Saturday, June 30, 2012

Saturday night's experience.

In the afternoon, I invited my wife for a Japanese dinner and she told me that there is some procession in town and some of the stroads are closed for this purpose. So, I look through the Star newspaper and try to find the news.  I could not find that piece of news and I asked my wife to show it to me. It was a small column indicating " Roads  closed". I was abit upset . It is dirty politics and it has fallen to the level of level of glutter politics and making the layman like me suffering from he unsuspected traffic jams.

Yeah, I say it again. It should in the more prominent page and in bold letters especially it affects the common folks. Stupid newspapers. Only interested in politics.

So, I shifted the place to Egate away from the town. I choose Tyuchiya, a Japanese restaruant in Egate and is on the same side as Tao, another Japanese restaurant in the same area.  The food was okay   but  the place was packed . Yeah, maybe, they go there for the same reasons , to escape the traffic. I do not know whether they read the small advertisement or not.

After the dinner, when I almost reached home and I went head on against another procession. It was a street procession for a Taoist deity but the procession was only a short one. I think it is the same Taoist deity celebration as those processions in town.

I could recognize the ceremony because when I was young, my neighbour managed a Taoist deity's temple and on may occasions, they would celebrate with the Temple's caretaker in a trance. I could see them whipping their back when in trance or piecing a spear through their cheeks.  When there is an elipse of the moon, they will hit the gongs in the temple until the moon is clear again. This is to prevent the moon been eaten by the monster. During the younger days, I will follow the processions on the streets especially the 9th Emperor Festival.  I will follow my mum and asked for divine help in my studies and  for the good health of my parent.

It have been 50 years already  and most of the images have been hidden away and tonight, it brings back the good memories of my younger days , following the procession on the road and sweating it out , hoping that the deity will take care of me and my family.  In reality, we need the divine intervention in certain part of our life.

But, this procession was not highlighted in the road closure announcements in the newspaper. Luckily , it was only a small procession, otherwise, I will be complaining more severely.

Coming to think about it, Penang have thousands of such Taoist temples and if we were to announced road closures for all the small processions , I believe Penang will be paralysed and all traffic will be at a stand still.  To be frank, Penang is the holiest state in Malaysia . The processions are mainly for thenese and Indian deities and there are many superstitous folks in Penang.

It is true , Penang have many beautiful places to visit and good food to eat and also many Gods or deities to pray. Try your luck , you may get the right digits to strike first prize in the Toto or Magnum.

Namaste.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Looking in or looking out

Are you looking in or looking out ?

We are never at fault.  Other people is always wrong . We are always right.  We look at people’s mistakes and we point to them and push all the responsibility to them. This is looking out.  Most of us have this mentality and act like an arm chair critic. Yes, why not ? Otherwise, our eyes will face in instead of face out.  Yerrr, how ugly would that be ? So, Nature also favors this mentality. This is our justification and our argument.  Period.

Do you ever look inside ?  Yes, our eyes are make to look outwards but we have a thing called “ mirror”.  We always call out to the mirror . Mirror, Mirror, Mirror , who is the beautiful of them all ?  When we look at the mirror , we only look at the beautiful side of our face and body. We admire ourselves  and we intentionally, avoid the ugly side of our face and body.  This is self denial.  We think we are the most perfect and beautiful being on earth.  How wrong can we be ? Your Ego is blocking you.

How do we look inside us ? Close our eyes and focus.  Turn your internal sight inwards and relive your experience. Go through it as many times as possible and  identify your weakness and let your ego go.  Be aware of our weakness and go through it objectively. If you can go into meditation, you can let yourself free but keep your internal eyes focus on your weakness and accept that you have these weaknesses. Your ego will fight with you and you will need to negotiate and convince your ego. You can do it very effectively if you discuss or argue with your ego in your mind.  There is no third party to look at you or see you.

We have to repeat this process several times and wake the Buddha in us to defeat our ego. Once, we defeat and let our ego go, we will be very clear in our mind and we can see things more objectively and things become more clear.

It can be done. Don’t be scare to face your inner self  or inner demon  ie your ego and it  will not be as bad as it seems and you will win the power to see and be your self.

Namaste.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Master Time - zoom

Today, I read an article which says that the fans of the King of Pops dedicated 10,000 roses for the third death anniversary of the superstar, Micheal Jackson. What? The third anniversary? It was like only yesterday, I saw his funeral possession. Ow! time really flies.

What about Whitney Huston? Yeah, she was already dead for a few months. And, how about Robbin Gibbs? John Denver?  John Lennon ? Ow! they were dead for many years. So,\\\\

Master time do not walk anymore, it starts to leap and hop.  What is the hurry, Mr Time?  It depends on the stage of mind. When we were young, the day seems long but when we grew older, the week became the day , the month became the week and it is running faster and faster as if it  wants to catch the end as soon as possible.

There is a wise saying " when we were young, we think we are clever then we wanted to change the world. But, now we are wise, we only want to change ourself". Our mind developed over the ages. Our expectation change. our thinking change. We were too busy to think about time. We were rushing all the time and time run non stop and when we wake up the run is coming to an end.  So, where have all our time gone? We don't realize that time was like our partner , it is always there for us but we just ignore it and let it slip by.

Ten years seem to be a long time for those awaken people but for those busy people, it is only a short time. It was always not enough.  For those awaken people, they are conscious of each moment and aware of each seconds and enjoy it as much as possible.  So, be awaken and  be conscious and be aware.

Life can be a long or a short journey  in the same length of time . Hope you already realized this point.


Namaste

Sunday, June 24, 2012

My morning visit to Giant, Farlim

This morning , I received a errant to buy some food stuff for my daugther , May.  I took my wife to the wet market in Farlim and the car park was packed. This is the usual condition on week ends. After spending sometime in the wet market, she told me that they could not get some of the spices at the wet market.  So, I suggest we go to Giant which is next door to the wet market.

We reached Giant at 9.30am and we were particularly the first few customers for the day. The parking at the hypermarket was very convenient and spacious compared to the haphazard parking conditions at the wet market. We could have came here in the first place and enjoy the air-condition shopping.

I was amazed at the items in Giant. For one item, there are so many brands and it has line and line of food items and its different  brands on its row and row of shelves. I do not know how a customer could differentiate quality of the different brands. The price of these different items are only marginally different. I, for one wsa really confused and just check the price and buy the cheapest unless I have already a familar brand in mind.

Giant, is a one stop center for food, drinks and sundries. It is a very convenient shopping outlet and the prices of its selling items is known to be reasonable.

My wife was searching for a packet of ground nut powder and it was very difficult to locate among the endless rows of shelves. I have to resort to the supervisor and he directed one of the helper to help me to locate the item. He took some time to locate the item which was hidden among the thousands of items on the shelves. The small packet marked RM2.95 and I took it and show it to my wife. I recommend to buy a few packet as this was the quantity requested by May. She told me a flat "No" and she suggested me to get wet market in Air Itam. I argued with her as the priec could be only marginally different. She was firmed about her decision and I have to put the packet back.

After dropping her, I took my sister , C to the Air Itam market. Before reaching the market, she concurred with me that the price of the ground nut powder would be only marginally different. Yes, our trip will be wasteful.  I dropped my sister C off to the market and waited for a while for a parking slot and I went to search for my sister. The Air Itam wet market have been renovated but it is still a wet market with water on the floor and the stinkey smell of the chicken and fish.

I located my sister and I ttook over the heavy plastic bags from her containing the purchase for the day.  She smell at me and told me that my wife's decision was correct.  The packet of groud nut powder from the Air Itam wet market was three times the size of the packet at Giant and only for RM2.00.  Suddenly, I realized  the cost impact at the different locations. I was so wrong.

I was always with the imprssion that Giant is buying the items on bulk basis and the items will be cheap and this benefits is passed on to their customers. How can they be so much more expansive than the traditional wet market? I began to think that it might be due to the air-condition cost, the advertisement cost and the business risk ,etc. Nevertheless, it is really an amazing discovery and it breaks my belief that business man make reasonable profits. No, there is always Greed and opportunity to make more and more money.

It is really a Dog eat Dog world. Well, I maybe wrong to based on only just one item but this is representative of the business world.

Namaste.

Haze over Penang

The past few weeks have been terribly hot due to the haze over Penang Island. It was reported that there are over 30 hot spots in Sumatra and Kalimantan and dur to the direction of the wind, it is shifting the haze over the North Malayan Peninsular.  The haze is prividing a cover to contain heat on the island  and it has been uncomfortably hot.  It also caused difficulty in breathing.

