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Words from heaven

February 11, 2016, 4:24 pm
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Soar above the sky!!!

Hoaahhheeeemmmmm....... I was sooo... tireddddd after sitting down continuously for almost fourteen hours since this morning, leaving my seat only for a ten-minute lunch and few series of toilet break.

Ugghh... I used to hear my friend telling me that she only had 3 to 4 hours to sleep almost everyday when she was working as an auditor. And I still remembered telling my Mom that I would never pick a job that made me working until so late almost everyday, no matter how much they were going to pay me. But it was thing in the past now as this had become a part of my everyday's life.

"Hey Ms Ong, I'll take a break for a while,"I informed my Boss who was sitting in her cubicle. She nodded her head while her eyes were still stuck at the monitor and both hands were busy typing the keyboard.

I took my office key card and decided to go out of the office building to get some fresh air. Ohhh...., it was cold outside as I was stepped out of the building. It seemed that the rain had just stopped. 

I opened my arms wide hugging the invisible air. "Hmm... what a perfect weather to sleep and hide under my blanket right now,"I imagined.

Kreerkkk..... kreekkk.... The sound appeared as I stretched my back and hands to the left and right. Hoaaheeemmmmmm...... and I started yawning again as I rested my butt down to the curb roadside near the entrance door.

I lifted my head looking high up into the sky. "Hmmm.. Today no moon, and no stars. Hey, what's that???" Suddenly I heard the sound of birds' flapping and as they passed over me, something fell down from one of the bird's grip, right in front me.

"Hhhmmmm???? Apa itu?" means'what's that'in Malay words. Weird, it looked like a paper rolled with red ribbon and it seemed like a letter. Hm? Who in the hell sent the letter using the birds nowadays? Wasn't it faster using What's App, We Chat, or Facebook messenger? With curious mind I took it from the floor, pulled the ribbon, and straighten the paper.


Uggh! I was stunned! This handwriting... this handwriting... it was very familiar to me. But, how could it be??? I immediately read it and it was written like this:

"Sorry my dear, I can only wish and pray that all goes well, and it shall be alright.
Lets hope dear! It's all transient, and it will pass soon!

Let me send you my love and moral support, my gentle hugggssss and kissses...
I'll offer you my shoulder to rest upon, my chest to lean on.
My lap to sit upon, and a pair of ears to listen to. Plus my hands to pat on ur back...

Want some entertainment?
I'll dance for you, your favourite cartoon face dance

Want to relax?
I'll massage your whole body!

Want to pour out your frustrations?
Let's cry out and drench upon my shirt.

And want to forget everything?
Lets make love!
But this time, I will make sure I'll last longer and satisfy you, and transfer you to a different world!

What world?
A world ruled not by paper, neither by power, nor by wealth. Not even by name and fame.
But, it's a world filled with love, care, and compassion...

Where you are just like a bird,
and the sky is open for you to fly anywhere and any ways you want it!
And I will be there, flying happily by your side...

Yours truly and always..."

Words from heaven

My tears flew without me realizing it. This letter, no doubt, must be sent from heaven! This must have been written by my ex-boyfriend, who passed away last year when he was climbing up the Himalaya's mountain, when suddenly the earthquake happened.

I tried to forget him by choosing this kind of job, that exhausted and drained me out every night, so I didn't have to think about him anymore when I went back into my room. This sudden loss had made me scared to fall in love again too! I never found someone as caring as him before, and I believed that no one would be as lovely as him, who often wrote me letters while traveling, showering me with his love and care whenever I needed it, just like the cases he mentioned in that letter. And his dance, oh, unbelievable! It always made me laughing out loud whenever he did it.

"Rima, wake up! Rima!" I felt someone calling and tapping my back. "If you tired, go home now and take a rest. Continue tomorrow," said Ms Ong.

I opened my eyes and looked around. Oh, I fell asleep on my office table. I felt something on my right hand. The red ribbon. But, how come? Where is the letter????
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Many happy days on 14th February 2016

February 14, 2016, 4:45 pm
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Happy Valentine's and Happy Birthday! 14th February 2016

Many happy days? Yeah! First of all, Happy Valentine's Day for anyone who celebrated, especially those who were in love with their loved ones. It could be their boyfriend/ girlfriend, spouse, parents, best friends, friends, etc.

The best gift on earth - nature :)

It's a great earning's day for flower seller (especially roses) on that special day too as flower symbolised their love feeling towards their loved ones. Did I get any? Yeah, from nature surrounding me ;)

Second, it fell on 7th day of lunar calender, which for Chinese, it signified everyone's Birthday or they called it "Ren Ri" 人日. So, Happy Birthday everyone! ^^

Toss prosperity dish with besties :)

It's the day where we ate 7 types of vegetables and sometimes it's the day where we would toss the prosperity dishes called Yu Sheng 鱼生 or Lo Hei 捞起 in Cantonese. While tossing it, many good words (in Chinese) were shouted as it increased our confidence and believe that thing would follow accordingly, such as: 身体健康 (shen ti jian kang) wish for good health, 万事如意 (wan shi ru yi) wish for good luck, 年年有余 (nian nian you yu) abundance throughout the year, 天天秘密 (tian tian mi mi) sweet days everyday, and so on.

Our ritual CNY reunion dinner at home sweet home :)

Apart from the two happy days above, we also entered the 5th year staying at our house. Time indeed flew. Still remember the night when my hubby and I went and return for so many times to transfer our goods from the old house. It was such an exercise but we were happy and exciting for finally moving in. It's still a great place to stay, a simple and humble place where I could find my peace and serenity :)

Joy and tears altogether :D

And last but not least, it also marked our 1st month Anniversary working in this company (me and my colleague) ^^ It wasn't easy time to go through but we finally went over our first month end closing. From missing the bus to stay over  midnight. From messaging the wrong person to entering the wrong door. We had our laughter and tears in such a short month! The pain that we had to go through, it's worth it though. And it's not ended yet! Still more months to come!

Have a blessed Monkey year ahead! :)

I wish things will go smoothly this year. Wish everyone's dreams and hopes will come true. And people will live in peace and harmony, blessed with abundance of love and happiness! Wish all of you have a wonderful journey! All the best! ^^
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Beijing Itinerary - Day 3 YongHeGong or Lama Temple, GuoJiZian St, NanLuoGuXiang or South LuoGu Alley, roasted duck at QianMen

February 17, 2016, 7:25 am
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Sorry for a long pause regarding the Beijing itinerary in this blog ^^ Read about our day 1 here and day 2 here :)

It was such a beautiful sunny day! :) My son and I headed to YongHeGong 雍和宫 (Palace of Peace and Harmony) or Lama Temple as our first stop. It was a Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism temple, located conveniently under metro Line 2. The entrance fee cost CNY ¥25 (S$5.50) per person inclusive one box of joystick for us to pray.

YongHeGong or Lama Temple - Beijing

The temple was built in 1694 during the Qing Dynasty. The building structure was a mixture of Han Chinese and Tibetan style. It became the national centre of Lama administration (source: Wikipedia).

We visited every prayer altars available and offered our prayers there. It felt good being able to visit the place again. I used to come here once in a while during my school time back in 1996-97. Being far away from home, the sight of Buddha statue offered me comfort and a great deal of peacefulness inside my heart. I was glad that I could bring my son here :) Hope he felt the same! ^^

Lama Temple Youth Hostel :)

We checked in to a youth hostel nearby, called Lama Youth Hostel. My bestie recommended me this place. It located not far from metro station and many other scenic area around the temple. It too my son's first experience staying at youth hostel, a cheaper alternative accommodation when traveling abroad. We chose the room for two and it cost us CNY ¥220 (S$50) with toilet inside. The room was so so, but the heater worked well so we both could sleep comfortably that night :)

My favorite snack in Beijing - Jian Bing or scallions pancake

We put our bag inside the room and went out again. Our stomach had growled! We wanted to eat steamed dumpling at nearby area. However, it turned up to be the place for cooking lesson :P Luckily on our way, I found my favorite snack, the scallions pancake, and steamed meat bun to warm our stomach temporarily.

