Share a Moment: Do Not Worry

An extract from "How to overcome your difficulties" by Ven.K.Sri Dhammananda:

"The secret of happy, successful living is to do what needs to be done now, and not worry about the past or the future. We cannot reshape the past, nor can we anticipate everything in the future. There is but one moment of time over which we have some conscious control and that is the present.

Many people just worry about the future. They have to learn to adjust themselves to the circumstances. Whatever castles they may build in the air, whatever dreams they may have, they must always remember that they are living in this world of constant friction and change.

There are no stars which we could trust, There is no guiding light, And we know that we must BE GOOD, BE JUST, BE RIGHT!"

28 Oct 2007 (12.55pm)

My Vacation on Star Virgo: Special Dedication

My hubby had wanted this picture to be taken to remind him of how fortunate he has been to be able to enjoy a wonderful meal as we sail on the ocean. The view of the moving waters, the blue sky and the sparkling ocean is not something we get to enjoy everyday.

We feel so blessed for the opportunity.

Psst, see the 2 kids? We think they are twins. :)

28 Oct 2007 (12.45pm)

My Vacation on Star Virgo (Final): The Before and After Disappointments

From the bottom of my heart, I have nothing to complain about the cruise. Everything was good and enjoyable from the point I stepped onto the gigantic ship.

Perhaps the nature’s way of conveying that nothing’s ever perfect, our almost perfect vacation was marred by the procedures of checking in, boarding in and immigration clearance.

To me, the whole process was chaotic and it seemed like the cruise centre was not designed to cater for the over 2000 passengers. Can you believe it took us about 3 hours to get into our cabin from the point we reach the cruise centre?

But strangely, when I spoke with friends about this, they seemed to be surprised with my encounter as their own experience were not so bad. Frankly, I couldn’t remember such bad scenario during my previous trips too.

Or was I so ‘suay’ (unlucky) to the core that day?

Here’s our experience:

About 7.50pm: Reach Singapore Cruise Centre at Level 2. There were already long, long and still long queues (apparently more than 1 queue). I did a brief survey and found the queue for World Cruiser (our booking category). We started queueing.

(It said Boarding Time was 8.30pm so we just stayed in our stationary queue)

About 8.30pm: I noticed some movement somewhere in from of the queue, so I went forward to check things out again. I got more confused as there seem to be more queues. Saw a staff who was on duty and asked (apparently lots of people was confused as everyone seemed to be asking the same question – WHICH QUEUE?). Finally I got it – first, queue for the checking in, then moved to another queue for the boarding in. (I almost freaked out)

Anyway, I went back to my father and hubby and told them we were in the wrong queue and ushered them to the correct one. So we waited……

Close to 9.30pm: I think it was around this time (or later) that I finally reached the counter for the checking in. I was starting to feel tired. After checking in, we went to the queue for boarding, and gosh, that queue snacked through one pillar after another. We decided to go for dinner at the food court first. We were dead hungry. ( We had earlier thought we could board the ship by 9pm, and have our dinner on board thereafter – how naïve!)

About 9.45pm: We went back to the queue for boarding. The queue was long but we could see we were among the last passengers in the queue.

I thought once we get pass the boarding in gate, we were saved! But wow, I was wrong!!! And how wrong!

After we passed through the board in gate, there was this usual luggage scanning which we need to go through. The crowd was already packed up to where the scanning equipment and sensors were.

Looking further in, we almost fainted. The queue was a queue no more. It was just crowd!! It was like a 3 lanes converging to 2 lanes and people started messing up the lines.

The worse was at the peak as we need to get clearance from the immigration counters. God knows how long we spent here because I had totally ‘switched off’. We couldn’t see the front anymore, and were just moving along whatever space was ahead of us.

Close to 11.30pm: The last I did a check on the time was when we finally got into our cabin and well, it was about 11.30pm!

How frustrating. But the time we spent on the cruise made up for it, until we return, again!

The checking out part was fine. Again, the bottleneck came from the customs. I really wonder what’s wrong!!!!

28 Oct 2007 (12.20pm)

My Vacation on Star Virgo (Part 3): Really Cruise for the Soul

At one point, the sky turned dark, with strong winds blowing. It was a little scary but only for a while. It did rain a moment later but who cares. We did our indoor walk. The rain stopped after a while.

