Heartbreaking sight of death n suffering

Viewing live streams of widespread destruction in Myanmars central region is disquieting to say the least.Collapsed.buildings n piles of rubles,street crack and bridges damaged.i can imagine the immense pain and suffering of those who were injured and escaped with only the clothes on their backs. The video brought tears to my eyes as i remembered my past trip to Myanmar,the gentleness of their people,their kindness to give me cannonball flowers to offer to the temple without taking a cent of my donation,their generosity to pay it forward by giving free food to all Vipassana retreat learners and my wonderful tour guide who purposely detoured when i expressed a wish to donate to orphanage in Yangon. It was heartbreaking to see the devastation and people without shelter or skills to rescue trapped victims But my tears cannot help save lives or rebuild their homes.After surfing the net,i found out that Tzu Chi already has a Myanmar fund to aid farmers rebuild their farms after the cyclone so i donated a small amount to the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia who are collecting funds for one month to send aid to help the victims of the earthquake.My budget to buy Han Kangs novel The Vegetarian and paper money and paper gold ingots to burn for the dead at Ching Ming festival will be better used for helping those suffering a living hell in Myanmar.Rather than aiding those in the afterlife,my donation is better used to aid those in the present life to survive. im gonna go to temple to offer the merit ive accumulated to honour the departed loved ones.As in the Ullambana Buddhist practice,a transfer of merits will help the departed souls leave the horrors of hell and get a rebirth to heavenly realm where they will be free from pain and suffering. I pray that Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia delivers aid that actually reach the victims and not funds diverted by corrupt people to buy more weapons to kill these victims,surely a double tragedy and the aid be fairly distributed to all regardless of Muslims,Buddhists or Christians as Tzu Chi was compassionate in helping Aceh rebuild homes and schools after the disaster of the big tsunami Helping to save lives earns more merit than building huge Buddha statues or seven storey pagodas. Time is critical to save the victims trapped under the rubble.so my imagination ran wild again.If the airport is damaged,and it takes the teams 14 to 18 hours to travel by land blocked by landslides,would using microlight aircrafts to carry 2 people at a time be feasible as it can land in very little space.helicopters could be used to carry heavy equipment or a few drones lifting equipment in meshed netting transport medical supplies.Alternatively medical machines like MRI or X ray machines.be designed with flight ability to launch itself into the air and travel to the sites of disasters.If the victims are trapped under rubble,then mini rescue robots to deliver water n liquid food be used to reach them.these robots can change shapes and become flexible tubes that can deliver liquid nutrition or oxygen to small spaces.their bodies have luminiscence paint to glow in the dark and carry transmitters for cellphone communication.Maybe these diffetent mini robots can join together like transformers once inside and can be operated remotely like a robotic arm to stitch wounds and treat the victims. sounds like science fiction huh but crazy.that we can send machines to space so its possible to design machines.to save lives.

F@#$ F@#$ that fat cat

Yesterday i cleaned the house from the kitchen to the toilets and early this morning the fat cat pissed on the cardboard box i used to store dry grocery like black fungus n lily bulb.i had to throw away the box and mopped the area and disinfected it. Then went to wet market to shop for fresh papaya n mangos.The kitty was cunning and begged Jun to let him run into my bedroom.The tricky cat laid and cat loafed quietly on my bed and rolled around on my quilt.Jun thought he wanted to cat nap so left him alone on my bed.10 minutes later Jun heard a loud bang and disaster struck The naughty cat jumped on my marble table whete i had a black clay vase and 2 purple crochet tulip flowers.Yesterday while bathing i left a gap at the toilet door and saw him on the table trying to scratch and pull out the flowers to play.I buy so many cat toys for him n he MUST play with this floral decorations.i smacked n scolded him so he ran away.today he tricked Jun by pretending to nap,then when he went out,he quickly jumped on the table to play with the flowers.the vase fell and broke into a hundred pieces of shards.I had to clean up the mess in my bedroom.im fuming mad,pissed off.cat is barred from my bedroom.Bloody playful as curiosity kills the cat.There are many ways to skin a cat.time to buy a rotan or i use the studded massage glove to smack him.but this cat has 9 lives.really he pisses me off.

Ceasefire in Myanmar

There has to a ceasefire on both sides,the junta and antijunta forces before aid can reach the victims im impressed that Asean has a disaster coordination telief committee to tackle rescue and reconstruction work as i read of the ordinary people trying to dig with bare hands to save lives of those trapped. Asean members are living in a region vulnerable to climate change n natural disasters from volcano eruptions in indonesia and philippines,wildfires,massive flooding,typhoons and cyclones,transboundary haze and etc.So Asean can help their neighbours instead of beggar thy neighbour. pray medical relief and rescue teams work together to save lives tegardless of political and religious differences.Temples and mosques have collapsed and infrastructure like roads and bridges have to be rebuilt.When Aceh was devastated by the tsunami,the international community came together to aid so stay strong people of Myanmar.stay alive ,stay strong,stay hopeful

New lunatic painting

today i use acryllic to paint a landscape.i still have photos of the night on the cold hill in Nepal.Jun n I laid down on the grass lawn looking up at the night sky,brilliant with a blood moon,shadowy mountain peaks and the tree trunks ghostly white bathed in the pale moonlight.Its one of those moments of magical wonder when we marvel at the

magnificence of nature and feel we are so insignificant compared to the vastness above us.

