Bruges In Summer 2012: Part 1

Ever since quite sm time, Marpig hasnt been blogging bout lessons she learnt in life nor the more melancholy entries as compared to the early daes. Perhaps she has entered into another phase of life unknowingly. A phase of 安逸(?) where time seems to pass quickly and nth much has been accomplished... 不会是人到中年吧?!?!?! OMG

Anyw, finally sorting out her travelling pics from 2012-2013!! Gosh, too many!! But now tt Bloggie has become sort of a travelling/makan journal, Marpig needs to plough on, lest she has nth interesting to read in old age!! \(O_O!)/

Back in 2008 when Marpig and frens went to Paris, Brussels and Antwerp for Xmas and New Year, she had also planned to visit Bruges and Ghent. Yrs went by and it was only in 2012 tt Marpig managed to visit Bruges with 2 other frens, finally!!

The journey was fun, though very tiring (for the drivers of cos!!) They have decided to take the ferry ax the English Channel to Bruges, via France!!

They started the journey in the wee morning as they need to drive to Dover to catch the DFDS Seaway ferry ax the Channel to Dunkirk, then taking the E40 motorway to Bruges. From Dover, there are 2 common ways to get to France; to Dunkirk (wat Marpig and fren did) and to Calais. However, as they need to head northeast to Bruges, Dunkirk is definitely a better route!!

It was Marpigz first time crossing the sea, in a car, on a jumbo ferry!! Wat a fun xperience, although guessed itz bcos of the 新鲜感. And so, each car wil have their ticket (purchase prior) and a number for boarding the ferry. There are multiple ramps for cars, lorries, 6-tonners to board and of cos, massive Qs!! But itz pretty fast and 有条有理!! Becos it follows the principle of first in, last out!!

Once the ramp is down, vehicles start loading and are parked onboard while the pple are then free to get out and about!!

TTz the jumbo mumbo, the ramp for loading and unloading of vehicles. Therez not enough seats on the ferry, or perhpas itz bcos there were too many pple. Just like a cruise (but not luxury), there are cafes and duty free shops. All in all, the ferry ride was quite boring

The ferry ride took approx. 2 hrs and the road journey on E40 took about a further hr

Driving along E40 (not Marpig) they past the agricultural green fields of France. FYI, there are certain ths to watch out for whilst driving in Europe in a UK car; the requirement for sticking a "GB" on the back of the car, if the number plate hasnt got the EU logo (which wil have the carz country abbrevation), the headlights need to be of a certain lux/luminance, need to have high vis vest in car for the total number of passengers, including the driver among other thingies. Gosh, wont noe all these if Marpig hasnt done this trip. And of cos, right hand to left hand road rules (the roundabout is in anti clockwise direction!!)

And so, the 3 of them stayed in Ibis Budget which is just beside the train station in Bruges and omg!! Marpig likes the room!! So efficient in terms of space planning (but would like to mention tt there is no cupboard or enough space for hanging of clothes)

The bunk bed is cool (Marpig slept on top) and gosh, the shower is soooo retro. TTz Marpig taking her shower at night after sightsee and wow, shower has built in disco lights!! Oooh!! Sexy the 芙蓉!! muahhahahahha *echoes*

As with most European cities (specially Amsterjam) cyclists are rampant!! Oh, therez China too, then again, they cycle not bcos of environmentally frenly... ho hum

A leetle bit bout Bruges. Belgium has 3 official regions; Brussel-Capital region, the Walloon region (French-speaking south) and the Flemish region aka simply as the Flanders (Flemish speaking north) Bruges is the capital of westernmost province in the Flanders and used to be a very impt and vibrant seaport for trades btw UK and the Scandinavia. The historic centre of Bruges is also a UNESCO site and there are lotsa medieval buildings and lovely cobbled streets!! And oh, frites and waffles!! :D__

Bruges is also known as one of the "Venice of the North", along with the following; Venice (to which the rest are compared to), Amsterjam, Copenhagen, s-Hertogenbosch, Hamburg, Manchester, St. Petersburg and Stockholm

While familiarising the surroundings of the hotel, Marpig saw chestnuts, in itz pre-roasted stage!! Yup, these are how the 天津栗子 look like in their thorny 壳!!

