Value for Money for Overseas Tour at Changi Recommends!

If you are planning your own trip and looking for value for money for overseas tour, you can go to Changi Recommends website to book overseas tour and even popular overseas attraction tickets. For example, it is much cheaper to buy HongKong Disneyland ticket at Changi Recommend then if you purchase in HongKong. I think its about $10 cheaper. 

Last year I went to Melbourne and booked a day trip at the Federation Square Tourist Visitor centre and it cost me about S$210.00. But at Changi Recommend, a similar tour only costs S$130.00 inclusive of lunch and gourmet tasting at Yarra Valley. This early September I be going to Melbourne again with my friend for 1 week free and easy tour. We be going to Philips island and Yarra valley. Yes this Melbourne trip is my third visit and most probably the last. Next year I might visit Switzerland instead..  

Besides overseas attraction, you can also purchase other travel related stuff like wi-fi, transport and SIM card. But you need to purchase online at the Changi recommends website. 

Website: http://attractions.changirecommends.com/australia

Switzerland–Singapore Celebration at Paragon Shopping Mall

Today is the start of Switzerland and Singapore Celebration exhibition at Paragon shopping mall in Orchard Road. The Embassy of Switzerland organised this exhibition to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations with Singapore. However the exhibition is closed to the public until 6pm today. Anyway even though I can't access until 6pm, I could still see the exhibition outside the barrier. 

Switzerland is one country that I'm going to visit in my life. It's a really beautiful country that is like heaven on earth. I've have collected and brought lots of Switzerland travel related books like Lonely Planet and maps prepared by Switzerland tourism board. Today, I went to Paragon shopping mall hoping to get free Switzerland travel guide books. I asked one of the staff if I could get Switzerland guide books that were on display and she kindly gave me all the travel books even though I'm couldn't access the exhibit yet and I didn't want to stay till 6pm. Maybe next year I travel to this beautiful mountainous country. Every night, before I sleep, I will read Switzerland travel guide books that feature scenic mountainous view with placid lake and imagine I'm there breathing the crisp clean air in this beautiful country. It is actually quite cheap to travel to Zurich. A return flight ticket with Singapore Airlines from Singapore to Zurich costs about $1300.00 and its about 13 hours journey. If I go to Switzerland, most probably I plan about 2 weeks there and will explore the country with their efficient and. beautiful train. 

The exhibition features Switzerland culture and innovation and will end on 13 August. There are also interesting activities. For me I like the virtual reality goggle that made me feel like exploring Switzerland in 360 views. I could just change different views by turning my head. Anyway I returned back to the exhibit again to see what is inside the exhibit. 

 I think 2 weeks should be sufficient to explore Switzerland.

 Free travel guide books at the exhibition!

 I'm quite risk averse so I'm not going to ski there. Maybe I go there to make snowman. I haven't touch snow yet.

 

Swiss invention: Swiss knife

 Swiss alphorn is used by Shepherds to call the cows from the pastures and into the barn at milking time. 

  

I like this virtual reality device which allows me to explore beautiful Switzerland in 360 degrees view.  

 Not many people as the exhibit is only opened to the public at 6pm today. 

 Exploring  Switzerland must travel by train.

Cow bells are worn by cows.

Dreamed of Canada

Yesterday I had a beautiful dream. I dreamed that I was in a mountainous hill at a Canada resort. Maybe next year I explore Canada. But it can be tiring to fly to Canada from Singapore as there are stopovers and total flight time can take up to 30 hours. I love mountains so I probably go there for hiking next year. 

Anita Moorjani & Dr Jill Taylor on Near Death Experience

Recently from Chinese newspapers,Lianhe Zaobao, in an article written by actress Brigitte Lin, she shared an inspiring story written by Anita Moorjani who survived cancer. The book, Dying to be Me by Anita shared how she miraculously survived from cancer after a near death experience. Doctor told her family to prepare for her death as her organs were shutting down and she was in end-stage lymphoma. Her cancer miraculously disappeared 5 weeks after she woke up from coma.

