Shuang Lin Monastery

Look at these photo, you'd think you're looking at a temple somewhere from my recent trip. But actually, you don't have to leave Singapore to visit this place, it's right in the heartlands of Singapore, Toa Payoh to be exact. This is Shuang Lin Monastery at Toa Payoh. You may have drove past it along the PIE, but have you ever been inside of it before?

I took my dad there two weeks ago, and it took us around 1 hour to complete visiting all the small worship hall of individual deity. Basically, it's a temple that houses different gods, from the sleeping buddha, to the Goddess of Mercy, and even Confusion and Mencius! Here's a map of the whole temple for your reference. To get there, you can walk from Toa Payoh Central, or take bus 238 from the Toa Payoh Bus Interchange. You can also refer to the ref links below for more detail information.



It's quite an impressive place to visit, but with the recent renovation that is under going, it really isn't as serene as I imagine it would be. Plus, the fresh smell of paint kinda give you the impression that this is kind of a commercial temple. Sadly, I couldn't quite connect to the spiritual level here. Great place for photography though, since there is no crowd there, and you can spend hours taking the perfect shot if you like pictures of temples.

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Shuang Lin Monastery

The Three Sisters

Added two more ladies to my doll collection :) And now there are three in this new set.
Origami can actually be quite therapeutic after a stressful day of work. Making the two dolls took me about an hour, and really calms my nerves. I think it's a great hobby. Cheap, quiet, and peaceful. And at the end of it, you get a nice gift from yourself :)

PaperCraft

Check out the cool paper cutters I got from Daiso today for only S$2 each! Aren't they cool? And the cut outs are so pretty too! To think that I almost spend around S$5 each to buy them at TokyoHand while I was there 2 months ago. They even sell the ready cut outs for like S$3 per pack! Terrible! I am so glad I waited and found these in Singapore instead :)

After making all the cut outs, I can't help but start making paper dolls again. The doll on the right was freshly made today, and is one of the latest style in my collection since I just got the instruction manual 2 months ago at Tokyo Hand :) Sorry the photo didn't turn out that great, since I wrap it up before I remember to photograph it, hence the glare in the photo. But in real life, it's really rich in color, and you can actually see the texture of the paper as well. The new hair-do and the rich gold color background paper also make it rather exclusive :)

Below are two souvenirs I got for myself when I was in Japan :) More papers! To make more dolls! The one of the left cost me around S$7.50 and comes with special cut outs came from Tokyo Hand; while the ones on the right, around S$16 and comes with matching Washi papers (和紙), and comes from a paper craft shop in Ueno! What can I say, I'm a sucker for papers :) I wish Tokyo Hand would open it's shop in Singapore, I can spend a whole day there just walking around! The one in Shinjuku was like 8 stories!


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Daiso
Tokyo Hand
Washi Papers (和紙)

HTC Magic

It's been more then a year since I got my first smartphone, and now, HTC just launch the HTC Magic in Singapore on June 2009. Just look at the picture. Isn't she a beauty??? But what bothers me is, will I get used to using an Andriod OS? Will it be more lightweight then the bulky WM OS? Will I be able to write my own application easier with a Java based platform? (to get the Android Emulator, click here for more fun! ) Plus, how much is it going to cost me??? My contract is ending next year June, I hope I can get a free Magic by then! woohoo!

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HTC Product Site
Android Operating System

T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival 2009

Here's something different to consider when you wonder what's there to watch in the cinema. Why not try a Buddhist Film? From 13 September to 19 September, T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival 2009 will be held at Lido Orchard. Ticket price is around S$10. List of movies that will be showing are as per the poster. You can buy your tickets from sistic.

Here are the links to all the movies showing, as well as date time :)

13 Sep 2009 (Sun) 4:30pm Yi Lun Ming Yue (一轮明月)
13 Sep 2009 (Sun) 7:00pm Mekhong Full Moon Party
14 Sep 2009 (Mon) 7:00pm The Dhamma Brothers
15 Sep 2009 (Tue) 7:00pm Act Normal
16 Sep 2009 (Wed) 7:00pm Zen Buddhism - In Search of Self/Bhutan - Taking the Middle Path to Happiness
17 Sep 2009 (Thu) 7:00pm Sankara
18 Sep 2009 (Fri) 7:00pm Unmistaken Child
19 Sep 2009 (Sat) 1:30pm Arukihenro - Walking Pilgrims
19 Sep 2009 (Sat) 4:30pm Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame

*text in italic are those I am planning to watch :)

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T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival 2009
Sistic Ticket Purchasing for T.H.I.S. Buddhist Film Festival 2009

I Love Salsa!

The sauce that is, not the dance :P
Went to a Spanish restaurant the other day at Vivocity, and they were serving Tapas for S$10 a plate! I ordered what looks similar to a salsa salad, and thought, with S$10 a plate, I might as well make my own salsa at home! And so I did. And here is the result of it.

Here's a youtube clip on how to make a simple salsa that is similar to mine. Except for me, I use a food processor to chop everything up, and the ingredient I use are: Tomatoes, Capsicum (red and green), Onions, Sour Cream, and Nacho Chips. Yummy!



Ref:
Salsa
Great-Salsa.com