my hair is dripping wet so I used a headband to control my wavy hair :D |
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breaths away.
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Singapore: Merlion Park
Friday, June 28, 2024
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, Singapore
This Tang dynasty style architecture Buddhist Temple on South Bridge Road was one of the highlights of our Singapore trip. An actual place of worship but it is open to the public.
There are two museums. The Buddhas of the World museum is located on the second to the fourth floor featuring numerous religious artifacts and can be reached by two small elevators. The actual relic of the tooth, housed in a golden stupa can reached by climbing a flight of stairs. At the display area, you need to take off your shoes off, maintain silence and picture taking is not allowed.
Entrance to the museum is free. Just dress appropriately, although there are sarongs available for tourists to cover their shoulders and their legs.
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Singapore: Visita Iglesia 2024
We visited Singapore during the Lenten season and right before Holy Week 2024. For the uninitiated, for us Roman Catholics Holy Week is from Holy Monday until Easter Sunday. The most 'holy days' are Maundy Thursday (The Last Supper), Good Friday (our Lord Jesus died on the Cross), Black Saturday (Easter vigil) and Easter Sunday (The Resurrection).
On Maundy Thursday after the Last Supper mass, there is the tradition of visiting 7 Churches called Visita Iglesia. It is a prayerful time for meditation and reflection and we also pray the Way of the Cross novena. We were pressed for time so we managed to visit only 3 churches for our mini Visita Iglesia, Singapore edition.
St. Joseph's Church on Victoria Street in Singapore's central business district was built by Portuguese missionaries. It was also known as "The Eurasian Church" as it mostly catered to the Portuguese and Malacca Eurasian lineage community.
Sunday, June 23, 2024
3 years
Today June 23, 2024 marks the 3rd death anniversary of my Dad.
I can still distinctly remember the tragic incident which led to his sudden demise.
It was a Wednesday morning when my hubby dropped me off at the condo.
My sister was working from home downstairs.
I went up to get some items and documents I needed.
Dad was on his way up the stairs when he lost his grip on the handrail and fell backwards 4 steps above the floor.
At first I thought he was okay and ran down the flight of stairs to help him up.
My sister also rushed from her work desk to his side.
He was unconscious and lying flat on his back.
We both screamed as blood start pouring out of the back of his head, forming a puddle on the floor.
I tried calling on the landline for an ambulance but there was no dial tone.
So I ran out of the unit to the elevator to go to the lobby and asked the guard to call an ambulance.
When I ran back up to our unit, my sister was performing CPR on Dad’s chest trying to revive him.
By then, blood was gushing out of his nose, his mouth but my sister didn’t give up.
When the ambulance came, they too tried to revive Dad.
We rode in the ambulance with our bloodied clothes and I could hear the medic trying her best to get a faint pulse.
Dad died in the ER of the hospital where Mommy passed away three months earlier.
To date, it remains the most traumatic event of our lives.
I had really violent nightmares for days even months after we experienced losing Dad in such a tragic manner.
Three years have passed but I still haven’t been able to set foot in the condo without getting the chills and I have to do everything in my power not to relive that traumatic incident.
There are more good days now than terrible days, thankfully.
I know with God’s divine grace and mercy, we will be okay.
My fervent prayer is that Dad’s soul may rest in God’s eternal peace.
And also that Mommy has forgiven me and my sister for not keeping our promise to her that we take good care of Dad.
I miss them both, terribly!
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Marina Bay Complex, Singapore
From the Lavender MRT station (a few steps away from our hotel), it is simply a couple of stops away to the Marina Bay complex. We were not deterred by the scorching sun and the high levels of humidity, we were ready with our bottled drinking water, our bimpo (hand towels) and of course our cellphone to capture snapshots to store in our memory warehouse.
panorama feature of my iPhone camera: business district |
Background of tall skycrapers and the Fullerton Hotel |
Lotus flower shaped ArtScience Museum |
Merlion |
Marina Bay Sands hotel |
Helix bridge and the Singapore Flyer |
Singapore river boat tour passing under the Helix bridge |
peek a boo Merlion |
ArtScience Museum fountain |
Helix Bridge, a pedestrian bridge inspired by the geometric arrangement of DNA |
The Fullerton Hotel |
Me drinking bottled water to avoid fainting from dehydration LOL |