in basically anything and everything. Information could be obtained in split second, high speed train, gigabytes broadband access, entertainment program in demand (without having to wait for the program), express delivery, 5-min hair cut and the list goes on.
On the other hand of the unprecedented progress which seems to be a positive development, there are some dark sides behind the development as it could be abused by some socially irresponsible individuals. Technology could be abused for some selfish purpose such as the invention of nuclear power which was initially aimed for a clean energy and later turned into mass killing weapons. There are other issues derived from development such as global warming, environmental issues and yet there are still issues such as racism, poverty and religious conflict could not be tackled by the development.
Then we may ask, what is the ultimate solution to all these pressing issues? When we analyse all these issues from a standpoint of Buddhism, all these derive from the three poisons in life which are greed, hunger and stupidity. Greed is behind irresponsible, lopsided development at the expense of natural resources and environment. When profit making is the only goal and purpose, other basic values are compromised. Hunger and greed are closely related like siblings, when there is always not enough, more development will be created and lead to more resources to be exploited, nations are competing to create something deem 'great' such as tall towers (which most of the times were built at the expense of others' life) just to prove to the world that they could do it and to cover up the weaknesses. Sense of insecurity of losing power motivates world powerful countries to control and suppress the weak ones. How about stupidity? Ignorance of the inherent greatness in oneself and others, disregards and disrespect life such as what is being portrayed through discrimination, slavery, various wars and conflicts that we have seen in the history and even up to now.
We need to develop the wisdom and ability to see beyond whatever we see on the surface in order to tackle the real issues that are threatening human existence and robbing sanctity of life. It is everyone's responsibility to make this world a better place to live for ourselves and for our future generations. We need to compete in term of humanism, not just merely competing in the areas we have already done in a century that no doubt have improved our life tremendously but with the sad fact that we are losing our humanity.
Therefore, it's important to look within our life for answers and take full responsibility of our life instead of seeking real happiness from outside or blame something or someone when we are in unfavourable circumstances. When we are able to take charge of our life we are able to change our community, society and the world at large.
From the history that we learned, could we really tell the complete story of the people who lived more than two thousand years ago? We learned about the dark ages, industrial revolution, flourish and decline of various civilizations in the world, the born of world great philosophers and thinkers, major world events that took place such as world wars, mass massacres of certain races or religions, economy depression and recessions, etc.
Fast forward to today, it is an age of fast pace, with great advancement in technology, science and medicine. We talk about high speed in basically anything and everything. Information could be obtained in split second, high speed train, gigabytes broadband access, entertainment program in demand (without having to wait for the program), express delivery, 5-min hair cut and the list goes on.
On the other hand of the unprecedented progress which seems to be a positive development, there are some dark sides behind the development as it could be abused by some socially irresponsible individuals. Technology could be abused for some selfish purpose such as the invention of nuclear power which was initially aimed for a clean energy and later turned into mass killing weapons. There are other issues derived from development such as global warming, environmental issues and yet there are still issues such as racism, poverty and religious conflict could not be tackled by the development.
Then we may ask, what is the ultimate solution to all these pressing issues? When we analyse all these issues from a standpoint of Buddhism, all these derive from the three poisons in life which are greed, hunger and stupidity. Greed is behind irresponsible, lopsided development at the expense of natural resources and environment. When profit making is the only goal and purpose, other basic values are compromised. Hunger and greed are closely related like siblings, when there is always not enough, more development will be created and lead to more resources to be exploited, nations are competing to create something deem 'great' such as tall towers (which most of the times were built at the expense of others' life) just to prove to the world that they could do it and to cover up the weaknesses. Sense of insecurity of losing power motivates world powerful countries to control and suppress the weak ones. How about stupidity? Ignorance of the inherent greatness in oneself and others, disregards and disrespect life such as what is being portrayed through discrimination, slavery, various wars and conflicts that we have seen in the history and even up to now.
We need to develop the wisdom and ability to see beyond whatever we see on the surface in order to tackle the real issues that are threatening human existence and robbing sanctity of life. It is everyone's responsibility to make this world a better place to live for ourselves and for our future generations. We need to compete in term of humanism, not just merely competing in the areas we have already done in a century that no doubt have improved our life tremendously but with the sad fact that we are losing our humanity.
Therefore, it's important to look within our life for answers and take full responsibility of our life instead of seeking real happiness from outside or blame something or someone when we are in unfavourable circumstances. When we are able to take charge of our life we are able to change our community, society and the world at large.
Friday 31 August 2012
The Power of Mind
Believe it or not? When you send out positive energy into the universe, it will response in the way you wish and it is vice-versa. So just be aware of the energy you are sending out!
This happened to me quite a number of times, from finding parking to rains stopped when I reached my destinations. It makes me wonder what would I be if I realised this much more earlier and who I had become today and many other possibilities.
The recent 'miracles' happened when a group of us drove up to Cameron Highlands located in between two big states in Penisular Malaysia - Perak and Pahang. On our way there, there was a heavy down pour when we were half way through our destination. It was very dangerous as we could hardly see the road in front. By sending out positive energy, it did not only relax the driver who was so stressed out because our life were in his good hand. I responded to the heavy down pour by telling everyone in the car that the rain would definitely stop when we reached our destination and we would see double rainbow in front of us.
When we settled our stuffs in our rented apartment and left to Brinchang town to do marketing in the Pasar Malam (night market), the rain stopped miraculously. Although the floor was wet, it did not bother us at all as strolling along the street enjoying the cool air (15 degree Celsius) was just fantastic. We enjoyed the spiritual freedom that we hardly had when we were in the city, it was a total breakaway. We managed to get some bargained vegetables, flowers and the famous pearl corns (which you could eat raw).
After the marketing, everyone was so excited looking for a highly recommended steamboat restaurant, Cactus View Steamboat Restaurant, with its unique steamboat pot that I never saw in my life. (see the photo, picture speaks louder than words). It had both soup boiling and BBQ functions (in the middle of the pot) and it was charcoal operated, simply the best of the best!
However there was a price to pay for this irresistible dinner, it was a long way to go as we were not sure where exactly the restaurant was located. We went to all the wrong places and just before we saw the restaurant, we made one last wrong turn. It was really a blessing in disguise! The double rainbow was miraculously greeting us, it was particularly large and we could only saw one end but not the other. The curve was so huge from a highland and it was phenomenal. Immediately we took a few photos with our handy iphone. (better than nothing). At that moment I really felt that I was fused with the universe, I was one with the universe and such was a powerful feeling beyond words. The weather complimented this further as having steamboat dinner in this weather was simply the best, not smelly, no sweat - perfect!
It was really a memorable trip even it was a short one! Even though everyone did not sleep well and did not rest enough, but we were still in high spirit as if we were still in our teens.
One last miracle we witnessed was happening just before we made an exit to Sungkai on our way back to Kuala Lumpur the next day. There was a heavy down pour again and we thought about canceling our plan and headed to Kuala Lumpur straight without stopping at Sungkai for hot spring. The rain suddenly stopped 500 meter before the exit. My friends asked were we still going for hot spring and I immediately told them that the universe again responded to our wish and since we got the support from the nature, why not? Another surprise, we even bought the entrance passes at a discounted price.
Everything was in rhythm, our life was in rhythm and our environment responded and in sync with our life. So let us continue sending the positive energy and beware of what is on our mind.
This happened to me quite a number of times, from finding parking to rains stopped when I reached my destinations. It makes me wonder what would I be if I realised this much more earlier and who I had become today and many other possibilities.
The recent 'miracles' happened when a group of us drove up to Cameron Highlands located in between two big states in Penisular Malaysia - Perak and Pahang. On our way there, there was a heavy down pour when we were half way through our destination. It was very dangerous as we could hardly see the road in front. By sending out positive energy, it did not only relax the driver who was so stressed out because our life were in his good hand. I responded to the heavy down pour by telling everyone in the car that the rain would definitely stop when we reached our destination and we would see double rainbow in front of us.
When we settled our stuffs in our rented apartment and left to Brinchang town to do marketing in the Pasar Malam (night market), the rain stopped miraculously. Although the floor was wet, it did not bother us at all as strolling along the street enjoying the cool air (15 degree Celsius) was just fantastic. We enjoyed the spiritual freedom that we hardly had when we were in the city, it was a total breakaway. We managed to get some bargained vegetables, flowers and the famous pearl corns (which you could eat raw).
However there was a price to pay for this irresistible dinner, it was a long way to go as we were not sure where exactly the restaurant was located. We went to all the wrong places and just before we saw the restaurant, we made one last wrong turn. It was really a blessing in disguise! The double rainbow was miraculously greeting us, it was particularly large and we could only saw one end but not the other. The curve was so huge from a highland and it was phenomenal. Immediately we took a few photos with our handy iphone. (better than nothing). At that moment I really felt that I was fused with the universe, I was one with the universe and such was a powerful feeling beyond words. The weather complimented this further as having steamboat dinner in this weather was simply the best, not smelly, no sweat - perfect!
One last miracle we witnessed was happening just before we made an exit to Sungkai on our way back to Kuala Lumpur the next day. There was a heavy down pour again and we thought about canceling our plan and headed to Kuala Lumpur straight without stopping at Sungkai for hot spring. The rain suddenly stopped 500 meter before the exit. My friends asked were we still going for hot spring and I immediately told them that the universe again responded to our wish and since we got the support from the nature, why not? Another surprise, we even bought the entrance passes at a discounted price.
Everything was in rhythm, our life was in rhythm and our environment responded and in sync with our life. So let us continue sending the positive energy and beware of what is on our mind.
Wednesday 27 June 2012
Do We Really Care?
"Treat the earth well. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children." This is a famous ancient Kenya proverb that is used in different part of the world to create awareness that each and every single individual living on earth is responsible to take care of the earth, cultivate it and ensure the entire environment is taken care of.
First woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova spent a total of 2.95 days in space and orbited the Earth 48 times in June 1963, giving Tereshkova more time in space than all of the American Mercury astronauts combined. She quoted the followings.
"Once you've been in space, you appreciate how small and fragile the Earth is."
"Again the pressure pushes me in the chair, shuts my eyes. I notice the dark red tongues of the flame outside the windows. I'm trying to memorize, fix all the feelings, the peculiarities of this descending, to tell those, who will be conquering space after me."
