Sunday, January 10, 2010

Life works in a mysterious way...

Last week, I realized that my attachment to the notion of "I", "Me" & "mine" (My Ego) was creating unhappiness in my life. A sense of inner peace and freedom was lost... and I get frustrated more easily - frustration with people and myself.
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Interestingly, one week ago, my sister returned me the birthday present (Book: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle) that I gave her a year ago. She said that she could not understand the book. Well, I felt it was a pity that she could not appreciate the depth of the book, but I wasn't upset, in fact, I was happy as I was keen to read the book.
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Right now, I am reading the 2nd chapter which is about EGO.
Perfect! That's what I exactly wanted to read now...
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Life works in a mysterious way.
This is definitely not the first occasion when I have an issue to resolve, and the solution/wisdom appears infront of me without active searching...

Friday, January 08, 2010

End of Year 2009...

I always like the end of the year...
Time to reflect the things that I have done & could have done...
Time to contemplate my life & my inevitable death...
Time to be grateful for all the wonderful things in my life...
Most importantly,
Time to spend quality time with my family and friends...
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I am especially grateful to spend my new year eve with one special group of friends - My Primary School Friends. I always join them for countdown since 31st Dec 1998 (except 2 years when I spent it at New York City Time Square & New Delhi Airport). We are good friends since 1987, and it is happy to see our group expanding with addition of partners & kids.
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I guess I am getting old now...
I am avoiding partying on the street or in a club...
I do not need expensive drink to get me high to feel happy...
I do not need to wear expensive outfit to impress others...
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I just need good company to laugh together.
What more do I need from life?
=)


Ugly Faces Pic @ Dhome

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Life is just like a wave...

Just some reflections on the friends I met recently...
Some friends are doing better and better...
Some friends are not doing as well as before...
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Life is just like a wave...
Sometimes you are up...
Sometimes you are down...
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When you are up, don't be arrogant.
Arrogance did not bring you there, your momentary success was the result of hard work, humility & opportunity.
Cherish while it lasts, as you might come down.
That's the impermanence of life.
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When you are down, don't be sad or dishearten.
Quite often, the best lesson in life is experienced during challenging time.
Remember the lesson, and work hard.
Down time wouldn't last.
That's the impermanence of life too.
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May be we should learn how to stop labeling experience as positive or negative.
On hindsight, the seemingly negative experience brings about the best insight & wisdom of life.
It really depends on the time of reference.
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Without going to the bottom of the Valley,
How could one truely appreciate the view at the summit?
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May be at the end of the life journey,
We found that all the labelings are just foolish.
May be it is wiser just to learn to appreciate every moment & experience.
May be we are too foolish to be too attached to all the experiences.
Our transient existence is insignificant.
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At the end of day,
We are just passer-bys on the face on this beautiful world.
May be all we need is to learn to smile more.
=)
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Sunset @ Bali

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Why I am not a painter?

Last evening during a X'mas Gathering, I shared a story about my painting.
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Back in Secondary Two Mid-year Arts & Craft Exam,
I decided to paint a landscape.
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A person contemplating in nature with Mountains & Greens.
After 2 hours of painting, I was quite pleased, in fact, I was very happy with my art work.
The colour and tone was perfect.
I was very sure that I would score a distinction for this work.
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A few days later, when the teacher was distributing back our art work, I was really excited and wanted to show-off to my friends. But when I saw the mark at the back, I was SHOCKED. I got a 38 marks (out of 100) for my work. I did not agree with my teacher's grading, but I was too afraid to challenge him.
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Below is my Master Piece:

Man contemplating in Nature.
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Now, I totally agree with my Art Teacher.
Hahaha... That's Crap!!
My judgement was really impaired when I was young.
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38 Marks is the lowest exam grade I ever gotten in my life.
That will always be the record!
But a record with a funny story.
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That's why I am not a painter.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Beautiful Things in life: A bowl of Tang Yuan


A bowl of Tang Yuan
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Came back home late at night.
Everybody was sound asleep.
A bowl of Tang Yuan was placed on the dining table.
It tasted ordinary and cold.
But it was warm inside me.
=)

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Beautiful Things in life: Excited about Snorkelling

Decided to create entry of the beautiful things in life.
This is the picture that got me started:-


Taken back in 2002 - Tioman Island
I love the youth, the energy, the excitement to experience life...
Excited to Snorkel. =)

Man in the Mirror...


