Choudon Orphanage

,Back in 2005, I was traveling across China and Tibet and I met a British gentlement (in his 50s) on the bus from airport to Lhasa City. He was helping out at an Orphanage ran by a Tibetan Couple without any government assistance. The founder (Nyima) was an orphan himself, and after seeing so many street kids in Lhasa, out of compassion and driven by his passion, he decided to quit his job as a tourist guide to setup and spend all his money on an orphanage. I guess Nyima is able to empathise and understand the orphans better than anybody. Amazing person. His wife also joined him full-time. 

Choudon Orphanage @ Lhasa, Tibet.

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We decided to visit the orphanage and tried to understand the situation. The orphanage was overcrowded, there was no showering facility inside (The Kids had to shower once a week outside), they are facing financial difficulties as the only source of support is donation....

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Unfortunately, the founder (Nyima) was not around when we visited the orphanage. Instead, his wife hosted us. As it was a long traveling trip for me, I had limited funds & donated some money at another place during the earlier part of the trip, hence, I did not donate any money. =(

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Taken @ the orphanage

(I cannot remember which one is Nyima's wife - I think the one in white)

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I did not forget the brief encounter, and I felt bad for not helping the orphanage. Fortunately, last year october, I met a Singaporean Lady who was going to Nepal, Tibet & China for a few months. She was kind enough to help me to find the orphanage and pass my small token (donation) to the orphanage.

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She had a hard time searching for the orphanage, as the address I gave her was 4 years ago. After a few hours of searching in the small alley of Lhasa, she located the orphanage (which had shifted) and met Nyima. I was so happy to know that the orphanage is still around. She gave me a sad news - Nyima's wife passed away in 2008 due to some illness.

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 It was sad. She was doing such a great job - showering love and protecting the helpless street kids, unfortunately, she left the world at a young age. It is just sad to know that a good person is no longer around. May she find peace and happiness in another world.

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Life is just so unpredictable.

Life is impermanent.

Beautiful Things in life: Potala Palace

Sunrise @ Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet (2005)

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There are certain moments in life that I will never forget. Those precious moments made my life colourful and meaningful. Something I will bring with me when I leave this world.

One of them is definitely seeing Potala Palace.

On the bus from the Airport to Lhasa City, I had a glimpse of Potala Palace - the excitement and happiness was overwhelming for me. It was an amazing moment. There are very few times in my life I felt this kind of extreme happiness. 

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I had seen other great momuments, but none of them bring this kinda happiness & excitement.

Why do I have such affection towardsTibet?

I really don't know. 

I just know that I will be back again... hopefully soon. =) 

Golden Week in Japan??? Bad Choice =(

I booked my flight to Tokyo last year (Got a good deal), but I did not realise that I booked it during the Golden Week in Japan. I could not change the dates, as it was a discounted ticket.

After looking at the youtube videos below & reading the online blogs, I was quite discouraged. =(

Train in Japan...

Wave Pool in Japan

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I was looking forward to a Zen experience - tranquil and serene- outside of Tokyo, and a bustling city life in Tokyo. But I think I will get a Crazy Experience... but I will take it positively and experience the craziness.

Wish me luck!!! haha...

Forgiveness... A liberating force...

Recently, someone made a nasty remark about me (I was informed by a credible source). My first reaction was anger, but I was not thinking about confronting that person. I just wanted to sit down and clear up any misunderstandings, as I have nothing to fear. However, knowing that person's personality, I know that sitting down won't clear things up, as that person would get very defensive and may be aggressive (Vulnerable & Huge Ego at work).

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At the same time, frustration kept accumulating inside me. Frustrated that justice was not done. I kept asking myself: So what even if I won? There will be awkwardness and embarrassment, which is unnecessary also. I thought of the things that I have learnt - forgiveness, but it was not easy.

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I do not need to defend myself. My frustration was created by my Ego. A nasty remark won't make me a lesser person. Action always speaks louder than word. I do not want to carry the past with me. When I contemplate about my death and that person's death, all these things become trivial and unimportant.

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I decided to forgive that person, and free myself from the prison of frustration.

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It is an Amazing feeling.

It is so liberating.

I felt like a free bird again.

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Life will always test you again and again until you learn your lesson.

There are still many things for me to learn...

There are still many tests ahead...