Finally, Marpig didnt see MacD but wala!! Bruges has her own brand of fast food!! Yeah!! Just like Valencia!! Love it!!

Lost Track Again

Bloggie entry numbers have steadily dwindled/plummeted over 2013!! So much so tt Marpig has pretty much lost the chronological order of wat to blog (got to rely on notes in mobile and dates on pics)

Taster first!!

Beenie, this is a suggestion to LTA!! It is an actual cul-de-sac in Bristol!! :P Have more creativity and humour in naming new roads!!

2013 saw Marpig switching job. Above was Marpigz desk, before and on her last dae in office

 

The road she walked from Cosybarn 3 to old office for the past X years!! 不知过了多少个春秋夏冬!! And the generations of resident duckies!! They are really loud and noisy!!

Man with German Shepard whom Marpig often met during her walks. Stays near Cosybarn 3 too. As Marpig no longer trots tt area, rarely see him now...

Rainbows abound in the UK actually, and below are just a few:

Rainbow as seen from Bristol Parkway railway station!! BTW, thought tt roundabout marking reminds Marpig so much of those chicken pies selling in Leetle Red Dot!! *hungry* Dingko, note how this station looks like when u come visit Marpig!!

Marpigz new office is in an old converted mill in Bath. Rainbow beyond the windows!! :D

Right, Marpigz dad and sis and fren went Harry Potter themepark without Marpig!! Ho hum. But Marpigz sis did buy a wand (pen) and the choc frog with the card of a Wizard!! Got Godric Gryffindor!! As for the frog, itz taste just like... milk choc hahaha, didnt jump though

Marpigz dad is really quite gd with baking and he baked a bdae cake for Marpigz BIL. However, it was Marpig who did the cream and decor!! :D Used unpro ths like plastic bags for squeezing the cream tt proves to be quite tricky. Also made the choc coated cherries which was fun!! Can tel itz Marpigz ugly handwriting. Itz worth noting tt Marpig wrote 乐 wrongly. Luckily sent a pic to JM and she corrected Marpig just before the cake went out!! hahaha

Steamboat @ Marpigz sisz for an early CNY celebration in 2013!! (Yes, it was tt long ago!!)

And finally, Marpig really enjoyed this, though not too sure if others share the humour... crap!!

Almost An Anniversary

Wow, 一次过搞 4 个 bloggie entries, speechless!!

XT has been asking for sm pics of Cosybarn and since itz almost a yr when Marpig moved into Cosybarn, here the 一周年 entry for Cosybarn, revealing Marpigz best pal at home & the xtensive DIYs which Marpigz 猪蹄s made!!

Gin wil be very familiar with Cosybarn, since she was the 1st fren tt came and stayed with Marpig in Cosybarn!! Oh, Mimi T would be familiar too, since shez the 2nd fren to visit and stayed over :D

Last winter when Marpig 1st moved into Cosybarn. One can see therez nth much, itz snowing outside and ths lying everywhere!!

Snowing overnight outside Cosybarn looked like the above

And the same "picture frame" in the morning!!

Looking out into the garden, through the conservatory, from within the Cosybarn

Humble yet 102% abs important kitchen!! Cosybarn didnt need major renovation and Marpig kept the kitchen cabinets and worktop as they were. But Marpig did dismantle all the cabinet doors (x7) to scrub, wash and disinfect. Also bought new cabinet hinges (14 sets) to replace the old ones. And wow, lesson learnt: all fitted kitchen cabinets have a unique set of hinges, because the "cups" (holes) which the hinges sit and screw holes are measured and made according to the cabinets' dimensions and how they open. Hence, itz not as simple as buying generic hinges from B&Q, IKEA or 五金店 to replace the old ones. Unless the entire cabinetry is redone, the hinges wil need to be of the same make, model, type as the old ones!!

And so Marpig learnt the hard way; she bought hinges from B&Q and IKEA but those dont fit and Marpig returned them (gd th in UK is full refund with receipts!!) It was then Marpig realised the above. So Marpig took pics of the old hinges, read the brand and unique product/part number on the hinges and contacted contractors to buy the identical replacement hinges!! Heng she managed to get them, as the hinges were quite an old model from Blum. Shanny, see the new Bosch fridge/freezer (automatic defrosting, for the lazy Marpig) and WM? :D

Dingko Nut, if u wonder how Marpig learnt about adjusting cabinet doors with just a screw to make sure they are level, this is how Marpig learnt it!!

