Overcome life

Bhutanese name usually consists of two words. E.g. Tashi Namgay, Karma Wangchuk, Nima Tshering, and so on. But none of it represents the family name like what Chinese or other nationalities named their descendants. And in the beginning, I didn't know that many people were having the same name as their names were gotten mostly from perhaps the same Lhakang (temple) when they were just born as babies. Mostly were having religious meaning, e.g. Gyeltshen means victory, Lhamo means queen or Goddess, etc. The name could also be given based on the day you were born. E.g. if you were born on Sunday, you'll be given a name - Dawa. On Monday - Migmar. On Tuesday - Lhakpa. On Wednesday - Phurba, and so on.

Bhutanese names (Source: Wikipedia.org)

So when I knew someone, I thought their siblings would share at least the same name with them in the beginning or later word, but it wasn't the case at all. Sometimes you may not even know from the name whether it was man's or woman's name. So I was a little confused in the beginning and not accustomed with it. However, over time, my concept has changed and I began to understand.

Well, that's just the introduction. What I want to share here was not really confused about their names, but, let's just read on...

I have a female Bhutanese friend called Tashi Yangzom (name has been altered for personal reason). She has just graduated from New Delhi. While waiting for the civil servant exam, she helps her sister taking care of her few months old baby on the day to day basis. She posted the baby photos sometimes in her Facebook, also in We Chat.

One day, I was surprised to see her posting more photos of her sister's baby on the Google+. Sometimes, it was comment. For example: "Parenting is about making your baby feel comfortable even it means your discomfort."

Comment screenshot

When I read that, I was like 'Woahhh.... so deep! She was really into parenthood although it wasn't her baby.' So I wrote a comment there,"You'll be a good Mom. Just like your Mom wished, find a good guy soon."(She mentioned to me once in the letter that her Mom couldn't wait for her to get married soon).

Then I saw her posting a photo of the baby with the mother, but the head was posted only half. So my hands were automatically posting another comment, "So cute, but why you cut the mom's head la? :) :) :)"This time she replied, "Thank you Rima. I cut the mom's head cos it's spoiling the beautiful pic :D"which then I replied again, "LOL!! Sad mom :P" - which I referred to her sister since she was the one took the photo.

Comment screenshot

There was another post of baby photo lying sleepy and looked like sucking the finger comfortably almost fell asleep. Oh, the baby was very cute and chubby there! My hands again typed a comment,"So chubby!!! Want to pinch him."There was no reply given. Well, I thought maybe she was busy and didn't look at my message.

Comment screenshot

Then the night before the Preliminary Exam, I saw her posting photo at around 2am Bhutan time and comment as per follow,"Staying up because my baby girl still not ready to go to sleep. I guess reality of being with her loving mother is better than her dreamland... lol."Wait! Baby girl? I thought Tashi's sister's baby was a boy? Ah, maybe typo error! Or did I remember wrongly?? Anyway, what the heck she did at that hour not sleeping but taking care of the baby? Weren't she worried with her upcoming exam?

So the next day after exam over, I managed to chat with her asking about her exam and what she had done after that. And recalling the late night post, I asked her why she posted the photo so late that night. She confused and asked,"Which photo?" I said, "Google Plus. You said baby couldn't sleep."She tried to recall and said, "Oh yeah but I posted that photo long time ago." I was wondering. "Ina?" which means "Really?"asked me. She said,"Yeah so fast, when did you see?" I said, "This morning. Hahaha.. Maybe didn't notice the timing."It became me confused now. How come she so fast forgot what she had just done a night before???

"I didn't post. Which photo? Can you send me?"asked her.

Final post

I browsed the photo back in Google Plus, screenshot the photo and sent it to her. "21h ago,"I typed to ensure she took note on the timing she posted that photo.

After a while, Tashi replied me,"Hahaha.. It's not me. Mine is a baby boy. And this is baby girl, as it's written."

My expression (Picture source: Google.com)

Yalama!!!! No wonder!!! All this confusion!!! Especially when I remembered her was baby boy but the photo kept saying baby girl. Lol!!! I immediately browsed all the photos back with comments that I'd put in. Huahahaha.... ^^" I even laughed at my stupidity.

I felt an immediate sorry to the person I posted the comment to. She must have wondered who was this crazy woman, commented her photo with so much confusion! "Wanted to pinch my baby boy???" Mine was baby girl!! "Sad mom?"Did she referred me of being sad??? And "Find a good guy soon???"Who did she think she was to comment as such??? :P That's my imagination though!! No wonder she didn't reply more on such confusing comments!!!

Tashi was laughing so much too upon hearing this!! :D I immediately deleted the inappropriate comments from the photo and even wrote an apologize comment to her ^^" Hahaha... I couldn't stop myself from sharing this incident here with you guys! Si beh blurrrr lor!!! :P

Blur like sotong :P (Photo source: Google.com)

(In Singlish: Si beh blur - In English: extremely confused, clueless, ignorant) :P

Good morning! Make each day your masterpiece!!! :)

The sky was still dark when I came out from my house this morning. The clouds were still hovering above. I tightened my blue color sweater while walking through the glossy stones path towards the bus stop. It was raining just a while ago. Luckily, it’d stopped.

Cool gust brushed my both cheeks. Hhhmmm…… How I loved this morning breeze!!! I would love to walk over this path over million times if I could!! And as I approached nearer, a group of people from different walks of life was waiting surrounded the shelter.

Beautiful walk path towards the bus stop :)

A young boy with earpiece on his ears reminded me of my son who used to take MRT and bus to his primary school himself. A young mother was sitting down with her yawning daughter at one side and her younger son at the other side munching his bread for breakfast. Couple of office workers were sitting down holding the lunch box at one hand and personal bag at another. Many Indian (mostly construction workers) were mostly waiting at the back area, leaning their butt to the cemented walls made of bricks.

Feel blessed!!!

Hhhmmm…..I loved this morning scene, really…. All had gotten themselves ready to start their brand new day - a life with purpose. And as the bus approached the shelter, they were all rushing towards the bus door, trying to get in as soon as possible as to secure seat along their journey.

The orangey salted egg yolk sunrise :)

I was not spared too! I was one of them when my bus was approaching. If reaching early, usually the double decker would appear. And I would go up to the upper deck, find the seat with big screen window beside me. Most of the time, the dew would appear at the outer layer of the window glass. Only on lucky day it would appear dry and clean.

Welcome a new day! A great adventure ahead!!! :)

As the bus turned towards the bridge, I could start spotting the orangey salted egg yolk sunrise at afar. Ooohhhh….. It was so so so beautiful!!!! It would go fast. Once you missed it, that’s it! You had to wait for a while to see it again. It played hide and seek behind the bushes and greenery. And by the time the bus reached the Seletar Airport, you could find them shining higher and brighter. Hhhmmm….. How I loved this morning sunrise!!! Something I wouldn’t have seen if I had to take MRT to work...

Mesmerising morning sky :)

Once I enjoyed this beautiful nature on my way to work, I would take the journal out from my bag and start writing my morning journal. It started with… “Thank you SB for another beautiful day and great health that we all have today…” My mind would automatically recall everything I was grateful and thankful with, express my feelings (be it good or bad), and pour it into words with a move of my hand towards the paper.

Shining bright like a sky!!!

I would smile occasionally as I recalled the beautiful moment and take the worse event positively and bravely, told myself to be stronger to overcome whatever things came along my life’s journey. Ooohhh…. How I loved this morning moment!!!When everything was done, I would get myself ready towards whatever come next in my life. And as the chant hummed along on my ears… I closed my eyes and prayed for every sentient beings’ happiness, wherever they are… Amituofo… Om Mani Padme Hum… Om Ahum Vajra Guru Padma Sidhi Hum… Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

Time flies. Today it would be my last day working in this establishment. Yesterday I took half day off in the afternoon. I was thinking of what to buy for my dear colleagues whom I’d leave behind, to thank them for all of their love, help, support, guidance, care, accompany that they had offered to me for the past 8 months, without having to make a hole in the wallet, yet could make everyone happy - something sweet, something unusual perhaps??? Try to think about it now for 10 seconds!!! Hahaha… not so easy right??? :P

Beautiful sunset :)

After some time, I had some rough idea. The whole evening I was looking for mixture of sweets -something minty, caffeine, and sour to lose your sleepiness while working at the office, something sweet like chocolate and different fruit flavors and colors’ candy to beautify the boring and mundane tasks, and not forgetting mixture of lollipops, which would bring you back to your sweet childhood memories for a while :) Then I went to look for jars to fit all of stuffs above. I found two types which I thought would fit the criteria.

Jar of Happiness - Malaysia :)

Once reaching home and taking a bath, I sat at my favorite corner of my room and started preparing it. I opened all the sweets’ packaging, mixed the contents around, and fitted them into each jars. There were still some more sweets left after filling them up. Hhhmmm.... Then I was thinking, why I made it two jars? Whom should I give to for another one?? Then, hey, the Malaysia and Indonesia teams were here! So, why didn’t I make it three??? There were enough sweets anyway!!!

Jar of Happiness - Indonesia :)

So I went to the kitchen and rummaged the cabinets. My in-laws often brought the containers back home. And I was lucky to find one bright and sweet red lovely jar, still new from its box. I took it and immediately filled it up with sweets. Hehehe… Three was perfect!!! :)

Jar of Happiness - Singapore :)

I called them“Jar of Happiness.” Outside and on top of each jar, I cut and pasted the cute ‘bear’ paper and stickers with my handwriting that said like this: “Share the HAPPINESS by filling me up when it’s empty… Share Love... Share Happiness…” My intention was to put each jar in the office and everyone could take whatever they like. But once the content had finished, they would have to refill the jar with any sweet that they wanted to share.

The true meaning of life by HH Dalai Lama :)

Because I believed that“Happiness comes from giving and it’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” That’s what the “Jar of Happiness” means in this context :)

Love is when someone else's happiness is your own happiness :)

Well, I could not expect that everyone would continue on the spirit in filling it up once it’s finished though, but at least I started the initial stage, leave my footprints there, and leave the rest to the nature, although I hoped they could continue the legacy on :) And I also hope they would smile upon opening the jar instead of feeling sad that I'd have already gone...

Hello September!

The favorite month of the year has returned!!! How time flies! We are now entering the third quarter of the year. Some enters the autumn season, some enters the spring season, some enters the rainy season, and some enters the hazy season like what we have right here in Singapore.

The same question appeared in my mind once again this morning upon writing the morning journal, which was. "What life is actually???"

Should we follow the majority of people in the world by settling our selves down with a proper full time job, earning a regular monthly salary, saving chunks of it for the olden days or rainy days so that we do not have to suffer too much in the future, in order for us to be considered as living a life??? Isn't it a life too, for not working wholly throughout the year, adding it with a little passion like traveling in between for few weeks or months, and dusting the other hobbies or passion in the daily life, such as: reading, writing, walking, etc.?

What is Life Quote (Source: Google.com)

In the end, it is everyone's choice and decision how we want to live our life, isn't it?

I may not be loaded with lots of cash. The breakfast, lunch, or dinner that I have, may not be at fancy restaurant. The clothes that I wear, may be the same with what I was wearing years ago. But I know exactly what I want in my life. And I am truly happy with my choice in life.

