As the old man walked along the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them back into the sea. Finally catching up to the youth, he asked why he was doing this. The answer was that the starfish would die if left until the morning sun. “But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish,” said the old man. “How can your effort make any difference?” The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it safely into the waves. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said.
Adapted from “The Starfish Thrower” in the book “The Unexpected Universe” by Loren Eiseley (an American anthropologist, educator, philosopher, and natural science writer)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Living Foods and yoga in Singapore!
Last weekend we did an amazing course with Lina Loo at the Singapore Branch of Light Love Laughter Academy. It was called Ultimate Living Chef and it covered recipes and lifestyle tips for aspiring raw food practitioners. Although we are not vegan, at least not yet, we greatly enjoyed this course and benefited already by seeing an amazing impact living foods have on your body!
Throughout the 3-day intensive program Lina taught us many delicious recipes; she showed us how to make delicious green smoothies, make your own milk and cheese from nuts, raw food breads and how to sprout! We also had a session where we made our own raw cocoa chocolate nuggets, brownies and vegan desserts! Yum!!!
Throughout the 3-day intensive program Lina taught us many delicious recipes; she showed us how to make delicious green smoothies, make your own milk and cheese from nuts, raw food breads and how to sprout! We also had a session where we made our own raw cocoa chocolate nuggets, brownies and vegan desserts! Yum!!!
As a part of the program we also had few transformational yoga sessions with Jolyn and Linda, it had an enormous impact on the quality of our brething, flexibility and focus.
Linda holds many interesting workshops and teaches about vegan lifestyle including great tips of where to shop for the best quality organic products and fresh fruit and vegetables. Check out her blog and read articles on food and courses offerings: http://rawfoodlifestyles.com/
If you would like to learn more about this, please contact me! I am more than happy to share more details about Linda’s teachings! You should come and try her delicious recipes yourselves!!!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Great Singapore Sale 2011 - group madness!
From 27 May to 24 July 2011, many major stores and shopping malls in Singapore offer a range of exclusive promotions, including dining, wellness experience, and nightlife & entertainment! It’s what they locally call a ‘Great Singapore Sale’!This is one of the greatest events here, as Singaporeans absolutely love, love, love shopping! Singapore has without a doubt the most shopping-without-limits culture I have ever experienced in my life!
For eight glorious weeks shopping malls offer up to 70% discounts on almost everything! This is a major magnet to Singaporean women, who use their credit cards much more in this period. The central shopping belt of Orchard Road to the city suburbs turns crazy-busy as many Singaporeans as well as tourists want to enjoy the exclusive discounts in the most popular malls such as 313@somerset, ION Orchard, Orchard Central, TANGS Orchard, Wisma Atria, Marina Bay waterfront, Suntec City, etc.
Singapore is really a very fashion-conscious country, just when I look at the women in trains or buses commuting to work every day, it’s so obvious! They look like from a runway, fashion magazine, or in other words, as if they were to go to a party on Sunday evening or to a club. They wear fancy dresses, designer bags and shoes, as here you are measured based on what labels you wear… That’s indeed true, even my fellow Singaporean colleagues and friends admit this! During the Great Singapore Sale, GSS, it’s easier to get the designer items at a better price, so this is a great opportunity for Singaporeans to get their favorite brands!
My shopping experience is limited to occasional shopping sprees in specific shops and I have seen big crowds and queues especially when the new collections come in, but after visiting few more popular shops during lunch time in the Marina Square shopping mall this month, I must say I was a shopping-virgin! One of the shops I went to the other afternoon was Zara; it was full of women going through every rack and with queues at least 30-people-long! And they were rushing, because it was only the lunch break and the queues were so long… It was the busiest in the sale back end, where the clothes were in a mess, mixed together, even on the floor… In Ireland this was quite common sight in the shops, but not in Singapore! The women were trying the clothes on the office outfits they were wearing, to avoid queuing to the changing rooms… I was glad when we left the shop, as this shopping-madness was uncontrollable… The shopping malls are also open late to allow late night shopping for those working regular office hours; almost all of them close only around 11pm. I read that many women take time off work in groups way in advance the sale starts, just to shop during less busy hours and to get the best choice of the product; well, in here I cannot say that surprises me any more…
Although many countries struggle these days due to bad economy and inflation, Singapore is blossoming and pumping lots of cash into the system! Happy retailers can be proud and more than satisfied, as the MasterCard survey of the sale's first month showed cardholders splashed out a total of US$676.6 million (S$831 million) - 49 per cent more than in the same period last year! And the GSS is not over yet… alamak!
Made in China 中國製造
Autobiography In Five Chapters
1) I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am hopeless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
2) I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
3) I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
4) I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
5) I walk down another street.
Portia Nelson
From: Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
iFly Singapore!