Guojizian and Juer Hutong - small alleys near YongHeGong Lama Temple

We continued walking and passed by small alleys at Guojizian St, where you could find Confusius Temple. The houses, cafés, and museum on the left and right of the alley were antique and beautiful. It's worth having a walk there as it brought us back to the life many years back. As we walked, it led us to a big street, called AnDingMen St. And there, we decided to have a proper lunch at Lao Beijing Restaurant :)

Our lunch at Lao Beijing Restaurant :)

Hm.... I managed to let Baobei trying the authentic ZhaJiang noodle (soya paste sauce noodles) plus JiaoZi (steamed dumpling) - both were the famous local Beijing delicacies :) Both dishes cost us CNY ¥56 (S$12).

While eating, I chit chatted with my son. I told him this trip would be my birthday present for him. One day, when he reached  30 years old, would it be possible that both of us be here again, sitting at the same seat and enjoying the same food. But by that time, it would be him the one who said, "Ma, this trip would be my birthday present for you," and he could only smile without agreeing. Lol! :P

Nan Luo Gu Xiang, Beijing - China

After lunch we continued walking to many other famous and well-preserved alley, still with traditional Chinese architecture in the area, and it led us to Nan Luo Gu Xiang - at DongCheng District.  It was a long stretch road with many shops and restaurants on its left and right.

Took rest and had coffee - Nan Luo Gu Xiang :)

Both of us walked and shopped until our legs were so tired! We decided to enter a café and took a rest there. Btw, the coffee price in Beijing didn't come cheap you know! It's price could fight with Starbucks in Singapore. E.g. this cup of cappuccino of mine cost CNY ¥30 (S$6.50) per glass and a normal cup of coffee cost CNY ¥25 (S$5.50).

Baobei with frosted cream above his lips ^^

In the evening we met up with my cousin. We were having the famous Beijing roasted duck together at Qian Men. The restaurant name was Si Ji Min Fu. According to her, this place was usually visited by her school mates as the price was reasonable, CNY ¥188 (S$40) per piece, the taste was equally delicious, and the duck bones could be deep fried and eaten there with a small charge. At other restaurants, the price per duck would usually cost above CNY ¥220 (S$50) and the guest could bring the bones back home or they would cook the soup using it and served it there after meal.

Si Ji Min Fu - Delicious roasted Beijing duck in Qian Men

Hmmm... True enough! It tasted delicious. We ordered one piece of duck for 3 of us with pancakes and condiments to be eaten together plus another meat dish. Nyummy!!! I could still remember its taste even now! :P Altogether we paid CNY ¥279 (S$60) for 3 of us (inclusive 1 big bottle of YanJing Beer - the local produced Beijing beer). ^^

The place was not so big but consisted of two storey. It was in the alley but easy to find, within walking distance from Qian Men metro station. When you saw Madame Tussauds building, there was an alley on the right. The restaurant was just within 20 meters walk. Well, people's taste bud might be different from one to another but for me I loved it and would come back for more! :)

So that was how we spent our 3rd day in Beijing. Food, sightseeing, prayer, coffee time, what a great combination to spend your day with. Try it yourself if you visit the city! :)
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Beijing Itinerary - Day 4 Temple of Heaven

February 20, 2016, 12:12 am
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I still remembered the first time I visited this place back in year 1995. It was my first visit to Beijing together with my aunt, her mother-in-law and my cousins. It was during school holiday in summertime. I was dumbfounded when I looked into the magnificent structure in front of me. I saw it once before on the travel booklet but not knowing where exactly it was. I still felt like dreaming to witness that great creation on earth!!!

Temple of Heaven - 8th June 1997

From then onward, I visited the place again during my next stay and I purposely visited the place again before I went back home for good. It was a must visit place if you traveled to Beijing! It's a place where Emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasty used to visit to offer their prayers for the good harvest. Read more of its history here. So it was in my list, a definitely place to visit and let my son awed in wonder too! :)

We were here finally! ^^


We took metro Line 5 to TianTanDongMen, where the east gate was located. The ticket cost CNY ¥30 (S$6.50) per person, included the entrance to 3 most important places to visit inside.

Places enjoyed most by local elderly :)

It was such a huge area surrounded by parks where local elderly loved visiting to meet friends, to play music instrument, to dance, to exercise, to gamble, to date, to find date for their children, what??? Did I say anything wrong? No, I didn't!

Seven-Star Stone Park - Find a loved one here! ^^

I saw it on TV years before saying that many parents worried that their son or daughter, due to their busy life pursuing their career, had no time in finding their loved one, and therefore, not married yet. So in the park above, they stood there chitchatting, displayed a piece of paper on the floor containing details and description about their son and daughter, such as: birth year, height, weight, education background, current occupation, healthy, had house to stay, etc., plus what kind of person they were looking for, not forgetting their contact number. I didn't know that I could find such thing in real life over there!

Love quote (Source: Google.com)

Hm... to find the right one wasn't easy, was it? It required fate and good karma from past lives. Even if it came, the period would also depending. Some met for short time, and some could remain for a lifetime. Wasn't it a mystery? :)


Temple of Heaven - 4th December 2015

My son and I continued walking and visited the three main areas as per shown above. It was at different places and we had to walk a lot as the distance was quite far from one place to another. That's the main characteristic of visiting places in China. Everything was so big and huge, and you needed strong legs to browse the place around. So if you would love to visit China, do it while you were still young, strong, and healthy! :)

Browsed the surrounding parks - Temple of Heaven 

We were blessed with a beautiful weather and clear blue sky! We continued walking and visiting the surrounded parks. Felt the peace and serenity that it offered. How wonderful it was, especially if you walked there with your loved one, side be side and holding hands together so you wouldn't fall and at the same time, you could enjoy the scenery around you. Many trees were there since hundred over years ago. It was still standing sturdy and texture was smooth.  When tired, we sat at the seat provided under the trees. I filled up my travel journal then chit chatted with my dear son :)


Blessing quote :)

I felt truly blessed la! Never thought that one day I could bring my son there and we spent a great bonding time together, just he and I :)

Christmas mood at KFC Beijing :)

We went back to our hostel to collect the bag and stopped by at KFC to have snack meal. Too bad the Doraemon toy promotion had over, otherwise I could bring some toys back as souvenir :P

Roadside local snack - Kao Leng Mian - Fried cold noodles

We took metro back to my friend's house. While waiting for her, I felt a bit hungry. There was a snack seller at nearby area and I decided to buy one portion to taste as I'd never eaten it before. Hmmm.... not bad. Hot food was always great on such cold winter night! 

Japanese curry rice with love :)

Back home, my friend prepared her delicious Japanese curry rice as requested by son. Haha... Lucky him being able to taste his favourite food even as far as in Beijing! Thank you Hong Mei for the food. We loved it so much! And that was how our fourth day in Beijing went by! :)
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Good morning quotes

February 25, 2016, 4:14 pm
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Good morning quote sent by buddy colleague :)

Morning is the time where our mood decided our whole day happiness. Life can be rough sometimes. Even after a good night sleep, we still wake up with worry for what comes next.

Grateful quote :)

And this, can be overcome by being grateful for the good health and positive spirit we have, and for everything that happens in our life's journey.