I am in charge of how I feel and today I am choosing happiness (Source: Google.com)

The 3-in-1 Owl ginger milk tea powder with sprinkles of zaw (Bhutanese rice puff) and dollops of kabshey made my morning or evening tea time feeling so wonderful. Sitting on a wooden chair with wooden table at the balcony of my house, surrounded by flowers, fruits, and plant grown by hubby who is passionate in gardening makes the place so comfortable and just beautiful! There may not mountains and beach view right in front of me. But with my mind, I can create or read the world in a greater height from that seat, even beyond heavens and earth. These few simple things create happiness in my life. And this is the kind of life that I am choosing while I can!!!

Make time for yourself by Heather Stillufsen

The morning journal that I wrote this morning is simply blessing beyond measure, purchased from one of the shops at the Majnu-Ka-Tilla, the Tibetan colony in New Delhi - India, on my last day there, before returning back to Singapore. Its cover page has been a great reminder for me - the true meaning of life - as defined by H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama.

Updating morning journal :)

It is not a thirty bucks of Moleskine notebook, but I love the rough feeling of recyclable paper with many dried flowers sticking on it. It makes me feel so close to the natures surrounding me. The cheap Doraemon pen dances smoothly on it, makes me wanting to write non-stop. Most importantly, I love what comes out from my simple little brain - the words, expression from the heart and mind. I may not produce writing that is read by million readers. It does not even earn a single cent. But I am content enough to share my thought and my feeling, with hope it would benefit anyone.

Look ahead and believe. One step at a time (MacRitchie Trails)

Each weekend, whenever weather is great, I walk into the jungle path along the MacRitchie trails, the preserved nature that is still available in this metropolitan city. I love the cold fresh air. I love the trees that protect me from the sun shine above. I love everything surrounding me - the nature that it offers. Most importantly, it's free of charge. No annual membership payment required and no risk of losing what you have paid when the gym has suddenly become insolvent.

Delicious local hawker food :)

The meals that I have outside is mostly at neighborhood coffee shop. The $2.50 roti prata, nasi lemak, etc. make my belly happy and giggling. The $1.10 kopi tastes locally delicious. A week of coffee fare there would equivalent with a cup of coffee at the famous chain like Starbucks. Restaurant may only be once in a while occasion. So, isn't living simply a life too??? Make the best of whatever resources available would be the way I choose in life.

Go after the life you wish to lead by Heather Stillufsen

I may not give and get the best facilities, best service, best choice of stuffs, materials, but I know exactly what I want and what I want to do in my life. I don't have to follow the majority of people's choices. And within my ability, I would occasionally give something for anyone. The gift may not be expensive and it may not be luxury, at all. But most importantly, it comes from my heart. So, after reading this, you know who I am and my choice in life. Would you still befriend me??? :)

August passed by. I had folded another phase of my life's journey. Still remembered the time when I had just started it up. I had to wake up early in the morning in order to catch the public and company bus to work. Then, the struggle I had during first few days, weeks and months of my new job. I had to keep my mind positive all the time. Still recalled the journey in adapting to the new environmentand falling in love with it :)

Home sweet home for the past 8 months :)

Month end closing could be nightmare sometimes, especially in the first few months, where I was left by the previous staff. Luckily someone was there and many colleagues were there to accompany me through my bitter times. Imaginations would appear sometimes, like what came out here.

A drop of notes of one month's Anniversary of my working life and photo could be found here too. Morning quoteswere found to be very useful, sent by dear colleague and mom through the period.

Chinese New Year Company's Dinner at Hua Ting - Orchard Hotel 19 Feb 2016

We did not know should we felt lucky or not to work in the beginning of the year. Not so lucky as the month end closing for period one fell during the Chinese New Year period. Therefore, we had to come back to work during the New Year day 2. Gone were my mood to celebrate the new year hahaha... Lucky was because we were having the company Chinese New Year celebration at Hua Ting Restaurant and each of us was given a bag of Chinese New Year's goodies bag.

Abalone Lohei treat by TF :)

Apart of that, our Boss also treated us Chinese New Year's lunch after the month-end closing had over to appreciate our hard work during the difficult time :)

Department lunch treat after month-end closing - 11 Mar 2016

A month after that, after another closing, we were again treated with delicious lunch, again, to motivate and lift our spirit, also appreciate our laborious effort to pick the skills up in a very short period of time.

Breakfast and lunch menu every day with my bestie at office :)

Our office was located at industrial area. We had to walk a distance to the nearby 'makan'or eating place for lunch (Northtech or Yi Bai Bu - one hundred steps coffee shops). We did not have variety of food choices over there. And sometimes the sun was too hot or the rain was too heavy, prevented us from going out. Morning time, I usually had a cup of coffee from the coffee machine and bread or occasionally heavier meals (like fried beehoon, porridge with you tiao, nasi lemak, mee rebus, etc.) for breakfast - takeaway before reaching office. We ordered takeaway lunch from colleagues who went out to eat sometimes, or brought lighter food like salad, fruits, corn for lunch. Breakfast and lunch time were the times where me and besties sharing our stories and laughter :)

Besties at office :)

Once every one or two months, we would also have staff's engagement meeting at the bigger room downstairs. It was where our HR Manager conveying their messages to all of us, followed with staff monthly Birthday's celebration. We were treated with Birthday cake and snacks during such occasions.

Team lunch after period 4 month-end closing - Bai Mi Fen 19 May 2016

Somewhere in May, I told my Boss that I did not intend to continue my contract. I felt that it was necessary for them to hire the shared services staffs as soon as possible as that was their main intention before hiring me and colleague. So it was when they started to move ahead with their initial plan and after the meeting, we went for team lunch, again, after the month-end closing. In June, we had surprise Birthday party for KH. I expressed my gratitude for her presence in the office in this post.

After period 5 month-end closing - Paulaner Brauhaus 9 Jun 16

Soon after, they set up the new team from Malaysia and they came to Singapore for few weeks to get the training from us. The above was the dinner held to all of us after the period 5 month-end's closing. Such a great relaxing time after another tiring month-end closing!!!

A night at Chinatown with Sujitha

Sujitha, the one who replaced my post, came again for another month-end's closing. I brought her to Chinatown since she had never been there before on Friday after work. We both had Mala Hotpot for dinner and shopped around the area :)

Team dinner in Red Dot Brewhouse at Dempsey Road - 27 Jul 2016

The Malaysia and Indonesia teams came the month after for SAP training. Before it was almost ending, we had another team dinner in Red Dot Brewhouse in Dempsey Road. There, we tried their special Monster green lager beer that was made of green Spirulina. Not bad ah! ;)

Farewell lunch by our dear Boss's Boss at Bali Thai Causeway Point - 19 Aug 2016

Clock ticked away. My last day was getting nearer. Due to my boss's boss flying schedule, she held farewell lunch for me before leaving for the official duty abroad. I thanked her so much for everything that she had done for me throughout my working days there. She was there for me always, from the beginning of my course of work, during my difficult times, even sometimes sacrificed her personal and family times in order to assist me and my other colleagues during month-end closing. And yet, she still treated me this farewell lunch hehehe.... :D Thank you very much lah!!! :)

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore team dinner at Brussels Sprouts 24 Aug 2016

One month after their July's training, Malaysia and Indonesia team were coming again for UAT (User Acceptance Test) of SAP system and days before their training was over, we were having the team dinner at Brussels Sprouts, my last gathering dinner with all of them. That night, we celebrated our Boss's birthday which fell the day after :)

Boss Birthday Celebration at the office - 25 Aug 2016

The next morning and evening, she was surprised with both celebrations again, at the office from both Singapore and Malaysia teams. It was also to thank her for her help all this while throughout the course of our works there. She was more like my 'da jie'or big sister rather than my Boss hahaha... :P

My last day at office - 26 Aug 2016

So, my last day was finally coming!!! My colleagues treated me with surprise farewell lunch in Bali Thai Restaurant at Causeway Point. I still remembered, it was so hazy and I was so lazy to go out to eat. KH tricked me saying we would take taxi to Northtech (and we had to take cab due to haze, although it was not so far from our office to reach). But once inside, another colleague told the driver to go to another destination. Hahaha... Then 3 other colleagues were also coming for the lunch. I was touched lah!!! Thank you everyone for your invitation and appreciation of me as your colleague there :)

And as what my last post about, the three bottles above were my remained legacy left for the three teams out there. And at the photo above (most below part), were the beautiful ladies I worked most during the month-end period. On Friday night and Saturday afternoon I had to contact and call them for problem solving mostly. Thank you everyone for your kind helps and assistance especially during month-end closing. Without your help, I would not be able to tie my inventory figures... :D

Team farewell dinner at Mellben Seafood - Ang Mo Kio - 1 Sep 2016

Almost a week after my last day, we met again for my farewell dinner. The FP&A and accounting team were mostly present there. Thank you for being there, for your time and sincere wishes for my future endeavor. I appreciated and thanked all your help, support, assistance, and friendship that you offered during my course of work. Although I was there for less than 8 months, it felt like we had known each other for years.

Tak Po Dim Sum breakfast at Chinatown with Millioneoil - 4 Sep 2016

And last but not least, Ms Millioneoil treated me farewell dim sum breakfast this morning before I leave for my holiday trip. Thank you Ms Millioneoil for everything!!! She was my Saturday accompany who also bought me lunch to ensure I was full and had enough energy to do my month-end closing well. Shall meet you again after I come back for 'lim jiu'session :D

Everyone, once again, thank you very much for everything!!! Also for my Boss who left me with a beautiful 'love letter', which hopefully could be of any use in my future endeavor. Now before I leave for my one-month holiday break, I present the memoir above, for all my dear ex-colleagues. Hope it could bring you back to where it begun and you all would always be inside my memory, part of my beautiful life's journey. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!!

Finally, it's time for a good long break!!! Started it with a visit to Sydney, the busiest city in Australia. Very fast pace, multicultural, and offered so many beautiful places!! I went there with hubby. My sister came from Melbourne joining us for the first three days.

Both of us took midnight flight from Singapore by Singapore Airlines. Reached Sydney the next morning. We immediately put our luggage in a friend's place - Virny and Hadi had agreed to put up with our stay there for the whole week. Thank you both!!! After resting for a while, our journey was finally begun.

Day 1: Paddy's (Chinatown area), Darling Harbour, Queen Victoria Building, and Bondi Beach

Lunch at Chinatown area :)

It'd been seventeen years since my first visit to Sydney, back in 1999. I was still a college student.. Stayed there for 1.5 months during a school holiday, visiting many cities across Australia. This, would be my second time revisiting Sydney. Many things had changed although some remained the same. I could only recall a little bit memory from the past.

For first timer, Paddy's (Chinatown area) was definitely a place to go. We had our lunch (Cantonese food) there at one restaurant famous for its dumpling (however, it wasn't available when we ordered :P). Well, there were hundreds of restaurants available though. Chinese (Emperor's Garden, East Ocean), Indonesian (Podomoro), Thai (Chat Thai), Malaysian (Mamak), Japanese (Kura, Wagaya), Vietnamese (Pho Gia Hoi, Pasteur), and so on. If you could not decide what to eat, go up to Market City's building 3rd floor to find variety of food available at the food court.

