2012 Believe it OR Not :) !

So, the much spoken about year 2012 is finally here...its pretty exciting to step into such an important era...and extremely interesting to learn the predictions of the Mayan civilization thousands of years ago....People then had seen so far ahead while we hardly plan anything that lasts beyond 5 years..Still all that we learn from the Mayans is only based on traces and ancient records which had been put through modern interpretations...so we hardly know the truth behind these predictions...or what EXACTLY the message was about. Only the Mayans would know that..! And interestingly the word Maya in tamil means something that is mysteriously unreal / illusion.


There is a whole WORLD of things which has not been discovered by human beings such as the mystery of nature...life...planets...and the universe on the whole. So what we DO know is hardly a fraction of what we dont. With so much unknown, its hard to interpret or conclude what these ancient message mean exactly...people then had such super natural powers which enabled them to build the greatest civilizations without the aid of any science and technology whereas people now are totally dependant on external factors like computers , robots , machines and so on that we have forgotten the powers we have within. So how could we possibly KNOW for sure what these messages mean when we have forgotten so much !??


TO some the "END" mayans are talking about here refers to the material and physical world which means the planet and the living creatures on it will be destroyed! While to some others it means "END" of an era...where everything evil/bad dies off and the world takes a brand NEW face !


And for those who believe that the world would literally "END" then i am sure they would make the most out of EVERY moment we have from JAN 1st 2012...and live life to the fullest and be happier than ever before for the last one year they have !


While those who believe its a beginning to a better world...they would rejoice at the thought of everlasting peace and harmony on earth and thank God for every moment to come...

So either way its going to be a JOYFUL year !!! isnt it ??

well as for me ...i would share the FB status I put up as a new year message to my friends and family...

" NEVER MIND WHAT THE MAYAN CALENDAR SAYS....I KNOW MY CALENDAR SAYS 2012 IS A BEGINNING TO EVERYTHING BRIGHTER THAN EVER , HAPPY NEW YEAR All "

Soothing Sight

My good friend Kym, once said " How come most people do not seem to think about why there are tonnes of meat for sale in the supermarkets but then we dont see any animal roaming around in our neighbourhood....where do these meat come from ? Where are the animals..?" Yes ...how come people dont see it ! All these animals are cramped up in a inhumanely horrific condition simply so that WE have more space to live !! For those of you who have had the guts to watch the videos of these animals being tortured , thank you.. for will know what i am talking about...and for those of you who simply avoided watching these videos so that you could sleep better i have just one question...is everything ok for as long we dont see it ?? Just ask yourselves.....and let your heart answer that..

Anyway...though there are so much of cruelty going on everywhere...off and on nature somehow inspires you to believe in humanity. I had one such experience recently while i was in India....and i will not explain further for i shall let the pictures speak for itself....so good to see nature in its right order at least in some corners of the world ...truly inspiring...

And of course i understand that it doesnt mean there are no commercial animal farms in India..still it was soothing to know at least some were in safe hands... these pictures were taken along the highway from Chennai to Thirupathi and also at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.

A little healing images :):)

THE ZAHIR

The Zahir ! Another awesome work by Paulo.....this time all about "OBSESSION"... Well i use to think obsession is only when people are after the obvious things like....money...property....fame and so on....but then this book made me realise that ALL of us are obsessed with something without realising it at all.....we have been clinging to those few things that we want most ( or at least we think we want most ) and have naturally shut the rest of the world behind...totally blinded !

And of and on theres something from the other side of the world poking through the curtain we have drawn around us causing tiny holes to appear through which we get to peek...but then we are afraid of what might be on the other side if we were to draw the curtain open...so we hussshhh ourselves and patch that hole up so we stay comfortable in our world of obsession....

Human beings are the most amazing creation of nature for we are capable of loving EVERY one of the zillions of things in the universe at one time....LOVE never runs out...eternally... but then given such awesome gift by nature...yet we downgrade our system to Loving ONLY a few things that we choose...wouldnt Nature be crying for all the effort it had put for something like 14 billion years into creating this magnificent system we live in ! ??

