FIRST AND A HALF OF DECEMBER THOUGHT

I had the pleasure of enjoying my first and half week of December. Meeting up with friends and was able to cope up with my husband's demand.. "you and me time!" Few invitations here and there.. Calendar is a bit busy lately.. lolz..

In terms of life.. generally speaking.: I choose to stay positive even if sometimes, you encounter negative people, right? lolz..

This week, I've been reading few blogs. I thought my wish is to meet the writers but perhaps Santa might skip this part of this year, as they are so many of my favourites. I love to read post about life, wisdom and fresh experiences shared. It's inspiring and sometimes, motivating! To mention, one of my favorite blogger is my sister of course. Her personality really shines through which i adore, plus.. she's not just a mom who works and comes back home and look after her family but she blows my mind, and she always has such a positive outlook on everything. How cool is that.

Anyways, since we've been talking about Gratitudes. I thought I'd say thank you in a different way. Non stop THANK YOU! As always, as long as we keep going and moving on, daily routines its just something normal?

Big love and big thanks my beau-friends for reading my fb journal. Enjoy your December.... (Up's and Down's we encounter sometimes... but perhaps, its like that, noh?) Sharing you this Japanese proverb and sharing you too love and peace my coolest online friends..

THE BLAMING GAME

"People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives." - J. Michael Straczynski

Lately, I notice that the most common conversation I have with other people includes the blaming game. I too play that game sometimes, lolz..

Most of the time, when your expectations didn't happened, your energy simply will diminish. Last night i had a very good talk with a friend. We had a good life sharing moments. We laughed and all..

As we were sitting there. It was then that i started to think about the blame game wondering “If games are supposed to be fun?”  Right then, I realized that these blame game is totally a different kind of game. Even kids have these game too.

Funny to think that sometimes, we just love to pass our faults to other people. Yeah, i encountered that a lot too. Lucky, wisdom wise, we are mature enough to understand things like that. I sat down, took a long deep breath, and thought about the ways I’d contributed to my own unhappiness. In that moment, i realized i was blatantly ignoring vital life lessons too. Instead of blaming others, i should consider what i contributed why things happened the way, i didn't expected.

I believe we are here to learn lessons. Once we learn a lesson we move on to the next lesson. However, if we fail to learn a lesson, we keep finding opportunities to learn it again and again.

Isn’t it weird that sometimes, we just keep blaming others for our fault? Sometimes, even if know we are at fault and yet, we still find way to blame others.

At the end of the day, I've learned that LIFE will continue to throw us the same lessons until we learn from them.

MOVIE QUOTE -- GOOD WILL HUNTING

“When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.” - Tom Robbins

I've seen this movie twice and i can't stop watching it. I really don't mind watching good movies. Movie is called, Good Will Hunting. Im sure, some of you must have seen it. Really a good movie to see. I also love Robin William's role in this movie too and i agree because it did touched me as well...  "Robin Williams as a comedian, but i was in tears after watching his timeless performance. I love most of the classic movies but this is definitely the best film i have ever seen."

Great Sunday now my Beau-Friends!

CHANGE (at least... for me....)

“You can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.” - Unknown

Hi, my Beau-Friends. How was your weekend. I hope all went well. I really love to drop some lines the past few days, but I've been hooked up with few things to do. Otherwise, I'm peeping on my FB whenever given the chance. It's nice to read updates from FB world time to time... (Does that means, I'm also an addict on FB? ohlala! lolz) (っ◕‿◕)っ ♥

Anyways, thought I'm gonna leave some lines before retiring my #Sunday! and of course, sending my warm MOMs regards to all the beautiful, sexy, supermoms in Thailand and around the world. I love you mama, too! ❤ ❤ ❤

You know, I always believe that it's only during the New Years where its time for me to reflect (about everything) but lately, just lately. I have been looking back at my life and have tried to reflect on the past months and everything that happened in it. It has been a time of happiness, trials, stress, love and compassion, but if I had to describe my half year of 2014 in one word, it would (still) be CHANGE. My life changed, I feel like my life changes everyday. I have become a new person. Experiences that have happened, have made me who I am today. And I am different. I am not who I use to be.

Over the past 7 months a lot has happened. So much to describe and to say, but at some point I must be bold about what I have found.... True happiness. My husband is always here for me and I am like you, I am so blessed. I am also grateful from little things to what I have now and I am strong enough to say "no" when its needed.

I have always tried to come off as a happy individual, who loves to serve others, be a friend to  EVERYONE I come in contact with and have fun in every situation. I hate admitting this, but sometimes, I am unhappy as well.

