Star Gazing

You don't need super telescopes nor a clear night to do star gazing. There are stars in gemstones such as the star sapphires and star rubies. They are not only fantastic but also valuable, not to mention the thrill and satisfaction when you look at them. I have a few star sapphire rings. I  will tell you what I do with them. Of course, I wear them. However, it is more than just wearing them on my fingers. Whenever I stop at traffic lights, I will do my star gazing to kill the time while waiting for the light to turn green. It sure makes me happy and contended. You see, as you turn the ring, the star will follow your turning, as the sapphire needs light to produce this effect. If you are in a room where there many spot lights on the ceiling, you will see multiple stars appearing on this stone, the stars move as you move you hand and they all seem to be smiling at you. You may not know how much fun you can derive from this type of star gazing unless you experiece it yourself. The world is definitely wonderful to have such beauties in it. You just need to uncover the stones and it will be a pleasure for ever. Of course you need to own one to enjoy its beauty and also keep you company whenever you are bored (for instance waiting at traffic lights). Take a look at this video below and you will know why.

Isn't star sapphire lovely? Will upload my stars later for sharing.

Animal with expensive eyes

Do you know which animal has the most expensive and adorable eyes?

If you are a gemologist, you would probably know the answer. It is the Cat's eye. Although many gemstones (like moonstones, quartz..) exhibit the cat's eye effect, only chrysoberyl gemstones that demonstrate this effect are the true cat's eye gemstones and they are called Cymophane. Click on the clip below to find out more about this noble cat's eye.

I have in my possession a chrysobryl cat's eye weighing 18.34 carats. It is oval cabochon in shape and polished. This gem is greenish brown in colour and is from Sri Lanka (as described in the Gem Identification Report). I bought it a few years ago in a jewelry shop in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre in Singapore together with a identity report from the Gemological Laboratory.

The noble Cat's Eye

Certificate of identification

Are you the lucky one?

Recently my wife passed me a newspaper cutting. An article which read something like this: A bowl bought for 3 US dollars was auctioned for more than 2 million dollars in a major auction house in US. Read for yourself:

A rare find in the US

You may be wondering why somebody somewhere (in this case the US) can be so lucky. Actually, there are many good and valuable things lying around somewhere in this world. You need to have a pair of sharp eyes like the eagles', the eyes that can distinguish good from bad and gem from trash. You also need to possess wide and deep knowledge that set you apart from the ordinary folks.

Well, that bowl is no ordinary bowl. It is a piece of history (about 1000 years old), it is rare and most of all it is beautiful and magnificent. A bowl made during the period of Song Dynasty in very ancient China. It is known as the 'Ding Ware', one of 5 famous kilns from the Song Dynasty. As mentioned in the article, there is one such bowl kept in a British museum. How fortunate for the one who was able to buy an piece of art fit for any museum at a tag sale in the US (probably like the flea market here in Singapore, that's why the cost is only 3 US dollars). Why it ended in a tag sale is anybody's guess. I suppose the previous owner did not know its value (historical or monetary) and got rid of it to clear the garbage in his house. The bowl could have been left behind by his forefathers who could have brought it out of China (who knows by what means) during those turmoil times during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. If I am not wrong there are still a lot of such good treasures outside China, probably in Europe and the US. Don't forget, the foreign soldiers raided the Imperial Palace during those turmoil times and fled with plenty of invaluable treasures. These treasures would than end up everywhere, probably on display in their houses. Morale of the story is: If you don't educate your children regarding these treasures, they will treat them like garbage and eventually squander everything and anything that you have left behind. History will repeat itself. That is sad. There was another story reported in the press that a UK family auctioned a vase for 50 million pounds. The vase had been on display in their living room for many years until someone asked the family to have it evaluated. Eventually they learned that the vase was a very valuable antique so the family had it auctioned off. Could you imagine this windfall.

If you want to know about the famous kilns that produced the magnificent bowls and plates during the Song Dynasty, just click on this video. Let me remind you, every single piece if you find it, will be a treasure as these things are very rare indeed),  Some of the Song Artifacts are really elegant and magnificent. I do not even know  how to describe their beauty. My apology. The video is in Mandarin.

 

Video on Song Ware 

 

