Where is happiness?

Everyday, we all search for happiness, don't we?

To some, happiness is in a chocolate. To another, happiness is in receiving flowers.

Yet, chocolate may be poison to one, and pollen in flowers may trigger an allergy in a person. Hence, happiness is not found in the object itself, but in the feeling that it exudes in a person at the point of experience.

This feeling is in us. In every one of us.

Having said this, there's really no need to go searching for happiness 'cos it's right inside you and you just need to go feel it. By not letting external factors control your feeling of happiness is how we can sustain this feeling. This, understandably, is a tall order so that brings me to the topic of yoga.

Yoga in modern society is perceived as some form of physical exercise--to stay fit and healthy. What is lesser known is that yoga, originally, is a way of life. It helped yogis to attain sustained happiness, or rather, peace of mind as that's how happiness can be exuded. Hence, yoga is really not just about postures, but also meditation, cleansing, etc -- all of which brings one closer to calm and happiness.

I'll be sharing more on yoga in my future posts!

Meanwhile, stay happy =)

Sunsets

I love sunsets, there's something very serene about them and to see the golden ball slowly sinking into the horizon is like dipping a lovely Oreo into milk -- a very fortunate experience. I'm just kidding! On a serious note, sunsets are incredibly lovely and how they set the world aglow is indeed very magical. Recently, I can't help feeling so happy that I caught 2 very lovely sunsets:

This one was taken at a roadside in Tokyo, near the Tokyo Skytree. I really love the colour gradation and the way the tree leaves creates a textured silhouette.

This was taken recently from the floating platform at Marina Bay. I thought the sky looks crayoned and the fact that it occurred during the Chinese New Year period, which signifies wealth and prosperity for the year ahead, makes the colour all the more symbolic. Ahh...Marina Bay, it never fails to bring a visual feast to visitors of this place.

Awesome Japanese ice cream..in winter

Ice cream is an inextricable part of my life so whenever I go overseas, I never fail to find opportunities to get a taste of the wonderful cold desserts that the country offers.

I was on a trip to Tokyo recently and got to try 4 fabulous-tasting ice cream. Despite being the winter season, I had one ice cream almost everyday! In fact, I think eating ice cream in winter makes the experience more enriching. What's more, the gooey yummies don't melt so fast!

My favourite during the trip is the matcha (green tea) ice cream by food giant Morinaga which I bought from a 7-11 convenience store. It is incredibly rich in the green tea flavour and the centre itself is soft and fragrant, reminding me of a good ol' cup of matcha latte. Definitely a must-try for green tea fans.

Next in line is the strawberry soft cream at Haneda airport! When served, it was so inviting that I forgot to take a photo of it before eating..so what you see is just half of the actual height. Haha!

The soft cream is indeed soft and not overwhelmingly sweet, which is the case for most softees. The taste of strawberry lingers nicely in the palate after each mouthful.

It was delightful to see that the crazily-popular gourmet chocolate brand, Royce, also has ice cream offerings. Without a doubt, I grabbed a piece of it when I saw it in a 7-11 convenience store. 

Maybe I had expected more from Royce, but this wasn't as good as I thought/it looks from the packaging.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it as the chocolate chunk in the middle, when blended with the chocolate cream, doubles up the chocolatey taste well.

Red bean, or azuki, is almost synonymous with Japanese cuisine so how could I not try one that's in this flavour. Muraya's red bean ice lolly was refreshing but it wasn't rich enough for me in terms of flavour. That said, it is worth a try once if you're a red bean fan.

Hail to ice cream! May you find as much joy as I did in eating them.