Trip to Sydney - Mid Jan'10

Leave has been approved for the period from 14th Jan to 22nd Jan for my trip to Aus - Sydney. For now, what is left for me to do before end of the month is to book my flight and arrange for accommodations.

Every trip to me is special and unique. For this coming trip, even more so. I will be spending a good 4 to 5 days at Aloka Meditation Centre at Peats Ridge for a retreat. Sister Sumitra has been encouraging me to set aside sometime to visit her for a retreat, to get in touch with my spiritual self. She's been mentioning to me that its good that i'm reading up on Buddhist philosophies but more important, i should start to put more practice into it and go for a proper retreat.

Its the first ever retreat i will be attending so i'm not quite sure what to expect but i believe there will be time set aside for activities such as meditation, self-reflection and dhamma talks. These are the times for practicing mindfulness, mindfulness of the current in breath and out breath, mindfulness of the present moment.

After the retreat, i intend to spend the remaining 2 or 3 days in the city itself to do some sightseeing and photography as well cos if i can, "i want to take that 3 pictures that break my heart" (if you have no idea what i'm talking about, watch the 2nd video in my previous post - Dont Be A Tourist =P

Of all, there is one thing i'm absolutely sure of, this trip, this retreat will be most nourishing to both body and mind.

Don't Be A Tourist

Here's the series of "Don't Be A Tourist" advert clips by Kevin Spacey on Olympus Pen that really stole me. Esp the clip with the line that goes, "I don't want to take 300,000 same old pictures that break my hard drive. I want to take 3 that break my heart."

Other clips with lines like, "I don't want to be the camera guy....., 15 lenses, 3 tripods... I want to be, I don't know, camera ciao, picture wow." and "... photographs that hurt everytime you look at it..." were also done up very nicely.

And I must say, they are most excellently done as a series. Just kept going wow over them... it's just so captivating.... They didn't break my heart but they sure did touch my heart. =)

Hidalgo - Breed and Bloodline Matters Not

Passed by Sembawang Music Store in Plaza Singapura yesterday and there's an ongoing 50% discount storewide and seeing that, i popped in for a quick look to see if there are bargains to be gotten.

And guess what, i left the store with 2 DVDs, Hidalgo and Sunshine at the cost of $17. These 2 films are not immensely popular or well received but are films that i have good impressions about having caught them on the big screen couple of years back.

Talking about Hidalgo, you can read a brief summary about its plot here - Hidalgo. Its a film that has several meaningful messages that underlines it. One of the stronger messages that came across, is that breed and bloodline does not matter, what matters more is the spirit and determination of the the sentient being, regardless of man or horse.

Does it matter if a horse is mustang and not pure breed? And does it truly matter if a man is born of a lowly station and not a royalty? What matters more is the determination and effort made to reach the final goal. Even one born of the lowest station can rise to the occasion with the right effort. Buddha has taught this numerous times, over and over again that even the lowest caste is subjected to the law of kamma and can attain enlightenment with the right effort and determination.

Here's a good quote from Shirley,James that on how transient all earthly deeds are and how are men will be brought equal ultimately ~ "The glories of our blood and state are shadows, not substantial things; There is no armour against fate; Death lays his icy hand on kings: Scepter and crown must tumble down, And in the dust be equal made with the poor crooked scythe and spade."

So not matter if you have been born blessed or surrounded by hardships, it's wonderful merits to reflect and look beyond materials, making a constant effort to better ourselves so we can bring liberation, love, peace and joy to the people around us. With metta.

Change - You or Me?

Was chatting with Phyllis a few days back and she popped an interesting question? She asked, "Is it my perception that has changed or did the other party truly changed when i find that someone has changed?"

My answer for that ~ Both. Why both? Its pretty simple, change is a constant for both parties. Our perception is constantly changing and being shaped with each and every passing moment we experience in our lives. At the same time, so are the people around us, they too are constantly changing. Their thoughts and behaviour being shaped by each past experience they have in the very same moment too.

But why is it that we feel so strongly that someone has changed at a certain point in time but not the rest or not at other times? The key words are attention and noticeable.

Firstly, we do not pay attention to the changes that are occuring this very moment which we consider inconsequential and when we do pay attention, we realise that a lot has passed us by. Secondly, is that the change in either ourselves or the other person is drastic enough that it becomes noticeable, so resulting in the way we view the other party, giving rise to the very question itself ~ did we change or did he/she change?

