Garut - Satisfied my thirst of nature beauties

I know it's long overdue. My trip back home, spending exclusive time, only me and my dear parents, was happening about two months ago. Wow, it felt just like yesterday. We went to a place called Garut, which took us almost 5 hours driving from Jakarta.

We spent two nights in a modest hotel where our room was equipped with a big bath - free flow of hot and cold spring water.Three of us stayed together in one room. 

Our humble place to stay in Garut

In the morning, the sunrise view was fabulous!! Perhaps I was lucky to be there in such a good weather.

Beautiful sunrise

At night time, we could see the bright moon above the sky too (on Vesak day's eve - where moon was at its brightest).

Beautiful moonlight at Vesak Day's Eve

The weather was cooling down there as its location was surrounded by mountains.Oh, I love the place sooo much!!! It was so beautiful!! There were fields of rice, corn, beans, wheat, potatoes, and so on. The land was so fertile and water was abundance over there.

Beautiful natures - Loving it so much!

On second day, my father brought us to Derajat Mountain. From there, we could see the view of the mountain located opposite of it, called Mt. Cikurai. Again, its view was marvelous! We were very lucky indeed blessed with such a perfect view and weather!!!

Mount Cikurai

In Derajat Mountain, we went to see Kawah Derajat. The place was rich of natural gas and hot spring water.

Kawah Derajat

After that, we went to a resort called Kampung Sampireun. It was located somewhere inside the village. It was so beautiful!!! The room rates are not cheap too! It ranges from Rp. 2.2 million to Rp. 5.5 million (USD$210 to $550) per room up to Suite with three rooms. Wow!!! It's a nice place for honeymoon though. Very close to nature. We had afternoon break over there enjoying a plate of deep fried banana, pineapple, and sweet potato with a glass of coffee / bondrek (ginger drink with coconut) / and bajigur (sweet one with coconut milk drink). Very nice la... I wished I could stay there for few days and had myself relaxed!!! Hehe...

Kampung Sampireun - Garut, West Java

Talking about relax... Usually my father went to Garut to have a foot reflexology. It was done by someone (we called him 'Pak Haji', but his name is Pak Endang). He is Muslim, but he does the foot reflexology very well, learned the skills from his father. His brother does that too at his house.

We went twice, on first and last day before going back home. On first day, we were quite lucky that no other visitor there, so we could start the massage right away. But on the last day, there were so many people waiting for their turn. Believe it or not, we waited for three hours before our turn.

If you think that we did a comfortable and relaxed massage, you are wrong!!! Hahaha... Just by looking at other people being massaged, you could make yourself scared and perhaps going back home right away. Lolx!!! Telling you, it was hurt!! Hurt like hell!!! Hahaha... I was crying out loud when he massage my foot. He knew the points to massage on foot. Each point represents our organ body. So, if you sick or suffer from something, he would know it just by pressing into your foot. And he would press it hard, as he believes that pressing it harder and often, would cure the sickness.

When it was my Mom's turn, she was shouting and crying out loud!! People who were initially waiting outside, all came and sat inside immediately. You know why? They were enjoying the suffering felt by my Mom. Hahaha... The louder the shout, the happier they are. Haha.. Didn't know that this could bring some entertainment and make others happy too! Hahaha... So, if you want to make others happy, you can go there and try the massage yourself :P

The trip was wonderful!! I enjoyed it very much! While waiting for our turn, my father and I had a chit chat. It's our own private time. Most of the time he did the talk. I was his listener. Haha.. Because I wanted to learn from him, from his experience in life, from what he encountered in his life. I loved having this kind of conversation with him. I learn a lot from him.

Thank you Pa and Ma for bringing me to this trip. I had a wonderful time with both of you. I've satisfied my hunger of this beautiful natures from a small place like Garut. I've seen the unexpected so beautiful sunrise and sunset. I've eaten lots of nice local food, which I enjoyed it very much. I've a foot reflexology, which I knew from there that apart from SLE, my other organs were in very very good conditions :) except some area la.. haha... I've spent precious time with both of you, who pampered me a lot and made me very happy. Thank you, thank you and thank you! Hope we can have much more chances to go together again!! Love you both!!!