Perfect Reflection
(Taken at Hoi-An, Vietnam)
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Most people wear different masks
Sometimes, it is an act of hypocrisy.
More oftenly, it is an act of self-protection.
Or even, an act of conformity due to social/peer pressure.
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During late night and alone looking into the mirror,
there is no need to wear a mask.
While you can deceive other,
how can you ever deceive yourself?
What do you see?
Are you happy to see the person in the mirror?
What is in the reflection?
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May be the right question would be:
Do you have the courage to look into at the person in the mirror?
Are you afraid to see the Truth?
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If everybody have more time to do self-reflections,
this world will be a better place.

Monday, December 07, 2009

My Ex-Boss...

Just now I saw a guy, who looked like my ex-boss.
And some memories resurfaced...
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It has been a year since he departed from this world.
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I still could vividly remember his warm smile and his laughters.
He was rich and smart, and had a good heart.
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Death is real and inevitable.
All the daily challenges/problems seem so insignificant.
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It was a reminder.
To treasure life.
To treasure every moment.
To treasure the people around me.
To focus on the worthy people and causes.

Sunday, December 06, 2009

First Few Hours Observation after a trip...

Everytime I return from a long overseas trip, I would write down my general observations from a fresh perspective....
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Below was written on my way to work (less than 12 hours after returning):
Context: Train
Time: Morning Rush Hour
Observation:
Everybody is clean and well-dressed.
They have everything from Blackberry to Ipod; Coach to LV Bag; & expensive accessories.
They looked tired.
What is missing here?
A smile on their face....
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War with Terrorism will never end....

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It was disappointing to know that more innocent people are going to be killed. Killing will not solve the problem, but will deepen the hatred between both parties. The future descendents of Al-Qaeda members will continue the fight. More moderate muslims might join the Jihad against the Americans.
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I know there is no easy solution.
Sending Troop to War is definitely one of the easiest solutions (without wisdom & compassion).
There is definitely a better use of the US$30billion budget.
Use it to help the war-ravaged Afghanistan.
Use it to feed the millions who are dying in Africa.
Use it to make peace.
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If any politicians believe that sending troops to War is the only solution,
I challenge them to send their own children? Will Bush or Obama send their children to Afghanistan if they think that War is the only way out? I doubt it, at least, I know that Bush is a coward.
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At this rate, the war will never end....
There will be more unnecessary deaths and sufferings.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Justice with Michael Sandel

In general, my approach towards determining if an act is right or wrong is based on the followings:
1. Intention/Motive
(What's the main intention behind the act? Is it Justifiable and based on which value systems or principles?)
2. Wisdom
(Were all the possible solutions and alternatives been considered? Were all the implications & consequences been considered?)
3. Compassion
(Have you put yourself into the shoes of every individual/stakeholders? Is it an act of love & compassion for yourself or/and stakeholders?)
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Harvard University Professor Sandel challenged all conventions:
(warning: it is quite addictive)

Example: Espisode 1
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Part 1 - The Moral Side of Murder: If you had to choose between (1) killing one person to save the lives of five others and (2) doing nothing, even though you knew that five people would die right before your eyes if you did nothing—what would you do? What would be the right thing to do? That’s the hypothetical scenario Professor Michael Sandel uses to launch his course on moral reasoning.
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Part 2 - The Case for Cannibalism: Sandel introduces the principles of utilitarian philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, with a famous nineteenth century law case involving a shipwrecked crew of four. After nineteen days lost at sea, the captain decides to kill the cabin boy, the weakest amongst them, so they can feed on his blood and body to survive.
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Part 2 was challenging for me, especially IF the surviving crew members is 30 or 300 or 3000 people.
I felt that killing 1 innocent person to ensure 3 people survival is unjustifiable.
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How about killing 1 person to ensure 3000 or 3million or entire planet people survival?
I would kill that innocent person to save the lives of 3000 people.
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Then, what justify my decision? Just a number consideration??
Then, what is the number to justify the killing of 1 person?
Tough tough tough.....
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I still dunno... not sure if I could ever justify any killing.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Unconditional Love & Compassion


