Friday, August 31, 2012

Yelllow or Red . It is a matter of color

During the crisis in Thailand,  their people was split into the Yellow and the Red Group while the fence sitters became colorless and they are the silent majority.  Of course, when there is a split between the Elite class and the farmers, you will automatically know how are the silent majority and the outcome was proven right, the lower income group will have the major say.

The colors have spread across the border to Malaysia.  The  Civil rights group call themselve , Bersih and they adopted the Yellow color while the ruling party in the existing government is using the color Red. I cannot understand why it is so confusing but it is understandable that many other political parties are using  different colors . For example, PAS is using Green. Now, the color used is Yellow, Red and Green in Malaysia.  These are the same colors as our traffic lights.

Yesterday was the 55th Merdeka Day for Malaysia and on the 30th August , the Civil Rights Group , Bersih held a gathering at  Dataran Merdeka and it was reported that about 10,000  people attended the gathering.  There was no mention of this gathering  in the newspaper except in the  internet website.  What are these newspaper up to ?  So , glaring bias and stupid.  What is wrong to report the event ? They have social responsibility to the Rakyat.  I think they should stop these nonsenses and be more professional and ethical.

After 55 years, many sections of the society is behaving like children and lack the intelligence and the independence to judge for themselves. It is doubtful whether the country has already reached its matured age and be ready for democracy.  Where have we gone wrong ?  Is there a scheme to keep the people uneducated  and weak  to fight like a brainless child ?

The education system have failed us miserably, the TV media have been putting rubbish in our mind  and the newspaper is fabricating news and bias in their reporting.  Everything is in a mass.  This blame should go to the present Government who have been ruling us for 55 years.  The damage is done and it is better to be awaken to this dilemma before we are all sent to the dogs.

As a layman, I plead for more transparency , more ethics and more freedom of speech and expression.  Let the people decide based on actual facts rather than half truth and fabrications.  This is what happen in Iraq when USA attacked  Iraq based on the information on their WMD program.  The truth is that Iraq have dismantled its WMD in 1991 and when the US and their allies went into Iraq , there was no such WMD.

Lets be logical , reasonable and be aware before we judge.

Namaste.

My experience with Blackball

I have notice a sign board announcing  the set-up of a black ball outlet in Farlim for already a few months. My daughter, M have also told me that a black ball outlet is coming to town but I did not enquire any further.  After its opening, I saw a brightly litted outlet among the road of shoplots lining in the same roll as Green Loaf bakery.

It was also located to Maybank and I used to frequent the bank and I did bother to check it out.  One day, I saw my wife drinking from a container and she told me that it was a leftover by my daughter, M.  Again , I did not bother anymore.  The curiosity have been building up in me and the urge to check it out is getting more serious.

This morning, after breadfast of half boilded egg with bread with my sister and brother at the Genting Coffee shop , I suggested to take a short walk towards the outlet.  My sister did not know my intention and she keeps asking me where I am talking her.  I kept her curious and when I read the outlet , I pulled her in and my brother also follow as well. 

The outlet was very simple with a TV screen explaining the product in English and Chinese and the walk is linked with light green trees and farms. There was a ordering counter and behind it , there is the kitchen and several halpers were waiting there.  In front of the counter , there is a digital menu  and some posters for you to indicate your order.  The place was fully air-conditioned and with several plastic and wooden tables and chairs. It was a very simple setting , nothing to eleborate about.

I ordered a " fruit punch", it is actually a mixed of yam, sweet postato,  black jelly , red beans and black balls.  The black balls , where the restaurant got its name is actually black colored flour balls . It is mixed with ingredients from Taiwan and turn into  stubborn chewy balls.  Nothing new, the black balls have been in the market and it is mixed in drinks offered by some Taiwanese outlets.  It is the same stuffl.

I also ordered two Green Tea mixed with black ball tea . The ingredient is mixed with small pieces of yam and some slimy stuff.  You can ordered for very sweet, 75% sweet or 50% or non sweet.  It is a choice which you can choose.  It is either hot or cold.

For the twenty minutes , I sat there eating the stuff,  I could see that the customers are mainly youngsters. The same youngsters who would be frequencing  starbucks , Coffee bean , old Town Coffee, Sweet recipe, KFC , the big Mac,.....etc.  All these franchise outlets are mushrooming everywhere. The franchise business is so easy. The owners  have a set of their recipes and make a brand name for themselves and after that, they charge a fee to set up the outlet  , offering their secret recipe , their outlet design, the pricing , the menu design  and the billing software.  it is a whole package and when they advertise their products , they just add our outlet as their branch  and share the advantage of their advertising.  Simple idea and that is how the brand name frachisees have been doing all these years.

There is nothing special about the food at black ball outlet,  it is just the brand  and the comfortable setting offered to the customers and the taste is so-so good  for the frist timer like me. In Penang, I could also see another up and coming outlet, the Tong Pak Fu.  This outlet is also selling delicacies and the sweet stuff like mango puddings, sweet potatos, red beans , black beans, jelly, etc.   These food stuff are the usual tea time food for the older Chinese people.

The business advantage of black ball outlet or the TPF ( Tong Pak Fu) outlet is their pricing.  It is more expensive than the old food but less those charged in the American branded outlets.  For a " fruit mix" , it is about RM6.90 while the drink is about 5.90 . This is about half the price of a Starbuck or Cofee Bean Coffee.  It is much more manageable for the youngsters to be seen spending their time in these outlets.

During dinner time, I happen to pass by  Old Town Coffee and it was quite crowded with youngsters suffing their internet or doing homework there.  Normally, they will order a drink and stay there for hours under the air-con to escape the heat at home and out in the open.  It is also a place for socializing.

Well, we have to try everything out there whether it is good or bad, it is a choice . One man's meat is another man's poison.   I could be totally wrong . You may like it , so like the saying goes " walking a thousand miles will win you reading a thousand books" . Sorry, this is a direct translation from an ancient Chinese sayings.  What it actually mean is that we can learn much better by seeing or tasting a thousand things rather than by just reading a thousand books.  So , please take a walk. LOL.

Namaste.



Thursday, August 30, 2012

Seeking longevity ?

I read an article today that the main causes of long life in Hong Kong people is attributed to  work, mahjong and tea.  It is not suprisingly as it was known that these factors have many positive effects.

Engaing in work as long as we can, lets us keep a healthy body and mind and we remain useful.  The being of been useful is very important, otherwise, our mind will slip into complacency and prepare ourself to die. If our body condition is in this state, then our body function will gradually follow our thoughts and our feelings about living. 

In this aspect, the Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew have this wisdom that retirement for him is preparing to die and he remained active in his work  and still remained a  healthy man and still in his official position.  Many people would have felt that he has over stayed but I think he is just keeping him healhty and useful. He has actually remained in a supportive position.  This arrangement is personal and he has the wisdom that working is good for keeping him alive.

As for mahjung, it is a game for the Chinese people who have for thousand of years use this game to keep an active mind and spend a healthy time socializing with family members and friends.  To keep an active mind keeps away dimentia and alzehmier disease.  A study on this habit have proven that the game will keep our mind active and it is  a good past time., But , abit of caution that this game can some times use for excessive gambling for some.

As for tea drinking, it is another good habit where certain tea have good detoxing qualities as well as a means to cut the consumption of excess oil in our food.  It has been found that when we eat oily food and drink tea, the sharpness in the tea can neutralize the oil in the food  and will be less harmful to our body. It is abit of Chinese people to drinkk tea daily as part of their lifestyle  and for the Japanese people they drink green tea for the anti-oxident qualities which is proven to strengthen our immune system and prevent cancer and enhance long life.

