In her own quiet world

I have always enjoyed meeting people during big events, especially Dharma events, because people from all walks of life appear before my eyes. And I always like to think they have to be connected to me somehow in previous lives and in this life, we are making the connection again.

Over the weekend, while helping to raise funds for the monastery, it was very heartening to have met several kind and generous souls offering to donate some money to help the Sangha and the various merit-making projects. Most importantly, I am so glad they made the connection with the Triple Gem.

One old lady left such an impression on me that I had to put this down here. Just after the puja, before dinner, a very old lady approached me. She was such a small built, thin and fragile-looking lady with hair almost all white. Her face and hands were very wrinkled. She was wearing a checkered blouse which was over-sized and crumpled, in fact quite shabbily dressed. Speaking in Mandarin, she said she wanted to donate some money to feed the monks and she fumbled in her bag for a long while and finally took out a couple of tens. She told me she could not hear what I was trying to say, and I too, at the same time, realised she was quite deaf on both ears. I had to shout on top of my voice so that she could hear me. Even then she did not seemed to understand and we had to resort to using sign language. She said it had been a long while since she had stepped out of the house. 

After she made her donation, she walked off, only to come back within seconds to ask if there was any place nearby she could find vegetarian food. I told her I was not sure. She was coming back after dinner for that evening's blessing initiation. She said if she could not find food, then it was ok, she would just skip dinner that night. As she walked away I was feeling very uneasy. I went to check the corner where they usually put volunteers' food. Our dinner for the evening has not arrived yet.  However I saw a few devotees eating packets of food which were leftover extra packets from lunch time, and which were offered to them. I also saw some trays of vegetarian dishes, also leftover from the afternoon lunch for the monks. So I quickly ran to chase after that old lady. She had almost reached the gate. I asked her if she minded some leftover vegetarian dishes  (there was no more rice though...) and brought her to the table.  She vehemently refused and said it was meant for the volunteers. I had to assure her that there was enough food. Those few younger devotees sitting around the table eating our volunteers' food did not even bother to offer her their rice or chairs. I scooped up some dishes for the old lady (she kept telling me 'enough, enough') and had to lead her somewhere else on the cement floor landing to sit down. I also gave her a packet of mineral water. 

She left such a deep impression on me and really humbled me. Compared to the many younger, well-dressed devotees who came and asked lots of questions and did not make a donation, I could feel this old lady's sincerity, even though she was definitely not well-off. She reminded me of my own grandma who is also hard on hearing. I wonder if she could hear the prayers chanted by the monks or the announcement made by the compere during the sessions. I was quite sure she could not.

Anyhow I am so happy she came to participate in the prayers and initiations, and to receive blessings from Rinpoche. I am grateful to her for teaching me yet another precious lesson/experience in life. She touched my heart. May this beautiful old lady with the biggest heart be in great health as long as she is alive and may she be blessed by the Three Jewels in all her lifetimes. 

Fried Nian Gao 3-in-1

Most Chinese will buy Nian Gao, the sticky sweet cake during the Chinese New Year.  It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during CNY because "nian gao" is a homonym for "higher year." "年高". As such, eating nian gao has the symbolism of raising oneself higher in each coming year (年年高升 nián nián gāo shēng).

Normally, at the end of the CNY, we find ourselves with leftover Nian Gao. Eating the Nian Gao by itself would be too sweet, sticky and very jelak (Malay term for "feeling of disgust that overwhelms when consuming too much of the same food"). So my mom would cut the Nian Gao into rectangular pieces, and sandwiched them between cut pieces of yam and pumpkin. After coating them with flour, she deep fried the pieces in the wok.  The result is a fragrant snack, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with the sweet combined taste of Nian Gao, pumpkin and yam.  Other times, mom will just fry the Nian Gao coated with flour and eggs. 

Fried Nian Gao is one of my favourite snacks during CNY. Thanks to mom who always remember that and make this delicious snack for me.  

Happy

The Grand Puja begins during this merit-multiplying period!

An exciting weekend awaits! As I have blogged earlier, tomorrow is the start of the Grand Puja personally conducted by His Holiness Dagyab Kyabgoen Rinpoche and an entourage of 15 monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery. Do not miss this chance to participate in the pujas of removing negativities, obstacle-clearing, cleansing, purifying and protection. Also not to be missed are the personal blessing initations bestowed by Dagyab Rinpoche. 

