rEpORt fRom LiOn CiTy on ChRiStmAs

'Lain ladang, lain belalang' that's the proverb in Malay language ... the translation is 'different field, there's a different grasshopper' ... Like Singapore (the city of Lion), Christmas have a their own meaning. Besides Christmas have a special meaning for the people in here (the majority of the people is christian), Christmas is the one of festive seasons in the calendar to promote their tourism.

So it's not surprised when the Christmas is very merry in here. Along the road from 'Tanglin Mall' until 'Plaza Singapura', you will see the light decoration hanging around the trees and the gate with beautiful light decoration. And every shopping centre/mall have their special theme to celebrate this Christmas's fever 8-).

For example : Tangs in the corner of Scott Road & Orchad Road, celebrate this Christmas with many light decoration. Takashimaya always with the huge christmas tree (3 floor height) and the colour of the tree this year is white. In front of Plaza Singapura, almost all the tree decored with the christmas light plus a Santa's house and the raindeers 8-). Raffles City have a unique christmas tree. Paragon have the christmas tree with angles flying around on that tree. Tanglin Mall have their own angles with valveless trumpet used in ceremonies. And from my point of view, Centrepoint have a beautiful decoration this year.

For shoppers, Christmas season is heaven for the shoppers who come from around the world, especially from my country Indonesia. So on this season, my ears will be relaxing cause their hear 'bahasa' language again. Another gift from santa on every Christmas in here 8-).

Caroling also in every where, in malls, streets, underpass, even in front the house ... from small choir until a big choir, from acapella until ensemble with the saxophone or with the violin. Or even with the streets performance. It's really enjoy to listen a christmas song with the other and try to humming or even singing with them.

It's not complete also if celebrate the Christmas without foods, off-course with the Christmas theme : turkeys & hams. Thanks to the supermarkets, cause from them all peoples in this country can have turkeys with the variety of sizes plus the stuffing and the sauces (from DIY's sauce until instant one 8-). The restaurants & cafes try the best to celebrate the Christmas, even 'Ellenborough Market Cafe' with 'durian pengat' as the special desert is fully booked until next year ... 8-).

Even I didnt goto the Changi Airport, but I believe they have they own way to celebrate the Christmas ... the lights, the decoration and the programs.

All of these is the works & the spirit of the peoples that try to make Christmas more meaningfull ... the festive for families, happiness and the time to enjoy the foods 8-).

This is a short report from the Lion city, Singapore.
Have a Jolly CHRISTMAS Holidays and a PROPEROUS & PEACEFUL NEW YEAR !!!

Best & Warm Regards,
Adisuria Wangsadinata - Christmas Season 2004

LoOks AliKe

Beer ... Helping White Guys Dance Since 1842 !

BeLieVe iN sAnTa cLaUs

My friend who live in US at the place where's no snow falling ask me the question : do you believe Santa Claus ?

That's a simple question, just need to say 'yes' or 'no' ... but this question take us to the time tunnel, the time when we were kids ... we really believe that santa is exist, cause our parents tell us to put some fresh grass in the bucket plus a water under our bed on the christmas's eve ... so when santa comes, he knows that we are a good kids in the neighbour cause we always prepare a good grass and the fresh water for santa's raindeers ... * for your note only : that santa makes a long trip from the north pole to my country, Indonesia ... at the south area of this world 8-) *

So it's always love being a kids in the christmas season, just play nicely and always good ... and you will have a good present on the christmas day ... at least i will have my favourite chocolate bar, wrap in the white paper with the blue colour on the text OR the chicken brand chocolate bar ... what's a nice day on christmas to spend my chocolate bar bit by bit 8-). 'Thanks Santa' ... that's always a good appriciation while my mouth full with the melty chocolate.

Now at the present ... Yes, I believe Santa Claus. Why ? Cause just a simple logic, believe a good people like Santa didnt harm and believe Santa didnt make me sinner.

So it is fine to believe Santa Claus, and this will make our christmas more joy, more fun and it will gives us more meaning on the christmas.

From the bottom of my heart, I wishing you all a very merry christmas. May the light and bright of christmas and the joy from santa's heart will guide us in the following years.

Best & Warm Regards,
Adisuria Wangsadinata - Christmas Season 2004

PS : my friend at Dublin, CA
she's a good girl this year 8-)

the rain, the song and the heart

Do you still remember that I did mention about the rain when I went to orchid garden on my previous blog ? On that day, the rain is so huge ... pouring the land ... makes the branch of the tree curved more cause of the waters ... you can smell the earth's aroma when the rain like this happened ... the scenery it's so beautiful.