"Anyone who has spent any time in space will love it for the rest of their lives. I achieved my childhood dream of the sky."
Fast forward to 2012, despite the human race has achieved tremendous development in science, medicine, technology and economy, we are struggling to build a sustainable environment and to tackle the progressively trying and complicated environmental issues. There are so many natural disasters being reported in various parts of the world in the recent years, such as volcanic eruptions, earth quakes and tsunamis that have taken millions of lives and left many homeless. These caused tremendous climate change, combined with human-induced alterations of the natural world, these effects are currently causing global warming.
Lately, the sky is enveloped by thick layer of haze throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore as a result of forest burning in the neighbouring country, the air quality of some areas in Selangor are even declared to be at dangerous level and many are advised to stay indoor to avoid health hazards. To make the situation worse, some ignorant and irresponsible people are still doing open burning to clear the rubbish at their own convenient.
The temperature has also increased and the heat is unbearable, this leads to more usage of air-conditioners at lower temperature. As a result more chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are released into the air and further deplete the ozone layer that serves to prevent the ultraviolet light (UV light) from entering the earth's atmosphere. This might lead to a series of undesired consequences such as increases in skin cancer, cataracts, damage to plants, and reduction of plankton populations in the ocean. Do we really want to live in this vicious cycle? No! Thanks to the advancement of technology, now we could opt to buy eco-friendly or green air-conditioners (where manufacturers phase out ozone-depleting refrigerants in their air-conditioners to meet new government regulations) from the stores.
The list of environmental issues could go on and on, have we ever thought how could we best contribute as individuals to preserve our environment? To name a few, let's begin with recycling our waste. First, we could segregate our domestic waste into a two groups, recyclable and non-recyclable. We could then put the recyclable waste such as papers, plastics, aluminiums and glasses into the dedicated bin respectively.
Second, we could reduce the domestic waste by producing garbage enzymes that could be used as cleaning agents later. Instead of throwing away the orange rinds, pineapple skins, lemon rinds or vegetable leafs and stems (basically anything organic), let's learn the process in fermenting these waste. Three months later, we could use the enzymes in cleaning the floor, cutlery, kitchenware, or even removing the stains in the toilet bowl and washing basin. You will be amazed about the outcome! We could also reduce the use of air-conditioners, if we couldn't at least we could increase the temperature to 24 degree Celsius and above instead of lowering the temperature to 16 degree Celsius. We could also set timer to a few hours instead of switching on the air-conditioners through the night till morning.
Third, we could reuse the items found at home for different purposes. Before throwing away those items, let's think how they could be reused. To name a few, we could reuse carrier bags as bin bags around the house and nice paper bags could be reused as wrapping paper while twist ties can be used to secure loose items together, such as computer wires. We could use envelopes by sticking labels over the address or scrap paper to make notes on. By cleaning glass jars and small pots, we could use them as small containers to store odds and ends. Pringles containers are just nice to hold spaghetti as the height could fit spaghetti completely.
Interestingly some items could be reused to create decorative lamp. We could use one-liter plastic bottle and plastic spoons to create a hanging lamp. The plastic bottle could be cut at the bottom so that a bulb could be inserted from the bottom. The plastic spoons could be cut so that only the spoons could be reused while the sticks could be sent to the recycle bin. Use superglue to paste the spoons around the plastic bottle row by row until the end of the opening. There it is the decorative lamp hanging from the ceiling. Creative?
Besides doing all these ourselves, we could encourage others to do the same and to create awareness in our circle to respect and to treat the environment right. Let the change starts from within so that it will create an impact outside to affect our environment in a positive manner. Let's show that we really care!
First woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova spent a total of 2.95 days in space and orbited the Earth 48 times in June 1963, giving Tereshkova more time in space than all of the American Mercury astronauts combined. She quoted the followings.
"Once you've been in space, you appreciate how small and fragile the Earth is."
"Again the pressure pushes me in the chair, shuts my eyes. I notice the dark red tongues of the flame outside the windows. I'm trying to memorize, fix all the feelings, the peculiarities of this descending, to tell those, who will be conquering space after me."
"Anyone who has spent any time in space will love it for the rest of their lives. I achieved my childhood dream of the sky."
Fast forward to 2012, despite the human race has achieved tremendous development in science, medicine, technology and economy, we are struggling to build a sustainable environment and to tackle the progressively trying and complicated environmental issues. There are so many natural disasters being reported in various parts of the world in the recent years, such as volcanic eruptions, earth quakes and tsunamis that have taken millions of lives and left many homeless. These caused tremendous climate change, combined with human-induced alterations of the natural world, these effects are currently causing global warming.
Lately, the sky is enveloped by thick layer of haze throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore as a result of forest burning in the neighbouring country, the air quality of some areas in Selangor are even declared to be at dangerous level and many are advised to stay indoor to avoid health hazards. To make the situation worse, some ignorant and irresponsible people are still doing open burning to clear the rubbish at their own convenient.
The temperature has also increased and the heat is unbearable, this leads to more usage of air-conditioners at lower temperature. As a result more chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are released into the air and further deplete the ozone layer that serves to prevent the ultraviolet light (UV light) from entering the earth's atmosphere. This might lead to a series of undesired consequences such as increases in skin cancer, cataracts, damage to plants, and reduction of plankton populations in the ocean. Do we really want to live in this vicious cycle? No! Thanks to the advancement of technology, now we could opt to buy eco-friendly or green air-conditioners (where manufacturers phase out ozone-depleting refrigerants in their air-conditioners to meet new government regulations) from the stores.
The list of environmental issues could go on and on, have we ever thought how could we best contribute as individuals to preserve our environment? To name a few, let's begin with recycling our waste. First, we could segregate our domestic waste into a two groups, recyclable and non-recyclable. We could then put the recyclable waste such as papers, plastics, aluminiums and glasses into the dedicated bin respectively.
Second, we could reduce the domestic waste by producing garbage enzymes that could be used as cleaning agents later. Instead of throwing away the orange rinds, pineapple skins, lemon rinds or vegetable leafs and stems (basically anything organic), let's learn the process in fermenting these waste. Three months later, we could use the enzymes in cleaning the floor, cutlery, kitchenware, or even removing the stains in the toilet bowl and washing basin. You will be amazed about the outcome! We could also reduce the use of air-conditioners, if we couldn't at least we could increase the temperature to 24 degree Celsius and above instead of lowering the temperature to 16 degree Celsius. We could also set timer to a few hours instead of switching on the air-conditioners through the night till morning.
Third, we could reuse the items found at home for different purposes. Before throwing away those items, let's think how they could be reused. To name a few, we could reuse carrier bags as bin bags around the house and nice paper bags could be reused as wrapping paper while twist ties can be used to secure loose items together, such as computer wires. We could use envelopes by sticking labels over the address or scrap paper to make notes on. By cleaning glass jars and small pots, we could use them as small containers to store odds and ends. Pringles containers are just nice to hold spaghetti as the height could fit spaghetti completely.
Interestingly some items could be reused to create decorative lamp. We could use one-liter plastic bottle and plastic spoons to create a hanging lamp. The plastic bottle could be cut at the bottom so that a bulb could be inserted from the bottom. The plastic spoons could be cut so that only the spoons could be reused while the sticks could be sent to the recycle bin. Use superglue to paste the spoons around the plastic bottle row by row until the end of the opening. There it is the decorative lamp hanging from the ceiling. Creative?
Besides doing all these ourselves, we could encourage others to do the same and to create awareness in our circle to respect and to treat the environment right. Let the change starts from within so that it will create an impact outside to affect our environment in a positive manner. Let's show that we really care!
Thursday 21 June 2012
Isn't She Phenomenal?
Selina was born deaf and mute. She was having chicken pox when she was four-month old in her mother's womb. At the age of four, she was still unable to speak and her family doctor confirmed that she was deaf and mute after a visit to his clinic.
Selina's mother was a hair dresser, she quit her job to take care of her and learned sign language to communicate with her. She accompanied her from her primary school to secondary school to assist her in her education. Selina was not only deaf and mute, she was also a slow learner and she needed to put extra-ordinary effort than her peers in her study. She was not doing well when she was in her primary and secondary school. However that did not stop her from pursuing her dream in graphic design.
She never stopped believing in her greater self as her mom never stopped giving up on her and believing in her. Despite feeling unfortunate from time to time, Selina kept encouraging herself that she must not be defeated by her own weakness. The support given by her parents had also kept her moving on, her dad would fetch her every Friday without fail regardless of rain or shine from her University to her hometown in his motorbike which was approximately a two-hour ride through and fro.
She studied in Lim Kok Wing University, a university with excellent quality in providing high standard education and only accept students who passed the exam with flying colours. Studying in the university was also very costly for her. Based on her result, Selina was quite unlikely to be accepted by the university. However for some reason, she was offered a full scholarship to study a Diploma in Graphic Design and later another scholarship to further her Degree in Graphic Design. She worked extremely hard in producing her art works with excellent quality and many times she was scolded in a harsh manner by her strict foreign lecturer. There were times her art works were thrown outside the classroom by her lecturer. However she never gave up, she picked up her art works and determined to work even harder in producing art works that met the expectation of her lecturer. She never succumbed to her destiny and she was grateful for having such a strict lecturer as she knew it was for her own good.
All her hard work was finally paid off, she was the winner for two highest awards - Excellent Graphic Design Award and the Best Lim Kok Wing Student Award. She graduated in both Diploma and later Degree with flying colours. Her disabilities in speech and hearing did not stop her from achieving her dream but served as driving force to propel herself in a field that she was passionate about.
However, life was not a bed of roses for her. Later she received a bad news that her dad was killed in a road accident. Her world was shattered and she could not accept that her dad was dead. It was a painful experience losing one's loved one, only those with the same experience could understand the agony she had to go through. She did not let this incident defeated her, instead she was resilient and determined to accomplish whatever her dad did not accomplish when he was still alive. She knew her dad would be glad and at ease if she could move on with life and gave her mom her best support.
She is now working in a company that she was having internship before she graduated. Despite there are a lot of obstacles in producing art works which are relevant and meet her boss's expectation, she never fails to challenge herself. She always greets her peers and boss with a bright smile and she is constantly in high spirit. As a result her peers and boss like her very much and always give her the best support whenever she needs it.
