Saturday, April 28, 2012

Evil rising out of goodness -insight

I have written an article which stress that "evil will prevail if the good people do nothting about it". Fortunately, goodness will act if the evil gets to  pwerful. This is the check and balance between these two opposing forces.  On a much smaller scale, this  checking balance also previal in each human beings.

I have a personal experience and I hope to share with all  my reader.

For the past few weeks, I have one staff B, who have been complaining about another staff, E.  There was a persistent complain about E's  inefficiencies and bad character by B. There chemistry do not mix well and it was getting quiet explosive.  I haqve to tell B to back off and to look at her own flaw or weakness.  By biting very hard on E and not letting it go, it will not solve the problem.  There are so much imperfection in this world  and we have to live with it and if possible, we try to improve it.  I told B that respect can only be earned and cannot be demanded.  I hope she knows what I mean. To solve a problem, we should look inwards instead of looking outwards.  We have to improve ourself and remove our flaw instead of looking at something we cannot resolve.

This morning, I encountered the same problem with myself.  I was eating breakfast with my sister and after eating , she told me that she is buying a packet of noodle for my niece, K.  Immediately, the name of K caused my anger to rise.  In the next 30 minutes, I was keep complaining about heerr to my sister.

K is my elderest sister's second daughter and she have a master degree in IT and now, working in an MNC. She stays with my sister and my sister have been taking care of her since birth. But, K is so selfsih and despite earning a good pay, she only contribute a very small amount of her pay to support my sister's monthly expenses,  My sister have been very protective of her but I could not tolerate such selfsih act.  I asked her whether , K give her any additional allowance after receiving her bonus. She gve an evasive reply and I know that K have not done so.  I told my sister to ask from her but she said that it will be difficult.  I do not know what is her fear but I think her intention is to live day by day peacefully and without any misgivings.  Of course, I also do not want any face off with anybody but it is a duty for any guardians. There is a chinese saying "Good parents ends with spoilted child". This is the basic responsibility.  I have been talking to her but my sister is taking it as my displeasure with her and other people is thinking this is ok. But, from behind her back , there is so much negative impression of K.

I remembered an interview between a Hong Kong musician with an interviewer on TV.  The interviewer asked the artist whether he is planning to have children after his marriage. The artist told her that he is not planning to have any children and there was a question "why".  The answer by the artist was that he don't have time to raise a kid properly because of his job and  he do not want to raise a monster as a result.  I think this artist is a very responsible person and I respect his will. If we do not have enough financial resources or time to teach our off-spring , why should we have children ?  This is something Asians do not understand.  It is often the idea of the more the merrier.  Foolish.

Coming back to K, I have given up on her but I think my thinking is wrong. But, I am flogging a dead horse  and my persistent complain is hurting me or my sister.  Our differences in this area often caused conflicts and unhappiness.  I often wonder whether it is better to let sleeping dogs lie  or persistent to change the circumstances.  It is my personal Dharma to change things which is not important to me. It is not my problem but it is my responsibility. Should I stop the persistent attack on K to inspire her to change even if it is impossible.  Maybe, it is enough already. I will leave it to my fate and belief.

Some people are imperfect and they remain imperfect for the rest of their life  if they are unaware of their weakness. We can never see ourself clearly because our eyes is looking forward. It is a wise move to turn the focus internally and re-assess ourself. There could be flaws in our character which we are unaware. But , to turn our focus inwards is very painful and tough because of the realization of who we are. So, it is easier to point fingers and look outward , so the focus is not inwards.

This is an illusion and all of us are living in a illusive world with a thinking which is favorable to us and which makes our life happier and better. Often, we are not aware of the monster which is becoming of us.

Namaste.

Family - I love you.

You don't love someone because they're beautiful. They're beautiful because you love them. >>Its true you don't know what you've got until its gone, but its also true you don't know what you've been missing until it arrives!!!

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, >> >>Oh excuse me please" was my reply. >> >>He said, "Please excuse me too; >> >>I wasn't watching for you." >> >>We were very polite, this stranger and I. >> >>We went on our way and we said good-bye. >> >>But at home a different story is told, >> >>How we treat our loved ones, young and old. >> >>Later that day, cooking the evening meal, >> >>My son stood beside me very still. >> >>When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. >> >>"Move out of the way," I said with a frown. >> >>He walked away, his little heart broken. >> >>I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. >> >>

While I lay awake in bed, >> >>God's still small voice came to me and said, >> >>While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you u! se, >> >>But the children you love, you seem to abuse. >> >>Go and look on the kitchen floor, >> >>You'll find some flowers there by the door. >> >>Those are the flowers he brought for you. >> >>He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. >> >>He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, >> >>You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes." >> >>By this time, I felt very small, >> >>And now my tears began to fall. >> >>I quietly went and knelt by his bed; >> >>Wake up, little one, wake up," I said. >> >>Are these the flowers you picked for me?" >> >>He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree. >> >>I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. >> >>I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue." >> >>I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; >> >>I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." >> >>He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." >> >>I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue." >> >> >> >>FAMILY >> >>

Are you awa e that if we died tomorrow, >> >>The company that we are working for could easily replace us in >> >>a matter of days. >> >>But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of >> >>their lives. >> >>And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than >> >>into our own family, >> >>an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? >> >>

So what is behind the story? >> >> >> >>

Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = >>

Visit to Bodhi Heart Santuary

I have been thinking of visting the Bodhi Heart Centre after reading about it and hearing so so much about it. Yesterday, I was on my way to chek out the E&O Quay Side business centre and on  my way back to my home , I was near to Bodhi santuary in Mount Eskine.  I was with my sister and brother and I just make a quick decision to look for it.

I took a wrong turn into Hong Seng Estate and I drove through very narrow streets and lanes and among the squatrers trying to find the centre. On the way, I asked a few people staying there and I found out that I have taken the wrong turn. I got out of the Estate  and I was about to give up . While I was back on the main road coming out of  Mount Eskine.  I took another road into the Estate  and saw the sign board of the Santuary, I drove between and  among the graves  and went deep into the cemetery until the end of the road. I told myself that I might not ben able to find the center and was abit upset at the lack of directions and sign boards. In Buddhism, we believe in fate. Maybe , I was not destined to to see the cente on the day.

I took a reverse turn and was driving out of the cemetery and I saw a  two child centers but there was no sign board for the centre. I decide to take another turn into the child center and  there it was : Bodhi Heart Santuary.  I was sitting on a hill. By this time, it was raining heavily but it did not stop my adventurous spirit which I have developed in my assignments in Bangladesh.

Yeah, another test for me. The heavy rain stop me from walking around but suddenly , my sister found an umbrella at the small meditation centre and she gave it to me. I told her to wait for me at the meditation center near the entrance while I took a walk around the center .  In the center, there is a big Buddha statute , alot of resting spots , a training centre ,  resting rooms for the monks  and of course, the small meditation room.   The setting of the center is on the steep slopes and full of steps , it will be very difficult for old or sick or weak people. The environment is transquil and calm and it should be good place for meditation or for the learning of the Dharma. I congralate tuthe people who is involved in the setting up of the center.  It was a simple place and it is just perfect for the task bcause Buddhism is a simple religion.  All it need is ourself and our mind

I was drench wet  and I decide to leave the place and may come back another day. It will be my fate with the place. The searching for the center was an experience and if we keep searching, nothing is impossible. The insight which I want to share with  my readers is that never give up and enjoy the process when you on the journey to search for your target in life.

