Beware of the Pickpockets!

Although the focus of the Vietnam trip was to visit the orphanages, we did manage to include some sight seeing of the city. I was impressed by what I saw in Ho Chi Minh city - a modern city that any guests would find welcoming. It's a mix of things East and West. You see the locals in their conical hats selling fruits along the streets and just a few shops down you will see a coffee house or a wine bar that reminds one of those you see on the streets of Paris.

One of the places we visited was the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, located at the famous Paris Commune Square in the Ho Chi Minh City. The cathedral was established by the French colonists, constructed between 1863 and 1880. 

Next to the cathedral is the Central Post Office, another prominent feature of Ho Chi Minh City. This grand old edifice was constructed between 1886 and 1891 by Gustave Eiffel and the architectural design of this Central Post Office represents the French colonial style. 

The Central Post Office reminds me of the Central Train Stations that you see in most European countries. It's pretty awesome structure with the huge clock at the central pavilion. And when you walk in, you will be greeted by a huge poster of Ho Chi Minh.

Hidden inside these booths are phones if you want to make that overseas call home. There were also booths with ATM machines inside. Pretty neat way to conceal the machines.

And at the Central Post Office, other than writing postcards to send home, you can also buy little trinkets - local handicraft for your loved ones. They accept both USD and the local currency Dong.

Our local guide had warned us to be careful of pickpockets and always make sure our belongings were safe and within sight at all times. It was unfortunate that one of the team members had her camera stolen while we were at the Central Post Office. 

Am sharing this so that you too will be careful when you're there. The pickpockets usually work in pairs, pretending to be couples. They are young and look relatively harmless. They tend to prey on groups of school children visiting the countries. They will pretend to be looking at souveniors too, then casually turn to the children to ask where they are from and so forth. Unaware to the children, these pick pockets have already studied the children closely and were waiting for the right moment. Even with the adults standing close by, these pick pockets were able to snip off one of the girls camera that was hanging on her wrist (while she was picking some trinkets to buy). 

When we discovered the camera was stolen, we looked around and guessed it was the couple as they were watching us. But I guess they felt safe as we had no proof and being in a foreign country, we could not just go up to them to search their bags.

After that incident, we were a lot more vigilant. We came across another pair when we were at the Museum. I noticed the couple joining our group and they pretended to listen to the guide as he briefed us. I took a step back and that was when I saw how they were observing the children, walking around to see who they should prey on. They continued to follow us even though one of the adults asked who they were (they claimed to be university students doing a project - interestingly though, they had no paper or pen to take notes and understood very little English yet pretended to listen to our guide who was  briefing us in English). Thankfully, the adults were vigilant and kept a close eye on the children. This time round, they were not successful but one camera stolen was already one too many. If you're interested, check out this site for more tips.

Children of Vietnam ...

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh City with a team as part of work. The focus of our visit was to provide our Singapore children the opportunity to visit three orphanages and they would have opportunities to interact as well as represent the items they had raised before the trip.

It was my first time to Vietnam and it turned out to be a trip that I will remember for a long while. This post is dedicated to the many children we met at the orphanages and I wished I could have done more for them. The orphanages are doing their very best to provide the basic needs for these children and any help that we can offer them will be greatly appreciated. 

The child below loves being photographed. He was more than happy to pose while I snapped away ...

During the visit, the Singapore children brought balloons that were quite a hit with the Vietnamese children.

       

Even after the balloons had burst while the kids were playing with them, a couple of the kids below were quite happy to chew and stretch the balloons.

I was more worried about the balloon snapping and hitting their faces but they didn't seem too bothered by that at all.

One of the orphanages had some of the boys with pretty cool hair cuts. We did ask the guide but he wasn't able to explain the reasons why. 

The children at the orphanages ranged from newly born babies abandoned by their mothers to teenagers who have been in the home for many years. The older teens were pretty camera shy. So you'll notice that I have more pictures of the younger children.

