Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Boring long weekend :P

It's month end again.... How time flies.........

Many friends have gone and come back from their holidays, while I have to work. Last week we were having long weekend since Fri was public holiday. Long time never had such long weekend here. Too bad we couldn't go anywhere further as Baobei is having exams this week.

We spent our time mostly at home and our nearby area. Hahahaha.... We went to Punggol Plaza for three times on consecutive days!!! Somemore there is nothing much to see or browse around. There is free shuttle bus from our house to the mall, that's why it's quite convenient. Hubby was craving for salmon sashimi. At first we would like to eat on 2nd time we went, but he changed his mind, and planned to eat the buffet lunch instead on the 3rd trip. So on that 2nd
trip, we ended up eating KFC Rice meals.. Kekeke... Really bo liao one....

On Sunday we finally went to Compass Point, another closer mall from our house. Hahahha... Went there also soooo many times... Usually for having our meals there. Could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Went until siannnn..... :P

After the lunch buffet, I did the housework at home (to burn the fat, of course), hahahaha.... Swept and mopped the floor, washed, hanged, folded, and ironed the clothes, washed the two toilets... Wah...... And we skipped dinner. When I felt hungry, I grabbed two tomatoes, cut and eat it with sugar :P Baobei also complained hungry, but we told him no dinner (he also ate quite a lot...). He ended up sleeping and angry with me... Hahaha.... :P

We went cycling too at the other night. I felt very good when cycling. Could feel a sense of freedom on where I want to go and how fast or slow I wanna ride. It's good to release stress as well :D

Last few days weather was very hot!!! It was like 33• C in afternoon? Didn't feel like going out... End up, I caught flu on Monday. Still flu now :( If get worse, I will then see the doctor...

Well, that's about it! Our boring weekend... Now can only dream on where to go next year.... Dreaming... Dream on..... :D

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Beautiful Thangka :)

Shoton Festival at Drepung Monastery, Lhasa (10th August 2010)

Om Ah Ra Pa Tsa na Dhi


I know this chant from our tour guide in Tibet, Jia Dun. He said when he was young, there was something wrong with his tongue, which he could not pronounce words properly. His grandma asked him to spell "Om Ah Ra Pa Tsa Na Ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti ti...........", in one long breath. He also followed his grandma's instruction to lick the chain in Jokhang Temple until he was able to speak clearly (around age 13-14 years old). Hehehe....

I just realized that I didn't post any photos nor stories about my China and Tibet trips around 2 years ago. Perhaps I was too busy... But honestly speaking, it was my first time going to Tibetan temples. My first time to see and to turn the prayer wheels. My first time entered and saw what was the Tibetan temple look like. I was amazed by it.

We were quite lucky too to meet Tashi Dhundup (Jia Xi Dun) as our tour guide. He speaks Chinese but he was born in Tibetan families. He is also Buddhism and explained a lot about Buddhist teaching and culture, also his own experiences. Don't know how is he now. Hope he is doing well with his life :)

I didn't know much about Tibet when I were there two years ago. Only recently, after reading book by Dalai Lama, I know what has happened to Tibet. So sad... :(

I can just pray that things will get better for all being... Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

Friday, October 26, 2012

Quote for the writer :)

For all writers out there.... :)

Cycling at Waterway Punggol

Last weekend, Baobei and I had a cycling nearby our area. It's called My Waterway @Punggol Waterway Park, a man made waterway built by our government, the only area where we can see water, plants, cycling and walk path. It's about 4.2km length. From there, we continued our cycling to Punggol Park (near Hougang area), which is about 4 km long. So go and back will take us about 12+ km. It's a good way to exercise though.

HDB Waterway is under construction - now at Level 4

Watersports Promenade
 
Baobei in action!!! :D
Many flats surrounds it....
And right now, it's still not so crowded since many flats are still under construction. Once they all are done, then it will start to get more crowded and even pack. So now, enjoy our quiet moment while we can.. Cycling as many times as we want before it gets packed and jammed!!! :D

Peace and serene

Simply love the view :)
Where do you wanna go???