For the Hong Kong poeple, they are very hard working and often they work three jobs to increase their earnings  and they play majhung for their past time oir during their rest days with their family ties to improve their family or friendly ties  and drink alot of tea in their daily life, They also drink tea during their working time and mahjong time. So, a combination of these three factors  is positive for longivity.

However, now the young generation fo Chinese is following the habit of the West and have gone into an internet world , making virtual friends instead of  promoting people contact in mahjung and their life style is also following the west ,drinking Starbuck and Coffee Bean coffee,  Taiwan's blackball tea and KFC's cola and pepsi.  The impact of these changes is yet to know.

We should learn from the past and follow what is good for us and enjoy these pastime and habits.

Namaste.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Where is our focus?

Your life is lead by your focus.  If you are angry, you will focus on your anger and the anger gets stronger and manifest itself and takes control of your mind and your life.  Anger breeds anger and you will burn to a boiling point. You snap.

If you have a small cut on your finger, it will bleed more and hurt more if you focus on it. It controls the emotion and pain of the remaining 99.9% of your healthy body.  Take your focus away and draw the power to the remaining healthy part of your body, the magnitude of the cut will get less and the pain will fade away. Draw your attention and focus away and take charge your focus and your mind.

When you think of something hurting,  the mood and emtions will change. Why ? It is because of your attention on the nasty event or some disappointing incidents.  Some people cannot let go and dwell on the unhappy incident in the mind , over and over. Getting upset and unhappy and for what reason ? Why do we have to be controlled by a single unhappy thought.  We are so immensely captured in the world of our mind and work ourself up.  It is like a magnet holding you to the unhappy or huting thought.  If you can look at yourself from the outside, you will have a good laugh. Why we are hurting ourself so much? We sweat, look angry, pale and ugly.  Why not just snap out of it?

Yes, we can snap out of it .  It is within our power to do it but we are so caught up in it.  If someone talk to us wisely, we will realized how foolish we have been. We are letting our mind to control us and over a single unhapy though. Who is the master?

Lets take a walk. Along the way, if we only try to focus on the rushing traffic , the jams and the honking, we will feel disturbed and agitated. But, if we were to focus our sight on the beautiful day, the wonderful life  and the beautiful surroundings and enjoying the walk in the moment, your you will be happy and enjoying your life. If you look at the dirty stain  on the walls instead of the colorful paints, you will feel miserable and the whole town is dirty.  Your focus and sight  will change your life and your emotions of the prevailing moment.

Your focus is your will and within your power.  I would say that change your focus ,you change your life . From an unhappy feeling to a wonderful feeling by switching your focus. It is very easy and you can do it.  Just move your eyes and focus. That is all you need to do.

Namaste.

A cure for myloma - Brother James

Today, I read an article which said that in Singapore,  the doctors used stem cells  to replace the blood cells from the bone marrows.  It cost about S$35,000.00.  The drug have advanced so much in the cure of Cancer.

Last year, my BIL James die from the disease in November 2011 and only after nine months , a cure have been found using stem cells.  It is quite an iron because we were told that he spend about  RM1.5 million  to seek a cure in Bangkok.  If only he can live until today, he could have been cured.

There was a bit of confusion at that time, when BIL James seek treatment in Bangkok and also get a second opinion from a Penang Doctor.  Both Doctors have different opinions and the method of treatment. I have read a report that often Doctors are the cause of death as they experience with their patients. So, as a wise move , it is always better to have a second or third opinion and to see who is talking " cock" and who is  talking  "bull" or both is talking " cock".

The expression above shows the level of frustration at the expertise of the Doctors nowadays when we see a Doctor. I have the same experience with my Dentist.   When I removed my rotten tooth, he recommended me a denture and he told me that it is of good quality.  So, I believe him but the denture was so tight that it caused immense pain to my existing tooths  and I went back to ask him about this matter.  He said that  I need a strong denture because  I am a big man.  Next, I went to another Dentist and he told me that I should not use the denture because all my other tooth is loosening.  So, it is better to remove all my tooth and replace it with a full denture or I could use inplants to build up my teeth again.

It is not the money but I was very upset because my first Dentist should not recommend me a quality denture because he already know my other teeths are weak but for his business, he has not exercise a professional opinion.  I do not want to use him anymore because he is greedy and being unprofessional.

This simple example illustrate that we should not listen to one Doctor or Dentist but have several opinions and learn more about the subject and have a better judgement on the Doctors.  Some  Doctors are half-past baked or is out  of the main stream.

This afternoon while I was having lunch with my banker friend , J.  He told me to be careful of drugs for gout.  His father was having a weaak kidney and gout and seek treatment from a family Doctor who is quite elderly.  His Doctor friend gave a week's dose of  gout medication and it hurts his father's kidney.  His Doctor friend have make a wrong judgement and after knowing his mistake, he packed up his practice and retire.  He is lucky of not being sued and in America, such mal-practice is really a serious matter.

We leave our life to the Doctors with the hope that they are competent enough to treat us and not , in turn, poison us. So, asked for opinions to judge whether who is better or more competent and also to know more about the disease.

Namaste.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

You are fired !!

It is so hard to let go and it is the fear that prohibit us to let go.  Fear of what ?  Security, usefulness and self pride or self ego.  How can we be fired?  For our face and ego, we can always resigned.

This is the feeling of my colleague when his boss jokingly told him that he is fired.  For an American, the word you are fired, it normal and acceptable.  Their culture is often direct, crude and frank.  For American MNCs, they hired and fire.  In good times, they will hire a lot of people to catch up with their orders and in down time, they will just fire their employees.  There is no sense of belongings and both are very loose partners in the working relationships.

For an Asian, it is unthinkable to be fired. It is such a humuliation and ego hurting.  So, for this behaviour, the Americans  came and set up factories.  Asians are considered obident employees and they do not argue and they follow instructions. There often so much fear in their characters that they suffered in silence.

As for my colleagues,  his boss buy him  a lunch the next day but he is still fuming mad for a few weeks. Yes, it is so difficult to let go of the hurt.  We let the hurt keep on biting into our heart and soul while the person who say these words could have long forgotten the incident especially when he is an American or an American trained manager.

In any job, there are bound to be such incidents of the bosses scolding the subordinate.  In my working life, I have been scolded upteen times and I always relate the person who scolded me to be a mad person if there is no facts in his scolding.  Why are we angry with a mad person? Sometimes, people lost their sanity in a moment of madness but some people lost it long or more times than others.

In Buddhist wisdom,  we should control our mind and more our focus to better or happier things.  If think more about it, the more hurt it will bring and it will even affect our life.  The faster we let go of the feeling , the better it will become. We can just change the status of our mind and our life will change immediately. But , our monkey mind always win.  The more focus we have on our monkey mind, the stronger it becomes and it starts to control us.

To my colleague, I told him to let it go as it has been hurting him a few weeks already after he was scolded that he is fired.  Words can do a lot of harm if the listener holds on to it and twist it around many times. It swells from a small droplet to a giant wave if you let it build up the momentum.  I could see that he is very hurt and he wants to resign.

I do not know what he is going to do next but he is not going to make himself better by keeping the hurt close to his heart.  He knows it  but he cannot control his thoughts , feelings and his mind.  It is better for him to be aware of this wisdom before he makes the wrong decision.

I wish and hope that he could bring himself out of his own misery while his boss has completely forgotten about it.

Namaste.

Losing my balls

In English language, when we say we are losing our balls , it means that we are losing our touch or sense of judgement.  It can be a very freightening thing to happen to us. 

We have six senses.  The sense of touch, taste, sight, hearing, smelling and the last is the sense of feeling.  If all these senses start to deteriorate then we are in big trouble. But , most important is the interpreter of these senses and that is our brain.

The other day, I  read an article which tell us that  the bacteria which attacks our gum and teeth can travel to our brain and attack our brain as well . Finally, we will suffer dementia and lost the power of interpreting our sense.  It is so scary as when we get old , we will have bad gum or decaying teeth . More troubles on the way when we get old.