She is a phenomenal young lady, isn't she? I am really moved by her story. Are you?
Selina's mother was a hair dresser, she quit her job to take care of her and learned sign language to communicate with her. She accompanied her from her primary school to secondary school to assist her in her education. Selina was not only deaf and mute, she was also a slow learner and she needed to put extra-ordinary effort than her peers in her study. She was not doing well when she was in her primary and secondary school. However that did not stop her from pursuing her dream in graphic design.
She never stopped believing in her greater self as her mom never stopped giving up on her and believing in her. Despite feeling unfortunate from time to time, Selina kept encouraging herself that she must not be defeated by her own weakness. The support given by her parents had also kept her moving on, her dad would fetch her every Friday without fail regardless of rain or shine from her University to her hometown in his motorbike which was approximately a two-hour ride through and fro.
She studied in Lim Kok Wing University, a university with excellent quality in providing high standard education and only accept students who passed the exam with flying colours. Studying in the university was also very costly for her. Based on her result, Selina was quite unlikely to be accepted by the university. However for some reason, she was offered a full scholarship to study a Diploma in Graphic Design and later another scholarship to further her Degree in Graphic Design. She worked extremely hard in producing her art works with excellent quality and many times she was scolded in a harsh manner by her strict foreign lecturer. There were times her art works were thrown outside the classroom by her lecturer. However she never gave up, she picked up her art works and determined to work even harder in producing art works that met the expectation of her lecturer. She never succumbed to her destiny and she was grateful for having such a strict lecturer as she knew it was for her own good.
All her hard work was finally paid off, she was the winner for two highest awards - Excellent Graphic Design Award and the Best Lim Kok Wing Student Award. She graduated in both Diploma and later Degree with flying colours. Her disabilities in speech and hearing did not stop her from achieving her dream but served as driving force to propel herself in a field that she was passionate about.
However, life was not a bed of roses for her. Later she received a bad news that her dad was killed in a road accident. Her world was shattered and she could not accept that her dad was dead. It was a painful experience losing one's loved one, only those with the same experience could understand the agony she had to go through. She did not let this incident defeated her, instead she was resilient and determined to accomplish whatever her dad did not accomplish when he was still alive. She knew her dad would be glad and at ease if she could move on with life and gave her mom her best support.
She is now working in a company that she was having internship before she graduated. Despite there are a lot of obstacles in producing art works which are relevant and meet her boss's expectation, she never fails to challenge herself. She always greets her peers and boss with a bright smile and she is constantly in high spirit. As a result her peers and boss like her very much and always give her the best support whenever she needs it.
She is a phenomenal young lady, isn't she? I am really moved by her story. Are you?
Tuesday 19 June 2012
Five-year-old's Quotes
On global warming: "Teacher said our earth is having fever, we cannot switch on fan and air-conditioner." (but she is still switching on air-conditioner and fan all the times! When I remind her, she will give me her innocent look or she will argue that it's extremely hot)
On making batik: "Aunt Mary helped me to put the melted candle on my drawing so that when I put colours on it the colours could not run out." (I could hear her innocence over the phone)
On differentiating the address of grannies: "Yeye is daddy's daddy, Nainai is daddy's mummy; Gonggong is mommy's daddy, Popo is mommy's mommy." (I was amazed by her serious expression)
On acknowledging she understood her mom: "If I want to get angry, I cannot play with Didi (her younger brother); If I want to play with Didi, I cannot get angry."
On acknowledging her cooperation to do chore: "Ok ok..." and immediately she carries out the chore. (that acknowledgment is short but very sweet!)
These are the five quotes that top my list, looking forward for more quotes to come from her ; )
On making batik: "Aunt Mary helped me to put the melted candle on my drawing so that when I put colours on it the colours could not run out." (I could hear her innocence over the phone)
On differentiating the address of grannies: "Yeye is daddy's daddy, Nainai is daddy's mummy; Gonggong is mommy's daddy, Popo is mommy's mommy." (I was amazed by her serious expression)
On acknowledging she understood her mom: "If I want to get angry, I cannot play with Didi (her younger brother); If I want to play with Didi, I cannot get angry."
On acknowledging her cooperation to do chore: "Ok ok..." and immediately she carries out the chore. (that acknowledgment is short but very sweet!)
These are the five quotes that top my list, looking forward for more quotes to come from her ; )
Friday 15 June 2012
Arts, an Expression of Life
Years ago I went to an arts exhibition featuring a few young local artists. The arts being showcased were contemporary arts and they were unconventional like what I usually saw in the exhibition hall.
I remember something I saw, an artist adopted "heart series" as his theme and produced a series of arts related to heart. What was more interesting was sugar was the main ingredient besides the colours used in the arts pieces. It was very interesting as the series included "sweet heart", "perfect heart", "dark heart", "broken heart", "bleeding heart" etc. I could really feel my emotion changed according to the painting I saw right in front of me. "Sweet heart" and "perfect heart" brought up the "feeling good" emotion in me while the others brought up the negative feeling from within.
As I proceeded to watch the exhibits on the second floor, slowly my heart became heavy and gloomy after I saw a few pieces of sculptures. I really disliked what I saw in front of me and strange enough I suddenly felt angry and suffocated. I could no longer stay there, my thought at that time was I wanted to get out from there immediately and I left.
Later I reflected on why I reacted in such a strange way as I have been to many arts exhibitions but I never felt that way before. I realized that I was being judgmental and my non-acceptance on something I did not approve. It was the condition that I had preset before I walked into the hall which meant my mind was pre-conditioned to what I thought what arts should be. When I looked back I could only laugh at my narrow-mindedness and my attachment to perfection.
Last year I went to an International Arts Expo, I told myself I was going to learn from the previous experience not be judgmental and be open minded to what I was about to see. I cleared my mind and I wanted to appreciate what I see. After all arts is an expression of life of its creator and it is being expressed out as a piece of arts.
I remember I enjoyed watching the art pieces presented in front of me and I could even imagine the story behind some of the paintings and sculptures I saw. When come to the painting or sculpture I disliked, I just acknowledge that I did not like the painting or the sculpture and I just walked away without bringing out the negative emotion anymore.
Everyone has the freedom and right to express oneself, I choose to respect his/her greater self regardless of the kind of arts he/she produces. Arts is a crystallization of his/her life experience and I am not in any position to judge.
I remember something I saw, an artist adopted "heart series" as his theme and produced a series of arts related to heart. What was more interesting was sugar was the main ingredient besides the colours used in the arts pieces. It was very interesting as the series included "sweet heart", "perfect heart", "dark heart", "broken heart", "bleeding heart" etc. I could really feel my emotion changed according to the painting I saw right in front of me. "Sweet heart" and "perfect heart" brought up the "feeling good" emotion in me while the others brought up the negative feeling from within.
As I proceeded to watch the exhibits on the second floor, slowly my heart became heavy and gloomy after I saw a few pieces of sculptures. I really disliked what I saw in front of me and strange enough I suddenly felt angry and suffocated. I could no longer stay there, my thought at that time was I wanted to get out from there immediately and I left.
Later I reflected on why I reacted in such a strange way as I have been to many arts exhibitions but I never felt that way before. I realized that I was being judgmental and my non-acceptance on something I did not approve. It was the condition that I had preset before I walked into the hall which meant my mind was pre-conditioned to what I thought what arts should be. When I looked back I could only laugh at my narrow-mindedness and my attachment to perfection.
Last year I went to an International Arts Expo, I told myself I was going to learn from the previous experience not be judgmental and be open minded to what I was about to see. I cleared my mind and I wanted to appreciate what I see. After all arts is an expression of life of its creator and it is being expressed out as a piece of arts.
I remember I enjoyed watching the art pieces presented in front of me and I could even imagine the story behind some of the paintings and sculptures I saw. When come to the painting or sculpture I disliked, I just acknowledge that I did not like the painting or the sculpture and I just walked away without bringing out the negative emotion anymore.
Everyone has the freedom and right to express oneself, I choose to respect his/her greater self regardless of the kind of arts he/she produces. Arts is a crystallization of his/her life experience and I am not in any position to judge.
Sunday 10 June 2012
Sweet? Not so sweet!
As a girl I used to like fairy tales in particular Cinderella and Snow White and the happily ever after with their princes charming. These female characters were always projected as pure, innocent, weak and they were bullied all the times.
After I watched "Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman", I sort of change my mind how all the female characters in the fairy tales should be, indeed they should change according to time. It makes more sense this way... *evil grin*
No more weak Cinderella who always got bullied by the step mother and step sisters! No more innocent and pure Snow White who always waited for her prince charming to save her life from dangers plotted by the evil Queen! In fact it is interesting to see the "Mulan" character in them.
I like the Snow White version in "Mirror Mirror" better, she really 'learned' from her fairy tale past where she trusted others easily and as a result she was harmed mercilessly numerous times. More interestingly in the movie, she receives training from the dwarfs about the art of fighting and master the art in such an unbelievable short time especially where she was raised in the castle without any tough physical training. It's interesting to see her fighting all the awful looking creatures in the jungle and the soldiers sent by the Queen to take her life.
At the end of the movie, I am even more entertained by her smartness cutting a piece of the apple to 'share' with the witch (the Queen's exemplification) who gives her the apple and her sharp and merciless expression looking in the eyes of the witch. This totally defeats the evil Queen who claims this is a story of herself not Snow White. It's so satisfying to watch this movie!
Whereas in the "Snow White and the Huntsman" I like her fighting spirit in the name of justice for her late father and her people who live in fear and darkness since the evil and powerful Queen grabs the throne. You should watch her passionate call to her people to be with her in the war against the Queen after she becomes alive as a result of her true love kiss (by the Huntsman) and the subsequent scene of her leading her troops to the castle and defeating the Queen with her own hand. Another interesting version of Snow White.
Well time changes, Snow White changes and I have also changed! "another evil grin*
After I watched "Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman", I sort of change my mind how all the female characters in the fairy tales should be, indeed they should change according to time. It makes more sense this way... *evil grin*
No more weak Cinderella who always got bullied by the step mother and step sisters! No more innocent and pure Snow White who always waited for her prince charming to save her life from dangers plotted by the evil Queen! In fact it is interesting to see the "Mulan" character in them.
