Look this way...

When you do not know how to be jealous....or to hold on to grudges....or to bother about what people might just think about you....when you never feel sorry for yourself at any point of your life....when you do not search endlessly for happiness.....when you never experienced disappointments....when you can smile without a reason.....when you are not expecting anything from anyone at all......when you dont even realise you are lonely....when you can see everything with ONE mindset....when all you need is some food....clothes and shelter....but you dont care what colors you are wearing for as long as you are not feeling cold....when life is about every moment....and you do not know theres an end to this world...then..........................

they call you Autistic......

isnt it strange....? ....we are perfect outside....and autistic within...while its the other way round for them.....God must have tried to cure us by turning some of us inside out...So be kind to these Real Human Beings....not by feeling sorry for them....but by learning from them the true human values....believe me....if we stay with them for a while....our inner voices will start speaking a little louder....

So.....nothing is totally bad in life....theres always something more meaningful to it...if only we see it that way....so ...

see something differently this coming new year....experience something new....feel something amazing....do something with love....go someplace in your imaginations .....try something crazy.....and just break away from the routine....

~~~HAPPY NEW YEAR ~~~

2011

Happiness is ................

When the sun sets on your shoulders....................

When you have rain trees reaching out.............

When you see No END to the streams....

When light flows along....

When you have a millipede crossing over your fingers...

When you simply LET GO ..............................................

When you jump for joy !

AND above all....when you get it all in ONE day....ONE place....

Streams everywhere...turquoise blue butterflies....shimmering green dragon flies....rain trees reaching across for the lake....BEST friends...endless laughters.....roaring lions.....restless panthers....steaming delicious food........misty mountains....cold nights....serene waterfalls....humble town....millipede crossing your finger....monkeys on your way.....horses waiting for you...

It all sounds surreal ???

Believe it or not....you can have it all at Taiping,Perak...! Awesome place :)

2 weeks ago....a few friends and I went to stay at this simply lovely resort...Sentosa Villa...its in the midst of the hills...walking distance to a waterfall...5 mins drive to the Lake Gardens or the foot of Maxwell Hill....and also the ZOO....

Though we only stayed a night...it was totally satisfying...calm , serene...chill and peaceful...

So...if you want a quick get away with friends or family...this place is ideal with cheap delicious food too....BUT just a very humble reminder....if at all you decide to go to the night safari PLEASE DO NOT use FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY...and keep as quiet as possible while u are at it..these animals should be treated with respect...as they have lost their freedom for us...so lets at least be grateful in this way... :)

Mahatma Vs Madatma

If i may read your mind........................

" YEAH RIGHT.....LIKE WE HAVENT HEARD OR READ ABOUT GANDHI "

I woudnt feel offended if you think that....hahaha...but i am not going to write about who Gandhi is or what he did for i am more amazed at something else...its not about him...but about the rest of us...who very cunningly labeled him as MAHATMA ( THE GREAT SOUL ) so that no one will expect the rest of us to do anything as courageous or noble as he did....its simply an escape from our duties...we the MADATMAs left the responsibilities to those few souls who were willing to sacrifice their lives...

If anyone who thinks..hes got to fight for freedom or to help the poor ...or to love the untouchables...or to rescue tortured animals....or to safe the amazon is a MAHATMA...then what are the rest of us....? Some fungus infecting the earth ???? Gandhi wasnt found in a lotus bud...he has a mom and dad just like us.....

" he was born in the dark, right hand corner of a room, 11 feet by 19 1/2 feet and 10 feet high , in a 3 story humble house.."

" As a boy , Mohandas amused himself with rubber balloons and revolving tops. He played tennis and cricket ..."

"He encountered more difficulty in mastering the multiplication table than in learning naughty names for the teacher.."

so...? what was different ...?

why are we just ME n YOU...while HE is a MAHATMA...? :)

If he was the true atma GOD intended to create...are we simply admitting that the rest of us are just mistakes ??? I guess not....and thats why God pushes some of us here and there...to wake us up...to know what we are truly capable of....to look beyond....to see what we had been hiding from...well Gandhi was not simply pushed ..he was literally thrown out of the train by the railway officials in South Africa simply because he insisted he would only travel first class for he had his tickets to it....his luggage was tossed out on to the platform and the train left him shivering in the cold winter and thats when he says he began to think of his "DUTY" and to FIGHT for his rights for he realised this incident was merely a symptom to a very deep disease of color prejudice...so...that was the push ...that brought the MAHATMA to life !

But the problem with the rest of us is that we are so adamant that we resist these pushes and stay put in our comfort zone...refusing to free the MAHATMAS from within and it becomes an endless process....and THIS process...in my understanding...is LIFE . The sooner we free him the better it gets......so lets stop hiding....lets just show ourselves up to God...who is desperately in need of more to safe this awesome world ....would we ??? YET ??? i guess not...we probably need to be thrown out of Niagara falls before we do......... :)

So meanwhile...lets at least stay a cheerful , positive, determined MADATMA :)

20102010 !

