Journey to Pompeii

I have been on leave all this week. Aside from meeting up/having a meal with friends, and clearing my work email, I've taken the opp to do a little bumming around Singapore.  One item on the "to-do" list was visiting the Pompeii exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore - Pompeii : Life in a Roman Town 79CE.

It's been a while since I visited the Museum - in fact, I've not returned since my first visit soon after the Museum re-opened.  Instead, I visited the Peranakan museum a few times in the interim :-)  So it was probably time for another trip.  And the Pompeii exhibition was well worth the time.

The first thing which greets the visitor to the exhibition are casts of people and animals lying on the ground.  When Pompeii was excavated, the forms of those who died during the volcanic eruption were found - the ash had covered them and formed moulds around their dead bodies.  Whilst the bodies decayed over time, the shapes remaind. Particularly poignant (for me) was the cast of the little dog which had been chained up to guard his owner's property, whilst they fled to safety.  He died trying to escape the chain. Another cast was of a man, seated on the floor, with his hand covering his mouth in an attempt to keep the ash out.  But his  efforts, too, were in vain. 

The next stop is a short video, which attempts to reproduce the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on that fateful day in  79CE.  The eruption was actually recorded by the Roman letter writer Pliny the Younger (the Pepys of his day), who describes what happens in some detail - from the early part of the eruption to the subsequent darkening of the sky and the constant raining down of ashes.  Pliny was in Misenum, a nearby town, not in Pompeii itself, but he too had to flee the town in order to escape the volcanic ash and fumes. His uncle, however, had taken a boat out to study the volcano and also to mount some sort of rescue mission and perished in the attempt.

Subsequent rooms contain pottery, coins, weights, religious artefacts, jewellery and other items from the destroyed city. But my favourite room was the one containing the statues and beautiful frescos from the town. Some of the colours were still so rich and fresh, I had difficulties in believing that these were really almost 2000 years old.  According to another short video, the frescos were preserved so well because of the ash they had been buried in, following the eruption.  There was also a beautiful little mosaic fountain.  It is fascinating to think that this is just one small Roman town, not particularly exceptional, yet with people who appreciated beauty, art, and the pleasures of life.

I ended up buying a book on Pompeii, and with a wish to pay a visit to the ruined city one day.  I feel fortunate indeed to live in Singapore, far  away (relatively) from active volcanos. But at the end of it, it is indeed a reminder not to take for granted the blessings which we have, for life as we know it can indeed change overnight.

A somewhat pensive thought to end the year on!

p.s.  a few more photos on my Flickr page.

Waterfall

Silky Water!
Originally uploaded by Taking5

I thought I should end this series of posts on Laos, with this photo of the Kouang Si Waterfall, near Luang Prabang.

It is my first photo with silky water, achieved through lengthening the exposure, but as I didn't have a tripod, I had to find a suitable perch to put the camera on.

This is of course not the full falls - those are far more impressive. But the water looks a lot nicer in this shot - do check out my Flickr set if you would like to see more photos.

This visit to Laos has been truly enjoyable, exploring the countryside, meeting the people, participating in the life here.

The Mighty Mekong

Almost twilight
Originally uploaded by Taking5

The Mekong river is the lifeblood of Laos. It flows from one end of the country to the other, connecting villages, towns and communities. It separates Laos from Thailand - in Vientiane, you stand on one bank of the river and look at Thailand on the other side. In Luang Prabang, the Mekong and the Nam Khan form three of the four city boundaries, forming a natural defensive barrier around the city. The view of the sun setting on the Mekong river is also one of the most beautiful and peaceful ways to end the day (as the photo above demonstrates).

Our first sight of the Mekong river was in complete darkness, as we went there the first evening we were in Vientiane and my friend brought us to see the river and the lights of Thailand on the other bank. There was reclamation work being done on the river bank, so we trudged through the soil to stand on top of the bank.  The row of shops and restaurants which must once have enjoyed great river views was now further back. The next day, we drove down to a house on the Mekong river - the house itself was nice but the road getting there was a small dirt track between the beautifully kept homes. But in Vientiane, a house on the Mekong is still very much a prized possession, something for only the wealthy few.

When we went to Luang Prabang, the Mekong was indeed all around. We had lunch, dinner beside it in the many restaurants on the bank (and made the acquaintance of a dear little cat, which was most interested in the fried fish we had for lunch). The best guesthouses also make much of their river view. But one day we decided to cross the Mekong, to visit the small little villages on the other side. This was indeed quite a world away from the touristy streets of Luang Prabang.

