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.
Singapore Exotic Fruit Tasting!
One of the great benefits of travelling to new places is discovering new foods and cuisine. Singapore is a never-ending-story when it comes to food, as on almost every corner of this mysterious country you can find foods you would not know of or have never tried before! I mean all types of food, meats, seafood, various types of rice and noodles, dumplings, sweat and sour, boiled, fried, steamed, you name it… Last week I went to discover the exotic fruit Singapore has to offer with a group of girlfriends, what an excursion it was!
Fruit markets are very popular in Singapore, not only among tourists, but actually you can spot a lot of locals going there and enjoying the great variety of fruit on a regular basis. The fruit markets have tables and fresh water, they serve fruit and drinks so they are like small outdoor ‘fruit bars’! We saw many of them in the Gaylang area and they were all quite busy. The must-have in every fruit stand is DURIAN, a very special fruit I came across with already, and let me say: yak!, a fruit of special importance to South East Asian, they call it a ‘king of fruits’ here. Its distinctive odor is unforgettable, locals consider it fragrant, but I think it’s very overpowering and somehow offensive as it is very difficult to get rid off once you are around it for too long! Let me also remind you durians are forbidden in all kinds of transport, you can pay a fine is you are caught with it in the train or other public places! Well, those who are durian-lovers please forgive my resistance to ever falling in love with this part of Asian culture, I found other exotic fruit I came to enjoy and unfortunately, they are not durians…
So we chose one of the biggest food markets in Geylang; we ordered coconut drinks and a few types of fruit to sample, we sat down and started the exotic fruit tasting feast! We tried dragon fruit, mangos, rambutans, longans and mangosteens! These were amazing, juicy, sweet, fresh, rich in antioxidants and most importantly, so delicious!
Dragon fruit, also known as Pitaya fruit, is one of the cactus species with creamy sweet pulp inside. It is very nutritious and has very intensive color, beware as it might stain your clothes! You can find dragon fruit with red/purple or white pulp. Yummy!
Rambutans are vivid red fruit covered with hairy spikes that taste a little bit like lychees. To me they looked like ‘hairy fruit! They have white juicy flesh inside which is very sweet yet refreshing. Very original flavor I must admit!
Longans, also known as ‘dragon eyes’ because their shape and size, are small, hard, round, their shells are brown and thin. They are quite fun to open, as they are very juicy and the shells are firm, so it is not easy to get to get to the fruit especially to the first-timers. The fruit flesh inside is also white and sweet…
Mangosteens we tried are purple and have thick shells (there are also yellow ones, but we didn’t try them at the time). When you peel them you find white juicy flesh inside. It’s sweet and very refreshing! It’s called the "Queen of Tropical Fruits", it is one of the most popular tropical fruits in South East Asia and, contrary to what the name might suggest, they are not related to mangoes at all. They do not taste like mangoes… Mangosteens were my favorite fruit of the evening! Definitely, you need to try when you visit Singapore or any other neighboring country!
Fruit markets are very popular in Singapore, not only among tourists, but actually you can spot a lot of locals going there and enjoying the great variety of fruit on a regular basis. The fruit markets have tables and fresh water, they serve fruit and drinks so they are like small outdoor ‘fruit bars’! We saw many of them in the Gaylang area and they were all quite busy. The must-have in every fruit stand is DURIAN, a very special fruit I came across with already, and let me say: yak!, a fruit of special importance to South East Asian, they call it a ‘king of fruits’ here. Its distinctive odor is unforgettable, locals consider it fragrant, but I think it’s very overpowering and somehow offensive as it is very difficult to get rid off once you are around it for too long! Let me also remind you durians are forbidden in all kinds of transport, you can pay a fine is you are caught with it in the train or other public places! Well, those who are durian-lovers please forgive my resistance to ever falling in love with this part of Asian culture, I found other exotic fruit I came to enjoy and unfortunately, they are not durians…
So we chose one of the biggest food markets in Geylang; we ordered coconut drinks and a few types of fruit to sample, we sat down and started the exotic fruit tasting feast! We tried dragon fruit, mangos, rambutans, longans and mangosteens! These were amazing, juicy, sweet, fresh, rich in antioxidants and most importantly, so delicious!
Dragon fruit, also known as Pitaya fruit, is one of the cactus species with creamy sweet pulp inside. It is very nutritious and has very intensive color, beware as it might stain your clothes! You can find dragon fruit with red/purple or white pulp. Yummy!
Rambutans are vivid red fruit covered with hairy spikes that taste a little bit like lychees. To me they looked like ‘hairy fruit! They have white juicy flesh inside which is very sweet yet refreshing. Very original flavor I must admit!
Longans, also known as ‘dragon eyes’ because their shape and size, are small, hard, round, their shells are brown and thin. They are quite fun to open, as they are very juicy and the shells are firm, so it is not easy to get to get to the fruit especially to the first-timers. The fruit flesh inside is also white and sweet…
Mangosteens we tried are purple and have thick shells (there are also yellow ones, but we didn’t try them at the time). When you peel them you find white juicy flesh inside. It’s sweet and very refreshing! It’s called the "Queen of Tropical Fruits", it is one of the most popular tropical fruits in South East Asia and, contrary to what the name might suggest, they are not related to mangoes at all. They do not taste like mangoes… Mangosteens were my favorite fruit of the evening! Definitely, you need to try when you visit Singapore or any other neighboring country!After all those delicious fruit we were all full and high on sugar. I cannot wait for another discovery trip like that! So girls, what are we discovering next, lah? We did Singapore Sling, Japanese chocolates, vegan food, exotic fruit, what about the famous Singapore chili crab and seafood, can?
Friday, January 21, 2011
Culinary Musings - Grilled Lemon Salmon
One of my favorite dishes is lemon grilled salmon with rice and veggie salad! This is also one of the easiest meals to cook, as you need to boil rice, cut vegetables for the salad and put salmon in the oven for about 20 minutes! That’s so easy and quick…
Grilled Lemon Salmon
I usually place a slice of salmon in aluminum paper, sprinkle lemon and lime juice over it, add some herbs and spices, let it marinate a little and bake in the oven for 20 minutes in 250°. It has always worked for me and it tastes fantastic! I like adding garlic sprinkle and Italian herbs on top, as these bring a nice flavor to the fish. If you have green onion you can add it also, it adds a nice aroma to salmon... When you take it out of the oven in the aluminum and put the salmon slices directly on the plate, pour the lemon sauce over it. But I serve it in the ‘aluminum boats’ because the salmon does not get dry as it stays in the lemon dressing throughout the whole meal!
Enjoy!
Grilled Lemon Salmon
I usually place a slice of salmon in aluminum paper, sprinkle lemon and lime juice over it, add some herbs and spices, let it marinate a little and bake in the oven for 20 minutes in 250°. It has always worked for me and it tastes fantastic! I like adding garlic sprinkle and Italian herbs on top, as these bring a nice flavor to the fish. If you have green onion you can add it also, it adds a nice aroma to salmon... When you take it out of the oven in the aluminum and put the salmon slices directly on the plate, pour the lemon sauce over it. But I serve it in the ‘aluminum boats’ because the salmon does not get dry as it stays in the lemon dressing throughout the whole meal!Enjoy!
School time! Singapore Education System
Singapore is such a hot country, that it’s really summer all year long in here! I thought of that time back in Poland or any other European country, when kids are awaiting the summer holiday and already in May and June and think of what they want to do in the 2 months school break! Children in Europe also have a short Christmas break and about 2 weeks winter break around January/February. Here it’s all different, the school year starts in January and there are 2 longer breaks: all June and all December. So different, right? But actually this school year organization makes it easier on the students, as they have time to study for 5 months and then rest for one full month and the whole cycle repeats itself till you graduate the university…
The whole educational system is totally different too. It took me some time to understand this whole educational machine; it differs from the European system and they use different terminology to describe certain school levels.