Sat zumba

sweat like hell so fun

Micro drama

The short video platform like Tik Tok led to the rise of Chinas micro drama.These C dramas are addictive like K drama Jewel in the Palace of Korea.The cultural capital gave soft power and big business to the arts industry from the Korean make up,face masks,music and fashion and food.I began exploring korean food like pajeon,kyuchon chicken and mandul after viewing mouth watering korean food.Now korean convenience stores like CU and K mart and restaurants are mushrooming due to the soft power of the popular media. Microdrama is convenient as they can be viewed on mobile phones while commuting on the subway or waiting in a queue at the hospital.But the plot is predictable as its too short to develop complex subplots.Followers are coming from diverse nations like Thailand,Indonesia and Vietnam so the subtitles help in cross cultural communication.As for dramas that showcase unique food n accessories im now exploring new recipes like crab roe rice or hairpins worn with the Hanfu.But its ridiculous to wear Hanfu in hot tropical climate so the sam foo or qipao is more practical.but i bought an ethnic butterfly n flower hairpin as worn by ancient ladies.i wish they sell more jade or pearl hairpin designs in Malaysia as their variety is limited. With J pop the cosplay culture has spread to Malaysia and thete are long queues at Shin zushi or izakaya n yakiniku Japanese testaurants. so movies,novels,music and dances are cultural capital that gives soft power.

Interesting times

im slowly reading Noam Chomskys book The Precipice .very useful to see the sign of the times and the emergence of political authoritarianism reshaping global affairs,what Chomsky call the friendly fascists,Trumpocracy and the Me first doctrine.its hard to digest the expository text if the reader doesnt keep in touch with current affairs.But it sees a big cut in funding not only for the arts and humanities but also scientific research except for if its military related research The budget cuts not only medical research but also research on climate change.The science deniers are gleeful to demolish the hetesies of the modern world.The House science commitee is now a tool to advance political agenda rather than a forum to examine important issues facing the US research community.Their brilliant solution is to use legislation to declare scientific results as illegal if it contradicts the political narrative of the House.

Time flies

One of my most memorable trip was to take Jun to Nepal to visit the birthplace of Buddha in Lumbini.The sense of peace of mind that came by visiting one of the holy sites of Buddhism was immense.I touched the sai tree where he was born and saw the imprint of his footstep in the mayadevi temple and the Asoka pillar with inscriptions. How time flies and soon i will plan to do a pilgrimage of the next 3 holy sites of Bodhgaya,Kushinagar,Sarnath and visit the Mahabodhi temple.its a trip i will make before my aging body slows down making travel exhausting and my legs are weaker.

Are the Buddhas relics real as if it has been scientifically verified by DNA testing.But historically records say Asoka broke 7 stupas containing his teeth,hair and bone fragments and distributed them to Buddhist monastery in the region.I visited the Temple of the tooth relic in Kandy Sri Lanka and realised most of the relics were kept enshrined in Sri Lanka.

Less is More

The less you possess,the more simple life is. Its a non stop work when i need to maintain an aging car.Yesterday in the sweltering heat the car air con broke down at noon.It was stifling hot when the car becomes a heat trap and im sweating like im in a sauna.A trip to the mechanic detected a broken air con pump which needed to be changed and a few hundred ringgit spent blew a big hole in my budget.When i have a fish tank,i need to spend time cleaning it when water is cloudy .Then my flowering plants need to be watered,repotted ,fertiliser added and sprayed with pesticide. When the cat had urinary infection,a stay in the vet clinic and treatment blew a hole.in my budget.Kittys personality is like Juns an angry,aggressive male who is greedy for food and refuses healthy food ,the cat dislikes drinking water and thus urinary crystals in bladder and jun refuses to eat fruit n vegetable and so catches cold n sore throat.I had to run around looking for special medicated cat food for the cat and getting medication for Jun.made lots of lemon honey for him to drink and special liquified chicken essence for the cat to increase water intake. The more i have in my life,the more worries I have.But there is the joy of having a son and a cat and the fish and plants.so there are trade offs when you have more in your life from a car,son,cat,fish and plants that need regular maintenance.now kitty is so playful that he ruined the mechanical mouse and snake i bought for him.He really is a mischevous cat.

Art the inner freedom to create

Art sees the artist using.his imagination to create his view of the world.So is there a right or wrong way to draw and paint.No I feel Art is a personal expression of the artist and the interpretation is open ended depending on the viewers perception.i like the unique paintings of this Myanmar artist and his concept of life.The tools he used are everyday objects but the imagery is powerful from fiery hell to the cycle of life.I particularly am drawn to the skeletal medi

tative figure encircled.by waves of consciousness.very bold n stark painting.

