Meine Kamera

 

I bought my first camera when I was in Beijing in year 1997. It was Canon Prima Super 135 (No. 1). My Israel friend, Jonathan, who loves photography, recommended me to buy that. I purchased it at US$330. It was a bit bulky, but had a great quality of photos at that point of time.

Usually when buying things, I'd go for quality. So even though the price was slightly higher, I would rather spare those money on quality stuffs rather than spending it at impulse (not necessarily needed) clothing, bag, shoes, make up, as what other woman prefers to buy. (I always think I am not like other woman, who loves to spend their money on those stuffs.. Hahaha.... :D)

I was super happy with my first camera. Canon was my choice, as it was made in Japan (at that time, Japan product was trusted for its quality and technology). The battery used was lithium, which costs slightly expensive, but it could last for quite long. And I had to fill in the camera roll into that camera. I'd bought and used lots of camera rolls. I had lost count as I used that camera for quite some time.

What I loved about this camera, I could put in some words to be printed into the photo, such as: I love you, Happy Birthday, and so on. Hahaha... At that time, not many camera had that function. It had been a great accompany to me as it had helped me shooting many precious moments of my life.

After getting married, I bought my second camera. This time, it's digital, and it's Canon again, Power Shot S50 (No. 2). Hehehe... This time, the price was very high at that point of time (beginning of year 2003). It was transition time between camera roll to digital camera. I went with my hubby to choose the camera and like usual, I chose the good quality one. Kekeke....... So, although it was quite expensive, I bought it happily :)

This camera has also been used for few years. I had recorded lots of photos and videos of my son since he was still a baby, also my traveling adventures to many different countries. It was still a bit bulky compared with Canon IXUS and those other compact cameras, but again, I went for quality, so it didn't matter if it's slightly heavier and bulky as long it worked well :)

I got my third camera, Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS (No. 3), for free as I won a lucky draw from a liquor contest. It was really unexpected, but I won the second prize. The first prize was Ipod touch and my other colleague won it. We sent the lucky draw together and we were lucky enough to win those top two prizes :D I got it in year 2009, not long after I joined back my company.

It was small, very compact, easy to carry, and captured good quality photos as well. I love it very much, as it was simple but usable. Only that, I've used it for about three years, and now the quality has started to decline. It was slower when taking photo. Not sure if it's because the battery has deteriorated, or was it the quality inside the camera that has been deteriorated.

Since my Canon Power Shot S50 had aged quite some time, and I had greater interest in photography, I finally bought my first DSLR camera (No. 5) in March 2009, after I collected my bonus from the previous company that I worked at. It's Canon again. Hahaha... I love and trust Canon so much!!! It never disappoints me hehe... I consulted my ex-colleague who had just bought DSLR camera and he asked me to buy Canon EOS 450D (that was the latest one at that point of time). I purchased it during IT Fair in Suntec together with EF S18-55IS lens and another lens.

It's been 4 years now and it still works well, although the latest model has more advanced quality and has video function, this one still functions well. When I passed by a roadshow on Friday, I almost had a thought of replacing this with the latest model, which is now going on promotion. But I decided to think over it again if I really need to replace that and went back home.

I consulted this matter with my chatting brother who also loves photography. He never bought Canon though. Hahaha... He plays with higher end camera, such as Leica and Nikon DSLR. He said, now he is using Olympus OM-D E-M5. He advised me to keep my Canon DSLR and save the money for buying higher end like Canon D5. But I told him, I am not good in using such complicated camera like D5, and I don't want to bring heavy camera for traveling. That's why he recommended me to buy Olympus Pen E-P3.

It's not as bulky as my Canon DSLR and has as good quality as my 450D. So I did a quick research on the price and just nice there was a promotion which is valid until today. So, this afternoon, after work, I went to the electronic shop, asked many question about different cameras, and as personal preference, since I don't buy Canon this time, my second preference brand would be Olympus. 

The seller recommended me Panasonic Lumix and Sony, but like I said, my own personal preference on camera would be these two brands. Well, don't know if someday I will change my mind though. Hehehe.. 

There were two choices to buy the Olympus Pen E-P3 (No. 4). One was with twin lens, and another with three lens. After consulting with my chatting brother, he asked me to buy twin lens. That should be enough as the other lens, although cheap, has limited use. And I also didn't want to spend so much although it's different by S$200 more. 

It is good bargain still though! One of the lens was called Pancake lens, M.Zuiko 17mm f/2.8 (if you want to buy the lens itself, it costs S$528) and another one was M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II R (lens alone costs $498). But I got the camera with these two lens for only $748 (promotion price, which valid until today only), inclusive of free battery, free memory card 8 GB, the bag and additional 3 more months warranty on top of one year warranty.

Well, hope this camera will be a good accompany for few years too... I still keep all those cameras with me. Not sure if the old one can still function well, but I just keep it as it has so much sentimental value hehehe.... It's such a fate to be able to have them with me and I'm glad of having them with me for so many years :)

Although I myself not a very good photographer, but I love capturing beautiful moments, those moments that passes by and will never be the same again..... What remains are the beautiful memories....

101 Life Lessons From the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma

Below is 101 Life Lessons as derived from the book above (Those in "purple" means - 'I am glad I have been doing that', "blue" means 'I'm working on it', while nothing means.. no comment.. hehehe...):