During this period, the traffic only the road especially on a bad hazy day was sparse. It was reported that the haze is hitting the 100 mark and in some area, it is about 300 which is at a dangerious level.  Schools have cancelled their out door activities and people is having all kind of sickness from cough, red eye and allergy.

Yesterday, there was a heavy rain in the morning and it provides some relief but by noon, the haze index have shot back up.  I have been using air -condition to cool myself down for the weekend.  Even under air-con, it is still unbearable if you get in and out of your car. There is a burning sensation in our nose.

I have a colleague who is allergic to haze and he has been suffiring form running nose and teary eyes for the past few days.  It makes the whole office environment so sickly and uncomfortable. The dangerous level of the haze also caused hot temper and irritaiton because of the constricted breathing and ther eis a lack of oxygen to our body and brain.

I have been praying for rain to come and the wind to change direction to wash or blow the haze away.  This hazy condition have been happening for many years now especially the hot spell in this region. It is nature's way of evolution but it is also aggreviated by the greed of mankind especially the raping of the virgin forest. \\

Hopefully, the almighty God will give us a definite solution to this problem and once, again provide us the clean and clear air to breath.

Namaste.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

My third dinner at Nostalgie, Stewart Lane, Penang

Today, I went to a dinner  with my family and my BILs and SILs at Nostalgie.  My family have been there three times but it was the first time for my BIL and SIL.

My wife ordered  two pizza and different types of spehgetti, pasta , carrot cakes, brownies ,etc and my SIL sponsored  a bottle  of wine. The taste of the food was wonderful and the wine mixed well with the food.  Unfortunately, the weather was abit hot despite the strong rain in the morning.  The air con in the restaurant was not strong enough and we felt abit burned up.  Apart from the warm temperature, it was an enjoyable dinner.

The restaurant was full  this evening because it was a Saturday night. I could see the customers are mainly families and pairs of ladies. It must be a  chatty night out for the girls.

One of the topic was the currrent in Penang where pre-war houses  were bought by foreigners to convert into hotels, motels and eateries.  Penang is now a heritage centre and it also attracts alot of back packers who enjoy the heritage houses to enrich their experiences. 

On the way back, I sent my SIL and BIL to see Chulia Street which has been turned into a busy night spots filling with renovated hotels , motels and eateries. Along this road, there are two famous "wantan " hawker mee stalls and we saw  it was packed with tourist and also there are several beautifully renovated old motels like the  old Nam Thean Hotel and the Yeng Keng Hotel. These two hotels is now very famous to the foreign tourist.

From the way Penang is growing, tourism business could hit big time as the island is developing at a very fast pace to attract huge foreign tourist.  Now the population of Penang is only 1.6 million people  and it is fast attracting foreigners to make it into a comfortable home for their retirement and holiday homes.

I read in the papers today that a GLC company , UDA is building more condos in Tanjung Tokong and they believe that there is still good  market for high rise condos as the price of landed properties have gone beyond the resach of the local residents,  Yes, in no time, Penang will be like Singapore and Hong Kong where the island will be packed with Condos as land become scarce.Now some of the Condos is selling at RM1000 per sq feet as compared to US$1500 per sq ft in Singapore and Hong Kong. So, there is a long way up.

Coming back to reality, it is lucky now that we are able to have a decent dinner at an affordable price. In the future, the price of food will follow the pace of the properties and in no time, our standard of living will hike as well.  In the meantime, we continued to search for affordable eating outlets. So, Syabas.

Namaste.

Bak Chang Day - today

As I was going out of my house this  morning, I saw my neighbour hanging a red cloth in front of her house and I was surprise and my wife , who was sitting next to me in my car told me that today is Bak Chang Day.  In the Chinese tradition, today is the day , the Chinese poet and statesman , Wu Xizu committed suicide by drowning himself in the river.  He was greatly respected by his community that the people make " Bak Chang" or the river dumpling and throw it into the river to feed the fishes so that the poet's body can be spared.  Well, this could be a real event and it  had became a day for the Chinese to celebrate this day with the " Chang "  or dumpling.

So far, I have not taken any dumpling today and here I am sitting in starbucks drinking Green tea latte celebrating the occasion. There is no river nearby but the outlet is near a sea front hotel. Well, maybe, it is still acceptable since there is water and fishes around. LOL.

This outlet was my usual  Sunday hide away a few years ago. My wife used to visit my father in law in one of the condo units every Sunday and I will be left hanging around in this outlet until dinner when she join in the mahjung session with my in-laws. Now, I am sitting in the same outlet and both my FIL & MIL have passed on. The feeling so weird and funny.  How time had passed and I am back to this particular spot in my Starbucks outlet.

Just like this " Chang " day, it had been a few hundred years  and yet, the people on this particular day is still celebrating the occasion. It will go on and on after my passing as well. The show must go on, the wind will continue to blow, the sun will continue to rise from the East.  What is the difference of one person to this Universe ?

There is a saying "Time and Tide" waits for no one. By the way, we are just a speck of dust in this whole Universe.  It does not matter whether anybody remember me or not or whether they celebrate my birth or death. Yes, the wind will continue to blow ....

Namaste.
A brief history of Duanwu Festival :

Despite the modern popularity of the Qu Yuan origin theory, in the former territory of the state of Wu, the festival commemorated Wu Zixu (526 BCE* – 484 BCE). Wu Zixu was a loyal advisor whose advice was ignored by the king to the detriment of the kingdom. Wu Zixu was forced to commit suicide by the king Fuchai, with his body thrown into the river on the fifth day of the fifth month. After his death, in places such as Suzhou, Wu Zixu is remembered during the Duanwu Festival to this day.
A brief history of Duanwu  Festival : Chinese 5th day of the 5th month:


Friday, June 22, 2012

Dinner at Beach Corner, Batu Fringgi , Penang

Last night , I had a dinner in this restaurant , Beach Corner, a Hainanese beach restaurant in Batu Ferringi. I left my office at 6.30pm after work from the mainland and it took me slightly more than 2 hours to reach there. If there is clear traffic , the time would be about an hour. There was massive jam along the way . Along the Jelutong Expressway, along Burmah Road , Kelawai Road and until Island Plaza in Tanjung Tokong. Bumper to bumper jam.  I could have reach Kuala Lumpur if I used a powerful car.Some people can reach Kuala Lumpur in just 2 hours from Penang to Kuala Lumpur.

Anyway, when I reached Baut Ferringi , the hawkers and retail shops were already open for night business and after reaching Golden Sands Hotel, we start to look for the restaurant on my left and before the neon light , TAS, there was a  small lane between rows of streets shops selling gifts and once , I turned it, there was a single storey restaurant and a spaceous carpark.

As I walk in, I saw that it was ony a few tables and my sister, C, my daugther May and her BF and my SIL G and BIL, ES was already there eating the first dish of spring roll. We placed another order and both my wife and me start our dinner.

My SIL, G  ordered quite alot of food. There was  a duck yam soup , hokkien fried noodle, a  dish of fried chicken called  enchi kebin, a mee suan soup and a curry fish head.  Surprisingly, the taste was delicious.  I have not heard about this restaurant but we were planning for a week to eat at this restaurant.  I don't know how much it cost as my SIL, G paid the bill.

As usual, there were a few tables of foreigners and a few tables of local families enjoying the good food.

Batu Fringgi  has a stretch of hotels , ie Raya sayang, Golden Sands, Park Royal, Holiday Inn, Hard Rock Hotel and Palm Beach resort ,etc. It is a famous tourist resort like Bali and it has a long beach front and many sea sport activiites. It is also similar to Koh Sar Mui and Krabi in Thailand. Since, it is quite a distance from town and my residence, we seldom to there to eat.  The local residents considered it too commercialized and the nature beauty of the sea front is already compromised.  But, for the foreigners, they enjoy the food, sun and the activities.

We finished our dinner at about 10 pm and it took me only 30 minutes to reach home because the traffic jam has cleared and the ride back was smooth.

Along the way to the restaurant and back,  there are blocks and blocks of condos, apartment , eateries , shop house and what not , lining on both sides of the road.  Penang have developed so much on the hill slopes facing the sea and along the sea front. Some of the sea front homes belongs to the rich and famous. One of them is the Loh Boon Siew Villa. He is the man who bring Honda cars to Malaysia and build up the business. He has a long story to tell.

So, if you have a chance, pick up a rack sack and go wondering in this sea front resorts and enjoy good food in some of the hide away places in this sea front resorts, Among the hotels, there are still good and cheap outlets.  Happy hunting.

