CK Go Places

2012農曆新年的第一份紅包

2012-01-22T14:33:00.001+08:00

今年陽曆一月十四日承擔了「台灣佛教慈濟基金會（馬來西亞）」古晉分會的會員「歲末祝福」攝影，也因此有機會領取了遠渡重洋而來的《福慧紅包》。這是證嚴法師每一年都會為與「慈濟」有緣的大眾捎來的一份祝福。今年也是我第一次領取《福慧紅包》，所以特別有意義。

我希望以這一份祝福與大家分享，祝大家身體健康，萬事如意，心想事成，大吉大利！在這除夕夜，也預祝大家新年快樂！

Banking with Madonna in Black

2012-01-20T16:33:00.000+08:00

Republic Square in Prague is an interesting place with buildings from different ages of architecture. A shopping complex can be leaning on a church.

An arch-like building can just be towering the adjacent buildings at another corner of the street.

At the main junction, two functionalist architecture buildings; the Czech National Bank and the Commercial Bank, can be facing an art nouveau building; the Municipal House with the eminent Powder Tower.

Even the hotel around here has very interesting main entrance.

Walking from Republic square to the Old Town Square led me to this interesting building with cubist architecture. This building belongs to the House of Black Madonna. If you are searching for the Black Madonna, look at the corner of 1^st floor.

Near to the House of Black Madonna is Celetná Theatre where there is a quite courtyard to get away from the bustle and hustle on the busy streets.

Týn Courtyard is also around the corner, bridging the streets to the Church of Our Lady before Týn.

Getting out of Týn Courtyard is the Old Town Square where tourists congregate. The Church of St. Nicholas occupies a section of this prominent square. This church is different from the St. Nicholas Church at Lesser Town Square.

There are some other interesting buildings with sculptures along the way from Old Town Square to Charles Bridge. The sculptures can either be traditional or modern.

A Living Wall

2012-01-15T22:22:00.002+08:00

The John Lennon Wall in Prague has a very interesting history. At first glance, it looks like any other graffiti wall around the world, but there is a hidden message behind the wall depicting the silent war between the pacifist youth and the Communist police.

When John Lennon was murdered on 8^th December 1980, he soon became a hero for the pacifist youth amongst the Czechs people who were still under Communism ruling prior to 1989. These people started to paint this wall with The Beatles' lyrics that promote peace and freedom. Despite several rounds of whitewashing the wall, installation of surveillance cameras as well as assigning night guards, the pacifist youths still risked their freedom from being jailed to keep on painting the wall with messages promoting freedom, which was not allowed under the Communist ruling.

The owner of the wall in the modern days also tried to whitewash the wall but the graffiti kept on coming onto the wall. The authority has already given up in keeping the wall clean from graffiti and it has now become a tourist attraction.

The graffiti on the wall is forever changing as layers of painting keep on coming onto the wall. Some tourists also tried to make their marks on the wall too. No matter how the wall has changed, the spirit of freedom, love and peace will live on.

The National Theatre in Prague

2012-01-14T15:05:00.002+08:00

The National Theatre in Prague is already more than 130 years old but it is still resuming its functional use until today. Situated at the riverbank of Vtlava River, it occupies one of the prime locations in Prague.

The glittering golden roof is an unmistakable landmark of the city. The neoclassical architecture makes it one of the most impressive buildings in Prague.

The facade facing the street is adorned with statues to greet the people moving around on the street.

Don't forget to pay a visit to this magnificent monument in Prague when you are visiting this amazingly beautiful city, if not the most beautiful city in Europe.

Walking Around Wenceslas Square

2012-01-08T16:23:00.000+08:00

Wenceslas Square is the busiest square for the local people as it is a convenient meeting point. If you were to meet someone and tell him or her to wait at the statue of St. Wenceslas, you just can't miss it.

Just behind the statue is the monumental National Museum. It's neo-Renaissance architecture makes it the most outstanding building at the square. The young people who congregate in front of such gorgeous building just can't help to get romantic.

Further northwest of the statue of St. Wenceslas is the Memorial to the Victims of Communism. The flower bed was full of white and yellow roses.