Grateful beyond measure ^^

Apart from that, receiving good morning quotes from someone who cares and loves us is something that I've been feeling grateful.

Be positive quote reminder :)

Like the above. It was sent by my buddy colleague. We both are new and together we face our challenge at work together.



She is too, my partner in crime. We both were scolded for laughing too loud, which disturbed others who were working. In fact, lunch was the only time we had to destress our mind. Now, we had to be aware to lower down our laughter during our lunch break :P

Cute greeting sent by dear Mom :)

And the above picture was sent by my dear Mom :D She too, knows that I go through a challenging time and she would sent encouragement like the above to all of us, to motivate us, aside from her prayers everyday. Thank you Mom! Thank you dear friends! Thank you everyone who has made my morning positive and beautiful. And you too, can be one of term. Start today and make other's life beautiful!

Never quit quote

The above quote, let me dedicate it to all of you, who are also going through some rough times in life :)

Hello weekend! By Heather Rosehill

And ladies, if you like the above drawing, you can follow her Instagram and check her website. She draws beautifully and her quotes are motivating, especially for ladies :) So, wish you all a wonderful weekend lah! Have a great one and take care! ^^
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March, you are lovely! :)

March 2, 2016, 4:49 am
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Hello March by Heather Rosehill :)

Today the weather was really good. This evening after work, I decided to go to the park nearby my house with a book on my hand and a cotton handbag at another. I bought a burger and a cup of Pepsi on my way there.

I chose a place near the stony round chair and sat down on the grass. Hmmm.... it was soft, like a cotton. The tree above me protected me from the shade. "What a lovely day,"whispered me and smiled :)


I took the burger out from its wrapper and had a sip of Pepsi. Slurppp..... ahhhh.... it fed my thirst immediately! How long it'd been since the last time I had it. I wasn't usually taking soft drink. Perhaps, I took beer more often than that :D

I took a big bite on my burger. Crackkkk.... hmmmm..... this crispy chicken breast from the outside spellbound me. Again, when was the last time I had this junk food? Lol... I'd been eating so much less junk food as my age increased. Not a sign of aging, mind you. I'd just been more aware with what thing that entered into my body. As we knew, junk food wasn't that healthy for the body and the pocket :P


Slowly but sure I ate it up and emptied half cup of my soda. I lied my whole body down facing the grass then leisurely opened up my book and read it. What a treasure moment like this! This place was so harmonious!

Children were running around freely. They fell down sometimes, but they didn't cry. They got up and ran again, treating the grass as if it was a big layer soft carpet! They mixed around with anyone they met. Indian with Chinese, Malay with Vietnamese. Hm.... what a great place to live in!


The park was facing the river and I could hear the water sound from where I sat. What a wonderful place and day! And what a wonderful month - March, please be gentle with us. Let us smile and laugh again. But this time, let it be a real one! Wish you all a wonderful spring or autumn my dear readers! Hope yours are beautiful too! :)
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Learn from other people's experience :)

March 5, 2016, 4:54 pm
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I found and read one article from Facebook. The title is 20 vital things a 40-year-old lady wants women in their thirties to know. Check the link out ladies! Even if you're not in your thirties yes, it does no harm reading it. In fact, I totally agree with the messages written there. 

Have a beautiful Sunday morning! :)

Time passes by. Unknowingly I've come to the age where I guess I've lived and experienced enough things in life, especially in relation to study, relationship, work, friendship, health (mentally and physically), soul feeding, sports, traveling, spirituality, family matters, and so on. 

And obviously, I realized that it wasn't just me. I've grown up together for some time together with my siblings, spouse, and lots of friends surrounding me whose having almost the same age and generation. We meet often, discuss things, learn from each other's experience, sharing our weal and woe together. We experienced lost, hardship, changes in life. We too experienced many joy occasions in our life depending on choices we chose in our life. 

Rhonda Byrne's Quote

I'm glad that I've experienced all that in my life. Adversity in life was happened for good reasons. It strengthened and made us learning from it. It also reminded us the reality of life that nothing stayed permanently and changed were a constant part in our lives. 

However, despite all that, I'm deeply grateful that I received helps when needed, found my ways on how to live and spend my life with, balancing on things that I wanted to do, and most importantly, to live my life to the fullest, find happiness within when I need it. I hope everyone would find their paths and ways too so that they can proudly tell to themselves how they were able to overcome and continue to do so for the rest of their life's journey. 

Thank you, thank you, and thank you everyone! :)

And learning from other people's experience is always the greatest thing to do in life. So, I hope you could learn few things here and there and apply it into practice and let's see if it could help you overcome your life. 

Have a great Sunday folks! ;)
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Reading and to be read list book :)

March 12, 2016, 4:49 pm
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Despite hectic life at work, I tried squeezing my time to read, e.g. while sitting in the bus, before sleeping, and so on. These past few months I could only read two or three books the most!

Go Set A Watchman - Thank you Rekha for the book! ^^

Last month I finally read two Harper Lee's books - To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman. And now, I currently read one of Ernest Hemingway's books - The Sun Also Rises - as I hadn't read his book before and was curious about his writing. P.S. Thank you Kipchu for sending me the e-books :)

And yesterday, when having a morning walk with my Bhutanese friend cum blogger, Uden, we suddenly talked about books. She loved reading too. So this topic caught my attention immediately.

Uden and I :)

She was asking me what book I was currently reading and then she told me about her favourite books, which she recommended me to read. Below were her recommendation and it's gonna be my TBR book list when I got them on my hand :)

1. Book written by Indian novelist, whose book had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize the times, Anita Desai. Uden couldn't remember the title, but she told me she loved her writing so much and asked me to read at least one of her books. She had written almost twenty books in total. Maybe anyone of you would recommend me which book that I should read it first? :)

When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi 

2. "When Breath Becomes Air,"written by Paul Kalanithi. It's an inspirational book. The author had just finished a decade's training as a Neurosurgeon, when he was diagnosed with stage IV of lung cancer. With the remaining time of his life, he wrote this book as he wondered what made life worth living in the face of death. He died in March 2015, yet his words lived on as a guide for the rest who remained alive. Uden said he wrote it beautifully and meaningfully. So, this would be my must to be read book this year!!!

The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

3. The White Tiger written by another Indian author, Aravind Adiga. Uden didn't mention much about the content or story from this book. However, this book won the 40th Man Booker Prize in 2008. From the online review, this book depicted issues of caste, religions, loyalty, corruption, and poverty in India. Seemed interesting! :)

Thank you Uden for the list of books you recommended me yesterday! Hope I'd get it soon! Wish everyone a wonderful Sunday! Fill your time with reading book once in a while and hope one of the books listed above would be an inspiration of what to read next! ;)
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Take time to sharpen the axe

March 14, 2016, 4:59 pm
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Good morning! I hope all of you had a good sleep last night and wake up this morning with good health and mind, just like me ;) As I opened Facebook on my way to work, I saw these series of meaningful pictures that sometimes we all went through it unconsciously in our life.

This, intrigued me to share it to all of you on my blog. Here, let me thank the person who made these wonderful creations and hope you won't mind if I share your work here :)





















So, how was it? Do you agree with it? Wasn't it a good reminder for us? Share it around if you think someone that you care and love needing it ^^



"Take time to rest. Your body and soul need it." - I'll have mine soon ;)

Wish all of you have a marvelous day and remember to live your life to the fullest today and everyday! :)
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Reborn

March 25, 2016, 9:04 am
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A: "Hey!"

H: "What? 

A: "You know what?"

H: "What?"

A:"Your time is up. It's time for you to come back."

H:"But..."

A: "But what? You have tried your best."

H:"I know. But...."