Namaste.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Everything depends on our mind

Something irritates me at work and the issue keeps floating up in my mind.  I was going to take action and to make things right. My mind pushed me and the matter irritates me more and more.  I must do nothing. Otherwise, the things are do will be wrong.

Suddenly, I remembered that I should not focus on it. By focusing on it,  my mind gives it more power to control my thinking.  I took out my handphone and sent a SMS to my daughter, May. We text some jokes and I found that the issue is getting less urgent to reply. The thought is slipping away and lost the control over me. I gave a relief and i dwell on this lesson and realized that we can actually control our mind and decide what to focus.

It is amazing that after reading and knowing how the mind work, it can still control me briefly and I was all worked out. By doing something to distract myself from this topic , I felt stronger and I know now  I am controlling my mind.

I want you all to try this exercise to shift your focus on subject which will make you happy or relax. Yes, our monkey mind will keep pulling you to the topic and confused you. But, train yourself to fight it and focus it on the things which makes you peaceful and strengthen your awareness of this monkey mind.  A few times, you will realized that the monkey mind is losing its strength and power over you. You are now in control.

When your mind shift from one thing to another, you must be aware of the shift and how happy or peaceful you are. Let the trouble and bad things which troubled you  weaken and finally kick it out of you mind.  By simply denying it . Don't give it time and attention.  Use your time for some better things. Tell yourself that.

Be yourself, trust yourself  and be in control yourself.

Namaste.

Every person have a tolerance limit - reality bites.

 In reality, every person have their tolerance limit and nobody  is the same.  It is just like taste, smell and sight, each person have their own judgment and assessment.  Some people can have very close likes and dislikes or even words spoken carry different weights for different people.  Every human being is an animal of his own.

Today , I have an experience which drive home this point to me. A jovial person also have its soft points.  Our outward expression and impression is different from our inner feelings. Very one of us try to be strong on the otherwise  even internally , we are hurt , just to prevent the relationship with others.  Sometimes, we call these restrains  to being understanding and polite  towards others. But, I think it is totally wrong. If we don’t like something, we should tell the other person that we are offended instead of been abused but in a tactful way.

Of course, we do not want to over re-act and caused embarrassment to all but we still need to protect ourselves and reconcile our other expression and our inner feelings. This is to ensure that we are one and not being a hypocrite. There is nothing wrong to be yourself.  If you are hurt, we tell others that we are hurt by their words or action or gesture. If we are true to our self and stand up for our self , then we will be happier instead of hiding in  a corner to cry alone.

Everyone have two face, the outer face and the inner feeling. In some circumstances, we sacrifice our inner feelings for our outer face because to be in consensus with our peers , friends or loved ones.  This sacrifice can make us sad and make us “ cry from our inside”. But , in certain cases which is personal and does not involved with consensus and do not hurt others, we should let our inner feelings come up front and be strong.  

To be strong, we can tell others to “shut up”, “ say sorry” or we have very right to scold them back. We should portray a different image but like I say  earlier, we can tell those abusers off tactfully.

I appeal to all my readers not to “ cry from the inside”  and hole up yourself and cry but to let your true feeling reveal itself  and to fair to yourself.  If you want to cry , cry from the outside and show to these people that you are hurt. This is your true self.

Namaste.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

A marathon Yoga session

Last saturday, my wife and I attended a two and half hour Yoga workshop. My teacher was an American yoga teacher,E and the workshop was to learn  to open our heart. I managed to complete the whole session and E told me that I did quite well. But, after the session, I felt like I have run a half marathon , totally exhausted and hungey. My wife have warned me not to eat and I was very hungry after the session.

She is right and we have to take our meal 4 hours before the session. But, we could have taken some chocolate or banana which will give us the energy to work through the session. Some of the participants eat chocolate to keep up their energy.

Before the session, I was very worried that I could not complete the session because in my normal yoga class which was  a one hour fifteen minutes session, I would be totally drenched and flat out. But, this workshop was done at a  manageable pace and the teacher, E was quite understanding and gave short breaks for rest.

Her teaching style was at a moderate pace and she did not asked us  to hold a pose for five minutes. The longest hold is a 10 second count. In my normal class yoga under M, sometimes, we have to hold the pose for 5 minutes and at the end of the pose, our muscles and joints would be very paintful. The style of teaching in everyone is different especially executing a pose.

Having said that  I understand why M is training the basics and she wants us to build the muscles and strength in the hands and legs, we would be able to handle all the difficult pose. Today, I was very happy, I managed to execute the head stand without any help. I was surprised myrself and I think my body have the strength to do it.  The merit again goes to Miss M' and for her hard training.

Gradually , I felt and believe myself that I am feeling more and more ready and strong to execute the moves that I cannot do before.  Yes, I have change for the better. There is a wisdom which tell us  that there are two reasons for change. One reason is that the person  have learned a lot and another reason is after a person have been hurt alot.

Trust ourselves and remind ourselves that " Impossible is nothing ",

Namaste.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Wealth is like a cloud - a Chinese saying

Why is wealth like a cloud ?  Wealth is solid cash or cash like properties. It is tangible. Why ancient wisdom describe it this way. What is the logic ? Are these words coming from a sore loser ?  Why is it so pessimistic? If we don't chase after wealth, it will destroy the establishment and dreams of many people.

Yes.  I have seen three people who died within these three years. All wealthy people and in the end, they realized that money is not everything and when they are gone, their wealth no longer belongs to them. In the dying years, people often used a large part of their wealht to exchange for additional time on earth especially the sickly. The saying indirectly implies that at the end, when the wind blows, the cloud disappear. it depicts the filmsy nature of wealth.

Recent, my ex-colleague and friend died unexpectedly but before he died, he left behind his last message. A crack at life.

In his last message, he poked fun at wealth , asked people to enjoy nature , peace and relax. Wealth can go up one day and the next day it could come down like shares.  He advised not to sleep and drink but to listen to the birds and watch them flying in the sky , so much freedom  and space. Time is limited and enjoy the present just like the bird flying wherever we want and so whatever we choose.

Today is his funeral and last night , at his wake , I wish him farewell and rest in peace.  Life is uncertain when we are alive but after we die , every thing will be certain. This is the reality of life.

Namaste.

Loneliness - an article from Reuters

 People with heart disease who live alone tend to die sooner than those sharing their home with others, a new study shows.

Although the reasons for the gap are still murky, lead researcher Dr. Deepak Bhatt said access to regular medicine might be involved.

"Patients living alone may have more difficulty getting their medications refilled and taking them regularly," Bhatt told Reuters Health. "They also don't have anyone at home to call the doctor's office or emergency room if they are not looking well."

Earlier research has yielded mixed conclusions, but studies have linked social isolation to everything from heart attacks to weakened immune systems.

Bhatt, of Harvard Medical School in Boston, and his colleagues focused specifically on people with known heart disease or at very high risk for it. They included more than 44,000 people, all of whom were 45 or older, from multiple countries across the globe.

Over the four years the study lasted, 7.7 percent of participants younger than 65 who lived on their own died, compared to just 5.7 percent of those who didn't live alone.

The gap was smaller for people age 66 to 80, but it remained statistically reliable even after accounting for age, sex, employment, ethnicity and country. The living situation of those over 80, however, wasn't tied to death rates.

Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers speculate that in people under 80, living alone could signal psychological and social problems like job strain or loneliness. In contrast, very old people who live on their own may be healthier and more independent than those who don't.

Whatever the explanation, Bhatt said cardiologists should routinely ask their patients if they live alone.
"If the answer is yes, that might be a red flag and they should make sure the patients have a way to get their medicine regularly," he said. Meanwhile, patients living solo should think twice before ignoring changes that might be a sign of health problems.

"Many times people just adapt to their circumstances," he said. "Perhaps just lower your threshold a little bit and realize it's better to call (the doctor) than not to call."

But that might not be the whole story, he acknowledged.

"Other mechanisms by which living alone could increase cardiac risk have to do with possible social isolation and loneliness, and these are more challenging to fix," Bhatt said.

Indeed, another report published along with Bhatt's shows older people who felt lonely had more difficulty performing basic tasks of daily living and died younger than those who didn't feel alone

What are friends ?

Friends ... They love you,
But they're not your lover
They care for you,
But they're not from your family
They're ready to share your pain,
But they're not your blood relation.
They are ... FRIENDS! !!!!
A True friend...
Scolds like a DAD...
Cares like a MOM...
Teases like a SISTER...
Irritates like a BROTHER...
And finally loves you more than a LOVER.
Send to all your good friends
Even me if I'm one of them...**
 
 
*The nicest place to be is in someone'sTHOUGHTS!
The safest place to be is in someone'sPRAYERS!

