Living Stephanie

Wine, Wine, Wine

2011-12-06T06:50:00.003+08:00

My journey in wine was being initiated by sipping a light yellow liquid in a local restaurant in Brussels some years back. At least it was how I remember it. I remember loving it and with my cultural upbringing, wine is associated with luxury and the only encounter I would have had with wine, would be in a Chinese wedding dinner. Although wines were served along with beers and whiskies, I did not have the luxury to taste them as I was way too young. Somehow, alcohol was negatively associated by the way I was brought up.

The little restaurant in Brussels opened my eyes to the pleasurable side of alcohol. What great joy a wine can bring when enjoy with nice food and nice company! I was then, a fairly innocent young person with little engagement to the wider world, but thanks to my job, managed to bridge that for me. I was feeling so at home with the whole European setting and sipping the liquid I was told is wine. I did not get any dizziness from drinking it but a slight feeling of being lifted, a state I came to know as the "godliness" state, where life can just end with that sip and feeling fully content with just having that sip, as the last moment of my life. From there, I know I enjoy wine.

Every now and then, having wine with meal would be such a treat and has always been a highlight for me. When I resigned from my job, I brought this little learning with me that wine should be enjoyed in happy occasions which I gladly shared with my close friends even we weren't earning much for a living. How excessive it may sound, but that's how wine portray itself, a pleasurable indulgence. I remember how happy we felt to discover how nice Ernest and Julio red wine tasted, a bottle my hubby brought home. Most of the time, it was order by the glass whenever we club, pub, dine or simply chilling at hotel lounges for a good relaxing live music. I truly enjoy those times thanks to my ever-supportive hubby and the company of my dear friend. I was enjoying wine, but I didn't really know about wine.

Coming back from my stint in acquiring a bachelor's degree, I was earning again and I was glad to have more opportunity to learn about wine. I started by buying a bottle that I could afford, mostly German Rieslings in Penny Mart, Frankfurt and then gradually began to explore generic Bordeaux wines. I had no idea, the difference between a St Emilion or Medoc. I was a typical non-informed, under-educated wine drinker. Then, there was this gentleman who formalize my interest for wine when he said, palate can be trained and there is so much to learn about the world of wine. I began studying for WSET exams and miraculously, I passed each time I sat for the exam. I must have some really keen interest in wine then.

To date, I have yet to taste a lot of wines but hopefully, I am on the right track of training toward becoming a Sommelier, a credible one, I aspire to be. I still love browsing through wine shops and each time, I began to feel more at ease, instead of looking cluelessly like how I used to be. There is never-ending learning about wine, just like any other field. I just wish I could learn as much as I can and I will.

Good Night, Mr Jobs..

2011-10-10T21:47:00.007+08:00

I am now in New York City again. As I was browsing through the windows of the shops on Fifth just now, I was actually making my way to the Apple Retail Store. Early in the morning, you will be glad to see the store as it is open 24hours a day. It never sleeps like the city itself.

As you already know, Steve Jobs had gone, at the moment so timely with the launch of iPhone 4S. I speculated that because of Steve's death, they held back the launch of iPhone 5 which was greatly anticipated and almost had become a reality to many. Well, I was saddened by the news of both, the passing of my favorite technology/business figure, and the fact that I have to wait longer to hold another evolutionary or revolutionary (I hope) device.

As I was watching the many tributes to Steve Jobs on the news channels, I could not help but reflect on his greatest gifts to the world. Was he a great technologist? Was he the greatest marketer?

I am a Mac user myself since early 2004, and I instantly fell in love with my iBook G3 then, when I first got it. It is not only nice to look at and touch with your fingers, it was absolutely reliable and almost idiot-proof. I did not feel intimidated at all but somehow pride myself to be somewhat different from the masses. In my mind, the illumination of the Apple logo whenever my iBook starts up, says it all. The best advertisement ever, I still opine.

Just outside of Apple Retail Store in NYC, the famous glass cube is all covered in white now. As I entered the store, I descended through the spiral stairways and around me, it was covered in white. I felt as if I was going to a funeral. I could not help but felt a little sombre. I have to see the iPhone 4S, I told myself.. but it was no where in sight or on display.

I took another look outside of the store again and tried to read the little messages that Steve Jobs' fans left him. A lot of apples and candles offered to him with his signature quotes on them. I felt that, Mr Jobs' legacy will always be with us, very often when we use his signature products. Steve Jobs is never really gone, it's just a good night and tomorrow, who knows will change the world again.

p/s : I credit Mr Jobs for caring the right-brainers and put a meaning to what the world has arrived into, the conceptual age..
Also, remember the moments unboxing your newly purchased Apple products? Only Steve would had thought, it was worth it!

Going Really Gaga

2011-07-08T10:24:00.004+08:00

Bandung

2011-05-26T10:26:00.001+08:00

Our recent trip to Bandung was timely in a sense that right after the trip, BBC began to show a travel series on Bandung. According to BBC, Bandung was once, Paris of the East. I did not watch the series but Bandung and Paris are fashionable cities, I regard.

Our brief flight was a smooth one with half of a full load. Budget airlines connect city to city and this privilege was not in existent until Air Asia came to life. Bandung may not be a travel destination to most but many will go there for a good shopping spree. Bandung, around 2 hours by car from Jakarta has been an escape to the city dwellers who would want to seek a cooler air, great food and not to mention, Bandung's famous factory outlets.

Thanks to a dear friend, we managed to go to the right factory outlets without wasting our precious 3-day-2-night stay, searching among the tens of outlets in Dago area namely, Jalan Riau and Jalan Setibudi. Rumah Mode, Summit, Uptown and Secret are a few that worth going.

We also went to the famous but isolated The Peak restaurant, reputed to be the gem ala fine dining owned by the Jacob's Creek group. The atmosphere was great, romantic with a dose of exclusivity but the food did not match the standard that we were looking for. But I was happy enough to be able to try the local red and white wines from Bali. The white wine was a balance wine with refreshing and crisp acidity, perfect to match the appertisers that we ordered but when it came to my red with my lamb shank, the red was a little clumsy and the nose was a bit gamey to my liking.

Upon her recommendation, we also stayed at Hilton and visited the spa which was unfortunately, fully booked on our first night there. Our wait for the spa on the next day, had indeed paid off when we finally got a great rub after a full day of outlet shopping, eating in Kartika Sari with doses of Soto, Brownie Kukus, Pisang Bolen and driving through the Beverly Hills of Bandung.

To us, Bandung is a great getaway to enjoy luxury hotel stay and spa with a price tag that many could afford. Our best dinner meal was indeed at Hilton's Fresco Italian restaurant overlooking the hotel's pool. We recommend, no where else but Hilton for a full pampering stay and it would be nice if this can be recurring...

Property KL

2011-04-21T16:28:00.002+08:00

In my recent trip to KL, I was in awed and inspired by the property development scene and how well, the sector is gearing towards the rising standard and property value especially, in the high-end luxury niche.

It is very true that the increased connectivity of KL City and other suburban cities has made KL, the investors’ playground. The property prices in the city is relatively low when compared to the more developed markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore and some said, KL prices look more attractive than Bangkok and Jakarta. Truly, KL has a competitive advantage in terms of price versus value factor and taking into consideration of the government effort and commitment for wanting to improve the city’s infrastructures and transportations i.e. the MRT, KL seems to be the answer to where you should park your money.

To understand the property market in KL, which I am no expert, I believe that driving around the city in look out for buntings/banners or billboard advertisements helps tremendously. Relying on newspaper advertisements is still a little too late, as people on the ground may have booked the best bets by the time the news travels to you. Hence, as a layperson, with no special connection to insiders’ news, you can still have your best bet by doing your homework i.e. be on the ground and stay close to the ground. Of course, you also need some pre-requisites like knowing what exactly you are looking for and whether you have the means to acquire it.

I am no big-time property investor but I believe in building wealth by property investment, thanks to my better half. I have a really strong hunch that KL city properties have tremendous potential and have not reached the peak yet. Well, frankly, you don’t need me to tell you that. There is plenty more room for further increase in property prices and if the government continues to be focusing on the economic growth strategy, prices can only head upwards with interests from foreign investors.

With some encouraging and promising news from property developers like SP Setia, Mah Sing, EmKay and Empire, you can be sure that the KL property scene will be very exciting for the next few years. Do strive to be on the “list” of invitees where pre-launches are held. I still have a long way to go but I hope it’s going to be possible one day…

Turning 30

2011-02-28T11:26:00.005+08:00

The big 3-0 really scares me initially. I’ve been avoiding, thinking that the day would not come, and when it did eventually, I had nothing else to say or to feel.

I supposed my non-confrontational nature or perhaps, only the close ones would realize how prepared or ill-prepared I was in turning 30.

I asked my friends on how they feel about themselves being in the 30s bracket. I am grateful that I have lots of support and each gave me a courageous view on how turning 30 is transformational from being self-doubt to bursting with self-confidence.

They also shared, how they felt about their physical state, where they all agree, they felt sexier. Wow, I didn’t expect that!

I always thought that turning 30 means slowing down in your metabolic rate, which translate to having to curb your appetite for much food as you can easily put on weight from that day onwards. Besides weight, your energy level will drastically drop to a point of no return. From then on, you will just give up and let yourself go as 30 supposed to mark the stage where vanity matters secondarily. Well, I didn’t realize that I was stuck with such thought of the previous generation!

Turning 30 in today’s context is really, literally, turning 20 again (like what my bestie said). The only difference is that, you’re more capable, financially and socially to achieve or to do what you want to do.

As a female, I suppose turning 30 marks the age where you feel more liberated and the old adage of “no more market value” should not apply anymore. It should be, I know what I want better now, than I knew 10 years ago, hence I will tread carefully in search for it. If the numerical indication still matters, it is only needed as a timeline, a motivation and a reminder. That’s it.

After being 30 for about two weeks now, I finally come in to terms with what I really feel about it. In the midst of all this entangled and contrasting musing, I come to conclusion that we live, in search to stop searching. My mantra now is to continue questioning about life, about my thoughts and my feelings until I have all the answers.

The purpose in life is to search to stop searching.

What A Great Year, Indeed!

2010-12-31T12:06:00.007+08:00

The year 2010 had been a tremendous blessing to me. I sailed through the year with conviction that I did pretty okay in my career, my social life and my home and family life. I felt this way after a brief moment in self-reflection mode. I am very happy with my accomplishment in these areas, at least, by my own definition and, by no means, I meant arrogance.

I could have done more in terms of learning more new things, read a couple more books and write a few more entries to my blog. Nonetheless, I feel quite contented and blessed throughout the year. May the year 2011 be another great year to continue this great blessing, not only to me, but to everyone. Let's stay positive! Happy New Year!

Koh Lipe : The Real Island Paradise

2010-12-31T12:06:00.004+08:00

Koh Lipe, dubbed as the Maldives of Thailand is indeed an island paradise. Far from being qualified as unspoiled, I would considered Lipe as quite commercialised already. By that definition, I mean, the standard of accommodations, the number of hotels and resorts, eateries, the standard of the tour operators, the massage services etc..

Well,to make Lipe sound more remote and exotic, I would say, it still hasn't had any ATM machines or banks in sight. The walking street still remain untarred for most of its pathways and you can still see plenty of long-tail boats used for fishing and for more economic reasons, as taxi boats. I personally think that the motor behind these boats kills off the very charm of the boats.

To start our journey, we took a flight from KL to Langkawi. Air Asia seemed to be the answer to our travel destinations these days. Starting off in the wee hours of the morning, our senses were woken but the deliciously hot and spicy nasi lemak, arguably, Malaysians' favourite for breakfast. In less than an hour flight time, we began descending into Langkawi International Airport. Instantly, we dashed to the duty-free shop to purchase some wines. We bought a bottle of Sancerre and a bottle of Coonowarra Merlot.

With about half and hour before our ferry to Lipe scheduled to depart, we quickly get hold of a taxi and we had to constantly remind him of our press on time. Like any island folks, people tend to take things a little too easy here. Telaga Harbour is fortunately, only about 15 minutes away from the airport. I must give credit to our driver.

We boarded the ferry with only nine of us onboard, six passengers and three crewmembers. From afar, we should see Koh Lipe and Koh Adang ahead of us and Koh Tarutao slightly on our right. We were very impressed by the ferry ride, mainly due to the easiness of not having to worry about our luggages. The entire ride was blessed with calm water.

In less than an hour ferry ride, we then transfered to a long-tail boat to go to the shore. We were greeted by a local who spoke to us in Malay. We were then directed to the immigration booth to collect our passports, which were required to be surrendered at Telaga Harbour. We thought, it's so cool to be the immigration officers here, as the beach is just right in front of the office. The officers were not clad in uniform to our amazement!

We quickly took notice of the map directory and began finding our way to Castaway, a boutique bungalow by the beach. Like any first-timers, we would most likely make the mistakes in finding the best route. Yes, we actually went through puddles of water from Pattaya Beach to Sunrise Beach. Along our way, we saw the ugly side of the island which seriously lacks proper waste management. We saw how locals living with stagnant water and rubbish around the courtyard. We began to doubt the beauty of Lipe, which is what it's known for.

Finally, we checked in to our wooden bungalow and were quite pleased with the amenities and ambience. It reminded us of kampung living, which I lack the experience due to where I come from. I regard myself very much of a city gal. Hence, I would not fail to bring with me, my extensive range of toileteries and comfort snacks, whenever I could. If I could get comfortable here, means, it has to have a sitting toilet and a comfortable bed. We had both in Castaway.

We strolled along Sunrise Beach and tried getting ourselves acquainted with the walking street. We particularly enjoyed the Thai Pancake and Blended Thai Iced Milk Tea. The free wi-fi service by Castaway was a real bonus and we sat at the verandah together with Castaway's signature prawn crackers and great tasting chili paste. We washed it all down with Singha and a perfectly chilled Sauvignon Blanc. To top it up, we had a fantastic view of the beach and the soothing sound of the waves. This is officially declared as paradise!

The next day, we ventured to Pattaya Beach and Sunset Beach. To start our day, we dined at what seemingly the most popular breakfast joint alond the walking street. We had all our breakfast at this joint throughout our 4-day stay here. The crowd was an interesting bunch, mostly Caucasians couples and families. We also did some shopping and snorkelling. It felt good to snorkel with our own gear where everything fits well.

We also did some trekking uphill to find a very secluded beach called Billa. We made it there but had to beware of the mosquitoes. Billa beach was indeed tiny and guarded by a friendly dog. We only spotted two persons here.

As food played a significant part of our travel this time, we stuffed ourselves with different varieties of Thai-style curries. Our staples were mostly phad thai and tom yam. I was more into the place to dine as most restaurants offered identical menu. We were very delighted with mango sticky rice for dessert.

Another notable discovery is the Mountain Resort. It offers the best beach around, in our opinion. As Lipe is a small island, I think we would have walked the entire walk-able parts of the island. We were still stunned by the lack of popularity among Asians to this island as the Caucasians made the majority of the visitors here.

We made a pledge to come back to Lipe whenever we could spare some time off at work. Well, we made that pledge with conviction while sitting at Mountain Resort's restaurant overlooking Koh Adang. Well, as there are still so many places to venture, we felt that Koh Lipe is the most relaxing beach holiday we have ever had...

Vintry

2010-11-24T15:09:00.008+08:00

After a great dinner at Robertson Walk, we decided to take a stroll to Clarke Quay. Guess what we found? A cosy place with a wine library! It's been opened for more than three weeks now and it will be officially open on 25th Nov 2010 next to Royal Selangor showroom at Clarke Quay.

With more than 600 labels and a wine consultant from Malaysia, whom currently pursuing the prestigious Master of Wine qualification, Vintry looks, all in all, very promising. After its three outlets in KL and PJ, venturing into the Singapore market seems like taking a big step forward. Timely? I am not sure as I'm just an infant trying to understand all about wines and the wine industry.

After talking to the supervisor there, I'm glad that wine tasting can be done more easily now with those modern wine dispensers. With as low as S$ 2 per tasting, it will be my regular hangout soon!

I can't wait to visit Vintry and I am even more eager to see Vintry at Jaya 33 soon with my favourite people. Yes, a gathering before Christmas and New Year is almost too compulsory to miss...Let's experience wines and salut!

Palate Training

2010-10-28T16:42:00.007+08:00

Recently, I was privileged enough to be extended an invitation by a Sommelier to a nice fusion dinner and to taste some really 'Super' New World wines. Not the Chilean or Australian wines that come to mind, but countries that you may never heard or think of producing wines. Yes, countries like Japan, Israel and India. I count my blessing to have received and accepted such a rare occasion where such wines are featured, courtesy of the Wine Sommeliers.

I arrived at the secluded venue with a thirsty palate. Curious, perhaps is the right word, as I was wondering what wines are we going to taste. We started off with a sparkling Malvasia secco, which reminds me of a confectionary shop. The aromas of clotted cream and melting butter was obvious and the taste equals the confectionary products. I was expecting something fruity like peaches, white currants or even apricots but, oh boy, instead my palate was enlightened!

A moment later, our appetiser arrived and we adjourned to our second wine. It was a Viognier made in collaboration with Michel Rolland, the famous winemaker. The colour was not too appealing to one of our Sommeliers. On the nose, it smells typically of Viognier, very floral and it went quite well with the deep fried tofu in century-egg sauce that we had. But I still prefer sipping on my Malvasia instead, which really brings out the creaminess of the dish.

After a while, we began opening another bottle, a red this time. The red wine comes from Yamanashi, Japan and the flavour intensity was quite subtle at first before a good swirl, but strong enough to have a good nose. The colour was an attractive lighter shade of red or pristine light ruby, I would say. The aroma was very pleasant on the nose, very floral, perfume with little fruit notes. It reminded me of a gourmet rose syrup if there is such a thing, I thought. I began sipping this unique wine and I find it to be quite complex too. A lot of flavours started to appear to my mind but I rather let it be, than putting a vocabulary into it (since I may lack of it) as I was busy pairing it with my heavenly salted fish pasta dish with Thai basil. For the first time, I had so many glasses of wines to pair with one dish.

As I begin to feel what luck I was having, to be seated with these people and having conversations purely on food and wines, I felt a little challenged too. It never occurred to my mind that this day would arrive as I began to slowly awakening my palate which was pretty much untrained before. As we were talking and trying to find the right vocabulary to describe the tastes, our next bottle of wine was opened. This time, we were going to have a Kosher Merlot made in Israel. Thank goodness I had chosen duck as my main. The full name of the dish is Duck Leg Confit with Plum Mustard Sauce and Yam Cake. It went really well with my Merlot and our discussion was on how Kosher wines are made. My loaned iPad came in handy, in Googling the answer to some of our questions.

Lastly, the dessert came. This time, I had my Japanese wine topped up as I thought, it would be brilliant to pair this wine with dessert. I was right, the wine went gorgeously well with my Pandan Infused Panna Cotta with Gula Melaka! My palate felt so alive for the very first time! I was really enjoying all the explosion of flavours and aromas that I began to feel that I could get used to all this.

The night ended with a bottle of Syrah from India. It was a really good expression of the varietal, spicy and peppery.

After that night, I began to continue furiously, on my journey towards more wine tastings. I was lucky to have my hubby who is constantly there for me. We tasted a really good Chateauneuf du Pape recently, a rather bland and deep-coloured Dornfelder, a Barbera and a few more. I hope, it does not end here...

Die a Natural Death?

2010-09-30T21:49:00.004+08:00

Recently, Flamboyant Maestro visited the little island down south. We met on a fateful day, a night before the F1 proper begins. He isn't a fan, judging from his conversation topics, hence his presence has nothing to do with F1. Nonetheless, F1 certainly had created a worrying moveabout plan.

He uttered the words, "what happened to your blog? It has died a natural death!" Okay, it didn't quite hit me to my very core but I began to feel obligated to pen something down before September ends... I would like to thank him, nonetheless :)

I am way below my target quota. Yes, it is shameful. I feel responsible for this. At least, from now on, I will try to make an attempt whenever there is a writing bug itching me and Internet connection. Yes, both play very critical role. And also when there is nothing else I have to do, although there seem to be a lot lately. I feel the strain but I am slowly picking up.

I hope for the next few months, I will try to remember Flamboyant Maestro's warning when it gets too quiet sometimes... Let's this be my motivation, or should I say, threat but a nice one...

August Musings

2010-08-23T17:14:00.002+08:00

It is already August and I wonder in amazement how fast time passes. I see a baby who has now started walking, I see holiday plans made months ago materialised, and I just came to know that the Hungry Ghost Festival this year is coming to end. I am now in Dubai, stranded in my hotel room for two days as it’s Ramadhan and over 40 degrees Celcius outside. Don’t get me wrong as it is my personal choice to stay indoor and not to disturb the peacefulness of observing the holy month with my worldly habits.

With the gift of Internet connection, it’s quite natural to immerse yourself into Facebook and MSN. It’s really a treat when people of your interest surf up and appear on your laptop screen. What’s more to ask for when meaningful and interesting conversations do take place. Life is so digitally driven these days and I wonder whether humanity able to reverse it.

I just realised that, our very existence has a lot of influence on other people whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not. Hence, it’s a moral obligation to try to think and cherish one another. I did such a gesture of treating my relatives to a lunch when I was back in KL. But that wasn’t enough. I may have neglected more people whom I was close with. Well, I hope to live to each day without anyone feeling that I have abandoned them. It’ll be my least of an intention and of course, I hope that I could feel braver each time in expressing those feelings.

I have another hope after witnessing a wonderful photo album on Facebook. May this world be blessed with enough wealth, trickle down to reach the very people who needs it.

Loss

2010-07-30T23:03:00.004+08:00

This is way overdue. Yes, no excuse of everyday life's passing is good enough. I begin to wonder why these days, it is so difficult to trust kindness and honesty and yet so easy to feel or see the evil side of people. Is the reality distorting me?

I am always an idealist. I want to see the good side of people but I grew tired of it after awhile. Tired to be proven otherwise, when others are so disappointing. Yes, I have some encounters lately that betrayed my trust towards people. Well, it only concerns the materials and a little monetary loss, hence I can be forgiving.

I shall reflect upon myself again and keep reminding myself not to fall prey, as there are always people out there waiting to profit from our carelessness and kindness. It is stressful to live in today’s world, sometimes. People are always ready to laugh at others, to take from others without consent. It’s disappointing.

That brought me to ponder upon what I have read recently regarding the Japanese culture. There is always a conflict in understanding the way of life in the east and the west. The westerners are always rationally driven and in Japanese culture or cultures which have influences of Confucianism, people tend to be more dependent on other people’s kindness. We expect other to reciprocate kindness here. But of course, in some instances the universal trait of human, which is greed, still prevails after all.

An Admirable Person I Met...

2010-06-30T21:01:00.001+08:00

To know something about a person’s life, always intrigues me. Not that I’m a busybody but somehow, I qualify myself as a listener. Somehow, somewhere, someone will pour his or her heart out to me… I often find it natural to listen, empathize and imagine how different or the same the person’s life is, compared to mine…

I knew that, it’s not easy to life live, especially when things aren’t going your way, most of the time. But to be able to carry on and living it positively, with contentment and with a smile, is more than a plausible act. It’s indeed a gigantic leap towards enlightenment, in my humble opinion.

I knew of someone who is just that. What you see may not be what you get. You see a really perfect and happy person in the exterior. Well, the person is really perfect and happy, by the way. But when you know deep down, what the person had gone through, I couldn’t help myself taking my hats off for the person and give the person a bow. How admirable it is to continue living life with hope, in faith that one day, something good will come true, even it seems like the faintest idea that the day will come.

