Read: Paulo Coelho's The Valkyries

Thanks to one of my dear friends who strongly recommended that I read Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. Admittedly, her words carry weight (at least to me), and I got myself a copy of The Alchemist within 48 hours after she had made the recommendations. I am glad that I have acted on her book recommendation and read the book.

Subsequently, I went on to read Paulo Coelho's The Pilgrimage. Today, I have just finished reading yet another of Paulo Coelho's book The Valkyries. I borrowed this book from the library about slightly more than a week ago.

This is a thoughtful read. As its synopsis said "The Valkyries ultimately delivers a powerful message about forgiving our past and believing in our future." Indeed, there is a powerful message in the book.

I was fascinated reading about how the protagonist embark on a journey to learn about how to speak with his angel. I like to believe that angels do exist.

The Valkyries is moving and thought-provoking book to read. I think soon enough I may get another book by Paulo Coelho to read.

Meantime, the next book on my reading list is Robert Cormier's The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. This book is yet another book recommendation by the very same friend who had recommended me to read The Alchemist.

I give thanks

I am thankful
For the challenges that had to be met
They have helped me learn important lessons
That will help me grow wiser

I am thankful
For cherished friends
Who open my eyes to wider perspectives
Who lent their care so that I can have the faith
To wait for light to appear when it was dark

I am thankful
That Life has been gracious
Despite my flaws and failings
I was forgiven unscathed

And the road ahead
I am thankful
It was still the same uncertain road
Yet my mind and soul
Now finds enthusiasm and kindness
To walk it with greater stride.

For bloggers by bloggers

I was at Eastcoastlife's blog this morning and got to read her recent post titled Association of Bloggers (Singapore) revives kampung spirit.

Congratulations to the Association of Bloggers (Singapore) for its formal launch.

There are a couple of blogs and news articles that also announce the formal launch of the Association of Bloggers (Singapore). Here are a few of the links:

Association of Bloggers homepage.

An organization for bloggers by bloggers by Xinyun.

It’s finally HERE! by Endoh.

Association of Bloggers (Singapore) by Paddy Tan.

If you are interested in supporting the cause of this association, do find out more about it.

Adventures of the Old Jurong Line

Photo of railway bridge over River Ulu Pandan taken by Icemoon.
I had crossed this bridge on 20 Dec 2008.

In one of my past entries, Managing fears: I have conquered a bridge, I have shared my good fortune to be given the privilege to join heritage-bloggers, Chun See, Icemoon, Peter and Preetamrai to walk along parts of the Old Jurong Line and to explore this now defunct railway line on 20 Dec 2008.

I am still trying to better appreciate the history behind the Old Jurong Line, so please forgive me that I will not be writing too much of the historical facts behind this defunct railway line. What I shall attempt to share here will be some of my adventurous experiences exploring the Old Jurong Line.

***


Our adventures for the day started at our meeting point: The car-park in front of Blk 326 Clementi. We met at about 9 a.m. My heartfelt appreciation to Chun See for his generosity in offering to give us a ride on his car to make our exploration of the Old Jurong Line slightly less physically daunting.

My thanks to Icemoon. He was very thoughtful to remember that I wish to explore the part of the Old Jurong Line near the Sunset Way area, and he made a counter-proposal to Chun See's original plan. Thanks to Icemoon's counterproposal and Chun See's willingness to accept the counter-proposal, I had the chance to cross the railway bridges that ran over Sunset Way and River Ulu Pandan, and learnt to overcome some of my fears of height.




Our first stop after departing the meeting point at Blk 326 Clementi was Sunset Way. It was a fascinating experience. I walked with the rest of the team to a jungled area of Sunset Way and found myself fascinated with searching for remnants of the railway tracks as I walked about the grassy area. I won't have done that on my own, and I was so thrilled that I was able to be on the adventure of exploring the Jurong Line.




