You won't be disappointed as they kept improving every year. After missing out last year, we're back again here to celebrate Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Dog for this Chinese New Year.
Earlier this year, a hypermarket chain around the country was embroiled in controversy when it emerged that Lunar New Year t-shirts being sold there depicted 10 animals in the Chinese zodiac, but not the dog or hog. We're expecting the same dispute next year.
Every year I would like to hunt for CNY theme t-shirt but this year it's obviously a disappointing result for me..
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| Funny. It's like, it's your birthday but sorry, you're not invited to the party. |
No luck here as it's not much a revered animals in Malaysia. Some shopping malls did not depict dogs in its decorations as considered "unclean".
The FGS Dong Zen Temple CNY Lantern and Flora Festival 2018 held from Feb 14 to March 4.
We timed our trip to coincide with the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration – the Lantern Festival marked on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It is rarely known, even to many Chinese people, that the Lantern Festival is the real Chinese equivalent to Valentine’s Day.
Adorable video of dogs celebrating the Year of the Dog for the Chinese New Year. In China, it is still popular to name dogs Wàng Cái (旺财). It means “prosperous wealth” and comes from dogs' barking sounds (旺旺—wàng wàng). At first I misunderstood some of the videos which mentioned (旺旺来), , if mixed with Malay words means money money come. Acutally it meant 'prosperous' or 'lucky' to come. Oh Blimey!
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Chinese Etiquette: Fist and palm salute- Fist and palm salute is one of the typical Chinese etiquette with a history of more than 3000 years. |
On the streets and in homes they greet one another by clasping and shaking hands and telling each other"Gong hei fat choy” is the most common Chinese New Year greeting in Cantonese, which is spoken in parts of southern China and Hong Kong.
It directly translates to “wishing you great happiness and prosperity.” In Mandarin, the same greeting is “gong xi fa cai”. It's becoming rare these days to use the specific hand gesture as above, made for the Chinese New Year occasion.
Some of the commonly used Chinese New Year well wishes greetings:
1. Good luck in the year ahead! 恭贺新年。Gōnghè xīnnián. A Happy New Year to you.2. 新年快乐. Xīn nián kuài lè. Happy New Year. 3. 和气生财. Héqì shēngcái. Harmony brings wealth. 4. 心想事成. Xīn xiǎng shì chéng. May all your wishes come true. 5. 财源广进. Cáiyuán guǎng jìn. Money and treasures will be plentiful. 6. 岁岁平安. Suì suì píng'ān. Peace all year round.7.升官发财
Shēngguān fācái.Promoting to a higher position.8. 年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú): May you have excess every year.9.长命百岁 (cháng mìng bǎi suì): May you live for one hundred years.步步高升 (bù bù gāo shēng): May you rise steadily (at work).10.出入平安 (chū rù píng ān): May you have peace wherever you go.
The same can be said of compare Chinese to Malay or Indian had embraced their traditional culture, it's common to see traditional 'baju kurung' was commonly worn by Malay women, or Indian women wearing Sari. And yet, Chinese people rarely wear traditional clothing, Qi Pao or 汉服 (Hanfu) as everyday dresses not even on Chinese New Year.
The Chinese people is losing a large portion of its traditional culture. It may be due to have had extensive exposure to western modes of thought and adopted the English language and Western culture.
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| This year’s theme revolved around loyalty and honour to commemorate the Year of the Dog. It is also in line with a couplet written by FGS founder Master Hsing Yun that lay emphasis on loyalty. |
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| Mega Signboard with this year theme. |
The 2018 one stroke calligraphy on the spring couplets are “A
Family Legacy of Loyalty and Honor”. The most valuable sentiment in the world
is loyalty and honor, one must loyal and honor his supervisors and
subordinates, friendships and leaders. People have comradeship, heaven and
earth have righteousness, society has benevolence, the universe has gratitude.
We must understand what loyalty and honor mean, be thankful to loyalty and
honor, practise them and regard loyalty and honor as our family legacy.
- Venerable
Master Hsing Yin -
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| Leaflet Distribution - showing daily calendar to find out what time shows, parades and special events are happening at the FGS Dong Zen Temple during CNY. |
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| Yeah, we know it's common sense. People need to be reminded about common sense from the visitors information newsboard but they still won't heed . No need to dress to kill here. Oh behave! |
Although this year is the Year of Dog but still dogs are not allowed are in the temple. Hopefully no one trying to be a smart aleck.