I hope that, the person, will one day, deserve all the goodness that this world could offer her and her family and continue to be who she is, a beautiful person with a beautiful soul.

Election Britain

2010-05-17T17:46:00.003+08:00

Written on 12th May 2010

I am now in London, witnessing the very moment, change of political guard. Mr Cameron is the new Prime Minister and Mr Brown is packing his bags to exit 10 Downing Street. Who would have thought, the smallest guy, the Liberal Democrat is the kingsmaker. Mr Clegg, once noted as th biggest joke by Mr Cameron is now his deputy.

Paradise for Me

2010-03-28T12:12:00.002+08:00

Nepal-Bhutan Part 1

2010-03-28T12:09:00.007+08:00

This space was created more than 12 months ago but yet to be completed and I doubt it'll ever be completed...

Our journey started with much anticipation, after our first trip to Nepal in the year before. Somehow, we missed out Lumbini and made a vow to come back to see the site where Gautama Buddha was born. I had an exceptional time planning, as I long to understand more of what I was brought up to believe by my mother, the teachings of Buddha that she held dear to her heart.

Our flight was superb as we were granted the emergency exit row again. It's always a pleasure to have that extra leg room (although I don't have long legs). Logically speaking, I am more than appropriate to sit on that row based on what I do for a living.

Upon landing into Kathmandu, we made our way with our guide-turned-friend, Jhak to the domestic terminal. We waited a few hours before our flight from Kathmandu to Lumbini, ready to take off. We were impressed or rather amazed by the size of the propeller aircraft, tiny but hopefully, mighty enough to fly us safely to our destination. The aircraft is so small that its aft door acts as a flight of stairs to board the plane. We had our worries, as we heard that many air crashes especially by this small airliners, where quality of maintenance is questionable.

The journey was interesting enough, with the roaring of the engines and the shakiness of the fuselage. We were also pampered by superb cabin service of free local newspapers, sweets before take-off and drinks during cruising. Who would have thought, as we were so used to no-frils airlines! But most of the time we were fixated by the jaw-dropping view of the mountainous Himalaya. It would take great knowledge to be able to name all the peaks accurately and we spared our guide the opportunity to impress us, as walking in the cabin was not that entirely feasible.

Finally, we landed at Siddhartha Gautama Airport. Arguably, it is the smallest airport that I had ever seen. It reminded me a bit of a fire station back home because its colour. In no time, we collected our hard-case cargo bag from a slab of cement top acted as the luggage carousel, minus the automation and the revolving belt. I had great admiration for the airport worker there having to deal with the impatient passengers fighting for their attention to get their luggages.

We were then greeted by a driver, who then drove us to our hotel. Along the journey, we witnessed a peace and quiet countryside, where honey is harvested and agricultural strived.

We arrived at the hotel, the grandest building in the area, and a refreshing drink was served to us. We were briefed on our meals at the hotel and of course, the frequent power cuts. In no time, we unpacked and freshen up for a walk before it gets dark. We walked towards Lumbini Garden as the sun was setting.

Naturally, when we entered the garden, we were drawn to the Panca Silas written on a nicely decorated stone. Then we proceeded to familiarise ourselves with the huge garden. We found many interesting sites but as the evening was getting dimmer by the minute, we decided to head back to our hotel. From this brief reconnaissance, we knew exactly what to do for the next day.

Lumbini made such a great impression with the actual site of Buddha's birth place (although some claimed to be somewhere in India instead), the many temples built by the Buddhists around the world and the lush greenery of the what you could imagine thousands years ago, to be a thick forest. I found peacefulness and a certain feeling of nostalgia as if I was here before. It's difficult to put it in words but I felt as part of me came from here.

We visited the elaborate German Buddhist Temple with colourful statues depicting the story of Prince Siddhartha. Then we visited the recognisable Thai Buddhist Temple, where we found photos of Richard Gere visiting this temple. And we went to the humble Sri Lankan temple where I suppose it to represent Theravada Buddhism at its purest form. It reminded me of the Vihara in Brickfields and in Sentul, KL where my family and relatives would visit and are members of the vihara, very simple, very quiet and calm. I still feel very fondly of receiving the vihara's newsletter with my mom's name on the envelope. Yes, she was a member and we love going to the temple with her.

We also rode on a trishaw to visit the Japanese Peace Pagoda, a grand structure white in colour, almost like a bigger version of the Peace Pagoda we visited in Pokkara, not long ago. We saw colourful flowers bloom proudly and decorated the whole place like a beautiful carpet.

The next day, we flew back to Kathmandu before boarding another aircraft to the Kingdom of Bhutan... to be continued..

Swiss Aunt K

2010-03-18T18:05:00.012+08:00

My dearest Swiss Aunt finally made it to Asia. South East Asia to be exact. Her last trip to this part of the world was in 1994. That was also when I first met her.

We have met only twice ever since then, and both times were in Zurich and Nyon. She is such a wonderful person to know and to share insights about the world and travel with. Her long-planned trip was faithfully materialised when she finally visited her tour agency in Lausanne or Berne (I can't remember). And I had made every effort to make her feel welcome to our own home. When she finally sent her itinerary, I was thankful and really excited!

She visited Siem Reap first and then Phnom Penh and in between she enjoyed a luxurious river cruise in Tonle Sap. I could sense that she had a relaxing holiday with many new places visited. Mostly, she simply enjoys meeting with people. She is such a person, curious and have a very natural and un-forcing flair in interacting with people of different cultures. She is very well-verse in the very basic of human interaction, which is empathy. I am most happy when she tells me stories of her travels, in the era where she was so thankful to have lived, when she was younger (in the era of 1960's-70's). She had even joined the Kibbutz and worked as she travelled. I wish we could have a deeper conversation and without much inevitable distractions sometimes.

When she was here, we enjoyed the sun-setting skyline of Singapore from the top of Swissotel, as the prelude of her stay here. We had a glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc each and I was glad that Danny's idea to bring her there for a view of the modern skyscrappers which is absent in Geneva, was a well-thought one. We also showed Swiss Aunt the up-and-coming Marina Bay Sands Resort, where a floating garden on top of the three uniquely-designed skyscappers was constructed. Some say, the piece of architecture looks too odd, like a space ship. But we disagreed. We thought it is really smart idea if they truly appreciate the direction that Singapore is heading.

Danny and I could sense that she really enjoyed the crowd and not feeling out-of-place at all in a foreign land. Well, as she always says that Singapore is modelled after Switzerland in many ways, anyway.

Then we met up with my favourite travel companion (at work) and her newly-found partner for a nice dinner, overlooking the Fountain of Wealth. My favourite travel companion bought Swiss Aunt a beautiful bouquet of Orchids as she knows how much she likes the flower. We exchanged some updates over dinner, reminiscing the time we spent in Nyon on a Mid-autumn festival. I wish we could have proceeded for a drink somewhere, if time was still a luxury.

The very next day, we rested well before beginning our 5-hour coach journey to the north. We wanted to show Swiss Aunt the ease of travelling between KL and Singapore with either coach or budget airline (we travelled back to Singapore with JetStar). We talked about life along the journey and we shared some conversations triggered by my admiration towards Off The Edge magazine. I shared with her my new found identity which I am really comfortable in, my Peranakan heritage. I also suggested we should pay a visit to the Peranakan Museum when we are back in Singapore.

As Swiss Aunt is an old-time friend of Aunty M, Aunty M made an effort to pick us up and have tea first. Both Aunties were so excited in meeting up with each other as both share common backgrounds especially at work. We had Old Town and what a lovely introduction to KL!

After that we parted to Aunty M's place where we freshen up for a nice dinner at Reunion, a great suggestion and recommendation by Bro and Flamboyant Maestro! With the Doctor also present for the night, it was truly a dream-like encounter, with all the people I wish to spend time with. Bro and Flamboyant Maestro did a superb job in securing a private room where we could have all the privacy we wanted. The flowery tea was a lovely touch and we could not have asked for more of the ambience and the sumptious Chinese food, which is simply out-of-this-world! I also enjoyed what Danny told me about the pre-dinner "prep" which was hilarious!

After dinner, we celebrated Swiss Aunt's birthday, a really early one. We sang for her and took some lovely photos together. Swiss Aunt was really touched and she enjoyed all our company very much. She declared that we are her family from the east!

The next day, we visited the Menara KL as KLCC Skybridge is closed on monday. Then we strolled along Jalan Bukit Bintang and had lunch at the refurbished food court in Lot 10. We also visited Pavilion and we had tea at Dr Mahathir's cafe at the prime locale. Bro took half-a-day off to be with all four of us. It was lovely! We ended up for dinner at Hokkaido Restaurant, where Swiss Aunt truly enjoyed the alfresco dining atmostphere. We had simple food before driving to Carcosa Seri Negara, just to catch a glimpse of the famous colonial house. It was a shame that we did not spend more time there.

Our brief visit to KL finally came to an end. Bro sent us to KL Sentral for the ERL express experience. Swiss Aunt was impressed with the express train, but she was seen missing Bro very much. She said she had a lovely time especially at Reunion and the food in Hokkaido was superb.

Back in Singapore, we visited the Peranakan Museum, Armenian Church and had a pubbing experience near Emerald Hill while waiting for Danny to finish work. Being the classy Swiss Aunt as she is, she refused to drink her beer from the bottle. And I quickly learnt that ladies should stick to drinking beer from the mug, irregardless of how casual the place can be. Another enlightening experience, as she talked about her Kibbutz days and working with Oil-Dry. Aunty M seemed to be slightly bored as she does not enjoy anything alcoholic. We had dinner at TGIF and visited the Tong Building where both Aunties' former employer is situated.

Lastly, we had a home-cooked steamboat dinner, courtesy of Aunty M. I invited some of my lovely galfriends, and the night turned out to be another memorable encounter with like-minded people. We tossed the Yee Sang although it was way after the CNY, I simply thought that it was a lovely idea for Swiss Aunt to experience the tossing which is uniquely South East Asian Chinese community.

We had sparkling wine and over the steamy hot soup, boiling seafood and vegetables, the heat did not bother us at all. I speculated that the temperature could have shot up to 35degrees Celcius in our tiny dining area, which is the hottest place in the flat! With sweat pouring non-stoppingly, we continued our digging and sharing laughters, encounters etc. The pace of eating seemed fast as Aunty M could not relax but kept coming around putting more food into our individual bowl. I always wish Aunty M could relax and take things a little easier.

We had another birthday celebration for Swiss Aunt, with a lovely cake courtesy of my favourite travel companion. She made Swiss Aunt to make a wish before blowing the candle and jokingly, Swiss Aunt said, she wanted to be young again. Anyway, I must say, she is young at heart!

Despite our vast age difference, 39 years to be exact, we could agree that we share a simple curious mind of the world we live in, the people we meet and learn to relax and enjoy each day as it comes. I am so glad that I have found great inspiration in her, and I hope I could live up to be like her one day, well-travelled, well-liked and comfortable in being just herself either alone or with company. I told her that she has entered the 21st century life with such ease and grace. She smiled and thanked me and I am sure she knows it too.

February

2010-02-19T12:23:00.005+08:00

The month of February is always pregnant with fond memories. It's the month to celebrate important birthdays and most of the time, the Lunar New Year falls elegantly on this month. This year's February is exceptionally, a wonderful one for me. Not only that I get to be close to my family, relatives and friends, it also marks a brand new chapter on stability on someone's life.

It's always heartwarming and hopeful, when one get to experience a state in life where everything happens according to one's wish. It is a state where you are mostly contented and hope that others could share it with you too. It is a state where your basic needs are all fulfilled and anything extra is a luxury. Yes, I am quite a simple person. I'm just happy to be who I am and have what I have right now.

I wish I have more thoughts to put on this page, but I am too occupied with all the goodness that this world is offering to me, at this very moment. May all have a blessed and blissful February. I shall write again next month as I am planning a dream holiday to one of the most isolated country in the world.

Happy February!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life...

Another New Year

2010-01-18T23:09:00.008+08:00

Happy New Year!

I know I'm about 18 days late but the exemption is completely valid. Another year just passed by in a blink of an eye! What is another 18 days?

My new year resolution has been made in private. I know it's cliché to have one and this one here is to let everyone know. My new year resolution is more of a wishful thinking, I wish for a world where human will act more responsibly for themselves, their loved ones and others.

If only our world is like white snow, untainted by the footprints, the greys, the car wheels, just being left alone without any greed or yearnings to take advantage of it. Freeze that picture and you'll know how beautiful nature is if it's being left alone.

Have a good year!

Almost a White Christmas...

2009-12-28T20:33:00.009+08:00

Christmas is especially made fond to me ever since I knew Danny eight years ago with celebrations in the Portugese Settlement, Malacca. Before that, every Christmases were another public holiday, Aunty M taking Bro and I for a treat of buffet at Park Royal Hotel, KL and some Christmas pressies from Aunty M to us. Other than that, I knew nothing about the significance of Christmas especially to the Christian communities.

This Christmas is especially made a memorable one for me. I get to experience Christmas with a typical Catholic family who are my relatives and in the land where most people would think is special to celebrate Christmas there. Yes, it's in London. To be exact, I was in Wooburn near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire about 45 minutes drive Northwest of London, where due to massive snowing on the Monday before Christmas, we could still witness an almost white Christmas everywhere!

The day before Christmas was filled with much anticipation and giggles from the ones at home. The heater was on and smell of incense (Chinese joss stick, actually) that I bought them (upon their request)filled the air indoor. I was feeling a little homesick as I have always been away during all the festive seasons, all these years. I consoled myself that this Christmas, I am with my relatives and they have gone out their way to please me in my stay here with them. I feel very grateful and blessed with my fortune indeed!

More relatives came over and we had a dinner of seven (including a parrot), with a bottle of red and a bottle of rosé. They served spaghetti bolognese with the most unusual sauce made of paprika, cardoman, lots of basil, aubergine, carrot, onion, tomato purée as base and not forgetting the minced beef. It was heavenly! I also helped myself with extra helping of the Caesar salad. We were merry and oh boy, the British can joke about anything and everything in front of them!

The occasional laughters were interrupted by the attention-seeking parrot named Chopstix. Chopstix is really intelligent and his vocabulary is expanding day by day. He suddenly belted out Michael Jackson's "I'm Bad" when all of us were enjoying our desserts of tiramisu and minced pie with Brandy cream. We burst out laughing as he sang it with his head banging like a rockstar!

Moments afterthat, my tummy gave way to an upset and I had to force myself to an early night. I did not managed to stay up for the countdown to Christmas, which was highly regrettable. On Christmas morning, we were up early to secure a seat for the morning Christmas mass at St Teresa, Beaconsfield. For the first time, I could see an almost entire population of Caucasian-only community with only a handful of Asians. What a refreshing sight, so contrary to High Street Kensington and most part of the city of London! The mass was lovely with live orchestra and Christmas hymns and as a non-Catholic, I did not feel excluded as the Christmas spirit was high within me.

Finally, after mass, the moment we all have been anticipated, finally arrived. We opened our presents with enormous eagerness! I love all my presents I received this year and love all the presents Dan and I gave too. They truly were thankful as we fulfilled their Christmas wishlist with a few more surprises.

While recovering from the high of overindulgence, we were treated to a Christmas lunch of turkey. It's traditional of English, to serve turkey with blanched brussels sprout, runner beans, parnips,carrot, stuffing of chesnut and onions according to them. I poured bread sauce all over my turkey and I almost finished all the food given on my plate, even with an upset stomach.

What I wish for my next Christmas is to spend it with all my loved ones and friends. Should I make this my new year's resolution? To try to bring everyone together? Well, for sure, I have a week's worth of annual leave and in between is Christmas 2010. I vow to make it special then...

Happy New Year!

It's Snowing in London!

2009-12-18T19:59:00.010+08:00

Due to some operational reasons pertaining my work, I had to make my way to London at a very last minute. I had very limited time to prepare and pack. Nonetheless, the pulling power of London will surely make me smile each time I visit this city, no matter how sudden the trip is. I simply love London and the people I always see there.

Upon landed into Heathrow, the temperature recorded was 2 degrees Celcius yesterday morning. Early this morning, the temperature was minus 2 or 4 I heard.

Yesterday, without my winter boots, I braved myself out in the cold to visit my all-time favourite supermarket, Whole Foodsmarket in High Street Kensington. I bought some organic muesli in preparation for my Swiss Aunt's visit to Singapore soon. She's a light eater and I thought Swiss Muesli would be perfect for her.

Later in the afternoon, I have made plans with my former college mate for a late lunch and some catching ups. I am absolutely excited in meeting her as it's been like 4 years since I last saw her. Another highlight is always to meet up Danny's cousin and her family. As I'll be spending my Christmas with them in a few days time, I will definitely have a memorable one. They even promised me a white Christmas and have been preparing some fake snow indoor, just in case it doesn't snow outside. How hospitable these people are!

The sun is up now. I can't wait to get out there and take the whole London in!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and loved ones!

Athina

2009-12-09T19:21:00.008+08:00

This is my third day in Athens city. It's supposed to be winter but the sunny sky and rainless day, made it feels like it's summer again. It's not the best time to visit the islands as I was told and therefore, I plan to just take it easy and relax.

For the past three days, there were demonstrations going on. The most prominent place for such a showcase would be at the Syntagma Square. Just now, I was face-on with a demonstration and I quickly found my way back to the hotel by foot. Thank goodness for my navigational skill that I managed to find my way back safely.

Although I was feeling rather unsafe, even knowing that the demonstrations held were most likely to be peaceful ones, nonetheless, I wouldn't want to risk it. The city is filled with locals and I don't think I could blend in as easily as I think I can.

I still managed to walk around Plaka, drank a cup of really strong Greek coffee, had a typical Greek cuisine for dinner and visited the entrance area around Acropolis.

The police and the riot police were everywhere. Their presence did not reassure and sceptics like me would smell danger rather than safety, whenever they were seen to be getting lots of updates from their walkie-talkie. I noticed that everyone especially the locals were getting bored with such public nuisance but who knows, it might be the only way to get things done here. I was told by a restaurant owner that it is very common to see demonstrations going on especially in December. December 6, marks the first anniversary of the death of a teenage boy, shot by the police.

The sides of the street were piled with garbage, uncollected due to the recent demontration by the garbage collectors. I found a website and today's demonstration supposed to be by a group of retirees. I have no curiosity to find out their predicament whatsoever.

I love Greece and hope that my next visit, hopefully in summer, will be how I used to remember this country. A fond one.

Again, in New York... (Part Deux)

2009-11-20T05:07:00.005+08:00

In New York, you'll never feel you could fit in, unless you're an old-timer New Yorker. But when a slight comfort on your surrounding is felt, you know you're quite acquainted with the contrast, indifference and the New York attitude.

I have stopped doing the touristy thing of taking snapshots of every shops of familiar brandnames, famous landmark buildings and eating the New York hot dog and bagel. I must say, walking around the city without a shopping list can be refreshing sometimes. Hence, I want to make this visit a worthy one by going somewhere I have never had a chance to go before. The thought of museums have cropped up but I am not sure whether I have ample time to do so. I thought, Upper East Side would be quite a visit to shout about since I am following the Gossip Girl series.

I walked towards the Upper East Side and thought that the people actually changed when they enter beyond the 57th Steet marker whether from Fifth or Lexington Avenue. According to Wikipedia, The Upper East Side starts from the 59th Street to 96th Street and bounded by Central Park, in the west and the East River in the east. I only managed to walk till 62nd Street, I think, before I decided to go into Bloomingdale's and Barney's to escape the rain. Smaller shops would make my escape more obvious.

Suddenly, everyone seems like the kind of Lily Bass but the likes of Blair Waldorf or Serena van der Woodsen were not in sight. Everyone who is shopping seems like it is their normal pastime activity. Carrying the latest designer bag and holding a fancy umbrella are quite a sight to remember.

The rain was not going to stop, so I made Borders my next escapade. The new vampire movie to be released, The New Moon has seeped into the bookstores, with merchandise that would entice the fans. I did not buy any of course, as I am no fan of such fictional characters.

The rain was receding and therefore, I should make my way back although I was quite tempted to take a peep of the World's Famous tree around the corner...

Again, in New York...

2009-11-19T20:02:00.007+08:00

I am now in New York. The city I always felt so inspired of. I'm not sure why myself. I supposed it's the TV dramas, big screen movies and simply, the power of American media and culture.

As usual, I will bring along my iBook, which makes writing a little easier. Not sure why myself, but I supposed it is the image of Carrie Bradshaw sitting down and typing her thoughts away, so swiftly on her Apple embedded notebook. We, at the audience front, would just look in awe watching her through a window with pouring rain outside. The Apple logo just illuminates so brightly and I still think it's the best advertisement ever!

I am also listening to Pink's 'I'm Not Dead' album. My iTunes shows 15 March 2008 as the time I last played all the songs of this lovely album. Gosh, I almost forgot how introspective and relevant her music is to people like me. I felt connected again.

Yesterday, I saw the Swarovski Star being installed on the yet-to-be revealed The World's Most Famous Tree at the Rockefeller Center. I felt a sense of familiarity. I was always in New York at around this time, before Christmas for the past three years. I just love the scene here and now...

Po Po

2009-11-19T06:22:00.008+08:00

My dearest grandmother passed away on 16th November 2009 at 11plus am. I called my aunt who looks after her a few hours before I left for Frankfurt. I urged her to call for a doctor to attend to Po Po since she complained that Po Po was not feeling as well as per her normal self.

I got the news of her passing when I switched on my iPhone after landed into Hesse approximately 4am Malaysian time. The news did not sink in directly nor did it shock me. I was feeling a little relief to know that at first. My Hubby told me that, I was restless for a few days and that I have expected and prepared for it to happen. I almost forgot that I am quite intuitive when it comes to stuff like this.

Cruel as I may sound, but to be honest, death is the only way to end her suffering. It should be celebrated in fact. I am glad when I gradually found out more about her passing. It occurred during her sleep. She died the way her mother did, painless and due to natural causes of old age. My maternal grandmother had lived up to 97 years old but I speculated that she might have hit 100 years old.

She once told us that, a fortune teller told her when she was younger, that the birthmark on her chest signifies that she could live up to 100 years old. If I combine that with a more rational explanation, she could have fulfilled the prophercy. (Well, at the end of the day, we are all trying to shape the facts to suit our belief, aren't we?)

She was born before the World War I in Hong Kong (and that explains the Cantonese side of me). Due to hardship, her mother, my great grandmother and her were forced to immigrate or perhaps to seek refuge elsewhere. Malaya was where they landed by boat. It was no surprise that my grandmother did not have any official record of her birth, just like many people of her time in that particular era. What was registered on her Malaysian IC was 1912 which I think was due to convenience sake, rather than her real birth date.

I have fond memories of my maternal grandmother. My mother used to say so much goodness about her and my great grandmother when I was not even 10 years old. They were the kindest, most generous, compassionate people my mom said. They were the giving kind, never ask for more and expect nothing for themselves but only for others. I remember my grandmother as a person who loves her coffee and she used to drink one can of condensed milk a day. She played lots of mahjong, smoked cigarrette, when she was in her 70's and always offer others especially the younger ones to have their meals first before her. Once, when I visited her at my counsin’s house, she even asked the domestic helper to eat first or to join in. In her 90's, she was still capable of pulling out a chair and let my Hubby take a seat first at a dining table. How hospitable was my dear Grandma..

I think my grandmother was colour blind too. Not the physical disadvantage I mean here, but her inability to differentiate people based on skin colour. That explains her generations of children, grand children and great-grand children have colourful families. We have Indians, Malays, Eurasians, Koreans, British, Scottish etc in my mother’s side of family. It would be really multi-cultural when all get-together under one roof during the Chinese New Year.