I am doing a shoutout for a couple of meaningful and merit-multiplying activities which I personally feel deeply for. During the Grand Puja, the organiser Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling would be raising funds towards the printing and publishing cost of the Buddhist text, ESSENCE OF LAM RIM, which is authored by His Holiness the 14^thDalai Lama.  

“Lam Rim” in Tibetan refers to “Stages of the Path”. The Lam Rim is one of the most important Buddhist classic in the Tibetan Buddhism tradition, whereby it presents the stages in the complete path to Enlightenment. The printing of this Buddhist text will be in 4 different languages – Tibetan, English, Chinese and German. All printed texts will be for free distribution, and in particular, the Tibetan texts will be given to 17,500 monks and Sangha community. There is no other greater gift than the gift of Dharma.  You may wish to be involved in this very meaningful fund-raising project, which can benefit countless monks and people around the world. 

Another initiative to take note is the Food Fund in Gaden Shartse Monastery.  The welfare of the monks in Gaden Shartse Monastery has always been the main worry of the late highly-respected most venerable Kyabje Lati Rinpoche. Without enough food, it would be impossible for the almost 2000 monks to survive. Gaden Shartse Monastery is one of the biggest and well-known Buddhist monastery based on the Gelug tradition in Tibet (now re-established in exile in Mundgod India). The monastery was prophesized by Shakyamuni Buddha himself 2500 years ago before its actual founding in 1409 CE by Lama Tsongkhapa(who was considered the Second Buddha in Tibet).   

 

To quote Geshe Lhundrub Sopa in [Steps On The Path To Enlightenment Vol 2]... "The Sangha are like nurses who are able to help in the healing process because they understand the remedy that the doctor has prescribed. Because they are taking the medicine themselves, they are able to show others exactly how to follow instructions of the perfect doctor, the Buddha."

Each monk in the monastery eat mainly half the Big Bread for every meal, with a small bowl of watery vegetarian daal and a cup of butter tea. It is only when there are sufficient funds from sponsors each month, that the monks get to eat the occasional rice or hard-boiled egg with their bread. And on very special occasions which are far and in between, only then they get to eat fried rice.  

Compared to our well-fed kids in Singapore, who study in air-conditioned comfort and environment, the monks in the Monastery experience less than ideal conditions throughout their learning path.  They study in shabby classrooms which sometime leak during rainy season or the classes are conducted open air outside on the grounds.  

In Singapore, we value our kids' education in the hope that they can get into University and make a decent livelihood when they grow up. In contrast, the monks, who are our vehicle to the Path of Enlightenment, have to survive in harsher conditions and having to worry for their next meal, in addition to studying the Dharma. I find this irony extremely sad.  Hence I hope you can do your part by contributing generously to the livelihood of the Sangha, as well as accumulating lots of merits especially during these 15 days of Losar Tibetan New Year, where merits multiply by 100 million times! Metaphorically speaking, each dollar you sponsor is equivalent to $100 million !

Last but not least, if you would like to establish a karmic connection with a highly realised practitioner, His Holiness Dagyab Rinpoche, he would be bestowing refuge on 2 March in Dro-Phen Ling centre.  You can register during this Grand Puja or call the centre directly. 

May all be auspicious according to the Dharma. 

Losar Tashi Delek!!!

Shakyamuni Buddha in Bodhgaya

Losar Tashi Delek, my readers!  Today is the start of the Tibetan New Year. 

The next 2 weeks between Losar (22 Feb) and the Day of Miracles (8 Mar) commemorates the 15 days of Miracles where The Buddha uncharacteristically displayed his power by performing numerous miracles and won over a challenge from 6 heretical teachers, who were non-believers, with a daily display of miracles. 


The final 15th day came to be known as the Day of Miracles, or Chotrul Duchen, which falls on 8 March this year, commemorates the final day of miracles and we celebrate the full moon 15th of the first month in the Tibetan New Year. During this time, any merit you accumulate is multiplied 100 millions times! It is therefore a very powerful time to practice, make offerings and other virtuous activities. Virtuous thoughts and actions are highly encouraged during this time.



May all gurus live long and continue to turn the Wheel of Dharma. May everyone be mindful of and be purified of their body, speech and mind.  May all our days be bright in the Path.  Om ah hum! 

