This moment is a ritual I found on life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama and shared to me by Sarah-Jane.
Check out their blogs and if you have a ritual photo too, please leave a link to your Moments in the comment box below.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Moments in Time
{this moment} - A Friday ritual - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to savor and remember.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Hang On... (a love letter)
I am joining in Pamela's Love Letter Fest. Here is my love letter...
Dear Love,
"Love does not make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
This Valentine's day , I'm going to take us on a trip to a land not so far away. The road may be long and winding, interminable from where we are standing, but worry aside, it gets twisted through the green countryside.
We will cruise slowly along the rutted streets which are lined by hundreds of makeshifts shades interspersed with smoking garbage heaps. Pardon me love for such unscenic expectations but those are part of the adventure so I beg you to comprehend.
Hang on there for as we reach the tip of the island, our eyes will be awed by a long stretch of cerulean hue with white - crested waves rolling in and then receding with a whisper. The water glares silvery white in the midday while the sun cast a blinding golden light onto the wide expanse. The sea breeze is warm and the sand is powdery white and fine. We'll settle down under the shades of young coconut palms, with you beside me, I hold so dearly. We can hear whistling wind that sweeps past us and the splashing of waves on the rocks.
There are only me and you on this island. I'll tell you things that make you smile. I'll lend you my goofy hat maybe just for a while. Hang on there, I'll pour out a glass of gooseberry wine into this fragile glass that resembles exactly your vulnerably delicate heart. Cheers, so shall we say... I'll hold your hands... then you lean your head against my shoulder and in the distance, we will see few ships dotted the picturesque blue waters of the ocean. Squalls sweep across the vast waters in unison.
Hold on - I can hear you breathing slowly now - hang on there my love! Don't you wish to see the setting sun? You smiled bleakly but uttered no word. Time seems to have stood still. The silence is unnerving. I lead you to the shore, holding hands as we slowly traipse the shoreline and every step marks footprints in the sand.
The sun bids farewell for the day and I see love appears over the horizon. You try to open your mouth to speak but there is only a muffled cry in your throat. Your knees become weak and your courage starts to shrink. An irrational fear overwhelmed me, causing my heart to pound so fast that it may just leap from my mouth. Suddenly a wave of emotions sweeps over me. Unable to contain my feelings, my eyes are clouded over. Tears begin to fall and I resign to utter: "Don't you wish to see the sun rise again, my love?" But your lips are sealed... they look so dry, and your face turns pale... I can feel the difficulty you are bearing. Again, I hear no answer.
I try to open up my mouth to tell you something but before you can say 'Jack Robinson", your lips instantly pressed mine that they send electric shocks down my spine. I'm unconscious for the moment, unable to speak till I hear you say, "I love you". I'm surprised you have finally spoken. My jaw drops and my eyes wide open. So I continue to listen... "I will try to be with you till the last ticking seconds of my living moment. I'm in pain. I can no longer endure it. So before I give up my last breath, I wish to let you know that you make this Valentine's day special...but I have to go...
" Go", that is the last word I hear from you. And so I trace back all our footprints... there I sense they actually mean something. Two hearts that are binded together make up the love between us forever... I weep my love on Valentine's day! See you then when I see you in Heaven...
Loving you always,
Jorie
P.S. The love phrase above is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Dear Love,
"Love does not make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
This Valentine's day , I'm going to take us on a trip to a land not so far away. The road may be long and winding, interminable from where we are standing, but worry aside, it gets twisted through the green countryside.
We will cruise slowly along the rutted streets which are lined by hundreds of makeshifts shades interspersed with smoking garbage heaps. Pardon me love for such unscenic expectations but those are part of the adventure so I beg you to comprehend.
Hang on there for as we reach the tip of the island, our eyes will be awed by a long stretch of cerulean hue with white - crested waves rolling in and then receding with a whisper. The water glares silvery white in the midday while the sun cast a blinding golden light onto the wide expanse. The sea breeze is warm and the sand is powdery white and fine. We'll settle down under the shades of young coconut palms, with you beside me, I hold so dearly. We can hear whistling wind that sweeps past us and the splashing of waves on the rocks.
There are only me and you on this island. I'll tell you things that make you smile. I'll lend you my goofy hat maybe just for a while. Hang on there, I'll pour out a glass of gooseberry wine into this fragile glass that resembles exactly your vulnerably delicate heart. Cheers, so shall we say... I'll hold your hands... then you lean your head against my shoulder and in the distance, we will see few ships dotted the picturesque blue waters of the ocean. Squalls sweep across the vast waters in unison.