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| How come this rules and regulations not display outside information board but at the wall of man shrine? |
This is the 14th lantern festival of the temple, which is also the largest lantern festival during Chinese New Year. Each year, the lantern festival attracts thousands of visitors including dignitaries have visited the temple since the lantern festival was officially launched on Feb 14.
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| The moment I entered this temple, I see Bian Lian, or Face Changing mascot. Huh? Dog missing again? No, there's plenty of "dogs roaming free". Here you will be loved. |
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| As I take a selfie with a Samsung phone, I could feel many angry faces staring at me. When you reached early, you don't have unwanted people and objects from your pictures. It's like having the whole place to yourself. |
Bian Lian, or Face Changing, as it's known in the western world, in an old dramatic art associated with Chinese opera from the Sichuan Province. It has been a secret for hundreds of years. A movement of the head. A wave of the hand. A different face! The masks are pulled upwards over the head by some form of wire mechanism controlled by the movements of the head, the hands are almost purely misdirection.
With a twist of the neck and a flip of the wrist, performers can leave the casual observer spellbound.
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| Beijing Opera Facial Masks Decorative |
Come and light lamps as offerings to the Buddhas.In Buddhism, symbolic offerings are made to the Triple Gem, giving rise to contemplative gratitude and inspiration.
SINCE BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI attained enlightenment 2,560 years ago and dispelled the darkness of ignorance that obscures the mind's true nature, lamp offerings in Buddhist practices have symbolized his realization. Each lamp offering celebrates the Buddha's enlightenment .
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| By making light offerings, in all our lives we will be able to dispel ignorance, illuminate beings’ minds darkened by bewilderment, remove the confusing mist on the path of liberation, and make apparent the vastness of the absolute space. |
Hang out too long at the place. When I got back to the hotel, I could still feel the Fo Guang Shan chanting rang in my ears when there is nothing around you that could be hear that sound.
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| How much is that doggie in the window?the one with the waggly tail. How much is that doggie in the window? (Arf, arf) I do hope that doggie's for sale. It would be nice , if the display can be accompanied by the sounds of music/song mentioned here. |
When you choose to get a dog, you must choose to become a responsible dog owner. Cuz dogs have feelings too, just like humans. When we come home after a long day and are excitedly greeted by our dogs, expressed behaviour, such as barking, yelping and tail wagging. One of the (many) great things about dogs is that they don't fake their emotions.
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
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| Here is the amazing and true story of the Japanese Hachiko dog, or Hachi as was his nickname, the real dog behind the popular movie: Hachiko. A faithful dog, a national symbol of loyalty and fidelity in Japan. |
Hachiko was a dog known for his infinite fidelity and love to his owner, Eizaburo Ueno, a university professor. The Akita dog heart-wrenching acts of extremely loyalty has touched the hearts of people across the nation by faithfully waiting every day for more than nine years in front of Tokyo's Shibuya Station at 3 o'clock for his master to return from work.
Unaware that he had died from a cerebral hemorrhage and wouldn't be coming back anymore.
In 1934 the statue of Hachiko was presented and the dog himself took part in the ceremony. Today anyone can visit the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno where the stuffed Hachiko is exhibited.
Loyalty and valuable services that dogs provide to human beings make them worthy of being called man's best friend. So sad, no lantern in the shape of Hachiko found here.
Dogs' devotion to their human owners , committed dog who refused to leave his master’s grave for a decade has died at the spot where the man is buried.Dog thinks, "Master is in the ground, I'll wait for it to wake up no matter what".
After the death of Argentinian Miguel Guzman in 2006, his pet dog Captain unexpectedly ran away from home.
Guzman’s family thought the German shepherd Capitan had run away, but were shocked to find the dog by its owner’s graveside months later when they found the German shepherd sitting by his master’s grave, whining pitifully.
That is an amazingly unbelievable a, no one is sure how Capitan was able to find the cemetery where his owner was buried? Capitan, a 15-year-old German Shepherd, who lived at the side of his owner’s resting place for 10 years, has died at his owner’s grave in the Municipal Cemetery of Villa Carlos Paz, a city in the Argentinian state of Cordoba.