Breakfast on my lil' kitchen top

Some mornings, I have my breakfast at my little kitchen top in the kitchen by the window, and not at my big dining table outside. It is breezy and cool sitting by the window, enjoying breakfast and reading news on the phone. 

Here are my usually-DIY breakfast on my lil' kitchen top, which only fits one person. 

Toasted raisin bread & coffee

Half boiled eggs, toast bread with peanut butter & tea

Hard boiled eggs, Toasted raisin bread & coffee

Sunny-side up eggs, beans and toast plain bread

Barcook Bakery's signature raisin cream buns

Toasted ham & cheese bread 

Instant noodles with whatever leftover dishes

Crispy chicken wrap

Tang Yuan for breakfast on special days!

Some days, it's just coffee (Mommouth coffee from Taiwan)

Sausages with olives 

Full-fledged sandwich on fanciful days

Scrambled eggs and plain toast 

Toasted tuna bread & coffee

DIY Big Brunch - fish, potato, mushrooms, tomatoes

Chinese boiled soup for late night dinner 

Other days, I'm just a potato couch in the living room!

如果你也听说

Her voice is simply beautiful and for her, I prefer to hear it 'live' all the time. And she cried.

突然发现站了好久 不知道要往哪走
还不想回家的我 再多人陪只会更寂寞

许多话题关于我 就连我也有听过
我的快乐要被认可 委屈却没有人诉说

夜把心洋葱般剥落
拿掉防卫剩下什么
为什么脆弱时候 想你更多

如果你也听说 有没有想过我
想普通交朋友 还是你依然会心疼我

好多好多的话想对你说 悬着一颗心没着落
要怎么附和 舍不得又无可奈何

如果你也听说 会不会相信我
对流言会附和 还是你知道我还是我

跌跌撞撞才明白了许多
懂我的人就你一个
想到你想起我 胸口依然温柔

如果你想起我
你会想到什么

Is Lati Rinpoche coming back soon?

One day last week, at dawn, I had a very long dream. I was in a place, in a big building with many rooms. I was with a friend (I will call her XX).  We were exploring the place which was quite happening.  In one place, there was a pond with clear water and big stones. One guy was standing on a big stone in the shallow pond, and reciting some prayers. We thought the sight was a little weird.  

As we walked around, I kept telling XX that I was hungry, needed to find food.  She kept wandering off to some corners.  We passed by a room which looked like a classroom with many people talking inside. Then we entered another room. It was already evening time. There was a big bed in the room. Then I saw my Grandma. I was very happy to see her. My Grandma was sitting on a big mattress on the floor.  Somehow we got to know from Grandma that the big bed was occupied by someone else. Grandma asked me and XX to bunk in with her on the big mattress on the floor.  We lay down on the mattress for a while, but we could not get to sleep, so we decided to go look for food as we were hungry. We came to a big room, where there was supposed to be food being served. While we were waiting, I did not know why I was so restless and kept getting distracted and I went off to change my clothes a few times. XX was pretty bemused. 

The last time I saw Lati Rinpoche at the airport, Nov 2008. His final trip to Singapore. 

I cannot recall most of the rest of the dream but towards the end of the dream, I entered a room with no one inside. I was alone. So I hung around and waited. I made myself comfortable and was reading some books. It was so quiet and calm. Then someone knocked at my door. When I opened it, Mama Karen appeared. Pointing to the door of another room inside, she told me, "I am here to see Lati Rinpoche." It was then that I realised Lati Rinpoche was supposedly inside that room the whole time! In the dream I was so happy that Lati Rinpoche was there and I could be seeing him soon.  End of dream.

Although I did not see Lati Rinpoche in the dream, I am very happy to hear his name. Lati Rinpoche is one of my earlier gurus. He followed His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama into exile in India in 1959. In 1964, he was appointed as the Spiritual Advisor to His Holiness, whom he served faithfully until his Parinirvana in April 2010. I have a very very strong feeling that Lati Rinpoche will be coming back very very soon, any time now (and remember, you hear it here first from this blog).  I could be, as in the dream, be seeing him real soon.

Lati Rinpoche was particularly close and connected to his students in Gaden Shartse Dro-Phen Ling, being the only centre outside the Monastery which he visited often during the latter years of his life. May the reincarnation of Lati Rinpoche return quickly and reunite with many of his disciples and students. _/|\_

“The greatest gift is to give people your Enlightenment, 

to share it. It has to be the greatest.”
- The Buddha.