When i woke up this morning....i din even realise the date being 20102010....so went on the normal routine....breakfast...work....lunch....work ...and as i signed in my Facebook....saw a few friends excitement bout the date and even MPH bookstore putting up status messages bout the date and time 2010 2010 2010....and i was thinking ...yeah interesting number....still din think much of it....but i have to say that this day has actually brought some luck for me.....it had brought a turning point at work .....

i dont know if it was just a coincidence or if that number really works for me....whatever it may be....i will definitely remember this happy day ! and for that i thought of jotting it down here...not that i would forget what happened today ...but just for the pleasure of getting back to it whenever i wish to in the future....and thank god for this beautiful day :)

How was your 20102010 ? :)

Seen it yet ?

It was a dark morning....so chill and cozy...but i was all up and ready to go to school...i usually walk up to a junction at the back of my house to wait for my super old school bus.....the only advantage was that the engine was soo loud...i could hear it way before it comes to the junction...so sometimes i just run out through my back door once i hear it coming like a KM away... :) but that morning i was early...so walked out ..stood by the fence of a neighbours house...feeling really cold as it was about 5.45 am...

And looking left and right...each time a motor cycle or car passed by shining its light on me...and keeping vigilant while in the darkness that comes between them......and just then...at one moment...i decided to look up at the sky.....and to my amazement ...for the very first time i saw the magical Shooting star ....though it lasts only about 3 seconds maybe...i was looking at the sky for the next 5 mins ..as though the falling star had frozen in the sky for me to look at....

Did i make a wish ??...NOPE ! was too amazed to even think ....

Its been like 25 years since that morning...and i never got to see that beautiful sight again...today i suddenly thought about it ....and was thinking...that a falling star is soo precious coz it lasts only a few seconds....and it happens rarely for us to see....just like life.....its beautiful...coz u get one chance...and thats it..! like it or not ....youve got to do anything and everything you wish to do within this ONE PRECIOUS life ...

Now would you turn away one millisecond from the falling star...if you happen to catch one ! No you wouldnt...for you know that youve got to experience it ALL for as long as it lasts ...let it be...a few seconds...you still want to see the whole of it ....and will you be able to explain which part of the falling star was the most beautifull....NOPE...can u say its beautiful when it appears...or when it lights up the brightest or when it fades off....NOPE....its the WHOLE thing... a falling star is just the whole thing...no parts of it are different....right...now i choose to treat life just like that....every part of our life makes it beautiful as a whole...and i also choose not too turn away from life at any point...i am taking every moment of it through my heart.......remember we are the billion falling stars in Gods eye ...so give him the Fullest you could :)

Gasing Hill - Trail One

ABOVE : The entrance to Gasing Hills ( KL SIDE, from Hillpark)
BELOW: The beginning of the trail One
Note : i refer to this as trail one coz this is the first trail from Hillpark side entrance...the original names of the trails from Gasing side might be different..

Below : Lord Shiva residing on top of the hill..a view of the Shivan temple, halfway up the trail

Morning sun rays on a stretch of cement slabs and fence

Jewelleries of the jungle :) Palm buds

Sun shining on a bright yellow flower with raindrops on it (Stemmadinia Donnell Smithii)

Roots making the stairways

A swing by nature :) I love this the most !

Hope u enjoyed the walk with me .....will get pictures of the other trails soon :) A lot more to explore in here...

Baby in the jungle ??

Last Sunday....Nantha and i decided to go hiking in Bukit Gasing....though it had become our weekly outing now...this time was different coz we decided to go in the morning..and not eve as we usually do....coz we were just curious how the jungle feels in the morning...so we were off walking from our apartment by 8.30 am...and as we neared the hill...what we first noticed was ...the birds were chirping away joyously...louder than in the evenings...and as we stepped into the trail...ohh goodness ..we were shocked to see a never ending line of people in the trail....both ways...and we had to keep giving way to each other as the trails are narrow....there were just so many people in there...!!! that it didnt feel like a jungle anymore...hahaha...and as we walked along with the groups....people kept greeting Good morning...to everyone that passed by them...

And we too joined in the chorus with a big smile " Good morning......good morning....Hi ....hello....good morning...hi...and it went on non stop...hahaha...there were so many kids...happily walking with their parents and greeting good morning to us ....they were not afraid that we were strangers....simply because we all shared something ...WE LOVE THE JUNGLE !!!!

Then comes the most lovable thing in the world....the doggies of course....beagles...terriers...dalmations....all enjoying the stroll in the woods with their masters...and some would stop to sniff u as they walk pass...some would stop to check out whats in the bushes...ohh what a sight ! so...we walked on excited...and when we came to a part where it goes downhill with the stairways made of roots...its a little broader path there...so we overtook some people so we could walk a little faster...then the route we take comes to the Gasing side where theres an observation tower....and we usually stop for a minute there to enjoy the view of the temple and hill over the opposite side...

