WINDOW OF THE WORLD, SHENZEN - PART 2

There were definitely  more things to see as we explored more countries and continents as well. I knew some buildings or landmarks but some I did not.

TAJ MAHAL, INDIA

A JAPANESE HOUSE AND PALACE

AUSTRALIA

HAWAII

THE VATICAN

(someone please correct me if I am wrong)

This one I know:

THE MERMAID OF COPENHAGEN

T O   B E  C O N T I N U E D ...

WINDOW OF THE WORLD, SHENZEN - PART ONE

1st December ~ Can you travel around the world in just one day? Yes, you can if you visit Window of the World in Shenzen, China. This is the major tourist attraction of the city and in this place, prominent buildings and landmarks (including waterfalls) from all over the world are reconstructed in smaller scale.

the front part of the park

the pyramid is actually the subway station

When we arrived there, it was sunny and it was the only sunny day that I could recall. At one point, it got warmer most probably because of the endless walking around the park and I didn't need my cardigan anymore.

view at the entrance

The first landmark that we saw was the Borobudur from Indonesia. Even though it was built in a much smaller size, it was done according to scale I supposed. The miniature building had very fine craftsmanship when we inspected the wall and statues at close proximity. The people who were responsible really had to measure everything accurately so all the bits and pieces of stones could attach and fit to each other well.

This was another beautiful landmark from India (that I could not remember its name) that could be found here. I wonder whether the original one is of the same size or is the imitation smaller?

welcome to Thailand

The place was divided into different continents. To be able to go around the world and not miss a single thing here, you would need to spend a lot of time. You should start your visit early and be the last to leave the park.

There were sign boards that provided information to the visitors. At a few spots, there were also audio  recordings or music from the countries from where the buildings originated being played on loud speakers to assist people who would be hungry for new knowledge. However, the place was really big and there were too many things to see so we spent more time observing rather than reading or listening.

checking the map while having a short rest

T O   B E   C O N T I N U E D . . .

BOOK REVIEW - CHRISTIE WATSON'S "TINY SUNBIRDS FAR AWAY"

"There is nothing more powerful than a naked woman," Grandma said. "Nothing in the world."

(page 426)

 

This is a story of two siblings: Blessing and her elder brother, Ezekiel. Initially living in a happy family, they were forced to go back to their village with their mother after the father was caught having an affair with another woman. They had the shock of their lives with their new environment and the transition from a modern and hygienic lifestyle to a more basic ones was not easy. They learned to like what they had, and developed a better relationship with their grandparents. Mother then had to go to work, Ezekiel whose ambition was to become a doctor had to stop going to school and Blessing was trained to be a midwife's assistant for her grandmother. Things got more and more complicated for everybody, when the political conflicts of Nigeria had directly affected the people of the village. You have to read this novel if you want to find out whether the story will end in a happy note or not.

This is one novel I am thankful that I have bought and read. It reminds me of the novel I had to read when I was during matriculation entitled "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, which was also set in Africa. There is one time when the character, grandma, was saying "sometimes, things fall apart" in the novel (page 417). One thing you can be assure of, once you start reading, there is no way for you to put this book down. If you want drama and comedy, love and tragedy, this is the one novel you must read.

.

ENTERTAINING AN OLD FRIEND FROM KUALA LUMPUR

I was delighted when another old friend told me she would be coming over from Kuala Lumpur. The date was set and we decided to go for a hi-tea in Mutiara Hotel. One reason, we needed a place where we could sit, eat and chat for a longer period of time. You should know how food outlets are always conquered by many Singaporeans on weekends. *always blame the Singaporeans*

I always like the hi-tea at Mutiara Hotel. The price was reasonable and the place was not that busy. By 3:00 o'clock, the waiters had already cleaned the tables and arranged the plates and cutlery on most of the tables. So we were among the first to arrive and the last to leave.

After that, we went to Holiday Plaza which once was a hot spot for shopping and hanging out for people in Johor Bahru, and was well-known for supplying pirated movies on compact discs. 

Thanks to Puan Maslinda a.k.a Amoi for the fun gossiping time. Next time, we go eat at the stall, other people are getting (or might get) jealous already.

SEEING MR. BIG BAD WOLF

Thursday 20th December ~ I really wanted to go to KL, to go to the Big Bad Wolf sale and buy my books. And someone wanted to tag along so that would make thing better. We arrived at The Mines Convention Centre after taking a taxi from TBS, and the taxi rate in Kuala Lumpur was much much higher than what we have to pay in JB.

When we entered the hall, there was a sea of books. Books, books, everywhere. One good thing, there were not many people around, most probably because it was a working day so browsing around the place posed no problem at all. The only problem was that there were too many books that choosing what you wanted to buy might become a challenge. The concept of never judge a book by its cover could not be applied here.

The biggest excitement, however, was when I got to see my old friends who were there to shop for books. It was just like a mini-reunion. (READ: Birds of a feather flock together). Even though it was just a short "hi" and "bye" session, we were just excited to be able to meet and take photographs. The most suitable time for the group's next gathering would be during the sale and I think we could get more people to come.

an ex-coursemate's husband cum ex-collegemate,
and an ex-student (just too many ex-es)

And I also met an ex-student there too from SPM batch 2009 when he called me. *famous* What a small world.

catch of the day

 

on our way out

I was really glad that I went to the Big Bad Wolf sale. And for all these books, I just had to pay RM168. My next mission: trying to read all the books next year but I am not complaining. I have started reading one already when I should already start doing my schoolwork.

When I retire from work later, I am going to buy more books and read all of them. *my earliest retirement plan*