A million lights

On the eve of Vesak Day, celebrating the Birth of Shakyamuni Buddha, his Enlightenment and His attainment of Nirvana, I went to see the light offering ceremony organised by ABC. A million lights were lighted up officially by Mrs Goh Chok Tong and all the representatives of all religions in Singapore. This is to signify global harmony and peace. The Buddha taught that making light offerings is one of the conditions for developing wisdom and one will be reborn in the human or god realm, and causes the condition for one to quickly achieve enlightenment.

Look at the million lights all around the special stupa and the actual full moon next to it.

Message to D

Dear D..... so this is it. Today is your last day with the company. It is time to say good bye ... again. Thanks for being such a good assistant to me all these years. You are a fast learner and worker. Thanks for being able to understand my sometimes very vague and last minute instructions, and still being able to complete your tasks on time most of the time. I'm happy that you have found the life you want and have plans for the future. Most importantly I hope you have found the ultimate happiness that you are looking for.

You know we will always be friends, no more supervisor-assistant relationship. Do stay in touch and feel free to call me when you need advise or help. Take care!!!!

Tornado?

Everyone thought it's a tornado or tsunami or twister coming towards our small island this afternoon. I managed to catch it for about 10 minutes, with snapshots. Later we learnt it was a water spout which was appearing in a circular motion.

It lasted about 15 minutes. It's understood that intense thunderstorms were the cause of this phenomenon, albeit not unusual. The water spout is a narrow column of water that is sucked to the base of a cloud, making it look like a funnel. An average diameter of a waterspout is 50 metres and it has average wind speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour.

While it lasted ..... everyone was "ooh-aah-ing" about it. Nevertheless it was a nice sighting as I happened to be there at the right place at the right time.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

Your Birthdate: July 6

For you, love is a natural progression from friendship. You are almost always friends first. In love, you are loyal, steady, and honest. You are not a cheater or even much of a flirt. You are likely to stay friends with your ex... and open to rekindling something in the future. Number of True Loves You'll Have: 4 Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 5 You are most compatible with people born on the 6th, 15th, and 24th of the month.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

Prostrations

This is how Tibetan Buddhists normally do 3 half prostrations to the Triple Gems - the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. The characters are OM AH HUM. Why do we do prostrations? We do not do them to endear ourselves to somebody else. We do not do them for the Buddha. Such concepts are completely wrong. The Buddha is not a god of this world. We bow down to purify all situations from the past where we did not respect others. Being interested in our own satisfaction and ourselves we did many negative actions.

Prostrations help us realize that there is something more meaningful than ourselves. In this way we purify the pride that we have accumulated through countless lifetimes thinking: "I am right," "I am better than others," or "I am the most important one." During countless lifetimes we have developed pride that is the cause of our actions and have accumulated the karma that is a source of our suffering and problems. The goal of prostrations is to purify this karma and to change our mind set. Prostrations help us rely on something more meaningful than our pride and ego clinging. In this way, through full confidence and devotion, we get rid of everything we have gathered because of pride. When we do prostrations we act on the level of body, speech, and mind. The result of doing them is a very powerful and thorough purification. 

This practice dissolves all impurities, regardless of their kind, because they were all accumulated through our body, speech, and mind. Prostrations purify on all three levels. Through the physical aspect of prostrating we purify our body. We offer our body to the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) and to all sentient beings, wishing that all their wishes are fulfilled.

It rocks

.On the way to KL, was browsing the shelves in the minmart, saw the familiar Pocky chocolate sticks are actually named "Rocky". How nice and sensitive Glico the company who manufactured those sticks is.... in a Muslim country. All in the name of rebranding.

And the familar Collon is known as Loller ..... anyone know what does Collon sounds like in Malay or the meaning?

She is top!

Well, that is....among the girls in class, my niece is top! And 5th in class overall, the 1st - 4th were boys (there was no 2nd position). This her exam results. So proud of my little girl, she deserved a big treat. Going shopping with her this weekend. Heh!

What is the meaning of "drunk"?

My sis got a call from my 5-year-old nephew's Speech & Drama teacher today. She was relating to sis that during the drama class today, when she asked the class if anyone knew the meaning of "drunk". No kid raised their hand except Nephew, very excitedly.

"Teacher, I know! Drunk means that one girl one boy drink and go to bed to sleep together but when they woke up, they don't love each other anymore." Nephew said nonchalantly.

Teacher was so stunned "How did you know?"

"I saw it from TV lor." Nephew flashed his excited grin.

Teacher told my sis she could not believe a 5 year old child could relate that and technically speaking, he was right, Teacher said. I'm kinda proud of this cheeky boy, you know. Haha!

Living among us

Interview with 4-year-old Tenzin Phuntsok Rinpoche, through a translater, excerpts from Tashi Delek newsletter from ABC :

Do you recognise any of your old students, Rinpoche?
Recognised... just by seeing their ears, eyes and limbs, I can recognise. When they came to talk to me, I recognised who they are. But when they talk sometimes they are very noisy. Sometimes they didn't do what I said.