In this book...a renowned author's wife goes missing leaving no trace. The author has absolutely no idea why and begins the search for his wife....and in the process he learns the truth of his own life which leads him to a new understanding of the nature of love, the power of destiny and what it really means to follow your heart...

The word " ZAHIR", explained by the author

as an idea from the islamic tradition which means "Visible", "Present" or "Incapable of going unnoticed" It can refer to a person or an object which gradually takes over our every thought, until we are unable to think of anything else. This could be considered a state of holiness or a state of madness.

So...isnt it true that we find our plants grown faster when we were not looking every morning and evening to see if theres a new leaf on it..? We love the plant...water it ...fertilize it...trim it and add the soil whenever needed...but say we look at every 5 mins to check if its growing...wouldnt it drive us mad by even just a week ?? Now thats obsession..in my own words! Whereas if you....let it grow...and take its time and do all thats necessary ...while also loving everything else around us....one day after a few months when we are watering it...we will be sweetly surprised to see a lovely bloom and we might go " HEy....i just planted it...and it has bloomed !!" so fast ! hahaha...yeah but it wasnt exactly "SO FAST" on the contrary it took all its time while we let it ....so i believe it applies to everything else we do .... just spread our love to everything....and we will get to be surprised every now and then.... but if we stay obsessed over just one plant ...then we most likely would miss every other bloom around us....including the one we are obsessed about !

And here i wish to share some phrases from the book which i really like :

" Welcome to the place where we always say that the sky is blue even when it is grey because we know that the colour is still there above the clouds"

"The world we know today is merely a story someone has told us, but it is not the true story. The other story includes special gifts and powers and the ability to go beyond what we know"

" I dont regret the difficulties i have experienced; i think they have helped me to become the person i am today. I feel the way a warrior must feel after years of training: he doesnt remember the details of everything he learned, but he knows how to strike when the time is right"

"When they passed through cities, the nomads would think: The poor people who live here, for them everything is always the same. The people in the cities probably looked at the nomads and thought : Poor things , they have nowhere to live. The nomads had no past, only the present and that why they were always happy."

" In order to live fully , it is necessary to be in constant movement; only then can each day be different from the last"

Happy Reading :)

Sparks of Love :)

People say Deepavali is about LIGHT ....or that it signifies the triumph of Good over Evil....and that Lord Krishna beheaded the demon narakasura..... and these stories go on and on.....but why complicate something so simple.... its all about love and peace at heart....

My Deepavali is....

that ONE simple breakfast at home...with family with the same old "thosai" , "Idly" gravy and chutneys... which tastes extra delicious on that day simply because everyone sitting around at the table...had taken time to reschedule all their work or business....and had been running around like mad to prepare the cookies .... or had saved money for a few months to get gifts for their loved ones.... or had travelled thousands of miles just to be there....or had driven all night after work as leave wasnt approved by their company....or had worked over time and weekends just to get the extra days off .... and this time one of my cousin had eye infection so bad that she looked like she had been punched in the eye in a boxing match !! and yet with a tissue in her hand and sunglass , she wears her new saree and comes over to enjoy the breakfast without any complain...all for a plain thosai and some gravy ?

Later we see our fathers and grown up brothers and sisters enjoying the firecrackers more than the kids themselves !!... we tire ourselves by going from one uncles house to another.... all in a day or the next....

So does it matter if it was the day Lord Krishna defeated Narakasura..... ?

Its all about love.... to have that ONE meal together no matter what.... !! Funny part is...every year we discuss to make the event different but end up doing EXACTLY the same thing.... and still ENJOY it to the maximum though it was the first time :) and thats the beauty of DEEPAVALI :):)

So for those of you who had been doing the same thing year after year ....KEEP GOING !

