Weekend Getaway - No I didn't see Mas Selamat Kestari

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I went away for the weekend at Bintan - an area the anti-terrorism police is concentrating their search on. I have totally enjoyed the weekend trip near the sea. Prices at Bintan were however higher than I expected. The massages cost the same, if not more expensive than in Singapore. Food prices also equate hotel standard in Singapore, but the Indonesian cuisine was really good!

Initially we were afraid that going to an island just 45 mins away from SG would imply bumping into many Singaporeans. Karen also mentioned that she bumped into her secretary when she went there three years ago. This was however not true - somehow the resort we have chosen had 50% Japanese, 1/6 Singaporeans, 1/6 Koreans, and 1/6 Caucasians. Any place where I can see the horizon - I'll love it. While I believe it is not as beautiful as Bali, the fact that I did not have to take a plane - just a ferry - made the trip very worth it.

Irwin & I enjoyed the time spent at the beach and pool, climbing the rocks and bodysurfing. The peace and tranquaility also offered a good place for our chantings. In fact we went for a full-blown x108 chants per mantra -- haha did we feel powerful.... Somehow pursuing a deeper interest in Buddism in a partnership made the experience more fun and interesting. Without the partnership, it would have been more difficult to embark on... do I feel fortunate ;)

Reading by the sea and pool for the past three days, I finshed the chapter on Potala Mountain... "Only once in a very long while do you obtain this support for freedom and opportunity. Now that you can meet with spiritual friends and practice the sacred Buddhadharma, and supportive circumstances have come together, spend the rest of your life in just this way."

March has been a celebratory month. Irwin and myself had a Tibetan ceremony yesterday, and Auntie Helen celeberated her 60th's birthday with a splash at Regent. Hopefully there will be more to come.

I typically hate to discuss politics, but I think I had enough of hearing about China's governance. China has admitted for the first time that its police have opened fire on Tibetan protestors, but it insisted yesterday that the gunfire was in self-defence.

Fancy finding a rat head packaged in your prawn crackers? You don't have to look that far. China's reputation as an exporter has again taken another beating. Recalls of toothpaste, frozen dumplings, toys tainted with lead, and a pet food ingredient contaminated with toxic chemical have not taught its industry a hard enough lesson..again, history repeats. Here's another recent case, read it yourself, I don't really want to write about it.

Next time you take cash out of your wallet, it might be wiser to check its origin ;)

Extract of Yama Dharmaraja's message (Delog Dawa Drolma)

To all worldly folks:
Having been born in a higher realm, turn your minds to the dharma.
Keep prayer wheels and malas in your hands without cease.
Pursue the recitation of the mani and siddhi mantras as the essence of your speech.
Those of you who have noble motivation and great compassion will not meet me but will go to the pure Realm of Supreme Bliss.

Weird Al Yankovic - White & Nerdy

This week has been very busy at work. What striked my attention and heart was the World news on Olympics clean-up Chinese style: Inside Beijings shocking death camp for cats. Read it and you will know what I mean.

Please sign the petition to stop the slaughter of cats and dogs in China - your signature is important in the fight against this shockingly cruel campaign.

"Animals cannot speak, but can you and I not speak for them and represent them?

Let us all feel their cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the world." -

- Rukmini Devi Arundale.

a busy but peaceful week

Bobby Heng. I didn't see him for about a week since I was shuttling between the casket and my own home.

Returning back after one week, Bobby suddenly has become more solemn. We were guessing if he was sick; due to old age; or he is sad about some affairs; or maybe one of his friends got killed or died (apparently while being taken for walks, he has been approached by other maids who want to buy him so that their owners can eat him!). Luckily after a week or so, he is back to his old child-like self, jumps around quite a bit, and always asking for a massage even though he is now 10 years old.

At work it was just plain busy. Not only does my team need to do parallel run tests for a new system, the current system started showing signs of hiccups. As a result, I had to work late this week.

Nothing much has happened to me. I did however read an article of great interest from Forbes. 48 Heroes of Philanthropy. The list was put together for the first time by Forbes. Here's an extract "Great fortunes are being made in Asia, and those fortunes are increasingly earmarked for philanthropy. Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing has pledged to leave one-third of his $32 billion fortune to charity. Anil Agarwal has committed $1 billion toward creating a new university in India. Yang Huiyan, China's richest person, and her father, Yeung Kwok Keung, donated $32 million to charities last year, making them the country's biggest givers."

I also went to Kinokuniya, Takashimaya with my colleague. She bought a few fiction books. When she asked me what I am reading now, I said "hmm I dont think it will be books that you will read"... Straightaway she said "Religious stuff"... Indeed! A bit of a boring me, but Lama Shifu passed me this book when Evan and I chauffeured him back from the wake. Here's a little extract of interest (hold tight and don't get scared!):

The hell realm is a projection of hatred and anger and the nonvirtue of killing;

the preta realm, a projection of avarice and craving;

the animal realm, a projection of stupidity;

that of the demigods, a projection of virtue tainted with jealousy;

that of the gods, a projection of virtue tainted with pride;

the human realm, a projection of a mixture of all five poisons combined with at least enough virtue to prevent rebirth in lower realms.

Just remember that no matter how difficult your life is as a human being, there is no comparison between the difficulties here and the miseries in the lower existences - Delog Dawa Drolma