Capitan isn’t the only loyal pooch who just can’t let go and won't be the last.I am certain that both of these dogs are enjoying their reunion in heaven with their respective owners. 😂
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| Henry Wheeler Shaw (21 April 1818 – 14 October 1885), better known by his pen name Josh Billings, was an American humorist. |
The Four Beauties or Four Great Beauties (四大美女) are four Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. These were Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei.Three of the Four Beauties brought kingdoms to their knees and their lives ended in tragedy.
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| Got room for two more beauties? |
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| Aiya! This information board without an English translation. |
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| Festive masks are used during celebrations, especially during Chinese New Year. Theatrical masks are worn or even painted on faces in Chinese opera and other theatrical presentations. |
With masks, audience is able to interpret character of a role at one glance. That is possible because of strict indication of colors that are used for painting the masks.
Red symbolizes positive values of the character such as loyalty, commitment,heroism and courage.
Purple can be used instead of red but can also symbolize respect, sophistication, nobleness and a sense of justice.
Black is color for characters that have integrity, that are impartial, neutral and unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others. The first person that came into my mind is Justice Bao (real name Bao Zheng. He proved to be a magistrate of justice, fearlessness and righteousness.
Blue faces are also an indication of neutrality but can also mean wisdom, stubbornness and fierceness.
Green is reserved for characters that lack self-control, that are violent and impulsive. Hey we have Hulk that Marvel character contender here. Hulk is a character well known for his emotional and impulsive issue with anger and who literally blazes with it and turns green.
Yellow and white paint signifies brutal characters and characters that are hypocrites, ferocity and evil ambition.
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| Always love your mother cause you never get another. |
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| Kawaii - (◕‿◕✿) (◠﹏◠✿) |
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| We must always speak gently. Our tongue is always moist, showing us that our words must be cool too, and not harsh. There is no weapon that is more dangerous and hurting than the tongue. |
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| "With the man himself!” |
Fo Guang Shan Malaysia is one of the many branches of Fo Guang Shan (“FGS”) throughout the world. FGS is founded by Ven Master Hsing Yun.
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| Objectives. Its goal and aims are to promote Humanistic Buddhism around the world by the four founding principles: To propagate Buddhist teachings through cultural activities by creating FGS pure land. To promote World Peace. John Lennon used to sing the phrase "All we are saying is give peace a chance" .☮☮☮ |
A swan musical fountain at the entrance of the temple is another highlight not to be missed. Four giant lanterns signify Four with revered Great Bodhisattva resembling each symbolizing different aspects of Buddhist belief and practice, and each with its own individual cult of veneration.
The most common grouping includes compassionate as:
1. Avalokitesvara(Sanskrit: the lord who looks upon the world with compassion) Bodhisattva( in Mahayana Buddhism: a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so through compassion for suffering beings). This bodhisattva is variably depicted, described and is portrayed in different cultures as either female or male. Avalokitesvara, the first manifestation of Kuan Yin : Goddess of Compassion (Kwan Yin).
2. Manjushri the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, normally holds a sword in one hand, to cut off all delusion, and a Prajnaparamita Wisdom text in the other. Manjushri sits cross legged on top of a lion. The lion is standing on lotus flowers.
3. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha is one of the four principal boddhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha took a great vow to guide all living beings from the hell and denied to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is one of the most well-known Bodhisattva in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. Also known as Di Zhang Wang Pusa in Chinese and commonly translated as Earth Store Bodhisattva.
4. Samantabhadra (Sanskrit, "Universal Worthy") is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Gautama Buddha and his fellow bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism.He typically sits on a white elephant with six tusks (symbolizing the six perfections which are six distinct dimensions of human character have been cultivated to the level of excellence—generosity, morality, tolerance, energy, meditation, and wisdom)
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| Teachers are taking young kindergarteners on field trip or educational outings. In the morning and afternoon almost deserted but at night this place will be "people mountain, people sea" (rénshānrénhǎi 人山人海) |
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| Sis doing hands forming a heart sign. Should raise both hands up to form a bigger heart sign. Having a big heart is something that you are born with and is a result of the experiences you have been through in life. |
In Mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, the V sign is a popular pose in photographs. It is used in both casual and formal settings. For the most part in these countries, the gesture is the meaning of the sign is "victory" or "yeah", implying a feeling of happiness.A V sign made with the palm facing inwards is said to have originated in England and is an insult rather than a positive gesture.