Last weekend we went to the newly opened iFly sky diving centre in Sentosa. I won discounted tickets on Facebook, for once I won something in an online competition, and so we made a booking came to the iFly earlier for the safety induction.
The building was very modern and the whole experience, quite interesting! From the very beginning we felt like we were on the plane… In the first chamber we were put in the mood of sky diving, as we were sat down on side benches, it was all dark and there was a big screen with a video of people jumping off the plane and diving in the air, making various moves and ‘dancing in the air’! It was all shown ‘from the plane’ perspective so we had an impression that we were sitting on the bench of a plane and that we were about to jump next.Few minutes later we moved to another room where they provided detailed security briefing and explained the communication signs that the instructors would usually use during a dive, as it’s not possible to talk in the wind chamber, daah! We met our instructor there and everyone got a try in a proper flying position on the matt provided. Instructor tested our memory for communication signs and we moved on.
When we were in the main fly area of the building our instructor gave us the gear: overalls, helmets, ear plugs and goggles. The wind tube had a small staging area where our group sat awaiting their turn. Each of us went one by one to the wind chamber, also as if we were on a bench of a plane and taking turns to jump! Everyone went twice and for those more adventurous or crazy ones, you could go for the 3rd time!
The third dive was in a tandem with the instructor; he grabs your arm and leg and spirals up and down few times at a very high speed! It was an amazing experience, and added even more adrenaline to the whole experience. The speed of wind went up from about 150kph in the previous dives to over 200kph!
The last dive was at an extra cost, and they do the tandem trick only on the third one, nice marketing move. There is no photography allowed there so you can only buy their pictures at $25 each, so it was quite an expensive afternoon! The tickets to iFly vary from about $70-100, depending what time you are available to fly, so it’s not the cheapest entertainment in town. It was so worth it though!
A piece of advice for the iFly first timers: bring sports shoes and comfy, stretchy trousers; and during your dive: close your mouth, maybe smile for the pictures but do not laugh, seriously; and for ladies with long hair, hide it under your helmet to avoid the combing pain! Otherwise, you will love the experience!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Made in China 中國製造
The Blind Men and the Elephant
Several citizens ran into a hot argument about God and different religions, and each one could not agree to a common answer. So they came to the Lord Buddha to find out what exactly God looks like.
The Buddha asked his disciples to get a large magnificent elephant and four blind men. He then brought the four blind to the elephant and told them to find out what the elephant would "look" like.
The first blind men touched the elephant leg and reported that it "looked" like a pillar. The second blind man touched the elephant tummy and said that an elephant was a wall. The third blind man touched the elephant ear and said that it was a piece of cloth. The fourth blind man hold on to the tail and described the elephant as a piece of rope. And all of them ran into a hot argument about the "appearance" of an elephant.
The Buddha asked the citizens: "Each blind man had touched the elephant but each of them gives a different description of the animal. Which answer is right?"
Several citizens ran into a hot argument about God and different religions, and each one could not agree to a common answer. So they came to the Lord Buddha to find out what exactly God looks like.
The Buddha asked his disciples to get a large magnificent elephant and four blind men. He then brought the four blind to the elephant and told them to find out what the elephant would "look" like.
The first blind men touched the elephant leg and reported that it "looked" like a pillar. The second blind man touched the elephant tummy and said that an elephant was a wall. The third blind man touched the elephant ear and said that it was a piece of cloth. The fourth blind man hold on to the tail and described the elephant as a piece of rope. And all of them ran into a hot argument about the "appearance" of an elephant.
The Buddha asked the citizens: "Each blind man had touched the elephant but each of them gives a different description of the animal. Which answer is right?"
Pulau Ubin Trip
Few weeks back we made a trip to one of the Singapore get-away islands in the north east of Singapore called Pulau Ubin. This small island is nothing like Singapore, there are no traces of modernization, no skyscrapers, no shopping malls, no restaurants… In fact, it is like Singapore good few decades back when it was a ‘kampung’ – a village! It is a great spot for Singaporeans when they want to a break from modern lifestyle…
Our trip started in Changi Harbor Terminal, where we bought tickets for the bumboat. We had to wait until the boat was full and the cigarette smoking ‘captain’ decided, we could take off! The emergency vests on the boat were all covered in mould so we really doubted the safety of the boat, aiyoh…
Pulau Ubin welcomes its visitors in a small harbor, so called jetty, with few shops where you can rent bikes, small ‘restaurants’ looking more like hawker centers serving famous seafood. We decided to try it out and had a steamed fish and a coconut drink! I must say they were both delicious, and from what we saw on other tables, food looked fresh and quite tasty! We rented a bike, got a map of the island and off we disappeared in the jungle!