I hope my grandmother is now in a better place. She left behind a rainbow family of four generations after her. She is survived by three daughters, one son, countless grandchildren, countless great-grandchildren and one great-great grand daugther.

Her generosity will continue to amaze me. And as her youngest grandchild, I felt honour to have known her and own so much good thoughts of my dear Po Po..

Champagne

2009-10-23T16:54:00.008+08:00

I feel compelled to write this as lately, it has been difficult to find some quiet time reflecting…

It was nearing the end of summer in Europe. And as I was contemplating on the real weather there, I can't help but wonder whether mid- October is a good time to visit the Champagne region. My reservation was influenced by Swiss Aunt who had been saying that the summer was rather warm and nice but ended too quickly. Early October had reported a little snow fall, Swiss Aunt was surprised and was in disbelief of the oh-so-noticeable changes in the earth's climate.

My journey starts from Paris in a van or mini-bus that could fit 8 passengers. Joining a guided tour is the path I would rather not take for the past few years, as I would rather explore the places all by myself whenever I am overseas. Since Champagne is quite a last-minute decision, I decided that a guided tour is the best way and would guarantee the access to the champagne houses.

My pick-up was early at 7:15am at the hotel. I woke up early as I always love to have the café croissant breakfast at the hotel’s bar. To my surprise, I was offered a complimentary Americano and unlimited croissants from a basket. I had only two although I wish I could have another one as the croissant was so fluffy and buttery to my liking. I thanked the barman and the host for such a treat before leaving behind a tip of a few euro.

My guide “Marjit” came, and I was escorted to the co-driver’s seat of the van. Behind me was a mom-and-daughter team whom claimed to be wine experts from Las Vegas. Also there was another couple of Chinese Canadians from Toronto, named Mr and Mrs Tze. We exchanged our hellos and briefly introduced ourselves before picking up the final couple named Bob and Eileen from Virginia. They were all lovely and pleasant people, all well surpassed or on par with my parent’s age except the daughter, Crystal.

The journey to Champagne along the highway was not a quiet one. At the rear of the van, the friendly people were chatting among themselves and at the front, I was chatting with the guide who’s of course, a French. I could sense that he was not too keen on his job and like many French, always love a vacation (apologies for stereotyping!). However, I must say that, he is knowledgeable about champagne and pronounced “champagne” in the proudest and most typical French way.

Finally, we had arrived at Reims (pronounced as “rance”) and we saw the massive cultivation of vine. Then, we continued driving to Hautvillers that marked the Tourist Route of Champagne ( Route Touristique Du Champagne). Along the way, we saw many smaller champagne houses. And many have German sounded names as we were told that, the Germans were the ones who started the champagne industry in Champagne. The Germans were good in trade whereas the French were good in wine-making as I was told, hence, the success of the champagne industry even back in 18 to 19th century.

We were given a brief introduction of the history of Champagne as a place and as a type of wine. Champagne, the sparkling wine was founded by a Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon in the 17th century by popular belief. He blended the 3 grape varietals namely Pinot Noir, Pinot Muenier and Chardonnay and voila, a great drink was created (of course, after 2 fermentations) as told by our guide. Well, the actual champagne production is definitely much more complex than his explanation! Understandably, simplification and exaggeration were used sometimes to make things more interesting and dramatic in capturing our attention and imagination.

Our first champagne house visited was Nicolas Feuillatte, a rather young champagne winemaker using a more “state of the art” method of production and marketed as a hip and trendy Champagne brand. We were given a tour of the facility and we saw the various stages of transforming the grapes into the bubbly liquid in a distinguished-shape bottle. Most of the stages of production was automated and I wonder to myself, how sad it is that the romance of wine-making by human is being over taken by emotionless, uncompassionate machinery. Why would human create a machine to detach himself/herself from using their very own senses, their very own hands? Of course, simply, it's business rather than art!

At the end of the tour, we were given a glass of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne to sample, a non-vintage of course, as a vintage one will be too expensive to dispense to us. According to the guide at Nicolas Feuillatte, 2009 will be a vintage year as the harvest has been of a very good quality one!

We then were told that, we would be taking a break for lunch in Reims, which was already included in our tour. On our way to the restaurant, we drove past the Reims Cathedral, famous for the many coronations of France’s kings. Joan of Arc was once at the coronation of King Charles VII in the majestic cathedral.

A table of seven was set ready for us. We were then given a brief introduction of the menu of the day. Our starter was a fish dish, a mousse-textured curd that tasted very fishy but surprisingly paired very well with the white wine served. Then, entered the main course of braised chicken leg in red wine sauce served with the side of tagliatelle and chive cream sauce. The chicken leg was heavenly with the very light-bodied red and I supposed the choice of wine served was due to the heavy and flavourful sauce. Suddenly, I felt happy with the great company, conversations and thankful for the great French gourmet experience. The finale was a champagne-infused grape and cherry served with vanilla ice-cream and whipped cream.

Our second champagne house visited was none other than the famous Mumm. I secretly wanted to visit Moet et Chandon instead. Nonetheless, Mumm has many great legacies and it is more “old school” or traditional as compared to the trendy Nicolas Feuillatte. The cellar was deep in underground. It reminded me of a wartime bomb shelter or bunker and also a medieval castle. I was most impressed with the wine library that housed its oldest champagne dated 1893. And Mumm definitely managed to keep automation hidden in maintaining its image as a "serious" champagne house.

Any great learning encounter will come to an end. What is left behind is a sense of fulfilment that you have enriched yourself with a little more knowledge than before. With that, I hope that many more learning encounters are in waiting and certainly, something to do with wine would be very encouraging for me.

Yogya! Jogya!

2009-09-12T21:13:00.016+08:00

What runs through my decision-making process especially when it comes to choosing a holiday destination is, or course, it must be a place where I really wanted to go. Then comes the rational part of analysing the accessability, cost, safety, etc in making the holiday, a reality. I always wanted to visit Borobudur ever since I first heard of it from my dearest cousin, the Flamboyant Maestro. Because of the 2004 earthquake in Yogyakarta, I did my pilgrimage to Angkor Wat instead.

Late last month, one of my travel wishlist finally came true, thanks to my Hubby. We boarded an Air Asia flight that flew direct from Singapore to Yogyakarta. Having done my research for the past few weeks, I was quite sure what to expect for the trip. Well, not exactly, when I first laid my eyes on the few tall volcanic mountains while still in the air. I felt like this place spells terror everywhere, what if the mountains are still active and erupt, all at the same time?

After landed, we walked from the tarmac and into the small terminal. Our first task or rather the immigration's was to sanitize our whole body as H1N1 was still one of the hottest topic then. We walked through something like the metal detector in any regular airports but this one, we had to pause our movement for the machine to spray disinfectant towards us. Quite high-tech for a place like this. Well, what do we know...

After a short walk, from the disinfectant machine, which made me feel clean but weaken a little, we walked about 5 steps to collect our luggage from the only carousel spotted. Then 2 steps away, we cleared the custom and another 2 more steps, we were on our way to negotiate for a cab to the city centre, Jalan Malioboro.

We boarded the cab and I began to realise there are many versions to spell Jogya and I was happy to know that the official one is the one I use most often, Yogyakarta. I spotted the spelling in a police station, from a distance, looking outward from our cab along our way to Malioboro. My introduction to Jogya is somewhat, familiar yet exciting while we were travelling along Adisucipto Street.

It did not sink in directly to me that I was in Indonesia, Central Java to be exact. I find the culture and language similar to Malaysia. The people here are most friendly and somewhat, trustworthy like the Nepalese. I am not sure whether religion plays a role but they are truly polite (berbudi bahasa).

Once we reached Malioboro, we headed to the Tourist Information Centre to get a map. It is located next to Mutiara Hotel, we were told but we detoured when we saw a mall. We did some shopping in Polo, which is not quite typical of us to begin our adventure like this, but since it is conveniently in front of us and many birthdays ahead, we threw our one bagpack and wrestled through the clothing line. Then we break for lunch at a local fast food chain where we saw only a few tables occupied, because of the Ramadhan.

Then we were back on our feet again to Malioboro Street where we spotted a cab. We wanted to go to Borobudur where we had our hotel reservation there. We asked the price for the 45-minute journey and the honest cab driver pulled out a price list and showed us the price. We agreed as it is the price range that we expected and we know from his gesture, he is a reliable man. Our cab driver is Yulianto, a kind, knowledgeable and honest gentleman. Along the journey, he explained patiently of what we saw and asked, although I felt bad as he was fasting then. He is proud of his city and told us he is from Kotagede where it is famous for its silver industry.

45-minute is not long with superb road condition outside, and inside, a very clean and comfortable air-conditioned Toyota. I did not once, close my eyes as I wanted to witness everything along the way, along Jalan Magelang where many familiar sculptures where made, like the ones we usually see in a Sundanese restaurant or a Balinese spa.

In a blink, we reached Saraswati Borobudur, a boutique hotel of 18 rooms in a colonial-like bungalow. We parted with Yulianto but told him to pick us up in 2 days time. The hotel staff there offers very personalised service and checking-in made us feel like royals. We were then, ushered to our room, 207 with a view of Mount Merapi. The place is quiet and private and it reminds me of Raffles Singapore, a small one. We quickly unload and took a walk outside the area. We walked towards Borobudur park to find out about the entrance fee or the famous sunrise tour. We were directed to Manohara Hotel where it is the only place that will conduct the sunrise tour for visitors.

We made our bookings and took a walk to see the souvenirs shops, where I bought a small replica of a stupa, went into local restaurants, horse-carts, trishaws and visited the many stalls selling food and fireworks for Ramadhan. We also saw a Catholic Church just a few steps away from our hotel.

The sun began to set quite early and the street began to quiet down with only the sound of the Azan. We walked back to our hotel and we had our first meal of local dishes in our hotel restaurant. There, we saw the other guests and there were only 5 rooms occupied.

We retired early for a very early sunrise tour the next day, which begins at 4:30am. We roamed the dark street again towards Manohara. We made payment for the tour which costs us Rp600,000. The many zeroes don't help when you try to convert them to your currency, especially at this kind of wee hours. Anyway, we were on a holiday.

In the dark, we were given a torchlight each, a brand new one, and we made our way to the private entrance to Borobudur from Manohara. It is the entrance where they charge you extra for the exclusiveness and opens 1.5 hours earlier before the public could access. With just a few spotlights, shining the vast area of the temple, I saw the silhouette of the magnificent Borobudur right in front of me after my entrance ticket was checked.

The sight was unforgettable and I could not have imagined the size of the whole temple when I was standing at the base of it. We climbed the steep stairs to reach the main stupa. When we reached there, everyone was just admiring the dark view around, with stupas everywhere. We stood still and sat down at the spot where the sun will rise shortly. The silence was deafening, something that I could get use to quite easily. The calmness was abound and I began to wait patiently for the first glimpse of the sun between the two peaks of Merapi and Merbau in front of us.

While waiting, I overheard a conversation between a quide and his clients. They spoke about Buddhism although he is a Muslim man. The first spark finally came out and everyone begin to aim their lenses towards the sun. How beautiful, the sight was!

Soon after a short while, the fog began to blanket the view. It was chilly and we walked around to see the many stupas and the Buddha statues. Inside each stupa lies a statue of Buddha that had eroded. The arrangement of the stupas is incredibly in perfect alignment and all the four main directions look almost identical. We begin to explore the entire temple by descending slowly to each level and we took some photos, of course.

When our stomachs began growling, we decided to head back to Manohara to redeem our free refreshment. The coffee served was perfect to my liking. And the light snack was substantial enough. We walked back to Borobudur and then, we visited the museum.

In the museum, which is often missed by tourists, is one of the best place to be. The guide there, not only offered us information about the temple, but also shared with us about the locals here whom he claimed, are very peaceful people in a multi-religious community with Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists living together.

According to him, Borobudur is most happening during the Wesak in the month of May. While the Buddhists celebrate, the Muslims guard the place. How cordial it is for such an arrangement, with respect for each others customs. It is enlightening to know. At the museum, I was told by the guide that I could pour water over the Buddha statue (which is originally found in the Borobudur complex) for 7 times and what I wished for will come true. Knowing me, I did not wish for anything but did it just for the experience.

Before the heat of the afternoon punctures our skin, we hired a trishaw to see the smaller temples called, Candi Mendut and Candi Pawon. The trishaw guy was quite an elderly man and when the journey was going uphill, Hubby got down and helped the guy to push the trishaw. We paid him Rp 60,000, which is more than 10 times the market rate. I supposed the amount justified the great physical effort he put in.

We returned to our hotel to relax by the pool. Before sunset, we began to venture out again and this time, we wanted to try the horse cart. We just wanted to see the village and how the local people live. After that, we packed some satay back and enjoyed it by the pool.

Our final day at Borobudur, we had another sumptuous breakfast at the hotel. I grabbed my favaourite book from the hotel's book shelf, titled Indonesia. It was written in the mid-eighties and the content is excellent! As I turn the pages, I fell in love with the country.

Our cab driver Yulianto finally came. Before he drove us to Malioboro, we made a pit stop at Ketep Pass to see Mount Merapi. He appeared fresh as it was his off day, the day before. Taxi drivers there work in a 24hr shift and get the next day off. We wonder how they can stand driving for 24 hrs and isn't it a safety hazard?

In Malioboro, we checked in to a backpackers inn. It was really basic with only SGD 25 a night, plus breakfast! We hired a trishaw and he took us to Kraton, Taman Sari,an underground mosque, a batik shop, and to see some local arts and crafts. I felt really bad as it was still Ramadhan and everyone was still working as hard.

Finally, after 2 nights of luxury and the final night in a backpackers inn, we called it off. Our experience and encounters had been great so far especially with the people we met. We love the city and the peacefulness of Borobudur. We booked for an early morning flight and once again, faithful Yulianto came to send us off.

Our flight took off and I guess, it is back to reality again...

Happy National Day, Malaysia

2009-08-26T19:07:00.004+08:00

Malaysia just celebrated her 52nd anniversary of independence. My wishes to all Malaysians whether they are in the country or abroad, may our beloved nation will sail through the obstacles especially in the political arena and be known soon as a nation that is safe, secure, prosperous and fair... Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

A Tribute to MJ

2009-08-01T16:49:00.006+08:00

My first introduction to Michael Jackson was on my mum's little red television in our room while we were staying at Granny's in Petaling Jaya. I was about four years old. The music video was the song "Beat It". I couldn't comprehend the significance of MJ but his music really made an impression at that time of my very tender age, so has his videos like Thriller, Bad and subsequently in my teens, Black or White etc..

I never really idolised MJ nor did I ever bought his records, unlike Bro, who watched MJ History Tour in KL while I was sitting for my PMR examinations. I was more into the Canto Pop and of course, The Spice Girls. My lack of MJ admiration at that time was probably because, I was born in the 80's and pop culture then was really colourful with the likes of Boy George (my first favourite because of my cousin), Cyndi Lauper (Bro's favourite), Anita Mui (my first idol), Madonna and I was too young to actually buy an album. Also, I was born after the era of Jackson 5, which I think my peers too had no recollection of them whatsoever.

By the time I could really afford to buy any records that I wanted, I was in my teens, and my Faye Wong collection just grew, followed by The Spice Girls but beforethat, was New Kids on the Block (my first ever album, a cassette).

I do hear MJ music and that was quite hard to ignore while growing up in the 80's and 90's. I remember whenever he appears on tv, we would just freeze and watch him. He had such a strong command of audience attention, and that was his real talent. No one dare to look elsewhere whenever he's on stage. I remember singing to one of his great songs, "Heal The World" in a choir performance for our school's award ceremony. I love those lyrics and I was quite shocked to learn it was actually from MJ. I only knew him as a great performer, never how a real fan would know him.

The news of his death indeed shocked me. Waking up to such a news was never a pleasant encounter. When the news finally penetrated the world's consciousness, I was already in the mourning mode. The tributes on the media just accelerated and perhaps, deepen the mood for bereavement.

Magazines began to put him on their cover, Internet search escalated, headline news was his death on every news channel and news channel these days includes E! Entertainment. I began to feel the need to know MJ a little more. I read about him on Wiki, I watched his videos on YouTube, I watched the Jackson 5 biopic on True Movies channel and I bought Time Special Commemorative Edition and a book as a tribute to him.

He was indeed the greatest act in the history of pop culture, arguably. He was universal and he was a talented prodigy. Based on the materials that I have gone through, MJ was almost pioneer in everything that he do if not, uniquely MJ and had created or masterminded many signatures that artistes today could not dare claim it was theirs. Artistes today has lack so much elegance that was so natural to MJ in his performances and his music. I can only count on Madonna, as she's really in quite a different league also.

Michael Jackson's armband, scream, gentle voice, elegance, Robot moves, the deliberate mispronounced words, the glove, the Moonwalk, the length of his finely cropped pants, militia jacket, his I love yous and I love you mores will forever be remembered... Michael Jackson is truly the King of Pop!

My Staycation

2009-07-23T16:18:00.003+08:00

The amount of time I spent at home is now considerably more than what I used to have. I am having so much fun learning about my environment and it's fascinating cleaning it too. I have all that I need, more than what I can ask for, in terms of comfort and sense of privacy. I'm in my own world where I am not only free to be myself but most of all, I can live by my own rules and I enjoy every second of it.

This leads me to realise the current trend that glossy female magazines begin to sensationalise... "vacationing at home", hence the word, "staycation". I supposed, in the more developed nations with society that is so accustomed to spending vacation abroad, the concept of staycation is now popularised in look of the current economic situation. Brilliant ideas are introduced on what you can actually do at home which incorporates element of having vacations.

Well, if you like the tropical beach, try fixing yourself a pina colada, and I'm sure with the little cocktail umbrella as garnishing, you can have quite an effect of having a beach holiday. Perhaps for those who wants to know about some places, try wikitravel.org. Now, with so much information, you hardly need to step out in order to know what's happening.

Enough said, I am now back at my staycationing and I am proud to say that it's quite a fun holiday to have, as long as my yearning for somewhere new has yet to crop up.

Great Dinner, Great Women

2009-07-08T21:32:00.009+08:00

The evening started with a great friend fetching me from home. I was also greeted by a Westie who is a cutie, named Rufus. Rufus' mom is none other than a gorgeous pregger, whom seems to stunt us with all things beautiful being pregnant.

Instead of expecting a session of wine-tasting, little did we know, this great friend had managed to cook up a four course dinner! The menu consists of pumpkin soup as starter, lamb salad with home-made Thai-inspired dressing, for main course it was chicken and leek in white wine broth (yummy!!) and dessert by our beautiful pregger, a home-baked flourless cake ( I hope I got it right here).

Each bite on each course was accompanied by about 10 choices of red and white wines (mostly new world) brought to us by our knowledgeable sommerlier. It was truly a mind-opening gastronomic adventure for me. The food, the wines, the company of great women, are just too good to be true. I was in ecstacy, partly attributed by too many glasses (I was too eager to taste them all!). But mostly by the great atmosphere.

The night was a great preview of what a great event it is going to be, come October. This great friend, as always, will be pouring every ounce of her love and effort to ensure her guests will have the best. I know we will (have the best) and with her bubbly little sister as side-kick, nothing is impossible..

Hawthorne

2009-07-02T09:45:00.004+08:00

The temperature recorded outside should be between 18-21 degrees Celsius. The weather is sunny but in summer clothings, one can still feel a bit chilly when the wind blows. I am now in Hawthorne Boulevard, Los Angeles. Some would have thought whether this place has anything to do with the famous or rather infamous study of workers' motivation by Elton Mayo. Well, I am not sure. But according to the open-sourced Wikipedia, the study of Hawthorne Effect was done in Illinois. Hence, I don't think this place got its name from the study.

I always have this same feeling whenever I am in Los Angeles. I feel small in the bigness of everything here. The shops, the malls, the cars! Oh dear, everything is massive and unfamiliar to me. I always have this love-hate relationship with America. It is complex and I attribute it to my own ignorance. I can never really understand it. The Hispanics here whom I encountered, mainly as service workers, tend to put on a frown face if not, a standard, dreamy, "I don't give a damn" attitude. I begin to rationalise whether the recent report on CNN Black in America 2 has anything to do with such attributes. The Asians in America scored lowest in terms of unemployment, followed by the Whites, the Hispanics and then the African Americans (although CNN still use the term Blacks to describe this race). It would be interesting to know how the Hispanics view the Asians here.

The reports that dominate the headlines here are none other than Michael Jackson. Even the (probably) greatest victory over the white-collar crimes committed by Mr Maddoff couldn't match the sensations of this pop icon. It is the death of this pop legend that has generated his so-called greatest comeback in the media. It is truly a tragedy. But the mourning was somehow felt mildly only in this part of California, judging from only one retail shop amongst many others that played his music over the speakers.

Indeed, his death has put a new light into viewing who MJ actually was. Little that we know, he was indeed a brilliant business person and a even greater humanitarian. May he rest in peace...

RIP Michael Jackson

2009-06-27T11:44:00.010+08:00

June 25th 2009 marked the day, the world stood still for the King of Pop to make his final farewell to the world he loved so much.

I woke up to the news at 9am on Channel News Asia, screaming at the bottom of the screen with headlines pertaining his death. It was a tragedy to the world. I was quite in disbelief.

On the same day, Farrah Fawcett also bid goodbye after her battle with cancer.

There has never been a day with two shocking news of the bereavement of two great souls, humanitarians, to describe them the least. May both rest in peace...

KL

2009-06-27T11:44:00.008+08:00

I had a brief encounter in KL recently. I did two things, appearing in "court" and catching up with friends, whoever were available to meet me. And I was lucky to have met Flo at Harrods Cafe, KLCC the day I arrived.

While waiting, I ordered myself a blueberry apple crumble and a house blend to quench my craving for a cuppa. A dessert is not normally what I'll have but as tea time was near and I wouldn't want to finish my cuppa too soon, I decided on the crumble based upon the fanciful description in upper-class English. How would you not be influenced when you're in such an upmarket environment. As I was just arriving from the Budget Terminal, my attire would render me unwelcomed if it was in Harrods, London ( I just had that impression in my mind, not sure why ).

The blueberry apple crumble turned out to be the most delicious dessert I have ever had for such a long time! I really enjoyed every bits of it and I thought, it'll be great with a weak cinnamon tea. Nonetheless, the house blend served the purpose in a very unique way as well.

Flo arrived and our conversation started. While catching up, I was already almost done with my crumble and I thought it would be too rude to offer her for a taste (sorry, Flo!). It was a nice brief catching up session and it's always that nostalgic feeling of meeting an old friend after a long break. With social networking technolgy these days, sometimes it's difficult to detect where we have left off actually, in terms of face-to-face communication.

I often wonder, will the future ever be laden with sentimentality and a real sense of connection between people, especially with friends? I am a sentimental person and I enjoy savouring on wonderful memories shared and I hope, we'll all continue to enrich those encounters and experiences together. In that way, I felt that I've beaten the machines, as those memories are not stored in hard disks or DVD, but in my very own RAM that makes me feel happy whenever I am offline.

Godlessness?

2009-06-27T11:43:00.007+08:00

I must apologise for my previous few entries which I must admit, are merely to fulfill my personal quota of three entries per month. Life is such where sometimes, we really need to prioritise. As my new home-in-making (at the point of writing) is taking a toll in my life, I seek every opportunity of time to think of the design, to monitor the renovation work and shop for a dream interior. Nevertheless, the joy of reading still manage to be filled with my current (at the point of writing) read, The God Delusion.