These two boys caught my attention because they were roughly the same age as my nephews and it was really really sad thinking that these boys had no one to cuddle them and spoil them silly. Very very sad.

The little fella below is a real sweetheart. Had the most beautiful smile that makes you want to just pick him up for a cuddle.

Equally as adorable were the little girls at the orphanages. This lil sweetheart is gorgeous and she was thrilled when I showed her the photograph of her after I took this shot. She happily pointed to herself and nodded her head. 

If you're wondering why the girl below has stickers on her face? Well, our Singaporean children brought stickers for the kids to paste on the cards but I guess some of the stickers ended up elsewhere. Don't worry, the stickers come off easily.

During the visit to one of the orphanages, there were some local University students there and we learnt that they spent their Sundays there with the children. It was heart-warming to see the youths spending time playing, feeding and just caring for the children there. It was meal time and some of the youths were helping to feed the younger children below.

Looking at this kiddo, made me want to just reach out and hug him.

This sweetheart below just caught my attention and I was just snapping my camera away. I think it's her sad eyes that made it very difficult to just walk away ..

Same girl again and yes, if I could bring her home, I would have ...

As mentioned before, the older kids were a lot more camera shy. But at one of the orphanages, I managed to take a shot of this girl. She and her brother were happily playing with the Singapore children and I think this photo captured how she felt then.

This boy below truly impressed me. He is camera shy and I had to trail after him to get a photo of him because I wanted to acknowledge his 'work'.

Let me explain some ... I was going around taking photographs of the children at the orphanage and when I came to this boy, he was dodging me because he was real shy. So I turned my attention to the others, not realising that he was watching what I was doing. Each time I take a photograph, I would show it to the child so that s/he could see it. He was curious and took a look. Next thing I knew, he grabbed my DSLR and peeped into the camera window and tried to press the buttons but I think his little fingers weren't strong enough. So I held the camera for him and helped pressed the button. After each shot, I showed him what he took. And after two or three shots, he knew what he had to do and I was impressed by what he took. At that moment, I wished I had a spare camera to give to him to let him explore. Let me share with you three shots by him ...

Above is one of the little boys who was in the room when he took the shot. Below is one of the care-givers who was looking after a baby in the room.

He then dragged me and the camera to his friend below so that he could take a shot of him too.

Although we did spend a day doing the touristy thing and visited some of the local attractions (will do a separate post as I do not have as many photographs of those), the visits to the orphanages ... those memories will stay with me for a long while. To the children, we were probably some people who came and left, but to many of us who visited the orphanages that day, these kids truly touched our hearts ....

I caved in *hangs head in shame*

Yes, I caved in and watched, not ONE but TWO korean dramas in a week (weekend to weekend). It has been so long since I watched one, I think it was Grand Chef that I watched last. So I was itching to watch one and yeah, that meant watching till wee hours in the morning and going to work a little tired. But usually a can of coke did the trick to wake me up so that was my daily perk up. Not good for the health but things are back to normal. At least until I stumble upon the next korean drama *grins*

Let me just share the two dramas that I saw. I prefer the romantic comedies where the storyline is ALWAYS the same. Yes, ALWAYS. There will be one lead gal, with two guys usually going after her. And there will also be another supporting female character in there. Somehow, the lead gal and guy will start by hating each other and of course along the way, you need to through in some obstacles (how else to sustain to at least 16 episodes yah?) like an accident, family objection, you name it, there's usually a drama that will cover it. But the ending is such that the lead gal and guy will end up happily ever after. And I have no idea why these dramas still manage to hook me in when stories are so predictable. So if you're asking me if you should watch either one of these dramas? I'll say go for both and enjoy!!

First one I saw was The Vineyard Man and here's the synopsis from DramaWiki:

'In this romantic-comedy, (an adaptation of the book The Vineyard Man by Kim Rang), Yoon Eun Hye (same girl in Coffee Prince Shop) plays Lee Ji Hyun, a clothing designer in Seoul, who reluctantly leaves home for one year to work at her grand uncle’s vineyard in a small village. However when arriving in the country, she reunites with a Jang Taek Gi Oh Man Suk, a local resident who had been wrongfully arrested in Seoul by police after Ji Hyun reported having a dress-which she had designed-had been stolen. The two clash frequently as Ji Hyun has a difficult time adjusting to life in the country and working with Taek Gi. However, after many twists and turns Ji Hyun adapts to rustic life while falling in love with Taek Gi.' 