♥ º ☆.¸¸.•´¯`♥  I guess life is suppose to be like that. It's not normal to be HAPPY all the time, right? Nobody is perfect, like what they say and I totally agree with that.

Oh well. Thanks once again, my beau-friends for reading my journal today. Sharing you love, blessings, peace and compassion and I'm wishing you a fabulous days, ahead...

Loved my personalized Bo Sang Umbrella!

I had like a day left before leaving for Bangkok. Suggested place to see was the Umbrella Village, Bor Sang!

I remember it was midday when we went to visit the place, seems that all went for their lunch break. Only few staff were there so I thought to walk around and do some photos.

It's really an interesting village to see when in Chiang Mai. Here, you will see handcraft umbrellas that was beautifully coloured works of art, as well as fans (Chinese-style hand fans that is). The artwork is beautiful and fascinating to watch. I would plan to spend 1-2 hours here, watching and learning.

I dig in a bit about the Bo Sang's umbrella and I found that the traditional umbrellas are made from Saa paper (processed from mulberry bark) and the only information I could find on the history of Bo Sang’s umbrella making indicates that a wandering Thai monk brought the process to his town (Bo Sang) from Burma and the locals embraced the art, making umbrellas in the fall once field work is done for the season. The umbrellas are used as parasols in the sun and even as rain umbrellas because they’re coated with special oils to protect the paper.

This area of Chiang Mai is famous for handcrafted and painted umbrellas and fans, as well as the making of a handmade paper called saa paper. According to our tour guide, this factory was visited by HRH Princess Diana in 1988 alongside the famous Shinawatra Thai Silk factory nearby.

Just after walking around the area of designing the umbrellas. I went to approached one artist who's doing the paint designs. I was so amazed by the skill of the artist - he painted an intricate butterfly with blue flowers design on my umbrella and it took him for about 15 minutes.

Awesome, isn't? Now, im looking forward to join their festival.

A VISIT AT THE SEVEN COLOURED EARTHS - MAURITIUS

"...when your life feels black and white... make sure that you dream in color..." -- unknown

It was the GM of the Centara Grand Azuri Hotel who insisted that i must go to Chamerel to see the seven coloured earths. I didn't believe the way he described the colours of the sand. At first, i thought he was just joking... after few rounds of convincing, my husband was able to convince me to go and visit as they are busy working during the entire trip.

So i went to see the place, to my surprise. It was really wonderful and even better because the rain just stopped and perhaps its was a perfect timing for photo opportunity.

This tourist attraction is found in the Riviere Noire District in the south-western part of Mauritius. Seven distinct colours of sand can be seen in this area: red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow. I like the contrast between the uncovered sands and the dense forest area that surrounds the dunes. This place reminds me of Iceland. The earths formed by volcanic activity. When you look closely, We could see the different hues and the almost striped effect of the sands, this is actually a visual reminder of the power of a volcano uneven cooling of the molten rock.

Enjoy the view as much as i enjoyed taking them.

according to wikipedia: (and i quote)

"The Seven Coloured Earth(s)[1] (Terres des Sept Couleurs in French) are a geological formation and prominent tourist attraction found in the Chamarel plain of the Rivière Noire District in south-western Mauritius. It is a relatively small area of sand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow). The main feature of the place is that since these differently coloured sands spontaneously settle in different layers, dunes acquire a surrealistic, striped colouring. This phenomenon can also be observed, on a smaller scale, if one takes a handful of sands of different colours and mixes them together, as they'll eventually separate into a layered spectrum.[2] Another interesting feature of Chamarel's Coloured Earths is that the dunes seemingly never erode, in spite of Mauritius' torrential, tropical rains.

The sands have formed from the decomposition of volcanic rock (basalt) gullies into clay, further transformed into ferralitic soil by total hydrolysis; the two main elements of the resulting soil, iron and aluminium, are responsible for red/anthracite and blue/purplish colours respectively. The different shades of colour are believed to be a consequence of the molten volcanic rock cooling down at different external temperatures (hence rates), but the causes of their consistent spontaneous separation are yet to be fully clarified.[3]

The place has become one of Mauritius' main tourist attractions since the 1960s. Nowadays, the dunes are protected by a wooden fence and visitors are not allowed to climb on them, although they can look at the scenery from observation outposts placed along the fence. Curio shops in the area sell small test-tubes filled up with the coloured earths."

...whilst in Bali..