Primary School
A child starts studying at Primary One at the age of six and studies for six years. The overall aim of primary education is to give students a good grasp of English language, Mother Tongue and Mathematics. It finishes with a National Examination (Primary School Leaving Examination) and students are encouraged to participate in Co-Curricular Activities and Community Involvement Programme. It’s quite rich in some extra development activities already at this young age... Most of my colleagues with young kids have to work their weekends around their kids’ horse-riding, dancing, karate lessons or science clubs! And so the rat race begins here…
Secondary School (that’s our ‘junior high’ or ‘middle school’)
Second School Education places students in the Special, Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) courses according to how they perform at the PSLE. The different curricular emphases are designed to match their learning abilities and interests. In secondary school, kids can choose based on the examination results to enter in the School Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Ordinary' (GCE 'O's) level examinations. Kids study there for 4 years if following the express/special route and finish with the ‘O Levels’ or 5 years if they study at the ‘normal’ pace and graduate with so called ‘N Levels’. Of course in here people are so competitive when talking about education that the express route has become a ‘norm’ so when your child goes for the originally ‘regular’ 5 year cycle, he/she is considered ‘behind’… That is a lot of pressure on a child but you need to keep up if you want to stay with your friends!
Pre-university education (that’s our ‘secondary school’ or ‘high school’)
After the secondary level, it's time to decide where to go next:
• Technical (ITE) or commercial institutes (MDIS, MIS, TMC, SIM)
• Polytechnics (Nanyang, Temasek, Ngee Ann, Singapore Polytechnic) to pursue diploma courses (‘polytechnic’ in Polish is a technical university!, here it’s a vocational school)
• Pre-university centers or junior colleges to prepare for the Senior Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Advanced' (GCE 'A') level examinations and later on tertiary education
ITE – The primary role of ITE is to ensure that its graduates have the technical knowledge and skills that are relevant to industry. ITE is the national authority for the setting of skills standards and the certification of skills in Singapore.
Polytechnics – were set up with the mission to train middle-level professionals to support the technological and economic development of Singapore. Reflecting the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of their students, the polytechnics train students with relevant and specific skills for the workplace to give Singapore a competitive edge as we move into a knowledge-based economy. These two can serve as vocational training schools; students can start working within their trade straight after graduating from these.
The Pre-U Education prepares students for the GCE "A" Level examination at the end of the 2-year junior college or 3-year centralized institute course. Students who completed their pre-university education will receive a School Graduation Certificate (A levels, or Polish ‘Matura’). All students take part in at least one CCA (Co-Curricular Activities). CCA performance is considered for university admission, that’s interesting as well!
Tertiary Education (third level education or university/technical university)
For tertiary education, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) provide a wide choice of courses. Singapore's undergraduate university education aspires to prepare students not only for today's world but also for a world where there will be jobs that have yet to be invented! There’s some creativity, finally! University students are highly competitive in Singapore; they want to finish their studies as soon as it is possible to start working. I don’t know why they are in such a hurry; the university time was one of the best periods of my life! I wish it could have lasted longer :)
Singapore is a very particular and competitive country while talking about education. I heard that the curriculum is very strict and all students must go thought the same material at the same pace, so it’s almost like education in the army-style environment! (You might know that army is obligatory for every male Singaporean, they serve 2 years at the age of 18 and every year they need to come back for few weeks’ refresher training!) The schools are controlled by the local government, the schedule, teachers, syllabuses, and the school rules all come from the ‘administration’. The students become a part of the ‘system’ from early years of education, and they quickly learn that opposing it in any way will not work to their advantage. This is a little too ‘one-fits-all’ approach, as there is little room for creativity and greatness, as many kids cannot reach for the sky from their rigid educational system. It’s perfect though for training the mass equal-in-brain society with a collective mindset of greatness that gives a constant spin to the system.
The whole educational system is totally different too. It took me some time to understand this whole educational machine; it differs from the European system and they use different terminology to describe certain school levels.
Primary School
A child starts studying at Primary One at the age of six and studies for six years. The overall aim of primary education is to give students a good grasp of English language, Mother Tongue and Mathematics. It finishes with a National Examination (Primary School Leaving Examination) and students are encouraged to participate in Co-Curricular Activities and Community Involvement Programme. It’s quite rich in some extra development activities already at this young age... Most of my colleagues with young kids have to work their weekends around their kids’ horse-riding, dancing, karate lessons or science clubs! And so the rat race begins here…
Secondary School (that’s our ‘junior high’ or ‘middle school’)
Second School Education places students in the Special, Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) courses according to how they perform at the PSLE. The different curricular emphases are designed to match their learning abilities and interests. In secondary school, kids can choose based on the examination results to enter in the School Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Ordinary' (GCE 'O's) level examinations. Kids study there for 4 years if following the express/special route and finish with the ‘O Levels’ or 5 years if they study at the ‘normal’ pace and graduate with so called ‘N Levels’. Of course in here people are so competitive when talking about education that the express route has become a ‘norm’ so when your child goes for the originally ‘regular’ 5 year cycle, he/she is considered ‘behind’… That is a lot of pressure on a child but you need to keep up if you want to stay with your friends!
Pre-university education (that’s our ‘secondary school’ or ‘high school’)
After the secondary level, it's time to decide where to go next:
• Technical (ITE) or commercial institutes (MDIS, MIS, TMC, SIM)
• Polytechnics (Nanyang, Temasek, Ngee Ann, Singapore Polytechnic) to pursue diploma courses (‘polytechnic’ in Polish is a technical university!, here it’s a vocational school)
• Pre-university centers or junior colleges to prepare for the Senior Cambridge General Certificate of Education 'Advanced' (GCE 'A') level examinations and later on tertiary education
ITE – The primary role of ITE is to ensure that its graduates have the technical knowledge and skills that are relevant to industry. ITE is the national authority for the setting of skills standards and the certification of skills in Singapore.
Polytechnics – were set up with the mission to train middle-level professionals to support the technological and economic development of Singapore. Reflecting the wide range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of their students, the polytechnics train students with relevant and specific skills for the workplace to give Singapore a competitive edge as we move into a knowledge-based economy. These two can serve as vocational training schools; students can start working within their trade straight after graduating from these.
The Pre-U Education prepares students for the GCE "A" Level examination at the end of the 2-year junior college or 3-year centralized institute course. Students who completed their pre-university education will receive a School Graduation Certificate (A levels, or Polish ‘Matura’). All students take part in at least one CCA (Co-Curricular Activities). CCA performance is considered for university admission, that’s interesting as well!
Tertiary Education (third level education or university/technical university)
For tertiary education, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) provide a wide choice of courses. Singapore's undergraduate university education aspires to prepare students not only for today's world but also for a world where there will be jobs that have yet to be invented! There’s some creativity, finally! University students are highly competitive in Singapore; they want to finish their studies as soon as it is possible to start working. I don’t know why they are in such a hurry; the university time was one of the best periods of my life! I wish it could have lasted longer :)
Singapore is a very particular and competitive country while talking about education. I heard that the curriculum is very strict and all students must go thought the same material at the same pace, so it’s almost like education in the army-style environment! (You might know that army is obligatory for every male Singaporean, they serve 2 years at the age of 18 and every year they need to come back for few weeks’ refresher training!) The schools are controlled by the local government, the schedule, teachers, syllabuses, and the school rules all come from the ‘administration’. The students become a part of the ‘system’ from early years of education, and they quickly learn that opposing it in any way will not work to their advantage. This is a little too ‘one-fits-all’ approach, as there is little room for creativity and greatness, as many kids cannot reach for the sky from their rigid educational system. It’s perfect though for training the mass equal-in-brain society with a collective mindset of greatness that gives a constant spin to the system.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Culinary Musings - Skinny Veg Pizza
Our recent change in diet made us experiment with food. At the beginning we were a little lost as we couldn’t reprogram our minds to think: these lovely vegetables are your whole meal! Enjoy! Actually, the typical meal has always been: meat + potatoes/rice/pasta + side salad. This is purely psychological… So now we buy products we never even used before but also, use the usual ingredients in a most unusual way. Here’s one!