We hired a boatman to ferry us across the river, and walked around the villages there. The villages were small, but very clean and neat (the Lao are a tidy people). Dogs roam the streets, and occasionally skirmishes would break out but otherwise, they seemed to get along together. Chickens also pecked around the area , searching for food. Obviously, it was also a school holiday, as could be seen by all the children playing under the shade of the trees.

We walked up a hill to visit the wat right on top - Wat Chom Phet.  It was bare and poorly maintained, with the painted facade badly faded and decorations missing except for the altar with the Buddha on top. A group of children were playing outside - but with a little bribe from one of my companions, they were induced to go sweep the wat, provide a mat and some flowers so that my friend could pray there for a while. The view of Luang Prabang, however, was amazing - the sight of the Phou Si, and the golden spire of the That Chomsi on the other side of the river.

We walked further on, to reach a larger temple complex - with a much better kept temple, Wat Long Khun. There was a far greater sense of a living community here - the monks quarters, other outhouses and buildings surrounded the temple, saffron coloured robes were hung out to dry in one corner, rice was drying also on large flat baskets set out in the sunshine beside the temple. The children however were still following us and brought some flowers for us to offer at the altar.

Wat Long Khun is supposed to be a "counterpart" to Wat Xieng Thong, across the river in Luang Prabang, and one of the most beautiful temple complexes in the country. We had earlier visited Wat Xieng Thong and indeed, it completely outshines the humbler tempple in this little community. I thought however, that this smaller temple had a quiet beauty and serenity all its own compared to the grander buildings across the river.  It was quiet and peaceful - we were the only people here, aside from the children and the one person minding the complex and collecting admission fees (yes they had it even here!).  So it was a real contrast to the better known, grander temple just across the river.

We visited a third wat on this side of the river but there was no one in sight - obviously they were praying or eating. We walked back to the village and hailed the boatman to ferry us back. It was an insight into a different world, different lives.

As always, more photos on my Flickr page.

Making Merit

Even more than Vientiane, Luang Prabang is full of temples, and full of monks. My friend told me that besides the young men who go into the temple for a few months, poor families also send their sons there. It is a way for them to get a better life - access to education, whilst lessening the burden on the family. We are staying across the road from Wat Xiang Mouane.  I woke up one morning to the sound of a drum; it was the day of a festival and the drum was being sounded at something like 4am in the morning. 

A little later than 4am, the monks leave their temples, and walk the streets to beg for food.  The morning ritual in Luang Prabang is as follows:

• Rise and shine before 6am
• Wait outside the house : with a scarf over the shoulder
• Carrying: a basket of food: sticky rice, or some biscuits or whatever.
• Kneel, if you are a lady, or stand, if a man.  Wait for the monks.

The monks then walk down the road, in single file.  They carry a begging bowl strapped over their shoulder.  They walk by the rows of people, we put food in their bowls. 

The line can seem endless; you can run out of food.  At last, it stops.

Charity, giving to others.  The humility of having to beg for your meals every day.  This is an example of how the giving helps both the giver and the  recipient. 

The Market Economy

It is said that Dr Goh Keng Swee liked walking through cities to look at their shops.  Not for purposes of shopping, mind you, but because he felt that this gave a good sense of the state of the area's economy.

I was reminded of this when I visited the morning markets in Vang Vieng, and Luang Prabang.  For us in Southeast Asia, the morning market is where all the housewives go first thing in the morning, to buy the food to be cooked later in the day. So it is a good place to find out what people eat.   

In Vang Vieng, there were lots of vegetable stalls.  There were also a few stalls selling meat - I really do not know what type of meat and I did not want to ask.  There were a few stalls selling a few fish each.  But there were many people seated on the ground, with a small pile of food in front of them - some vegetable stalls but others sold more "exotic" products, including a basin of insects, of live frogs each tied by the leg with a little piece of string, and bats.  These were women from the nearby villages, who had gleaned a few vegetables from their gardens, or who had sent out their children to see what could be caught, to sell or trade at the market. 

My friends bought duck eggs, to be boiled in the guesthouse and eaten for breakfast, rice cooked in banana leaves and a huge comb of gigantic bananas. 

By contrast, the morning market in Luang Prabang had more stalls selling meat and fish, in addition to vegetables.  One stall had a large tank of fish, in fact. Others sold crabs, tied together with rattan.  There was the one stall which sold what looked like maggots (or worms?).  There was also one stall selling some 6-7 types of rice - ordinary slash-and-burn rice (referring to the mode of cultivation), early harvest rice, sticky rice, black rice, brown rice, amongst others. The Laotian people really know their rice.  A number of stalls sold ready-cooked food- my friend bought a few packets of mixed black and white sticky rice, which we would eat with a little coconut and sugar (it was delicious). In short, the signs of a more vibrant regional economy.

