Chapter 3: Day Trip to Padua (Part 3: The Basilica of St. Giustina & Prato della Valle)

"When will this trip ever ends?"

Right, itz 2 mths away from being a yr already since Marpig made tt Italy trip back last yr May... GOSH!! And she is still wishy-washying away, blogging on this overdue trip!! :S All right all right, will aim to fin Italy by today!! (wont manage to)

Following up on the previous entry on Part 2 for Padua, herez the last part b4 going on to Uffuzi in Florence!!

As the title of this entry says, it is pretty much the last bit o attraction in Padua which Marpig trotted on; Basilica of St. Giustina & Prato della Valle

Prato della Valle aka Prà deła Vałe in Venetian, is a 90,000 square meter elliptical square. It is the largest square in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe. From the square, one would be able to see Basilica of St. Giustina (described later) as well as Basilica of St. Anthony. Therez a green island at the center (l'Isola Memmia) which is surrounded by a small (dirty, u will see y later) canal bordered by two rings of statuesPic of the square with the high class, efficient modern tram of Padua!!
Tram gone, leaving just the funny rows of shop houses and notice the "green island' on the left & the statues, barely in view
Wat Marpig lurves bout squares in Europe is, therez always lotsa markets selling all sort of wares and food!! One could always grab smth gifts, bf or lunch!! :D Best place to see souveniors and local food :D_Bcos of budget, Marpigz fren bought bananas for lunch but Marpig did not. Instead, she must have bought a pizza or similar smwhere else... (pizzas and pastas are much better in Italy than in the UK!!) Oooh~~ white asparagus with salmon in cream sauce... yumyumyum... A fountain in the middle of the square/"island" Come to think of it, itz been a long time since Marpig actually went swimming... :S

Like the Yanks, Europeans and the Brits love to sun bathe (since they don get much gd, warm weather) Hence, whenever the sun is out, one would certainly see pple out sunbathing like him:
But, not only are the pple out sunbathing, the doggies do come out too with their owners for a bit o run & erm... relieve. Hence, be careful where u lie (double meaning)!! :P

Walking around the square, one would see rows of statues (the Europeans are crazy over their statues!!) Being Marpig, who 宁可杀错不可放过, she took each and every statues but below is just one of the many many:Watz so special bout it? Nth, thought tt the poor naked boy needs to hold such s big heavy book for the priest... tsk tsk. Talk bout child labour... ooops!! Marpig am thinking too much again!!This is the canal with the 2 rows of statues. The "green island" is on the right on the pic. Notice the shop houses and tt Marpig was on the opposite side previously while she took the tram. Everyth is so picturesque until we see the other side of the coin (one must be objective)So, not everyth in this world are as beautiful as they look!!

Having walked the entire square, 2 "pple "beckoned Marpig to go to the Basilica of St. Giustina:
Approaching the main entrance...And inside...Imagining walking towards the altar to have a closer look...Turning around...
The sunlight seeping through the door, forming a Cross. Then there was the usual candles light for loved ones...Therez many painting on the walls and one particular one intrigued Marpig...Upon a closer look...!! Why is it a pic depicting massacre of children?! Too bad at tt time, Marpig did not read watz on the description of the pic (or is there?)... hmmm... oh well... it might be in Italian anyw

And so, ends the day trip to Padua!! Next up will be saying bye to Marpigz fren who went on her own to Eastern Europe (think she went Croatia, Budapest, etc) while Marpig go to Florence and Pisa on her own :)

Wisdom

Marpig am trying to pdf all her bloggie entries but heu, realised after pdfing a few tens tt Marpigz pdf freeware isnt up to the job; it doesnt format pages into proper pages and "cut" words into 1/2.... tsk. Any1 with a good pdf freeware to share?

Anyw, these few days, Marpig learnt smth/formulated another of her views to share

Wisdom, 智慧, 领悟

Been going through old bloggie entries and even Marpig is impressed with the ths she wrote!!