Skinny Veg Pizza
I used the wraps/flatbread as a pizza base and topped it with tomato sauce, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, carrots (Herve’s invention!), parmesan and herbs. You can add any other veg on the top, depending on your personal taste buds or what you have in your fridge! Too easy? Well, definitely easy, delicious and healthy! And quick, as the prep time was about 10 minutes and cooking, between 8-10! Tomato sauce: tomato paste, pesto sauce, oregano, Italian herbs, oil of olive.
Cooking tip: as the wrap/flatbread is quite soft, you may place it on the aluminum paper instead of the oven grill directly.
Buon appetito!
Going Green…
It is amazing how popular culture and media can formulate our views and habits. No news, that’s common knowledge, right? Well, it is easier to go with the crowd, we eat and drink what we want, we buy and wear what’s trendy, we do what’s common and expected of us in our cultures… We have free will to make life choices that can change our future. Do we really?
Recently we changed our eating habits with Herve and eliminated meat from our diet. What the hell? You have been eating it all your life? Well, a little bit of information and observation (have to give credit to Fred for this), and you realize, wow, we are ones of those people following the mass and eating according to the media standards: fast food, meat, ham, burgers, chicken nuggets and wings, milk and yoghurts, eggs… Here’s a thing, that’s just great marketing that works pretty well, but there is little truth about what we really consume while eating those. Good quality meat is expensive so it must be a luxury; we all want to have it, why wouldn’t I eat a lovely steak with my friends? They say milk is healthy and high on calcium, prevents osteoporosis, really? Again, that’s just good PR…
Before the 20th century people cultivated land, lived more active lifestyles and ate plant based foods, there were no cancers, diabetes, heart and cholesterol diseases, metabolism-related illnesses, obesity, etc. Today, we are at a high risk of suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excess weight, and many others death causing heath problems. Why? Unhealthy shift of lifestyle choices: consuming animal based foods, often in excess, smoking, alcohol, high amount of calories intake vs. very low physical activity, increased use of mechanized transportation and a greater labor-saving technology at home, less physically demanding work, taking up less active recreational pursuits such as TV or computer games, living fast-paced lives that force us to rush forward without thinking of our health and lifestyle. Shall I continue? No need I think…
According to a 2006 report by the Livestock, Environment And Development Initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Factory farming requires large areas of land and large quantities of feed, what leads to forest cutting and increased rate of species extinction. What is more, producing a certain quantity of food in meat requires much more water than producing the same amount of food in grain; it roughly takes 60, 108, 168, and 229 pounds of water to produce a pound of potatoes, wheat, corn and rice respectively; a pound of beef however, requires 12,000 gallons of water! Factory farming is also known for its cruel treatment of the animals… (more details: Wikipedia)
So going green starts here, in our house, in our kitchen, with our family and friends. Do not let popular culture and society habits take control over your lifestyle choices, this is your life, your body and your future. If eliminating meats can have such enormous benefits to my health and the environment, we choose to go green!
Recently we changed our eating habits with Herve and eliminated meat from our diet. What the hell? You have been eating it all your life? Well, a little bit of information and observation (have to give credit to Fred for this), and you realize, wow, we are ones of those people following the mass and eating according to the media standards: fast food, meat, ham, burgers, chicken nuggets and wings, milk and yoghurts, eggs… Here’s a thing, that’s just great marketing that works pretty well, but there is little truth about what we really consume while eating those. Good quality meat is expensive so it must be a luxury; we all want to have it, why wouldn’t I eat a lovely steak with my friends? They say milk is healthy and high on calcium, prevents osteoporosis, really? Again, that’s just good PR…
Before the 20th century people cultivated land, lived more active lifestyles and ate plant based foods, there were no cancers, diabetes, heart and cholesterol diseases, metabolism-related illnesses, obesity, etc. Today, we are at a high risk of suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excess weight, and many others death causing heath problems. Why? Unhealthy shift of lifestyle choices: consuming animal based foods, often in excess, smoking, alcohol, high amount of calories intake vs. very low physical activity, increased use of mechanized transportation and a greater labor-saving technology at home, less physically demanding work, taking up less active recreational pursuits such as TV or computer games, living fast-paced lives that force us to rush forward without thinking of our health and lifestyle. Shall I continue? No need I think…
According to a 2006 report by the Livestock, Environment And Development Initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising animals for food contributes on a "massive scale" to air and water pollution, land degradation, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Factory farming requires large areas of land and large quantities of feed, what leads to forest cutting and increased rate of species extinction. What is more, producing a certain quantity of food in meat requires much more water than producing the same amount of food in grain; it roughly takes 60, 108, 168, and 229 pounds of water to produce a pound of potatoes, wheat, corn and rice respectively; a pound of beef however, requires 12,000 gallons of water! Factory farming is also known for its cruel treatment of the animals… (more details: Wikipedia)
Using your link Ivano :)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Made in China 中國製造
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”
The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.”
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
One year older and richer!
Where there are new beginnings, there are also endings. New Year and new plans for the 2011 made us think and talk about the last year. We were in the swimming pool on a sunny Sunday afternoon, on the 2nd January and realizing, wow, we would never think we would be doing this in the middle of the winter time! As January is a month we know as snowy, cold, white and with minus temperatures! So here we are, in the pool and talking about the last year. I didn’t realize this until Herve asked me, but the last year was really full of changes and abundant in new wonderful experiences!
It was the first time I had to quit a job I really liked at EMC Cork; I moved to Singapore; I came to Asia, first time ever; in my new EMC job in Singapore I work on projects that include all Asia Pacific HR Teams so I get to know how things work in all Asia Pacific!; I started to co-lead our regional volunteer projects at work; I started dancing West Cost Swing, Hip Hop and Contemporary Dance; I learned how to play netball; I attended a Kali Majapahit outdoor Marital Arts outdoor workshop; I went to a Tahitan dance class; I became semi-vegetarian; I learned how to use the shotgun and short guns; I went to Muslim mosques and Hindu shrines; I tried totally new cuisine and variety of Asian foods; I got to know some great, creative and generous people here (and still miss those I left behind…); I can swim in the pool more less every day of the year as the weather here does not change much (apart from occasional monsoon showers); and finally, I set up a blog and started writing!
This last year brought some changes for the rest of my family too, as my mum moved to a new place, my brother relocated to Nanjing in China and got married there with his fiancée… Only my sis stayed put, still in Ireland and happy out...
With all changes came new experiences and I must admit that my whole life shifted to this totally new dimension last year! I started getting a different perspective on life, food, religion, spirituality, relationships, tolerance and how one chooses to live their lives! They often say that travelling broadens your mind; I would even say that getting to know other cultures and traditions influence and change your life in most unexpected ways. My last year’s experienced taught me that, at any stage of your life, you shouldn’t take things for granted and think you are the person you have always wanted to be, as your perceptions change constantly as we learn new skills, meet new people and grow from personal experiences. I hope you find some time to stop, that’s not easy in modern and fast-paced society, and reflect on all you learned last year, as we tend to think of problems and failures more than successes and happy moments… I think it’s quite rewarding to realize that there are so many of things that made our lives so interesting and colorful! Have another colorful year and thanks for reading…
It was the first time I had to quit a job I really liked at EMC Cork; I moved to Singapore; I came to Asia, first time ever; in my new EMC job in Singapore I work on projects that include all Asia Pacific HR Teams so I get to know how things work in all Asia Pacific!; I started to co-lead our regional volunteer projects at work; I started dancing West Cost Swing, Hip Hop and Contemporary Dance; I learned how to play netball; I attended a Kali Majapahit outdoor Marital Arts outdoor workshop; I went to a Tahitan dance class; I became semi-vegetarian; I learned how to use the shotgun and short guns; I went to Muslim mosques and Hindu shrines; I tried totally new cuisine and variety of Asian foods; I got to know some great, creative and generous people here (and still miss those I left behind…); I can swim in the pool more less every day of the year as the weather here does not change much (apart from occasional monsoon showers); and finally, I set up a blog and started writing!