1. Discover your calling (There is a purpose of life to each one of us. It's up to us how we want it to be)
2. Everyday, be kind to a stranger (It's said, if you made even one person smile during your day or brighten the mood of even one stranger, your day has been worthwhile)
3. Maintain your perspective
4. Practice tough love (Life-discipline isn't easy but I'll work on it!!)
5. Keep a journal (Started doing it few months back and loving it!!!)
6. Develop an honesty philosophy (I seldom make any promises as I know it's hurt when promises were made to be broken. But I mean what I say)
7. Honor your past (Learn from mistakes and get stronger!)
8. Start your day well (Fresh new day. Forget all the things happened the day before and grateful for a new day that comes. Be positive!!!)
9. Learn to say no gracefully
10. Take a weekly Sabbatical (I always provide time for myself to do my own things, no matter how busy I am)
11. Talk to yourself (Love having 'me' time)
12. Schedule worry breaks (Never done this before)
13. Model a child (I wish I can...)
14. Remember, genius is 99 percent inspiration (High inspiration with no action done means nothing)
15. Care for the temple - physical temple (Do the best I can!! Jia you!!!)
16. Learn to be silent (Just discovered how important silent is)
17. Think about your ideal neighborhood
18. Get up early (Is 7 considered early? Lolx! Sometimes get up as early as 5am going for cycling ^^)
19. See your troubles as blessings
20. Laugh more
21. Spend a day without your watch (Sometimes I forgot to bring my watch, but I used hand phone to get the time)
22. Take more risks
23. Live a life (Feel the pain and savor the happiness)
24. Learn from a good movie
25. Bless your money
26. Focus on the worthy (Focus on the good things :D)
27. Write Thank-You notes
28. Always carry a book with you (So long as you live, keep learning how to live)
29. Create a love account
30. Get behind people's eyeballs
31. List your problems (Feel much better after doing this)
32. Practice the action habit (Need lots of determination to do this....)
33. See your children as gifts
34. Enjoy the path, not just the reward (I enjoy in everything that I do, like it or don't like it, I enjoy them all)
35. Remember that awareness precedes change
36. Read Tuesdays with Morrie
37. Master your time
38. Keep your cool (Still working on this)
39. Recruit a Board of Directors
40. Cure your monkey mind
41. Get good at asking
42. Look for the higher meaning of your work
43. Build a library of heroic books (Still prefer to just borrow from library or otherwise give it to others after reading rather than storing it)
44. Develop your talents (Walk very slow but doing it)
45. Connect with nature (Loving it!)
46. Use your commute time
47. Go on news fast
48. Get serious about setting goals (Often giving excuse to myself)
49. Remember the rule of 21 (develop the new habit in 21 days)
50. Practice forgiveness
51. Drink fresh fruit juice (Started doing it few months back and loving it!!!)
52. Create a pure environment
53. Walk in the woods (Love doing this whenever possible ^^)
54. Get a coach (Everyone can be my coach)
55. Take a mini-vacation
56. Become a Volunteer (Hahaha.... I'm very bad on this...)
57. Find your six degrees of separation
58. Listen to music daily
59. Write a legacy statement
60. Find three great friends
61. Read The Artist's Way
62. Learn to meditate (Tried to... but laziness overcome it :P)
63. Have a living funeral (in my mind only)
64. Start complaining and start living
65. Increase your value
66. Be a better parent
67. Be unorthodox
68. Carry a goal card
69. Be more than your moods
70. Savor the simple stuff
71. Stop condemning
72. See your day as your life
73. Create a master mind alliance
74. Create a daily code of conduct
75. Imagine a richer reality
76. Become the CEO of your life
77. Be humble
78. Don't finish every book you start
79. Don't be so hard on yourself
80. Make a vow of silence
81. Don't pick up the phone every time it rings
82. Remember that recreation must involve re-creation
83. Choose worthy opponents
84. Sleep less
85. Have a family mealtime
86. Become an imposter
87. Take a public speaking course
88. Stop thinking tiny thoughts
89. Don't worry about things you can't change (Since it can't be change, why worry?? Pray hard instead)
90. Learn how to walk (Be aware of the surrounding when walking.. Love it!!!)
91. Rewrite your life story (Sometimes in my email, sometimes in my blog...)
92. Plant a tree (I wish I can do this... Not in this country that scarce of land)
93. Find your place of peace
94. Take more pictures (Love doing this.. It recalls back lots of memory from the past...)
95. Be an adventurer (Still not doing enough)
96. Decompress before you go home
97. Respect your instincts
98. Collect quotes that inspire you (Dunno since when I have this habit...)
99. Love your work (I'm happy so far I'm enjoying what I do at work)
100. Selflessly serve
101. Live fully so you can die happy (My purpose of life)

"Live your life by choice rather than by chance, by design rather than by default."

Birthday wish

Yesterday it was my friend's birthday. She is my ex-colleague. We've known each other for few years already. We went to Bali together last year. She used to work as Chef Administrator, then transferred to Engineering Dept as Administrator there. But only after few months, she resigned. Her passion is still with F&B Department.

She has resigned for quite some time. At the mean time, she was taking part-time job at a small pub in Upper Serangoon. She told me about this place since long time back but I hadn't had any chance to go and visit her.

Since yesterday it was her birthday and she was working, I thought of visiting her. It's a good time to visit her, I guessed. Hehe... My hubby was joining me last night since he was off and needed a break. We met up for dinner at Kovan, then took bus to the pub.

I bought a slice of Chocolate cake for her and we lighted up the candle when she didn't look. Hehe... It's just a simple celebration, just three of us. She made a wish before blowing up the candle. We had a chit chat while I drank a bottle of apple cider. We left at 8.40pm as I had to do stock take today. And just now she messaged me.

Guess what? She told me that her Birthday wishes came true :) The HR just called her and she got a job in a new hotel as F&B Administrator :) She just went to interview yesterday and tonight she got the job. Congrats Wee!!! I'm happy for you :) Hope she likes her new place soon!! Well, wish her all the best, not only for her career, but also her health, well-being, joy, wealth, luck, and happiness!!!

New Clinic for Autoimmunity and Rheumatology Center at SGH

On Monday I went into the 5th appointment to give blood, urine, tears, and saliva sample. The laboratory clinic has changed to the main building at 1st floor as the clinic for autoimmune disease and rheumatology has moved to a new building.

Wow!!! I was amazed! There is a separate clinic now. The place was occupied by Traditional Chinese Medication center, but the lease has over and they moved somewhere else. The Research Officer lady brought me into the new clinic.

Hmmmm...... Once we entered, we could smell the paint and new furnitures smell! Everything is new!!! All the office equipments, the bed to check the patient, even the dust bins are all new!

It's good that finally it has its own clinic. They used to share with patients from other departments. But it is also a bad sign, which means there must be an increasing trend of patients who suffer from this sickness :(

Well, show you photos of the new clinic from the outside :)

Good morning :)

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery, today is a gift. That's why they call it a present." - Bill Keane

I couldn't agree more with it.

Every morning alarm clock woke me up without fail. Its sound was too loud, could even wake the whole house up. And before it happened, I had to quickly turn it off.

The curtains were blocking the sunshine to come into my room. Sometimes it was dark still although the time shown was 7am. I stretched my body up vertically, left and right, to let the muscles felt its existence and to let the blood flowing up to my brain to tell me, "It's morning! Another new day! Wake up!"

I went out to turn on the heater and back to my room to choose what to wear. I had to think if there was anything to do on the day. If I had appointment or anything required me to move fast during work, break, or after work, I'd choose long pants. If nothing special, then I'd choose skirt. Hehe.... But sometimes my brain didn't work yet, so I often wore wrong attires :P

I went into the bathroom. I turned on the radio. I love hearing music while bathing. It connected me with outside world even though I was still inside my house. Listening to music made me alive. Sometimes I even sang together when listening to the song that I knew.

I had this habit of taking a bath early in the morning before school, no matter how early it was. By living in tropical country, I couldn't stand the stickiness of the sweat in afternoon time that always happened if I didn't take a bath.

It took me less than half an hour to prepare myself. Once ready, I took out my dirty clothes and flung it into the washing machine on my way out of the house. While waiting or inside the lift, I would put in the sandal shoes properly into my two feet. At the same time, I would take out the ear phones and mobile phone from my bag. As usual, I would choose the Buddhist chant, third row from my play list, and listened to it all the way to work.

