2010: A year of personal transformation

2010 has been a good year for me, not in a materialistic term but in a spiritually way...

"Spiritually in its widest sense can refer to any source of inspiration, awe or wonder that impacts on an individual's identity or sense of purpose. Spiritual growth is about personal transformation and the belief that life is a process of moving towards enhanced awareness."

... at this moment, as I bid goodbye to 2010, I am thankful for the transformation that it has brought unto me :))

the Extraordinary People

According to Paul Ekman (in Destructive Emotion), extraordinary people share four qualities:

1. they emanate a sense of goodness (a transparency between their personal and public life);

2. they are selflessness;

3. they have a compelling personal presence that others find nourishing; and

4. they have amazing powers of attentiveness and concentration.

... images of Buddha, Jesus, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, instantly appear in my mind.

Reminisce: 2010

Here, at home alone in the last few days of 2010, I am in a reminisce mode.

What started as a growth journey in 2009 has evolved into a soul searching journey in 2010.

2010:

* has shown me the path to take to continue my life journey;

* has taught me to not seek answers from outside but from within;

* has led me to examine and reestablished my belief and faith;...

the year has not ended yet, what else will it teach me...

Marriage ~ a mutual consent that robs one's freedom...

"The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust.

A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development.

But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky."
~Rainer Maria Rilke (Letters to a Young Poet)

When a marriage falls apart, one may be awaken with the feeling of continuing where one left off; reliving one's freedom and continuing one's growth/ development...

Sales: greed for acquiring more

20% Off!, 70% Off!, Buy 1 free 1!

Lately, I noticed that I have been missing out on sales... just missed (last weekend)the sales from a shop that I frequent; the recent bodyshop sales; the MoMo sales; etc. Well, I am not going to fret about it anymore (I used to)... now I have taken on a new perspective:

"I see sales as greed for acquiring more and more."

In Buddhism, a person who is on his way to spiritual growth must try to reduce his own selfishness and his strong desire for acquiring more and more. He should reduce his strong attachment to possessions which, if he is not mindful, can enslave him to greed.

At a juncture

New entry (31 Jan 2011):

I am happy to have found a Buddhist temple (near my home) that has Buddhism books written/translated into English. Have taken a few books with me and am currently reading: "Everything is teaching us -- a collection of teachings by Venerable Ajahn Chah."

Entry posted on 14 Nov 2010:

At this juncture, Buddhism has come into my life and I intend to find out "why Buddhism?"

Nobody had preached Buddhism to me nor was I lured into it. One thing lead to another...

... I was visiting a friend and she was on her way to the Buddhist temple so I tagged along. Later, she gave me a book about Buddhist parables and stories. Weeks later, while spending a weekend at my family home, I found a book about Buddhism on the bookshelf (left by my brother). I brought the book back with me and it has been by my bedside for four months now. Although I had read it from cover to cover, I am still keeping it by my bedside until I get another book...

The journey so far...

"Compassionate acts can alter your fate... conversely, acts of viciousness can adversely affect your fate"

A friend of mine posted in fb: "nearly cried at work tonight when I had to throw away baskets and baskets of perfectly good food. So wrong!!!!" I too thought that it is so very wrong!.

In Buddhism, the performance of good actions gives rise to merit, a quality which purifies and cleanses the mind. Merit is important to help us along our journey through life...

...it is connected to what are good and beneficial to oneself and others, and can improve quality of the mind. While the material wealth a person gathers can be lost by theft, flood, fire, etc., the benefit of merits follows him from life to life and cannot be lost, although can be exhausted if no attempts are made to perform more merits.

The Buddha further explained that, merit opens the doors of opportunity everywhere. A meritorious person will succeed in whatever venture he puts his effort into. Good deeds performed will manifest in many ways and be the fountainhead of many wondrous results (and in my opinion, sometimes the receiving end could be the people close to you).

Growing interest in Buddhism

I think the most authentic person in the world must be the Buddha. The Buddha was born to dispel the darkness of ignorance and to show the world how to be free from suffering.