Her description of near death experience is similar to Dr Jill Taylor, a Harvard trained brain scientist who survived stroke after experiencing near death experience. She wrote, "My Stroke of Insight" that described her stroke experience and her road to recovery. 

Both of them experienced euphoria, pure joy in the other realm. . To them, it was like returning home, to be at one with the universe and we are all connected. Illness manifest when we do not love ourselves and being too harsh on ourselves and there is no balance. When there is balance, there is no illness as shared by Anita Moorjani. After experiencing pure love in the other realm, she returned with this new knowledge and that's why her cancer miraculously disappeared. Life is a gift.

Just want to share some meaningful quote from Anita Moorjani 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5108288.Anita_Moorjani

Anita Moorjani > Quotes

Anita Moorjani quotes  (showing 1-30 of 84)

“I detach myself from preconceived outcomes and trust that all is well. Being myself allows the wholeness of my unique magnificience to draw me in those directions most beneficial to me and to all others. This is really the only thing I have to do. And within that framework, everything that is truly mine comes into my life effortlessly, in the most magical and unexpected ways imaginable, demonstrating every day the power and love of who I truly am.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: divine, fearless, love, near-death-experience, spiritual

61 likes

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“I can't say this strongly enough, but our feelings about ourselves are actually the most important barometer for determining the condition of our lives!”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: inspirational

53 likes

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“I believe that the greatest truths of the universe don't lie outside, in the study of the stars and the planets. They lie deep within us, in the magnificence of our heart, mind, and soul. Until we understand what is within, we can't understand what is without.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: divine, fearless, love, near-death-experience, self-improvement, spiritual

49 likes

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“Everything that seemingly happens externally is occurring in order to trigger something within us, to expand us and take us back to who we truly are.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: spiritual-growth

39 likes

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“I'm at my strongest when I'm able to let go, when I suspend my beliefs as well as disbeliefs, and leave myself open to all possibilities. That also seems to be when I'm able to experience the most internal clarity and synchronicities.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: spiritual

31 likes

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“I perceived that I wouldn't have to go out and search for what I was supposed to do- it would unfold before me.”
― Anita Moorjani

tags: inspirational

26 likes

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“I knew that was really the only purpose of life: to be our self, live our truth, and be the love that we are.”
― Anita Moorjani

tags: inspirational

26 likes

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“Religion is just a path for finding truth: Religion is not truth. It is just a path. And different people follow different paths.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

25 likes

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“It was then that I understood that my body is only a reflection of my internal state.”
― Anita Moorjani

tags: inspirational

25 likes

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“We are not these bodies; we're neither our accomplishments nor our possessions—we are all one with the Source of all being, which is God.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

19 likes

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“Cancer is just a word that creates fear. Forget about that word, and let’s just focus on balancing your body. All illnesses are just symptoms of imbalance. No illness can remain when your entire system is in balance.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

18 likes

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“When we live completely from the mind over a period of time, we lose touch with the infinite self, and then we begin to feel lost. This happens when we'are in doing mode all the time, rather than being . The latter means letting ourselves be who and what we are without judgment. Being doesn't mean that we don't do anything. It's just that our actions stem from following our emotions and feelings while staying present in the moment. Doing, on the other hand, is future focused, with the mind creating a series of tasks that take us from here to there in order to achieve a particular outcome, regardless of our current emotional state.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: spiritual-growth

16 likes

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“...letting go of attachment to any way of believing or thinking has made me feel more expanded and almost transparent so that universal energy can just flow through me.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: spiritual-growth

14 likes

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“Words taken literally or held as ultimate truth can keep us stagnant and stuck, holding on to old ideologies. I now know that everything I need is already contained within me and is completely aceessible if I allow myself to open up to what I sense is true for me...and the same is true for you.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: spiritual