As we continued walking, we came to a short railway bridge that ran over Sunset Way. I crossed it with a tinge of hesitance, and when I crossed it, I felt a sense of pride. After that bridge, we walked quite a while until we came to the railway bridge that ran over River Ulu Pandan. That was a challenging cross. Thankfully, I managed to cross it!






After the most challenging cross, we continued walking. I was impressed with Chun See's knowledge of fruit trees. He can tell what fruit trees that we came across simply by looking at them.

Interestingly, I noticed from a distance an elderly man who was sweeping the railway tracks. Was he the guardian of the Old Jurong Line?



Walking. It had been a relaxing walk along the Old Jurong Line that day. As we continued walking, we came to the part of the railway line that ran under the Clementi Ave 6 flyover. I recalled that on a few occasions, I had travelled via the Clementi Ave 6 flyover on my way to the National University of Singapore. It somehow was enlightening to walk along the Old Jurong Line that lied just below it. I wondered when the flyover was built, and how on earth someone could build a flyover over a railway line, if it had been in use back then.

Clementi Ave 6 Flyover.

Look at the photograph below of an area that is nearby the Clementi Ave 6 Flyover. Peter shared with me that the railway tracks were buried underneath the sands. It looks like that part of the railway line would be forever be lost to history?




Where did we go after that? Stay tuned for more please.

*****
Related posts:
Adventures of the Old Jurong Line Part 4
Adventures of the Old Jurong Line Part 3
Adventures of the Old Jurong Line Part 2
Managing fears: I have conquered a bridge

The Power of One

While reading Karl Blog, I came across an inspiring blog-post that has been published very recently. Do read Karl's post titled The Power of One.

The many recent events in my life make me believe that each small thing matters.

Meantime, wishing you well, and may things evolve in ways that would work out in your favour.

My visit to an exhibition to learn about Magic!

A couple of weeks ago, I took a one-week leave from work to rest and to recharge. What did I do? Naturally, one of the things I did was to explore various parts of Singapore.

On 19 Dec 2008, I visited the Science Centre Singapore to catch the exhibition Magic - The Science of Illusion. Here's a blog-post on my visit to the exhibition: A Glimpse of "Magic - The Science of Illusion".

I suppose bloggers like Eastcoastlife would be interested to check out the exhibition? Here's dedicating the post to Eastcoastlife, for her reading pleasure.

A day of sight-seeing with RL on 3 Jan 2009

At Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe: Mee Siam, served the Peranakan-Chinese way.

Some people may mistakenly think that Singapore is a boring place, and would not have imagined how fun it would be to tour Singapore.

However, I would be one of those people who would advocate for locals to go sight-seeing in Singapore. It is fun and enriching to tour Singapore. I personally find it I am very thankful and pleased that I have found a lovely companion in my friend, RL, who I deem as my comparable match in sight-seeing Singapore on foot. Yeah! Cheers to RL.

Part of the lunch buffet. Photo taken by RL.

Nonya kuehs.

Our meeting point was Bugis MRT station. After RL was done with getting gifts for her precious loved ones, we went along with the flow and ended up at at the Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe. 470 North Bridge Road #01-02. North Bridge Commercial Complex. Singapore 188735. (Tel: 63397745). We were lucky. We did not make any reservation but we managed to get seats before the crowd came in. We had a buffet lunch that consists of a variety of Peranakan Chinese dishes.

RL was pretty pleased with the Nonya kuehs that were served. She recommended me to try one of the types of kueh, and strangely, I could not find it on the buffet table. We were wondering how on Earth that type of kueh had failed to get my attention. Many thanks to RL for getting a piece of that kueh for me after she realised that I couldn't seem to find it.

After lunch, we headed for our destination for the day: Kampong Glam. Along the way, I took a snapshot of The New 7th Storey Hotel. This hotel will soon be gone. It will be demolished to make way for the new Bugis MRT station for the Downtown Line.

The New 7th Storey Hotel. To be demolished in time to come.