I like the Snow White version in "Mirror Mirror" better, she really 'learned' from her fairy tale past where she trusted others easily and as a result she was harmed mercilessly numerous times. More interestingly in the movie, she receives training from the dwarfs about the art of fighting and master the art in such an unbelievable short time especially where she was raised in the castle without any tough physical training. It's interesting to see her fighting all the awful looking creatures in the jungle and the soldiers sent by the Queen to take her life.
At the end of the movie, I am even more entertained by her smartness cutting a piece of the apple to 'share' with the witch (the Queen's exemplification) who gives her the apple and her sharp and merciless expression looking in the eyes of the witch. This totally defeats the evil Queen who claims this is a story of herself not Snow White. It's so satisfying to watch this movie!
Whereas in the "Snow White and the Huntsman" I like her fighting spirit in the name of justice for her late father and her people who live in fear and darkness since the evil and powerful Queen grabs the throne. You should watch her passionate call to her people to be with her in the war against the Queen after she becomes alive as a result of her true love kiss (by the Huntsman) and the subsequent scene of her leading her troops to the castle and defeating the Queen with her own hand. Another interesting version of Snow White.
Well time changes, Snow White changes and I have also changed! "another evil grin*
Tuesday 5 June 2012
An Expedition to Mount Kinabalu
After months of intensive bone cracking training
Enduring muscles pain and physical exhaustion
'd' day has finally come
Checking in to Pine Resort in Kundasang
Enjoying the cool weather at the foot of Mount Kinabalu
Connecting my life with the serene nature
Pine trees are everywhere, my thought goes to Alpine countries
Complemented by the signature fern trees
Synonymous to the highland area
Waking up in the morning is so refreshing
Standing tall right in front of me is the gigantic Mount Kinabalu
The view painted from the wooden door of my chalet is simply breathtaking
Seizing the moment without any hesitation
As if the amazing view of the mountain would be stolen if I did not act fast
I press the shutter instantly to capture the unforgettable, magnificent view
Our expedition begins with tracking up using the long Mesilau trail
Having the luxury of time, I slowly track up while enjoy the scenery along the trail
Reaching Laban Rata after 8 long hours as stopping and pressing the shutter is simply irresistible
Temperature drops drastically to minus in the middle of the night
Hiking with only a headlight and the guiding rope, I gasp for air from time to time
Resisting the extremely cold air and fighting for the scarce oxygen
From time to time I stop for a short break and lie on my back
Gazing up at the stars in the night sky, expressing my wildest wish to them
My life fuses with the great cosmos and time freezes for a moment
I wish to stay on there forever and I must witness the legendary, beautiful sunrise
Pressing forward one step after another in total exhaustion
I tell myself it is one step closer and I cannot give up at that moment
The magical moment happens when you least expect it
I witness the first ray of sunlight from South Peak right in front of me
The amazing reflection of the peak is vividly and beautifully reflected onto the clouds
The sunlight shines on South Peak breaking the cold darkness of the night
The red and orange colours reflect on the peak cause it to shine in gold
The clouds are also painted with light orange and yellow above the toned blue layers
20 minutes later I reach the highest peak of Mount Kinabalu - Low's Peak (4095m)
Standing on top of the 'world' I am totally exhausted and fulfilled
"Mount Kinabalu, I am here" I shout my lung out!
I see clouds surrounding me, like infinite numbers of white cottons
Arranged in different tiers expanding outward
I feel as if I were in the heaven
What a memorable highland experience!
Enduring muscles pain and physical exhaustion
'd' day has finally come
Checking in to Pine Resort in Kundasang
Enjoying the cool weather at the foot of Mount Kinabalu
Connecting my life with the serene nature
Pine trees are everywhere, my thought goes to Alpine countries
Complemented by the signature fern trees
Synonymous to the highland area
Waking up in the morning is so refreshing
Standing tall right in front of me is the gigantic Mount Kinabalu
The view painted from the wooden door of my chalet is simply breathtaking
Seizing the moment without any hesitation
As if the amazing view of the mountain would be stolen if I did not act fast
I press the shutter instantly to capture the unforgettable, magnificent view
Our expedition begins with tracking up using the long Mesilau trail
Having the luxury of time, I slowly track up while enjoy the scenery along the trail
Reaching Laban Rata after 8 long hours as stopping and pressing the shutter is simply irresistible
Temperature drops drastically to minus in the middle of the night
Hiking with only a headlight and the guiding rope, I gasp for air from time to time
Resisting the extremely cold air and fighting for the scarce oxygen
From time to time I stop for a short break and lie on my back
Gazing up at the stars in the night sky, expressing my wildest wish to them
My life fuses with the great cosmos and time freezes for a moment
I wish to stay on there forever and I must witness the legendary, beautiful sunrise
Pressing forward one step after another in total exhaustion
I tell myself it is one step closer and I cannot give up at that moment
The magical moment happens when you least expect it
I witness the first ray of sunlight from South Peak right in front of me
The amazing reflection of the peak is vividly and beautifully reflected onto the clouds
The sunlight shines on South Peak breaking the cold darkness of the night
The red and orange colours reflect on the peak cause it to shine in gold
The clouds are also painted with light orange and yellow above the toned blue layers
20 minutes later I reach the highest peak of Mount Kinabalu - Low's Peak (4095m)
Standing on top of the 'world' I am totally exhausted and fulfilled
"Mount Kinabalu, I am here" I shout my lung out!
I see clouds surrounding me, like infinite numbers of white cottons
Arranged in different tiers expanding outward
I feel as if I were in the heaven
What a memorable highland experience!
Monday 4 June 2012
Refugee Camp
Walking up the tired looking staircase
My heart is very heavy and gloomy
Thinking about the internal strife of that country
I empathize the innocent precious children
With uncertain future laying ahead of them
The youngest age 5 or 6 and the eldest age 12 or 13
The 5 to 8-year old children in my group look petite than the usual size
Due to the lack of nutrients and poor health
I could smell the bacteria and virus flying in the air
In the stuffy room with poor air ventilation
They learn to play games, to spell, to draw and to colour
Some of them will fight for the stationery or games
Then forget about the fight minutes later and become friends again
Just like the childhood that I had been through
They are innocent and pure just like white papers
There are some caretakers of the same nationality
Working behind the scene to care about the children
Trying hard to cook nutritious meal within their limited resource
Taking care and maintaining the place for the children to use
Their selfless efforts are respect worthy
There are also teachers who volunteer to teach for free
Despite their busy schedule running their own families
They are the expatriate wives who follow their husbands to Kuala Lumpur
They try their best applying their expertise
Teaching the children various subjects to prepare them for their future education elsewhere
Their spirits are truly noble and applaudable
They care for the children with love, kindness and patience
As some of these children come from broken families at very young age
And some parents had lost their lives when they tried to escape from their country
What they need most is empathy and to feel secure and being cared for
My prayer go to these children and their family
Hoping that they will be blessed with good health and security
And the situation in their country could take a positive change
May these precious children have the strength and undefeated spirit
To live on courageously and to soar high for a better future
Take care, children!
Bravo, children!
My heart is very heavy and gloomy
Thinking about the internal strife of that country
I empathize the innocent precious children
With uncertain future laying ahead of them
The youngest age 5 or 6 and the eldest age 12 or 13
The 5 to 8-year old children in my group look petite than the usual size
Due to the lack of nutrients and poor health
I could smell the bacteria and virus flying in the air
In the stuffy room with poor air ventilation
They learn to play games, to spell, to draw and to colour
Some of them will fight for the stationery or games
Then forget about the fight minutes later and become friends again
Just like the childhood that I had been through
They are innocent and pure just like white papers
There are some caretakers of the same nationality
Working behind the scene to care about the children
Trying hard to cook nutritious meal within their limited resource
Taking care and maintaining the place for the children to use
Their selfless efforts are respect worthy
There are also teachers who volunteer to teach for free
Despite their busy schedule running their own families
They are the expatriate wives who follow their husbands to Kuala Lumpur
They try their best applying their expertise
Teaching the children various subjects to prepare them for their future education elsewhere
Their spirits are truly noble and applaudable
They care for the children with love, kindness and patience
As some of these children come from broken families at very young age
And some parents had lost their lives when they tried to escape from their country
What they need most is empathy and to feel secure and being cared for
My prayer go to these children and their family
Hoping that they will be blessed with good health and security
And the situation in their country could take a positive change
May these precious children have the strength and undefeated spirit
To live on courageously and to soar high for a better future
Take care, children!
Bravo, children!