There were some red roses too at the neighbouring flower beds.

St. Wenceslas Square is also a boulevard with many beautiful buildings lining both sides. The most striking building is Grand Hotel Evropa. Its decor is art nouveau inside out.

Tram is one of the main means of transport around the city centre of Prague. Therefore, it is not surprising to fine a tram theme cafe in the middle of the street.

Another monumental building along the boulevard is this Melantrich Building. It was at this balcony that the announcement of the end of communism for Czech Republic was made by the first prime minister on 24^th November 1989.

Not far from Melantrich Building is the art nouveau palác (palace) Rokoko which connects to palác Lucerna.

At the Světozor arcade just across the street from palác Lucerna lies an interesting stained glass. It was put up as an advertisement for Tesla Radio in late 1940s and now it has become a tourist attraction.

Getting out from Světozor arcade under the stained-glass window connects to the Franciscan Garden. It is a nice place to take a break from the bustling streets outside.

Neighbouring Franciscan Garden is the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. This old Gothic church was full of people during prayer time in the evening. I was the only one there not for the prayer.

Beside the Church of Our Lady of the Snows is the cubist lamppost dating back to 1915. It is one of its kind in the entire world.

At the northwestern end of Wenceslas Square is Koruna Palác (Crown Palace) of which the name was derived from the crown of pearls on the tower.

That concludes my walk around Wenceslas Square in one afternoon of June 2011.

Wallenstein Garden

2012-01-07T21:18:00.002+08:00

Wallenstein Garden is a huge walled garden hidden inside the Wallenstein Palace. The garden was part of the palace construction between 1623–1630.

The most striking building in the garden is perhaps the Sala terrena, or loggia. With the three massive arches, it can't be missed.

The walls and ceilings of Sala terrena are intricately decorated with frescoes and stuccoes. These paintings tell the tales of the Trojan wars.

The huge Roman columns also serve as excellent props for pre-wedding photo shooting. There were at least two groups of photo shooting going on during my time of visit.

Have you seen a white peacock before? This was my first experience of seeing one, right inside the Wallenstein Garden!

The avenue leading to the inner part of the garden is line with replicas of bronze statues on both sides. The original statues were plundered by the Swedish during the war. These statues are mostly the figures in the Greek mythology.

Several water fountains are scattered around the garden. The bronze statues on the fountains are also replicas, as they did not escape from the plundering act of the Swedish.

At the eastern end of the garden is a considerably huge ornamental pond where visitors can feed the ducks. The small green island in the middle of the pond lies the bronze statues of Hercules and the Naiads.

Wallenstein Garden is no doubt a good place to take a break form the hustle and bustle of the busy streets in Prague. When you are in Prague, don't forget to enjoy some tranquility in this beautiful garden.

Time to Love in the Year 2012

2012-01-01T17:30:00.003+08:00

Dear bloggers, blog readers and friends,

Here are two photos I took in Japan in the year 2008 to share with you. May this new year be filled with lots of time to love. Happy New Year! Have a fruitful and prosperous year ahead.

With warmest regards,
C.K. Ng

Petřín Hill

2011-12-30T14:28:00.000+08:00

Petřín is a hill on the west side of the Vltava River. It is about 130 metres above the river bank. Being the highest observation point in the centre of Prague, it is surrounded by gardens and parks on the summit.

There are many trails and a funicular railway up the hill. I chose to slowly walk up the hill while enjoying the green along the way.

The trail that I had chosen was an easy walk with proper steps, perhaps too easy for die-hard hikers.

On the summit, there is the Petřín Observation Tower built in 1891 for the Jubilee Exhibition. At 60 metres of hight, it is said to be a miniaturised Eiffel Tower in Paris.

There are 299 steps to climb to get to the observation deck of Petřín Observation Tower (100 CZK). I was too hectic to climb the steps after climbing the hill, so I paid an extra charge of 50 CZK to use the lift, or what is called an elevator by the Americans.

This is the best place to see the panoramic view of Prague! Almost every prominent building around Prague is visible from here.