Paint competition winners + Cafe 1 makeover

Still remember my previous post regarding the half day weekend burn to paint the wall with my son and colleagues??? Now all walls had been painted fully by all five teams.

The theme this time called "Around The World"

There were total of 29 Posters displayed next to each drawings of significant icons of various countries. We were divided into five teams into five zones and we were allocated few countries in each zone. It took us 3 weeks to paint the walls. 

So, below are the results for you to enjoy. While looking at it, try to guess who the Champion is! :)

Zone A

Zone A: Asia - Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Sydney, Osaka done by FnB service staffs

Zone B

Zone B: Asia - Beijing, Foshan, Kunshan, Shanghai, Kolkata, Goa, Bangalore - done by Rooms department's staffs

Zone C

Zone C: Saudi Arabia/ Turkey - Makkah, Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul - done by Culinary and Stewarding staffs

Zone D

Zone D: Germany/ Switzerland - Berlin, Bremen, Dresden, Duesseldorf, Basel, Geneva, Zurich, Amsterdam - done by Housekeeping, Security, and Engineering staffs

Zone E

Zone E: United States/ Peru/ Ecuador/ Estonia/ Russia - Chicago, Lima, Quito, Tallin, Moscow - done by Executive Office, Sales, Finance, Reservation, and HR staffs

And the winner of this competition is........ Actually every team is a winner. All other teams, except the Champion team get S$500! While the Champion team gets S$1,000. And the Champion team is....

Before telling you who the Champion is, I would like to show you our staff cafeteria, which has just undergone 3-week renovation. It has become very modern now, different from what we had previously. The photos shown below:

Renovated Cafeteria :)

And the Champion is.... ehemm... actually the Champions are.... Zone D and Zone E!!! Yeah!!!! There were two Champions since the judge couldn't decide who would be the one since both got equal points :)

Uhuy.... Congratulations for all!!! And today onwards we shall start using our new Cafeteria!!! :)

Hamba Kahle - From The World Book of Happiness

I managed to borrow ‘The World Book of Happiness’ in Bishan library two weeks ago. It’s quite a big and thick book but the content was marvelous. I love this specifically one part of the books, titled Hamba Kahle, which is Zulu greeting, meaning ‘Go well!’.

In this chapter, Professor D.J.W Strumpfer, from South Africa, tried to convey some thoughts in a practical way, without letting the theory come through. Below is what he wrote:

Flourishing 

Life is brimming with health, beauty, joy, loving relationships, and much more. These are the fountains of our strength. When we lean into them, emphasize, explore and exploit them, we begin to flourish joyously. 

Some of our strengths are in our genes, influencing our mental and emotional functioning. Some grow out of experience and personal learning, some out of education. Numerous strengths flow from our relationships, from our communities, and from the places where we live. The time we live in also determines numerous specific and general strengths. 

But like physical strength, one also has to work at developing psychological strengths. Developing some strengths demands arduous work, but so much also comes through actively going in search of joyous experiences. 

How do we succeed? 
- Allow yourself to feel. Smile! Laugh! But also cry when you feel like crying – it will bring relief. 
- Keep your eyes and ears open to the beauty around you. Seek out beauty. One can gain great happiness from listening to birds singing and watching their flight, from intently seeing trees, plants and flowers, flowing water, clouds, sunrise and sunset. 
- Listen to nature: water, rain, wind, thunder – but also to nature’s silences. 
- Attend carefully to what you touch, taste and smell – and experience those joys. 
- Listen to music. 
- Sing, whether you can or not. 
- Appreciate who you are and what you are. 
- Believe in your own abilities. (Remember the little choo-choo train from the children’s song: ‘I think I can, I think I can…!’) 
- Do your best to remain optimistic and to find satisfaction and meaning in whatever you have to do, including your daily tasks. 
- Guard your health: eat, drink and exercise sensibly. 
- Search for insight: through discussion, listening, reading – but then think as well! What does it all mean to you? 
- Anticipate and open yourself up to support from your family, friends, strangers, your doctor, a police officer, the company, the union, your religious community – everyone around you. 
- Anticipate spiritual support, too. However, this support will not always come without asking: seek it actively when you need it and continue asking until you receive it. 
- Provide support to others too, wherever and however you can – strangely, it will strengthen yourself in turn. 