This last year brought some changes for the rest of my family too, as my mum moved to a new place, my brother relocated to Nanjing in China and got married there with his fiancée… Only my sis stayed put, still in Ireland and happy out...
With all changes came new experiences and I must admit that my whole life shifted to this totally new dimension last year! I started getting a different perspective on life, food, religion, spirituality, relationships, tolerance and how one chooses to live their lives! They often say that travelling broadens your mind; I would even say that getting to know other cultures and traditions influence and change your life in most unexpected ways. My last year’s experienced taught me that, at any stage of your life, you shouldn’t take things for granted and think you are the person you have always wanted to be, as your perceptions change constantly as we learn new skills, meet new people and grow from personal experiences. I hope you find some time to stop, that’s not easy in modern and fast-paced society, and reflect on all you learned last year, as we tend to think of problems and failures more than successes and happy moments… I think it’s quite rewarding to realize that there are so many of things that made our lives so interesting and colorful! Have another colorful year and thanks for reading…
Thursday, December 30, 2010
New Year, New Beginning! Happy 2011!
It is almost natural for everyone to reflect on the finishing calendar year, no matter what culture one comes from and whether one celebrates it on a different date of the year. People look back and think of their personal and professional goals and how successful they were achieving them throughout the year. The New Year is a chance to work on those failed attempts and set up new goals, sort of like a New Beginning! We begin with a clean slot again what gives us hope that this time we might be more efficient and proactive, as we start from the scratch with new energy and motivation.
We are in Singapore for more 6 months now and our plans and goals shifted and took a new direction. This is not an excuse, don’t get me wrong, we just had to re-evaluate things and find new goals after moving… After all we are on the other side of the world, in a multi-cultural country where people think differently and again, we are in a minority… What stroke me that in Singapore there is a mix of various New Year beliefs and customs, traditions that come from entirely different Asian countries but they clashed together in this multi-cultural place and the boundaries between them seem a little blur to me. Some of the New Year’s traditions are similar in many countries, but there are few that are specific to a particular geography…
In Japan they have a whole week national holiday to celebrate the New Year! It is one of the major events in Japan. People start cleaning their houses many days before the festival as they believe it to be the best way to get rid off all the dirt of last year. Talking about starting with a clean slot, right? On a New Year’s Eve, people offer prayers at midnight; it is considered highly auspicious to listen to the chimes of a Temple bell. According to the Japanese religion, sound of the 108 chimes drives away all the sins and gives birth to new life. People of Japan usually eat noodles on New Year's Eve which symbolizes closeness and advance for a prosperous New Year. People celebrate the day with great zest and enthusiasm. It is time to be spent with the loved ones. Japanese carry forward celebrations up to January 3rd. They wear religious Kimono dress and visit shrines to pray for longevity and good health.
In Korea people also clean their houses and decorate houses with colorful lights. On the New Year’s Eve people clean their houses. In the evening, Koreans take a bath with hot water and put on new clothes, as a symbol of preparing for the New Beginning. As per the Korean belief, no body should sleep on that night otherwise the eyebrows would turn white. Lights of every room and kitchen are kept on all night. This is a special way to welcome the New Year with brightness and open eyes. Better not go to Korea for New Year’s without good all-night-party-plan, although my eyebrows are already quite fair, so I have no reason to worry!
Thai New Year, also called as Songkran, is celebrated for three days from April 13 to April 15 every year on the Gregorian Calendar. Songkran falls on the hottest time of the year in Thailand. It comes from Sanskrit and means 'a move or change'. The date of Thai New Year was set according to the astrological calculations. Traditions play a very vital role in presenting a true picture of New Year celebrations in Thailand. Traditional activities are performed with serious dedication by the people of Thailand. A most common tradition of throwing water over one another is performed with fun by the people. It is conceived to bring good rains all year ahead. Thais also clean their houses thoroughly and do general preparations for the New Year celebrations. They dress up in new attires to welcome the New Year in a fresh manner. As a part of the New Years celebrations, people visit monasteries and shrines to offer prayers and gifts like rice, fruits, sweets and food for the monks. Following this is the custom to release birds from the cages or fish from the bowls. This is believed to bring good luck for the members of the family. Songkran celebrations are incomplete unless water is thrown on each other. People roam the streets with buckets of water and children play with water guns to drench people. Water is thrown to get rid off all the bad deeds and give a fresh welcome to the New Year. This reminds me of Polish ‘Dyngus Day’ which is a tradition of water throwing on Easter Monday; every person at certain part of their life in Poland got all wet for the Dyngus Day, after all we need to cultivate the traditions, right?
Cambodian New Year is celebrated for three days. According to the Gregorian Calendar, it falls on April 13th or 14th. New Year in Cambodia represents the end of the harvesting season. Everyday people visit temples to get blessings from monks and priests. People of Cambodia follow a tradition to sprinkle holy water on each others faces in the morning, on the chest at noon and on the feet in the evening. New Year in Cambodia is celebrated by performing various rituals and playing number of games. The three day New Year celebration include the following traditions: The first day of the New Year is called Moha Sangkran. It is believed that on this day God's angels come to earth to take care of its creation. To welcome these holy angels, people clean and light up their houses. Members of the family place an idol of Lord Buddha on an altar with flowers, candles, incense sticks, a bowl of scented water, eatables, drinks and shaped out banana leaves. On the second day of the New Year celebrations, people offer charity and alms to the poor. It is also considered good to present gifts to family members and relatives. On the third day of New Year celebrations people wash all the idols of Lord Buddha with scented water. It is said this ensures good rains all year long. Children pay respect to their elders by washing their feet and get blessings in return.
New Year celebration is a grand event of China. New Year festivities last for one month in China. Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival. It begins from the middle of the last month of the year and ends up in the first month of the New Year. Chinese New Year falls on a different date every year; in 2011 it starts on 3rd February. Lot of excitement can be seen in the last 15 days of New Year celebrations. Every day has a special importance to it. Chinese ritualize and celebrate each day in a customary manner, on specific days they offer prayers to their ancestors and gods, visit families, prepare sumptuous meals and ask for health and prosperity in the new upcoming year. To prepare for the New Year, Chinese clean their houses, repay any money they owe, get their hair cut, and buy new clothes. They also light up their houses and adorn it with signs of peace and luck. They use red color in all their decorations which is very considered auspicious.
In Singapore the calendar New Year is celebrated as well as the Lunar Chinese New Year. Hey, they get to party twice for the same occasion! People clean and decorate their houses with Chinese New Year’s ornaments in the last few days on the calendar New Year and they keep them until the Chinese New Year’s celebrations. On 31st December Singaporean families gather for a festive dinner, exchange small gifts and wait for the midnight countdown. In Singapore people also have a tradition of buying new clothes, new bed sheets; it’s an occasion to buy new kitchen appliances or furniture. These also symbolize new beginning, fresh new start. Shopping is one of the most popular retail-intensive countries in Asia, shopping malls are open every day and long hours which created a heavy shopping habit among Singaporeans. Shopping malls are usually among popular entertainment spots, which make every day look busy regardless of the day of the week or period of the year. Young Singaporeans meet their friends, cook together and await the magical midnight. In the commercial centre of Singapore there is massive fireworks display, as there is a ban on individual use of firecrackers; these were banned in 1972 after an explosion had killed several people.
