Too Beautiful!

Nyhavn... I did it!

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

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

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

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

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

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?