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Cut hair

Yesterday after work, I decided to cut my hair. I felt that my hair grew quite fast. Within a month, it had grown about 1+ cm. Like usual, I went to $10 hair salon. It is common here in Singapore to find $10 hair salon, and by right, with that price, they usually set 10 minutes time to cut each person's hair. So other people do not need to wait so long The more people they cut, the more money they earn mah...).

I chose that hair salon, because my previous two hair cut were done there and I found the result was quite good. It supposed to cut Japanese hair style. Well, I would say, it will depend on who cut your hair.......

When you entered, you put in 10-dollar note to a machine and it will issue a receipt with queue number. So, you have to wait until it's your turn and see which is the lucky hairdresser will you get.....

And I got the lucky one... Haiz...... I saw him before but never got him to cut my hair, so yesterday he cut my hair. He asked me how short I want it to be, will it be straight or layer cut, etc. So I told him, I want it short, below my ears. He really cut it just nice below my ears. But behind it, it looked weird. So I asked him if he could shave it. He said, yes... But the way he interpreted and the way I thought was different. Instead of shaving the small hairs on my neck. He shaved my hair upwards and made the hair cut shorter..... Hiks..... I didn't want to ask anything more. Scared he would cut it even shorter than this.... Hiks..... My hairstyle becomes like Chinese girl style (the hairdresser himself looked like Chinese)... Huaaa.... I felt I wanna cry seeing my new hair.

Inside the MRT on the way back home, I sms-ed my hubby, telling him about my short and ugly hair... I wished he could comfort me. When I told him I look like a guy, he said,'Now then you realised meh? All the while you looked like a guy... Hahaha...' Then I scold him, 'You ah... People already so sad, you still laughed at me..' I typed 'angry and alien face' to him. Confused, he asked me, 'Then how?'. I said, 'No choice, I have to wait until it grows....' Scared saying wrong thing again, he replied me.., "Well answered" :P

When I reached home, my son noticed about the hair cut, and he said, 'Ma, your hair cut is cute leh, look like cartoon character...' Yayaya...... Then he and my sis-in-law's son, both encouraged me by yelling 'Hao kan! Hao kan! Hao kan!', which means 'nice'. Then hubby also joined and yelled 'Hao kan! Hao kan!', after this you can give them $10 per person ah..., he said... Hahahahaa......

Haiz.. In MRT, I saw ladies with long hair. At that moment, I was saying to myself to grow my hair longer after this... Suddenly I miss my long hair.... Hiks... I had long hair for years and got bored with it, that's why I cut it short, but this time I cut it the shortest lo....

This morning when I took a coffee and breads in cafetaria, my Boss entered and she also noticed about my hair. She asked me, 'R, you cut your hair again? So short ah?' I said, 'Yes. But too short la, ugly...' Then she said, 'Too short meh? But it's hao kan leh...' I asked her again to ensure I didn't hear her wrongly, 'Hao kan??' And she said, 'Shi ah, hao kan ah...' Then she told the other colleague who happened was standing there, 'I told her, she cut short her hair look nice..' And the other colleague agreed and told me, 'Ya, you look very young cut short hair like this...'

Hahahaha.... Although I still don't agree with what they said, at least they supported me, unlike my two sisters who even made fun of me. This is the comment by my eldest sis after seeing my photo: 'Wah, really like China girl.. A bit like Gangnam style... Try show your Gangnam style...' And she laughed evilly.. Another sister also the same, 'Did he use the Sasa bowl on top of your head when cutting your hair??'

Haiz... I get used to hear their sarcastic remarks liao...... It was how I grew up with.. So I don't feel offended. They just tried to make me laugh.... Instead of crying... Right??? :P

Well, I try not to take photo until my hair grows longer... Haahhahaha... Hopefully my hair grows faster... Please.... :D

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Nepal trip 15, 21-26 Aug 2012 (Part 2)

22 Aug 2012 - Day 3

In the morning, we visited Pashupatinath. The Pashupatinath temple is listed under UNESCO World Heritage site, is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. But non-Hindus were not allowed to enter, so we just visited at the side of the river. This is also the place where cremation takes place, on the bank of Bagmati river.


Cremation going on - Pashupatinath

Directly opposite the Pashupatinath Temple stand a row of 11 stone chaityas containing lingams. Beyond them is a classic single-faced lingam (ekmukhi) attributed to the 6th century.