For more photos on Laos, see my Flickr page.

By the Nam Song River

The Nam Song river wends its way through mountainous terrain; these limestone karsts tower over the river and continue beyond it.  We were on our way from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, from the new capital to the ancient capital.  Much of the journey would be spent driving through these mountains.  And we would be spending one night on the road, in Vang Vieng, a little town nestled beside the mountains, by the river.

Vang Vieng today is a sort of backpacker paradise.  It has many restaurants and guesthouses for backpackers, with the restaurants essentially comprising raised seating areas with lots of cushions.  There the backpackers sit, snacking and drinking and watching TV - largely reruns of American sitcoms.  We would be staying somewhere else - in one of the older guesthouses, which had been redeveloped a few times and catered to (ahem) a higher class of tourist.   Right by the river, it had fabulous views of the mountains and was within walking distance of the toll bridge and small tribal village.

We visited the village briefly (it was getting late, and the cows were already on their way home).  After a good dinner (pork ribs, papaya salad, a soup of young bamboo shoots, fish, and vegetables),we returned to the guesthouse.  There, we were greeted by the strains of "Blowing in the Wind".  The owner of the guesthouse was no mean guitarist and singer - some folks in our group knew him. We spent the evening by the river, singing away.

The next morning, we woke early and after a visit to the morning market visited a series of limestone caves (filled with stalagmites and stalagtites), again by the river.  We were early, so had the caves mostly to ourselves.  Then, we continued on our journey through the mountains to Luang Prabang. 

Spectacular, majestic scenery was all around.  The winding road took us up and down the mountains. It was an exciting journey, though a little worrying at times, particularly after we had to stop because one driver, going too fast, had gone off the road into a ravine and the car was being winched up.  Fortunately, we also had a good driver who didn't speed, kept his eyes on the road and tooted his horn every time we rounded a corner.  We arrived safely at Luang Prabang that evening.

To end off, here is a little video of the singing session that evening in Vang Vieng.  I asked for a traditional Lao song.  This one, is about the national flower of Laos - the frangipani.Here he is singing it together with others in our party. 

Temple-Hopping in Vientiane

Big and small
Originally uploaded by Taking5

I had been looking forward to visiting Laos for some time, after my classmate invited me over. Finally, 4 years after our first invitation, we made it over! I've decided that I'm not going to do the day by day updates which I used to do after my previous holidays. Instead, over the next few posts, I hope to share a few highlights of our stay.

Laos is a deeply religious Buddhist society. Like Thailand, Burma and Cambodia, young men go through the rite of passage of becoming monks for a while. My friends called this the equivalent of national service for them!  Indeed, there is merit for all of us to take a few months off to pray, reflect, and to learn what it is to depend on the charity and compassion of others. This can only inculcate these virtues in one's own life.

According to my friend, we had arrived the day before a major festival - when 450 monks would gather at Wat Ong Teu, a major monastery, to celebrate Vientiane's 450th Anniversary as the capital of Laos.  Indeed, when we arrived, the temple was crowded.  Large containers had been set out for people to "make merit" and donate to the temple.  The central prayer hall, or "sim", was also filled with groups of people dressed in their best - praying, checking on their fortunes, and taking photos of themselves before the altar on this important occasion. 

The large crowds were thankfully missing from the next two temples we visited that day - Wat Impeng, Wat Sisaket - and the Ho Phakeo temple.  Presumably, every one was at the big festival.  Wat Impeng is just next to Wat Ong Teu, and the sim was opened whilst we were standing there taking photos of the exterior. My friend told me that the brightly coloured murals on the front wall of the sim had been restored through donations, as were the two smaller shrines facing the temple. But beyond just helping preserve and maintain the buildings, the temples receive other forms of support from the community -  each household is also assigned to a particular temple and they will support it financially and with food. 

Later, we visited two other temples - Wat Si Muang, where people pray for their requests to be granted, and the Pha That Luang, the majestic stupa which is a symbol of Laos.  Wat Si Muang (as would be expected) was crowded.  A number of children were there (my friend says that they are praying for good exam results!), parents with a newborn, and so on.  For those whose requests have been granted, they return to the Wat, buy a marigold-decked "tree" from one of the stalls outside the sim, to offer it at the foot of the Buddha in thanksgiving.

