Thai Green Curry Laksa (Taman Free School)

        I passed by this stall many times wanted to order something from it but always got disappointed because it's not open.

        It's a beautiful Sunday today and while we were discussing where to have our breakfast, I decided to visit here for breakfast (but never have any specific thought about this stall).

        So to my surprise, it's open today!

        We ordered thai green curry and this is how it looks...

        First of all, before really digging into the taste of spiciness, we're impressed by:-
        (1) The portion
        (2) The very nice serving dishes, and
        (3) The friendliness of the seller

        Oh come on every now and then we tend to see the lousiest manners hawker or ones always reflecting how hard to earn a living being a hawker by serving lesser portion but higher price. But this one is totally different!

        And the seller would come by to give us extra soup, sat down to chat with us about Kathina in different places, and offer us nice desert without extra charge (of course we were receiving these offerings with gratefulness and not here to spread the idea so people can go there with an expectation to get free stuff).

         He serves other Thai food too, such as Maeng-Kam, Thai Fried Rice and so on. He highlighted all the spices and fresh ingredients are imported from Thailand (supposing he's serving with a group of people who help to provide him the supply).

         I told him about my experience that always found his stall not open and he told me that was because he went to places for charity work. And the receiving of selling these food will go to charity.

         One thing I must highlight - the taste of the food very not local. With all the spices and chillies (ah, it's hot-and-spicy from tongue to tummy, mind you), I could almost feel like I am in Thailand.

         Wanna know where is the location? Here's the pointer:

       If you come from Green Lane McD:
       (1) Take your 12 o'clock when you come to the round-a-bout.
       (2) Immediately turn left and then right after you passed a small car park.
       (3) Go straight until you come to a junction on your left where there's a no entry sign.
       (4) Walk in and it's the first stall on your right.

       What's better when you enjoy good food, great manner and the proceeding goes to charity?

       I am very grateful for this wonderful morning, to have eaten such filling meal both body, mind and soul, and to have met such inspiring person.

       Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! (*with Wai - palms pressed together in a prayer-like gesture)

A time to count the blessings

On this day two years ago, we tied the knot and started our journey together.

We are grateful that every step of the way has enriched our lives in all possible ways. And too our gratitude goes to all the available support given to our growth.

Penang, a Tropical Island of Heritage

Never have I really done any visit to the places of interest of my own hometown taking public transport. Everyone is so used to taking their own vehicle. It's called "convenient" because one has the freedom to follow own schedule and pace. Most of all, I guess it is all about avoiding the hassle of squeezing with others.

However, thanks to the courtesy of Ministry of Tourism (MOTOUR) and Project Penang, a trip on a very comfortable Rapid Penang Coach to one of the many specially designed routes has given me an opportunity to experience my lovely little Penang in a very special way.

It is Route number 101 where the journey starts from Jetty Penang and ends at Teluk Bahang (and return). We started the trip at 9am, given 45min to make visit respectively, enjoyed a one hour very delicious lunch and reached Jetty around 6pm. Along the way we stopped by KwanYin Temple, Penang State Museum, and the bus terminal at KOMTAR.

KwanYin Temple is one of the renown temple in town. It's located along Pitt Street, next to Penang Chinese Town Hall. Being the oldest temple in Penang, it attracts many people throughout the year.Every 1st and 15th day of Chinese Lunar Month, people (mostly Taoist) will come for prayers and make their wishes. During then, all of the architecture including stone crafting and wall painting were done by masters from China. They are still well-kept until today (after more than two hundred years). I am always fascinated by the look of the sincere faces as they hold up high the jossticks in their hands when praying. It is as if I could see/hear their whispers wishing for good health, luck and abundance in their life endeavors.

Penang State Museum stores the stories of how this almost invisible land on world map was notice and how it has prospered since Sir Francis Light back in 1886. This old premise that host artifacts and witnesses of development is reaching it's limit and will soon be extended to another building in Macalister Road.

For those who wishes to jump on different buses to their target destinations, you can either look for what you need at the Jetty or KOMTAR because these are the only places where all the buses meet.