A: "You have really tried your best. It's up to them to make good use of it or not. But your time is up dear."

H:"Tell me. Am I such a failure?"

A: "No. You are not. I can see how you put your heart and soul into it. And..."

H: "And what?"

A: "And you are now falling into it. That's why you are reluctant now."

H: "Well... Is it a mistake?"

A:"No. It isn't. You are just caring and loving too much. That's it."

H: "So how?"

A:"There is nothing you can do now. You see, things get better now. She's been happy with her life and she has already known what she must do now in order to live her life to her fullest. What else do you want? Unless.."

H: "Unless what?"

A:"Unless you are willing to let everything go and go back to the earth, be reborn again."

H: "Reborn again?"

A: "Yes, reborn again."

H: "But it means..."

A:"Yes, it means... you can be born as her son."

H: "Her son?"

A: "Yes, her son."

H: "But... I don't want to be her son. I want to be beside her, protect her all through her life."

A: "That's what the son's job is. To protect his mom all through her life."

H: "Well, I do want to, but her son?"

A: "You don't have much choice dear. Either you come back to where you belong, or you will be reborn as her son."

H: *speechless and head spun around...

Reborn quote - Source: Google.com


PS: This post was inspired by this afternoon's conversation with my besties. They were saying that Chinese believed that if the son was the Mom's past life's lover while the daughter was the Dad's past life's lover. Then I told them that in this case, my father must have had many lovers in the past, and my poor hubby didn't even have one... :D
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Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form.

March 31, 2016, 4:42 pm
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It was a hot Thursday evening. The sky was still bright as the sun was not setting down yet. I took my slippers and went down through elevator, walked aimlessly towards the nearby area.

"I need to destress," whispered me.

"From what?" The sound asked me from nowhere.

"From everything," answered me unwillingly to explain further.

"Such as?" It asked me again.

"Oh, come on! Gimme a break won't you? Why should I tell you everything?" I got annoyed.

"For your own good."It replied.

"What kind of goodness it will bring me? What I need is just time and space to cool myself down. And yet, here in the process, you keep pestering me with your incessant questions!"told me loud from inside my head. "Go away, will you?" pleaded me.

"I'm sorry. I can't. 'Cos I'm part of you and you're part of me. We are inseparable you see?" said the other side who was claiming to be part of me.

I ignored it and kept walking down, still aimlessly in neighbourhood area.

"Tell me. What's bothering you?" The sound wasn't giving up.

I ignored it once again.

"You know, in life, form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Form is no other than emptiness and emptiness is no other than form. The same is true with feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness."It kept talking.

"You copied it from somewhere. I heard it before," responded me.

"True. I copied it from somewhere. You read it before. You even realized it before. And now you remember it again, don't you?"It replied me bluntly.

"I do remember,"I said.

"So, throw whatever things that are bugging you right now. Instead, let it go,"advised the sound.

"I know what you mean. And I will let it go. I just need some time to cool down and let all this feeling go. I know you love and care about me, a lot. Me too. So, just let me have some peace moment for a while, will you? Don't you worry! I won't resort to anything stupid. Remember what I told you just now? I love and care a lot about you, about myself. So, trust me in this, understand?"

No reply was being received.

"Hallo? Hallo? Understand? Do you understand?"I turned my body to the back, left and right. But there wasn't any reply received.

Phewwww..... Finally it stopped bugging me.

Hey, what's that?

I saw a colorful piano with colorful wall at the background lying down beautifully.

"Play me. I'm yours." It was written on top.

"Play me. I'm yours."

I couldn't stop myself admiring it and immediately took a seat on the piano seat and my both hands started clinking down playing the old cheery song that I learned from my school mate during my college time.

It was continued with more and more cheery play that I used to learn during my childhood time.

"Form is emptiness and emptiness is form. Form is no other than emptiness and emptiness is no other than form. The same is true with feeling, perception, intention, and consciousness..." 

The words came into my mind as I played the songs and suddenly I felt so light even wanted to fly......

P.S. This post was inspired by the beautiful and colorful piano that was put outside one shopping mall in Little India and it allowed public to play it to brighten up the days of the passerby. And the wise words were taken from Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra or Bo Ri Bo Luo Mi Duo Xin Jing - my favorite mantra at all times :)
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Appreciate life itself

April 5, 2016, 4:54 pm
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"Why people must work?" - This question was raised by my ex-colleague this morning and yes, many people like him and me would also raise the same question, especially those who live here, in the world's most expensive country.

I replied, not giving him answers though, "Great question! I also think that. Why don't we strike Toto then rest for the rest of our lives?"

"Yalo... rest and play," he added.

"Rest and travel," I corrected according to my wish :P

Hmm.... it's dilemma isn't it?

Those who are working wish not to work and those who are jobless, wish to get employed. And since we know that emptiness is form, and form is emptiness, so why we still have to drag ourselves down to our working place every single morning and face any kind of challenges everyday?

At the end, most suitable answer will be - for money. If we can survive without money, I don't think people will drag themselves to work, won't they? There are only few percentage of people would work because they love to work, because they love their job, or because they love challenges and it's never enough to face challenges in their lives.

Hahaha... I'm not trying to demotivate you by saying all this guys! It's just somehow that kind of thought will pop up in our brain, especially when we are too tired and facing too much challenges in life.

Every day I always find reasons on why I should go on and I can easily find hundreds reasons to keep going, even to feel very much grateful that I have one. Although it's not really the kind of ideal job, it's still acceptable. And don't just look at the job itself. There are many other more things that I should be grateful with.

Appreciate life quote (Photo background: river life and sunset in Hoi An, central Vietnam)

For example: start my day early so I can have a daily dose of sunrise from my bus window while sitting down comfortably, instead of standing up and fighting for a space inside the over crowded MRT, shorter working hour so I can reach home early and get more time to do things I love doing (including sleep), spend traveling time on bus reading my books and writing my morning journal and sometimes typing my blog post like this, with air-con blowing comfortably ;)

And the most motivating factor is when the payslip email notification popping up from my monitor. It means it's paying day again and a sum of money will be transferred into my bank account ^^

Well, you'll know the rest of the story... hahaha... Anyway, in any moment you feel tired, fed up, angry, take some time to cool down. You can also vent your frustration out just to release and not to create trouble. After a while, find reasons why you should be grateful with all you have and you'll get back on your feet again almost immediately!

So, I wish everyone out there a great day and week ahead! Remember, life is not always a bed of roses. Thorns help you to appreciate the flowers. And hardship helps one to appreciate the beauty of life. Remember to take good care of your health too and aware on what enters into your mouth. Eat daily dose of fruits and vegetables and drink more water. Have a great life ahead! :)
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Mistakes

April 9, 2016, 9:13 am
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I am wise quote (Source: Google.com)

Who has never made mistakes before??? Anyone???

This month end, in one of the days of the month-end closing, I found out that I'd made a careless mistake when posting the invoice. The posting was done just a week before, when the work volume was unusually high, as everyone would submit their invoices, in order to close their deals and generate as much revenue as they could.

Fyi, I currently work at MNC (multinational company) where I handle posting invoices from many different countries. So, it was purely accidental mistake when I found out, after receiving email from the other region's manager, that I posted the invoice using the wrong currency (I posted it in US dollar instead of Thailand Baht). So imagine the difference it made in the price between these two currencies.

I was feeling very bad as I didn't do my job well. And I had this feeling that everyone would doubt and underestimate my capability, thinking that I was not capable enough in doing my work, in which it was very important to be detailed, accurate, and correct in regards with money related matter. Sigh...