Hope you had a great celebration too :):)

Mixed Books with Mushroom :)

Now there are 4 of us in love with Paulo Coelho's work....so we decided to create a book club to exchange and also discuss books. And yesterday we had our first meeting at The Loaf in Empire Subang...and it turned out to be pretty interesting ...we wish to continue this journey with Paulo and also take it further with other authors and books.

The thing about some books is that...we understand it even better when we explain it to another person than we did when we read it...thus it gives a new perspective to our readings....and of course it also helps to remember the story better when we discuss it.

You will also be surprised at how some story mean totally different things to different people...

As for Paulo Coelho books....they are mostly categorized as "FICTION" but when you read it you will realise it isnt totally. The content maybe fiction but the essence of it is not. How could anything about "LIFE" be fiction? Our thoughts....feelings...emotions ....instincts...and dreams maybe abstract but we still FEEL it dont we....just like the wind...we dont have to see it in order to believe its real....we simply KNOW it is !

So its about how you "SEE" the book. If you just sit by the banks and look at the surface of the lake listening to someone explain that there is life beneath then it is fiction but if you take a plunge ....you will SEE whats beneath....and how "REAL" it is!

So for those of us who had been sitting on the banks and refusing to see whats beneath....these books definitely drag you to it and throw you into the lake of life ! So much to discover....!

Anyway...it was my first time at The Loaf.....and had no idea what would be the best to order..but since i am a vegetarian ...choices are always limited, so its easy....i decided to try the Mixed Mushroom tartine.....and it turned out to be pretty yummy ! loved it...!

As the for the books ...i exchanged " The Alchemist" for my friend's " Like the flowing river" and i cant wait to begin the journey with Paulo again...this time by the river....and not through the dessert to Egypt as in "The Alchemist".....hope to discover more and share it here with you :)

If you are walking with me....i See u somewhere by the river banks....soon :) !

Do you speak wind ?

Crash: What's that noise?

Buck: It's the wind. It's speaking to us.
Eddie: What's it saying?
Buck: I dont know. I dont speak wind.

This is my favourite quote from the movie ICE AGE ( 2009). Made me laugh so much when Buck says ....I dont know. I dont speak wind. Well why i thought of it now is because last weekend i went to watch INDIA BEAT 6 at the Merdeka hall of PWTC in KL. Have only watched it on tv all these years...and this is the first time i got to watch it live. And...we met some friends at the entrance of the hall who were worried they might be bored of the first half which is instrumental performance. Nantha and i thought the same and were more interested to watch the bharathanatyam dance performance which comes a little later.

The concert featured the very best international carnatic artist such as :

Padma Shri Shobana Chandrakumar – Bharathanatyam

Padma Shri U. Shrinivas on the mandolin

Padma Shri Kadri Gopalnath – Saxaphone

Kanyakumari – Violin

Shashank – Flute

Sikkil Gurucharan – Vocal

Anil Srinivasan – Piano

Prasanna – Guitar

Bakthavathsalam – Mridangam

Radhakrishnan – Ghatam

U. Rajesh – Mandolin

Akkarai – Violin

Vijay Ghate – Tabla

Rajashekar - Morsing

So we went into the hall and managed to get a perfect spot to be seated....then, walked in the musicians with their respective instruments . They looked so ordinary until they started playing.....the main instrument was Saxaphone accompanied by violin , mrithangam and Ghatam.

It was our FIRST time hearing Saxophone in a live performance especially in indian carnatic music and Padmashree Dr Kadri Gopalnath was just AWESOME ! Nantha and i were totally lost in the music which carried our souls into joyous realms and i closed my eyes to let it carry me further.

That is when i realised that we dont need to have learnt music to be able to flow with it. When good musicians play....they definitely get to your soul no matter what kind of knowledge you have about the instrument. I have not even touched a saxophone in my life, let alone play one....and yet...the music conveyed such intense feelings that you and only you could understand for yourself. You cant explain it....and i thought no wander they call him a genius. He took like 20 years to connect this western instrument to indian carnatic and gosh the outcome is divine !