And thats when i saw the most inspiring sight in my entire experience of being in the jungles...there was this young white family...coming down the trail....first i saw the guy coming with a toddler...( about 2 years old boy )...the little boy was walking with a big smile , holding his father's hands...and when it came to a small step down at the roots...his father held both his hands and said....common boy...jump !! and the boy jumped and smiled wide happy at his early hiking experience....while Nantha and i watched this...thinking how sweet it was for the guy to bring a little child for a hike...then came a lady ....with a BABY on her back ( carrying like a backpack )....the baby must be nothing more than 8 or 9 months old....!!!!! and they were a family....! Now , that was an inspiring sight as we always hear people harping on ... " how difficult it is with kids...u loose your freedom...you cant go anywhere....its tiring..." and so on....here i see a family with a toddler and a baby ...hiking in a tropical rainforest...and they sure looked as HAPPY and COMFORTABLE as Tarzan and Jane!!! :) they din seem to mind the climbs or the mosquitoes or insects or monkeys or snakes even !! :)

I was so glad we decided to go hiking that morning...coz now i know theres no excuse for not hiking at any point of my life...for i had seen people as old as 70 still hiking in there and now as young as a baby...so i am pretty sure i would fit in anytime !! hahaha...

So for those who had been apprehensive about stepping into the beautiful woods....please be assured that the nature will embrace u with so much love...that you will be instantly addicted to her..please discover it yourself.... and tell me if i am wrong...

Once again ...i regretted not taking my camera along...so this time i am leaving it to your imaginations...but i wish i had snapped a picture of that beautiful family...anyway...i will sure take my camera in my next trip and share the pics with you all.....soon .

Till then...happy hiking to all those jungle people out there :)

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD :)

The Tree-Dwellers

Today...i came across a link shared by one of my friends on facebook...and realised it was such an interesting info, so coudnt help sharing with everyone...just browse the net, type " the tree-dwellers, Indonesia" and you will be amazed at what you see. Heres just a glimpse of it !

These interesting beings...thought they were the only ones living in this planet...they didnt know there are other human beings at all..!!! Now...tell me...if any of these terms would mean ANYTHING to them....religion, race, country, genocide, democracy, marxism, money, insurance, property, vacation, luxury, world cup ! business , bungalows, cars, flights, i phones, lap tops..cinemas, pubs, i can go on forever......now they can live without it....they dont even know it exists...whats real and known to them is ....PEACE !!! Which we too want but had simply drowned ourselves with everything else that we coudnt find peace anymore !

I do not suggest we go back to the jungles....but if only we knew how to balance up our needs wherever we are....then theres chance for PEACE in the city ! :)

So , relax....life is ALWAYS good !! just breath....smile...and let go...and you will float through it :))

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Ive been hearing bout this book for sometime....and people told me its fiction ...and since my interest is in reading memoirs or stories based on true events...i just didnt think of reading this book. But then i was curious as to why it was so popular. Saw it in MPH a few times...but somehow ended up buying another autobiography. Till last month , when i went over to my uncles house in Ipoh...and i was going through the books in the books shelves in the reading room....i came across an interesting Egyptian story book....and decided to pick that out...and went to the porch where theres a swing facing the garden...it was raining, so i sat there enjoying the breeze and was flipping through the first pages of this book....thats when my cousin Nithya came with another book in her hand ...gave it to me and said...Ka , have u read this book...you really should ...its awesome...and that book happened to be The Kite Runner. This time i thought....i better read this now...to find out why its so popular. So started reading a few pages there...and then brought it back to KL to continue...

And when i started reading it....i couldnt put the book down..i was going on and on...for hours...and finished the book in about a week....

And then i sat there wandering...Why on earth is this book categorized as FICTION ?? Its all too real...its based on the real life situations in AFGHANISTAN....yeah , a name i always thought to be the most beautiful . Such a majestic name...with so much pain contained in its soil that you can squeeze blood out of it...

Yes....there were times ...as i was reading...suddenly my view would be blurred...and i will realise it was my tears welling up ...then i close the book for a while...and then continue reading after a few minutes to let the reality of life digest in me.

It is appalling to know that the very same flesh and blood that i am made of is capable of inflicting such cruelty to its fellow humankind...and it makes me wander ..WHY ?????? Though the story was suppose to be fictitious...truth is , there are thousands of such little innocent children over there being tortured..ripped of their childhood and flung into hell on earth ...how are these children going to come out of it....while the rest of the world is too busy complaining about fast food not being served fast enough ?????!!!!! We must be insane to complain about ANYTHING at all...for God had chosen ( for some reason i really cant figure out) a paradise like Malaysia for me and not AFGHANISTAN ! Whatever the system of selection is based on ...i am THANKFUL a BILLION times and more to have been put where i am today ! Simply to have the privilege to be sitting at home, comfortable...with so much ease at heart...safe....reading about these beautiful people being tortured for NO REASON !!! And the scarry part is we co exist with it...its not something of the PAST...its happening while we sit in our car sulking bout the weather...!!!!

