Bangkok Trip - Part II

I just uploaded my Photo Album to my gallery module. The location of my photo gallery is http://www.edmw.net/gallery/

 

Here is the first photo that I taken using my old digital camera. Setting at "Fine" mode, 1200 x 1600 resolution.

 

 

 

Trip to Bangkok (22 - 25 Sep)

We are back from Bangkok, from 22 to 25 Sep. Throughout the trip. I only purchase 3 DZi Beads, all belong to 9 Eyed.

 

Here is some story about the Tibetan DZi Beads.

 

====================================

 

DZi Beads, a concise explanation of the origin and the legend.

DZi, zi, zee...  are the often encountered denomination of the Beads.  But let's hear the complete explanation from Laura Li.

Not long ago, international film stars Mel Gibson and Jet Li visited Taiwan. While they were there, both were given Tibetan dZi ("zee") beads reportedly worth millions of NT dollars. 

Three years ago the world was stunned when a China Airline plane crashed in Nagoya. The disaster, however, would prove to be a boom for the dZi bead market in Taiwan. One of the crash's two survivors, a Mr. Chen, speculated during a television interview that he may well have survived because he was wearing a "nine-eyed" dZi bead amulet. 

Guardians against evil, expellers of bad karma, bringers of health, wealth and good fortune. . . .What exactly are dZi beads? 

The controversy surrounding dZi beads stems from their mysterious origins more than a millenium ago and also from the beautiful legends that have been passed down about them over the centuries in Tibet, that ancient kingdom in the snow. 

Stories of stones dropping from Heaven can be traced back to a Buddhist sutra that records a Himalayan legend about an evil spirit who would from time to time descend to the world of men to cause plagues and disasters. Fortunately, a benevolent god took pity on the humans and cultivated its powers in Heaven, causing the beads to fall from Heaven. Those whose good fate it was to obtain one would thus be protected from misfortunes and all kinds of evil. Different variations on this same basic legend are found all over Tibet. 

Whether dZi beads are spiritual bugs or stones fallen from Heaven, they bring good karma to those who own them. Since having a dZi bead can bring good fortune, health and wealth, affluent Tibetans have long been avid collectors of these legendary jewels. As long as 1300 years ago, The New History of the Tang Dynasty recorded that Tibetans liked to wear dZi beads, "a single one of which could be traded for a horse." From this you can see the high value that was placed on them. 

Which are authentic?

If you put one on now, you'll start to feel thirsty after a while, which means that your metabolism and blood circulation are speeding up. Don't worry-after three days you'll have adapted. Then the bead will keep you healthy and even help you lose weight. 

* * * 

"Here we only sell 'new dZi beads' that have just been mined high in the Himalayas where the Earth is closest to Heaven," says a saleswoman wearing an elegant qipao gown. "Their magnetic field is particularly strong." With smooth motions she picks up an earth-sky-door dZi bead: "This bead has a magnetic field of 50 gauss. It can strengthen your physical constitution..." 

Can these new beads actually be considered real dZi beads? "Of course, the new ones are better than the old ones! After several thousand years of being worn by so many people, the old beads' magnetic fields are greatly diminished, and they're 'unclean.' You're best not to wear them," warns the salesclerk, with an appropriately alarmed expression. 

* * * 

The Dalai Lama's Compassionate Words -- Sept. 11, 2005

The Dalai Lama:

"When we are passing through a really difficult period, it is very important to try to keep calm, cool. Sometimes on the top of sadness, sometimes frustrations, anger… So try to keep your mind calm, and then, then most important, should not lose hope and optimism. That's important. We must keep our determination, our self confidence and look at more wider perspective. I think worldwide response, I think this is a sign of, I think, human compassion, human sense of concern. It's, I think good, in difficult experiences, as humans, I believe, become … more compassionate, at least when another human brother or sister is passing through difficulties. In our blood the seed of compassion is there, because we are a social animal. … One individual, above individual. His or her success, or happy life entirely depends on others. There is saying in Tibetan "Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength." I think, generally, where there's challenge we have the capacity to combat that challenge, I think, instead of sad or hopeless pessimism. When challenge is there, we must keep our determination, we must welcome that. That's important."