Then of course the bharathanatyam performed by the ever gorgeous and graceful Padmashree Shobana....but i have to admit that i am not really a fan of her dance style. I dont know why, i cant seem to connect with her moves. But the thought of watching and even snapping pictures of someone who came from a family full of super gorgeous dancers like Padmini and Rahini is definitely exciting especially because she looks so much like Rahini . Well if you are a niece to such dance goddesses you cant help being a goddess yourself....thats what i see in this beautiful dancer.

But then again....though i LOVE Indian classical dance more than any other art form...on that day, the saxophonist spoke through the wind a little louder than the dance goddess did with her ankle bells !!

And overall it was a musical treat and i know watching it on tv will not do justice to that divine music that was rendered life ! Still...do catch it on tv when they show , believe me you dont have to speak wind to understand it.... just close your eyes and let yourself drift with the music...the rest will come naturally :)

My Tropical Balcony :)

We came to kl 10 years back...newly married....packing everything from scratch....clothes' hangers....pots and pans.....towels and blankets......rugs and table cloths......furniture and fittings......JUST everything...yeah we moved into an empty house.

Friends and family members gave us wedding gifts that would be useful such as a rice cooker.....sandwich toaster.....table lamps....microwave oven and so on which definitely helped us start a HOME...but amongst all the gifts we had.....what i loved the most were the lovely little plants given by my mom and also my father in law.....they were almost just little twigs when i got it from them. So they hardly filled my balcony then...

So, soon after Nantha and i were a little settled ...we wanted more plants...and one of Nantha's friend suggested we should go hunting for it around KL and PJ . So off they went to cut down some branches and pull out some plants by the roadside and from the bushes. And yes they came back with some interesting plants....so thats how i got the collection of plants at home...

And some of it like the Bamboo....grew so tall in 10 years...it is now touching the ceiling of my house....So....here's how they look ...after 10 years....at my tropical balcony:)

This one came as a tiny twig ...given by my mom from Ipoh.

This is the little bamboo that came from Batu gajah....

Dracaena plant :)

This one i pulled out by the drain in Bangsar as i went walking one eve....now it has grown big Elephant ears leaves :)

Jasmine flower plant from my father in law ...

Orange Lantana flowers :)

So for those of you who love gardening but have not much space....dont give up....choose the right plants according to the amount sunlight needed and identify the best spots in your house that would be ideal for the plants....and dont forget to nourish it with lots of love and attention...and you will be surprised at how well they grow :)

The Pilgrimage

Haha yes ...now i am after Paulo Coelho's books....went hunting for them at MPH Bangsar last weekend since i had finished reading The Alchemist...now that i am motivated to follow my dreams...The Pilgrimage would be a good start to put me on the right track towards it.

This book is about a journey of 700 miles by foot with a guide who will not only show you the routes but also teach you how to stay on your path without being distracted and also how to get past the hurdles appearing every now and then.

"The journey is across Spain along the legendary road of San Tiago, which pilgrims have traveled since the Middle ages."

When you read this book simply as it is....then it may not be that great after all....but if you see how it connects to your very own journey ...then its like " OHHH my good Lord " at least after every 3 pages...from the beginning to the end...

Well there are some parts too clearly talking about meditation and soul....so you wouldnt miss it ....but there other parts which are hidden messages where you need to concentrate and interpret carefully...still some parts may mean different things to different people for it depends on their own life experiences thats reflected in the story...so the effect of reading this book will definitely differ from one person to the other.

To me...

Its a reflection of what ive been through emotionally and mentally...and from where i am today i could see clearly those roads ive passed by and the encounters along the way...so it gives a sense of satisfaction that i am on the right track after all..unknowingly of course..!

Every turn ... ups and downs of the journey is totally necessary ...the sooner we learn this the better life becomes...

And again...this book too is about following your dreams...

Live your DREAM !

This is all about following your dreams...yes we have heard it a thousand times elsewhere but ...theres something in this book that makes "following your dreams" all too different...its an alarm clock that rings into your ears and vibrates through every nerve ...and awakens the sleeping soul within...! Believe me....i am NOT exaggerating !