Darling Harbour - Sydney, Australia

Once lunch done, we had a good walk towards the Darling Harbour. It was only five minutes walk from Chinatown area. It had changed a lot. Few big buildings were being built. There was Chinese Garden, Cockle Bay Wharf, shopping malls, rows of restaurants, hotels, cruises, museums, playgrounds, and so on. It was perfect place for dating, like what I had many years back ;P

Queen Victoria Building (QVB) - Sydney, Australia

From there, we walked again towards Town Hall train station passing by the Queen Victoria Building or QVB - built in a late nineteenth century, right in Sydney Central Business District (CBD) area. It was shopping malls with shops and restaurants inside built beautifully and classic. There my sis and I tried the delicious Zumbarons (at AUD$2.80 each), macaroons sold at pastry shops by Adriano Zumbo - one of the Australia's most celebrated patisseries. We had Salted Butter Popcorn and NY Passionfruit Cheesecake flavours. Hhhmmm.... nyummy!!! They were delicious and not too sweet!!! Perfectly melted inside my mouth... :)

Bondi Beach - Sydney, Australia

We moved on to Bondi Beach this time round. Taking train to Bondi Junction station and bus no. 380/381, stopped at the beach. It was cooling sunny day! We were lucky to have such a weather because just the week before, it was reported that it rained almost every day. I removed my shoes and socks, folded my pants, and walked over the sand. It was cold sands! Unlike the usual tropical summer hot sea sands that I stepped in. We were staying there for a while. Too bad sunset was located at the other side though.

Do Dee Noodle Bar - Tiffany Plaza at Bondi

At 5.30 pm we took the bus back and headed to Tiffany Plaza. We had dinner appointment with a friend that I'd never met for 20 years, and my sis-in-law's cousin with his wife and 6.5 months old baby girl. We ate at Do Dee Noodle Bar and tried their noodles. It was famous for its spicy noodles. There were 7 different levels of spiciness, Harpin already warned me that the spicy noodle level 1 was spicy enough for him. However, the "Do Dee Devil"'s name had intrigued me to try. (AUD$9.90 for the large size bowl). True enough. I found it very spicy until I had to ask for extra soup to make it less spicy :P Harpin himself ordered the Do Dee King noodle to be shared with his wife. It was put in giant bowl with so many fillings, costs AUD$23.90 per bowl. The Giant Pork Ball noodle (AUD$9.90 - Large) and Do Dee Pepper Pork noodle (AUD$11.50 - Large) were not spicy though, So if you can't eat spicy food, you still have many choices of food to choose. We had a great chat, updating each other, asking about their feeling staying over there, and so on. It was a pack and fulfilling day. Time to get home and have a good rest. Continue later...

Day 2 - Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Garden, and Harbour Bridge

Takeaway breakfast at Sydney Opera House with Metta

We started our day by meeting Metta at Circular Quay train station and headed to Sydney Opera House. We bought coffee and Cappuccino from the Opera Kitchen then sat down on the staircases to the Opera House, munching the chicken, meatball and pork roll Bahn Mi from Hong Ha, breakfast treat from Metta. Thank you Metta!! :) We went inside the building having a look things sold at the souvenir shop. There was a guided tour of the building available with fee but we didn't take it. Basically, Sydney Opera House was a multi venue performing art centre in Sydney with over 1,500 performances be held annualy. The shape of its building was the landmark of Sydney. In 2007 it had become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

Royal Botanic Garden - Sydney, Australia

We had a walk in the beautiful Royal Botanic Garden. It was located at the heart of Sydney city center. Oh man! If I were to stay in this city, I would love to go to this garden every week for a walk. The view was simply wonderful!!! With a change in season, the flowers bloomed were different too!!!

Royal Botanic Garden - Sydney, Australia

From here we could see the view of both Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. There were parts of the park that displayed tulips, cherry, and many other beautiful spring flowers!!! We all could not stop taking photos over there. It was a perfect place for everything from dating, running, exercising, suntanning, taking wedding photos, and so on. There were birds like seagull, Cockatoo, magpie, Myna, pigeon, white Ibis, Raven, and so on. Also ducks surrounding the little ponds. Hhmmm... loved the natures there so much!!!

Pancakes on the Rocks - Sydney, Australia

For me, there would be something missing if I did not have meal at the Pancake on the Rocks. I had it seventeen years ago and I would love to have it again on my visit this time.

Late lunch at Pancake on The Rocks - Sydney, Australia

The place brought memories from the past (although I could not really remember what hahaha...). It was simply nostalgic. Since time shown was 3 pm, we only ordered one savoury crepes (Seafood pancake) with chips (fries) and one sweet crepes (Blackforest pancake) for 3 of us. Both tasted really great!!! All of us were satisfied with our meals :)

Harbour Bridge and the surroundings :)

We had a walk under the bridge. If you were adventurous person and had lots of money in the pocket, you could actually try the Bridge Climb. The prices of the ticket would be different depending on the timing that you choose as different time would offer different view of the city. Check out the pricing here. Well if it's for one lifetime experience, then you should give it a go guys!!!

Central Business District (CBD) area - Sydney, Australia

We continued walking towards town area passing through the Central Business District (CBD) area, where all the big offices and shopping belts were located, the busiest part of the town for working people. It was after working hour timing, so you could see people wearing smart suits rushing back for home or continuing with their next appointment. However, on weekend, this place would be quieter.

Dinner at Naruone Korean Restaurant - CBD Sydney

Just like us. We were meeting my sister's friends - Daniel and Novita. We were talking about the deep-fried chicken cooking in Korean style that was trendy back in Singapore (fitted perfectly with bottles of beer). Therefore, Novita introduced us to eat at Naruone. We ordered half original deep fried chicken and half chicken in spicy sauce, seafood spicy soup, and seafood pancake. Hhmm... the place was cosy and crowded. Many photo frames filled with Korean movie stars and singers were displayed on the brick wall. Overall, it was great dinner and my sister had great time chatting with both of them. That's all for our second day. The post continues on...

Day 3 - Paddy's Markets, Fish Market, and The Rock

We started our day by having dim sum or yum cha at the newly renovated Zilver Restaurant located at 191 Hay Street (corner of Pitt street). If you would like to find it easily - find the red bricks building just nearby the Capitol Square. You could see the signage hanging with Zilver name on it and it was located inside at level 2. We asked around from friends where to go to have a nice dim sum and they recommended us this place.

Dim sum at Zilver Restaurant - Sydney, Australia

We ordered the usual siew mai, har kaw, chicken feet as starter, followed by century egg porridge (the portion was so small - not worth it), Shanghai jian bao (pan fried bun), chives spring roll, spring onion pancake, and prawn rice roll (cheong fan). Most of our order were under big categorize of pricing with two special ones. No medium and no small categorize. They did not put the price in the menu as well. We only found out about the price upon payment. The big size cost AUD$7.40 while the special cost AUD$8.40.

The restaurant was clean and looked new. However, with the price charged, I found it too expensive. The steamer in the cart was not turned on too in the beginning. Our starters were cold. Quite disappointed. We only loved the pan fried bun among the rest. But you could find the same thing in other restaurant with much cheaper price. (Fyi, there was one Shanghai small restaurant next to the Asian supermarket just opposite of the Wolli Creek train station that sold pan fried bun for only AUD$8.80 for 8 pcs!!! Their noodles and dumplings tasted great too!!). So, dim sum? Next time I would rather eat at another place.

Paddy's Haymarket - Sydney, Australia

After that, we walked around the Paddy's Haymarket. It opened daily from 10 am to 6 pm except on Monday and Tuesday. There were wet markets selling fruits and vegetables, also shops selling souvenirs and other stuffs. If you wanted to buy souvenir for friends and families back home, this was the place!!! There were many items sold much cheaper compared with Melbourne's Victoria market, for things such as: pencil case, coin purse, tea towels, wine bags, sunglasses, etc. It was also much cheaper compared with many other shops selling souvenirs outside. So, do not hesitate to buy there!!! :)

Fish Market - Sydney, Australia

At 12 pm we took the light rail from Paddy's Market to Fish Market. There were few shops selling fresh and cooked seafood in it. Wow!!! It's a paradise for seafood lover!!! You could find anything that you wanted. We walked around from one shop to another to check on the stuff, which one served better variety of seafood, which one served delicious cooked seafood, and so on. There were alfresco (open air) dining too outside but many seagulls would wait by your side waiting for food from you hehehe...

Fresh seafood for appetizer at Peter's - Fish market at Sydney, Australia

We decided to have the spiky urchins and a plate of cooked big prawns with fresh oysters as appetizers plus we bought a small bottle of Jacob's Creek Classic Chardonnay from the wine shop there to complete the taste in our mouth.

BBQ Grill - Fish Market Cafe at Sydney, Australia

From there, we moved to the next door's shop called BBQ Grill - Fish Market Cafe. This place was recommended by my sister's friend to try their cooked seafood. We ordered Seafood Platter for two people consisting of grilled scallops, Oyster Mornay and Kilpatrick, BBQ baby octopus, calamari rings, king prawns, battered fish pieces, crab stick, and chips (cost AUD$38.50) plus half Rocklobster Morney with chips and salads (cost AUD$24.50). It turned out to be so much as they gave lots of chips at the bottom, which we could not finish. The lobster tasted great. But I would suggest for you to order other stuffs in a la carte as they did not mention how many piece of those stuffs given in the platter. Overall, we all satisfied with our seafood lunch!!! :)

Queen Victoria Building - Sydney, Australia

My sister left us after that sumptuous meal as she had to catch her flight back to Melbourne. Hubby and I went back to Paddy's Markets and continued our shopping. I had some time to spend before my appointment with my high school friend, so we walked from there all the way to Circular Quay and passed by the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and many other shopping centers. I bought the Zumbarons again there hehe... simply couldn't resist!!! :P

Met my high school mate with her two kids

So, I spent some time with my high school friend and two of her three children at Circular Quay station's McDonald's who chose to settle down in Sydney over a decade ago. 'Til that, we had not met for twenty years! Wow! We were keeping in touch through Facebook though.

Dinner at Lowenbrau - The Rock

Right after that, I had another appointment with my friend's sister and her husband. I had German food this time round. Since I was still very full with the seafood meal that afternoon, I told them to share our meals. We ordered Chicken Schnitzel with Pork Trotters and two glasses of 500 ml lager beer for four of us. It turned out the portion was just nice. The food tasted delicious. With live music at the background, it made our dinner experience feeling great!!!

Four of us with Sydney Opera House at the background :)

And before we separated, we took another picture of Sydney Opera House with night light at the background. It was kinda special to commemorate the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Another great day we spent at Sydney city. Story goes on...

Day 4 - Nan Tien Temple, Wollongong Botanic Garden, and Wollongong Beach

Train journey towards Wollongong :)

Weeks before flying to Australia, I contacted Yeshi or known more as Yessi Norfe (a young Bhutanese lady who currently resided in Wollongong with her two and half years old beautiful daughter called Daisy Choetsho Droma - whom she called 'Bumchu', who was also a blogger who blogged since year 2011. Find her blog here - Hear My Voice/ Mommy Blog. Obviously I knew her through the blogsphere, most probably since year 2013, when I started knowing few active Bhutanese bloggers around.