It is a very natural things to get old and all our parts will fall apart. We have to accept and let go.  Nobody can avoid this process but can only exercise and keep good diet to delay it. Finally, the day will come.

I have read in the Buddhist theory of dying.  For those enlighten ones, they will keep their consciousness to their highest level before they die.  They are not afraid and they will face death by looking at it in their eyes. If they can do it , they can enter a realm which is at a very high level.  But, most people die without consciousness or at an alert state. Those brave and learned ones wants to know what happen to  them at the moment of death and to welcome it.

Yeah, if we start losing our balls, then we will not know what exactly happen at the point of exit. Life and death is a twin.  You have one and you will be given another.  Accept this fact and live only nicely and happily.

Namaste.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Survey on Malaysian women - 39% unfaithful

I think the polling could have been very bias like the merdeka polls .  For a statistic to be correct, the sampling should be wide spread  and the extremes are taken off before we find the median, otherwise, the survey result could be bias.

When I read this article,  my eyes nearly popped out.  How can it be ?  16 sleeping partners in their life time ?  Something must be wrong.  I have been working with a large group of ladies and  I hardly could sense this attitude.  I could never accept this result but facts remained facts unless I check the result.

With this interpretation, the outlook of Malaysian women could change.  It is true in Thailand as prostitution is legal but Malaysia, it is simply unbelievable.

Coming to think about it, I am looking at my generation but I really do not know the attitude of the Gen Y or X.  When I check my FB, I could read alot of  ladies using four letter words  and writting dirty jokes.  Could it be true that the average result of 39% is  push up by the teenager of today.  

Looking at my daughter's friends and the behaviour of my nieces , there seems to be a cool attitude to relationships.  For my daughter, May, she has many boyfriends until the recent one.  As for my niece, they could break up their relationships with their boyfriends after many years.  The relationship is so loose and cool.  If it works , well and good and if it starts to be hurtful , sorry and good-bye.

I think most probably, the ratio of 39% is due to the morale decadence of the Gen Y and X.  The trend of kiss and goodbye is getting rampant and increasing.  Marriage could be out of the door soon and co-habitation and trial and error maybe more practical for this current generation.

For the baby boomers, it maybe sometime, we cannot accept as we still remained faithful to our better half and would want the relationships to work.  For marriage to work, a little " give and take" is enough but now, the ego may be getting bigger and marriage is only a paper  while happiness becomes the priority.

So good luck to the future generations,  if they  are happy , so be it.  Anyway, the marriage certificate is invented by the old Establishment which may have become obsolete.

Namaste.

Malaysian women ? How can it be ?

Monday August 27, 2012
Survey: M’sian women among most unfaithful
Other News & Views
Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, WINNIE YEOH and A.RAMAN
 
MALAYSIAN women often cheat on their mates, according to a survey that listed them among the most unfaithful lovers in the world.

Some 39% of Malaysian women confessed that they cheated on their partners in the poll which covered 29,000 women in 36 countries, Kosmo! Ahad reported.

The Malaysian women came third behind Ghana (62%) and Thailand (59%) in the worldwide survey carried out by condom producer Durex.

In fourth and fifth place were Russia (33%) and Singapore (19%) respectively.

Among couples cheating on each other, Malaysia trailed behind South Korea and chart-topper Thailand.
The same survey placed men from Singapore and Hong Kong as being the most promiscuous in Asia, with an average of 16 bed partners in their lifetime.

Malaysian men, the survey revealed, have sexual relations with an average of three women on a casual basis.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Sixty plus and coming Sixties - an inspiration

*Sixty plus and Going Strong*
 
*Don't worry about what will happen after you are gone, because when
you return to dust, you will feel nothing about praises or criticisms.
Don't worry too much about your children for children will have their
own destiny and find their own way. Don't be your childrens slave.

 
Don't expect too much from your children. Caring children, though caring,
would be too busy with their jobs and commitments to render any help.
Uncaring children may fight over your assets even when you are still
alive, and wish for your early demise so they can inherit your
properties.

Your children take for granted that they are rightful heirs to your
wealth; but you have no claims to their money.

 
60-year olds like you, don't trade in your health for wealth
anymore;………….Because your money may not be able to buy your health……… When
to stop making money, and how much is enough (hundred
thousands, million, ten million)?

 
Out of thousand hectares of good farm land, you can only consume three
quarts (of rice) daily; out of a thousand mansions, you only need eight
square meters of space to rest at night.
So as long as you have enough food and enough money to spend, that is
good enough.

So you should live happily. Every family has its own problems. Just do not
compare with others for fame and social status and see whose children are
doing better, etc. but challenge others for happiness, health and
longevity…………. Don't worry about things that you can't change because it
doesn't help and it may spoil your health.

 
You have to create your own well-being and find your own happiness; As long
as you are in good mood, think about happy things, do happy things daily
and have fun in doing, then you will pass your time
happily every day.

 
One day passes, you will lose one day; One day passes with happiness, then
you gain one day.

In good spirit, sickness will cure; in happy spirit, sickness will cure
fast; in good and happy spirit; sickness will never come.
With good mood, suitable amount of exercise, always in the sun, variety of
foods, reasonable amount of vitamin and mineral intake,
hopefully you will live another 20 or 30 years of healthy life.
Above all learn to cherish the goodness around ……and FRIENDS…… they **
**all make you feel young and wanted"…without them you are sure to feel
lost!!

Wishing you all the best.

*Please share this with all your friends who are 60 plus and those who
will be 60 plus after some time.*

*The only way to worry about nothing is **to pray about everything. **

Life force

What keeps you alive ? It is easy, " the life force".  If you imagine a car. It cannot operate without fuel  which is continously burning to generate the  power to push the pistons and in turn, it  moves the wheels. However, the life force cannot be turn off and re-start again.  Every re-starting is the birth of a new life and it runs a different journey.

The car starts with an ignition and a spark which lights the fuel  and it burns in the chambers and the continuous combustion will move the car.  Every start and switch off is one cycle in life.  Without fuel, the car is a piece of lifeless junk. Similarly, if the life force in a person is exhausted, the body will become lifeless and decay.  The only different is that the car can re-start again.

What keeps our life force alive?  The food we take everyday is like the fuel to the car . The food provides energy , nutrition and supplements to the body The food is broken down by the organ in the body to provide food to the vital organs. If the system breaks down, it will threaten the life force and the light will get dim and dimmer everyday unless the body system is repaired to run the function of the body.  Oherwise, the fire will burn out and disintegrate.

Furthermore, any damage to the vital organs will also threaten the life force.  It will disturb the system and unbalanced the body and the mind.

So, if we understand life force , then we know how fragile is life  and the light can be burned out anytime due the wrong food we eat or the damaged to our body ograns and system.  It is a very delicate process to maintain the system and keep the vital organs functioning. All the vital organs have an equal importance  although some is  life threatening and some organs could unbalance the body and the mind.

I have this message to all my readers. A general well being is very important to life  and if our body is out of sync , we should take immediate actions to balance it back so that it would not deteriorate and affect other organs or our life in general. 

Keep watch and be aware. I have the experience today to see one of my loved ones suffered a life threatening breakdown in the life support system which evolves around food and its vital organs.  There was a temporary set back in the body system as the blood pressure drop which hurts the other vital organs and threaten the life force.  It is very important to understand the operation of the life force.

Healthy body, healthy mind  and strong life force.

Namaste.

Mr A , came calling

My former staff and friend, A call up this afternoon to borrow some yoga books from me.  I owe him for his arrangement at Lake Kenyir and I lend him my "bible" on yoga and he promised to return me in a forth night. Lets see how much he can lend from the bible.