So live well and enjoy your weekend and the coming Labor Day's  holiday.

Namaste.

Keeping moving -,an insight

Life gives answers in three ways.* *It says yes and gives whatever you want. It says no and gives you something better. It says wait and gives you the best.* *If you’re committed to your dream, you will win anyways.* *Don’t just dream, Live your dream. Keep moving towards it

Friday, April 27, 2012

Jobless rate at 24% in Spain

It is amazing to note that Spain have a jobless rate  of 24%  and this means that one out of four people is jobless. In the US, it is about 9% and Japan 6% and this is already serious. Ow! a 24% and the country now is been downgraded and a crisis in looming. It will be hell on earth.

Being Jobless is  very demoralizing and depressing and bores into our core. Just imagine, you wake up amilessly and waiting for the day to pass. Probably, Spain is a welfare state and people could be given food stamps or jobless benefits but it is not the food but the act of taking and it really weakens one's spirit.

Okay, then what about monks? They are also on charity and what is wrong with the layman getting the same benefits. Actually, there is no difference but the monks are following a religious path and seeking the truth. However, there are just monks who just want to be jobless and be fed by those taxes from the working people. For a monk, the life is very difficult as they have to learn the Dharma and practice the Dharma. Actually, controlling the mind is a big job. You can try to focus your mind and you will notice that there are thousands of thoughts going through your head and you have to sit upright to practice the art of meditation. At the beginning stage, the pains are enormous  and there will be so many temptations to distract you and put you  off your focus.  Our monkey mind is always playing tricks and our mental habits works in complete collaborations with your thoughts.

Coming back to his jobless problem in Spain, it will spin the economy into recessions and the jobless rates will hit the roof before it can gets better. The trouble in Spain could pull or drag the other healthy neighbouring counties along the deep recession. It can be a long and deep recession where people is fighting each other for jobs and food.  It is unimaginable that in such a civilized world, the people could be in such a deplorable stage.

The disaster in EU is not a simple issue and on the surface, it looks like the wealthy nations are supporting the debt trouble countries. It could lead to a serious civil and social  unrest especially it is across borders.There is a Chinese saying " long period in poverty is not sustainable on charity".  The people of Spain should stand up and solve the problems themselves without aids.

Spain will not be  able to  lift their heads in a long time to come. It is a pity that such a great nation has come to this miserable stage.

Namaste

Thursday, April 26, 2012

My Yoga teacher, M

I have been studying yoga under M for almost 5 years and I saw that she has grown from an innocent young girl into a full blown lady.  I think she is almost reaching 30 and she has a very flexible body and agile as well. Through the years, I seen her students swell to 30 or more at each sessions and also fell to less than 6 at each session. So, many news faces come and go including many westerners.

I was wondering what is happening to her business , swing to a huge number during promotion periods and falling to a miserable group of die hards. I have been quiet and  have not attempt to engage her in conversation over her business strategy.

When there is less number of people , she will give personal attentions  and it has its pro   and cons. She is a perfectionist  and she expects her regular students to perform the pose like her. Sometimes, it i
s real torturing. She can grind us and push us through a tedious routine and we can be flat out after the session.  For me, I hate and love it. After each difficult session, I have the satisfaction of staying throught her class and I can have a very good sleep. The only problem is that I will be suffering muscle pains for the next few days.

If we have a big class for the day, she will grill the beginners and we are left on our own. Of course, we will never push ourself so hard and have chances to catch our breath or rest our tired hands or legs. Sometimes, she will call our names to push us if we slack behind. She is like a sheperd looking after her flock of sheep and trying control everyone to follow her. She is really a hard worker . Always watchful and discipline.

So, from my watching on the side, I think something is wrong with her management style. One point is that she is gathering her students in the same class whether beginners or regulars.  If she caters for the beginners , it will be too like for the regulars but if she is too tough on her sessions, it will scare away the beginners. It was a tough act to follow. She has attempt to separate the beginners and the regulars , it took so much of her time and her cost goes up.  After a period, she combined back her class and now, all the beginners fell away. 

Well, this is her choice and I believe  Yoga is a very tough business because the students have to endure so much body pains in the beginning and have to be very discipline. If a Yogi were to stop her practice for a few times, the difficulties and pain in executing a pose will increase and it will need a lot of patience, discipline and endurance to get back the momentum. It is always very difficult to break out from our comfort zone and I think it is a personal challenge to every Yogi.

If we want to search for perfection, we have to sacrifice alot  but if it is only for leisure, it will be a joy. A light yoga session is a wonderful and healthy experience but to keep our body in shape and in good condition, it will have to be more than a light stretching exercise.

So, the choice is yours and choose well and live well.

Namaste.

Lunch with an outspoken lawyer, S

Today, I had a working lunch with a lawyer at Zhao Chow restaurant and I find him quite amazing and intelligent. He told us that a personality of a lawyer is not only  determined by which great unversity he  or she comes from but from which  mill he or she goes through his or her internship.  Like in the Chinese saying " smelly pot, grow smelly grass",  If  the foundation or the grinding is strong, the character will be strong. A tall building needs a good foundation.

After dispensing with the work, he dwell into the legal  and court system in Malaysia. It was incredible to hear that all the bad judges have been removed or replaced and now, the judges are abit more smart . The judges now comes from the legal profession and there is no more political lame ducks sitting on the bench. The court case have been cleared fast and some within one year compared to the previous year , when the court cases are piled up or blame of the files have gone missing. All kind of rediculous reasons have been given on delayed cases.

He went on to talk about " desperate people , do desperate things " which reflects on the mood of the people or Government who is afraid of losing and they will carry out all sorts of stupid actions to protect their turf. Like some people say "they have to continue eating the poison although they know it is poison . Otherwise, they will die faster ". To me, it is like protecting a " selfish and greed" culture  and  like a drowing man grapping a straw.

S moved on to talk about Penang and telling me that the Penang people thinks that they are the smartest people in Malaysia  and they are carrying a big aura on their heads. Penang people also thinks  that the Islander is better than the mainland people. All of us are Penang islander and we never raise our hands to dispute. We have too  much face already. LOL.

Well, S bid us goodbye after a three hours meeting and lunch and he has to moved to another schedule. As a passing remark, he likes the food in Penang and also the beautiful girls of Penang. S is only about 30 years old , single and a good educational background. Interested ?

Namaste.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

What about love ? My yoga teacher's version

Nowadays, my yoga teacher , M  is trying to teach us to love.  The love for ourself , for others and all living beings. She told us that if  we don't have love in our heart, we can never perfect our yoga pose. Only with love, our heart will melt , our body relax and then we can perfect our pose and get the optimum benefits from such perfection.

Come to think about it, she is not wrong. All of us fell in love with our loved ones when we are in our twenties or thirties but after starting a family,we tend to lost our lovely feelings and go after another love which is MONEY. Our hearts harden and our body stiffen due to the long hours of work and neglect. How can we soften the heart that has harden?  We lost it because of our love for MONEY  and now , we have to find our true and real love for ourself and our loved ones. Most of the times, we even lost our fire of love.

If we find our love , our heart will melt and all our troubles or problems will be released and drift away . If not all these bondage tied up our hearts with a million knots. By finding love, we can released these knots and make our heart free. That is Free to love again. How wonderful it will be ?

With these new found freedom and the lightness in our heart. Our body will obey our mind and we can execute pose that we can never do before. With the lighter body, it will influence the mind and give confidence to our mind that we can do it. If our mind believe or is aware of this confidence, it will let our body move back or arch at a more deeper angle or the twist.