... According to the Buddha, a religion of peace is based on the principle of causing no harm to oneself as well as others and its followers are to cultivate a harmoniouss, liberal and peaceful life. His teaching illuminates the way for mankind to cross from a world of darkness, hatred and suffering to a new world of light, love and happiness. He said, "One must not accept my teachings from reverence, but first try them as gold is tried by fire." He showed that man has the power to think for himself, raised his selfworth and that he can reach the highest knowledge and spiritual enlightenment by his own effort.

and by living the Buddhist way; walking the middle path of moderation and meditating to purify the mind, one can learn to live a richer life of peace and happiness.

A wish to be rich

"I wish (plan) to be rich, very rich! Not for the money but for the use of money as a platform to help me achieve my ideals", a quote from Anas Zubedy @ "http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com/".

I like the way he puts it; the use of money as a platform to help achieve my ideals. However, my idea of rich does not mean only in terms of money but...

... rich in knowledge and wisdom. My wish is to help families with special needs children. I plan to share my knowledge and gather friends who are like minded to help them. The path of my life has lead me to this juncture and this is the path that I am taking...

Self Care

I think the one thing that is of crucial importance to one's health is one's mental well being, ie. taking care of one's state of mind and being mindful of what one is doing at all time...

... One way to keep tab of our mental well being is to start a personal journal (diary, if you like), ie. a personal narrative. Research shows that journal provides the author to use her 'voice'to instigate reflection and shift in understanding; as critical intervention in social, political and cultural life'(Jones, 2005). ‘Voice’ often connotes the capacity or right to speak; its meaning is political (Hertz, 1997). Evidence indicates that a sense of personal control, empowerment and self-determination are associated with positive mental health (Prilleltensky, 1994).

In posting this, I hope that everyone of us will find a way to sound our voices and to be empowered to take control of events that could affect the state of our mental well-being. I have found mine in writing; revisiting what I have written helped me think thru things and look at them from a new perspective. In time to come, I will become more at peace with myself/everything in life and lead a simple and stress-free life. This then would be my authentic self(?):-)

Liver Cleanse... update

New entry, April 2, 2011:

Please also read the entry in the May 2010 post for the latest update on herbal cleansing program :D

Entry posted on August 13, 2010:

It's been a couple of months since I wrote here, been busy de-toxifying...
...the white powder that I mentioned in my previous blog (which tasted like milk of magnesia) is epsom salt. Since May, I had done 3 liver cleanse and apparently, one has to do up to 7 times in order to flush out at least 90% of toxins from the liver. The procedure that I took was from Dr Hulda Clark's liver cleansing program. Although some skeptics said that the formation of 'stones' (following Dr Hulda's detox program) were the results of the reactions between olive oil and the acid in the stomach, I did feel lightweight after going thru it. It does help me shed some of the water from my body (my body was in a 'bloated state' due to water retention).

I have placed the link below for anyone interested to know more about her procedure. Providing the link here is for general information only, please read more about detox before deciding. Please also read my earlier post mentioned above.

http://www.drclark.net/en/cleanses_clean-ups/liver_cleanses/advanced_livere_cleanse.php

Health Farm and Liver Flush

New entry, April 22, 2012:

It has been a year since I posted this and I noticed that this post gets quite a number of viewers. It would do injustice to the products if I don't write about the results.

Now, after detoxing with the products, I continued with the Bio Slim and several other supplements. I especially like the BM&C and Enjuvenate (really effective!). You will need to go on with Bio Slim for 3 consecutive months before you see any results, ...and the comments (compliments!!??) I get nowadays are, eg:

"you look brigther these days";
"you lost weight!";
"you look younger!"

but then, how I look at the outset is not important as much as how I feel inside ;)) and I think it is time I do another round of detox.... ;)

Previous Entry, April 2, 2011:



Since my last detox program May last year, I have been looking out for herbal based program. Last month, a friend introduced me to the Unicity Clearstart 30-day Cleansing Program: the 3-step system that will clean the intestinal walls to remove toxins and debris, neutralize unwanted organisms and flush them out. The 3 products (picture) claims to deliver sustainable, long-term results leading to better overall health, vitality and a stronger sense of wellbeing.