But the highlight of the day was definitely Wat Sisaket, the oldest wat in Vientiane - because it was the only one left standing by the Siamese following their invasion of the city in 1828. The old sim was being restored whilst we were there, and we could not take photos of the murals in the interior.  But the cloisters were amazing - they were lined with statues of the Buddha, with small niches in the walls each containing 2-3 miniatures (see starting photo). Altogether, there were over 10,000 statues of the Buddha in the whole temple complex with over 6,000 in the cloisters alone.  The sim and cloisters were surrounded by a quiet, green park which hosted its own large shrine as well as a number of stupas, some containing the relics of some Laotian dignitaries.

We had just visited a handful of the many wats in Vientiane but all of them were well-maintained and cared for.  For a nominally Communist country, the deep religious roots of the society and the people of Laos are evident for all to see.

More Laos photos on Flickr.

Martia

Back for her portrait
Originally uploaded by Taking5

Something like a month ago, Martia went missing. She had a run-in with the dog next door, and ran off thereafter. We could not find her, we did not know if she was injured or not. But she never came back. So we can only imagine the worst.

She was a shy, sweet cat, who was very much the lowest cat on the rung. The other cats would bully her and try and steal her food (she was always the one who got her food last as a result). On the rare occasions I fed the cats, I would stand above her and protect her whilst she ate.  She trusted so few, it was a privilege indeed that our driveway became her home.  I don't have many photos of Martia, largely because it is difficult to get her to pose (she is scared of the camera).

Ah, Martia. Our only consolation is that apparently she gave the dog a few nasty scratches before my mother and neighbour separated them.

On a more cheerful note, we were temporarily fostering Bonnie (or Sookie as she is now called). We found Bonnie on the roadside, much like little Smudge. But unlike Smudge, she was skittish and it took a few nights to capture her. She got used to us pretty quickly and I managed to find a home for her. Sweet little Bonnie! 

Adorable little Bonnie photos on Flickr.

P.S. It breaks my heart but the day after I put this up, Bianca too went missing.

Imagine

This is possibly my favouritest moment in Glee:

The Youth Olympic Games are Here!

As I type this,  the Opening Ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore is underway (I'm watching it on TV).  Now that it is officially here, I find myself quite caught up/interested in the games. Maybe it is because the Olympic flame drove past my house last Sunday (well, actually the main road outside my house). Or maybe because the "Give Way" signs on the roads are a constant reminder of the Games.  Or the inspiring story of little Wei Jie following the flame for 15km wearing flipflops. 

Whatever it was, I found myself standing on the roadside yesterday at noon, waiting for the flame to pass down Lim Liak Street in Tiong Bahru (the day's route is here). My colleagues had volunteered for the honour of bearing the flame and I was happy to be there at this historic moment to support them.  We waited for a bit and two buses of young people drove past, cheering and waving (we waved back). Then, the flame appeared and my first colleague's moment of glory had arrived! 

All too soon, however, he had to pass it on to the next torchbearer (another colleague).  The moment was over.

And, as I type this line, the Opening Ceremony has just ended. I loved the spectacular ending- the last torchbearer, Darren Choy, the 15 year old sailor, running across the reflecting pool to the lighthouse at the end - and the flame streaking up the tower to the lamp on top. It was so special moment - that last lone runner, the reflections on the water, the mist and lights in the background.  At this mystical, magical moment, I felt proud of Singapore. 

Gardens Galore - Singapore Garden Festival 2010

For the third time, I brought my mother to the Singapore Garden Festival - the third time the festival has been held.  As always, we walked through the two huge halls of Suntec City until we were footsore, and till my camera battery was running low (such was the number of zoomed shots, macros etc which I had taken). 

Some SGF highlights:

The huge figure of "The Man Who Planted Trees", an allusion to the story by Jean Giono.  The figure greets visitors to the Festival, and I must say is truly imposing.  Except, that I regret not taking the effort to view it in the far more natural surroundings of the Botanical Gardens, where it was "grown", before being transferred to Suntec. 

This year, I somehow found that the gardens were a little less memorable than previous years.  Somehow, the underwater garden featured in SGF 2008 really took my fancy. This year, somehow the imaginative and creative element was somewhat lacking in the Fantasy Gardens.  Nonetheless, I rather liked the enclosed garden, "Hortus Inclusus", meant to represent a monastry garden, surrounded by pear trees trained in the form of a grill.  There's a technical name for this which of course I can't remember. 