Having an xperienced and old colleague sitting bside Marpig is gd, smtimes he says ths during chats and Marpig already noe/understand wat he meant. Gosh..

Many pple need to live till retirement age to learn (only) a certain %tage of all the lessons in life. Sm dont even learn their lessons till they die. For e.g., just read bout a serial sex offender in Singapore who was released, caned and commit the same crimes again. This time, he got another 40+ yrs (he can 4get bout coming out) and 24 strokes of the cane, AGAIN. Sm cant be bothered

Anyw, wisdom. So wat is it? Has a fren (or maybe even more than 1) who likes reading self-improvement books, or similar to get inspiration, etc. As it is, Marpig dont believe in tt

Wisdom is not (just) bout how much one reads. It is the ability of sm1 to be able to 领悟道理 through observations, reflections and reasoning based on acquired knowledge and skill of deductions and sorting of information in a objective manner. One also does not need to go through the myriad of xperiences to be able to 领悟

Hmm... if MZ was to see this, she will definitely say (again) tt Marpig has 慧根 hahahaha

Too bad, Marpig still lost to her emotions smtimes

Anyh, in response to Mr Calendarz kind invitation to join his gf and sis in Switz, this blog is not for lazy message posting!! Hello~~~!! BTW, wont be able to join them since Marpig does not have leave, appraisal coming, no lollies (going on trips and flying back to Singapore twice this yr!!) and will be going to Cornwall during tt time!!

一句敲醒梦中人

就是说嘛!! XT always have her words of wisdom for the dreamy Marpig. Gd frens need to pull the balloon back to reality!! :D

Why is it not 惊醒 but 敲醒? Bcos Marpig subconsciously noe wat XT is talking bout (rather than not noeing) but never really faced up to it... itz just like "if it aint broken, y fix it"

Yeah... itz right... who/wat was Marpig living for?

Sigh~ now it bcame clearer... despite Marpig being progressing & xperiencing much over these yrs, she was actually living in a cloud & had just proded on & on & on

Itz time Marpig admit it to herself, she has been living for her mom all these while, even after she passed on. Then, she lived for her dad but he had since "gone" from her life as well

For a latchkey and "clingy baby" whose sis was away in the UK since 16 (Marpig wasnt close to her sis b4 16 anyw), her colourful world sees Marpigz mom as the mother, sis, 知己, guardian, support, etc, in fact, everyth. Carefree & optimistic, Marpig believed (naively) tt everyth will be normal (parents lived to ripe old age) & happiness are in abundance. Until when everyth turned upside down whilst Marpig was preparing for her 'A' levels. Talked bout proper stress and hiding emotions!!

Her world crushed, therez no words to describe tt feeling. Specially when it happened to sm1 like Marpig. Despite going for all sorts of treatments, nth really helped. It was also then when Marpig learnt to be independent (overly now perhaps), doing chores and cooking, like a hsewife!! Even though she was suffering, she fought and wanted to live to see Marpig grad from uni. Marpig, despite fearing she would not, despite noeing she was suffering & trying her best, also harboured a selfish desire for her to live to see Marpig grad. However, after doc said she didnt have much time left, Marpig only wished she would live until when Marpig was 21

But b4 Marpig turned 21, she was gone 4ever... Marpigz time had really stopped then, although moving on with reality

Marpig was angry, angry bcos she couldnt wait until when Marpig was 21. Marpig was angry with herself, for taking ths for granted, for not been able to be filial to her. Marpig was totally wretched, heartbroken. Suicidal? Cant rem, but definitely self-harming. She needed to feel physical pain in order to numb her shattered hrt

Anyw, being pretty much alone to cope with such a massive loss and grief, she sorta messed up her studies. Needing to hold onto smth to move on, she kept tt Snoopy book & wrote "letters" to Marpigz mom