Monday, June 18, 2012

Love is to be cherished .

Once I was told by someone that love cannot be contained in a container . It has life  and feeling of its own. It will find its own path  and once, it is no more there, it will be  gone without any reason. You cannot catch it and caged it up. It is non tangible.

It is like perfume. When it grows , the smell gets stronger and when it fade, it will slowly vanished.  Love is borderless and limitless. Just open your heart and you will feel the love. The love for everything.

Some people say that when you love a person, it is like letting it fly and when it come back to you, there is still love and when it flew and never come back, that is the end of love.  It becomes a memory.

Some people say that love is like standing afar and watch over a tree. See how it grow and branch out freely. Let its roots take its path and let the leaves fall at will.

We can never own a love. We can own a person but we cannot own their love. Love acts in a mysterious way and when it happen , it just happen. When it is gone, it leaves behind no trace.

We cannot demand to be love because love comes naturally. Love is like respect , it needs to be earned. But, surprisingly, it may not happen when it is needed most but it can happen at its  unexpecting timing.

Love cannot be enough, it grows extensively and deeply. Never we can stop it nor control it. It spread far and wide. Across miles of ocean and thousands of mountain. Where there is love, there is love. Those people who are fated to be loved or to love, it will just happen.

Open your heart , stretch out your hands, feel it . It is right there.

Namaste.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

CRC restaurant at CRC club, Penang

The restaurant was full today. Fill with people celebrating Father's Day  which co-incide with an aniversary dinner celebration which I was one of the guest. I attended the dinner with my SIL, G , my wife and my daughter, May. It was as if we were having a private dinner celebrating Father's Day.  My daughter sent me a Father's Day greeting at the dinner.  I thought she has already forgotten about it.  At least, she still has the heart.... Haiyooo.

The dinner started at 8pm and ended at 10.00pm.  Well, it would have been very boring if we were to attend the dinner ourself alone because my table is together with other guest and they are strangers to me. Luckily, there were four of us and we could eat and chat. But , still the dinner was too long. It started off with a four season, a fish, a chicken dish, a mushroom vegee mix , a noodle and it ends iwtha dessert.  The taste was good. No wonder, it is deemed as one of the best restaurant in town. The fish was fresh and well done.  Syabas to them.

For the past few years, my FIL, J always invited us to attend this Company's dinner on his behalf and for certain years, we have rejected the invitation and since his demise, the shares have been sold to my BIL, J and now it is registered in my SIL, G's name.  The Company is doing well managing a palm oil  plantation.

In my earlier years, we were invited to many such dinner and as we aged, we tend to shy away from such dinner and a simple meal will be our choice most of the time. It is not deemed as anti-social but tiredness sets in and we jsut want to be alone and eating with family members. The tiredness comes naturally from the heart.

Another good thing which happen tonight is that the wine keep flowing and couple with the good food, it was a good dinner but not too often.  Lavish life style is not my choice but a simple and healthy event would be much preferred.

For those people who have not so much such opportunities, I want to assure you that you will get tired of entertainment if it occurs too often. Like I say, the tiredness naturally ooze our from our heart. Naturally. But, do not become anti social and at times, you need to sit it out.

Namaste.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Shit people, shit life ( for SS)

Yesterday, I lock into my FB and I saw the following message posted by my dear friend, SS " shit people, shit life".  I was very surprise because SS have been a very calm person and she had just given birth to a baby. A new and young mother. I believe this situation could be very stressful for  a young couple.  A new life and a new obligation.

I felt abit desperate and I posted a comment on her FB and told her to relax and don't expect life to plain sailing and there is bound to be strong waves and bad weather. We must be persistent and we will be stronger after coming out of the bad times. And I ended my message by offering my ears to her problem.

I like SS very much because she is hardworking and jovial. She is a qualified accountant and she is smart and well balance. Her bosses appreciated her very much and I as her client always supported her in her audit job.  She always asked for assistance with a smile and is quite talkative when she starts talking. Her boyfriend and her have been dating for many years  and they have a late marriage because of distant love.  Finally, she told me that it cannot be delayed anymore as she is past her 30's.

As I have written before in my article, life living apart and living together is two different things. The true colors will come out and sometimes, the colors don't match and it is something we need to learn to compromise. Initially, the husband will learn to tolerate the wife and soon, they will be conflicts and arguements.  This is very normal in married life. One party will need to be understanding and both parties will need to compromise for a marriage to work.

I read in an article that with these two phrase a lot of marriage will work. Learn how to use " I am sorry " and " I love you". With skillful wisdom, big problems iwll be come small problems and small problems will become no problems. It is easy as that but sometimes, pride stands in our way and prevent us to bow to humuliation,

I hope SS will know that life is not perfect and if we expects perfection then we will be heading towards a lot of trouble. Another thing is that the grass looks greener on the other side. This is just an illusion and if we gets nearer , it may not be so pretty after all.  This is the reality of life.

As a parting advise to SS,  just find somebody to tell your problems . Just say it out and let it go.  It maybe difficult to express your feelings and thoughts in the FB but you can always start a blog like me and express and share you thoughts with people who cares.

I would like to thank all my reader who have been willing to read and listen to my feelings and share my experience. To all of you , a big thank you.

Namaste.

Heritage Thai Restaurant , Penang

I just had a dinner at the Thai Restaurant at the Heritage Club in Penang.  There wasn't so much table but if was suitable for a quiet dinner with my family celebrating Father's Day.

We ordered a fish, one disk of fried Kangkong, one Tom Yam soup and Kalabu chcken leg. The Tom Yam soup was not too spicy and the taste was quite okay for me while the fish was very spicy and hot. My sweat was oozing out from my head and dip down my neck and my face.  Well, perhaps I am not a chilli lover and it has a very severe effect on me. The other dishes was okay but the price was abit pricey. Well, this is what to expect in these days when the price of our food stuff have been increasing many folds.

In Heritage Club, there is a gym and a Balinese Spa.   The gym is called absolute fitness and I was a member for several years and I got to know my Yoga Teachier and my Tai Chi master from this clubs programme. My Yoga teacher and Tai Chi Master branch out on their their own after the gym change owners. The gym is well equipped with the latest equipments and machines for wellness training.

The Baliness Spa was one of my favarite place to get a body massage and I have been there  quite regularly especially on public holidays. They have oil, powder and stone message options and it cost about RM150 for two hours of message. Again, the rate have been increasing through the years.  I have recommended all of you to try in and it is in one of my article. It is really relaxing.

As for Father's Day , there is a lot of gimmicks and it is more commercial than anything else. It is good for business but at the same time, it gives the youngsters to honor their parents and I think it is better to have such occasion rather than nothing. Days will pass by un-noticed if there is no such occasion. Life will be like a white piece of paper. Life will go about plainly and joylessly.

So, to all the Fathers,  A happy Father's Day to all of you. If your young ones forget to honor you, just throw them a calendar or a reminder.  Knock their heads if they continue to forget. LOL.

Namaste.

Goodbye, my friend, LKW

I received a news on the passing of my friend , LKW today. It came as a surprise but I know he is not well for sometime already.  The last time, I meet him at a restaurant and he came over to say hello to me and at that time he has lost a lot of weight and he look frail.

Yes, I know him way back. Maybe 30 years. In this period, I heard that he did great thngs in our Company and he was a valuable asset to our Company. I work with him for almost 10 years in a projct.He was an easy guy but he love good food and each time, after a meeting , he will take my colleagues and me for lunch. One good point is that he is a very good listener and he gve good personal advises.

When he was young, he suffered a weak heart  and he did a by-pass and insert in a pace maker.  This operation help him to return to a normal life and he got married late. He took a lot of medication to protect his heart. Lately, I was told that he went for an operation to change his pace maker. Well, I think to live until this ripe full age of 70 is really incredible especially with a defective heart. His urge for living was very strong and he really stretching his life well.

I regretted not in contact with him for the last few years as  I was told he was unwell by another friend , A who operates a Japanese restaurant. Whenever, I eat at A's restaurant, he will tell me about LKW's condition and the number of times, LKW visit his restaurant.  Through this friend ,A , I managed to be posted on the well being of several friends.

I remembered LKW's sad ending with my Company and he told me that he was played out by another of his supposedly good friend.During his last year with my Company, his good friend , LOK  did something which is unforgivable.  He run down the contribution of LKW and promote himself and get his employment extended at the expense of LKW. They were very good friends before and in the end, the friendship was stained because of this incident.  He told  me that he regretted this move by his friend, LOK and was really sadden.