Hold on - I can hear you breathing slowly now - hang on there my love! Don't you wish to see the setting sun? You smiled bleakly but uttered no word. Time seems to have stood still. The silence is unnerving. I lead you to the shore, holding hands as we slowly traipse the shoreline and every step marks footprints in the sand.
The sun bids farewell for the day and I see love appears over the horizon. You try to open your mouth to speak but there is only a muffled cry in your throat. Your knees become weak and your courage starts to shrink. An irrational fear overwhelmed me, causing my heart to pound so fast that it may just leap from my mouth. Suddenly a wave of emotions sweeps over me. Unable to contain my feelings, my eyes are clouded over. Tears begin to fall and I resign to utter: "Don't you wish to see the sun rise again, my love?" But your lips are sealed... they look so dry, and your face turns pale... I can feel the difficulty you are bearing. Again, I hear no answer.
I try to open up my mouth to tell you something but before you can say 'Jack Robinson", your lips instantly pressed mine that they send electric shocks down my spine. I'm unconscious for the moment, unable to speak till I hear you say, "I love you". I'm surprised you have finally spoken. My jaw drops and my eyes wide open. So I continue to listen... "I will try to be with you till the last ticking seconds of my living moment. I'm in pain. I can no longer endure it. So before I give up my last breath, I wish to let you know that you make this Valentine's day special...but I have to go...
" Go", that is the last word I hear from you. And so I trace back all our footprints... there I sense they actually mean something. Two hearts that are binded together make up the love between us forever... I weep my love on Valentine's day! See you then when I see you in Heaven...
Loving you always,
Jorie
P.S. The love phrase above is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Monday, February 7, 2011
Valentine
Valentine spells out romantic places to visit like the ones below....
Ah! Valentine! Cupid is out once again!
Venezuela
Austria
Luxembourg
Egypt
Netherlands
Turkey
Italy
Norway
Ecuador
Love fills the air.... Love, the most gentle of all human emotions. February 14 is a Valentine's Day and the whole world seems to be blinded with love. It is seen that lovers usually look for romantic places to visit to indulge in a date that has an amorous ambiance.
So where are you taking her this Valentine's day? Where do you wish to spend it? Then, you start to ponder and your mind is clouded with lovely imaginations....
Imagine a setting of a turquoise lagoon shaded by young coconut palms, or a long unspoiled beach with sundrenched sand, soft and fine where you can both dig your feet in it as well as wriggle your toes. Waves crashed rhythmically against the waves-crested sandy shore, about a feet high, teasing a loving couple. The sea breeze is warm and smells of salt. Holding hands you walk the shoreline, immersing yourselves in a lovely conversation. What a romantic setting it will be!
Imagine a setting ablaze with color where masses of tulips, lavender and rosemary hedges thrive. Or, a landscape dotted with pretty cottages and pale pink roses. A secluded place where tree-lined river sparkles in the spring sun. Ah! Can you take me to Holland?
Imagine Paris, Italy and Greece....
Imagine Nami Island as well as Jeju and Japan....
Imagine Maldives and Hawaii....
Imagine Maldives and Hawaii....
Every country has its romantic hidden spots. So where ever you are now, there is always that romantic setting for you to spend Valentine's day. It need not be an expensive venue. What matters is the love between her and you. A bottle of wine, sweet loving words, a stare in each other's eyes and not forgetting to say "I love you". Ah... Valentine's day...
Friday, February 4, 2011
Moments in Time
{this moment} - A Friday ritual - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to savor and remember.
This moment is a ritual I found on life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama and shared to me by Sarah-Jane.
Check out their blogs and if you are moved too, please leave a link to your Moments in the comment box below.
This moment is a ritual I found on life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama and shared to me by Sarah-Jane.
Check out their blogs and if you are moved too, please leave a link to your Moments in the comment box below.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations in Singapore
In line with the up coming celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year or simply known as Lunar New Year, I'm going to talk about this occasion for my blog post today.
Lunar New Year is the most important celebration of all traditional Chinese holidays. Though it usually occurs during winter season, in China it is known as Spring Festival. The festival commences on the first day of the first month in any traditional Chinese calendar and this year, the year of the rabbit, it is celebrated on the 3rd of February and ends with a Lantern Festival on the 15th day.