In tantra yoga, we talk about sexual release which boost our energy and the well being of our vital orgains. In our sex act , if we can keep our climax and control our energy to nurish the organs, it will revitalized  and re-energized our vital organs and improve our general health. If this energy can be achieve at the highest level , it can also cure sickness of all types.

Love will give us confidence , the strength and the way to excuting difficult pose and make us enjoy yoga much more deeply and profound. Not only that, love lights up our life and make us happy which in turn, improves our body and mind.  It is all in a cirlce.

If you are not practicing yoga, just control your breath and it will lead you into another world of calmness and peace. With each in-take of breath, we draw in love and when we breath out, we give out love.  The world wil be full of love and love will bring peace and the circle will keep building and revoliving.

Namaste.

Age - things are falling apart

My boss, H told me that on last Sunday, he twisted his back while coming out of his car. It was an awkward twist and that paralysed him with pain for the whole day and the next day, he could hardly move and he has to use a wheel chair to take him to Hong Kong for a meeting. When he touched down in Hong Kong, he went to see a Doctor straight away and he got better after taking some medication.

He asked the Doctor what happen to him and the Doctor replied simply : Old Age. This remark wake him up and he realized that Age have caught up with him. He told this news to me and my friend , K during a lunch today at the Zhao Chow Restaurant. Both K and  H was active hikers and they have roam most of the hills  in Penang, ranging from 39, 45 , 84 and whatever routes which criss cross the hills. K also relate to us that he has pain in both knees and he also have slowed down in his hiking activities.

All our vital  parts will give way as we aged. If it is not the heart, it will be stomach or the knees or the liver or the kidney, etc. If it is not this , it will be that and all our teeths will start to drop off.  It is part of life and we cannot control it. We can only try our best to maintain it or keep it healthy as long as we can but eventually, it will have to go. And it is supposed to go.

K, being an insurance agent , told us that the medical cost is extremely expensive. He has a client who did a scan on his heart and it cost RM40,000. Another client was detected heart blockage and he spend RM40,000 for an open heart surgery but it did not went well and he did another operation. After that , he had a stroke and was admitted to Hospital and he died after a few days. His total bill went up to RM70,000.  It was shocking to have treatments in the Private Hospitals and in the Public Hospitals, it will only cost a fraction of the amount. But, the general perception is that the Private Hospitals are better and have higher quality. There could be a misconception on this notion.

Coming to aging, it is said that a year after our fifties birthday, it very much different and if ill iit is  above sixties , it will be worst. The speed of aging doubles up as if racing to the end. It is true , time will move faster and our body will rot at amazing speed.  For those young readers, they do not understand this feeling because they have so much life ahead of them. Only when we come to the river , then only we know how deep is it.

Age  is one of the stage in life as describe by Buddha. The cycle of life is brith, age, sickness and death. After Age, it will be sickness ie our parts failing and falling apart. K told me of an old man who is now 82 . He used to hike up route 38 everyday but two years ago, he can only hike until 21.  This is the realization of Age. It never lies and it will definitely come.

So, as an insight, do what we can do now and don't wait until you cannot do it and you will regret the rest of your life.  Go now and do it.

Namaste.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What is stubborness?

Today, one of my staff told me that she had failed to control her stubborness and the feeling is running all over her and making her more and more upset. So, what is this stubborness ? It is a basic character which we are born with or we have acquire this character as we grow up from the influence 9f our family members or peers or friends or from books or movies. Everybody is born with good nature although it is unequal. Some person is born as a lesser child but the basic human nature is good.

 I have written alot about mental habits and i think stubborness is one of the mental habits we acquire on our journey of life from birth. It could have been the burt or experience we have suffer as a child or the betrayal of love as we grow up. Stubborness could be a mental protective tools and that is to get what we want by all means. If we do not get the things we want or the events do not go the way we want, our stubborn emotions will take over from us and we lost control of ourself including our feelings. It is not the real us. We have lost control of ourself to our feelings. After the event, if we analyst the events, we feel remorseful or sad. Things could have been better or happier if we have taken control of ourself rather than let our feeling overtake us and make us do the things which we do not want to do or say. To make us feel better, we blame it on our stubborness which can sometimes make us feel better. We push away the responsibility of our actions. "It is not me that is doing the things or saying the words. it is just my stubborness and I have no control over it". This is the wrong interpretation. The stubborness is us and we are the stubborness. There is only one, only us. Period.

We are aware of our stubborness and we let it control us. So, it is our responsibiiity. We should break the grip of this mental habit on us. We are the master of ourself and if we are aware of our mental habit, we can break it and control. If we are aware of the swelling of this feeling in us, we should stop it and take over immediately to response. To be the real you and do the things we actually want. From the trigger to action, we can change the course and do the right thing.

I have told this story before in my article. There was this monk who blame the church bell from interrupting his meditation. He could not concentrate and so, he complain to this master. His master asked him why he has to focus on the ringing of the bell? The choice to belongs to the him and he has felt disturb because he has chosen to focus on the sound of the bell. In another example, if we are walking on a one way street and if we choose to walk against the traffic, it is our choice.Why do we choose to walk against the traffic.

 In the same rationale, why do we choose to listen to the bell and feeling disturbed. To be aware of the stubborness is a great part of overcoming the mental habits but to find out the source of the stubborness could put a nail to the problem. We can choose meditation to go back to our childhood and earlier years and trace the sequence of events which firms up our stubbroness. It could be the denial of the things we want or the hurts people caused us to lose something or events of wrong judgements by other people. There could be a whole lot of reasons but we have to firmly go through the different stages of life to find out the root cause. Life is too short to be unhappy and angry.

Anger as I have said before, it is like picking up a burning charcoal and throwing it against the things we hate or angry about. It will first burn you and cause you much pain and if you bit another person, he will also be burn. In the end, both person is burn and hurt.

 If we are aware of this wisdom, you must be aware of the trigger which stir the anger and move your focus away from the trigger points. Do not focus on the imperfection or the things that stir up your anger. Again, i want to emphasize that all of us have our loved ones and want to be loved. Just feel the love and in return, give out love to the people who needs it.

 Just reach out to touch the heart of someone everyday. Namaste.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Morning motivation - positive thoughts



Carry a Heart that Never Hates.
Carry a Smile that Never Fades.
Carry a Tongue that never hurts.
Carry a Touch that is ever compassionate.

Lunch at Kopitiam, Indrawashi

Today is Monday. A blue's day. Start work on time until lunch and decide to call my friend, ES for lunch. He was available and he drove to pick me up for a quick lunch at a fast food joint. The Kopitiam. The restaurant only serves a few varieties but I love the half boilded egg on toast. I really love toast with the egg with ipoh white coffee. For the main course, I ordered curry noodles and it was barely enough. ES ordered Koay Teow Th'ng for his main dish. h

ES have been my friend since high school and he went to MU and join the banking industry. He was a banker for more than 25 years. He calling it quit this coming June. He has been toying with the idea of retiring each year but he had continued on contract basis for the past three years.This time is for real and he is going into business.

I caution him about doing business at his age because it is a totally different ball game. Many people who have been working for his employer think that it is easy to do business. I want to tell all of you, it is a very difficult thing to do. Your workmanship mindset must change when you in employment, you need not worry about money to pay for your rental, salary for your employees, collection and paying your vendors and worst still, there is no such thing as 9 to 5. You have to work 7x24. It is really horrible and you cannot imaqine the difficulties you will have to go through.

