A Walk into the Past...

Things unfolded before my eyes these few days...
Happenings which brought me back into my younger days, the death of "Ah ma", the mother of my old neighbour back in my old house. They watched me grow up, accompany me throughout my younger years, right from being a baby... to a toddler learning to walk... to my kindergarten and primary school days and even right through secondary school and my first year of JC until we moved out 8 years ago to Khatib area. They were there for me, defining who I am... through fun and strictness at the same time.

Ah Leng, Ah Gor, Ah Kiao, Ah Mong, Tian Cai, Tian De, Tian Ding and Tian Bao who passed away when i was very young still... of course auntie and Ah Pek who were very much like my grandparents. Ah Pek has already passed away, i still remember how he used to sit at this favourite high stool and talk to me across the corridor. How he would roll his handmade cigarette and i would help him with it. His favourite "Po Ee" which would always be on the table whenever he drinks. How auntie would always bake cake and kuehs for us and "Ah Ma" would visit sometimes cos she stays in the kampong back then. Everyday I would hang out at their house playing with the fishes or playing with the rest of them. One by one they got married and have children... I was even friends with their children, Meiping, Junqi, ah xiang and many others, whom i had gradually become unable to recognise ever since i moved away during their formative years... Ah ma's death brought me back to my old house, i am surprised to see so much changes to the environment that i used to grow up in... its barely recognisable now... Its been 8 years since I stepped back there... how come so long? I searched myself and couldn't find the answer, somewhere deep in me, i miss them, they doted on me so much but how come i didn't go back to them during this period of time. It was simply unforgivable on my part.

At the wake, i was solemn... sad and grieved to a certain extent, "Ah ma" lived till 108 years old, was indeed ripe old age, a lot of memories came back during the time when i was at the wake... seeing how each of them has aged over the years... how auntie become so weak and aged so much when i last saw her. How i hated myself for not going back to visit them on my own accord and not being to attend the barbeque Tian Ding organised cos i was overseas... On the other hand, I am happy to see their kids all grown up and very sensible...

Deep in my heart, i know i am bleeding... sad... reproachfully.. regretting not visiting them more often... I shall make time for visits from now onwards... not only to them but to my own grandparents as well...

I remember someone said something which i overheard.... "Time has come that life has stopped giving us things and start taking them away..."

Its a very simple sentence, yet so wise and melancholic..

Historical Nanking

One of the most coveted destinations, and i am lucky to get it so soon. Thou its a chinese flight, but i guess its one which most people dont mind doing, not only because of the destination but also because its the best paid and one which has the longest stay.

I was lucky i guess, the 2 bosses were super nice and super talk cock. we always hang out together, went for tours together, massage together, meals together. Every meal was at high class restaurants with "Da Yu, Da ROU" and everything still came up to be relatively cheap. Upon touchdown and reaching the hotel, i was forced to join them for a massage session, not the sleazy kind but one which they press acupuncture points. Really good massage i must say. Enroute there, we popped by a bubble tea shop, but sad to say its disappointing. Dinner followed after massage, how shiok is that?? relaxation and food and shopping around the area. Dinner was a 12 course dinner, with almost a full set of crew. Rare sight, rare sight.

The next day was our tour. 5 of us, Ben, Wendy, Sally, Henry and myself went for the tour together. Sally and me were on the end of Henry's matchmaking antics, so much so that she became my nanking gf.. haha.. first stop was Zhong San Lin. The resting place of the revolutionary father of China, the man who overturned the dynasty regime and pushed China to democracy. He is one who is widely respected by all of the chinese population as people from far and wide came to visit. After that was a visit to the Tomb of the last Emperor of China. Followed by a visit to the jade factory of the Icon of Nanking, the Pi Xiu. Supposedly a legendary animal which can protect and bless the owner and attract wealth and power. I was actually very tempted to get one for myself... maybe my next visit i guess.

After those visit, it was lunch and again its at a restaurant which nice settings and nice chinese food. After that was visit to the famous "Xuan Wu Men", which was built by the people and each family has to contribute a brick to build the wall to repel invaders. Names and details of the family was engraved on the family and if the brick cracked or spoil, the whole family would be beheaded. This Xuan Wu Men is also famous during the 3 Kingdoms period for one of its famous battles between Liu Bei and Cao Cao i think.