Lingam

We could find lots of Holymen in this area. If you want to take photo of him, you have to give some money as appreciation. Below is one of the holyman that we met.

Holyman in yoga post

After that we continued our trip to Boudhanath, one of the holiest Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, also listed under UNESCO World Heritage site. I love the place very much. It's so beautiful.

Boudhanath Stupa

Tibetan temple just the opposite of the Stupa main entrance

We had our lunch there. We were given time to shop as well. I bought some presents such as t-shirts, magnet souvenirs, prayer wheels, etc for families back home. It was raining for a while during lunch and shopping time, but at least we had umbrella with us, so we didn't get wet.

In the stupa, we walked around it for three times and prayed. It was simply blessed to be able to be there... Thank you Sang Buddha for the good karma given.

From there, we went to Nagarkot, 32 km east of Kathmandu, almost 2200 meters above the sea level, supposed to be a scenic spot. Due to the weather, we couldn't see the clear sky. So we just went there to enjoy the cold weather, relaxing and having a good rest :)

Sat there and wrote my travel diary... enjoying the cold weather :)

Other than that, I just walked around to nearby area to take some photos... hehehe... Below are some photos taken there...

Beautiful flower :)

Nice...

Pretty....

I love this :)

Many birds flying in the sky....

I like the last two sentences from below... hehehe....

The view from the top of the hotel

It's beautiful, isn't it??? The rest, we had dinner there... Raymond and Deepak fried the prawn crackers and emping / belinjau, and prepared the peanut sauce as the condiments. All was brought from Indonesia. Thank you for his effort in doing so... It complimented well our dinner dishes :)

23 Aug 2012 - Day 4

The next day, we had our breakfast also in the hotel, then went down to Bhaktapur city, which was an ex-capital of Nepal during the great Malla Kingdom. It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited the Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Bhaktapur's Dattatraya Mandir with Garuda statue

Nyatapola Temple (on the left)

Nyatapola Temple - This five-storeyed pagoda was built by King Bhupatindra Malla in 1702 A.D. It stands on five terraces, on each of which squat a pair of figures: two famous wrestlers, two elephants, two lions, two griffins, and Baghini and Singhini — the tiger and the lion goddesses. Each pair of figures is considered ten times stronger than the ones immediately below, while the lowest pair, the two strong men Jaya Malla and Phatta Malla, were reputedly ten times stronger than any other men. This is one of the tallest pagoda-style temples in Kathmandu Valley and is famous for its massive structure and subtle workmanship (Source: wikipedia).

Pottery square

From left to right: Lu Dhowka (Golden Gate), The Palace of Fifty-five Windows, The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla

Lu Dhowka (Golden Gate) is said to be the most beautiful and richly molded specimen of its kind in the entire world. The door is surmounted by a figure of the goddess Kali and Garuda (mythical man-bird) and attended by two heavenly nymphs. It is embellished with monsters and other mythical creatures of marvelous intricacy.

The Palace of Fifty-five Windows was built during the reign of King Yaksha Malla in 1427 A.D. and was remodeled by King Bhupatindra Malla in the seventeenth century. Among the brick walls, with their gracious setting and sculptural design, is a balcony of fifty-five windows, considered to be a unique masterpiece of woodcarving.

The Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla is considered the most magnificent among other statues in the Square (Source: Wikipedia).

In front of Taleju Temple (Only Hindus can enter)

Naga Pokhari

The Naga Pokhari (Snake Pond) is a 17C royal water tank encircled by a writhing stone cobra located in the courtyard of the Royal Palace.

Cafe Nyatapola

After that, we had our lunch at Cafe Nyatapola, a very nice cafe, mostly for tourists to have their meals there. It was raining when we had our lunch. We were given free time to browse around the shops. There were many shops selling Nepal local products. Good place to shop.. hehehe... But due to limited time and raining, I didn't buy many thing there. Just managed to buy the Alibaba pants... hahaha....

Various post cards from Nepal

Nepal Calendars

Drawing Mandala

Brass shop

Wood-carving shop

At night, we went to eat the Nepal traditional food at Utsav and watched their traditional dances. That was our last night with the rest of the tour participants. The day after that, we separated ourselves and extended 2 more days in Nepal by ourselves. To be continued....