Feel like a student again :P

When I visited Australia two years ago, I did no have chance to visit Sydney. So this time, when I had more time to spend in Sydney, I planned a whole day to be spent with her and Bumchu :) So, through Instagram message and We Chat, we chatted and planned our trip together. I took train early in the morning from where I stayed to North Wollongong for about 1.5 hours. From there, I had to go to the opposite platform (platform 1), walked few steps and got into the UOW (University of Wollongong) bus provided for students freely. Well, both hubby and I felt like a student taking that bus hahaha.... :P

Having breakfast while waiting for the bus :)

Once reached the University's bus stop, we waited for both of them for a while. Since we had just missed our next bus, we paid a visit to the nearest loo. We had to change twice before reaching the Nan Tien temple. While waiting for the other bus, we went to 7-eleven to get our caffeine dose, orange cupcakes for Bumchu, and banana cake for myself. Did not expect the banana cake tasted really good! The $1 regular coffee/cappuccino was our favorite too!!! :)

Fo Guang Shan Nan Tien Temple - Wollongong

Reaching temple, we went inside and prayed. We prayed to Goddess of Mercy or Kwan Im Pu Sha, also known as Avalokitesvara. Upon entering the main shrine, there were students doing some breathing exercise as part of their tour around the temple. We again offered our prayers to the Buddha (there were 5 Buddha statues inside). In a while, we heard what the temple staff explained to those students about the temple and the Buddha statues in front of us, also about Buddhist teachings in general.

Gratitude Bell - Nan Tien Temple

We went to see the Pagoda and walked up towards the Gratitude Bell. You could 'gong' the bell as feeling gratitude towards your parents. There, we sat down and had a small picnic :)

Playing with Bumchu :)

We saw the other parts of the temple before heading to the bus stop. We just missed our bus so the next one would take quite some time. While waiting, Bumchu was playing with us, acting as shopkeeper and we were all as the buyers. So cute....

Wollongong Botanical Garden - Australia

Yeshi invited us to her rented home for lunch. To reach there, we had to walk across the Wollongong Botanical Garden. Wow!!! Again, we were blessed with beautiful flowers and natures there :)

Delicious Bhutanese meal at Yeshi place :)

She prepared quite a lot of food for us, among them, many were cooked in Bhutanese style, such as; ema datshi, ezzay, dhall, kewa and nutella datshi. Only fried salmon was not. She prepared it all by herself since morning time. Wow!! She also prepared curd water for us to drink. Hmmm.. the food was all delicious la!! Hubby and I loved it very much la!!! Name same kadinche-la Yeshi!!! :)

When Mom gets busy :D

While both of us were busy washing dishes and cleaning up, Bumchu suddenly disappeared. The room became very quiet. And I searched for her. Guess what? She was sitting on the floor inside the shower room helping the Mermaid and three yellow duckie taking a bath. Hahaha... I could not stop laughing looked at the scene. How enjoyed she was with the thing she was doing!!! :D

Wollongong Beach - Australia

At 4 pm, all of us got ready for our trip to the beach. Wollongong was known for its beach with two lighthouses. I went here too seventeen years ago, but could only recall very little about the places. We took a bus there and reached towards evening.

Gift from Yeshi. Kadinche-la :)

We had a stroll along the beach from one side to another. But the wind had become stronger. Hubby and I walked towards the other light house while Yeshi and Bumchu got their way back and waited for us near to the bus stop. We met there after a while before heading back to the train station,

Time to go... will see you again one day...

We had to wait at the train station for about half an hour. While waiting, Bumchu and us were playing and laughing. Oh my!!! Bumchu's laughters!!! It was so contagious and so happy!!! We kept doing that until our train came and we had to leave. She was crying and sad as the train left. Poor Bumchu! I wished I could stay and play longer with you... Thank you very much Yeshi for all your time, effort, lunch, gift (book and post card), and everything you had done for us. It was not goodbye though but would see you again. We'd never know.. Just like how we both could meet up this time!!! :)

Shanghai noodle before going back :)

We reached our station back in another 1.5 hours. Had Shanghai pork soup noodles with pan fried bun before going back to our place and having a good rest. It'd been a long day but it was all memorable la!!! Had recorded Bumchu's laughter on my phone. Could play it anytime I want :D

Sunrise at Surfers Paradise Beach - Gold Coast, Australia

"Dear, dear... get up... get up..." whispered me beside his ears, who were still naked with only underwear left on his body. He was still tired from our rigorous lovemaking last night. I couldn't help but to wake him up as the view outside our balcony was so marvelous!!! The sun rays shone the surrounding areas. The beach sound, the cooling fresh air, the flying birds, it was just.... indescribable!!! And I couldn't just enjoy this beautiful scene alone.

"Hmm.... what time is it?"He opened one of his eyes."It's just 6.38 am," whispered me. "Come on, you gotta have a look on this!" I open the curtain from our room's window. The sky had turned bright. "Balcony's view was even great!!" said me excitingly!

Breathtaking view of lovely Friday morning from the Balcony's :) - Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

He wore his blue color bathrobe and followed me to the balcony."Woahhh....!!!!" exclaimed him as he opened both eyes shockingly. "This place isn't just Surfers Paradise, but also heavens on earth for honeymooners like us,"continued him.

"Indeed dear!" Look at that view! Oh the flying birds!!! Aren't they beautiful? Remind me of us all the time! We can make this far and it's simply.... unbelievable!!!"told me.

"Nothing is impossible dear! As long as there is a will, there will be a way!"replied him and smiled. He stood behind me with two arms lingered and wrapped upon my body facing towards the beautiful view. His hands grabbed both my arms tight symbolised of not wanting to let me go forever.

Beautiful sunrise!!!

Both of us just stood up there for minutes, watched the sunrise as it showed up slowly from the clouds, and enjoyed the moments together.

He kissed my cheeks from aside. "I love you dear..."

"I love you too...."replied me.

As the sun rose high, the temperature shot up. He knew I couldn't get too much sunshine so he asked me to get inside. But before that, he said, "Dear, let's take a selfie here..., to commemorate our precious moments together,"while smiling.

"Sure!"replied me, while smiling too.

"Collect moments, not things."

P.S. This post was inspired by the beautiful view we had over here. As said above, to commemorate and keep the memories. Wish everyone a beautiful and lovely day!!!

Ferry ride from Sydney Harbor to Manly Wharf

I felt that my stay in Sydney would not be complete without paying a visit to Manly Beach. It was a Sydney's northern beach, took us merely half an hour ferry ride from the Sydney Harbor (Circular Quay train station). The view from the ferry ride was beautiful. It was right for us to sit at the back of the ferry, so that we could capture the beautiful Sydney Opera House from the other side :)

Manly Court House

I went there too seventeen years ago, but could not really remember on what to see or what to do. I did not prepare anything either. Just wanted to go there to take a walk along the beautiful beach, feel the sea breeze blowing upon my face, eat some fish and chips, and relax, just be there, to relax and unwind.

Everyone recommended me to eat fish 'n chips while going to any beach in Australia. I had no idea which stalls selling the nice fish 'n chips. Therefore, I referred to Google this time, and it led me to TripAdvisor who recommended me to go to Fishmongers Manly. I had to turn on the GPS to find this place (11-15 Wentworths Rd), as it was located one block away from the beach, at the small corner, quite a small shop, which opened at 12 pm.

Gourmet Fish 'n Chips at Fishmongers Manly

I asked the staff on what to eat. I would like to have fresh fish (instead of frozen Hoki fillet), so she recommended me the fresh flat fish (battered) served with chips (potato wedges) plus sweet potato chips, and added the salt 'n pepper fresh Calamari, served with sweet Thai chili sauce and Tartar sauce. It was nice! Not many people eating there though. Perhaps due to the location, and it was not the traditional fish 'n chips as what I first imagined too hehe... Nevertheless, it was a great lunch. Hubby and I enjoyed it very much!

Seagulls everywhere - Manly Beach

The weather was very good that afternoon. The sky was blue and bright. We walked along the beach. There were many seagulls down there. Some were waiting for the food, some were flying, some were sleeping on the sand, and so on.

Beautiful flying seagulls - Manly Beach

The above picture was captured beautifully!!! Loved it so much!!! :)

Beach activities - Manly Beach

So, as per planned, we both walked along the beach. It was such a warm but windy afternoon. I had to tie my hair to avoid being messed up :) After a while, we sat down on the wooden bench facing the sea looking at people out there. Just relaxed and unwind... Hmm......

Manly Wharf - Sydney Harbor

We walked back to the Manly Wharf after some time passing through the Corso - the pedestrian road with shops at left and right, and caught ferry back to Sydney Harbor. From there, we walked along the Pitt Street towards the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) to meet my high school friends for dinner.

Dinner at Makoto and had Gelato at Messina - Surry Hills

I finally met up with Putra again (after 14 years!!!) and Sylvia (after 8 years!). We had dinner at Makoto Sushi Bar and Restaurant. Hmm... just knew that Putra did not eat fish. I mean.. befriended him since junior high school time but never noticed that he did not like and eat fish :D But he did not say anything when we said meeting at sushi restaurant. Lol! We almost moved somewhere else to have the second round.

We did though, second round, but not for dinner. It was to have delicious Gelato or ice cream from Messina. They were thinking to go to the Star Casino or the Surry Hill's outlet and at the end Putra suggested the Surry Hill's one. But did not expect the road was really hilly!!! My hubby was not feeling well and had no idea about the road condition. He was having fever and had no choice but to follow. Poor hubby... The Gelato was really good!!! The long queue was worth it. I tried pandan and coconut with salted caramel with the flakes. OMG!!! The salted caramel was really delicious, so did the other one. Loved it so much! Thank you Putra for keeping your words to treat me the ice cream when I visited you there :) So, that was how another day passed by... One more day spent in Sydney. Coming up soon....

At 8.20 am, hubby and I were waiting in front of YHA building, next to the Central train station. Days before that, I registered for a tour to Blue Mountains at a stall near the Circular Quay Station. After comparing few agents, I thought this was the most suitable one with what I required. We paid AUD$236 for two to the above places (exclude fireworks, which was free of charge).

We filled our stomach with a regular cup of Cappuccino from 7-eleven, our favorite coffee, since it offered the cheapest coffee in town (at AUD$1/cup), and made ourselves a quick sandwich made of sour dough rye bread with ham that we bought a night before.

Morning walk at Cumberland State Forest - Australia

The driver cum tour guide drove around the town picking up the rest of the participants before heading to the Koala park. Those who chose to enter the park (by paying additional fee), would enter and see the Australian wildlife animals. The rests who chose not to (including us), were brought to Cumberland State Forest for a short distance walk. The trails were not long. It just took us less than half an hour to walk through it. The place was filled with Eucalyptus trees, growing very high up to the sky. Many birds were detected too filled the place with their sounds. What a calm and beautiful morning to spend with!!! :)

Beautiful spring flowers :)

Nearby the area, there was a shop selling potted plants and its equipment. There were many beautiful spring flowers for sale too! If I were to stay there, my hubby would have bought many of them and plant them back home. Too bad! We could only take the photos with it and record in at the back of our memory :)

Short break next to Nepean River

When time's up, we fetched the rest back from the Koala park, and we were brought to the Nepean River. The driver provided us with juices and cookies.

Picnic lunch at Leura Village :)

In a while, the journey continued. We were brought for an early lunch at Leura Village. Many went into the restaurants available at the site. However, hubby and I chose to sit at one of the bench and had picnic :) We brought fresh salad with roasted sesame dressing and had it again with the bread, ham, and cheese. The air was cool and quite windy but it did not stop us from the picnic :D Just loved to have the simple meal (simplicity was the best!!!) ;)

The beautiful Three Sisters from Echo Point - Blue Mountains, Australia

Finally, we were brought to the Echo Point where we could see the beautiful Three Sisters. Those who chose to pay for the Aboriginal show, were brought to the site (Waradah Aboriginal Theatre).