Food craving

I seldom eat red meat like beef,lamb and pork for health reasons .But sometimes i have cheat days when my food craving overwhelms me i like the pork noodles sold in kopi tiam,minced pork,noodles,roasted sausage n pork meat balls.the table near me ordered Hakka char yoke or braised belly pork with black fungus and fermented red bean curd with wanton noodles.it looked super delicious. for breakfast i ate western baked salted cheese cake,local avocado blended into a shake with almond milk and yoghurt with blueberries. Dinner i cooked up a storm .i bought lotus to boil chicken soup,honey dates,dried oysters and dried squid,chicken feet and astragalus root .then i bought organic belly pork .marinate with 5 spice powder,red bean curd,garlic,rice wine,sesame oil,honey n flour.deep fry the pork slices and braise for 1 hour with black fungus.This dish is very traditional and pork dish cost at least rm30 if i order at dai chow.Cooking at home cuts price by half.

The mind

Buddhism teaches psychology through the discourses on Abhidhamma In the Citta Vagga,verses extoll the virtue to control the mind Dunniggahassa lahuno Yattha jama napatino Cittassa danatho sadhu Cittam dantam sukhavaham The mind is difficult to control Swiftly and lightly,it.moves and lands wherever it pleases. It is good to tame the mind,for a well tamed mind brings happiness. in the Dhammapada,the tale is told of the lady mind reader who built shelter and gave nutritious food to the bhikkus who stayed in her village for the rainy retreat A ce

rtain bhikku became fearful that if he had impure thoughts in her presence,she might read his thoughts and think ill of him The Buddha advised him to control his mind and not think of anything but the object of his meditation.Within a short time,he purified his mind and attained Arahanthood.

All the wrong reasons

A poem fot the carefree,footloose and bohemians. I guess we made the headlines For all the wrong reasons Like drinking and dancing in the moonlight as the ocean waves crash onto the shore Fleeing from the city lights We crashed into the tree as the car swerved to avoid hitting a startled dog The car turned turtle We hung from seat belts like test dummies till passing motorists rescued us I guess we fall in love for all the wrong reasons Your voice low and husky whispering of endless dreams and magical trips. No grand schemes or lofty aims just happy to run barefooted in a field of lavender just to live a moment at a time

It's only words

Educators it's a calling not a cushy source of income with long holidays

Its heartbreaking as a retired teacher to read of teachers who abuse students physically or verbally.The job is a calling to shape young minds to become independent thinkers and confident adults.So teachers try their best but not every child is a high achiever so as long as they have made slow progress and we have tried our best,the rest is up to the student.To read of a BM or Malay language teacher humiliate a student by saying he is unteachable and go back to China and even calling him stupid and punishing him to sit next to a dustbin like he is a piece of trash shows how unprofessional the teacher is To add salt to injury she even mocked his parents by condemning their inability to communicate in Malay.This lack of respect for students and parents show only the lack of moral ethics of a teacher.When teachers are supposed to teach the 3 Rs,this teacher teaches negativity and Racism,Radicalism and Rubbish.No wonder many urban parents send their children to international schools,private schools or home school children as public education has gone down the drain..Students learn to discriminate and bully others as teachers lead the way. im blessed to be educated by wonderful teachers like Sister Enda Ryan and Mrs George who instill good values like integrity and tolerance and respect.Ex students like Dr Jemilah of Mercy Malaysia and ex Bank Negara governor Dr Zeti Aziz are testament of strong education foundation.So to prevent further social stratification of elite and non elite the bangsawan from the orang biasa,public education needs a serious revamp of its mission to unite all of different religions,economic class and diverse languages.

Saturday zumba

My new artwork

Stan Lee has kept his passion for visual arts alive.He has ignited my artistic flare n a dawn painting of white lotus at peace park was done.

Low quality fresh food

On a tight budget,i buy discounted fish nearing expiry date.it was a huge mistake because the sting ray meat smelt awful n starting to rot.i dumped.it into the trash as it would cause food poisoning to us or the cat who is a picky eater i bought a whole old chicken at NSK mart for rm 9.i cooked ayam pong teh with it.Jun declared it as horrible n gross dinner as the old cockerel was tough.the meat was tough not tender after braising.tbe skin was chewy like rubber and had small feathers stuck to it.real gross to buy low quality chicken as its inedible. being frugal i shredded the meat to cook braised noodles with meat.balls as the sauce was delicious.old hens can only be used to boil lotus soup with red dates. i felt guilty buying inferior meat.to feed my family.to compensate i cooked Juns favourite dishes like deep fried chicken coated with salted egg yolk sauce,bird eyes chilli n coriander leaves.i also cooked his favourite green loofah squash in egg sauce with black fungus n shrimps.the last is braised pumpkin with meat balls,fuzhou fish balls and liver sausages.hope it will compensate for a terrible meal. for tea time i went to Ah Cheng laksa to eat ice kacang or ABC and fried keropok lekur.i dont fancy Korean shaved ice bingsu or japanese snowy ice.Ais kacang is best as it has rose syrup,evaporated milk,palm sugar.buried under is treasure like peanuts, red beans,black jelly,sweet corn,green cendol and even some cases sugar palm attap seeds.dig in to enjoy