Calligraphy hui chun

 The character fu or happiness is written as a rabbit brush stroke as taught by a calligraphy artist

Pigeon orchids

 

Duel of dragon n tiger

 The duel of  little dragon or xiao loong with tiger mom.the kung fu claws are amazing!

Spring couplets

 There was a session on calligraphy writing of spring couplets or hui chun at the cafe.my boys tried writing their names in chinese using calligraphy brush and ink.they found it interesting.

Yen yat or everymans birthday

 We love to eat raw fish salad or yee sang on 7th day of new year.i remember grandma used to buy a live  freshwater grass carp to make yee sang.i used smoked salmon,jellyfish,snow pear,carrot,radish,cucumber,pomelo and condiments.cooked a rice noodle seafood soup and a wanton noodle made with shrimp roe thats imported from hong kong,har zhi mien.i like traditional cantonese food for festivals.

Red of passion and white of purity

 The blood red hibiscus symbolizes passion while the creamy white fragrant gardenia symbolizes purity.ive a red hisbiscus plant that has a lot of leaves and no flowers and the gardenia too is full of leaves but no flowers.but the unattended flowering plants in the urban park is blooming with flowers.it must be they are planted on the ground and not in pots.real fussypot hibiscus and gardenia.

Zumba got me back on my feet

 The beat of zumba invigorates n get my feet tapping and heartbeat soaring.dance is life,music is love of life.

Modest attire,pop music,dancing,drinking as criteria for morality

 There is overemphasis on clothing,music,dancing and drinking as signs of decay and immorality in a society and less notice given to ostentatious display of ill gotten money through corruption,spreading of hate speech and bigotry and marginalization of minority by the so called pious goody two shoes.

Only The almighty is the final judge of good and evil deeds in a person,not the judgement of the human appointed messengers of his teaching.

 So look at the root cause of religious hypocrisy?

If they point fingers at others for causing them to sin,what is the power of religion to instill self control and discipline and mastery of the self?

 Religious education is outdated and should consider stance of modern complex issues like surrogate parenthood,abortion,organ  transplant,euthanasia,internet addictions,substance abuse,mental illness or social recluses who withdraw from society,self harm and suicide.

A former prime minster sloganeering of civilizational islam and the present pm sloganeering of civil  islam or  msia madani remains no action,talk only.is the so called reformer willing to challenge the status quo of endemic corruption,nepotism and cronyism entrenched in institutions or is it just political rhetoric to garner support of the grassroot.lets see if action speaks louder than words or the silence speaks volumes?

Global food security

  Encouraging sign of growing awareness of global food security is African financial systems banking on helping African farmers with billions in aid to achieve food security in Africa and the world.instead of political shenanigans that destabilise the economy,there is now concerted effort to make agriculture one of its driving force.so instead of food aid to quell hunger in Africa,we can have African food aid to feed the world.i certainly support the move.

Instead of sending drones,artillery and armour tanks to spread death and destruction,Africa can lead global South in constructive effort to stem food insecurity.its time for Africa.instead of Africa being an economic basketcase ,plagued by high crime rate and chronic unemployment n unable to service its debts,thats a sign of hope in it becoming the food basket to the world.

For 2023.im praying for the economic stability to prevail in my nation,for the wonderful people in Sri Lanka to see economy recover and lives improved and for the people in Myanmar to enjoy the peace to grow their economy and get back on their feet.namo buddhaya.

Nature

 I saw wax apples on this tree.sweet rose apples are nice in fruit rojak.the sky is blue n birds are singing on a sunny day.

Happy Prosperous Rabbit year

 Im broke from giving out lucky money or lai see for new year.this custom is a costly one especially for married adults but rich for singles n kids.im frugal but buying new year gifts,seafood delicacy and imported waxed meat n mandarins has blown my budget especially with high cost of food.

 I decided not to join zumba gang for ten course lunch as it was costly.i try to cook n eat all meals at home,bake cakes n bread and now shop at Giant n Lotus as their things are affordable compared to wet markets.luckily EPF release pension early coz i need to buy my regular medicine which is imported.i try to buy locally made medicine as its cheaper but some have no substitute n buying online is risky due to fake drugs.ive cut off vitamins completely and buy fresh fruit which is very costly nowadays.

I buy washing detergent,cooking oil n shampoo in plastic packages to reduce throwaway waste.for kitchen utensils i get from daiso or the second hand goods like cash converter.i may have to get a electric oven second hand soon as my toaster oven i use to bake cake n bread is getting cranky.for clothes i buy vintage from thrift shop especially outdated fashion from Japan or Korea as European clothes are oversize.ive quit massage since i bought the electric roller machine with infra red heat.i may give up painting as acryllic paint costs a bomb and no space to hang the canvas.but i wont give up my books for they are my only hobby left.

Green fingers

 Ive been gardening during the new year break.im weeding and repotting perennials.my neighbour says she enjoys looking at my

Q

flowering plants.i give them extra loving care.