Nepal trip 15, 21-26 Aug 2012 (Part 1)


Finally my wish came true... I was wondering what Nepal looked like.. now I know how it looks like. From this trip, I also learn about their cultures, religions, people, food, etc. Not very details, but it's good experience.

15 Aug 2012 - Day 1

Bungamati, a small and cultural village, lived by ancient Newari villagers, which is located about 10km from Kathmandu. You can find master wood carvers and sculpture producers there.

Villager's house - with chillies were hung to dry

Rato Machhendranath Temple at Bungamati

We managed to meet the living Goddess of Bungamati, the Kumari, which also means young, unmarried girl. She is worshiped by Hindus and Nepali Buddhist in Nepal. She is believed to be the incarnation of the Goddess Taleju, until she menstruates. A serious loss of blood from an injury may cause her to revert to common status and return to family.     

Kumari of Bungamati village

From Bungamati, we walked down to Khokana, seeing how the local people lives their lives in the villages.

In the evening, we went to Hiranya Varna Mahavihar, also known as Golden Temple. It was raining, so we were a bit hurry when visiting the temple.

Inside the Golden Temple - Vajra (thunderbolt and diamond)

After that we went to Patan city.

Glance view of Patan city

21 Aug 2012 - Day 2

After long transit in Calcutta from Paro, we finally reached Kathmandu at 3pm. Deepak (our tour guide in Kathmandu) fetched us in the airport and we continued visiting few places in Kathmandu. First stop, Swayambhunath, also known as Monkey Temple. It is one of the oldest religious site in Nepal.
 
Swayambhunath Stupa

It was raining when we were there. My raincoat jacket and umbrella were inside my luggage. So I just walked faster to the top, hid myself from rain, took some photo, then went into the painting shop where the other group participants were there buying some. I also bought two.. one for me, another one for my parents, as souvenir to put back home. It is painting of Himalaya mountain ranges with some yaks on the bridge. Simply love it.

Prayer wheels

After that, we went to Kathmandu Durbar Square, which is UNESCO World Heritage site. It holds the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. The square is presently known as Hanuman Dhoka, a name derived from the statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, near the entrance of the palace.

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Statue of Hanuman Dhoka



Below is the photo where the Kathmandu Royal Kumari lives. Too bad she was not around when we were there.
Kumari Ghar

Below is the image of Kala Bhairava (God of Destruction), one of the most important Hindu deities in Nepal. It was believed that people die if they speak false in front of this sculpture.

Image of Kala Bhairava (God of Destruction) 




Well, that was our first two days visiting Nepal's itinerary... Our journey will continue on.. Hope you enjoy!!!

Quote for the day


Thursday, October 18, 2012

His Gundam's creations - Beyond his imagination

My son's favorite robot is Gundam. He started loving it since December 2011. He has quite a few collections until now. He likes to watch the Gundam review from youtube, and even recorded his own video using my camera. Other than that, he likes to draw it too... He has used his imagination when drawing it.

Below is some of his creations:

Giant Gundam
He just drew it last Saturday using drawing block (about A3 size on each page). It was huge. He drew it separately and when combined, would be seen like the above.

Dora/Gmon
Doraemon (Japanese cartoon) is my favorite. I love to see this cartoon movie since I was 16 years old. Until now I still love it. My friends also know about it and they often give me Doraemon accessories as presents, be it birthday presents, Christmas presents, and so on. My son also gave me present by drawing it - combined it with his favorite robot - became Dora/Gmon.... Hahahaha.... Thank you Baobei....

And this is how it looks like when transforms into jet plane =)

Gundam Omni-Exia - Trans-am mode (Dun even know what it means...)
After having my dinner, he asked me to sit with him and he'd show me his drawing book. He showed me his latest creation (above picture). This is the only one colored, while the rest was black and white. 

Black and white VS Color Omni Exia
He asked me to take the photo of the above to see the difference between colored one and without color.

He would usually spend his time longer to draw rather than to study. Even he brought his drawing book to school and draw it in the class or show it to his friends.

If he study as good as he draws, then I don't need to headache la.....

No matter what, I'll support your hobby ok? But Baobei, you also cannot ignore your study, ok?? Love you honey.. muachhh.......
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