Undeniably, life is also brimming with negatives: acute and chronic disease, disability, sorrow, death, disaster, bleak family, social, economic and political conditions – an uninterrupted flow of demands, from bearable to devastating. Sometimes we languish there. However, we are resilient beings: we are able to returning to where we were before – but also to ‘bounce forward’ – going beyond where we were at first. The very overcoming of inordinate demands is often a source of growth and of new strength for future hardships. Our strengths help up to bear up, to overcome, and eventually to flourish again.

And below are some of their meaningful quotes to share with you.

Can money buy happiness???

Honey and Its Benefits

Source: Google

Until today, despite drinking lots of warm water, eating more vegetables and light food, and taking medicines regularly (including antibiotic), my sore throat hasn’t recovered yet. It even gets worse. The phlegm appeared days ago and now its color has turned into yellow (sign of too much heat inside my body – perhaps the throat infection??).

I was asking my colleague why my throat was so itchy. Was it a sign of recovering??? She told me, for her, it was a sign that the sickness would get worse. O oh… Then how??? My medicines were almost finished. Some had even finished. What should I do?? Panic had stricken my brain. I even thought of visiting the doctor again this morning and who knows he would give me MC for today… Hehe… my wishful thinking :P

So she suggested me to drink honey. She asked me to buy a good quality of honey, not those cheap one as it could help up in sore throat recovering. I forgot to buy it last night since I was too tired to walk after dinner gathering. So this afternoon, after finishing lunch, I went out and looked for my honey… :)

Oh.. the weather outside was soooo… hot!!! No wonder I got sick so easily… After a desperately hot sun, I entered into a cool air-conditioned mall. It felt good, but that was how the sickness all came and got worse (drastic change of temperatures). And I think, I was not the only one who suffered from this. There were few colleagues not feeling well too and I could hear people coughing and sneezing inside the MRT. So, blame it to the hot weather la! Hehe…

I walked down the escalator. First stop, Chinese medicine shop. They sell honey. There are many different types of honey. I focused on Manuka Honey and originated from New Zealand. After that I took a closer look on those categories. There were still different types. Manuka Honey plus Active UMF 5+ (S$30), UMF 10+ (S$40), UMF 15+ (S$58), with Royal Jelly and with Ginseng (both at S$25).

The sales promoter explained that UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is a certified process to measure the level of anti-bacterial strength within the Manuka Honey. The higher the number, the better the function is. You could also notice with the changing of number, the prices have dramatically increased too…

She said, if for normal drink, I could choose the one with UMF 5+ and 10+. I should buy the UMF 15+ only if I need a much stronger remedy. In fact, I need that la. But I was thinking again, if after I recovered, how about the honey? If I keep drinking it, would it be too strong effect to my body? Because I was not very familiar with honey and its benefit and also, the price was so expensive la, so I decided to go to other shops and compare :)

After carefully consideration, I decided to buy the Manuka Honey with UMF 10+. I bought it at $35.60. It was imported from New Zealand. The brand was ok too.

Once reached my office, I boiled the water and took few slices of lemon and took a spoonful of thick honey put into my cup. I mixed the water with a cold one as not to kill the good enzymes inside the honey (Luckily my colleague reminded me that before I poured the hot water into my cup).

Hhmmm…. It tasted so good. Honey lemon drink. After having it, I felt very comfortable on my throat. For some time, it wasn’t itchy. Also, I burped few times (removed some gas from my full stomach).

