Eve’s September Dream Journal

Entry #1. Tuesday
It was Freud who stated that dream was about unconscious desire or sub-conscious way to tell you things that going to happen. That’s why I’ve been taking notes on my dreams. To understands me better. My wet dream last night, for example. This one involves dramatic background, so beautifully breathtaking I thought I was in nirvana (so you can imagine the shock upon my awakening). Anyway, in my dream, I was walking inside a forest. Birds chirping, distant waterfall and the sound of my shoes walking above autumn leaves were the only noise heard. I was unmistakably lost. For somebody who loves traveling, I’m shamefully direction blind. Give me a compass, I’d still be lost. Oh but the beauty around me… who cares of being lost? I found lakes so clear I could see reflection of my own face complete with fishes and rocks that dwell at the bottom. I discovered waterfalls so picturesque that I was sure I saw it on my desktop background. I remembered feeling so blissfully happy and without thinking, jumped straight out to the clear lake… and woken up by the irritating alarm sound. What a dream. It was the very first time I dreamed in scenery. Usually it was just black hole or people I know in musical Technicolor. Quite a pleasant change, really. Fascinatingly, I came across the same waterfall when I checked my PC out of curiosity. Pearl Waterfalls, Jiu Zhai Gou Valley, Chengdu, China. Whoa. Was it a de ja vu? Or a mere sub-conscious desire to get close to nature?

Entry #2. Wednesday.
I was so tired last night; I slept immediately after landed on the bed. Yet, I felt restless and kept turning around in my sleep. I had a pretty interesting dream last night. I found myself inside a Chinese style bedroom, sitting on a very finely crafted wooden chair sipping oolong tea with my mother and brother. I looked outside at the window and inhaled something delicious being cooked right under my gastronomically curious nose. So I went out and found myself standing, gawking at one of the most beautiful alley I’ve ever seen. Architecture and ornaments beautifully preserved. Dimly lit lanterns hanged above my head in riot of colors where underneath there were people in myriad of activities. Right beside me, an old lady was busy grilling squid (it explained the delightful aroma earlier) and gave me one crisply hot and spicy squid stick. A man industriously made some sort of a red decoration was sitting in one corner. Kids were running around with a huge sugar candy. Everything was bursting with colors, sounds, scents. My five senses were working hard to experience all. Suddenly, I was singing, dancing, jumping, much like Maria when she visits the town with the von Trapp kids! It was amazing. I didn’t remember the song. I don’t even think it was really a song. I read a sign “Jin Li Street” on a building. The first thing I did when I got to the office was asking Uncle Google about it. One name popped up: Chengdu.

Entry #3. Friday.
No dream yesterday. Dream last night, however, was quite something. I’ve had a thing with panda before. There was a brief period when I decorated my room with all things panda (dolls, poster, bed sheet, you named it). I have watched a Discovery documentary about panda about thirty times and got teary eyed whenever I re-watched my favorite panda movie, The Amazing Panda Adventure. Those adorable, cuddly black and white animals are in my top ten “things to see before I die” travel list. And yet I haven’t really dreamed of them until today. Better yet, I dreamed I talked to them and they talked back! So, I was walking around at this place, a captivity or center for panda of some sort. There were people taking care of those cute lazy giants. One of them gave me a bucket full of bamboo and shooed me to the direction of an enormous unit, much like a zoo.

Inside, I found few giant pandas. Gingerly, I put few strings of bamboo near one big panda. “Can you give me a bit more, xiao jie?,” asked the big panda (I, being in a dream, didn’t find it at all odd to find a talking panda). I added some more to the stack which she immediately grabbed and savored vigorously. Between crunching and ripping intervals, I asked her, “How do you like living here?” She gulped and answered cheerfully, “It’s fine. I like being out better, of course but I’m afraid of risking my child’s life,” she caressed her belly (panda being naturally plump, I didn’t know that she was pregnant),” -beside I got feed all day without having to scrape for bamboo like I used to do, you know, having good-for-nothing as a husband.” She scoffed to the other unit where I saw a bunch of even bigger pandas hang out. “I hope this one coming out okay. I had a couple of miscarriage a couple of times before, you know. Fortunately, the doctors here are so kind. They took care of me a great deal. So I’m positive this one’s going to be alright. He’s a fighter,” she smiled at me. “Come back here sometime, xiao jie! I like you.” I also got the chance to play with three cute panda cubs. I tickled them, giggling with them and sadly, bid them farewell.