Today is my first day on the program - apparently, I should see some results within a week. Let's wait and see... :D)


Entry posted on May 8, 2010:


In my earlier post I had mentioned about my liver's condition, which according to some doctors is unhealthy and is filled with toxins. I was shocked to learn about my liver's condition because eating to me is for living. I don't indulge in food and I had cut down on meat and oily stuff. I was told that if I do not do something, I will encounter health problem pretty soon.

Desperately need to alter my lifestyle and diet, I searched the internet for a health farm. A relative recommended me Aenon Health Care Farm http://health.aenon.org.my/specialities/, which is just an hour's drive from my home.

...Last month, I signed up for a 5-day healthy lifestyle program at Aenon Health Care Farm. The 5-day stay has taught me a lot about healthy cooking, eating and dieting. The program started with a 3-day fasting on juice and a liver flush drink at the end of the fasting. During the 5-day stay, I had to do daily morning exercise and attend healthy cooking sessions, nutrition and medical lectures and also therapy sessions (such as hot & cold baths, salth bath, mud bath, russian bath, body massage). The 5-day stay was a good break for me and has changed my cooking style and diet. I am now on a 3-month oil and meat free diet and I will check my liver's condition again after 3 month to see the effectiveness of this new diet.

With the new knowledge I learnt at the health farm, I started to look for fruit and vegetable enzymes products to supplement my new diet. An old acquaintance happens to be a supplier and I bought some from her together with fruit fibre supplements. She suggested that I do another liver flush, this time with a different concoction from the health farm, ie. some white powder (which tasted like milk of magnesia), some kind of salt, olive oil and grapefruit juice. After drinking the concoction, I was astounded to see the results: 'greenish stones' in my stools. Some skeptics said that the formation of 'stones' were the results of the reactions between olive oil and the acid in the stomach. Whatever it is, after the flush, I felt rejuvenated and a feeling of lightness. I am definitely doing another flush in two weeks time. Apparently, regularly flushings help to eliminate toxins, lower cholestrol level and improve blood circulation... and in 3 month's time, a healthier me will emerge :)

Beliefs and faith

Does having a belief and faith in a religion make a person authentic?

I was borned into a family of taoism faith and changed my religion to christianity when I got married. All these years I have not been very religious not because that I don't believe in God, but I didn't like the way some people preach about their religions. Religion is a human activity and a human construct (human interpretation).

I think, people can still be authentic even though they are not religious; it is more the human part of us that make us an authentic person than our belief or faith.

Organic Farming

Whenever I shop for groceries and vegetables, I would pass the organic section and compare prices. The price for 2 carrots (organic) is rm5.50 against rm1.90 for a pack imported from Australia (non organic); a loaf of organic wholemeal bread rm7.50. So I am thinking that the only way to go fully organic is do your own organic farming and to bake your own bread using organic ingredients, ie. ...

... going back to the basics.

To do that I would need a big garden space and time. Farming is a fulltime job. Even if I have the garden space (or decide to find one), could I afford the time and can I do it? I am presently toying with the idea of moving back to my family home and start organic farming. I might one day...

The true meaning of life...

New entry (31 Jan 2011):

Since reading and understanding some of the teachings of Buddha, I realized that I no longer need to find the true meaning of life, instead strive to live a more meaningful life. In order to achieve that, all I hv to do is to focus on being mindful, ie. mindful of the way I think and live ~ to avoid accumulating bad karma; to increase good karma. Being mindful allow me to be more compassionate towards others, thus creating positive interactions and good relationships with others.

Entry posted on 24 March 2010:

Three months ago when I created this blog, I had asked myself, why authentic living? Now, reflecting on the first question that I posted on this blog, "have I found the meaning of life?" (Jan 4, 2010), I realise that the "true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche" (Viktor Frankl, 1959).

In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl explained that being human always point, and is directed, to something or ...

... someone other than oneself, ie. be it a meaning to fulfil or another human being to encounter. According to him, we can discover our true meaning of life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone (ie. loving someone); and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering - happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue.

The more one forgets himself (by giving himself to a cause to serve another) the more human he is and the more he actualises himself. A similar explanation was given by Ekhart Tolle (in his book, A New Earth), ie. one has to make dynamic goals in life instead of static ones in order to be in full alignment with the universe - fulfillment of a purpose? (read my post on 18 Mar 2010).