I think this was the first time I encountered dark clouds on cruise. Another experience...

If it rained outside, we could just step indoor to fill our tummies! Eat while we looked at the weather outside. Whatever we did, they were enjoyable. :)







Even the library provided a cosy environment for relaxation. It wasn't too crowded and the sofa were very comfortable. Even when there is really nothing one can do, just pop into the library and read or just sit and stare and the moving waters.





Finally an opportunity for us to step out of our cruise at Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur. We did not join the city tour but just ventured out to look-see-look-see. We managed to buy some tidbits (finally a chance to spend some Ringgit).





How fast time flies when one is enjoying....We are getting closer and closer to Singapore again. The mood tend to sink a little. Haha, I was busy visualising our next trip. What to do...got to motivate myself a little. Good thing, my hubby was still happy. Looked like I was the more discontented being!

Finally finally, the familiar places and icons were within our sight. Getting nearer and nearer. Wish I could carry on with the cruise...

So much for this trip (but not quite the end yet. I have yet to make my complains which will come in Part 4!) and looking forward to another one soon!


For now, I just have to look back at the 300 plus photos I had taken and salivate from time to time. OK, BACK TO REALITY!!

24 Oct 2007 (9pm)

My Vacation on Star Virgo (Part 2): Still Soul Good

A luxurious setting for a good meal. What more can I ask for? We had our first lunch at the Chinese restaurant, The Pavillion, which is of course included in our package.

We went in, sat down and food was automatically served. There were 6 dishes (incl one chicken soup). I was pretty satisfied with the meal but of course, one of the reasons for the good appetite was the environment we were in. Just watch the view behind me!




A good form of therapy for the mind. Even when there is really nothing (and I mean activities) I can do, I can simply stare out into the open space and relax. Seriously, it's one of the great enjoyment for the mind, and in my 'cluttered' life.


If you love the sea, this is perhaps one of the ultimate things, other than diving and fishing in the open sea. At least, that's what I think.






You can get a similarly good view of the ocean and the breeze and the sky while sitting or lying on the resting 'couch'. Also a good idea to do some reading and then dozing off.

Look how 'shiok' dad was. I would do that too!








A gigantic screen of the sunset. Even the camera couldn't take all of it!

If you care to spend some moments to observe, you would see the amazing things from natural settings. The sky changed - from darkness to sunrise glow, to the clear blue sky, to the ever changing clouds (and most of the times you could see interesting pictures forming above), to the setting sun. Every moment was unique.

One moment it's a piece of gold, and the next moment, you see a field of glittering diamonds.

If you are a person who go for natural phemonenon, then this is one experience you shouldn't miss......

Part 3 coming up!

22 Oct 2007 (9.35pm)

My Vacation on Star Virgo (Part 1): Soul Good

It has been a long wait! We had booked for this trip about a month ago and had been waiting eargerly for this day to arrive. It's both an agony and excitement having to count days for the trip to materialise (17 - 19 Oct 07)! Hahaha....

This time, I went with my dad and hubby. Dad was with me on the previous cruise vacation. This is the first time my hubby had a vacation on a cruise. I was worried he might not enjoy, but he ended up feeling 'high' too.


I had been on the Star Cruises about 3 times before this one. And no doubt about it, I still enjoy cruise each time. It is not an everyday affair that you get to be so near the ocean and what's more, we are in the middle of it! I feel so peaceful and calm. The ocean, the sky, the sound of the waves, the sunrise, the sunset, the breeze. I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy these all at one go!


We were so fortunate to have a cabin which faced the front of the cruise. Each time we pulled open the curtain, we would enjoy the scenary as the cruise sailed forward.


Imagine sleeping on the upper deck of the bed with the curtains opened. The moment I opened my eyes, that's what I see (window view in the left pic).





Couldn't help it, folks. The breeze was simply intoxicating. One tends to get euphoric with just a dose of the whooshing wind. Wish I could fly like the swallows...










What's more enjoyable than having a meal (or meals) surrounded by the great ocean. The view and the feeling cannot be described in simply a few words. Eating onboard the cruise increased one's appetitite at all-time high.



We enjoyed our meals both indoor and outdoor. The most importing thing was, everywhere we were eating, we could see the sea and the clear blue sky.