The song soothed out my mind. As I walked, listened to the music, I would see the sun rise in front of me, behind the MRT station's building, or sometimes behind the HDB block. The color that illuminate the sky, sometimes it was red (means I was early), and sometimes it was blue (means I was late).

I felt blessed every time I looked at the sun rise. Lots of time I couldn't stop myself to capture its beautiful color into my mind and my mobile phone camera. If walked early, I could feel the cool breeze, fresh air surrounds me, and when I was late, I could feel the heat from the sun rise.

I always thank the above for giving me a new day again, a chance to start a new beginning, over and over again. I would forget the sadness and sorrow that I felt the day before and fill my mind with a fresh new beginning, to spend my day in a better way, to bring happiness to people surrounds me with my smile, to learn each and every day from the mistake I made, to make myself a better person, better existence to the world.

As the train departed, I would start the journey of the day, be ready for whatever it comes: to the challenge, to the hardship, to the happiness, to overcome whatever things that may come, as to live my life to the fullest. Good morning everyone! Embrace the day with your own choice in life. Have a wonderful day!!! :)

Find out what your name means!!!

When browsing for the meaning of the name, I found this website: http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp

Put in your name and find out what it means. 

Below is the meaning of my name:

Your number is: 1

The characteristics of #1 are: Initiating action, pioneering, leading, independent, attaining, individual.

The expression or destiny for #1:
A number 1 Expression denotes the skilled executive with keen administrative capabilities. You must develop the capacity to be a fine leader, sales executive, or promoter. You have the tools to become an original person with a creative approach to problem solving, and a penchant for initiating action. Someone may have to follow behind you to handle the details, but you know how to get things going and make things happen. You have a good mind and the ability to use it for your advancement. Because of these factors, you have much potential for achievement and financial rewards. Frequently, this expression belongs to one running a business or striving to achieve a level of accomplishment on ones talents and efforts. You have little need for much supervision, preferring to act on your own with little restraint. You are both ambitious and determined. Self-confident and self-reliant must be yours, as you develop a strong unyielding will and the courage of your convictions.

Although you fear loneliness, you want to be left alone. You fear routine and being in a rut. You often jump the gun because you are afraid of being left behind.

The negative attributes of the 1 Expression are egotism and a self-centered approach to life. This is an aggressive number and if it is over-emphasized it is very hard to live with. You do not have to be overly aggressive to fulfill your destiny. The 1 has a natural instinct to dominate and to be the boss; adhering to the concept of being number One. Again, you do not have to dominate and destroy in order to lead and manage.

Your Soul Urge number is: 3

A Soul Urge number of 3 means:
With the Soul Urge number 3 your desire in life is personal expression, and generally enjoying life to its fullest. You want to participate in an active social life and enjoy a large circle of friends. You want to be in the limelight, expressing your artistic or intellectual talents. Word skills may be your thing; speaking, writing, acting, singing. In a positive sense, the 3 energy is friendly, outgoing and always very social. 

You have a decidedly upbeat attitude that is rarely discouraged; a good mental and emotional balance.

The 3 Soul Urge gives intuitive insight, thus, very high creative and inspirational tendencies. The truly outstanding trait shown by the 3 Soul Urge is that of self-expression, regardless of the field of endeavor.

On the negative side, you may at times become too easygoing and too optimistic, tending to scatter forces and accomplish very little. Often, the excessive 3 energy produces non-stop talkers. Everyone has faults, but the 3 soul urge doesn't appreciate having these pointed out.

Your Inner Dream number is: 7

An Inner Dream number of 7 means:
You dream of having the opportunity to read, study, and shut yourself off from worldly distractions. You can see yourself as a teacher, mystic, or ecclesiastic, spending your life in the pursuit of knowledge and learning.

So, find out what your name means and see if it's correct!! Have fun!! :)

What's next??

It's a story of a woman in her 50s who finds herself at a crossroads, contemplating the new reality of life, such as the death of a dear friend, children leaving home, recognition of her own physical vulnerability, and a surprising shift in her marriage.

Below was her thought when her long time friend, Nancy, calling her one day, telling her the troubles that she faced. For her, Nancy was a type of person who was always perfectly clear in her convictions and deeply committed to her passions. Even such a person, had also encountered a hard time in overcoming her lives in this period of time.

"Now I'm beginning to realize that none of our lives, not even the ones that appear 'perfect' from the outside looking in, are without their share of challenges, disappointments, and worries. Yet it still astonishes me that my most skillful, self-sufficient friend is suffering such pangs of doubt. But, of course, I shouldn't be surprised at all. 

To be human and alive, it seems, is to strive and to struggle, to learn and to grow even as we endure our losses and questions our ability to transcend them. It's easy to think we should be somewhere or someone else - smarter and wiser, or further along on the path, closer to having an answer. 

Instead we muddle along, heads down, certain everyone else must know something we haven't figured out yet: how to be happy, how to love without getting hurt, how to let go, when to hold on, how to live with uncertainty, where to find faith."

20 years from now, I might recall this familiar thinking of her and may face the same problem. And I believe, I will not be the only one. Everyone will encounter loss, at one point, when kids have grown up, friends facing different phase of problems, or maybe our close friend's death because of sickness, our different type of problems in marriage, and so on. Our lives will be different by then.

In the book, Katrina went to Kripalu Center to practice and to become a certified Yoga teacher, which at the same time, to find her another purpose in life.

For my case, I may not wait until I reach my 50s to search for my spiritual journey. I may go earlier than that. Because I don't know how long more I can live in this world. One day, as I find I have this urge and need to go to learn meditation, I will do it straight away. I won't wait until I get lost in my 50s.

And indeed, it needs courage to be away from our normal activity in life. To be away from family, from work, from friends, and to go to some isolated place, somewhere we've never been before, some place where we'll meet strangers from all over the world, who have the same purpose to be there, to find the spiritual journey.  

Hm... I wonder if I can fulfill that dream of mine one day...... :)

Welcome to the world!!!

This morning my sis finally gave birth her second child at 11.30am Melbourne time. It's a boy!!! Congratulations for the happy parents, Denny & Liana!!! Rafa is having a new brother now :)

And guess what? My sis gave her baby's name based on my suggestion. Hahaha.... She was thinking about what names should be given to her second child. Her first son was named after a Spanish professional tennis player and former world no. 1, Rafael Nadal. So his first son was named Rafa. Denatra was abbreviated form of Denny, Liana, 'putra'. 'Putra' is Indonesian language, means son. So, it means son of Denny and Liana. And Lee is surname of Denny. Therefore, first son was named Rafa Denatra Lee.