He told  me he is driving back to Lake Kenyir at 6pm and it would take 5 to 6 hours of driving and he is using the Grik way and through East -West Highway to Lake Kenyir. He told me that there could still be traffic jams on the Highway and I hope it does because the stretch of Highway from the East to the West is normally very quiet and dark.  Like I mentioned before that there used to be communist camps before the surrender of the Communist party.

I used to drove along that Highway many years ago . Maybe more than 25 years ago.  At that time, it was still a virgin forest where the Highway cut across the land and it was very beautiful and full of vegetations, rivers and lakes along the Highway.  There were also a lot of signs warning of wild animals along the Highway.

When the Highway have already matured and many thousands or a million people could have driven across the Highway. It is no more a road less travelled but a matured Highway.

I look back how time have fly and I wondered how my friend will experience the trip back to Lake Kenyir. It will be dark soon and it is no more fun on this trip like I have before.

I offered him a beer before his tedious trip and I hope the drink will make him more relax and patient. I told him , a little bit about Yoga.  The practice have to be gradual and it is not competing with another person but our own self.  We have to pace our stretching  and folding to gradually improve our flexibility and alot of patience is needed to perfect the various pose.  If we push ourselves too fast, we will hurt our body and we will give up in no time.

I also advise him to avoid the difficult pose and it has to be done with  the guidance of a good teacher. Simple stretching is recommendable for starters.  I hope he understand what I mean and listen to my advise. Lake Kenyir is a very good place to practice yoga especially the fresh air and natural energy.  It will discipline our mind and body.

I hope he will eventually be a Yogi and practice the true and right principles of Yoga. I want to share all my knowledge with whoever who wants to learn or listen. 

Live well , my friend  and enjoy the practice of Yoga.

Namaste.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

My foot's experience

After the Yoga class yesterday morning, my leg was feeling heavy and my shoulder was stiff.  I asked my wife to go for a foot reflexology at OMEGA center located in Penang Plaza.  It was about 2pm, so we decided to go since we have the time.

On reaching the center, there were two person undergoing the foot reflexology session but there were two vacant seats and the owner quickly asked us to sit down and he start calling for outside helpers since there was not enough staff around.

My wife was more lucky as she had a staff who came in to attend to her while I have to wait for 15 minutes. We have not been to this message centers for a long while as we felt that Yoga was enough for us.  But, we were quite wrong.

When the staff started the message on my wife shoulder, she commented that the shoulder was quite stiff and there is a blood circulation problem if it is not attended to early.  She keeps grumbling as she massage my wife while I was reading the incoming messages from my Iphone.

An elderly assistant at the center asked me to  put my legs in the salt water to relax and detox while waiting for the helper from outside. After 15 minutes, young lady came in and start the massage of my legs.  I looked at her and she looks young but healthyl.  I have big legs and I think it will be quite okay as she will not be able to exert the pressure needed and it will be a breeze.  How mistaken I can be ?

She started with my left leg and I told her that I have injured my left leg and I asked her go gentle on that foot. It went well as the massage was gentle and soothing.  But , after the toes , she started to increase the pressure and I could feel the enormous pain from the various pressure points on the sore of my foot. I tried to be macho and try to absorb the pain as she work on my left foot. 

After the left foot, it goes on to the  right foot and she exert her normal strength  and she massage each area on my sore, it was very painful and I keep asking which organ it represents on the body charts  pinned on the wall.

In foot reflexology, there are several sections in our sore that represents bladder, stomach , kidney, heart ,etc . However, every part of my sore was hurting and painful and this represents the weakness in my organs. I think the age has catch up with me because in  a couple years ago, it was not so painful and it was in fact enjoyable. Now , things have changed and I am getting older.

I do believe that the nerves ending under our sore is linked to our organs and the level of pain will reflect the health of each vital organs. Such practice have been carry on for thousands of years in China and it has been passed down through the generations.

What can I do ? The Sifu at the centre told me to resume the massage every week in order to improve the overal health and I know it is good but it is quite costly as it cost about RM50 for an hour.  Of course, money is not so important as our health but again, it is the pain that we have to endure.

The experience have awaken my awareness of the conditions in my body and I have to take actions to maintain my health . Yoga will keep me healthy but there are side effects if we overdo it and we have to balance the exercise so that it is not lopsided or to the extend that we hurt ourself.

An experience you should try if you have not try out foot reflexoloy.  Healthy people have healthy foot.

Namaste

What are we waiting for ?

One day, my elderest sister, H asked me this question " What are we waiting for?" . She said that all of us are waiting for something to happen.  I was puzzled by her impromptu question but it was very meaningful if we think deeply about this question.

Most of us is living in a comfortable routine and keep you hope high that we remained healthy or good fortune continued to be bestow on us. We are waiting for the right moment, the right inspiration, the right financial rewards or the right financial situation to carry out what we have been aspiring to do. Alot of people is thinking of travelling after retirement when we are financial stable and some of them realized their dreams but for some peoople, they cannot fulfill their dream beacuse of health or their financial commitments. A dream not realized.

My last travel to lake kenyir,  I told you that I met two couples who have retired and they have been spending their time travelling.  One of them is a 72 years old man and he could climb up the waterfall and dip himself in the waterfalls. He looks young and not his age. 

I happen to talk to a more chatty Indian man and he told me that his 72 years old in-law  have been the one pushing them to travel and he start to enjoy it.  He is about 65 years old and he said that it is wise to travel before our health or legs failed us.  We should travel when we can walk , eat and sleep.  These  conditions  are pre-requisites to a good travel.

Many people have the thinking that our good health is always with us but the real fact is that as we aged our body will get more frail and weak.  This is the basic fact of life. 

My insight is that we should not wait until things happen and we should instead make things happen and we can decided to just do it even if there is a need to use our future earnings.  As we aged, we look back with regrets that there are many things that we should do but the current conditions is unable to let us to carry out such activities.  There are things that we can do when we are young but if we hesitate at that time, the opportunity will be gone forever.

Don't asked this question of "what are we waiting for ?" but instead we should plan what we should do next as if tomorrow will never come.  We should live life more passionately and listen to what heart what we want to do when we are able and capable.

Don't think so much, be focus and be aware of our body conditions and decide wisely.

Namaste.

One of the Heros of my time

Neil Amstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon was one of the heros of my time standing along Superman,spiderman and the Hulk. His passing at age of 82 due cardiac complications was regretable. His famous quote "One small step for a man but a giant step for mankind" reflects the importance of his mission, Apollo 11.

 His achievement also cancelled off the Chinese myth and folklore of the existence of fairies on the Moon and aliens living on the moon. The chinese celebrate the Moon cake festival and the occasion was make famours due to a forklore about the romance of a fairy and a cowherd. The fairy  fell in love with a mortal and was sent by the God Mother to the Moon in order to separate the couple and they were allow to meet only once a year. A rainbow will connect the earth and the moon, so that the cowherd can walk from the earth to the moon.

Since my younger days, I was influenced by my mother to pray to the moon fairy and asked for spiritual help and on the 15th day of the eight moon, I will join in the celebration to pray to the fairy with Moon cakes and other goodies. Another taboo was that we cannot point our fingers at the Moon and if we do it, the moon will cut off one of our ears. This is a GOD fearing perception that was pumped into my head.

Other interesting theory involved the eclipse of the moon. The folks during my youth would tell us that the eclipse of the moon was due to an animal eating up the moon and we will need to drum the gongs to make noise so that the animal will be freighten and will not eat the moon. It was another GOD fearing tale.

All these beliefs vanished after neil armstrong set his foot on the moon. It has broken all the taboos and make a laughing stock on all these folklores. However, if a fairy really come out to greet Neil Armstrong, then it will be a totally different story. LOL. So, the image of Neil Armstrong was like the Hulk breaking the strong myth by a punch. Everything disintegrated and a void remains. The "one" punch cancelled off my years of belief. Haiyooo.

