Election Britain

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

Nepal-Bhutan Part 1

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

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

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

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...

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!