And second one, was named Rico Denatra Lee. Rico is a Spanish name too. But I told her to name Rico, since I have a colleague, Indonesian Chinese, now in his twenties, looks very handsome, kind heart, and study hard too (currently he is working and studying part-time after work). And since her first son name started with R, so Rico is quite a nice name to have. Hehe... I didn't expect she really took my opinion to use it as his second's son's name hehe....

Thank you SB for giving my sis a smooth delivery and Rico was born healthy and normal. Hope when he grows up, he can be a good man and filial to his parents, also take care his elder brother. Happy parenthood Sis!!

"Live one day at a time"

I read "The Alchemist" while I was on my journey from office to home, inside the MRT. I was wondering what the story was about until it becomes one of the best selling books in the world. I haven't finished reading it though, but I have already been amazed by it. WOW!!! It started simple but full of meanings in every sentence. I keep recording its meaningful sentences into my mobile. I really don't want to miss a thing. There are just so many things to learn from that book to be used in life.

Below are sentences taken from one of its story:

The camel driver, though, seemed not to be very concerned with the threat of war. "I am alive," he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon. "When I'm eating, that's all I think about. If I'm on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just as good a day to die as any other."

"Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now."

Those sentences remind me of my own sentences that I sent to my dear friend in one of my emails. It said like this:

"Actually although my age keeps increasing, deep inside me always think I'm in my 20s. Seriously. Seems like it didn't catch with what my age brings me. Supposedly woman in my age would be very mature, thinking more about career, busying with children and family, etc. But for me, my thinking has always been the same. Perhaps my thinking is too simple and doesn't expect much from life. And just focus more to the present. Don't know if it's good or bad. Seems like I don't have much ambition in life, other than embracing happiness in daily activities. But I am happy this way though. Live a day at a time."

Hahaha... I thought I am living in wrong place, wrong century, or maybe in the wrong world. But after reading "The Alchemist", I was relieved and felt much better. I realized that I was not the only one who lived more in the present. Indeed, I've watched many grand festivals throughout my life.

Keep on dreaming!!!

I'll share another sentence from the book: "Because it's the thought of Mecca that keeps me alive. I'm afraid that if my dream is realized, I'll have no reason to go on living."

Do you find it familiar?? In our lives, we have many dreams to be realized. We want to further our studies, we want to work overseas, we want to travel to more places in the world, we want to build a happy family, and so on. And once we realized our dreams, there was nothing more to achieve. We became loss, stagnant, and lost purpose in lives.

That is why there is another sentence: "Never stop dreaming!" 

Initially, I thought dreaming was all about having a goal of becoming something, with imagination, with power, with fame, with a name. But it was not necessary of becoming something. It can be anything. Even my dream to travel to many other countries can be a dream too. And once my dream came true, I would set another country to go, and so on. Keep on dreaming. Because world is just too vast, and my money is just too limited. Hahahaha.... So although I will never be able to go to all of the places in the world, but at least I will never lose purpose in my life. That what keeps me going in this life.

Remember, we don't have to become 'somebody'. We can just simply be ourselves and fulfill our dreams, live one day at a time. Wish all your dreams come true everyone!

Curiosity.. and spiritual life journey

These past few days I've been searching for interesting books to satisfy my hunger and thirst of learning something new. Curiosity is the main motivation of borrowing those books.

Wanted to know Ajahn Chah's teachings. He is one of the most accomplished spiritual masters, and he has inspired and guided innumerable people in the arts of Buddhist meditation and skillful living. He is committed himself to a life of simplicity and renunciation, conveying the Buddha's teachings through wisdom, humor, and a great sense of compassion. May I learn something from this book.

'The Alchemist' has been sold more than 65 million copies in 150 countries and has been translated into 60 languages, written by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. I read somewhere that he has written great novels. Although I find it out a little bit late, nevertheless it's better late than never know about it at all, right?

'Committed' by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's continuation of her book, Eat, Pray, Love. She swore never, ever, to get married. but providence intervened one day in the form of the U.S. government. She was given two choices: either they get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. The book reveals the debunked myths, unthreads fears of marriage, and suggested that sometimes even the most romantic of souls must trade in her amorous fantasies for the humbling responsibility of adulthood.

And last one, 'Until I Say Good-Bye', written by Susan Spencer-Wendel with Bret Witter. Susan learned she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - Lou Gehrig's disease, an irreversible condition that destroys the nerves that power the muscles. She was 44 years old, with three young children, and she only had one year of health remaining. She decided to live that year and spend time with her family and friends. She took seven trips with the seven most important people in her life - to the Yukon, Hungary, the Bahamas, and Cyprus. This book is about the life of an incredible woman, one that will inspire us all to live every day with gratitude, wonder and love.

Hehe... How did u feel? Some of you may have read some of the books above. Did you get inspired? I won't say I'm wasting my time by choosing read book every weekend rather than studying and take exam. For me, both are equally important. But learning spiritually will help and guide you in our life journey, don't you think so?

I still remember what my dear friend told me in one of our conversation that he is now learning and preparing on how to overcome problems and issues in life, while others are busy enriching their lives with their career, family, and other valuable items. But one day, when they are struck with problem and difficulties, they may not know how to handle. They may get lost and get crazy. I support his thinking though.

Seriously, I don't know where I get all this strength from, to embrace life positively. I feel blessed to realize about impermanence, to accept reality, to let go, that many people are still unable to even have a grasp on it. Many are still living under delusion, under their own perception, unable to wake up and let go.

But I still have a thing that until now it just appears in my mind, but it is very hard for me to do and practice: meditation. Hehehe... I always think of doing it before sleep,or during spare time, and so on. But my body was too lazy to even just sit still. Haha... I was thinking if I should go somewhere else to do. When I was inside the airplane, on the way to Kolkata, there were two persons sitting beside me (daughter and father). They flew to Kolkata for three days to stay in the Ashram. After reading Eat, Pray, Love, I was wondering if I should try that as well as part of my life journey. It sounds hard but very interesting. They left me an address of the meditation centre that they usually attend in Singapore. Should I try and go there? Should I start a spiritual journey from there?

"Poor me, lucky them" - Another story from Ajahn Brahm

"Life as a very junior monk in Thailand seemed so unfair. The senior monks received the best food, sat on the softest cushions and never had to push wheelbarrows. Whereas my one meal of the day was disgusting; I had to sit for long hours in ceremonies on the hard concrete floor (which was lumpy as well, because the villagers were hopeless at laying concrete); and sometimes I had to labor very hard. Poor me, lucky them.

I spent long, unpleasant hours justifying my complaints to myself. The senior monks were probably so enlightened that delicious food would be wasted on them, therefore I should get the best food. The senior monks had been sitting cross-legged on hard floors for years and were used to it, therefore I should get the big soft cushions. Moreover, the senior monks were all fat anyway, from eating the best food, so had "natural upholstery" to their butts. The senior monks just told us junior monks to do the work, never laboring themselves, so how could they appreciate how hot and tiring pushing wheelbarrows was? The projects were all their ideas anyway, so they should do the work! Poor me, lucky them.

