Money, money, money.

Today I read of an accident in which RM75,000 worth of coins from a steel container in a car spilled onto the North-South Highway. According to the papers, this happened on Tuesday, the 18th of January.

The highway has always been one of the most dangerous place for any person outside his vehicle unless proper signs and barricades have been put up to slow down vehicles speeding along this busy road.

Yet, when the people traveling along this busy highway saw the coins roll across the highway in all directions, every caution was thrown to the wind as they stopped their own vehicles, got down from them and rushed around to collect as many as they could all those coins. That, despite the owner of the coins telling them to stop collecting his coins.

Any of those people could have been killed by one of the many vehicles traveling along that same route. No, they cared not for their own safety or their lives. After all, what is the use of a life without the opportunity to gather some of the thousands of coins being strewn on the road.

Yet, none of them were killed. It goes to show how actually careful and attentive our drivers truly are. Or was it the numerous coins that got them all to stop so that they could also take part in the collection of free coins on the highway?

And when it came to money, all those coin collectors were fast to gather up as many coins as they could into whatever containers they could use. They used almost anything to hold those coins. And, the excitement could have lasted a long time, had they not been interrupted by the arrival of the police.

And here is one good reason for wearing a helmet. The motorist found good use for them as they certainly were big enough to hold a few hundred coins. They must have thanked their lucky stars to have such a useful container for the collection of hundreds of coins each.

It is in such circumstances that we see how reckless people are. It is at such times that we understand the lure of money.

As for me, the opportunity is unavailable and therefore I turn my thoughts to the possible reasons for transporting so many coins in a vehicle. According to the owner, it was to be distributed to stores in Malacca. Nevertheless, in our modern times when the nearest bank which can supply the coins is just a few kilometres away from most places in town, where is the need to transport coins from one state to another? I find this most strange. But then, as someone once wrote, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Never argue with a thinking woman.

Here's something nice to read. It is entertaining and the English is good.

Never Argue with a Woman

One morning the husband returns after several hours of fishing and
decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife
decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short distance,
anchors, and reads her book.


Along comes a Game Warden in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman
and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'
'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?')



'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her.



'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading'



'Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start
at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.'



'For reading a book,' she replies,

'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her again,
'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading'


'Yes, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start
at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.'



'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the woman.


'But I haven't even touched you,' says the game warden.

'That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could
start at any moment.'



'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left.




MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

Is there Karma?

"What is the purpose of doing good deeds if we end up like everyone else as ashes and dust?"

For me, that question was settled for me by my own uncle who was the medium for the elephant diety, Ganeshan. I have known this uncle for some years and I know it for a fact that he only helped people to overcome their problems and sicknesses and had never asked anything for himself. As I have written in an earlier posting, he even sacrificed his own marriage to be a medium to help others. When he died, it was in abject poverty as when the mouth does not open to request for donations, only the barest amount will be contribute by the grateful. I know this to be a fact as in my own way I have helped others with their pain.

Yes, it was such an uncle who told me why he had to sacrifice everything he had to assist Ganeshan cure those sick people. It was karma! It was karma that brought Ganeshan back to him. And that was what he told me. If I cannot believe such a loving 'saint' who gave his life so that others may be helped, then who can I believe?

The other day, I was with a Sai Baba devotee when she told me a story. It's an interesting story; so I wish to share this with you. She told me a priest once asked a Sai Baba devotee how he knew there was such a thing as karma.

The man asked the priest," You believe in God, brother?"
And the priest replied, "Yes, of course."
"Do you agreed that God is all loving and He created all of us?"
"Yes, I agree."
"Then, please follow me to a place and I shall show you proof of karma."

So saying, the man took the priest to an orphanage.
"Brother, do you see the people here? Some are blind. There are those who are crippled. Some are fine but they have lost their parents at an early age. Why did our beloved God make them thus? Were they not supposed to be innocent when they were born?"

The priest looked and the children and thought about the situation. He could only drive out the troubled thoughts in his mind with the words,"God works in mysterious ways. The man comes into this world with a purpose only God knows."

"Brother, if all the blind and crippled were to eventually have their roles to play and through their imperfections motivate others, then we can say they have a role to play. But you and I know that there will be some among them who goes through life suffering from their imperfection. Why does it have to be this way?"