Reading Frankl and Tolle's books made me search for the path that I need to take to live authentically. Although in the path that I decided to take entails suffering or pain: I can respond by being responsible and be worthy of my suffering. Frankl wrote, "without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity (even under the most difficult circumstances) to add a deeper meaning to his life."

My life, my choice

New entry (5 Jan 2011):

According to Buddhism ~ "to recognize the possibility of being free is the starting point of the path of inner transformation" and "the real measure of spiritual development lies in how well a person manages disturbing emotions such as anger, envy and jealousy"

Writing this entry today, I realized that I have grown stronger spiritually and I have more understanding of the purpose of life and how to live a more meaningful life.

Entry posted on 13 March 2010:

"I have absolute freedom: I am free to choose how to live my life and responsible for my choice." (Alee)

It is I who is to be blamed because it is I who made the decision/choice of my life.

Would saying these statements clear the many thoughts from my mind and would I become more at peace with myself and everyone around me?

A New Earth?

I have just finished reading Eckhart Tolle's book, A New Earth: Awakening to your life's purpose. I remembered reading the review on this book sometime ago but wasn't that interested in it. However, a few days ago, while in a bookshop it caught my attention and I decided to purchase it.

The day after I bought the book, my daughter came back from her church group activity and informed me that her church member told her about this book ...

... and mentioned that it is something like a new 'cult' similar to the comments on The Secret a few years ago. Since I haven't finished the book, I reserve my comment.

Now, having read the book, my opinion is that it is a person's (author's) view of what being human is like; what sort of 'being' that you are suppose to be? And he believes that every one of us is a part of something Whole; therefore we are a part of a Whole universe and will be affected by the universal force (which can work for us, with us or against us). Each of us need to enter into full alignment with the principle of the universe. Translated simply; make dynamic goals in life instead of static ones. And the time to enter into full alignment is the Now, the Presence.

"Dynamic goal empowers and points toward an activity that you are engaged in and through which you are connected to other human beings as well as to the Whole. Instead of seeing yourself as a famous actor or writer and so on, see yourself inspiring countless people with your work and enriching their lives. Feel how that activity enriches or deepens not only your life but that of countless others. Feel yourself being an opening through which energy flows from the unmanifested Source of all life through you for the benefit of all" (Tolle, 2005:305).

If you have read the book, please share your comments.

CHI Workshop in KL

New entry (30 January 2011):

The Malaysian Child Helpline was launched in Nov 2010 in conjuction with Talian Nur. The number to call is 15999

Entry posted on 15 march 2010:

The CHI (Child Helpline Intl) ASEAN peer to peer exchange workshop 2010 was held last week in KL. Reps came from Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand and Msia. Also in attendance were reps from Swizterland and the Netherlands. The situation given by every country's rep is not very pretty and much more effort needed to done for our young children ...

... to enable them to stand up and come forward to seek help. Many children are helpless and don't know how or where to seek help. With the implementation of child helpline, it is hoped that we can help these helpless children and empower them to have a better life and future.

The success of child helpline in reaching out to the children is dependent on the support of many parties, ie. parents, communities, ngos, corporate sponsorship, media coverage, police and government agencies involved. I was informed that the child helpline in India is able to reach the child in trouble within an hour after the call of help came in. Such speed and urgency is important to remove/save the child from dangerous situation.

The stories that were shared by the reps were so sad and touched each and everyone of us. Even though I was not involve directly in any particular case, listening to their stories made me realised that experiential knowledge can be passed on when people become very involved with each other in conversation. Burnard (1988) put it succinctly, 'it is only when we are so detached from others that we treat them as objects that no experiential learning can occur.'

International Women's Day- A belated wish

Happy International Women's Day to all my female visitors. I apologise for the belated wish. I had made a mental note to wish my female friends yesterday. Unfortunately, another agenda occupied my mind more and I totally forgotten about it until today.

The agenda which took precedence was related to women, ie. my involvement in the Malaysian Child Helpline initiative under the umbrella of the Child Helpline International ...