After grad, Marpig wanted to do a PhD, to be a lecturer as wat she had promised Marpigz mom. But with just a BEng, Marpig cant. To 逃避 as well as to go wandering & xploring, going away for a yrz masters in the UK seems the best choice. As a reflection, the most precious th she gained during tt yr (& subsequent yrs now) wasnt really the MSc certificate, it was the lost yrs with Marpigz sis :)

Pursuing a PhD and to be a lecturer, are smth Marpig had promised Marpigz mom. They are also Marpigz personal aspirations (although Marpig don really need a PhD to be a lecturer & she prefers to get tt CEng than PhD) Hence, she continued to stayed on in the UK

Then, bcos she doesnt want more regrets in her life, she also lives for her dad, the main reason why she still misses home and want to go back after she got her CEng. However, after tt incident, Marpigz dad is not worth Marpig living for. TTz why Marpig see no pressing reason to go back now

Back to sq 1, Marpig am still living for Marpigz mom, the main driver in Marpigz life ever since she passed on until now. Marpig lives for herself of cos, but most of the time, itz intertwined with Marpigz mom... for instance, when Marpig goes on backpacking trips & seeing beautiful ths, Marpig hopes tt through Marpigz eyes, she can see them too... gosh, sounds abit freaky!!

In addition, not sure if itz a gd trait of Marpig, bcos of her great adaptability, she had adapted to living alone in the UK and isnt a typical Singaporean now... sigh... in fact, she don mind wondering ard and staying a couple of yrs here & there, 潇洒的人生 b4 itz time for her to go too!!

Well, shall not dwell too much into it for now, since Marpig hasnt had the telephone interview and she hasnt speak to the bosses bout discrimination (did tt in dec but will do it again soon)

Meanwhile, Marpig will start pdfing the bloggie entries as well as catching up on those overdue travel trips!!

Wat to Do With Archiving?

Having just read the Snoopy book which Marpig kept since Marpigz mom passed on just a few daes back, Marpig am at a small turning point in life again(?)

There isnt really much turning acutally... turning back... for gd?

Have no idea since when Marpig felt like calling it quits... was it when Marpig realised she was being discriminated at work for being underpaid and overworked? Was it bcos of the cold?

Marpig am torn... reading wat she wrote to Marpigz mom in the book, she told her she wanted to get CEng... she told her she will wear tt 咸煎饼 hat (PhD) and be a lecturer... but... Marpig has been thinking of calling it quits recently... to stop pursuing her dreams... to go home...

BUT, just when a company in SG saw Marpigz resume and wanted to have a telephone interview with Marpig (may not get the job, just an interview only) Marpig actually doesnt want to go back... sigh... did thought of wat Marpig would do if she goes back... she will be able to eat food she lurves, do ths she likes, be with Marpigz mom. Work and do xercise and cycling. No more bitter cold and grey daes... but... Marpig doesnt want to go back... yet(?)

Plus, didnt want to see Marpigz dad. Have been really 4giving and wanted to even be the middleman btw Marpigz sis and dad... but after reading the book and found out tt in just the 2nd entry (& subsequent "letters" to Marpigz mom), Marpig already note down her observations of Marpigz dadz change tt Marpig realised, tt relationship did started just after Marpigz momz passing on...

Sigh... then, wanted to archive the Marpigz hundreds of bloggie entries over these yrs (blimey!! ttz quick!!) and so, was reading sm of the old bloggie entries and wow... all the comments by Dingko Nut and XT and even Bro Yiz (praising Marpig for having bit o wisdom)!!

Also realised, the Marpig 3.5 yrs ago was young and curious bout the UK and generally, happy. As time (as well as bloggie entries) goes by, could trace how Marpig changed... melancholy, sad, solemn, critical, thinks too much... therez also sm jokes here & there but much less... seems like Marpig has lost her sense of humour to the passing of the daes...

Anyw, Marpig will have to pdf each and every bloggie entry with their comments in order to archive it and print them into a book!! My gosh... are there no better ways or is tt the ONLY way?