Next stop, the 33-meter Reclining Buddha (at Wat Chayamangalaram) and Standing Budda (at the Burmist Temple) in Pulau Tikus. I don't want to tell you how incredible it is to see such a big statue lying there peacefully listening to visitors. What I do want to tell is this temple is open daily from 6am-5pm and it is free entrance. And another thing I do want to tell you is drop a 50cents into the box and ask your question in your heart. You will be amazed how Buddha can actually answer you without miss.

After some serious thoughts seeing the power that faith could possibly provide, it's time for some fun - The Toy Museum. Situated in Tanjung Bunga, it comprises countless number of toys under one roof. Too bad the limited space that houses so many innocent dreams was less organized and the ventilation was not very pleasant otherwise it would be the best place for parents and kids to hangout together sharing one common language - TOY!

Before our journey ends, we came to the floating mosque as well as Tropical Spice Garden.

This place of worship were built not very long ago. Watching this solemn building standing high over the water, a tranquil and peaceful feeling arouse. It is important that people of different belief have the compassion and tolerance when it comes to the topic of human race and mankind. No division should come in between because the fundamental of a prosperous world is love and respect.

Everyone knows at least one thing for sure: Penang is popular for its existence since centuries ago, being the platform for east and west to meet for barter system in exchanging what they want with what they have. And the most popular of trade during then was SPICES! Today, some of the wonderful aroma ingredients for cooking as well as herbs for medicine can be found here. Tropical Spice Garden has become the place of study for scholars and this very common looking garden actually contains endless discoveries waiting to be realized! Under these shades, I can really feel how unselfishly the humility and generosity of mother earth providing us the ground to learn and grow!

Penang is a beautiful place.

I have always tell my friends, "if there is one reason I cannot leave this place it would be it's beauty". It has greens, sea, sunshine, rain, and most of all, a lot of mouth watering food.

Feel it with your heart when you set your foot on this island. You will agree with me and many foreigners who finally decided to spend their lives here after visiting.

Many thanks to the invitation to this trip. It has been a very valuable journey.

Love that remains

It's the pictures from a family cum dear friend (a.k.a. darling) that gave me the idea of writing this post.

The title goes like this: photoshooting weekend - 7th July 2011, and the album consists only a few random shots, taken using handphone in the car.

Driver is the groom-to-be, bride-to-be is sitting next to him. Parents of bride-to-be as well as the photographer at the back seat.

Obviously it is a trip for the wedding portraiture shooting.

And yes, parents are tagging along.

I bet some will give me the look of "What? What is the point parents following?" while others might probably say "how sweet the parents care so much to the little detail of their baby's wedding".

Ever since my dad's passed on, we siblings have been taking our mom together to almost everywhere we go. Well not that we did not do so when our dad's still around, but he wasn't keen in going out with us (at least not too often) and so mom will always accompany him. Thus the most we could do was to have family meal together as often as possible. That's the only time dad's keen (everybody eats).

The idea of "accompanying" comes from the concern of "spending time together". We do not want to let mom feeling alone or left behind, which will eventually make her misses dad even more; but most importantly is we want to have the chance to really appreciate the time we can spend together.

What's the point of having time spent together? Those are the moments that will become the most precious afterwards.

No matter what we are doing for as long as we do it together.

That is the best thing that nurtures the love, and eventually the memory, both share.

(inspired by: Photoshooting weekend - 7th July 2011 by Joanna Lim)

The Gap in Between

The world moves in a very fast pace.It has always been that way. What I am talking here is the pace of our life runs. We sleep less, work more, need little but buy tonnes, play only what shows status, forgetting the joy of being simple.

Yes, life can be better. Yes, money buys most of the things that make life more enjoyable. Yes, we want to have more freedom to get whatever we want whenever we want it however we want it to be.

But can we find the simple happiness without so many considerations?

We furnish ourselves to fill the gap between what we want inside and what we portray on the surface. That is why we see and feel differently.

Thus by listening to this song and watching the MV together give different impression.

But I like it because it gives me the pleasure of seeing and understanding as well as feeling the gap in between things.

Celebration

When I first heard, "when you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced; live a life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice" by Kabir an Indian Poet, I thought it has described how one should really live so that they have a life.

Until I hear "Actually funerals are an important ritual in the grieving process. They don't just recognize that a life has ended. They recognize that a life was lived" from the movie Love Happens.