... which has its HQ in the Netherlands. CHI's main aim is to provide protection for children all over the world and to intervene where necessary. Most of CHI's initiatives have the support of local governments, NGOs and sponsorships from international organisations like unicef, plan. Do visit the website and help in any way you can.

http://www.childhelplineinternational.org/en/network/howitbegan"

Phenomenal stories...

Recently, I heard two stories... that left me feeling 'in awe' of how great things..., wonderful things happen to people who are givers, who don't think of getting anything in return. I am honoured to be associated with such wonderful, genuine and authentic people.

The first story was about how this person quit her stressful job and wanted to ...

... start a homebased business. Not knowing how or where to start, she sat in her kitchen and started talking to herself. Later when she was cleaning her house, she happened to look at a portrait of Jesus she bought few years ago and decided to have a conversation with the Lord Jesus. She did this everyday until one day, she realised that Lord Jesus had heard her; she knew exactly how she is going to start her home business and what she must do. Lord Jesus has shown her the path that she should take. After that, unexpected wonderful things happened everytime she had a conversation with Lord Jesus. So, one day, she decided to ask Lord Jesus, "If you heard me, please give me some indication that it is you'" That night, she dreamt of Lord Jesus. The next day, she woke up with a wonderful feeling and knew that it is indeed, Lord Jesus. Wow, what a phenomenal story!

The second story was about a family which had wanted to buy a home but had to put it off for many years. Until last year, when an aquaintance they knew (who is a successful man) decided to give them a house with renovation and fittings all thrown in! The S&P was signed under the husband's name. This family has always been a giver and helped a lot of people. They were speechless and couldn't believe thier eyes when they saw the house. They are still in a daze (I would too!) and are thankful to God. Another phenomenal story!

Once in a while, we hear such phenomenal stories and they remind us to do good to other people, be a giver and if we were to ask for something, let the receiver be another person, not ourselves.

Multiple Intelligences = Interest?

More stuff on brains and how it affects our learning styles and interest...

According to Howard Gardner (famous for his MI theory, click on the link below to know more), he wants his children to understand the world and an important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do..., ultimately, ...

... we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves.

During my schooling days, I was more interested in languages (English and BM classes) than maths or science subjects. As for geography and history, it depends on how it was written, I particularly liked the presentation of the form 1 - 3 geography books. Since I am inclined to like language and its usage, I must have linguistic intelligence [:)] which led me to create this blog. I guess I needed to find a way to pursue my interest. In creating this blog, I realised that I am not only linguistically intelligent but may be existentially as well (an addition to the MI list, which Gardner is still considering).

Although my potentials to write and think may not be at par with poets, great writers and thinkers, I still like (interested) to write and think. This is my interpretation of MI; MI=INTEREST.

To find out about your intelligence, go to:
http://surfaquarium.com/MI/profiles/index.htm

Article on Howard Gardner's MI Theory:
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

CNY Celebration: A Time to Rejoice and Appreciate

I remember when I was young, CNY is all about wearing new clothes, shoes and receiving ang pows. Now, all grown-up with a family of my own, CNY is about catching up with family members and strengthening relationships (or re-newing strain ones), especially those whom I only meet once a year. Embracing it with good spirit, it is really a time to rejoice and appreciate one another; not about the reunion dinnner (or what is on the table) but making the effort to 'balik kampung' and ...

... to spend some time together. Memories like these will keep our relationships alive.

This year, all my siblings and their families were able to 'balik kampung' except for a brother who just left for overseas. We have been missing each other for a number of years and this year's celebration was amazing; there were 14 children and 16 adults (30 pax at one time). The children had so much fun together that they were reluctant to leave; my sister-in-law has to call out to her son a few times and he reluctantly went into the car.

An amazing time; in terms of family dynamics and sharing of stories. Hope we will have more amazing times ahead :)

A conversation with my son

Today, in the midst of CNY preparation, I had to pop into UKM (Universiti Kebangsaan Msia) to meet up with Prof Khalijah Mohd Salleh at its Faculty of Physics to discuss about the Permata's Early Maths, Logical Thinking and Understanding of the World module. Permata is a national early years project which was started 3 years ago to provide equal opportunity for young children (1 - 4 yrs old) in urban poor and rural areas in Malaysia to have access to developmentally appropriate program.

