Travel

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrowmindednes"

Mark Twain

Edinburgh Revisit

Last weekend I revisited Edinbugh, the mysterious city with its queer yet finest character of its own. I recalled the first time when I landed in this very elegant place two years ago. The only difference was that back then it was in autumn.This time I went to catch the famous Edinburgh Summer Festival. Well, to be honest really, I was looking for a relaxing weekend, which is to spend time with friends rather than sightseeing. Also, this time I took the train instead of plane and of course the journey is much shorter as I travelled fro London instead of K.L. Nonetheless, it was a nice revisit although I've missed the finale of the festival on Sunday night. Same place, same people, different feelings, different wheather, different purpose.


I stayed at a friend's place, in a 2 bed room apartment, very well located , right in the heart of the city. But what makes it really great was the location itself which is right beside the Edinburgh castle,atop and overlooking the Princess Garden. Also, what I am really impressed was the age and "character" of the apartment itself. From Princess Street, one can just look up and see the 5 level apartment right on top of the "volcano", so elegantly poised with the easily identified red balcony. Yeah, I did enjoy my stay there, living in a typical Scottish traditional house which was built probably some 300 years ago. Old you may say, but that what makes it really different than the rest.



Two years back, when I was just a student, I was walking along the Princess Street. Then,I have never thought that I would ever have the chance to stay in one of those cute little white houses on top of the hills near the castle. Today, two years later, I revisited the same city, same place though not as a student but rather as a working person, as I look up on the same buildings from the Princess Street, wow, it's like living in a fairytale, even though it is only over the weekend. It's like in a dream. It is something hard to believe, really unexpected reality.

Today, my company had an internal launch for the e-Reader, portraying the fable "Alice in the Wonderland", where Alice wanders in a land of wonder. I felt I was Alice.:) Somehow, I held a deep connection with Edinburgh- perhaps because of the mysterious element, or perhaps it has to do with its very own personality. Inexplicable, one just gotta feel 'it'.

Follow Your Destiny...

Follow Your Destiny...

Wherever It Leads You

There comes a time in your life
when you realize that
if you stand still,
you will remain
at this point forever.

You realise that
if you fail
and stay down,
life will pass you by...

Life's circumstances
are not always
what you might wish them to be,
The pattern of life
does not necessarily
go as you plan.

Beyond any understanding,
you may at times be led
in different directions
that you never imagined,
dreamed, or designed.

Yet if you had never
put any effort into choosing a path,
or tried to carry out your dream,
then perhaps you would have no direction at all.

Rather than wondering about or questioning the direction your life has taken,
accept the fact that there is a path before you now.

Shake off the "why's" and "what if's", and rid yourself of confusion.
Whatever was-is in the past.
Whatever is-is what's important.
The past is a brief reflection.
The future is yet to be realised.
Today is here.

Walk your path one step at a time-with courage, faith and determination.
Keep your head up, and cast your dreams to the stars.

Soon your steps will become firm and your footing will be solid again.
A path that you never imagined
will become the most comfortable
direction you have ever hoped to follow.

Keep your belief in yourself
and walk into your new journey.

You will find it
magnificient, spectacular, and
beyond your wildest imaginings.

-Vicki Silvers

Malaysia Week in London

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Malaysia came to London for a 5 days event where there were stage performances including traditional, folk and contemporary Malaysian dances. In addition, there were food stalls that offer Malaysian food such as 'satay', 'ayam rendang', 'roti canai', kueh such as 'onde-onde' and Malaysian local fruits such as 'nangka', 'maggis', 'rambutan', star fruit as well as coconut drink. Not to mention that there were also traditional games and sports displayed/demonstrated such as 'congkak' and silat. Having spent almost the whole day at the event made me miss home a little. Watching the dances and singing from the multicultural societies of Malaysia somehow affirm my beliefs that Malaysia is indeed very rich with its culture, hence makes me proud being a Malaysian.I remembered that I was contemplating on whether to attend this event, to the extend of texting a friend, asking him whether it was really worth going. Indeed I was glad that I went and not used the wheather as an excuse. Thank you A!;)I met Malaysians on the way and at the events. Tired, but nevertheless a fruitful trip. I do have an inexplicable strange feelings of experiencing Malaysia in London. It's like in a dream or fantasy. If it was not because of the Tower Bridge over the other side of the park, I really felt like at home. Oh, how I miss Malaysia in this sense.

Horse Riding near Cobham

I tagged along F and T for a horse riding trip, near Cobham. It was an interesting event especially for me as I observe how beautiful a horse could be and the details of different type of horses, brushes for cleaning the horses and different skills in moulding a horse character.In short-it's kinda like caring for someone which really requires lots of passion, patience, effort, time and energy-like baby.

Misha (a Polish name for Michael), was the name of the horse.Elegant, young, with a very strong character. Apparently, the horse is bred for competition and F is trying hard to train it to be a good, tough one. I must say that Misha is really unique,cranky a bit at the first impression but nonetheless beautiful with its elegant color. It was also interesting to learn that the skills needed from horse to compete-not racing, mind you but two of the areas which I could remember are 'posing'(like a model) and jumping. This horse was already trained in Poland for competition and it is only 4-5 years old (the life span of a horse is 25 years old). It must be really worth all the effort having to bring it to UK from Poland, thanks to T. Apparently it took them about 8 months for negotiation and paper work finalization before Misha arrived to Weybridge which was 2 weeks before me:)

After a slight warm up in the training area, we took the horse for a walk through the forest. I've got the chance to stroll through the forest, yet another green and posh area of Surrey and found some really nice houses around. Apparently according to T, some of the houses belong to the famous celebrities. So, rich people stay here as well. No wonder horse riding is a common sport here, despite that it is an expensive sport.Also, shooting and golf are another two common favourites.

