The actual timing was confirmed on the day itself as I needed to help my parents with some spring cleaning. I will rendezvous with DK at 12pm. It is the first time travelling from my house at East Coast to the Woodlands Checkpoint via the Singapore-Johore Express Bus service. I left home around 10.30am and took a service 48 to Bugis. The ride was fast and I arrived at the bus terminal at 11am. After waiting around, the express bus left at 11.15am. The bus ride cost $2.40. It zipped through Singapore's major expressways and arrived at the Woodlands checkpoint at 11.35am, only 20 minutes!
The next challenge is to go through the new JB customs. Heard that it is quite confusing and visitors have to walk quite a bit to go through it. Here is the new customs. It is only serviced by a 2-lane road from the causeway. Buses and cars have to share the 2-lane resulting in much congestion.
一個星期前，我們約好了新山一日之旅。正在那時，也發現有幾位老朋友住在新山。聽說他們在那個周末也許有事，所以我們按照我們原些的計劃去購物與大吃。
當天的時間還沒正式確認，因爲那一天早上，需要幫我的父母親做些春節的勞動。勞動完，就設定于DK在12點中會面。這是我第一次從武吉士程達新柔快速前往兀蘭海關。在10.30am離開了家，程達公車前往武吉士。巴士很快，11am就到達了武吉士。稍微等了一下，新柔快速在11.15am就出發了。車費只有2.40新幣。通過新加坡的高速公路，二十分鍾後就抵達了兀蘭海關。
接下來的冒險是要通過新的新山海關。聽我的朋友說很複雜，而且通行者需要走好一段路程。以下的照片是新的海關。只可通過一個雙路道。公車與汽車都公用這個雙路道，造成了擁擠。
Once past the customs, we walked through it and arrived at City Square - the first major shopping mall next to the customs. The JB customs took us 45mins to clear in all, including the congestion and the passport check.
過了海關，我們前往城中坊，我們去的第一家大百貨城。海關一共花了我們45分。
Once there, we decided to catch a movie - Ip Man. It cost only 10RM for the tickets. As it is also lunch time, we just checked out the food court next to the cinemas. We have 20mins to settle our lunch. The Teppanyaki there looks irresistable. I ordered the seafood combi coming up to 17RM.
到了那兒，就打算看電影-葉問。只有馬幣10塊（新幣4塊）。正是我們的午餐時間，就在電影院旁的美食街用餐。我們只有20分鍾。選擇了鐵板燒。我叫了海鮮大餐(馬幣17塊).
We proceeded to our movies. It is 3pm when it finished. Next we hopped on the cab to our shopping area - Holiday Plaza. This is our main shopping destination. Once we have finished our first shopping target for the day, I got a message from Chew Fang that she has finished work too. This is really a great coincidence. The last time I met her was almost more than 5 years back when we went for the Quan Ying camp in Taiping. But we still maintain contact once a while via msn.
We went for a tea session at one of the cafeterias. Heard she and Guo Dong will be attending a Tzu Chi concert this evening and asked us whether do we want to join in. We were momentarily torn between Tzu Chi compassionate and gratitude concert and Glorious food of Chilli crab and seafood. As I have been having seafood dining the last few weeks, we decided to go for the concert.
Chew Fang will go back home first and will come back to Holiday Plaza with Guo Dong to meet us for dinner there. Here we are at Ah Lau's Kopitiam (the name is quite funny). DK ordered a 3-layered tea. I took a short photo snap of it.
看完了電影，已經是3點鍾了。我們上了計程車，前往下一個購物站 - 假日廣場。這是我們最主要的購物地點。當我們完成第一個購物，收到秋帆的短訓，說她下了班。真是巧！最後一次會面是有5年前的時間，那時是在太平的大專佛青生活營裏。在這期間，我們還有在msn連續。
我們打算去用茶點。聽說她與國棟今晚會出席慈濟首次在新山主辦的感恩會。問我們是否有興趣參與。我們暫時猶豫了慈濟感恩夜與豐富的辣椒螃蟹海鮮晚餐。因爲我前幾個星期不停的用螃蟹與海鮮，就舉定了出席慈濟感恩夜。我其實很喜歡慈濟的大愛精神與文化。一看到台灣朋友就會問起了大愛精神。
秋帆先回家，然後會與國棟在假日廣場與我們會面用晚餐。我們去了阿劉咖啡廳（福建語）。DK叫了三辰層茶，我拍了一張照片。
The concert timing is from 7.30pm till 10.30pm. We left Holiday Plaza at 7pm and arrived at the indoor stadium at 7.30pm. Chew Fang has some VIP entrance pass and she is allowed to park her car in the stadium. Here is the entrance to the stadium. Check out the large words - 慈悲喜舍, which means loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.
感恩夜是從7.30pm到10.30pm.我們在7pm離開了假日廣場，7.30pm抵達了新山室內體育館。秋帆有了特別入門卷，可以在體育館停車。這是體育館的入口。有了慈悲喜舍這四個字。慈悲喜舍是佛教的四無量心。天人都有這四種心，而在菩薩道裏，四無量心扮演著很重要的修行地位。在佛教中的這麽多法門，我也比較趨向于四無量心。
We were welcomed with songs.
慈濟以歌頌歡迎大家。
They have free goodie bags for us. The green bag is actually a shopping bag and they advised us to bring it when we go shopping instead of using plastic bags.
爲了環保，他們鼓勵我們用購物包，不用紙袋。
We are sitted just in front of the stage. Here is a snapshot of the stadium. There were 5000 people in the audience.
我們坐在台前。這是室內體育館的照片。有接近5000人參與。
The performance started with story-telling and singing. It is like a musical and almost magical.
表演開始。有故事情節與歌唱。就像音樂片，好棒哦。
Here is a Thousand-Arms Avalokiteshvara performance.
這是千手觀音表演。
And the concluding finale performance where all the performers come in together. People from different religion and race all working for the common good of mankind.
這是最後一個表演，每一個表演者都在台上。大家來自不同的宗教，宗族都爲人們服務，與愛心關懷大家。
This is the gratitude and thanks-giving scene by the organizers.
這是主辦當局的感謝一幕。
The distributing of the candle lights. The light come straight from Taiwan - from Master Cheng Yen.
一燈傳燈。這個燈是來自台灣，從證嚴法師哪兒傳來的。
My lotus candle lamp.
我的蓮花燈。
The entire stadium is litted up with lights.
整個體育場都點燃了燈。
Our group photo. From left we have me, Chew Fang, Guo Dong and DK.
這是大家的照片，有我，秋帆，國棟與DK.
We had quite a bit of an adventure at the customs. It is really confusing. Imagine driving through the customs with no U-turn and no passport. I will not share what happen here but it was fun.
I got back to Singapore around 11.45pm. Took the last train from Kranji MRT which terminates at Ang Mo Kio station. There is no one in the train carriage. From Ang Mo Kio, I took a cab back home.
我們在回家的路程有驚無險。可以想象我們到了海關，沒有回頭的路程，也沒有護照。我在這兒不講述到底發生了什麽事，可是挺好玩的。
回到了新加坡已經是11.45pm了。我塔了最後一個地鐵前往紅茂橋。然後就轉換計程車回家。