The roads around Pulau Ubin are rather rustic but it was quite nice break from the stylish and concrete Singapore! The island is small, but we wanted to explore every corner of it! We pedaled through the whole island, under the coconut trees, near old rubber tree plantations and old kampong houses, there was even a Buddist temple there! Pulau Ubin has a great biking trail system, with different difficulty levels from blue to black, so every biker can enjoy a day out cycling here. There are many break-out stations with locals selling fresh coconuts, cold drinks and other refreshments.
One of the surprises we had was weather changing in seconds! We visited an observation tower, had a break walking around the jungle and on the coastal boardwalk in the east part of the island and we took a turn to the central Pulau Ubin. It started raining, but as the rain did not bother us initially we decided to continue along the road. Little did we know about rain in Pulau Ubin… Within few seconds it was lashing rain, really lashing! It took us about a minute to get to the next shelter, and… we were completely soaked!
One of the highlights of the trip was amazing nature experience! We saw few interesting birds’ species, fish types, monkeys, even the komodo dragon! We took a wrong turn that turned out to be a dead end with a Buddhist temple, and on the way back to the main road a komodo dragon crossed out way! I wanted to stop and take a picture, but Herve was the sensible one and reminded me that after all these lizards can be dangerous and very fast… Few years back there were stories of komodos attacking people in Indonesia… we took off as quickly as our leg muscles allowed us…
After returning the bikes we went to the Secret Garden where they grow various types of fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables. It was the first time I saw fields of aloe vera, lady fingers, or curry trees! It is well hidden in the other side of Jetty, Herve discovered this place when he was in the island some time ago, a magical and secluded place…
When we finished visiting the Secret Garden the dark clouds were back, so we rushed to the bumboat. Luckily there was one just leaving, so when we just got on board, a huge thunderstorm began! Pulau Ubin was an interesting and relaxing island, perfect for a day break from Singapore, especially for nature and cycling enthusiasts, but with that thunderstorm, we were happy we were on our way home…
Our trip started in Changi Harbor Terminal, where we bought tickets for the bumboat. We had to wait until the boat was full and the cigarette smoking ‘captain’ decided, we could take off! The emergency vests on the boat were all covered in mould so we really doubted the safety of the boat, aiyoh…
Pulau Ubin welcomes its visitors in a small harbor, so called jetty, with few shops where you can rent bikes, small ‘restaurants’ looking more like hawker centers serving famous seafood. We decided to try it out and had a steamed fish and a coconut drink! I must say they were both delicious, and from what we saw on other tables, food looked fresh and quite tasty! We rented a bike, got a map of the island and off we disappeared in the jungle!
The roads around Pulau Ubin are rather rustic but it was quite nice break from the stylish and concrete Singapore! The island is small, but we wanted to explore every corner of it! We pedaled through the whole island, under the coconut trees, near old rubber tree plantations and old kampong houses, there was even a Buddist temple there! Pulau Ubin has a great biking trail system, with different difficulty levels from blue to black, so every biker can enjoy a day out cycling here. There are many break-out stations with locals selling fresh coconuts, cold drinks and other refreshments.
One of the surprises we had was weather changing in seconds! We visited an observation tower, had a break walking around the jungle and on the coastal boardwalk in the east part of the island and we took a turn to the central Pulau Ubin. It started raining, but as the rain did not bother us initially we decided to continue along the road. Little did we know about rain in Pulau Ubin… Within few seconds it was lashing rain, really lashing! It took us about a minute to get to the next shelter, and… we were completely soaked!
One of the highlights of the trip was amazing nature experience! We saw few interesting birds’ species, fish types, monkeys, even the komodo dragon! We took a wrong turn that turned out to be a dead end with a Buddhist temple, and on the way back to the main road a komodo dragon crossed out way! I wanted to stop and take a picture, but Herve was the sensible one and reminded me that after all these lizards can be dangerous and very fast… Few years back there were stories of komodos attacking people in Indonesia… we took off as quickly as our leg muscles allowed us…
After returning the bikes we went to the Secret Garden where they grow various types of fruit, flowers, herbs and vegetables. It was the first time I saw fields of aloe vera, lady fingers, or curry trees! It is well hidden in the other side of Jetty, Herve discovered this place when he was in the island some time ago, a magical and secluded place…
When we finished visiting the Secret Garden the dark clouds were back, so we rushed to the bumboat. Luckily there was one just leaving, so when we just got on board, a huge thunderstorm began! Pulau Ubin was an interesting and relaxing island, perfect for a day break from Singapore, especially for nature and cycling enthusiasts, but with that thunderstorm, we were happy we were on our way home…
Friday, March 25, 2011
Made in China 中國製造
Some days we feel like strangers. When our heart opens, we will realize that we belong just here. Those who are awake live in a state of constant amazement.
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