Sunday, August 31, 2008

Neibourhood Temples Part 2

Been suffering bad luck? Feeling under the weather? One of our local temples recommends the following:They bang drums and burn paper, the trumpets wake us up in the morning, and there is a rooster to announce the sunrise.
Such are the temples in our neighbourhood. Above is the Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple, heard but not seen from our place, and its green Hanuman monkey god statue. Below is the much more subdued Sikh Gudwara.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Laura and Barry at home

Some more pictures of our new apartment, now that some pictures are sporadically hung. The before shot:After:

Monday, August 25, 2008

Congratulations Heather & Alex

My sister has gotten engaged while on a fabulous holiday in France. Here are some pictures that convey Heather and Alex's joy.

Barry joins the Army

Yesterday, a peculiarly cool Sunday, Barry joined the Singapore Armed Forces for their annual Army half marathon. Starting with 70,000 other runners well before sunrise, Barry made excellent time in his contribution to Singapore's forces. Here are the before and after pictures.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Hungry Ghost Festival

Last Friday was the Chinese Hungry Ghost festival, where one pays respect to deceased ancestors by burning joss sticks and offerings for them in the form of paper replicas (money, food, and such). Sadly, I failed to do this, and also shamefully stepped on the front step of a Hindu temple this week, and so am destined for bad luck!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Freedom of Religion

Our apartment overlooks temples of three religions (Sikh Gudwara is not shown, mosque and a Christian church available one block further).
1) Hinduism: Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, this is the busiest place of worship, involving trumpeting, drums, frequent events involving many late arrivals, beautiful saris and the occasional meal.
2) Thai-influenced Buddhism: If you like your temple tall and stylish, then the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple is the one for you. It also features a 300 tonne reclining Buddha who scorns photography.
3) Ornate Buddhism: The Leong San See or "Dragon Mountain Gate" Temple pleases the eye with bright red and glitters of gold. 4) Traditional Chinese Buddhism: For those who prefer a more rustic temple with fewer tourists.

Laura living in Little India

We are now living in a fabulous apartment in Little India with the above view.