Well, for the generations after Neil's historical step, they would not be able to enjoy the thrill of folklore of the fairy and the imagination of looking up to the moon and hope to get a glimpse of the fairy and the cow herd. It is another form of enjoyment and fantasy. We always imagine that the fairy is very beautiful and we set our dreams to get the fairy as our wife. It could be a foolish thing to do but it gives us the hope and the love. Life is all about these two factors , hope and love. It was very comfortable for us to look at the moon and imagine that someone is watching over us and answer to our prayers.

Thanks and no thanks to Neil Amstrong who have selflessly make history by exploring the limits of our time and set his foot on the moon. His wish that one day someone would go up there to clean up his footprints will not replaced the shattered belief of many million chinese youths.

Nevertheless, goodbye, Neil and rest in peace while we struggle through the complications left behind by your historical achievements.

Namaste.

Friday, August 24, 2012

An eye for an eye.

Nepali man bites snake to death in revenge attack

Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:10AM EDT
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - A Nepali man who was bitten by a cobra snake bit it back and killed the reptile in a tit-for-tat attack, a newspaper said on Thursday.
Nepali daily Annapurna Post said Mohamed Salmo Miya chased the snake, which bit him in his rice paddy on Tuesday, caught it and bit it until it died.
"I could have killed it with a stick but bit it with my teeth instead because I was angry," the 55-year-old Miya, who lives in a village some 200 km (125 miles) southeast of the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, was quoted by the daily as saying.
The snake, called "goman" in Nepal, is also known as the Common Cobra.
Police official Niraj Shahi said the man, who was being treated at a village health post and was not in danger of dying, would not be charged with killing the snake because the reptile was not among snake species listed as endangered in Nepal.

Trouble comes from our mouth ....

There is a Chinese saying " Troubles come from our mouth, illness come in through our mouth", this message is to tell us that we must be careful of our words, otherwise, it can bring us unbearable troubles or instigate negative re-actions or reply from the people who hear these words.

Even a wrong word can bring misunderstanding  or if the words are said in a different tone, it can spell trouble for us.  A bad speaker spoilts an occasion or a meeting and a good speaker really inspires others who hear them speak.

Some people used words to provoke or to express their unhappiness and  in the middle of their speech, they get carried away and it often brings trouble and criticism.  To avoid trouble, we must be calm and select the right words and the right tone to deliver the message when we speak.  If we feel that we cannot control our anger or emotions, we should refrain from speaking or making any comments.

If we have nothing meaningful to say, we should not say anything.  Just to say nonsense for the sake of speaking will make us look stupid or idiotic. We have to breath deeply to control our urge to be heard.

Some words are so provocative that it invites physical harms to us.  We have to remember certain words have different meaning to different cultures and race.  So, we must be aware of audience and refrain from using words which we are not sure or it would incite trouble.

Often a gentle word can also speak trouble if it is spoken to a person who have bad experience with that particular word and it could arouse very strong negative re-actions from a simple and gentle word. If the situation is not favorable, we should apolosize and excuse ourself  before harms can come our way.

It is also true that we often use words out of anger or emotions and we do not mean to offend but once, the words goes it out , it cannot be pull back and the hurt is already done to the listeners.  So, before we say something important, we  have to consider three times ( ancient advise) before we say something.  Shooting off our cluff can so alot of harm if the speaker is not experience or a good speaker.

Finally, there is a Chinese saying " the speaker have no intention but listener interpretes such intention". The message like I have said earlier, words can have many meaning and it is used not clearly or spoken in a bad manner , it will be easily been wrongly interpreted. We should be always aware of such pitfalls in our speech.

If we speak too much and too easily , not only we will invite trouble with our words but illness will also come in through our mouth apart from us eating the wrong food , there could be poison.

We should be aware of such weakness in our speech.

Namaste.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Six days holiday - Hari raya

It has been a long time now since my Company have a six days break. Normally, if the New Year falls on Tuesday and Wednesday, then we will have this luxury as the Company will give an additional day before and after the actual festive days.  It was a very welcoming break for all of us.

I spend four days holidaying in Lake Kenyir.  One full day travelling there, spend two days at the resort and one full day travelling back home.  The travelling took about 16 hours to and another similar time back. It reminds me of the travel to Krabi during last Hari Raya. It was a similar tedious holiday.

After reaching home, I spend the fifth day resting at home , trying to recover from the long and tedious journey . It  was mainly sleeping and resting and attending a yoga class in the evening, followed by a dinner at a Thai restaurant at Heritage Club. In the afternoon  while sending my wife to do her banking, we dropped by Padang to eat some afternoon snacks ie  Poh Piah and Persumboh, etc.  The place was still crowded with tourist and locals.  The Poh Piah was one of the best in town and it is highly recommendable for a afternoon snack.

On the sixth day, it was more like running errand with my wife to the banks and more resting and sleeping in the afternoon and followed by a yoga session in the evening.

My message in this article is that however we choose to celebrate the festival, time still flies and it will be back to work for me by tomorrow. If we shooce to do nothing , time still pass-by or we choose to do some hectic journey or activities , it still fly past.  Time stops for no one and sooner or later, our life quota will be used up. So, don't wait as time waits for no one.

During the boat trip to a victoria type of water fall at Lake Kenyir, I met two couples of Indian - Chinese mix and they are in-laws to each other. I was having a conversation with the Indian man who marrys a Chinese wife. He is from Puchong , KL and he tol dme that his in-law is already 72 years old and he recommended this Lake Kenyir trip to him and he has been following him to may places of interest.

During one of his trip with his in-laws to the Sarawak Rain forest Celebration last year, he totally enjoyed himself while his in-laws joined him and dance the whle night long.  He told me that the attendance is about 20,000 people. Just like the famous Woodstock in the USA.  At the celebration, there was about 15 banks playing different types of music at the occasion.  It was totally a wonderful experience. He recommended to me strongly. It is a life time experience.

We should do the things now and we should not wait . Certain things need to be done when we still have the strength and the health. When the time passes, there is no looking back as we can still have the heart to do but we are too weak to do it.

We can see our future and we know our body and ability and we should not assume that the strength or our youth and health will stay with us forever.  As I have mentioned before in  my article, tomorrow is never guaranteed and life is uncertain.

Namaste.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Back to nature

There was a chinese saying " Old birds will return to their nest".  What does this actually mean? When we get old, we return to our familiar environment or back to nature ? I think ancient times, our familiar environment is the country sides or near to nature because there is not so much development then ?

There is another saying" Retire and go back to the farms". So, it is back to nature.

When I was at Lake Kenyir, the quietness was deafening , the fresh air rejuvenating , the beautiful scenary was breathlessly beholding , the inspring sun rise and sun set lifted my spirit right up to the sky and the sense of freedom and the lack of constraints was extremely powerful and limitless.

To appreciate such moments, there is no need to say a word or expressed your thoughts ,you could just feel it  and you can stay motionless and focus on nature to let your mind and body absorbed the boundless energy floating in the air.  Some people needed activities to wild away their time but this are wasteful activities. Just for a moment pleasure.

Our life is only a short period of a few decades, we should simulate our mind and soul into nature as we are part of nature. When we die, our body return to ashes and this ash will return to the earth and absorbed into nature. We are all inter-connected and to nature and the Universe. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. This is an inevitable fact,

All the things happening around us is an illusion and a smoke screen. The good times is like the smell of perfume which will pass with time. We should return to nature as much as possible and also live in the most simple and basic ways. The true happiness in found internally instead of getting it from the materialistic world.  The self ego and craving for more often pull us in a different directions and waste our precious time with all the illusions in the world.

Yes, take a step back , the sky will will be wider , take a deeper breath, our vision will clearer , focus your hearing to your heart and you will know what it is telling you and control your mind, you will find your path and what you are looking for.