The only place which Marpig did a bit of renovation is the next most important room; the bathroom!! Marpig cant stand separate hot and cold taps (why?!) and can never sit on an old WC which isnt 开幕 by Marpigz arse!! Grohe taps not bad, but xpensive. Then again, itz long term investment for an important room

So watz Marpigz best pal in Cosybarn?

Itz the 不可或缺的 toolbox!! Marpig never noe the importance of the toolbox until recently. Now Marpig tend to browse tools when shez shopping occasionally!!

Luckily Marpig isnt yr average XX and loves building ths (LEGO) and solving probs, hence, almost eveyth in Cosybarn was assembled by Marpig, xcept Marpigz bed, tee bee and dining table. So wat have Marpig assembled?

Shoe rack from Germany!! Very soild, heavy, gd quality. Traits one xpects from ths made in Germany!! Difficulty level: Easy peasy

IKEA Hemnes day bed!! Surprisingly gd and sturdy, been tried and tested by Marpigz dad, sis and BIL, Mimi T and hubby. Difficulty level: Above average, lots of screws!!

Marpigz ottoman bed from Tempur where Marpig spent many-a-nua-hrs in :P Of cos, Marpig didnt have to assemble it cos 有专人代劳 :D Difficulty level: N/A Not in the pic is Marpigz wardrobe with mirror from IKEA. Had help from Marpigz dad to assemble it cos need to lift and smone with gd arm strength to screw those screws in and tight!! Difficulty level: Above average

Study room with IKEA Hemnes corner desk. Notice therez sm bits on top yet to be assembled (Hemnes book shelf). Therez an armchair (which also needs to be assembled) but not shown. Difficulty level: Normal, but need 2 pple to lift, and turn furinture around and upright

Next is the sideboard. Heavy and solid. Manufactured from EU (Bulgaria). Marpig practiced adjusting hinges to ensure the doors are level on this again :) Difficulty level: Normal

Samsung tee bee on sideboard. The foot rest is part of an IKEA arm/rocking chair. The little tempered glass table was also assembled. Difficulty level: Easy peasy

Ttz the IKEA chair. 爽 to sit and rock. As it was, felt like Marpig was semi-retired!! :P Difficulty level: Easy peasy

Faux leather sofa/bed. Firm and sturdy, tried and tested by Gin :D Difficulty level: Easy peasy

Finally, the tempered glass dining table (xtendable) which is xactly wat Marpigz sis had (she highly "recommended" Marpig to get it). Again, the dining table is assembled by 专人. Chairs are from IKEA though and need assembling. Difficulty level: Easy peasy, although need to screw properly to make sure the legs are level on ground so tt chairs dont rock (which can be a nuisance!!)

缘分 - 如果花儿会说话。。。

Inspired by Dingko Nut whoz doing/done sm framed art of flatten flowers/plant, Marpig was also looking out for any nice flowers on the floor whenever shez walking. Not particularly though, since Marpig is always on the lookout for interesting leetle nature al ard her in the UK (ttz where al the photos of snails, spiders, slugs, flowers, etc come from) anyw

One windy summerz dae, when Marpig was walking in a huge park beside a lake, whilst waiting for Marpigz sis to fin paddling in the lake, Marpig noticed lotsa white leetle flowers on the grass, under a big tree. The gusty wind has taken the leetle white flowers for a ride but didnt send them home

And so Marpig bent down to take a look at the flowers and thought they would make nice flatten flowers, since the white petals and yellow stamens were pretty. As Marpig didnt have a book or smth similar to keep the flowers, she only picked 1 flower randomly from amongst the lot tt fell and place it on a tissue and 小心翼翼地 covered it

A few moments later, just before Marpig and Marpigz sis were heading home, Marpig peered into the tissue to check on the flower. Alas, think Marpig didnt cover it properly and there was a bit of kink/damage on 1 of itz petals (itz a pentamerous flower). 有点心疼 and Marpig 有股冲动想再去 pick another flower

However, a thought stopped Marpig almost as quickly as 那股莫名的冲动; therez thousands of flowers on the grass just now, but Marpig 偏偏 picked tt particular flower, on tt particular dae, at tt particular time, in tt particular place and spot. To the flower, it must mean so much to be picked and make into a bookmark. Hence, because of this thought, Marpig smiled and just kept the flower, beauty and flaw

。。。它会说什么呢？

Umk, a lomantic story!! Just like how a couple met in 茫茫人海中, came together, although therez differences and flaws, therez eventually acceptance :D

Anyw, this video of Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung singing the song, 《缘分》 is wel worth a 欣赏, since itz so ironic now tt both great singers of the era passed on and pple wont see them 同台演唱 anym...