It's remind me when I was kids, I really love to take a shower under the rain on that moment ... it's refreshing & fun ... on that time, my family always take the rain waters for daily use (eg. shower, washing, drinking) because it's cheap and it's fresh from heaven (heaven always somewhere in the skies 8-).

And tonight, I play the songs from Kevin Kern ... and it's makes my soul have been refresh ... the same feeling when I was kid, playing around under the rain ... geee, the song makes my tears come out without any reason ... am i too weak in this age ? or my soul need a refreshing ? ... only God knows about my feelings.

Singapore, Medio December 2004

thE MAgic oFdigITAl caMeRA (pARt twO)

Maybe I should change the title on this part as 'the beauty of the orchid' since lots of beautiful orchid that I found on National Orchid Garden Singapore. This blog I dedicate to the person who love the orchid flowers ... 8-).

When you enter the orchid garden, you will see statues of the couple crane on the two stages of pond.

From the standard purple colour into the blue-purple colour, the variousity, the famous name of the orchid, you will find those on this garden. And if i'm not wrong, Singapore is the world players for orchids.

Maybe your jaw will be drop if you see the 'Margareth Thatcher', 'Hirohito', 'Akihito', 'Norodom Sihanouk' and other famous country leaders infront of you .... but off-course not the real one, just the orchid named after their names. Below is the iron lady herself (you can see the famous curly hair that she have 8-) :

Actually the orchid is the wild flower from the tropical jungle ... high humidity, strong sun light are the important factors for the orchid to grow-up & blom. As you can find in the map, the largest tropical jungle is on the backyard of my country ... I found the wild orchid when i do hiking or camping last time and it's really a blessed. And thanks to the technology now, cause with it human can have more and more variousity by cross-breed technique.

You can see the beautiful for other orchids at this url below :

http://photos.yahoo.com/awsmile

Hope you can enjoy the beauty of the orchids and the magic of digital camera.

God bless you and your family. Singapore, medio December 2004

thE MAgic oFdigITAl caMeRA (pARt oNe)

Saturday in the cold morning to begin the activity, it's a rain season so everything looks sleepy in the morning. But the morning light is already there, the refreshing one that can refresh everything in this world ... also give a good light for photography. So .... i must wake up.

Like a flip-flop circuit that i learn from the first semester on the university, my eyes close one at the steps ... first eye open and the second eye close ... second eye open but the first eye is close. Very hard to wake up and the windy air and the sound of the beautiful music still in my ears, so i sleep again for 15 minutes ... 30 minutes ... and finally need to push hard my body to wake up in 1000 hours.

Geee .... it's almost noon now ... so with the speed of light I prepare my self ... wussssssssssssshhhhh ... now from sleeping prince become to normal people again ... ready for activity 8-)

Too bad, the other sleeping beauty (the nick name for my sis who really enjoyed the morning's phenomenon) ... so i must wait for her while i'm watching something on tv with the garlic peanut as my morning snack.

And around 30 minutes plus everybody is ready ... me, mom & sis ... what a three musketeers action with the hungry stomach when their plan to walking around in the botanical garden. That's why before going to that place, Colonel Sanders call us to stop by on the one of his famous restaurant in this world ... he he he he ... we cannot resist for his calls.

From my home, we goto botanical garden with NEL (north east line) MRT to Orchad and take a bus from there to botanical garden. The journey around 1 hour and it's quite near since we talking here and there to kill a time.

Here we come botanical garden ... and ... upssssssssss, the botanical garden still under renovation. The swan lake still closing and the swan still swimming around in the brown water ... hope they can still enjoy their life with that condition ... too bad they cant take my nice left-over bread 8-).

The warming up is by taken the nice former flower from the tree, i believe the beauty of the flower still there ... hanging on the branch .... same like me, the former flower is ready to the next journey

Since 50% of the nice spot (swan lake, the lotus pond, the jogging track with alot of squirrels, the sun dial, some of symphony lake) so i decide to enter again the nice & cool orchid garden (fee S$5 for adult). Everyone is agreed and the sign of the National Orchid Garden already in front of ours.

Continues on part two : inside the orchid garden, the beginning of the beauty with the rain 8-)