My Great America Tour

My trip to the US sometimes in December 2011 brought back a lot of fond memories. My son was working in Texas then. My wife and I visited him and together we set off for a tour that brought us from Texas to New Mexico then Houston where we boarded a plane home on boxing day. Places we visited and activities carried out: the Airforce Museum, George Bush Museum, Metour Crater Museum, Carlsbad Caverns, McDonald Observatory, Monahans Sandhills Park, Big Bend Museum and National Park, the Alamo and Japanese Garden in San Antonio, the 5 Spanish Missions in San Antonio, factory outlets in San Marco, Capitol Building in Austin, NASA, the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas BB-35 in Houston, also attended a Christmas service at Lakewood Church in Houston, finally did some Christmas shopping before heading home from Houston international airport. One place worth mentioning (although all places we visited are interesting and exciting) or rather the highlight of this tour is the Big Bend National Park. The place is vast and full of nature, I mean not spoilt by human hands (in terms of development and the things you find in cities). If you like nature, this is definitely the place to visit. All you need to do is to hire a car and you are free to go wherever you want, stop at the place you want and stay as long as you want. There is no tour guide to hurry you from place to place.There are a few mountain trails that we really enjoyed hiking. It was so full of fun. You have got to be there to experience it. Do you know, the scenes you see in western cowboy films where the red Indians chasing the cowboys on horses, they were all shot here( where they called it the wild wild west). They sure needed such a vast place for all this chasing and gun-fighting. Somewhere in one of the mountain trail, you are sure to meet up with a singing Mexican (a local icon with a great voice) selling souvenirs there. You will be amazed at his singing ability. He appeared many times on You Tube, looks like he has become a celebrity in his own right.

Another great place in the tour is Carlsbad Caverns, a journey underground, some 1037 feet below the surface. We had to drive through the Chihuahuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains, rugged mountains and broad plains with cactus everywhere, before reaching the cavern. We knew as we entered the cavern, we would be away from sunlight and the flowering cactus and headed straight into the underground world of gigantic subterranean chambers, fantastic cave formations, and the extraordinary features. We really had no idea what to expect as we walked, crawled and climbed down into the darkness, the wonders of Carlsbad Caverns. As we explored further into the caverns, we passed many large and famous features, like the Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages and Painted Grotto. After lunch, we explored the remaining places like Bat Cave , Devil's Spring, Greenlake Overlook, etc. We needed one full day for the trip and were dear tired by the time we reached home. Quite an experience indeed.

When we were at San Antonio, we visited the Alamo, once served as the home to missionaries and their Indian converts.San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. We heard of the story of how the Texans holding the Mexican troop until the last man in their 13 day struggle to defend the Alamo from being capture by the Mexicans. Although they lost their lives, this event finally led to the independence of Texax from the Mexican through the Texan Revolution. Beside the Alamo, we took a boat ride on the waterways or canals in the morning. During evening we went back to the same place to take photos. Since it was December, there was Christmas lighting everywhere along the waterways.

You may say sight seeing is tiring. But this was nothing compared to shopping when we were the factory outlets in San Marcos Premium Outlets. There we went from shops to shops looking for those bargain deals, shops like Levis, Cough, Kate Spade, Gucci, etc. By night fall, we were carrying 3 to 4 bags on each hand. Never mind the price, just buy first as you can always return the goods later if you don't like them, a law in the US to protect the consumers.

NASA the Johnson Space Centre, the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas were the other interesting places to visit in Houston. Will update later.

Here are some photos and video clips for sharing


Oil Equipment in Texas



Chihuahuan Desert to Caverns



Inside Carlsbad Caverns

Star Gazing

Monahans Sandhills Park

The Big Bend

The Big Bend

Waterway in San Antonio



The Spanish Mission



State Building in Austin






My son in NASA



Battleship Texas

Christmas Service at Lakewood

                                                          Big Bend National Park

                                             Hiking and the singing Mexican in the park

Gambling of a different kind

If you have been to the border between Yunnan (a province in China) and Burma, you will notice that there exists a gambling of a different kind. There is no casino around but it is well known that huge fortune can be made or lost within seconds. Guess what is this type of gambling? Take a look at this picture and you will soon find out.

What kind of rock is this?

If you think this is just a piece of ordinary rock, you are wrong. Rock doesn't have this kind of colour. Well, this is a piece of raw jade boulder with most of its skin still attached but the skin is only partially removed at the tip of the stone revealing its jade colour. If you shine torch light around it, you will see more of this green colour all over the stone. It is definitely a green Jadeite, a Chinese lady's best friend.

Well, what has gambling got to do with this stone?

Now, if you visit the Jade market in Yunnan, you will probable see a large crowd of people mingling with the Jade merchants (usually from Burma). Most of them are not interested in the Jade pendants, bangles or whatever Jade articles on display. Or rather some of them set their eyes on the numerous boulders of various sizes on display on the floor. These again are no ordinary boulders although they may look just like the rocks you may find lying in your garden back home. There is no sign to reveal that these boulders are real jade and its quality is also not known to naked eyes (unless you have them cut open in a workshop). The potential clients patiently use torch light to shine on the boulders, trying to uncover the gem (or the lack of it) beneath the skin . Sometimes the merchants may remove a bit of the skin (showing some green colour) on the boulders to entice the clients. He can then jack up the price to maximise his profit. The clients and the merchants will start bargaining to reach a price for these boulders. Mind you, the price can be as high as a few million dollars (actually there is no price limit for such stones, it all depends on size and the amount and depth of the green one can estimate in the stones).