It was an accidental purchase, purely motivated by the price tag of just RM9.90 at MPH, 1Utama. After reading a few pages, I would have paid ten times more the price as I was introduced to a brand new thinking (not so, for the Atheist) which I never thought was possible.

In between my read and my so-called home-making activities, I got a trip to London. As usual, my eyes would be wary of any free copies of TimeOut or Where Magazines at the concierge. I must grab hold of one if I see any. To my great surprise, Where London was available. I couldn't believe my eyes that Darwin : Big Idea Big Exhibition was still going on at the Natural History Museum London.

I quickly made a vow to pay this exhibition a visit, not so much because of I admire Charles Darwin (which I do) but because of the connection with what I was reading. Does a believer in god and a believer in science, have to choose either or?

The entrance of the museum was packed, just like when the London Fashion Week was held some time back. Perhaps the crowd was due to the school break after the Easter Holiday. Like a curious open-minded soul, I was eager to find some answers to that question...

A Great Movie...

2009-05-30T13:25:00.006+08:00

I recently watched a great movie with an unmistakeable title, "Slumdog Millionaire". With such a title, I wonder how it became a blockbuster success in the first place and with critics talking about it right-after. Furthermore, with those almost unknown names of the leads, to be a great success, it has to have a great story to tell. And the story was so original and inspiring that an Oscar is not even enough to award such feat. Then only I realised that Slumdog is one of those movies where you'll remember for the rest of your life, even if you've watched it only once.

I do urge people to watch this great movie as it entails many lessons in life which we take granted for. It reminds me that, not only big-budgeted movie can be a success, but the most fundamental quality is still the direction and originality of the story.

I love this story very much and it's unlike most of our current movies in cinemas today, where you'll walk off feeling unsatisfied or felt it could be better.

Home

2009-05-30T13:24:00.007+08:00

Home, is not necessary where you came from but a space where you'll feel you're most at ease with being yourself.

Waking Up to a New York Morning

2009-05-07T01:25:00.006+08:00

The sound of siren, ever so audible no matter how high you are at any hotel floor, is my usual wake-up call here. Then followed by the TV programmes that are all so entertaining, even the news. Gradually, to fully wake up, is to sip on the free coffee by the hotel's coffee machine. I am not really a fan of this kind of coffee but perhaps, just to have a taste of a New York morning...

I finished my retail therapy rather quickly this morning and afternoon, to be interrupted only by a really surprising appearance of my once, idolised Spice Girls. Not all five of them was there but one, who is special enough to made my encounter with her, so relevant till today. Yes, it was Victoria. She was at Macy's to launch the underwear line by Armani. Then, a visit to the New York Public Library, seems to be a must nowadays. It made my day perfect!

Karma

2009-04-29T10:56:00.008+08:00

I saw it with my own eyes. I experienced it throughout my humble life. Some people call it karma and I think karma is a fact. It’s only natural that the universe operates in this manner; good begets goodness and bad begets badness. It is just all that simple.

My mum used to preach the above to us when we were much younger. You don’t need any religion to teach you that, although my mum was an avid reader of Buddhism. We, as human beings are able to comprehend that, but of course, some people opine that religion is still the central part in reinforcing it, or is it?

Can human beings still be good and moral even without religion? This is still very much in debate in today’s world. Do read about Richard Dawkins for an alternative view. In my humble opinion, it is not intended to distort you or denounce you from your religion. We just need to open up our mind sometimes and question everything. For that, it takes great effort and that’s why knowledge-seeking is never an accomplished task. And that's why, there are short-cuts, in fact, there are plenty of them that guarantees life or after-life in wonderful eternity, and that’s why the majority chooses that.

The universe has always been about cause-and-effect. It’s just common sense. Hence, do be aware of what we said, what we do and what we think as it will have an effect on you and others, and it will be on this lifetime of ours, whether immediate or the near future. I am no perfect either.

I'm Home!

2009-04-25T14:51:00.006+08:00

At last, my wait is finally over! I am now settling in and feeling really comfortable. Life is great now. I couldn't ask for more. I am happy and couldn't believe my dream of living in our own place has come true.

A month's worth of effort is all worth it, with countless visits to IKEA, tiles shops, bathroom accessories shops, checking on the renovation work-in-progress, and not forgetting our countless nights of thinking and refining our ideas in furnishing our place. Well, looking back, it was all necessary and knowing us, we hate regrets and it all has to be right at the first time.

My loved ones are here with me now. I always fondly refer them with "Bear" ending after their name. Not sure why, but it's because I always have a tendency to give nicknames to the people I really like and those I have good feelings of. It has been like this all through my growing up years.

My loved ones will be here with us till early next week. I can't wait for our first proper dinner at home! For I'm longing to use my Cape Town cutlery set given by our very special friend...

IKEA, IKEA

2009-04-10T19:13:00.009+08:00

Oh gosh, don't I love IKEA! I just couldn't stop thinking of when is my next trip there. I can even memorise the product names which are in Swedish and hopefully, my pronunciation is correct. The displays and product arrangements are at the back of my head. If only I was working for IKEA, for I know how best to assist all the dear patrons of IKEA and not to mention, to educate them a little when they 'forget' conveniently or ignorantly to clear their trays after a meal at the cafe.

I am still waiting impatiently for the day where our dream home is ready. A week away and it feels like a thousand years. How long more do I have to wait? is always conscious in my mind and even in my dreams!

When the day arrives, I shall contemplate on how lucky I am to be experiencing this at my age and how I am looking forward to embark on the next chapter of my life. I want to enjoy and improve on my career. When one's life at home is settled, one could concentrate on other aspects of her/his life. I can only look forward, not forgetting to give myself a pad on the back, once in a while...

There Is Sun In London!

2009-03-30T16:31:00.002+08:00

My First Weekend in March

2009-03-30T14:57:00.011+08:00

I spent my first weekend in March in KL. I don't consider KL as my home from now onwards but it felt the same each time I go back. It is the same old feeling that reminds you of where you came from, and where you belong eventually.

The weekend I spent was greatly eventful. I was back for a wedding of a special friend of mine. We both share the same adoration towards Ms Hepburn, which I came to know rather recently. The plan to attend was made about six months ago, if not, longer and the much anticipated wedding finally materialised. I had not experienced packing five different dresses for just a trip and I did, for this time.

The weekend started on Friday night when we, the gals celebrated her hen's night. We came early adhering to the theme of "Virgin or Vixen" but I was neither one. I couldn't figure out how else to dress with what I have. I think I was more skewed towards the Virgin but my heels spelt Vixen. Everyone was in black, grey and white and like the colours, they are mysterious at first but once bonded, everyone just like one another. The atmosphere was most lovely with laughters of women, voices of women and when women are happy, it is just contagious!

The second night of my first March weekend was celebrated in style too. The Gala Dinner as it was themed, was dreamed up by our Flamboyant Maestro. The buffet spread is one of the best in town and the cajole of a variety of food is always the best way to start a conversation. If anything could be better, it must be the company of your loved ones and a free round of wines when our poor doctor had a stone in his fish. We made a fortune out of his misfortune. The white wine I had was fantastic and for the first time, I really did use my smell and taste senses to guess the grape varietal of the glass of red served. And I was right!

The third and final night was the finale. After an early start of the day, which was a fun-filled affair where the groom and his men, came to fetch his bride (an applause to his brave efforts to please the bridesmaids antics), the night was just to complete the entire process of unifying with one another. It was a beautiful night with favourite band music audible all the time and the occasional pause for speeches that were all-so-touching by the important people of the bride and groom. I was almost in tears with the speeches, especially by her dad and her maid-of-honour. Truly, it was a nice touch when the celebration of love is more than what you can expect.

Thank you all, for a great weekend and most importantly, it was well spent with lots of memorable encounters… All the very best to the happy couple!

Paris When It Sizzles

2009-03-30T10:00:00.007+08:00

Paris when it sizzles, is not the movie by Ms Hepburn but my first encounter witnessing the Eiffel at night. I waited a bit in the cold and windy night and gradually, the lights came on. When I waited longer, Eiffel started to sizzle in colours, with oh so magnificient!

What a sight, what a night!

Birthday Treats

2009-02-24T19:27:00.004+08:00

There is always something special about celebrating birthdays. Our own especially. This year, I am lucky enough to have celebrated my birthday on Phi Phi Island. This also marks my first group holiday overseas. It was fun, sun and real fun!

The night before, I had my family members singing the birthday tune over a lovely blueberry cake. I had a chocolate brownie with a candle at Delicious, Bangsar as well, as soon as the midnight falls. What a treat to have the privilege of having good people around you... on your birthday, especially...Thank you all!

Koh Phi Phi

2009-02-24T19:22:00.002+08:00

Group Holiday : Krabi

2009-02-19T10:30:00.006+08:00

A group holiday is always fun. More so, if the bunch of people knows how to have fun themselves. I am for sure, starting to be a fan of group holiday especially the last one I had was more than seven years ago.

Krabi and Koh Phi Phi are the two destinations chosen. The journey to Koh Phi Phi was made right after our arrival into Krabi International Airport. This airport reminds me of being in a Scandinavian country. The design is simple yet contemporary and with the intelligent usage of natural sunlight as internal lightings. Yes, it's very green, to a point where the lift does not have sufficient energy to carry more than an average person and a trolley! Perhaps, it was raining that day...

After some ground arrangements being taken care of, our pimped van carried all nine of us to the pier. Then another 1.5 hours boat ride to the once isolated island called Phi Phi. It was a real beauty, people said, before the tsunami. We joined the hundreds of tourists into this island and it seemed easy enough to find a decent accommodation there and then. After having a feel of the pricing and location, we finally made our decision for PP Princess, the once most famous hotel which is just right next to Loh Dalum. The rest of the island seems like under reconstruction with warning of tsunami signs and high grounds visible enough. Like any other famous tourist destination, street vendors selling souvenirs, accessories, clothing are abundant. Likewise, the restaurants and massage parlours seem bustling too.

What made an impression is the bamboo tattooing parlour. Almost every young and hip person wants to have a tattoo, permanently scarring their body. I supposed it is cool to do so. To reflect a sense of individualism or whatever you wish to call it.

I tried the local pancake. I had banana and chocolate. No points for guessing why such combination. It is just marvellous! Then I think I had too much of seafood, almost every meal of mine was laden with tonnes of cuttlefish,squids and prawns (more like shrimps) in my tom yams, pat thais and fried rice. Of course, all to be washed down with either Singha, vodka, whiskey or yummy tequila ( which I suspect to have caused my face to be half-swollen after drinking shots of it while chilling by the pool). Perhaps, I was being punished for coming out of my comfort zone of cutting down on meat and alcohol!

Oops, I think I have reached Sunda Resort, Krabi, after two nights and three days of hanging out, drinking, watching fire dance show, massage, chilling by the beach, window shopping, island hoping, snorkelling and spending some time in the legendary Maya Bay.

At Sunda, the resort is just perfect as a honeymoon resort, until I saw a lady complaining about an old man bringing in a very young Thai girl to the Muslim reception who speaks perfect Malay. She just smile and nod.

The tuk tuk ride was fun and it's amazing to see so many of us fitting into one. Well, we actually had two tuk tuks to carry us to Krabi Town. There are lots of local artists and they do portraits as well as abstract paintings. I was in awe to see the many profiles of the calming Buddha portraits. I didn't buy any as the price is too high and I simply hate to bargain.

Any good things will come to an end and this group holiday is an eye-opening as well as to test how comfortable I am around people especially around new people. I think I did ok and my verdict is, it is recommended for all real buddies/relatives and not so, if you're interested in exploring the place alone because you'll never have the chance. You'll be constantly in a gang, where your comfort zone is, to many people.

A New Home in Making

2009-01-31T10:30:00.006+08:00

Real estate is definitely my cup of tea. Not only it looks great on anyone's investment portfolio, but it's also a symbol that you're bold enough for a long-term commitment. I am not a savvy investment person, but I always knew that real estate is the way to go for me, as I was told that I have a conservative long-term investor profile. I have not heard of a person who has gone below the poverty line by owning properties, although of course severe economic recession, bad decision and over-commitment, might guarantee that.

We're now on our way to our third and it feels great as we're actually going to make it our home. Our first in fact. Our previous ones were done up to be tenanted, but this one feels different. Every decision is so critical towards making a home that is our dream, functional and of course, cosy and comfortable. We plan to furnish it with IKEA mostly. Well, it's simply because of space constraints and IKEA is always clever in tackling this.

I will wait for the very day to come, when I can sit back and relax in my sanctuary with all my favourite furnitures, my Ektorp left-hand chaise longue, a book from my Billy bookcase and a coffee or tea in my favourite Swiss mug on my gorgeous Hemnes bedside table. And now, I can't wait...

Parisien Dream Part Deux

2009-01-31T10:29:00.007+08:00

You're most convinced you're in Paris when you see the Eiffel Tower. Well, the rest, it does not matter so much, as most of us believe...

Recently on CNY, we went for a holiday in Paris. Once again, our context of holiday is different from most people. We had two full days in Paris which I think it's more than enough to cover the key landmarks of Paris.

Paris, to me is not a big city as I had walked the entire circle of three quarters of Paris city before with a map in hand. And once again, we did exactly that on our second day. We walked from Porte Maillot to Eiffel via Avenue Kleber and then along the River Seine, we passed Musee Du Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Institut De France and finally, Notre Dame. The walk was long but an interesting one.

At Eiffel, nothing beats the city view from the top, to see the entire Paris at one spot. We ventured to the highest level and the lift ride was quite horrifying for those who fear of heights. We were lifted to more than 100 meters off the ground and we were glad that, there was no crowd to share the space.

After Eiffel , along our journey, we encountered a kind lady who dresses so smartly and speaks English like a true French. She reminded me of Swiss Aunt. She offered to take a photo of us in front of Musee D'Orsay when she saw us struggling with a self-taken portrait. She insisted that she takes two photos, just in case as the passing double-deck buses might block the view behind. We thanked her profusely and she walked away with a genuine smile that she had made a great impression of Paris to us. She was right. We felt that but to our surprise, the photos were not exactly captured as she did not press the shutter button long enough. Well, it did not deter us from being grateful to a kind stranger in Paris.

When we were in Notre Dame, a mass was going on. I am most surprised to find out that my hero Jeanne D'Arc was made a saint and that decision was made here. I suddenly felt connected to this place. There is a statue of her and who can forget the movie starred Milla Jovovich, a model and a great actress too, which is quite rare.

After Notre Dame, we hunted for food and we ended up at Cafe Du Musee near The Louvre. The food was ok but the whole experience was made interesting by a middle-aged waitress who speaks and serves with pride and poise. She mingled and talked to all her restaurant patrons in a manner of a great hostess!

After lunch, we walked again and this time towards Galeries Lafayette. After a brief window shopping, we continued to Champs Elysees and finally Arc De Triomphe Etoile. Our second night dinner was at Leon's again where I savoured on mussels baked with cheese and tomatoes. With another Euro to spare, we had one more plate.

Overall, our second day was full and so was our first day. After a 14-hour flight, it was a surprise that we did not need espresso and cigarette like the locals do, to stay awake. We went out straight and made Arc De Triomphe, our first stop. It was the gradual feel of entering Paris, that made me feel like a child unwrapping the many layers of paper wrap just to see what's inside.

Then Champs Elysees unveiled herself with a street so straight and full of people, locals and tourists alike flocking the so-called most happening street in Paris. Cafes are staged with chair arrangement facing the walkway as a means to people-watching even during winter.

What is to miss, is not to go to The Louvre to take a peep at the famour potrait, Mona Lisa. When we arrived at the famous museum, we did just that and then spend the rest of the remaining opening hours at the museum cafe and ventured outside the museum for some souvenirs. So typical of a tourist!

Paris is beautiful and like New York, it is a famous movie set. Paris looks great, the Parisiens look great and even nicer are the architectures. Is this the facade that Paris like to show? Is that all? Maybe we need a longer stay to see and understand Paris deeper. Perhaps, another trip...

Parisien Dream

2009-01-31T10:09:00.005+08:00

I am now watching Samantha Brown's Passport to Great Weekends. I always love to watch her and the reason this time, besides my adoration towards her, it is also because I just came back from the place that she is spending her weekend in(on TV, of course), yes, in Paris.

I am not quite ready to write about it now but the feaure of my recent encounter and now watching it on TV is a bit too much of a serendipity.

I did not experience all that she's doing but I did agree with her that Paris is ever so lovely...Have a great weekend!

Content Creators = Amateurs

2008-12-31T23:41:00.007+08:00

I am battling with my new found opinion of writer Andrew Keen. His book titled, The Cult of the Amateur painted the picture (although, in my humble opinion, is way too harsh)of how the Internet today has created a world of facts with doubtful accuracy and has undermined subject matters' authorities.

Welcome to the world of amateurs, where everyone and just anyone who has Internet connection can create content by uploading a piece of their photo, video, post their comments or creating a website.

With "agents" of the Internet like social networking tools like MySpace, Facebook etc and blogs, content creators which are us, are simply self-advertising, according to Keen. Well, quite true, as no doubt ,the way we use Facebook can be thought as self-glorifying, at worst. But at best, it is also a tool for us to keep in touch with our friends by simply replacing any physical forms of contact of the yester-era. No more phone calls, no more birthday cards, just "wall-to-wall messaging" or simply updating our "status" to make our presence felt, isn't that simple?

Hence, with this thought-provoking subject that came to my knowing, I felt obliged not to write anything that is too personal, which I have planned to write about how my year, 2008 had ended. Well, leaping into a brand new year, I can only hope that, with a new year, there'll be a fresh perspective!

Werner's

2008-12-31T23:40:00.009+08:00

A night to remember, as I would put it. A perfect restaurant with great food and wine, accompanied by the people whom you always wanted to see when you were away for too long...what a night!

The much anticipated and planned meeting finally came true. The tone of the evening was set by a flamboyant maestro's suggestion of Raoul shirt with cufflinks for the gentlemen and the ladies, in their best frock of designer's labels and well-specified Christian Louboutin pumps. I couldn't help but planned early on what to wear and pack for the trip! Although, in reality, the best dress could be anything that we are comfortable in. Somehow, what I have learnt lately, do know what brings out the best of your body.

We started with conversations pertaining our current lives, injecting the stories with our latest encounters, dramas, jokes and of course gossips, before moving briefly to a more serious tone of the economic situation. Of course, our flamboyant maestro came up with the most thought-provoking question of the night! What is the best and the worst thing that had happened to you in 2008? I just love how his mind works, sometimes!

Thank goodness I managed to say something that would win approval from myself, at least, if I would have to recall back my answer in the future. It sounds nothing like a Miss Universe's answer of how she has touched someone's life but indeed, the best thing that had happened to me was somewhat self-indulging of a great holiday with Danny to Santorini and to have him for a full year with me in Singapore...

p/s : The photos have no significance at all...

Beijing : Post Post-Olympics

2008-12-08T16:56:00.004+08:00

I am now in Beijing. The lowest temperature recorded today is -5 degrees celsius. I was welcome into Beijing with the smell of polluted air which reminded me of our South East Asia haze problem back in 1997 and 2006. Despite the cold weather, which I normally like, I am not so please this time around.

What has happened to the fresh air I breathed in a few weeks back when I was here in Beijing? What happen to the pledge for cleaner air when the Olympics were taking place?

Nonetheless, the low temperature or the smoky smell did not deter me from going out. I had a Japanese meal in a familiar chain, Yoshinoya. It must be my appetite for something oriental and Yoshinoya just happened to be the most convenient one.

Interestingly, when I was in the restaurant, I could not help but notice a Caucasion woman surrounded by locals. She spoke fluent Mandarin which would definitely put me to shame with my very limited vocabulary. Dressed in smart corporate wear, holding a complimentary Radisson bottled water, I just admired how comfortable she behaved, out of her comfort zone. I may be observing and forming a conclusion rather superficially, but I know what it takes to master a foreign language and custom, especially when your native culture is so distinct from the Chinese. Truly, our world is converging!

She won my adoration while I was turning the pages of Mark Penn's Microtrends and a copy of China Daily in hand. Sitting in a restaurant, in a Chinese city, with the people of my skin colour and a foreign woman who speak my tongue can be rather fascinating...

Lipstick Jungle

2008-11-29T19:27:00.005+08:00

I thought there will never be any glimpse of hope left, post-Sex and the City series. Desperate Housewives was never my taste as I don’t relate well to suburban culture. Perhaps, it’s also because of my reluctance to identify myself as a suburbanite, I'm not sure why. My speculation is that, I love the 'big city' feel.

With an introduction to HDD Player by a big-hearted friend, I managed to rekindle my love toward small screen series rather recently. And very quickly, Carrie Bradshaw and her troop are now being replaced by Nico Reilly (my favourite, no doubt!), Wendy Healy and Victory Ford (what a name!) as my topic of current interests. No prize for guessing as to why it’s Nico Reilly this time. Not because I’m a Cougar (an older woman who dates a younger man) like her, but I just find her as someone I hope to be if I had ever survived in the corporate world.

The women of Lipstick Jungle are where the four single women of SATC have never been yet. Attached or married with very successful careers (at least, two of them). In other words, they are powerhouse women. They have broken the glass ceiling in the corporate world and they’ve worked hard enough to be at the top, which is something I can believe has happened and is happening in reality.

Not a surprise, Lipstick Jungle is the brainchild of Candace Bushnell and with it, she has successfully introduced us, once again, to many more faces and lives of New York’s women and their daily drama. How interesting to know that it’s happening there and soon this part of the world may evolve toward the same tendencies. Perhaps, some may have already reached there.

A toast to Lipstick Jungle but one thing I could sense, is that it may not be a runaway success as compared to SATC. If you've moved on just like me, give Lipstick a try. It's quite refreshing yet some traces and familiarities still exist for us, SATC women and men to enjoy...

New York New York

2008-11-21T17:14:00.010+08:00

I love the feeling of being in New York and it’s no secret to many who know me. I can even, hardly ever able, to contain my excitement when the announcement that we’ve landed at JFK was made. What am I supposed to do in New York again? What should I check out for? What are the latest headlines? What is there to buy? How is the situation in New York now, pending the Democrat President-elect to take over come January 2009? How bad has the credit crunch affected businesses here?

With so many questions, you can hardly able to imagine the hyper-activity of my stay here. How can one stay-in when there’s so much happening outside. Well, for the first time, I watched CNN Headlines instead of CNN. Anyway, the news is mainly concerning the Obamas and their moving in to the White House. I wonder, will they ever tempt to change the name of that residence since, well, think of it literally. For they can always justify it with the election mantra, “Change", "Yes, We Can”!

With the highly popularised US election worldwide, it is hard not to take notice or interest of this country. After all, we depend on this country, so much for technology, entertainment, ideas, innovation, fashion, media, etc..etc..which also come along with unfavourable baggage sometimes. Think waging wars and corporate scandals.

This capitalism practised, is showing the signs of aging despite the botox of corporate rescues or bail-outs by the government. When in good times, the Conservatives preach the wonders of a small government. When it is bad times, government must be the one in-charge. Looks like to me, it is closing one eye when there’s money to make and when bad things happen, punishment should not be rendered for the benefit of protecting the business. Yes, the monster of corporations is too big and too many are at stake. I wonder how it has come this far and how the next administration can fix it.

Well, back to being in New York, you will be absorbed into the shopping euphoria but not this time. I see many shops with very few people inside. Queues used to be a norm at Abercrombie & Fitch but the only queue was when people were waiting for it to open. Queue at the entrance does not necessarily result in queue at the cash registers. And that made sense when I didn’t see as many paper bags of clothing brands being flaunted (like there’s no problem living on credits at all) in the streets as I used to see when times were better. Already, former retail lot of CompUSA on prime Fifth Avenue has been emptied and I was not sure for how long since. Many more may follow suit eventually.