When you are in employment, it is like a fish in a small pond and you think you are the king but in business, you are a small fish in a deep red sea. Hey, it is a dog-eat-dog world outside. The big fish will eat the smaller fish and small fish to eat the smallest fish and the small fish will eat shit. If you want to do business, do it big and if not, don't do at all. The optimum scale of a business is very important where you can enjoy all the perks of doing business.

I may be a pessimist but it is better to have such conservative mind sets. In the past, people line up infront of the bank manager's office to get loans and now, it is the bank managers who have to knock on the doors of their potential clients to give loans. Cold calls are very normal now for bank managers. The world have flip over and the model for doing business have changed so much. I have warned ES on the need to change his mindset. When you are in position, many people want to be your friend but if you are retired, all these so-called friends will disappear.

I have a retired friend who holds a very senior position when he is working in an MNC ( a multi-national company). After he retire, he found that all his friends and previous subordinates don't even have time for lunch with him. His golf kakis, suddenly become very busy at work. Only then he realiszed the reality of life. Very often, we think we are different but in actual fact, everybody suffers the same fate. The earlier you realize and accept this fact, the more prepared you are when you dive into the shark infested waters like the "Shanghai Beach".

In this world, there is no free lunch and I have realized this fact soon enough. During new year, I was invited by a banker for lunch. She insisted that we go for lunch but I told her, I have no business for her and she told me it was okay. Just have lunch and to know each other. This afternoon, she called me and ask me to help her to attend a dinner with her country manager and their senior members from their HQ who are in Penang for dinner with their key clients. I have not enough done one transaction with her bank and I have become their key client. I should have known better. Haiyaa....

I have done my best to advise ES and I hope he listen to me before it is too late. One more lesson, I told ES is that "never rely on another person to make money for us ". It is absolutely nonsense. Don't be stupid and fall into this fantasy world. We have to make money for ourself. Period.

Namaste.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Bellview Business Centre, Farlim

About 3 years ago, i was told that the population in Bandar Baru Air Itam or in short Farlim, was 60,000 and that was before the Asian Height apartments and Crytal Apartments were luanched and now, it is almost touching 100,000 people living in this new township. It is amazing how the town have grown after Farlim SB launched their first project about 20 years ago.

In this township, there are three super and hyper markets, many coffee shops and eateries and the traffic coming into this township have leap and leap and there are massive traffic jams on a raining day or when Green Lane traffic is slow or massive. That is the only logical way for travellers travelling to town or to Prai.

Recently, the road leading to Batu Lanchang Lane was widen to three lane and some areas there are traffic lights to the new Bellview apartments which converge the traffic into two lanes. Worst still, the Bellview apar tment and condos upon completion will provide accomodation of about 700 unit to 700 families and about 1000 cars assuming one family have one and half cars. This is not the end of it. Included in the Bellview apartments and condos are 130 units of commercial shoplots housing Starbuck, COffee Bean, Giant hypermarts and various type of eateries and this means more and more traffic will converge into this township. It is an unimagined fiasco, messy and chaotic mess in the traffic arrangements. It is as if we can see that disaster is going to happen and the whole township is suffocating and choking to death

The township is so congested, there is bound to have security and social problems apart from the traffic woes. In fact, there was already complaints that the traffic is moving too fast and the widen roads have been used like highways and it is dangerous to travel on this roads.

There is a definite need for the developers ot build more roads leading out of the township so that the town can breath and becomes more vibrant. The township need to be re-structured and there is already an oversupply of low cost houses which mingles with middle cost apartments and landed properties of semi houses and terrace houses.

For my readers, it is advisable to avoid coming into Farlim on a Wednesday, where there is a pasar malam which attracts visitors from far and near apart from the food outlets which is plentiful.

Have a safe journey in this over crowded land.

Namaste.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Tim Sum at Duta Bali, Farlim

The Tim Sum restaurant at Duta Baii is one of hhe tree famous Tim Sum shop in Farlim, Air Itam. The other two is Kaka Tim Sum and Red wood Tim sum near to Sunshime farlim hypermarket. Out of three, Duta Bali is the mosre organized eatery of the three places.

Every Saturday or Sunday, I will bring my brother and sister to have a breakfast jolly and we will talk about what have transpired during the previous week. my favarite dishes are Tai Pau (big bun flled with pork, vegetables and mushroom), the Char Siew Pau (small pau with fried pork), the flat noodle (Chee cheong Fun),various types of fish balls and many things else and with Pu Er tea. For three person, it will cost a bout RM20 in total. The price is alsmost the same in the three Tim Sum restaurant in Farlim.

Tim Sum is a favorite break meal for the Chinese who loved to stick around the shops with a cup of tea and gossip or titilate among friends or trto meet old friends in such type of joint. The old folds especially likes the joy of getting their family members to eat the variety of tim Sum. The Chinese family ties are very strong. You can see a family of three generations eating in this type of food joints. The grand children, the daughter or son and their parents. Just like the Christian trilogy, the Father, the Son and holy spirit. ( LOL , a lousy comparison_).

Such habit could be fading as the housing estates are moving far and far apart because of rising house prices and the eearch for affordable housing. Hopefully, whereever you are, the Tim Sum shops will food. If you look back, the Tim Sum shops are the beginning of the franchie business. The Tim Sum are make by whole sellers who supply to all the Tim Sum shops and the recipe is the same but in small variations. This is just like Starbucks, coffee bee and Kopitiam ,etc.

Hope you will try it out as a social outing with your children, in-laws, out-laws, friends and family. Enjoy your life and don't wait things to happen. Go for it.

Namaste.

A simple life - the movie.

This movie won the Hong Kong Film festival award for the best film in the year 2011. i have just finished watching the movie and depicts the life of an average person, no matter where the are and who they are. Everyone have to go through the different stages of life ie brith, old age, sickness and death. No one can avoid the end.

Some people are luckier than the others and they can live and die in comfort but for the average people, they can hardly affort the hefty medical bills and housing and they have to spend their old age in old aged homes or Government hospitals. This movie tells the story of an old maid who have been working for 60 years of her life in a typical chinese family and she suffered a stroke and she was sent to an old folks home. From a healthy working person, she felt the cruelty of sickness and old age and have to suffer in a small and average old folks home. However, she still has her pride and ego to be independentduring her stay there.

The story line is very simple. She recovered from the stroke but her health turn for the worst and finally, she died. The whole movie is about the love, care and attachment of this old maid with her employer's son and how they take care of each other until the end.

In the movie, it talks about fate of two people and how they have been fixed into each other's life and taking turns to take care of each other. This is another typical scenario of many people who cross path in their life and for a certain period whether short or long, they move and live together when they path cross each other.

The scenes may not have any impact on the younger people but it would have different impact to the old people who have seen many things in their life time and it brings back memories and heart aches. When we see the younger people, we tell them that we were once like them and now, we are in the twilight years. The movie is very real and it is like looking at the end of everyone.

Awareness is okay but trying to avoid the facts of life, it is futile. So, we have to live everyday with happiness and each day like a fresh bout of air. When it will end, leave it to our creator.

Namaste.

Friday, April 20, 2012

People talking without speaking

In the sound of silence, there was a lyric which says that "people talking without speaking, people hearing without listening and peoople writing songs that their voices never share". It is so true in this world, alot of noises and everyday, we a bombard with meaningless words and sounds. I think about 90% of what we hear is nonsense, meaningless and wasteful.

