Religion and Spirituality
16) Winter is the beginning of all season
Today, is one of the twenty-four solar terms of the Chinese calender the “Winter Solstice“. The winter solstice is the beginning of the twenty-four solar terms in ancient times. In Chinese belife, the Winter Solstice is greater than the Chinese Lunar New Year.
今天是”冬至”，华人二十四节气中之一。在古时候冬至是二十四节气的起点，所以有冬大过年的说法。
The arrival of the winter solstice, is floating in the festive atmosphere. You will see everyone gathering together for celebration. It’s just like the western Christmas seasons, one celebrating with turkey, another with rice ball dumpling.
冬至的到来，充满着浓浓的节日气氛，你会看到大家聚在一起大肆庆祝一番。这好比西方的耶旦节，吃的是火鸡，华人吃的则是“汤圆”。
Rice ball dumpling, in additional to its shape of delegative round, it is wrapped with flour and stuffed with knead, lotus seed paste, peanuts, sesame etc. The lightly sweet taste filled and warm the stomach in the winter.
汤圆，它的外形除了代表团团圆圆外，以面粉搓成包住的不同的内馅，有莲蓉，花生等等，吃起来让人感觉甜甜蜜蜜。
This warm in the winter, fullfilled my stomach and warm my heart just like rejoicing the human race and traditional close relationship. Just like the tree roots wrapped around the earth, it is the image of the extension to the traditional practices of intergenerational, how appropriate!
这种温暖在冬季，吃在口里，暖在心里，代表人情与传统有密不可分的关系。那天，偶然拍下树根的照片。如果把树根缠土的精神，延伸到传统习俗对世代相传的贡献，不是再贴切不过吗？
Today, is not end of the world, is just the beginning of all seasons. Let’s have the rice dumplings as wine and toast to our heart content, I wish all of you a wonderful festives, happy and healthy life all year round!
今天，不是世界末日，是新的一年的开始。在此，我借汤圆当酒，祝大家圆圆满满，幸福安康！
41) We are non-ordinary buildings (Part 1)
If you stand at the direction of the Merlion, over looking Marina Square, while enjoying the seascape of this city. You may spot an animal-form building in the concrete forest. Have a second look and see if the building resembles certain animal?
That is Marina Mandarin! A hotel building with an exterior resembles an elephant with two flapping ears, a lowered trunk and a wide face. In “Feng Shui” philosophy, elephant signify peace, steadiness and good fortune. By placing this architectural edifice just a distant from Marina Bay, and having the best view of the waters, it is by nature a good “Feng Shui”? Stay tune for the next building!
Take a close-up look at this special building from the concrete forest.
This is an elephant from its own habitat, are they alike?
22) A Tribute to the Dolphin
Welcome to our homeland, my super star
Welcome to Sentosa Island
Welcome to your new ocean blue
Hugging your new kiddy fans
Dancing with your marine friends
Enjoy your lovely feast
Laughter in the air
Our kids willing to share
With their family joy and happy meal
Good to see your new home, my super star
You have come from a long way
My smiley honorable ambassador
Welcome back to your homeland, Wen Wen
Welcome back to Soloman Island
Welcome back to your ocean blue
Hugging your childhood friend
Back to your missile speed
Moon walking on the sea
Laughter in the air
Your dad is cheering for you
Your family joy and happy meal
Good to see you back home, Wen Wen
You have come from a long way
My honorable ambassador
Always a smile on your face
This post was inspired by a news article regarding Dolphins. Wen Wen died suddenly less than an hour before the flight from Philippines to Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore.
Wen Wen is the third dolphin to die out of 27 which RWS acquired from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific between 2008 and 2009.
Friend (23) – Falling is Just Another Form of Dancing / 朋友- 跌倒又跳舞
Road, it is born for us to tread on. For a life time, we flatten and walk on it for countless time. Yet, when it is uneven, we start to complain about it, and when we trip on it, we grumble on our own bad luck.
Yet, if you are lucky, you board the broad sunny way with pleasant scenery and you say, “well, I created my own road”. Then, many a times, we step on mud, collide with stones, cross the tough Himalayas, go against the tide of the Atlantic. And again, this is the time you started to question yourself on the road you are travelling.
The day I nearly slip and fell on a mossy floor along the corridor. In the midst of panic, I felt I fell with a beautiful stance, and started to understand the fact that a fall can be swift, yet graceful and poise.
Life is filled with swiftly changes and it is a stage with ups and downs. Rather than complaining it being slippery, why not help things along; have a dancing fall, slide out your steps with a spring, as Spring is not far away from us!
路，它一生下来就被人踩，我们一路踩在它身上，一生一世不知来来去去走过几回。它一不平坦我们就抱怨连天，一打滑就怪自己运气不佳。
如果幸运的话，上了康庄大道，一路上风和日丽，景色怡人，你说路是自己走出来的。但很多时候事与愿违，很不幸地踩到的都是烂泥，碰撞都是石子，跨的是喜玛拉雅山，逆流的是大西洋。这时你又会不竟地问这是一条什么样的路？
那天我差一点在有青苔的走廊上打滑，慌张之余，感觉自己跌倒的姿势蛮美的，领悟出其实跌倒也要跌得优美，跌得韵味，跌得坦然。
人生舞台起起落落，与其埋怨路滑，不如来个顺水推舟，以跳舞的方式跌倒，滑出一个春天，反正春天离我们不远了。
12) An Extraordinary Doctor
In National Cancer Center, Singapore, if you chanced into seeing a doctor moving around with a wheelchair, he is Dr William Tan, a medical doctor and a neuroscientist. To many, he is not only a diligent doctor but also one of Singapore Heroes.