Do you have any advise for your students? 
Must practise Dharma, must practise for all sentient beings. If human beings don't do good - very bad. Especially those who hurt animals - very bad. If you tear the skin and bones, take the tail out, take the legs out - very bad. (Rinpoche illustrates by vigorously manipulating the movables parts of a toy dinosaur). If you hurt sentient beings, I will punish. (He illustrates very graphically and vigorously again with the toy dinosaur.) You will be born with the tail and head upside down, the legs and hands inside out, and your skin will fall off. (There is no mistaking what he means from looking at the contorted dinosaur.)

More excerpts from WOFS magazine article, written by Lillian Too, when little Rinpoche stayed at her house in KL after his Singapore trip:
"For me personally, Little Phuntsok Rinpoche's visit was an incredibly blissful experience, for I had known and loved the little boy in his previous life. His passing on has saddened us all for as Geshe Lama Konchog, he was much loved and revered. When his body was offered to the fire after his passing, thousands of pearl and gemstone relics left behind stunned us all. Few of us realised we had had a Living Buddha in our midst!"

"How could we have known? Geshela had been so humble and low key. It was only when the relics appeared when the monks were gathering the ashes after the cremation that word spread, for the Tibetans believe that only enlightened beings leave behind relics."

"There were so many incredible relics. Imagine staying intact after the tremendous heat of a cremation fire. Geshela's eyes, heart and tongue did not burn but has instead transformed into relics. The tongue showed the outline of Goddess Tara."

"Eight years ago, I had invited Geshela to my house to consecrate a stupa. Geshela agreed to come but we could not get a visa for him to enter Malaysia. Geshela had promised me that 'one day' he would come to my house. Before that could happen, he passed on. But he kept his promise - for now he has come to visit me wearing his new body!"

Off!

Came back from Isetan great sale. Bought a Barbantia ironing board for $55, original price was $159. The normal cheaper unknown brands are so hopeless that their legs always give way suddenly. I have 2 hopeless ones at home. And considering I could get it delivered to my doorstep is a plus plus plus! Orchard Road was so crowded with human traffic.

Am off to KL for the weekend! Hopefully more sales and more good food !

Sweet angels

To me they are the sweetest angels.

Mom's day

Nice ok Mothers' Day weekend. Saturday went out with niece and nephew and sis and mom shopping in Plaza Singapura. They were like birds released from their cages, especially my niece, released from being cooped up at home for the past 6 weeks because of EXAMS. We had lunch at the food court. I had the Grilled Ayam Penggang set as usual. This stall always garners a long queue.

Saturday night brought my family to the Hong Kong Cafe in Katong Village. Huge mistake. Normally when I am there with my lazy rich friend, we were served pretty fast. And they have many varieties of dishes to choose from. But because it was overcrowded this weekend, our orders were screwed up and all our main dishes came at different timing. Some dishes never came. After many visits to the kitchen for 2 hours, we gave up. Unhappy encounter, will I go back again?

Sunday night we had a huge gathering with aunts and uncles and cousins to celebrate Mothers Day at Chin Lee Restaurant in Bedok North. We had Teochew food as usual because of the matriarch my grandmother. Food was ok I guess. And we headed back to grandma's house for coffee and desserts. This was our first official gathering after the CNY chap-goh-mei night.

Anyway, I just want to say to my Mom in the card we gave her, I wish that you will enjoy your retirement years and don't worry for us anymore, try to relax and go on more trips to anywhere you like. I really want to bring you to the US soon. I LOVE YOU, MOM :)

Super bagus!!!

Had a nice homely dinner with sis and mom at a neighbourhood hawker center this evening, when we went to fetch my mom after her swimming lesson - aqua aerobics.

We had the Teochew sliced pomfret fish soup with Szechuan vegetables and rice. The soup stock was amazingly tasty with the fresh fish. The few slices of Szechuan vegetables gave the fish soup the extra oomph!

Another dish we ordered was the braised duck wings here. The duck was braised till the sauce has permeated to the bones and the flesh just slipped off the bone easily. The meat was very tender and shiok and addictive. Teochew braised duck wings / feet is one of my mom's favourite.

Ng Soon Kee Fish & Duck Porridge
Blk 117 Aljunied Crescent Ave 2, #01-11

Note: Above pictures courtesy of ieatishootipost.com

Sweating it out

. Someone said : "In your 20s you work for money. In your 30s you work for your family. In your 40s you work for yourself."

I think at the rate I am going, I'm still working it out for money, and I will probably be in my 70s before working for MYSELF! :(

Dancing clouds and swaying greenery

This is what I wake up to every morning. Nice, hor?

The S$99million pants!

This on-going 2-year lawsuit in Washington DC made me flipped. A judge is suing his dry cleaners, a Korean couple for US$67million (S$99million) over a pair of lost pants.

Roy Pearson Jr sent in one pair of pants for alterations and they went missing. First, Pearson demanded US$1,150 for a new suit. Lawyers were hired, and eventually the Chungs offered Pearson US$3,000 in compensation. No dice. Then they offered him US$4,600. No dice. Finally, they offered US$12,000. Pearson said no. He says in court papers that he has endured “mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort.'’