I was there with three other colleagues and

... I brought my youngest son (Lucas) along. Lucas was amazed with the huge university's ground and said it looks like a village. This is my first visit to UKM as well and as I was driving around looking for the Physics' building, I was telling him that I have visited five universities in the past two years. He said,"Mummy, you must be very clever to go to five universities" (thinking that I have gone there to study). Not to loose the opportunity to make him aware of the importance of studying hard, I jokingly said to him, "Well, since I am clever, then you must be a clever boy too, right? And if you are not clever, are you an adopted child then?" He learnt about adoption in school yesterday and when he came home, he asked me whether his elder brother is an adopted child. I asked him why? He said, "Because Nick (his elder brother) always bully and shout at him"

He knew I was joking when I said that he was adopted.

What's in events and dreams?

New entry (4 March 2011):

Lately (the past couple of months), I have dreams that have similar theme, ie. a feeling of lost or couldn't find my way to a place which I frequented.

In one dream, I was in an elevator. The elevator kept on moving from floor to floor and when it stopped, it was not the floor that I wanted to get off. The elevator moved up and down by itself and I just couldn't find the floor that I was supposed to get off.

Another dream had me walking up flights of stairs and the staircase got narrower and steeper as I climbed (in reality, I am afraid of height and steep staircases). I had similar dreams throughout 2010. Sometimes, the flight of stairs were disjointed and I had to jumped from one to another.

Recently, I dreamt of going to a hotel that I used to go. I stepped into the hotel and realised that it was not the same hotel that I had frequented. When I stepped out, I asked people around for the location of the hotel that I wanted to go, but nobody seemed to know. Then I met a boy who said he knew and asked me to follow him. He brought me to a hill but we couldn't find the hotel there. In the end, I decided to get a cab and head for home.

I wish I could interpret these dreams, are they:

i. merely the reflections of the mind at rest, ie. the subconscious mind re-playing thoughts that are stored (such dreams apparently has no significant to reality); or

ii. some kind of prophetic dreams, ie. appeared only when there is an impending event which is of great relevance to the dreamer. Such dreams can apparently warn of impending danger or even prepare the dreamer for sudden overwhelming good news; or

iii. pictures taken from the depository of karmic energies, ie. an action that is going to happen which is linked to a previous life or early part of the dreamer's life.


Entry posted on 7 February 2010:

Since The Secret, I was really intrigue by the law of attraction; if you keep thinking of something (in a positive or negative way), the forces of the universe will make it happen (one way or another). I think that's why people always remind us to be careful of what you wish for (good or bad), because it will happen.

I believe that when one is attuned to one's soul(or in the process of), it is possible to

... be aware of the law of attraction and seeing how it works. Scientists would call it 'serendipity'. However, to chance upon something, the scientist must have a 'prepared mind' in order to be aware of this 'chance finding'. Therefore, the forces of universe has worked on his 'prepared mind'. If the scientist hasn't prepared his mind for all possibilities, he might have missed the 'chance finding'.

Hence, when one is attuned to one's soul, one is beginning to be aware of every little thing that is happenning in one's life; every event, dream, etc. Prior to reading the 'Secret', I didn't put much thought in the law of attraction. Reflecting on one particular event (incident) happened years ago; a baby snake (black in colour and about 5 inch long) was found in the middle of my living room one early morning. I reacted by killing it and throwing it in the drain (an act which I regretted later). I searched for possibility of how the snake came into my living room. How did it appear? Is it an omen? I asked my sister, who told me that it may be an omen but we don't know what it meant. I then asked my friends and some told me that it could be some sort of a protective force (according to my Indian friends). I took it that way because at that time, I was thinking of expanding my small business and it served as a guiding force for me to think through more carefully about my decision to expand.

Dream is another aspect that I am intrigue of, eg. I once dreamt of gliding above the ocean on a glider, feeling peaceful as I look down at the beautiful blue ocean. At that time, I was involved in a project and we were preparing for a VIP's visit. The review was good and I was so relief to learnt that the VIP was happy with what we have done. Later I found out the meaning of my dream; reflects a sense of confidence and a deep sense of relief. There are many other dreams but I shall not bore you with them here.