On a personal note, what I like about this drama, other than the gorgeous vineyards and sunflower field, is that it's a reminder to not be too quick to judge people based on what you see. Often there's more to the 'story' that what you see on the surface and it often takes time and patience to find our the true person or story. I guess this holds true for me at work or even outside work, where I may meet with a range of people, from adults to kids and often, I'm in a hurry that I may not even realised that I need to stop, put everything down and just devote that time (which may not even be that long) to listen, and I mean really listen to that person. I realised that it has become a bad habit for me to multi-task, like answering a call while checking my emails. I don't like it when that happens because I remember I never used to do that before. But for the last few years, pressed for time, I had to learn to multi-task and it meant cutting things down to the dare essentials and deleting what's 'extra'. But I guess it's from these 'extra' information that one gets the true sense of the situation and maybe even a better understanding of what the other person is REALLY trying to say. Hmm ...

Second one I watched has the same guy from 'Grand Chef', Kim Rae Won (mugshot below), and he looks as cute in this 2006 drama, 'What Star Did You Come From?' (mind you, there are several variations to the translated English title for this drama).

Here's the synopsis from DramaWiki for 'What Star Did You Come From?':

'Seung Hee, after losing his girlfriend in a tragic accident, left for 3 years. When he came back, he sought to make a film in a rural area. Someone caught his eye – Bok Shil, who looks exactly like his deceased girlfriend, Hye Soo. Seung Hee followed Bok Shil in order to get some answers, and ended up falling for her. Still the questions remain, is he attracted to Bok Shil because of the memories of his ex-girlfriend, or does he like Bok Shil for who she is? What happens when competitors come into the picture and families opposing their love?'

Hmm, for this drama, it's about being true to yourself. You're probably screaming right now, 'Liz, it's just a bloody korean drama!!!' *laughs* Hey, I have to justify the time watching these dramas lah! At times, when we take on new roles, we are expected to conform to the new norms or expectations. Which is fine yah. But when you are in a situation where the 'new' you and the 'true' you are in conflict, then you need to decide which is important. And I have a feeling that most of us will pick the easiest path of conforming (especially when, for example, the other path requires giving up the kind of lifestyle one is use to) but ultimately, we need to be okay with that choice. It's about choices. Some may see it as 'selling' out. I don't. I see it as a choice one makes as an adult, and then living with the consequences as a result of that choice. with no regrets. Forgive me my friends, I am rambling some ... guess this is an issue that I have been thinking about, and still thinking about *frowns* and have not reached a point where I am 'okay' with my choices. Hey, I didn't say it was going to be easy so bear with me ... *grins*

A quick update ...

Yes, I am still alive. Yes, I am still in Singapore. Yes I am still working at the same place. But it has been a long while since I posted anything and it's mainly because I usually get home too tired to do anything. And sometimes, am forced to clear my emails so once I do that, it's head to bed time. So am just going to do a quick update for now.

I recently signed up to go back to the classroom and it's a three year course, once a week on Fridays, from 6pm to 9pm. Lessons also spill over during the longer school holidays. Weekends are now spent for Hula Class and Sundays been allocated as 'Reading Day' to catch up either on readings from class or assignments for class. So managed to find some hiding holes where minimal distractions (tried studying from home but cable tv - way too distracting). The first module is nearly over and we're in the midst of doing the assignments. The last few weekends, have been meeting up with the group to discuss the work - it has been pretty intensive but guess need to do what needs to be done to ensure we pass and move up as a cohort :o) It's definitely much harder to study and work at the same time but this has been something that I have been toying with for many years. There were always excuses, new position at work, new work location etc. So finally signed up and have friends who are also in the course in the same position so am in good company!