LKW, what I can say is that you have live your life the best you can and I hope you have been living well. Maybe, you will never heard this wish from me but I respect for what you are and all the kindness and good food. Rest in Peace, my friend.

Namaste.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Kindness in your heart

There is a different between wisdom and kindness.  Logically, when you are wise , then you are kind. Yes, there is corelation but it is not absolute. The link between wisdom and kindness is a thin line. It is the same differentiating between knowledge and wisdom. It is also logical that those people who reads a lot and gain huge knowledge will normally be wise and will also be kind.  This correlation again is not absolute. It is not always true.

What is the difference then ? Yes,  the spark to trigger the action. Knowing without using these knowledge to improve our wisdom. Reading for the sake of reading. It also need this spark to turn wisdom into kindess. So, it needs the additional push  or the right motion.

How do we turn knowledge into wisdom ? Analyse the knowledge that we have and apply it in action. Use the knowledge to understand what is going on around us or we come into being. We have to link the pieces of knowledge together and   make it powerful and self enacting. Analyse and link the knowledge in our head and make the knowledge meaningful and use this information to paste together with the other relevant knowledge and form these available infomation, to seek to analyse and understand the underlying wisdom coming from the knowledge.

How to we turn wisdom into kindness ? They are very near but yet very far. It is not automatic and it needs realization to trigger the wisdom into kindness. Knowing without doing is wastefuul and useless. We have it so near and yet so far.  Push it into motion and  wisdom will beecome kindness. It is very difficult to give . At least for the first time and the wheel of evolution starts to move. Once, we start giving , the next one will be easier and easier. It is like removing the obstacle in the way of the flow.  Move and you will trigger the next move and so on.  There is a very thin lining  pulling the old and new while keeping it in motion.

Open your heart  and look inside and you will find the deep spot  and it will continue to be, to seek and search for  an answer to life. Please don't look happy but be really happy by yourself .

Namaste.

Sadness in my heart.

There are still so many happiness in human beings  as I could see with my own eyes how anger is kept in the hearts of the people around me.  My colleagues, my family members and my friends.  Such anger and hatred is so difficult to over come and we became slave to it.  We are abuse by these angers and hatreds  and we  expressed in words during our conversation with them or others.  Yeah, I have also been struggling with this demon in me and sometimes, I win over it and most of the time , I succumb to it.  I just hate this unsteadiness in me.

Such anger or hatred can do a lot harm to the people carrying it because it creates a lot of conflict and misunderstanding  between people and sometimes, it could caused a person to hit below the belt or to backstab another person. Anger and hatred worked in a very mysterious way and after the impact, when we get over it,  it leaves behind a bad taste.
After that, we realized that it could have been better if we have manage it well.

Life is only fleeting moments and yet , we hold to such feelings so deeply.  How  should we over come it ? Can Master Time give us the strength and power to subdued it and make it vanished ? I don’t think so, if we don’t do anything about it.  The feeling will just sink into our heart or hide somewhere and it will rise up when the time is right.  Even more powerful. It will explore and open up wounds and will remained open wider and deeper. It will create havoc all over again.  Strange isn’t it?

So, how do we wipe it off ?  We have to beware of its existence and meditate on it with an open heart.  Let it rise to the surface and stare at it doing nothing.  Bring it out from the heart intentionally and face it and try to dilute it with wisdom. The wisdom of impermanence and emptiness.  Realized that it is our choice to manage it and cut it from the bud when it arises and before it hurt other people.  Meditate on the feeling constantly and tell ourselves that it is useless and wasteful.  Negate its existence and let it get dimmer and dimmer each time it arise and eliminate it once and for all.

It maybe possible or not be possible to eliminate it all together but the efforts to diminish it is the right approach to have a happier life. Why let this feeling destroy our happiness and caused misery around us. So, we have to wake up the Buddha in us to chase it away.

Namaste.

Let go - Give life a second chance

  

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Prawn village in Tambun, Penang

I atte nded a farewell dinner there tonight and I just got home.  The travelling time was not too long. It took 30 minutes from my office to the restaurant and it took 45 minutes to travel from the restaurant to my home.  I have not been there fo rmany years aready and I think it is more than 5 years. We use to love to come here for seafood.

Tonight's food consisted of four seasons, prawns, crabs, yam vegetables mix, fried noodle,  toufu with fried chicken but free flow of beer for the main table.  The weather was abit hot and cold  beer was a relief. The taste was okay and the price per table cost about RM400.  The event finished at  9pm.

Now, I am resting on my bed and re-cap the past my experience eating at the restaurant. About 14 years ago, I took my mother and sister to  Sungei Petani which is about 30 minutes from Prai to Alor Star. After doing my chorus in Sungei Petani , my sister suggested that we to to Tambum for food.  Upon reaching the restaurant, my mother felt very weak and we have to walk very strongly with her from my car to the restaurant. My mum could not eat much and she was very uncomfortable. After the lunch, we drove back to Penang and I stop at a temple in  River Road for a short prayer.  The next day, I admitted her to Advertist Hospital and not too long after that, she passed away at 86 years old.

The memory of that trip was vivid in my memory and it has run through my mind many times since. After that I have only return to that particular restaurant twice in 14 years. The condition of the restaurant keep deteriorating as the business shrunk over the years.  Now, there are about 30 similar restaurants in that area.

So, every business have a shelf life if we do not change with time or change with the business requirements. To have to rejuvenate our business constantly and keep a competitive advantage over your new or old competitors in order to sustant. Now, the current catch phase is " transform for sustainability". Not only chnage but change to preserve green or enhance nature and embrace sustainability.

Live green , protect green and enhance green to preserve the natural environment.

Namaste.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A fading memory of a friend - a story.

It has been 14 years now. Yes, the following year my mother died  that  we became unrelated.  We have been friends for 10 years when my friends and I employed her to run our business. Through the 10 years, my friends have abandon the business leaving me to hold the fort. It was hard to carry on the burden.

It was a pity at that time to let go  the business and put her and her staff on the streets. It is something I cannot do and would not do. All my friends just told me to do whatever needs to be done but I could not do it.  I have cold sweats at night thinking about it.

My mother and sister asked me to make a heartless decision as it was hurting my family and my mother. Coming to think about it , I should have done it as a business decision.  My thoughts flip here and there as I toil to support the business financially  and during my off days. It was hard but my pride and softness refused fo rme to give in.

Through these years, my friend, M grow and matured in her business sense. One day, I saw a fax and I know that I have to prepare for the worse. I know she was dating one of my customer  and they have been closed but I never thought that she will jump ship.  She was preparing to start her own business. The same type of business.  What should I do? She has all my customers and personal relationship with them.  I  confronted her. After confirming her intention,  I took a painful cut and sold off the business to her at a deep discount.  The pain is gone once and for all.

Now, 14 years later, I do not regret what I have done. It is part of  my dharma and my fate to go through this painful path. In my heart, I say sorry to my wife, my mum and my sister.  Three of them have stood by me while I was down but not out. I believe it could be my sins from my past and I have to repay  that debt to her.  After this ordeal, I realized I start to recieve blessing and good fortunes. Things start to turn better as if the sky is clear when the rain is gone. I am like a marathon runner having a second wind.

All the past is now a memory. A fading memory. I owe a big debt to my wife and my sister and I have apologized a thousand times to my late mother for dragging their life into mine and giving them so much worries and heartaches. Sometimes , I feel hurt because of the betrayal but what good will it bring.  I have reason many times to myself to let it go. Perhaps, she never realized that she has done something wrong because she is fending for herself.  Yes, she may be right and I could be wrong.

The dharma for me is that I have a role to play  and I have to act it out and finish the show. The ending is depending on me to see whether it is good or it is bad.

Namaste.

Monday, June 11, 2012

A torn among the roses - Yoga

I just finished my yoga class tonight . I was one of the two men at the session with 10 women including my 28 years old yoga teacher. I was like a torn among the roses.  Some of them very young barely 30 and the oldest among  the students is my wife and me.  We are the old die hards.

Well, the young girls or women , a mixture of them were nimble and flexible. Like a young bamboo , it can be bend at any angle . If you try a matured bamboo shoot,  you cannot even bend it an inch.  Yes, I know especially a man like me who have been playing competitive games when I was young and have build up strong muscles and stiff back and joints. I was like the 50 years old bamboo, inflexible and hard. You can only saw it in two and could hardly bend it.  An old ox as well,

However, today the focus was on  me. I have bought a tight fitting yoga T-shirt at Island plaza on last Friday and I wore it at tonight's session.  The girls were admiring my muscles which I have build over my five years of yoga training . I gave the merit to my young teacher and she was very happy and proud. She was able to make an old ox flexible enough to do some difficult yoga pose. Amazing, right?