Bahasa Indonesia is the national language of the Republic of Indonesia

Good morning	Selamat Pagi
mid-day	Selamat siang
evening	Selamat malam
Good-bye	Selamat tinggal (if you're leaving)
	Selamat jalan (to someone who is leaving you)
Thank you	Terima kasih
You're welcome	Kembali or sama-sama
How are you?	Apa kabar?
Excuse me	Permisi or maaf
Do you speak English?	Bisa bicara Bahasa Inggris?
I don't speak Indonesian.	Saya tidak bisa bicara bahasa Indonesia.
I don't understand.	Saya tidak mengerti.
Can you help me?	Bisa bantu saya?
Where is the bathroom?	Di mana kamar kecil?
Where is . . .	Di mana. . .
How much is this?	Berapa harganya ini?
I want this.	Saya mau ini.
I want to eat.	Saya mau makan.
My address is ...	Alamat saya...
Please take me to ...	Tolong, antar saya ke ...

The Way to Follow a Guru

Hard enough to know how to choose a Guru,
Not to mention being turned off by a sour one.
Be truthful to Bodhicitta and practice solidly,
Approach gradually with eyes open, and dedicate oneself to the Dharma!   from Yutang Lin

FATE.....

There was a scholar who was to marry his fiancee, but on the day of marriage, his fiancee changed her mind and married someone else. The scholar was devastated and fell ill. His family seek all kinds of medical treatment for him, but still he showed no sign of recovery. They were
about to give up hope on him when a wandering monk passed by. After learning about the scholar's condition, the monk walked to the scholar's bed and took out a mirror for the dying man to see.

In the mirror, the scholar saw a vast ocean, and the naked body of a murdered woman lay on the beach. A man passed by, looked at the body, shook his head and left. Another man who passed by saw the body, took off his robes to cover the body and left.

Finally came a man passing by who saw the body, dug a hole and laid the body carefully to rest before burying it. The scene in the mirror suddenly changed. The scholar saw his fiancee in a nuptial chamber and another man was lifting her wedding veil... The scholar blinked at the monk,
confused. Slowly the monk explained,

"The woman whose body you saw on the beach was your fiancee in her previous life. In your previous life, you were the second man who gave her his robes to cover her body. To repay your kindness in this lifetime, she loved you for a period of time and became your fiancee. However, ultimately the man whose favor she has to return for the rest of her life is the third man who
buried her. And that man is now her husband."

Enlightened, the scholar sat up and recovered from his dispression. It is truly amazing -- this thing called "Fate". There was a movie in which the theme song went like this: "You can say it is a big world, you can say it is a small world. But for the promise of this lifetime, we shall spend our entire lives to fulfil."

All of us are in this big grand masquerade, among the throng of people, we seek expectantly... in that electrifying moment when our fingers touch, the masks are removed to reveal our true selves. Before this moment, we were drifting aimlessly, not knowing what we really wanted. Till you meet this particular person, you finally realize what you really want is not what you have wished for in the first place. It amazes you that standing in front of this person is a different you! You without any mask!

Fate is not something meant to be forced upon. What is yours Will eventually come to your arms; what is not yours will never come to be. In any case, we should not lose heart and give up on our hopes for love that is true, good and beautiful. The value of life, in a certain sense, is
determined by the maturity of how we love. Of how we give and accept love.

Treasure what you have...
                     Time is too slow for those who wait;
                     Too swift for those who fear;
                     Too long for those who grief;
                     Too short for those who rejoice;
                     But for those who love...
                     Time is Eternity!

Fifth Lay Precept: not to use intoxicants.