Rather weird, really. I never heard of 23 years old woman dreamed of talking panda before. Wonder what Freud got to say about this if he’s still alive. Later I found out that my favorite panda movie was shot in Chengdu! What a coincidence! I have strong feeling that this must lead to somewhere…

Entry #4. Saturday.
Ah glorious Saturday! Everything felt better on Saturday. I woke up, finished up the bladder issue and came back to bed. My dream was like a fragmented short movie. My younger brother appeared in one, my mother in another. In the first part of the dream, I found myself and my brother walking among skeletal dinosaurs in a huge museum named Zi Gong (like the one in ‘Night at the Museum’). Thankfully they stood still on their stands. We had a naming competition. My brother beat me 6 to 3 (how am I supposed to know that it wasn’t Velociraptor but Ornithomimus?). Geek.

The second part was flashes of images. My mother was walking on a hilly trek. We ran out of breath. Monkeys, lots of blonde monkeys. Sunrise between clouds, so close, so magical. I was tired but need to keep pushing to go up. “It’s our pilgrimage, darling. Don’t give up,” said my mother. We reached the top, a gorgeous monastery amidst cloud. I saw my mother with a rainbow hello. This particular dream baffled me. I felt very much in awe when I awake, like I must go there someday, somehow. We are Buddhist so it was quite haunting when my mother said ‘pilgrimage’. Later, I learned it looked similar with Emei Mountain in Chengdu. There was even a monastery on the top, one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in China to be precise. What’s with these dreams of Chengdu?

Entry #5 Monday
OH MY GOD! I had the most FANTASTIC dream ever (yes, capital is necessary here!). I had wonderful dreams before, of course. But this one was different. I could have swore that it’s real, a de ja vu bound to happen. I dreamed that I was at the office being ordered by Mr. Devil Wears Prada Himself. Suddenly, I got a call. Private number, flashed on the screen. A very pleasant woman answered and said cheerfully, “Hello, is this Eve? Eve, congratulation! You won three return tickets to Chengdu!.” I was jumping, jubilantly shrieking: CHENGDU! I remember thinking that it was a sign, all those dreams! That was a sign to this unbelievable fantastic gift from Air Asia, the chance of a lifetime to make all those dreams coming true (and even a chance to go to Lhasa, since Chengdu located so close to Tibet).

Then, at that moment I opened my eyes.

I was just lucky to have such a wonderful weather in Hanoi November last year. Bach (pronounced as Back, a Vietnamese whom I befriended when I was there, we became best of friends) told me that they just had a week of flood, over knee-high water covered the whole of Hanoi after a continuous rainfall for days. It took the cityhall almost a week to clear the debris and mud that flooded the city. Cars were damaged and so were properties.

When I arrived, it was just a week of settling down after the flood. Everything seemed normal, if I was not told of the flood, it wasn't obvious. I did notice mud on the sidewalks, but that was like some leftover debris from construction sites. I was surprised when Bach told me about nature's onslaught.

Hanoi seems to be so resilient to a lot of going-ons or had-beens. And yet so humble and hard-working. It was really relaxing sitting beside Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword) while watching so many people sitting around enjoying the peace albeit the noise of traffic around it. Everyone was doing something but I did not feel the busy-ness. Someone approached me and tried to chat me up asking questions, speaking a little English. He asked where I was from, what do I do, where do I live, what is it like in Malaysia, and finally asking if I would like to get some of his books and postcards. I often like to talk to these sales people, I like the sincerity in them, I like the way they approach a sales and I also like the way they ask questions. They were so friendly, they were really interested to know about me as I would be interested to know about them too. I will look at the products, if I want to, I will make an offer. If I do not want the products, I will just politely decline. The conversation was always smooth and no hassle. Anyway, I always welcome sales talk, I really like to just listen with an open heart, there is always something I can learn from the person who sits in front of me.

I sat at Hoan Kiem Lake overlooking the Tortoise Tower which has its remnant in the middle of the lake. The temperature stayed between a cooling 20℃ to 28℃, just perfect to sit outdoor. There were lots of willow trees all around the lake, some have bent so low, they almost touch the water. The willows take to the flow of the wind, sway softly along as if that is naturally what they are there to do - all day long, just dance to the mischievous play of the wind.

I read Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" while looking up occasionally to see people walking past and enjoying tea. Some having lunch everywhere beside the lake. I was impressed with the way Hanoi has built itself to be like a garden city where their citizens can come out to sit and play in the open. I guess we did not have that here in KL, no wonder the scene of people having food in a group at Hoan Kiem Lake fascinated me so much.

Just walking around the lake brings you to the island-temple known as Ngoc Son Temple, very picturesque footbridge. I did not go in because I was more captivated with the scenery outside the temple. It was founded in the 14th century.

Bach told me later that the Vietnamese don't actually have a religion. So, I said what are they praying in the temples here in Hanoi. He said they are just praying to the ancestors. So, their ancestors become their "god", and this is passed down through generations.

And I also learned that the people have to pay for education in Vietnam. I told Bach that in Malaysia, education is free from 7 years old onwards until we are 18 if we choose to stay on to study. Aren't we a fortunate lot to be Malaysians?