Just some of my reflections on changes =)

Let's Make Our World The Most Beautiful Home

Nice music video by our very own National Environment Agency and the title speaks for itself. Let's all do our little part and make our world a little better by being more conscious in reducing waste =)

Zander (Pics)

2 quick pics of cute little Zander that i snapped at Mei's wedding dinner. Courtesy of Huijia and Dihong - he's their son afterall =)

Asian Civilisations Museum 2009

Did a short visit to the Asian Civilisations Museum earlier and here are some of the pics taken for the day. Enjoy! =)

Thanks for All The Blessings =)

Couple of friends that i want to thank for the lovely gifts today and the wonderful time spent =)

MaCy ™ - that's Mark and Tracy (our beloved Mr and Mrs Plunkett) - for being one of the "siblings" i have outside home, whom i can always count on to give each another rock solid advice without fail anytime anywhere. =)

David and Pearlyn (soon-to-be Mr and Mrs Song) - for being the one of the most bubbly pair of friends one can ever get. Life is not dull and not filled with laughter when time is spent together with them.
PS: Erm... David, although i'm saying something nice about you, i'm still going to just "morally support" you during your gatecrashing, no actual actions intended hahaha

Cecilia (BFF of soon-to-be Mrs Song) - a very nice lady whom is always on the lookout for the interests and well-being of her friends. Never fail to go the distance and be as accommodating as she can for the people she cares. But she can definitely use more sleep. Whoops... hahaha

Ryan and Lorine (soon-to-be Mr and Mrs Koh) - though new found friends, yet in this little time, i already felt their earnest and sincere attitude they have towards their friends. And not to mention, they are quite the animated pair, its really interesting to be around them haha

Last but not least, Dylan (aka XiaoQiang, Spider, Di Neng Er, Nai Ba) - for being the fun loving and cool dude who never nitpick nor harp on little issues and only wish for everyone in his presence to be happy, to have loads and loads of fun plus laughter. Stay cool!

Also, not forgetting the rest of you whom have sent me your warm hearted blessings and well wishes. May all of you be blessed with many joyful moments and beautiful times ahead. =)

若你碰到他

Bought this recent release couple of weeks back together with another album 陶喆 - 69樂章, 2 of my favourite artistes.

But i find myself really drawn and listening to 若你碰到他 by 蔡健雅 more often. Not to say the other album by 陶喆 is no good cos he is definitely one of the most creative singers of our time. But i suppose this time round 健雅 really got to me with that mellow feel to her songs. Can't really put my finger down but its a little something here and there that portrays a sense of lost and found in the midst of a crowd of people. As if searching for something that is calling out to us which is so near yet unidentifiable.

Like what my pa used to tell me when i was a kid, "A picture speaks a thousand words." Look at the album cover and it seems to say it all. 健雅 in the midst of a crowd blurred out to the background which appears to be a train junction of sorts where tons of people pass through day and night. And there she is, appearing to have heard something or someone calling out to her and yet not knowing which direction it came from. Marvellous isn't it? Listen to it, it is that lovely and well worth listening to =)

Quick Coffeeshop Dhamma Discussion

Just thought to put in down in words a little insight that was brought about by a quick coffeeshop chat i had with my new found friends, Cecilia and Lorine about 2 weeks back.

Oh before that, we had desserts at MOF and were making fun of David and Pearlyn - haha what's new right? And David, if you are reading this, i suggest that you make peace with the ladies soon, very soon. If not, the only person that is going to stand by your side during gate crashing will be only Dylan. Haha, Mark and I should be there, right behind you and i mean it ~ right behind, providing our utmost moral support. Yes, just moral support! hahaha

Alright, enough of the side funnies and back to the topic proper. We were talking about the gaining of merits and betterment of our lives (and future lives), how buddhism has a very practical approach to it. It is through such an practical attitude and the simple wish that all their friends and relatives to gain some merits that Ryan and Lorine will be holding their wedding dinner in a vegetarian restaurant. The attendees do not need to know that they are creating merits but nonetheless, they are still creating it, such is their commitment in promoting the cause of lesser meat eating and gaining of merits through such acts.

Though one may think that a single dinner might not amount to much, but let's remember the Butterfly Effect and how the smallest action can cause enormous effect or change in the long run. And there's a quote from Billabong that i like very much (and even have a bright orange t-shirt from that that reads the quote loud), "Be The Change You Want In The World". So simply said, it all starts from within. =)

Another point we touched on was children. Lorine and Cecilia both mentioned that sometimes kids are best left to their own devices so they can develop their full potential. I cannot agree more but parents must be wise enough to understand when children can left to their own devices and when guidance must be provided. Its a thin line but these have to be worked out between the parents and their children in order for the child to grow in a most conducive environment to realise their full potential.