Keeping the Precepts

Once upon a time a Buddhist lama was traveling in the steppe as a "badarch," a holy man that brings blessings to the nomad families in exchange for food and lodging. It was close to sunset, and he came upon a lone ger [yurt] and some livestock. 

As he approached the ger, a young woman came out to greet him. She was the only person living there. 

He requested hospitality and she agreed, but said he could stay the night only under one condition. He had to choose to do one of three things. He could drink alcohol, sleep with her, or sacrifice a goat. 

Now the last was taboo for lamas since only shamans sacrifice goats. Since all three choices were in some degree sinful, he had a difficult decision. He decided that drinking alcohol would be the least harmful. 

He drank the alcohol, and while he was drunk, fed up with its bleating, he killed the goat.  When he woke up the next morning,  he found himself in bed with his hostess. 

He then learned that drinking alcohol is a small sin but it can easily make a man do bad things under its influence.

The Worm

There is a wonderful little story about two monks who lived together in a monastery for many years; they were great friends.

Then they died within a few months of one another. One of them got reborn in the heaven realms, the other monk got reborn as a worm in a dung pile. The one up in the heaven realms was having a wonderful time, enjoying all the heavenly pleasures.

But he started thinking about his friend,

"I wonder where my old mate has gone?" So he scanned all of the heaven realms, but could not find a trace of his friend. Then he scanned the realm of human beings, but he could not see any trace of his friend there, so he looked in the realm of animals and then of insects. Finally he found him, reborn as a worm in a dung pile... Wow!

He thought: "I am going to help my friend. I am going to go down there to that dung pile and take him up to the heavenly realm so he too can enjoy the heavenly pleasures and bliss of living in these wonderful realms."

So he went down to the dung pile and called his mate. And the little worm wriggled out and said:

"Who are you?",

"I am your friend. We used to be monks together in a past life, and I have come up to take you to the heaven realms where life is wonderful and blissful."

But the worm said: "Go away, get lost!" "But I am your friend, and I live in the heaven realms," and he described the heaven realms to him.

But the worm said: "No thank you, I am quite happy here in my dung pile. Please go away."

Then the heavenly being thought: "Well if I could only just grab hold of him and take him up to the heaven realms, he could see for himself." So he grabbed hold of the worm and started tugging at him; and the harder he tugged, the harder that worm clung to his pile of dung.

Do you get the moral of the story? How many of us are attached to our pile of dung?

fertilityfriend.com

If an egg was fertilized, implantation (when the embryo implants to the lining of her uterus) happens, on average, about 7 days past ovulation.

 

It can happen as early as five days past ovulation or as late as twelve days past ovulation.

 

Now is in the phase of cycle where implantation may occur. Although implantation may be visible on her chart (triphasic pattern, dip and/or spotting) it is not always visible even on pregnancy charts. This is the most stressful waiting phase. It is generally too early to test.

 

 

2 days has gone

Since yesterday, I re-start my diet plan again. Below is the my menu.

 

Breakfast is a cup of milk tea with 1 bread that is near my office.

 

Lunch .... guess what. From a full bowl of chicken rice reduce to a small plate of Luo-Mai-Kei + milk tea.

 

Dinner ? ?  Slight smaller than normal meal.

 

Of course all meal come with heavy intake of nicotine which we call it "Cow-Boy" blue color, cost me $9.60 in a normal coffee shop.

 

Hope that when I report back for my ICT can reduce the weight to 64 kg again. I dun wan to be called by anyone  . . "Fatty".

 

Wish me good luck.

 

 

The Heart Sutra

The Heart Sutra

(The Prajna-Paramita-Hrdaya Sutra)

 

When Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practices the profound Prajna-paramita, he intuitively realizes that the five aggregates (skandhas) are of Sunyata nature thus securing his deliverance from all distress and sufferings.

Sariputra! Form (rupa) does not differ from Sunyata, nor Sunyata from form. Form is identical with Sunyata (and) Sunyata is identical with form. So also are reception (vedana), conception (sanjna), mental conduct (samskara) and consciousness (vijnana) in relation to Sunyata.

