Entries Tagged 'Thoughts' ↓

I have bags under my eyes and its all the fault of an overactive imagination and a striking it lucky at a recent book warehouse sale. One of my favourite authors is Lindsey Davis and her Marcus Didius Falco historical crime investigation series. I stumbled on one of the books a while ago, and loved it so much, I have been collecting the series ever since.

I presently have 7 including the omnibus I picked up recently for a steal. 3 books in one, that kept me busy every night for the past couple of weeks as I savoured every word and found myself travelling back in time to Imperial Rome circa 72AD. So if I look tired its because I’ve been travelling every night!

The Didius Falco books are a rollicking good read with wonderful descriptions of old Rome and lovely satirical humour as only an English writer knows how. I can truly identify with the characters portrayed and the writing is a wonderful blend of fiction and history of Rome during the Flavian dynasty. I’ve even started reading up on Emperor Vespasian and Roman history now!

What is has also done is made me long to see Rome again. Continue reading →

It certainly appears to be that way. There is only 1 flight to Macau from Kuala Lumpur and one flight back. Miss either and you are in trouble! Also the flight there and back was relatively empty. Makes you wonder if they’ll be scrapping it any time soon.

In my case, a friend handed over her ticket to Macau for reasons of work so after gloating at my little bout of good luck, I quickly made plans and when the 23rd came around, I was there at KL Sentral, bright and early to check in at KLCAT (Kuala Lumpur City Air Terminal) and collect my boarding pass. Taking the KLIA Express will only take me 28 minutes to KLIA so I figured checking in early will save me lots of time.

It did. Too much time in fact, when I found that my flight had been delayed by about 3 hours.

Sigh… I was told it was due to bad weather in Macau/Hong Kong due to the Typhoon Nuri that had just lashed the city the day before. I don’t read the newspapers so I missed it. Bad me! Unlike previous trips, I did not even check the weather forecast this time. Bad planning. So point to note: Always check the weather forecast.

When I got to KLIA, and checked with a MAS ground staff, I was told that there were meal coupons to pick up. Yay! The coupons are valid at all food outlets before and after immigration, except McDonalds. I wonder why! I ended up using it at DeliFrance because I needed a coffee and it was convenient. The voucher value is RM15 - pretty substantial because there were set meals going for only RM13!

When we did eventually get on the plane, I had to do a double-take. Continue reading →

In olden China, if you wanted to rise up and challenge the Emperor you better jolly well make sure you win and you kill the Emperor. If not, your life and those of 7 or 9 generations after you are forfeit. The Emperor leaves no trace of you nor your family and your followers to threaten him.

We no longer live in the ancient times, but the vindictive streak that runs in all leaders continue. So long as they are challenged and they survive to tell the tale, they will ensure that the challenger and his whole “family” are deader than a dodo. Never mind that the challenger stood by himself the whole time. Never mind that there are capable people waiting in the wings to take over if he fails to meet the mark. Slash and burn is the order of the day.

So, the lesson to learn from here is that no man is an island. If one person rises above the rest, it is because he rises on the shoulders of others who give him a leg up. The masses toil in order that one man may rise but the selfish and self-centered never see that. He fails to realise that his actions affect the life and livelihood of the people toiling below him. Because of one foray into folly against the wishes and advice of the masses for selfish gains, he has sounded the death knoll for himself and the people who walked with him. I only hope that the death edict does not cover the next 7 generations to come.

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On a lighter note, today is Chap Goh Meh which in Hokkien means the Night of the Fifteenth Day of the Lunar Month. It is also the last day of the Chinese New Year festivities and is popularly known as one of the Chinese Valentine’s Days. I say “one of the” because the Chinese (being super kiasu) have 2 Valentine’s Days!

One is on the 15th day of the first lunar month (last day of the Chinese New Year) and the other is on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month (see Legend of the Cowherd and Maiden involving lovestruck couples, bridges of doves, milky way etc).

Chap Goh Meh was traditionally the day when young ladies ventured out into the public closely chaperoned by their maids or mothers and young men jostled for a glimpse at their beloved. It is a night for discreet tete-a-tetes and passing of love notes as the spring air cools warm ardours and carries on it the scent of plum blossoms and chinese tea.

Tonight is the night when unmarried women throw oranges into the river with a wish for a good husband. Personally, I never understood the concept of this. Why waste a perfectly good orange eh?

Then again, maybe there might just be an orange bobbing along with my name on it. Or maybe not.

Happy Chap Goh Meh everyone!