PS: Looks like Blogger is giving me problem downloading more pics. Continue with Part 2 when I resolve this.

21 Oct 2007 (8.50am)

Snapshot!

Another proud picture I had taken off my Star Virgo. I love this one, though would be somewhat better if it is a little closer.But well, I am satisfied!

20 Oct 2007 (8.30pm)

Share a Moment: A Happy Married Life

An extract from "How to overcome your difficulties" by Ven.K.Sri Dhammananda:

"In a true marriage, the husband and wife think more for the partnership that they share than for themselves. Marriage is a bicycle made for two. A feeling of security and contentment comes from mutual efforts. Impatience and misunderstanding are responsible for most family problems. A wife is not her husband's servant. She deserves respect as an equal. Though a husband has the breadwinner's duties, helping out with household chores does not demean a husband's masculinity. At the same time, a nagging and grumpy wife is not going to make up for shortages in the home. Neither will her suspicion of her husband help to make a happy marriage. If her husband has shortcomings, only tolerance and kind words will help him to see the light. Right understanding and moral conduct are the practical aspects of wisdom.

Marriage is a blessing but many people turn their married lives into a curse. Poverty is not the main cause of an unhappy married life. Both husband and wife must learn to share the pleasure and pain of everything in their lives. Mutual understanding is the secret of a happy family life."

13 Oct 07 (9.00pm)

A blissful marriage wish

17 Oct 07: A special day for the couple. Here's my niece, finally tied the knot! May their new life be filled with love, joy and happiness.

Congrats, Peter and Yvonne! You've just started on a new chapter of your lives. Cherish each other forever.

A sisterly pose. Aren't they cool? So, er....when's your turn, ladies?

In my confusion, I thought this is a 3 generation pose. But actually only 2 generations here. Haha.

Another sisterly pose...By the time their turns come, I wonder how many strands of grey hairs (or perhaps uncountable) and wrinkles I would have!

13 Oct 07 (12.17pm)

The 'Infiltrators' in our lives are making me VERY irritated

Most of us must have been so used to and perhaps immuned by the weekly flag day when students, young adults, senior citizens volunteer (or for some, being volunteered) to seek donations from the public, with their little donation cans and stickers, for some charitable organisations. Yes, this is for a good cause but I am also guilty of having developed a feeling of frustration - frustrated of my way being 'obtructed' every Saturday.

But as I have mentioned, that is for a good cause and will not dwell too much on that.

In the recent years, I realise that I have been faced with more frustrations with other infiltrations, like:

The money solicitor:

The dunno real or not real monks and nuns seeking money at the hawker centres. And I wish to also include, under this category, the occasional 'beggars' who literally ask you for money, and some even tell you specifically how much they want! They seem to be everywhere and everytime you sit and eat, they appear in front of you, mumbling something which I do not understand. A friendly no, once, twice, thrice, and gradually the irritation sets in.

The Sales Persons

On a few occasions, some sales persons target my table at the food centre, persuading me how good their 'whatever-products-they-are-selling' is and please get one of two. A friendly no, once, twice, thrice, and gradually the irriation sets in.

The 'Litterer' (I wish I can find a way to deal with them!)

There used to be junk mails that are delivered into our mailboxes on a daily basis. Most of the time, I picked out a stack of papers from the mailboxes with only less than 10% of the contents being important letters. Since some years back, the mailboxes are locked with access given only to the postmen (I THINK so) who delivers the real letters and some official newsletters.

But what happens now? The ads and commercial leaflets are now 'littered' right at our doorstep!!! This is very ridiculous. Even when our door is opened, the worker simply walked past your unit and shaft the leaflet into the grille door or even throw the leaflet into the house! Wah, how rude and they think they have a right to do that. Well, I have no chance to say no yet, but I am definitely very irritated enough to throw the next leaflet back at the person when I next witness it again.

The Leaftlet Distributors

I am not sure if this is also the result of the unavailability of our mail boxes that I noticed and increase of people standing at MRT stations and along the streets- in fact anywhere and everywhere, distributing promotional or advert leftlets to passers-by. This has also become one of the irritations I face when I am out on streets, especially on crowded places and especially when I am rushing for time.