And now i realise that...though i had no intention to read this book...nature had somehow handed the book over to me...as a reminder of what life could have been...if only i was born a few thousand kilometres away...! and PHEW ! what a relieve it is...a relieve that comes with guilt for sometimes thinking life is HARD....

Though Afghanistan is a WELL KNOWN story to the world...going inside and living the daily happenings...and situations of the people gives a totally different view of it....a far too cruel one compared to what we gather from the news....

So if you think life is hard....go grab this book and read it ! I BET YOU WILL REJOICE in every minute of your life after that...

And ohh i must mention that Khaled Hosseini (the author) has written the most painful moments with the most beautiful words you can imagine...his writing heals the reality of its content...in fact made pain look appealing...great writing...awesome book...!!!

Why Brazil ?

I was 10 years old....waking up in the middle of the night since world cup was held in Spain that year...it was 1982....and i was determined to watch the games with my Uncle (fathers younger brother) at his new house....there were some chinese friends of his joining in to watch the game together....and i have no idea why i bothered waking up to watch it except that the thought of waking up like 2 or 3 am to watch TV was appealing...thats all...and the only name that sounded familiar to me at the point of time was...BRAZIL !! it was my Uncles' and dad's fav team...so my brother and i were inclined to believe only BRAZIL deserves the World Cup...!

So...as i managed to drag myself out of bed...washed my face and went to the living room...sitting as closely as i could to my uncle as i was feeling pretty cold...considering how skinny i was then...not much fat to keep me warm...haha...and then the game begins...my uncle and friends open a few packs of snacks...the kacang putih of course....and is watching and commenting on the game while i sit there waiting for someone to score a goal...for the only thing i knew about football then was that you have to score goals....i had no idea about what ...a penalty...or free kick or off side...or any of such terms meant !...so as i sat there staring at the screen waiting for the goals....i coudnt help noticing some sound like very loud blowing of horn...and sat there wandering where the sound was coming from...tried to figure it out myself...but eventually decided to ask my uncle " Babu...( i call him Babu which means papa ) ..whats that sound like horn..?" and he tells me.. " Ohh theres a vast sea behind the stadium and there a lots of huge ships sailing around...thats the horn from the ships" and there i was picturing ships going around the stadium...and thought how cool that was....hahahaha....and yes believe it or not....i never knew he made up that story untill the next 2 world cups at least....how naive can i be huh...poor me !!

And even now...this world cup ...i cant stop thinking of that first world cup and how i was fooled by my uncle...hahaha...so thats how the Brazil craze started with me and then it got stuck with my cousins as well...so we started watching it together on every world cup....

in 1998...when the finals was between France and Brazil....i was in Penang furthering my studies then...and another cousin of mine was in KL...but we made sure we came back to Ipoh for the finals so we could cheer together....so about 6 of us including my father and uncle got together and watched it at my uncles place....and what a disappointment it was...Brazil lost 3-0 !!! how sad we were....putting up a long face....we just went to bed quietly ....hahaha

then it was 2006 ! by then...i married and lived in KL ....while one of my cousin gone to UK for studies....so it was harder to get together to watch it...but still we were all watching it from our respective places and called and smsed each other each time a goal was missed or scored....my cousin Nithya gets sooo nervous for every Brazil game that she sends messages like....my heart is aching....i cant breath ....and so on....hahaha...we are nuts...and that year...we were in love with Ronaldinho ! But then again they lost in the quarter finals ....

And now its 2010....and time to cheer for Brazil again....i am still in Kl....and some of my cousins in Ipoh, some in Kl and one in UK.....but we are all geared up to watch it tonight though its going to be a 2 am game...and there will be some sms going on there again....consoling and cheering ...

Brazil playing the first game in South Africa 2nite....against Korea....hoping to see some sizzling samba...up to the finals again...:)

So anyway...thats why ....it is Brazil for me !!!!!!! What is it for you ?! :)

HOLD the SMILE !!!

Tilt your head a little more to the right....look down.....stay calm......smile softly ...lift your chin up a little...yes !!! Hold the pose.!!!..now with the right tone of light shining on your face...you will be lucky to get a naturally pleasant picture of yourself.....this is how we are instructed to act when we take our romantic wedding studio pictures...not forgetting the hour long...make up session which transforms you into a new species...that you hardly recognize yourself in the picture....

But now...just look at the picture below....i snapped these pictures myself just randomly at a group of lovely Sambar and Spotted deers at the Perdana Lake Garden, Kuala Lumpur. And no instructions, make up , or lighting was needed to bring the most peaceful gestures out of these pure souls full of love....they dont have to put an effort coz...they are made of love only...no grudges...no greed...no evil lurking in their minds...so, naturally they radiate love for thats all they are made of...look at the pictures...and you will agree..

