The festival of Loi Krathong - water festival

The full moon of the 12th lunar month in the traditional Thai calendar marks the Thai festival of Loi Krathong. This celebration thought to originate from the Hindu Festival Diwali, in India, has progressed for Thai people into veneration of Mae Khongkha, the Mother of Waters. The act of floating ornately decorated Krathong or traditional banana leaf lanterns out onto various rivers and waterways is the main act in this brilliantly preserved tradition, also known as the “festival of lights”. Evolved from ancient Royal rituals, it has since been adopted by common people by making offerings to the Mother of Waters or in other cultures Buddha, as an expression of thanks for providing life sustaining water.

Some people look to cast away personal misery or  ill fortune and have been said to go as far as placing tufts of hair or fingernail clippings into their Krathong in hopes of ridding themselves. Traditionally though, Krathongs are quite lovely and tend to look like swans, lotus blossoms or Mount Meru an important symbol in Buddhist mythology. Customarily each Krathong includes a flower, a lit candle, incense and a coin. In more northern parts of Thailand such as Chiang Mai, festivities can become more wild with fireworks and hot air balloons that participants can purchase, which are set off into the night air, trailed with a tail of firecrackers. Here Loi Krathong is also known as Yi Peng. Other cultural variations are seen the province of Tak, where Krathong’s are replaced by coconut shells strung together, but yet the meaning behind the tradition is the same, offering release and thanks, just as Loi Krathong

A tale from a business associate

Yesterday, I have a lunch with a group of business associates from their head office and also some from their local operation in Penang.  The lunch started off with a proper business discussion and their proposed plan for the coming future. In the midst of the lunch, my boss took a rain cheque and excuse himself as he was having a meeting in another venue.  However, I was left to handle the guest and it gradually shifted into a friendly mood with a tale from the most senior person from the group. He is Mr C.

He told us that he has worked for 40 years with his pervious company before the whole set up was sold by his bosses and shareholders to another group of Bumiputra Companies. He told us that the new shareholders were much better and more passionate to their employees. The topic switch from the company's affair to the affair of the major shareholder. according to the tale is that the major shareholder was a friend and very good boss. At the start of the business, he was a poor man and heavy in debt but he goes all out to make his employees feel good and work hard for him.  Mr C, was the pioneer employees of the Company and during his tenure with the Company, he suffered the ups and downs with the Company but gradually worked himself up to the level of a Director and shareholder of the Company. He could see the change in the behaviour of his friend T, the major shareholder.

As Mr T gets richer, he changed. He got involved with his secretary and had a child without the knowledge of his wife and he spend his time hearing gossip and takes sides in office politics. His ears got soft and he took  the wrong advise and business decisions and his business took a bad turn and ended with bad projects which could not took off and he had to sold his whole business to ease his cash flow and preserve his down size business. It was a normal tale of a business man.

The question he post to the lunch members is that why a person can change so much when he starts to make money and becomes more powerful ? There is a saying , " behind every successful man is a women" but I would like to extend this phase that " behind any failures , that could still due to a women" .  Powerful man needs attention and gets very lonely at the top and it is very easy to be swayed and got caught in a relationship especially the soft touch and the caring nature of a women.  The more stressful they are, they would find a way to release their pressure and stress. One of the way is the comfort of a women and when the women becomes part of his decision process, the whole world will fall apart if the women starts to influence business decisions with emotions or with their house wife's mentality. The women could also get caught in the power game and alot of people could be hurt in the process. It is never wise to mix business with pleasure and gets all messed up.

This experience can be seen ancient history when the Chinese Emperors get involved with women and his concubines and ends with jealousy and in-fighting which could destroy an Empire.  Once they got involved with a women and they bow to the skirts of the women and things start to get worse in their daily management of their affairs as sex is a powerful tool. I have seen and heard so many similar stories and my heart bleed when it happen to a close friend, I hold so dearly. I could see the similar change in my friend, T. His ears got soft as he pays too much attention to the women and starts to speak up for her openly. The women also moved in closer and start to speak with authority and power. It was a very sad story as " as the problem starts to come from the hole". It is a bit crude but I am abit upset due to the drastic change in my friend and he is heading towards the same ending as Mr T.

I am not implying that all women has this impact or " destroyer " of good families. There are also many cases of good companionship offered by women and these stories remained untold and private. Only those bad cases was told because of the evil deeds of these women.  In a Chinese saying " good news never leave the house but evil deeds spread thousand of miles " . So, only bad deeds or sad stories are told and became the gossip of the house.