“Perhaps that is where our choice lies -- in determining how we will meet the inevitable end of things, and how we will greet each new beginning.”  ― Elana K. Arnold

Can you believe that it's already August? I find myself saying this after just about every month... it just keep going faster and faster. I've read somewhere that says.. 'life is like a roll of toilet paper, it goes faster and faster as you get the closer to the end.'... but i disgress.. let it be.. lolz...

Looking back at the half year up to this day, all I can think of is how wonderful and blessed i am. I've done few things and still doing this project which I'm looking forward too.

Let me break down my monthly activities.. Out of the months passed, i thought i really enjoyed the summer holidays in June plus the early months of July too. Recalling back: JANUARY - was totally a good start for me, unfolding 2014 came to the picture nicely..  then here comes FEBRUARY which was even better because of the Valentines day that coloured my world with awesome strawberry shortcakes.. lolz..  the trip to Phu Quoc, Vietnam and my trip to Baguio City, Philippines mostly was my first trip this year including our weekend in Khao Yai! MARCH was so delighted as it was my birth month, got my surprise celebration in Pattaya too.. lovely present from husband and friends.. aaaahhh... APRIL was an amazing month.. trip to Sri Lanka was really wonderful! enjoyed the taste of tea's in the country... The month of MAY was pretty quiet, stayed in Bangkok but the one weekend in Pattaya was fabulous! hola! JUNE -- here's the month that i really love because our summer holidays in France includes our trip to Iceland! amazing trip! and JULY -- Awesome trip to Singapore and Bali too --

Got so much to work on.. excited with few exhibits and looking forward for the sponsored trips coming.. Perhaps, my half-year is doing pretty good. Couldn't ask for more.

I'm not complaining and all but totally grateful about everything. Sharing blessing and love my Beau-Friends!

A WEEK TRIP TO BALI INDONESIA

My Bali adventure, where to begin? This is my third time to visit Bali and my  Bali experience is something that can’t be explained, it’s a cultural and spiritual journey that needs to be experienced in order to be understood. Bali is called “The Island of The Gods,” and appropriately so.

This trip, I was lucky enough to experience some of the most beautiful locations and resorts the island has to offer, beginning in Nusa Dua, then to Sanur and Uluwatu.

When I wasn’t shooting I was enjoying the luxury of Centara Grand Villa  There we had our own swimming pool. I also went for a walk near the shopping center. The thing I love most about Bali is that it offers something for everyone, amazing wave breaks, unique shopping, some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and for the foodie, fantastic restaurants.

I feel as though Bali is also a reminder of how important kindness and generosity are: the locals are so lovely and cheerful that it would be hard to have a bad day, someone was always putting a smile on my face.

The four day trip to Bali was really engaging. First, we went to visit the Uluwatu Temple which is one of the oldest temple in Bali. It is also located high on a cliff top at the edge of a plateau 250 feet above the waves of the Indian Ocean. One specular view.  There are also monkeys around the temple. These monkeys inhabit the temple and cliff face hoping for a banana or some peanuts from the visitors.

On the second day, I went to visit Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, or Pura Bratan, is the second most important temple in Bali after the mother temple Besakih. “The temple is found on the shores of Danau Bratan (Lake Bratan) in the mountains near Bedugul.  The temple was built in 1926 and is dedicated to Dewi Batari Ulun Danu, goddess of lakes and rivers.” – Here, I didn't really enjoy much because of the rain. Weather was not cooperative, my driver told me that.. weather in this area is unpredictable. Funny because when we left Nusa Dua, it was all blue skies but the time we are arriving to Pura Bratan, its all foggy, windy and raining non stop. When I went inside the temple there was a ceremonial happening. We are not allowed to go near the ceremony so I stayed inside the shed waiting for the rain to stop.

Third day, Tanah Lot Temple is probably the most famous of Bali's temples and mean "Land in the Middle of the sea".  The temple sits just off the coast on a rock, which is quite spectacular. The temple is visited quite often at sunset and provides great photos.  The temple is believed to be the work of 15th century priest Nirartha.”

I really had a great time those days. The experience that I carry with me during this travel allowed me to become more adventurous. I've seen few ceremonial activities before like the  “Ogoh-ogoh” performed with demonic statues and floats filling the streets which symbolize negativity and bad spirits. The statues are burned at the end of the night to cleanse them of all things “evil”.  That parade was really something. I should have stayed longer last year to witness but im looking forward to see that this year, perhaps?.

Something that i've learned in Bali was the part when they do the reflection and meditation. It was truly  a wonderful experience which I was so glad to be a part of it. Its more on  to focus on peace within ones self.

Anyways, please enjoy viewing the photos as much as i enjoyed taking them. Thank you too for reading all my long notes.. time to time.. lolz.