About 6 months ago (while I was serving my reservist), I was moved to tears when I pondered about the deeper meaning behind the story shared by Ajahn Brahm in his book -  Opening the door of your heart. I never forget the story since then...
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Taken from his book:
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What's in a name?
When one becomes a Buddhist monk in our tradition, one receives a new name. My monk's name is 'Brahmavamso', which, being so long, I usually shorten to 'Brahm'. Everyone calls me by that name now, except for my Mum. She still calls me Peter, and I defend her right to do so.
Once, during a phone call inviting me to an interfaith ceremony, I was asked to spell my name.
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I answered:
B - for Buddhist
R - for Roman Catholic
A - for Anglican
H - for Hindu
M - for Muslim
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I received such a positive response that I usually spell my name that way now, and also that's what it means.
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That's a mark of a True Buddhist Monk

Monday, November 23, 2009

Books on Happiness

There are 3 precious things I took away with me after the Nepal Trip:
1. Beautiful Memory of Himalayas & the people
2. Lessons learnt during the journey
3. A Book I bought in Kathmandu


A guide to developing Life's Most Important Skill
by
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And other excellent book that I have read this year:

by
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How often do you feel extremely grateful that you read a book?
I seldom feel grateful after reading a book.
I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the wisdom that are being shared in both books.
Both authors are exceptional individuals with loving (compassionate) kind hearts .
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Both of them are Buddhist Monks of different traditions (ie. Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism & Thai Theravada Buddhism), but both of them came with a Scientific Backgrounds (ie. Biology Phd working under Nobel Prize Laureate in France & Scholarship to study Theoretical Physics at Cambridge), which allow them to analyse and view things critically and rationally.
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I like the books as it is free from Dogma & Doctrine, and written with alot of Compassion & Wisdom (A Genuine Alruistic Intention). Without knowing the background of the authors, you might think you are reading self-improvement books.
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The ultimate objective is to improve the life of the readers by developing the skills to be happy.
I am definitely a happier person after reading both books.
=)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Random Thought


With an untamed mind,
Would I ever experience a perfect situation or a perfect moment?
Would I ever be satisfied?
Would I ever be truely happy?

Mobihunt 2009: Winner =)

This is the second Urban Race that I participated this year. This is also the second time that my team won the top price this year. =) http://lifestyle.www.ns.sg/portal/ns/mobihunt/index.do



Team MJ Paws
(Boon, Mel, Caleb & Kelvin)
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This was the shortest & the easiest race that I participated in recent years. Not much strategy compared to other races that I had participated. We won because of speed (lotsa running), familiarity with the places, and luck of course. Most importantly, it was a good team where everybody's strength is different & complementary.
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I enjoyed the race, even if we did not win.
My philosophy has always been trying my best and be at peace with the result.
Winning money is an incentive too!!!
We won S$1500, and each of us will get S$375 (not bad for a half-day race)
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Since I just came back from Nepal,
I had decided to donate my winning S$375 to Charities in Nepal.
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I would be donating to Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org/FT) and SheChen (http://www.shechen.org/donate-sponsorship.php)
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I believe and hope that this small amount of money will add more values to other lives than my own

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Travel: Boon's Nepal Trip



Everest Base Camp Trek
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Beautiful Nepal
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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Great Donation Drive for Shoes

Thank everybody who made this possible.
My friends and family are very supportive.
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This is my first time (hopefully not the last time) doing a donation drive for a holiday trip. All the suitable shoes collected would be given to Porters Clothing Bank in Nepal. All the unsuitable shoes are donated to Salvation Army. We also had shoes & clothings to be given to Orphanage/School for Deaf (undecided yet).
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The idea did not come from me, I got it from another group of Singaporeans who are going to Nepal also. I was excited because it was for a good cause and it is a green initiative. Kill 2 birds in one stone. And the shoes get to see the nice view of the Himalayas.
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In summary, My friends and I (3 of us) would bring an estimated 55kg of donated items to Kathmandu. We have excess baggage Thanks to SilkAir, a friend's PPS Status & a friend working in SilkAir.
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Good to know that my trip has started before the actual departure. =)
There are some lessons learnt:
- Do Good with Wisdom
- Tiring yet Fulfilling
- The Importance of Partnership & Collaboration


200+ Shoes
Collection by the other group of Singaporeans.
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My friends and my contribution ~ 30+ pairs
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My little niece was very excited to see so many shoes.
She took out her shoes too!
=)

Green Initiative in Singapore???