3 Scenic rides plus scenic walkway at Blue Mountains - Australia :)

After it was over, we all went to take the 3 scenic rides, which was Scenic Skyway (Australia's highest cable car), Scenic Cableway (Australia's biggest cable car), and Scenic Railway (the steepest incline passenger carrying railway in the world), plus the Walkway - where our tour guide explained to us more about the area, the animals, the plantations, and so on.

Watching beautiful sunset from Fantasea River Cruise - Sydney, Australia

After that, our tour was ended. We were driven back to Sydney Olympic Park, and stopped at the harbor there to take our river cruise by Fantasea. I did not expect that it turned up to be the best part of the tour where we could finally see the sunset view from the back of our boat. Oh man... it was simply marvelous!!!

Beautiful houses along seaside - Sydney, Australia

We could see many mansion and beautiful houses along the seaside, where many would even have their own yacht waiting at their doorstep. Many riches stayed there obviously! Just could not stop admiring its beauty!!!

Beautiful night view in Sydney from river cruise :)

The evening sky turned into dark as the sun went down and we were able to see the night view of the Sydney Opera House, Harbor Bridge, and also Darling Harbor, where we stopped.

Our last night dinner in Sydney :)

We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, just the two of us. The appetizer plate alone was enough for both of us plus a glass of local draft beer. It tasted like heaven :P

Just nice after that, the fireworks were going to start!!! It was displayed weekly every Saturday at 8.30 pm. Wow!!! It was displayed beautifully with many varieties!

Messina at the Star :)

When it's over, we decided to keep walking to the Star - the Casino in Sydney city, just few minutes walk from the Darling Harbor. Both of us went inside the Casino to see how it looked like. After that, we headed to Messina to have the delicious Gelato again :D This time I chose Macadamia and Italian Nougat. Hmmm... nyummy!!! 2 scoops at AUD$6.80 :)

My hosts in Sydney :) Thank you all of you! :)

We went back using the light rail then train. As the light rail went by, we slowly said goodbye to the beautiful city. That would be our last night there in Sydney. It had wrapped our night beautifully and perfectly. I had no idea when would I return again but for sure, this time, we were really blessed with perfect weather this Spring, perfect accompanies, meeting wonderful people that I had not met for long, delicious food from everywhere,, and not forgetting our hosts - Hadi and Virny - who had allowed us to stay at their home for the past one week there. Thank you, thank you, and thank you everyone for everything!!! We felt very grateful and thankful. Without your help and presence, our trip would mean nothing. Thank you to my sister who had come accompanying us for the first few days of our stay there. Thank you everyone!!! :)

It was Spring season in Australia now. The weather in Melbourne was still feeling like winter though with temperature of 12 degree in afternoon and 8 degree at night, especially during rainy days, the first few days we reached to this city. My hands and feet were freezing cold each night before going to bed. However, after coming back from Gold Coast and Brisbane, the weather had turned warmer. At least there was sunshine during the day!!! And we were very lucky and blessed with beautiful weather on the day we visited the Tesselaar Tulip Festival on 24 September 2016.

Flora, my sister and I made appointment to visit this festival about a month before my arrival's. Flora, her husband - Karma, her friend - Sonam, were arranging to take leave from work so that we all could go together to this event. And finally, the day came!!!

Total 13 of us with two cars reached the car park in the morning around 10.30 am. We unloaded our stuffs and headed inside finding great location for our picnic. It was a great space under the big tree, not too far from where the live jazz was held. Mats were lied down and we all settled down.

We-fie :)

Surprise Birthday celebration at Tesselaar Tulip Festival - 24 September 2016

Soon after, Flora took out a flowery box from her bag. It turned out to be the Oreo Cheese Birthday cake, ordered by her and made specially by her Bhutanese friend. Her daughter, Lekdhen, helped up decorating the cake by putting up my name on it. Not only that. She also took out the handmade Birthday card drawn cutely by Lekdhen - Doraemon as the cover, then inside the Koala with birthday wishes as Flora intended to convey for me, plus birthday gift for me - the beautiful necklace with "a tree of life" pendant (I often saw it here but had no idea about the meaning. It sure had so many meanings and symbolized different things religiously and culturally. But for me, I would take it as the life's journey and motivated me to keep living, become stronger and wiser, just like the old tree, no matter how life would challenge me again and again). Name same kadinche-la Flora for your very kind thought towards me.Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

Delicious Oreo Cheesecake from Flora :)

We all sang the Birthday song. I made a wish and blew up the candles. We took photo together to remember this moment. Cake was cut and I had quite a big share for myself. Zimbeh la... which means delicious :)

Suja Desi for celebrating the belated Blessed Raining Day :)

The day before was the auspicious Blessed Raining Day but we could only celebrate it on the day after. Sonam made Desi (yellow glutinous rice with raisin), while Flora concocted Suja (butter tea). We had both after the cake. Hhhmmm..... I felt blessed beyond measure. Although I was not in Bhutan, but I could feel as if I was there :)

Six beautiful ladies in Kira - under cherry blossom tree - Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2016

Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2016 - Victoria, Australia

We were all very full. Now it was time to walk around. Before that, ladies changed their clothes into Kira (Bhutan traditional cloth). It was Flora's idea so I brought my Kira all the way from Singapore so I too could wear it with them :) She even lent her friend's Kira so that my sister could wear them too. So, there we were posing beautifully with beautiful flowers there :)

Bhutanese Picnic Lunch at Tesselaar Tulip Festival - Australia

At 3 pm we all gathered back into our place. It was time for lunch. Both s Flora's and Sonam's families brought Bhutanese dishes into the picnic. They shared it with us too. There were ema datshi (chili with cheese), bean with cheese, potato with Paneer cheese, egg curry, Ricotta cheese with chili, and Karma even cooked beef dried (shakam pa) in Bhutanese style for us despite they were all vegetarian. Both red and white rice were there. It was so delicious. As a result we all ate more than one serving :D Thank you so much everyone for sharing your delicious food with us.

Had tea at Flora's place :)

We went home at 4 pm and stopped by at Flora's place as my nephew's request (he wanted to play with Flora's and Sonam's daughters for a while). Hahaha... So we stopped there and Flora made us a cup of tea/ coffee to warm our bodies in such cooling evening. In a while we all went home. It had been such a beautiful day and let me share the beautiful flowers' photos as per below. Enjoy!!! :)

Beautiful spring blossoms at Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2016 :)

Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2016

Cheers from us :)

I loved traveling in September as usually the weather in any other country would be very favorable (not too hot and not too cold - i.e. autumn, spring, or raining season). And whenever possible, I would love to spend the special day outside of the home country. This year, it happened that I traveled to Australia.

More activities in life quote

I never thought of anything for my Birthday except that I would like to be vegetarian for the day as my father always told us this was how we should appreciate our Mom who had given birth to us and suffered during the process on that particular day. So, that was what I had in mind. I never expected anything at all. But it turned out that my sister and friend were pampering me so much!!!

Surprised early Birthday lunch organized by my sis and her friends :)

On Thursday, 22 September 2016, my sis told me that she and her friends would organize picnic lunch. However, weather forecast said it was going to rain. Therefore, the lunch site would change to my sister's friend's house. Each of us would prepare dishes (we called it 'potluck'). Since morning, my sister had instructed hubby and I to prepare the famous Indonesian vegetable dishes called'Gado Gado'- boiled various vegetables served with peanut sauce and keropok (shrimp crackers). My sister herself prepared the buffalo chicken wings. By noon, the food was ready and we reached the place in minutes as it was located only few blocks away.

Thank you everyone!!! :)

Food was arrayed neatly on the dining table. Fresh flowers were neatly displayed inside the long vase. "Happy Birthday" balloon was tied onto one of the dining table's chairs. Aha!!! So it was not the usual lunch!!! There were fried noodles (symbolizing long life), red boiled eggs (symbolizing happiness and good health), curry chicken, green sambal Hoki fried fish, Gado Gado, buffalo chicken wings, and bakwan jagung (vegetable corn fritters). We all had our lunch slowly while chit chatting. In a while we were all done and so full!!!

My first Birthday cake :)

It did not stop there though. It was dessert and tea time!!! Yuniar took out her newly bought tea pot, cups and saucers set from the packaging box. She was so happy with it as she got it with a good bargain the other day and she could finally use it with us on this special day. As I was busy photographing the tea pot, suddenly I heard the birthday song being sung and hubby came bringing the birthday cake with lighted candles on it. Ahhh.... alamak!!! No wonder the other day my sis was asking which cake did I prefer, durian cake or'angmoh'cake and I told her I preferred the'angmoh' or western style cake. And she chose blackforest cake for me. Thank you sis!!! :)

I made my wish and blew the candles. Kids were waiting for the cake surrounded the table. Although full, we finished our share with a cup of flower tea. Oh, forgot to mention the 'Birthday Girl'badge that she hooked into my jacket as the cake was delivered. It made me feeling like a ten-year old girl all of a sudden! :P

Birthday breakfast with love :)

On the Birthday that morning, I woke up with a bowl of longevity noodle with vegetarian stuff in it (cooked by hubby) plus two red hard boiled eggs at a side (made by my sis). Thank you both of you for your love and care!!! I felt blessed lah!!!

My sis passed me red packet the night before, saying there were vouchers to be spent on my Birthday. One was Melbourne river cruise for two, and another was chocolate set for two at Lindt Cafe. She asked me to use the voucher with my hubby on my Birthday. So after breakfast, we got ourselves ready. She sent us until the train station near her house and we took train to the city, walking to the Southbank Promenade where the cruise would start.

Melbourne River Cruise - 23 September 2016

The timing was just nice. We only waited in less than 10 minuted then the cruise came. We boarded to the boat together with many other passengers (mostly tourists). It went towards Dockland direction (about half and hour journey) then returned back to where we boarded (so total it took about an hour time). After the ride, we had Indian lunch from the Southgate food court. Hubby ate the butter chicken, while I had brinjal or eggplant curry with briyani rice and half slice of Naan bread, plus a cup of hot teh tarik.

Since we were full, we decided to have a walk along the promenade towards the Crown Casino direction. It was a great weather. Sunny day!!! Been a while to have a sunny day in Melbourne. We then walked inside the building and entered the Casino. At the entrance, the security officer told my hubby no need to show his ID while towards me, he said, "You are underage!!!" Hahaha..... kidding, of course! Then I told him that it was my Birthday. He was like, "Oh, really? Sorry I only saw the year, did not notice the date... Have a nice day then..."

Birthday gift from Crown Casino :D

Like usual, we only walked around as we did not know how to play and not really interested in gambling. But that day, we passed by the 1 cent jackpot machine. Suddenly I had the urge to play. Well, with 1 cent for each game, I thought, why not? No harm huh? Just bet on 5 bucks, for fun!!! So I analyzed the area, finding the machine that far from the pillar (Chinese believed that pillars would stop you from earning money - hahaha... what a superstitious me!!! :P), and right in the middle of 3 machines, there was one Kungfu Panda machine, my favorite!!! :D With no knowledge, I just pressed here and there betting only 1 and 10 cent each game.