To all the successful men who is heading to failure. Open your eyes and open your ears. God have given you a pair of eyes to see the left and the right and also a pair of ears to hear from both sides. Why don't GOD give us a single eye and ear like the ass hole?  It is because you need to have a balance view and a balance senses and if you use only one side, the whole matter becomes very stinky and bad. A balance vision and hearing will bring you awareness , wisdom and proper judgement. So, start today , otherwise, it  may be too late.

Namaste.

Eating fibre is good for health - report

Fiber-loving teens have lower heart, diabetes risks

Tue Nov 8, 2011 5:12PM EST

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenagers who eat a lot of fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables and whole grains, are less likely to have risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, a new study shows.

But there was no link between those risk factors -- known collectively as metabolic syndrome -- and how much saturated fat or cholesterol kids ate.

That doesn't give teens the green light to chow down on fatty foods, however, said Joe Carlson, who heads the Division of Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

"We know if you eat a lot of saturated fat, or trans fat, it tends to raise (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol," Carlson, who worked on the new study, told Reuters Health.

Instead, he said, it's better to aim for diet rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

Carlson and his colleagues examined the diets of over 2,000 U.S. teens ages 12 to 19. They also tested whether the teens had three or more conditions that make up metabolic syndrome: high blood pressure, elevated levels of sugar and fats in the blood, low levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol and a large waistline.

"There has been quite a lot done on the link between exercise and metabolic syndrome, but not nutrition," said Carlson.

Overall, about six percent of the teens had metabolic syndrome. Of those who ate the least fiber (less than three grams per 1,000 calories), nine percent had the risk factors, compared to only three percent of those who ate the most (11 grams or more per 1,000 calories).

Carlson told Reuters Health it's important to know that metabolic syndrome is not a disease, but a suite of measurements that put people at higher risk down the road.

"It's a warning," said Carlson.

Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, and more than 600,000 die of heart disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the study can't prove that fiber itself was responsible for that difference, the findings resonate with current dietary guidelines. Carlson said a good goal is to get three servings of fruit, three servings of vegetables and two servings of whole grains a day.

Dr. Larry Deeb, past-president of the American Diabetes Association, Medicine & Science, added that people should steer clear of highly processed foods, which often have low fiber content.

"If you ask me what you should eat, it should be something that was in the ground or something that was running around," he told Reuters Health. "Not too much of the processed stuff."

The study is based on government data collected between 1999 and 2002 for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/uF906s Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 2011.

Penang ATICS College Buffet on Thursday , 10th of November 2011

My daughter, May called me to bring my friends to support her college buffet on tomorrow , Thursday and I sent out quite alot of messages to my friends but they only responded by saying they are busy or have other schedules and finally, I have called my BIL, ES to bring his friends.  I have a guest tomorrow and will not be available. As I have mentioned her college is running a restaurant as part of her training program and all the students is pretty excited about it although the lecturers is a bit uptight. Well, maybe it is supposed to be a serious business running a restaurant.

I am not soliciting for business but as part of my effort to support her training program and I need to be up front with my friends. There should be no obligation and we should support the teenagers to get a proper training and starting a career on their own. It is not a matter of whether the food or the service is good and the price is cheap. It is the spirit and passion of making the world go round.

In our younger days, there are people who have came into our life and make it warmer and hold our hands and lead us to a certain distance and some other people will take over the process while certain people get out of our life for a reason or unknown reasons. Now,it maybe time for us to be the lead and lead and provide guidance for others and lead the way for a certain distance.  This is part and parcel of our journey through life.

Hence, I want to promote the awareness to have the spirit of kind compassion and loving kindness.  Extend our hands and someone out there will hold your hands or let you hold their hands. This is fate or the natural bond. My yoga teacher told me that if you hold a hand or a hand hold you, it is because all of you is related in certain ways in previous life and in this life you find the connecting bond.  It comes naturally and we do not need to force a bond.  If the bond is unnatural, the link will break automatically and it is mend to be, it will be.

Just flow with the universe and shift through the realms and feel. Just let your body and mind feel the flow and the drift. Relax and you will find the connectivity.

Namaste.

Another day have passed....

This is in the wee hour of the morning.  Just woke up and the thoughts rushed into my mind. The previous day's happenings and all the past happenings coming in chunks and lumps. It is very disturbing as our mind open up to receive the thoughts. Just remembered that I have a report deadline to meet and I have just sent off a copy to my colleague for his updates. There is something in my head that I wish to tell but there too many things at the same time. The most disturbing thought is my BIL James lying in his hospital bed waiting for his treatment. In the past two years, my BIL Mike  and FIL J have passed on and these are quite recent events.