Lorine also mentioned that kids may have certain tendencies as a result of their past lives, habits or unfulfilled wishes brought over to this life. And sometimes, its best to help the child fulfil these tendencies rather than go against them as that may be their purpose of life. On a practical approach, as long as it is good tendencies, yes, we should encourage it but if we know that the tendencies is ill in nature, then we should help the child to curb it, for their purpose of life could very well be to allow the parents to learn wisdom and patience since helping the child to curb certain habits which can be no mean feat, and may very well take a lifetime. Let's remember that love should be tempered with wisdom for the results to come to fruition.

There was a part when Lorine spoke about how a master once commented that if one is in doubt of one's afterlife, there's always the option of having children as the children can dedicate merits to their parents by means of chanting scriptures and it can help to promote the parents' status and the children too since merits will be gained by both parties. I offered a slightly more practical view of using here and now.

When one decides to have children, the parents will be committed to showering love and concern. This helps to promote loving kindness especially when we temper the love with wisdom. When one's mental state of mind and full attention of every single living moment is spent in love and kindness, one will naturally be "promoted" to a higher state and also one will not have the time and energy to scheme or commit ill-doing (this also comes from the part knowing we have to set a good example for the child to learn). So, in doing less ill deeds is also the equivalent of not committing "bad" kamma, in turn that results in more merits gained or not expanded. If it doesn't promote, it definitely helps to maintain. =)

We Off To See The Wizard Of Oz

Marvel just did a most marvellous job! They released The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in graphic novel form and I got my copy at Kinokuniya Orchard on Sunday! =)

It's of my favourite films as a kid and do you know that film itself is already 70 years old. Yes, it was made in 1939 =) Nice colours for a film this old, isn't it? Considering it is one of the first full length films to be produced. And another well known fact, the popular classic song Over the Rainbow was written for this movie, and won itself the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

This graphic novel adaptaion is done by award winning scribe Eric Shanower and fan favorite artist Skottie Young. I loved the way its being presented, the way how it brings out a sense of joy and simplicity. Oh, the colours are just lovely, they bring out the exact moods required for each illustrated scene.

By the way, there's a cool sample sketchbook at Marvel for a preview Wizard Of Oz Sketchbook #1

Let's hum and sing along, ♪We're off to see the Wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz!♪ and join Dorothy, Toto, Lion, Tinman and Scarecrow on their magical adventure in the land of Oz =)

Miracles

Below is a little something that i posted recently in the forum when a fellow dhamma brother posted his thoughtful comments on how one shouldn't be too obssessed with supernatural issues and mistake them as teachings of the Buddha. Further to his notes, i added the following:

Buddha has taught that there are three types of miracles -

1. Physical miracles such as levitating powers and walking through walls.
2. Mental miracles such as telepathy and telekinetic abilities.
3. Miracle of walking the Noble Path.

Of the above three miracles, only the third one is worthy of praise as the first two can be liken to performances of a magician. They impress and may provide temproral gains but do little more than that. Whereas the third kind of miracle can allow one to achieve freedom from suffering.

Buddha also warned against developing miraculous power without developing spiritually as it can be dangerous since without wisdom, one may deviate from the right path and misuse the powers for worldly gains instead.

Below is a good read about miraculous powers from a section of What Buddhist Believe from Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda -What Buddhists Believe - Miraculous Power

So let us not be distracted by supernatural powers and their miraculous performances but concentrate on the miracle that is existing right within us - the ability to live in the present moment, here and now.

With metta - may all beings be well and happy

David Eddings ( 7th July 1931 – 2th June 2009)

While Googling for some novels under genre Fantasy, I happened to chance upon the news of David Eddings passing away in June 2009 at the age of 77. It came as a pity to me, for someone who started reading his novels during my teenage years and still continue to revisit his books every now and then till this date with tons of laughter and enjoyment.

What can i say about him? He definitely writes a most excellent read and in his stories, he is able to breathe life into the main characters, making them so seemingly alive that you almost believe that you can simply turn around and hold a conversation with them. Looking across the room, i can see Sorceress Polgara bickering with her grumpy dad Belgarath, calling him Old Wolf repeatedly. In another corner, there is the thundering mad Sparhawk crushing into a fight with his boyish childhood friend Kalten alongside his no nonsense squire Kurik, aided by the other church knight champions Ulath, Tynian, Bevier and Berit against Otha and his hordes .