Frankly speaking , after taking up yoga , I could feel the power in my hands and legs. Yes, my body and joints were painful after the  yoga session but the feeling of wellness is there. I could feel more lighter and more mobile. I have regained back much of my flexibility which was stiffen over the years. I can endure the pain and I love to taste the pain after the yoga session.

Today , my teacher emphasize so much on  the " golden cobra pose" building the strength in our arms, core and our back and after that, we did the "camel" pose stretching our back and lean backward. Both the cobra and the camel pose work on the back and it really make my back very sore. But , after awhile it will go away.

I believe men cannot endure yoga because we cannot tolerate pain but for the women, they are more tolerant and so the exercise is done mainly by ladies. For my case, I was accommpanying my wife and slowly and surely , I fell in love with it . I could  enjoy the exercise just like the tennis players enjoying a game of tennis. We should be aware of the process and enjoy the stretch and the pain.

I highly recommend yoga to all my readers and supporters. When you do yoga, you should concentrate your mind on the movements and the process and not the end.  Don't rush to the end and neglect the process. If you do this, you have missed the most beautiful part of the exercise.

Namaste.



Sunday, June 10, 2012

Komtar walk - an inspiration

I was at Komtar today and on arriving , I managed to find a car park on the ground floor of the VIP parking level. The car park was much better now compared to the previous administration.  Although, it is still dark but the rubbish smell have disappear. To be fair, it has imporved a lot.

After parking, I walk to the first level  through the lobby fronting Maybank and on reaching the first level , there was a small stage in front of Popular book store. The event have just completed and I was told later by my barber that our CM, LGE have just finished his speech talking about the current political situation. It was jam packed as he was very well supported by the youngsters.

I took a walk through the ICT mall and I was very impressed with the changes there. It was formerly Lifestyle supermarket and now , it has been converted into many shoplots selling computer and computer related gagets and components. Previously, when the supermarket closed shop, it was gloomy, dirty and desserted.  What a change and I would like to congratulate the State Government for a job well done.

Walking further , the ICT mall was connect by a bridge which directly linked to 1st Avenue and it was bright and shinnng all the way and I have good feeling walking around and back to Komtar. The path was clean and brightly lighted up and it attracts a sizeable crowd. The improvement have given more avenues to the young people to do their business. If you see this changes , you will be convinced that there is a need to change to inspire more changes.  It is importance to break the stigma that Komtar is full of rats and dirt.

I have been an advocate of change, Any changes small or big , if it is better, then change. The small changes will inspire big change and you can see  that change can have a moving impact. It also have a snowballing impact and will trigger change in every aspect. Komtar is a very good example that good things will come with change.

Yes, I have heard that the LGE is abit arrogant and I think great leaders need to be firm and sometimes , it is mistaken for been arrogant. If we start to heard or consider all the options, it will take a  long time to achieve the desired results and so, there are cases that we have to do it and avoid talking about it too much. Otherwise, we will be members of NATO ( no action , talk only) .

In my previous articles, I have been talking about the changes in Penang from the current State Governmnet and so far, we can see improvement with our own eyes.  The property price have boom because of the cleanliness of the place, the good landscaping, better roads and traffic conrol, etc and etc. What is wrong with better property price ?  It is beyond the reach of the local people or the younger generation . So what , this is a challenge for them and in the meantime, there will be newer hosuing estate and more affordable housing .

Those critics or shameless opportunist can eat their heart out and continue to argue in their own perspective and hit out at changes. Of course, we have to live with disagreements and diversity but I plead them to open eyes and see for themselves all the goods that have came out from the changes in Penang.  Those people who sow good deeds will get good fruits whether in this world or the next.

Namaste.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Irasabi restaurant , Penang

Irasabi, maybe it is an old name and previously, it was called Flaming Pot.  It has been in operation for easily 10 years already.  It is a fusion and traditional Japanese food and its Japanese pizza is the best.

Last night, I had my family there with my family at this restaurant which I have been for 10 months or more and before last night,  it has been years that I have not been there.  I loved the setting there as it is full of antiques and paintings. It has a very relaxing environment and nature friendly.

My wife have subscribed for a voucher which is about RM40 per set , a mixture of beef sukiyski, salad, maki and unlimited serving of rice.  It was mend for first timers to the restaurant. The portion was not enough for my daughter, May and her boyfriend and they ordered a few more dishes like Cha Soba, salmon skin  and a Japanese Pizza.  It was quite  filling and I have to pay an additional of RM75 for the food and it cost a total of RM235 for the dinner for four person. For this amount, it is quite reasonable for a  Japanese dinner for four.

In Penang Island, there is about 30 sushi bars and restaurant and plentiful of choice to choose. In Pulau Tikus alone, there is about 20 restaurant and it is abit over crowd in the area and I wonder how they are surviving during the week days or the off season period. But, hopefully, the youngsters are standing to start to love Japanese food. For one, my daughter, May loved japanese food very much especially  sushimi,

The Japanese people have living for a long life than other race because of the diet they are taking. If you loved Japanese food , you will know that there are so much variety of food to choose from especialy their traditional food. I have been working with a Japanese Company for more than 34 years already and I have the chance to eat all the variety but there are still plentiful which I have not taken. I have heard of Tako which is a life squid  and it is taken alive and you could feel the squid jumping in your mouth sucking ot the walls of your mouth and the tongue. It is amazing according to the Japanese to feel the life struggling in our mouth.  Of course, it is quite a savage act as we should respect all the living beings.

Another challenging food is the buffer fish and it is not the taste but the feeling of cheating death.  The buffer fish have poison in the bladder and such poison can be removed by qualified chef and if it is not properly clean, it can kill you.  So, this challenging food is quite expensive and because of the risk, it become an exotic food.

There are many types of Japanses food especially the traditional one which for  many people not be tasty  but for the Japanese people , it is a delicacy . Yes, we live to eat and so, I hope all of you can enjoy what you are doing or eating whether you are  a vegan or a meat eater. Live and lets live.

Namaste.
t

Don't stop breathing whatever happens .

On a Sunday morning and I have my Tai chi session,  I realized the importance of believeing. It is not that  I do not know this subject as I have written a few article on this issue. Each time, I practice the art of Tai Chi, I re-inforced my understanding and awareness. This art help us to sthe low our breath and by slowing down the breath , the absoprtion of oxygen by our lungs is much mo ore and the blood sent the oxygen to all our vital organs including our brain.  The brain became more alert and slows down the breathing to get more benefits from each breath.

There is nothing scientific about it but a very logicial process. The more we practice Tai Chi or Qugong or any art of breathing like meditation, it helps to maximize oxygen to our body and our branin. It not only stir up our awareness but also execise our hands and joints.  If our body becomes more relax, it helps in the absorption of oxygen and it brings wellness to our general health.

When do these exercise of breathing, the quality of the air is very important.  The chi or energy must be fresh and pure.  I have read of article that if we breath in carbon monoxide,  it will lead to the poisoning of our mind.  it  will then lead to hallucination and we can see "ghost" which an illusion of the mind. I am not saying that "ghost " does not exit, the carbon monoxide poisoning will give this a bad feeling and this will deteriorate your health. Makes you edgy, headaches, cold and illusional.  So, we have check our surrounding before we do such breathing exercise.

We should not do the breathing exercise near to a toilet , a drain or a rubbish dump,etc.  All these places have bad chi or energy, A simple explanation here is Oxygen is Chi.  The more oxygen you breath in , the more energy you have unless certain part of  your vital organs is defective. When a person is breathless, the medical personnel give them oxygen to keep them a live. So, Oxygen is an important ingredient for survival and active life style.

However, you may argue that aerobic exercise, running  and iron pumping is also good to increase oxygen to the vital organ and the muscles.  Yes, you are not wrong. Any exercise is good for our body and our vital organs.  It is a matter whether the exercise is appropriate for you or not depending on  your body condition.  Some exercise if we do it for a long time and as body ages, it has a negative re-action and it will hurts our body more if we continue with the exercise.  You may have heard that hkers and marathon runners suffers from knee joint pains and slip disc. So, selective an appropriate exercise for our health is very important.

Like I say earlier on, any exercise is good. So , stand up and move your butts , ok ? Have a wonderful sunday and everyday good health to all of you.