Well, I wonder how things could change so drastically in a year this time around. I remember I was in New York around the same time before Christmas. Quite contrary to the previous time, I don’t see as many happy faces, but I see men in suits especially, with defeated face. Another thing to note is that, I am disappointed for not being able to see the erection of the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree. With so much to digest, perhaps it is a good thing to reflect and stay in early for this time. I wonder will the Christmas tree have a Swarovski crystal star like last year…

One Week

2008-11-17T16:09:00.008+08:00

I am now chilling at Orchard with plenty of time to spare. After a long trip away, you just want to rest your tired body and partake on a slice of cafe culture. It's the only way to adjust and try to internalize the relevance without feeling left out after being away for more than a week. Yes, a week can be a long time for some of us, urbanites. A lot of things can change in just a week especially in the city.

A week is long enough to enable me to cross over the Atlantic (twice), the Himalayas, stop at two major financial cities of the world and make some sense by witnessing the post-election amid the financial crisis. A week is actually a long long time when I am away from my loved ones. I often wonder how others live their one week. Isn't it too long? Yes, when we miss home and no, when we have so many things to do.

Since I am having a slice of opera cake that melts perfectly with a sip of flat white, I realize that I am so lucky to be blessed with the privilege that I have and the people I have been surrounded with for the past one week. Truly, without them, my one week would have felt longer and more unbearable despite my love of travelling...

I hope my future one weeks will be as celebrated as this...

Actress Jane Fonda

2008-10-30T14:38:00.004+08:00

I am in the midst of reading "My Life So Far" by Jane Fonda. It is a gift from my very dear cousin for my 26th birthday. I must say, this biography is a page-turner and never would I thought that Jane Fonda is really an accomplished woman.

Reading the story of her life is not only entertaining but also serves as learning lessons to many of us. She is indeed honest in her writings and her journey towards womanhood striked me the most. She talked alot about her girlhood, her insecurities, her accidental career in films, her activisms, her intimate encounters and more, which made me realise that, afterall, we human beings have our mistakes made, hurtful words uttered, actions misunderstood and intentions misinterpreted.

The fact that Jane Fonda could look back at her life and share it with us, makes me feel that she belongs to the enlightened few who have realised that, despite all the downfalls in life, living life is indeed enjoyable if we can all look at the brighter side of things. Sometimes, I call it, the big picture of life. I wonder when I will see my big picture...

Where to Go?

2008-10-20T17:57:00.006+08:00

I love planning for a holiday. The satisfaction gained after coming home with many great stories, entices me to keep planning where is to go next. Well, I can safely reveal that our next holiday in February will be, Thailand.

If all things go well, we will be heading north to Bangkok, then fly to Krabi with Air Asia (our first time) and then back to Bangkok. Well, at least this is the ideal plan which I can draft out now, thanks to the much-needed and heavily-relied on budget airfares. If all goes well, we will be spending a good 2-night in Bangkok and 3 nights in Krabi.

I've been looking at the hotels but none seem to attract me to stay with them. Perhaps, I am still figuring out whether hotel-hopping will be a good idea. One night in Krabi town and the rest spent in front of the beach. Too many options can be confusing and like a true perfectionist, I want to be the winner of all!

Looking for a great deal is a must. You don't want to end up paying more than what it is worth and only find out when it is too late. The feeling is unbearable for me, not because of money but the shame of missing out some details. Gosh, it reminds me of my recent bookings with Tiger Airways. My dumb-ness costs me more than what I should pay for. Damn!

Well, let's hope I can realise this next dream vacation, as seamless and painless as possible!

Jolie on W

2008-10-15T17:33:00.006+08:00

This is my first mobile blogging with my iPhone.I can't resist showing this mag with amazing photos of Angelina Jolie! I had missed the previous 'play family' issue. Will never repeat the same mistake again...

Some Memories

2008-10-14T17:33:00.008+08:00

Today is my Bro's birthday. He should be very happy celebrating it now. Yesterday was my first wedding anniversary. I was back in time to celebrate it too. Danny and I had a little dinner and we reminisced our time together.

Last year of tomorrow's date marked the day I last saw my Dad. Nonetheless, I still see him in my dreams.

As I have never posted any photos of myself to this humble blog, I want to relax my rules just a little for this time. Since I have already posted a self-taken photo of myself spinning the prayer wheels in Nepal as my profile photo, I didn't mind posting some photos of the wedding just for memory sake.

The first photo was taken in Heidiland, it contains a goat and a rooster (actually, I think it's a hen) like my Bro and I. Enjoy!

Nepal, More

2008-10-13T13:39:00.002+08:00

Eternity Nepal

2008-10-12T03:14:00.018+08:00

Nepal is a land-locked country just like Switzerland. There is so much of similarities between these two countries, not only in terms of geography but also in its people. I attribute this to the correlation between geography and how it affects the people and society in general. God is fair. When you don’t have the sea, you have the mountains! And I’m very sure that the people must be thankful of it.

Our 4th anniversary vacation is to this special place, the country where so many people have heard of, yet still feel too remote to go. We decided to make this trip as we have heard favourable feedback from our close dear friend.

Nepal, a kingdom for many centuries until recently. The politics has transformed her into a republic. I queried how this affects the people, but none gave satisfactory answers. Hence, I conclude and could sense that, the people generally have lots of uncertainties, awaiting some changes yet with an attitude of “whatever will be, will be”, perhaps influenced by their religions and the philosophy underpinnings

Our journey started by boarding the flight MI 412, an Airbus A320 bound for Kathmandu. We were surprised to be given an emergency exit row, which of course, turned out to be a blessing because of the legroom it offered. My feelings of anticipation and curiosity finally got answered. We landed at Kathmandu Airport, a humble airport where most countries would start to have initially. Immediately, we rushed out of the plane to beat the full-flight of passengers who were also going to queue for the visitor’s visa. The application took us more than an hour, as all the work was done manually without any aid of computers. I realised that after living in an efficient society, we really need to watch out for our patience and respect that things could be done differently due to the different circumstances. Welcome to Nepal, I told my Hubby!

Isn’t it enlightening to be out of our comfort zone sometimes?

After paying for our visa worth US$25 each, we went on to collect our one-piece of check-in baggage. We always travel light and avoid giving flight attendants a hard time finding space for baggage stowage in the overhead compartments.

When we finally got out of the airport terminal, I saw my name written on an A4-size paper and instantly, I made eye-contact with that person holding it. He turned out to be our faithful driver Shuman for the entire 5-day trip. Then, we were also greeted by our first guide Jack, a Nepalese who’s an avid mountain climber and trekker and given a brief introduction about Nepal, Kathmandu and the Nepalese culture.

Our first taste of a third-world traffic jam was during the journey from Kathmandu airport to Hotel Marsyangdi in Thamel. The vehicles seldom follow what we call the usual traffic rules. Honking is a must, not because they are rude, but a courtesy to say “please excuse me” or “please watch out” in a land where there’s a lack of traffic lights. Honks too can be in any tunes and some even mimic our ringing tones, a few years back (before the mobile phones have mp3 or polyphonic ringtones).

After checking-in to the hotel, we immediately dumped our bag and went out exploring the area. We went looking for a decent place to have lunch and of course, we had to be flexible in our selection criteria. We opted for a meal at another hotel’s restaurant with a few tables occupied by foreigners. We thought, it should be safe for we didn’t want any diarrhoea case on our first day there.

We walked around the vicinity and very quickly we learned that retail etiquette here was very different from elsewhere like Seam Reap for example. People here do not actively woo tourists into their shops. Hardly, we saw anyone standing outside the shops. For the shopkeepers only entertain when we walked in or wanted to make payment. Most of the time, we were left alone to roam the shop and items on display. I found this very liberating somehow as I felt that our personal “time and space” are being respected.

Then we met Jack again for the tour in Kathmandu city. We first headed for Swayambunath Temple, a UNESCO Heritage Site, situated on an elevated land. We were given an auditory tour by Jack, who explained very patiently on the religions of Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism mainly. Quite contrary to what most of us knew, Nepalese are mostly Hindu. Buddhism has a unique branch called Nepali Buddhism, although we’re just used to Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism only.

In the temple, we saw a swimming pool for monkeys (yes, we actually saw them chilling and swimming! And oh, how adorable our dear cousins look!) , stupas with Buddha’s eyes (a symbol as common as Greece flag in Greece and hibiscus in Malaysia) and of course, the majestic view of Kathmandu valley! We strolled around the main temple there and made a clock-wise walk around it with our right hand turning the prayer wheels. It’s such a Nepali/Tibetan thing to do, I thought.

Then we went downhill to the busy city centre, where we visited the Kathmandu Durbar Square, a place with a few buildings registered as UNESCO Heritage Sites. In the square, we saw many peddlers of fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers. We also spotted a traffic of small cars, some exported by Malaysia’s Perodua. The model Kelisa is commonly used as public taxi there. The highlight encounter was when we visited the Kumari temple. We were told that if we manage to catch a glimpse of the Kumari (Living Goddess), we will be blessed. Well, we were not so lucky at that time. But we saw the vehicle, like a bull-cart that is used to carry and parade the Kumari in one of the festivals here.

Jack told us that a Kumari is chosen among a few girls, who survived a scary ordeal of being in solitary with frightening images of dead animal heads, masks etc. The only girl who is proven to be un-shattered and undisturbed will be crowned as the Kumari. A Kumari will bring honour to her family and will be replaced when she reaches puberty.

After the Kumari temple, we made our way back to the hotel by foot. The walk is interesting as once again, we could immense ourselves into the daily struggles of the people here by seeing bits and pieces of their way of life. The traffic congestions at cross-roads, unfinished roads with puddles of water, long queue in a famous lassi shop, peddlers on bicycle selling little packets of nuts (which I thought were condoms, initially!), tiny Nepalese men but carrying loads, two times their weight and smoke, yes, black polluting smoke from vehicles especially the TATA lorries and tractors, definitely made an impression!

We retired for the day after a full meal of vegetarian dishes and mixed grill.

After a really good night sleep, we woke up to another exciting day ahead. We had breakfast, which was of hotel standard in any first-world nations. The hearty breakfast is then followed by a 5-hour car ride to Pohkara. Our new guide was Chij, Jack’s brother who just went for an interview to become a Gurkha soldier. According to Jack, Chij didn’t make it. We anticipated a sad and gloomy guy but Chij was in his cheerful and pleasing self when we first met him. We asked a lot of questions about his interview and about Gurkha soldiers. He answered them patiently and I could sense he was struggling to give us the best answer he could with his rather limited English compared to fluent Jack. Occasionally, Shuman, our driver had to intrude to rescue.

I dreaded the journey from Kathmandu to Pokhara as we were constantly being bombard by black smoke emitted by the polluting TATA lorries that were passing by. The people here seldom use the car air-conditioner and are more comfortable winding down their windows, perhaps, to save on petrol.

The roads are surprisingly well-developed to cater for these TATA lorries that carry loads from Calcutta or other Indian cities to Kathmandu. The roads are on the hill-side and ascending and descending, connecting one hill after another. It reminded me of Genting Highlands. In the journey we saw lush greenery of padi hills and fields and occasionally, corn. You can tell that agriculture is a major part of Nepal’s economy. We also saw billboards and you guess it right, the beer and cigarette boys.

We made a pit stop nearby after a split road, one going to Pokhara and the other to Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha. We had lunch at a hill side restaurant where we saw a few travellers like us. Lunch was simple yet sufficient. At least, we could escape from inhaling more toxic fumes.

Finally, when we saw a welcoming arch and snow-capped mountains from afar, we knew we would be reaching Pokhara. The climate is cooler in Pokhara, maybe because it does not have much development going on. The clear day didn’t last long. Soon, it began to rain. Well, we counted our blessing as it did not rain while we were on the road. It would have been dangerous.

We checked-in to Hotel Meera and then we went boating in Phewa Lake, a heart-shaped lake with tranquil surrounding of hills and mountains (you can see Machhapuchhre or Fish Tail mountain, but only on a clear day). In the middle of the lake, stood Barahi Temple. We alighted from the tiny wooden boat and paid our respect to the temple’s God. Then, the rain started pouring quite heavily again. We paddled back to shore. While the boatman and I were paddling, Chij pointed a stupa-like temple on top of one of the hills as our destination for tomorrow. When queried how are we going to go up there, he told us, we’re going to hike! Gosh, it seemed impossible to us!

We then retired for the day with a really good dinner, almost gourmet-like, despite it is only a small town hotel restaurant.

We are supposed to wake up at 5 a.m. to meet Chij for a sunrise view in Sarangkot. We woke up but Chij didn’t turn up. It was raining very heavily outside. We thought, we should sleep in and he would probably be waiting for us once the rain stops and the day breaks.

We had our breakfast at the hotel. The tea and coffee in Nepal never taste familiar and I thought maybe, they use yak milk here. Braving the rain and no longer able to contain our curiosity, we explore the town and found the place to be so peaceful and slow-moving.

There are a lot of shops selling trekking gears and they look as good as the originals in Pohkara. We shopped for a water-proof jacket for me and we bought a hiking stick, just for fun. When we headed back to the hotel, we saw Chij and he took us to see the World Peace Stupa, which was the temple on top of the hill he pointed yesterday.

When we arrived at the foot of the hill, it was still raining. The stony stairs made slippery slopes when it was still raining. No surprise that we fell three times because of wrong footing.

The journey up to the World Peace Stupa was quite a gruesome one, maybe because of the rain. If this is just a mini trek for the elementary, how many times fold the difficulty of a real trek in the mountains? I wonder now. Our fitness level definitely needs improvement!

The World Peace Stupa is built by the Japanese as a gift to Nepal. There are four sides of the stupa, which made a complete story of Lord Buddha’s birth, his enlightenment, his teaching (the Dharma) and his death, if I remember correctly. I walked around the stupa bare-foot as a mark of respect.

After getting some rest and admiring the view of Pokhara and Phewa Lake from the top, we descended the hill. The journey was as horrifying, maybe worse. Chij despite wearing only a normal shoe could walk down with ease. Whereas, we were in full gear of hiking boots and stick could not match his nimbleness. All three of us had leeches on our feet and ankle area. We wondered where did the leeches go after sucking our blood, as we did not see any but patches of blood that stained our socks.

After the hill, we headed for the Tibetan Refugee Camp. There, I bought a bracelet as souvenir from a Tibetan lady who claimed to make all the bracelets herself. When I wanted to pay, she placed the bracelet near her heart before giving it to me. I felt like she was giving me her blessing and well-wishes. Such simple yet amazing gesture! I decided to have a photograph taken with this smiley and English-speaking lady.

Later, we went to visit Gupteshwor Cave. Inside the cave stood Lord Ganesh. The temple is quite small with devotees lining up for blessings. We were refrained from taking any photos. Inside the cave was quite humid and the sound of waterfall was roaring.

Then we visited Devis Fall nearby, which reminded me of Rhine Fall except the size of the latter is a few times mightier. The current of Devis Fall is so strong that when the water flows and beat on the big rocks, splashes of water will defy gravity and form a rather high fountain. Devis Fall was once a harmless stream of river water. One day in 1961, a Swiss Lady named Mrs Devis was having a bath when suddenly a big and forceful gush of water flowed and swept her deep into the cave. She did not survived and it took a long time to recover her body. Hence, the place was named after her. I felt so sad after knowing the story. It haunted me the whole afternoon.

Along our journey back to the hotel from Devis Fall, the day began to clear up and we could see the mountains. What a wonderful sight!

For lunch we had Nepali cuisine. The spices used in Nepali food are milder compared to Indian but somehow, it tasted the same to me. After lunch, as the day was getting clearer, majestic Machhapuchhre started to reveal herself. We took a walk to have a clear view of it and along the way, we saw many more shops and a even Chinatown!

Before long, it was dinner time again and we were treated to a cultural dance. The dance reminded me of the traditional dances in Malaysia with great influence from the farmers’ lifestyle.

The next morning, we woke up again at 5 a.m. This time around, the weather was perfect. Chij picked us up and we were driven to Sarangkot, in a Kancil! If we have seen the most beautiful sunset in Santorini, here in Sarangkot, we saw the most beautiful sunrise in the world. The sunrise was slow. The climate was cool. The silence of the early morning was abound. Gradually, when the ray of sun pierced into the sky, the backdop of mountains made the most dramatic appearance behind the green hills and the valley below in front of us. I was amazed! My heart was fulfilled as finally, I saw what I came to see and want my Hubby to see, white mountains just like Switzerland.

Chij slowly named all the peaks of the mountains in front of us. Among them were familiar ones like Annapurna I, Annapurna II, III, IV and the famous Fish Tail. Then we headed back to Hotel Meera for breakfast, our last meal in Pokhara.

After checking-out we met Chij and Shuman who would now take us to Nagarkot via Kathmandu. This time around, the road from Pokhara to Kathmandu had less traffic and thank goodness, TATA lorries too. We made a pit stop for lunch and in just a while, we finally reached the borders of Kathmandu. The jourmey only took us four hours this time, perhaps because of our friendly chats. Our sense of achievement was cut short when a traffic line-up of cars stopped almost stationary for 15-minutes. We thought it was quite common to turn off the car engine while waiting for traffic to clear. This time, it would not clear.

Shuman, a really skillful and experienced driver opted for an alternative road to make into the city. When he exhausted all roads that lead to the city, we had to pull over and find out the reason for the stoppage. Chij found out that there was a demonstration going on by one of the ethnic groups in Nepal. It was believed to be by Newar people after the government refused to grant enough money for a festival. It is an ethnic group of people not built for Gurkha soldiers, I was told by Shuman a Newar himself. Chij occasionally made fun of him for not being as physically strong as he is, with his cheeky smile of course!

We were stranded in a place unknown next to a local Nepalese home. The place looked underdeveloped with looming poverty by our standard. Nonetheless, you could still see lots of smile from its people living with very limited means.

After waited for four to five hours, the traffic began to clear up. We were finally able to make our way to Nagarkot, which is a town situated at 2100 meter high. The guys were tired and running late behind schedule. I pitied them, as they had to wake up early for their journey to Pohkara again, the next morning.

I forgot and regretted for not giving Chij and Shuman all our cereal and muesli bars as they must have been starving making their way back to Kathmandu when it was way passed dinner time. I was thinking of a toilet at that time. The time when we bid goodbye to these two fine gentlemen, I had been holding my bladder for the past 11 hours already!

When we arrived at Country Villa in Nagarkot, we already missed the sunset view. Nonetheless, we were in time to enjoy the dinner spread of buffet. We dined at the terrace because of its cool climate. The villa’s surrounding was very peaceful and quiet. Some would come all the way from Japan, Singapore and Malaysia to enjoy the yoga retreat here.

We slept like a baby that night due to the long ride in the car. The next morning, I was woken by my curiosity to check out the sunrise view. Oh, wow! The view in front of our bed, which was facing a clear glass, floor-to-ceiling window was amazing! We could see the sunrise, with blanket of clouds and mountains as backdrops again.

During breakfast, we were told that, on a very clear day, we could see the Everest! Well, we were quite contented with the present setting as we could eat our breakfast with clouds beneath us. What a joy and luxury this place can offer!

Finally, it was time to leave. Jack picked us up this time. We miss Chij and Shuman somehow. Nagarkot, a magical and meditative place was a perfect ending to this fun-filled, quite action-packed trip for us. When we reached the airport, we bid farewell to Jack and in a way, we bid goodbye to Nepal.

I know I am going to miss this place. We can’t wait to come back and next time, we shall brave ourselves for a trekking trip, well, tea-house trekking to start with as elementary.

Nepal

2008-09-30T13:55:00.003+08:00

Heidiland

2008-09-30T13:52:00.008+08:00

When one travels to her/his favourite country many times, one will never go bored and will always look forward to something new to do or places to visit. In my last trip to Switzerland, I wanted to go to Engelberg, just to relax and spend some time alone with Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s biography. A fellow colleague wanted to do the same except that she didn’t include being alone as part of the plan. Since I didn’t mind having a like-minded individual as company, we decided to go to Engelberg together. Well, that was the original plan until the hotel concierge persuaded us to join the tour to Heidiland instead. Trusting the recommendation of a local, we opted for Heidiland.

Our journey started with a brief city tour of Zurich which I think it’s more for the first-timers. Nonetheless, there’s always some little new facts to learn. In this case, it was the oldest vegetarian restaurant known in the Western world. Then we made our journey to Rappersville via a scenic drive along Lake Zurich and climbing a hill-side road where we could savour a nice view of the city. When we reached Rappersville, we walked around a little and ended up having a nice meal in a local restaurant there. I had a glass of rosé and I feel just fine despite the rather rainy weather outside.

The highlight of the whole tour was witnessing the changing landscapes of greenery. As it was raining, we could not see the white mountains clearly. Then we arrived at Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries in the world. The economy is mainly survived by tourism, banking, small businesses and postal (stamps). In Vaduz, with the castle where Prince Hans-Adam II resides above us, we just took a walk and bought ourselves an ice-cream cone each at a café opened by Filipinos.

Then we departed for Heidiland.

Still in the midst of water pouring outside our coach, we felt like the whole trip was made for older folks who just want to see places in the comfort of sitting down. We arrived at Heidi’s Village. Honestly, I have a hard time remembering anything about Heidi as I could not recall any stories about this village farm girl. It supposed to be a famous children bedtime story but for me, I never knew anything other than Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. In Heidi’s Village, we were told that Heidi’s house is at the top of the hill which probably need an hour to hike. We didn’t go, as there was a replica at the foot of the hill. Anyway, time didn’t permit us either.

We rested at the mini farm of Heidi’s replica home. We were befriended by the farm animals consisting of roosters, hen and goats. Before long, we left Heidiland and headed for Zurich. We concluded the tour without any wow experience or encounter, perhaps due to our moody selves and the rainy weather at that time of the year.

Perhaps, I should have made a trip to Nyon to see Swiss Aunt instead of just speaking to her on the phone.

Malicious

2008-09-03T13:06:00.004+08:00

Growing up, everyone has their own social faux pas. Some people have more social gatherings than others and they must have more chances in making their social blunders and learn from them earlier than others. Some with less sociable lives may find themselves learning about those unwritten, brutal social rules and rites much later. After all, we all grow up in very different circumstances and environment.

Along the way, valuable lessons were learnt, adding towards social maturity and awareness to oneself. What is more important is in the process, you know who your friends truly are. And you can always rule out those who make eye-contact or whisper unpleasantries to their fellow compatriots as the ones with an ugly intent. Such ungraceful act can only be compared to those who laugh when a person falls. Is it due to their own short-comings or they are just plain malicious?

It makes a cruel world out there when there are people like this. On the brighter side, it also makes you treasure who your true buddies are and your loved ones who will love you no matter what.

Am I Green Enough?

2008-08-30T19:53:00.010+08:00

If it is a question posed to me, I can only answer based on my own practices and the context that I am living in and I would call for a third party to decide. I am quite fortunate to live in an area where the recycle bins are just within a short walk away. My attitude toward products is that, I don't just use the contents but I will try to re-use the packagings, which means I will recycle them (I am a big fan of BodyShop!). I will put paper packs, plastic bottles, tetra packs, glass etc in a separate bag, not with the waste where you categorise it as rubbish. Oh yeah, not to mention, aluminiums. It's so important to recycle them as it takes a lot of energy to produce aluminiums cans from scratch and it takes many times fold of reduction in energy usage to simply recycle them.