We were born not to be perfect (Source: Google.com)

Well, I'm not a perfectionist. However, I always try my best to do my job well and ensure that I do my work right and as accurate as possible. So this one mistake had brought me into a very low mood that day. I confessed it to someone I was very closed with and he tried his best to console me saying that,"Everybody will make mistake. Don't count your mistake. Count your efforts. You are doing your best and your efforts would definitely outnumber your mistakes. So, be happy ok? "


Every mistake is a progress quote (Source: Google.com)

Hmm.... his words soothed me a little bit. He was right. I'd tried my best. And who in the world never made any mistakes? No one blamed me anyway. My boss didn't scold me. She just checked with me if I made a mistake when posting it. What I did next was to rectify the mistake and make it right, then apologise to the region's manager for the mistake that I'd done. She was replying me, "It's OK."She even added the'smile'emoticon behind it.

Mistakes are always forgivable quote (Source: Google.com)

Later on in the evening when I was checking my work, suddenly I found unusual currency posting in one of the invoices too. All the previous invoices were posted in Euro, but the last one was posted in US dollar. After checking it, I found out that the invoice was posted by my boss. So I went over to her office and checked with her if the invoice that she posted was given in which currency. And true enough. After checking it, it turned out that she too posted it in wrong currency. It was supposed to be posted in Euro. So, what she did next was to rectify the problem and post it correctly.

It is how we correct them that defines us quote (Source: Google.com)

I immediately felt much better right after that, because if someone who was more capable than me would even make the same mistake, then why I took it so hard? I felt even much much better when the next day I received email from my boss to do a task that I'd never done before. I asked the other colleague who also received the same email. When he opened, he told me that this email was not for me, but it's for someone who had the similar name with me :P

Hahaha.... Even after working here for almost 3 months, my boss could send the email to the wrong name. So what it was when I sent the wrong message to her instead of my colleague just days after I started working there? Read about the incident here :D

Learn from mistake and move on quote  (Source: Google.com)

In the end I realize that all of us makes mistake once in a while in our life. Well, we may feel bad about it. However, don't let it drag our mood so low as people know that mistake is unavoidable and nobody is perfect in doing their thing. It is forgivable anyway as what you should do next is to acknowledge your mistake and rectify the problem. That's more important than just grieving about it for days, weeks, even months, and later on you end up making a regrettable decision (such as to quit your job) as you feel that you are not capable enough.

Making mistake is a part of life quote (Source: Google.com)

Like what my friend said, your efforts would definitely outnumber your mistakes. So, cheer up! Learn from the mistake and move on! Jia you! ;)
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MacRitchie Trails Part 1 - TreeTop Walk

April 17, 2016, 5:20 pm
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Morning walk had been one of activities that my besties and I preferred having lately once every weekend. We chose morning as I couldn't bask in too much sunlight and with the lately hot weather, it'd been better to avoid staying outdoor too much in the afternoon.

Lets walk! ^^

We usually walked to the national parks that we had been and/ or had never been before. One of them was MacRitchie. I'd heard about it from other friends many times before and finally I had a chance to browse the place myself :)

TreeTop Walk (Venus entrance)

One of my besties went before so she was our guide there. We met up at Bishan bus interchange and took bus number 52 or 410W and went down at Blk 454 (about 10 stops from Bishan bus interchange). We had to walk and cross the road to reach the car park  (Venus entrance). And that's where our journey begun.

MacRitchie Trails Map (Photo courtesy: National Parks)

If you see the map above, the place was quite huge. Instead of browsing the place in one day, we separated our trails into few different days. This time, our journey would be to go to the TreeTop (north part with the bridge picture on it). Fyi, TreeTop Bridge was a 250-metre suspension bridge that connects the two highest points in MacRitchie and the Jelutong Tower, a 7-deck observation tower. 

TreeTop Walk operating hours are as per follow:

- Tuesday to Friday: 9am -5pm
- Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 8.30am – 5pm

*Closed on Mondays, except on Public Holidays

MacRitchie Trails

We walked through the natural environment with small water stream with small and some bigger fishes, surrounded by big and small trees (some even bearing fruits), natural sound of the birds, insects, and be careful with the monkeys. They had very sharp eyes especially towards food inside the transparent plastic bag. My friend's son's Ribena (packed drink) was snatched away when they just entered the TreeTop Bridge and she was shocked with the sudden and fast attack.

TreeTop Bridge

It was a great walk lah! There was place to rest before or after going to TreeTop Bridge - Terentang Hut (toilet and water cooler). There was ascending road towards the direction and descending when returning back. And we had to walk back to Venus gate when returning back home.

Walking chart  (Photo courtesy: PY)

I loved the fresh air there and the natural touch of the place which I thought not many were available in Singapore. And through this route, we walked 7.21 km for 2 hours plus. I'd definitely come back for more. Loving it! :)
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MacRitchie Trails Part 2 - MacRitchie Reservoir

April 18, 2016, 5:02 pm
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MacRitchie Trails Map  (Photo courtesy: National Parksl

When people mentioned MacRitchie, the MacRitchie Reservoir would pop right into my mind. As for our first walk in the area (read about it here), I thought my bestie would bring me to the Reservoir. But if you have a look at the map above, the reservoir is located at the southeast part of the area, which isn't near with TreeTop Bridge. You have to walk for another few kilometer in order to see it. That's why we came back again at another week :)

MacRitchie Trails Part 2 :)

Same place, same time. We met at Bishan bus interchange and took bus no 52 or 410W (about 10 stops) and alighted at Blk 454. We walked to the Venus car park in about 10 minutes from the stop.

My besties and I :)

So we were ready to go! ^^ This time, we walked towards southeast part of the park, to see the MacRitchie Reservoir :)

Natural beauty - MacRitchie Trails :)

Here, we walked through pristine forest. The trees protected us from the sun. Many people came here to jog. So make sure to keep left when walking or jogging there as the hiking trails weren't that wide.

Sun rays among the trees :

As the sun went up, we could catch their rays among the trees like the photo shown above. There were birds and other animal sound along our way, added the beauty of the nature that had already been beautiful! :) I walked myself down the road path, engulfed myself in the quietness, just live there at the present moment.

Finally! MacRitchie Reservoir! :)

After some time, we finally reached the Reservoir. There was park where people could do some exercise.

MacRitchie Reservoir - Singapore

Here, people could rent the kayak too! It's as serene as the forest. Again, beware of the monkeys. There were many walking freely :)

Workout details (Photo courtesy: PY)

Surprisingly we only walked that much and time taken was only 1 hour and 20 minutes. I expected longer route though ^^ Anyway, we are going to take another route and I'll cover it next time! ;) Wish you all have a great life out there! Spend your precious time wisely and most importantly, be happy! Have a great week ahead! :)
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5D4N Itinerary to Central Vietnam - Day 1 and 2: Hue

April 19, 2016, 4:27 pm
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My journey to Central Vietnam started when my ex-schoolmate was suddenly sending me message on my We Chat and asking me to go over there before her employment contract with her company ended. We had talked about it so often before, that one day we’d spend our time together there, visiting places, although initially we even thought of visiting northern part of Vietnam. But due to my leave constraint, I could only take three days off plus weekend, and here I shared with you my itinerary on what to see and where to go if you planned to go there :)

Let's go! :)

From Singapore, I took VietJet Air – the international low-cost airline launched back in 2011 – as recommended by my friend. It was newer plane and hence, safer? I booked VietJet Air from Singapore (stopped once in Ho Chi Minh), and returned using Jetstar - direct flight including meal and a 20-kg baggage - that cost me the total of SGD 250-260 (less than USD 190).