My recyclable papers were taken by the cleaners and threw into their garbage trolley.


They looked away as I wanted to take photos as evidence.
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I sent an email to Capitaland Retail and Forums.
Not sure if I would get any replies, I won't know as I am going Nepal for 3 weeks.
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Below is part of the email sent to Capitaland Retail::

Dear Management of Capitaland Retail Limited,


I would like to highlight an upsetting encounter within the Choa Chu Kang Lot 1 Mall, and hope the company could give an explanation to me and the general public.

Date & Time of Incident: 16th October 2009 (Friday), 6.30pm
Location: Choa Chu Kang Lot 1 Shoppers Mall (‘Lot1’)

Summary of the Incident:

I went to Lot1 to recycle a bag of used-papers that I collected from my office. While i was putting the used-papers into the paper recycle bin, a cleaner was taking it out from the paper recycle bin and threw it into his garbage trolley, and then, he even told me to throw my used-papers into his garbage trolley. I was puzzled, and was assuming that he was collecting the papers for recycling.

Then, he took the unwanted plastic from the plastic recycle bin and threw it into the same garbage trolley. I was very surprised and ask him what he was doing and where all these items were going to. He told me that everything would go to the big garbage bin. Instantly, I was very upset by his remarks, asked him who had given such instruction.

Then, a lot1 security guard approached us and I asked him the exact same questions. The security guard told me that the cleaner will put everything into the garbage trolley and SEPARATE them for recycling later. Fortunately, I am not that naive to believe him.

I requested to meet the clean supervisor who came later. After a brief introduction, I asked him a brief question: ‘What are these 3 recycle bins used for?’. Unfortunately, he faked ignorance and told me that he came to work 2 days ago and DID NOT know the uses of these recycle bins.

I wanted to meet the lot1 executive to discuss about this matter, unfortunately, the office was already closed at 7pm.

I had a very good image of Capitaland and its green initiative. I had taken the effort to collect the used papers in my office and brought it to be recycled in Capitaland’s recycle bin, unfortunately & sadly, all the papers ended up in the garbage bin.

I hope this is an isolated incident, however, I do not think so as the supervisor and the guard was not interested and fake ignorance. Clearly, the cleaner, the supervisor and the guard were helping each other to avoid any trouble.

I am not even an environmentalist, and I just an average individual who wanted to contribute abit to the green effort, but the incident with lot1 was upsetting. I am quite sure that my previous recyclable items are ended up in the garbage chute as well. It has wasted alot of my effort and time.

I am not only representing myself, but also the general public who has taken the initiative, time & effort to drop-off recyclable items into the recycle bins of Capitaland Malls.

If Capitaland is not serious about its green initiative, PLEASE REMOVE those recycle bins. Please do not do it for the sake of good corporate image. http://www.capitaland.com/csr/environment.php
"Exploring efficient use of resources to reduce wastage; identifying creative and practical ways to re-use our resources; and promoting opportunities to recycle waste"

Otherwise, please give a good explanation.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Time to reduce my egg intake...


"For the nearly 150,000 male chicks who hatch every 24 hours at this Hy-Line facility, their lives begin and end the same day. Grabbed by their fragile wings by workers known as "sexers," who separate males from females, these young animals are callously thrown into chutes and hauled away to their deaths. They are destined to die on day one because they cannot produce eggs and do not grow large or fast enough to be raised profitably for meat. Their lives are cut short when they are dropped into a grinding machine – tossed around by a spinning auger before being torn to pieces by a high-pressure macerator."
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Most people do not have the courage to finish viewing the video clip, yet, they continue to savour the chicken without second thought. They chose to be ignorant and pretend as if the cruelty is not happening.
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Time for me to reduce egg intake also.
I am guilty as well.