The biggest event of any Lunar New Year celebration is the reunion dinner - a meal comparable to Christmas dinner in the west. This is usually done on the eve of the Lunar New Year. Chinese people all over Singapore gather together for an annual family reunion dinner, which marks the start of a period of feasting. Some families celebrate it in a restaurant (expect every Chinese restaurant to be fully booked) while others just enjoy it at the comfort of their parents' home. It's a joyous occasion where sumptuous food are usually served and the most common fare is the steamboat or hot pot buffet. The video below will show you exactly what to expect when eating steamboat buffet.
The rules of engagement for this get-together-meal are actually simple: Members of the family are to sit around the dining table. A cooking pot filled with simmering broth is made ready at the center of the table along with the various hot pot dishes including thinly sliced pork or shabu shabu, sukiyaki beef, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, prawns, fish balls, scallops, dumplings and thin slices of fish. Then each guest routinely immerse every ingredient into the hot simmering broth and in less than one minute, it's good to go. The cooked dish is usually eaten with a dipping sauce.
On the actual day of the Lunar New Year is where the visitations to kin, relatives and friends begin, a traditional practice also known as 'new year visits'. New clothes are usually worn to signify new year. The color red is liberally used in all decorations and as a predominant color for this celebration. Red is the emblem of joy and this color symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity. When visiting houses, a pair of Mandarin oranges are brought along as a token of good fortune. It is important that you greet your hosts 'Gong Xi Fa Cai', a traditional greeting during this occasion which means to wish the hosts prosperity and good fortune. The elder host of the house would normally give 'hongbao', a red packet containing a generous amount of money, not surprisingly kids cup of tea during Lunar New Year celebrations. Visitors are then to sit around the living area where they can find various tidbits to enjoy while the host served them drinks. After enjoying a moment of chat and savoring every tidbit there is on the table, the visitation continues to the next relative house where the same routine will be followed.
The Lunar New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar calendar. It usually lasts for 15 days. So in between these days, the whole Chinese community are really in the mood for festivities. Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the New Year. Others gather together for a dinner which is followed by Yu Sheng or Lou Hei afterwards. Yu Sheng which literally means "raw fish", consists of raw salmon mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Since fish is commonly associated with abundance, Yu Sheng is then interpreted as an increase in abundance as well as prosperity and vigor.
Once the Yu Sheng is made ready on the table, all the guests are to stand up with a grip of their chopsticks and on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air while saying various auspicious wishes out loud and tossing the ingredients as high as possible to signify increase in fortunes. The salad is then eaten after that. Please view the sample video below to see how it is done.
Lunar New Year is the most important celebration of all traditional Chinese holidays. Though it usually occurs during winter season, in China it is known as Spring Festival. The festival commences on the first day of the first month in any traditional Chinese calendar and this year, the year of the rabbit, it is celebrated on the 3rd of February and ends with a Lantern Festival on the 15th day.
The biggest event of any Lunar New Year celebration is the reunion dinner - a meal comparable to Christmas dinner in the west. This is usually done on the eve of the Lunar New Year. Chinese people all over Singapore gather together for an annual family reunion dinner, which marks the start of a period of feasting. Some families celebrate it in a restaurant (expect every Chinese restaurant to be fully booked) while others just enjoy it at the comfort of their parents' home. It's a joyous occasion where sumptuous food are usually served and the most common fare is the steamboat or hot pot buffet. The video below will show you exactly what to expect when eating steamboat buffet.The rules of engagement for this get-together-meal are actually simple: Members of the family are to sit around the dining table. A cooking pot filled with simmering broth is made ready at the center of the table along with the various hot pot dishes including thinly sliced pork or shabu shabu, sukiyaki beef, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, prawns, fish balls, scallops, dumplings and thin slices of fish. Then each guest routinely immerse every ingredient into the hot simmering broth and in less than one minute, it's good to go. The cooked dish is usually eaten with a dipping sauce.
On the actual day of the Lunar New Year is where the visitations to kin, relatives and friends begin, a traditional practice also known as 'new year visits'. New clothes are usually worn to signify new year. The color red is liberally used in all decorations and as a predominant color for this celebration. Red is the emblem of joy and this color symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity. When visiting houses, a pair of Mandarin oranges are brought along as a token of good fortune. It is important that you greet your hosts 'Gong Xi Fa Cai', a traditional greeting during this occasion which means to wish the hosts prosperity and good fortune. The elder host of the house would normally give 'hongbao', a red packet containing a generous amount of money, not surprisingly kids cup of tea during Lunar New Year celebrations. Visitors are then to sit around the living area where they can find various tidbits to enjoy while the host served them drinks. After enjoying a moment of chat and savoring every tidbit there is on the table, the visitation continues to the next relative house where the same routine will be followed.
