Hong Kong and Shenzhen

Skyline of Hong Kong from IFC Mall

View of Shenzhen

Shenzhen used to be the poor cousin of Hong Kong.  It is catching up very fast as an up-coming cosmopolitan city.  Hong Kong is vibrant yet too crowded for my liking.  I prefer the luxury of walking without having to elbow my way around.

Breakfast in Macau

This is the delicious blueberry egg tart I had for breakfast at Starbucks Macau. What a way to start the day with creamy tart and Americano.

Art

Zaia, Cirque Du Soleil at Ventian Macau

Cirque du Soleil is a mesmerizing performance. I was sitting at the edge of my seat for the whole performance engrossed. I suppose this is the ultimate art that we seek, one that transports us to a different realm. The music, lighting, special effects, acting all help push the performance to the pennacle. It is in itself an art.

I enjoy being totally present for the whole show, just being there. It is such a wonderful experience. I suppose we don't have to meditate to be in the present. Art can be be similar to meditation if we are totally soaked in the experience. Different people respond to diffent art forms.

I find it important to try out diffent arts to find what appeals to us. Keeping our minds open bring surprises. I wasn't sure my parents would enjoy Cirque du Soliel. To my pleasant surprise, they've enjoyed the performance. It seems to bring out the child like in them. And they were as much engrossed as I was. My parents have enjoyed it as much as my kids.

Curious eyes of a traveller

So often, we take for granted the city we live in.  I walk around, or should I say get driven around Jakarta partially blind.  I whip out my blackberry, work on my lap-top, read or sleep the moment I get into the car.

It wasn't until my last visit to Hanoi I reached a revelation.  After umpteenth visits to Hanoi, I am starting to  miss seeing the beauty of the city.  I used to be intrigued by sights of flower ladies peddling basket of flowers, street side cafes serving traditional food where people sit in short stools, the beauty of the lakes and ancient tube-houses.  I was starting to walk around Hanoi like I've seen it all and know it all.  It was a shame to take such a beautiful city for granted.

Likewise for Jakarta, it has its charm once you peel through its irony of chaotic and glitzy layers.  Once you step outside the malls and walk into the neighborhoods, it's common to see jamu ladies carrying bottles of traditional herbal medicine in baskets tied to their slender back by a sarong cloth, bakso vendors peddling pots of steaming beef balls served over rice noodles, vegetable vendors making their rounds with push-carts filled with fresh vegetables and spices and the warungs around every corner.

Perhaps it is the constant search for a topic to write that makes me more alert to my surrounding. Perhaps it is yoga that teaches me to be present. I am more aware and appreciative of my surrounding, I now see with the curious eyes of a traveller.    

4 Things I learn when the airline left my luggage behind

Singapore Airlines left my luggage in Singapore. Here I am in Hanoi with no luggage and nothing on me except what I am wearing. I had to take a deep breathe when the guy at Noi Bai airport explained to me the earliest they can send the luggage is the next day. Had to search my mind through all the mantras to keep myself calm.  Surprisingly, I am less upset than I would have been.  Think all the yoga is finally seeping into my life.

Anyway, here are several things I learn:

1. Attitude is more important than attires

I've been wearing the same pairs of jeans and black cotton shirt the whole day.  And yes, even though black is a versatile color that goes for day and night, I didn't have the right attire for dinner. However, I refuse to let myself feel bad and spoil the fun just because I don't have a nice dress to wear for dinner.

A nice smile is more beautiful than a frowning face drape over the most expensive dress

2. Things don't make me happy

I actually need very little to get by considering I'm perfectly happy with same pair of jeans, shirt and walking shoes as I was so busy soaking in the ambience of the new place.  I am happier traveling than buying the next Bottega bag.  It's the experience of my travel that I most cherish and last longest in my memory than all my past shopping spree.

Need to understand what truly makes us happy otherwise we end up failing to quench our search with the wrong substitutes

3. Ego....again

I care more about what people think than I truly admit. In my own city, I am rather conscious with what I wear and how I am perceived.  In a foreign city, I have no such concerns and hence I am happier. Yes, it's always my ego driving a lot of my behaviors.

I am happier when I can let go of my facade and be who I am.  

4. Don't take things for granted

I was partially blind when I have to take off my contact lens after the whole day. Only then, it occurred to me to give thanks to the men who invented spectacles.  Rubber band for hair, trivial yet useful accessory to tie up messy hair for instant tidy look.

Don't thank things for granted, be grateful for simple things in life

Who would expect valuable lessons from such a simple experience.  But I am glad when I finally get my luggage, time to change into clean clothes.

Doing something fun

Wanted to do something fun.  Yet, can't think of anything that fun I really want to do.

I am quite happy with simple life of yoga, reading and chilling out with the kids after work.  Enjoy nice lunch once in a while with a few girlfriends to laugh over silly jokes and share heartfelt concerns.  Like to keep my weekend non-commital with as few engagements as possible.  For me, a great weekend starts with yoga, lunches with parents and sister, more reading, writing and self-reflection.  Weekend highlight for the kids is trip to the bookstore and grocery shopping (where they get to buy snacks) with occasional movies.  Even just sitting at the driving range watching my son practice his golf on Sunday evening is something I enjoy.

I love to travel.  Aside from my simple life, perhaps this is one highlight that can be considered fun.  Love seeing new places, learning new culture, trying new food, soaking up the local ambiance.  Look forward to taking the kids to Hanoi in spring break; taking the rickshaw around Old Quarter, coffee at the French Quarter, strolling along the lake, ice cream at Metropole.

So as you see, attempt to have fun can be quite frustrating.  I've given up trying too hard to have fun.  As long I enjoy what I am doing, I'm doing fine.

Airport

It’s easy to be in at peace when you are in your yoga studio or sipping wine by the beach.  One of the ultimate tests of how much self-control you have is in an efficient and congested airport.  People show their real self when they are in a hectic airport.

You get irritated by the stagnant yet endless line. You see people shamelessly cutting lines.  The noise level is driving you crazy.   You see people taking longer time than necessary at the check-in counter.  In Soekarno Hatta Airport, just getting into the passenger check-in area is a struggle with long disorganized lines and of course always with people attempting to cut the line.

It’s worse when you have kids or elderly with you.  Most of these airports are not designed for children, elders and least of all the disabled.  If you are late due to the check-in process, you realize that’s only the beginning of the nightmare.  The customs process is usually another long queue plus the long walk to the gate.    By the time you board the plane, you are exhausted.

Airport is the part of travel I least look forward to especially in South East Asia where apart from the world-class standard of Changi Airport, the others are sub-standard.   I don’t understand why major cities don’t design better airports?  With the increase of value airlines and travelers, isn’t it obvious most of these airports need an upgrade?  Or perhaps start with making the existing one more efficient?

Until such time, I’ll just plug in my ipod and breath my way through the jungle of the airport.