Charles Bridge with hundreds of people crossing it is clearly visible from here with a telephoto lens. Seeing Charles Bridge from this angle is a totally different experience from walking on the bridge itself.

The view of St. Vitus Cathedral from here is also very refreshing. The diamond-shaped pattern of the roof of the nave is clearly visible.

The Church of Our Lady before Týn, the Astronomical Clock and the Powder Tower can also be spotted amongst the terracotta-colour roofs. If you would like to take a glance of Prague, the view from Petřín Observation Tower is second to none!

The Royal Garden of Prague

2011-12-26T11:28:00.000+08:00

The Royal Garden is a long stretch of green along the northern side of the Prague Castle. It is one of the seven gardens surrounding Prague Castle.

The Royal Summer Residence, or commonly known as the Summer Palace, occupies the eastern end of the garden. This is the most important building inside the Royal Garden built between 1538-1563.

Right in front of the Summer Palace is the Lion Courtyard. The name was derived from the hobby of keeping exotic animals here by one of the rulers of Prague.

Somewhere in the middle of the Royal Garden is the Royal Ball Game Hall. This is something like an indoor stadium with badminton courts in the modern days.

Near the western end of the Royal Garden lies a yellow-colour building which looks like a guest house.

Further west from this building is the Riding School of Prague Castle and the Powder Bridge which leads to the entrance of Prague Castle from the Royal Garden.

Making Trdelník

2011-12-24T11:26:00.002+08:00

Trdelník is a traditional Czech sweet pastry. It is sold in stalls scattered around the touristy sights. Most of the sellers put up a show at their stalls to attract customers.

The strips of dough are first rolled on a steel drum.

The rolled dough strips are then pressed and flattened.

They are then grilled on a fire pit.

Once they are baked, they are striped of the drum and coated with sugar and crushed walnut mix.

You are the Apple of My Eye

2011-12-21T00:00:00.003+08:00

Date taken: 3^rd November 2011
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D + Kenko 12mm, 20mm & 36mm extension tubes + Nikon Speedlight SB-800 with soft box + Nissin Speedlite Di622 with soft box

Loreta

2011-12-18T10:21:00.002+08:00

Loreta, or sometimes referred to as Loreto; is a pilgrimage site in Prague. This Baroque building is very impressive. I didn't go inside because I have seen many churches and cathedrals around Europe, so I passed.

Going Vegetarian in Prague

2011-12-17T18:54:00.001+08:00

There are quite a number of vegetarian restaurants scattered around the city centre of Prague. They are not located directly in front of touristy sights, but hidden in some small lanes amongst the maze of the streets. However, they are not that difficult to find with the aid of a detailed city map.

The first one I went to is called Lehká hlava. It means 'clear head' in plain English. This is a very interesting restaurant with two dining halls. One is a cool themed hall with starry-night atmosphere.

I was seated at the warm themed fiery ambiance dining hall after 10 minutes of wait. That wasn't too bad as I was told this restaurant is always full. Sometimes the waiting time can be up to an hour!

All the tables are lit from within. Some of the tables have glass pebbles inside, giving them a radiant look with the lighting from the inside of the tables.

The attention to details of the frescoes on the vaulted ceiling really amazed me. I haven't seen a restaurant like this before. The two dining halls were really a feast to my eyes.

I couldn't really make up my mind on what to order as everything on the menu sounded nice to me. Finally I found one item which includes five house specialties, the Velká Lehká hlava (Big Clear Head). It came with herbed potato gratin, vegetable shish kebabs, eggplant quesadilla, yogurt and salsa sauce. It was a giant-size serving, but I still managed to gobble up all the healthily and freshly prepared vegetarian food. I haven't tasted such high quality vegetarian food before. With such kind of scrumptious vegetarian food, who needs meat!

With such a good impression on Prague's vegetarian food, I went on to look for more. Maitrea happens to be a sister restaurant of Lehká hlava, so I was confident with the food quality.

The interior is not as 'unusual' as its sister restaurant, but still not that ordinary. This restaurant has two levels. I was seated at a corner of the ground floor dining area near the bartender.