The Lunar New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar calendar. It usually lasts for 15 days. So in between these days, the whole Chinese community are really in the mood for festivities. Some families may invite a lion dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the New Year. Others gather together for a dinner which is followed by Yu Sheng or Lou Hei afterwards. Yu Sheng which literally means "raw fish", consists of raw salmon mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Since fish is commonly associated with abundance, Yu Sheng is then interpreted as an increase in abundance as well as prosperity and vigor.
 |
| A sample of Yu Sheng |
Xin nian kuai le新年快乐!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Moments in Time
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Photos - no words - capturing a moment from my travels. A simple, special extraordinary moment.
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Well since I write about travels, this moment relates to my travel experience...
This moment is a ritual I found on life inspired by the Wee Man adopted from SouleMama and shared by Sarah - Jane.
Check out their blogs.... They are very interesting and inspirational to read, and if you are moved too, please leave a link to your Moments in the comment box below.:)
A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Well since I write about travels, this moment relates to my travel experience...
Check out their blogs.... They are very interesting and inspirational to read, and if you are moved too, please leave a link to your Moments in the comment box below.:)
Singapore Food Trip
Please allow me to take 6 minutes and 32 seconds of your time to view this video about Singapore's Favorite Hawker Food. Video courtesy of Annette from Singapore. I'm so proud of her for creating such beautiful and informative video. I personally like the video as it summarizes almost all the kinds of Singapore food that you can find in the hawker center.
For me food is ultimately my best friend. I love to eat and although I have always told myself to control my diet, the craving is just irresistible! I have been in Singapore for quite a while now and I have tasted almost every kind of Singapore fare there is, set right before me whenever I visit their local eating places.
Now why do I introduce you to the hawker center? It is because some of you may not be familiar with it or perhaps you are used to dine in an air-conditioned setting where the environment is more desirable to have your meal. Well, in a hawker center, you will be surprised that before you can even start to savor the food that you ordered from a stall, your forehead is already dripping with sweat. This is true.
So what is hawker food then?
Hawker food are food sold at a hawker center, otherwise known as food center, an open - air complex that houses many stalls selling a variety of food that are not just friendly to your stomach but also friendly to your pocket. Here in Singapore, they are typically found near Housing Development Board or HDB flats (apartments), transport hubs like train station and bus interchange and near shopping emporiums.
Hawker centers offer diverse Singapore cooking at its best. Whether it's a simple dish worth $3 or a three - course meal of barbecued fish, fried vegetables and chili prawns worth $20, the cost is reasonably more affordable than what you have to pay for the same meal when dining in a restaurant plus you are pampered with the same delectable taste.
So in case you are by chance having a trip here in Singapore and you are on a tight budget or you just wish to sample Singapore's authentic cuisines, I wish to recommend some of the more notable hawker centers in Singapore I personally like to visit.
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| Tau Foo soup |
So what is hawker food then?
Hawker food are food sold at a hawker center, otherwise known as food center, an open - air complex that houses many stalls selling a variety of food that are not just friendly to your stomach but also friendly to your pocket. Here in Singapore, they are typically found near Housing Development Board or HDB flats (apartments), transport hubs like train station and bus interchange and near shopping emporiums.
Hawker centers offer diverse Singapore cooking at its best. Whether it's a simple dish worth $3 or a three - course meal of barbecued fish, fried vegetables and chili prawns worth $20, the cost is reasonably more affordable than what you have to pay for the same meal when dining in a restaurant plus you are pampered with the same delectable taste.
So in case you are by chance having a trip here in Singapore and you are on a tight budget or you just wish to sample Singapore's authentic cuisines, I wish to recommend some of the more notable hawker centers in Singapore I personally like to visit.
- Bukit Timah Food Center
- Chinatown Complex
- Changi Village Food Center
- East Coast Park Food Center
- East Coast Park Seafood Center
- Lau Pa Sat
But for a more comprehensive list you can try visiting this website www.myhawkers.sg which offers useful information on hawker centers and food stalls found in Singapore.
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