Friends were appalled when I told them I was traveling in Bali for 10 days :

"You were alone-ah? Traveling alone, good meh?"
"What did you do, having 10 days in Bali?"
"Bali very small island, what can you do there? 10 days, such a long time."

Bali is a big island compared to Pulau Pinang or Singapore. It is almost 19x the size of Penang Island and almost 9x the size of Singapore. You can find practically everything you want for a great holiday escapade in Bali : trekking, nature walks, mountains, temples, volcanoes, art, shopping, temples, food, organic stuff, temples, biking, cycling, temples, padi fields, 7-star spa resorts, temples, surfing, para-sailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, temples......really, everything you want for a good time.

I have been to Honolulu, Hawaii and I was in Kuta, Bali. I would say that what Hawaii is to the West, Bali is offering it to the South Pacific, maybe minus a few G-strings and biceps. But at a fraction of the cost for Asians, Bali is always the best choice.

I like this description from one of the website about the island which many Balinese embrace Hinduism : "Bali is a society of hamlets clustered around temples. Bali as a culture organism, the villages are its vital organs, and the network of temples its nervous system."

Where did I go in Bali? You may want to follow these route too.

Kuta - south : beach resort, sun, sea, water sports, thousands of tourists, constantly jam packed with people, action place.

Ubud - central : art town, handicraft, creative stuff, organic foods, spa, spiritual activities, yoga, nature walks, great foods especially Babi Guling, Bebek Betutu and Bebek Bengil.

Mt Batur - north east : temples, Pura Penulisan, Pura Gunung Kawi (Water Temple), mountainous terrain, restaurants on side of cliffs.

Mt Agung - north east : mountain scenery, cool air, Besakih Temple, lunch en route is best.

Amed - east : beachside resorts, azure sea, hardly anyone around, beautiful beach and lovely villagers.

Mt Lempuyang - east : about 3,000 ft above sea level, a sacred Balinese once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage trek up, with more than 1,000 steps to the summit with 6 temples along the way.

Candidassa - east : beach resort, spa resort, small place but lots of beautiful eateries and restaurants.

Tanah Lot - south west : temple in the middle of the ocean, great sunset viewing point.

Uluwatu - south : temple perched on a cliff, beautiful sunset and sunrise viewing point.

Sanur, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua - all beachside resorts.

So many things to do in Bali, all alone to enjoy it. Hmmm....so in touch...

Even having breakfast on the beach under a coconut tree, banana pancake with honey, fried egg and coffee + the breeze from the idyllic sea at 7 on a bright and sunny morning, makes it all worthwhile to live.

To read more of my travelogue, login http://www.lifestyledesigners.blogspot.com

Stanley is one of the places that travelers must go in Hong Kong. Stanley is located on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. The name of Stanley was given by Lord Stanley who is the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies during the 19th-century. Stanley was the temporary administrative centre for British before they are moving to Victoria City (Central). Stanley was also a last stand place for Allied before they surrendering to Japanese troops during the World War II. Now, Stanley is a peaceful town and tourist attraction in Hong Kong.

The Boathouse at Stanley.

The Blake Pier at Stanley. The original structure was built in Central. On the year 2007, this structure was transferred to Murray House, Stanley.

Murray House (Hong Kong Maritime Museum and restaurants). This building was re-build in year 1998. The original building was build by the colonial in year 1846. The previous location was in Central.

This is Stanley.

Blake Pier viewed from another angle.

Stanley Market is the place where you can buy the souvenirs. Very cheap sumore!

Alan Ho, who traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching won RM10,000. Its that simple. Truly, in AirAsia, not only everyone can fly. Everyone can also win fly and win moolah.

Alan may seem your ordinary joe but wait until he starts flashing 10,000 in cash just for flying with us

Alan, a frequent flyer on AirAsia and confesses to being a fan of the airline for years frequents Bangkok and Phuket as holiday hotspots driven by the taste of good food. He has also been on AirAsia flights to Bali, Macau and wherever else AirAsia brings him closer to dive spots.

Like Alan, you too could be the next to win RM10,000. The Fly and Win contest is valid for all AirAsia guests residing in Malaysia and Singapore who book seats at www.airasia.com or mobile.airasia.com between 6 and 26 April 2009 for travel between 5 May 2009 and 31 July 2010. They stand a chance to win a RM10,000 or S$5,000 cash prize during weekly draws on April 13, 20 and 27. The bookings must be for travel originating from any destination in Malaysia or Singapore and payments must be made in Malaysian ringgit or Singapore dollars.

Alan displaying the 10,000 dollar smile

Will Alan go laughing all the way to the bank to time deposit his entire prize? We don’t think so! He says he has been thinking of bringing his family to Manado for a diving excursion, a favorite hobby he will not have to forego this year even with the current economic situation.

The immediate offshoot of the announcement of his win?

“I get calls from everyone asking me for a lunch treat! I’m happy to oblige,” he says.