From 2003 the government allowed firecrackers back again during festive season but only under controlled assistance of the Singapore Armed Forces. Firecrackers are not allowed to be commercially sold, so we will be only able to see the ‘official fireworks’ in the Singapore Central District… The island of Singapore and especially the most popular spots still shine with sparkly Christmas decors now, but they will be taken down shortly after the calendar New Year and replaced with the Chinese New Year red ornaments.
What our New Year Eve will be like? It’s going to be a mix of our European customs, habits and food, but it an entirely new context. The Chinese New Year decorations are already up in our place, the food starts to smell nice; we are just awaiting our multi-cultural Singapore guests! We will have some nice home made food, Desperados, French cider, cheese and crepes; we will drink champagne and eat 12 grapes at midnight the Spanish style…
And what about those New Years resolutions? Well, I find it easy to come up with those, but as many of you, I am not great sticking up to my guns… So as this blog is a good way for me to officially declare my commitment, these are few changes I would like to see happening in my life next year:
I will eat healthy food
I will dance more than this year (including social dancing)
I will go out more with my friends, and my girlfriends!
I will learn more about fascinating Asian religious and cultural customs
I will start learning Mandarin
I will be a good role model for kids (in my volunteer work)
I will travel more than this year
I will update my blog more often… I promise!
I will update you on my progress on a regular basis, just to keep myself on my feet! And if any of you sees me doing the opposite, please kick my a**, I won’t hold it against you! So what about you, what are your New Year’s Resolutions? If there are any similarities between our lists, let me know, we could help each other out!
Well, will go back to cleaning our place and cooking, to cultivate the Asian New Year preparation rituals… I wish you joy, love and motivation to follow your dreams and achieve your goals, have a successful 2011 dear friends! See you next year!!!
We are in Singapore for more 6 months now and our plans and goals shifted and took a new direction. This is not an excuse, don’t get me wrong, we just had to re-evaluate things and find new goals after moving… After all we are on the other side of the world, in a multi-cultural country where people think differently and again, we are in a minority… What stroke me that in Singapore there is a mix of various New Year beliefs and customs, traditions that come from entirely different Asian countries but they clashed together in this multi-cultural place and the boundaries between them seem a little blur to me. Some of the New Year’s traditions are similar in many countries, but there are few that are specific to a particular geography…
In Japan they have a whole week national holiday to celebrate the New Year! It is one of the major events in Japan. People start cleaning their houses many days before the festival as they believe it to be the best way to get rid off all the dirt of last year. Talking about starting with a clean slot, right? On a New Year’s Eve, people offer prayers at midnight; it is considered highly auspicious to listen to the chimes of a Temple bell. According to the Japanese religion, sound of the 108 chimes drives away all the sins and gives birth to new life. People of Japan usually eat noodles on New Year's Eve which symbolizes closeness and advance for a prosperous New Year. People celebrate the day with great zest and enthusiasm. It is time to be spent with the loved ones. Japanese carry forward celebrations up to January 3rd. They wear religious Kimono dress and visit shrines to pray for longevity and good health.
In Korea people also clean their houses and decorate houses with colorful lights. On the New Year’s Eve people clean their houses. In the evening, Koreans take a bath with hot water and put on new clothes, as a symbol of preparing for the New Beginning. As per the Korean belief, no body should sleep on that night otherwise the eyebrows would turn white. Lights of every room and kitchen are kept on all night. This is a special way to welcome the New Year with brightness and open eyes. Better not go to Korea for New Year’s without good all-night-party-plan, although my eyebrows are already quite fair, so I have no reason to worry!
Thai New Year, also called as Songkran, is celebrated for three days from April 13 to April 15 every year on the Gregorian Calendar. Songkran falls on the hottest time of the year in Thailand. It comes from Sanskrit and means 'a move or change'. The date of Thai New Year was set according to the astrological calculations. Traditions play a very vital role in presenting a true picture of New Year celebrations in Thailand. Traditional activities are performed with serious dedication by the people of Thailand. A most common tradition of throwing water over one another is performed with fun by the people. It is conceived to bring good rains all year ahead. Thais also clean their houses thoroughly and do general preparations for the New Year celebrations. They dress up in new attires to welcome the New Year in a fresh manner. As a part of the New Years celebrations, people visit monasteries and shrines to offer prayers and gifts like rice, fruits, sweets and food for the monks. Following this is the custom to release birds from the cages or fish from the bowls. This is believed to bring good luck for the members of the family. Songkran celebrations are incomplete unless water is thrown on each other. People roam the streets with buckets of water and children play with water guns to drench people. Water is thrown to get rid off all the bad deeds and give a fresh welcome to the New Year. This reminds me of Polish ‘Dyngus Day’ which is a tradition of water throwing on Easter Monday; every person at certain part of their life in Poland got all wet for the Dyngus Day, after all we need to cultivate the traditions, right?
Cambodian New Year is celebrated for three days. According to the Gregorian Calendar, it falls on April 13th or 14th. New Year in Cambodia represents the end of the harvesting season. Everyday people visit temples to get blessings from monks and priests. People of Cambodia follow a tradition to sprinkle holy water on each others faces in the morning, on the chest at noon and on the feet in the evening. New Year in Cambodia is celebrated by performing various rituals and playing number of games. The three day New Year celebration include the following traditions: The first day of the New Year is called Moha Sangkran. It is believed that on this day God's angels come to earth to take care of its creation. To welcome these holy angels, people clean and light up their houses. Members of the family place an idol of Lord Buddha on an altar with flowers, candles, incense sticks, a bowl of scented water, eatables, drinks and shaped out banana leaves. On the second day of the New Year celebrations, people offer charity and alms to the poor. It is also considered good to present gifts to family members and relatives. On the third day of New Year celebrations people wash all the idols of Lord Buddha with scented water. It is said this ensures good rains all year long. Children pay respect to their elders by washing their feet and get blessings in return.
New Year celebration is a grand event of China. New Year festivities last for one month in China. Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival. It begins from the middle of the last month of the year and ends up in the first month of the New Year. Chinese New Year falls on a different date every year; in 2011 it starts on 3rd February. Lot of excitement can be seen in the last 15 days of New Year celebrations. Every day has a special importance to it. Chinese ritualize and celebrate each day in a customary manner, on specific days they offer prayers to their ancestors and gods, visit families, prepare sumptuous meals and ask for health and prosperity in the new upcoming year. To prepare for the New Year, Chinese clean their houses, repay any money they owe, get their hair cut, and buy new clothes. They also light up their houses and adorn it with signs of peace and luck. They use red color in all their decorations which is very considered auspicious.In Singapore the calendar New Year is celebrated as well as the Lunar Chinese New Year. Hey, they get to party twice for the same occasion! People clean and decorate their houses with Chinese New Year’s ornaments in the last few days on the calendar New Year and they keep them until the Chinese New Year’s celebrations. On 31st December Singaporean families gather for a festive dinner, exchange small gifts and wait for the midnight countdown. In Singapore people also have a tradition of buying new clothes, new bed sheets; it’s an occasion to buy new kitchen appliances or furniture. These also symbolize new beginning, fresh new start. Shopping is one of the most popular retail-intensive countries in Asia, shopping malls are open every day and long hours which created a heavy shopping habit among Singaporeans. Shopping malls are usually among popular entertainment spots, which make every day look busy regardless of the day of the week or period of the year. Young Singaporeans meet their friends, cook together and await the magical midnight. In the commercial centre of Singapore there is massive fireworks display, as there is a ban on individual use of firecrackers; these were banned in 1972 after an explosion had killed several people.