Heres a humble Andalusian Shepherd boy named Santiago ....who embarked on a journey to Egypt equipped with nothing but the weight of his dreams. And if i start writing the outline of the story here...i will get carried away with it for its so interesting...so i am leaving it to you to google for the story or do get the book itself for its totally worth the buy !

But what i wish to share here is the impact this book brings to its readers....

Generally ...people have this thought...that ONLY a few extraordinary people have worthy dreams and are able to accomplish it ....but how wrong can we be....EVERY being that comes to life is packed not only with a heart, mind , soul...flesh and blood....but also with a DREAM....unfortunately.....it doesnt get nourished .

Parents are always concerned about the kind of food we get...the type of clothes we wear.... the education .... status.... and wealth .... but so few help a child nourish its dreams.... in fact most parents or the society on the whole unconsciously bury the dreams of every child with everything else they think is "important" .But tell me what could be worth more than following your dreams...!!

Yes i had my dreams too....and gladly managed to follow them despite the social obligations that pushed me away from it... and now after reading this book i am all the more determined to follow my dreams ....

If you were to ask an adult..." What is your dream?" Most of them might take a long time before they come up with an answer ...and thats not because they dont have one... but because we have been forced to forget our dreams... we have been pushed into a circle of choreographed life where we just do our part to fit in the whole picture... we do not attempt a solo .... we are afraid to stand out !!!

So my dear friends... reach out into your souls and search for the dreams ... its all there waiting for your call... make that call TODAY ! :)

Recognize miracles ?

Now...we started off with the size of a bacteria....and developed into a body that contains approximately 50 to 75 TRILLION cells !! With the most complicated system that interacts perfectly without any EFFORT from us....then grows into the most efficient automatic system we would ever come to know....We...a Fetus that came to life with a heart beating all of a sudden...simply out of no where....like it just knew what it had to do....and where were we before that FIRST BEAT of our own heart ! Where was all this ego....pride....of being "ME" ....where were we ???

And then...when i ask some one...." Have you experienced any miracles in your life?"....they go .." huh? ...errrmmm....hmm...not really....hahahaha.....how soon we forget...that moment...that one second before our hearts started beating....

Now thats only about ONE life ....how about EVERY thing else we see...? Which one is NOT a miracle??

So......this world is so totally magical...and its not something of the pass...its just that we've taken it for granted and have forgotten too much...we need to wake up to this amazing ....awesome...breathtaking LIFE and breathe every moment of it...:)

Wishing you a miraculous journey :)

If you are still not convinced..take a moment to just precisely imagine 50 trillion cells in yourself...call it science? maybe...but what created this science..where did it come from ? :) If you have an answer ....do share :)

Child of Tibet

Now...how many of us have the privilege to claim

" I was born while my mother was milking in a windy cowshed, in the countryside....and an hour later the cow herself gave birth."

Can you even imagine it ? That is LIFE as it IS ! and this beautiful women was born just ONE year after i was. Its interesting to observe the stark contrast to life here , isnt it? Maybe my mom could have matched the situation better as she was born in a very remote village in India and her parents were then living in a tiny palm thatched hut.

But my VERY boring story would start something like...

"i was comfortably born with first class facilities in the hospital and brought into a lovely brick house. And definitely no cows in the neighbourhood !

Hahaha.....i bet you wouldnt buy my book if i were to write an autobiography !!! Would you ??

Now...coming back to Soname's flight to freedom, a story of a remarkable woman who was born in Tibet right in the middle of the cultural revolution when the people's devotion to the compassionate Buddha was considered a crime ! How could you wake up every morning bearing the absurd feeling that you are the enemy simply because you are too PEACEFUL !! I mean whats wrong with human beings ? We are the most confused species ever to have walked the earth ...aren't we?

