Cultural Cuteness

Cultural Cuteness

Seems like an ordinary portrait photo? But by one look an Indonesian will realise that this girl is one too. Not by her look, but by her action. Indonesian will very often tilt their head down and shoot their eyesight up. It the the Indonesian meaning of cute!

Cuteness is a kind of attractive beauty commonly associated with youth, innocence and helplessness, as well as a scientific concept and analytical model in Ethology, first introduced by Konrad Lorenz. This is usually characterized by (though not limited to) some combination of infant-like physical traits, especially small body size with a disproportionately big head, large eyes, a small nose, dimples, and round and softer body features. Infantile personality traits, such as playfulness, fragility, helplessness, curiosity, innocence, affectionate behavior and a need to be nurtured are also generally considered cute.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Rusty Tiles

Rusty Tiles

Dirty, "rusty" roof overlooking the foggy sky from an elevated land. I cannot remember the place name though.

The characteristics of a roof are dependent upon the purpose of the building that it covers, the available roofing materials and the local traditions of construction and wider concepts of architectural design and practice and may also be governed by local or national legislation.
In most countries a roof protects primarily against rain. Depending upon the nature of the building, the roof may also protect against heat, against sunlight, against cold and against wind. If the roof is the covering for a house, then all these protective functions are called into play. Other types of structure, for example, a garden conservatory, might utilise roofing that protects against cold, wind and rain but admits light. A verandah may be roofed with material that protects against sunlight but admits the other elements.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Fish Nuggets

Fish Nuggets

These fish pieces are left outdoor to dry. The net at the bottom helps to dry the fish pieces from the bottom too. And also, it really smells!

Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which prevents the growth of microorganisms and decay. Drying food using the sun and wind to prevent spoilage has been known since ancient times. Water is usually removed by evaporation (air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying) but, in the case of freeze-drying, food is first frozen and then water is removed by sublimation.
Drying works by removing the water from food which the bacteria and micro-organisms within the food and from the air need to grow. It also creates a hard outer-layer, helping to stop micro-organisms from entering the food.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

To The God

To The God

The number of people praying infront of Mao's statue was never ending. Some placed their hands together while stnading, some neeled and pray until they can smell the newspaper. Many people there treat Mao as a God. In Indonesia, we placed Buddha or cross or a praying bracelet at our car dashboard. However, in China, many people placed a small statue of him instead.

Pagoda In Heaven

Pagoda In Heaven

Over looking the ranges, there was this japanese looking pagoda again. I do not consider that it looks more like a chinese one due to its minimalist design. With a mist hanging over the ranges and the heavy grow of plants in the foreground, the pagoda really knows how to make itself stand out.


Pagodas attract lightning strikes because of their height. This tendency may have played a role in their perception as spiritually charged places. Many pagodas have a decorated finial at the top of the structure. The finial is designed in such a way as to have symbolic meaning within Buddhism; for example, it may include designs representing a lotus. The finial also functions as a lightning rod, and thus helps to both attract lightning and protect the pagoda from lightning damage.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Squat for Knowledge

Squat for Knowledge


I watched a youtube video which says, "They (China) have more first class honors than we (America) have children." Of course I can't verify where the actual source is from, but you can see an example of how hardworking are these people. Squatting on the grass during the winter December. Why don't they sit down? Maybe because the ground is too cold.

In most universities, First-Class Honours is the highest honours which can be achieved, with about 10% of candidates achieving a First nationally.

A minority of universities award First-Class Honours with Distinction, informally known as a "Starred First" (Cambridge) or a "Congratulatory First" (Oxford). These are seldom awarded. In Oxford, the Congratulatory First involves a ceremony where examiners give a standing ovation.

A "Double First" can refer to First-Class Honours in two separate subjects, e.g., Classics and Mathematics, or alternatively to First-Class Honours in the same subject in subsequent examinations, such as subsequent Parts of the Tripos at the University of Cambridge. At Oxford, this term normally refers to a First in both Honour Moderations and the Final Honour School.

A Cambridge "Double First" originally referred to a first in two different Triposes. The phrase "Double First" originally referred to people who got firsts in both the classical and mathematical Triposes ("double men"). The two-Tripos criterion for a "double first", even in vaguely related subjects as English and History, constitutes a far higher hurdle than simply repeating the same performance in competition with the same students in a Part II of the same Tripos; it is harder because the subject matter is different, and the candidate has to reach a mark of excellence in competition with people who would have been studying the subject for longer at university level.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

The Unforeseen Teller

The Unforeseen Teller

This blind man is a fortune teller. Fortune teller claim that they can see the future and could advise you of your danger and paths that you should take. One think that always ponders me is why can't they see their own future on how to strike it rich. Maybe because he has lost his sight, he could see the coming future.

