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| Looks calm, pleasant and sunny ..just lazing by the sea ..hahax |
Friday, November 4, 2011
My dream home - a paradise by the sea
Thursday, November 3, 2011
I am in transition - aimless
The feeling is weird as if floating in this dimension. Maybe, I am just been too tired. Mentally exhausted due to the recent events in the past week. The return of BIL J from Bangkok Bangkok
This the second time, I see him in his sky condo and the latest, I heard that he could not eat as his mouth and throat is sore. Yes, the cancer have make him weak and all other complications start to come in. He keep mumbling that GOD is coming to take him away and he is waiting for it. It was so different from a few months ago, when he came back after his chemo and steroid injections. He was full of hope , the hope of containing the spread of the disease. Now, he is a shade of himself and he looks lame and useless watching his body wasting away.
These images continued to come into my thoughts and make me weary and aimless. I am aimless because I just don’t know what is good for myself. Should I retire into the woods or keep working to occupy myself while I am still useful. In my image, I should ride away into the sunset and into the woods , but after that wha can I do ? Just bidding time and waiting for GOD to come to pick me up. It does not mind, it is a Christian GOD or a Buddhist GOD or a creator. It will come one day and that is sure.
During my FIL, J sickness, I have the same feeling and also the floating thoughts. Slipping into the different dimension of life. Real and in the thoughts. Which is real , I am not sure. Whichever sphere I am in, it is the same floating experience. Filling with the image and thoughts of BIL J and FIL J. Ow ! so happen they both have the same alpabet J.
Each step, I take is groundless, no firm ground below us. Everything looks filmy and unreal. Just focus on my job and pass the time and try to suppress the desperation and sadness from my mind. Like I say before, I notice a tear coming from BIL J’s eyes. The tear of sadness and desperation.
I know I need Time to heal my sadness and coming out from the transition. I remembered Buddha’s teaching of impermanence. Every thing is changing for the better or worst. The real thing and what you have is the present moment. So live now and take each step with a breath of fresh air and look forward to realize the passage of time.
Namaste.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
ATICS College Restuarant in Penang.
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| Spot who is May ? |
A few months ago, my daughter , May told me that her college is starting a restaurant. It is a logical step as she studying Culinary Arts and operating a restaurant is part of her study program. At her insistence, I have been there a few times and I could see that the lecturers have embarked on a role play as part of their training. The role play is actually to rotate each student to a different role in the operation of a restaurant. Yes, this is an interesting program especially building up their confidence and inter-personal skill.
As the restaurant was run by trainees at the supervision of their lectures, the food is ok and the service is raw. When I say the food is ok means the taste is acceptable and sometime good but the portion is a bit large and their service is raw meaning that the trainee waiter and waitress are nervous and place the cutleries in the wrong side or missing sets, This is understandable and very normal in a training program. But, the only thing , I feel awkward is that the lecturer will confront the students in front of the customers and telling them what they have done wrong. Maybe I am wrong but I felt really uncomfortable.
After the lunch, I called May and told her that it is really very uncomfortable even the price for the food is at a discount rate. The discount covers the fluctuating taste of the food, drinks , raw services and awkward confrontation by lectures. Yeah, nothing is free and whether it is value for money, it is up to you. My boss always tell me “ when you pay peanuts , you get monkeys” . This is really true. I am not saying that the trainees are monkeys but literally, it mean “good things is never cheap and cheap things are never good”. However, I disagree with this general statement, occasionally, you get cheap things which is really good. Once , I brought my friend , D there and he ordered steak and the portion was big and the taste was good. It cost him only RM20 for the lunch. Where can you get it at that price .. So try it out.
For those of you in Penang . Support the trainees at the ATICS College Restaurant and it is open for lunch at 12 noon every Tuesday and Thursday. So, see you there sometimes.
To tell or not to tell
This morning I received a phone call from an ex-colleague, G asking my opinion about the possible treatment of her father suffering from cancer. She told me it is a no hope case as the Doctor treating her father have asked them to let it be and wait for the end. Her father is in his mid 70s' and he is not aware of his illness except the pain in his leg. He still live and eat well as usual self. So, the Doctor think the best is to keep him in the dark and let live his remaining days out. Her family members also think this is the best but there is nagging and uneasy thought in her, is this the right thing to do ? Is keeping the truth away from his father, fair to him? This is a family issue and I should not intervene.
In my thought , I have these uneasy feeling as well. Is the Doctor behaving like GOD , determing when his or her patient can die or live? Is he or she so sure that there is no cure? And what right, he or she has to decide for the family and also the patient? Is this the right professional ethic and practice? I have my doubts and I believe that every patient have the right to know and decide his or her fate and also determine when to die or continue living. Giving the patient false hope, is hypocracy and bitchy.