I am constantly questioning myself what are the impacts I am producing with my sheer existence. Our modern lives are detrimental towards the environment, no doubt about it. That is the price to pay for our growing thirst for comfort and self-entitlement. I will think of Buddhism and the concept of karma. Whatever I am aware of, I will try to put it into practice except that I can't quit my job even where the industry is claimed to have contributed towards global warming. I wonder what industry won't except if you choose the noble path of social services and education.

I am trying to cut down on meat. I told my friends I want to become a vegetarian. But I think it's not easy. I did survive a few days without meat and I was fine. I will continue to avoid meat whenever and wherever possible. But sometimes, you might not get enough support. I was really touched when a great friend ordered a vegetarian pizza on a recent gathering. I take it as someone really cares and of course, not to mention the taste, which everyone agreed was good.

If I see the tv, decoder, radio and washing machine are on standby mode, I will switch them off completely. Standby mode uses as much as 40 per cent of energy when these appliances are switched on. There is plenty of room for improvement.

I use only one bath towel and a floor towel (to avoid accidental slip) whenever I stay in a hotel. I carry my own soap now as I find it wasteful to open new ones just for a couple of wash. I also try to carry a re-useable shopping carrier (courtesy of Zone Duty Free of KLIA) for groceries shopping but sometimes, I need those plastic bags for rubbish too. I try not to pack my food but to have it there when I am out. If I need to pack food, I will try to stop them from packing with unnecessary paper and plastic.

I try not to print anything into hard copies now and go digital thanks to my hubby who recently bought me an iPhone and I adore it tremendously as I can store many important information in soft format now. I always re-use envelopes and papers printed only on one side for my work, the rest, I rely on my iPhone.

I think the bottom line is, there are many more people out there in an advanced stage of practicing green. Just be sensible with our existence and try to curb our appetite for more materials. We can still live large even with very little. Avoid wastages as the term suggests, it's always a waste.

I am not sure whether it really makes any difference but I think a little effort if multiplies, can be sufficient to make an impact.

"Right" Museums

2008-08-30T19:52:00.007+08:00

Museums in Amsterdam are a joy to vist to say the least. My first ever visit to a museum here was Anne Frank House, a few years back. I can still remember how touched I was and I shed tears at the end of the visit, reading the writings of her famous diary and on the wall in the annexe where she was hidden. Then comes Rembrant House where the story of his life revealed itself together with the many original exhibits which were once his own personal belongings.

Recently, I paid my homage to Rijkmuseum which is just a stone throw away from where I was put up. Without any expectation, I would think this museum is a history museum of Netherlands. I was quite right. There I paid about 8 Euro without the audio guide. I was quite amazed how globalised our world was back then, in the days of the Dutch East Indies. Trade flourised but the exchange of goods between the West and East does not always mean fairness was in place. Slavery was used and slowly colonisation took place.

I also saw some pieces by Rembrant himself. His works are so magnificent that the potraits he painted resemble photographs of modern times. The amount of details is amazing and he was truly an intelligent artist with great knowledge in using the light. Just like how a great writer is able to use words to record what she or he would like to say as accurately as possible.

I’m not sure whether there is a winning formula in the part of the musuem directors, where there is a sure-win structure to follow that will make the experience of the visitor, a memorable one. Just like a great movie, it must have the right moment of climax and the right moment to inject humour and drama. And I think Rijkmuseum did follow that winning structure. Or I wonder whether it is me. Maybe I have reached a state where museum visit is more of a highlight, more interesting than going to the familiar path of shopping and sight-seeing. I must be aging (of course, I am! ) It must be derived from my thirst for knowledge and to make some sense out of the places I visited.

Drought

2008-08-19T12:39:00.002+08:00

I hit the plateau again. Just like drought preventing harvest, I could not reap anymore inspiration other than pretending this entry as another well-deserved and timely post on this blog.

I wonder why. Maybe it’s the books I am currently reading or have just finished reading. I read about famous people these days. I just finished Steve Jobs, just in time to have a sense of what makes 3G iPhone such a big deal when it was first launched on July 11th 2008. I was in Auckland at that time and I witnessed the first ever person to buy an iPhone in the world, due to Auckland GMT of +12. He queued for 55 hours with his sleeping bag, a red bean bag, a laptop and some food outside the shop before making his personal historic feat. I wonder what sense of accomplishment he must have felt as I am certainly a nobody when it comes to technology hence it was quite difficult for me to understand. I supposed it was the same feeling I felt when my best friend and I queued up for Faye Wong’s meet-the-fans session in Mid Valley, KL in 2004. Unfortunately, we were not the firsts or among the firsts. But when Faye extended her hand and I shook it, it was a certain sense of accomplishment for me, to have made it there, to have such a close proximity encounter with my dear idol.

I am also reading an autobiography of Ms Aung San Suu Kyi and my mind seems to be stimulated again. Already I have thought out a list of books to read and something about male psyche is not among them  I only have interest in life and people in general. Hope my list of books will pull me out of this drought soon.

My Long Lost Childhood Friend...

2008-07-12T17:18:00.006+08:00

The power of FaceBook is undeniable. Recently, I made a miracle feat by reuniting with my first ever girlfriend beside my mum, of course. By typing her name, well, it's so strange that we can recall all our childhood friends by their full name so easily, and voila, I was second-guessing whether she would be the one. I wrote her a message and she replied. And the rest is history...

We made a pact to meet up for coffee at the Curve, when I was back in KL early of the month. I was there early and ordered up an iced-tea drink from Starbucks, courtesy of Bro. We anticipated every moment with, gosh, how would she look like, can she recognise us and whether she also share the same enthusiasm as us. Well, the wait was over. She appeared and just as instantly, we clicked like how we clicked 17 years ago, actually 23 years ago when we first met. I could sense that my partner was also able to share my joy of meeting our (Bro and I) long lost childhood friend.

We talked, laughed and reminisced about all our happy memories of growing up at RC. We also talked about life and slowly, all the dotted lines were fully connected and we were clear as to how our lives have changed for the past years.

I really had so much fun meeting up with her. I wish I could stay a while longer but my next appointment with my galfriends spelt that our time was going to be up soon at Starbucks, The Curve. We took a photo then we parted after making sure that we must meet up again soon.

We drove off and then, another night with my favourite people in town proved to be not disappointing at all. This time we did it at Souled Out, Hartamas. Life is a blessing when one could name more than a handful of fingers of real best friends...

Changing Hearts

2008-07-12T16:31:00.007+08:00

I have never been so close, to want to spend my hard-earned money on an impulsive shopping frenzy. Well, that was what I did in San Francisco recently. I succumbed to the temptation of the summer sale euphoria. But I had real fun shopping for others as well as for myself.

I went to Avant Card again and this time I felt really inspired. I love this quote by the Buddha, "Believe nothing; not from what you read or even from what I said as it must firstly agree with your own common sense." It may not be in exact words but the gist is there.

For this, I will always think that Buddha encourages us to think rather than to just merely believe, empowers us to seek knowledge and understanding rather than blind faith. But then again, I always believe that there is always some Islam in Christianity, some Christianity in Buddhism and some Buddhism in Hinduism. Ultimately, all religions want us to be good human beings. Don't they?

Paradise Vacation

2008-07-12T15:20:00.015+08:00

My next few postings will be slightly different; at least I believe them to be so. I can’t seem to find time and I know it’s no excuse. To produce something of quality requires time and effort and that explains why a scholarly work can reflect both ingredients for the trained minds.

I have been making some delays on my delivery to this humble blog. The more the lapse of time takes place, the worse I feel and the guilt grows. I feel I owe it to something or someone. I have decided to track back my encounters (which are too many by now) and hopefully, my recollections are still as accurate as I have vowed it to be, but of course, they are no scholarly-worthy.

Some time back, I have had a chance on a vacation. In my context, a vacation is somewhere I could go with my partner (my hubby) while I am still on my job. Well, it sounds like a non-vacation to many, but it was the best for us. Having heard so much of this place, I have always longed to go there and of course, nothing beats being able to experience it with the one I love so so much.

After being on flight for close to 11 hours, we finally reached Athens. I am sure, to the many well-informed and well-travelled individuals, Greece has been marketed as the most exciting, romantic and happening place to visit (well, fyi, anywhere can be too!). Go Greece! advertisements are so visible to me, almost in everywhere I go. Hence, the timing was just perfect when I was granted a chance to visit this lovely country for the first time and in one of the best months to visit, which is the summer of May.

Once we checked-in to the hotel, we immediately unpacked and repacked for our two-night stay at one of the Greek Islands. The timing of our flight there was very breathable judging from the sufficient time for a sit-down brunch of giant-size pizzas (compared to our usual standards) at the airport. When the flight was announced, ready for boarding, the excitement was unexplainable. Nothing much to expect is too much to expect in this case. Deep down, I simply want this vacation to be perfect like how any selfish or selfless human being wants it to be.

For the first time, I experienced an in-flight service of a fairly-unknown airline (to me) from the perspective of a passenger. I wasn’t very critical but I felt slightly uncomfortable being served in this kind of familiar scene. Furthermore, it was just a 25-minute journey and I trusted the crew were giving all the best they could. A humble learning I know is that, learn to expect less, and you will appreciate more things in life. It’s a noble truth I believe and practise, as consciously as I possibly can, on my personal basis.

The aircraft landed safely after air-borne for a while with the beautiful sights of islands spreading across the vast ocean below the clouds. The airport looks like it is situated at the back of the crescent-shaped island, depending on your preference of geography. It’s the smallest airport I have ever seen!

In a few moments of waiting later, our pick-up came, sometimes known as airport transfer. Our humble stay at Fira for the first night was a 35 Euro-a-night B&B or rest house or hotel (to sound a little more upmarket), also came with a free transfer! How much more can we ask for, when the owner of the place came to pick us up, just in time when we needed to settle down with our two bag-packs of hand-carry (yes, I’m so proud that we didn’t have any check-in baggage yet we didn't occupy much of the cabin overhead compartment space!).

The place was just simply beautiful in blue and white, the most common colours around just like the Greek flag. We learned very quickly that this can be a place for everyone, and of course, we won’t deny that having enough money to spend is a great privilege. We had our lunch of 2 Euro Gyros, which is a kebab-styled meat (pork/beef) wrapped in pita bread together with lots of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayonnaise-like sauce.

The locals here have the island-like laid-backness and generally are happy that the tourism money is pouring in. Other than that, they’re just proud of living in this kind of beauty and produce one of the best tasting wine I have ever come to palate. Vinsanto, made from the two rare grape varietals known as Assyrtiko and Aidani.

As it was our first day, we planned to scout around and acquaint ourselves to this little paradise. We walked around Fira town and found ourselves in front of the most spectacular view of the caldera. The Cycladic buildings on the cliff are unmistakable, made up of churches, restaurants, boutique hotels, bars, balconies, infinity pools, souvenirs shops and more villas.

We walked, clicked on our camera, posed, and just breathed the air and savoured the moments of being in such a beautiful place. Then finally, we settled down for a nice seafood dinner in one of the fancy restaurant on the cliff. We ordered a grilled calamari (it came as a big giant squid on my plate!) served with a really nice Mediterranean-styled risotto and some salad. And of course, it would never be complete without pairing seafood with a bottle of white wine, and for this, it has to be the local Sigalas made of Asirtiko and Athiri grape varietals! We dined, talked and shivered whenever the wind blew towards our already cold bodies. Gradually, it was dusk and the temperature was no longer bearable for out-door dining.

We paid the bill and I tipped 10 Euro out of tipsy-ness! I felt slightly regretful afterwards but at that point of payment, I did felt generous as no service charge was imposed. We walked back with me feeling merry. I was slightly drunk as I think I finished three quarter of the bottle.

The next morning, we felt refreshed and recharged for an action-packed day. We had our breakfast in the B&B and it was simple yet delicious. It was just bread, butter, cheese, sliced ham with coffee and tea. It was all free flow and the money spent for the night stay and hearty breakfast was really worth it. We then walked to an opposite shop to rent an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) for a day. It costs us 30 Euro with a 24-hour rental and full insurance.

We rode to our second night stay at one of the hotels by the cliff. It was double the amount we spent on the first night, yet it was among the cheapest we could find. It is situated at Firostefani or the Crown of Fira. As there was a double-booking, we obliged to accept a room with our balcony view slightly blocked. Nonetheless, we didn’t mind as we were lucky enough to have met this villa manager whom told us stories about the caldera and shown us a coffee table book of this place and also loaned us binoculars, to see what is on the center of the caldera. He also served us breakfast although we already had one. He mentioned a few places we should visit and that pretty much became our itinerary for the day!

Then we rode to a winery, where we sampled a few wines and wine accompaniments. It all tasted so wonderful! And the view is simply breath-taking in the background. Then we continued our journey on the ATV to Perissa beach. The beach where the sand is black because of the volcano (please spare me from explaining how this happened scientifically), is simply irresistible. Although I am not so much of a beach bum, I learned to admire the relaxing atmosphere of people sun-tanning, playing beach volley or simply just chilling under a cabana. We rented a cabana for 4 Euro and found out that the water is impossible for a swim. We just awed at how locals could do it!

After chilling for about two hours, we thought it was time to go. We rode along the beach and concluded that men here are the better looking species.

Then we took a scenic route (by accident) to Oia. It was an unexpected surprise as it is a longer route to Oia. Along the way, we saw windmills on our left and the endless view of the ocean on our right. The road was quiet and our lives just stood still for a while.

When we reached Oia, there were already crowds waiting to witness the sunset. Judging from the height of the sun above the sea, we decided to take a walk around Oia and spend some time shopping. The town of Oia felt different compared to Fira. Oia seems more sophisticated and more upmarket. The view is indeed indescribably beautiful.

As it was almost time for the sunset, we decided to leave the massive crowd behind and head back to Fira instead. Although we didn’t see the sun gradually dropping into the horizon, we did witness the sun setting behind our backs while we ride on the road on the cliff side. We felt complete freedom! We agreed that the ATV is the best mode of transportation and you can really grasp well of the whole geographical surroundings by riding on it.

The gradual darkening of the road was so exciting and thank goodness we managed to make it to Fira town safely before it was too dark. We stopped at Fira for dinner and this time it was mixed grill and chicken souvlaki. I washed it down with Vinsanto, but this time, just a glass.

Yes, the abovementioned place is no where else but Santorini. If you must know, it is acclaimed to have the most beautiful sunset in this whole wide world…

Anaheim, OC

2008-06-16T22:32:00.004+08:00

I am now in Anaheim, land of the Disneyland. It is also a land where one of my favourite pop stars, Gwen Stefani came from. From my hotel, Disneyland is just a stone throw away but nonetheless, I am too old to appreciate the wonders of fairy tale.

It is quite historic, my stay here. Today, at 5.01pm Los Angeles time, same-sex marriage will be finally made legal in California, the second state in US after Massachusetts. In our part of the world, it has nothing of significance but in this part of the world, it means civil rights and giving recognition to a certain human identity.

I have no plans yet, which I attribute it to a vast time differences. I am still suffering from some jet-lag. I think I am just going to walk around and get acquainted with Orange County. Nothing seems nearby as cars are major necessity here. Without one, you can feel the impossibility of mobility. Well, I would love to prove that wrong. Let's see whether I can make it to somewhere later, by foot!

Too Carried-Away… (SATC)

2008-06-09T17:52:00.002+08:00

I have had the privilege of catching my all-time favourite Sex and The City on the big screen before it is officially opened. I attribute it to the genius of someone who manage to create a special need for fans to be the “first to watch” or should I say, successfully manipulate the fans to feel privileged, just like how I am feeling now, by introducing something called “sneak preview” on the eve of the opening.

Well, I am crazy enough to plan for the special night, where I could enjoy a little dressing up, sit back and be marvelled at the most representative of early 21st century women’s pop culture phenomenon unfold. Yes, despite the detectable hype on major female magazines and fear of over-expectations, I must say, the movie did live up to its charm like how it did in our living room and occasionally, personal computer.

The movie is indeed very entertaining if not, a great masterpiece of portraying women and their lives in Manhattan where people are known to go there to find love, at least according to the movie, idealistically. Love, as we all want and need is fortunately and/or unfortunately a great part of happiness. We need to love and be loved and when we have both, it can be living happily ever-after, like how all our childhood fairy tales told us. Except, when reality kicks in, it does not come easy.

Everyone will have their very own take-away on this movie, be it fashion, love, friendship etc, I won’t deny that it is a movie for mainly women and how fun and fashionable it is to be a woman. Be it now or for many more years to come.

Here is my very own take-away which I sum it in this quote ;

"When you stop following fashion, you create fashion, you create style and ultimately, you live your style."

A Must Watch

2008-06-09T17:24:00.003+08:00

http://www.malaysianartistesforunity.info/?page_id=20

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Wl3firJQk

I am terribly sorry for running out of words this time around. But this piece of work really did spark some interests back at me. Happy watching and hope this nation, my nation, our nation is really going through some positive realisation...

Though I am still an armchair spectator in across border, I hope I can still relish on the occasional prospect of seeing how where I come from is making a difference.

Pictures Paint A Thousand Words...

2008-05-28T15:33:00.002+08:00

Too Beautiful!

2008-05-28T14:52:00.002+08:00

Nyhavn... I did it!

2008-05-16T22:56:00.004+08:00

I finally did it! I walked for 30 to 45 minutes from Fisketorvet (a shopping mall) to Nyhavn. I chose the path along the waters. There are ultra-urban buildings on both sides of the water built with reflective glass windows which, I am sure for the reason of lessening the impact on the environment.

It is also very refreshing to see office people having their lunch under the sun. Well, understandably, the sun here is less harsh and with the chilly air from spring, outdoor dining seems like a great idea here. The sun is so welcoming that I could hear a man humming a happy tune while riding his bicycle.

Along my journey also, when I am passing Christianhavn on my right and the Black Diamond on my left, I saw some young folks doing the “Danish Plunge” as I would call it. The people here are really enjoying the summer and they will go swimming in the harbour area as they claim the water is very clean. The folks are so comfortable stripping and throwing themselves into the water.

Finally, when I saw the sign “Havnegade”, I knew Nyhavn must be nearby. I celebrated my sight on Nyhavn with a self compliment on how I manage to do it again. Nyhavn is so vibrant with cafés, bars and restaurants along a canal. The place is packed with people dining alfresco style with their sun-glasses and chilled wines or beers. Street musicians play their best tunes hoping for a fat tip.

I did not have a coffee there nor did I dine while people-watching. All I did was, sitting on a bench to rest my legs and savour my sight on the gorgeous-looking people of Nyhavn. Men and women alike are looking at their best here!

The Copenhagen Post

2008-05-16T16:35:00.008+08:00

I am now in Copenhagen, a sudden change to my plans to be in Melbourne. I always like a Scandinavian city and my trip here has proven a rewarding one to me. I am now staying in a newly-built, ultra-contemporary and intelligently-designed hotel on an artificial island. The hotel is surrounded by a wharf-area feel and the water in the harbour is so calm and canoe-friendly. I especially like walking under the sun in cool air along the harbour.

The area where the hotel is located is quite heavily under construction by European standard. Despite the growth activity in the area, you hardly feel the air being contaminated or the noise level increases. The subtler way of construction is proven to be possible here! The buildings are erected on reclaimed lands and the architecture of the buildings seem to be in harmony with the waters. I would love to live in one of these modern structures. I can envision how the future of other cities will look like with Scandinavian designs taking the lead.

If our part of the world is still rambling on our parlimentary circus scene, this part of the world is hitting on why ads or visuals of male nakedness (especially male genitals) are so limited in the public realm. Of course, compared to female nakedness especially on the top half portion of the body. The discussion was feature on The Copenhagen Post, and females here actually felt that it is not being fair with only female exposé and demand more male exposé as well. Being an equitable and open-minded society like the Scandinavians, such an issue is not a taboo at all. I think I am perfectly susceptible to this kind of discussion as it is so refreshing to hear such point of view.

I plan to go to Nyhaven later to check-out the café scene there. I can do my reading there since I brought along Off The Edge, the April Post-Election issue. But that all depends on whether I still have the energy to walk to the other end of the city. Perhaps, I can save it for some other time or perhaps just do it since the weather is unbelievably nice out there.

Moscow, Russia

2008-05-16T15:57:00.001+08:00

The month of May has much significances in my life. It is the birthday month of my both deceased parents with their birth dates, exactly two weeks apart. It’s also a month when some of my closest friends celebrate their birthday. It also marks the beginning of summer where, people in this part of the world may not appreciate much but means a great deal elsewhere. I can only think of it as how fast time flies before we hit the second half of the year.

Last month, I have had the privilege of visiting a new city, Moscow. I am not a fan of Russia but I must admire their fight to remain as a major world power.

Before my trip to Moscow, I did not have any expectations but only to visit the Red Square and St Basil. I thought, it is really a good enough reason for me. When I watched “Human Trafficking” and the Russian mobsters in the movie, I told myself, I will never be safe going out in this country. Hence, I would feel happy if I could just stay in my room and read the books that I had brought. The hotel is well-equipped with restaurants where I can have all my meals in-door. Well, that was my plan, at least.

When I checked in to the hotel, I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of my great friends. We have not been meeting for quite sometime now and it would be a great reunion, catching up on our stories and lives. After a little waiting and resting, we finally met and had dinner at a crowded German Pub restaurant downstairs. It was nice fun soaking with sisterhood camaraderie.

The next morning, a group of us made our way to the Red Square. We took the underground train and the journey was proved to be a chaotic one. The signs are in Russian and even with map in hand and a guidebook, we failed to find out exactly which direction of the train we should be boarding. It was frustrating and people around were obviously not-too-linguistically-gifted in English. Somehow, with a bit of instinct and good sense of direction, we finally found our way. The escalators in the station are so long and made me wonder how deeply-underground it is, the train system here.

Walking towards Red Square enabled me to give an opportunity to Moscow to reveal herself to me. As I walked through the streets of Moscow, I saw a lot of frowning people, old Volgas (Russian car) and I could hardly sense a European city here. Perhaps lacking something I would call, class sophistication. The only good memory of Moscow as a great city for me is, when I watched “War and Peace” a breakthrough Hollywood war movie starred Audrey Hepburn and her then husband, Mel Ferrer. I think I prefer to remember Russia in “War and Peace” than by my very own encounters.

Feeling Preach-y

2008-05-13T16:41:00.005+08:00

1) Memorable encounters are too precious to be ignored like most of the things, we, as human beings take for granted for. Whether it brings you joy, new realization or sour after-taste, they have to be recorded, captured in the rawest, truest form. Each of us, whether we’re farmers, soldiers or teachers have our own unique encounters. Call it an indulgence of self-worthiness, for I believe, our encounters are consciousness worth telling…

2) When I have LESS, I have nothing MORE to worry...

3) Stories are meant to be told but great stories are meant to be remembered.

4) Strive to complement rather than to compete.

5) Survivors are all of us, we all have tips to share!

6) One Planet Living - go find out what it is!

7) Conspicuous consumption, we can do without.

Enjoy!

Stephanie

One and Only Maldives

2008-04-24T21:54:00.007+08:00

The month of April has not been so inspiring for me. The only highlight to me is not Moscow, which I will write about it later, but Male, Maldives, where I will never say no in going…

Knowing a friend from a different culture and country will always give you an edge and broaden your horizon definitely. I am privileged enough to have met a really good friend of mine while studying in KL. She’s a Maldivian and she has taught me a lot about her country and life in general. While I was in Male the other day, I spent it mostly with her and her adorable family (her daughter and her admirable husband). It was indeed a really wonderful time spent on seeing places while enjoying the company of a long-distance friendship.