When I became a senior monk, then I ate the best food, sat on a soft cushion and did little physical work. However, I caught myself envying the junior monks. They didn't have to give all the public talks, didn't listen to people's problems all day, and didn't spend hours on administration. They had no responsibilities and so much time for themselves. I heard myself saying, "Poor me, lucky them!"

I soon figured out what was going on. Junior monks have "junior-monk suffering."Senior monks have "senior-monk suffering." When I became a senior monk, I was just exchanging one form of suffering for another form of suffering.

It is precisely the same for single people who envy those who are married, and the married people who envy those who are single. As we all should know by now, when we get married, we are only exchanging "single-person's suffering" for "married-person's suffering."Then when we get divorced, we are only exchanging "married-person's suffering" for "single-person's suffering." Poor me, lucky them.

When we are poor, we envy those who are rich. However, may who are rich envy the sincere friendships and freedom from responsibilities of those who are poor. Becoming rich is only exchanging "poor-person's suffering" for "rich-person's suffering." Retiring and taking a cut in your income is only exchanging "rich-person's suffering" for "poor-person's suffering." And so it goes on. Poor me, lucky them.

To think that you will be happy by becoming something else is delusion. Becoming something else just exchanges one form of suffering for another form of suffering. But when you are content with who you are now, junior or senior, married or single, rich or poor, then you are free of suffering. Lucky me, poor them!"

I choose the story above, just to remind ourselves to be content with what we have, who we are, what we do, and so on. Because life is all about suffering. It exists all the time, even since we were born to this world. Like Ajahn Brahm said, it is only exchanging its form. We need to realize this and be content is the key to happiness. So, which one are you? Poor me, lucky them? Or Lucky me, poor them? You decide!

True woman

A true woman does more than just give birth.
She brings joy and hope.
She teaches us to dream and make goals.
She will give compassion and ideas.
She will climb into a person’s life and make everything better again.
She gives moral support and love unsurpassed to her family and friends.
And all she wants in return is a hug, a smile and for her loved ones to do the same to people they love and come into contact with

~ Unknown quotes ~

The quotes above are so beautiful that I decided to post it here and to share with many other true women in this universe :)

In fact, that reflects on who I am. Hehe... Hope I didn’t praise myself too much. (Actually the hardest person to give any praise to is our self. People always think that someone who praises them self becomes big headed. That’s not so. Instead, they become big hearted and it is positively encouraging them self. Hehe.. So in this case, I’ve become big hearted here :D)

I didn’t know how and why I did bring joy and hope into someone else’s life, taught them how to dream and make goals, to know what they want and go towards it. Always remind them that life is short, and constantly tell them to live well, love much, laugh often, most importantly, live life to the fullest.

I love to give them moral support and cares, which in turn, became love. It is unconditional love that is not selfish, not demanding, not possessive, and love that willing to let go for them to be happy, or can it be called, spiritual love?

And as per written above, all I want in return is a hug and a smile, and also for them to do the same to people they love.

Then I’ll be happy - story from Ajahn Brahm

This story was taken from “Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?” written by Ajahn Brahm. I would like to share this story to open up our eyes, who often wait for the perfect moment to be happy in life.

“When I was fourteen years old, I was studying for my O-level examinations in a high school in London. My parents and teachers advised me to stop playing soccer in the evenings and weekends – to stay at home instead giving the time to my homework. They explained how important the O-level exams were and that if I did well, then I’d be happy.

I followed their advice and did very well on the exams. But it didn’t make me that happy, because my success meant that now I must study even harder, for another two years, for the A-level exams. My parents and teachers advised me to stop going out in the evenings and weekends, to stop chasing girls now rather than chasing a soccer ball, and to stay at home instead and study. They told me how important the A-level exams were and that if I did well, then I’d be happy.

Once again, I followed their advice and did very well. Once again, it didn’t make me happy. Because now I had to study hardest of all, for the three more long years, for a degree at a university. My mother and teachers (my father was now dead) advised me to steer clear of the bars and parties in college, but instead to work hard and long at my studies. They told me how important a university degree was, and that if I did well, then I’d be happy.

At this point, I started to become suspicious.

I saw some of my older friends who had worked very hard and got their degree. Now they were working even harder in their first job. They were working extremely hard to save up enough money to buy something important, say, a car. They told me, “When I have enough money to buy a car, then I’ll be happy.”

When they had enough funds and had bought their first car, they still weren’t happy. Now they were working hard to buy something else, and then they’d be happy. Or they were struggling in the turmoil of romance, looking for a partner in life. They told me, “When I get married and
settle down, then I’ll be happy.”

Once married, they still weren’t happy. They had to work even harder, even taking extra jobs, to save up enough money for a deposit on an apartment, or even a small house. They told me, “When we have bought our own house, then we’ll be happy.”

Unfortunately, paying off the monthly installment for the house loan meant that they still weren’t very happy. Moreover, they would now start a family. They would have children to wake them up at night, swallow up all their spare money and increase their worries in quantum leaps and bounds. Now it would be another twenty years before they could do what they wanted. So they told me, “When the kids are grown up, have left home and settled, then we’ll be happy.”

By the time the kids had left home, most of the parents were staring at retirement. So they continued to postpone their happiness, working hard to save for their old age. They told me, “When I retire, then I’ll be happy.”

Even before they retired, and certainly after, they started becoming religious and going to church. Have you ever noticed how many old people occupy the pews in the church? I asked them why they were now going to church. They told me, “Because, when I die, then I’ll be happy!”

For those who believe that “When I get this, then I’ll be happy,“ their happiness will be just a dream in the future.

It will be like a rainbow one or two steps ahead, but forever just out of reach."

After reading the stories above, does it remind you to someone we know? I know someone close to me who always think like this. Just hope she will realize it soon that it doesn't need to take that long or wait until we die, to be happy.

Like the quote put in my dear friend's blog, "Happiness is a journey." And I add in here, "Happiness is not a goal or destination."

"Live now, be content with what you have now and always think positive." Otherwise, you'll never live your lives happily or you'll never realize what happiness is in your life.

Two bad bricks - Lesson to change our view

Yesterday night, after having dinner at our old neighborhood hawker center (finally I had a roast duck rice and rojak), we came back home. I was trying to spend the rest of the night reading, but once I read for 1-2 pages, I felt sleepy. I didn't have enough sleep the night before. So I thought of having early sleep and proceed to toilet to wash my face, brush my teeth and remove my contact lenses.

By the time I finished, I didn't feel that sleepy. So I tried to read again. Then my precious son was in my room, watching his cartoon. I told him to lower down the voice, but you know, cartoon, how low the voice was, it was still so noisy in a quiet room. So I told him to watch it outside (living room), and he said papa was watching TV and playing his game outside.