Another favourite (from the landscape gardens) was probably the "Mystic Rainforest", which was really like a cube of rainforest transferred wholesale into the Suntec halls.  I liked the dense smell of moist earth, the dead leaves scattered on the ground, the snakes twined on the branches and the packaging around the cube.  Sorry, I'm not a fan of "Modern Kampong" which won Best in Show.

I always like the immense variety of beautiful, vibrant orchids displayed in the Orchid Festival, and this year was no exception.  Here, I fear, is where my camera is really strained to its maximum capacity.  The "Community in Bloom" is also very interesting - this year, it features some wall garden equipment or "Vegge Pipes" which enable one to grow plants vertically. 

What I found new and fascinating this year was the bonsai.  These perfect miniatures invite one to view these sturdy little trees from every angle.  This little example on the right won a prize (I can't remember what).  

As always, I am amazed at the immense crowds at the garden festival - the serious photographers, the camera phone crowd just snapping away for a photo to remember the event.  I always meet someone I know too.  It's  such a comfortable, neighbourhood type of event and it's no wonder people go year after year.

P.S.  Just re-read my review of the first SGF 2006, and am pleased to note that I had in this post noted the importance of being more inclusive, involving community gardeners.  Obviously, NParks has listened!

P.P.S.  My photo set on Flickr is here.

A Meeting of Cats

I attended the Cat Welfare Society "Mad Hatter Tea Party" event last Sunday. It was held at The Garden Slug, the comfy diner just down the road (which explains why we went).  I rather liked was meeting all the cats and hearing a little more about them during the Cheshire Cat competition. 

Let me introduce you to just a few:

 Toto, the big and beautiful cross between a Scottish Fold and a British Shorthair.  Weights almost 7 kg!!  His placid and easygoing temperament made him the favourite at the Cheshire Cat competition.  A creature of routine, he likes sitting by the door to wait for his humans to come back from work.

Juju's  owner informed us that this poor cat had two broken legs.  I forgot to ask how these were sustained.  But Juju's mobility is definitely affected as he stayed most of the time in the little baby chair.  But still, as you can see, a rather handsome cat!

Smokey turned up a little late for the competition but he  is after all a true Deuteronomy amongst cats.  He's 18 years' old, and was carried in by the son of his human (who must be a good 6 years at least younger than him).  Smokey was the only cat who was attired for the occasion, in a handsome Argentinian jersey (by contrast, his humans were in Brazilian strip - what does this mean)?  He's blind but can still find his way around the house.

I'll put up a few photos on flickr later on but in the meantime, photos from the event (by official photographer) can be seen on the CWS Facebook page.

P.S.  My photos here.

Sea Lions of Pier 39

Went last month to San Francisco.  It was a work trip, but I had time to pop down to look at the sea lions at Pier 39.  Not the most exciting of videos, but I thought it was fairly interesting to see the sea lion swim up to the pier and jump on top.  For more professional videos, see here.

The End of an Era - Goodbye Dr Goh Keng Swee

(photo from CNA website)

Like so many Singaporeans, I was saddened to hear last Friday 14 May 2010 of the death of Dr Goh Keng Swee.  I have never met Dr Goh, but his policies and actions have surely shaped my life in so many ways. I was probably one of the first batches of Singaporeans to go through streaming in secondary school (ended up in the Express class), and of course encountered his legacy in the workplace, through dealing with agencies he created and through reading and hearing of his actions and practices from others. 

For that reason, I thought I would also join the crowds to pay my last respects to Dr Goh as he lay in state in Parliament House.  It was a hot day with the sun positively blazing down on us, but still the queue built up steadily.  It did move quite fast, with crowd control done by the SAF officers.  There were young school children, parents with their kids, older Singaporeans coming alone including a short, elderly lady with swollen legs which made it difficult for her to even walk (not to mention rather improbably dyed raven black hair).  We moved forward, signed the many condolence books, and walked forward to the coffin where he lay.  His widow was seated beside it.  I said a quick prayer and then it was over. 

As I left, I realised that the Old Guard of leaders was indeed slipping away.  Mr Rajaratnam, Mr Lim Kim San, and others, and nearer home amongst the MPs, Mr Ho See Beng.  One of my younger colleagues confessed that she was not familiar with what Dr Goh had done.  I was surprised as somehow, I thought that there had been so much written in recent years (eg MM's Memoirs, the recent book "Men in White" etc.  It is sad to think that the younger generation these days probably don't read the newspapers, or books of this nature and because of that take for granted the Singapore of today.