Arent they lovely...? yeah, they are one of the reasons ...Nantha and i love to go walking at Lake gardens ...you can visit them daily for free till 6 pm...you can feed them bread which they sell at the deer park itself...its definitely calming to see such peaceful animals...and we've got lots to learn from them....so..next time you are wandering what to do on a weekend with no good movies playing in the cinemas...keep the deers in mind...they are ever ready to welcome you with love :)

Away from the dust :)

Last weekend ...i was in Cameron Highlands with my hubby and 2 other friends....and this time i am just going to let my pictures say it all...the above picture was taken at the Boh tea plantation...a place not to be missed....its at Sg Palas...and the road up to the plantation is pretty narrow....and has very sharp turns...you have to be extra careful and wait for cars to come down before you proceed at certain places....but believe me the view up there is worth the effort...its completely silent...cool and soothing...i could sit there all day...absolutely peaceful....

Some of the hundreds of colours and types of divine roses...at the Rose Valley at Brinchang....










Cant wait to go again :)

Vision Of forever

A glimpse of reality in its terrifying beauty....is the description stated in the programme of "Vision of Forever" a stage performance produced by the Sutra Foundation which was held last week for 4 days at Istana Budaya, KL.

To me...anyone who ends up at Sutra Dance Academy in anyway...as a dancer ..musician...teacher....artist....audience or even a servant, is not by chance....its their destiny to be part of Sutra in some way....for theres so much magic in it....anyone who had stepped into sutra will know why it is so....it might seem weird to others....but believe me...theres definitely a Tinkerbell hanging around sutra house ...touching the dancers and teachers. For their shows are not just "SHOWS" but a creation which comes to life with its characters ...it just takes place in front of you ...you will see the real thing happening right before your eyes...thats not a show...u dont see people on stage....you only see the goddesses they have turned into...you dont see a man...but Krishna himself dancing in joy ....you dont see actors...you see the angels and demons fighting the battle for peace....

Just like every show produced by Sutra...this one had a special touch in it too...a piece called Dasamahavidya....which projects the ten visions of Shakti the universal female energy, which is Kali, Tara, Bhubaneswari, Sodasi, Bagala, Matangi, Bhairavi, Kamala, Chinnamasta and Dhumavati. Each of these form has its characteristics of its own....and gosh...the dancers simply turned themselves into this forms...as they brought the unification of all this forms into one as dasamahavidya.....youve simply got to watch it and let the tintinnabulations of the ankle bells awaken the drowsy soul, get it dancing in trance with the ten goddesses while the spirits enters the realms of ecstatic peace !! :)

For those who had missed it in Kl...theres still chance to watch it in Seremban and Ipoh on the 19th June and 24th July.

You may contact

Sutra Dance Theatre
12 Persiaran Titiwangsa 3
53200 Kuala Lumpur
T 603-40211092, 40229669
E sutradancetheatre@yahoo.com
http://www.sutradancetheatre.com/

HALF is FULL ???

Last week i put up this quote on my status in Facebook

" To be yourself in a world thats constantly trying to make you something else, is the greatest accomplishment" Ralph Waldo emerson

And heres the respond i had :)

Chocky : Because being oneself is hard to do, but being honest with oneself is even harder to achieve. I am with good old Ralphie :0)

ME : I know !! Always wandered whats left in a person if all expectations of the world is removed??

Chocky : A WHOLESOME one, unfortunately that would hardly happen, but i might be a bit optimistic and say a handful maybe la :)

ME : Maybe we can try "HALFSOME" first...hahahahaha :)

Chocky : yes i am always Optimistic and not calculative, Half is Full also .

Me : HALf is Full ??...hmm thats interesting , now i am tempted to work on it , thats encouraging.

chocky : Positive orientating, Half is FULL, One is Overwhelming, hahahaha...you can do it , i know you can :)

ME : Thats simply great, shall work on the half, or maybe 1/4 for a start :)

Hmm so thats how the discussion went, though we were just having fun talking bout this....it did make me think a lot....i mean all our lives we have been trying to keep up with the expectations of the world....like to do well in school, to graduate...to find a job....to settle down...have a family and we go on and on and on....

What if these expectations were not there...? what would you have done....? Where is the true self ? WHo are we ? I guess we are simply a bundle of expectations stuffed in forcefully. But realising this...maybe we can work at least half our lives for ourselves...and another half for the world....so its WHOLESOME , so half is full :)

The simple RAIN :)

So...have you experienced rain ?

Yeah...i hear you laughing...especially those of us living in tropical weather all our lives...its impossible not to have experienced rain....but then again i am still wandering....have you really experienced the rain...? Yes maybe you have....while sitting in your room...looking out at the window...while the rain falls roughly on the awnings and roofs...so loud that you cant even hear your own voice ....or while in the car....you see the rain drops all around you....falling on the steel and mirrors ....or maybe you are actually walking in the rain with an umbrella and hear the rain fall on the umbrella and dripping down all around...while you are walking on roads...with the rain water flowing through your sandals...yes you just might have experienced any of these....or you might even have got excited and decide to play in the rain at home ...in the garden...where the rain falls directly on you ...