I could not stand it and asked him to turn it off. He showed me his sulken face and started grumbling. He started to talk non-stop. OMG!!! He just talked about anything. I told him that I was reading a book and I need him to be quiet. This time, instead of being quiet, he whispered and told me, "I love you Mummy." Hahaha... What a tactic!! Even he whispered, I still got distracted no? And I could not stop myself to reply him, in whisper, "I love you too baby..."

"What?? What did you say?", still whispering. He acted as if he didn't hear my voice. OMG! I fell to his trap. He kept talking... Hahaha... Fed up, I asked him to talk with his dad or grandma, but not here where I wanted to read my book with a remaining time that I had this weekend. He told me, "You are the one who speak English with me ma... Papa only hears me talking (but no responding)." I stopped him, "But at least he was listening to you right?" He continued and ignored my reply just now,"Ama is watching her Taiwan drama."

I kept quiet and started pitying him. Recalled back memories when he was still toddlers, active, and very cute. When I was coming back from work and tired, he would look for his grandma. And his grandma would entertain him playing games together, while watching her drama. But now he has grown up, and didn't bother to entertain him anymore. She also needs time for herself to rest at night and does things that she likes.

Well, seemed that I had no choice but to listen to him. The book was still on my hand, opened. But my ears were listening to my son's words now. He continued talking, about he was going to fail his NAPFA test (consist of 1.6km running, sit up and so on) - physical training test for students at school, about he was chosen to join Fitness Club at school every Wednesday (since he was overweight) - but he enjoyed it, playing badminton, hockey, and so on, about meet-the-parent session and how happy he was because his buddy, Raynald, his parent was also called to attend the session (proud not to be the only one), about his liking of his English teacher who used to show them video about Diary of the Wimpy Kid movie in class, and so on.

I felt joyful, happy, and grateful to be hearing all that and how he wanted to share what he has gone through in his life, with me. Although I have lost my time to read, I got the replacement which valued much more than that. The fact that he loves to talk to me, has already made me happy. Although he didn't score well in his latest exams, it was not a reason to ignore or isolate him. Not just because of those little weaknesses we, as parent, rejected him. We had to see the bigger picture, his overall being, and be glad that at least he is healthy and chatty, at least he is still moving around, at least he still enjoys the fitness club, at least he still has Raynald as his buddy, etc.

Just like the story described by Ajahn Brahm about two bad bricks. More often people just focused exclusively on the two mistakes (which were the two bad bricks built in a whole wall), and they were blind to everything else, which caused them could not bear looking at the wall, or having others to see it, and that's why they wanted to destroy it. Again, just merely because of the two bad bricks, people often forgot, that other than those two bad bricks, there were other 998 good bricks as well.

So, no one is perfect. And we learn everyday in life to be positive, to be grateful with what we have, and obviously, this journey lead us to be happy.

Take a look at our surrounding, what we can perceive better from someone who ever hurted us before, someone who lied to us, etc. Be forgive and forget. Give them second chance because they were not all 100% bad :) Wish you all have a nice day!!!

Out of ordinary way

Just now I had dinner with my ex-colleague. She resigned last year May, so it had been 10 months since we last met. We worked in totally different departments but under the same company. It was ACCA (accounting subjects) that we were studying and struggling that made us becoming closer, and usually we met and talked during breakfast time, while having our bread and coffee in staff cafeteria.

We agreed to meet at 7pm. Since there was enough time, I decided to go to the meeting place on foot, and not taking the crowded MRT. The weather was a bit cloudy, but definitely it was not hot, so it was good to rejuvenate myself and breath fresh air after 10 hours inside the not so well ventilated office.

If I take MRT, it was 2 stations away, but I have to change the train. On foot, it took me about 20 minutes, but I walked slowly and enjoyed the view that I passed by.

Arts done under the tunnel beside the river

The photo below reminds me of Amsterdam, one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, where you can find bicycles parked everywhere along the street, bridge, etc. The colorful building is MICA (Ministry of Information, Communications, and The Arts).

Another art thing could also be found here.While the building is under repair, and they built the temporary pedestrian road with art painting on the side, so people won't get bored :)

And in the next photo, the Indian and Bangladesh construction workers were taking a break and they could see the beautiful city of Singapore view right in front of them.

So, rather than taking MRT where what you could see were just people and people, by taking the out of ordinary way, you could find other interesting and beautiful views. Do this once in a while, find and discover beauty that exists around us.

Kwan Im Temple - Open Treasury Day (Borrowed Hong Bao)

This morning, PY messaged me and said that today people go to Kwan Im Temple in Bugis to pray for 平安 (read: ping an) or in English means safety, and there would be distribution of the hong bao (red packet), filled with coin. Since I had nothing particular to do and I think it’s time to pray, after a quick lunch at Cafetaria, I took my bag and left to the temple by bus and walk.

When reached the area, I was amazed to see a very long queue and people were standing there with their incense burned and flowers on their hands, waiting for their turn to enter the temple.

Long queue to enter Kwan Im Temple at Bugis

There were barriers to ensure that the temple wouldn’t be overcrowded and everyone would be able to enter and pray safely, in a good flow. There were 2 queue directions to enter and exit.

Entrance of Kwan Im Temple in Bugis

“R!” suddenly I heard someone calling me. I looked to the source of the voice and found someone familiar, which was my colleague. She was standing up with someone and selling the flowers, and she was taking leave today. She asked me if I was going to pray. I said, “Initially yes, but after looking at the crowd, most probably, I would just pray from the outside.” Then she said, “It would only take about 15 minutes and the other queue was much faster,” she pointed out at the other direction. So, I followed her advice and headed into the other direction.

Queue from another side

Perhaps it was fated ba! As what my colleague said, the other queue was much shorter. So I bought the incense right away, burned it, and also bought a stick of lotus flower, then joined the queue. After waiting for about 3 minutes, I could go in already. Yayyy!!! :)

It’s like usual. I did my prayer, offered the lotus flower to the altar table, and handed in donation money into the donation box provided. The difference was, on the way out, there were places where you could collect hong bao (filled with coins), drop in hong bao (those collected from last year), and collect oranges (meaning 'good luck’).

One person was limited to collect maximum 4 hong bao. As this if my first time, I collected 4 lor… hehehe… Then I was unsure what to do with the hong bao and I was wondering why people returned the hong bao. So I went to ask one of the aunties, who looked like more experience in dealing with this hong bao.

She explained that inside the hong bao, there was a 10 cent coins. She asked me to take the 10 cents out, and put 20 cents back into the hong bao. Keep the hong bao and prepare another hong bao with money (at any amount to your discretion), and return it back the year after. That was how the ‘drop in’ hong bao worked.  Another person who overheard our conversation told me that we could use the coin to buy some sweet. Other said we could keep the hong bao inside our wallet. Some said, I could return the hong bao anytime before the next year.  And so on. There was no exact answers given on how, why, what, and when, even after asking few friends around. So I did some research and below is the story that explains the thing.

