Life is not all about work and making money. There is no life without good health, and my key principle in life is to stay healthy and enjoy the utmost of things that come along. I encourage friends that I know to do whatever form of outdoor exercise that they like to stay healthy. For me, running and mountain trekking is one way to challenge myself all the time and see how far I can go, and on top of it stay healthy.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
DONG ZHI (WINTER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL)
Today is Dong Zhi, and its celebrated on every Dec 22 of every year. It is the second most important festival of the Chinese calender. Celebrated on the longest night of the year, Dong Zhi is the day when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. The coming of winter is celebrated by families and is traditionally the time when farmers and fishermen gather food in preparation for the coming cold season. It is also a time for family reunions.
In some parts of Northern China, people eat dumpling soup on this day; while residents of some other places eat dumplings, saying doing so will keep them from frost in the upcoming winter. But in parts of South China, the whole family will get together to have a meal made of red-bean and glutinous rice to drive away ghosts and other evil things. In other places, people also eat TANG YUAN or KUEH EE, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of glutinous rice flour.
The Winter Solstice rice dumplings could be used as sacrifices to ancestors, or gifts for friends and relatives. The Taiwan people even keep the custom of offering nine-layer cakes to their ancestors. They make cakes in the shape of chicken, duck, tortoise, pig, cow or sheep with glutinous rice flour and steam them on different layers of a pot. These animals all signify auspiciousness in Chinese tradition. People of the same surname or family clan gather at their ancestral temples to worship their ancestors in age order. After the sacrificial ceremony, there is always a grand banquet.
Have you eaten your Tang Yuan aka Kueh Ee (In Hokkien) today!!!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ayam Back
Ayam Back (der Pacemakers Vocab) aka I am back. Yes back from my Gold Coast vacations. Spent the last 2 weeks in Gold Coast, Brisbane and then drive along the coastal road to Sydney and back. And that is like driving 2000km within 2 weeks.
It was the annual family year end vacation and this year was in Gold Coast because of one BIG reason. AirAsia X flies to Gold Coast and I did manage to get cheap fares out of their early launch. So its a no brainer as the cost of air tickets will be a lot cheaper than any other airlines flying to the same location. And also we have not been to Gold Coast so will be a first time experience for all.
Overall the vacation is fantastic, and holidays are always a pleasant experience. First time to Gold Coast and I must said this is the place for people who love beaches, sunshine and water. Next are all the babes and the hunks along the beaches....thats all I can describe. If you wanna see more, hop onto the next AAX flight into Gold Coast and see for yourself. I would said the beaches are lovely and comparable to those along Waikiki in Hawaii. Being a runner with a runners mind, I did a survey on the Gold Coast Marathon 2007 race course and I must said its a flat course with very little hills. This will definitely be a PR course for all who is coming for the Gold Coast Marathon 2008 (Australia's fastest and flattest marathon) in 6 July.
The coastal towns where I stop by for one or two nights on my way to Sydney are equally lovely too. These towns have their own specialties and unique offerings that are different from each other. The family enjoy the quiet and serene atmosphere of these towns as compare to the bustling high activities scene in Gold Coast.
Sydney is the same city where I visited nine years ago except this time we made our trip to the Blue Mountains and visited the 3 Sisters. Nothing changes in Sydney and everywhere are exactly the same. My memory image of Sydney 9 years ago does not change at all. So does not excite me as much as the coastal town and Gold Coast.
Living in Australia is darn expensive now. Taking aside the currency exchange rate of AUD1 is equal to RM3.03, all the things at the shopping malls, hypermarts, etc are so expensive. The standard of living have gone up so much. Property prices are shooting like rockets flying up to the sky. A pair of running shoes of brands like ASICS, SAUCONY, ADIDAS, etc are almost in the range of no less than AUD130 to AUD180 per pair. And IMHO, this is not the right time for those who wanna migrate to Australia. You get burnt left right and center.
So much about my trip and I will post some photos up later. Cherrio !!!
It was the annual family year end vacation and this year was in Gold Coast because of one BIG reason. AirAsia X flies to Gold Coast and I did manage to get cheap fares out of their early launch. So its a no brainer as the cost of air tickets will be a lot cheaper than any other airlines flying to the same location. And also we have not been to Gold Coast so will be a first time experience for all.
Overall the vacation is fantastic, and holidays are always a pleasant experience. First time to Gold Coast and I must said this is the place for people who love beaches, sunshine and water. Next are all the babes and the hunks along the beaches....thats all I can describe. If you wanna see more, hop onto the next AAX flight into Gold Coast and see for yourself. I would said the beaches are lovely and comparable to those along Waikiki in Hawaii. Being a runner with a runners mind, I did a survey on the Gold Coast Marathon 2007 race course and I must said its a flat course with very little hills. This will definitely be a PR course for all who is coming for the Gold Coast Marathon 2008 (Australia's fastest and flattest marathon) in 6 July.
The coastal towns where I stop by for one or two nights on my way to Sydney are equally lovely too. These towns have their own specialties and unique offerings that are different from each other. The family enjoy the quiet and serene atmosphere of these towns as compare to the bustling high activities scene in Gold Coast.
Sydney is the same city where I visited nine years ago except this time we made our trip to the Blue Mountains and visited the 3 Sisters. Nothing changes in Sydney and everywhere are exactly the same. My memory image of Sydney 9 years ago does not change at all. So does not excite me as much as the coastal town and Gold Coast.
Living in Australia is darn expensive now. Taking aside the currency exchange rate of AUD1 is equal to RM3.03, all the things at the shopping malls, hypermarts, etc are so expensive. The standard of living have gone up so much. Property prices are shooting like rockets flying up to the sky. A pair of running shoes of brands like ASICS, SAUCONY, ADIDAS, etc are almost in the range of no less than AUD130 to AUD180 per pair. And IMHO, this is not the right time for those who wanna migrate to Australia. You get burnt left right and center.
So much about my trip and I will post some photos up later. Cherrio !!!
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