A2002's VirtualTourist Home Page

Hi! Thank you for visiting my pages. For more links to my travel pages, please click. In my "member snapshot", that's Terence and me taken in Mar 2005 in Mingun, Myanmar.... :-) We have not been travelling for some time already, except to neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia.

The above picture is the collage that I have created from my 4 days trip to Paris with my dearest - my hubby. Although it was our second time to Paris, we certainly had a memorable and wonderful time there. The difference is no more hostels and food from the supermarket. :-). We had more budget this time. I like this collage very much and it brings back sweet and romantic memories... Don't you think it's beautiful? I feel happy looking at this picture... Sometimes it does brightens up my day :-). Do you have one too? This picture is going to be changed soon :) *

You are welcome to drop me an email. I love meeting fellow travellers and making friends, however, do give me some clue as who you are. I will search on your homepage.

I also like to share and discuss about different cultures. After spending more than 3 years in the UK, I know coffee breaks are important for socialising. In Singapore, it is just a time off from work or a waste of time to some. Drinking in the pub after work is also important for making good friendship. In Malaysia and Singapore, greeting someone you know on the street will start with "Have you eaten?", which is seen as an intimidating question in the UK. Well, food is important to us and we love our food. Drunkard is a common sight in England especially during weekends. In Asia, that is seen as ugly and a non-desirable behaviour. These are just a few examples... So if you have anything to share about your culture, do drop me an email... I will try to reply to you if time permits.

Whenever I feel like giving up, I will remind myself the following:

"Drop by drop is the water pot filled.
A little at a time, wise people make themselves good."

When one gives up useless craving and
learn to live each day at a time,
enjoying without being restless
wanting the experiences that life offer one,
patiently enduring the problems that life involves
without fear, hatred and anger,
then one become happy and free.

Failures are but the pillars of success.
To learn from our failures is to achieve success.
Never to have failed is never to have won.
Unless we experience failure and its bitterness,
we would never appreciate the sweetness of victory.
It becomes merely a turn of events that is of little or no interest.
Failures not only help us to succeed,
they make us energetic, enthusiastic, and rich in experiences.

The secret of happy, successful living
is to do what needs to be done now, and not worry about the past or the future.
We cannot reshape the past, nor can we anticipate everything in the future.
There is but one moment of time over which we have some conscious control and that is the present .
Living in the present is an excellent present I can give myself.

Strengthen the mind to face the facts and realities of life. Avoid unrealistic and impractical ambitions. Develop self-confidence. Then you will be more relaxed in overcoming your difficulties in life.

May God Bless You...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Another quote which I find it meaningful and copied from somewhere:

Mind is the forerunner of all (evil) conditions.
Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made.
If, with an impure mind, one speaks or acts,
Then suffering follows one
Even as the cart wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

Mind is the forerunner of all (good) conditions.
Mind is their chief, and they are mind-made.
If, with a pure mind, one speaks or acts,
Then happiness follows one
Like a never-departing shadow.

I have been pondering between "health" and "wealth" and "health and wealth". Which is more important to you?

To me, "health" is the most important, followed by "health and wealth". I have this idea that wealth cannot buy health. Being healthy, I can travel to anywhere I like, eat anything I like, do anything I like, etc. However, with wealth, I can be pampered with all these. Being wealthy without health is a kind of suffering. As for the enjoyment of being wealthy varies. Some wealthy travellers do not enjoy their travels with all the pampering and quality travel, and there are also some not so rich travellers who enjoyed their travels very much. I think it very much depends on what one want. Don't you agree?

I think "health" is the number one priority in life. To be healthy, diet does play a major role. Do you want to be healthy? Are you seeking for health? I am. :)

In the picture is me with Terence. I am in my tea dress (worn when returning to the bride's parents' home for tea ceremony). It gotta be RED! This tea dress is a traditional Vietnamese "aozai". Beautiful?

We went through our customary Chinese wedding, just before the Chinese New Year 2005. Me and Terence were legally "married" since May 2000. However, without going through the tea ceremony and the big feast, we are not considered "married" in the eyes of the older generation.

It was a hectic day having to cross the causeway, back and forth Singapore and JB a few times. We were lucky that there's not much traffic jam. So we could keep to our important timing. In the Chinese custom, timing on the wedding day is very important. The time when the bride leave the house, the time when the couple arrive at the groom's parents' house for tea ceremony, the time when the couple arrive at the bride's parents' house for tea ceremony are all very important.

After all the tea ceremonies, we went to the hotel where our banquet was held. We did not have much time for some rest, just 15 minutes dip in the private jacuzzi in our suite. Then a rehearsal for 10 minutes in the ballroom before the guests started to arrive. Terence got changed and had to welcome the guests at the reception, while I was making-up. It was a fabulous night with superb food. We offered a nine-course dinner for our guests - suckling pig, sharkfin soup, steam drunken prawns, scallop, steam red garoupa, abalone, braised sea cucumber, braised noodles, and glutinous rice ball dessert. It was a fabulous nite...

A Happy Married Life:
In a true marriage, the husband and wife think more for the partnership that they share than for themselves. Marriage is a bicycle made for two. A feeling of security and contentment comes from mutual efforts. Impatience and misunderstanding are responsible for most family problems. Mutual respect and understanding are crucial for a successful marriage.
A nagging and grumpy wife is not going to make up for shortages in the home, nor will her suspicion of her husband help to make a happy marriage. If her husband has shortcomings, only tolerance and kind words will help him to see the light. Right understanding and moral conduct are the practical aspects of wisdom.
Poverty is not the main cause of an unhappy married life. Both husband and wife must learn to share the pleasure and pain of everything in their daily lives. Mutual understanding is the secret of a happy family life.

I would like to thank fellow VTers who have sent me their well-wishes :) Thank you very much... I really appreciate them and your well-wishes made my day.

I have been on VT since 2002. Along the way, I have met many fellow VTers. Some of whom are my good friends from different parts of the world. I thank the creators of VT to have made this happen. VT has given me happiness and knowledge...

Here's a picture of me during pregnancy.

I am grounded at the moment, and will be till at least end of 2006. Our baby is born on 6 June 06 :-). I am looking forward to bringing Baby Aloysius to travel around with us :-). Perhaps to some "babies friendly" places... Any recommendations from fellow travelling parents with babies???

Maybe some of you might know that I have been pursuing after a doctorate. I am at my last stage - writing and to submit my thesis. I was stuck at this stage for quite a while already.

Before I was stuck, I had many more friendly friends. hmm... the society that I am in is rather realistic, I realised. Recently, I contacted my friend and told her that I am still determined to finish my thesis writing. She was surprised and told me that she had "given up" on me. hmm... well... "Given up?" It gave me a different perspective of our friendship... Is there still the same "friendship" that I had valued all these while?

Well... as life goes along, one's priorities do change :). Whether it's for the worse or for the better, only the one who does the changes know best. You are your own judge. Be confident. Many people like to force their point of view on others, and never realising the circumstances others have been through. Family is still the most important and the best :).