B4 Marpig ends this bloggie entry, just like Marpig had asked this question long ago, shall Marpig stop pursuing her dreams and just go back for gd? Sigh...

Chapter 3: Day Trip to Padua (Part 2: Santa Sofia & The Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua)

The previous Chapter 3, Part 1 bloggie entry ended not in Marpigz style, which is rather an abrupt end. No matter, letz continue with Part 2 of the day trip to Padua

Having walked through the alleys, wat greeted Marpig was the 1st attraction, Santa Sofia
Itz said tt Paduaz most ancient church is Santa Sofia. Crypt building begun in late 10th century. The design see Romanesque-Gothic interior and Byzantine elements. The apse (see pictures below) was built in the 12th century. Due to the soft terrain, the edifice appears to be tilting slightly.
Marpig and fren wanted to go in to have a gd look at the interiors but...have no idea wat the above said since itz all in Italian... but one th is for sure...Itz NOT OPEN!! :SPic above is Santa Sofia in the olden daes. Marpig kop the pic from Wiki :PNext up (& shown above) is the Cathedral of Padua. The Baptistery is on the right. Wat is a Baptistery? Marpig noe little... itz smth like a separate chapel. A place where Xtains get baptised? Anyw, it was just a very brief visit, dont think Marpig went in...

The next attraction, which is the sole reason why Marpig wanted to go to Padua, is the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua aka Sant' Antonio da Padova or known as Il Santo locallyMarpig spoke bout St. Anthony in one of her previous bloggie entries where the St. is invoked when smth is lost... anyw, this is the place where the St.'s bones are buried. Built in 1235 and fin in 1301, there is no absolute architectural style. Pple from all over the world made pilgrimages to the Basilica, so did Marpig

No particular reason why Marpig wanted to go there, maybe as with many pple, pursuing smth tough yet achievable gives Marpig drive & suit Marpigz wandering personality. For e.g., going to UNESCO places is also smth which Marpig am doing, ylwols. Much like ticking off a list of to-go places!! One must at least have an objective while travelling!!

Anyw, there is a show on the history and life of the St. which was really interesting!! It also xplores the many diff portrayal of the St. in diff statues, context, etc:Marpig did not get anyth although she bought 2 small cards with the prayer of St. Anthony on the back and a pepper-sized relic (a bit o the cloth which was in contact with the St.'s tongue) for Marpigz sis and Marpig

Note tt relics have many "tiers". There are relics which are those of Saints, for instance, the Saints' bodies, bones, etc. Next are relics which the Saints worn or used finally, therez relics which came into contact of the Saints, which are those on the cards Marpig bought

In fact, whilst in the Basilica, one is not permitted to take any pics but being Marpig, she sneakily took 1 quickly!!As with many places Marpig visited in Europe, all the statues, carvings on buildings, etc are so detailed and complex tt it would take ages for sm1 like Marpig to fully satisfy her awe and interest :P But time is never enough so Marpig got to get a move on!! Outside, Marpig saw...
a love triangle btw Mr and Ms Pigeon!! :P In addition, Marpig was "captivated" for a gd few minutes just looking at the little gal and her grandpa feeding the pigeons in front of the Basilica
Once again, an image which contrasts btw age and youth, old and new, love, adoration, etc... Tsk. Marpig must stop thinking too much over simple ths in life!!