RL and I made a stop at Parkview Square. This is a magnificent looking building. I was attracted to one of the sculptures that was found in the area. RL found a sculpture of Chopin at Parkview Square and had the pleasure to take a photograph with the sculpture.


The next stop after Parkview Square was Kampong Glam. I showed RL what makes me have a special liking for Haji Lane, possibly the most narrow lane in Singapore. We also have had a good time treating our eyes to a feast of beautiful textiles and fabric while walking along Arab Street.

Haji Lane.

One of the textile shops along Arab Street.

When we were near Sultan Mosque, I was so much in the mood of asking difficult questions that I asked RL a difficult question: (Refer to the photo below.) What is the base of Sultan Mosque's glided dome decorated with?

If you want to know the answer, you would be able to find it in one of my blog posts on one of my earlier visits to Kampong Glam.

Sultan Mosque.

While we were at Kampong Glam, we visited the Children Little Museum at 42 Bussorah Street, second floor. One of the staff there was very hospitable and helped us take a lot of photos while we were at the museum. I felt as if we were superstars for the day, posing with antiques and nostalgic items from the good old past. I have had a good time there. While it is a fairly small museum, it is worth a visit. Admission to the Children Little Museum is only $2 per person.




While we were at Kampong Glam, we also visited the Malay Heritage Centre. The Malay Heritage Centre was previously known as the previously known as the Istana Kampong Gelam, and was the historic seat of the Malay royalty of Singapore. Nearby the Malay Heritage Centre was a yellow-colour building that is known as the Gedung Kuning. I particularly like the open spaces that stood in front of the Malay Heritage Centre.

Istana Kampong Gelam was the historic seat of the Malay royalty of Singapore.

Gedung Kuning.

Nearby the Malay Heritage Centre was the Bussorah Mall. Bussorah Mall offers a lovely view of Sultan Mosque, and I recommend that visitors to Kampong Glam should check out Bussorah Mall, a pedestrianised street, to take photos and to shop. Bussorah Mall is one of my favourite parts of Kampong Glam. Hopefully RL likes it too.

Bussorah Street

When we got thirsty, we treated ourselves to teh halia at a stall located along Baghdad Street. This stall bears a blank, white signboad with a red Coca Cola logo at the left corner of the signboard. As best as I have gathered, it has the reputation to sell the best and the cheapest teh tarik in the city area of Singapore. Its teh halia (tea with ginger) is also highly recommended. Fellow blogger, Jaymeso07, had written about this stall here: The cheapest and tastiest Teh Tarik in Singapore! Many thanks to RL for her treat to teh halia.

The stall that has a reputation of selling the best and cheapest teh tarik in the city.

After savouring the simple yet lovely teh halia, RL and I explored the shops along Bussorah Mall. There were a number of shops that sell fairly exotic items. If anyone of you have the time to explore, you would find antique keries (Malay dagger) sold at one of the shops, and you would find a shop that sells Peranakan beaded slippers.

Good food galore at Kampong Glam area. When we were done with the browsing through the many exotic shops in the area, we headed for the Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant located at No. 697 North Bridge Road. The murtabak there is delicious, and is by far the best I have eaten. Food-blogger of ieatishootipost, blogged about Zam Zam's murtabak here: Zam Zam: Mega Murtabak Mania. I shall be mindful that the next time that I eat at Zam Zam with RL, I shall order murtabak without onions. The curry there is good.

Zam Zam's chicken murtabak.

RL and I must have been in the mood for sight-seeing that day. After spending time exploring much of Kampong Glam area, we headed for Chinatown, which is one of RL's favourite places in Singapore. We were lucky. That day, it was the Chinese New Year Celebrations Official Light-up and Opening Ceremony. This year is the Year of the Ox for the Chinese Zodiac sign. RL got attracted to one of the sculptures of an ox.

Chinatown.

Thanks to RL for leading the way, we visited shops that sold toiletries, and got ourselves more aware about the science behind cosmeceutical products because one of the shop's personnel took the effort to spend about half-an-hour enlightening us on the subject matter.