Sariputra, the Sunyata nature of all things is neither created nor annihilated; neither impure nor pure; and neither increasing nor decreasing.

Therefore, in Sunyata, there is neither form (rupa), reception (vedana), conception (sanjna), mental conduct (samskara), nor consciousness (vijnana); there is neither eye, ear, nose, tongue, body nor mind; there is neither form, sound, odor, flavor, feeling nor idea; there are no such things as the eighteen realms of sense (dhatus) from the realm of sight up to that of the faculty of mind (vijnana); there are no such things as the twelve links in the chain of existence (nidanas) from ignorance (avidya) with also the end of ignorance up to old age and death (jaramarana) with also the end of old age and death; there are no (such things as) the four noble truths and there is neither Wisdom nor obtainment.

Because of no obtainment, Bodhisattvas who rely on Prajna-paramita, have no hindrance in their minds, and since they have no hindrance, they have no fear, are free from perversive and delusive ideas and attain the Ultimate Nirvana.

All Buddhas of the past, present and future attain the Full Enlightenment (anuttara-samyak-sambodhi) by relying on Prajna-paramita. So we know that Prajna-paramita is the great supernatural Mantra, the great bright, unsurpassed and unequalled Mantra which can truly and without fail wipe out all sufferings.

Therefore, He uttered the Prajna-paramita mantra which reads:

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha!

NKF petition

I had signed, how abt you ?

http://www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html

Batam Island

Batam Island, located just 20 kilometers southeast of Singapore, with area around two-third the size of Singapore is one of the largest islands in Indonesia's Riau Archipelago.

 

If I take a ferry from Singapore Harbourfront center. It will only take me 1 hours and 15mins to reach the ferry point at Batam Island which is known as "Batam Center".

 

We are planning to go back this weekend (16/17 July). But I pull back and think about it. . . reason ? I duno why.

 

Maybe I still feel unsafe to leave my youngest brother at home alone over the weekend. Who know whether he will bring his gal friend to stay over night or not ? or some unknown visitors.

 

Sigh ~ ~  At the same time, if go back to Batam ... what can I do ? Massage again ? Shopping ? Eating ?  hmmmmh...... I wonder which hotel should I stay again this round.

 

 

Do you know why are you working so hard ?

On the very first day of the world, God created the cow.

He said to the cow: "Ah Gu (cow), today I have created you. Your job is to go to the field with the farmer all day long. You will provide the energy to pull things. You will also provide milk for people to drink. You are to work all day under the sun. In return, you will only eat grass. For that, you will have a life span of 50 years."

Ah Gu objected.

"What, I work all day in the sun and I get only to eat grass? On top of that, I have to give my milk away? This is tough and you want me to live 50 years? I'll take 20 and you can have the remaining 30 years back."

God agreed.

On the next day, God created the dog. He said to the dog: "Ah Kow (dog), I have created you for a purpose. You are to sit all day by the door of your master's house.
Should anyone come in, you are to bark at them. In return, you will eat your master's leftovers. I'll give you a life span of 20 years."

Ah Kow objected.

" What, I have to sit by the door all day and will need to bark at people, and what do I get? Leftovers. This isn't right, I'll take 10 and you can have the remaining 10 years back."

God agreed again.

On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey: "Lao Kao (monkey), your job is to entertain people. You will make them laugh, act stupid and make faces. You will also do somersaults and swing on trees to amaze them.
In return, you will get to eat bananas and peanuts. For that, I'll give you 20 years to live."

Naturally the monkey objected.

"This is ridiculous, I gotta make faces and make people laugh? Let's not even come to the part about the trees and somersaults. Tell you what, I'll give 10 years of my life to thank you for my existence and I'll take 10. What do you think?"

God agreed again.