Well, I may not believe one hundred percent in the law of attraction but learning about it has opened my mind to be more aware of the unexplained forces of the universe.

Organic Food

Of late, I have been buying organic stuff (honey, lemon juice, olive oil & bread). Not that I am going organic but more for dieting purposes (to shed off the 5kg that I have loaded!). My initial supplies came from a store in PJ.

After asking a friend, I found a small local store(otherwise I would have to get it from PJ, which is 60km away!). This store has other health food and supplement as well; will definitely frequent it often.

YES! A counter for my blog

I am not tech savvy (I'm sure it's obvious from the constant changes to my blog). I was trying to add in a visitor counter; tried various free sites and finally

... found one which is easy to upload and user friendly (phew!).

It is a simple counter, well, as long as it serves the purpose! I am happy, YES!!! :-)

Gender typing

Religious and moral studies tell us that the role of parents is to ensure that their child/children become adults who belief in God, has good moral sense, be good to others and contribute to the betterment of society and the world. Traditionally, the father is the breadwinner and the mother is the homemaker; the roles of both parents were spelt out clearly.

But, in modern day, with both parents working outside the home, the roles are not clearly stated and sometimes role reversal happens. Although role reversal helps to eliminate gender stereotyping or gender bias, would there be any issue of gender/sexual identity in later life?

'A Big Little Life'

New entry, April 4, 2011:

This is Barley, a white lab. :)

She is the latest addition to the dogs in my family home. I love dogs, maybe because I came from a family of dog lovers. When I was growing up, we used to have at any one time ~ 4 dogs. My stepmom loved alsatian; dad loved lab and great dane.

Since I can't have my own dog at the moment, I took this pic to cheer me :)

Entry posted on Jan 28, 2010:

'A Big Little Life' is a book that I am currently reading which is a memoir of a joyful dog by Dean Koontz (who is apparently famous for his bestselling thrillers). Since I am not a fan of thrillers, I havent read any of his books until I got this one. Reading the heartwarming memoir made me think that

... a dog's life must be really 'authentic' because a dog is a person's best friend and its love lasts more than a lifetime. A dog brings fun, pure love and affection to its owner and never asks for anything in return. Read the reviews on this book at the link below.

Reading this memoir reminds me of my family dog many years ago, 'Scooby'. Scooby was a great dane and he was a very special dog. He is the only dog (among the 3 or 4 we had then) that was allowed in our house and he enjoyed the privilege of walking around our house. He is especially attached to my brother, who took him for walks and bathed him. He was indeed a very special dog:-)

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZrmKPQAACAAJ&sitesec=reviews&source=gbs_navlinks_s>

Favourite songs

I have included my all time favourite and inspiring songs and story in the side bar. You can click on the link and play them as background song for easy listening while reading my blog. Enjoy...

Engaging the brain

Brain and how it works have always facinate me. The saying, 'if you don't use it, you will loose it' is indeed very true.

Writing stimulates thoughts; the act of putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard engages our brains. To write we have to think.

In my view, what better way to engage the brain than to write a journal/blog as a collection of our thoughts. Writing and reading it thereafter, helps us reflect on the happenings in our life and put our life in perspective. It can be for pleasure and self-guidance/learning.

Keeping a journal/blog can be very rejuvenating to the soul. To read more about journalling and its benefit, go or copy the link below:

http://www.infed.org/research/keeping_a_journal.htm

...fatty liver and detoxing

I found out recently that I have fatty liver, ie. my liver is not functioning at its peak and apparently is the reason why my weight went up 5kg! This is bad...

... I searched for information on how to improve liver's function and finally decided to go on a 2-week liver detox program at the local Ayurvedic Centre. The program consists of medication and body massage to hasten the elimination of toxins. The detox program was rejuvenating; I feel less tired and lethargic at the end of the day now. Doing yoga stretches and walking on my rebounder are my daily exercise routine. This light routine suits my lifestyle at the moment...