In case of my FIL, J he was told that he had cancer and the cancer has spread. He has the option to take chemo treatment or herbal option and he choose the latter. He live with the fact that he has cancer and he closed his relationship with his family members and altered his Will and allocate it to his family members. He died a brave man and with no regrets. Maybe Chemo treatment could have extended his life a bit longer but he stick to his choice.
About G's father, I am not an expert in Cancer and I do not know what his chances but even if the chances is 1% or 2% , it is his right to choose to receive treatment or not. If he choose treatment, the family members must support him because he has a right to live. Different cancer patient's re-action to medicine is different and those people who have been marked for death have survived for years. The advancement in Medicine have been rapid in these few years and a lot more information is available about this disease. The choice belongs to the patient and nobody else.
So, is it ethical to deny a dying man his wish ? So, we should not play GOD and advise G that she will live with the guilt for the rest of her life , not knowing whether her father can live longer and survive or not. It will be too late to regret and time is running out , as a delay in action reduces the chance of a cure or a longer life for her father. Living with the guilt add tremendous pressure and stress on the living members.
There is only ONE GOD and we should act like HIM determining when their patient can die.
Namaste.
In my thought , I have these uneasy feeling as well. Is the Doctor behaving like GOD , determing when his or her patient can die or live? Is he or she so sure that there is no cure? And what right, he or she has to decide for the family and also the patient? Is this the right professional ethic and practice? I have my doubts and I believe that every patient have the right to know and decide his or her fate and also determine when to die or continue living. Giving the patient false hope, is hypocracy and bitchy.
In case of my FIL, J he was told that he had cancer and the cancer has spread. He has the option to take chemo treatment or herbal option and he choose the latter. He live with the fact that he has cancer and he closed his relationship with his family members and altered his Will and allocate it to his family members. He died a brave man and with no regrets. Maybe Chemo treatment could have extended his life a bit longer but he stick to his choice.
About G's father, I am not an expert in Cancer and I do not know what his chances but even if the chances is 1% or 2% , it is his right to choose to receive treatment or not. If he choose treatment, the family members must support him because he has a right to live. Different cancer patient's re-action to medicine is different and those people who have been marked for death have survived for years. The advancement in Medicine have been rapid in these few years and a lot more information is available about this disease. The choice belongs to the patient and nobody else.
So, is it ethical to deny a dying man his wish ? So, we should not play GOD and advise G that she will live with the guilt for the rest of her life , not knowing whether her father can live longer and survive or not. It will be too late to regret and time is running out , as a delay in action reduces the chance of a cure or a longer life for her father. Living with the guilt add tremendous pressure and stress on the living members.
There is only ONE GOD and we should act like HIM determining when their patient can die.
Namaste.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
World population hit seven billion - news
A crowded world's population hits 7 billion
Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:56PM EDT
By Pawan Kumar
LUCKNOW, Oct 31 (AlertNet) - Wrapped in a white blanket, Nargis Yadav lies in the arms of her mother in a small rural clinic in north India -- one of half a million babies born around the world on Monday that will push the global population to the milestone of seven billion.
The U.N.-declared landmark underscores the challenges faced by many countries in providing for the growing numbers of people on an already over stretched and crowded planet.
Nargis was born in the populous state of Uttar Pradesh, one of the poorest regions in India, a country that could soon overtake China as the world's most populated nation.
Her parents, poor villagers who earn just over $100 a month, say they want her to go to school and be successful in life, but aid workers say this will be an uphill struggle, not only for her but others like her in the developing world.
"The child will face a lot of challenges," said Sona Sharma, director for advocacy and communications at the Population Foundation of India.
"Getting proper nutritional food, clean drinking water and even basics such as medical care such as immunizations to help her survive the first few years will be challenging."
With the world's population more than doubling over the last half century, basics like food and water are under more strain than ever, say experts, and providing for an additional 2-3 billion people in the next 50 years is a serious worry.
Water usage is set to increase by 50 percent between 2007 and 2025 in developing nations, while food security remains a challenge with 925 million people going hungry.
To feed the two billion more mouths predicted by 2050, food production will have to increase by 70 percent, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization says. But climate change may be the greatest impediment to meeting this target, say experts.
Growing numbers of people on earth is also resulting in rapid urbanization, placing serious strains on towns and cities as migrants move from poor rural areas to richer urban centers.
"The issue of population cannot be seen divorced from the aspect of resource or energy footprint," said Parvinder Singh, head of communications for ActionAid India.
"The largest drain continues to be in the West which have traditionally consumed, and continue to, massive volumes of resources because of a life-style and purchasing power that far exceeds that of so-called high population poorer countries."
Demographers however point out that in richer nations, fertility rates have nosedived, resulting in declining numbers of people and an imbalance between the working population and retirees who need expensive social safety nets.
