A Traveller's Tale

I have travelled to Nepal and Melbourne during the first 2 months of this year. These 2 places totally different in cultures and in sights. Experiences in these places also differ. I shall share with you guys the things that i have seen and felt during the trip. Do not worry, there will not be overwhelming outpouring of emotions but rather a practical narration of the experiences that i share with 2 different people.

Nepal:
Himalayan SwayambunathTrekking

Home of the Himalayans ranges. The magnificence of the mountain still amazes me. Everest sits high and mighty amongst its brothers.

Lumbini is the birth place of the Buddha. The sacred land of which the religion of buddhism bored the first seed that brought salvations to many.

Trekking in Nepal brought new and fresh perspective to my travelling experience. Due to the wintry conditions, we were not able to fully appreciate the beauty of the picturesque himalayan mountains on our trek. On the plane back home, i came across a quote that goes something like this:

"... the best part of travelling lies in its unpredictability... the uncertainty of which you may not see what you came to seek... that's the beauty of nature and that of travelling... it leaves you wanting more, the lure of its beauty makes you hungrier..."

And of course with a good travel khaki,

Melbourne:

2 must do things in Melbourne. Visit Philip Island and travel the Great Ocean Road. Sights and beauty totally different from that of Nepal. Love that contrast between these 2 places. One of which is "mountain-ful" and the other rushed upon by laps of ocean surfs.

12 apostles, Great Ocean Road Philip Island, Penguin Parade

And of course with lots of love,

公元前后

回到公元前灰白陈旧 古罗马
寒冬腊月 冬耕小农夫在浩叹
铜墙铁壁 在窗旁 婢女含泪 思君曲
雪霜离愁 临别一眼 已五个秋冬

公元1993 四季为秋 岛屿风情 你我是谁
孤傲文静 班上角落 嘴角微笑 什么滋味
播了相思子 虽怠慢萌芽 但没忘记了期待

十余秋 翻开回忆五斗柜
古罗马淡忘谁 千年路成全了谁
镜花水月 在芬芳 在皎洁 易闪开
枯花残月 虽有泪光 有遗憾
实实在在 慢不慌 爱不慌

Money and everything else over sex??

Just today i read a article in the newpaper about Singaporeans choosing money, time with close ones, health, leisure time over sex. Can this be a true reflection of the mental state of Singaporeans? I am curious. I would like to do a snap poll among my friends to check if this is true but i think i shall decide against it.

Firstly, the poll which i may put up will be biase because of my sample population. Sample population means the group of people that will be subjected to the polls. My beastly friends will definitely put sex on the top of their list!! Hahahaha!! But then again, that's generalistion and would not put my friends in good light and it would put me in a spot for thinking that all my friends are all sexually deprived monsters!!

Secondly, people might not give a truthful answer. Singaporeans though globally exposed are still conservative. To choose sex over other aspects would make them seems less hardworking, unfilal or even unhealthy. Common! If someone ask you to choose from the 5 choices above and you si bei buay pai seh and go choose SEX!! You are making yourself look bad what? Hahaha!!

Frankly speaking, i don't know how to choose between them. I guess i would choose more leisure time so that i can meet up with my close ones, then allocated some of the leisure time for sex, and then allocated some of the leisure time to earn extra bucks like giving tuition, and then allocated some of the leisure time to do exercise. Steady. One stone kills all birds!

But as we all working adult know... leisure time belongs to the boss.

"We lose sight of things... Sometimes"

Tiong bahru. My favourite haunt, where this incident happen...

Willy, Youyi and me were sitting at Banggawan Solo, talking about Youyi's new adventures of job searching. He has applied for Operations Executive position at Geylang shipyard and the job scope was to make sure all imports and exports of chickens were in good order and shape. Mr Willy came a little later in cab after he was shot in the back by some last minute, razor sharp broken arrow. By the time we start having our coffeee, it was about 9:10pm.

I was a little hungry and decided to get a double cheese burger as snack. This cheese burger that i wanted, i had thought of it wanting to get it when i was walking around the mall with Youyi half an hour ago while waiting for the "VIP" (Willy). I left them at the table and went ahead to grab my cheese burger.

I set myself up in the queue and look around to see if i can get other burger. I look at the $2 everyday promotions poster at Macdonalds' staring hard at it and saw my double cheese burger at $2. Then i decided to see what other burger i can have for and i look around finally deciding that the $2 double cheese burger is the only burger that is cheap and at $2. I waited patiently in the queue til i saw the lady in front of me ordered something $2 paid and left. It looks like a burger. A burger with yellow wrappings around. Ah... McChicken...










I glanced back at the poster and i wondered... Did i, in my pursuit of my desires, of things that i want, missed out on other things that would have made me better off? YES! I must have missed out on wonderful moments in my blind and relentless pusuit of wants. This incident show me how easy it was for me to lose touch with my senses. Even though, i ain't blind, i failed to see and realise. I was so keen and focused on getting the double cheese burger that i lost sight of the McChicken that was in fact more obvious to the eyes in the poster. I hope i would realise many such moments in my life and retify my actions.

I had my McChicken and felt happier...

Khaki Bermudas

I have been thinking of setting up this post long time ago but I could not find the way to represent the complexities of the situation in its barest form. By barest, it does not mean “R21” but rather a quick relation or realization to the topic of the post. Ha! It seems more and more like I am trying to act “Cheem” but I am not. In this posting, you can partake in some way or another. I hope you do get involve in someway because this would enable you to feel what I wanted to bring across. Please, there are no multiple choices because in life there just are not so many clear cut choices. Alright, below is how the story goes…

You are having a meal in a food court with your family and everyone was chit chatting about almost every other things. You have a cup of traditional coffee in the style of “Yakun” (coffee cup that has a saucer under) and other than the coffee that you are having filled to the brim, the spilled-over coffee also settled upon the saucer. Now you see an auntie or uncle wiping the table next to you (common sight as the stain of coffee often need to be wiped off). You try to go for your cup of coffee, how would you approach it?

This was what that went through my mind. Thinking the auntie or uncle would have a tough time wiping the table, I decided to lift the cup and scrap the bottom of the cup against the side of the saucer to rid the spilled over in case they drip on the table. After my sip, to further ensure that the table would be stain free, I put my cup back into the saucer. Before I leave the coffee shop, I had one last sip of the coffee. I did not repeat scrapping the cup against the saucer. “Drip”, “Drop” two little drops of coffee landed like the Hiroshima bombs on my khaki bermudas. I smiled.

I read about Cause and Effect in Buddhism long time ago. At that moment, the coffee drip upon my Khaki bermudas, I understood what the theory implies.

“…the destiny of beings is not the outcome of mere blind chance, nor does it depend upon the arbitrary action of an imaginary creator, but that our destiny is to be traced back to our own former actions…”

(http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/buddhism/fundamentals_of_buddhism.asp)

There were many actions that, I or even you, could have taken based on the situation given. For every one of the actions that we commit ourselves to, there would be an effect, upon others or ourselves or even on everyone else.

I went to the toilet at Marina Square, took some toilet paper, dapped them with water and started rubbing my khaki Bermudas.