Take hold of your life and make some meaning out of it before it expire.

Namaste.

Past midnight - 23/8

Now, it has passed midnight of 22nd, August  and it is the early morning of 23rd.  It is raining outside and it was past bedtime but I am still awake. Many thoughts are going through my head and it makes me restless.

Yeah,  I have be taught to focus my thoughts , relax and keep a calm mind and slip into our sleep but tonight, it was extremely turbulent in my mind and my heart was restless. I have a feeling that I should write down my thoughts in my blog.

I have came back from my wednesday's yoga session and I saw my fellow yogi , Z with a young and new member .  Z, was one of the older yogi and he have been going on with one fellow yogi, Ir for some times and they have just broke off recently.  Both of them  have been coming to the class in separate cars since the break up and now this fellow , Z was ferrying this young member to the class.  Ow, it just complicate everything and spoilt the mood of the class and set bad examples to the other yogis.

I know we must have a free mind on this relationship thing and we should break free of attachment to attain the right mental attitude but I just cannot control my ever fixing mind . Am I too sensitive caring for the feelings of Ir ? I just read a message on my daughter, M's  FB saying that " if we care too much for a person , we can get hurt".  Have I been too caring or too sensitive ?  This is a part of me that need to be changed for the better of myself.

I could not get rid of the thought and I sent a message to my teacher to highlight this point to her.  I think she is responsible to set this matter right but again, she may think that I am too sensitive on this matter.  I do not know that outcome of my complaint.  My teacher, M could kick me out of the class or feel that I am too busybody.  Whatever outcome, I must bear it since I am the one complaining.  One have to responsible for our actions , right ?

Well, the rain have stopped already and  I better start to meditate to reduce the tension and the restlessness in my body so that I can sleep comfortably.  It maybe tought but I should do it and get a peaceful sleep and a wonderful next day.

So , to all readers , judge me for what I am  and share my insight into life.

Namaste.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Lake Kenyir - sequel

Lake Kenyir was formerly a valley and the Trengganu authorities decided to fill up the valley by blocking the outlets and it flood the whole valley and it became a man-make lake.  The size of the lake was at one time bigger than the size of Singapore and now, since Singapore have expanded , the size could be similar now.  When the valley was flooded many trees and animals perished with it. So, at the bottom of the lake is full of tree trunks which could be hazardous to boating activities.

The view is very beautiful and majestic which so many water ways and hill tops. Some islands were rumoured to have elephants, tigers and other types of animals. Among the 360 islands, their sizes varies from a huge island to a small hill top.

I was told by my friend, A who is working with the Lake Kenyir Taman Negara SPA and resort that the place is very popular to Dutch and  German tourist. The nature is so attractive to them and they flock here during the summer holidays in doves.

When I was staying at the Hotel, there were quite a number of westerners but they only choose to have short stays.

Since the chalets are among the natural vegetation, the repair and maintanence caused the Hotel a huge sume for the upkeeps especially when the chalet are build from woods lining the lake shore line.

There are many choice of water sports and if you are in a big group , you can consider renting a big river boat which can house 20 people and the river boat offers you bed rooms , cooking facilities, dining hall, fishing facilities and small boats for your boating activities and it cost about RM1200 per day.  If your tour group is big with 20 people, you will need to rent 7 chalets and one chalet  will cost you about RM300 per night during the peak time. So, a river boat would another choice for your sleeping and sporting activities.

For activities, there are so many options if you are imginative and creative.  Apart from the Hotel operators , there are private operators offering various type of activities and at a more cheaper rate but of course, there is some risk involved.  It is your choice and also you have to be careful.

It was a short stay but the resort offers  nature, tranquility and comfort for your stressful body and mind. A very good place to recuperate and rejuvenate.  It is a also a good place for spiritual comtemplation.

lLake Kenyir resort


Namaste.

Lake Kenyir, Trengganu




Lake Kenyir , Trengganu

lake kenyir resort
My trip to  lake Kenyir , Trengganu 

It was a 4 days 3 nights trip and we spent 2 days on the road travel ling there and coming back.  The reason was that we have to pick up some passengers from KL.  The trip was supposed to take 12 hours from Penang to KL and to lake Kenyir but because of the traffic jams, it took 16 hours. It was a lot of talking, eating and sleeping during the bus ride.

The  Kenyir resort is a very beautiful place comprising of 360 islands or hill tops. It span over 60 acres with many different types of vegetation. It is a world by itself and it was as if we are back to nature. The air was very fresh and healing with plentiful of green vegetations. It is the right place recuperate from the stressful city life but this is not the place for the inpatients.

The resort offers 120 beautiful wooden chalets with many facing the lake. If you sit on the belcony , you will be able to see sunrise or sunset depending on the location of your chalet. At other times, you can enjoy the tranquility and calmness of the lake water.

The resort boast of eagles, hornbills, wild boars, many variety of birds and herbal plants. It was refreshing to walk along the tar road path linking all the chalets. A brisk walk would be a good exercise while a casual walk would be enjoyable and pleasant. It can be relaxing and worry free.

The first day was a free and easy for all the family members walking around the resort and the second with two boat rides with one to the waterfall and herbal island while the second trip was to Taman Negara to visit the natural cave.

There are many options like jungle tracking , fishing ,etc for those adventurous people but time was a constraint for us.

As for the food, it was traditional Malay food buffet for the three dinners provided by the resort while for breakfast and lunch , it is a fusion mixture of western and Malay food. The taste was quite good but can be improved further.

The chalets were reasonably maintained  while  the  water pressure from the taps were strong.  It is acceptable for the down to earth people and the non fussy people. As for me, it was acceptable while the experience was awesome. 

On the 2nd night, we celebrated the birthday of my daughter , with a cheese cake and wine. It was a happy occasion for all as the staff of the hotel joining in the fun.

As an ending note, a special thanks to all the 18 members who have make my stay at the resort a memorable experience and a very special thanks  to my friend who is working in the hotel, ajeet-kor.

To all readers, it is an experience you must try and trasure.

Namaste.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Head stand pose - yoga

I have been trying to perform this pose but so far, I can manage to perform this pose against a wall. Since moving to my teacher's new studio, there is no more walls as all the walls are either mirrors or windows.

Now my teacher insisted that I  must perform the head stand without any support and not even with the help of a hop.  Under her watchful eyes, I failed many times trying the pose. My core is not strong enough.

My other yoga friends have told me that doing the head stand is not good for people with hypertension as the blood from our body will rush to my head.  Well, I  have been trying but so far, it is pretty okay for me. I am not going to perform the pose for half an hour but just a 1 minute hold.

I think it is the fear which is holidng me back  and I am afraid that  I will land on my baack In order to get the impact of the head stand and my teacher have asked me to perform Halasana to get the  simple impact.  But, I have been trying very hard to do the head stand.

The advantage of the head stand is that it iwl massage all the vital organs including the head and the brain. If we reverse the flow of the blood , it will make us youthful and energetic. I was told that some aging actresses including Nichol Kidman  perform the head stand pose for 30 minutes to keep the youthful face as the blood will supply oxygen to the brain and the head and exercise the organs.

I am not aiming to be young or youthful but I just refused to give up.  I think this is bccause of the stubborn old and egoistic self. Yeah, I must be able to perform like the other members , But, like the saying goes " I have the passion but not the youthful strength to do it.  Nevertheless, I take it as a challenge to keep me trying and enjoying the exercise.

I have to melt my heart and removed my egoistic self  an d fear before I can attempt to do it.  Yes, Yoga teach us to be gentle to ourself  and  to be patient with our practice. We  have to understand  our body and  build up our confidence to tackle our fear and push ourself to ours the limit. We should not feel guilty for  out failure and it is a personal thing between our body and mind. It is a personal issue.