One of my favourite parts of our visit to Chinatown was our visit to the Chinatown Heritage Centre. Dear RL had to put up with my insistence to visit the Chinatown Heritage Centre even though we were told straight in the face by one of the centre's staff that the centre's closing and if we were to visit it, we would only have 30 minutes to visit the centre. Thank goodness that RL was sporty to go along with my insistence and zealousness. Yours truly is admittedly close to being a freak when it comes to visiting museums in Singapore.

My favourite parts of the Chinatown Heritage Centre are the air-wells, the bucket-system toilets, and the replica of the living squatters of the ex-residents of the shophouses. Yes, I love air-wells and can get pretty fascinated by them.

Photography is not allowed at the Chinatown Heritage Centre. If the Chinatown Heritage Centre loves my writing, and wishes to gain free publicity, I do hope that it would grant me the permission to visit the centre (I will pay for my admission charges), take photographs of the centre and blog about it. For now, just try to imagine the air-wells, the toilets and the rooms. Meantime, I strongly recommend that you check out this post by June Yong: Cubicle Life and Museum Hoppin' - A Sneak Peek by Angela.

Chinatown Heritage Centre

We were pretty lucky. After we left the Chinatown Heritage Centre at about 7.45 p.m., we had the privilege to hear the sounds of firecrackers even though we could not see any of them. Then, we were lucky to get a glimpse of one shot of fireworks in the air. We must have been in good luck that evening.

That evening, I have had the honour and pleasure to chill out and catch up with RL, while we refreshed ourselves with watermelon-and-papaya-juice and pineapples. The various life events that had happened recently made me realised that life is made meaningful when we connect heart-to-heart with friends and/or our loved ones. Those moments are way more precious than many other things such as a job promotion or a passing of an exam.

Here, I am thankful to RL for having put aside time to sight-see my beloved country, Singapore, with me on 3 Jan 2009. Many thanks for the encouragement and support that she has given me that day. I had very much needed them.

I do conclude that there is so much to see and learn about Singapore, such that maybe a life-time may not be sufficient to tour every single part of Singapore in depth. Anyway, I have had fun and a meaningful time sight-seeing.

Thank you for your guidance

Here is a simple to post to thank Carcar for making time this evening to have dinner with me, and to lend me her guidance and listening ears as I try to sort through some issues on my end.

I have got to get to know a few acquaintances who gave me delightful company over dinner.

After dinner, Carcar and I chilled at one of the Cafe Galilee. Carcar shared with me about how the logo of the cafe which consists of five loaves and two fishes was related to a biblical story that took place in the Galilee region. This story is commonly referred to as the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes.

Interesting, during our time at the cafe, Carcar also shared with me about the analogy of a kungfu master who is so keen on imparting all his kungfu to one of his disciples. The disciple, however, was not ready to receive his master's powers. In the end, when the kungfu master tried to use all his might to impart his powers to his dear disciple, the disciple died because his master's powers were too strong for him to receive, all at once. There's perhaps a time for each and everything.

Carcar also gave me encouragement and insights to help me think through some issues that I have had on my family's end. Hopefully all would work out well eventually.

I thank her for her invaluable company, insights, and guidance. I don't usually share much about my world with people in general, and strangely, it felt comforting and safe enough to open a part of myself a little this evening. Thank you very much, Carcar. I appreciate you for making time for me this evening.

I am sorry.

Thank you for your feedback.

I am sorry,
That I haven't been sensitive enough to be mindful of your need for space.
I am sorry,
That I haven't been wise enough to manage my feelings of concern
Such that they ran out of control
Possibly making you feel stifled unintentionally.

I am sorry,
I had thought that I was doing my best possible
Yet effort and care are not sufficient
Wisdom and sensitivity are greatly needed too

I am sorry,
I have erred
And yet you have been gracious and kind with me,
And be honest with me as a friend.

I am still learning
Each and every day.
And I hope that I will learn from this mistake
To learn to be more sensitive
And more mindful
When I act.