Yes...i too have experienced all that i had mentioned above....and thats what i thought rain is about...till 2 weeks back..when the SIMPLE RAIN....sounded and felt completely different from anytime before....it wasnt falling clumsily and loudly on the roofs....but on the contrary it was gracefully finding its fav leaves...and gliding smoothly through the branches...and flowing silently through the emerged roots of trees...creating a series of cascade falls on the muddy natural stairways of the hill...the sound of the HEAVY downpour was indeed whispering through the jungle ....so softly...so soothing....yes where else can this be....in the woods of course....on that day my hubby and i took a walk at Bukit Gasing , a little secondary jungle ...and as we were halfway through the 45 mins hike and walk....it started raining so heavily....that within minutes there was a stream formed on the pathways...and we were drenched...but people continued walking and completing their rounds...without complaints...no one held an umbrella....so we walked too...we didnt rush or run out...we didnt have the heart to do that....so we took a slow walk...touching every tree on our way....enjoying every drop of the rain....feeling cleansed from within....what a feeling it was...though it was the simple rain ...it was all too different in there...trust me...you would love it....

So that was the Real Rain......thats how it was suppose to be......soft ...gentle...and soothing...i had a great time....and wish i would experience it again soon...too bad i din have my camera to snap a picture...so used some pictures from the web to share the experience....hope you had a chilling walk with me :)

Meet the King Of the Jungle !

3 years ago ..i had the privilege to meet the King of the Jungle, who was standing with his arms wide open to welcome anyone with love... how majestic....how strong the spirit...you could feel it the moment you set your eyes on him....so full of love...just respect him and sit on his laps...and he will show what life truly is....the fact that....how a tiny pea could make an impression SO HUGE...and everything it needed to grow that big was provided by mother earth herself....so if a tiny pea had learnt how to extract so much energy from this very same earth that you and i walk on everyday....isnt it embarrassing that we have not tapped into it at all... ? yeah thats what i heard as i sat on its gigantic roots.... speechless .....amazed at its growth.....it just told me...Hey, you have every access to this source of energy that i have discovered....now go find it...and come back to me....when you have grown your roots a little more ....and somehow...from the time...i went into this beautiful Pandora of our land , The Taman Negara....and looking at how huge life is around me...made me realise that i shoudnt be stuck between bricks anymore....

So ever since i met the King....i have been trying to stay connected to the real life out there....and it has been making all the difference in my life...though i have a lot more growing to do....before i could look at the King in his eyes and say....hey ...look...i have outgrown you !! :)

So...thats my experience meeting the Tualang Tree at Taman Negara ( National Park ) Its scientific name is Koompassia Excelsa . And yes, sadly they are being cut down for timber though its protected under Sarawak's Wildlife Protection Bill of 1990 .And the interesting fact about it is...this is the favourite tree for honey bees coz their tremendous heights provides them the safety from any danger , unfortunately both the tree and the bees are not safe from human ...as always :(

Well...i am at least glad that i had met the King....and looking foward to see him again :) If any of you happen to see him...do convey my love and respects to this beautiful creation !

JUST COOLING OFF :)

3 weeks back ...a few of my friends and i decided to explore a trek through the jungle which leads to a waterfall in Ampang , KL. So we met up at the Zoo Negara...and drove to Kg Kemansah which is just bout 10 mins from the zoo....and as we drove pass the village....i was amazed at the contrast of lifestyle in between TEN MINUTES !! It was an unbelievable sight....it was such a remote village...with very basic living conditions...little wooden huts by the stream....where you can see....kids, moms and dads...splashing water on each other on a hot day....children using the car tires as a float on little pools by their huts....everyone in their Batik sarong and cotton shirts.......and guess what....as we were passing through the village....we saw a signboard saying " WATERFALL CHALETS ".....now wait a min....we all went in chorus "WATERFALL CHALETS???? HERE???? and one of my friend found out that its the village people themselves staying at the chalets by the stream...now thats interesting....coz i couldnt see the difference between the houses and the chalets....they all looked the same...hahaha....but the thing is...i saw these families having so much fun ....swimming......diving ...and simply sitting in the pool chatting....it was a definitely a peaceful sight....