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Boundless Sky

(Taken @ Timor Leste)

Warren Buffett's Worst Mistakes

Taken from: http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/108869/warren-buffetts-worst-mistakes

Warren Buffett is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors of all time. Yet, as Buffett is willing to admit, even the best investors make mistakes. Buffett's legendary annual letters to his Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) shareholders tell the tales of his biggest investing mistakes. There is much to be learned from Buffett's decades of investing experience, so I have selected three of Buffett's biggest mistakes to analyze.

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Conoco Phillips

Mistake: Buying at the wrong price

In 2008, Buffett bought a large stake in the stock of Conoco Phillips (COP) as a play on future energy prices. I think many might agree that an increase in oil prices is likely over the long term and that Conoco Phillips will likely benefit. However, this turned out to be a bad investment, because Buffett bought in at too high of a price, resulting in a multibillion-dollar loss to Berkshire. The difference between a great company and a great investment is the price at which you buy stock, and this time around Buffett was "dead wrong." Since crude oil prices were well over $100 a barrel at the time, oil company stocks were way up.

Lesson Learned

It's easy to get swept up in the excitement of big rallies and buy in at a prices that you should not have -- in retrospect. Investors who control their emotions can perform a more objective analysis. A more detached investor might have recognized that the price of crude oil has always exhibited tremendous volatility and that oil companies have long been subject to boom and bust cycles.

Buffett says: "When investing, pessimism is your friend, euphoria the enemy."

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U.S. Air

Mistake: Confusing revenue growth with a successful business

Buffett bought preferred stock in U.S. Air (LCC) in 1989 -- no doubt attracted by the high revenue growth it had achieved up until that point. The investment quickly turned sour on Buffett, as U.S. Air did not achieve enough revenues to pay the dividends due on his stock. With luck on his side, Buffett was later able to unload his shares at a profit. Despite this good fortune, Buffett realizes that this investment return was guided by lady luck and the burst of optimism for the industry.

Lesson Learned

As Buffett points out in his 2007 letter to Berkshire shareholders, sometimes businesses look good in terms of revenue growth but require large capital investments all along the way to enable this growth. This is the case with airlines, which generally require additional aircraft to significantly expand revenues. The trouble with these capital-intensive business models is that by the time they achieve a large base of earnings, they are heavily laden with debt. This can leave little left for shareholders and makes the company highly vulnerable to bankruptcy if business declines.

Buffett says: "Investors have poured money into a bottomless pit, attracted by growth when they should have been repelled by it."

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Dexter Shoes

Mistake: Investing in a company without a sustainable competitive advantage

In 1993, Buffett bought a shoe company called Dexter Shoes. Buffett's investment in Dexter Shoes turned into a disaster because he saw a durable competitive advantage in Dexter that quickly disappeared. According to Buffett, "What I had assessed as durable competitive advantage vanished within a few years." Buffett claims that this investment was the worst he has ever made, resulting in a loss to shareholders of $3.5 billion.

Lesson Learned

Companies can only earn high profits when they have some sort of a sustainable competitive advantage over other firms in their business area. Wal-Mart (WMT) has incredibly low prices. Honda (HMC) has high-quality vehicles. As long as these companies can deliver on these things better than anyone else, they can maintain high profit margins. If not, the high profits attract many competitors that will slowly eat away at the business and take all the profits for themselves.

Buffett says: "A truly great business must have an enduring "moat" that protects excellent returns on invested capital."

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The Bottom Line

While making mistakes with money is always painful, paying a few "school fees" now and then doesn't have to be a total loss. If you analyze your mistakes and learn from them, you might very well make the money back next time. All investors, even Warren Buffett, must acknowledge that mistakes will be made along the way.

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It is always good to learn from others mistakes, but making mistakes in Investment is inevitable. Money can be lost, but the lessons should never be lost.

Don't make yourself a Victim...

Chinese New Year is a time of reunion, and for some unwise people, it is also a time to show-off or compare their material wealth or other achievements. I guess that is one of the reasons why some friends chose to spend this holiday away from Singapore to avoid all the senseless questions and comparisons. 

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Just now, I was chatting with a friend who was doing well in his career and was a top performer in his team. However, he was complaining about his work. I was also updating him about the progress of some common friends who are doing exceptionally well in their career/business & making lotsa money. Then, I felt a sense of  uneasiness in his voice. Then, he asked if I was feeling jealous about their success.