Monday 28 May 2012
School of Life
It's a hot and beautiful sunny morning
The pool in front looks extra-ordinarily welcoming
Calling to me "come my dear, let me chill you out"
After a few relaxing laps
I feel refreshed and I decide
It's time to work, not confine in a room but by the pool
Recalling the midnight movie I just watched hours ago
The story is beautiful and touching
Commenced with a school scene with Mr. Norman collapsed
At the Teacher of the Year Award assembly
Survived by his son Mr. Warner and family
Mr. Warner who was also a teacher in the same school
Aspired to be the next Teacher of the Year
But faced stiff competition against Mr. D who was a new comer
The stress was beyond imagination
Transformation took place with Mr. D's magical presence
Conventional class room turned alive
History used to be boring and dull
Became his and her story which happened just yesterday
Dramas unfolded where the teacher became Indiana Jones
Riding on his adventures with his fellow students
Classes were no longer constrained in the class room
But also in the field where interesting props were set
With the matching costumes and sound effect
Students once did not pay attention to class
Were transformed under Mr. D's creativity
They were interested in and idolizing their teacher
Highly looked up to him for his jovial nature and positive attitude
Even teachers and principals applauded and adored Mr. D
The once 'not doing well' students
Passed history tests with flying colours
It was unprecedented in the history of the school
Even the basket ball coach admired Mr. D
Who persuaded Mr. D to coach the students
Who had no confidence and timid
Not only in the basket ball game
But who were also stuttering in speech
Who could ever expect them to win in the basketball tournament
Mr. D's popularity not only won the students's heart
But also all his peers except Mr. Warner
Mr. Warner decided to stalk Mr. D
Hoping to find something evil so that Mr. D could be expelled from the school
Instead he discovered the life and death struggle behind Mr D's glamourous appearance
And the inspiration that kept him moving forward despite his struggle
Was indeed Mr. Warner's late father
Who was the Teacher of the Year for more than 40 years
He was loved and highly respected by his peers and students
He always encouraged them to relax and take the chance
And be more receptive about unconventional ideas than making judgement
Mr. Warner finally understood his late father's wisdom through Mr. D
He made the effort to change his way of teaching
He even motivated the students in the basketball tournament
When Mr. D was going through chemotherapy for leukemia
He motivated the students that Mr. Norman and Mr. D were parts in them
And they must not give up and must take the chance
Just like Mr. Norman and Mr. D
Regardless of the circumstances they were in
Mr. D showed up just before the final moment of the tournament
Despite fragile but he was in high spirit
Showing the 'V' sign he was not succumbing to his physical illness
He was the inspiration of everyone even though he was gone
The movie ended with Mr. Warner sat in the middle of the class in a rotating chair
Surrounded by his students who now admired him dearly
First time in his biology class
His students excelled with flying colours
He asked students to look at the person next to them
And told them they were the miracles of the universe
Isn't this a beautiful and touching movie
I learn that
Life's greatest lessons are taught outside the classroom
I learn that
When we believe in life, miracles happen
I learn that
Life itself is beautiful
The pool in front looks extra-ordinarily welcoming
Calling to me "come my dear, let me chill you out"
After a few relaxing laps
I feel refreshed and I decide
It's time to work, not confine in a room but by the pool
Recalling the midnight movie I just watched hours ago
The story is beautiful and touching
Commenced with a school scene with Mr. Norman collapsed
At the Teacher of the Year Award assembly
Survived by his son Mr. Warner and family
Mr. Warner who was also a teacher in the same school
Aspired to be the next Teacher of the Year
But faced stiff competition against Mr. D who was a new comer
The stress was beyond imagination
Transformation took place with Mr. D's magical presence
Conventional class room turned alive
History used to be boring and dull
Became his and her story which happened just yesterday
Dramas unfolded where the teacher became Indiana Jones
Riding on his adventures with his fellow students
Classes were no longer constrained in the class room
But also in the field where interesting props were set
With the matching costumes and sound effect
Students once did not pay attention to class
Were transformed under Mr. D's creativity
They were interested in and idolizing their teacher
Highly looked up to him for his jovial nature and positive attitude
Even teachers and principals applauded and adored Mr. D
The once 'not doing well' students
Passed history tests with flying colours
It was unprecedented in the history of the school
Even the basket ball coach admired Mr. D
Who persuaded Mr. D to coach the students
Who had no confidence and timid
Not only in the basket ball game
But who were also stuttering in speech
Who could ever expect them to win in the basketball tournament
Mr. D's popularity not only won the students's heart
But also all his peers except Mr. Warner
Mr. Warner decided to stalk Mr. D
Hoping to find something evil so that Mr. D could be expelled from the school
Instead he discovered the life and death struggle behind Mr D's glamourous appearance
And the inspiration that kept him moving forward despite his struggle
Was indeed Mr. Warner's late father
Who was the Teacher of the Year for more than 40 years
He was loved and highly respected by his peers and students
He always encouraged them to relax and take the chance
And be more receptive about unconventional ideas than making judgement
Mr. Warner finally understood his late father's wisdom through Mr. D
He made the effort to change his way of teaching
He even motivated the students in the basketball tournament
When Mr. D was going through chemotherapy for leukemia
He motivated the students that Mr. Norman and Mr. D were parts in them
And they must not give up and must take the chance
Just like Mr. Norman and Mr. D
Regardless of the circumstances they were in
Mr. D showed up just before the final moment of the tournament
Despite fragile but he was in high spirit
Showing the 'V' sign he was not succumbing to his physical illness
He was the inspiration of everyone even though he was gone
The movie ended with Mr. Warner sat in the middle of the class in a rotating chair
Surrounded by his students who now admired him dearly
First time in his biology class
His students excelled with flying colours
He asked students to look at the person next to them
And told them they were the miracles of the universe
Isn't this a beautiful and touching movie
I learn that
Life's greatest lessons are taught outside the classroom
I learn that
When we believe in life, miracles happen
I learn that
Life itself is beautiful
Thursday 24 May 2012
Karma or Choice
Life is so kind and compassionate. Think about it, have you ever been in a situation that is repeating probably with some interval of time? Do you blame it on your karma?
Many times I have heard people saying that it is their karma that they keep on experiencing similar life situation with different person or people in the situation, but is that really so? To elaborate, Mary was with her previous company for the past three years and she was not happy working in the company as she had a very unreasonable lady boss. So she decided to find another job and resigned from the company. Yet each time when she was landed with a new job, her problem did not stop there - she faced similar boss problem. This happened a few times in her jobs.
When something happen, it is natural we point finger at our situation or blame others instead of looking into our lives. If this continue we will be in the vicious cycle, turning round and round, because we never learn. Life keep throwing the similar situation until we learn our lesson and it will stop. It is similar to having to complete our primary education by passing different tests and examinations before we could proceed to secondary school and tertiary education. If we failed at any level we need to resit for the test or examination in order to proceed to the next level. What do we do if we fail our test? Do we blame the teacher for making us fail or do we blame the school for setting such a high standard? Or do we access ourselves, study harder, work harder, practice with more past year papers? If we choose the later, why can't we apply the same 'formula' in life? Why do we have to give all kind of excuses instead of taking full responsibility?
When we face with another similar situation again, ask ourselves what we have not learn from our previous situation? Look deeply into our lives and reflect on things we have done that cause our boss to pick on us (such as in Mary's situation) instead of pushing all responsibilities to our boss and blame our boss for our unhappiness. Take our 'difficult' boss as a challenge to improve ourselves. How others treat us is not our business as it is beyond our control, our business to keep on improving ourselves and instead of reacting to our situation choose to take a deep breath, reflect and response to it instead.
Ultimately it is our life. We choose to learn or to blame. It is our choice.
Many times I have heard people saying that it is their karma that they keep on experiencing similar life situation with different person or people in the situation, but is that really so? To elaborate, Mary was with her previous company for the past three years and she was not happy working in the company as she had a very unreasonable lady boss. So she decided to find another job and resigned from the company. Yet each time when she was landed with a new job, her problem did not stop there - she faced similar boss problem. This happened a few times in her jobs.
When something happen, it is natural we point finger at our situation or blame others instead of looking into our lives. If this continue we will be in the vicious cycle, turning round and round, because we never learn. Life keep throwing the similar situation until we learn our lesson and it will stop. It is similar to having to complete our primary education by passing different tests and examinations before we could proceed to secondary school and tertiary education. If we failed at any level we need to resit for the test or examination in order to proceed to the next level. What do we do if we fail our test? Do we blame the teacher for making us fail or do we blame the school for setting such a high standard? Or do we access ourselves, study harder, work harder, practice with more past year papers? If we choose the later, why can't we apply the same 'formula' in life? Why do we have to give all kind of excuses instead of taking full responsibility?
When we face with another similar situation again, ask ourselves what we have not learn from our previous situation? Look deeply into our lives and reflect on things we have done that cause our boss to pick on us (such as in Mary's situation) instead of pushing all responsibilities to our boss and blame our boss for our unhappiness. Take our 'difficult' boss as a challenge to improve ourselves. How others treat us is not our business as it is beyond our control, our business to keep on improving ourselves and instead of reacting to our situation choose to take a deep breath, reflect and response to it instead.
Ultimately it is our life. We choose to learn or to blame. It is our choice.
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Magnificent Genting
Beautiful blue mountain ranges
Painted in different colour tones
Layer by layer in different heights
Vividly seen in a beautiful sunny day
At the comfort of my balcony
Standing at the balcony
Overlooking the breathtaking scenery
With the mountain range as the background
Numerous residential buildings standing at the foreground
Each taking pride of the beautiful view of the mountain ranges
Enjoying the gentle breeze
While admiring the natural gigantic painting
And having a heart-to-heart dialogue with nature
Feeling recharged especially after a day of hard work
Feeling hopeful especially when hard work did not pay off
The mountain ranges suddenly become alive
As if giving the best encouragement one could ever have
As if embracing one like no one else
As if urging one to set higher goal and look further
As if asking one to keep moving forward without looking back
The lights could be seen at one of the peak at night
In a perfect circular arrangement
Signifying the fullness of life
What problem could not be overcome in life?
What deadlock could not be unlocked in life?
Slow down the pace, do not rush
Open your heart to the magnificent Genting
Listen to what it has to say
Sooner you will see possibilities unfold one after another
When one door closes the other door opens
Life is full of possibilities
You just need to have a little patience
'Cos life knows what is best for you
Stand tall like the magnificent Genting
Rise above all obstacles in life
Magnificent life
Magnificent Genting
Painted in different colour tones
Layer by layer in different heights
Vividly seen in a beautiful sunny day
At the comfort of my balcony
Standing at the balcony
Overlooking the breathtaking scenery
With the mountain range as the background
Numerous residential buildings standing at the foreground
Each taking pride of the beautiful view of the mountain ranges
Enjoying the gentle breeze
While admiring the natural gigantic painting
And having a heart-to-heart dialogue with nature
Feeling recharged especially after a day of hard work
Feeling hopeful especially when hard work did not pay off
The mountain ranges suddenly become alive
As if giving the best encouragement one could ever have
As if embracing one like no one else
As if urging one to set higher goal and look further
As if asking one to keep moving forward without looking back
The lights could be seen at one of the peak at night
In a perfect circular arrangement
Signifying the fullness of life
What problem could not be overcome in life?
What deadlock could not be unlocked in life?
Slow down the pace, do not rush
Open your heart to the magnificent Genting
Listen to what it has to say
Sooner you will see possibilities unfold one after another
When one door closes the other door opens
Life is full of possibilities
You just need to have a little patience
'Cos life knows what is best for you
Stand tall like the magnificent Genting
Rise above all obstacles in life
Magnificent life
Magnificent Genting
Thursday 17 May 2012
A Story of Love
This is a real story happened 32 years ago about a girl, Paige, who had seizure at the age of four and survived the ordeal with the help of a few kind neighbors who lived nearby her granny's house in a village.