Of course, not forgetting that rat looking prince, Silk bargaining hard with other merchants, cutting hard deals and sweeping them off their feet with his "charming" ways. Did i forget to mention how Talen, the thief turned squire, becomes the future husband target of Flute, Princess Danae, Child Goddess Aphrael (they are the one and the same, afterall a Goddess should have supernatural abilities and that is to split herself up! And that she did!) and he is still trying very very hard to run away from that possibility. Oh oh, there he is, scampering across the room!

What is most truly invaluable about his style of writing? Its his sense of humour that exudes a sense of quick, dry wittiness. He creates conversations and dialogues between characters with a dry humour that often brings out a smile or laughter from me. It allows them to become alive, to become endearing to any person who reads it. Afterall, what do family and friends do amongst one another? We hold conversations and we communicate and through it, we feel alive with each other. That is why i remember the characters so vividly ~ their lively dialogues, it brings them to life =)

May he be at peace and always be well and happy. May all his fans like me continue to find love and joy through the works that he left us.

Great Expectations

No, i'm not thinking about the book written by Charles Dicken or the film starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Its more along the train of thoughts about the expectations we have for ourselves or the happenings in our lives.

What are expectations? As defined in wikipedia - In the case of uncertainty, expectation is what is considered the most likely to happen. An expectation, which is a belief that is centred on the future, may or may not be realistic. A less advantageous result gives rise to the emotion of disappointment. If something happens that is not at all expected it is a surprise. An expectation about the behavior or performance of another person, expressed to that person, may have the nature of a strong request, or an order.

How do these feelings of disappointments or surprises arise when expectations are not met? Let's take a moment to investigate, shall we? It helps in understanding ourselves better and the workings of our mind better.

Whenever a pleasant or unpleasant feeling arises, it is usually the resultant of a particular event that has gone either favourably or not. But why does this particular event affect us in such a way and not the thousands or millions of other events that are happening at the exact same moment in time?

The reason is fairly straightforward - there is attachment. Without us attaching any values to the results of these events, we would not be affected by the results no matter now well or bad they turn out. Let's take for example, you hear from your colleague that his uncle has lost a fortune in stocks recently. What is your feeling, your thoughts, your reaction now? Now, let's think of it from ourselves, what would be our feelings, our reactions if we lost a fortune in the same stock? Or if we not invest in stocks at all? All would be very different isn't it? Some stronger than the others and it all depends on if we are personally involved or if we have an interest in the same matter.

Knowing that attachments can bring unhappiness and suffering, why do we still get attached to certain people, objects or events? To know why we persist in our ways despite the suffering it brings, we have to firstly understand that attachment stems from ignorance. When we discuss about ignorance here, it is not the lack of knowledge of a certain matter or subject but rather, it is the ignorance of the fact of impermanence and non-self.

As long as we do not realise impermanence and non-self, we continue to be bound by the illusion of self. As long as we are bound by the illusion of self, we continue to suffer. There is no greater illusion than the illusion of self. Let's take a step back and define ourselves. How do we define ourselves? Where can this self of ours be found? To put it simply, how can do we define 'I'?

Of course, we can point to ourselves now and state that this is 'I'. So, based on that, we can presume that 'I' is made up of the entire being, our mind and body, every single part of it, our eyes, arms, legs, etc. But pause a moment and think, what happen if i lose a arm or leg now. Am 'I' still 'I'? Of course, all of us will say so, we are still ourselves even though we may have lost a limb. Maybe then we retract the earlier statement and say that is physical, so it is not the real 'I'. It is our mind that truly defines 'I', it is what and how we think, our thoughts, our feelings that define the real 'I". Then, are we able to point a finger to our head and say this is my mind, my thoughts and feelings? Again, no, we are just pointing to the place where our brain resides, that is all. And do you happen to notice how we address it with terms like my head or my brain or my mind? It is put in such a way that it belongs to someone, 'I' to be exact. So where is this 'I' that owns my mind, my body, my thoughts and my feelings? Not to say 'I' does not exist but it simply do not exist in the way we believe it to be.

As the Buddha has skilfully taught, 'I' is but a false sense of self that set itself up in a temporary collection of elements when the conditions are ripe and when the conditions are no longer, it dissolves away. In Buddhism, the analogy of a cart is often used to illustrate this point. A cart may be broken down into its basic components -axle, wheels, shafts, sides, etc. Then the cart is there no more; all we have is nothing but a pile of components. In the same way 'I' am made up of various elements or aggregates (skandhas): form (body), perception, conception, volition and consciousness (mind). Upon death these elements do not vanish from the face of the universe, they form new combinations elsewhere. Thus the whole universe is a great, ever-changing orchestration of interconnected movements without beginning or end.