This is exciting and very challenging, definitely not for the faint hearted. For instance, you may pay a very high premium price for a boulder (with a bit of the green revealed at some part of the stone where its skin has been previously removed) knowing that you can make a lot of high quality jade articles from it, and the huge rewards you will then reap from this transaction. After you have the boulder cut open, you can be disappointed to find that only very little of the boulder has good quality jade-like colour, the rest is very ordinary jade of low quality (which does not fetch a high price). In other words, the boulder is rather worthless. Just imagine, your investment (millions of dollars) has just gone down the drain in a couple of minutes (time taken to cut up the boulder). If you have a weak heart, you better stay out of this game.

On the other hand, another client may examine the boulder thoroughly and purchase it after careful examination and consideration (again torch light to reveal whatever green he can find in the stone). When he has the stone cut up in a workshop nearby, he is overwhelm with the magnificent quality of the jade that is revealed before his eyes. Absolutely green jadeite, the entire rock is a perfect piece of  jade that can be made into numerous jade artifacts, from bangles to rings and pendants. Overnight, he has made millions from this daring transaction.

That is the reason why this is called gambling of a different kind. You can make or break in life with a simple decision. Some lose a huge fortune while others reap millions, all in a matter of minutes. This is called Jade Boulder Gambling, literary, in the jade market.

Jade Pendants

If you are a beginner and don't have a deep pocket, better stay out of it as the risk is too high. You may end up losing everything, even your own life. Stories of people who lost heavily and committed suicide are not uncommon in this part of the world. 

 

An old white jade ring

A video clip on boulder auction

                                                            Jade Boulder Gambling

Once upon a time in China

Have you ever seen an ancient court room of old China? If you go to Shansi (山西), there is a county called Pingyao (平遥) where an ancient court room (县衙) is preserved. There is even a live show of the court proceedings for the tourists who visit the Pingyao Court.

I had the opportunity to witness how the Judge (Magistrate) handled a case. The accused was brought in together with the plantiff. The evidence was produced and the Judge was convinced without any doubt that the accused was guilty as judged. He then pronounced judgement to the accused and the case was resolved with loud applause from the crowd.

However, as we all know, history will tell us that in old days the Judge was usually corrupt and the accused was always set free and the plantiff became guilty and punished instead. This is why money can do wonders in those days. There was even a saying that spreaded among the public. The doors of the court room are wide open, if you have the truth/evidence but no money/cash you better don't come in. This shows how corrupt the officials in those days can be. Money speaks louder than words.
                

      县衙大门八字开, 有理无钱莫进来 .

                                        
Pingyao Court with sign showing
Mirror of Justice Hanging Above.
More often than not, there was no justice in the ancient court for the common folks.



Inside the Court Room, you will see the a table and chair for the Judge.

There is a big picture behind that shows a huge sun rising above the sea.

The Judge always used a wooden thing to hit on the bench to threaten the accused or to ask the people to keep quiet. His duty is also to keep the court house in order.





The accused was brought in and knelt
in front of the Judge. The plaintiff also
knelt behind him.

Usually the Judge would have the accused beaten so as to get the truth out of him. In most cases, the accused was beaten repeatedly until he confessed. Of course, if you are rich, you can always get the verdict in your favour. In this case, both the judge and the accused would adjourn to a room behind to reach for an agreement/settlement.




Finally, the Judge was satisfied with this arrangement with the accused and knew what to do with the verdict.

He then read out the verdict, usually ignoring the loud noise of complaint from the innocent party or the public.

The condemned person was then brought back to the prison, awaiting his final punishment.

It is scary, isn't it. If you are poor you will always be judged guilty and punished. That was life then.

Fortunately, this was ancient time in China. In this 21st century, even if you are poor, the State will make sure that you will get a good lawyer to defend you. You need not worry about the fees as the State will take care of that.

I composed a poem while travelling in Shansi, it goes like this:

       国庆过后游山西

       平遥古城寻古迹

       古县衙内诉冤情

       乔家大院看三稀

Chinese Poems

I like to write poems while travelling in China. When the journey is long, it is a good idea to do some useful thing like reading or writing something to kill time. Here are some poems written during the tour to Wuyishan in Fuzhou and 双乳峰 and 万峰林 in Guizhou.

     平日好旅行

     福州来散心

     武夷山上去

     岩茶共品茗

                                        10 Dec 08

双乳峰 is a new tourist spot in Guizhow. From afar, the mountain looks like a female's bosom; hence the name 双乳峰. An interesting place to visit.

双乳峰  in Guizhow

    游子来到双乳峰

    双乳之景可歌颂

    怀念母乳哺育恩

    感叹母爱情义重

             -记双乳峰之游

万峰林 literally means jungle of ten thousand hills. Here you will find many many mountains leading to a village with interesting padi fields and water ways. A nice place to visit.




万峰林 in Guizhow

                                                         

万峰齐聚成峰林

山峰高低皆不平

千奇百怪多模样

形象全憑心与灵

    -记万峰林之游

                                                                                  



Village in 万峰林