I was spoiled for choice again, so I just ordered something with the word 'favorite' stamped at the side. I wasn't very keen on the vegan 'chicken', so I settled for the eggplant dish.

The eggplant and tofu in Thai green curry sauce was a hit to my gastronomic adventure! Every grain of rice fully soaked with the sauce tasted divine. Capped with the fragrance from the coriander leaves, this dish was just perfect! This time, the serving size was just right.

As I am a die hard non-alcoholic drinker, I can't stand a drop of alcohol in my drink. That Pivo (Bernard) švestkové was just nice for me, a beer without alcohol.

This non-alcoholic beer came in a very good looking bottle. Taste wise, it has got some plum flavour. Something very nice to go with the green curry taste. I spilled one-quarter of it due to my camera setup hitting the glass when the camera toppled, what a waste.

If you feel like having something lighter after many meaty meals in Prague, these two restaurants are highly recommended. Furthermore, it's not expensive to dine there as you can see from how much I spent for both meals.

Ais Kacang & Ayam Penyet

2011-12-14T21:00:00.003+08:00

If you can just do one thing right for Kuching hawker food, the Kuchingites are gonna flock to your stall like sugar is to ants. Swee Kang Ais Kacang is one of those success stories; from a hawker stall at the Kuching Open Air Market in the old days, to this shop at Jalan Haji Taha.

Ais kacang is a local dessert with very simple ingredients. The local people call it "ang dao chien lut" because of the two main ingredients. "Ang dao" refers to the red beans simmered in syrup whilst "chien lut" refers to the green-jelly noodles made from starch. All these are topped with shaved ice, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. A healthier version comes with milk instead of coconut milk.

I have been gobbling up Swee Kang's "ang dao chien lut" since young and it is the best in Kuching in my opinion.

You may ask what "ang dao chien lut" has got to do with ayam penyet? Well, the answer is very simple. Just beside Swee Kang Ais Kacang is a Muslim coffee shop that sells one of the best ayam penyet in Kuching. It is served with a generous portion of green vegetable salad and sambal. Although the fried chicken looks a bit 'dehydrated' on the outside, the juiciness of the meat is well retained inside.

The ayam penyet here beats the overrated Raja (RJ) Ayam Penyet hands down! The breast meat that I was served at RJ Ayam Penyet was dry and hard. However, the side dishes of tempei and tauhu goreng (deep-fried tofu) regained some of its reputation.

I am still considering whether to go back to RJ Ayam Penyet to sample its ayam penyet by specifically ask for thigh meat or drumstick. There's gotta be something at RJ Ayam Penyet that makes Kuchingites flocking there. What do you think?

To Read or to Sleep

2011-12-12T11:28:00.000+08:00

The main purpose for me to visit the Strahov Monastery is to see the Strahov Library. The library with the two Baroque halls is the largest monastic library in Czech Republic.

I paid 80 CZK for the admission ticket, but I was given a 50 CZK ticket which I think is the concession ticket. I didn't noticed that until I got back from my trip and studied the ticket in more detail. I wonder what had happened to the balance of 30 CZK!

The first thing that caught my eyes was the two-storey Philosophy Hall once I stepped into the lobby. Everybody is allowed to peek at the hall through the door only. Only V.I.P. guests can enter the hall. It is said that the humidity from visitors' breath may endanger the frescoes on the magnificent ceiling.

To take pictures here, there is an extra 50 CZK photo license. If you have forgotten to pay for it at the ticket counter, one of the prudish attendants there will stop you from taking any pictures until you pay them 50 CZK. They will stick a sticker stamped with the monastery's seal on you camera sling belt as proof of photo license. Once you have decided to leave, they will confiscate the sticker from you. I think that's to prevent the sticker to be passed around among other visitors. What a brilliant thought!

Further down the corridor from the lobby is another beautiful hall called the Theology Hall. The same restriction on visitors' entry to the hall applies here. Everyone is only allowed to peek at the hall from outside the door. The curved ceiling full of embossed carvings is a resemblance of today's moulded gypsum-board ceiling, but I believed they were hand-crafted at that time.