Out of nowhere, a hand will suddenly stick out in front of me to pass me the leaflets. At the beginning, I will entertain them by accepting the leaflets very politely. But I realise that there are more and more and more! Along the same streets, you will probably see 2 or 3 different persons distributing different leaflets!

And the thing I really cannot tolerate is that the hand sticks out like the gantry that blocks your vehicles when you enter or exit a carpark! It really obstructs your way. I wish I can bring a cane out with me and if that hand sticks out, then a whack it gets!

The Can-Collectors

And most recently, there is this thing about collecting drink cans (I wonder if they earn better than the traditional rag-and-bone man, but I believe it's definitely easier). You will see some elderly folks who scouting the hawker centres and coffeeshops for empty cans, collect them, flatten the cans at the foot and place them in the carrier they carry with them. And I thought, wow, I think I salute them for making the effort to make some living with the earnings and might as well, the cans can then be recycled. Isn't that good?

But good things are always marred by some black sheep. More and more, people start appearing again at these food centres looking for empty cans. At one particular hawker centre at AMK I went to (the most recent was just last night), you will see at least 5 different faces (within less than 30 minutes) walking past your table and ask if you have finish that can drink you have on your table. A friendly no, once, twice, thrice, I almost few in a rage.

Last night was especially atrocious, with one of them sitting next to our table, just waiting for us to clear the contents of our cans into our cups. He was about the 3rd person who had asked us for our cans in less than 15 minutes. My temper was rising to near boiling point as he started to sit at the next table (through my peripheral vision), eyeing for our cans which we have yet to empty. It made me so uncomfortable with someone sitting and watching you...eyeing anxiously for my drink can. I stubbornly refused to empty my can and I was on the verge of throwing my chopsticks and slamming my hands on the table to ask what was he waiting for!! From something I thought was a good sign to something that has already started to irritate me. Has can-collecting gotten so competitively now?

Has our world become so stressed that one can even enjoy a simple meal at the food centre anymore?

I definitely do empathize with the situations these people I mentioned above are in and for most of them, this is one of the ways to earn for a basic living or one way to earn a decent living. I feel bad about ignoring them, turning them away, or rejecting them, but the frustration has also gotten to the extend of me trying to avoid them and silently praying they won't approach you.

So, when things are overdone, they really drive us crazy, and that is what I see myself facing now. I wonder what's the next irritating thing that is going to appear.

And I am not sure if I will slowly become a 'colder' person.

30 Sep 07 (9.55am)

Prevent the mouth from shooting off!

Sometimes, our mouths shoot off words like poisoned daggers targeting at enemies. If we are unable to remove that 'poison' or at least cushion the effects, then well, certain things are better left unsaid.

But then, some things have to be made known, so how? To say or not to say?

Alternatives:

1. 'Stab' the other party with the 'poison dagger' no matter what (then maybe try to look for an 'antidote')
2. Lick off the 'poison' before you 'stab' and 'poison' yourself
3. Hide and accumulate the 'daggers' with you and run the risk of 'stabbing' yourselves with some or all the 'daggers' one day
4. Use a toy dagger coated in chocolate fondue! :)

Tough, isn't it?

30 Sep 07 (8.40am)

Mao Mao 'fights' for Sunflower Seeds!

As always, Mao Mao never fails to put up some struggle to get his favourite sunflower seeds....

And chewing whatever he thinks is interesting...

15 Sep 07 (10.37pm)

Meaningful Quote

"Your property will remain when you die. Your friends and relatives will follow you up to your grave, but only the good or bad actions that you have done during your lifetime will follow you beyond the grave."

15 Sep 2007 (7.12am)

First Attempt at Driving Range

Spent a few hours at the range on an early Sunday morning. Thank goodness it was a wet morning, so at least the session was cooling.

This is probably my hubby's third or fourth session at the range. Had always wanted to bring me there to try, but each time something was sure to crop up.
Finally, I got my chance at the range. Trying to put into practice the positioning and all which my hubby had tried to teach me at home.

My little nephew Nic also joined in the fun. How's this for a start?

The guys in action.

Here's a kid's version of play. Don't play play!

9 Sep 2007 (4.55pm)

Tissue Crazy Mao Mao!

Wonder why my little hammie runs wild over tissue and toilet papers! Just look at that!