Kwan Im or Goddess of Mercy Statue

Kwan Im Pu Sa or Guan Yin Pu Sa (in Chinese), is known as Goddess of Mercy who was revered by believers of both Buddhism and Taoism for her unconditional love, compassion, and mercy. The belief in her compassion was so deeply rooted that as on the 26th day of the Chinese New Year, the Goddess would offer her blessings and prosperity in the coming year to us, and this was based on some legends believed by Chinese folks.

First, was legend of Guan Yin in Xi Qiao Mountain, one of the famous mountain of Guang Dong provinces, located in Nai Hai, China. Due to the serious drought, many people suffered and dying from cold and hunger. On the 26th of Lunar New Year, a pretty girl came to the mountain and distributed a small sack of rice and money from house to house. Upon completing her task, it was already evening time and suddenly a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky and was said that the girl has transformed into Kwan Im Pu Sa. So on that day, people would pray for peace, safety, and prosperity.

Second, was legend from Mount Pu Tuo. Kwan Im had attained Buddhahood, but she returned back to earth due to her compassionate and merciful to all being, and stayed at Mount Pu Tuo. There were 500 Arhats (Luo Han) who wanted to test the Kwan Im’s spiritual powers. They transformed into monks and went into the biggest temple in Mount Putuo, then demanded food from the Chief Monk, who couldn’t cope with their insatiate appetite.

Kwan Im knew the intention of the monks and had transformed herself into a monk in charge of the kitchen. With her spiritual powers, she produced food that the 500 Arhats could not finish even after three days and nights of continuous feasting. The Luo Hans were convinced of her power. As the balance of the food, Kwan Im had distributed it to the people on the mountain and nearby villages. From that time onwards, people would hold annual prayer ceremony for her on the 26th of Chinese Lunar New Year.

So, it was how the Guan Yin Open Treasury Day coming from.

As a general guideline, after prayer in the temple, proceed to the ‘collecting hong bao’ area to pick a red packet, which symbolizes a loan. The ‘borrowed loan’ should be kept in a wallet or handbag. At year end, we have to return back this red packet, together with another red packet filled with money in your discretion, and put it back into ‘returning hong bao’ area. More or less it was similar with what the aunty said.

Hehe.. It’s good to learn new thing. At least, I can understand why there was such an event held and for what purpose. Because it was brought from one generation to another and not all country apply this. Even if they do apply, I might not know about it.

As for the hong bao, I passed one to PY, as she was the one who informed me about the event. If she hadn’t messaged me this morning, I wouldn’t know there is such an event called Guan Yin Open Treasury Day. Hope it can bring luck for her too this year and the other year to come!! Huat ahhh!!! :)

P.S. The return of Hong bao for year 2015 falls on 16 March 2015.

Love Online and Heads in Beds

It's another relaxing Sunday, and it's March now. It seems that New Year's eve has just passed by. Wow!!! Two months have passed by just like a snap in our fingers.

Last night I slept late again, since it was weekend. But I woke up quite early this morning. And it's been sometimes that I didn't wake up early during Sunday, until I found out that Singapore TV Channel 8 is actually still broadcasting Doraemon at 9.30am. Hahaha... I thought that they are no more broadcasting it anymore since they have done that for so many years... :P

My stomach was grumbling so I decided to cook Korean noodle with egg as I was lazy to go out. It was quite a big bowl, so I shared it with my son. Once my stomach was filled sufficiently, I went back to my bed... lazing around.. and starting to watch Running Man. Hahaha.... It's been some time I hadn't watched it, so I took my time to watch few episodes this morning :D

In the afternoon, I finally got up from my bed and took a bath, then doing housework. Hahaha... Sunday, what else can I do??? Did laundry, folded clothes, ironed working clothes, swept and mopped the floor, steamed food as I got hungry again, washed plates, wiped the table, and so on. When it's finished, I finally had time to continue reading book that I borrowed last two weeks in library after meeting my best friend for dinner. There were 2 books I borrowed. And both were still new, fresh and crisp. I could still smell the freshness as if both had just been delivered from the publishing company kekeke... 

The first book, 'Love Online', was put in the rack after we entered the library. By just looking at the title, it was so tantalizing. It wanted me to lift it up and flip it around, to have a peek what was the story inside. My friend, who came after me, was curious when seeing my smiling face and weird look on my face. Then I showed it to her some of the sub titles inside. She was smiling too. And so I decided to borrow and bring it home. She told me to pass the book to her once I've finished reading it. Hahaha......

Below is the description of the book:

"The internet is changing the rules of the game of love. In a world where anything is possible, a potential date - whether it be a one-night stand or the start of a more lasting relationship - can be just a click away. Anyone looking for love online can throw off their inhibitions and can say what they have never dared to before. 

The internet revolution has ensured that online dating has now become both widespread and commonplace. Online users can buy into the consumerist illusion that they can choose a man or woman in the same way that they would shop for groceries - this is the new hypermarket of desire.
Women in particular can enjoy a new sexual assertiveness. Where once they might have looked for an emotional attachment, they are now demanding simply the right to have a good time.

However, love cannot be reduced to such simple terms. The apparently risk-free world of online dating is at odds with love in real life, which has its own demands and expectations. You cannot introduce another person into your life and expect everything to remain the same. Human beings have a way of turning your life upside down.

In this compelling book, Jean-Claude Kaufmann navigates this new emotional world and explores the tensions between sex and love, instant gratification and enduring commitment."

Don't you think it's interesting? Like it has said, the internet revolution has changed the way people dating. Jean-Claude Kaufmann, is a Professor of Sociology at University of Paris V Sorbonne, a French sociologist, who did research and comprehensive interviews to get the data. Well, the data was mostly derived from western societies like Europe, which has more liberal views about sex and relationship. However, in real lives, I think this is happening everywhere in the world, not necessarily just in western countries. Because internet has no boundaries. It is happening everywhere in the world.

For me, it is good to add your knowledge on how people behave in nowadays world with a platform of online dating. And below was quoted from inside the book that I picked:

"Man and woman have taken different views of sexuality for hundreds of years. And whilst those differences are now fading, they have not really disappeared. Men find the idea of pure pleasure with no strings attached exciting; they have long been interested in sex for the sake of sex. It is only relatively recently that women have discovered that possibility. This is quite simply because they were not allowed to think in that way: their role was to be the heart of the family, and they were expected to devote themselves to their families, body and soul (Knibielher and Fouquet 1982).