On the forth day, God created humans. God said to the man: "You are my best piece of work, for that, you will only need to sleep, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep again and do nothing else. You will get to eat all the best things and play with the best toys. All you need to do is enjoy all your life. For this kind of life, I'll give you 20 years."

Just like the rest, the man objected.

"What, all I need to do is relax and enjoy myself and I have only 20 years to live?
Tell you what, you've 30 years back from Ah Gu, 10 years from Ah Kow and another 10 from Lao Kao and you probably don't know what to do with all those lives. Why not I take them all and I'll have 70 years to live?"

God being such good natured, agreed with a smile.

And that is why:

We eat, sleep, play and enjoy for the first 20 years of our lives when we are growing up. Work like a cow for the next 30 to raise our family. Sit outside the door and bark at people for the next 10 when we are retired. And finally, we make faces and perform monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren for the final 10 years.

Getting better ? I think so . .

I'm not pissed off at him for moving in. I just dun like this type of arrangement where I dun have a choice to say "No!" to him. People will say that I'm not compassionate enough. I will feel guilt as well for if he doesn't have a place to sleep. Overall, I'm not the mastermind and I dun have a word since he is so money minded.

 

I dun like this feeling.

 

Money is important to lots of human being, With money, u can do a lot, without money, you can't do a lot. BUT MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING.

 

Some time I wonder how a woman think ? A woman here is refer to someone who never went out to work, get cheated by some auntie from wet market, spent lots of $ on un-necessary items and yet no lesson has been learnt.

 

I really shock when I heard she spent about 100K for just 2 year or so ... average $6k a month for household expense .. that is more like shopping rather than just eating.

 

I being to believe that die is an relief from this earth, now I know why my dad want to die (he always say that), but we can't bear to let him go, we love him so much... he is still young ... not even carry a grandson yet.

 

How I wish to fulfill his wish as well.

 

 

Should I ?

Should I really move / upgrade to a bigger HDB flat ?  I'm staying in a 3 room HDB flat (2 small bedroom only).

 

Me and my dear are sleeping in the master bedroom, and the other room is been used for study and my work place. Out of sudden ... there is a person move in and stay with us without notifications.

 

A House to me is a very personal space that I can put myself at ease. So that I can dress down, relax, do anything I want. But out of sudden have someone move in ... It really makes me very uncomfortable and have to put myself very alert at home again.

 

Even I want to talk louder or wear lesser at home also cannot.

 

I very piss off.

Tired

I'm tired, very tired. Not only physically is tired, but also mentally and spiritually.

 

I duno how to put into english words for people to understand, cause I'm will just write what come across my mind now.

 

I want to let go of it, let go of the burden and things that is on my shoulder. Some how, I prefer to be alone with my wife only that no one can disturb our quiet world. But at the same time, I cannot just dun care of others unhappiness, worry and wants to give them a hand. But yet I scare of involving myself too much that cause hurt on me.

 

There is no one to blame except myself. So I dun blame. .. ..

 

I told my darling, if one of the this dates when I'm so ill, pleaseeeeeeee... dun cry, let me go in peace, smile at last night and celebrate for me please.

 

I want to sleep, I'm sleepy and too tired. . .

Nonya Ba Chang

I love Nonya Ba Chang from this company which their URL is http://www.kimchoo.com.sg

 

Why ? Because I can smell the faint, fragrant scent of the pandan leaves before I sink my teeth in it. The filling is made up of finely chopped lean meat (oh.. pls. . it is lean meat .. not the fat meat) that tastes like meat floss in my mouth.

 

Thanks to my Executive Director for buying all of us this Nonya Ba Chang from KimChoo.

 

:)

 

Btw, this is my dinner for tonight.

 

 

 

 

perspective

perspective

A new blogger has just join us ... let welcome my brudder "Agawads".

Do you know your character

Drop me a comment about your DOB and I can tell your character

 

Just the Month and the Date will do, the report will be in Chinese Character.

 

:)