Anyway..as we drove on....the road was getting a little bumpy and narrow....and finally we came to a Car park ( yes ...they had a car park ! ) ..And the guy handling the parking lots...said...it would cost RM2.00 per car...and also mentioned that the waterfall was VERY near from there....and no problem walking up to it....and that we would see a BLUE ZINC by the road and trek into the jungle will begin there.....so we were all very happy with the useful piece of info we got from him...parked the cars there and started walking up the road....just then ...the sun had comfortably risen and shining abundantly...so off we went with our back packs...walking up the road ....we walked .....and walked...and walked....and there was no sign of the trek anywhere...we walked uphill bout 15 mins...when one of my friend shouted " there! the blue zinc...which was on the right hand side of the road...and on the left there was a very steep trail going into the jungle...so that has to be it....said my friends...but i wasnt convinced that it could be the right track since i knew...we have to pass through an Institute budaya melayu before coming to the trails...so i managed to convince the rest of them to keep walking ....so off we go again...another 10 mins....then we saw...a little far ahead of us...on top of the hill a building which looked like the Institute i saw in the net... so we walked on....by now...we were all getting tired of walking uphill in the hot sun....but finally we came to the institute....and there was board there with some info....my friend Kym reads it and screams " 20 hari (days) from here !!!!!!!!!!! ".....we all looked blur for a second.....then we realise it was actually written " JOHARI " with his contact number ....hahahahaha....we had a good laugh....i dont blame her for reading it as 20 hari though......so we called this person for permission to go pass the Institute....then we walked on....through the institute....and we find a small signboard pointing to the right which leads to Air Terjun Kubang Gajah ....great finally we are on the track....then we walked on ....for another 45 mins through this track..there wasnt much steep spots up to Kubang Gajah falls as it is only the beginning of the trails ....we walked on awaiting the sound of the falls....and finally we heard it.....yes we were there....and heres what we saw.... it was worth the hike and the sun !

The moment we saw this place ....we just rushed to it....changed into our shorts and swimsuits and got into the pool of COOL stream....it is the most refreshing feeling you can get....so we sat there taking pictures ...having some snacks...and chatting away while there were some tiny little fishes nibbling on our feet which felt a little ticklish....and we also scrubbed our legs and arms with the sand which actually left our skin a little smoother by the time we left....so it was a spa out there....A natural one of course.....so we were there for a bout 2 hours....then we got out ...dried ourselves and reluctantly left the lovely falls...

Can you Give UP ?

This afternoon...after having lunch at home ...i sat down to read the magazine "PASSAGE" Vol 1 : 2010 and i came across an article titled " Lighten the Load". And right after reading...i decided to share it with everyone...coz...it is such a simple yet important message to be observed by everyone...so here goes :

" A young man once met a Zen Master and was so impressed that he decided to learn some meditation and live a life of contemplation all alone. " I shall give up everything" he declared. " Dont try anything that doesnt suit your personality, know yourself first", said the Zen Master. But the young man woudnt listen.

He went away to the forest nearby, built himself a small hut of bamboo and palm thatch and began leading a simple life of an ascetic. But soon, he found his hut swamped by rats. They tore away his clothes, gnawed through fruits and berries he gathered for food and even nibbled off patches from the mat he slept on. The young man decided that he must do something about it. So he got himself a cat to hunt the rats.

But cats cannot live on rats alone, they need milk and fish. So the young man went out into the nearest village and begged the people to give him a cow. He needed someone to milk the cow. So he hired a villager. Now he needed to pay the villager. So began spending, two hours every morning gathering berries and fruits from the forest to sell to the villagers. Next he needed a shed for the cow so he began spending five hours gathering fruits, herbs and firewood. He bought building materials, hired some villagers and got the shed built for his cow. His cow needed grass so he cleared out some space in the forest . watered it and turned it into a grazing ground for his cow. He also had to spend a couple of hours everyday taking the cow out to graze.

A year passed by and the old master came by to see how the young man was faring. The young man was so busy that he did not have any time for the master. " Sir , please wait. I shall be with you in an hour. I have to go fruit gathering ....take them to my shop in the village....i have to feed the cow and the cat.....and there are other things to do" The master was amused.

When finally the young man was free in the evening , the master said " i thought you were giving up everything. But you now seem busier than ever. And you possess a great many things - a hut, a shed , a meadow, a cow, a cat, pails for milk and water, baskets for fruit, knifes for weeding, haystacks, a shop in the village...."

The young man grew red in embarrassment. He recounted how it had all happened. The master laughed. "I told you son, it is not easy to give up. If you had not seen the rats as a problem in your life, you woudnt have needed the cat. It is all in the mind: not around you, but inside you. Giving up has to come from within. "

Now..! isnt that an awesome story ?? It is not easy even to give up is it...? Well at least not till we learn how to be at peace within.....coz things around us will always be the same...they will keep bothering us..and pushing us here and there...and we keep hitting one wall to another till we get exhausted...but the moment we learn how to be still and find peace from exactly where we are every moment...then these things around will only hit and bounce away...while we stand firm. And how do we find that balance ? probably just as how we first balanced on a bicycle...we try and we fall to the right and left over and over...then finally you find the balance and once you find it ...you never loose that balance all your life, whether or not you cycle everyday or never cycle again for the next 50 years..you will never fall off the bicycle again...right?...so that balance simply has to come out from us...no one can do it for you...you find it and you have it forever !...so JUST THE SAME.....we have to keep trying to find that balance in life....we might fall here and there a few times....but i am sure we will balance sooner or later...!!