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| Little Girl Gives Peace Sign or Victory Sign. Does she know what the hand gesture mean? |
Chinese Wishing fountain. May God bless you, with all your heart desires.
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| I'm looking for "may you hit the jackpot someday". Odd of winning? You have a better chance of being killed by an asteroid striking Earth but you never know when thunder may strike. |
The temple usually gets crowded in the evening, visitors are advised to arrive early so that they could get a glimpse of the glowing giant lanterns in the sunset until late night.
As dusk falls and turns into night. Ding, ding, ding, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready? It's time for the main event! let's get ready to rumble! Well, I meant.. Selfies and Groupie get your camera phone on, it's a photo shoot time!
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| All set and ready to go! |
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| Swan musical fountain at the entrance of Dong Zen Temple rotating with brightly coloured lights illuminate the water, you'll see a captivating show of fountains shooting water up high all choreographed to Johann Strauss II - The Blue Danube Waltz. |
I'd wished I could waltz around all over the place when hearing the music. Waltz is a smooth dance, traveling around the line of dance. It is characterized primarily by its rise and fall action. Dance partners create a square footwork pattern on the floor, counting '1,2,3'- '1,2,3' as they move together, one going forward, one going backwards, to form the box. Once mastered, other fancy and graceful moves can be added.
Ah...memories of my dancing years. (⌣̩̩́_⌣̩̩̀)
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| Swans are a recognized symbol of love and faithfulness. It's a beautiful sight to see, hardly surprising since when two swan pair up it tend to choose a mate for life. |
Swans form monogamous pair bonds that last for many years, and in some cases these bonds can last for life. Their loyalty to their mates is so storied that the image of two swans swimming with their necks entwined in the shape of a heart has become a nearly universal symbol of love.
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| Lanterns in the shapes of 101 Dalmatian dogs. Hey where's the rest of the puppies? |
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| Heart shape symbol with running lights will be much more affectionate. |
In addition to that many of my favourites dogs missing in action. I reckon young people, that they simply don't know these famous dogs that stole our hearts have had such an impact on us.
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| Chipmunk loves a good karaoke session but shhhh.. Don't disturb Siddhartha meditating under the Bodhi Tree |
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| Not Cute Enough - Lack of Winnie the Pooh charm |
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| The former pumpkin is now an elegant carriage ready to whisk Cinderella off to the ball, around the kingdom or deliver her and Prince Charming to happily ever after. |
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| Neon Light extravaganza. It like a ufo spaceship in here. |
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| Cute penguin cartoon |
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| Has anybody seen Scooby-do? Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Ear flapping dog ain't cuter than those with wagging tail. |
One of the most common misconceptions about dogs and their tails is that a wagging tail means a happy dog. This isn't always the case..
When dogs looked at tails wagging to the left, their heart rate increased and they showed more signs of stress and anxiety. The dogs were more relaxed when they saw tails wagging to the right. Just like us they also have a bad/ruff day. So remember Left signal .. BAD day..go away Right signal.. GOOD day. Let's Go for a Walk.
It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog. It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log. But when I get home to you I find the things that you do. Will make me feel alright...
It took volunteers several months to assemble the lantern made of thousands of tiny bulbs. We owe a depth of appreciation to the unsung heroes that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make this wonderful event possible.
A Dog's most defining characteristic is their loyalty. They will never abandon their friends, family or work. Honest and just, they are popular in social circles.The “Brown Earth Dog” is taking centre stage at the annual Chinese New Year lantern festival at Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom here.
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| Wouldn't it be nice to have this song after the performance? You ain't nothin' but a hound dog Cryin' all the time You ain't nothin' but a hound dog Cryin' all the ..Elvis has left the building. |
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| You lucky dog! We reach at this section just in time for the giant lantern show.Revolving stage with LED party light synchronized to music and sound. |
In conjunction with the Chinese New Year Festival 2018 Celebrates the Year Of The Dog,
a colossal revolving dog lantern is 12.36 m in height, 11.55 m in length and 11.55 m. The giant dog lantern structure made of recycled material is able to rotate 360 degrees. Assist by a 3 m high base, it appears as if a giant dog is keep watch over the entire temple.