My reply was "Not Really".

He asked me "Why?".

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I decided to change topic as I knew it was affecting his mood. Most of us are making ourselves victim by comparing ourselves with better achievers and feeling that we sucks. On the other hand, we (aka Our Ego) felt good when we won somebody else etc..., hence, our mood is like a pendulum swing - so unstable and vulnerable. That's the nature of Ego. 

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Interestingly, I was re-reading The Power of Now when my friend called me. And I stopped at this paragraph (which has the answer to his question):

Some people would always rather be somewhere else. Their "here" is never good enough. Through self-observation, find out if that is the case in your life. Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences. No excuses. No negativity. No psychic pollution.

Keep your inner space clear.

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Tibetan Lady waiting patiently for her water

(Taken back in 2005 in Gansu, Tibetan Plateau)
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Back then, I was wondering around the grassland aimlessly and saw this lady. Her calmness and peacefulness attracted me. She was waiting patiently for her water (which was pretty murky), and totally at peace with everything.

Amazing!

Ignorance ignorance ignorance...

Pastor Rony Tan has just apologised to both Buddhists & Taoists for his comments on both faiths. My initial reaction was anger, and I wanted to investigate further by watching the videos. (video 1 & video2). After watching the videos, I was sadden by how Buddhism was misrepresented. Pastor Rony Tan asked a 2-week ex-monk (a Christian Convert - Joseph) to discuss about Buddhism and made the whole religion practice sounded like a joke. Being a Buddhist layman, I found Joseph to be extremely ignorant about Buddhism.

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When Joseph was a monk, he asked "When can I reach Nirvana?"

My first reaction was ignorance ignorance ignorance. With such an ignorant question, I was wondering what had he learnt as a monk or a long-term Buddhist. 

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I just felt that if you do not know anything about Buddhism, you should not misrepresent it. Personally, I have only touched the surface, and I am awed & touched by the Wisdom, the Vastness and the Compassion (The Unconditional Love). I am not upset or angry anymore, as I know they are blinded by Ignorance. They really do not know what they are discussing. I just hope they realise their mistakes.  

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I am happy that I have never attended any Buddhist Talks that criticise other faiths. By degrading other faiths, will never make your own faith a superior one. =)
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May Joseph & Rony find Wisdom and Happiness!

May All Beings be Free from Sufferings!

Young Buddhist Monk

(This picture just put a smile on my face)

Taken from: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/02/colorful_india.html

=)

Death of Singapore's Richest Man....

Ng Teng Fong (estimated with a net worth of US$8billion) passed away today. Well, it really means nothing to me or the people around me. In fact, one of my colleagues was saying that it would be interesting to see who would get the inheritance. I realized that nobody really cares about his death.

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What has he done for the society? What was he remembered for? (Shrewd Businessman?? As written in the article) I knew nothing about Ng Teng Fong, except the fact that he was very rich. Period. Perhaps, he has done some charitable work in anonymity (I hope so).

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I compare him to Iconic Tycoons like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett & Lee Ka-Shing. I would feel sad if anyone of them passed away. They have contributed much to the society, in terms of Philanthropic activities and Business Philosophy, and most importantly, being a role model. Then, I realised that there is NO charismatic person in Singapore (except for LKY). There is no Singapore leader who I could look up to. It is quite sad. Singapore is packed with efficient mediocre people (that includes myself).

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People will remember previous tycoons like Lee Kong Chian and Tan Kah Kee, whom had contributed alot to the society. Interestingly, I saw a Tan Kah Kee Hall when I was visiting UC Berkeley.

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I doubt anybody will remember Ng Teng Fong 10 years from now. I don't even know who was the richest man 20 years ago (I think should be Sam Walton of Walmart). Rich people is only influential during his/her time.

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On the other hand, I would always remember inspirational characters like Ernesto Che Guevara, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Deng Xiaoping, Einstein (who is more like a Philosopher than a scientist to me) etc... Their spirit is always around... inspiring us and the future generations.

The Boy with Divine Power

Just watched the documentary on The Discovery Channel: The Boy with Divine Power.

It is about a teenager (aka Buddha Boy) who meditates for long period of time. In the documentary, the Discovery Channel crews filmed him continuously for 4 days without food or drink. In today's medical science, most people would be dead.