Onn Vegetarian

Since I am currently on a vegetarian diet, I am always on the look out for nice vegetarian stalls or shops. I am not really a salad person, so I still prefer local food as far as daily meals are concerned.

I have visited this stall, Onn Vegetarian, in a Upper Boon Keng coffeeshop many times and tried almost all the items. There is quite a variety of rice and noodles dishes but they do run out pretty fast by late afternoon and they are closed on Sundays. 

Bak Chor Mee - this is one of my favourite because seldom can you find a vegetarian stall selling this vegetarian version of Singaporean minced pork noodles elsewhere. Their version of crispy 'pork lard' was good and the noodles were bouncy and well mixed with the sauce and generous portions of mushroom, minced 'pork' and fried beancurd tofu.

Chicken Rice - I was surprised that their vegetarian chicken rice is actually quite good, almost the same as the real thing, from the rice to the 'chicken' meat. One integral thing was they added a black sauce similar to black soya sauce and chilli which gave the dish the necessary kick. 

Wanton Noodles - my father was so taken with their wanton mee that he said, "假到很真!" (almost identical to the real version). I am more particular when it comes to Char Siew. Theirs look nice and authentic but with a slight rubbery taste still. 

Curry Noodles - they added a lime to this dish.  The gravy was light and not so 'lemak' (heavily accented with coconut). The only difference from the usual curry noodles is that they added long beans and lots of vegetarian fried beancurd items. They did not need to add mock chicken, which was quite a relief.  

Mee Tai Mak - a very light soupy meal with the usual culprits of vegetarian ingredients. I wished they had given real chinese mushroom or enoki mushroom though.  One saving grace was they were generous with the green veggies. I tried their dry version too, which was well mixed with dark sauces and ingredients from Bak Chor Mee, although it was a little too oily. 

Braised Sea Cucumber Pork Noodles - this was my favourite and they serve it only on special days.  There were mock sea cucumber and pork belly with big portions of chinese mushroom. The slightly starchy sauce was indeed well braised and permeated the noodles.  I love the taste so much that I did not really care for the mock sea cucumber. With the 'pork belly' and mushroom alone, this noodle dish was complete. 

Onn Vegetarian
Blk 5, Upper Boon Keng Road,
#01-01 Singapore 380005 
(Nearest MRT - Kallang)

Proselytizing rears its ugly head again - local university group insults Thai Buddhists and Turkey

I saw the below screenshot in my Facebook timeline from various people last night. Apparently, this poster was found outside a lecture theater in a local university campus, posted by a group called 'Campus Crusade for Christ' but was quickly taken down a few hours later due to the attention it was getting. However it was too late and someone had already screenshot and posted it online.

Written on the poster: 

"Thailand, the land of the free. The constitutional monarchy with a very well-loved and respected King. The country of smiles.  But did you know? Thailand is a place of little true joy. Buddhism is so much a part of the Thai national identity and permeates into every level of society and culture that only one hundred accept Christ each year in the country of over 68 million people. Do you share the burden of being that one small change agent, bringing the gospel to the Thais one at a time? 

With its many temples and monks, it is hard to ignore the fact that Buddhism is Thailand's national religion. With only 16% Christians, most Thai students see Christianity only as a foreign religion. The land of smiles need to hear the gospel message. Come and share with Khonksen university students that Jesus is the Way, the True and the Life."


With the beauty of social media, it has gone viral and more were found (see below screenshot taken from one of their 'projects'). This Christian group organizes proselytizing campaigns to various universities in so called Buddhist and Muslim countries to spread the gospel. I am very sure by today, the online reaction to this is going to run berserk.

"In a country (Turkey) where much of the population is M, much prayer and work is needed in this place. As our first team to be sent to this place, you will be reaching an unreached people group. This is a pioneer work where you will get to help start movement on their campuses! Come & be a part of this team and trust God for greater things!"

Who are they calling 'M'?  So am I called a 'B'?  As a Buddhist, of course I find this offensive, rude and speaks of the arrogance of the said group who is trying to convert people. I am very sure the other affected religions feel the same way too. I think that is such a narrow minded view of the proselytizer. This is not the first time I am voicing my concerns. Christians have to be mindful of the beliefs and feelings of other religions and accept that others have THE RIGHT to be 'different' from them. For example, by not accepting Christ, it does not mean the believers of other religions are going to hell (to sidetrack, well, Buddhists know there are many other realms one could be heading to, besides hell....). 