The ceiling is also adorned with beautiful frescoes depicting 'True Wisdom'. What an irreplaceable theme for a library!

When I looked up on the ceiling of the corridor, there was a fresco too, but definitely not as elaborate as the frescoes in the two halls.

Other than the two magnificent halls, ancient books and written artifacts are displayed along the corridor and lobby.

There is a documentary book from the 17^th century with very beautiful drawings on it. Writers in the ancient time had to be good illustrators too.

There is a also a symbolic map from the 16^th century depicting Europe as a virgin.

When I was about to leave the monastery, I saw two symbolic maps of Europe on the lawn!

This Nicholas is Not that Nicholas

2011-12-11T14:49:00.002+08:00

In Prague, there are two St. Nicholas Churches. One is located at Old Town Square and the other at Lesser Town Square.

The one at Lesser Town Square is more prominent as it is considered as the most beautiful Baroque building in Prague. The more-than-70-m high cupola and the bell tower of equal height form an important part of Prague's skyline.

When I went to Prague 7 years ago, I remembered that I paid to go in to the church at Lesser Town Square. When I read my travel guidebook during my trip this year, I saw free-of-charge entry! I thought that was more than a bargain and happily went to the church expecting to have free entry. But I realised that I was wrong because I mistakenly referred to the entrance fee of the St. Nicholas Church at Old Town Square in the travel guidebook. I still paid up 70 CZK to gain permission to enter this St. Nicholas Church. What I got from the 70 CZK was a postcard-size ticket and a leaflet with more information about the church.

I didn't take many photos of the church 7 years ago as I did not have much memory storage for my digital camera, and was very careful with the shots from my film camera. This time round, I could finally fire the shots to my heart's content.

The church interior is adorned with many statues, giving it a very strong spiritual atmosphere. There are also very beautiful paintings on the dome and vaults with gilded frescoes at every corner. All there were done by the contemporary leading artists.

During the evening time, concerts are still held inside the church. Therefore, the pipe organ is still maintained to be in working condition. It is said that the organ was used by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during his part of life in Prague.

Paying 70 CZK to see all those was already worth the ticket price. Not to mention that there are actually more paintings, statues and frescoes in the chapels lining along both sides of the nave of the church.

When you are in Prague, don't miss out visiting this church as it is one of the churches with the most beautiful interior in Prague, or perhaps the most beautiful.

Do You Still Remember Love?

2011-12-10T15:28:00.000+08:00

Do you still remember to love yourself? Do you still remember to love you family? Do you still remember to love your friends? Do you still remember to love mother earth?

If you have forgotten, please do remember.

Too Full with Italian Food in Prague

2011-12-09T23:16:00.001+08:00

During my second day in Prague, I started walking around the city as early as 8:30 a.m. By the time it was 7 p.m., my legs were so sore that I decided to end the day with a nice dinner somewhere near the hotel. I passed by this Plzeňská Restaurace U Graffů on my way to the Metro station in the morning, so I returned in the evening to get some nice dinner there.

Pasta "St. Thomas" (145 CZK) was something that caught my eyes on the menu, so I decided to give it a shot.

The portion of this ribbon pasta with roasted chicken, mushroom and capsicum on white sauce was really huge! It was enough to feed two persons. That's why I could only finished up three quarter of it and was already feeling too full. I wished I could finish it because it tasted really nice.

On the following day, I went in to another restaurant and ordered a pizza for lunch. This placed is called Restaurace KOGO which is hidden inside the courtyard of a shopping mall near the Municipal House.

The setting of the restaurant in the courtyard has a very nice atmosphere that I felt like dining in the backyard of my own house. I could sit here all day but I didn't because I wanted to see more of Prague!

When my Pizza Campagnola (230 CZK) was served, I got shocked again with the portion size! This pizza with tuna, onions and Parmesan cheese could feed two persons also, but I managed to finish it this time because it was just too tasty for me to leave behind a single slice.

The Italian food portion in Prague is really huge. In fact not only Italian food, I can say that it applies to all restaurant food in Czech Republic.