永远不存在这世上

今天要为大家上的一课是，“永远不存在这世上”

Therez 2 way of interpreting the above; just like how diff pple will interpret if a glass is 1/2 full or 1/2 empty

1st, it can be read as, "永远", 不存在这世上. Meaning, therez no such th as 4ever. 珠子 (new nick for sm1, make a guess as to who!!) was turning and tossing even at night and came up with the theory tt therez no such th as 4ever, or in another word, everyth in the universe does not last 4ever

Of cos, every1 with a bit o practicality accept tt nth lasts 4ever. Not even the planets and stars!! Primitive single-celled microbes? They don lasts 4ever, since the idea is tt they never xists b4 they do (pretty abstract) Lotsa ths disintegrate for e.g., papers, furniture, etc etc

Needless to say, intangible ths don lasts 4ever. Oops!! This seems to contradict Marpigz previous idea where memories are the only th tt lasts even when 1 is at his/her death bed!! No no no, it doesnt contradict, but itz of a different timeline/period

Recently, Marpig has been thinking bout the ROOT of ths... e.g., the root of all evil is not money but human greed. Maybe itz just another deeper level of pondering than most pple... Hmm... optimism from pessimism... wah... majiam like 道

Anyw, memories lasts 4ever, assuming the timeline/period is a personz lifespan. If 1 dwells deeper into the root of ths, then even memories doesnt lasts 4ever, assuming now tt the timeline/period is 4ever. Once again, not sure if frens understand wat 珠子 is talking bout

2nd way of looking at it is plainly, 永远不存在这世上, meaning smth/sm1 (wil) never xists in this world. Much like ths tt are 虚构 or cannot happen. For instance, many pple with bit o practicality (again) wil accept tt fictitious beings like aliens, faeries, etc don really xists

Aiyo... so why is Marpig and 珠子 talking bout ideas which say nth lasts 4ever and ths which never xists?!

Actually, the only way to prove the ideas is unltd time... heu!! We do not have unltd at our dispense!!

Therefore, we should not live in the unknown future but to enjoy and appreciate the precious present!! (Past is still impt bcos of lessons learnt, memories and wat we are in the present is how our past moulded us to be)

Essentially, 珠子 had taken sm of her ltd time to 带各位游花园 to arrive at the main statement she wanna bring ax

(^_^)

A Collection of Recollections

Itz bedtime for Marpig but she jumped out of her bed once again just to blog this short entry

Wat has she done? She took out tt Snoopy book she kept for yrs and read it from page 1...

Dating from 16th Jan 2001, the last entry in tt book was in 2007. Marpig has been writing in chinese & 汉语拼音 (bcos Marpig doesnt noe every single 文字) in the book and addressing to Marpigz mom... The last entry in the book was (surprisingly) written in Marpigz usual bloggie entriez style and not addressing to Marpigz mom (to the book itself)

Cried many times while reading sm of the entries in the book... so... Marpig was and is like tt... at tt time... how Marpig has grown (or stopped)... wat happened over the yrs... how Marpig felt when Marpigz mom left, how she was coping with the loss, how she studied but was lazy, how she encouraged herself, her trips to Japan, Aussie, HK, Cambodia, how she felt when she just graduated from NUS, how she felt when sm of her applications for UK masters were rejected, how she wished over a shooting star tt one Uni will admit her for masters (and it came true!!), her acute and accurate understanding of her dad and sis &!! Marpig discovered, in just the 2nd entry in the book, tt Marpigz dad was already behaving fishy!! So!! TT matter DID started way back when Marpigz mom just passed on!! Recorded evidence!!

Why Marpig dislikes CNY and 逃避 sm dates in a yr... gosh... itz really a good autobiography and called it watever u like, "soup for the soul", "confessions", "how to remain inspired", etc

Should Marpig publish it in this blog? Really, the book and this blog should come together and bcome a detailed and illustrative life of Marpig... really makes a good reading!! Gosh, never knew Marpig could write like tt... no wonder pple said Cancerians make gd writers... must really archive the bloggie entries and together with the entries in the book, leather bound them into a priceless collection of recollections

Dont mind sharing it good frens bcos hey, where can one get such a gd book bout everyth in real life and FOC? Plus, life stories are meant to be shared so as to encourage, empathise, understand, inspire, etc others

The problem is how to break them into volumes... based on timeline or events or Marpigz state of thinking/beliefs/opinions during different period? Hmmm... JM could help Marpig edit it as she has always does... Hear, hear JM?!

:)