Chinese Fortune Telling better known as (Chinese: 算命, syun meng) have been through countless rituals and divination techniques throughout the dynastic periods. There are only 4 major methods still in practice between China and Hong Kong today due to accuracy and popularity by choice. Overtime, many of these concepts have gone into Korean and Japanese culture under other names. For example "Saju" in Korea is using the four pillar method.

Methods

1. Face reading - It is the interpretation of facial features of nose, eyes, mouth and other criteria within one's face. And convert those criteria into predictions of the future. This usually covers the phase of one's life, and reveal the type of luck associated with certain age range.
2. Palm reading - It analyzes the positioning of palm lines for love, personality and other traits.
3. Kau Cim - It requires the shaking of a bamboo cylinder, which results in at least one modified incense stick leaving the cylinder. The Chinese characters inscribed on the stick is analyzed by an interpreter. The prediction is short ranged as it covers one Chinese calendar year.
4. Zi wei dou shu - The procedure is sometimes loosely called (Chinese: 劈命, pik meng) or if someone seeks a advisor with a mastery of the Chinese calendar. The astrology is used in combination with Chinese constellation, four pillars of destiny and the five elements. The end result is a translation of one's destiny path. It is an interpretation of a pre-determined fate. The result of the details vary depend on the accuracy of the original four pillars information you provided. This method can also verify unique events that have already happened in one's life.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)

Spare Time

Spare Time

Sitting at 90 degrees outside their shops, these four ladies were playing a game of Mahjong to pass time. Notice that they had a heater, probable a coal or wood heater beside them. I am quite sure that they are the owner of the shops or else they will long be fired.

Pray

Pray

This was taken at my house in Indonesia. My brother was praying to the Heavenly God (Tian Gong) for a blessing for his coming marriage. This photo had been processed to make it black and white while leaving the three oversized joss stick in original colour. The background had also undergoes photoshop new filter, "Lens blur".




Chinese religious belief that predates Taoism and Confucianism, but was later eventually incorporated into both Taoism and Confucianism.

Ancient Chinese believed in a non-corporeal entity called Shangdi, an omnipotent, just, monotheistic supreme God. Over time Shangdi became synonymous with Tian, or Heaven. Worship of Heaven is highly ritualistic, and the emperor has to hold official sacrifices and worship at an altar of heaven, the most famous of which is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. There are no idols allowed in Heaven worship.

Heaven worship is closedly linked with ancestor veneration, as ancestors are seen as the medium between Heaven and humans. Rulers of China, also known as Sons of Heaven, derived their Mandate of Heaven, and thus legitimacy, from their supposed ability to commune with Heaven on behalf of his nation.

Early Abrahamic missionaries saw similarities between Shangdi/Tian and the Abrahamic God, and therefore translated their God into "Shangdi" in Chinese. Some Chinese Christian scholars assert that the Christian God and Chinese Shangdi are in fact the same entity.

(courtesy wikipedia.com)

Teh Tarik

Teh Tarik

This was shot during Melbourne University's International day. There was a food fair at the big tent outside of the union house. The direct translation is "pulled tea". A very famous kopitiam drink in Singapore and Malaysia, The drink is constantly poured from a cup to another. It cools the hot tea or coffee and also make it light and puffy as it mixes with air. A very distinct and comforting feeling when you drink it, don't forget about the milk. To those visiting Singapore or Malaysia, don't forget to try this. And to all my Malaysia and Singaporean friends, Cheers...



It is often compared to cappuccino because of its frothy top. The main ingredients are tea and condensed milk. Ginger water may also be added to form teh halia, or ginger tea. It has become the de facto national drink of Malaysia. In terms of taste it is somewhere between syrup and vending machine tea, the distinctive flavour of the tea leaves being obliterated by lashings of sugar and condensed milk.

This tea is special in that it is prepared using a unique technique. The tea is poured from a hand held high into a container held in a hand below. The tea is poured back and forth in this manner to create a thick froth. It is believed that this method mixes the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly than other methods.

The same technique can be used to make kopi tarik, the coffee equivalent of the tarik.

(courtesy wikipedia.com)