Vatican Exhibit

Saint Helena of the True Cross.
Click here for a detailed description of the artifact.


Another cold night. Funny how weird the weather is nowadays.. & I'm been getting bouts of runny nose & stuff like that..& I have not been sleeping well..sigh.

Recently, I visited the Asian Civilizations Museum for the Vatican exhibit with most of my RCIA group. Frankly speaking, I was a little disappointed. Why? I expected to be inspired & in awe by the arts & artifacts on display. The artifacts & paintings were especially flown over from Rome itself & some are not even on display at the Vatican Museum! I concluded maybe it was due to the lack of time we had (we went during one of the Friday evenings as most of the group were working & had fork up some of their precious time in order to visit this special exhibition, and we only had 2 hrs) and the “glamour” (I could not come up with a better word to describe) & awe I envisioned as I stood staring transfixed at the relics and paintings…simply did not materialize. Ha! Maybe I was too naive to think of that! Well, I DID find some of the artifacts that capture my attention & left a deeper impression on me.

Below are the following items that I find are quite fascinating (well, we could not take photos of them as no cameras were allowed & they were security guards around, so I have to resort to finding the pictures on the web:

A Crab Crucifix

The Papal Tiara. Click here for a detailed description of the Tiara

Lastly, my admission ticket! =p

Just 2 days ago, I came across an article on the web that is close to my heart. It is about NASA's attempt at another moon landing planned somewhere in 2018. This time round, NASA will be sending the astronauts to the moon in a newly designed capsule that is capable of accommodating more astronauts than in the risky, ageing space shuttle that have been in use all these years. Frankly speaking, it is finally time they should come up with a new type of shuttle or one that is based on the existing configuration but modified to suit further space missions to be more cost-effective, etc. Do you know only the Americans are capable of launching the space shuttle into space as each shuttle launch can cost them millions of dollars & it is very expensive to maintain them as the technology onboard the space shuttle are already 20+years old..the fact that there are numerous accidents in recent years like shuttle crashes and deaths of astronauts and recent groundings of shuttle launches due to technical faults may contribute to the reason why the White House is planning to phase them out in 2010.

Well, I for one am rooting for the idea of the continuation of space exploration programs as it will be a setback for humanity if we do not reach for the stars, so to speak. Given the recent popularity of the Mars landing & the millions of hits on NASAs website the images brought back by the rover that landed there, I can only image the excitement generated this time round! The only time we get to see images of moon landing is way back in 1960s!And Im not even born yet! So, for the Baby Boomers like us (those born after 1980s) we will finally get to see one…as the event will surely be televised worldwide & broadcasted real-time on the Internet..a complete story & a flash video on the future moon mission can be found here.

Food For Thought..

Yupz, Im going to talk about food today. I witness 1 particular incident tonight that I believe is worth mentioning here..

After one whole morning & afternoon of rushing here & there, I met up with Camillus & Samuel for dinner. We all end up at a Turkish restaurant located at Far East plaza & we had quite a filling meal(except for Camillus, who said he wanted more =p)..so Samuel suggested we all try out a nice little Russian restaurant near Bugis. Off we go. .

By the time we reach it is around 9+ but the restaurant wasn't quite crowded. We proceeded upstairs. There were quite a number of people around us, noticeably working professionals in their late 20s and early 30s who were enjoying their meals & making small talk. As we had eaten early, we decided to order something light so we could just sit down & soak in the ambient surroundings & chit-chat. The restaurant gives you a very homely feeling, and the lady Russian manager would come around to the surrounding tables to linger & engage in light-hearted conversations with the diners. We had ordered 2 kvas (according to my friend Samuel which i vaguely recall it is a kind of beverage made from fermented rye, so that's the reason it tastes slightly like beer) & 1 plate of delicious hot-fried pancakes with sour cream which we all shared.

As we are about to leave, the manager came over and asked us how's the food & whether we would like to have more orders. We politely refused as we were actually quite full at that time but then the manager gave us a surprise and said we can order any dish on the house! That offer was increased to 2 more dishes (no, those were not cold leftovers). We had piping hot beet-root soup(Samuel mentioned its the national dish of Russia), 1 plate of nice little dumplings & fried pancakes! We thanked the manager profusely after we left and she even gave my friend Samuel some tips on how to chase after Russian gals..=p

Now, how many times in your life will you get such good hospitality? Even from fellow singaporeans, I would say its none. Now, Im not trying to say that Caucasians are always better than us(that would be making a general statement) nor am I undermining fellow Singaporeans. What Im trying to say is we should learn such graciousness, such generosity from foreigners and apply it in our daily lives. Isnt this is what PM Lee & all our past PM have always try to encourage us to be better citizens & Cosmopoliteans? I leave you with that thought..

P/S: For those who are interested in visiting the restaurant, it is located opposite Golden Landmark Hotel (you have to walk a short distance from Bugis MRT stn). The restaurant is called Nadezhda Russian Restaurant, along Arab Str.

God Bless!

Another Day Has Gone..

Hrmz..its a cold night 2nite & I feel another day has gone by & Im not doing anything constructive! But, today I went to my RCIA home sharing session with my sponsor, whom he has not got a chance to attend 4 the past few wks due to his NS commitments..real glad he could make it!

Frankly speaking, Im getting more & more at ease in each session & I really enjoyed them! I hope Im beginning to grow day by day in terms of faith..been relatively busy 4 the past few days, meeting up frens from my poly, went out 4 meals & stuff like that..4 the guys many r beginning to be enlisted 4 national service & as 4 the gals, many r starting 2 wk..real glad we get the rare chance 2 meet up & keep in touch..well, 2ml is a long day 4 me, I better be slping soon as Im helping out a very gd fren of mine send his PC 4 repair(& my 2!)sigh..computer problems..

Anyway, Im looking fwd 2 go 4 the Vatican exhibit at ACM Empress Place this coming Friday with my RCIA grp! Hope 2 sneak a few shots of the exhibits..=)

Peace Be With You!