What do we mean by " people talking without speaking" ? It means that the words we speak is just noice and incoherent. We talk for the sake of talking and it has so many meaningless words and unclear sound. Just like a movie or reading a book.Most of the scenes are walking, eating, talking ,eating,etc if we cut a way these scenes in a movie, the whole movie will just finished in 15 minutes instead of one hour forty five minutes. If we analyse it, it is a lot wastage and meaningless energy in a movie.

Next, "People hearing without listening". If you put these two lyrics togethe, it makes a lot of sense. People talking without speaking so there is a lot noise and useless words been spoken and the people hearing these rubbish without properly understanding it or listen to the proper message. So, there is a lot of useless energy flying around and criss crossing between so many people. The tremendous amount of exchanges of sound and words is exchanging everyday with so may million or billions of people. The whole atmposphere is filled with vibrations and wasteful energy.

So the last phase, "people writing songs that their voices never share". If the music and the voice never share or match, then it becomes noise instead of a song or a proper message. If we listen to a beautiful song, we can experience the feeling of the song or understand what the song writer wants to convey and it should be a beautiful experience. If it is just noise from the song, we feel irritated and "cheese off".

So, we should talk with proper speaking, we should listen to the speaking and we make sure we use the proper words when we talking. If not, it becomes " a song which the voices never share or out of tune".

Namaste.

White bread is dead bread

White Bread = is “dead” bread


*The Swiss government has been aware of the dangers of eating white bread
for decades and in order to get its populace to stop eating it,
Switzerland has placed a tax on the purchase of white bread. The tax money
is given to bakers to reduce the price of whole wheat bread to encourage
people to switch.

The Canadian government passed a law prohibiting the “enrichment” of
white bread with synthetic vitamins. Bread must contain the original
vitamins found in the grain, not imitations.

Essentially, white bread is “dead” bread. Frequently, consumers are not
told the truth about this and so called “enriched” flour.

Why is the color of white bread so white when the flour taken from wheat
is not?

It’s because the flour used to make white bread is chemically bleached ,
just like you bleach your clothes. When you are eating white bread, you are
also eating residual chemical bleach.*
* *
*
Flour mills use different chemical bleaches , all of which are pretty bad.
Here are a few of them: oxide of nitrogen, chlorine, chloride, nitrosyl and
benzoyl peroxide mixed with various chemical salts.

One bleaching agent, chloride oxide, combined with whatever proteins are
still left in the flour, produces alloxan. Alloxon is a poison and has been
used to produce diabetes in laboratory animals. Chlorine oxide destroys the
vital wheat germ oil. It will also shorten the flour’s shelf life.

Good Nutrition: You Won’t Find It In White Bread
In the process of making flour white, half of the good unsaturated
fatty acids, that are high in food value, are lost in the milling
process alone, and virtually all the vitamin E is lost with the removal of
wheat germ and bran. As a result, the remaining flour in the white bread
you buy, contains only poor quality proteins and fattening starch.

But that is not the whole story as to the loss of nutrients. About 50%
of all calcium, 70% of phosphorus, 80% iron, 98% magnesium, 75%
manganese, 50% potassium, and 65% of copper is destroyed. If that is not
bad enough, about 80% thiamin, 60% of riboflavin, 75% of niacin, 50% of
pantothenic acid, and about 50% of Pyridoxine is also lost.

Scientific Study Has Confirmed What The Swiss Have Known For Years These
horrific numbers are the results of a study run by the University of
California, College of Agriculture.

It is obvious, from what we have learned, that white bread should be
avoided. Whole wheat, rye, and grain breads made with whole wheat flour is
a better way.

It is a good idea to always read the labels and never buy foods that
contain artificial flavors, colors, bleached flour, preservatives,
hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.*****


__._,_.__ ****
------------------------------

*
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended
solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.
If you receive this email in error, please delete the same and notify the
sender.* ****
------------------------------
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Anything in excess can kill.

New Zealand woman's Coca-Cola habit cited in death
 Tech and Science | Updated today at 06:00 AM
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Experts say a New Zealand woman's 7.6-litre-a-day Coca-Cola habit probably contributed to her death, a conclusion that led the soft drink giant to note that even water can be deadly in excessive amounts.

Ms Natasha Harris, a 30-year-old, stay-at-home mother of eight from Invercargill, died of a heart attack in February 2010. Fairfax Media reported that a pathologist, Dr Dan Mornin, testified at an inquest on Thursday that she probably suffered from hypokalemia, or low potassium, which he thinks was caused by her excessive consumption of Coke and overall poor nutrition.

Symptoms of hypokalemia can include abnormal heart rhythms, according to the United States (US) National Institutes of Health.

Dr Mornin said that toxic levels of caffeine, a stimulant found in Coke, also may have contributed to her death, according to Fairfax.


 
 
 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Who are your friends ?

There was a saying "A friend in need is a friend indeed". What does it truly means? In simple terms is that when you are in need of a friend and the friend is there for you and that person is realy your friend indeed. Very often, when you are need of a friend's help, all your "friends" will disappear and if those friends who are available to you and help you, then these people are your real friends.

I have an insight to share with all my readers. Sometime ago, my friend was down with dengie and he was almost close to death. I was very concern about him and have drop in to see him a few things and also to console and support his wife and to hear her out. After he recovered, he was back to his normal life and I was very happy that he could recover completely. We lost contact with each other but I still have his phone number.

He stay quite close to me and he bought another property and move away from the area. I was not informed but I got the news from our mutual friends. I was quite disappointed but i got over it thnking that he maybe very busy.

His wife is a lawyer and I have tried to give her a few legal jobs but her fee was more expensive than the other lawyers and I was unable to support her legal business. I think she is angry with me because I am supposed to be a family friend to her and I should not mind the additional cost. Unfortunately, my business parter would not agree to the additional cost.

Recently, I noticed that my back neighbour have moved out and there was no light in the house and the things in the garden was in a mass. I remember my back neighbour is a friend of my friend's lawyer wife, so I decide to give her a call to find out the real situation. She pick up the phone and she could not recognized my voice and I enquire about my back neighbour and she told me that my back neighbour have sold the house and moved away. I was so surprised and I enquire more about who will be my new back neighbour and she told that she is in a middle of her dinner. I quickly apologize and get off the phone.

Her tone and rudeness turns me off and I was pretty upset as I have always treated her as my friend. I realized that for some people, friends are only friends when we are in need and if they do not need you then you are not their friend. This is the hard facts of life.

Namaste.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Who is Mr MOOD ?

Today, my lady friend,B told me that she was in a bad mood and she was upset with everything and everybody. Of course, we have to stay off until her mood swing to the better side. But in my heart, I asked why? Why is she not herself and she is control by mood? Who is Mr MOOD?

Mood is an uncontrolled feeling coming within our body. For female,they are affected by their monthly periods until their monopause. Mr Mood can caused severe stress to the body, cause headaches, severe anger, irritations and sometimes violent behaviours. When Mr Mood takes over control of the body and the mind, you are not you and whatever you do for that day is not you. But, it is you which is at fault. Why do you let Mr Mood to take over. Your mind is confused and your body is weak. These bad combinations make you lost your control.

In order not to suffer in silence, it is better to work on the mind and swing your mood around. You can distract yourself from your mood by watching a movie, a light walk at the shopping mall, eat some chocolates , relax and go to the spa to get a message on your tense body, etc. It is a choice that you need to make. Stay and suffer or do something to swing the mood. A hot water bath could help to start the swing. Get some distractions and not to focus on the Mood but just acknowledge and be aware of its existence and do not do anything.