Singapore - Ho Chi Minh - Danang by VietJet Air 

Day 1 - Flight from Singapore - Ho Chi Minh - Danang 

I flew in the afternoon time at 1 pm from Singapore and finally reached Danang at 7.30 pm (transit in Ho Chi Minh about 4 hours until the next flight flying). I stayed at Angsana Lang Co in Hue, Vietnam, and it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach there, by taking the complimentary hotel’s shuttle bus. The sky had turned dark by the time I reached the hotel and my friend had been so tired waiting for my arrival. However, she was smiling upon meeting me, welcoming me to my ready-made room, and chit chatting until very late at night :)

Day 2 – Hue, Central Vietnam.

Beautiful Angsana Lang Co Resorts - Hue, Vietnam :)

We had breakfast in the hotel. It offered international spread buffet completed with free-flow of Sparkling wine on the buffet table. You could taste variety of local food too, like Bánh mì (Vietnamese baguette), Vietnam coffee (hot or cold), Bún bò Huế (Hue style chicken rice noodle soup), Bánh chưng (glutinous rice w/ mung bean dim sum like food), and so on. I had my share enough and thanked my friend for the treat :)

Visiting Hue Imperial Palace or Citadel - Central Vietnam

We took the complimentary shuttle bus provided by the hotel to Hue at 10 am sharp. There were few guests coming with us. It took us one hour and fifteen minutes to reach the Hue bus station, in the middle of the Hue city. Both of us walked directly towards Hue Imperial City, also known as the Citadel, and met my friend’s Vietnamese colleague, Huyen.

Renovated area inside the Hue Imperial Palace :)

My friend accompanied me entering into the Citadel while Huyen was waiting outside, enjoying her fresh coconut drink under the shady trees. We paid VND 150,000 entrance fee (around USD 7) per pax and browsed the place ourselves. My friend guided me on where to visit and what to see as she’d been there for many times before too. Although her knowledge in regards of the Imperial history was limited, she tried her best to explain the famous figure and landmark of the area to me

Historical site - Citadel at Hue, Central Vietnam 

I never realized that the place was so huge!!! There were no proper signage to show the directions too. Luckily she went inside with me, otherwise I would get lost, walking round and round. It’s interesting to learn about their history. It’s pretty similar with what Chinese had. I imagined those Chinese drama when reading into their explanation :P

Hanh Restaurant - Serving local Hue delicacies

After two hours, we finally went out. We took cab to Hanh Restaurant. It’s Trip Advisor 2015 Winner for restaurant serving the authentic Hue cuisine, as recommended highly by Huyen.

Delicious Hue local dishes at Hanh Restaurant :)

She helped us ordering their delicious local dishes, such as: Bánh bèo Huế (steamed rice cake topped with chopped fresh shrimp and pork skin, served with sweet fish sauce and chili – VND 60,000 or USD 2.70 per set), Bún thịt nướng (rice noodles with BBQ pork – VND 30,000 or USD 1.40 per bowl), Nem lụi (lemongrass skewers – grilled minced pork – rolled in rice paper, vegetable, and peanut sauce at VND 70,000 or USD 3.20 per set), Bánh cuốn (steamed rice sheet filled with BBQ pork, cilantro, served with sweet and sour fish sauce at VND 30,000 or USD 1.40 per plate), plus a bottle of cold Huda beer for me in such warm afternoon! Ooohh…. The food and beer were equally delicious!!! I enjoyed every bits of it and felt very thankful to Huyen to bring us there! :)

Thien Mu Pagoda - Hue, Central Vietnam 

After filling our stomach, her friend, Tin, came with her motorcycle. Huyenhad asked her help to bring both of us around the Hue city. Our next destination was Chùa Thiên Mụ or Thiên MụPagoda. It was a historic temple in the city. There was seven stories pagoda, sitting on the Hà Khê Hill, facing the bank of the Perfume River. There was a giant bell, which weighed 3285 kg, and a statue of a large marble turtle – as symbol of longevity – on the left and right of the Pagoda. We walked around the area and went inside the main temple for prayer. I felt a heartfelt gratitude for Huyen and Tin to bring us there. This temple was exactly the place that I wanted to visit most during this trip, where it brought my heart closer to Buddha :) Thank you so much!

Motor ride in Hue :)

Next, we took almost 10 km ride towards outskirts of Hue, to the Tomb of Khải Định– Chau Chu Mountain. The weather changed cooler as we walked towards mountainous area and again, I felt a heartfelt gratitude for finally being able to have motorcycle ride in Vietnam! Although I wasn’t the driver, I could feel the sense of freedom in it. I was so so very happy and didn’t stop smiling all throughout the journey :)

Tomb of Khai Dinh - Hue, Vietnam 

Due to the limited time, I had to enter the tomb myself. The ticket cost VND 100,000 or USD 5 for foreigner. Khải Định was Emperor of Vietnam back in 1916. He prepared the mausoleum himself, influenced by French and European architectural style into his Oriental style. You had to climb the staircases up to reach the mausoleum and altar monument. It’s beautiful and unique, worth visiting!

Delicious Banh Canh Cua - Crab soup and sugar cane drink :)

The rests were sipping sugarcane drinks and I joined them afterwards. We rode back to Hue city. Before returning back to the bus station, Huyen brought us to taste their local Bánh canh cua (thick crab soup with Vietnamese rice noodles). We were sitting on the short plastic stools with short wooden table facing the roadside. Hhmmm… another delicious local delicacy and each bowl only cost us VND 20,000 (less than USD 1)!!! What a steal man!!! I really wished to go back and taste all their delicious local dishes! ^^

Rest of our time in Angsana Lang Co - Hue, Vietnam 

By 5pm, we went back into the Hue bus station to take the shuttle bus. At 7pm, my friend went singing Karaoke, where the room was located inside the Rice Bowl Restaurant. Too bad the MTV video wasn’t original and they could not shut their centralised music down. It was quite difficult in finding the latest songs too. Hahaha… We just sang in about an hour plus then decided to leave. Instead of going back to our room, we both played the pool (our own style and rules) for another hour or two. It’d been a tiring and long day for both of us. We took a bath, had a supper (in-room dining), then went to sleep. What a beautiful day we had!!! ;)
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5D4N Itinerary to Central Vietnam – Day 3: Hoi An

April 21, 2016, 7:58 am
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Xin chào or Hello in Vietnamese language :) Read about day 1 itinerary in Hue here. 

With a takeaway Iced Vietnamese coffee, we hopped into the hotel’s shuttle bus at 8 am. Today we were heading to Hội An, an ancient town recognized as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was a well-preserved example of a South-east Asian trading port back in 15th to 19th century. The journey took us about two hours to reach.

Journey to Hoi An from Hue :)

On our way, I updated my travel journal, then after sometime, I looked at the beach and rows of beautiful houses out there. It faced directly to the sea, a dream place to live in for many people in the world. When my friend told me the salary that her local colleagues earn, it made me thinking that those houses must be purchased only by the richest or otherwise by foreigners who married local and wanted to move outside from their countries for good :D

It was a bit hazy that day and temperature shot up to 30 degree Celsius. We stopped once at the marble shop for a toilet break. Many similar shops could be found along the roadside. My friend said that the marble mountain was just located nearby. She also explained to me about the development plan around the integrated resort area where we stayed, in the very near future. In short word, this place would boom and develop. So, you will have more choice on where to stay and what to do ;)

Post cards - Hoi An, Vietnam 

We finally reached Hoi An. We started walking around and going into shop to purchase some post cards :) Just a reminder, don’t buy too fast without checking the price at other shops. The post card I bought was sold at VND 10,000 or USD 0.45 each, but I bargained and bought 8 pcs for VND 65,000 or USD 3. However, later on I found the shop that sold the same post cards at only VND 5,000 or USD 0.22 each!!! Alamak…. :P

The other side of the Japanese Bridge - Hoi An, Vietnam 

Fyi, visitor was asked to purchase the entrance ticket to enter the Hoi An Ancient Town at VND 120,000 or USD 5.50 per pax (for adults above 16 years old). However, for frequent visitor like my friend, she refused to buy the ticket and brought me to enter through another entrance where the staff was not that strict. And once entered, we could not go out from the area, unless we planned to go out for good to avoid the ticket checking at the rest of the gates.

