Love is in the air

Sites like We Met on a Plane make me smile, cringe and groan all at once. 

Have you ever 'connected' with someone on a flight but never had the chance to get his or her contact details? It's something like what I wrote here, but it's a bit more than that. Someone caught your eye and you think (or you'd like to think) that he might've noticed you too. Maybe it was a smile, whatever, but that was all that happened and weeks and months later, you still can't get that person out of your head.

Well, this is where 'We Met on a Plane' comes to the rescue. Travellers can submit their flight details- flight numbers, dates, departure and arrival points- together with a short paragraph or two on the person they'd like to re-connect with and the circumstances of their meeting.

I wanted to get an idea of the type of stories posted, so I clicked on 'Top Voted' on the website. They range from sweet to over-dramatic to completely emotional, the last being something I imagine would appear between the pages of the 'Twilight' books. Which I've never actually read, of course.

The site, which was set up by Australian businessman Will Scully-Power, has yet to declare a match. Thirty per cent of visitors, however, apparently stay for more than 10 minutes, either reading the stories like I did or making use of the search function. 

So what was Will's inspiration behind the website? He met his Kiwi girlfriend on a flight from Langkawi to Sydney in July 2011. She was supposed to fly direct to Auckland but upon checking in, was informed of a last-minute change: her plane would be stopping in Sydney, which incidentally, was where Will was going. If her flight hadn't been rerouted, she probably never would have met him. 

So go on then, go check out the stories.

Photo essay: Doors and doorways

I love taking photos of doors and windows. The right kind of door can add character to a house, mosque or temple and may even make you want to go inside and explore. Here are some of my favourites.

 This door in the grounds of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia had some 

lovely metalwork depicting what appeared to be a deity sitting on top of lotus flowers. 

 Still in Cambodia, this time in one of Angkor's temples. I had entered a doorway 

and was about to leave when I saw this boy sitting outside, just watching me.

This lovely door was in an art shop in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

This was in Alcatraz prison, in San Francisco Bay. 

I wish I knew what or who they once kept in the vault.

I love New Orleans, 'nuff said

 Rusty metalwork and peeling paint complement this door at an old mosque in Ayutthaya, Thailand 

I discovered this lovely sea-green door in a quiet alley in an old section of Kuala Lumpur. 

Wish I knew what the words meant.

Evening sunlight shining through a doorway at the Blue Mosque, Istanbul

The Lama Temple, Beijing

Beijing's Yonghegong, or Yonghe Temple, is the closest I've ever been to Tibet. Also known as the Lama Temple, this is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in China.

The Lama Temple has quite an interesting story. It wasn't always a temple- when it was built in 1694, it started out as the living quarters of court eunuchs of the Qing Dynasty, and after that it became the residence of Prince Yongzheng, the emperor's son. It was only in 1744 that the building was turned into a lamasery, or monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism.

©Euyasik

I found the temple grounds quite pleasant to stroll through, particularly because of the Tibetan music which was playing in certain sections. A few of the smaller chambers also served as shops for people to buy incense and other prayer items. 

One thing I noticed about this temple, though, was that it had many closed-circuit television cameras, as well as uniformed police guards just standing around and looking at everyone. If you're aware of China and its issues with Tibet, you'll find it difficult not to be offended by the sight of policemen asserting themselves in a place where people have come simply to pray. 

Rubbish bins in the temple grounds, decorated with flowers and dragons

A woman spinning one of the many prayer wheels in the temple. 

Prayer wheels are spun in a clockwise direction to gain religious merit 

Beautiful artwork in the ceilings can be seen throughout the temple

A Tibetan Buddhist monk from inside a doorway. 

You can see the smoke from the incense lit by devotees.

The easiest way to get to the Lama Temple is via the Beijing subway. Get down at Yonghegong Station and take exit C. Opening hours are from 9am to 5pm. 

Books: Video Night in Kathmandu

I bought my copy of 'Video Night in Kathmandu' some time back, maybe it was five years ago, I honestly can't remember. This was after I'd given up looking for it, having spent months scouring all the bookshops in Kuala Lumpur and failing to find it anywhere.

Then about a year after I stopped searching, I saw the book in a store right here in KL. I'd heard of what a good writer Pico Iyer was, so I bought it and started reading immediately. 

I'm thoroughly ashamed to say that I didn't complete 'Video Night'. I read the first two essays on Bali and Tibet but never went beyond that. It was strange, but when I read the book then, I didn't like it (sorry). 

I found Pico Iyer a bit too analytical, too labourious, too heavy. He annoyed me. I knew he was brilliant, but I didn't like him. I remember thinking: Why does he have to go so deep into Bali? It's a beautiful island; why does he have to over-analyse so much? 

I eventually stopped reading. All these years, his book stayed on my shelf - unfinished, reminding me how unsophisticated and uncultured I was. How I was unable to appreciate good writing.

Then all of a sudden Pico Iyer kept popping up everywhere- in Boston.com, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and I'm sure in a whole lot of other places I didn't know about. These articles were such good reads - well-written and full of insight, wisdom and clever stuff, and I thought, Wait, hang on. Hang on a sec.

I need to start reading him again. 

And so I did. A few days ago, I re-read 'The Underground Overland Invasion', his piece on Tibet and fell in love with it. Properly, this time. 

And yes, he really is brilliant. Pico Iyer writes beautifully. You just need to wait a little for me to tell you just how beautiful.