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| Malaysia Book of Records CEO Michael Tio presented the certificate to Ven Jue Cheng, who is the chief abbess of FGS for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. |
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| These dogs have natural talents that are carefully honed with intensive training. Working dogs are trained to help others and they love to work. At the bottom of stage shows how dogs are helpful To human. |
Dogs with jobs
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| Service Dogs enrich the lives of many people all over the world and showcase the full potential of the bond between dogs and humans. |
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| Good dog breeds for children include Labs, Mastiffs, Golden Retrievers, and boxers |
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| The Healing Power of Dogs. |
Dogs have an amazing healing power and may improve the physical and mental health of their human companions? Simply petting a dog can decrease levels of stress hormones, regulate breathing, and lower blood pressure.
A dog also becomes your kid's best friend
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| A guard dog - a herding dog for cattle and sheep, a hunting dog for wild boar, and as a guard dog for your home |
This canine might not look like a typical guard dog but his diligent work looking after his owner's bike whenever he goes off to run some errands has seen him become a minor celebrity in China.
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| A police dog, known in some English-speaking countries as a "K-9" or "K9" (a homophone of "canine"), is a dog that is specifically trained to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel. |
A dog’s nose is superior smellers, its biggest asset in police work. They receive special guidance to help their human handlers sniff out drugs, bombs, guns, or missing persons and suspects that humans can't find.
That’s not all they can do. Often, make excellent pets and formidable guard dogs, just a simple growl from a serious-looking German shepherd is enough to make a suspect think twice before causing trouble.
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| There is no business like dog show business. Are We Not Gorgeous? |
Last year, Pudsey the dog, who shot to fame in 2012 as the canine half of Britain's Got Talent winners Ashleigh and Pudsey, has died at the age of 11.They say all dogs go to heaven, and you've earned your wings. #RIP #Pudsey
She need to use some listerine mouthwash after the show.
I do not own the rights from YouTube videos.
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| Road to FGS Dong Zen Temple Jenjarom. |
A sign or signboard is structure that directs attention to an object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization, or business. The general rule of thumb is that you should placed the signage where it is visible to as much walk-by and drive-by traffic as possible but not so for the this road sign location signboard stucture is a the end of the junction corner.
We missed the signage on our first visit.
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| Just in case you forget. |
A PLACE TO RECHARGE
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| I found myself in the same body position after spending a few hours walking with no place for a proper resting place. |
Dong Zen Temple sits on an area of 16 acres in Jenjarom which is spread over a huge area. Most people's legs will get tired and ache at some time in their visit, usually from standing or sitting for long periods, but there is no appropriate space designated to rest our feet so that the discomfort soon goes once the legs are rested or moved.
Hot weather seem to drain away my energy in he afternoon as we still have for a couple of hours to wait till night before the FGS Lantern shows at night. It is just my wishful thinking someday this place may have a place with folding chair with rest arm for tired visitor to nap/recharge or revitalizing for tired body, feet and legs with a Vending Massage Chair.
MYSTERY OF THE ceramic URINAL bowls
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| Why is height of the urinal bowl mounted so low than the usual height? All reserved for all seven dwarfs? |
In a urinal with wall, the users may stand back to back. Often, one or two of the urinals, typically at one end of a long row, will be mounted lower than the other but in one of men's washroom all of the urinal bowls are extremely low. First time user who needs to use the restroom will be scratching their heads in this situation.
Are we able to see this Disney character making appearance next year? You have to wait until the next year to find out.
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| Angry Pumbaa |
Pumbaa: ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
Timon: Now they're in for it.
Pumbaa: THEY CALL ME MR. PIG!
[Charging towards the Hyenas]
A mechanical failure with the mascot's for this visit. It supposed to be moving the head I think.
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We have finally reached the end of our trip. My sister children are all grown up. First time without any of them accompany us for this trip. Say adios, goodbye, sayonara to FGS Dong Zen. I will see you next year and perhaps I won't.
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