Life is indeed a celebration, although the departure is always hard to people around.

For some reason, I realize and open the photo folder of my father's funeral and the memories of the day we received call from Thailand about his demise and all the afterwards of such sudden shock came back. For me to remember that day, I still keep in my phone the messages that I corresponded with my youngest brother when he was there handling the body pick up with mom.

There are often lot of times we have regrets in being not able to do something especially when it comes to losing someone dear. We mourn until we barely able to get on our feet after such hit.

Yes on one hand I comfort everyone including myself that he is at peace without pain but on the other hand I somehow still feeling that loss inside, which the separation has taken out from me - we did not get to say good bye, face to face.

I guess this is the hardest part.

Until the idea from the movie got into me.

As I looked at the pictures taken that day, although they are filled with our grief of losing a father, a husband, a healer, a teacher and good friend (my dad has always been a good friend to me), I know too that he, although may not be able to speak his last words to us personally but, has given us the opportunity to look at life itself - so that we live too the life and get recognize when the time for us to leave comes.

It is a matter of how we look at life itself. And dad, you just never stop teaching me things even you are gone.

We miss you dearly.


And Happy Birthday pa, wherever you are.

Dance Day for Earth

Being responsible and care for nature does not mean only not littering or not wasting natural resources, although both means so much in keeping the planet cleaner and healthier. There is another thing that is still lacking - love, that includes make connection with mother earth. It is like taking care of our house, or more personally, our body. You not only keeping it clean (hygiene) but also maintaining your body in a tip-top condition at your best and at the same time paying attention to feelings and level of esteem.

In conjunction with World Dance Day, this year Penang is holding it with the title as "Dance Day for Earth"  emphasizing on soul connection - human to human, human to earth, and earth to human - from children to teenagers and adults, caressing the soft grass that is rooted to the soil.

 
Held at Fort Conwallis Penang in small groups, all workshops maintained the learning process effective by limiting the number of participants.The weather was not too good, big sun all the while and came dark clouds followed by down pouring, but it eventually helped to keep the number of patrons small.

Aida said, "although we received many students last year but it was too crowded and we end up not knowing whether the students benefited or what have they learned".

Different workshops including expressive dance for children & adult, contemporary dance, hip-hop, traditional Chinese dance, traditional Malay dance and improvisation session.

 

 

 

"This year we might not have such overwhelming response but we can monitor the progress and it will help us to do better next".


Sometimes it really isn't about the scale we do things, rather the effectiveness make the difference. To cultivate that awareness of allowing our body to listen to the whisper of mother earth is awakening our natural born instinct to connect with our source.

Before wrapping up the day, the showcase session consisting modern Japanese dance (performed by Ms. Hitomi), contemporary dance (performed by Phor Tay Private and Han Jiang Private), traditional Borneo dance, hip-hop and finally a part of River Project, delivered one very important message - connection happens when we pay attention.

One thing I like very much about the night: the rain put everyone, performers and audience, under one roof on the stage (because that's the only place with shelter) - we all perform and watch at the same time in our lives, thus play that role with people around us and most of all live up to the fullest!

There Is No Boundary

Sometimes life can be a little difficult when things do not turn out the way we hoped it would. While most of the time the feeling of defeat and worry about what bet have we left for the coming challenges is driving us to the edge of falling, the real reason of stirring our stomach is always losing control.


The gap between effort and result is way too far apart that it ultimately taking all efforts into insignificance.


When the results are not promising it is almost like a big pile of disappointment appearing like a stack of thick blankets oppressing over the chest causing this suffocating gasps.

I stood by a tree the other day watching its tentacles-like "leaves" growing upwards. I observed how it is showered by the warm sun and move along as the breeze flow, and listened to its whispers of the rustling.

And then, I see hope.

I see life.

LOVE is a Constant Working On It Thing

One of my best friends' best friend (we are friends but aren't besties just yet) went to Maldives for her honeymoon and she captured a lot of wonderful pictures.

There is one particular picture than she tagged me in, in which she claimed it to be a "reminder" for my husband to bring me there (*which I thank her so much for that). The other reason that she did that tagging was probably the light-writing thing was something we had them doing when taking the pre-wedding photos. But because the result wasn't really satisfying so we ended up did not use in compiling the album.

