满天的星星

Was a late and chilly night when Marpig was walking home after having dinner with colleagues and new frens... itz one of those socialising nights

Hasnt had this feeling for quite smtime... guess itz bcos Marpig has been so focused on work, resting @ home tt she didnt have the time to go smwhere with nature, be it dae or night (although she did went to Snowdonia)

As it was, the sky was clear and there was sooooo many stars!! Itz usually like this:

When 1 1st looked into the clear night sky, bcos the eyes must get adjusted to low lights, 1 would see just a few stars... then, when the eyes are accustomed to the low light levels of the night sky, 1 would see more stars and think, "wow, more stars had come out!!" :)

Marpig stood in the middle of the road outside the flat and spent a few minutes smiling into the star-filled night sky... :) Wat a soothing and peaceful feeling~~

Cant wait till the next time Marpig could lie out in the nature & just gaze into the night sky full of stars... one of the best ways to let time slip by...

Writing Chinese on Vista!!

没想到 Marpig 这么厉害，居然能找得出怎么在 Vista 用汉语拼音写中文！！

其实也不难，就好像 Windows, 只要找得到 the language bar, 然后再加 Chinese (Simplified) Keyboard 就可以了！！ 哈哈哈哈哈哈哈！！

不止能写中文，就连逗号和句号都可以是这样的。。。

真是太棒了！！

Chapter 2: Day Trip to Verona (Part 2: Buildings in Verona)

The time has come for Marpig to be hardworking like she used to be. Nowsadaes, she works really hard @ work, then ciao home for a relaxed night. But recent changes pushes her 4wrd on many ths

1st, she needs to buck up on her training records if she so desire her CEng. No more procrastinations/xcuses. She needs to work harder & smarter to earn more to buy a cosy barn back home too!! ... need to really be hardworking like she used to!!

Letz quickly fin this Italy trip!!

This entry is gonna be "short" & sweet!! Having bout 10 hrs or less in Verona, therez only so many churches and buildings tt Marpig could visit. Plus, she cant rem all the places she went!! :S

Nonetheless, herez Santa Anastasia!! It is a Gothic styled church (rem the difference btw Gothic & Baroque? Notice the pointed arch at the entrance. Pictures of ribbed vault will follow!!) Being completed in 1400, it is located in the most ancient part of Verona near Ponte Pietra (one of the bridges)On the entrance, one of the facade panels depicts St. Peter of VeronaBeside the church, is the oldest tomb in Verona, the Tomb (Arca) of Guglielmo de Castlelbarco (supposedly to be a high-ranking official or smth like tt in Verona)
There are more famous tombs such as the Scaliger Tombs in Verona which Marpig went & saw but don have the picture of... duh!! Therefore, a lesson!! Need to read up alot b4 backpacking or make notes!! Otherwise, one noe naught wat one is seeing!! (Marpig shall start by keeping a small notebook now!! Though she needs to go get it, if shez not lazy... argh!!)

Next are sm pics of the nave and altar...Looking from amongst the candles...An arty farty pic of the altar with lilies!!Walking ard the church and taking in the tranquility...
Smtimes in life, we see tts tt are prominent & obvious while missing out subtle thingies... The pic above shows Jesus on the Cross but if Marpig did not mention anyth, would any1 notice the small portrait of Him on top?
Sculpture on the wall showing Jesus being laid in the tomb...Another common depiction from the Bible...Despite the church being restored (sm parts are yet to be restored), there still remains the very old paintings and decor on the columns...And everyth is so elaborate!! Paintings, altars, statues on the wall & all the way up to the ceiling!! Wah~~

Then, saw a statue of Mother Mary which, from the angle Marpig took the pic, can be a little... hmmm...
Herez another statue of Mother Mary with the Christ Child/Angel?From another angle...
Herez an interesting oneOn one of the stoups (a stone "basin" normally in church tt hold the holy water), is The Hunchback, a sculpture work by Gabriele Caliari (Marpig don noe naught bout him)

Anyh, ttz all for Santa Anastasia and next up is~ the Duomo in Verona!!
Looking at the Duomo of Verona "Through the Looking Glass" Notice it is the bell tower, which was left unfinished though one could see the bellWala!! Abit silly isnt it? Cant help it, when Marpig was there, itz under restoration... But at least the considerate Veronians did put up wat it looks like for poor Marpig who went all da way to just have a glimpse of it :)

Actually, therez alot of Duomos (if all of u follow Marpigz blog ard Europe, though not entire Europe!!) Therez the Duomo in Venice, etc. To distinguish this one in Verona, herez a little description of it

In English, itz the Verona Cathedral. In Italian itz Cattedrale di Santa Maria Matricolare aka Duomo di Verona. It is a church built in 1117 although after renovations, itz decor & looks are dated from 15th century
The nave & the altar...An arty farty pic. Nope, the Bible (Marpig assumes) is not held by Marpig but was on a stand near the entrance
As with many other churches Marpig visited (& shown in the blog) therez always other smaller altars by the sides of the nave & the above is just one of them"Peeping" @ an altar from among the roses...
Another altar with (seemingly) gold sculpture... wah~~Close up!! Is it really gold?
Closer up!! Hmm... not surprised if it is... afterall, many cups, furnitures in churches are gold (at least, plated gold) just like many temples. Don noe why but guess whether or not if itz western or eastern, it totally fits the saying, "人要衣装，佛要金装"

Now folks!! Marpig finished the day trip to Verona!! But... therez still the day trip to Padua as well as Florence & Pisa!! OMG!!