Japanese Bridge - Hoi An, Central Vietnam :)

The first place we visited was the iconic Japanese covered bridge - Chùa cầu– a unique covered structure built by Japanese with Buddhist temple on it connecting Tran Phu and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street. It was believed to be created by Japanese who lived in Hoi An as a way to reach the Chinese quarter across the water. There were sculptures of dog and monkey at each end side of the bridge representing the Chinese years in which many Japanese Emperors were born and also the fact that the building of the bridge began in the year of dog and was completed in the year of monkey.

Hoi An Ancient Town

There were many cultural museums available at nearby area too, however, since we didn’t purchase the entrance ticket, we were not able to enter. Anyway, not very interested to visit those museums though. We spent most of our time relishing the scenic, old yellow building structures in the area, entering into various shops, buying some souvenirs, taking photos, and finally had our breakfast cum lunch at 2 pm.

Morning Glory - Hoi An, Vietnam

My friend brought me to the restaurant called Morning Glory. It was another recommended restaurant to visit by Trip Advisor. Oh, I was so hungry and tired!!! I ordered Bánh xèo (savory crispy pancake made of rice and mung bean flour, flavored with turmeric, folded and filled with shrimp, pork, and bean sprout, and served with peanut sauce, fresh herbs, star fruits and green banana at VND 75,000 or USD 3.50 per portion) and a bowl of Cao lầu (Hoi An’s most famous dish – rice noodles with marinated pork, fresh herbs, and croutons in a light, delicious broth at VND 55,000 or USD 2.50 per bowl), while my friend was having Hoi An wonton noodle soup with crab meat at VND 85,000 or USD 4 per bowl.

Coco Bana - Hoi An, Vietnam 

Oh, it felt good after that because we were filled and topped up enough energy to walk again :) At first I wanted to have fresh coconut at the newly opened shop called Coco Bana, however, after going inside, they sold more fruit infused green tea rather than coconut. The shop was designed uniquely and the staff was friendly. He let me browsing inside their store and introduced me what they sold. There were bikes with rattan basket behind it. He said, the bike were for anyone to ride around the area – for free. However, there was one condition to fulfill, which was for the rider to collect any plastic material rubbish they saw along the road, which afterwards, they would pass it to a granny, who then sell it to earn some money, as part of the sharing to community cause initiated by the shop owner. Wonderful, wasn’t it?

Hoi An wet market

We browsed around the wet market and got our instant Vietnamese coffee sold by one granny. We purchased a pack of fresh mangoes and jackfruits at VND 20,000 or USD 0.90 each. Wow! I wish I stayed there so I could buy and eat them every day!!! :D I finally had fresh coconut from the roadside, also only cost VND 20,000 or USD 0.90 each!!! My friend had New Zealand ice cream from one restaurant along the riverside.

Along the Thu Bon River - Hoi An, Vietnam :)

We spent our time walking along the Thu Bồn River towards evening and watching beautiful sunset. The place started to get crowded. Many people ate along the river with its small stool and table. The view and the environment was so wonderful!!!

Send my wish to the river :)

At the bridge, I saw a granny with long stick, stack of small open box, with small candle inside. My friends said that I could make a wish by lighting the candle and put the open box into the flowing river. I took out the note and passed it to the granny. She immediately lighted up the candle and passed the long stick to me so that I could put it down into the river. I closed my eyes and passed my usual wish from the bottom of my heart :)

Our dinner at Seedlings - Hoi An, Vietnam :)

Once the sun had set, we proceed to a first restaurant launched by Laguna Lang Co under Banyan Tree’s group, called Seedlings that provided training and job opportunities for disadvantaged local youth, giving them the necessary life skills for their future career in hospitality industry. It was located very near to the bridge. We were actually still pretty full from our late lunch plus drink and ice cream we had but still, I did not want to miss trying Hoi An signature dish - white rose dumplings or Banh Bao Vac and Cao lầu or rice noodles with Cashew pork plus their refreshing cocktail called Summer Seedlings :) Hhhmmm…. Nyummy…. :)

Ice cream time! ^^

Done with dinner, we proceeded to the nearby Night market. We had a piece of traditional ice cream stick each as dessert.

Beautiful lantern at Hoi An, Vietnam :)

My friend insisted me to go to Hoi An until night time as you could find range of colorful Vietnamese lantern being sold. Many people took photos, including the newly wedding couple. They too used the lantern for their wedding photos’ background :)

Hoi An Night Market - Vietnam

We walked through the whole stretch of the road to see what they had in store. Majority was handicrafts, souvenirs, local snacks, and so on. Bargaining and comparing prices were a must!!!

The bus left at 9 pm and we reached Angsana two hours later. Both of us were soo… tired. After taking a bath and drying our hair, we went to sleep. That was how our second day passed :) Continue next on the day 3.
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Thank you for giving me the best day of my life

April 22, 2016, 2:26 am
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I still remember the first day I saw you quote :)

Wow!!! I can hear the roaring thunders outside our office’s window. It’s been a while since the last time I heard it. I turn my head back and looked outside. The sky has turned dark and gloomy, not suitable for a day like this, Friday afternoon.

I have shopping plan to be done after work, to buy food stuffs for our early Mother’s Day dinner celebration. Just hope the rain will stop soon but leave the cool and comfortable weather around.

These past few days, I can’t catch the sunrise view from my bus window too. It’s been more than a week now. Thick clouds, hazy clouds have prevented the sun from rising up and shining its rays gracefully. As if they know that my heart is gloomy. OH, what a feeling!

“My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all
The morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all
And even if I could it'd all be grey, but your picture on my wall
It reminds me that it's not so bad
It's not so bad

I drank too much last night, got bills to pay
My head just feels in pain
I missed the bus and there'll be hell today
I'm late for work again
And even if I'm there, they'll all imply that I might not last the day
And then you call me and it's not so bad
It's not so bad and

I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life
Oh… just to be with you is having the best day of my life”

The acoustic guitar and melodious sound from Sound Cloud played from my handphone – posted by Dr Ben Studio– filled the whole office area. Everyone is so quiet and enjoying it. It really suits their mood, especially mine.

Alas!!! How it can coincidentally happen as I really missed my bus this morning and came late for work, due to the binge drinking last night with my friends, as we are separating very soon, plus something else that hid well in somewhere, in the corner of my heart.

Thank you for giving me the best day of my life quote

Except that…., there is no longer you beside me, nor any call or voice sound to be heard. It’s all over. It’s all end. That’s it. No matter what, I still want to thank you… for giving me the best day of my life… for giving me the best day of my life…

P.S. This post is inspired by the heavy rain and thunder outside.My friend once asked me to write when it was raining. The mood never appeared until today. So, here I dedicate this raining post for you. Hope you like it! :) Happy weekend everyone!!!
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5D4N Itinerary to Central Vietnam – Day 4: Angsana – Banyan Tree – Lang Co Resort

April 23, 2016, 9:36 am
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Back to weekdays now! The weekend had been well spent both in Hue and Hoi An! My friend got back to her duty and I had enough time for myself to enjoy :)

View from the balcony - Angsana, Hue, Vietnam 

After plenty of time spent sleeping and resting (after two full enjoyable days spent fully), I was greeted by the sun shine from my hotel’s room window. I took a bath, brushed my teeth, and packed my things.