The even more interesting fact to observe in her story is that.....despite the very brutal overthrowing of Buddhist culture by the Chinese People's Liberation Army in order to establish communism in Tibet....Soname NEVER showed signs of resentment or anger in her entire story! Sadness ?...YES.....Pain?...Yes.....Courage? ...Yes....but NO ANGER ! And how could that be ? I guess thats only possible with a nation that was made of 6000 monasteries producing exceptional number of scholars and saints and the Leader was considered to be the living Buddha of compassion. Ordinary illiterate Tibetan knew how to say mantras, turn prayer wheels, do prostrations in front of sacred images and go on pilgrimages.

A child born into a family who believes PEACE is the only way....will not seek revenge against those who held them down and peed into their mouths ....simply for the reason they were NOBLE....

She does not think its natural to hate those who were responsible for her family to starve and suffer and enormous famine.

Here's what she says in her book :

" For all the trauma and poverty, my family coped remarkably well. I can recall times of serenity and even laughter at home. We are by nature a strong, resilient race, with terrific sense of humour. And this helped enormously in those terrible times. And i can honestly say I do not remember any bitterness or resentment in either my family or my fellow countrymen and women. There was just great sadness."

More than anything else, however it was our faith that kept us going.

When i finished this book.....i couldnt help comparing our lives and sometimes it makes me laugh at the things we complain about ..i still believe Malaysia has been a paradise ...not flawless....but definitely bearable....

simply because if a child who was thrown into being a slave at 16 , exploited and deprived of affection, faced starvation and risked death in a 6 week trek for freedom across the Himalayas...later forced to give up her young daughter and being tormented with guilt and heartache ....YET managed to find courage to channel ALL the Pain into something useful for her country and people like raising money to provide first class medical care for the local regardless of caste or creed. She was able to do this since her talent in singing was discovered and she began her career by performing in a nightclub in London to celebrate Tibetan new year. Thats when BBC picked up the event and gave her the opportunity to do an interview which was broadcast all around the world.

Then ...what pain are we talking about ?? Seriously ? Yes ...all human beings will naturally strive for better life....but our efforts has to be channeled through love and peace at heart....no anger or resentment will get us there...In other words....instead of FIGHTING for rights why not pave a peaceful path to it ? Our idea is to get there alive anyway :)

Here are some the links to her for more information :

www.soname.com/charities.html

www.roterlotus.org

www.gtuh.org

Dont Miss a TWIG even !!

Funny that in my last post....i was talking about how we should look around and see things as we walk....and just a few days later i am reminded that i got to look not only left , right ...front and back ....but also UP and DOWN! hahaha....i will tell you why...

Yesterday....Nantha and i went on our usual hiking at Gasing hill trails....but we just decided to leave about half an hour earlier than the usual time....it was beautiful weather...sunny , and also breezy....Perfect it was....

So...we entered the jungle and walked on....chatting and sometimes just quietly enjoying the greens....touching some of our favorite trees.....we naturally look down most of the time...as we need to walk over roots , rocks...broken branches and so on....and as we reached halfway the trail where the observation tower is ...facing the Shivan temple at the opposite hill....theres a wooden platform build recently....where you can sit on or climb and stand on it to enjoy the view ...and as always we had our short water break....

i sat on the wooden bench and Nantha was standing on the platform looking over at the temple....and i took a sip of water....when i saw a small twig falling on the bushes beside me....and naturally i thought it must have been some monkeys moving on the branches above....and since we just passed about 10 to 15 monkeys along the path....it was nothing to be excited about...

so only after about a few seconds...i decided to look up anyway....expecting to spot another monkey.....and right above my head.....a little high up....on a tree top i saw something big moving...but it looked nothing like a monkey...and i realised it was a bird....for another second i thought it was an eagle because it was huge....and its quite common to see eagles around here....but then finally the picture comes clear.....it was bright beautiful red and blue...with its long and pointed lovely tail feathers ...then i noticed its beaks....by now i knew what i was looking at...and my eyes naturally widened in disbelief.....and i uttered something that sounded like...." huh...? oh .....myyyy goddd...." that caught Nantha's attention and he looked up asking...." What"???