Watz There to Worry? Itz Only Going Through History in Our Time

As it is, world markets are tumbling down the stairs, banks and companies are gone like the huffs in the puffs

Inflation, depletion of resources, natural disasters, world hunger & poverty, diseases & more new diseases... really... the number 8 should not be associated with gd luck anymore. Itz rubbish

Pple are talking bout interest rates, currency xchanges, salaries not enough to cover effects of inflation, etc. Lollies are not enough

Come to think of it, like a baby who comes into the world with nth, the world started without lollies as well

"菩提本无树，明镜亦非台，本来无一物，何处惹尘埃"

So y are every1 still feel unhappy bout nth and over nth?

Afterall, interest rates, currencies high and lows, share prices, they are the makes of Man. Pple demand, prices go up, pple don demand, prices go down. However, the volumes & all else remain the same. If one could trace a coin, it will travel the entire globe and end up from where it started. Like wat Marpig already mentioned long long time ago, life & everyth else are all but a circle

Too abstract to understand? Well, for pple who doesnt have enough 慧根, the whole event of this credit munch, inflation, markets falling, companies crushing, etc will go down the future editions of economics textbooks as one of the many case studies. Get?

Just an interesting note for deeper knowledge, before "菩提本无树，明镜亦非台，本来无一物，何处惹尘埃" was written , this was written: "身是菩提树，心为明镜台。时时勤拂拭，勿使惹尘埃"

The difference is tt the latter is 入世 while the former is 出世. Of cos, Nirvana is bout 出世

To help pple to 领悟 herez sm xplanation:

"身是菩提树，心为明镜台。时时勤拂拭，勿使惹尘埃" means 要时时刻刻的去照顾自己的心灵和心境，通过不断的修行来抗拒外面的诱惑，和种种邪魔

But "菩提本无树，明镜亦非台，本来无一物，何处惹尘埃" means 世上本来就是空的，看世间万物无不是一个空字，心本来就是空的话，就无所谓抗拒外面的诱惑，任何事物从心而过，不留痕迹

Get? Gosh... really... Marpig would make a very gd nun & preacher

Realisations

Therez no plural form for realisation but bcos itz Marpig, she doesnt follow the norms

Marpigz blog is really outdated & she cant seem to catch up with all the ths ttz happening in her seemingly wols life (but in reality, itz eventful)

To say the least, she hasnt quite fin her May Italy trip. She hasnt blog her xperience when she went for her Gastroscopy (aka Endoscopy). She also hasnt blog bout her trip up the highest mountain in England & Wales. To add on to the list, she just went on an AHU (air handling unit) factory visit in Gothenburg, Sweden with 10 guys (oooo~~). And, TT.

In the very near future, she will need to also blog bout her trip to Amsterdam & Prague... tsk. And all her 2 yrs' worth of IMechE records... fishburger...

All in all, 2008 is not a gd yr for Marpig & definitely so for every1 else (maybe?) However, Marpig am not shaken by the credit munch, since she doesnt have any debts or mortgages to begin with

Job wise, itz fine despite not 102% red & rosy but, hey, one needs to count the blessings and be contended

Over so many yrs, so many ths happened to Marpig. The choices she made, the ths she did, the frens she made, kept, lost, the pple who she loves and loved, her working life, her social xperiences. Together with her xtremely high level of 领悟能力, life is afterall, at the end of the Day, serene (much like wat Buddha taught bout achieving Nirvana) And Marpig 领悟 & feels it when she was looking out of the window in the office todae:

The calmness and happiness of lying on a vast pasture of green under the gentle sun & looking at the smallest dust or such teeny weeny particles floating ylwols & joyously with the invisible wind...

笑红尘 ---- 陈淑桦

(红尘多可笑 痴情最无聊 目空一切也好
此生未了 心却已无所扰 只想换得半世逍遥

醒时对人笑 梦中全忘掉 叹天黑得太早
来生难料 爱恨一笔勾销 对酒当歌我只愿开心到老

风再冷不想逃 花再美也不想要 任我飘摇
天越高心越小 不问因果有多少 独自醉倒

今天哭明天笑 不求有人能明了 一身骄傲
歌在唱舞在跳 长夜漫漫不觉晓将快乐寻找) x 2

(风再冷不想逃 花再美也不想要 任我飘摇
天越高心越小 不问因果有多少 独自醉倒
今天哭明天笑 不求有人能明了 一身骄傲
歌在唱舞在跳 长夜漫漫不觉晓将快乐寻找) x repeat until fade

Smth bad, ugly, sad, devastating happened. May not blog for such time until Marpig sorts ths out and feel better.