We started the day with her family of four in the resort I was put up to. They came from Male capital city, which from her previous description, I still have no idea how it looks like. It took them about 25minutes to travel by boat. We had a hearty buffet breakfast, catching up with each other and of course to acquaint with her adorable toddler, something that I have no chance to do much.

After breakfast, we hit to the beach. The toddler was so natural with the sea and was having so much fun. While sited on the deck chair admiring the blue ocean, my friend was arranging for a boat to bring us to her capital island. I couldn’t wait actually as I have never seen Male city before. My curiosity grew larger and the moment I board the boat, I knew I was going to have lots of fun.

The boat ride was a smooth one without the choppy sea. During that journey, my friend explained what a picnic island is, clarified what a safari is (it’s actually a yacht and her husband is building one currently) and shown me where the jail is located. Her husband joked, even the prisoners get to live in one of the islands with such great views!

Finally, we reached the jetty and the boat captain carefully steer away from the President’s jetty, which was of course, slightly more elaborated in design of wood carvings. We alighted and I could smell a real city on a relatively small island. My friend decided to show me around with her newly-bought white Honda motorcycle (yes, I agree it’s so much more convenient riding it!). The moment I sat on her motorcycle, I could feel my bum was burning. The seat was so hot as the motorcycle was parked under the sun. My friend said the hotness would only last for a while. She seemed to have accustomed to it, and I trusted her. When we finally stopped at the first traffic light, with so many other Honda motorcycles around us and a few cars, I felt my real journey is about to begin, taking my mind off my roasted behind.

I felt really liberated somehow. I attribute it to the lack of regulation on wearing helmet. Everyone rides without any headgear on. It’s a truly relaxed environment compared to where I am living now.

My friend was so eager, wanting to show me every single inch of her city. She brought me to the fish market (which is almost males only), telecommunication shops, make-shift swimming pool where the locals go, man-made beach, park, boys’ school, girls’ school, the President’s (Gayoom) palace, the square, mosque, her office building (Monetary Authority of Maldives) and many more. We rode on her motorcycle and we covered the whole city in less than an hour!

Despite on the rush to see the city, I have a real sense of accomplishment and what’s more when I did make people on the streets turned their heads. They, the locals and tourists must be wondering who is this lady and where is she from riding with a local on a bike! Well, my friend’s hospitality really made me feel so at ease and to some point, I really did felt embarrassed. She is so generous with her time and effort, showing me where she lives and her closed relatives' homes. I almost forgotten how many homes I had stepped into! The people of Maldives are really a fun-loving, open, laid-back and humble bunch!

My most memorable encounter is when I stepped out of her living room in to her balcony/courtyard area. I could see homes, many of them which are apartments of different colours and some racing to add more levels upwards. Well, that’s the only way to have more space, where land is in scarcity. With the clear blue sky on top, the view looks very Cycladic. Imagine, the white-washed buildings with blue dome in Santorini being replaced by colours like blue, pink, green, white, orange etc and without the blue see in sight. That is how I would describe it.

Although, almost everything here is imported, I still managed to taste the local mango juice. It tasted just right, not too sweet as compared to Indian mangoes. We had lunch at Salsa Royal, one of her husband’s restaurants and we had the most sumptuous Thai cuisine I have ever tasted! The chef is from Thailand and they serve Italian cuisine too!

My day at Male City ends with bidding farewell to the lovely friends I have there. They all sent me off to the jetty and waited until my boat started to jet off. I felt a sense of reluctant dismissal. How could I leave such lovely people and city behind? As the sea filled my view, I gazed into the horizon and ponder how nice it was, to have what I just had.

p/s : My apology for not uploading photos. My camera failed me this time :(

Freedom Amsterdam

2008-04-07T13:03:00.016+08:00

Amsterdam is indeed one of my favourite cities in this whole wide world, if not, my favourite European city. I was there two weeks ago and my encounters proved to be some of the worth-remembering ones.

Firstly, when I took a stroll along the Flower Market, it then started to snow suddenly. Shaved ice, falling down from the sky and the whole street seemed to be curtained by white snow moving with where the wind goes. Some people on the street started erecting their umbrellas but I chose to walk under the snow with only my wooly winter cap on my head. It feels a bit strange when the snow falls and touches your face. It reminds me of the gentle spraying of holy water. Each droplet felt like it penetrated my skin and releasing a feeling of cleansing. I felt blessed after that. Soon, my black winter jacket was sprinkled with shaved white ice. I finally got the chance to do the act of rubbing and padding off the snow from my jacket (an act where I can only watch it happens on TV) when I entered Albert Heijn, a famous supermarket chain there.

My second memorable encounter is the visit to the Rembrandt House. With the city map in hand, I took a wrong turning and ended up walking further away from my intended destination. When I saw, the Calsberg Brewery, I knew, I had to turn back. Something happened at the pedestrian though. A couple of about 40-50 years of age was arguing and shouting their lungs out under a traffic light and the watchful eyes of the public. I could tell that they spoke in French (from my short stint of learning that language) and they were arguing about which direction is the right one to the train station. They both parted for different directions and their poor kid, not sure who to follow. I wonder, it is worth arguing with your partner when things can be solved when temper is kept under control? They both could be right in their direction, it is just which train station do they want to go to. It always upset me to see a relationship strained. And as always, the little ones are the innocent victims.

Rembrandt House is indeed a place to visit for anyone who is curious about famous lives. I always honour people who have made their name remembered for the right reason. Imagine if you’re known as a cheater. How would such a person face the world? Well, I guess, for such people, they don’t even possess the moral conscience or intelligence to comprehend what constitutes cheating. I feel shameful for such individuals. Oh dear, that reminds me of Mr Elliot Spitzer! Once known as a great white-collar crime buster of Wall Street (a real honourable reputation) but now, left with a stigma on his morality stand, when he committed the biggest weakness of most men, purchasing sex. If only we know the reality behind such business. It is most often involves human trafficking. Women and even children who are forced into prostitution out of poverty or simply being kidnapped, or conned into a promise of a better life for their family. How can such demand (by men) be met by such unwilling supply? I seriously very interested in grasping the psychology of such men. Is it power, lust or motivated by chauvinistic values? I urge everyone to watch the movie, “Human Trafficking”. Human trafficking is the third most profitable illegal business after drugs and weapons trafficking according to the movie. It has made me think twice about my travelling pattern these days.

My apologies for the diversion...Rembrandt, is a famous artist of the 17th Century and an inspiration to many other famous artists of our time, one of them, Picasso. Rembrandt is known for his distinguished skill in portrait painting and etching. When I was at the house, I can only see paintings by his apprentices and surprisingly, his teacher, Pieter Lastman. As Rembrandt was an art dealer, his house was used as a gallery and he traded other artworks of other famous European artists of his time. An interesting fact to know, the box beds on display are so short in length and according to the narration of the auditory tour, it seems people at that time dare not sleep by lying flat. They always sleep in lounge position for they believe that when blood rushes up to the head, they will die. Another room to marvel at is Rembrandt’s studio. Many of his original tools are well-preserved and displayed as accurately as how they were when he was using them.

My third most memorable encounter is of course, the Red-light District. A visit to Amsterdam is never complete if you didn't make a stop at these famous places, Red-light District, Magic Mushroom shop and coffeeshops (literally, I really mean visit only, not participating!). Walking towards the Red-light District, you can tell that you are nearby when the air you breath in is the smell of marijuana. I am not sure whether second-hand weed smoking can cause someone to get high but I am most certainly sure that, the whole group of us feel happy and uplifted.

Prostitution here, according to one of the articles in Off The Edge, if I remember correctly, is very different from elsewhere. Prostitution is legal here and what makes it distinguished is that, most prostitutes here are self-employed and they are not pimped. This gives the prostitutes the power to decide on their clients. We managed to catch a glimpse of how a prostitute rushed a potential client away because she seemed to disagree with the terms. Though they stand, pose or sit behind glass windows displaying themselves, I find that, they feel empowered somehow. A feeling, I think only they will know for sure, together with the reality and stories about their choice of employment.

Another thing you will notice in Red-light District now is that, many Holland’s local fashion designers are capitalising on this famous district by displaying their designs and set up their shops there. You’ll see mannequins wearing the local designs in the windows that were once rented by prostitutes. We also went to the not-so-maintstream of the district with a lot of narrow alleyways. Some are really so narrow that we have to form a queue line to see the windows. What an experience! With mixed feelings, we left before this place turns tourist-unfriendly, despite knowing that police are always around and the district is guarded with surveillance cameras everywhere.

Prostitution is indeed a very interesting subject to explore but I can't help but also feel the discomfort about it. I supposed it boils down to our own individual values. Say NO! to prostitution. When there's less demand, they'll be lesser to suffer. Since I am an idealist, I think it is possible! How about you?

Gion

2008-04-01T16:38:00.008+08:00

I am now in Osaka. The outside temperature is about 10 degrees Celsius and it is transiting from winter to spring. You can tell it is spring when Sakura or Cherry Blossom is everywhere. For this trip, I am quite motivated to do something different. All my trips to Japan had always been about food and shopping, nothing about sightseeing at all. Maybe I am not too engrossed with the history here or I don't speak Japanese. Somehow, I thought of Kyoto and wanted to see the District of Geisha, known as Gion. I also read a passage somewhere that, it is good to take an unexpected route and get out of our comfort zone, sometimes.

This morning, I woke up early. From Osaka Station, which is five subway stops away from where I am put up, I then took a train of JR Kyoto line to Kyoto, which takes another 40 minutes. I can see the trasition from a fully-industrialised city of Osaka to, somehow a more laidback and humble rural when I was in another train from Shin-Osaka station to Kyoto. Before long, the rural homes, vegetable farm and cemetery changed into another magnificent city again. I could tell I had reached Kyoto.

I must mention, inside each train that I boarded, I never failed in seeing girls and women who had full make-up on and always with a mirror in their bag or hand. They seemed so occupied with perfecting their look, that they screamed "vanity is everything" in your face! I speculate that this culture is about packaging, everything has to look nice on the outside. Just like when I bought some take-away food yesterday, I wanted to just grab the box and put it inside my big bag, but the seller insisted on wrapping it with a colourful paper, equipped with fancy utensils that, I guessed, would make my eating experience somehow enhanced. In my heart, I was thinking, what a waste of paper and plastic! But as I always do, I try to immerse into their culture and I give them the benefit of doubt that they also recycle everything here. I had my take-away food and couldn't agree more that my eating experience was somewhat, satisfying.

Once I reached Kyoto Station, I headed to the Tourist Information Centre located just a floor above. I wanted to get hold of a map and walk to Gion. A lady there who speaks very good English, advised me to take a bus instead, as by foot, it will take me about 40 mins. But I wanted to see Kyoto hence, when I saw the queue to the bus was so long, I opted for my first option instead. With the city map in hand, I braved the streets of Kyoto. I took an unusual route, as I don’t want to see any more neon lights and billboards, which are found on the main streets. Instead, I took the small roads and lanes, where I could see residential houses, shrines (Shinto), temples (Buddhism), small restaurants and shops that sell everything from clothing to services like hair cutting and postal. It is a great way to see how people actually live here.

What a delightful encounter when I approached a middle-aged man, just to make sure that I was on the right track. He turned out to be English illiterate. He seemed to understand my query but he decided to ask the shop owner, an old lady instead. Then came an elderly man from an opposite shop and all three of them started speaking in Japanese, trying to explain to me how to get to Gion. All I could do was, say endless “Hai” and “Arigato” and politely indicate that I understood and now ready to continue my journey. I bid good bye to them and I could tell, they wished me luck. When I saw a 13th century temple that matched my map,I took a breath of relief.

The weather in Kyoto was quite odd on this afternoon. Rain and shine took turn diligently. After about an hour walk, I finally saw Gion. It is a street full of cultural happenings and tourists. It has red lanterns but not to be confused as a red-light district, as Geishas are entertainers, not prostitutes. The street has tea houses, cafes, restaurants and shops selling local delicacies and mostly packed in the nicest packaging. I didn’t manage to see any white-painted face women but only the posters of them. I comforted myself that the two quite young looking girls walking in kimono and holding an umbrella could be maiko (apprentice geisha). I wanted to go to Yasaka Shrine but since my objective was Gion, I decided to save it for some other time.

As for now, I should just pat myself for making this unexpected trip and experience for myself how in a foreign land, though you don’t necessarily speak their language, you can still understand and be understood. Only if you want to.

Un Weekend à Paris

2008-03-19T08:56:00.006+08:00

Paris, like its (so that, not to be confused with Ms Hilton) name suggests, is a place where most people love to be. But I never was that person. Paris reminded me of the solemn mood I felt before my Dad's passing. And one of my best friends told me that, it always happens after a Paris trip…

Well, I was in Paris again, a few days ago. I didn’t do much except having a great lunch at Leon Du Bruxeille on my second day there. I had mussels cooked in a lightly-buttered, garlic and parsley sauce and I washed it all down with Alsace Riesling. What a pleasure chewing the mussels that tasted so fresh unlike the ones in this part of the world that are so rubbery in texture!

I took a walk, like I always do and found this little treasure. It’s an Audrey Hepburn themed décor for a living area! I walked into this home décor shop and enjoyed my encounters with so many things in the theme of New York and of course, Breakfast at Tiffany’s! I wish I could spend a little more time there but obviously, I look too poor to own anything there.

I finished my day with Internet surfing and watched endless amount of France 24, BBC and CNN. I could not wait any longer to get out of Paris.

A Country Voted

2008-03-10T23:07:00.005+08:00

Very recently, Malaysians cast their votes on the General Election which was held on Women’s Day, a very special day celebrated on 8th March annually since the turn of the 20th century. Clearly, we were all too eager in focusing on the outcome of the election.

For those who voted, I sincerely extend my admiration for exercising your utmost right in the system of democracy. For those who have not been a registered voter, like myself, please ensure we get ourselves registered before the next coming General Election.

The media defined the outcome of the election as shocking and to describe the severity of it, and even labelled it as a “political tsunami” because of the perceived “defeat” by the proponent coalition. I think it is a bit exaggerated to say it as shocked or surprised.

As a 50-year-old nation, this election has only one thing to reveal, her people are very much conscious, involved and the electoral process was transparent enough as promised by the PM. This outcome whether a pleasing one or not, should be taken as an act of increasing maturity of the people and hopefully the politics and politicians as well.

Nanjing of Jiangsu Province

2008-03-10T14:42:00.007+08:00

I was in Nanjing yesterday but I didn’t manage to do much which resulted in my solemn mood today. I was really anticipating for this trip to come and I even updated my Tripadvisor World Map on Facebook beforehand, a big deal for me. I would love to see the Memorium of the reported 300,000 Nanjing Massacre victims mainly and of course, the City Wall and Yangtze River would be lovely bonuses.

I arrived in Nanjing, where it had the best weather ever! It was perfect at 8 degrees Celsius and you can practically walk out in the street with just a fleece jacket. I travel light this time around and since, nothing is on my shopping list (well, it’s quite common for me), sight-seeing is primarily my agenda.

My first day there was practically orientating myself to the city, which seems less bustling, less polluted but still as crowded as the rest of the Chinese cities. I love the occasional surprises of finding some Japanese-inspired food outlets, Japanese-originated entertainment; the karaoke and electronic gadgets which I think are inevitable in the world today. We already have a very short-term memory, anyway.

My colleagues and I, as usual, would prefer a really good dinner to celebrate such a rare catch to be able to be here, in Nanjing. Our 8-10 course dinner only costs us RMB 40 each and it came with their local beer and wine known as “Daughter’s Red” literally. I took a shot and really loved it! The dinner consisted of Peking Duck, some fatty pork dish, hot-plated beef, local vegetable fried with garlic, celery and steamed salted-egg taufu dish, just to name a few. The highlight was the dumplings which we all finished the 1kg worth of vegetarian dumplings. What we found quite interesting was that, they served dishes first and the rice almost towards the end. Our speculation was that, only the peasants eat mainly rice with dishes and the rich ones, the contrary.

The very-anticipated next day finally came. To my disappointment, it rained since the day begun. Initially I thought that the weather would not deter my plans but it was indeed very cold in Nanjing when it rains. Because of the bleak day, my colleagues and I had to settle with just a visit to the Confucius Temple area instead. The funny thing was, despite being in the area, we couldn’t locate the famous temple, and instead we landed in the building where the once Imperial Examination was held.

We walked everywhere under the rain and our umbrellas proved to be redundant sometimes as the area was quite crowded with people. We just don’t want to risk hitting people with our umbrellas due to our height. At last, we spent the rest of the evening at Haagen-Dazs ice-cream parlour for some hot chocolate and a good chat. Our hot chocolate costs as much as our dinner the night before.

My disappointment in failing to visit the Memorial proved to be a blessing in disguise, trying to comfort myself. I would have gone into depression if I came to visit such a place that was daunted by so many gruesome murders. A colleague asked me, why visit such a place that bears hatred and is practically a graveyard of a mass killing? I couldn’t answer that. Perhaps, deep inside me, I have a sense of curiosity of wanting to know what exactly had happened. Perhaps, most people do. Don’t we all have the motivation to know something that had left a significant mark in human history?

2nd Weekend in NY

2008-03-06T17:49:00.008+08:00

Another weekend in NYC was spent rather recently. Once again, my wish was granted. This time around, I wasn’t lucky enough to patronise another weekend market but I managed to witness something quite rare.

I was there when it was the Academy Awards weekend. Although it was happening in Hollywood, the strong presence of such an event was felt in the eastern side too. Well, felt in the rest of the world too actually, I almost forgot.

When I took a stroll in Time Square, I was privileged enough to witness an exhibition of Oscar, the very well-known statuette that signifies the best performance to the beholder in the pre, post and most importantly during the production of what we call, movies. I remember, walking in to this loosely guarded venue (one of the shop lots, next to Swatch) and found out that it was the last day of the exhibition.

There were about 5 items on display. Firstly, a giant Oscar, about 8 feet in height. Then there was this process of coating the statue with copper, gold etc. There was also a display of tens of Oscar statuettes that were so sparkly in gold. I think the best was the red carpet that leads to the podium where one could have an opportunity to hold a real Oscar with their picture taken. Plus, with the backdrop of what we use to see on E! Entertainment when they show the celebrities posing for premieres and many other “important” events (pun intended).

Everyone seems to be very eager to do that, a chance of a life-time to feel like a real Oscar-winning celebrity. One quite elderly Chinese lady made an impression. She has a comical face and when she grabbed the Oscar and place it near her face, wanting to kiss it, she accidentally blurted “ gee, didn’t know this thing is so damn heavy” in Cantonese. I burst out laughing in my heart! She smiled broadly, her eyes almost disappeared and her friend snapped a photo of her, both quite ignorant about the surrounding people laughing at how funny she had been on that podium. Ignorance is truly bliss sometimes.

I also took a stroll in Central Park where it was in white. The snow was not melting at all at 4 degrees Celsius. I also walked to Apple on 5th Avenue and played with the various species of iPod to make some sense of out technology.

Lastly, I took one of the photos above as I am ever-eager to get Carried away…yes, that’s the tagline of my favourite Sex and The City, soon to be on the big screen!

Something Lighter

2008-03-05T21:10:00.006+08:00

If my previous posting proved to be a little provocative, please, I beg your pardon. I wrote that when I was awake at 2.30am and couldn’t wait till the morning to record the feelings I felt and the thoughts running through my head after a heavy read on Revolutionary Wealth by Alvin and Heidi Toffler.

Something lighter here, I promise… It happened around a fortnight ago. I was surprised by a promising-looking birthday cake from my lovely buddy. It says, “Happy Birthday Babe!” a lingo commonly used among us. I closed my eyes, blew the candles and forgot what I supposed to wish for. I think I didn’t manage to make a wish as my mind was just not in the wishing mode. Maybe I am contented already and glad to let fate to take over sometimes.

I also remember having to spend an extra six hours on my birthday due to the time difference in Johannesburg. I arrived there in the morning and rested till it was time for an early dinner. I craved for seafood and headed to Ocean Basket for a Seafood Platter for one. Yes, it was for one as I wasn’t in the mood for any company at that time. I had the usual, semi-sweet wine, a Sauvignon Blanc if I could remember correctly. I savoured my food and read Off The Edge. What a perfect evening for me!

Nowadays, celebrating birthday is not as gung-ho as before when we were younger. The key numeric codes of 1, 10, 16 and 21 that represent major ages of human lives seem to just remain as the only legitimate reason to celebrate. Other ages are simply to celebrate without any significant reason except the occasional wanting to have a party. After all, we human won’t deny ourselves some celebrations anyway and birthday tends to be the best excuse.

Once we passed 25 years of age, it makes celebrating birthdays like a reminder of how OLD we have actually become. I certainly don’t want to think about it and would be happy to continue to lay low on these days… oh yeah, I would like to thank my loved ones for their ever-thougtful cards and pressies for me!

p.s : I especially love all your messages and wishes in writing, text messages and cards.

Scary World, Scary Values

2008-03-05T14:34:00.008+08:00

I always have this thought in my head, how will the many generations to come, know about this period of time that I’m living in? Wouldn’t it be so cool if they, in the very future in time, able to have some piece of information that can be part of their missing puzzle in figuring out what have made 21st century, a 21st century through the eyes of me? I know this sounds very narcissist and who cares about me when there’s so many millions out there who are probably doing the same thing, heck more dependable than my pretentious sociological account.

Well, maybe what I’m trying to prove here is that, in this time of my life, media has empowered us, ordinary human beings so much that made us seems relevant, given us identity and treat us as individuals without the de-personalisation of the mass industrial era. Welcome to the Third Wave as the Tofflers said.

Well, in my very own worldview now, it seems to me that, in this period of time, it is harder to be good than bad. Good and bad in their very own plain definitions and not, divulging into philosophical debate of the degree of goodness and badness. I believe that, we’re living in the century where the good old values of hardwork, loyalty, righteousness, honesty and kindness are being replaced by current imperatives of money, ego, pride, luxury, heighten pleasures, smartness, aggressiveness, stress, instant gratification etc. All these post-modern “values” I believe are derived from the very fact that the circumstances of practicing the good old values are constantly disappearing and what makes more sense today is how much we have accomplished in material sense or in egoistical sense than in giving back to humanity.

Modern technology has progressed so much that we no longer need to plough in manual labour but gradually replaced by the brain power. Rational and analytical thinking has dominated so much of human mind that make it even harder to give kindness as we often think of the various consequences first before helping. Whereas, what constitute helping should be, giving without expecting at the first place. It is harder to appreciate the basic humanity that exists in the origin of us, human being and using our emotions sometimes. We are getting more intelligent each day in every way but not very much in the way that benefits humanity sometimes.

What has gone wrong? Is it because of technology has made it so easy for us that instead of spending time sweating out over something that, it can now be done with just a push of a button or a click? Is it because that we rely so much on technology that we no longer need to put in effort and as the old saying goes, we won’t treasure what we can easily acquire? Maybe it's also because of money or our ability to acquire wealth today.

I live in the world today that I witness the planet is getting so wear-out that we are still not doing enough to minimise or even to reverse the effect. Well, I have little faith that this generation of mine can ever accomplish such miracle feat. I often wonder, if we can put our brain power to certain technological breakthroughs, why can’t we be committed in protecting more of our debilitating environment? Maybe some good works are working-in-progress and I sincerely hope the wait will soon be over.

I am also living in the era where I can no longer make sense out of the younger generation, whatever they’re known as. I don’t seem to “get it” and I believe the sentiment is vice versa. The iPod and PSP-carrying individuals seems to be so attached to their virtual world and second life that what is real to them is so different from mine. I can never be as techno-savvy, as I treasure too many things in concrete format.