In Dharma teachings, we are taught to respect all beings and other religions, including humans and non-humans. The Buddha says, "Hurt not others in ways which you yourself would find hurtful."  Islam says, "Do unto all men as you would they should do unto you, and reject for others what you would reject for yourself". Likewise, Christianity says, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them". Aren't all religions fundamentally teaching the same thing, so why is only one group behaving the opposite way?

What do we do when people criticise our religion?  For me, as a Buddhist, I do not need others' approval to practise the Dharma. Even if I do not agree with them, that is fine. Theirs is their own opinion and if they do not wish to change their views or misconceptions, that is purely their business. Nor do I want to convert to another religion. And that is my own business. It is fine to promote or propagate your religion but do not do it at the expense of putting down the other religions.

I quote Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's speech not so long ago.  He warned that “aggressive preaching” by religious groups and attempts to convert others threaten the country’s stability.

He cited the case of a Christian couple who were jailed for distributing religious pamphlets that were deemed offensive by those of different faiths, and he condemned those who try to convert ailing hospital patients “who don’t want to be converted.”

PM Lee said, "You push your religion on others, you cause nuisance and offense. Christians can’t expect this to be a Christian society. Muslims can’t expect this to be a Muslim society, and ditto with the Buddhists, the Hindus, and the other groups. Singapore’s prosperity depends on people respecting the beliefs of others. There is a wave of revival, mega-churches, and tele-evangelism. We all have to adopt ‘live and let live’ as our principle.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. All agree that it is very important and worthwhile to make a strong effort to serve human society. To do this, it is important that we understand each other. In the past, due to narrow-mindedness and other factors, there has sometimes been discord between religious groups. This should not happen again. If we look deeply into the value of a religion in the context of the worldwide situation, we can easily transcend these unfortunate happenings. For there are many areas of common ground on which we can have harmony. Let us just be side by side- helping, respecting, and understanding each other - in common effort to serve humankind. The aim of human society must be the compassionate betterment of human beings."


Hallelujah and amen! Indeed, live and let live. If you feel you are being pressured and harassed by aggressive preaching, you can go to http://conversion.buddhists.sg/ 

You may wish to read my previous post on what differentiates Buddhism from Christianity.

P.S. By the way, the one in the university who wrote the above offensive poster should go back to learning proper English. 

Take up Nadya's challenge for Earth Hour 2012 !

This year, Earth Hour is happening on Saturday, 31 March 2012, at 8:30pm. 

Each year, hundreds of millions of people, businesses and governments around the world unite to support a meaningful cause, which is the largest environmental event in history – Earth Hour.

For Earth Hour 2011, more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries around the world switched off their lights to send a powerful message for action on climate change. Without a doubt, it has been proven how great things can be achieved when people come together for a common cause.

Nadya Hutagalung with her husband, former national swimmer Desmond Koh.

Nadya's I-Will-If-You-Will Challenge

This year, World Wildlife Fund's Official Earth Hour Celebrity Ambassador, the beautiful Nadya Hutagalung takes on a challenge close to her heart!  Nadya, the former model and face of MTV Asia, has been Singapore's Ambassador for the WWF's Earth Hour for the past 3 years. She is a well-known eco-activist and champion for the green cause.

This is how it is going to work. Nadya has pledged to cycle to the Earth Hour event at Orchard Road on 31 March if Desmond Koh, her husband (former national swimmer), can get 6 of his friends to go vegetarian for a month. Similarly, Desmond also issued his I-Will-If-You-Will challenge. He will cycle to the event if 60 of Nadya’s Twitter followers go vegetarian for a month.

I am helping Nadya to spread the word.  I have already pledged my support since I am currently on a 100-day vegetarian diet anyway. In fact, my meatless diet is supposed to end on 24 Feb but I had the intention to extend it because the Tibetan New Year (Losar) starts on 22 Feb for 15 days.  Any virtuous actions within this period will multiply merits by 100 million times! So, why not? Join me @STUMPBO in this 30-day vegetarian diet challenge (to end before 31 Mar 2012). 

 
If you are keen to participate in this meaningful cause, please follow Nadya (@Nadya_HutaGalng) in Twitter and inform her you are taking up the 30-day vegetarian diet challenge!

  

 
Add your name to the Earth Hour community! Pledge your support and switch off the lights at 8.30pm on 31 March.