Paige has not heard about this story until lately she called home to tell her mom a relative's three-year old son was hospitalized due to a seizure. Her mom recalled the incident and told her about it. One day the poor little Paige was not feeling well, she had high fever and in those days it was critical having high fever as hospital and clinic were located far away from the village and transportation was not efficient. She was lying on a couch and she suddenly stood up and started throwing out white foam. She later lost consciousness and only regained her consciousness after an unusual long time a child would regain consciousness under similar circumstance. She really scared the hell out of her mom and grandma.
A few kind neighbors who had experience came to help but unfortunately none of them could help Paige regained her consciousness despite they had successfully helped other children in the village regained their consciousness under similar circumstance. That was really a bad news to her mom and grandma and they were extremely worry about Paige. In those days they believed if a child could not regained consciousness after too long her life could be in danger or the chance of becoming normal again after recovery would be very thin. They continued seeking help from mediums and searching for the herbs specified by the mediums, did everything and anything they could to help her regained consciousness.
Finally their effort paid off and the little girl woke up and everyone in the house breathed a sigh of relief. Paige was then rushed to a clinic in town and later was sent to her's aunt house in town to stay for a few days with her mom. Her aunt's house was located at the back of the general hospital just in case they need to send her to hospital should the seizure come back. Her grandma rushed between the two places, Paige's aunt house and her village, to pray for her recovery and to visit her by public transport everyday despite sometimes she waited for the bus for hours.
After Paige listened to her story related by her mom, she could not hold her tears. She is deeply touched by the neighbors, her mom and grandma, she is grateful. She feels she owes her life to those who tried their best to save her when she needed most. She imagines her mom's and grandma's painstaking effort in taking care of her and how much trouble she had caused them or how many sleepless night they had gone through. That moment, she appreciates her life, her granny (despite she passed away ten years ago) and her mom even more. She could feel the unconditional love that her mom and grandma showed.
She would always engrave this story in her life and live her life to the fullest. She would use this story to motivate her to serve others selflessly to repay her debt of gratitude to those who had save her life, that's her resolve!
This is a story of love, isn't this!
For more information about seizure and epilepsy, visit http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/brain_nervous/epilepsy.html#
Paige has not heard about this story until lately she called home to tell her mom a relative's three-year old son was hospitalized due to a seizure. Her mom recalled the incident and told her about it. One day the poor little Paige was not feeling well, she had high fever and in those days it was critical having high fever as hospital and clinic were located far away from the village and transportation was not efficient. She was lying on a couch and she suddenly stood up and started throwing out white foam. She later lost consciousness and only regained her consciousness after an unusual long time a child would regain consciousness under similar circumstance. She really scared the hell out of her mom and grandma.
A few kind neighbors who had experience came to help but unfortunately none of them could help Paige regained her consciousness despite they had successfully helped other children in the village regained their consciousness under similar circumstance. That was really a bad news to her mom and grandma and they were extremely worry about Paige. In those days they believed if a child could not regained consciousness after too long her life could be in danger or the chance of becoming normal again after recovery would be very thin. They continued seeking help from mediums and searching for the herbs specified by the mediums, did everything and anything they could to help her regained consciousness.
Finally their effort paid off and the little girl woke up and everyone in the house breathed a sigh of relief. Paige was then rushed to a clinic in town and later was sent to her's aunt house in town to stay for a few days with her mom. Her aunt's house was located at the back of the general hospital just in case they need to send her to hospital should the seizure come back. Her grandma rushed between the two places, Paige's aunt house and her village, to pray for her recovery and to visit her by public transport everyday despite sometimes she waited for the bus for hours.
After Paige listened to her story related by her mom, she could not hold her tears. She is deeply touched by the neighbors, her mom and grandma, she is grateful. She feels she owes her life to those who tried their best to save her when she needed most. She imagines her mom's and grandma's painstaking effort in taking care of her and how much trouble she had caused them or how many sleepless night they had gone through. That moment, she appreciates her life, her granny (despite she passed away ten years ago) and her mom even more. She could feel the unconditional love that her mom and grandma showed.
She would always engrave this story in her life and live her life to the fullest. She would use this story to motivate her to serve others selflessly to repay her debt of gratitude to those who had save her life, that's her resolve!
This is a story of love, isn't this!
For more information about seizure and epilepsy, visit http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/brain_nervous/epilepsy.html#
Tuesday 15 May 2012
Give Life a Second Chance
"We cannot turn a blind eye to some events. They may not be the hottest topics nor the attention to everyone, but they must be seen!"
I happened to watch NTV7's "7 Zoom In" last Saturday. This program reports and analyses many issues closely related to daily life and covers both domestic and overseas real life events. The episode on Saturday was about two Malaysian youth who got caught and locked up in Singapore Changi Prison since a few years ago and they are now still in the prison waiting for their turn for execution that could happen anytime. One of them just turned 19-year old when he was caught.
They were charged of drug possession when they entered Singapore a few years ago and the authority used the drugs found in the luggage they carried as evidence to charge them without further investigation. Despite the efforts getting petition letters signed from public and numerous appeals from the two families to the court but their efforts are in vain. They now have only one hope, that is to get the amnesty from the President of Singapore just in time before their execution.
Their family members believe that the youths were exploited to smuggle drugs into the country without knowing the content in the luggage. They were at their vulnerable age, easily persuaded to carry out illegal activities which they were not aware of the serious consequence should they get caught. They were tempted to take risks for the substantial rewards if they carried out the duties successfully but unfortunately fate did not take their sides.
The masterminds are still free and would go unpunished while more innocent youths would be sentenced to death should they go astray and fall in the hands of the masterminds. The vicious cycle would keep repeating itself as long as the masterminds are not caught and punished. The saddest thing is death sentence does not project in the decrease of drug trafficking activities but otherwise. Does this punishment really work? It does not give the innocent lives a second chance to repent but only serves as warning to others which apparently it does not work! It's definitely against the humanistic value of the dignity and sanctity of life.
I could only pray that these innocent youths would be given a second chance to live and turn over a new leaf. I also urge youth to have strong life philosophy so that you would not go astray and get exploited by the unscrupulous "businessmen". Please think twice before you want to do something silly for fast cash as the law is merciless!
Sunday 13 May 2012
That's My Mom
She has a pair of watery eyes which I feel the need to protect her
She has her own fashion sense which I find difficulty in buying her clothes
She is pure and innocent which sometimes I feel like 'poisoning' her mind
That's my mom
She talks a lot until sometimes I could only see her mouth movement but my mind just go blank
She nags at her grandchildren until sometimes I need to pull them away from her
She looses her coolness at them very fast when they misbehave and it makes me worry about her health
That's my mom
She tries new recipes from words of mouth or television to add new menu on our table
She watches over 100-episode long Taiwanese series on television daily without fail
She manages her blood pressure despite she needs to look after her grandchildren, cook and run the house
That's my mom
She is passionate about making and arranging flowers
She is skillful in sewing clothes, curtains, blankets and pillow cases
She is wise in solving problems with the solutions that never cross my mind
That's my mom
I like her just the way she is
I like being be her when I am home
I like leaning on her shoulder like a child
I like not having to think about what to eat as she is in-charge when I am home
I like to wish her good health, good fortune, love and happiness
I like to tell her "Mom, I love you. You are the best mom and I want to be your daughter life time after lifetime!"
This, I dedicate to my mom today, happy mothers' day!
She has her own fashion sense which I find difficulty in buying her clothes
She is pure and innocent which sometimes I feel like 'poisoning' her mind
That's my mom
She talks a lot until sometimes I could only see her mouth movement but my mind just go blank
She nags at her grandchildren until sometimes I need to pull them away from her
She looses her coolness at them very fast when they misbehave and it makes me worry about her health
That's my mom
She tries new recipes from words of mouth or television to add new menu on our table
She watches over 100-episode long Taiwanese series on television daily without fail
She manages her blood pressure despite she needs to look after her grandchildren, cook and run the house
That's my mom
She is passionate about making and arranging flowers
She is skillful in sewing clothes, curtains, blankets and pillow cases
She is wise in solving problems with the solutions that never cross my mind
That's my mom
I like her just the way she is
I like being be her when I am home
I like leaning on her shoulder like a child
I like not having to think about what to eat as she is in-charge when I am home
I like to wish her good health, good fortune, love and happiness
I like to tell her "Mom, I love you. You are the best mom and I want to be your daughter life time after lifetime!"
This, I dedicate to my mom today, happy mothers' day!
Saturday 12 May 2012
Thought on Today
Today is the beginning of a new life
Take time and slow down the pace
Breathe the fresh air outside the house
Admire the beautiful clear blue sky
Smell the colorful fresh flowers in the garden
Listen to birds chirping under the tree
See the beauty in nature
Be grateful that you are still alive
Today is the beginning of a new life
Start over today with a big smile
Forget about what happened yesterday
Live life with purpose and passion
Laugh as hard as possible at the challenges
Play as hard as as possible like a child
Feel the joy, the love and the richness in life
Be thankful that it is the best day of your life
Friday 11 May 2012
The Beauty of Technology?
The world is getting smaller and faster with the invention of the web-based technology. With just a simple click in anywhere and with the presence of internet connection regardless if it is wired or wireless, your message could be transmitted in a split second, your bills could be paid anytime at the your convenience, the activities you could do are numerous at your finger tips.
I remember when I was still a student many years ago, I had so much excitement getting my first free email address and I instantly emailed my friends in other states or overseas. My email arrived in their inbox instantly. This was unconventional as your message was delivered without any delay unlike sending a letter to your friends through postal service. Later you could even communicate with friends in real-time through chat-room service.
As time changes, web-based communication has also gone through a great evolution and integration leading to the birth of social media. It does not only change the way we communicate at individual level, it also changes the way we communicate at community and social levels. Leverage on this powerful, effective and economical communication, businesses have also adopted social media as their marketing tool to acquire new customers while taking care of their existing customers.
Let's fast forward to present, the trend of getting smart phones and tablets increases tremendously among the home users. This attributes to the revolutionary invention of smart phones and tablets which is more user-friendly and easy to use. It also allows users to download countless applications from the stores either for free or for minimal costs. With this you could be mobile all the time and still do what you need to do without the need to carry a laptop, and the best part is you could do more with your smart phone or tablet which is far more handy than the laptop.