Instead, Pearson upped the ante considerably. Here's how he calculates the damages and legal fees over these two years:
- US$1,500 for each violation, each day during which the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign and another sign promising "Same Day Service" was up in the store -- more than 1,200 days.

- And multiplying each violation by three because he's suing the couple and their son.

- US$500,000 in emotional damages

- US$542,500 in legal fees, even though he is representing himself in court.
- US$15,000 for 10 years' worth of weekend car rentals as well (because he has to rent a car each weekend to go to another dry cleaner for 10 years.
TOTAL BILL - US$67million.

The ABC News Unit has calculated that for US$67 million Pearson could buy 84,115 new pairs of pants at the $800 value he placed on the missing trousers. If you stacked those pants up, they would be taller than 8 Mt Everests. If you laid them side by side, they would stretch for 48 miles.

All I can say is I empathise with the Korean couple, damn suay (Hokkien for unlucky) to have their American dream crushed, ruined their lives and to have bumped into such a person. Imagine the huge load of bad karma Mr Pearson is creating for himself. The world is round, Mr Pearson, it will all come back to you. Even if not in this lifetime, maybe in future lifetimes, you may wake up one day and wonder why you have suddenly lost US$67million for no reason at all. Or its equivalent consequence.

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche

March and April were months where great masters came to Singapore.

- His Eminence Kyabje Lati Rinpoche

- Healing Lama Kangyur Rinpoche

-Geshe Lama Konchog's reincarnation, 4-year-old Phuntsok Rinpoche

- His Holiness 101st Gaden Tripa Rinpoche

- Powerful healer Ganor Rinpoche

In May, another of my respected guru, His Eminence Lama Zopa Rinpoche will be coming next week! And the warm and most humble and smiling His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is here too. Yesterday he gave me the Medicine Buddha teaching and puja, as well as empowerment. He also gave us 2 mantras which he instructed to be hanged above the door of the house. In the Kutagara Sutra it is said that if the crown of one's head passes once beneath this mantra, the misdeeds of a 1000 eons will be purifed. In the Forceful Waterfall Sutra, it is said that to see this mantra once purifies the misdeeds of 300,000,000 eons.

Garchen Rinpoche is very warm and unassuming. His Eminence is a Drikung Kagyu lama who was known in the 13th century as the Siddha Gar Chodingpa, a heart disciple of Kyobpa Jigten Sumgon, founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. In ancient India, he had incarnated as Mahasiddha Aryadeva, the lotus-born disciple of the great Nagarjuna. In the 7th century, he was known as Lonpo Gar, the minister of the Tibetan Dharma King Songsten Gampo.

Garchen Rinpoche is well known for his vast realization, as well as for his great kindness.

Because life is more than just giving

Felt the urge to do my bit for charity. For a start, as I love kids, so I donated a small sum to the below children's organisations. Please help them if you can.

Singapore Children's Society
They help protect and nurture children and youth of all races and religions, especially those who are abused, neglected, and/or from dysfunctional families. Each year they reach out to about 12,000 children, youth and families in need.

Club Rainbow SingaporeThey are committed to helping children suffering from a range of chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The charity currently supports more than 430 children and their families.

Children Cancer Foundation
They have been helping children with cancer and their families with a comprehensive range of psycho-social services to help them cope with the illness, providing financial assistance including assistance in medical procedures for needy families, providing education to the public and to schools to ensure a smooth transition of our children back to school and to normal living and supporting training and research efforts that help increase the survival rates.

Make-A-Wish Foundation, SingaporeThey grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. They are dedicated to granting the heartfelt wishes of children in Singapore, between the ages of 3-18, that are challenged with a life-threatening illness. The Singapore affiliate is part of a global organization that has granted more than 140,000 wishes over the last 26 years.

See you soon, Rinpoche!

On 1 May, Labour Day, I went to Changi Airport to send my guru off. This was a rare chance to be close and personal with His Holiness 101st Gaden Tripa Rinpoche. He was invited by Taiwan to visit before flying back to his residence in France.

Rinpoche was full of cheer as he smile broadly to everyone who came to see him. He looked so relaxed and happy. It was frankly quite a contrast to his serious manner during the pujas and public events for the past one month. He blessed everyone who offered him kata, and obliged with photo taking too. Besides blessing me on the head, he even held my hand when he just arrived and whispered something in Tibetan to me (wish I knew what he said, I think it was a prayer). This was a rare opportunity as I also got my photo taken with him ! And thus planted the seed to meet Rinpoche not just in this lifetime but even in future lifetimes! This affinity is what I truly treasure most. Rinpoche is the Supreme Head of the Gelug lineage and literally the throne holder of Tushita Pureland. I hope to see my guru very soon again! (please click on the photo to see Rinpoche's broad smiles clearly).

"O glorious and precious root guru,

Please bless me to be able to practise in this way.

From now on, in all my future lifetimes,

May I be able to devote myself to the guru like this."