Experts say policies geared to population challenges need to be more targeted.
"Where population is shrinking, we need family friendly policies. Where numbers are growing, we need policies to ensure women have access to family planning," said Babatunde Osotimehin, head of the U.N. Population Fund, adding 215 million women want reproductive health services but do not have it.
"If governments do not act, we will put further strains on the resources that we have." (AlertNet is a global humanitarian news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Visit www.trust.org/alertnet)
(Writing by Nita Bhalla; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:56PM EDT
By Pawan Kumar
LUCKNOW, Oct 31 (AlertNet) - Wrapped in a white blanket, Nargis Yadav lies in the arms of her mother in a small rural clinic in north India -- one of half a million babies born around the world on Monday that will push the global population to the milestone of seven billion.
The U.N.-declared landmark underscores the challenges faced by many countries in providing for the growing numbers of people on an already over stretched and crowded planet.
Nargis was born in the populous state of Uttar Pradesh, one of the poorest regions in India, a country that could soon overtake China as the world's most populated nation.
Her parents, poor villagers who earn just over $100 a month, say they want her to go to school and be successful in life, but aid workers say this will be an uphill struggle, not only for her but others like her in the developing world.
"The child will face a lot of challenges," said Sona Sharma, director for advocacy and communications at the Population Foundation of India.
"Getting proper nutritional food, clean drinking water and even basics such as medical care such as immunizations to help her survive the first few years will be challenging."
With the world's population more than doubling over the last half century, basics like food and water are under more strain than ever, say experts, and providing for an additional 2-3 billion people in the next 50 years is a serious worry.
Water usage is set to increase by 50 percent between 2007 and 2025 in developing nations, while food security remains a challenge with 925 million people going hungry.
To feed the two billion more mouths predicted by 2050, food production will have to increase by 70 percent, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization says. But climate change may be the greatest impediment to meeting this target, say experts.
Growing numbers of people on earth is also resulting in rapid urbanization, placing serious strains on towns and cities as migrants move from poor rural areas to richer urban centers.
"The issue of population cannot be seen divorced from the aspect of resource or energy footprint," said Parvinder Singh, head of communications for ActionAid India.
"The largest drain continues to be in the West which have traditionally consumed, and continue to, massive volumes of resources because of a life-style and purchasing power that far exceeds that of so-called high population poorer countries."
Demographers however point out that in richer nations, fertility rates have nosedived, resulting in declining numbers of people and an imbalance between the working population and retirees who need expensive social safety nets.
Experts say policies geared to population challenges need to be more targeted.
"Where population is shrinking, we need family friendly policies. Where numbers are growing, we need policies to ensure women have access to family planning," said Babatunde Osotimehin, head of the U.N. Population Fund, adding 215 million women want reproductive health services but do not have it.
"If governments do not act, we will put further strains on the resources that we have." (AlertNet is a global humanitarian news service run by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Visit www.trust.org/alertnet)
(Writing by Nita Bhalla; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
1/2 day Sun; 1/2 day Rain - the tropical emotion
Now is the season for tropical storm. It is sunshine in the morning and the sky changes very fast and it rains in the afternoon. It looks strange and funny but this is the characteristics of tropical storm. The weather reflects the ever changing mood of human emotions. The changes is remarkably fast and sudden.
Like I mentioned before, our six senses is the trigger for the change in our emotions and it is a recipe for emotion change and anger. Just like if you mix a paste of chilli, salt, vinegar , sugar, wine and soya source. If you add a bit more chilli, it becomes chilli hot and if you add more sugar, it becomes more sweeter and any change in the portion of the ingredients, the final taste will change and impact on the person who eat it.
How do we change it ? If you let the senses response to the outside trigger, you will not be able to control it but rather it will control you and make you, the slave. If you are aware of these senses and understand its re-action, you can let it reveal it self but not responding to it. Just let it go. If you respond to it, it will re-act and affect the other senses and change the mix and the final result will be adjusted by that single factor or multiple factors.
Another aspect is that we should shift our mind from the focus on that particular sense which is making the final taste more difficult to eat. If we can erase it, it will be better but if we cannot erase it, we shift our focus on something else that moderate it or dilute it. By focusing on that sense, we are giving power to it to influence the remaining senses and it becomes a run away train. We will end up in a bloody mess.
The sense of hearing and sight are the most powerful of the senses because we can hear and see far and wide. Our reception to the external triggers is very variable and wide and we can catch anything pleasant and unpleasant which we automatically kept in our mind. These thoughts or image can come into being anytime and re-act to a particular situation or an event. After that, it is disaster.
So, keep a tap on the senses , be aware of it and neglect to take away its power. Then , the recipe will remain balance and your emotions will be manageable.
Namaste.
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