After Xuan Wu Men, it was a trip to the Museum of the Nanking Massacre. I must say that its really very nicely done up and the displays are very emotions-invoking. There was even a real excavation site within the Museum. A display of the recent Sichuan earthquake was roughly put up in the temporary exhibition hall nearby as well. We also visited the Yangtze river and the bridge which defy the world's imagination at the point of time when it was built. We also witnessed a master at work when he drew from within a bottle as an exquisite art. He is one of the top 4 artist of the trade in the world of China. Its really a very beautiful art piece, one which i feel was well worth its price. The last stop of the tour was the Fu Zi Miao, where Confucius was revered and the past Imperial Exams were held. It was a really interesting place with all the street stalls and displays. Really bursting with activities, according to Henry, its as happening as Taipei. We also visited a Jiang Nan palace which Qian Long Huang used to stay when he came down to Jiang Nan... there we witnessed a display of chinese musical instruments and the "Tian Xia Di Yi Hu" character which was written using a single stroke of brush and it resembled a tiger and within the word itself, there are 4 other words. Such exquisiteness... I promised to get a copy of it for myself the next time i go. Suppose to protect the family and bring wealth to the business and its supposedly very popular among the very successful businessmen.

Its a really very fruitful trip for me and really learnt a lot of the chinese history during this trip. Its really worth going again and again...

Ciao Grazie, Milano

Managed to change for this flight, one day just before the flight. It was a tough decision between staying on my Manchester and changing for Milan. Cos I haven been to Milan, that’s one thing, but I dun mind Manchester cos I like that place and the crew is nice. But in the end, the lure of Milan was too great, I gave in… so its Milan here I come.

Sightseeing is on the top of my mind when I am doing the flight, initial plan was to go Venice and Lake Como. But the lack of sleep proved daunting, in the end. The first day was spent of visiting the icon of Milan, the Duomo, the second largest church in Europe, if I remember correctly. The exquisiteness of the Duomo, the stone carvings, the details were so captivating that I couldn’t stop taking photos of the place. Its almost enchanting. The queue was crazy long though, so in the end din manage to go into the Duomo to view and tour around. Life in Milan basically evolve around the Duomo, where all the shopping malls and eateries and shopping areas are all around the Duomo. The famous shopping mall with the 4 corners of Prada, Louis Vuitton, MacDonald’s and an antique shop was just beside the Duomo. Its really a shopping paradise for any girls as branded goods shops are everywhere and everyone seemed to be carrying a branded bag. LV, Gucci, Miu Miu, Salvatore Ferragamo, Botega, Versace, Chanel are aplenty, not surprising since most of them are from Italy itself. The most surprising thing is that there is this particular branded goods street are these brands and more… comprising of brand names which are unheard of to most in the world, like Pucci etc… actually I only remember one cos the rest are too sophisticated and they are priced above your usual LV. So, you think? They are out of our league even… haha….

2nd day was up early, deciding between going to Pisa and Florence or Venice. In the end it was Venice for me cos its equal distance to go Pisa and Florence from Rome and Milan, so probably I can go from Rome next time if I get it. Its nearer to go to Venice from Milan anyway. So it’s a 3 hours plus train ride, meeting time was 515am in the morning cos we wanted to catch the earliest train into Venice and come back early if possible cos we still have a flight to Barcelona early next morning. Javier and May could not wake up and I ended up being very pissed having to wait for 2 hours plus… things are not helped when Venice’s weather forecast was rainy and that really added nothing but gloom if we cannot see Venice clearly. I guess they felt bad and treated me to breakfast and things got better when we reach Venice, glad to find that it was in sunny conditions. We promptly bought tickets to ferry into the main Piazza San Marco and begin exploring from there. Its pretty amazing how the life in Venice is carried out, with only boats and Gondolas as their main transport tool. It’s a place where your driving license can be chuck out of the window, cos there isn’t even a single car in the streets, not like their streets is car-friendly anyway. But its all amazing how the city is built and life evolve ard the channels and rivers. Tried the local Italian Ice-cream there… the pizzas, pasta… paninis… everyday was just these and nothing else, it was then when I realized how much I miss eating rice. Haha.. amazing, though I am very ok with eating western food… after spending a day there, armed with a map and weaving in and out of the mazy Venice, everything looks boring towards the end of the day cos its just repetitive and same things all over. It was a good visit thou, and eye opener in fact but I guess I wun be going back for a while, unless I miss it again, for now… its exploring other new places first…