没有一声再见
没有半声嗟怨
淡淡去但无言。

过去终于过去
留下了当初一切在怀念

每段美好的片段
脑海一再闪现
是否能证实曾与他有缘？

在困苦中百转
但结果在眼前
事实证实无缘。

我已不敢再说
来日可相见？
你我相隔多么远
那年那天可相见？
那处竟可会改变？

我(又)有话要说

Managed to fin sm work (but therez stil more!!), and bcos Marpig have only managed 5 bloggie entries this yr (WHAT?!?!), hence, she wil do a marathon blogging wkend, in an attempt to blog Jan 2013 up until Dec 2013!! Can Marpig do it?!?!?!?!

Quick revision to previous bloggie entry; Mimi T came and went, summer trip to Scotland with Dingko has been postponed a year now. Meanwhile, letz hear wat Marpig 有什么好说的!!

Society changes and therez been an EU study report published where the findings said that, the idea of giving alcohol to young children, in order to introduce them the taste and encourage moderation, is wrong. Umk, do pple need such a report to noe tt the idea is WRONG?! Obviously the Earth have walking humans without brains

Schs in the UK is facing many issues with children/teenagers as young as 10. One such issue is tt there are many children who now send and share nude photos of themselves with frens (for watever reasons!!) So sm MPs was suggesting tt children need to be taught about porn, in addition to sex education. Hmmm... think the children are more xpert in the realm of porn to be taught anyth new?

Another medical article revealed tt a vaccination for herion has been found, which stop the effects of herion on the brain for heroin addicts. Wel, in the 1st place, why get addicted? Eradication is the best solution for drugs addiction. Vaccination 有个屁用!! Just encourage pple to take drugs with no fear by vaccinating themselves against brain damage. Better use the funding to find cures for cancer 吧!!

Sm artist has put up an xhibition pcs of a 1.5m x 2.4m mosaic of Beyonce, using oreo cookies and Philadelphia cheese. It is an attempt to encourage families to have fun in the kitchen. Wat bulls!! Wat a waste of food!! Families should be taught not to waste food, not to buy more than they can eat and not to take food for granted, amidst world hunger which is worsening and with children starved to death!! TT artist should be prosecuted. Beyonce should stand up and condemn it too lor. Ho hum. 人各有志

Was summer and there were lotsa young birds chirping away. By the time they were older, the parents taught them how to fly and one would see many young birds flying in circles, quite low around an area. There was once when Marpig was seagull watching, and noticed tt adult seagulls (white) wil fly once and then the young ones (same size but grey in colour) wil have a go, with the adult seagull standing and watching, occasionally making sm sounds. Also realised tt birds are like aeroplanes/pilots. Sm have gd flying skills while others do not (G***da?) and wil crush land (though very rare)

Marpig used to draw farny ths with her first stencil, ya noe, those stencils with alot of shapes, holes, etc. She actually drew and "invented" an automated conveyor belt sake heater, with notes of the entire process flow. Think tt was back in lower primary. Too bad she didnt keep tt pcs of sketch, because she realised shez making smth simple, too complicated hahahaha

"散文s"

Was re-reading old bloggie entries on Paris (cos Mimi T mentioned she wil be visiting London and Paris in Nov with frens) and realised:

1) Marpig was naive last time (stil have a leetle bit of it left!! ah~~ 岁月的摧残!!)
2) Marpig doesnt seem to like Paris
3) 1 of the many travel bloggie entries where Marpig wasnt organised and did not give info on the places/monuments

Anyw, was really tailing off in creating new bloggie entries!! TT cannot happen!! Stil have got so many backlog entries on Cosybarn and also of trips to Bruges, Tromoso, etc!! And soon, it wil be the road trip from Bristol to Inverness with Dingko (stil in pre-planning stage though)!!