Mr Mood can be caused by many events which is happening around us or inside us. It could be a chemistry imbalance or a bad night sleep or a persistent problem which keep irritating us or make our mind restless.

If you want to control it, it is an easy matter but if you let it run wild, it can be very destructive.

Namaste.

Lunch at Furusato, Pulau Tikus, Penang

I had lunch in a japanese restaurant at Pulau Tikus. The island of the rats. But, there are no rats where I eat but good japanese food. The chef at Furusato is my friend and I have been to the restaurant for upteen times and my friends called this place, my kitchen. It is abit exaggerating but it is always comfortable for me there.

I have invited a friend, S for a lunch at the restaurant and I ordered sukiyaki with beef, tempura- a mixture of prawns and vegetables, a Chawan Mushi and a small sushimi. It was a hearty lunch and I enjoyed it thoroughly. it cost me RM119 for two person. My friend, S commented that the sukiyaki soup is abit salty but the beef was very good.

The restaurant was recently renovated with a new sign board. It has been in operation for 7 years at the same place and I think the Chawan mushi here is one of the best in Penang. All my friends who have been there, just love the Chawan mushi which is steam egg with chicken meat. The egg is very smooth and it just melt in our mouth.

I was told by Albert that there are about 23 japanese restaurants in Pulau Tikus area. Some restaurant specialized in ramen, some in maki and sushimi and sushi.The choice of restaurant is plentiful and so many varieties.

For good food, you need to wonder around the area and search for the Japanese food you like. So, happy hunting.

Namaste.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Lunch at Van Pre, today - an insight

I had lunch with a lady friend,L at the Italian restaurant, Van Pre. I arrived there at 12.30pm and there only three tables were occupied and our table was readily available. There were so many choice of seat and we were told that we are abit early.

I ordered a lunch set which comprised of a salad, a small piece of pork and pieces of small breads and I ordered a folded pizza and it was a huge piece. Later, we ordered two scoop of ice cream and two cup of coffee. The taste of the food was excellent and it was a good lunch. It cost me RM109 for the meal for two. It was a bit pricey but it was a good business lunch.

It is funny that the feeling of eating different food at the same restaurant is a widening experience. We get to eat the variety of dishes offered by the chef. If we come back for more means that the food is good.

On the way to lunch, i had a small chat with my driver, R and he told me that he likes to eat Nasi Kandar in Penang road and I told him that some of my friends also favored the same restaurant and they told me that they got addicted to the food. Later, they found out that the restaurant used poppy seeds to cook their curry and this ingredient improve the taste and like opium, the customers got addicted and a sense of feeling high. Then, R told me that he went for a medical check and his urine was tested positive for drugs. The Doctor told him that the curry could have included some spice drugs. Since then, he has stop eating the Nasi Kandar.

It is amazing that certain spice are drugs and also some are herbs and improves the well being of the eaters. It is not surprising that we could feel high because of some spices. There is a saying " we are what we eat".

In the ancient days, Chinese Emperors search for herbs and spices that enhance their sexual power and longevity. There are so many recipes of health which are passed down from generations to generations. Through time and experience, there is a variety of herbs for treatment of ill health or the general well being of the people. Some of these recipes are promoted by some direct selling companies like Sun rider or Pharmex,etc.

In western food, there are also spices which enhance the taste of food and herbs for health. It is amazing what food can do to our health.

Namaste.

Monday blues - an after thought

I am back to work today and it is a monday. I drown in blues especially it is a monday. The jet lag from last week's travel plus the full dose of the blues, I am really drained and feeling tired. Terribly tired as my body was feeling pain all over.

The pain is not from the travel but from the restless joints. Before I came home,I knew of a potential work problem from my boss, H. I was feeling upset as this matter went straight to my boss before it was filtered through me. I felt betrayed and let down by those people who have worked with me for many years. Those people I knew since they join their companies and I saw them grew up and I guide them along as they grow up. What are they doing ? I saw the whole thing in my perspective and I was blind with anger.

I called up my lady friend, L and went over the lawyer's office to execute some documents and I invited her for a lunch. I talk to her about my work problem and she was quite understanding. After all my talking, she told me to look at the problem in a different perspective. Have I consider the responsibility of my colleagues while I am away? It could it be better for my boss to know about the problem through my colleagues ? Does it really matters that it has not been filtered by me ?

After calming down, I realize that the problem was not as big as I thought and it was more manageable than I think. In my anger, I have intensify and multiply the impact. Things are not as bad as I think it would be. If we go down to the problem, we could see how small it is and our mind is playing a trick on us. Our anger have fan the fire of our trouble.

Yes, when we are angry, we should not say or do anything because our anger is taking charge and it could make us to or say stupid things. The picture becomes clearer if our anger subsides and logic returns to us.

Sometimes, it oould be the jet lag and the monday blues that is fanning the anger in us. Let the day pass and it will definitely be better tomorrow.

Namaste.

Wondering in Tokyo - the day before

I am flying off by the mid night flight from Haneda Airport and I have finished all my assignment in the morning. I told my host that I would not like to impose on him and I took off by myself back to my Hotel and I took a rest at the lobby chairs. I became restless as I sit and wait for the dinner appointment. I took off by taxi from my Hotel and reach the place of my next meeting well ahead of time. I have another one and a half hours before the dinner appointment.

I wonder around the area and finally found a seat at a coffee bar and ordered a coffee before I start to write this article.

Tokyo is a very big city but you can travel around by the sub-ways or taxis . If you travel around in a taxi , it will cost you about 10 times the fare of travelling by the sub-way. I wonder around many stores and I found that everything is expensive and more expensive than what we can buy in Malaysia at least more than 10 to 15 times. It is amazing how the Tokyo people can survive at this rate.

In Malaysia, we are talking about minimum wages or extension of retirement age from 55 to 60 but in Tokyo, the cost of living have raise the wage level automatically and due to the high wages, the employers are offering people to stay after their retirement age. In Japan, there is a big problem regarding sustainability in paying pensions. The mechanic is very simple. If the number of people contributing to the pension keep increasing , then it is easy to fund the paying out of the pension but if it is the other way, when paying out is more than the injection, finally , it would lead to a cash flow problem. The OUT is more than the IN is not sustainable.

This is what is happening in Japan. The younger generation is getting less as the population shrink but the life of the previous or generation is getting long and the funding of the pension is getting more and more serious. It is just like a Ponzi scheme with the older generation gets paid first while the later generations will face the problem. It is really scary unless the GDP growth is robust and the Government have current surplus to manage the gap which is getting wider and wider by the day , month or year.

I just came out of a family mart , a 711 and a department store which sells fruits and I could make myself to buy anything as it is exorbitantly high and there is no value for my money. Maybe, there is still value for the Tokyo people because they are paid 10 or more times salary than me. Maybe, if I get that kind of pay, I would be able to eat normally in Tokyo and think more like the Tokyo people.

It is amazing that tourist wants to come to such places to shop , eat or holiday, it is just too expensive to have FUN in Tokyo. If we have money and we do not know how to spend it, then you come to such places to buy up your funds while you are having FUN.

Again, to these Tokyo people, you are living in another world and hope you well.

Namaste.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Life is uncertain - Robbin Gibbs (Bee Gees)

The Bee Gees grew Up with me and I have been singing their songs when I was with a band during my younger days. I have also been watching their performance via DVD. Now with one of their member already died from operation complications and Robbin in come. There is only Maurice Gibbd. This spell the end of the band and a great era for them. Fate is strange and when the end comes, it will come. It does not matter whether you are rich, famous or great.

Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb in coma after contracting pneumonia
 Lifestyle | Updated today at 08:40 AM
LONDON (AFP) - Robin Gibb, singer with the legendary British band the Bee Gees, is in a coma in hospital after contracting pneumonia in his battle against cancer, his official website confirmed on Saturday.

'Sadly the reports are true that Robin has contracted pneumonia and is in a coma. We are all hoping and praying that he will pull through,' said a brief statement on RobinGibb.com.

British media reported Saturday that the 62-year-old was at a hospital in Chelsea, west London, where wife Dwina, his three children and brother Barry - also of the group - were keeping a bedside vigil.

Gibb, part of one of the biggest-selling groups of all time, had bowel surgery 18 months ago for an unrelated condition but a tumour was found and he was diagnosed with cancer of the colon and the liver.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Back home from Japan

I touch down in Penang yesterday morning from Haneda airport, Tokyo. The bus ride from the station next to Royal Park Hotel to the Airport was smooth and there was a little rain. The feeling was safe and calm. Upon reaching the airport, I went around the shopping arcade and it was occupied by mainly food stalls. It was dinner time at 8pm and look around for some fast and simple food. I found a ramen shop and I ordered and eat a bowl ramen. The taste was good and the price was reasonable at 860 yen and in Tokyo, Japan.

I was abit early as I was in a mid-night flight from Tokyo to Penang. The Haneda us an international airport and it was very huge and very well organize and set up. The perception I
Have of Japan is that it was clean,tidy and systematic. But,looking at another angle, it is a concrete jungle and deprive off friendliness and looks cold and very business like. In another words, no nonsense.

It was a six and half hour flight from Tokyo to Singapore and a transit flight from Singapore to Penang. It was a sleepless and tired flight because of the several interruptions of offering of food,drinks and movement of passengers to the toilets.

My trip this time was very unusual as I was was on the last seat on the tail end of the plane through out the whole journey and next to a toilet. I must have offended the ticketing staff or she could have given me the best economy seat in the plane.

Well, whatever happens, I feel good to be home. Home sweet home.

Namaste.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Last night in Tokyo

Today is my last working day in Tokyo and with all the assignment completed as of today, my colleagues and I had a very good sushi dinner with all the wines, beers and wiskey. It is like eat what you can and we eat everything at our heart's delight. We had a wonderful time at a Tokyo club and we bid goodbye after the dinner. It must be a very expensive dinner as the standard of living in Tokyo is the highest in the world.

The other day, I bought a long piece of banana and it cost me 126 yen. One piece of banana for about US$1.5. In Penang, I could have bought 10 to 12 pieces. This simple example will tell you how expensive it is to live in Tokyo.

My colleagues and I took a long walk back to the hotel after the dinner and on the way, we were unsure of the directions and we stop to ask 3 or 4 people and they told us that they are unsure of the direction. Yes, we could have taken a taxi back to our hotel but we decided to exercise after food. From the response, we could know that the city is really big and most of the people on the streets are not living in Tokyo and they are here to work. For the Japanese people, they work very late and they don't have the time to come out at night except to entertain. Many Japanese leave their family back in their home town and stay single to work in the City.

Another insight is that time passes very fast and it is already the 5th day in Tokyo and I will be taking a night flight back to Penang on Friday mid night. I hate night flights as I don't get to sleep and if I can, it will be in short gaps. Well, this has been the arrangement and I will need to go through with it. After reaching Penang, I will catch up with my sleep on Saturday and Sunday and will be back to work on next Monday. It is hell of a hectic and I can never enjoy such kind of trips.

The arrangement of flight in the night is the same as the trip to Bangladesh and the feeling of lack of sleep often sent shivers down my spine. What can I do but to endure the discomfort and the pain. It has been my fate or my arrangement and is always my choice. I cannot blame anyone but my self. The thought of coming back to Penang early have driven me to take this decision of taking night flights.

Namaste.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Trying to catch sleep in a distant land

It is like a cat and mouse game. The more you want to catch the rat, the more illusive it will be but if you don't want it, it will come by itself. You can try whatever method but it will come at its own will.

Life is like this uncertain nature. What we want in life if it is yours , then it will be yours. If it is not yours, how hard you try, you will not get it. This illusive nature of life makes life interesting. Otherwise, if you get what you want then where is the thrill. It is so easy.

If you want a thing, we should lay the foundation for it and sow an apple seed if you want an apple tree and you have to sow it in the right place. Do the right thing. Never say "can't or try" and just do it and carry out the necessary preparation. For example, if we give alot to charity,then in turn, we will be blessed with good health and wealth. Even if we do get anything or do not expect anything, we will feel good that we have help other people.

It is true that in life, we should not expect anything in return for the deeds that we do. It may not come because the good you do today is to ease the misdeed you did in the past or the good deeds you did today, it will be accumulate for your misdeed tomorrow or in the future. Whether this is true or not, nobody knows. If your good deeds you do is in excessive then you enlightenment maybe possible or you will achieve extreme fulfillment in life and may escape the realm of human life.

We can only speculate and make ourself believe that such method of accounting is in the system. This GOD fearing nature in us will help us to keep in line and discipline ourself on a regular basis. If you believe, we don't need the truth to convince us.

The good or bad of human nature is within one's choice. The Holiness, the Dalai Lama said that if we cannot help other people, we should not do anything to hurt them. We should discipline ourself in our daily acts and our thoughts. If we think of a misdeed in our mind, it will could make you follow your thinking and carry out the misdeed. So, we should discipline our mind to prevent occurence of the act.

For now, my restless mind is fill with thoughts, moving in and out sapping my energy and makes tired but yet sleep still illusive and not coming forth even after put my thoughts in this message to all of you. I am feeling more calm and restful now and would attempt to think about loving kindness and compassion.

I will just hope and believe that if we let nature take its course and let sleep decides when is the timing to come.

Good night, folks.

Namaste.

Sakura Season in Tokyo

All along the streets of Tokyo, there are many cherry trees while the weather were cool at 20 deg C. On these trees, there are so many sakura flowers and when the wind blows, these flowers were flying around and drop softly to the ground. It was so nice and romantic when you walk along the side walks. Yes, it is the most beautiful and comfortible season in Japan.

It is also a custom for the common folks to gather below the trees and drink sake while enjoy the cold light breeze sweeping across the land. It is spring time and a time to rejoice.

Life is journey and not a destination, so when we are at that particular moment, we should enjoy the minutes of it as the time drift by. Slow down and treasure the minutes and enjoy th emoments. Reach out, melt you heart and harmonize with the environment. You have a reason to be there, so enjoy it.

I also had a chance to eat at one of the sushi restaurant in town and the food was good and drinks were plentiful. It was among friends and we had a good time. We drink and chat and as we chat we drink. The atmosphere was loud and noisy but we did not care a bit about it and we just enjoy ourself. Outside the restaurant, the sakura flowers were filling up the streest and young couples walk hand in hand and enjoy their romantic chats while holding hands. There was so much love and peace on earth and it was like heaven.

Learn to relax your heart and you will enjoy the relaxation and become more restful. If you can attain such level of relaxation, you would enjoy the peacefulness and beauty on earth.

Namaste.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Attitude - what is it make of ?