I would say the mobile phone has become a necessity in this modern day. Imagine if you forgot to bring your phone you most likely would make a U-turn back to get it as it has everything you need. You no longer memorize the contacts, appointments, bank account numbers as everything is stored in the memory of your phone. Perhaps one day this gadget might replace human brain!
No doubt technology has brought so much convenience to us and revolutionize the way we communicate, it still has its setback. To be more precise, I should say it is the users' problem. Users need to be more responsible in using the technology so that it would not become an addition or habit. If we do not use the technology carefully, we could lose the human touch with others as we no longer talk face-to-face. It is likely that the younger generation would be lack of communication and interpersonal skills which could only be acquired over the time through continuous effort and practice and these skills are vital in harmonizing conflicts.
It's sad to see both colleagues at work sitting side by side are no longer talking to each other but sky-ping to each other as if they could no longer see each other in the eyes and communicate. It's even sadder to see couples and families are no longer communicating with each other in the cafes or restaurants while waiting for their foods. Instead of engaging in sincere conversation or exchanging topics, they are now focusing on their own smart phones or tablets, playing games, surfing internet or reading. At home, it's even more disturbing that parents are sending texts from ground floor to their children in their rooms on upstairs to come down for dinner and there is no communication at all in the dining room. These examples are real and this is absolutely an unhealthy 'culture' and should be stopped!
Maybe it's time for us to reflect, we need to ask ourselves "what is the basic respect for others?" and "is this an addition or habit?" I think we need to give communication a serious thought as I still believe in the beauty of technology, we just need to slow down a bit to re-educate ourselves in using the technology and the basic respect for others when we are with them.
I remember when I was still a student many years ago, I had so much excitement getting my first free email address and I instantly emailed my friends in other states or overseas. My email arrived in their inbox instantly. This was unconventional as your message was delivered without any delay unlike sending a letter to your friends through postal service. Later you could even communicate with friends in real-time through chat-room service.
As time changes, web-based communication has also gone through a great evolution and integration leading to the birth of social media. It does not only change the way we communicate at individual level, it also changes the way we communicate at community and social levels. Leverage on this powerful, effective and economical communication, businesses have also adopted social media as their marketing tool to acquire new customers while taking care of their existing customers.
Let's fast forward to present, the trend of getting smart phones and tablets increases tremendously among the home users. This attributes to the revolutionary invention of smart phones and tablets which is more user-friendly and easy to use. It also allows users to download countless applications from the stores either for free or for minimal costs. With this you could be mobile all the time and still do what you need to do without the need to carry a laptop, and the best part is you could do more with your smart phone or tablet which is far more handy than the laptop.
I would say the mobile phone has become a necessity in this modern day. Imagine if you forgot to bring your phone you most likely would make a U-turn back to get it as it has everything you need. You no longer memorize the contacts, appointments, bank account numbers as everything is stored in the memory of your phone. Perhaps one day this gadget might replace human brain!
No doubt technology has brought so much convenience to us and revolutionize the way we communicate, it still has its setback. To be more precise, I should say it is the users' problem. Users need to be more responsible in using the technology so that it would not become an addition or habit. If we do not use the technology carefully, we could lose the human touch with others as we no longer talk face-to-face. It is likely that the younger generation would be lack of communication and interpersonal skills which could only be acquired over the time through continuous effort and practice and these skills are vital in harmonizing conflicts.
It's sad to see both colleagues at work sitting side by side are no longer talking to each other but sky-ping to each other as if they could no longer see each other in the eyes and communicate. It's even sadder to see couples and families are no longer communicating with each other in the cafes or restaurants while waiting for their foods. Instead of engaging in sincere conversation or exchanging topics, they are now focusing on their own smart phones or tablets, playing games, surfing internet or reading. At home, it's even more disturbing that parents are sending texts from ground floor to their children in their rooms on upstairs to come down for dinner and there is no communication at all in the dining room. These examples are real and this is absolutely an unhealthy 'culture' and should be stopped!
Maybe it's time for us to reflect, we need to ask ourselves "what is the basic respect for others?" and "is this an addition or habit?" I think we need to give communication a serious thought as I still believe in the beauty of technology, we just need to slow down a bit to re-educate ourselves in using the technology and the basic respect for others when we are with them.
Living in Mon't Kiara
Mon't Kiara, a brand created by Sunrise Berhad approximately 2 decades ago, is still developing and vibrant. Every decent developer wants a piece of it, even if it is just a small piece of land.
Located strategically with various road access and surrounded by affluent neighborhood such as Sri Hartamas, Bukit Kiara, Bukit Tunku (Kenny Hills), Bangsar and Damansara Heights, it is still a very popular choice among the expats from Europe, UK, Australia, middle management from Japan and Korea, and businessmen from Middle East. Garden International School and Mon't Kiara International School further enhance its popularity among the foreigners.
Strolling along Jalan Kiara where Plaza Mon't Kiara and One Mon't Kiara face each other, you could easily count there are at least 20 completed residential developments. Among them MK10 and MK11 are the newbies in the market and MK28 is still under construction. Expat with family would opt for MK10 and MK11 as both condos offer big built-ups. Modern condo facilities such as indoor golf driving range, putting green and wireless internet access in MK10, as well as tree house, heated whirl pool, water-jet splash pool and sky lounges in MK11 create unique value proposition for the condos.
Kiaraville and SENI, the developments by Eureka joint-ventured with Capital Land (Malaysia) also attract much attention from the expat community. These two developments captivate the audiences with their unique water features and swimming pools generously placed in the center to create spacious and relax ambiance especially ideal for city folks who live there convenient retreats after a day of hard work. Remember to bring a few pieces of clothes just in case you loss balance and fall into the water (just joking).
Sunrise older developments such as MK Pines, MK Palma and MK Pelangi are still very popular among the Japanese and Korean community, you won't not be surprise when you find out there are Japanese or Korean restaurants in the condos. Sunrise also has a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) entity to take care of the residents by organizing events to bring the community together and providing free shuttle bus service to a few locations in town.
Having a good and clear vision, and sensing that the residential area has grown and matured over the years, Sunrise launched its commercial flagship Solaris Mon't Kiara in 2004 and later launched a mixed-development Solaris Dutamas in 2005. Solaris Mon't Kiara is also known as Soho KL consists of retail shops and offices where you could find some familiar names such as Cold Storage, Guardian, Swensen, Coffee Bean, Ole-Ole Bali, Brasserie and many more.
Solaris Dutamas is another interesting development, it is only 2-minute away from Solaris Mon't Kiara by car. It consists of retail shops, offices, three blocks of service residences, an office tower (Kencana Tower) and a shopping mall - Publika, where B.I.G (Ben's Independent Grocer) is located at the corner of LG floor. There are also a Black Box and a White Box in Kencana Tower with the purpose of promoting arts. When you walk into Publika you could see quite a number of arts pieces which were recycled from the left over materials, cable rollers and metals used in the construction of Solaris Dutamas. That's very unique! You could also find some familiar names such as MPH, Rakuzen, Plan B, Wondermilk, Chatime, Old Town, Papparich, Tutti Frutti and many more, you just have to come to check them out on your own.
The service residence ranges from 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom with build-ups from 672sf - 1238sf. This is going to be the trend in the property market in cities especially with the prices of lands and raw building materials go up and the lack of affordability to own big units. Anyway let's look at thing at a bright side, you probably could manage the cleaning without engaging a maid to help in the chores and it would keep you healthy.
For update on the upcoming developments in Mon't Kiara. Stay tune!
Wednesday 9 May 2012
In Remembrance of Yatie
Thinking about you again today, despite your departure for months
Every time I pass by the place you lived, the past memories emerge
Your kindness touched me, regardless if it was a stray cat or dog
Your friendliness warmed me, regardless who you came into contact
Your diligence taught me, no effort would be wasted if we have done our best
Your humor lightened me, whenever we were uncertain-ed about the outcome
Your total trust in me, transcended our differences and diversities
I want to let you know, I truly enjoyed the times we worked together
Despite sometimes we argued
Despite sometimes our effort seemed not be paid off
Despite sometimes we were stressed out dealing with unreasonable customers
Despite sometimes we were made running up and down by some inconsiderate customers
Still I enjoyed working with you, hanging out with you, roaming around with you
All I want to say is you always live in my heart!
Every time I pass by the place you lived, the past memories emerge
Your kindness touched me, regardless if it was a stray cat or dog
Your friendliness warmed me, regardless who you came into contact
Your diligence taught me, no effort would be wasted if we have done our best
Your humor lightened me, whenever we were uncertain-ed about the outcome
Your total trust in me, transcended our differences and diversities
I want to let you know, I truly enjoyed the times we worked together
Despite sometimes we argued
Despite sometimes our effort seemed not be paid off
Despite sometimes we were stressed out dealing with unreasonable customers
Despite sometimes we were made running up and down by some inconsiderate customers
Still I enjoyed working with you, hanging out with you, roaming around with you
All I want to say is you always live in my heart!
Tuesday 8 May 2012
Celebrating Life in Bali
A very close friend, Sarah was engaged, we were all so excited and decided to celebrate this in Bali. Laura and me met at Sarah's place to check on the accommodation in Bali after we booked the flight ticket through Air Asia. We spent hours researching and we finally agreed to stay in a boutique residence instead of a hotel so that we could enjoy some quiet and peaceful environment after our sight-seeing activities during the day time and evening meals.
The day had finally come and we departed happily from LCCT in Kuala Lumpur and reached Denpasar, Bali in the afternoon. We were greeted by the clear blue sky with cotton clouds, it was a beautiful afternoon. Without delayed, we hopped into a cab and headed to Danoya Private Luxury Residence located in Seminyak. Although it was a bit pricey, it was really worth spending in exchange for comfort, excellent service and luxury. We were warmly greeted at the reception and served with cordial drinks while waiting for our villa to be ready.