I managed to point my finger up at the branch...then ...i heard another " OHHH myyy GoDDD"

And for the next 5 mins we were both looking up at it......still in disbelieve....A red and blue Macaw ??? at Gasing Hill ?? i didnt even manage to spot one in Taman Negara ?? and here i am sitting just 15 mins walk from my home....looking at the most beautiful bird in the world !! Perched so closely that we dont even need a binocular to see it. Of course we have seen them before in the pet stores ...usually chained up like prisoners of nature...but here.....it was all too different....it was for real ! a wild and free bird....it was simply Divine...!! Plus it was a definitely a lot bigger than the ones in the stores....It was like seeing the image in Bhagavad Gita where the story about 2 Macaws perched on a branch...one eating the fruits and one just observing....

Yeah...so we didn't walk for the next few minutes .... i had no heart to leave the place as the bird was still up there....i was hoping it will fly off ...just to see how beautifully it would spread its wings as it takes its flight....but it didn't....so we decided to walk on...as we need to get out before it gets dark....we cant wait too long....

And as we walked back....i was thinking....what if that little twig hadn't fallen right beside me...what if i didn't think there was anything to look up to.....what if i assumed that twig was just "nothing".........wouldn't i have missed something so beautiful....!? Made me even think if that bird intentionally threw that twig down to catch my attention....saying " hey you...look up...i am here" ?? hahaha...i know i sound mystical....but the world really is mystical....is it not ??

And as we walked out of jungle....we met one uncle who also hikes there regularly....he is in his 70's and still keeping fit....so i excitedly told him what we just saw....and he was so surprised as he had been hiking here for the past 15 years !!! and never seen one ....i thought.....hmmm maybe you missed some twigs that fell on your path....maybe you didnt think it was important to look up.... :):)

...of course i didnt have my camera with me....and that makes the experience even more precious...i guess somethings are not meant to be captured .....only shared...so here i am sharing the beautiful experience with you...

Remember to pay attention....to even a twig....for you have no idea whats behind it ! ! :):)

As we walk.....

Imagine 7 billion faces and not one 100 % identical to another....how creative could nature be....? If someone were to ask me to come up with 3 different solutions to a problem...i might bang my head against the wall by the time i get to the 3rd one...but nature has so many ways that we fail to recognize....probably because we are SO ABSORBED on our own path , that we do not see whatever that appears along the way...if only we look out of the box.... we should be getting endless amount of inspiration to create a better life not just for ourselves but for others too..

As you walk..just look around....and watch how life is going by....in a hundred different ways within a range of a few hundred metres ...how would you feel when you are passing by in your car thinking of where to have tea this evening listening to some lovely music on the radio and thankful for the air cond that's keeping you cool despite the blazing sun outside.....and as you slow down at a traffic light along the road....you drive pass a bus stop and you see a fragile old women holding on to some plastic bags and sitting down crying? And before you could even think... the car at the back honks at you to drive on as the traffic light has turned green...so you drive on....and start thinking about where to have tea again....and finally you stop at your favourite kopitiam to have some snacks and drink....have a good chat with your hubby....and then head home...and that night as you go to bed ...pulling the blanket over.....getting cozy and just before you doze off...the fragile old lady appears ...tears trickling down her cheek....with a face that has seen too much pain....how could you even sleep ? Doesn't it make you wonder .....? What could have been the choices made that brought the old lady to a path which lead to a lonely bus stop with a 1000 cars buzzing by every hour and yet NONE to care ?