By realising the truth of impermanance and non-self, we can learn to be free of attachments. Freed of attachments, we can be free from suffering. Without attachments and a sense of false self, we wil learn to live in the present moment and no longer be perturbed by the turn of events, no matter how favourable or unfavourable it may be. Remember the story about the Happiness of a Car Salesman? How infinite happiness can be obtained with Zero expectations? Maybe you don't but here's the link to it Happiness of a Car Salesman

May all of us be free from suffering. May all of us soon attain sorrowless bliss. With metta.

Solar Eclipse

A full solar eclipse occurred less than 24 hrs ago in some of the most populated places on Earth and for many, it was once in a lifetime event. Prior to the occurrence, much media attention has been given to this rare natural phenomenon as it will be the longest full eclipse of the century lasting a full 6 mins, providing lots of hype and excitement in anticipation of its coming.

Although it was a rare event, an event that allows the scientists to better study the outer rims of the Sun but there were even more happenings beyond the walls of the scientific world. Speculations from astrologers and fortune tellers predicting disasters and calamities, common folk readying themselves to perform rituals necessary to ward off evil or enhance the good fortune that can be brought about by this natural event. All these brought about with the sole reason that people are ignorant. Ignorance gave rise to the fears and these fears were being played upon.

Sad enough to say, disaster did strike during the eclipse. At least an Indian woman has been reported to have died during the stampede with several others left injured when thousands rushed to witness the phenomenon on the banks of River Ganges.

This is where i found it somewhat saddening. People reading so much into a natural phenomenon, so much to the extend that they are reading signs that are non-existing, building fears where there should be none and placing false hopes where it should not be. They have placed too much importance to something material and transient and in the process forgetten about their own internal cultivation.

I was somewhat reminded of a little story that i read some years back. A teacher asked the class of students, "Children, can you name me the 7 wonders of the world?" One child stood up and said, " They are Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, Colosseum, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Petra, Taj Mahal and Giza Pyramid Complex." "Very well done" the teacher replied. A little girl stood up and said, "Sir but aren't the 7 wonders the ability to see, to hear, to speak, to touch, to taste, to smell and to breathe?"

Sometimes in the midst of so much excitement, we forget that the most wondrous phenomenon is the ability to live and breathe in the present moment and cherish all the real gifts we are bestowed with. So my dear friends, let us take a deep breathe right now, let go of everything and just relish in this intake of fresh air, to enjoy this present living moment. =)

Tune In to Recovery

Caught a bad cold couple of days back and was sneezing and coughing quite a bit, accompanied with a blocked nose (ears are blocked too). Not to mention that it came with lots of aches all over the body and that sudden hot/cold feelings.

During these times, most of us will feel lousy and probably not in a mood for anything at all, much less a chat with a total stranger. It was the cab uncle that drove me home after knocking off at ard 2 in the morning. He needed a chat and so when we reached my destination, he pulled over, turned around and talked to me for a bit. We had a quick chat for abt 20 mins and he was mostly expressing his views about how humans are destroying the natural order of earth and some stuff about his daughter, how unsensitive she is and also how nowadays youngsters do not know how to respect the elders and also an incident how he managed to point a young chap in the right direction.

As you can see it was mostly a listening session with minimum input from me. And just before i got off, i mentioned to the uncle that we need not have such a negative outlook to life and we ought to (if possible) see all these situations as trainings, to train ourselves to be a better person esp if we truly feel that the things around us are not that well. Afterall, all changes starts from within and the smallest change may someday amount to a big change given the right conditions. The mind can only be well if we keep infusing it will loving kindness, keeping it calm and joyful. Hearing this, he smiled a little and said yes, just like trees, if you water it and take good care of it, only then it will grow green and healthy. Hearing that and seeing uncle smiled, i smiled back feeling happier, said my byes and got off.

Since feeling happy is a good factor when it comes to recovering from any illness, i'm sure i was more tuned in to recovery than i was before i took the cab. For all my friends who are not feeling well right now, let's tune in to recovery together.

Macau & HongKong Aug'08

Some photographs to share from the short trip to Macau and HongKong last year in Aug'08. Not much keepers and did not really have the time to do the selection and the necessary post processing until the last 2 weeks. A little different this time round is that i experimented a little with the colours =)