散文s 开始!!

Chit Chat on a Bus

Was going home on the bus and sat beside a retired x fireman whoz wearing a jumper with Rocky Mountain embroiled on it. Not sure if itz bcos Marpig am 和蔼可亲 or bcos the old man was trusting and wanted to share his story, Marpig got to know ttz hez got 3 sons, working in different parts of the world; he has prob with his eyesight; he smokes cigars and enjoy a pint; he went to Canada and drove along the Rocky Mountains; he lost his wife to pancreatic cancer. He also told Marpig why firemen is now known as fire fighters -- bcos some women are "firemen" too in contemporary times, hence, it isnt appropriate to use firemen anym these daes

行行出状元

Scientists and engineers invented and improve many ths we used everydae, however, 想深一层, technologies also created the many probs we face todae (as wel as jobs for scientists and engineers :P)

On the trip back home last yr, was shopping with Marpigz dad and sis in OG and CK Tang, cos Marpigz dad wanted to buy a "fantastic" wok for Marpig to use back in Cosybarn. Marpig always loves going to the kitchen section of CK Tang and OG, so interesting!! :D And blimey, Marpig is impressed (as always) with the demonstration aunties who do live cooking; 真的是现做现卖!! 别小看 these aunties!! Not only can they cook different dishes (without ruining them), they clean the area, sell the products (memorising the deals and $$) and answer any queries from the floor!! 超棒!! BTW, it proves tt women are indeed much better at multi-tasking than men!! :D

That Black and White Lollypop - Dispatch Baton

Marpig was waiting for a train to London with a colleague and the curious Marpig strikes again when she saw the signalling man holding the black and white "lollypop". "What do you call that?" Marpig asked colleague. "Hmmm... I have no idea too" was colleaguez answer. Thereafter, Marpig tried Googling it but kao. 1st time Google provided no answers!! Being Marpig, she must know the answer!!

After a few daes, Marpig can no longer take it, so the next time when she was waiting for the train again, she 厚着脸皮, approached one of the signalling men and asked (pretending to look as innocent as a tourist), "May I know wat do you cal tt?" *pointing at the black and white lollypop* Signalling men looked at each other and were taken aback bcos they have no idea too!! And so they searched (seems like Google too). After a while, one of them xclaimed, "think itz most likely called a dispatch baton, yes yes, it is a dispatch baton" And so they al laughed. The men xplained how they need to be trained to use it and wat the black and white means; the signalling men wil look at the electronic light signals on the track and convey the signal back to the train manager, who in turn, wil convey the signal to the train driver. Red light = black = no go, green light = white = go. 哦~~ *satisfied*

Fear is Good

Every1 has fear(s). Even Superman is afraid of Kryptonite. But as many of us would have realised (often in retrospec), fear do us good and force us to step out of our comfort zone to try new ths, to try to realise our passions and/or dreams, to utilise our situation(s), 既来之, 则安之. As Marpig previously mentioned, al of our xperiences in life IS an achievement, bcos amongst the many xperiences we accumulated, most of them involves us acknowledging and overcoming our fears (really!!) Hence, the next time you have a fear, acknowledge it and overcome it!!

MRI

Marpig went for 2 MRI scans; 1 for the neck and 1 for the lower back bcos of her chronic backaches. Main th is her spine is abit crooked and apparently started to wear and tear 了... hmmm... ho hum. Anyw, it really was claustrophobic being pushed into the "tube"!! Really need to take deep breath and calm down. No wonder it was 1 of the "warnings" the radiologist gave. Unlike watz shown on the tee bees, itz a noisy imaging process. In fact, deafening is the appropriate description and patients were given headphones with music. But the music (even on full blast) is so soft tt the MRI sound stil drills into your mind!!

The 1st sound tt lasted 10+ mins was like siren, the 2nd sound which also lasted 10 mins or so was like construction drilling, the final sound was relatively much better, it reminds u of James Bond movies as it sounded like the iconic self destruction countdown in the movies

Corinthians 13:4-13

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.". Was again on a particular sundae with sis in the church listening to the homily. The Father said tt faith, hope and love are the 3 ths tt last, with love being the greatest of al. However, the overly-rationale and overly-skeptical Marpig feels tt trust should be included too, and is the greatest instead. Reason being to love requires trust. With trust, comes love, then faith in tt smth which one loves. Followed by hope in the th which ones loves and have faith in, no? If the foundation of everyth lies in trust, then the above wil hold true? Hmmm... JM, any thoughts to share?