> If only we can remember them and practice... ...
>
>
> *Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter
> rain. Just pray for a better umbrella. **That is attitude.*
>
> *When flood comes, fish eat ants & when flood recedes, ants eat fish.
> Only time matters**;**Just hold on, God gives opportunity to everyone!*
>
> *Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right
> relationship,* *it's not how we care in the beginning, **but how much we
> care** till the very end.*
>
> *Some people always throw stones in your path. **It depends on you what
> you make with them**. A Wall or a Bridge? **Remember you are the
> architect of your life.*
>
> *Search for a beautiful heart, but don't search for a beautiful face' coz
> beautiful things are not always good, **but good things are always
> beautiful.*
>
> *It’s not important to hold all the good cards in life**,** *
>
> *but it’s important how well you play with the cards you hold.** **
> **Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, God smiles from
> above and says, `relax dear it’s just a bend, not the end. **Have Faith
> and have a successful life.** *
>
> *One of the basic differences between God and humans is, God gives, gives
> and forgives**,** **but the human gets, gets, gets and forgets.*
>
> *Be thankful in life....*
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My stay at Royal Park Hotel , Tokyo

I am now in Tokyo and have arrived here in the early morning. The Hotel was fully booked and will need to wait until 12 noon for the available rooms. I arrived with two other colleagues and one Japanese expatriate arrived at the same time with us and he offered to take us around while waiitng for our rooms.

We travelled by the Japanese railways which have been make famous for its system and its timeliness. The travelling was smooth if you know how to read the Japanese instructions. Thanks to our lucky star, it was make possible by the Japanese expat travelling with us. He makes a few small errors but in the end we make to reach Aksakusa and Akibahara. This town was famous by the latest available electronic equipments. But, instead of looking for the electronic equipments, he took us to the temples which is celebrating the "Sakura season".

The sakura flowers was very beautiful lining the roads and the temples and also the river sides. I was told by the Japanese expat it was the best season to to visit Japan. The temperature was about 6 deg C and it was very comfortable but a bit cold in the evening. The temperature reminds me of Switzerland where there were strong sunlights while the the temperature is cool. It is the best of the combinations and it was a joy just to walk in this weather or drink coffee or tea by the road side cafe.

At the night, my host took us to a Italian restaurant not far away from the Hotel and we had a wonderful time eating Piza, salads and drink beer and bicardi coke. The walk to the restaurant and back was really refreshing and wonderful. The night in Tokyo is deserted especially in the business areas around the Hotel.

Now back to the Hotel and as usual, the business hotels in Tokyo is small but comfortable. The value of the land is very expensive and so, the utilization of space is very important. The City is neat and well organized but it is a concrete jungle with patches of green fields scattered around the City.

Maybe, I have not seen more of the City but my feeling is that life would be very stressful as people have to work late and travel long distance to be back home even with the fast and efficient railway systems.

May I wish the people living in Tokyo a happy journey through life. I will talk more of my journey as more events unfold for the next few days.

Namaste.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Steamboat dinner at spice girls, nagore road

My friend, B was in town last night and I invited him for a dinner at the spice girls. It was the second time I brought him there. The first was about one year ago. The taste was quite good then and we enjoy the steamboat the last time around. Last night was the second time and we have expected the same good food.

I brought along a Japanese white wine to drink with him. We ordered the regular vegetables, food balls , meat balls, fish head, prawns and all the seafood available. We ordered two type of soup. One plain pork soup and another Tom Yam soup. We unlaoded all the vegie and seafood stuff into the different part of the bowl containing the two type of soul. I took the food from the Tom Yam soup and it burn my lips. It is not only hot but chilli hot. It burns my whole mouth including my lips. I just cannot believe the "hotness " could paralyse me with the burning sensation. I could not eat anymore but continued drinking ice cold water to remove the burning sensaton from my mouth. It took me 30 minutes before I can eat anything else from the plain soup portion.

We ordered a fish ball with cheese inside and the taste was not so good and the food was not so fresh. As we eat, we talk about our past friendship. The nights we burn KL red and we drink and be merry in the Kaoroake joints. We drink into the late nights and drag ourselves to home or to the hotel. LIfe was carefree then.

The white wine was very smooth when we drink with ice. The cold of the drinks and the hotness of the steamboat balance each other and we eat quite alot.

This afternoon, I had a lunch with another banker friend, P and P told me that he had dinner at the Spice girls before and he told me that he likes the duck salt vegetable soup and the tom yam soup. He told me, the tom yeam was chilli hot and it was acceptable. But , why did I feel so hurt ? Maybe, there is a reason. Somebody told me that if we practice yoga for a few years, my awareness will be sharpen and our sense will become more sensitive. To make matter simple and cut away the thinking, I quite agree that maybe, my taste is getting more severe and my tolerance level for hearing and eating could have improve.

A person's food is another person's poison. So, no two people are the same especially when come to taste. Eat and be merry but we have to get the expereinece when we are on the way. Life is too short to regret or compromise.

Namaste.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

The song " Mandy"

Today, I watch a DVD on Barry Manilow's concert in London. Barry's top hits like copa cabana, Cann't smile without you, Mandy, I write this song, etc. The song "Mandy" raise a tear in my eyes as the lyrics was very touching and I believe in our life, we have known a similar girl like Mandy.

The song tells the story of many people come in and out of our life and during our journey, they are people who cares about us or love us when we are down but we turn them away. In later stage of our life, when we are in trouble, we regretted very much for turning Mandy away and we long for their love and care.

In my previous article, I wrote about life is like a train, people get in and out at the various stations. Some people stay longer with us, some people gets off very early. Each person that comes into our life is with a purpose and if that purpose is served, then they will vanish from our life.

We have many good memories of these people who are good to us and we want them to stay with us forever. But, with some reason or another,they just drop out of our life. We can hold on to some people but some others, we cannot control the fate. There is a famous Chinese wisdom " fate come, fate go. When the fate ends, love ends". What is left behind is good memories.

So, to hold on to the people we love to keep by our side, we should be wise and spend time to communicate and see them. Make everyone important to you and care for them and show your love to them. It is your choice and in this way, you might be able to control fate.Show them true love and compassion.

Don't let go the one we love and regret for not doing enough or letting them go so easily. If you keep your love ones closed to you, your life will be much happier and meaningful. Start now and revive your communication and keep in touch with them before it is too late,

Namaste.

Fate have its mysterious ways - A story

Ultra-marathon runner Micah True found dead in New Mexico

Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:02PM EDT

By LAURA ZUCKERMAN

(Reuters) - Ultra-marathon runner Micah True, missing for four days in the rugged wilderness of New Mexico, was found dead on Saturday, police said.

True, 58, was found in the mountainous Gila National Forest in southwest New Mexico, near the Arizona border in the early evening, said Tom Bemis, incident commander with the New Mexico State Police.

Nicknamed "Caballo Blanco," or White Horse, True became a celebrity after he was featured in the best-selling book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.

True left the Wilderness Lodge and Hot Springs, four miles from the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, on Tuesday, and did not return. The lodge owner notified authorities on Wednesday.

Police then launched a massive search for the missing man, with 15 search teams totaling 60 people combing through 200,000 acres of steep canyons and shallow rivers in the high desert.

His body was found with no obvious signs of injury, police said. A medical examiner was en route, but because of the rugged terrain his body was not likely to be retrieved until Sunday.

True had left for a 12-mile run carrying a water bottle and wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He left his dog at the lodge.

In January, True wrote on his Facebook page: "If I were to be remembered for anything at all, I would want that to be that I am/was authentic. No Mas. Run Free!"

True was the race director for the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a roughly 50-mile race that drew a dedicated group of runners to Northern Mexico.