There was no answer. The only possible answer, the Sai Baba devotee told him could be karma. That those people were paying the penalty for their wrongs. And if those people could understand this truth, they would attempt to be better people and strive to do right always.

Well, whatever it is that you believe in, everyone has to admit that karma is a great motivating force for good. And with karma, everything in this world come through as fairer and it agrees with our 'You reap what you sow.'

Never give up on life.

"For the last few months, he has been telling me he cannot walk each time I wanted to take him to the park for some simple exercise," the wife of eighty year old man complained to me. "He has also stopped eating. I have to feed him and he cannot fall asleep."

I examined him and found his hands and legs cold. He was certainly weak and the poor wife was fearful that he was weakening and something tragic might happen. There was no injury to be found. He was not obese and from the shape of his body, he must have been a sportsman once upon a time.

That he was a sportsman was true. Lately, unfortunately, he had decided he had enough of eating, reading the newspapers, watching television and sleeping. Life has lost its meaning to the poor guy. He decided to take things easy and gradually his muscle tone declined and weakness as well as stiffness overcame him.

Without much movement or exercise, his body metabolism slowed its pace and the need for food was lost. And he did not drink much either. No water and the organs of elimination found it difficult to function. Eventually, circulation of blood became poorer and the lymphatic system found it difficult to rid the body of waste and the body could swell with liquids.

A massage was what he needed to stimulate the muscles and blood circulation. I encouraged him to drink more water. Since he could also be dehydrated and had very little energy, I encouraged the wife to give him an isotonic drink although he had diabetes and the drink did contain lots of sugar. So to dilute the sugar, I advised her to give him the drink diluted with some warm water.

Two days later I found the eighty year old man walking around, able to eat and sleep. Of course, everyone was happy with his condition. However, I told his wife that he must be encourage to live life as it is meant to be. He must move and be active. Walk around and do things that he enjoys. Go places and enjoy nature and its surroundings. Live!

Actually, it is the attitude of those who have grown older; they believe they have to slow down. What happens when old people slow down? They spend less energy, become obese, weaken easier through having to carry that extra load of body fat and soon rest most of the time. Then, metabolism slows , appetite disappears and with less sweat, the need to drink diminish even though the organs still need the water to function. As a result of so much fatigue, rest becomes more important that going out to enjoy life. Gradually and inevitably, everything slows down and even when a television programme is on, the programme is watching the supposed watcher.

So, never give up on life. Look forward to fun in life as we open our eyes to each wonderful day. There is still so much to learn and enjoy. Science is changing, the world is rejuvenating and life changes and certainly we would like to see what development will come our way.

Let things be.

No two persons are a hundred percent the same. So inevitably, there will be differences in opinions. Those who cannot accept this fact should never get married for a marriage consists of two individuals who certainly have minds of their own. If differences in opinions and ideas cannot be tolerated or accepted, there will forever be arguments and such arguments are bound to harm the marriage.

If a person is matured enough to understand that the one he/she loves should be allowed to stick to his/her opinions with the understanding that the other partner is also allowed to keep whatever opposing opinions, then such respect allows love to flourish and happiness to grow.

The reality of this can be observed through either observation or own experiences. For those who have had tiffs with their loved ones, they should ask themselves, "Were all those arguments important enough to put so much stress on their marriage?" I personally have asked my own colleagues and friends this and they, after thinking about it for a short while, agreed that none of the arguments or quarrels they had hold much importance in their lives."

So let things be and a winner in such circumstances may turn out to be the loser. Those who have lost in a marriage would understand this on hindsight and in their regrets. If we understand this from the sad experiences of others we could benefit through them and avoid getting into petty issues that can escalate only because the other party just had to win the argument and lose the marriage.

Unperturbed, everything will settle. (1)

At first, I wondered whether I ought to post it on my blog but then I realised that although it does not originate from me, I wholeheartedly agree with what Buddha said. For no matter where truth comes from, it remains nothing but the truth and ought to be shared among all humans, regardless of race or religion. So let us understand and accept this truth without prejudice to its source.

Well, to appreciate the beauty of this truth, please read on.
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Beautiful Thought by Lord Buddha

Once Buddha was travelling with a few of his followers. While they were passing a lake, Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Do get me some water from the lake."

The disciple walked up to the lake. At that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy and turbid. The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink?"

So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink."

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake.

The disciple went back, and found that the water was still muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same.