In search for the meaning of life...

If one live authenticly, that is being attuned to one's soul (soul-centered), one would have found the real meaning of life or the purpose of living.

To read more, go to the following links:

http://www.thesouljourney.com?a_aid=5b864299

on authenticity...
http://www.thesouljourney.com/spsample.shtml

So Much Distrust...

The other day, while sitting in a waiting room, I heard the sounds of two people shouting and one sounded like she is defending herself. Later, in the treatment room, I asked the person attending to me, what happened out there earlier? I was told that there were some issues of distrust.

The same situation happened to me

... late last year (minus the shouting). I was visiting a friend and when I left her place, she called me to ask whether I remembered some stuff she showed me earlier. I replied yes and I said she had put them back into the box she took from. She claimed that she couldn't find the box and asked me whether I remembered where she put it? To which I replied, I didn't notice where she put it. I told her that she may have misplaced it and asked her to look in everyroom. Later, she said that she knew who took it and I asked her who did she suspect? Since I was the last person visiting her, I asked her did she suspect me? Her reply was, "I am tired, I will tell you later" Her reply shocked me! She could have replied that I am not a suspect instead of having me wondering why on earth would she suspect me??? I wrote her a message telling her what I think of her taking me as a suspect. The next day, some friends came over to her place and guess what???They found the box of stuff! Reflecting on the incident, should I forget about it and continue to be her friend or cease all contact?

Why are there so much distrust among people, even between spouses, family members, friends and people one meet everyday? What would you do if you are in such a situation? Do you:-

a. cease contact with such person
b. advise the person to value relationship above all and be rational
c. get away and stay in a monastery (where there is no distrust or greed)

Third option is tempting but for the time being, I'll go with the first one.

Are we resilient enough?

New entry (5 Jan 2011)~Buddhist perspective on suicide:

"Someone who commits suicide does so not out of self-hatred but because of thinking that it's a way of escaping a greater suffering."

However, "one is not escaping anything, because death is just a transition to another state of existence. So it would be better to try to avoid the suffering either by endeavoring to solve the problem in the here and nor, or, when that is not possible, by changing one's attitude toward this same problem."

Entry posted on 6 Jan 2010:
People have different perspective on the meaning of life and love. The following story made me wonder why some people would give up on life so easily (including those who took their own lives) without trying every possible means.

"One night John (not his real name) was awaken from his sleep

... gasping for breath and felt a sharp pain at his heart. He rushed to a 24-hour clinic and was informed that it might be a minor heart attack. The next morning, he went to another doctor to get a second opinion. The doctor confirmed it and wrote a referral letter to be admitted to the hospital for further check-up.

When it was confirmed by all that he did have a heart attack, John was in a state of a shock. He had no major illness or any health problem so far. He rushed to prepare his will and added his wife's name in his personal bank accounts. He thought he will die soon. His wife, on the other hand, advised him to seek treatment so that his condition will be controlled (like any sane human being would do). To his wife's surprise, he said that he doesn't want to spend that much money for an angioplasty procedure to clear the blockages. He rather die than to seek treatment. His wife was saddened by his perspective on life and asked him, "Isn't being alive and living a healthy life more important than anything?" His wife asked him what about the children? His answer was, "Oh, you can take care of them" That day, his wife made a promise to herself that she will live a healthy life and will not abandon her family in anyway."

Social Being

New entry, April 5, 2011:

I read about a person who felt alienated because of his dissability ~ turned to the internet and now is connected to thousands of people like him :))

Entry posted on Jan 5, 2010:

I am a social being. Unlike Robinson Crusoe, I like to be in the company of other people. Not that I depend on people but it's nice to have someone to chat with or talk to. However, often I have to be on my guard and be careful with whom I talk to, lest they misconstrued my meaning. Each of us have our own perspective on life or how we look at problems. I think it is sometimes better to just listen without being judgmental or trying to analyse every word that is being said...

Why Authentic living?

It all started when I came across a quote by Socrates, "an unexamined life is not worth living" some time ago. Since then I have been going on a soulful journey, reaching within myself to know who am I(?) and to search for the meaning of life, love and truth... Have I found it yet?