From 2003 the government allowed firecrackers back again during festive season but only under controlled assistance of the Singapore Armed Forces. Firecrackers are not allowed to be commercially sold, so we will be only able to see the ‘official fireworks’ in the Singapore Central District… The island of Singapore and especially the most popular spots still shine with sparkly Christmas decors now, but they will be taken down shortly after the calendar New Year and replaced with the Chinese New Year red ornaments. What our New Year Eve will be like? It’s going to be a mix of our European customs, habits and food, but it an entirely new context. The Chinese New Year decorations are already up in our place, the food starts to smell nice; we are just awaiting our multi-cultural Singapore guests! We will have some nice home made food, Desperados, French cider, cheese and crepes; we will drink champagne and eat 12 grapes at midnight the Spanish style…
And what about those New Years resolutions? Well, I find it easy to come up with those, but as many of you, I am not great sticking up to my guns… So as this blog is a good way for me to officially declare my commitment, these are few changes I would like to see happening in my life next year:
I will eat healthy food
I will dance more than this year (including social dancing)
I will go out more with my friends, and my girlfriends!
I will learn more about fascinating Asian religious and cultural customs
I will start learning Mandarin
I will be a good role model for kids (in my volunteer work)
I will travel more than this year
I will update my blog more often… I promise!
I will update you on my progress on a regular basis, just to keep myself on my feet! And if any of you sees me doing the opposite, please kick my a**, I won’t hold it against you! So what about you, what are your New Year’s Resolutions? If there are any similarities between our lists, let me know, we could help each other out!
Well, will go back to cleaning our place and cooking, to cultivate the Asian New Year preparation rituals… I wish you joy, love and motivation to follow your dreams and achieve your goals, have a successful 2011 dear friends! See you next year!!!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Merry Christmas!
This Christmas was the first Christmas we spent without our families, away from our family homes and in tropics, with around 30° C temperature and in the midst of monsoon showers! It was the first Christmas of this kind and I must say, it was really different.
Singapore has been decorated with lights and very unusual and original Christmas trees; especially famous and vivid is the Orchard Road with amazing Christmas atmosphere! Most Singaporeans do not celebrate Christmas the most traditional way, as the majority of Singapore population is of Chinese origin, and therefore Buddhist. Christian population is close to 15%; similar number is for Islam and Atheists; Taoism is only about 8% and Hinduism 4%. Most of my colleagues and friends treat Christmas only as an occasion to visit family, friends or as a time off school or work. They all decorate their houses with trees and lights, exchange presents; it is very much of a more festive family weekend here with more elaborate food and gifts. For many it is also an occasion to get out of Singapore, as I noticed it is a habit for the locals to use any long weekend to travel and spend time in Bali, Phuket or Australia… Wherever a long weekend is approaching, I can see long queues at the Money Changers, as Singaporeans wait patiently for their turn to get foreign currency for their awaited weekends abroad…
Our Christmas was different to the traditional one, a mix between what we know, like and what we have here. On Christmas Eve we did last shopping and rushed home to start our Christmas weekend! It has been a tradition in my house to have ‘pieczonki’ for the Christmas Eve feast, so I took my time to peel and slice potatoes, beetroots, carrots, onions and garlic. For those not familiar with the dish, it is a pot of vegetables cooked in layers: pour some water to a medium size pot, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then onions with garlic, several slices of beetroot and carrots and then you go with potatoes and the rest again and again… Normally there is bacon and slices of sausage on the top of every pile to add some flavor to the dish, but as we do not eat meat these days, I added more garlic and onions for better aroma and cooked for about 30 mins! Yummy! I also grilled salmon in the oven; I seasoned it with spring onion, herbs and sprinkled with the fresh lemon and lime juice, wrapped it in the aluminum foil and grilled for about 20 mins. Easy, healthy and quick!
Before starting our Christmas Eve dinner we exchanged wishes for the New Year, without the consecrated wafer unfortunately (it’s ‘oplatek’ in Polish; it’s what is shared during mass, a white thin wafer that symbolizes bread sharing), my mum sent it to us in post, but Singapore Post is apparently very strict on what’s coming in to the country, even via post… After dinner we opened presents, as in Poland we do presents on Christmas Eve, we had a lot of chocolate, the regular Polish-Chritmas-sugar-overdose; we watched a movie and went to sleep before midnight. On 25th December we visited our friends. We had dinner and several drinks; it was nice to see how Singaporeans decorate their house and what they do during Christmas. I had a really good time, although I must admit that Christmas without family is less of a festive occasion, I hope next year we will be lucky to spend it with our folks! Merry Christmas dear Singapore, friends and our loyal blog readers :)
Singapore has been decorated with lights and very unusual and original Christmas trees; especially famous and vivid is the Orchard Road with amazing Christmas atmosphere! Most Singaporeans do not celebrate Christmas the most traditional way, as the majority of Singapore population is of Chinese origin, and therefore Buddhist. Christian population is close to 15%; similar number is for Islam and Atheists; Taoism is only about 8% and Hinduism 4%. Most of my colleagues and friends treat Christmas only as an occasion to visit family, friends or as a time off school or work. They all decorate their houses with trees and lights, exchange presents; it is very much of a more festive family weekend here with more elaborate food and gifts. For many it is also an occasion to get out of Singapore, as I noticed it is a habit for the locals to use any long weekend to travel and spend time in Bali, Phuket or Australia… Wherever a long weekend is approaching, I can see long queues at the Money Changers, as Singaporeans wait patiently for their turn to get foreign currency for their awaited weekends abroad… Our Christmas was different to the traditional one, a mix between what we know, like and what we have here. On Christmas Eve we did last shopping and rushed home to start our Christmas weekend! It has been a tradition in my house to have ‘pieczonki’ for the Christmas Eve feast, so I took my time to peel and slice potatoes, beetroots, carrots, onions and garlic. For those not familiar with the dish, it is a pot of vegetables cooked in layers: pour some water to a medium size pot, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then onions with garlic, several slices of beetroot and carrots and then you go with potatoes and the rest again and again… Normally there is bacon and slices of sausage on the top of every pile to add some flavor to the dish, but as we do not eat meat these days, I added more garlic and onions for better aroma and cooked for about 30 mins! Yummy! I also grilled salmon in the oven; I seasoned it with spring onion, herbs and sprinkled with the fresh lemon and lime juice, wrapped it in the aluminum foil and grilled for about 20 mins. Easy, healthy and quick!
Before starting our Christmas Eve dinner we exchanged wishes for the New Year, without the consecrated wafer unfortunately (it’s ‘oplatek’ in Polish; it’s what is shared during mass, a white thin wafer that symbolizes bread sharing), my mum sent it to us in post, but Singapore Post is apparently very strict on what’s coming in to the country, even via post… After dinner we opened presents, as in Poland we do presents on Christmas Eve, we had a lot of chocolate, the regular Polish-Chritmas-sugar-overdose; we watched a movie and went to sleep before midnight. On 25th December we visited our friends. We had dinner and several drinks; it was nice to see how Singaporeans decorate their house and what they do during Christmas. I had a really good time, although I must admit that Christmas without family is less of a festive occasion, I hope next year we will be lucky to spend it with our folks! Merry Christmas dear Singapore, friends and our loyal blog readers :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Gunshooting!