Hhmmmm... not sure if it was my good feeling that attracts some winnings or it was really my lucky day. You know, the law of attraction... :D Suddenly after some ups and downs, the machine generated special formation that keep the number rolling up. I did not know how much it was worth and I just waited until the number stopped and it stopped at $20.18. Hahaha... I immediately stopped my game. That's it!! Don't be greedy, I thought!!! :D I won $15 and that's enough to cover my lunch fee that afternoon. Oh man.. I was so happy!!! I seldom played and won too. So again, thanks to Universe and to the Crown Casino for my Birthday gift hahaha.... :P

Chocolate break at Lindt Cafe - Southgate, Melbourne

We walked back to Southgate Mall and finally sat down at Lindt Cafe. We changed the voucher into two set of hot beverage (a cup of hot milk chocolate for me and a cup of Cappuccino for hubby) with dessert set for two (one scoop of vanilla ice cream, two brownies, one chocolate cake with cream and chocolate sauce, two pieces of Macarons (one white and one milk chocolate), and 3 different flavors of Lindt truffles). It really sweeten the already sweet day of mine!! Thank you Sis for your birthday gift, kind thought and sincere wishes!!! You pampered me too much and I was very grateful with it. Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!!

Birthday surprise from my sis and families - Second Birthday cake :)

It did not stop there. When we reached home, they had already prepared vegetarian dinner for me. There was 'Happy Birthday' wordings pasted on their window blind and another set of cake with three candles on it. My sis made simple garland from crepes paper and her son put it over my neck. We had the dinner and only then sang and cut the cake. Thank you Sis for making my day beautiful!!! And the day after, again it wascelebrated by my dear friend. Thank you everyone for everything you'd done for me, also your Birthday wishes and story made, sent from faraway. Thank you, thank you, and thank you for making my day!!! :)

"Gyalo" - means victory!!

"Gyalo"- a victory cry in Bhutanese language, or if translated, would read as "Victorious!!!" This title was chosen by the author, as army was all about the victory, and it related very much with the victor, a person who defeats an enemy or opponent in a battle, game, or other competition, as translated by the dictionary.

To be frank, it was a very much awaiting book for me. Not because my name was mentioned in the "Acknowledgment"page as"Singaporean Bhutanese," but because it was actually Au Lingi's first attempt in writing, even before his published book - "The Night Hunter."

Nice handwriting, Dawa! ;)

Thank you for Dawa Knight who sent me this book upon knowing his lady friend would make a trip to Singapore more than a month ago. Since he did not have time to get Au Lingi's signature, he signed it on his behalf on the cover page hahaha... and very proud with his beautiful handwriting :D

Only after returning from my long holiday trip I finally managed to have"me-time" to concentrate reading it and now finally writing a review about it :)

The content of the book was about Dorji, who initially intended to become an engineer when he was young, but fate led him to join the NDA (National Defence Academy).

As I turned the page, it reflected how Dorji began his journey - the NDA training at Pune, India, at a place called Khadakwasla. He was only in late teens that time. The book told us how tough the training as an army was. "If someone says 'life is hell,' he is a cadet, and if he says 'that was the best part of my life,' he probably is an ex-NDA,"would perfectly describe the life at the NDA.

Drills were part of the training and he had to go through so many'birthing'procedures before he finally attained a senior officer status in the army.

For the details of the story, you have to flip the book and read it by yourself. All I could say was that it was a very realistic story that one should face if he chose to join the army.

Au Lingi Jamtsho - looks dashing and smart in his uniform :)

When I asked Au Lingi if the story was written based on the true story, he replied me like this,"This was fiction. However, Gayle Foreman says that every fiction has its base in fact."And he admitted to me too that he was once wanted to become an engineer, but landed up becoming soldier. Hehe...

I was asking him too if it was really his "Uncle"who led him to join the army, and he confessed that it was his cousin cum childhood friend who joined the NDA one year before him, and not his Uncle, as what the story was written. And his reason was a way too simple, "I saw him all dressed up and got attracted to it." Hahaha.... You were indeed cute lah Au! ^^

So, I'd let you conclude yourself how far it was resemblance to the author's own life experience :)

Here in Singapore, all 18-year-old male Singaporeans and second generation permanent residents are required statutorily to undergo a certain period of compulsory service in the uniformed services, which we usually call National Service or NS. Depending on the physical and medical fitness, they usually have to serve two-year period as Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs). It can be at the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Forces (SPF), or the Singapore Civil Defense Forces (SCDF).

And after completion, they would be considered as operationally ready, and still have to go through reservist once every year so that they won't forget what they have learned and to use their ability in realistic situation until the obligation period over (with a cap up to 40 years old).

Ah Boys to Men 1 to 3

To describe the life of the NSFs, which was very much alike with what Au Lingi described in his book, there were movie made by local director called Ah Boys to Men series 1 to 3, which was made in mixture of realistic and humorous Singaporean way (in Chinese language with English translation).

Therefore, while reading upon the Gyalo, it reminded me of the army scenes as directed on the movies (including ways to fake the sickness, stealing sleep from many sleepless nights, teamwork and survival skills inside the jungles, cadet's spirit of unity and brotherhood when facing punishment, etc.)

However, I found that it was great that Au Lingi put much of his real life experience with army training places in India and Bhutan as the locations into this book so that fellow Bhutanese would feel the glimpse of army life which exist surrounding them. He too put it in more literally way with some story plot which connected one thing to another and beyond the drills capacity.

I saluted him for his rich vocabularies and his excellent ways in describing a person and situation, especially when English wasn't the major that he took during his school days (in fact, he was studying science!!!)

And I saluted him too for being gentleman, a man of his character (in which you could see from the way he treated others), calm, and polite from the outer side but deep inside he was very much observant, highly committed and responsible person.

Perfect with tea and biscuits in cool evening :)

Overall I enjoyed reading "Gyalo" very much. Before ending our conversation, he reminded me about the life of the army -
"Remember, there is no runners up in war. You are either good or dead,"and as the two golden rules mentioned in the book, "Ours is not to question why. Ours is but to do our die."

Thursday was my favorite day in a week, as during the breakfast time in the office, I could browse through the travel columns printed in the newspaper that my colleague usually brought. I still remember. It was 26th May 2016. As I turned over the page, I saw something intriguing me - "Land tours only - Iceland."I saw the price it offered, "Hmmm.... expensive,"I said it to myself. And at the page next to it, there was an advertisement offering the full package of the Iceland tour - "10D7N Iceland Aurora Hunt Explorer."

Photo courtesy: Kelly Koh - Quote by Haruki Murakami from 1Q84

"Hmm... Wow!!!" murmured me."That was it!!! They had it!!!" claimed me inside my heart.

"I've had that kind of experience myself: I'm looking at a map and I see someplace that makes me think, 'I absolutely have to go to this place, no matter what.' And most of the time, for some reason, the place is far away and hard to get to. I feel this overwhelming desire to know what kind of scenery the place has, or what people are doing there. It's like measles - you can't show other people exactly where the passion comes from. It's curiosity in the purest sense. An inexplicable inspiration."

- Haruki Murakami 1Q84 -

Iceland map across the globe

Yes, Iceland!!! It was my dream to be able to visit this place. Geographically, this island was located independently between the continental Europe and mainland North America. It was well-known as the land of the fire and ice because of its country extremist conditions with glaciers and volcanic springs located next to each other. It sounded mysterious for me as its location was separated from the rest of the Europe countries and if you heard about the erupted Eyjafjallajökull (Read: [ˈeɪjaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥] - Yeah, try to pronounce it guys!!! :P), which caused enormous disruptions to air traffic across western and northern Europe and affected more than 10 million travelers over a week's period of time back in April 2010, I was wondering how the place looked even after that.

Reyka Vodka - Iceland made vodka

Apart from that, I was so curious and would love to visit the hometown of the Reyka - a brand of vodka distilled and bottled in Iceland. It was handmade and used the water drawn from the lava field that went through the process of demineralisation before being blended with the vodka. As you know, I'd been using'Reyka'word for my nickname, a name given by chatting brother back in year 1998, and still used it until now. And only now, I found out that 'Reyka'meant 'steam' in Icelandic word :)

So, I was asking my parents if they were interested to join this tour and within the same day, they agreed to it. The next day, I went to register the package for 3. And few weeks later, I was asking my friend - who joined the Silk tour together one year ago - if she and her father were interested to join the trip. And yes, they did! Therefore, five of us were finally joining the tour, together with the rest of 18 people who had the same interests to visit the country.

Stopover at Schiphol Airport - Amsterdam

On 14th October our KLM flight departed from Singapore Changi Airport and we had a stopover in Amsterdam for 5.5 hours. While waiting, we just browsed around the area and had breakfast from the Amsterdam Bread Co. With the open kitchen concept, the sandwich offered was looked so appetizing!!! I ordered the Smoked Salmon Sandwich (€6.95) with a cup of Latte Macchiato while my parents were sharing the Ham and Cheese Sandwich (€5.95) and a cup of Espresso. They tasted delicious!!!

Schiphol Airport - Amsterdam

We spent the rest of our times browsing the shops and planned on what to buy on our way back home to Singapore. Hahaha... The airport was wonderful. Read more on my experience on Iceland - Day 1 soon...

Icelandair - Flight to Reykjavik :)

After transiting few hours at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, we finally continued our journey to Reykjavik. It was my first time experiencing Icelandair :)

Fall for Iceland - Inside Icelandair :)

Trying different kinds of airlines from all over the world was part of the traveling experiences that I enjoyed most as inside there, we were experiencing different kind of services and food/beverages offered; reading different kind of in-flight magazines; enjoying different type of in-flight entertainments; listening to different language they were using in the announcements or conveying safety procedures; and also observing different nationalities of the air steward/stewardess from each airline.

Iceland's location from the map (Source: Icelandair)

If you were wondering where Iceland was located, please look at the above map.

Iceland overview (Source: Icelandair)

And from the above picture, you could see where roughly Reykjavik was located and the white area showed the glacier in the country.

Keflavik International Airport - Iceland

In around 3-hours time, we finally landed at Keflavik International Airport - the Iceland's largest and main international airport located at 50 km southwest of Reykjavik. The main airlines operated there were Icelandair and WOW Air. WOW Air?? What an interesting name!!! :) The airport was originally built by US military during the World War II and was handed over back to Iceland's control after the war was over. And for the timing, it was 2 hours before Amsterdam's time or 8 hours before Singapore's time.

Duty free import to Iceland allowance (Source pic: Smyril Line)

Next to luggage belt area, interestingly, they had the big duty free shop selling any kinds of things included liquor, wines, and beer, which were their biggest attraction!!! Why??? Because they sold it half price cheaper than what outside shop sold. And their alcohol allowance per person was impressive enough!!! P.s. Look at the chart above. Fyi, the most beer allowance that Singapore custom allowed was only 2 liter, and that too, without much price differences with what we bought from outside...