Conclusions about Politics/Politicians

Marpig was having lunch at the canteen in the new office (great place with table soccer too!!) and made many new frens, including an old Irish who talked about politics with Marpig (another colleague told Marpig tt Irish like to talk bout politics. BTW, colleague is English hahaha) Anyw, after chatting to the Irish, Marpig and him concur tt:

1) Being a politician tells pple alot about tt personz personality; the person is definitely clever (read: scheming and shrewd)
2) If you wonder why politicians never seem to listen to the pple, ttz bcos to win votes, politicians only need to keep 51% of the population happy, the rest can bite dust
3) Politicians behave just like those characters in George Orwellz Animal Farm, where sm "are more equal" than others *oinks and squeaks with trotters knocking tog*

Roses are Red and Kisses are Rare

Being Asians, kisses are rare (and Marpig am not including those youngsters tt hold sexual shows publicly in car parks, etc). Not so recently (at this moment whilst Marpig am blogging), Marpig has been kissed!! *BIG BIG BIG shy and childlish smile and beaming* By who? Marpigz sis!! Ah~~ indeed, kisses which left an everlasting 烙印 in Marpig 没有多少 (物以稀为贵, thanks). The following are just the few:

1) Marpigz momz kisses on forehead, long long long time ago, during bedtimes and when Marpigz momz was happy by smth Marpig had done. 没机会了。。。
2) Cant really rem when was the last time Marpigz dad kissed Marpig. But vaguely rem there was once, when Marpig was sleeping at home (SG), tt Marpigz dad came in to check on Marpig and kissed Marpigz forehead gd night (Marpig was actually awake. Read: pretending to sleep!!)
3) 这一生中 (wel, at least until now), Marpigz sis hugged and kissed Marpig twice on the cheeks (which left Marpig 不知所措, so pretend to loathe it and quickly hide/turn away *smiles*). 1st time was after day xcursion in Rovaniemi in Finland, for "organising such a nice trip". 2nd was when Marpig cooked sisz fav and 超好吃的炒面 when she came Cosybarn with aunty over a wkend
4) 真心 and passionate 的 french kisses. Umk, itz too revealing now, so ttz all folks!!

Lengthy Rojak Summary

Response to XTz previous comment on previous bloggie entry ---

a) Cepat is quick in Malay

b) Marpig is also surprised tt shez kept the bloggie for so many yrs!! She initially intended to keep it for tt 1 yr in the UK... Now, she just wanted to keep records of where she has been, thought, her views on issues, etc, lest she gets 老人痴呆症 and cant rem anyth when shez old!! Plus, blogging (or more traditionally, keeping a diary) allows 1 to track how 1z thoughts and reactions on ths evolve as they matures over time, over different lifez phases!! And of cos, blogging is another platform to share thoughts, observations and humble knowledge with frens

c) On XT has tt feeling where the dioramas looks scary even after shez al grown up... Marpig felt the same too!! But only when she stares long enough to let wild thoughts run, i.e., 胡思乱想, 天马行空!!

Thinking deeper: most of the time we passed judgements before we even see/xperience/think about everyth. We already have a presumption of the ths we see, based on our own memories, history, xperience or the ths we were told or heard from al sort of avenues (e.g., rumours/gossips). Hence, how we react to ths/pple/etc ard us are sort of "pre-programmed", based on our "preception", be it conscious or subconscious. This might wel be the zeroth reason which gives us fear, bias, racism, discrimination, misunderstanding, stereotyping, etc. In fact, al of us fall foul of committing the above AND also fall victim to them, how ironic!!

Anyw, this entry wil be super lengthy cos Marpig am going to dump al the notes she has on her mobile (cos Marpig cant keep up with al her many thoughts!!) on ths-to-blog-but-havent-done-so!!

1) Promised to talk bout Samsara in her bloggie entry on Haw Par Villa so here goes!!