12 likes

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“Since the tapestry of all time has already been woven, everything I could ever want to happen in my life already exists in that infinite, nonphysical plane. My only task is to expand my earthly self enough to let it into this realm. So if there's something I desire, the idea isn't to go out and get it, but to expand my own consciousness to allow universal energy to bring it into my reality here.”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

tags: spiritual-growth

12 likes

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“And then I was overwhelmed by the realization that God isn’t a being, but a state of being…and I was now that state of being!”
― Anita Moorjani, Dying To Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/82111.Jill_Bolte_Taylor

“I love knowing that I am simultaneously as big as the universe and yet merely a heap of star dust.”
― Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

15 likes

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“For me, it's really easy to be kind to others when I remember that none of us came into this world with a manual about how to get it all right. We are ultimately a product of our biology and environment. Consequently, I choose to be compassionate with others when I consider how much painful emotional baggage we are biologically programmed to carry around. I recognize that mistakes will be made, but this does not mean that I need to either victimize myself or take your actions and mistakes personally. Your stuff is your stuff, and my stuff is my stuff.”
― Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

13 likes

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“Most of us think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel, but we are actually feeling creatures that think.”
― Jill Bolte Taylor, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

Rainy Season in Singapore

It has been raining heavily for the past few days. Yesterday it was pouring almost the whole day long. At Tampines, there was a flash flood that caused car to be towed away. Still, I like rain because its a good respite from the hot weather in Singapore which is almost sunny the whole year long. 

View of Orchard Road from Shaw Lido. I was waiting for my cousin as we met to watch Spiderman movie.

Enlightenment Day of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva

Today is the Enlightenment day of the benevolent Kuan Yin. On this special day, the temple is filled with many devotees and I had to squeeze my way through the crowd to pray. Finally the Kuan Yin statue is back at the altar after days of chanting. I don't know why, after praying I feel happy. I think I have affinity with Kuan Yin. For example, I happened to select a television channel and the actor in the show was explaining the meaning of heart sutra. For me, I go to Kuan Yin temple at Waterloo street every week to pray. 

Public Transport in Singapore: MRT

Singapore is a very small island in Southeast Asia. It is about 50km by 27km. Owning a brand new car is very expensive in Singapore as you need to purchase Certificate of Entitlement (COE) which can costs about $50,000.00 depending on the bidding price. 

For me, I don't have a driving license as I had an unpleasant experience driving a go-kart at Escape theme park when I was a teenager. Well, those were the days. I was so daring taking those scary roller-coaster ride. Now I dare not even try the Viking ride.  Anyway, it is very convenient to travel from one point to the other end of Singapore via the MRT or public bus. I enjoy exploring Singapore by riding the clean public air-conditioned double-decker bus as I can see more from the top of the bus. But then sometimes taking MRT is much faster compared to taking a bus especially from the east to the western part of Singapore

Anyway, I also enjoy taking MRT during non-peak hours. The train is very quiet when there are not many people. 

 MRT during off-peak hours.

 Toa Payoh MRT station

Grassroots Book Room at Bukit Pasoh

Today my buddy asked me out to a bookshop at Bukit Pasoh. At Grassroots Book Room, you can buy beautiful artworks by local artists, inspiring quotes and both Mandarin and English books. The owners are very thoughtful and chairs are provided in the cosy bookshop. I spent about an hour reading the popular comic book The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. This book is now a New York International bestseller.

Its a very beautiful bookshop where charming decorative items are thoughtfully placed in the bookshop. I also love the artworks by local artists and maybe I buy one painting to decorate my bedroom. 

If you are tired, you can head to a cafe inside the bookshop. A cup of matcha latte costs $5 which is slightly cheaper compared to another nearby cafe, The Reading room. 

Nearest MRT station: Outram MRT station

 I love these paintings by local artist, Mr Lee Kow Fong. 

 The entrance.

 Inside the bookshop, there is Open Book Cafe serving drinks like Matcha latte, coffee and cakes.

 Inspiring quotes on wooden blocks. 

You can find out more about Singapore different districts from these books.

Open Book Cafe inside the bookshop