Last weekend we booked clay shooting at the Singapore Gunshooting Club. It was a totally new experience to us, especially to me, because I had no experience whatsoever with handling a shotgun! Herve and Simoon, who went with us, play computer games and go to arcades sometimes, so I was the only total layman... We took a taxi from our place, as the shooting club was on the western side of the island, with very poor public transport connection. The taxi driver wasn’t sure where the club was, so he used his GPS. When we got close, the GPS took us away from the road so we found ourselves in the middle of the field! For a moment we weren’t sure the driver wasn’t some serial killer trying to take us in the unknown area and do ‘you know what’… But soon we reached an asphalt road and we reached the club, in the middle of nowhere…
We had the safety introduction first and we moved to the shooting stations. Got the guns, loaded and the shooting started! Man, that baby weighed 3kg, my right arm hurt for several days after that! We had 25 cartridge shots each. Clay target shooting involves shooters attempting to break clay targets flung into the air at high speed from a variety of angles. Herve got most of them, Simon got a lot and I broke about 4 or 5… Well, we booked for another session, this time with baretta pistols, so I will have a chance to get some more practice!!! Bring it on baby!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Weekend in Kuala Lumpur
My brother Marcin and his wife Dorota visited us for over 2 weeks; they currently live in Nanjing, China. As a part of their holiday we planned to go to KL for a long weekend. I was curious about it, as it was my first time leaving Singapore and visiting a different Asian country. My knowledge about Malaysia was limited to: it’s quite conservative, as it is a Muslim country, they prepare their meat differently, you probably heard of Halal food, and that it’s different to Singapore. Well, from the very first hours in Malaysia, I could feel it was a different world…
When we arrived in KL the queue time to the passport control was longer than the flight… The lady who checked my passport and examined in detail every single page of it and asked if I entered Singapore at all, as there was no chop (Asian word for a stamp!) stating I ever crossed a boarder to Singapore. I was shocked, as I didn’t even know if I was supposed to have a stamp, I travelled a lot in Europe and actually they do not these any more… She started questioning me, as she knew I came from a Singapore flight, and her voice sounded as if she was interrogating me, like I was some illegal immigrant or something… I didn’t feel very comfortable; after all I had been in a holiday mood just starting my long weekend. To prove her I live and work in Singapore I showed her my Singaporean Employment Pass card, which she examined suspiciously, showed it to her nearby colleague speaking Malay, put a Malaysian chop on the first page of my passport and returned my both documents. When I opened my passport I realized that on the same first page where she put her stamp, there was a Singapore chop! Well, maybe she missed the first time she looked at it… I wasn’t really sure… Nice welcome in KL…
After passport control we went for a taxi to get to our B&B. But, as we approached the taxi stand, we only learned that to get a taxi ride we need… a ticket! So, we went back to the main airport building and purchased a ticket from a special taxi ticket counter. We went back then to a taxi stand, with all our bags, and finally took off to KL. When we entered the city we noticed that it’s pretty busy, noisy and dirty… After Singapore our standards became very high, as it’s very very clean, so KL stroke us as poorer than our ‘new hometown’. We found our B&B, refreshed a little and went out for lunch to a nearby restaurant and coffee and cake in Starbucks just across the road from our B&B. The rest of the day we spent in Chinatown, wandering in the local markets and discovering this part of the city. The first and lasting impression was very similar to the one we had in the morning, Chinatown was also dirty and poor… The hygiene standards were bad, the buildings looked old and you could feel the city didn’t get any financial support from the government for a long long time. Even the shops and stand around Chinatown didn’t project high standard of their products… In one of the jewelry stores we saw a security guy, who didn’t wear any uniform, but he had a machine gun! Was this just a culture shock or it’s just me?
The next day we got up early, as we wanted to go up the famous Petronas Towers. I heard from my colleagues that people start queuing for tickets since very early morning, so we were there after 7am. The ticket shop opened at 9am, and we were lucky enough to get tickets for 11am the same day! We had a Malay breakfast, famous Nasi Lemak, and came back for the tour. The view from the 86th floor of the Petronas Towers was fantastic, although the weather that day wasn’t the best. Then we went to the bridge connecting both towers. I must say that it was worth waiting all morning for those views!
In the afternoon we went to a National Mosque of Kuala Lumpur. We all got purple gowns covering us from head to toes, the Muslim way, and we went in, bare foot. When we got to the main point of the mosque we started chatting with a very nice gentleman who was there to give information to tourists like us. He sat down with us for about 30 min and spoke about Islam and some of its rules. Well, I have always perceived myself as a tolerant person, especially when it comes to nationalities, customs and religion, but I couldn’t agree with the traditions and boundaries of Muslim life he told us about. Well, it’s totally different to my Western understanding of life and society, but it was nice to learn more about the Malay lifestyle! We went for dinner to our next-door Moroccan restaurant, in the spirit of discovery, and I must say we all really enjoyed the food…
On Sunday we went to the Batu Caves with one of the most famous Hindu shrine outside of India, up in the mountain cave. But before we got there, we had another ‘culture-shock-experience’ in KL, riding a bus! We took a bus from our street to get to the bus interchange station first. There was a bus driver, and a ticket man. They waited till there was a good bunch of people on the bus and started selling tickets when the bus was full. When the bus took off he sat down on the bus stairs, yes, the ones we used to enter the bus, and stayed there with the bus door was open throughout the whole ride! We were shocked to see this, as he could have easily fallen off the bus at any time and hurt himself! The ticket man was encouraging people in the street to get on the bus, so several times we took more passengers just in the middle of the street! The bus also hit a man who was just crossing the street! That was just unbelievable! We switched the busses on the bus interchange station and we waited again till the bus got full before it could take off. The ticket man was shouting around: ‘Batu Caves! Batu Caves!’, trying to get more customers on the bus. When we finally took off we could see more of the city’s parts, not too different from the city centre… When we arrived at the Batu Caves we saw the world’s tallest statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity, outside of the caves. Batu Caves serves as a pilgrimage site for not only Malaysian Hindus, but Hindus worldwide from countries such as India, Australia and Singapore.
One other thing that stroke us was a sense of fashion in KL. For men, it’s pretty much similar to the Western standards, but most women wear black gowns showing only their eyes. Some other show also their faces, but tourist women are somehow a subject of interest for local men and women alike, as they do look different. Although both, myself and Dorota, we wore more conservative clothes there, we still felt we were looked at constantly…
In the afternoon we went back to the airport, as our KL weekend was coming to an end. There were no major surprises on the KL side this time, but when we arrived in Singapore, we learned we couldn’t purchase alcohol in duty free, as all Malaysia flight passengers are not allowed to buy liquors, according to the local law! I wondered, although Singapore and Malaysia are neighbors and close trade partners, there are still things like this where you can feel there is tension between those two countries! Singapore was formerly part of Malaysia but was separated in 1965 due to political differences and racial tension, so even as a foreigner who might not be aware of the historical background, one can experience some of this tension while travelling!
The weekend in KL was a great learning experience for all of us. It is incredible how different 2 neighboring countries could be. I saw differences between certain European countries before, but never to such a big extent as between Singapore and Malaysia... I am glad I experienced KL, but I was definitely happy to be back in Singapore where I can drink water from the tap, wear what I like and enjoy clean city with safe public transport…
When we arrived in KL the queue time to the passport control was longer than the flight… The lady who checked my passport and examined in detail every single page of it and asked if I entered Singapore at all, as there was no chop (Asian word for a stamp!) stating I ever crossed a boarder to Singapore. I was shocked, as I didn’t even know if I was supposed to have a stamp, I travelled a lot in Europe and actually they do not these any more… She started questioning me, as she knew I came from a Singapore flight, and her voice sounded as if she was interrogating me, like I was some illegal immigrant or something… I didn’t feel very comfortable; after all I had been in a holiday mood just starting my long weekend. To prove her I live and work in Singapore I showed her my Singaporean Employment Pass card, which she examined suspiciously, showed it to her nearby colleague speaking Malay, put a Malaysian chop on the first page of my passport and returned my both documents. When I opened my passport I realized that on the same first page where she put her stamp, there was a Singapore chop! Well, maybe she missed the first time she looked at it… I wasn’t really sure… Nice welcome in KL…
After passport control we went for a taxi to get to our B&B. But, as we approached the taxi stand, we only learned that to get a taxi ride we need… a ticket! So, we went back to the main airport building and purchased a ticket from a special taxi ticket counter. We went back then to a taxi stand, with all our bags, and finally took off to KL. When we entered the city we noticed that it’s pretty busy, noisy and dirty… After Singapore our standards became very high, as it’s very very clean, so KL stroke us as poorer than our ‘new hometown’. We found our B&B, refreshed a little and went out for lunch to a nearby restaurant and coffee and cake in Starbucks just across the road from our B&B. The rest of the day we spent in Chinatown, wandering in the local markets and discovering this part of the city. The first and lasting impression was very similar to the one we had in the morning, Chinatown was also dirty and poor… The hygiene standards were bad, the buildings looked old and you could feel the city didn’t get any financial support from the government for a long long time. Even the shops and stand around Chinatown didn’t project high standard of their products… In one of the jewelry stores we saw a security guy, who didn’t wear any uniform, but he had a machine gun! Was this just a culture shock or it’s just me?