*********YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*********

Samsara is represented by the Bhavacakra aka the Wheel of Life/Wheel of Cyclic Xistence and itz shown in the xample below:

Notice the wheel is made up of concentric circles with illustrations, a fierce looking creature holding the wheel. Therez also a full moon on the top left with the Buddha pointing at the moon on the top right. So wat does it al mean? Quite interesting actually and it summarises Buddhism!!

Starting from the centre of the wheel and moving outwards later, the innermost circle depicts the 三毒 (aka 三不善根 - 贪, 嗔, 痴), which are the root causes of al of the worldz 烦恼. The 三毒 are: ignorance, represented by a pig (贪); aversion, represented by a snake (嗔 chen1); and attachment, represented by a bird (痴). Note tt in India (where Buddhism originated), pigs are considered the most foolish animals (we noe itz not!!) while the bird is the type tt is very attached to itz partner (much like 鸳鸯)

In the illustration, the snake and bird are shown as coming out of the pigz mouth, meaning tt aversion and attachment stems from ignorance (hmm... true). At the same time, both the snake and bird are shown to grab the tail of the pig, meaning they in turn increases ignorance. Bcos of these 三毒, humans create Karma, which is the next circle

Karma, aka 因(缘)果(报) or better known in ang moh simply as "cause and effect", is represented by 2 semicircles. Top 1/2 is always lighter in colour and shows "好人" who 种善因, 得善果 whereas the other 1/2 shows "坏人" who commit 恶业, 得恶果. Note tt smtimes 1 hears "三世因果". This is bcos Karma from our 前世 affect our 今生; Karma of our 今生 wil affect our 下世. As a result of 因果报应, humans are trapped in the Samsara, aka 轮回

The next circle shows the 六道轮回 (三善道+三恶道) namely, 天道 (gods), 阿修罗道(demigods), 人道(humans), 畜牲道(animals), 饿鬼道(hungry ghosts) & 地狱道(hell). Ideally, humans should aim to cultivate themselves to attain Nirvana and get out of Samsara by accumulating good Karma. The idea is to try in each of our lifetime; if 1 cant achieve Nirvana in this lifetime, try again in the next, as long as one doesnt get rebirth into any 1 of the 三恶道, which means more Karma is required!! (Majiam like playing games and leveling up!!)

Although we are moving outwards from the centre of the Wheel, ths are getting more and more profound (but actually itz not, if u managed to 深思 the above, really!!) The outermost circle depicts the 十二因缘, which seek to xplain how the 三毒 creates Karma and subsequently suffering within the Samsara. The 十二因缘 gives insights into the workings of Karma, to help us understand why we cant attain Nirvana/what we should do to attain it

The 十二因缘 are 无明 (which gives rise to) 行, 识, 名色, 六入, 触, 受, 爱, 取, 有, 生, 老死

To help understand the above, letz keep this in mind: 菩提本无树, 明镜亦非台, 本来无一物, 何处惹尘埃

In simple terms (or how Marpig (mis?)understands it) humans are ignorant therefore we cannot grasp the above fact tt therez nth to start off with. Hence, our minds mentally form/fabricate ths (read: EVERYTH). Bcos we form these thoughts with our minds, we become conscious or aware. Being conscious of the xistence of those ths (tangible and intangible, which we fabricated), we associate them with names, sizes, shapes, statuses, etc. Now tt we have those ths, we wanted to make use of our 六根 (眼*色, 耳*声, 鼻*香, 舌*味, 身*触, 意*法) to xperience/touch them. After xperiencing and making contact with the ths, we develop desires to pursue/own them, giving rise to hardships, unhappiness, etc in life. In the course of pursuing worldly ths, Karma is created asnd gives rise to 生 & 老死 = 轮回. And the cycle goes on and on... OMG, Marpig am 头大了, so letz move on to the creature which is holding the Wheel and wat it represent!!

The creature is actually Yama, the God of Death aka the familiar 阎罗王. He symbolises impermanence or 无常 because wat the Wheel of Life embodies; 十二因缘 + Karma + Samsara, are al changing constantly i.e., impermanent. Hence, by being attached to ths tt are impermanent causes suffering. As the 金刚经 said about 无常; "一切有为法, 如梦幻泡影, 如露亦如电, 应作如是观"

Anyw, his hands and legs shown clutching the Wheel symbolise 生老病死. His 3rd eye symbolises the wisdom of understanding 无常. The 5 skulls on his crown symbolise the 五蕴 yun4 (色蕴, 受蕴, 想蕴, 行蕴, 识蕴), which the following 苦s originated from: 生苦, 老苦, 病苦, 死苦, 爱.别.离.苦, 怨.憎.会.苦, 求.不.得.苦

(Almost finished with this section!!)