Well, someone told me that both of them was quite old and in their eighties but they were still healthy before they got their illness. We cannot imagine the speed in the deterioration of  their health. But, what about BIL J, he is only in early sixties and was a happy go lucky person , a wine drinker and a good singer. I remembered an occasion when one of his drinking pal died of heart failure, he told me that he  was very scare that he will also follow him. One day, he was him and next day, that fella passed away suddenly. His pal was only in his early forties , a rich fella and a heavy drinker.

Life is so delicate nowadays. Often we hear of early and sudden deaths. It is the mystery of life and uncertainties makes it more challenging and interesting. With death, we will treasure life and living. The journey may be long or short but the most important thing is how we live it out fully. If you less out the sleeping time, the working time ,the time we caught in traffic jam and travelling , the remaining time for our self is not much. If we only used the remaining time for our self, if we put it in years, it will be only a few years of proper living in a normal life span. So, we have to learn to enjoy our work or choose a career we love, learn to have deep and wonderful sleep, and arrange to do the things we like when we are travelling or in a jam . For example,  listening to music, listening to good  audio stories or talks and catching up with friends and loved ones using the Iphone or Ipad or skype. We have to learn to stretch the day and try to enjoy every moment of it instead of wasting time contemplating and entertaining all the disturbing thoughts. This actions are only practical living.

Don't regret what have been the past, move on to the future and there is time for you to enjoy your remaining life. I attended a lecture last month in KL and beginning of the lecture, the lecture told us that he had hike up Mount Kinabalu twice and he had never exercise before and he still beat his pals to the top of the mountain.  How did he do it ?  He said that he used his mind and he only focus his mind on the things he wanted to do and tell his body to ignore the pain or the discomforts coming from his body. If you can control your mind, you can do anything and  can even have a high EQ or IQ. We cannot under estimate the power of our mind. In a research, it was found that we only use less than 3% of our brain and an additional 1% will give you a quantum leap in your intelligence and understanding.

Having put my mind to my wondering thoughts, I wish good days ahead and re-examine your actions and thoughts to have a more fruitful journey in life.

Namaste.

The saxophone man...

I was having dinner last night at the New Zealand Restaurant along Gurney Drive.  It  was drizzling a little and suddenly, someone was blowing the sax in front of the restaurant.  I turned my head and I saw a big size foreigner, a white blowing a sax tune.  I could not know the tune he was blowing and all of us at the restaurant was taken aback.  My BIL Ed said that it maybe the weak economy in the US that is why the foreigners are touring the world with a sax. There was an old movie series with the title " With gun will travel " and this case is "with sax will travel". I went up to him and gave some some cash for his effort.  After the finishing the 1st tune, he played an old  Chinese song . I could recognize the tune but I have forgotten the title. He played another two songs and after that, he went around the table with his hat to gather more donations.

I remembered in my young days, there is an old Chinese belief which remind us that there are two profession that cannot earned any decent living ie music and art. So, when a person select music as their profession , their Parents will be up in arms against the idea.  Musician and Artist are doomed to be poor and will die of hunger. Many talented youngsters  at my time only treat it as a hobby. As the years progress, more and more schools are offering professional music courses and designer art at diploma or a degree level.  Nowadays, youngsters are taking up music as hobby and this create a market for professional music teachers. Things and perceptions have been changing at rapid speed. I read in the newspaper that a young musician from Malaysia was awarded in the  US for Music Achievement and this is the first time, a Malaysian was given this honor.

I sat besides my BIL, E and I asked him whether he remembered in our younger days, there is a very famous street singer by the name of Tan Tong Tong. This person used to prowl the streets of Penang with his Chinese Er Hu, a single string music instrument. On the top of his Er Hu is a bundle of fortune sticks. Before he let you pick a stick, he will mix it first and then he will roll the sticks and ask you to pick one of the sticks and you will allow to  pose one question to him.  He will look  at the stick and explain to you about your future based on the message on the stick.  After that, he will sing out the message as he play his Er Hu. You only have to give him a cent for the singing and he will be on his way.  Later, he became so famous that he sang in the Radio Malaysia Channel. He had passed away for many years now.

There is a saying " History repeat itself".  There are many old ways which have  became the new trend. Old is new and there is no need to re-invent the wheel. New life takes off when it ends in another form. By watching the saxophone man, it was like yesteryear seeing Tan Tong Tong wondering along the streets every night to entertain the old folks and the children. The shadow of his life still lives on in the mind of the older folks which was young once.

