Yay! My Christmas decor is up! BLue blue this year! Someone asked why I put up so early? π
“12 days of Christmas is just too short lor!”
I love this time of the year. I am a hot person. I love winters more than summer. I love the imaginery winter and snow in Red Dot! π
Have you watched this new drama Small Town Remedy? My idol sings Gently at the recent Nanjing first concert with this song this mth. XZ is the lead actor in this super funny and also at times sad drama. Still ongoing and shd be completed next week. Have a watch. Learn this new phobia term called Chionophobia! Guess what fear is this? Opposite of my love!π
Love this song. Tried to sing it. But now as good as the original XZ whose voice is always so soothing for ballads. Amazing talented guy- can sing , dance and act. If he ever comes to spore for his concert with our Stephanie Sun his idol and friend JJ lin? I think I will attend the concert. π shall wait and see…..
Think this movie is pretty good. Humorous. And about conquering fears and all about the relationships love and warmth. Enjoy!
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Snow melts, the wind turns warmer, flowers return to the branches
Spring is here, and there is a good remedy
Stopping and going, each travels their own way, at the next crossing
You and I also change into lighter attire
Put all the past we carry into the moon
Longing is waking up in the night
an open window
Gently, the person in the dream is as gentle as moonlight
gently falls on the heart, taking me to
the old place
Gently, when I miss you, petals drift down to the heart of the lake.
The years have ripples that echo; shadows gaze at each other.
Along the road we came, the two of us.
Clouds will rain, roads will turn, happiness will be hard to come by.
We will meet, and we will drift apart.
May you and I have mountains at our backs and warmth in our smiles.
Waiting for the wind to rise, and for the sky to turn blue.
Scene after scene of breath, layer after layer of ripples.
2/10/26 Interesting Ezra - The Persian Empire & Engineering and Jews Return and Wars
Happened to read Ezra this morning. Only 10 chapters about the history about 3000 years ago. KIng Cyrus and Darius time in Persia ( now Iran) allowing for the return of the Jews to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Well the war of modern day Iran- Israel now ongoing. Escalated in fact with our SQ no longer flying to Dubai till end of the year due to uncertainty
But was was captivating was that while reading , couldn’t help but recalling this ancient city of the Uyghurs In Tuyugou in Turpan In Xinjiang and the amazing Karez Wells systems!
Being on site at Turpan to witness this engineering system and the old village of the Uighurs was an eye opener.
Now on further research? The Karez wells actually was from the Persian empire! They call it QANAT. But the Chinese now call it εεΏδΊ。awesome underground gravity water systems!
What was surprising was that it was written! Darius the great put into law “ anyone who builts Qanats gets 5 generation of tax free on that land. So Persians dug 37000 plus Qanats across the empire”! The Karez wells in Turpan was 5272km plus long too! Longer than the Great Wall? !Majority found in Turpan Xinjiang.
Well well. Persia now Iran. Renamed in 1973? Still ongoing wars. Hmm Ezra recorded Cyrus the founder of Persian empire. Funny the king allowed the Jews to return to rebuild the temple. Yet today - the conflict of Israel and Iran continues. Wonder if Cyrus did not allow such return , perhaps history might change?
Just some musings that coincided with the Karez wells and Tuyugou ancient and Jiao He ruins.
My snow at top of Tian Shan along DUKu Road! My first experience of summer, spring ,autumn and Winter journey of this DUKu Road that cuts thru Tianshan from Nalati Grassland side to Urumuqi! 200km but took more than 5 hours with the 4 seasons from valleys to mountain top! π
My rejection of horse riding due to 60 past! So paid RMB20 for just the photo and me on the horse! Sian!
My first cotton plant touch！Amazing fields of them! Best up close and personal! TO touch!
MY first understanding of how raisins were dried in the ancient days too!
My first e scooter riding？
THe amazing record of Genesis found in Jiao HeRuins in Turpan ! The Bible of Creation is TRUE!!!