Diet n exercise

 Need to exercise to keep weight down after o overeating

Stay strong Puteri Reformasi

 My sympathy goes to Nurul Izzah at her heartbreaking loss of her unborn child.As a mother ive known pain of miscarriage and joys of parenthood myself,both the trials and tribulation pave the way ahead to making us aware of the value of a stable home as seen jn her seeking solace in her parents .so too her children will take comfort in her role modeling of a resilient woman,softspoken like her mom but with the iron will of detetmination of her dad.She has weathered many storms in life imcluding lobbying overseas to fight for freedom and justice for her imprisoned dad.this tough spirit of hers will see her get back on her feet soon.stay healthy and safe as there will always be ups and down.theres no smooth sailing in life.with family,health and friends,she will come back stronger and tougher.Elizabeth Wong once said she watched her bloom from a young girl to a strong woman.yes you are strong,and you are supported.my heartfelt wishes to a steel magnolia.

Galette

 Tonight after dinner,i baked 6 galettes .i baked savoury galettes with button mushroom,caramelised onion,thyme..the bottom i sprinkled parmesan

n cheddar cheese shreds n the top i aprinkled mozarella cheese.i used ready made puff pastry.they looked like indian flatbread or roti prata with mushroom n cheese topping.the base is flaky n crisp,the mushroom melts in the mouth with goey cheese.i love it.galette is a flat cake popular in France

Next time i baked apple galettes.

tranquility of Zen

 The rtk kit test shows im negative for covid but im gonna buy another brand to retest.

Today i did simple gardening of applying fertiliser n watering plants in the zen garden that exudes serenity with a patio mini pot

pond of guppies.the stone lanterns add a zen feel as the bamboo plant and the wild native purplish  bamboo orchids are like the purple iris in japanese garden.the small pink flowers are the native senduduk or straits rhododendron whose leaves n roots have medicinal value .the acquatic plant with broad leaves and white flowers is the arrowhead or duck potato with a water cabbage below it.

i like the wabi sabi concept .the peeling paint,stained weatherbeaten wall n chipped patio assures me that nothing is permanent,nothing is complete and nothing is perfect.

Just wish i had a bigger space and id love to add in a zen rock garden with white gravel and huge granite boulders and some timeless gnarled and twisted bonsai pine trees.

Maybe a bridge over a koi pond would be nice.but this little patch of green is like a model of the earth,the soil,water n plants.even a resident frog which jumped out of the guppy pond,an orange butterfly hovering over flowers

And a grasshopper tells me a gatden has a life of its own.

Maybe ill create an indoor garden of stillness

For meditative tranquility with a small fountain,bonzai plants and a fishtank n a japanese alcove with calligraphy of the heart sutra and a low table with chinese tea set.uhmm thats a zone of harmony and peace.

Stop anti Asian hate

 The rise of anti Asian hate in the US has fueled discrimination and Asians being harrassed and bullied.this indirectly contributed to the outbreak of violence by those victims of discrimination who will hit out with weapons which are easily accessible to anyone even those who are mentally disturbed and emotionally distressed.

The Western media has demonized China and all that hype stirs up ethnic tension for Asian Americans living amidst the hysterical frenzy of hate speech,mistrust and sense of threat posed by Asians of Sino descent.

The Western media outrageous claim that China weaponises the microchip in appliances from light bulb,fridge,microwave and cars to spy on the ordinary citizens is downright irresponsible if not laughable for its irrationality on the"national security risks" posed by electronic gadgets.

If black lives matter,so does Asian lives matter.stop adding fuel to fire or the violence will burn itself out.

Fast food

 After eating Chinese food day nnite,i craved western fast food.i bought some raspberry n cranberry milk bread n toasted them .fried chicken burger,a fried egg,a slice of cheddar cheese,lettuce n sliced button mushroom with mayonnaise n ketchup.thats my lunch with kiwi fruit n mini mandarin oranges and a steaming hot  cup of chai masala with ginger.such a good meal.

Climate change

 Since small,lunar new year is very hot and dry.with climate change it has been raining non stop day and nite.i got a chill running in the rain to my car without an umbrella.fully drenched to the bone and now ive caught the flu with chills,achy joints n sneezing.self medicate n bed rest.what a wet blanket to have a cold and no energy to visit relatives.just pray fast recovery n good health 

First day lunar year

 My sister in Singaore is retaining family culinary tradition by cooking radish cake or lo bak go for breakfast and buddhas delight on first day of new year.its my favourite dish and i like claypot waxed meat rice with arrowroot.memory of food plays a role in preserving culture.

How does the garden grow?

 Its been 2 years since ive started the balcony garden.some plants have been with

me for 8 to 9 years and followed whereever i shifted homes.

With loving care and patience,the garden has flourished.the new lobster i got from my fisherman pal is a huge male with blue claws and a smaller female.i learnt to feed them fish food and put stones for them to climb onto.

My next gardening project is a touch of zen garden with principles of wahi sabi.i appreciate the beauty that is imperfect,impermanent and incomplete.it is a reminder of the transience of life,a buddhist acceptance of the here and now for its what all have.after the batang kali landslide that buried both young and old,i realise life can be cut short in a flash.live in the present.