As I was curious, I browsed internet to find the benefit of honey. And here is what I found:

Cinnamon and Honey  
Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call "crystallizing". When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, turn off the heat and let it liquefy. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey. 

Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases. 

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists: 

HEART DISEASES:  
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack.. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins. 

ARTHRITIS:  
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain. 

BLADDER INFECTIONS:  
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder. 

CHOLESTEROL:  
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol. 

COLDS:  
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses. 

UPSET STOMACH:  
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root. 

GAS:  
According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas. 

IMMUNE SYSTEM:  
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial and viral diseases. 

INDIGESTION:  
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals. 

INFLUENZA:  
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ' Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu. 

LONGEVITY:  
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old..

PIMPLES:  
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root. 

SKIN INFECTIONS:  
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections. 

WEIGHT LOSS:  
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet. 

CANCER:  
Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day. 

FATIGUE:  
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week. 

BAD BREATH:  
People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day. 

HEARING LOSS:  
Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. 

After reading it, it made me want to drink it three times a day for everyday. Hahaha… One, on an empty stomach after waking up, one before sleeping (both could help up in weight loss), and another one after lunch – for other benefits mentioned above. People say it is good for the skin too… :D

No wonder my father was willing to spend so much money to buy a bottle of honey when he was traveling to New Zealand few years ago and he drank it every morning regularly. Aiyah.. I should have learned about it before. Hope it’s not too late now to start the honey drinking habit. Perhaps you can also start doing it now :)

Notes of my thought (in Chinese) - please use Google to translate :)

我好久没写汉字了. 今天突然有个感觉想写一下关于我的感受. 其实我自己也不是很清楚我有什么感受, 呵呵! 我这样写就想起来以前在北京的时候在读书的感觉. 那时, 我常常写封信给我的父母，尤其是我父亲. 因为我想他知道我是认真在那边读书, 不是去玩玩, 或者去浪费他的钱. 哈哈!

我就讲一下我的爱好吧! 我有不少的爱好. 比如: 旅行, 摄影, 写博客, 跟朋友保持联系, 吃东西, 等等. 我的博客里面写了各种各样的题目. 不知道人人喜不喜欢看. 平时我就跟着我的情感来去写. 有时候我写有用的东西, 有时候我就从书本里写它那边好的句子. 有时候写一下我自己当时的感觉, 还有, 有时候我就乱乱写东西吧! 哈哈… 好像现在咯 :P

Source: Google

出国呢, 我什么地方都想去. 尤其是我没去过的地方. 在这生活里, 如果有缘的话, 我很想去: 冰岛 (我想去Reykjavik (雷克雅未克), 冰岛的首都. 我想去那边喝Reyka Vodka (伏特加酒), 吃最新鲜的三文鱼:) 别忘记哦, 我也喜欢吃东西 :D 那里有好多天然美景. 我想走走，打轿车, 拍好多的照片, 还看北极光(Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis). 那里还有午夜的太阳(midnight sun), 也还可以泡在热水池 (thermal pool). 哇!!! 我等不及了!!! 我也不懂我的梦想及时可以实现呢? 也不懂可不可以实现在这辈子呢? 希望如此吧!!!

 我想去那边是为了’Reyka’ 这个名. 我是从我上网聊天的弟弟来自这个名. 好听吧? 我从十五年前用着这个外号. 也许如果我生了个女儿, 我就会选择给她这个名. 呵呵…

其他的国家呢? 我还想去印度. 我想去 达兰萨拉希望可以根达赖喇嘛见面, 也想看天然和美丽的风景. 我想去佛教朝圣的地方. 我很喜欢去跟佛有缘的地方. 感觉的很舒服, 和平快乐.

从这两个地方你们大概可以知道我是什么样的人吧? 我的要求不多，我只是要活得开开心心过日子.

我先写到这里吧! 改天再来! 祝大家快乐, 身体健康, 万事如意, 也开开心心过日子! 保重!!!