So bear with me if my posts are as regular. Am still trying to find that balance to do 'fun things' while completing work and study. I had a craving to do some jewelry making and sewing recently but didn't have the stamina to get started *laughs* Yes, signs of ageing indeed!!!


Alrighty, back to some work now. Came across a new Korean drama that I am quite keen to watch. Hmm, dare I start ...

A bimbo moment ...how many bags does a girl need?

I am in such a procrastinating mode that it's not funny. So am just aimless surfing the net to see what I can find that's interesting. I guess I am in a shopping mood. And since I am not shopping shopping for now, will just surf and find things that I would like to buy in case I wake up tomorrow morning to find that I inherit HEAPS of money *laughs*. I am in a Bag Lady mood so let's see what I can find ...

I found these cool keybags, where each bag is made from 393 keys from computer keyboards. You can buy it from the site for 130 Euros (for the black and white version) to 145 Euros (for the gorgeous pink and orange version). Now, no prizes for guessing which one I am eyeing *grins*.

I am a strong support of things handmade so naturally I spent some time at etsy to see whats new. I came across on etsy this pretty handpainted bag for about US$48.00. The artist is in Beijing, China and it may take a week for the bag to get to you after payment.

Clutch bags are usually tricky because they are usually too small for me to put all my stuff in. But recently, am learning to pack light when I head out at night so that I don't have to lug around a handbag. So this gorgeous clutch bag below would be lovely to have. But at US$56.00, it will just have to go on my wishlist right now!

I usually lug my netbook around over the weekend and it would be nice to have a cool laptop bag like the one below from Mareri for US$50.00.

Colour for the next wristlet by Squirrellicious is rather bold but I guess it's a nice change though there's a black and white version. At US$35.00, not too bad ya. It's about 20cm by 18cm so not big enough to put alot of stuff but great for the evening out. Hmmm ....

Okay, this next site is not about handbags but is an online store, Gizmine, that sells the cutest gadgets. Read careful. I said cutest, not necessarily useful but they may actually make work alot more fun. For instance, if you have US$29.99, you can get this toy boy mouse that moves the way you want *laughs* Yummy huh? Well, do they have the guys' version so guys won't feel left out either. Go check out the other kawaii gadgets on that site!

This is not related to shopping but just found it interesting so am gonna just plonk it here. It seems that if you work for Lego, your business cards will be in a form of a toy figure which looks like you with your details printed on the toy figure. That is like so creative! So what if carrying your name card can be a little tough but who cares. These are just so cool. Now anyone knows anyone who works in Lego so that I can get one of these?

Alrighty, enough for tonight. Let's hope I will be able to get some work done tomorrow, including the additional 10 minute homework, otherwise ...

Surfing some ....

I am simply amazed by the kind of '-opoly' board games you can find these days. Everyone is riding on Monopoly's success and coming up with anything that you can possibly think of. I think I might have blogged about it before that when I travel, I do try and look out for the local version of Monopoly and bring it home as a souvenior from the country.

Today, while surfing for something else (yeah, online retail therapy time), I came across this rather interesting cool photo-opoly board game from Photojojo which by the way, is a pretty cool online shop for things got to do with photography. But a little later on Photojojo, now let's look at this photo-opoly.

How does photo-opoly work? You dig out your photographs, pick your favourite ones. There are spots on the board for your photographs, which are about 1 & 1/4 inch square. So you may want to find a photograph of that size or resize and print it out. The stick it on with the glue stick which comes with the board.

These spots are for the normal Monopoly real estate spots. Then go ahead and create your own labels. Really use your imagination and come up with your own themed board games. I would probably do a travel theme if I had this boardgame. I just need to see how I can get my hands on one of these locally. Didn't see it at Toys R Us. May have to ship it in, just need to find one with a reasonable shipping rate...