My lovely nickname who happened to be a vodka brand in Iceland!!! :D

No wonder the shopping carts were provided just outside the shop and almost every Icelandic would rush into this duty free shop before collecting their luggage :D (Lucky I managed to buy few bottles of mini Reyka Vodka from there! :P)

Cashless form type of payment - VISA card - Iceland

Our tour escort asked us to change the money at the currency exchange counter outside the arrival's hall. Interestingly, they offered the cashless payment form - which was VISA card - where we could use this card everywhere in the country. So, it was more like a form of debit card. So, for example, when we exchange USD to ISK (Icelandic Krona), 1 USD = ISK 110.17, we could choose to store the money directly inside the VISA card which they would issue to us on the spot. We then were given website where we could enter our VISA card number to check the balance of money inside. It was interesting, wasn't it??? :) And all that was without any extra cost. How wonderful it was!!! :) Indirectly, it showed how advance the country was in terms of technology applied in their usual daily life, plus productivity and convenience offered :)

On our way from Keflavik International Airport to Reykjavik

Once everyone finished changing their money, we were then taking the tour bus into our hotel in Reyjkavik. The journey was about 50 minutes to one hour's time. I sat next to the bus window so that I could see how the Iceland looked like. I was so exciting!!! It reminded me of my first time's visit to Bhutan.

Good luck omen!!! Half rainbow welcomed us to Iceland!!! :)

And suddenly I was thinking, "Hmmm..... will I encounter rainbow here too? Just like in Bhutan???"Guess what? Suddenly half rainbow appeared in front of us... Oh no... It was like the Universe could hear what I said inside my heart!!!

Double rainbow came soon after!!! :)

And after some time, the double rainbow appeared in front of us!!! Yalama kheno!!! How beautiful nature was!!! And how simple the nature could bring happiness inside all of us by simply appearing like that!!! My lips was curving up all throughout the journey and thanked the Buddha above for protecting us, giving us good health, and now, with beautiful nature in front of us!!! Life was indeed beautiful, if we knew how to appreciate everything surrounding us :)

How compassionate Icelandic was!!! :D

Suddenly our bus stopped. Hhmmm... weird. There was no horn sound. So I thought it must be traffic light or any junctions ahead. But I was wrong!!! Instead, there were ducks crossing the road. Hahahaha..... :P Weren't they cute???

Hotel Reykjavik Centrum - Reykjavik, Iceland :)

We stayed for a night at a strategically located hotel in city area called Hotel Reykjavik Centrum. We were given a room for three person at level 3 (highest was level 4). It was big enough for 3 of us and looked so cosy and warm despite cold weather outside.

Reykjavik, Iceland

It was autumn season. Leaves were turning yellow and started to fall. The weather was very nice at average temperature of 7 to 8 degree Celsius when there was no rain or with little rain. The above were the surrounding area of where we stayed.

Welcome Seafood buffet dinner at Restaurant Reykjavik :)

At 7 pm we were heading to Restaurant Reykjavik, which was only five-minute walk distance from where we stayed, to have our welcome seafood buffet dinner given by the tour. Fyi, our package tour price was not include lunch and dinner except for our first day's welcome dinner and last day's farewell dinner. Because the food cost was very expensive there!!!

The dinner consisted mostly of fish and seafood products. The mushroom soup with bread and butter were perfect to start my meal with. It warmed my stomach right away. Later on, various and funnily taste cold dish or appetizers were following in and continued with hot dishes and desserts. Among their dishes, there was the famous local Icelandic dish called cured whale or Graffin Hvalur in Icelandic words. In the picture above, it was at the top right (blackish in color).

Still remember the first few book I read after starting my reading habit back into my life - "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner - it inspired me to visit this country as Iceland was one of the happiest countries in the world!!! In 2016, it ranked third after Denmark and Switzerland (Source: World Happiness report). In the book, the author mentioned of rotten shark (another type of must try local dish for the adventurer!!!). Therefore, no matter how awful or weird it tasted, I did not want to miss the opportunity to try!!! :) There we also tried the first local brew Icelandic draft beer - Gull - one of the most popular beer brand in Iceland. It tasted great!!! Perfect to have it with the roasted lamb :)

Northern Light Tour Ticket by Gray Line - Iceland

Our night was not ended there. At 9 pm, we continued hunting for the northern light (Aurora) by joining additional tour by Gray Line. Although we were all exhausted from our journey, we did not want to miss any chance if there was any light appeared. We paid additional ISK 6,400 (USD $58/pax) for this tour. Someone from the tour told me that the chance of seeing the northern light was very high that night. There was a website to check on that but I was not aware of it in the first few days of the tour. But we followed the majority to join the tour anyway.

Bright full moon with many clouds hovering the sky

The bus brought us to somewhere dark after forty-minutes drive. I could not recognize the place but the next day it was somewhere on our way to Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. There was a cafe selling hot drinks for those who were waiting and they accommodated toilets for guests. But there was a bright full moon and many clouds surrounding it high up in the sky. Oh no!!! In order to see the northern light, the sky must be dark and clear, away from cloud. So after a while, the bus driver announced us to go back to the bus and we were brought to another location.

Strandarkirkja Church - Selvogur, Iceland

This time, we were brought to Standarkirkja Church, located at southern coast of Iceland. It was a Lutheran parish church in Selvogur. It rose from the coast and pointed its tower towards the heaven, had more supporters all over the world than any other church in Iceland. It was often referred as 'miracle church' with the locals 'longstanding beliefs that it had profound, divine powers,'originally built in 12th century. Nearby, there was a statue of Norwegian granite called Landsyn or 'land in sight'to commemorate the story of the church's founding. The carver - Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir - herself was buried in Standarkirkja cemetery. (Source: Wikipedia.org).

It looked grand and beautiful, but also a bit eerie at night as there were tombs (cemetery) at the front and back part of the church. If the northern lights were to appear there, how nice it would be!!! Too bad, the clouds were again blocked the lights. Soon after we were brought to another place, but again, no luck this time. We were then brought back to the nearest area from our hotel and reached our room at 2 am. What a long day!!! We were tired but happy!! :) Exciting too for more things to come!!! :)

Hveragerði Geothermal Park - South Iceland

We started our day by cooking the fresh eggs inside the stream of hot springs for 10 to 12 minutes at the Hveragerði Geothermal Park, a 45-km drive from Reykjavik. The egg tasted so delicious and thoroughly boiled! :)

Cafe Restaurant that used geothermal heat for cooking at Hveragerði

It was amazing to find the town like this where the hot spring's geothermal heat was used for cooking (outdoor kitchen), baking bread, space heating, laundry, and even greenhouse.

Beautiful nature at Þingvellir National Park - Iceland

Beautiful Þingvellir church and fissure from afar at Þingvellir National Park - Iceland

From there we headed to Þingvellir or Thingvellir National Park, the first national park in Iceland and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance in Iceland - so called a must-visit destination in Iceland!!!

Þingvellir National Park - Iceland

It lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. It was also the site of the world's oldest parliament, the Alþingi,established around 930 A.D, and location where Icelanders celebrated their independence from Denmark back in June 17, 1944.

Erupted geyser at Strokkur - Iceland

We had a short lunch break at "Geysir,"which means geyser or hot spring. There were few cafes available there. At the opposite, it was the site where we could watch the erupting small geyser, the place name called Strokkur, which erupted every few minutes. It was harmless though. People could just stood up surrounding it and watched it amazingly!!! Great experience!!! :)

First tier of the Gullfoss waterfalls - Upper part

Second tier of the Gullfoss waterfalls - Flow to the bottom creating splash like rain :)

From there we went to see Gullfoss, which means 'Golden Falls,' a breathtaking two-tired waterfall that dropped 32 meters into a long, narrow canyon.

Full view of Gullfoss waterfalls or Golden Falls - Iceland :)

The full-view of the Gullfoss would be as the picture above :) It was beautiful, wasn't it??? :)

Gullfoss - Iceland

There was a stone memorial to Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who determined to preserve the waterfalls and threatened to throw herself down into the falls in protest against the foreign investors who wanted to transform it into a dam for a power station. Fyi, my friend and I had to wear the raincoat as the falls' water splashed into us as we passed by the area. It was a wonderful exposure to keep walking up and see the upper part (first tier) of the falls. Simply beautiful!!! :)

Fridheimar Greenhouse

From there, we were brought to Friðheimar or Fridheimar Greenhouse, a place where tomatoes were grown inside there all year round through the long dark winter under the artificial lighting and using natural hot water from underneath. They opened small cafe or restaurant serving various food and beverage products using the tomatoes that they grew, such as: tomato ice cream, tomato and apple pie, tomato Schnapps, and so on.

Icelandic horses' stable - Fridheimar, Iceland

Other than doing horticulture inside the greenhouse, they also bred Icelandic horses at the stable nearby and offered demonstration of the famous five gaits of the Icelandic horses. They opened up the stable for us to have closer view and we could touch and have selfie with them as well :D Free coffee/tea was served while watching the performance.

The Gaits of the Icelandic Horse - Pic source: Fridheimar

The Icelandic Horse show at Fridheimar, Iceland :)

"Whether on the farm or for overland transport, the horse has been the trusty companion of the Icelanders down the centuries, and even today farmers ride into the highlands to round up their sheep in autumn. In modern times the horse has become the Icelanders’ favorite leisure companion. The Icelandic horse is a small, sturdy breed, famed for its five gaits: in addition to the walk, trot and gallop, Icelandic horses may have the tölt (a smooth run) and skeið (flying pace). Four- and five-gaiters are prized." - Source: fridheimar.is

Stracta Hotel in Hella, Iceland

After such a long day, we were finally brought into our hotel - Stracta Hotel - located at Hella in South Iceland. Since there were 3 of us, we were given the Studio Apartment room, which cost double from the usual Standard Double room. There was kitchen facilities and bathrobe provided as well.

Wonderful dinner at Kanslarinn Restaurant at Hella, Iceland

It was up to us where we wanted to have our dinner at. Some chose to eat at the hotel's restaurant. Some ate their own food brought from Singapore, e.g. instant noodle. And few of us chose to eat at the Kanslarinn Restaurant located just opposite of the Stracta Hotel. It was one of the recommended restaurant by the Trip Advisor - coincidentally. My friend's dad and I had fish with boiled potato, rye bread, and salad; Mom ordered lasagna; my friends had fish and chips; and my dear father ordered the tenderloin horse meat steak.

Excuse me? Did I type wrongly? No, I didn't. And yes, he ordered the tenderloin horse meat steak for his dinner. When I read through the menu available, he immediately told me that he wanted to order that. When the food came, everyone was trying it. I was hesitant in the beginning as I loved horse, not as food, but as they were. My friend convinced me trying it as it tasted delicious, even more delicious than the beef steak. So I asked my dad for a bite, and true enough, the horse meat was really delicious!!! It was tender and juicy. The chef should have cooked it skillfully to serve up to this standard. Well done!!! So, if you happened staying nearby this restaurant, go and try it for yourself!! :)

Soaked ourselves with hot tub under the full and bright moon and stars :)

We finished our dinner and walked back to the hotel. Some of us met up again at the outdoor hot tub provided by the hotel, just outside the restaurant. It was cold outside at night but the water was warm at 38 degree Celsius and it felt so shiok to soak ourselves in it after such a long day!! Moreover, we were blessed with beautiful full and bright moon plus thousands of stars above us!!! Our day was ended beautifully!! We had a peaceful, warm, and beautiful sleep afterwards. Recharged and ready for our next adventure in Iceland!!! :)

Morning view of Stracta Hotel

We had delicious and fulfilling breakfast before leaving our hotel. I took photos of the hot tubs and sauna that we used the night before. It was beautiful, wasn't it? Made of wood, it looked so natural and cosy :) And yes, that was the van that we took for our tour at the southern part of Iceland these past few days.