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While his display of deep medidation is out of this world, I found his message deep and meaningful. While I am skeptical if he is the next Buddha (Buddhists are supposed to question and be critical in thinking), I am VERY SURE that he is no ordinary teenager. There is so much wisdom, depth & compassion in his speeches. That's Amazing.

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Last year november, I saw an article on him while I was going for my paragliding in Porhara.

He was appealing to the Hindus in Nepal not to Slaughter the thousands of animals for religious sacrifice. Unfortunately, the slaughter went ahead.

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See the news report:

Hindu sacrifice of 250,000 animals begins

The world's biggest animal sacrifice began in Nepal today with the killing of the first of more than 250,000 animals as part of a Hindu festival in the village of Bariyapur, near the border with India. The event, which happens every five years, began with the decapitation of thousands of buffalo, killed in honour of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.

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It is sad, but that is nothing compares to our modern butchery.

Americans consume a million animals an hour!!!

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Ram Bahadur Bomjon's Speech against the Slaughter.

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I was touched by his compassion.

I really hope that he would provide more wisdom to the world after his 6-years of meditation.

Carrying the Past...

This is one of the classic Buddhist Stories that I heard many times and find it very beneficial.

(Buddhist Monastery @ Inle Lake, Burma)

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This version is taken from A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

Two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains. Near a village, they came upon a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud was so deep it would have ruined the silk kimono she was wearing. Tanzan at once picked her up and carried her to the other side.

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The monks walked on in silence. Five hours later, as they were approaching the lodging temple, Ekido couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Why did you carry that girl across the road?" he asked. "We monks are not supposed to do things like that."

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"I put the girl down hours ago," said Tanzan.

"Are you still carrying her?"

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A Wonderful Wonderful Evening...

Attended a good friend's wedding with a bunch of good friends.

It was a great feeling to sit around a table with good friends.

It was a wonderful experience to play with my friend's toddler.

It was touching to listen to the bride & groom's speeches.

It is the best vegetarian meal I had in a wedding dinner.

It was a fun to take stupid photos with friends, despite the fact that we are all nearing 30years old.

I am really grateful for friendship.

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I guess, this will be one of the little wonderful memories that I bring with me when I leave this world.

When I looked up the sky, I saw a few stars & a crescent - it looked PERFECT!

Contented, Grateful and Happy.

=)

Dan Gilbert: Exploring the frontiers of happiness

If you like Freaknomics, you will like this video. =)

Celebrating Life....

Recently, I just celebrated my good friends' 30th Birthday... and a few months later, I will turn 30 also.

That's a really scary thought... and that is the time when quarter-life crisis set in.

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We would ask ourselves alot of questions: What have we achieved in the past 30years? What is our benchmark? Society expectation? Peer comparison? Why do we need such unnecessary pressure? Does it mean that if we are below the supposedly "benchmark", then we should be sad or unhappy?

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Are these questions necessary?

What if I am "ahead" of the pack, does it mean that I will be happy?

Will winning bring real & sustainable happiness?

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Life is like a race.

Sometime you are ahead.

Sometime you are behind.

At the end of the race,

you will realise that you are the only person in the race.

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This year, I set certain goals for me to accomplish... and I have been working hard on it... However, I realised that I lost something precious... That's my source of frustration.

I was so engrossed with the goals that I forgot to enjoy my journey (something that I always advocate). I forgot to appreciate the blue sky, white cloud, green trees.... and the beauty of the world.  I forgot to show gratitude towards the good things that I am enjoying now. I lost those magical moments when I am so touched and grateful to be alive.

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Is it worth it?

I am still searching for the path...

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30th Birthday Cake

Celebration of 30years of Wonderful Life!!!

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Another random thought:

When I was younger, I was affected when people say that I was childish.

Maturity was such an important issue.

I wanted to be mature. I wanted to be respected. I think I was just too unsure of myself. As I grew older, I met lotsa older, successful and supposedly more mature people. Well, I must say that I am not impressed with them. Not impressed that alot of them are so vulnerable.... vulnerable to their EGO.

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The great thing about toddlers are that they have short term memory. They seem to forget all the negative things (like scolding), and be happy with the present moment most of the time. They do not have any vulnerable EGO that they need to protect. They just enjoy and be happy with the PRESENT.

That's something that I want to learn.

I want to be childlike...

=)

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...

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

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

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.

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.

=)

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.