Dr William Tan contracted polio at the age of 2 and was paralyzed from the waist down. Life was not easy for him, as his father was the only breadwinner in the family. Despite the odds, Dr William works all way out towards his dreams and challenges.
He is a wheelchair athlete and was the first person in the world to finish a wheelchair push in the Antarctica in April 2007. Same year on 19 December, Dr. William achieved another world record by becoming the fastest person in the world to complete 7 marathons across 7 continents in 27 days. This amazing race took him across countries like Antarctica, Chile, Egypt, Thailand, Japan, Kenya, Italy, England, New Zealand, and USA. Apart from all these achievements, Dr William has raise millions of funds for charity locally and internationally.
Dr William has been diagnosed with end-stage leukaemia in 2009. But with his passion in life, the bone marrow transplant operation is already a success in his mind. The disease is just another mountain to climb and conquer.
Being a sportsman, a medical doctor, a scientist and an inspirer, Dr William Tan has turned adversity to advantage. He said, “I don’t have the use of my legs but I shall make the best of my brain and my arms that are not paralyzed.” By reading so much good Dr William has done, I salute him and say “We can’t hold a candle to you, Dr William, thanks for all you have done for the community!”
9) A Story About A Poor Granny
This heartwarming real story happened in Indonesia. It’s regarding a judge handling a theft case. The defendant is an old frail granny from a meager family. She committed the crime as her child was sick and grandchildren were starving.
She succumbed to stealing cassavas for them. But the manager of the plantation insisted to put her behind bars, so she has to face the punishment.
After reading the sentence, Judge Marzuki took a deep breath and made the announcement. “I’m sorry Grandma, I have to abide the law. You are guilty of what you have done, you are to pay a fine of 1 million rupiah (about US$100/=) or you’ll be put behind bar for 2½ years.”
The old grandma lowered her head with grief. At this moment, the judge put away his judge’s cap, took out 1 million rupiah from his wallet and put it on his cap. He went on and spoke to the people in the front court. “Under the name of the justice, I have to sentence everyone here guilty of a fine of 50,000 rupiah (about US$5/=) as a city dweller, you let an old lady here steal for her family because of starvation.”
The honourable judge then pass his hat around for the fine to be amass by everyone including the cassava park manager.
Before the court dismissal, old grandma has been awarded a 3.5million rupiah fine. The money is used to pay up her fine. She went home with what’s left and was very touched with what has been done to her.
8) Dice your Life
Lately, I read an article on newly wed Chinese couple born after the 80s. They have innovated a special dice. The shape does not defer much from the traditional rounded cube, rather of showing number 1-6 on the six-face dice, this one has daily activities like ‘laundry’, ‘cooking’, ‘wash dishes’, ‘buy groceries’, ‘run errand’, ‘staring blank’ etc. on the six-face dice.
The couple has to toss the die to decide their choice of house chore to be done for the day. That’s a fair deal but it could be the starting of a nightmare for the husband.
It is a popular and trendy practice among the young couple. Isn’t it an innovation, and creative idea used in an amazing way!
11) What is the difference between these 2 Sepak Takraw?
The one on the left is meant for wheelchair user and made of rubber material. The one on the right is a traditional Sepak Takraw ball that is made of rattan, thus it’s lighter and more bouncy. Unlike the traditional Sepak Takraw, the rubberized one is less springy and it requires a bit more patience and determination to master the game.
Auti Angel is the “Dancebassador” of the Abilities Expo. She is a wheelchair Hip-hop dancer and also the founder of Colours~N~Motion. Participants from all ages and genders learn the dancing skill from her.
Physical disabilities don’t set a boundary within. With the strength and determination to go beyond, dancing with free wings are the real heroes!
What sort of satisfaction and joy does one gain from sport? A medal? An accomplishment? Or just a simple game just for a simply joy?
Do you want to compete cycling with me?
Or barely go under the sky for an ocean of freedom?
7) A Day of a Honey Collector
Spring and autumn is the honey collection season for Nepalese. Nepalese have a hard task collecting honey as the comb it’s often bedded at the cliff. The honey collectors risk their life in the deep forest at the Himalayan region for this daily task. For fear of bee stink, they dangle themselves in mid air risking their life daily to exchange their 3 meals.
Collectors make use of smokes and noises to chase the bees away from their comb.
The giant Himalayan wild bees built their nest on the cliff a few hundreds meter above ground.
Collectors make use of the self-made rope, and use a simple gear like a wooden stick to plug the comb down. This is the time the bees started their attack to protect their boundary. But the experienced collectors would stay calm and steady not to agitate the bees further.
This is life in exchange, for a daily meal.
21) Will you still love me?
You beat her up with many reasons
Kiss her with no reason
Sparks in your eyes
Fist with diamond ring in the air
You said sorry uncountable times
And she begins to feel sorry for herself
She says
“I am not sure if I can bear with this anymore”
And you asked her.
“Will you still love me?”
You trimmed me down with many reasons
Keep me when you said you love eco
Spark on my body from the eyes of your saw
Yet, you said you love your garden
You confused me
And I started to confuse myself
I am not sure if I can bear with this any more
And you asked me
“Will you still love me?”
You bombed me with many reasons
Lock me up for peace
Spark in the eyes of a warrior
But, you only love your own family
You worry me
And I started to worry for myself
I am not sure if I can bear with this any more
And you asked me
A question I don’t even know how to answer myself
“Will you still love me anymore?”
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