1 Sep 07 (11.35am)

Way up....on the Balloon!

It was with my dear hubby's persistence that we went back to the Balloon site the same evening to catch the ride at night. We had earlier confirmed that the suspension in the day had been lifted.

Hurray, finally the day had not been wasted and so did the free voucher! Ready to 'balloon' my way up 150meters (ie about 40 plus storey high)

Here's one of the night view of Singapore. The nicest scenary is still the night lights of the CBD.

This is the Central National Library taken from the Balloon.

Raffles Hospital taken at the half-way mark.

Mmmm.....I probably won't spend $23 for this 7 - 10minutes ride up the sky, but with the free tickets, well, I guess I had a pretty good time up there.

28 Aug 2007 (9.25pm)

The Balloon is not taking flight!

A test flight against a gloomy weather conditions.

The day was initially catered for this moment, to utilise the free voucher which we got from Singtel Sweet Treats.

But who's to know that the authorities were definitely taking 'every single precautions' to ensure safety. The right was suspended right from the start at 11am. Well, first the weather was gloomy in the morning, we understand, and hope for the sky to clear come afternoon.

Well, we thought the cloudiness was gone, and the sun had returned, but still we were told it was still suspended!

27 Aug 2007 (5.55pm)

Hungry Ghosts, Hungry Me!

What an extraordinary Saturday with half a morning to half an afternoon getting involved in folding and burning incense papers and waiting for the annual 'zhong yuan jie' (Hungry Ghosts festival) ceremony to finish. And with a scorching hot weather (but somehow threatened by the little dark clouds along the way).

It was held in a MNC with office staff and manufacturing assistants chipping in to get the job done. How interesting!

It had been a long wait for the whole ceremony to complete, but the process was fun. There was a huge load of incense papers to burn and this particular item took a long time to complete.

And finally, the most enjoyable part was chopping up of the offerings (ie roasted pigs, ducks and chickens) on the spot and the pieces distributed to everyone present. Most had their share of 'fats', satisfying their palate on the spot!

Then of course, there was an item most of the people were very keen with - seeking the lottery numbers from the deities. Wonder how much luck we will have this weekend!!!

And...the numbers are.........er...............

25 Aug 2007 (9.35pm)

Snapshot!

This is one of my proudest works. How's that?

There should be a great title to go with the pic. Any suggestions?

23 Aug 2007 (8.45pm)

I've conquered M&M!!

Might & Magic, that is.

Over the last few months (maybe three, maybe four), I have been entertained by a game, called Might and Magic - For Blood and Honour, which my hubby has played for seven years. Seven years!!!

And just on 19 August, I have completed the whole game and even had a certificate! Isn't that quite an achievement. It required a lot of mind works and mind-boggling moments.

But of course, I had the help of the expert to show me the 'way'. And of course, being a newbie, I had created many unwanted opportunties for my hubby to laugh at, tease, make fun of my silliness, stupidity, clumsiness at the game. And making silly comments and stupid questions - that's what he thought.

Now that I have completed once, I am going to do it again, this time, hopefully mostly on my own. But then......I will still need the guy's help every now and then. Wait till I have master the game a few more times, and I can challenge the seven-year guy!

The game involves creating and building your characters, determining the level of skills they possess at the basic levels. As the game progress, your characters should have built up the skills, in terms of weapons, armor, magic, spells, etc...to an advanced level for them. This is required for them to do the quests throughout the games. Find golds to add to your bank account so that you can use them to purchase skills and whatever you need to upgrade. The monsters get more difficult to manage as the levels increase.

You get the thrill of finding precious weapons and armour, the relics and artifacts which can increase your skill levels by leaps and bounds.

So it is quite a challenge and one gets satisfaction at the completion of each quest - esp when you hear the sound of gold deposited to your account! (wish they were real!)

I had grumbled when I found my hubby so engrossed with the game when we were just married. For a while I tried to understand and play the game, but gave up. After a few months, I tried at it again, and found it to be more interesting as I played on! And er.....I started to 'compete' with him for the computer. Ahem, he probably needs to 'beg' me for more computer time now. :D

Well, I would like to show off that 'certificate' the game had 'conferred' upon me - but not now as I have yet to find a way to convert it to a picture file. What a bother!

22 Aug 2007