Our villa came with a beautiful private pool, a powder room, a living room and a pantry on the ground floor and a spacious master room with attached bathroom and a balcony overlooking the pool on the first floor. We made the right choice and felt good about it. Sitting and relaxing by the pool side was such a great indulgence that we would spend time there when we were 'home'. Another service this villa provided was "in-room breakfast". The cook and her assistant came every morning at our requested time to prepare us hearty breakfast with local, American and continental choices. The prepared breakfast with love and we could really "taste" it. How nice when you had someone served you and treated you like a queen and that was how we exactly felt throughout our stay there. Besides the breakfast, we also enjoyed the massage at the comfort and convenience in our villa on the second day, it was really a new experience as we could choose the spot we like the most. Sarah being her spiritual self chose to lie down at the pool side, pampering herself with aroma oil massage while Laura and me lied down in the living room overlooking the pool, pampering ourselves with hot stone massage. The masseurs were very good and professional, and we were very satisfied. The experience was great! we felt refreshing and radiant after the massage as it rejuvenated our bodies.
We discovered quite a number of restaurants serving extra-ordinary good food with Kudeta in Oberoi and Pundi-pundi in Ubud topped my favorite list. I love the ambiance the moment we stepped into Kudeta - a fine dining restaurant, it was next to Oberoi Bali. The colorful lights outside the restaurant created a romantic atmosphere and they were also used as decoration. The dim lighting inside the restaurant created a very relaxed, cosy and friendly ambiance to the patrons. A bar was located at the right side of the restaurant and a walk way at the side of the bar would lead you to an open area where you could continue chatting with friends while enjoying the wet breeze from the sea or you could go down to the beach and stroll along it. This was the best restaurant I had ever dined and it was the most expensive dinner I had ever paid in my life. However it was worth paying for as it was the best and memorable dining experience.
We ordered a few dishes for sharing, that's our tradition as "sharing is caring". We had Crab meat Linguine, Fusion Babi Guling (pork), Grilled Seafood Platter and beautifully medium-done Beef. I could only describe the food in a word - DIVINE! I felt that we were in the world of rapture and it was really a blessing to be able to enjoy this super excellent meal with a great company of my two dearest friends for life. The meal was complimented by the restaurant house wines. After the dinner, we moved to the open area near the beach to continued enjoying our wines and a plate of dessert full of chocolate and sorbet. It was a celebration of love, friendship and most importantly life!
The next day we went to Ubud for sight-seeing and we stopped by at Pundi-Pundi Grill & Asian Cuisine for lunch. We invited our driver who we hired for the few days we were in Bali. He was shy to join us but we insisted that he joined as we would like to treat him for his excellent service. We enjoyed the delicious Pork Spared Ribs and could not get enough of it, we later ordered a second one, it was juicy and the marinated sauce was very special. It was the best of the best! I would go back there in my next trip to have the same dish. We also ordered a large pizza, our driver had his favorite Bebek Pundi (duck). We really enjoyed our lunch and it was one filled with laughter and exchange, another memorable meal!
Other eating places I would also like to recommend includes Casa Gourmet (you would be surprise it served nice fajitas) and Bali Bakery in Seminyak Square, a Japanese restaurant in Nusa Dua - Hanabi (it served authentic Japanese cuisine). I like these places as their settings were simple yet elegant, they were great places for friends and family to get together and catch up while they could enjoy hearty meals. Oh, you could even shop in Casa Gourmet as there was a supermarket. We shopped while waiting for our food to be ready.
Walking along the street full of shops was also a great life experience besides the good food in Bali, the warmth and the courtesy of the Balinese was really heart warming. We were greeted with sincere smile every where we went. I was particular amazed by the arts and the rich Balinese culture and tradition. The Balinese upheld their belief and conducted themselves according to their belief. They believed good action would produce or even multiply good Karma and same went for bad action. They celebrated religious festivals by parading to the destination to pray to their Hindu gods and we were lucky to have chance to see this. Men and Women all dressed in white, paraded through the small streets between the rows of endless shops on both sides of the streets. It was amazing to see the women carried the basket with layers of different fruits cleverly arranged in pyramid on their head and walked in total control of their balance. I saw temples with great architecture and design everywhere I went and this really proved the richness in arts and in spirit of the Balinese society and community. I also felt safe walking in the street even at night.
The next day, we visited a famous Batik outlet and jewelry shop in Celuk on our way to Ubud to shop for souvenirs to bring back home. Sarah bought herself a nice, contemporary batik dress in the batik shop. We bought some unique stones and germs from the jewelry shop and I would like to highlight Laura's Apple pendant, she was really crazy about Apple thanks to Steve job's sophisticated invention. We then headed to Kintamani to taste the world most expensive coffee, Kopi Luwak. To be honest I did not like the idea how the coffee bean was produced and I did not like the taste at all. Anyway I bought a small packet back for my parents to taste. It was still worth visiting for the sake of enriching our life experience and you could choose to drink the ginger tea with lemongrass as it tasted good and it had the healing property to get rid of wind in the stomach. After we had lunch in Ubud, we continued shopping for souvenirs. We went to a few arts and craft shops and I managed to buy a unique simple sculpture of couple holding each other in nudity. Sarah went to her favorite store buying her second Uluwatu dress in Bali, apparently there were more variety of designs than the Uluwatu in Kuala Lumpur. I wished I could stay longer as I could not get enough of shopping along the shops in Oberoi and Ubud, that was a confession of a shopaholic I guessed but only in Bali, could I stay longer please?
Time flied extra-ordinary fast especially when you had great times. On our final day in Bali, we checkout from our villa earlier (I was quite reluctant) so that we could still do some sight-seeing before our departure time in the late afternoon. On the way to Nusa Dua, we chatted about music and the singers or bands we like, when Sarah asked if anyone like Rolling Stones our driver became excited and joined in our conversation. I felt deeply that it did not matter who you were, where did you come from, music transcended border and ethnicity. It was a common language that connected people around the world.
We shopped and had lunch in Nusa Dua before we headed to Uluwatu to see the cliff. We also had coconuts in Nusa Dua, the coconuts there were really big that I could not believe my eyes, they were tasty and refreshing and especially great for hot weather. The sunset from the cliff was particularly breathtaking but unfortunately we got to catch our flight home in the late evening. We had to bid Uluwatu farewell reluctantly, anyway we would be back again, Bali!
Selamat tinggal dan jumpa lagi.
The day had finally come and we departed happily from LCCT in Kuala Lumpur and reached Denpasar, Bali in the afternoon. We were greeted by the clear blue sky with cotton clouds, it was a beautiful afternoon. Without delayed, we hopped into a cab and headed to Danoya Private Luxury Residence located in Seminyak. Although it was a bit pricey, it was really worth spending in exchange for comfort, excellent service and luxury. We were warmly greeted at the reception and served with cordial drinks while waiting for our villa to be ready.Our villa came with a beautiful private pool, a powder room, a living room and a pantry on the ground floor and a spacious master room with attached bathroom and a balcony overlooking the pool on the first floor. We made the right choice and felt good about it. Sitting and relaxing by the pool side was such a great indulgence that we would spend time there when we were 'home'. Another service this villa provided was "in-room breakfast". The cook and her assistant came every morning at our requested time to prepare us hearty breakfast with local, American and continental choices. The prepared breakfast with love and we could really "taste" it. How nice when you had someone served you and treated you like a queen and that was how we exactly felt throughout our stay there. Besides the breakfast, we also enjoyed the massage at the comfort and convenience in our villa on the second day, it was really a new experience as we could choose the spot we like the most. Sarah being her spiritual self chose to lie down at the pool side, pampering herself with aroma oil massage while Laura and me lied down in the living room overlooking the pool, pampering ourselves with hot stone massage. The masseurs were very good and professional, and we were very satisfied. The experience was great! we felt refreshing and radiant after the massage as it rejuvenated our bodies.
We ordered a few dishes for sharing, that's our tradition as "sharing is caring". We had Crab meat Linguine, Fusion Babi Guling (pork), Grilled Seafood Platter and beautifully medium-done Beef. I could only describe the food in a word - DIVINE! I felt that we were in the world of rapture and it was really a blessing to be able to enjoy this super excellent meal with a great company of my two dearest friends for life. The meal was complimented by the restaurant house wines. After the dinner, we moved to the open area near the beach to continued enjoying our wines and a plate of dessert full of chocolate and sorbet. It was a celebration of love, friendship and most importantly life!
The next day we went to Ubud for sight-seeing and we stopped by at Pundi-Pundi Grill & Asian Cuisine for lunch. We invited our driver who we hired for the few days we were in Bali. He was shy to join us but we insisted that he joined as we would like to treat him for his excellent service. We enjoyed the delicious Pork Spared Ribs and could not get enough of it, we later ordered a second one, it was juicy and the marinated sauce was very special. It was the best of the best! I would go back there in my next trip to have the same dish. We also ordered a large pizza, our driver had his favorite Bebek Pundi (duck). We really enjoyed our lunch and it was one filled with laughter and exchange, another memorable meal!
The next day, we visited a famous Batik outlet and jewelry shop in Celuk on our way to Ubud to shop for souvenirs to bring back home. Sarah bought herself a nice, contemporary batik dress in the batik shop. We bought some unique stones and germs from the jewelry shop and I would like to highlight Laura's Apple pendant, she was really crazy about Apple thanks to Steve job's sophisticated invention. We then headed to Kintamani to taste the world most expensive coffee, Kopi Luwak. To be honest I did not like the idea how the coffee bean was produced and I did not like the taste at all. Anyway I bought a small packet back for my parents to taste. It was still worth visiting for the sake of enriching our life experience and you could choose to drink the ginger tea with lemongrass as it tasted good and it had the healing property to get rid of wind in the stomach. After we had lunch in Ubud, we continued shopping for souvenirs. We went to a few arts and craft shops and I managed to buy a unique simple sculpture of couple holding each other in nudity. Sarah went to her favorite store buying her second Uluwatu dress in Bali, apparently there were more variety of designs than the Uluwatu in Kuala Lumpur. I wished I could stay longer as I could not get enough of shopping along the shops in Oberoi and Ubud, that was a confession of a shopaholic I guessed but only in Bali, could I stay longer please?Time flied extra-ordinary fast especially when you had great times. On our final day in Bali, we checkout from our villa earlier (I was quite reluctant) so that we could still do some sight-seeing before our departure time in the late afternoon. On the way to Nusa Dua, we chatted about music and the singers or bands we like, when Sarah asked if anyone like Rolling Stones our driver became excited and joined in our conversation. I felt deeply that it did not matter who you were, where did you come from, music transcended border and ethnicity. It was a common language that connected people around the world.
Selamat tinggal dan jumpa lagi.
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