Group photo courtesy of Francis Lew - Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Our guide cum driver was named Inggo, a tall, young, and strong Icelandic man who told us lots of fable from Iceland throughout our journey, the one who stood directly behind me :) And yes, the photo taken was with the background of the magnificent 60-meter high Seljalandsfoss waterfall, our first stop for the day!

Jump pose at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall - South Coast of Iceland :)

Footpath behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall - Iceland

Unlike other waterfalls in Iceland, here it was possible for us to walk behind it (see the photo above), via a footpath at the base of the cliff. It was wet, stony and slippery though. So, a good waterproof hiking shoes were really needed!!! And I was amazed on how my Mom would be able to walk through it!! Well done Mom!! :)

Other waterfalls next to Seljalandsfoss waterfall :)

In panoramic view - Seljalandsfoss waterfalls - Iceland

And there were other few waterfalls next to it as shown in the two photos above :)

Icelandic horses on the move :)

On our way, we passed by through many beautiful view on our left and right. I loved the view of Icelandic horses running freely in a small group, so free and natural :)

Icelandic turf house - connected to stones

We also passed by many Icelandic turf house like shown at the photo above. Too bad we did not have any chance to visit and see how it looked like.

"The common Icelandic turf house would have a large foundation made of flat stones; upon this was built a wooden frame which would hold the load of the turf. The turf would then be fitted around the frame in blocks often with a second layer, or in the more fashionable herringbone style. The only external wood would be the doorway which would often be decorative; the doorway would lead in to the hall which would commonly have a great fire. Another interesting aspect of the Icelandic turf house was the introduction of attached toilets, which were communal, and the act of going to the attached toilet was often done in large groups. The floor of a turf house could be covered with wood, stone or earth depending on the purpose of the building. They also contain grass on their roofs."- Source: Wikipedia.org

Skógafoss waterfall - Iceland

We visited another beautiful waterfall called Skógafoss waterfall - a 60-meter high waterfall in the Skógá River. Legend said there was buried treasures (chest of gold) by the settler called Þrasi Þórólfsson in a cave behind this waterfall.

View of the Skógafoss waterfall upper part :)

At the upper part of Skógafoss waterfall - where the waterfalls came from :)

Here, there were staircases where we all could go up and see where the waterfall came from. So I guess, the above photo was the Skógá River itself. Oh my!!! It looked so wonderful!! So pretty!!! Love it so much!!! :)

Reynisfjara or Black Beach at Vik Village - Iceland

From there, we continued our journey to see the unique black sand/ pebble beach called Reynisfjara located at Vik Village, south coast of Iceland. The beach was named by International Islands magazine in 1991 as one of the ten best beach in the world. Perhaps due to its uniqueness where all the pebbles and sands were black in color.

Eldhraun Lava Field - Iceland

We had lunch afterwards and continued our journey across the Eldhraun lava field.

"This impressive lava field the biggest lava flow in the world which occurred during the Laki eruption in the late 1700s. The enormous site which is 565 square kilometers (218 sq mi) is where the Apollo 11 crew came to train for their impending moonwalk."- Source: icelandtravel.is

"The thick green moss dressing the lava wipes out all hard edges and, for a while, the world exists only in the colors of the asphalt, the sky, and the moss."- Source: icelandmag.visir.is/

It felt simply amazing just passing through this huge area. There was no one staying as the area not suitable for living.

More waterfalls throughout the journey - South Coast of Iceland

More waterfalls - South Coast of Iceland

Iceland was truly rich of natural resources. As we passed by, more waterfalls were to be seen on our left side. Simply grateful with the beautiful view it offered!!!

Skeiðarársandur or vast sand desert - South Coast of Iceland

We passed by the Skeiðarársandur - a vast sand desert that used to be farms before, but destroyed by huge floods caused by the volcanic eruption that came beneath the Vatnajökull glacier back in 1996. It was so huge until it swept the bridge away and disconnected the Ring Road to eastern side of Iceland. It was said to be the largest Sandur (outwash plain) in the world covering an area of 1,300 km sq.

Panoramic view from the top - Jökulsárlón or glacier river lagoon - Iceland

The journey continued on. We were brought to Jökulsárlón or glacier river lagoon, a large glacial lake in southeast of Iceland. Many movies had been using this place for their background, such as: Lara Croft: Tomb Rider, Batman Begins, and 2 James Bond's films, which were A View to Kill and Die Another Day.

Beautiful glacier lagoon - Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Tried licking the glacier hahaha.... :P - Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Tasted the floating ice - I know.. the water looked dirty, but who cared??? :D

Wishing stones - wish for dreams to come true.... :)

My friend and I were having so much fun there. Licked the glacier pose was fun! Inggo helped us taking the photo and we were just laughing with our stupidity there! Hahahahaha..... :P We tried the taste of the glacier ice too :) Although the glacier lagoon looked dirty, but who cared, right? Hehehe... And while my friend was busy taking photos, I was busy building the wishing stones :) It was at the back of my mind wishing to have chance to build it and the chance was just there waiting for me :) Thank you SB for granting my wish!! I was very happy to finally have my dream came true there!! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! :)

Expression of my happiness by being there!!! Grateful!!! :)

Glacier lagoon at the black beach - Iceland

Amazing view that can not get it too often in life!!! You only live once!!! :)

Add one stone at the top of someone else' wishing stones :D

Group photo at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon - Iceland

We did not finish there. Inggo brought us to the black beach nearby where we could spot the glacier there too. Oh my!!! Icelanders were very lucky staying in their country. For us, it might be a once in a lifetime experience to be here. But they could view this beautiful scenery as and when they felt like doing it!! I was very grateful though for the opportunity given. Thanks to my parents who made this trip possible!!! Without them, I might take much longer time to realize this dream :) Thank you, thank you, and thank you Pa, Ma!!! :)

Stayed and dinner at Hotel Smyrlabjörg

After a very long day, we finally reached our hotel - Hotel Smyrlabjörg. Some of us ordered our dinner there while some made their own food at the hotel. I had fish again - one of the two fresh and delicious food in Iceland (either fish or lamb). Ma and Pa shared the lobster soup and lamb steak. My friend and I shared another beer - their own brand - Smyrlabjörg Beer. It was bitter though! But nice try! :) Overall, we had a wonderful day in Iceland. A bit tired, but worth it!!! Will continue the journey in a while... Hope you enjoy reading it and are patiently waiting :D

Hi hi!!! I'm back!!! It's been long time since my last post here. I'm still alive btw hahaha.... It's just I was away for pilgrimage trip to India for more than 3 weeks time :)

So many things were going on while traveling, started from Modi's big surprise on the Rupee exactly at night before I flew to India (the 500 and 1000 notes were declared no longer to be used and at the mean time we had to use the smaller denomination until the new 500 and 2,000 notes arrived). Initially I was worried because I had only 500 notes in my pocket. It could be seen clearly in my face especially by those who saw me on my first day reaching India.

"You love adventure, you got it. Double!! Ha ha ha," claimed Passu. Yeah, because of him I could put my smile back towards the situation and he tried his best to help me. And many people were indeed helping me in many ways to solve the problems I faced. The situation too, often not, would be blessings in disguise at that point of time :)

Now it's over and I'd returned home safely and sound. It'd been almost 2 weeks now and I spent most of my time sleeping on my bed. My bed missed me and I missed my bed. Hehe... No la, I just felt tired from the continuous traveling and the good thing was, I lost 2 kg from this trip!!! ^^

"When tired, learn how to rest, not quit"

People might think that I was just wasting my time. But luckily none of my family members and close friends thought so. For me, taking a rest wasn't a waste of time. At the end, it would benefit for my health and mind, wouldn't it? ;)

Until when? I didn't know yet. Let's see and let nature takes its course. At the mean time, I was trying my best to get back on my feet again, starting with getting up early. Lol... :P And today, I started my habit back to go for a morning walk. It'd been some time since the last time I went to MacRitchie Reservoir.

This morning I went alone. I waited until the sky turned brighter because otherwise it would be quite dangerous for a woman to go alone (well, although I didn't look that attractive, still precaution was the best measure hehehe...). And since there was renovation work at the golf area, from Jelutong Tower, I made a detour and walked towards Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

I'd been wanting to try on that route since long time ago but was too afraid to go as I wasn't sure about the path. So today, I decided to walk that path, alone.

"Om muni muni mahamuni sakyamuni ye soha..."I kept repeating the chant while walking. It reminded me the melodious sound that the Bhutanese chanted during our pilgrimage trip in India. Soon, I saw few people coming from the other direction. Some of them would smile, some would wave upon passing by. Wow!!! The power of the mantra!!! ;) There was even someone offering me a lift towards the main road. First time I encountered it in Singapore!!!

With the new short cut hair at MacRitchie Reservoir :)

Since beginning, I heard many mysterious sound along my path, which usually were caused by the animals and mostly were the hungry monkeys. Yalama!!! Their appearance was startling me!!! Many times I had to face them in the middle of the road that I had to pass.

So along the way, I kept thinking, "Imagine those monks who went to meditate alone in the middle of the jungle. How would they overcome their fears towards wild animals that they encountered along the way? They must have used their power of love and compassion!!! So Rima, try to apply that now!!!"

Hahaha... It was easier to say than done! I decided to allocate my eye sight to somewhere else while walked past them (avoiding eye contact), and try my best not to agitate them. Omg!!! It scared me so much la!!!

It was fun though! From there I could contemplate what I'd been through and at the same time trying to keep my mind thinking positively so that my journey would be safe :)

Happiness is...

So, let's see where my fate bringing me this time. At the mean time I had to recharge my positivity level to the max as that was what I'd attained from the pilgrimage journey. The emptiness feeling that arose turned up to be the positivity filled heart that I believed to be useful for my next journey in life. And I will no longer allow the NEGATIVE things in my life to SPOIL all the GOOD things that I have would be my motto to achieve happiness in my life :)

Everything happens for a reason :) (Photo source: Google.com)

And exactly as the above quote, "Eventually all things fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know that everything happens for a reason, and only for a good reason!!!"Hope this won't be my last post this year. As for now, these would be my motivation quotes to help me to stand up on my feet again!!! Wish me all the best guys!!! ;) And please make use the quotes if it helps you too!!! Wish you all the best too in everything that you do!!! :)

Si beh blurrrr.....

"Hhhmmm.... How I loved this morning...."

Jar of Happiness :)

September's realization of life

Memoir for you...

Sydney Itinerary Day 1 - Paddy's, Darling Harbour, Queen Victoria Building, and Bondi Beach

Sydney Itinerary Day 2 - Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Garden, and Harbour Bridge

Sydney Itinerary Day 3 - Paddy's Haymarket, Fish Market, and The Rock

Sydney Itinerary Day 4 - Nan Tien Temple, Wollongong Botanic Garden, and Wollongong Beach

Collect memories, not things

Sydney Itinerary Day 5 - Manly Beach

Sydney Itinerary Day 6 - Cumberland State Forest, Leura Village, Blue Mountains, River Cruise and Fireworks at Darling Harbor

Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2016 - Victoria, Australia

Birthday treats 2016

Gyalo by Au Lingi Jamtsho

Dreams came true... Iceland - the land of fire and ice

D1 Iceland - Reykjavik- the Capital and largest city in Iceland

D2 Iceland - Golden Circle at southern part of Iceland

D3 Iceland - South Coast of Iceland

My Motivation Quotes :)