After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back.

This time, the disciple found the mud had settled down, and the water was clean and clear. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said," See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own -- and you have clear water.

Your mind is like that too ! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless."

Having 'Peace of Mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process!

TREAT EVERYONE WITH POLITENESS
EVEN THOSE WHO ARE RUDE TO YOU
NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT NICE
BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE NICE.

Efforts always bring profit.

It is the time of the year with the Chinese New Year just around the corner. There is a lot of work cleaning the house, painting it and decorating the home to prepare it for the new year.

It is also the time of year when those who have no jobs, such as house-wives and pensioners, take on the opportunity of making some money by producing food suitable for the new year.

One of these food is the 'love letter' which is a thin, crispy, wafer-like food made from flour, coconut milk and eggs formed by rounded moulds over a charcoal fire. It is sweet and delicious due to the coconut milk and eggs in it.

Those locally made by house-wives are usually folded in the traditional love letter fashion unlike factory produced ones which are thicker, just as crispy but rolled into a thick cheroot-like shape.

My interest in the matter is not so much the food but the industry of the people. Some people earn good money from occasions such as this. The profit is good and because the work is back-stiffening due long hours seated at the hot charcoal fire there is very little competition.

In fact, through my years of observation of some people who seem to do fairly well despite not holding a permanent job, I have come to the conclusion that as long as a person is willing to work hard, he can never die from starvation.

There was this guy who depend upon the durian fruit seasons, the moon-cake festival, the Chinese New Year and other minor festivals to earn money sufficient to live comfortably for a few months from the profits from each of the occasions mentioned.

Well, it certainly proves that people who are willing to put in effort can never be without a meal, even when educational qualifications and literacy had not been their strong point.

Almost impossible to be clean. And that is why he is sick.

"He's sick again. He's had fever since yesterday and he does not like to take medicine. He's so difficult when he is down with fever! And, obviously, we are all very worried about his health."

Who, among us, has no fear of sickness? Who is most unconcerned about bacteria and knows nothing about them and the threat that they post? A child, of course! And so it is that unless the child has sufficient natural immunity, which he seldom possesses, he is bound to fall sick so many times unless he has parents who consistently look into his cleanliness.

In his curiosity, the child explores the appearance, the textures, the sounds, the smell and the taste of everything in his environment. And all those actions are good for in such a manner he learns and knows everything he comes into contact with. It is knowledge that he acquires.

However, whenever he puts something into his mouth, along goes the bacteria which moves in fast to multiply and increase in number to invade his body. To the body's defence comes the white blood cells and this 'war' activity against the invaders causes the body to heat up bringing fear to the parents.

Actually, we should not get the child immediately to a doctor unless the temperate is very high. If the child's immune system is strong enough, it can destroy the invaders and learn from experience how to tackle such invaders in future. However, should the temperature goes too high and a doctor is unavailable,we can bring the temperature down by swabbing the body, especially the head, around the ears, the face and the forehead with a wet towel.

Not allowing fever to go too high is important as fever has often affect the brains of children. It is so important that I do not sleep but control the temperature throughout the night, should a child of mine comes down with high fever. Twice had I found that fever went away after a night of swabbing.

In fact, parents should be more careful and ensure that toys or things that the child comes into contact with are clean. And if it is something that cannot be cleaned, never allow it to enter the mouth. Of course, if the child touches such an object, make sure that the hands are washed at the earliest possible moment.

I never said having to be so cautious is easy because it is indeed a lot of work. Fortunately, love makes light such precautions that we have to take for the safety of our child.

Wisdom can be found in fools.

This story which I have found for you to read comes to me through an email, its source unknown to me. Nevertheless, there is much to be learned from this and thus, impatiently, I share it with you. There is so much wisdom in one so young who would not mind being made a fool of as he knows that those 'wise' ones are the real fools.
So, read on, my friends.
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There once lived a great mathematician in a village outside Ujjain. He was often called by the local king to advice on matters related to the economy.
His reputation had spread as far as Taxila in the North and Kanchi in the South. So it hurt him very much when the village headman told him, "You may be a great mathematician who advises the king on economic matters but your son does not know the value of gold or silver."