Next, back to Photojojo Store. It's really a cool place and I have already picked out several things I want (not need ya, want *grins*).  For example, for US$50, you can get this retro-ly hip bowler bag for your SLR camera. Go check out the website to see how it looks with the camera in it.

For US$10.00, you can get this bottle-cap that allows you to use any plastic bottle as a tripod for your camera. Sure beats lugging around a tripod stand and these bottles are easily available anywhere. This bottle-cap fits most plastic bottle. Cool ya. I want!!!

For US$20.00, I can pick a strap for my camera. And best part, there are SEVEN different colours to choose from - burgundy, teal, silver, lime, red, white and gold. And if the straps look familiar? Yeah, they are your regular car seat belts *grins* Cool huh?

And if I had another US$30.00, I would get this monster-mini tripod that holds the usual compact camera and able to stick to over 1000 surfaces and objects, even upside down! *sighs* Nice ...

That's a total of US$110 and there's heaps more that I would love to buy from that store. Now just need to rework my budget for next month to include some of these yummy goodies in my shopping basket *grins*

I luv my bolster ...

I love my bolster but it's too embarrassing to take a photo of it in its current state because of it's almost 'dead' state *laughs* you bolster users will know what I am talking about ya. Bought a bolster today to replace my old one (usually takes a few days to get use to the new bolster) and I remember having conversations about bolster with friends before.

 

For us Singaporeans, it's quite a common thing to have bolster in bed with us. It is so common that when we buy bedsheets in a set, it includes (and we EXPECT it too) bolster cases. For us Malays, we call it 'bantal peluk' which means hugging pillow. And I feel totally lost without a bolster. When am travelling, I usually ask for extra pillows because it just feels weird to not have a bolster!

Now, to a western who has not seen a bolster used the way we do it here in Singapore (and even other parts of South East Asia), s/he would be wondering why would anyone want to sleep with a pillow in between his/her legs *laughs* I swear it's really comfy!!! Guess it's a cultural thing huh?

Anyways, was wondering how bolsters came about and wiki-ed BOLSTER and found some information which I have included below. Guess it's not an Asian thing, just that it's called by a different name in the West. Happy reading ...

"A bolster (etymology: Middle English, derived from Old English, and before that the Germanic word bulgstraz) is a long narrow pillow or cushion filled with cotton, down, or fibre. In western countries, it is usually placed at the head of bed and functions as head or back support. In southeast Asian countries, in particular Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the bolster is designed to be hugged when sleeping. It is called a dakimakura in Japanese. In the Philippines, many call it the "hotdog pillow" (or more natively, "tandayan") following the close resemblance to the food bearing that name. In Chinese, its hanyu pinyin is "bao zhen" (lit. "hugging pillow"). In cantonese, it is called "Lam Chim". The Indonesian/Malay folks called it "bantal peluk" or "bantal guling".

Tradition suggests that a wife would fashion the bolster out of bamboo and give it to her husband when he travelled away from home so that he would not be lonely at night, hence the name "bamboo wife," or "Dutch wife," or chikufujin in Japanese.

In many Chinese and Malay families, children are provided with a bolster and the habit of sleeping with a bolster carries over into adulthood. It is said that hugging a bolster will calm one's mind when sleeping, and, in the hot tropical climate of Singapore and Malaysia, it is often too hot to cover oneself with a blanket when sleeping, especially in a non-air-conditioned room, hence hugging a bolster will avoid catching a cold. Bolsters also helps avoid skin from touching and rubbing resulting in irritation and fungal infections. Instead its cotton covers absorb perpiration helping its hugger to cool down naturally.

In the past, it was common for people to make their own bolsters. Old folks usually made the inner cover with a slit at its centre and stuff cotton wool until it is fairly compact and then sewing the slit up. A bolster cover is then made, with tie strings at its end, to keep it clean. Now most shopping centres and Department Stores like Target, John Little, do sell ready made bolsters with different insert/fillings to cater to different needs and price ranges. Because of its popularity among the locals, bedsheet sets often come with matching pillow and bolster cases.

