Durian - D24

"DURIAN">>>>>>>>> I remember when last time, Durian is allowed to bring to Japan because we can not find this fruit over there. Although Durian is very popular in Singapore but it is not allowed to bring especially by public transportation. One of most popular building here is designed with Durian shape named Durian "esplanade" building. If you take the taxi to this building, usually the taxi driver will understand if you say Durian building rather than Esplanade building.

Durian is well known as "king of fruits", it has strong sharp thorns, stinks but the taste is great. Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Borneo have their own variety of Durian, Thailand is popular with Montong, Malaysia with D24, Indonesia with Durian Hutan (forest) from Sumatra and Borneo's Durian.

There are some varieties of Durian :

• Malaysia with D2 (Dato Nina), D10 (Durian Hijau), D16, D24, D98 (Katoi), D99, D116 (Batu), D117 (Gombak), D123 (Rim 2), Hew 3.
• Thailand with Gaanyao, Montong, Kob Picul, Chanee, Luang, Kradoom Tong, and Chompoosri
• Indonesia with Sitokong, Bakul, Mas, Sitebel, Simanalagi, and Simadat

Almost every season you can find Durian in Singapore, the price is usually from $1 to up to $10 per piece. But D24 is the most expensive one. You can find many durian places close to kallang road and Bugis junction in Singapore. In my country, Elephant will eat Durian in the durian farm during the season, so people will be careful during this season.

"Brokeback Mountain" Love is nature and real

Brokeback Mountain is directed by Ang Lee who won Academy Award glory on March 5 with eight nominations in all the major categories. It has also won a string of industry prizes, including four top Golden Globe awards this film and the first reason I watch this because I like his film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2003) and "The Wedding Banquet" (1993) and I also surprised that this can be watched here in Singapore although other neighbours like Malaysia, Indonesia have banned this film although it has been through the censorship. In Singapore, the gay sex action/lifestyle can be indecency punishable with a maximum of two years in jail.

The Brokeback mountain film is about two cowboys who find their love in nature or accidentally find their love, although I am a little disagree to say that "a love is force of nature". The Film starts with the scene in the year 1963 in the place Wyoming. Two boys (young cowboys in early 20 years old) waiting for the boss to give them the job (as sheephelder) for the summer, they have to bring the sheep, sleep with them until they are ready to be sold. Day by day, they get to know each other through the daily life when bring the entire sheep trough the mountain, cross the small rivers and so on, while season change from summer, spring, winter, autumn and finally reach the next summer again. One night, when their campfire dies, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) who sleep outside feel the cold really hit his bone deeply, and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) ask him to move inside their bedroll.

What happen then ? That night, while the spark some, they found that they are physically in love. The love continue deep and deeper day by day, then they are separated after their summer job. Jack Twist plan to get married and have family so they are separated a part. But one day, they found each other again through a post card " Brokeback Mountain" where the place is very beautiful with a nature mountain and river.

Jack twist's wife is very surprised when she saw her husband kiss his boyfriend and they continue to have a lot of fishing trip and through a lot of trips, their love continue getting stronger. One day, they talk about how they would like to continue their relationship. At that century, they can be punished or killed if they want to continue with that. One day, Jack received a post card again for them to meet next summer, but it will be never happen, because Ennis has been killed after somebody knows about his gay life.

I agree, the film is not about sex life, but more into two people - the same gender find the love that spread into their depth heart. Love is nature and real. What do you think....

Does Haunted place Exist ?

When I studied in a school in Medan, my sister and I stayed in the dormitory. It was an old dormitory which was built longtime ago during the Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. We heard the story about this dormitory, when they put the building foundation, the developer found many bodies that were buried during colonialism. But what happen, whoever stay there, they will have some experiences either ever seen the body walking at midnight without head or someone is crying at night time, but nobody know who is crying.

I personally experience to hear that crying and mostly, when I slept I felt like someone sleep above me. Not only myself have this experience, most of the students stayed there as well. I forgot about that for sometime, but suddenly I remember again when we moved to a new house in Jakarta, my bro and sister have experience about someone trying to kill them in their dream when they slept. One day, after my graduation, I also moved to Jakarta. My bro just gave a joke on me that I will experience the same, I was just feeling curious and a bit worry. Well what happen, the first night I stayed, something hang on the wall, I do not know, but that was getting often. Almost every night, I have seen her hanging on the wall. So, a month after that I have to move up to my own room, but I had also experience in my dream that someone was trying to kill me, but finally we fought and she run away, since then It never happened again. I kept having the same experience when I stayed late in the office long time ago, something tried to bother me.

When I moved to Singapore, I had the same experience again, but until sometime it was missing. I had a trip a view months ago to Yogyakarta to many temples. What happen when we visited one of the temple ?. My mom felt something around her, although nobody around. One of the visitor say, she tried to take the picture but the camera doesn't work, but my camera works fine but while I took the picture, I can feel something around. Then my mom said, it is haunted...???

If you intend to take picture, don't forget to bring light, because inside the temple is very very dark. I took picture while a Japanese couple shoot the light to the top of the temple.

Thaipusam Festival - 11 February 2006 Singapore

THAIPUSAM FESTIVAL is one of the Hindus festival of purification that is celebrated around February every year. This is what I heard today from an old lady who stand next to me in front of the Hindus temple. "Thaipusam is celebrated in honour of Lord Subramaniam (Shiva's son) by all devotees. A month before this festival, they have fasting for one month and then after that they celebrate the thanks during the full moon of 'Thai' Tamil month. Devotees will walk around three kilometers, carry shrines decorated with peacock feathers, kavadis with spikes piercing their bodies and skewers driven through their tongues, cheeks and offerings such as milk, fruits and flowers in this procession". Then I ask her a question, Do they feel the pains? She then say, well It is a display of belief that transcends pain. I feel so heart when I see this, but well this is for today.

Chingay Parade - 4 February Singapore 2006

"Chingay means the decorated floats and stages or disguises"
Every year around the Orchard road, Chingay performs the parade along with a lot of variaties decoration. Almost every year I see this parade, but almost every year something new in the parade. This year, NUS also in the parade . Chingay parade & festival started 1973 and now it is the biggest festival of Singapore. The banner along the street say parade of dreams....
I take pictures at night time with limited light, so the picture isn't good enough.