The mathematician called his son and asked, "What is more valuable - gold or silver?" "Gold," said the son. "That is correct. Why is it then that the village headman makes fun of you, claims you do not know the value of gold or silver? He teases me every day. He mocks me before other village elders as a father who neglects his son. This hurts me. I feel everyone in the village is laughing behind my back because you do not know what is more valuable, gold or silver. Explain this to me, son."

So the son of the mathematician told his father the reason why the village headman carried this impression. "Every day on my way to school, the village headman calls me to his house. There, in front of all village elders, he holds out a silver coin in one hand and a gold coin in other. He asks me to pick up the more valuable coin. I pick the silver coin. He laughs, the elders jeer, everyone makes fun of me. And then I go to school. This happens every day. That is why they tell you I do not know the value of gold or silver."

The father was confused. His son knew the value of gold and silver, and yet when asked to choose between a gold coin and silver coin always picked the silver coin. "Why don't you pick up the gold coin?" he asked. In response, the son took the father to his room and showed him a box. In the box were at least a hundred silver coins. Turning to his father, the mathematician's son said, "The day I pick up the gold coin the game will stop. They will stop having fun and I will stop making money."

Sometimes in life, we have to play the fool because our seniors and our peers, and sometimes even our juniors like it. That does not mean we lose in the game of life. It just means allowing others to win in one arena of the game, while we win in the other arena of the game. We have to choose which arena matters to us and which arenas do not.
THE CHOICE IS OURS...

Suitability is of utmost importance.

Yes, suitability! This word immediately came to mind although I have not taught art and design for about eight years. It came when I read about a government minister's accusation that a lady member of Parliament in Selangor had worn clothes that were too tight for an aerobics exercise session in the compound of a mosque. I took a look at the lady in the photograph and found her clothes totally suitable for aerobics. In fact, if she were to wear clothes any more loose-fitting than that I would consider her someone who had never done any aerobics before; an ignoramus where aerobics is concerned. Fortunately, she obviously knew the proper attire for such an exercise session.

Of course, the complaint was that she was in a mosque compound. But that is besides the point. If it is prayer time, then the people should be attired for prayers. If it is time for games and exercise movements, then the clothes worn should be appropriate for the occasion.

In fact, it is this kind of human demands made upon the followers of each religion that today I am a monotheist without a religion. I strongly believe in God. When I was young I followed Taoist beliefs. There were so many practices that I could not agree to, such as the burning of joss-sticks and candles which produces so much smoke that contaminates our world. Then there were the 'don'ts' that I could not agree to. It makes God so small-minded. If God were that small minded, He could not be God as I know Him.

However, it was not just in Taoism that human rules and regulations in places of worship that has given me the impression that God is so intolerant and petty; sometimes even threatening. I have heard of threats for not being a member of a religion. I have been threatened with hell and damnation. I have read of death threats. Yet, the very lips that utter the threats are the ones that proclaim God to be compassionate. How compassionate can the human god be when, instead of patiently teaching the ignorant, he angrily demands obedience through threats. Would God behave like our human gods? In my eyes, these human gods have abused His Name and usurped His position.

That could be the reason there are still wars among nations, especially those in which religion is the cause. Religion is the cause? How can that be? God would never want his children to fight thus among themselves. Yet, it happens. And death comes in the name of religion! Ridiculous! For to be nearer God is to be nearer truth and peace as each human recognises the fact that there is only one God and his prophets come bringing with him, of course, that particular prophet's culture and practices; and that all humans are the same, just as everyone's origin is the same, Earth. No, it is not America, Arabia, India, Malaysia or china but Earth. For it is humans who divided earth into countries. There are no real boundaries dividing the earth; only on man-drawn maps. Materialistic man had wanted land he can call his own.

Coming back to the question of suitability, who created the rules that said only people thus dressed could be in such a place Again, it comes from man, not God. However, if we were to use the brain that God gave us, we always come back to suitability in the things we use, be it clothes, chairs or utensils. Wise men have always invented things that are suitable for the purpose the things are produced.

When it comes to suitability, we ought to think of the climate, the type of activity, the time and the place. Thus, in aerobics, the place is outdoors or in a gym, not in a mosque; and morning is the right time for it as it would not be too hot under a burning sun since it is done outdoors. The clothes ought to be able to absorp sweat, loose enough to enable movement but not that loose that it become cumbersome for such an activity. And when it comes to sports and exercise, let our minds be free from the physical differences between a man and a woman. The state of mind must also be suitable for aerobics.