But when I was reading through the stories on Dr Goh in the papers over the past few days, it struck me that the first generation of leaders were perhaps far less distanced from the rest of us masses than their legacy makes them out to be.  The stories of Dr Goh sitting and drinking in the mess with his soldiers, and telling risque stories; and working out how to improve his golf, paint a far different picture (or maybe a more complete picture) than the analyst par excellence and the architect of the Singapore economy and the builder of its defences.  We owe him a tremendous debt.

Not sure how long this will stay up but here is link to channelnewsasia videos on Dr Goh.

Terminal 3 Butterflies

Terminal 3 Butterflies
Originally uploaded by Taking5

I was going through Changi Airport Terminal 3 to fly to the US and stopped by the Butterfly Garden in the transit area. They're incredible to look at - look at the beautiful markings on the wings of this butterfly.

They're remarkably easy to photograph too.  There are some butterfly feeding stations around the aviary.  These are flowers with their stems dipped in tubes of sugar solution - the butterflies then sip the nectar through the flowers and stay wonderfully still for the photographer.  This one was a slightly more challenging shot as the flowers concerned were in a separate area, and the butterfly was moving around from stalk to stalk.  So I'm quite proud of this particular effort.

Congrats to Changi Airport for this innovative butterfly garden which brings pleasure to the many passengers through its gates!

My other photos here.

Cat Routines

After all the sad stories, I thought I should put up a positive cat post.  So here is a list of cat routines, amusing, endearing, irritating and more.

1.  The Breakfast Routine.  I am glad to say that I do not get woken up by cats in the mornings, even though I sleep with my door open for ventilation purposes.  No, the cats are waiting patiently downstairs by my parents' door for the moment when my father will emerge to get them their breakfast.  The outdoor cats too are waiting, and they make their presence felt through their mewing and thudding on the front door.

2.  Orlando takes the air.  My ritual every morning after my breakfast: wash my breakfast dishes, wash the cat dishes, clear the litter tray.  As soon as I have finished the last, Orlando is on the alert.  He comes to my side and walks me to the front door where he waits for me to pick him up and take him to sit on top of my car.  He sniffs the air, looks around him, and when he feels like he is ready, jumps down and goes to the front door and waits to be let in.  The downside is that sometimes our little friend wants to stay out a lot longer than I have time for and I have to pick up him and carry him, protesting grouchily, into the house.

3.  MC's manja in the morning.  When I open the front gate just before driving off to work, MC walks from wherever she is and lies down behind the car.  She is waiting for someone to stroke her, pick her up and put her in a safe spot.  Never mind that I'm  late for work!

4.  Jumping on the bonnet. Coming home, Paddy likes to jump on the bonnet of the car, and walk up to the windscreen to look me in the Eye.

5.  Night time head-rubbing.  Winky and Dinky need attention too.  They like jumping up on my bed as I lie there reading before going to sleep.  Winky just wants me to stroke him as he lies beside me (one paw extended to touch me) but Dinky likes to come up, rub my head with his and slump down beside my face.  And that's when he is not lying on my chest just below my chin, practically suffocating me. 

Ah, pussy cats.  You certainly make life interesting!

A rare picture of all three lads - Dinky and Winky and the back, and Orlando in front.

Bye Blanco

Bye Blanco
Originally uploaded by Taking5

Blanco left us on 14 Feb 2010, the first day of Chinese New Year. He did not come for dinner and after that when we went looking a neighbour told us that a dying cat (prob hit by a car) had staggered into his driveway.

Blanco -your sweet temper, warm and affectionate manner will always be remembered.

(I've got to post some more positive cat stories, the last few are all so depressing!)

Houses by a Lotus Pond

I have always liked Vietnamese art.  A few years ago, I bought one piece by Le Thiet Cuong.  And last year, when I visited Hanoi for the first time, I bought another piece. But where the first piece was an original, this was a work in the style of Minh Son, and similar to some of his paintings (a sort of impressionistic, water liles-like foreground, with a more delicate background.  Hanoi has a number of little reproduction shops which churn out copies of more famous works, or paintings in the style of a famous artist.

The original would probably have cost me upwards of US$600. But I was not comfortable carrying such an expensive piece back to Singapore.  My copy, on the other hand, cost me all of US$35.  I carried it from Hanoi to Halong Bay, all rolled up.  I had to get it reframed once back in Singapore and after some procrastination, finally hung it up on my bedroom wall today.  I should say, that the original work was more refined and more "finished", altogether.  But I hope you like it, as I do.