Namaste.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Room at the top of the stairs

6Sorry, I am not talking about the song with the similar title but rather there are three rooms on the 1st floor of my sister's  house. One the room used to be my eldest brother's room and since he passed a way 12 year and his wife or my sister-in-law sold his share of the property to my brother and sisters including me and she shifted out 11 years ago with mixed re-actions , the room have remained vacant until now.

For the past years , it has been used as a store room as the remaining members in the house is too scare to stay in that room. Through the years , more and more rubbish was kept in the room and when my siters and her families came back to Penang for holidays, they will cramp into my sister's room and it will be like a war shelter.

I  been talking to my sister to renovate the room for my youngest sister, Jo for their families to stay when they are in Penang but my sister keep rejecxting my request and continue to use that room as a store room. She has rejected and reacted very negatively each time  I bring up the subject for discussion. I do not know her reason for rejecting it.  Lately, I told her that the things are dead while people are living thing and we should take care of the living people. Finally, she reluctantly agreed for me to proceed to renovate the room.

Due to my persistency and stubborness, I try to change things and dispel the myth that my eldest brother's room is not jinx or have bad fung shui. When people died  in a place , we always have the impression that it is the place which is partly the reason for causing the death of a person.  It does not mean that it is always the same reason. When death comes knocking on the door, it is time to go and there is no relations to the place he die. Furthermore, he has been living in that room for more than 9 years.

It has been our custom or our tradition and our belief that we do not have any thing to do with dead people and this is our upbringing and influence by the culture and belief of our surrounding and our parent and peers. Why is it so?  Death and living is a very normal process and it should be taken naturally and handle with respect. Why is birth of  a child is a happy occasion and death is so scary ? It is only a selfish agenda of the living people because they cannot let go or they worried for themselves rather than the death. There is no more benefits from the dead people, so they are not welcome. Strange, isn't it?

Living without constraits and the break the mental barriers imposed on by our society and break free with your own thoughts and understanding and live a good life.

Namaste.

A virtual Elvis Presley - a scary creation

I just read an article that the film company have develop a technology to "resurrect" Elvis Presley and not only on one stage but multiple spots all around the world.  The image hologram will look very much alike and lively as if the person is doing a live show.  I was told that Bill Gates have also delivered a speech in a worldwide platform in his virtual image.  Technology have improved fast that Intel is talking about a virtual phone which we can use to communicate. It will be a unimaginable mind shift.

Nowadays, impossible is nothing; The US have been using a very an advance technology track down and kill the al-gaeda terrorist with precision in high mountains and deep valleys. The years in not far away when they used google and laser to shoot their targets from space. What we see in the star wars movie is now coming into life and it appearing before our eyes.

When we see Ironman in the movie, we think that it is impossible to fly like superman. How can one manage the extreme cold and the melting hot sensations when they are flying in the sky.  Well, in the near future, it will be coming true  like the robots which can talk , walk and learn. GOD create human beings in his image and Man create robots in his image.  What an irony?

The imagination of virtual images have already been shown on movies many years back  and now the imagination is coming true. Next time, we can communicate and converse with the virtual image and also assign task for them to do in the computers.  Life will be more freer and easier.

It will come a time when Dalai Lama have passed away, they will resurrect him and put him in a virtual image so that he can continue teaching and preaching and his presence will be eternal. Just press your fingers on a keyboard and the image will come out like the genie from the jar but this genie will not be able to give you three wishes.

Yeah, we can joke about it  but things are happening now and in the near future.  We can choose Mis World as our virtual companion  and they cannot die while we can continue to age. Maybe, the creators will also age the virtual image and will also die by switching it off.  Look scary  but it is coming. The demon is coming.

Namaste.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Is there another side ?

I have been watching Season 1 of  "A gifted Man". It was a story of a high profile and gifted neuro- surgeon who was haunted by the spirt of his ex-wife, who had died in a car accidentl. Her wife was a  family Doctor who runs a down town clinic serving all the poor people and immigrants. Somehow, this surgeon was persuaded by his ex-wife spirit to help her to look after her patients and also her clinic.

The episode goes on and on about how the surgeon help to handle his own private practice and also to help his ex-wife's clinic. In one of the episode, he encountered a Shaman, who  was willing to extract his ex-wife spirit from his body and during the process, he suddenly stop the extraction because he still care and love his ex-wife. The spirit of his ex-wife is not always there and she only appear if he is having trouble.

This story brings me back to the present day in my office. My staff , B told me that one of  our colleague told her that he is guarded by three spirits and they are protecting him. Two big spirit behind him and one small spirit on his leg. B, was scared stiff as  she was sitting very close to this male colleague.  Are there such thing as spirits.

In the Thai forest Buddhism, the monks are empowered to catch ghost or drive them away through the Buddhist chanting. 

There are strange things in this world and some people are gifted to see or hear the voice from the other side as if both sides are only separated by a very thin film or there is a " len" that can see through the dimension and get in touch with the other side. However, as my friend , ES told me that sometimes, this could be due to pycho problems as people are stressed out or get sick and they could see illusions or they could have accidentally slip into the other side.

Whatever, seeing is believing and it really need the special gift to live in both worlds. If you have it, bless you ...for this is a gift.

Namaste.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Why are we working so hard, dear ?

On my way home at 7.15pm, I asked my wife sitting next to me in my car, Dear, why are working so hard? i told her that my staff is taking three days off and my colleague R is coming back tomorrow from India afer a two weeks break. We have hardly taken any annual leaves except one or two days since beginning of this year. We need a break don't we? She asked me to plan for a holiday but she told her sister that she is doing a project this year and will only be free after Decemeber this year. Yeah, women is like that they can never be certain about their plans. I will have to plan a holday and force her to follow me and this only for certain. Otherwise, it is only talk and no actions. We are often very much caught up in our work and we dedicate our full attention and energy in what we do and we don't realize that time flies. If we stop for awhile and lift our spectacle and look into a mirror, we will horrified how we have aged. We work as if tomorrow is always there and the whole world is waiting for us. We are indispensable and without us, our company or staff will not be able to function. This is alot of bullshits and self ego. The show will go on with or without us. Ths Sun will get up on the East and sets on the West and the wind will continue to blow. We are just a spec of dust in this universe. We should get excited about our ego or achievements. It is only like the fragrance of a perfume. Engoy it while it last. it will definitely pass and all the excitement will be gone. Be aware and be conscious of our existence and live our life well. Yes, our company pay us money to work for them but we have to be fair to ourself and take care of ourself after work. We have to balance our life and our work and to be honest to ourself. A little bit of sacrifice for the Company who feed us and give us a good life is okay but not to the extent of hurting ourself. End of the day, we are responsible for our welbeing and the Company can only provide for us to a certain extent. We must be responsible for ourself and our happiness. There is no two hood about it. The earlier we realize it , the better and we must snap out of this entrapping routine which carry us around and around and sapping all the energy from us. We have to break the catch and be ourself , look after ourself and take care of ourself. So, stop and look up and know that there are a lot of things out there for you to see , hear and eat. So, live well. Namaste.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Lunch at Kopitiam , Indrawashi , Prai.

This food joint is one of my favorite lunch place where I can take a break from work and a secret hidea4ay for me during lunch. My favorite food will be single or double egg toast , a cup of white coffee and the main course will be bowl of noodle or a plate of rice. This coffee shop is actually a new version of the old coffee shop,

This fast food joint is like Old Town Cafe style and they have limited menu and their expertise is to serve your fast and we eat fast and go beack to our work place in time. A lunch break is only 40 minutes and the travelling time will take 30 minutes to and fro while the remaining time of 15 minutes is for the eating process,This is the normal routine during lunch time and this is the reason why there are so many successful fast food outlet.

Starbuck have hundreds of outlets throughout the world  and the same with Coffee Bean.  These fast food joints take care of the busy life style of the working people. In Japan, people will stand around food outlets to eat their lunch or breakfast  and sometimes, they carry the food with them.  Everyone is so busy and is rushing from place to place.  Life is fly through everyday and sometime, it is more like filling the stomach rather than tasting the food.  What a rediculous life  it is when  people work for money  to find money to eat and yet they don't have time to eat.

Life is a routine and operating in circles  day and day  out and at the end of the day, we don't even have the time to sit and feel  the process of eating and enjoying the food and the taste. LIke a marathon, we are running non stop everyday in a routine  and do not have the time to stop and enjoy the scenes we have passed by. All in a rus to the grave.  This is really ironical and foolish. Who started this process and showing us the wrong way of dealing with our life.