If my flaws show up unintentionally again,
May I ask that you please remind me
Again?

Once again,
I am sorry.

Please trust me that I am doing my best to learn to be a better friend.

Thankful for an extremely fruitful day

5 Jan 2009:

It has been an extremely fruitful day. I was out with a very dear friend of mine to get quite a number of things done with my friend.

Reflecting, I am very glad that I have made the choice to take leave from my work to make time for this dear friend of mine. While there were a couple of challenges that we had faced during the day, I am very thankful that we had managed to resolve the important ones by being mindful of our priorities and our objectives, by being focused, by being kind and respectful, and simply, by being hopeful.

I am very thankful for an extremely fruit day. I believe the entire experiences for the day would help contribute to make my year of 2009 be a positive and fulfilling one.

The satisfaction and the fulfilment that I had felt from the extremely fruit day made me realise that one of the greatest successes in this world for me would be to be of service to my friends. I am thankful for the honour and privilege to be of service to this dear of mine.

I wish for her positive vibes, well-being and joy.

Happy Birthday J

A few weeks ago, I dedicated a post to dearest J to thank her for her kindness and friendship.

It is her birthday on 5 January. Here is to wish her a Happy Birthday! May good health, peace, joy, wisdom and all the good things in life be with her. Cheers!

The quote of the day to share

A thoughtful friend of mine, DL, has recently shared on her blog a noteworthy quote that she had came across quite a while ago.

Be kinder than necessary...Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

May it remind me and each of us to be kinder, to the people we meet each day.

My New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

Sentosa in the background. Taken from Vivocity.

I have a lot to be thankful for.

I spent the last day of the year of 2008 with a meaningful meeting with a few friends-cum-ex-colleagues at The Mussel Guys Seafood and Steak Restaurant, enjoyed a Hot Chocolate Paradise with soy milk that provided instant relief to the pain from menstrual cramps, and was fortunate to receive numerous New Year greetings. I even had the good luck to meet a long-lost Primary School class-mate by chance on the MRT train.

The New Year greetings continued to flow in when the new year started. The thoughts that came with the greetings count way more than the words used in the greetings.

There were a lot of lovely things to be thankful for the day.

Goldilocks and I watched Australia in the evening. It was a touching and inspiring movie. I think I was tempted to watch it partly because I had visited Australia a few months ago. More importantly, a part of the plot speaks of the Japanese forces that bombed the city of Darwin. In case you don't know, yours truly has a fascination with learning about World War II. I don't like war. It is just that there are many important lessons that I think we can draw from the World War so as not to repeat the same mistakes again. The movie made me think quite deep about issues revolving around dreams and life-stories. How does one make one's life a meaningful story and expression of one's special gifts?

Many thanks to Goldilocks for her treasured listening ear and companionship over dinner after we had caught the movie. She gave me a lovely treat to almond drink which supposedly is nourishing for the throat. Thank you Goldilocks (JY).

Earlier the New Day's day, I was also blessed to meet people who were friendly and helpful to me. A security officer even pointed me to the eatery (Ayam Penyet Ria) that sells nice Ayam Penyet when I asked him for directions to the eatery that is well-known to sell nice Ayam Penyet. The Ayam Penyet is nice. The only issue is that nowadays, I prefer to eat vegetables and more vegetables, tofu and more tofu!

Meantime, I hope you have had a meaningful New Year's Eve and New Year's Day that you are grateful for. May joy be with you, each day!

Happy 2009

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing you a joyful year of 2009. May good health, good luck, peace and fulfilment be with you. I wish that each day of your life is lived with enthusiasm, and that you would experience the joy of living each day to the fullest.

Please remember to stay hopefully even when things should seem to be dark.

***
I shall then celebrate the year 2009 and end this post with one of my favourite quotes. May it inspire!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous --
Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people
Won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
Give other people permission to do the same.

- Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love (New York: Harper Collins, 1992)