Infidelity is also another plaque. I know it is as common as forever, I mean, what is wrong with the world when it glorifies it? It has made being monogamous as being almost a freak. It could be that infidelity has existed since the beginning of human race but because human beings ( I mean, women here) are getting smarter, they too maybe are beginning to accept the various theories of men infidelity and heck, they are catching up now too.

It is so scary to think of the world like me.

CNY Eve in Manchester

2008-02-16T19:40:00.003+08:00

Having spent my Chinese New Year’s Eve in a foreign country and in a country of not Chinese in origin, like UK, has proven not bad at all. I was in Manchester and was lucky enough to savour the important day with the nicest people in my profession. A colleague thoughtfully brought “yee sang” an auspicious dish of shred carrots, radish, pickles, raw fish (like the dish’s name), crackers and other ingredients that bear the auspicious meaning of the dish. We tossed it as high as possible and shouting merrily of our wishes for the coming Rodent year.

Then we proceeded to have a “reunion” lunch whereas, if we were at home it would be a “reunion” dinner instead. Why lunch? It is mostly due to the adjustment that had to be made in our profession.

Before we reached the Chinese restaurant of our choice, we diverted to a traditional English pub named Shakespeare. My supervisor was kind enough to buy us drinks. She bought me my first stout and I was as convinced how good the taste of the fresh stout is as she described. We chatted a little and began to open up. Everyone gradually loosen up to the effect of the alcohol but one guy felt the sedative effect of it. I felt guilty for telling him that we should gulp it instead of sipping when he complained about the bitter taste. I remember a beer connoisseur once told me that we should sip wine but gulp beer in Istanbul. I supposed stout falls into the beer category.

We continued to have real fun over lunch. What a coincidence that the waiter is from Penang, another fellow Malaysian adding to this group of mainly a Malaysian contingent. There is something unmistakeable about meeting your own fellow countryman/woman. We cheers over Chinese tea and parted when it was time to.

I left with a sense of missing the real thing at home but nonetheless, this was no worse substitute.

Swan Bells

2008-02-16T15:38:00.001+08:00

Rather recently, I was in Perth, the place where much of my happy memories belong. I took a walk towards the Swan Bells with the company of some colleagues. I pretended to be happy and enjoying their company but I could not help but to feel sad at the same time. Swan Bells was where I last saw my Dad and where I could not fulfil my promise of seeing him in KL.

I told my sobbing story to my colleagues and one of them actually took it with a sly smile on her face. I was disgusted and offended at the same time and my mind went on wondering what kind of person she is. Isn’t it rude to laugh at others’ misfortune? Well, then again, it’s no surprise to me. In this world, there are many kinds of people. She just happened to be not one of my kinds.

Then again, I realised that, it takes another person to understand another person’s feeling if they have both gone through similar experiences. Being empathy is not a gift but a cultivated feeling drawn from enriching experiences. I must say, I am lucky enough and thankful to all my experiences in life that have made me to have this advantage. I continue to wish for people to be kinder. It is really sickening to see that a pure kind act today can be misinterpreted and out of the norm.

Belief System

2008-02-16T14:56:00.006+08:00

I finally made the blunder. I have always vowed to keep 1,3 or 6 postings a month but on Jan 2008, I managed 5. An another odd number that I have to deal with. Really, like a friend had said, with a blink of an eye, we are already in the second month of the year. And it’s too late to put back the figure 6 to January...

One thing that I must mention that happened towards the end of January is this. Like most Chinese believe, the soul of someone passed away will be brought back in the form of a butterfly. I remember that, as my Mum told me that when I was very young. Well, I remember most of what my Mum had told me although I only had the luxury of spending 10 years of my life with her.

This faithful incident happened in the morning when I woke up and wanted to bring my laptop to the living room. Then I saw a big gigantic butterfly, brown in colour in the balcony. It stood there for a very long time and my instinct told me that, it could be Dad. The butterfly looked very calm but the occasional breeze made its wings cluttered like it was about to fly away.

I continued surfing, enjoying the company of the butterfly. I did not manage to record this at that time but I called Bro and he advised me to take a picture of it and show it to him. Or he suggested I should write something about it and post it to this humble blog.

As much as I want to believe the belief of the spiritual realm, I did not rule out the possibility of a mere coincidence which might have a scientific reason behind. This is my rational mind at work but I continued to question myself. Am I happy with my speculation that due to some scientific explanation that a butterfly could be found hanging out in my balcony? Should I stick to what Mum had told me?

I continued to reflect on this and why am I in the position to contemplate on my choices of belief. Well, I must say, it may be due to the generation that I belong to. I still had the luxury of spending time with a stay-at-home Mum when I was young and most of her teachings had significantly formed the very foundation of my belief system at that time. Then, when I went to school, I met my friends who shared similar backgrounds and we exchanged stories of what we had learned from our Mums. We felt that, the stories made sense and we were often amazed and reinforced by the workings of the mystical.

Then, as we continue to further our education, we were exposed to many schools of thought but I must say, they were mostly suited for the Western context. We began to get confused a little and questioned our belief system. I struggled with that confusion for quite sometime that I almost hated my Asian identity and wanted to fully embrace the Western culture and belief system.

But I was lucky enough to learn from the very people who are so enlightened and they taught me how to appreciate who I am and how my critical encounters ( from my upbringing and experiences ) affected who I am today. They taught me how to view them ( the critical incidents) critically and objectively before applying them as learning points in life. They have taught me my very way of making decisions and understanding that there is no one belief system that is more superior to the other but we must be able to justify why we made certain choices. And of course, the choices must not be detrimental to others.

From this approach, I have learnt that, I should not discard my origin but to appreciate how it has affected me today. I know that if I would want to have a satisfying answer to my question, I can do so but more often than not, it would require some scientific methods of research.

As for now, I think I am more than comfortable in choosing that it was my Dad who came to see me. It is his journey before letting all his attachments to this material world go, so he can finally rest in peace. I know that I am about to make another blunder by choosing that explanation before putting my academic training to good use, to prove or disprove the above statement.

Like many philosophers since the beginning of civilisation, they have questioned “what is the truth?” and the debate still goes on as “the truth” can be what majority think it is “the truth” or “the truth” can be whatever that is proven scientifically and has not been disproved yet. I must say, “the truth” to my above statement is based upon the result of my cultural bearings. It might appear to be wishy-washy as it lacks scientific explanation but somehow it made sense to me and based upon my belief system. Isn’t science another form of belief system?

“There are so much unknown in this world that only human arrogance would defy that” – Stephanie Lim

Globalisation; Is There Any Good?

2008-01-27T16:44:00.000+08:00

This article was written during my undergraduate study at a local private institution in KL. I was deeply inspired to write about the topic of discussion and regretted not voicing it out during the session. This article was also published in 2005 in our in-house Department of Economics' newsletter, Ceteris Peribus. Hence, I do not intend to edit a single word as it reflects the true essence of my point of view then. Please bear in mind, it reflects my learning about this topic when I was first exposed to it and of course, I must say, globalisation is a fact and my point of view has evolved since I begin indulging in more readings.

- Recently, the Economics Department hosted a timely and much-awaited talk on globalisation. Some had voiced their insights openly while others like Stephanie Lim (UEL senior) left the room with discontentment… -

Mr. Globalisation Expert, who obviously came from a nation who supports anything that can satisfy its people’s consumption appetite and who can justify its free-will action as ‘world-saving’, came in time just as everyone had settled down. Of course, who wouldn’t; as his team of men walked in - and their ‘formal’ attire, commanded nothing but a sense of inequality and one-upmanship for the non-wearers.

Does he really know anything about globalisation? Perhaps. And perhaps not, judging from his views expressed - purely on where his nation stands in this issue, ignoring the very basis of the ill effects of globalisation elsewhere. His method of delivery was focused on ‘clarifying myths’, as if the myths were something deliberately created for defamation purposes by the critics, who are clearly more enlightened than to jump onto the bandwagon of this one-sided affair. Globalisation is a dirty word indeed, worse still, an evil process that is justifiable according to Mr. Expert’s stand, as long as the rich gain a lot and the poor (well, who cares about the poor?) as his belief is that his version of globalisation has benefited us so much especially the FDIs that has flourished the developing economies.

Globalisation, like many other issues in the world today, has generated many heated arguments focusing on its processes and its effects on nations. Preachers of globalisation can be grouped into people who either see or are reaping its benefits; and of course, there are the critics, the ones who are constantly questioning the process of globalisation as it seems more harm than good. According to Green Left Weekly, globalisation has marginalised the Third World countries, typically by viewing these countries purely as the suppliers of cheap labour. Countries like El Salvador, Nicaragua, Indonesia and China are targets of big corporations like Nike and Wal-Mart. In the name of providing employment to the people, these corporations are actually running a sweatshop where workers are forced to work on a 14-hour shift, seven days a week and 30 days a month! In El Salvador, workers are paid 60cent per hour and companies claimed that this wage is sufficient to raise a family there. But in reality, it is indeed a starvation rate!
When globalisation and its capitalism can justify such effects, I wonder what’s more big corporations wouldn’t do.

The effects of globalisation that we are experiencing today are not inevitable totally but a great degree of effort is needed here. The argument is that: - can the effects be curbed or prevented, or minimised beforehand? Have the preachers weighed the costs and benefits and in whose point of view is it? If the process is deliberately designed to suit the taste of a certain group of people or nations and not focusing on humanity’s good around the world, what good is globalisation? In fact, when the 200 biggest corporations which control 28% of the world economy, employs only 0.25% of total global workforce and that 84 richest people who can have the wealth more than of China’s GDP, are just some indications of this lop-sided affair. Furthermore, as many politicians would believe that globalisation is the victory of democracy, it is actually a political passivity. This is nicely captured in Margaret Thatcher’s famous phrase, “ there is no alternative”. The proponents of globalisation will be even guiltier if they foresee the ill effects yet still continue their conquests, since the costs are not borne by them but by the weak and poor who have no better means to defend themselves against such great forces. Therefore, the preachers and their context of globalisation should be the ones most in doubt, not the people who claim to resist it. Is it fair to ignore the voices of other people and nations that may not be the ‘predominates’? It is time to re-think why the powerful is getting more powerful and has created a ‘reality’ so biased towards them (false class consciousness? – Editor).

Consider this scenario, to be ‘globalised’; nations need to open up in terms of trading. This is where the WTO comes in to ‘liberalise’ world trade. Little did the victim countries realise, they have opened up to foreign imports, so much cheaper than their domestic industry can produce. The effect on this can be clearly traced in the Philippines where imported crops can be priced so low that Filipino farmers no longer could sustain. More vulnerable are the developing nations which will one day, no longer have the luxury to protect its own industries. Competition is argued capable of improving performance; however, is it fair to compete when both parties are not on the same par? This renders the developing nations at the mercy of the great nations as the great nations can make or break their economies. Typical example are South Korea, Thailand and other Asian countries when their economies went to recession in 1997/8. Therefore, it is quite fair to say that globalisation and its instruments is another form of colonisation, since weaker nations have to live according to the whims and fancies of the great nations. Warfare was used back then; now, economic dependency is the weapon. So discreet and deeply disguised is globalisation, facilitated by the spread of its goodness in the name of economic prosperity as the measure of one’s modernity.

Like any other word, globalisation is just a neutral word, which does not take sides. It is the people and their deliberate or unconscious ways of interpreting it that has transformed this word into a device to support a certain ideology. How to interpret the word so that it can qualify as a ‘correct’ word then? Well, unfortunately, we humans have not detached from our biasness to remain as neutral as we all ought to and this applies to globalisation as well. However, to help a little, do start questioning our thoughts and what influences our thoughts. Can our thoughts ever be independent?

“I’ve learnt that what matters most isn’t the material comforts or the political ambitions we successfully realize, but the people who create situations that give us the courage, ability and strength to excel. I think of husbands, parents, siblings and friends; I think of writers, Nobel laureates and artistes who inspire. I think of children who are war victims; and women who are still disallowed the freedom I consider commonplace. Those people are my greatest inspirations, rousing me to make the most of what I have- because to waste the freedom, the ability and the opportunities I have, would be to do these people a great disservice.”

- Evelyn (of Crabtree & Evelyn)

Istanbul

2008-01-24T14:16:00.001+08:00

The myriad religious views that are explicitly displayed were my very impression of Istanbul. Her-story that stretches from the Roman era to the Ataturk has given Istanbul a flavour that exudes mystery, contrast, Euro-Asia fusion, past glories and gloominess.

It’s an old city I would say, with too many buildings in too little hilly land. I don’t deny that, the tourist literatures played a role in influencing my opinion with standard vocabulary such as “Constantinople”, “Byzantine” and “religiously-tolerant society”.

In our river cruise along the Bosphorus, the guide drew our attentions to the popular palaces, destroyed castles, used-to-be significant buildings and some worth-mentioning ones. One particular narration that came on the PA, that caught my attention, was when she mentioned that there was exactly a spot where all three major religious buildings located side-by-side. The mosque, the church and the synagogue, are somewhat a grateful co-incident that could be utilised as evidence of how different religions can exist harmoniously. Well, I began to question, was that her standard text or she thought that we are too ignorant to know about the synagogue bombing recently.

Another building alongside the Bosphorus that made an impression is a white building that were utilised as a wartime hospital. Florence Nightingale is believed to have worked in the hospital and founded modern medicine. I wonder, if the story worth believing.

Istanbul is a city with the flag of Turkey hoisted almost everywhere. When queried whether it was due to some Independence Day Celebration like how our part of world usually does, the reply was simply, Turkish are proud of their country. Istanbul did not hit me as a great place to venture, but I certainly count the visits to the Blue Mosque, St Sophia, Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar as somewhere really different from where I used to see and be.

A Letter Written Then

2008-01-24T13:20:00.001+08:00

To Whom It May Concern,

Attn : Miss/Mdm Nimala, if I remember correctly

Thank you for returning my queries on the 10th May 2005 (Tuesday) when I called on the 9th May 2005 (Monday). Your prompt reply (phone call) impresses me. However, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to forward my real queries then. Therefore, based on my call on the 10th, a lady suggested that I write to this e-mail address.

Here are some of my questions to you;

1) What seat will I be allocated if I purchase my ticket now?

2) Who are the target audiences of The Global Leadership
Forum 2005?

3) What happen if the current price I pay ( RM 4250) will be
brought lower due to unexpected lower response? Will I
be compensated?

4) If "Corporate Rates" exist in your pricing scheme, for
example you quoted 5 tickets for RM 17,000, why isn't
there a student discount so that, even some students who are genuinely interested can have a chance to participate? Isn't F3 Strategies' part of moving forward is to "maintain these extensive networking with university, research institutes, think-tanks and renowned Asia and Europe, and with regional and international organizations in all parts of the world. " ( Source : http://www.f3strategies.org/subAbout/nonprofit.html) and one of your goals states "The think tank will strengthen and help to mobilize the indigenous research capacity of Malaysia and other developing countries, especially directed at achieving greater social and economic equity, better management of the environment and natural resources, and more equitable access to information" ( Source : http://www.f3strategies.org/subAbout/objmission.html)

5) What justified the pricing of RM 4250 / RM 4750?

6) and lastly, what is the response rate so far?

Thank you very much for taking the time to consider my questions. I hope you and your party understand that RM 4250 / 4750 is not a friendly sum to students but it may also be "considered cheap" or "reasonable" to some parties (if they are your target audiences only). However, to be fair to your party, as a non-profit organisation, I should have faith in your judgements and discretions. But also, please do consider my above questions again, as I strongly believe that, to implement your organisation's goal of making information and knowledge accessible equally to all, some of the 3000 seats should be made "accessible" to students also.

Yours sincerely,

Stephanie Lim

Holiday in Dubai

2008-01-09T10:36:00.001+08:00

Last year’s Christmas and this year’s new year are when some of my best encounters I could never demand more. Danny spent the entire stay in Dubai and Istanbul with me. It is his first trip Dubai and ours to Istanbul.

Dubai was fun with Wild Wadi Water Park, predominantly and of course, the Chicken Tikka restaurant with the most authentic Indian cuisine I have ever tasted. Dubai is never complete without a visit to Burj Al-Arab, but to our disappointment, we could not secure a reservation for the afternoon tea, where we could savour a great view of Dubai skyline. It was full for the entire month of December.

However, we managed to find out that, the best view of Burj Al-Arab is definitely not being in there, but when you climb the 27 meter high tower for the fastest water slide outside North America. Or is it the longest or highest? I am not too sure. But it was fast, when we slide down at 80km per hour (as assured by the Wild Wadi brochure)!

The view of Burj was magnificent and almost surreal from midway and to the top of the tower. The Burj (not to be confused with Burj Dubai, which is making its way to be the world’s tallest building), will never look that perfect if you don’t see the foundation where it lays on. It looks like a mighty sailing yacht with the pristine blue sky and ocean as its backdrop.

I can never imagine that anything man-made can be as beautiful as the Burj. It must have taken a genius architect to create it, I’m sure. It seems, these days, architecture has never been so alive with post-modern designs. Take a look at Beijing, the famous Bird’s Nest stadium and the Egg-like opera house, it’s a playground for architects to erect what their mind can conceive.

The Jumeirah beach, not forgetting to mention, is another good spot for sun tanning, relaxing and wanting to feel like you are in a Western country. Well, for a Muslim nation, we find the atmosphere here, very liberal and open. Not uptight at all. Well, bear in mind that we could be bias as we would always remained as the outsiders with an outsider’s lens.

We also ventured to Ski Dubai at Mall of Emirates. It is interesting looking at how Arabs dressed in their traditional costumes and with winter jackets on. It reminded me of some ski resorts I always watched on telly. Everyone in there looked just like penguins.

Mall of Emirates and Deira City Centre are some of the shopping malls we paid homage to. What is life in the 21st century without shopping malls?

Danny and I also tried riding on a camel during our Desert Safari Tour. Poor animal having to endure the weight of over 120kg! Camels are lovely animals but I could never forget what an Egyptian friend had told me about them. Once again, we are capable of stereotyping animals too!

Oh yeah, another thing to mention about this tour. Well, Danny managed to find out from interviewing our 4x4 dune bashing driver-cum-tour guide, that all the drivers and guides who appeared to be clad in traditional Arabian clothing, are mostly Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Iranians and probably Indians. The most common language spoken besides Arabic, is Hindi. In the tourists’ eyes, this desert safari tour seemed like operated by Arabs, offering a truly Arabian experience.

After knowing the truth behind, we were amazed at how difficult it is to differentiate the locals and foreigners. Everyone looks like an Arab here to an untrained pair of eyes. I conclude that, the locals are the ones in the posh-est cars on the road and it is an unwritten rule that other cars must give way to them when they are accelerating. That’s a true Arab living in the land they believe to be theirs and the rest are merely subjects working for them.

The Start of My New Year

2008-01-09T09:37:00.002+08:00

It is indeed tiring if you carry an emotional baggage that cannot be let go easily. It changes you a little and you are not sure whether you will get back to your normal self again, whatever normal means. Will life ever be the same again? I often wonder… I am certainly not the Stephanie I used to be. I felt there is something very fundamental in me that has changed, whether I like it or not.

I still occasionally think of my Dad and I am not sure why I still do, looking at how detached I thought I am. For the past few months, I still cried occasionally or woke up crying, thinking of him. How bizarre for Stephanie!

Looking at my relationship with him, I would never dare admit that I was a filial child. I could only afford to spare my breakfast time with him whenever I come back to KL. A dinner would be out of ordinary but I would say, the breakfast moments were some of the best moments I ever had with him. In his normal self, he seldom talks or queries much in depth, but we could always sense that he understood and trusted our own judgement. Dad had never interfered with any of our lives' decisions but sometimes, we faulted him for not being a more "hands on" father like other fathers whom we knew.

Well, for the next few postings, I think I will still talk about him as he is indeed still lingering in my mind…

This is my new year, with a touch of gloominess in mood, with a mountaining hope to gain back my "normal" self, with a sense of welcoming the possibility of the impossible, with some cherishing moments, always embedded in my mind.

Christmas Market

2007-12-19T23:03:00.001+08:00

I was in Frankfurt rather recently. I vowed to pay the Christmas Market a visit again, despite having done that sometime around last year. The atmosphere was really lovely and I learnt that Christmas Market historically started since the 14th century.

My journey took about half-an-hour walk from B.Warte to Haupbanhof. Then I realised that, to go to the Christmas Market, I needed another 10-minute walk to Romer. With the help of a map inside the train station, I quickly get on my feet again and took a stroll via Frankfurt Red Light District. Of course, I walked very quickly before I could experience something unpleasant.

In these days, we can find everything from Christmas-y food to fancy lamps in the market. I bought myself a 2-Euro worth of Pomme (fries) and had it with ketchup. As I walked around in the chilly winter, I was impressed by an artist's work displayed on the street. The artworks were all about New York. They also reminded me that I was in New York, around this time, last year.

Like the Christmas Market, it brings along so much joy and happiness and I sincerely wish a very close friend of mine will find these two treasures and forever have them with her. As one of the most intelligent person I have ever known, I believe she will thrive in whatever she chooses to devote herself in, be it volunteering or others. All the very best, Gal!

Just Hope, No Action

2007-11-28T16:45:00.000+08:00

I just came back from Joburg, SA with nothing much to brag about. I stayed at Emperor Palace which is something like Mines Wonderland in KL. It has a casino, lots of restaurants and even an in-door roller-coaster which reminded me of one of the malls in Cheras called, Leisure Mall.

As this station is rated high on red on our list of city rating, which means, it is deadly dangerous to be out on your own. Contrastingly, I find that, I was perfectly alright with the company of my own.

During my stay there, I was confronted with news on the recent protest in KL. It was shown repeatedly on CNN and SkyNews, the only two news channels available although I am more accustomed to BBC World. Somehow, I felt like a foreigner watching a country going through the process of democracy. Something inevitable, I think.

I am also proud to finish Angelina’s Notes from My Travel. It was a great read by someone I admire so so much. You can tell from her writings that her travels were such an awakening to her. The travels had shaken her to the very core.

Reading each places that she had travelled to, Cambodia and Pakistan, made the most unforgettable impression on me. Her descriptions on each of the refugees and land mine victims are so real and so painful to read. They made me so ashamed of myself for the luxury that I am lucky enough to have.

I wonder, why am I so worried about how my kitchen cabinet will turn out in my condo when others are actually having their lives, the safety of their family members, their bodies, whether it will be violated again, to worry about every single second? They have so many worries that we have forgotten because we are having it so good now and we can simply take things for granted already. I could not comprehend or emphatise no matter how hard I tried and I think Angie is right when she said, you need to see it yourself.

I am truly embarrassed and I think I don’t deserve this luck when half the population goes to bed hungry. Yet, we still complain about our food, too much, too bland, too spicy. And how can we face ourselves when we didn’t even realise that when we have our hot showers, when we let the water runs over our tired bodies, there are so many people that are deprived of basic water supply, not even enough to nourish their bodies under the heat of the desert?

I felt extremely guilty for just finishing my hot shower which I think, took too long and too wasteful of precious water. I hate the fact that, I felt so entitled to so many things just because, I felt I have given so much of myself, but in fact, I didn’t give anything at all that would make anyone better.

How these aid workers, humanitarians, nuns, doctors, nurses actually do it? As an undeniable fact, they are the people who choose to be in this struggle, to help, no matter how difficult it is. They give their best by simply helping and here I am, just nothing, doing nothing but simply hoping for the world to get better…