When they did acquire the right to enjoy themselves, pleasure could not be divorced from love and the family. The two things went together. There were historical reasons why men could keep them separate, but that option was not open to woman. The effects of this are still being felt. Woman fall in love more easily than men. And, men never change. Men are much more likely than women to be sexual predators..."

Another book was found in another rack, called "Heads in Beds". The author, Jacob Tomsky, has worked in hospitality industry for more than a decade unintentionally. From valet parker to front office agent, then from supervising the housekeeping department to manning the front desk at an upscale Manhattan hotel. This book reveals the secrets of the industry, offering easy ways to get what you need from your hotel without any hassle. It is a funny, authentic, and irreverent chronicle of the highs and lows of hotel life.

Hopefully I can finish reading it by next Sunday. Well, hope you all had a great weekend, and wish you all have a great week ahead!! Read more ba, entertain your curiosity and add your knowledge about what is happening around us, it will make our world more colorful and sometimes may add wisdom in our lives :)

Gender of a child

My sis just posted a blog yesterday. She just went for her USG check up and the question that made me laughed was... when she was asking her doctor, if her baby is still a boy.. Hehehe... Don't get mad Sis, ok? I was just finding one of the video in the YouTube below, and the title is "The 3 Deadliest Words In The World - It's a Girl".

Or click this link

If you have watched the video above, you could find out how many Indian and Chinese nationalities were killing their baby girl and how they preferred the baby boy on their own.

OMG!!! I was then realized how lucky we are!!! Me and my other four sisters, especially me, as the last daughter of my parents!!! My parents are Chinese too, and usually as Chinese, they prefer to have a son to continue their lifeline. We are siblings of five and we only have one brother in the middle. The greatest thing is that even thought I was born as a girl, my parents never had an intention to kill me, like what the Indian parents did in the video.

I am really lucky to have my parents as my parents!!! Not only they didn't kill me, but also they ensure that all of us were educated properly so that we could lead our own lives properly. Although my parents were not well educated, but my dad earned his money to ensure we were all well educated as he believes that everyone has their own destiny in life, has their own lives, and we all deserves to live in proper way in this world.

So, Sis, I know, you're expecting to have a baby girl, just like 2nd sis and our brother, but I'm sure we all have our own karma to how we'll lead our lives. Most importantly, we wish that all our children are born well and healthy, no matter what gender they are, and to be grateful for what we're given.

To tell you the truth, from my husband's families. so far there is no baby girl is born yet. My hubby's RIP father has 9 siblings, and among all the children who has got married and bear children, none of them were born as baby girl, which means, all was born as baby boy.. hahaha... Amazing, really!!! I don't know if all of us should be happy or sad...

However, I'm really lucky that my parents never gave up on all of us, although we were all born as their four daughters, and actually, we are all very concern and care about them, even we were born as women. Seriously, I really feel that it was result of karma from our past lives. If I've to be born again as human being in my future lives, I still prefer them to be my parents hehehe... Maybe I was saying this too in my past lives, so that now I'd been born as their daughter.... :D

Doraemon ~ Hearts and Love

From Mom with Love :)

My eldest sis and her hubby came to Singapore last Saturday. We invited them together with my brother and his children (my sis-in-law was on business trip) to our house for dinner last Sunday, happened to be the last day of Chinese New Year.

She came with Indonesian sweet soya sauce and sambal terasi (Indonesian chilli paste), and vitamin C that I ordered. She also carried another plastic bag. She opened the bag, took out something and laughed at the same time. "Mq, this is from Mama. She bought you Doraemon, but the face is weird, hahaha...," she said while continued laughing :D. And as you can see above, that was the Doraemon doll that my Mom bought for me :)

Yes, my sis was right. The face usually doesn't look like that. It supposed to be round, but this one was flat, and it looked a bit funny. Really cartoon. But if you noticed, there was a heart shape pillow that Doraemon was holding and it was written "I Love You", with two bears were playing throw and catch of the heart. For  me, that was very sweet...My mom bought that for me, knowing that I love Doraemon, but she bought that at my age now!!! Haha... And I was so touched lo... In her eyes, I will always be her small child ba! Hehehe... Thank you Ma, I really appreciate it!!! I haven't given it any name yet, as I really have no idea what name should I give... Any suggestion???

There was a Doraemon alarm clock too given by my Mum. I've used it now replacing my old alarm clock because sometimes the old alarm didn't ring and had caused me waking up late, and therefore, reached office late too...

My family and close friends know that I like Doraemon. I started liking it from reading the comics. I bought all the series (in Indonesian language) and read all of it - maybe around 33 books? Can't really remember, it was bought so many years ago. Then the series were started played on TV when I was fifteen years old. Every Sunday morning I woke up at 8 am just to watch it.

I love Doraemon because he would always be there to help Nobita who was in need (or bullied by his fellow friends), and at the same time, he also made others happy too. I love the time machine and lots of other gadgets that he has. When he took out and used his gadgets, I felt that my dreams were coming true too, as if I was part of them.

After that, I will daydream. I wish I could fly using the Bamboo propeller, fly high into the sky; sit, relax and even swim in the clouds. I wish I could use the torch light that could change things to smaller size. I still remember when Nobita and his friends used it to make themselves in smaller size, then they entered into the small house (like those house made for dolls), and inside, they could enjoy as if it was real house with all the furniture and equipments/electronics. I wish I could borrow the door that can open to anywhere I want. Like that, I can save a lot of air ticket money and travel all around the world, anytime, any season I want hahahahaha..... I wish I can use the time machine, to see how I looked in the past and how I will be in the future.. Hahahaaha... All seems impossible right? Only Doraemon can make the impossible things to become possible. We also can, but inside our dreams only hehehe....

Now, I have a lot of Doraemon things with me too. Either I bought it myself, or other people bought it for me. I have really lots of it!!! But no place to display. They land up inside my dark wardrobe and some was inside the store room. Poor Doraemon....

My mom, my sis in Hong Kong, my other sis, my best friend, PY, and my hubby were main supporters of my collections. I even have a colleague who helped me to collect the Doraemon magnets from 7-Eleven by befriending the staff there to get the magnets for me haha... I really thank all of them for their supports. But I think I have enough as I don't have enough space to store it anymore. I was once keeping the Doraemon biscuits purchased from Japan inside the cupboard, then only to find that cockroach had smelled it and grew his eggs on it. Alamak!!!! No choice, I had to throw it away :(

As I grow up, I realize another thing... To love, is not to have. You can't possibly have everything you love in your life. Just like my Doraemon collections. I can't possibly keep and keep buying it or storing it. I can only be grateful for the thoughts, concerns, hearts, and love that they have given to me. But the thing itself won't last forever. It will change, get old, spoilt, and one day when I am not around anymore, what will happen with them? I was thinking of donating it out to children, but I am afraid it will hurt the feeling of the people who gave it to me. So, right now, I will keep it, use it, and store it until the day I'm gone.