MY first witness of the amazing Karez wells or Qanat systems In Turpan! Actually after I came back to read more? This a Karez originated from Persia now Iran! Amazing “technology” that save the lives of many - the source of life of this water system
And I saw how the sheep and goats and cows walk on the slopes of the mountains! They made amazing lines like this! GOsh! What a track! π
Well well. Xinjiang is vast.
I have never seen so many sheep goats cow horses camels all over the place! Herded by mainly their minority tribe of the Kazakhs. They are wealthy owners of such flock! A sheep may cost RM2k, a cow RMB20k but a horse is minimum RMB30k to over 100k depending on breed! So the Bible during the time of Abraham? HE was rich as he owned so many of such flock! RIghtly so? Our Father in Heaven is the true owner of such assets. Like the grazing rights given to feed on the land by the government, we do not really “Own” this flock or our possessions. π
WInd Farms in Xinjiang ! Oh wow!
All over the place with the power of wind!
Journeying thru the car and train, yes the unseen wind. The spirit of God. We cannot see the wind.
But yet when those wind turbines turn? BIg and small ones? The wind is expressed thru such turns!
OH what an energy!
What is the feeling like standing on the tip of Altay Mountains and overlooking the 4 countries? RUssia. CHina. Kazastan and Mongolia? π The FEELINg of • ON TOP OF THE WORLD?”
Last but not least? MY first time loving to eat MUTTON! XInjiang maa maa is delicious! Cos they grazed on mountain grass! Overcame the fear of MUTTON! YEAH!
1. This highway route boasts of long stretch their Wind farms !
2. interesting Grape drying houses along the road. Cos Turpan is a Grape City
3. Turpan is very hot in summer ! HOw Flaming Mountains got its name and the filming of the Sunwukong crossing this mountain.
4. More interesting is their ancient city called Tuyugou. The home of the Uighurs. The canals built around their homes are from the Karez wells
5. Karez wells and irrigation system was a well thought out by the Turpan people for survival in ancient times. The place was just too hot. Evaporation rate of water high. Hardly any rainfall. Yet they managed to grow grapes thru this irrigation method! And they stayed alive !
6. The other ancient ruins we went is Jiao He. But this one was built below the clay area. Sunken ancient city to avoid the heat!
7. Urumuqi-Turpan by car took us more than 3 hours. So we decided to buy a train ticket back for RMB78 first class today. ( standard is 48) To cut travel time by 1/2. To see Urumqi city a bit more before we return to spore Tomo!
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Tuyugou!
25/9/26
Left Urumqi for Turpan.
1. This highway route boasts of long stretch their Wind farms !
2. interesting Grape drying houses along the road. Cos Turpan is a Grape City
3. Turpan is very hot in summer ! HOw Flaming Mountains got its name and the filming of the Sunwukong crossing this mountain.
4. More interesting is their ancient city called Tuyugou. The home of the Uighurs. The canals built around their homes are from the Karez wells
5. Karez wells and irrigation system was a well thought out by the Turpan people for survival in ancient times. The place was just too hot. Evaporation rate of water high. Hardly any rainfall. Yet they managed to grow grapes thru this irrigation method! And they stayed alive !
6. The other ancient ruins we went is Jiao He. But this one was built below the clay area. Sunken ancient city to avoid the heat!
7. Urumuqi-Turpan by car took us more than 3 hours. So we decided to buy a train ticket back for RMB78 first class today. ( standard is 48) To cut travel time by 1/2. To see Urumqi city a bit more before we return to spore Tomo!
This is Kuitun city. Over 200k population. Both directions are 4 lanes!! FOUR! And both sides have e-scoot plus grand dad cars lanes! Very well planned city. Clean. Neat. Lined with trees!!!! Think not congested Cannot imagine 4 lanes each direction! Gosh
24/9/26
After visiting Sayram lake ? Think can actually skip this Heavenly Lake which is about 2 hours from Urumqi. Smaller lake on top of the Tian Shan range. π cos travelling up to the mountain top needs the bus and the cable car again. That itself took about An hour. So this place can skip !
Whatever, Xinjiang is just too big! Entering into Urumuqi yesterday was an eye opener! Despite its 6 lane for each directions? There was still a jam of half hour or more entering into the city centre due to peak hours!