Bon Appétit

2011-12-05T14:36:00.001+08:00

Appétit is a shop at Hills Shopping Centre selling cupcakes, cookies and all stuff associated with afternoon tea. We were allowed to do a photo shooting in the shop thanks to one of our photography buddies who works for the shopping centre. We really had a fun time playing in the shop!

Muscular Powder vs. Feminine Powder

2011-12-03T16:28:00.000+08:00

When I first saw the name 'Powder Gate' or 'Powder Tower', I thought the word 'powder' in its name refers to the more feminine cosmetic stuff. I imagined it was a tower where the princesses would put on their makeup and peep through the tower windows to spot any young and handsome looking guy on the streets. After reading more on the details, only did I realise that its name was derived from the gunpowder that it stored during the 17^th century. What a drastic shift from my wild imagination!

Its construction began in 1475 under the commission of King Vladislav II Jagiello. It was left unfinished when the royal family decided to move from the neighbouring Royal Court to Prague Castle in 1488. Construction resumed in 1592 and it was not until the construction from 1875 to 1886 that it took its present shape, which is a resemblence of the eastern tower of Charles Bridge.

Being one of the thirteen gates to the city of Prague, it retained its importance to the Bohemian kings until 1836 as every monarch would pass through this gate on his way to St. Vitus Cathedral for his coronation. Today, this 65-metre high tower serves as a high vantage point to watch the happenings in the Old Town of Prague.

The tower is adorned with statues of the Bohemian kings, patrons and saints. If you have the passion, it is not too bad a thing to stand on the street and identify each and every one of them.

心动

2011-12-01T19:26:00.001+08:00

心动，是怦然，还是理所当然？

是往逃避的方向，还是勇往直前？

未来的事，没有人能够预测无误，一切都随缘吧！

Happenings around Old Town Square

2011-11-28T15:16:00.002+08:00

The Old Town Square in Prague is always full of people during daytime for the two attractions, the Astronomical Clock and Church of Our Lady before Týn. When there is a festival, the square is definitely gonna gather more people.

I was lucky to have come across the 9^th International Festival of Police Orchestras on 4^th June 2011, and there was free band performance in the square itself. It was really a splendid moment for the live music that came alive with all the active participation from the spectators.

For the locals, and nowadays foreigners alike, the Old Town Square is a popular spot for pre-wedding or wedding photo shooting. I managed to witness one photo shooting during my visit there.

It is something like this that spices up our travelling experience, in particular for a lone traveller like myself.

Contentment

2011-11-26T11:36:00.000+08:00

What is contentment? This is a question that we always ask ourselves. When we were kids, contentment can be very simple. Be it an ice-cream cone, a bar of chocolate, or a lolipop. The answer lies in simplicity. Happiness consists in contentment. Contentment consists in simplicity.

Church of Our Lady before Týn

2011-11-24T19:36:00.000+08:00

If you are in the Old Town of Prague, it is not possible to miss this church for its intricate spires on the twin towers. Even though the Týn School has blocked most of the front facade of the church, the spiky roofs of the towers never fail to lure the attention of the visitors to the eastern side of Old Town Square.

The church as we see it today has been completed 500 years ago, but it has undergone several times of repair and renovation works. As you can see, there is still some minor restoration work going on during my visit in June this year.

If you approach the church from Týn Courtyard, of which the church adopted its name, this is the view of the church that you'll see. The spires on the twin towers still dominate your attention to the church.

A closer look at the spires reveal the stars on them, but the spire at the centre of the church is the only one topped with a double cross.

Outside the north portal, above the double-leaf door, is a copy of the 14^th-century tympanum showing the Crucifixion. The original carving was done by the workshop of Peter Parler, King Charles IV's favourite architect.

Right Here Waiting

2011-11-21T16:36:00.000+08:00

After 'The Rhythm of Youth', here comes Grace in 'Right Here Waiting'!

Sometimes, waiting is not a bad thing after all.

It may be filled with wonderful anticipation.

You never know what you are going to get, but just wish for the best things to happen in your life.