And so she did, write that word again and capture the picture for us to see.

Although the outcome did not turn out perfect but it triggered something very valuable:

           Darren (the husband): practice make perfect. Thanks to our wedding photo shooting lesson.
           Venn (the wife): after so many times, I still cannot get it nice....dumb.
           Joie (my husband): Keep on practicing. Just like LOVE, need to constantly work together on it.

Dream

Communication does not mean talking through things only when there is an issue waiting for solution. It gives the involved parties a chance to speak out the heart and listen to each other.

I believe everyone has a dream. Talk it out, and make it fly.

Getting to Somewhere

Ever came across this situation? Playing on a puzzle game trying to find the solution but it seems unsolvable. So what do you do? Keep trying? Or just leave it?

Well, I assume you are the fighter type - keep trying. So how do you work on the attempts? You use different combination, or you change the pattern. Right?

Imagine we are driving in a stranger place. We might have map and Global Positioning System (GPS) to help us with the routes but there is still possibility that we end up getting lost. So what do we do? We try different routes, or we simply ask for direction.

It is very obvious - we are not getting anywhere if we don't try, we are not getting anywhere either IF WE DON'T CHANGE OUR COURSE/METHOD (putting aside the thought of waiting for rescue to come by itself).

Solving the small problems is the fundamental of big achievements!

We Are Ourselves Both The Creator & Destroyer

As we continue seeking the potential future that we can ever explore, we have somehow finding a very good reason in neglecting who, or to be more precise, what we really are. Well at least it is "hope" that we are talking about and looking at, we may say.

Thanks to the advancement in multimedia and technology, movie has become more and more exciting and interesting.That we are almost able to make any projections that we have on mind into fascinating pictures, or rather movies.

For many of my friends find ideas adopted by motion picture such as Avatar a "channeled" from some place higher than human realm, I think it is rather a place in us that we keenly hoped and prayed to exist after we have seen so much cruelty we have done among one another. Deep inside us there is a place where both good and evil reside.

Seeing "SPLICE" is like asking ourselves to confront this very special place in us - it exist whether we like it or not. Of course I would say the movie isn't as interesting and beautiful as the blue creature planet because it's dark, and it has more lust and desire.

We create to destroy ourselves. How interesting is that?

Watch the movie, although I don't like it.

But I love the whole idea of it.

Action

First of all, the previous post was somehow unique: I captured the picture with my mobile phone and blog it straight away, didn't realize the setting in my phone was actually heading the writing to this English blog instead of the Chinese one. So I thought just keep it here since it means something to me - when I sat in front of the statue and contemplated about the idea of Buddhism and Taoism.

Anyway, this one is about another point of ponder. Sometimes in our lives we find ourselves lost - not knowing how to go on. It could mean our direction suddenly vanishes, especially when we take the big leap in doing changes.


We first convinced ourselves that everything will be different and alright if I change my path since the one I took did not work out. Then we walk on the new journey believing things shall set straight for as long as we believe it will. Yes, sometimes it works - when "FATE" or "LUCK" does most of the work for you. Other times, it is us the reason of change - we make it right.

When making a decision our focus changes, that's why we need to adjust accordingly and that including not only our faith and mind but also our action.

ACTION is the word. We constantly need to be in the position of seeing the motion and move accordingly. It's like the fish in the stream - you either go with the flow or against the current. And that determines the destination.

And so we have gathered the courage to take a big turn, believing that we will get over the low tide. With that belief and the whole of us changed in position and operation, we will breakthrough any dilemma.

Action = Achievement

Think about it, the true meaning of the very popular Mahatma Ghandi's quote -

Be the Change You Want to See

胸怀

用道教的眼睛认识佛教,用佛教的心情思考道教.

Give it All Out

After all, it is your dream.

And it matters.

What About Marriage?

 just watched Sex and the City 2. Although it may not seem as interesting as I first saw Sex and the City, the idea of looking at marriage is my kinda interest (much more being entertained by the incredible costumes, which although not always look best on them but definitely stunning to see).

Carrie (Parker) is married for 2 years and she's joined the girls to the trip to Abu Dhabi, which she then ran into her ex, Aidan (Corbett) and had herself feeling bad after he kissed her. She confessed to Big (Noth) and (fortunately) he forgiven her.