The full moon (alternatively in other versions, it would be 净土) symbolises gaining enlightment (解脱) and achieving Nirvana (不生不灭、不垢不净、不增加不减). Finally, Buddha pointing at the moon means tt Nirvana is possible and can be achieved!!*whew*

2) Burger and Lobster

Didnt noe tt EmY quit her job as an accountant and came to Le Cordon Bleu in the UK to learn baking!! Talk bout pursuing 1z dreams!! Anyw, she now back to the Leetle Red Dot, where the sun shines. But whilst shez here, Dev came to visit and Marpig met up and bunk in with them. Interestingly, Marpig and EmY never spoke in sch but got along very wel after seeing each other 18 yrs later (#_#)

Itz always gd to meet up with gd ol' frens. More so when the 3 of them share a passion for~~ gd MAKAN!! Really, talk bout fd, EmY and Dev are def a notch up from Marpig!!

During tt wkend, EmY brought them to savour Mayz (1 of her frens) dinner club (similar to 私房菜) which consisted of a 7-course meal

TTz the chef, May with the appetiser, 鱼生

The 2no. long table with elegant dinner setup!!

And the rest of the other dishes!! All scrumptiously home cooked by May!! Clockwise from top left: Clams in miso soup, "kong bak bao", sambal chilli with eggies, beef rendang, nasi lemak, roast quail!! Yummy!!

They also went to a restaurant called, "Burger and Lobster" (hence the section name). Therez nth on the menu xcept beef burger (very nice juicy beef!! 有水准!!) and lobster (grilled, boiled or in sandwich)!! Easy enough to order right?! :D

3) Satirical Humour

Leetle Red Dotters complain tt Leetle Red Dot is overcrowded, which is oh-so-true!! 6 million pple by 2015?! 不要吧!! "hor wah jit leh whee" (给我一点位 in Hokkein)!! But, itz not just Leetle Red Dot, HK and even China herself (where the influx mostly came from) face the same prob too. Indeed, a Chinese fren of Marpig aka DX hereafter, has this to say bout overcrowding on public transport, which is so witty:

"饼干上去, 面粉下来" muahahahahahaha

4) "Limpeh"

B4 Marpigz dad quit his supervisor role in his frenz landscaping company, Marpig 心血来潮 (a wkdae in SG, no1 else avail to play with Marpig :P) went to his office to have lunch with him. Was sitting by a stone seat leisurely and saw  "fridges" appear. Wasnt supposed to be in the area as itz supposed to be for staff only but bcos Marpigz dad let Marpig in prior so... anyw, was hoping tt the fridges wil come and ask Marpig wat she was doing (cos Marpig was bored waiting...) so tt Marpig could response with "在等我老爸吃饭!!" Hmm... wonder if it sounded lame (ttz Marpigz plan!! Heh)

5) Carry Yourself Well

Was on duty on the bicycle with WWS and met a group of SP students doing smth gd; collecting water samples from the river. Chairman and Marpig stopped and asked them a few simple questions related to wat they were doing and why. However, despite being "eloquent" among themselves, when approached by strangers, they stared blindly, lost for words and cannot responded like a 18 - 20 yrs old. Marpig has to lead them to respond by simplifying the questions. Even the answers were "bullet-point"!! Shame. Students need to brush up on valuable pplez skills!!

6) Read an article in Today where a reader wrote in and talked bout seeing a bus driver greeted passengers with a smile but none of the passengers responded. The readerz comment was, "while Singaporeans are vocal online, there was silent when an occasion such as this called for just a return greeting, or at least, eye contact and a smile. Have we turned e-social and e-social only?" Refer to (5) above

7) 冷笑话

Wat pig do u see every 4 yrs?
The Or-lim-pig

8) Balloon Festival (again)

Went to the Balloon Festival with Marpigz crush long time ago and went to it again after 4 yrs with colleagues. Nth much has changed

Same funfair...

Same balloons (but different patterns cos sponsors changed)

But this time Marpig saw and managed to capture the fireworks!!