The next day we got up early, as we wanted to go up the famous Petronas Towers. I heard from my colleagues that people start queuing for tickets since very early morning, so we were there after 7am. The ticket shop opened at 9am, and we were lucky enough to get tickets for 11am the same day! We had a Malay breakfast, famous Nasi Lemak, and came back for the tour. The view from the 86th floor of the Petronas Towers was fantastic, although the weather that day wasn’t the best. Then we went to the bridge connecting both towers. I must say that it was worth waiting all morning for those views!
In the afternoon we went to a National Mosque of Kuala Lumpur. We all got purple gowns covering us from head to toes, the Muslim way, and we went in, bare foot. When we got to the main point of the mosque we started chatting with a very nice gentleman who was there to give information to tourists like us. He sat down with us for about 30 min and spoke about Islam and some of its rules. Well, I have always perceived myself as a tolerant person, especially when it comes to nationalities, customs and religion, but I couldn’t agree with the traditions and boundaries of Muslim life he told us about. Well, it’s totally different to my Western understanding of life and society, but it was nice to learn more about the Malay lifestyle! We went for dinner to our next-door Moroccan restaurant, in the spirit of discovery, and I must say we all really enjoyed the food… 
On Sunday we went to the Batu Caves with one of the most famous Hindu shrine outside of India, up in the mountain cave. But before we got there, we had another ‘culture-shock-experience’ in KL, riding a bus! We took a bus from our street to get to the bus interchange station first. There was a bus driver, and a ticket man. They waited till there was a good bunch of people on the bus and started selling tickets when the bus was full. When the bus took off he sat down on the bus stairs, yes, the ones we used to enter the bus, and stayed there with the bus door was open throughout the whole ride! We were shocked to see this, as he could have easily fallen off the bus at any time and hurt himself! The ticket man was encouraging people in the street to get on the bus, so several times we took more passengers just in the middle of the street! The bus also hit a man who was just crossing the street! That was just unbelievable! We switched the busses on the bus interchange station and we waited again till the bus got full before it could take off. The ticket man was shouting around: ‘Batu Caves! Batu Caves!’, trying to get more customers on the bus. When we finally took off we could see more of the city’s parts, not too different from the city centre… When we arrived at the Batu Caves we saw the world’s tallest statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity, outside of the caves. Batu Caves serves as a pilgrimage site for not only Malaysian Hindus, but Hindus worldwide from countries such as India, Australia and Singapore. 
One other thing that stroke us was a sense of fashion in KL. For men, it’s pretty much similar to the Western standards, but most women wear black gowns showing only their eyes. Some other show also their faces, but tourist women are somehow a subject of interest for local men and women alike, as they do look different. Although both, myself and Dorota, we wore more conservative clothes there, we still felt we were looked at constantly… In the afternoon we went back to the airport, as our KL weekend was coming to an end. There were no major surprises on the KL side this time, but when we arrived in Singapore, we learned we couldn’t purchase alcohol in duty free, as all Malaysia flight passengers are not allowed to buy liquors, according to the local law! I wondered, although Singapore and Malaysia are neighbors and close trade partners, there are still things like this where you can feel there is tension between those two countries! Singapore was formerly part of Malaysia but was separated in 1965 due to political differences and racial tension, so even as a foreigner who might not be aware of the historical background, one can experience some of this tension while travelling!
The weekend in KL was a great learning experience for all of us. It is incredible how different 2 neighboring countries could be. I saw differences between certain European countries before, but never to such a big extent as between Singapore and Malaysia... I am glad I experienced KL, but I was definitely happy to be back in Singapore where I can drink water from the tap, wear what I like and enjoy clean city with safe public transport…
Friday, September 3, 2010
Hungry Ghost Festival
Hungry Ghost Festival is held in 7th month of the lunar year, this year it was celebrated between 10th Aug and 7th Sep 2010 in Singapore. The Taoist Chinese believe that during this time, the gates of hell open for spirits to visit their living relatives. Hence, the seventh month is a time for the Chinese to reminisce and pay respects to their deceased friends and relatives. The Chinese feel that they have to satisfy the imprisoned and hungry ghosts in order to get good fortune and luck in their lives. During this time, they prepare sumptuous meals as offerings to the spirits. Hell money, candles and joss sticks (which are often deemed as food for the spirits) are also burnt as offerings. The communities also organize prayer ceremonies at their temples.
Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhong Yuan Jie is also celebrated with ceremonies at homes, associations, and guilds. Prayers are offered to the dead and offerings of food such as chicken, vegetables, fruits, bean curd and white rice are placed at street corners and roadsides to appease the spirits. This is believed to prevent the wandering spirits from entering their homes and causing disturbances in their households. Offerings are also made at Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhong Yuan Jie by burning replica money notes, which are also known as ‘hell money’. Some families also burn paper houses, cars and even paper television or radio sets to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these offerings reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their world.
Very often during the Ghost Festival, there are Getai performances held throughout Singapore. Getai are “road shows” held on make-shift stages where performers, often dressed in elaborated costumes, sing and entertain the spirits. These performances sometimes comprise Chinese opera performances, as well as popular hits in Chinese dialects such as Hokkien and Cantonese. Everyone is welcome to watch the show as long as you don’t sit at the front row, which is reserved for the “special guests”.
This festival is like a Chinese Halloween, only it lasts all month and it is much more spiritual. In my street there was food and stakes of burned fake money (‘hell money’) almost all month. First time I found food in the street was on 9th August, I thought someone was just messing around after the Singapore National Day but now I know it was for the hungry ghosts! At first I didn’t know about that festival and I was very surprised that there is food in the street and no one cleaned it. Singapore is such a clean place that you notice such things… Well, they cleaned the food and ashes now and my street is all back to normal… Singapore-clean!
Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhong Yuan Jie is also celebrated with ceremonies at homes, associations, and guilds. Prayers are offered to the dead and offerings of food such as chicken, vegetables, fruits, bean curd and white rice are placed at street corners and roadsides to appease the spirits. This is believed to prevent the wandering spirits from entering their homes and causing disturbances in their households. Offerings are also made at Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhong Yuan Jie by burning replica money notes, which are also known as ‘hell money’. Some families also burn paper houses, cars and even paper television or radio sets to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these offerings reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their world.
Very often during the Ghost Festival, there are Getai performances held throughout Singapore. Getai are “road shows” held on make-shift stages where performers, often dressed in elaborated costumes, sing and entertain the spirits. These performances sometimes comprise Chinese opera performances, as well as popular hits in Chinese dialects such as Hokkien and Cantonese. Everyone is welcome to watch the show as long as you don’t sit at the front row, which is reserved for the “special guests”.
This festival is like a Chinese Halloween, only it lasts all month and it is much more spiritual. In my street there was food and stakes of burned fake money (‘hell money’) almost all month. First time I found food in the street was on 9th August, I thought someone was just messing around after the Singapore National Day but now I know it was for the hungry ghosts! At first I didn’t know about that festival and I was very surprised that there is food in the street and no one cleaned it. Singapore is such a clean place that you notice such things… Well, they cleaned the food and ashes now and my street is all back to normal… Singapore-clean!
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