PEACE IS POSSIBLE :)

I read this book ....PEACE IS POSSIBLE , The life and message of Prem Rawat......wow ! While most people are searching too far and too long for the nearest and simplest of things and make everything so complicated by believing in 1000 theories about how to attain peace ...this amazingly peaceful person has proved otherwise by using such simple language and methods to prove that peace is indeed possible ... his answers are crystal clear and fits every human being regardless of the social boundaries or age group....all we need to understand is the phrase " let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"

And whats even more amazing is ....this person addressed his audience at the age of THREE !!!! If at three he discovered his true self....what are we doing still ? why do we think its impossible to reach to ourselves ...probably it takes a lot of unlearning before we get there....but at least we know its possible :)

I would like to share a little story here which took place in my house last week....my cousin came over to my place and she brought her little 3 years old girl along....it was dinner time for the baby...and she was refusing to eat....and she asked me if she could watch cartoon ...and i told her..." yes u can , but you have to eat first...and then i will switch the tv on for you"....and the little girl says...."no , amma will on the tv" meaning that my cousin would switch it on for her....and my cousin reacts to it by telling her.." no ! i wont, this is not MY tv....its ATHEY's (aunty's) ...so only she can switch it on "...and the little girl keeps telling me....amma will on the TV...

Now ....its such a simple example....that the little girl...does not see whats "YOURS' or "MINE"....a TV was just a TV to her...whether it was in her house....or mine....it didnt make a difference to her...she was at peace...knowing nothing material in this world belongs to anyone...but we adults have started teaching her otherwise....by installing facts like " THIS IS MINE" THAT IS YOURS'...and one thing at a time...soon she will start clinging on to loads of other material things like this is my house, my toys, my books, clothes, my car, and eventually my state , my country .., my people....and then we get exhausted running after peace , and then we look for a GURU to unlearn these things...but by then these material things have been stuck to your soul so hard that ripping it off becomes almost impossible.....so most of us give up on it and simply get used to the material world....but every now and then God reminds us what we are missing....and we choose to ignore these signs coz it has become easier that way....but though getting back to the Three Year old Peaceful Soul isnt going to be an easy task...we could at least eliminate one by one...one at a time....starting with what we think could be the easiest and then keep going to the more difficult ones......and see how far we can go...who knows ....we might just get back there.... :)

LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME :)

Walking in 2010 :)

Love celebrating Ponggal ( the Indian harvest festival)....for its all about sweets and nourishment...and what better way to start a year....and since it falls in the second week of January...it always prolongs the new years celebrations...

16 years ago around this time....i was in India...celebrating Ponggal with my parents , grandparents...uncles , aunties....cousins and a whole bunch of other relatives...what an experience it was....i was in my moms village....so , actually witnessed the very original way of celebrating Ponggal...for they are all farmers and have worked all year through for their bountiful harvest....and deserve to celebrate it . Its a 4 days celebration over there ...begins with the "Boghi" where you gather all your old and unwanted things to be burnt in a huge fire....the significance of doing this is to let go of your past and start anew...to leave behind anything thats negative...and make a fresh start mentally and physically.

Then the next day.....its called veetu Ponggal.....where the entire village...makes fire in front of their own little huts to cook the sweet sticky rice with an earthen pot....everyone pours the milk into their pots at the same time...and waits to see who's milk boils first....and the moment someones milk comes to a boil and flows out of the pot..we could hear ladies and young girls of that family screaming " PONGALO PONGGAL"....which is a way of announcing to the rest of the village that their milk had boiled . And the process continues with adding in the rice...brown sugar and butter and stirring it till it cooks well....then

The third day is for the cows....everyone in the village brings their cows to one spot....adorn them with flowers, bells and color their horns with bright paint ....pray to them showing gratitude to the sacred cows....

I will never forget that day.....when we all gathered at an open field...sat down by the moonlight....and they made me sing....i sang a semi classical song from a tamil movie....katrodu kuzhalin naathamey...which is about lord krishna...then the ladies gathered to do the "Kummi" dance...which is going in rounds clapping their hands in a particular rhythm...my mom joined in this dance as well...its all surreal to think of it now...it was so beautiful....something we only see in the movies.

Probably that experience while i was India....made me keep up with that Ponggal celebration till now..i try my best to create that atmosphere here....but it somehow never came close to that experience...living here in Kuala Lumpur....where the moonlight struggles its way through the city lights to touch the ground...it is far from nature....but still...whats more important is that "FEEL'....and when you could feel it ...the atmosphere is created....

so as always....i called a few beautiful friends for dinner....i adorned my house with sugar canes...and used an earthen pot to cook the sweet sticky rice....but of course i cant start a fire outside my house to cook it...or the Bomba will be here the next instant....so i use my gas stove to do it....cooked a few traditional vegetarian dishes....and had banana leaves to serve it....it was fun..and filled with laughter !! Happy to start the year with lots of sweets :)