Each of the other girls (Charlotte, Sam, and Miranda) got their own life lesson and realization during the trip too but one thing that Carrie's said at the end is very much the thing that I believe and practice,

"You have to take the tradition and decorate it your way"

Touch of Heart

Every now and then I will find myself in a place where I'm almost surrounded by emotion of being touched. I guess it just appear to me that our heart always long for something, of which I think is the feeling of belonging. And all these contentment and happy tears came to me through, sometimes words while other times, body language.

I guess that is why I find myself resonate with contemporary dance, although myself can't dance even a bit of those unexplainable movements. Our vocabularies are limited thus we continue searching for more ways to express. So often I found - one act that touches and melts our heart is always the unsaid thoughts through the caress of silent touch as the connection takes place when emotions collide.

I've attached 2 amazing piece from this year's America So You Think You Can Dance Season 7. Take a look.

The message is clear like being claimed by Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 - September 14, 1927) ,

"If I could tell you that, I wouldn't have to dance it."

Do You Deserve Winning?

I watched Hell's Kitchen Season 2 on AFC yesterday. It's one of the episodes where Gordon Ramsay tests the 3 contestants, Keith, Heather, & Virginia, who's competing for the place to the top and one will be terminated by the end of the show.

Every contestant gets to nominate with his/her reason for the one to be disqualified and their decision will finally being decide by Gordon.

Sometimes we are standing at the crossroad not knowing where we will go. But often this feeling of unknowing is actually being driven by the fear of taking charge. If we are on the path of becoming a leader, we have got to be a leader - be able to lead and be able to know what must be done and DO IT!


Watch it, from minute 2.22 of this following clip and continue with the remaining two. You'll know what I mean.

I personally like this part a lot where Gordon has mentioned a few very important things:
(1) All I'm looking for right now is a leader.
(2) You got two choices: you run the team or the team runs you.
(3) A good leader, each and everyday, has to make tough decision.

It doesn't matter how well you have been and what your dreams are. What matter is how good you are now, what quality do you have and how well is your endurance through and through till you really get what you want.

Ask yourself: Why you deserve to win? Are you the old or new dog?

Sometimes Something Just Don't Standout Until You Really Pay Attention

We were waiting for our movie to start in the cinema and watching the commercials playing. This one came into picture almost a 9 months ago and I am still impressed every time I see it replays. But I don't know why nothing beats this time that hits real hard when I hear the sentence - DREAMS BECOME REALITY.

Yes, a dream is the goal that we seek to achieve being drafted and painted in our heart and mind. We have it guiding us through our lives breaking all obstacles and defeat every challenges just to making sure we do not stop trying until we get there.

All dreams are immature fruits and only through our continuous attempts it will ripe.

Don't stop believing. Dreams are reachable!

What is it that your mind is trying to tell you?

It is said that we have only got a small portion of our mind explored by conscious, and the remaining is all in our subconscious and dreams. While we know from the study and research report saying that our left brain controls analytical ability whereas right brain focuses on creativity, we haven't really fully understand what this central controlling mechanism - why does it functioning such a way and what is it that the brain trying to tell.

I think the evolution has come to the point where our intellectual meets our spiritual awareness. And by acknowledging we are both rational and emotional, we are becoming more aware of our current state of mind. With that we know: we are indeed a very powerful living, just not yet fully realized and awaken.

But we are getting there if we believe and try.

At least Christopher Nolan is giving me this impression and feeling, from his The Prestige, Batman Begins, Batman: The Dark Knight and the latest production Inception.

This Sci-Fi movie emphasizes how we can dig in to our mind (whether to use it the right way or not is not an issue here as 'Inception' is not a Crime movie). Assuming the different actors in the movie plays the different roles our mind is capable of, what do you think your mind is trying to tell you?

A 2.28hour thriller that is definitely taking serious viewers' breath away. And don't say I never warn you in the first place: you will never stop wanting for more once you start asking.

Is it even an issue at all whether this life is a dream or reality? After all, it's a process of the game don't you think?

I highly rate this movie because I really enjoy how Christopher Nolan actually manipulate minds!