I have promised myself , I will do it one day and I will be glad and happy. It is not for only the benefits but the sense of achievement.

Namaste.

The month of Hungry Ghost - 2012

Today is the 1st  day of the Chinese 7th month and this day will be the day where the hell open its gate for the ghostly spirits to roam the earth for 14 days.  This is the month where the Chinese people  will offer prayers and incense to appraise the spirits to spare them the bad lucks.

Through the period, there will be Chinese Operas,  stage shows and puppet shows which will be erected in open grounds or in front of the temples and it will celebrate in festival styles.  There will be fruits offerings,  roasted pig,  roasted chicken , cakes ,etc  to offer to the King of Hade and the roaming spirits. There is so much funs for the children or the temple helpers as they will be busy celebrating this occasion.

During this period, there will monks offering chanting prayers for dead and offering peace and good health for the living.  This is also the time for alms giving to the temples.

This culture have been  passed down through generations and it is deeply rooted in the customs and the daily life of the Chinese.  Offerings of prayers and food can also be found along the street corners or in front of the house of the Chinese folks. The Chinese people in Penang is among the most superstitious  in the whole of Malaysia.  In other areas in Malaysia, it can also be found in small towns spreading over the country.

It is could be seen funny and foolish to the foreigners but the Chinese people believe in the existence of the third world or the third dimension .  The heaven , earth and hell. The Chinese 7th month is the opening of the Hell and the death rule the earth for 14 days before the Hell gate closed on the 14th day.

There are religious procedures to sent the ghost back to Hell , the believers will have to organized a grand set off , so that the dead will be contented until the next opening in the following year.

Again, how true it is , nobody knows.  If we believe we do not need the proof but if we don’t believe , even the proof or the truth does not matter.   This is the funny side of our Mind.

Namaste

A brief explanation of the Ghost Month :


King of Hades

The seventh lunar month in the traditional Chinese calendar is called Ghost Month. On the first day of the month, the Gates of Hell are sprung open to allow ghosts and spirits access to the world of the living. The spirits spend the month visiting their families, feasting and and looking for victims.

There are three important days during Ghost Month. On the first day of the month, ancestors are honored with offerings of food, incense, and ghost money - paper money which is burned so the spirits can use it. These offerings are done at makeshift altars set up on sidewalks outside the house.

Almost as important as honoring your ancestors, offerings to ghosts without families must be made, so that they will not cause you any harm. Ghost month is the most dangerous time of the year, and malevolent spirits are on the look out to capture souls.

The Inauspicious Month

This makes ghost month a bad time to do activities such as evening strolls, traveling, moving house, or starting a new business. Many people avoid swimming during ghost month, since there are many spirits in the water which can try to drown you.

The 15th day of the month is Ghost Festival, sometimes called Hungry Ghost Festival. The Mandarin name of this festival is zhōng yuán jié (中元節 / 中元节). This is the day when the spirits are in high gear. It’s important to give them a sumptuous feast, to please them and to bring luck to the family. Taoists and Buddhists perform ceremonies on this day to ease the sufferings of the deceased.

The last day of the month is when the Gates of Hell are closed up again. The chants of Taoist priests inform the spirits that it’s time to return, and as they are confined once again to the underworld, they let out an unearthly wail of lament.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Happy Birthday to my pal, PH

I know him for more than 10 years  and since last year, he has retired from his job and now, he is taking his time to  search for the right business.  Yes, I envy him taking his own sweet time and enjoy his 2nd chapter in life.

I did not know it was his birthday today until his former colleagues pick me up for lunch with him.  He had suggested that we have lunch at a restaurant in Sungei lembu.  Ow! Sungei lembu was a bit too far but since he insisted, I have to follow him. So, we took a 30 minutes drive to the restaurant.

The restaurant is located far into the hills and it has a bit of landscaping and  a pond full of fishes. It has alot of plants and trees and it was  cooling.  The building was quite small.

My friend , PH took the menu and he did all the ordering.   A bowl of chicken, one Parting fish, one vegetable and a roasted pork leg. We drink our eer teh to neutralized the oil while PH have a glass of beer. We talk about antiques ,  old times and  jokes.  A simple conversation about the latest trend about old aged stones which caused as much as gold.  Thousand years rock which gives up good Chi and will boost health. Now, it is a crazy trend in China.

We spend about 30 minutes talking while we drink Pur eer  tea.  It was a simple lunch , a good tea and most of all , a group of  simple friends enjoying a birthday lunch. It was a very good combination and it was simply enjoyable.

The time took for me to return to my office took another 30 minutes but it was worth it. Life should be like this , simply wondering , idling and living.

Namaste.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Top 5 herbs for wellness

Top 5 Herbs That Enhance Your Immune Syste

 

The moment a baby exits from her mother’s womb, she is instantly welcomed by a ‘Welcoming Party of Five’ (Not the US teen drama Party of Five that starred Tori Spelling, a few years back). The so called ‘well wishers’ are actually 'enemies in disguise'. In our life time, most of us get sick or fall victim to a certain disease. This is NO THANKS to those
‘wolves in sheep clothing’. But most of the times, we are happily healthy. Why?
This is because our body has amazing ARMOUR called the immune system. This ‘mighty knight’ can fight against these infections.
Although the immune system is extremely complex, its basic strategies are simple:
1. Recognize the foreign bodies
2. Invade & mobilize forces
3. Attack & kill
Immune system protects you from a range of illness from colds to cancer. Now, meet your TOP 5 Immune Boosters. ‘Treat your knight and shining armour’ by taking some immune boosters. Here they are:
1. Ginseng
2. Echinacea
3. Astragalus (Huang qi)
4. Garlic
5. Medicinal mushrooms

Ginsengs – The all rounder.
Although there are many types of ginseng, such as American, Japanese, Chinese/Asian ginsengs, all of them share a common action, which is immunity enhancing capability. Generally, ginsengs help to stimulate the immune system by stimulating immune cells production to fight infections. Ginsengs also work as a tonic for fatigue.
Echinacea – Your immune system’s answer to health panacea.
It is one of the world’s top five-selling herbal medicines. Echinacea treats or prevents colds, flu, sore throat, and boosts our immune system. Out of the nine Echinacea species, three species (E. angustifolia, E. purpurea, E. pallida) are widely used medicinally.
Research showed that it is able to trigger the production of interferon, which fights viruses. Besides, compounds in Echinacea can increase the levels of foreign agents-fighting white blood cells.
Astragalus / Huang qi – Tonic herb that stems from the roots.
Astragalus is one of the most frequently used Chinese herbs; as an immune stimulant. Its historical use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can be traced back 2000 years ago. In Chinese modern medicine system, patients who undergo chemotherapy or radiation are also treated with a therapy called zheng fu. This therapy, which utilizes astragalus, is
commonly used to revitalize the patients’ immunity.
Astragalus is usually used in combination with other herbs, usually adaptogenic herbs such as ginseng. Astragalus increases white blood cells production and their activity. This indirectly improves one's immune function.
Garlic –Eating this stinky spice is a wise choice.
A strong-smelling herb used since ancient times, garlic is well known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. It has positive effects on the cardiovascular health, immune function, anti-microbial action and anti-cancer action. Eating garlic helps increase immune
system players (e.g.: natural killer cells, white blood cells macrophage) levels.
On the other hand, experiments showed that natural organosulphur compounds in garlic can kill tumor cells in animal models. Yet, the similar effect may not be evident in human models. Thus, further evaluations are required.
Medicinal Mushrooms – Have room for more mushrooms?
Mushroom contains carbohydrate called beta-glucan, which boost our immune system. Mushrooms not only enhance immune system but also possess antibacterial properties which make them ideal for preventing all sorts of infection.
Go for ling zhi or reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) and shiitake (Lentinus edodes), they are powerful immune boosters that are able to remove toxins and prevent free radical damages. Reishii can also stimulate the immune system by activating both B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes natural T-killer cells. Coriolus versicolor mushroom has potent anti-cancer
carbohydrate called polysachharide K or PSK. PSK is the top-selling anticancer drug in Japan.  