The past is gone and we can only cherish the memories and what is happening today will be going to be the past and with be someone else memories.  Enjoy the process of change when old become new and new became old and everything is in a circle depending on whose dream and fantacies.

Namaste.

Are we rushing through life ?

I had a good experience to share with all of you.  It had been raining for the past 30 days, alternating between sunshine in the morning and rain in the afternoon or the whole day raining. The mood have been gloomy and wet. Human being belongs to the dry land, otherwise, we would be living in the sea like the fishes. Traffic have been heavy in these few days due to the extended holidays co-inciting with the celebration of Eid, a Muslim religion holiday.  I read in the news that there are about 2.5 million people in Mecca performing the Haj.  Ow! it must be jam packed. The feeling is the same in Penang as cars packed the road as tourist poured into Penang.

Most of us are on the rush especially when we are working or rushing to carry out a task or doing something. Before the start of our trip or routine, we have already a plan or agenda in our mind and at the start, we want to complete all the task in the fastest time. We mapped our journey in our head and we rush through the wide and narrow lane  and we overtake on the left and the right , we squeeze in between the cars to have a clear way and we honk and curse when someone jump lane in front of you, we get upset when other people did the things we do to get ahead. We have the right of the way.

I have gone through all these traps and I think I have mellow much. If you video tapped the situation, you will realize that it is so meaningless and funny.  It had been a torture at your own choice. We are tensed up and stressed and we have been doing these countless times and never learn. At the end of our life, when our body and mind  had worn out, we asked our self why?  We took supplements to balance back our mind and body when in the first place, it was already balance. Human being struggle so hard to earn their money and spend most and all of it to cure themselves.  This is the irony of life.

Coming to my experience, my wife had an appointment at 3pm and we start the journey at 2.30pm assuming that the roads are all ours as it usually took about 15 minutes to reach the destination on a normal day.  Again here, people have short memories and refused to think or reminded that there will be a holiday traffic. We know and encounter such situations many times but yet, we believe that we are blessed and life is simple. It was raining and I run smacked into a slow and heavy traffic.My wife starts her nagging and told me that I chose to drive at the slowest speed ever and she will be late for her appointment.  The disturbing thought of her being late, starts to upset her and she starts to focus on the wrong things happening around her. Her whole journey was a torture but fortunately, we managed to reach her destination at 3pm.

Looking the whole trip, it was a mad rush and many times, we do these tasks without realizing that there is so much beauty around and we would have relaxed and enjoy the trip if we focus on other more pleasant things in us. We could have a good conversation and we spend our time to titillate and catch up the things which is happening when we are caught in the jam.  What can we do if there is a massive jam in front of us? Can nagging, worrying and angry help to clear the traffic?  If we slow down and find our inner space. we will realized that it was our mental habits that have been playing a fool with us. We let our emotions and feelings to rule us and we became illogical and self justification. Blaming  others is the best form of relief. We are really silly ?

If you have  been hiking as an exercise, I want to take the same trip by taking a slow walk. The focus is not just exercise but exercise with awareness. You walk at a slow pace and you focus on the minute details of the surrounding. Like the pebbles on the road, the tress by the road side, the people who pass by you, scenery on your way, the slow breeze that swell up to you and the many things which you have not seen before. You will realized that you have missed so much beauty and meaning in life. What you have missed on your hurried journey and why you have not enjoyed your exercise to the fullest ? Is life so meaningless by just rushing through it and completing the tasks at the fastest speed ? Challenging yourself to complete as many things as possible ?  It has all been a waste if you are doing it.  There are much more in life if we put our head to it. A simple conversation, a slow dance or walk, time to catch up with your relatives and friends. Doing all these things without time as a constraint. Just slow down and things will come into focus.

It took me many years to realize from hindsight that my life could have been better and my time on earth could be more meaningful instead of involving in a mad rush and finally, suffering from the rat race and it ends with  nothing. Start your journey with the right focus and manage it properly with the agenda to enjoy yourself as the top priority and other things came along gradually. Start your journey early and be prepared and if you reach your destination early, relax and re-focus inwardly and enjoy the peace while waiting. Enjoy the surrounding and sit down to have a cup of tea and do whatever you want like calling up a friend or walk around to enjoy that moment. You will find the peace and tranquility in you.



There is so much beauty in and around us , just slow down to focus its existence.



Namaste.