Finally relaxing time!!! :)

My friend gave me permission to use her private swimming pool that located just outside her room. However, the weather was too hot for me :P Nevertheless, I still went there, sitting on one of the pool chairs facing the pool and the sea, listening to the music from my iPad mini, and writing out post cards and letter to my loved ones; not forgetting to munch the fresh mangoes and jackfruits that we bought the day before at the Hoi An wet market as breakfast :)

Jet Ski for lunch anyone? ;)

In the afternoon, I met up with my friend and her colleague for lunch. It was unusual lunch though, as we took Jet Ski to reach the destination ;) I sat behind and my friend started stirring it. Ouch!!! The waves, I tell you, were quite strong that day. It was my second Jet Ski experience (first one was done in Lake Toba, Medan – Indonesia, where the water was much calmer). Although we were all equipped with life-vest jacket, I was still not that willing to swim into the sea that afternoon :P So my friend tried her best to stir and ride it safely to our destination.

Lunch at the beach :)

There were huts along the beach and we went to one of them. Like usual, we sat on the small stools with our feet touching the sands and my friend’s colleague (local Vietnamese) started ordering some fresh seafood :) I really wanted to have cold beer I swear! But we still had to ride the Jet Ski back after lunch. Therefore, I had to turn the desire off and had mineral water instead ^^”

Clam with lemongrass, chili and ginger :)

First dish that came was a pot filled with clams, cooked with fresh lemongrass, chili, and ginger. Hm…. It tasted really delicious!!! With chopstick, we took the clam one by one, removed it from the shell, and munch it slowly. I scooped the fresh clam juice and slurped it slowly, felt the fresh sour and spicy taste to the fullest! I wished I could have another pot! Hahaha….. :P

BBQ Squid, Steamed Fish and Baked Oyster

Second dish was a plate of BBQ grilled squid with bowl of chili sauce and mayo. It was a little bit dry, but still nice. Third dish was another of my favorite – baked oyster topped with grated peanut and sauce. Hhhhmmmm…. Nyummy….. hehehe…. Last but not least was steamed fish Vietnamese style. I didn’t really like the last one though as they put salty vegetables with it. Altogether it cost us VND 600,000 or USD 27 for 3 of us. My friend was chatting freely with her colleague while I was listening to them and enjoying the beach scenery and air :)

Helpful Vietnamese. Thank you! :)

After lunch, we found that our Jet Skis were stuck deep inside the sand. Two women and one man would be impossible taking it out to the water. With one phone call, a group of 4 young Vietnamese men, who happened to have lunch at the same restaurant with us, plus the owner, came immediately to offer their helping hand. Wow! I was touched with their solidarity and spirit to help without expecting anything in return. Cảm ơn bạn or thank you lah everyone!!! :)

View around the island

This time I sat behind my friend’s colleague. We had a ride circling the island, gave me opportunity to take a look what existed surrounding the island, at the same time enjoying the ride :) Thank you both of you for the wonderful experience and kept me safe throughout the journey!

Both of them had to go back to work. I continued my activity. This time, accompanied by two resort’s staffs, I managed to try the Vietnamese basket boat. I saw it in Internet before and was wondering how it felt like to be inside it. The hotel had provided such facility for their guests to try and I would never miss out such an opportunity :D

Experienced the Vietnamese Basket Boat :)

One younger staff rowed and stirred the boat, while another one, whose hand was injured, helped me out taking photos throughout the journey hehehe…. The younger one saw me could not stand with the sun. He immediately removed his Vietnamese hat and passed it for me, asking me to wear it :) Oh, it was really useful lo! I felt cool and comfortable :) And it wasn’t as easy as I expected to control the boat. Without the staff around, I might have stirred it dunno where already hahahaha…. Or perhaps it ended up drowning into the lagoon :P

Cycling around Lang Co Resorts area :)

Ohh… although I felt a bit sore in my arm, it didn’t stop me from continuing the next activity, which was cycling around the Lang Co integrated resort area :D At first I wanted to cycle outside the resort area, to have a look at the real local life out there, but the timing did not suit me. So, no choice lah! Not much time left for me there. I chose one of the bicycles that were parked at the main entrance area. Guests were allowed to use it for free. So, there I went browsing the area nearby and made a visit to their new Organic farm just the opposite of the golf range.

Beautiful Banyan Tree Resort :)

In evening time, we checked in to Banyan Tree’s hotel room, which looked more like a villa to me, with a private pool and Jacuzzi in each room, facing directly to the sea. My friend booked one night for both of us to stay. After putting our stuffs into the room, we faster rode the electric buggy up to the hill, to catch the evening view and have dinner at their signature Thai restaurant – Saffron.

Great dining experience at Saffron - Banyan Tree Hue, Vietnam 

Wow!!! If you decided to stay in this hotel, I really recommended you to experience not only the delicacies, but also the service rendered by the staffs! It was really stunning!!! Many chose sitting outdoor with a direct view towards the beach and resorts, while three of us were sitting comfortably inside their beautifully decorated air-conditioned restaurant. It was my last night there in Vietnam and very grateful that I decided to have my dinner there.

After dinner, we were going back to the room. We were so full and could not sleep immediately. I asked my friend to soak ourselves inside the Jacuzzi. It was filled with warm water. Very comfortable sitting there and let the bubbles pampered our bodies. I sat and stared up there high in the sky while waiting for my friend to join me. It felt so quiet, peaceful, and wonderful. Once my friend joined in, we had chit chat too. Our conversation was like never ending. There were always topic for us to say :)

So, stomach was full. Body was pampered inside the Jacuzzi. What else? A can of beer, snack, then had a good night sleep. It’s been a wonderful day and it left me with another half day to go before heading back home. Stay tune for my last day experience in Vietnam and thank you for reading! :)
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One day. Yes, one day...

April 28, 2016, 5:34 pm
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"I want to find a volunteer work abroad. But I don't know what I'm good at. Lol! Not sure if i can make it also with my health condition. I want to try at least 6 months. At least once in my life,"typed me on my handphone screen to my bestie who stayed abroad.

"Come to my place sometime. And stay free. Don't work. Just eat and sleep,"replied him.

"Woahhh.. so good ah??? Hahahaha... Volunteer to cook maybe? ;)" I typed again.

"I mean it. No need to do that even,"said him firmly.

"Why made you do that for me?" asked me curiously.

"Because you deserve it."

Still in my mind our conversation that night. And now, here I am, on my way to Chau, a small village at the land of the blue dragon.

After some time, I finally made my mind coming here, to make my wish realized, dreams come true, as a volunteer in an organisation that protected Vietnamese youth from being trafficked as slave, or sold as prostitute, sending kids to school or training center, providing shelter to homeless boys and girls, and so on.

I will stay here for 6 months and help them writing and promoting the organisation, to find more donors from worldwide. After all, I'm capable of writing and hope it may bring awareness to outside world. I'm sure many people out there are willing to contribute to society, if not physical work, then in monetary way.

And in this rough, stony and dusty road, my mind imagined only the best and positive thing that will happen in the next six months. They already warned me the condition of the village that I'm going to stay. Hike at least an hour to reach their so called office, limited Internet access plus poor electricity and clean water access, very humble space to live in, limited health care access, and so on. It won't deter me anyway!

One day... yes one day.... :)

And once all this over, I'll then message my bestie back and claim for his words, let myself relax - just eat and sleep - no work.

P.S. It's just my imagination. Not the real story. However, it's what I want to do in my life, at least once. Don't know when and where, let's cross my fingers that this day will finally come. One day. Yes, one day :)
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