Gather your family and friends to sign up as Earth Hour Ambassadors and celebrate Earth Hour 2012 at Orchard Road! Join in the festivities with a live concert and eco-carnival, witness the first 60+ SINGAPORE human formation and count down to the lights-off event at 8.30pm.  Closing date for registration is 18 March 2012.  Sign up today!

Click here for more information or email earthhour@wwf.sg or check out their Facebook page for updates.  Ready. Get set. Let's do our part to save the Earth!

My thoughts on Valentine's Day

I do not particularly like to celebrate my birthdays by partying and getting drunk, what more valentine's day? Maybe I am a little odd. In our modern society nowadays, and especially in Singapore, I feel Valentine's day is just another very commercialised day when we splurge on gifts, flowers and expensive candle-light dinner on our loved one.

Birthday is the day you are given a precious human rebirth. If you can feel and realise, that out of the zillions of beings (humans, animals and other beings in the lower realms...), you are born as a very precious human being, then that is something we should celebrate about, EVERYDAY. Not just only on this day, but everyday, we should think and contemplate, and celebrate our good fortune for having achieved a precious human life.

Hearts drawn by niece years ago

Valentine's day gives you an excuse to shower your loved one with anything, everything material. Sometimes I feel the attachment is so overwhelming. Yes, after all, all beings need love. But no matter how blessed each of us is in finding/having a partner, we still have to leave this world one day, alone. If you really must celebrate V-day, think, and realise and be thankful that you have found the love, someone you can connect to. But then again, isn't everyone else you meet connected to you in the first place? Everyone is inter-connected in one way or another. Do not belittle such affinity. If you are able to extend that same love you show to your lover, equally to all others (family, friends, strangers, enemies, animals) with the same attitude, then that is really something worth celebrating.

Sometimes I feel that if we have so much love to give, why do we reserve that just for our spouse/lover/partner? The only thing why we love our spouse is because we know we get something in return, ie. mutual love and companionship. On the other hand, if we show concern/compassion for, say, a beggar on the street, or help a needy person, even though he/she may be very grateful to you, that person may not necessarily 'reciprocate' your love. We should extend that love/compassion to many other people who are suffering in pain in real life. In doing so, life is much more meaningful, so much more fulfilling and we gain skies of merits. And that, my friend, is unconditional love.

Instead of celebrating Valentine's Day, celebrate Life itself.

再见了, 凤飞飞

Yet within 24 hours of the news of Whitney Houston's sudden death, I just received news of the passing of another diva, the well-respected singer from Taiwan, 凤飞飞, Feng Fei Fei. She had already departed on 3 Jan 2012, age 60.  Her family did not release news of her passing until now. She died of lung cancer.

Her last words to her fans: “我这一生，过得快乐，活得精彩，感谢陪着我一起走过这段精彩岁月的彩虹姐妹兄弟们，没来得及唱的歌，下辈子再唱给你们听！”

Let's applaud another legend gone beyond. This is her signature song, [掌声响起来]. The other song is the memorable happy [敲敲門] watch her different renditions over time. 

再见了, 凤姐! Good bye to the Queen of Hats.  May she have a good rebirth.  

 

This life as impermanent as a water bubble;  

Remember how quickly it decays and death comes. 

Treasure our precious human life.

Whitney Houston, we will always love you

This morning I woke up to the sudden news that legendary mega-superstar, Whitney Houston, has died at the age of 48. They do not have news of the actual cause of her death yet, but an article posted less than 24 hours ago, Whitney was caught in camera leaving a nightclub looking messy, drunk and rude, with blood dripping down her legs.  Everyone is guessing it is her addiction to drugs. And she had struggled with the addiction for many years. Such a sad ending for a talented diva who died young, just like Michael Jackson, Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung. 

Whitney sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos. I am not exactly a fan of hers but during my growing up years, she has such a wholesome image and I love many of her songs... I Will Always Love You, One Moment In Time, Wanna Dance With Someone, All At Once etc.. 

I remember during a trip to Turkey many years ago, I was playing her "I Will Always Love You" in repeat mode all the time, until my friends, my travel mates, got so exasperated with me. Well, you either love or hate this song. Hehe. 

Here's a tribute to Whitney, a 15-minute medley of 21 hit songs across 3 decades. Thanks for the lovely memories, Whitney. May you have a good rebirth.