In more traditional Chinese families, a newly-wed couple's wedding chamber will most likely have a bed that comes with two pillows and one bolster with embroideries of love birds, flowers etc and are usually bright red in colour. It is said that the bolster is to provide the husband with something to hug when the wife is not in the mood or vice versa.

In many other countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, a bolster is quite different. They use a bolster the way what some western countries use their body pillows. These are pillows that the sleeper can rest his head on and also hug it with both arms and legs. This is great for children who like the comfort of sleeping with something and the habit extends to adults too. It is also good for people who have hip, shoulder, or back problems. The sleeper can adjust the body pillow bolster to make sleeping more comfortable.

The use of the bolster is so common among Indonesian people that most local hotels provide bolsters for their guests. However, this is less common in westernized hotels in bigger cities in Indonesia. In Singapore, most hotels do not provide bolster for guests unless they specifically request it.

The equivalent of bolster in the western countries is the body pillow. So exactly what a bolster is depends a bit on the country you live in. No matter where you live, it is long and narrow rather than square or rectangular pillow for the head. Bolsters for the bedroom are often cylindrical."

Could this be a sign ....

Update on 1 September 2009: How disappointing! Received an email that the lecture has been cancelled because the speaker was unwell and was advised to return to the States for treatment. Was so looking forward to this. I sure hope this doesn't mean that *reaches out for the wooden table* ....

I was clearing my email before I start on some work and came across a mailer from Asian Civilisations Museum on an upcoming talk. After the weekend trip to Angkor Wat, I was actually considering Borobudur as my next weekend trip. The area being earthquake prone (think one took place in 2006), I am not sure how long these ancient structures will be around longer so would definitely like to see this temple and a few other great ones at Jogjakarta.

So receiving this email is a real good sign *grins* So am gonna sign up and go for this talk. If you're interested, drop them an email to 'chope' a spot. Have copied the info below or you could go to ACM's main website.

(3 things that made me happy today: 1. Found information about inter-tidal walk for Chek Jawa and there's one coming up on 18 Oct so hoping that I can book for that. 2. Broke fast while driving home from work with yummy Crunchie Chocolate from my 'Angel' at work. 3. Did some grocies shopping and bought some nice things for a hamper I am putting together for somebody.)

Bian-hong: Mastermind of Borobudur?
02 Sep 09 . Wednesday . 7.00pm - 8.45pm @ Ngee Ann Auditorium, ACM Empress Place

Hiram Woodward will provide a tour of Borobudur, describing the nature of the spiritual ascent that culminates in the open terraces at the summit. The meaning of these terraces has never been well understood, and the speaker will present new theories about their meaning. He will discuss the possibility that a Javanese monk who studied Tantric Buddhism in China in the late 8th century might have returned to Java and played a role in the design of this monument.

The Javanese monk, known only by his Chinese name Bian-hong, arrived in the Tang capital of Chang-an in 780 and was initiated into the Womb Mandala by Hui-guo (also the teacher of the Japanese master Kukai). Dr. Woodward’s presentation will explore the hypothesis that Bian-hong subsequently returned to Java and was involved in the design of Borobudur. He will propose that the template for the design of the upper terraces of the monument was derived from a letter diagram found in Tantric texts.

Borobudur can be interpreted in the light of texts illustrated in its reliefs. But other texts were involved, and which texts these were is a matter of controversy. Dr. Woodward will present new views concerning these texts.

About the speaker

Hiram Woodward, Curator Emeritus of Asian Art, Walters Art Museum (Baltimore), is the author of The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand (1997) and The Art and Architecture of Thailand from Prehistoric Times through the Thirteenth Century (2003). He is an art historian who received his doctorate from Yale University in 1975. His first publication concerning Borobudur appeared in 1981.

This lecture is organised by the Research and Publications Unit of ACM.

Due to limited seating, registration is required. Please R.S.V.P to nhb_acm_rpu@nhb.gov.sg by 1st September, Tuesday. Successful registrants will be notified by email.

Talk is free. Admission charges to galleries apply.