We wanted to go to the church in the evening but it was too late. Hence, we took the horse back for shower and drove home. We chatted for a while and look through the pictures as F scrutinize the postures and the progress of the training. Honestly, I do admire F's passion for horses and her determination to go for what she really loves doing. As for T, I do admire his determination to pursue his love. Overall this horse riding trip was not only enjoyable but it was an eye-opener experience for me.

A weekend away with friends

On Saturday, LM came over to Weybridge and pay me a visit. I picked her up from the train station which is about 5-10mins walk from where I currently live. We then went around shopping at the High Street of Weybridge. Well, it was really nothing as compared to the shopping streets in Central London, which I'd certainly warned her. Nonetheless, we did enjoy the calm and peaceful atmosphere that Weybridge offers,where one might not find in the buzz of the metropolitan city. We then went to Tesco express which was quite a distance away (and go lost:P), but nonetheless we bought lots of food to cook, and probably could last me for a week or two. She spend a night at my place and we watched a DVD to close the day.

The next day, we took a lift from my housemate to the Central London and she drove us to the Lancaster Gate where she took some medicine courses. I then met B and we went to the British musuem and shopping. It was really great to mix both learning and leisure together. One could really seek lots of knowledge by learning the history and understanding why things happened, though frankly, I never could fully understand the history of thousand or zillion years ago. I just appreciate them, rather than truly understand them,really. As there was also summer sales in London I've got myself a pretty good deal on a pair of working leather shoes and a shirt.

Later in the evening,I took the tube from Oxford Circus to Upton Park, where I've met one of my 'long time no see' friend. Hehe, you might be surprised to hear this but it's true-I met L,a BBC during my Trans Siberian trip in Aug/Sept 2006 on a train. That was two years ago and we did keep in touch along the way. Last year our paths cross again in London. I came from Edinburgh on my virgin trip to this buzzy city. L, was so kind to bring B&I around London for a short sightseeing, though back then frankly, I am more interested in catching up with her rather than the city itself.

Then on the 20th July, we met again. This time, it was her farewell party. We had a BBQ with some of her friends at her place. I met some of her cool friends, British, Italian, BBC and some of her family members. I have always like her cheerful smile and easy going personality. This time she is gonna leave for HK, perhaps for good. Haha...no wonder she has planned to ship all of her stuff and even the bedside table, all in 'a single bed size' amount of luggage all the way from London to HK. My train trip from the West to East London, is certainly nothing compares to her version of West(UK) to East (HK) trip:) Also, S, A and I stayed back and chatted with her.We had inherited some good books. One of them is the "Walks in Britain". I came to know that S joined a hiking club in London and A is keen to "do things" and L was suggesting that we should hike sometime before she leaves for her backpacking trip to Vietnam and straight to HK. So, L is gonna hook us up thru facebook, and perhaps I might foster hiking as my hobby though frankly, I doubt my stamina;)Nonetheless, I am always attracted to the majestic scenery of the God made hills, lakes and nature. It brought back some nostalgias on my last China trip with KY and WY 3-4 years ago. To re-live such an inexplicable adventure and experience would be really cool.

Speaking about hiking, did I mention that in Weybridge, one of the common sports over here is horse riding? Yeah, no joke, F,my current apartment mate owns a horse! She's only 27, owns a clinic and very entrepreneur. She has a smiling face all the time. An attribute which I really admire. So is S, who was my potential landlady in Weybridge and L,my colleague at S and her daughter; all are horse riders. Another activity worth considering;)

However, the horse riding experience with KC, A and I during our Trans Siberian adventure which had caused body ache and the pain in the ass, somehow deterred me;). I've talked to F, who seems to be an expert in horses, she seems to be very knowledgable and honestly, she has somewhat charmed my interest in horses.On the other hand, I felt pity for the horses, having to be ridden by humans.Hmm...we'll see...

Sometimes I Wonder

Sometimes I wonder,
What would I do if I was there two thousand years ago?
Would I commit my life to Thee for that thorny pilgrim road?
Or would I despise Your compassion and walk away with sorrow?

Sometimes I wonder,
What would I do if I witnessed Your miraculous healing?
Would I sing my praises with all my heart and soul?
Or would I ask for a sign from heaven or to Beelzebul I go?

Sometimes I wonder,
What would I do if I watched You standing on trial?
Would I boldly proclaim Your name and to death I follow?
Or would I deny you three times before the rooster crowed?

Sometimes I wonder,
What would I do if I stood at the feet of that cross?
Would I cry out for mercy and tremble with fear?
Or would I join the crowd in mockery and sarcastic jeers?

Sometimes I wonder,
What would I do if I saw that empty tomb?
Would I be amazed and rejoice and trust in the truth?
Or would I question and doubt and speak like a fool?

Sometimes I wonder,
What would I do if they told me You are alive?
Would I shout with joy and gladly declare Your greatness?
Or would I insist of feeling your pierced side like the doubting Thomas?

Sometimes I wonder,
What if I have wandered astray and stumbled on the way,
Will You still welcome me home with Your wide open arms?
And will You still search for the lost sheep and love the prodigal son?

‘Seventy times seven’, I heard You said;
And I know, I have been forgiven.

‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’