The grief of a father


I received  a call from my friend A when I was about to leave my office for my yoga session.  He told me to bring my wife to see him at his restaurant after my work. He sounded very serious and I agreed to see him later.

When I arrived at his restaurant , there were many cars  outside his restaurant and we were lucky to find a space when one of the parked cars left.

My friend,A could see our car from the inside of his restaurant and he walked out to welcome us. He got us seated and serve us two cups of green tea. After we have taken a sip of the green tea,

" My son passed away more than a week ago"  he blurred out and his voice was sad and he tried hold back his tears. He died of cancer and my friend continued to tell us the event before his son's death. How his son keep his sickness from him?  His son have tried to managed the sickness by himselves and have believe in his Taoist master, who have promised him another 7 years of life.  But , it did not happen and my friend, A was very critical of him.  But, the fact is that his son was dead and he is hurted.

He wants to talk and I could sense the pain inside him as he fought back  his tears.  I keep consoling him and that is the only thing I can do apart from lending him my ears. He told me that cancer is a very scary and freightening word. He quoted many cases of people whom he knew who is suffering or die of cancer.

I know his feeling as I have seen  both the parents of my wife and a brother in law died of cancer.  The ordeal is very painful , hurtful  and bad memories is long lasting.  It takes a long time to recover from such bad experience. This is life.  When there is life , there is death. We have to accept this fact and it will not change for anyone.  Even the pope or a  King have to die.  How famous or infamous we are,, we  also need to die. No exceptions. Period.

The person could have gone but the people , he leave behind will suffer the lost and the emptiness. It is the grief all the living ones have to go through.  If we are aware and understand this fact, it will be very much easier to let go and seek solace from such bad memories.

Namaste.

Chris Hedges - So true

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Your heart knows .....

How do we know that we have found what we want in life ?  One of Steve Jobs quotes that you should keep on searching fo.r your dreams, don't settle or compromise  and you found your dream, your heart will know and you will feel it.

Sometimes, we make  a mistake or we compromise our dreams and to settle for second or third best for the rest of our life. Should we throw it away and continue our search. Sometimes, our dreams shift or switch and do we change our path to continue to search for it.  It is a dilemma.

Some people are lucky and they can find their dreams easily but for some unlucky ones, the search could be a life time.  To make a decision whether we throw away the bird in hand and go for the two in the bushes , is  a difficult decision . We could end with an empty hand.

When we are set to find our dreams, we have to travel light. If we start to gather bondage and baggages on the way, it will tie us down or slow us down and could make us compromise our dreams or stand.

 Some of our feelings  of our heart could be wrong especially  in relationships.  If we are just a couple without children , the decision will be easier but if we have children, it is more than a matter between two person. The decision would be more complex and hurtful.

If you want to sure of your dreams, you may have to let go what you are nejoying now and go back to the basic and from the start. Don't worry of getting old and conform to the thinking of others. What is matter is your own search.  You may have judged wrongly and throw away the dreams which is already in your hands but if the second time around, you will really know and it would be wrong.

Your dreams could be finding your love ones, your job , your mission , your direction,  your passion ,etc. There could be many dreams in your life and the warch could be multifolds and may missions at the same time. If you hit it right through you  search , all these realization wil be a fulfillment and a bundle of joy for you. Each accomplished dream will bring you enlightenment and eternal happiness.

Don't stop the search and you will get contented if your dreams are gradually fulfilled.  So, don't settle or compromised until all dreams are  achieved.

Namaste.

Monday, August 13, 2012

The swelling anger.

There is a theory that if we shout or sing at high pitch, it will result in the death of millions of our brain cells. Fortunately, these dead brain cells can self generate themselves and replace all the dead brain cells. Otherwise, we will suffer from dementia or maybe Parkinson disease after each shouting match.


This morning, I have a shouting match with my colleague from Bangladesh. He was shouting like a madman over there and trying to push all the responsibilities to me at over this end. He started to talk nonsense like he will slap the people over in Penang or asked me to scold this people to give him the support. I dislike these kind of talks. He behaves like a gangster or a Yakuza and only trying to assert his power through his position or through scolding or shouting at people. I disagree as basically, I am always seeking a compromise to a problem.


After the shouting, I began to feel that I am hurting my body. My blood pressure shot up and my face turn hot. These are signs that my body was stretch to the limit and I have to cool off. It was like a runaway train if we still engage in the conversation. I cut him off and I told him that I cannot talk to him anymore. I have to cool off and I put down my phone. It is important that our body can adjust to our blood pressure and if it shoots up , it better come down fast enough so that the body would not be hurt further.


I feel that after doing Yoga , my body was able to response at greater speed to cool down. I think it could be due to the heavy breathing exercise and the persistent training on my body. I find that I am more flexible now than before.


 If our body do not know how to response, then we could suffer stroke or heart attack and could eventually die. Persistent exposure to these stress is also not good for the body and the mind.


I am not recommending to involve in a shouting match and to use Yoga to control it . Basically, shouting is very harmful and it not only hurt us mentally or physically but also our relationship with others.


 We should refrain from this response and if the other side is shouting, we should not response and shut down our phone as the other person is temporarily become insane. Taking this approach is a better option.

Namaste.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Koay Teow T'ng at Kampung Belabar, Penang

This morning  I went searching for this Koay Teow T'ng stall at kampung Belabar with my wife.  From Penang Road, I turn into Arygll Road  and I found a stall which was crowed with people waiting to be served. The stall was in a shophouse , so I stopped my car and I went in to be seated. But, upon reaching the stall, I found out that it was selling Wan Tan Mee. It must be good  because a lot of people are still waiting to be served.  I asked one of the worker for the Keow Teow T'ng stall which was situated nearby.  She pointed to a back lane behind the petrol station.

It has been many years since I have eaten at this stall.  I think it is about 15 years ago, when the stall was located behind the old Cathay Theatre.  The stall was operating in a back lane and we have to eat the Koay Teow sitting on a small table. The Koay Teow T'ng was full of the inner parts of the chicken ie the liver, the heart, the intentines,etc. The texture of the Koay Teow is very soft and the soup is very tasty and sweet.  Since then, I heard the stall have moved to another back lane and I have lost touch with the stall.

When I walk over to the back lane, I could see the stall located at the entrace of the lane and there was many tables placed along the lane and it was packed with customers witing to be served.  The tables are also spread along the five foot walkway and also it was fully occupied.  My wife and myself have to wait for a seat. Finally, we got a seat in the back lane and besides the drain. 

In the back drain , there is another stall serving cofee and drinks.  Well, there is a strange smell coming from the drain but it is tolerable  but my wife prefer to wait for empty seats along the five foot way after placing the orders.

After 10 minutes, one of the helper placed a bowl of Koay Keow soup on my table and I asked my wife whether she ordered the Koay Teow  and she told me that it was a different type. Since it has been served, I asked my wife to eat first while I remind the helper to speed up our order. Finally, the correct order came and my wife eat the dried Koay Teow.  I was surprised at the disorderly manner but it is not necessary to comment to cause a scene , so we just eat whatever is served.

Well, we have adjust to the situation and it is pointless to correct their system of serving and we enjoyed what is served. With this open mindedness, life would be more tolerable.  We should not let our mood destroy our chance to enjoy such tasty food.

Recommendable for those people who do not mind the environment but just go for the food.  It is an experieince but I would prefer to eat in a proper location as there is still a taste of the "drain" in my mouth if I recap the experience.

Namaste.