We have to stop and pause and wake up to the sound of music and appreciating the music in the air and the space and really spent time apprecaiting the great music in this world.  We have eyes that don't see and ears which don't listen and mouth that don't speak.  All in a mass . LOL>

Namaste.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Dinner at James Foo, Fettes Park , Penang

Today, my eldest sister, H celebrated her 71st birthday at James Foo Western Food Restaurant.  It was more like a fast food restaurant  as the menu was quite limited and very standardized. But, the place was pack and a long quene outside the restaurant. It was like the story of the famous donut shop where long quene of people waiting for their food somewhere in Kuala Lumpur.

The food was okay but the service was very poor.  We have booked a table for 15 people and when we reach there before the time, we were told that some " friend" has occupied our seats.  I took a look at them and they were strangers. These people turn their eyes away from me and pretend to wait for their food.  I was quite cheesed off by these " unetihical " people . Those low creatures who cheat and lie to jump quene.

The Captain was apologetic and he was struggling to find a table for us. To avoid waiting for a long time, we book our food while waiting for  our table. The waiters was trying very hard to speed up the food but it took about 20 minutes before we can get our drinks, soup and food.  We have to push them or remind them several times before they can hage food to serve us.

I know in business, you cannot just simply turn away your customers but if the business is overflowing and it affects the service , then we should do the expected ie to turn the customers away. In this way, it will not compromise the service  and also the reputation of the Restuarant.  In some restaurant, they give out numbers and after the numbers are given out, the rest of the customers are turn away.  If we gets greedy, then it is not viable in the near future and everything is compromise beacuse of the need to serve the customers at the shortest time or promptly.

With this incident, I remembered  my visit to Giant, Farlim yesterday. The same poor service is noticeable and it was more serious as it affects safety of the customers.  At Giant, the escalator to the 1st floor was a long haul up from the Ground floor and at the top of the escalator, there were limited space for the people to move on as the passage way was very narrow.  So, if the people do not move faster away from the top point, the subsequent trolley up the escalator will know on to the customers standing there to wait for dispersal.  The same problem happen when the trolley is coming down from the escalator and this will depend on the people moving away at the end of the escalator. 

The problem with these safety point is that goods were stack to near to the top landing point of the escaqlator and the end of the escalator when it is coming down. More space should allotted and the people have to move away faster.

In business , it is not always about making more and more money but we have to ensure quality services and products.  Greed in business will ruin everything including the business itself and the name, image and reputation.

Hope people are more conscious of these basic needs to take care of people and be more compassionate.

Namaste.

Last night's dinner at Nostalgie, Stewart Lane, Penang

Last night , I went to Nostalgie for dinner with my family for the 2nd time.  We ordered two different types of speghetti and one big piza.  The food wsa excellent and tasteful.  A meal for four person cost me about RM140 with four drinks including one carrot cake and one brownie.  The food portion was fairly large and it was enough for four person.,

I meet two friends there and I really believe the world is very small especially in Penang.  These two friends both have their family was together with two of their friends for dinner.  I do not expect  them to be friends because one was a female friend and other a male friend. Wild thoughts went through my head and as usual I feel strange,

In Penang's conservative society, if I am married and eat out with a female friend , rumours will fly around and people will be talking about sexual affairs and immorality.  There are so many gossipers and rumour mongers around this society.  Just as I have mentioned earler, I have also such thoughts especially finding these two friends eating out on a saturday which is family night.

It could be nothing and I think it is nothing but just some wild and unnecssary speculations and wilful thoughts. It is time, we open our mind and even if it is an affair, so what  ? These two friends are grown ups and have their own iidependent thinking.

Yes, I should respect people's privacy and their life,. So, live and lets live as much as possible.

Namaste.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Gen Y & X - their mindset

Recenty, we read of two young men committed suicide due to rejections.  I believe this is a wake up call for many parents.  One of them was a medical student and another guy was moving to pre-U.  Their upbringing was all the reason for their fragile decision to take their own life.

The father of the dead medical student said that money cannot buy everything. I was also bee n told that the student have tried to take his life before when he was much younger. I do not know whether it is true for not but it does not matter here. My message is that the Gen Y and X youngsters are unable to take rejections.

I have experience working with these two generations and I find that their very temperamental and fragile in their character.  In the past, if we catch a cold , we take a panadol and go to work but for these generations, they will apply for sick leave or take very chance to rest and do something else.

I have experience working with youngsters in these two generations and I feel that they are very pampered and very temperamental.  In my time, when we are sick or catch a cold, we take one panadol and go to work but for these youngsters , they will apply for medical leave and go home to rest.  The most favorable date for their sick leaves is on Monday.  The monday blues really brings them down hard. Another point is that they take scolding very hard and show off their rebellious attitude when they are scolded. Sometimes, they will submit their resignation letter after been scolded and this shows their fragile emotional stage.

I read an article in the newspaper that in Malaysia , one person in six is a millionnaire and of course, their off-springs will be well provided and they do not worry about money.  I have seen my old staff drive a 6 to 7 years old vehicle ot work but my new young recruits drive a new Camry or  Audi to work.  It is so ironical how the generation have changed.  Some people usded the term " born with a silver spoon in their mouth" . During my time, there was only a few such fortunate souls but now , it is very common,  Like some people say , if we throw a stone in a crowd , it will hit a Dato . Now , it should be that if you trhow a stone , you will hit a millionnaire's son or daughter.  It is very common to be a millionnaire now.

My impression of this change is that our expectation and understanding have to change so that we should not have a generation gap. We should bring ourself down to their level of understanding or their expectation which we have partially create. If we do not change, then change will change us. We will be left behind and live in a dilemma and creating a world which these  youngsters cannot understand and live in.

In the past , our parents expect us to be doctors, accountants, lawyers and bankers, etc . Now , we should leave the choice to them, otherwise, we only put pressure on them and will result in an unhappy ending like suicide. Anything is good for them, if they have the passion as earning a living is not an issue anymore. Their priority have switch and they don't mind doing nothing but pursuing their interest.

People in our generation should change our mind-set and mingle into their world and be part of them. We should not keep to our thrifty habit and sacrifice for our decendants but also tbe fair to ourselves and live our life doing what we like. There is  a saying " when people are born, the heavenly GOD will take of them".

Namaste.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Basic facts on Buddhism - extract

> Buddhism:
 > Buddhism is the world's first religion
 > Fourth-largest religion behind Chistianity, Islam and Hinduism
> Buddism is both a religion and philosophy
 > largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama
> Three concepts, Karma, Rebirth, Samsara
 > They classify themselves as Theravada or Mahayana
> Both accept the Buddha as their teacher
> Both accept the Middle way, Dependent origination, Four Noble Truths,
 > Noble Eightfold Path and Three marks of existence
 > Both accept that members of the laity and of the sangha can pursue the path toward enlightenment (Bodhi>
 > Both consider buddhahood to be the highest attainment
 > They do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a God
>They consider that the purpose of life is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination > and to work for their good, happiness and peace
 > and to develop wisdom leading to the realization of the Ultimate Truth

The evil in unemployment

The unemployment rate in EU is about 11 % , with Spain accounting for 28%   to the total unemployment rate.  The situation is getting more and more serious in Europe as recession and slow down in growth bits hurt on the member countries.  With high unemployment , people will be basing on welfare benefits for survival  and this situation will cast a severe financial burden on the various Governments.

Apart from the financial burden , there are many consequences  and the most serious fall out is civil unrest.  Such situation can give rise to restlessness, depression and frustrations and this could be easily spark off demonstrations , unrest and looting.  When people have so much time on hand, the mind will go wild and could be easily manipulated by politicians and extremist in societies.


Human factors are the most difficult to predict and control and this condition could spell doom for many Government  and could lead to instability and the inability to provide the power and leadership to stir the various nations out of trouble.  The example of Greece is a shining example where one party wants to be in the EU and another party want to be on its own. The first election was unable to form a Government and now , they have to go for the second election in June.  In such indecisive situation,  there will be a lot of horse trading or the inability to move forward to get a direction out of any impending crisis.

In the Euro zone , there are 27 countries  and the core countries like Germany and France needs to share their wealth with the debt troubled nations like Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy  and if the debts are manageable then, it would be easily to hold the nations together. But, if the debts are like bottomless pit, then it will not be able to convince the core countries to guarantee or pump in their wealth.  There is always a limit of sharing one’s trouble and if it is endless and limitless, it will be difficult  maintain the pact and hold the members together.

This is very real and like the saying “ Poverty in the long run , beggars the helper”.  Every nation like  a human being have the common sense of protecting themselves and make a clear  decision on this matter.

I pray and hope for the situation will return the normal situation and may all living beings continue to be happy and live in joy.

Namaste.