So....that was just ONE story i observed as i passed by.....there are hundreds and thousands of it....some of it are there...for us to learn from...some comes as tests .... some as warnings..... some as reminders.... some as inspirations... some as lessons....they are not always in the form of people....it could be ANYTHING else....even a rock !

they are all there...! the whole world is an institution for us to learn from... problem is we do not concentrate.... So next time you are passing by .... just look away and SEE whats around.... you will be amazed ! :)

Anyway the picture above was taken by my brother during a family outing recently....and i found it interesting that....all three of them ( Bro in law....brother and cousin ) in it are facing a different side of the same path....and it was a candid shot...i guess thats how life is...we are all heading towards the same thing....only in different ways .....so we see different things....we experience different situations...but we all get there in the end .....:):)

Have A rainbow in your heart :)

When the rainbow arches right into your garden...a spectrum of colors curves down to the wall next to you....connecting the sky...woudnt you be tempted to touch it !! Yes.......like that was not amazing enough ....the colors stuck to my fingers ....like powder....red ..orange ..yellow...green blue indigo and violet....all seven colors got mixed up and stuck to my fingers as i touched the wall where the rainbow was reflected....

that moment...was totally MAGICAL ...but it was also so REAL ! that i woke up with the colors still in my eyes....my world was colorful....the plain bedroom back home...felt like heaven.....with a link to earth connected through the bridge of colours i had just touched...how could that be JUST a dream...!

It has been about 7 years since that heavenly morning....and i still love how it made me feel...that excitement and joy ....lighted my heart so bright...and its still glowing...what a beautiful dream!!

Life had been just as beautiful ever since...and i believe those colors will stay with me forever.... :)

Ever imagined how the best quality coffee spiced up with RED Chilis tastes like ??....I never did..! Never thought chili would go so yummy with coffee...untill i took the Coffee adventure at MBUJI COFFEE last night !! ..be prepared to be UP n AWAKE buzzing like a bee for the next 3 hours at least if you are the type who cant sleep for hours after a cup of plain nescafe...! But It was simply worth the staying up ! :) !!

And it does not only taste good....but also feels good as you know every ounce of coffee you drink makes a difference in a child's life over there in Mbuji, Africa ....so what more do we need on a beautiful rainy cozy evening with BEst Friends to laugh with...? Simply perfect !

And theres a lot more to discover in this African wilderness growing in the midst of KL city ....! Go for it !!! :)

Below is the Mbuji Coffee FB Link :)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001385520089

So...Who is "NORMAL" ?? !

On my birthday last week....i decided to visit Chasity Home in Kajang town....have seen some of the children from there during a christmas lunch last year at my friends place. Those pure faces had been stuck in my mind eversince....most of them were autistic... though one girl was completely normal but unfortunately her parents couldnt afford to take care of her...she was pretty and looked intelligent. Another boy who i thought should be around 12 or 13 years old turned out to be 20 !! he looked so small....and there were a few others too...i was touched to see how patiently they waited for their food to be served at the dining table...and obediently finished their meals. As i was talking to Ms Amutha ( one of caretakers ) i gathered that these few who were able to visit other peoples' houses occasionally were the ones who are manageable...and are able to walk and communicate but there were a few others back at the home who were more seriously autistic and couldnt be brought out for such functions. It broke my heart to hear this......and thats when i decided to visit the rest of them another day....so my birthday was a perfect time to go visit them.

I Had informed the home a day earlier about my visiting and also getting them some lunch.

And as we reached there....i got out of the car ...passed the food to the ladies in charge...then saw 2 elderly men sitting at the porch on stools simply staring into space....these 2 elderly men were abandoned by their children, they were not ill or autistic....they were simply OLD...... i nodded and smiled at them and walked up to the entrance of the living room which was pretty spacious....there was a small TV turned on, showing some chinese program....there was a 3 seater sofa placed in front of the tv.... only one indian girl around the age of 12 or 13 was sitting on the sofa but she was not facing the tv....either she doesnt understand whats on...or she wasnt just interested....i dont know...and there were 2 chinese girls on the floor....one big sized girl whos hair was so short that she almost looked bald ...she was lying on the floor facing the opposite direction ( away from the tv )....and had both her legs up on the sofa....then on the far right....that 20 year old boy i met on Christmas was sitting on the floor...leaning against the wall with his legs folded and he was also not watching tv...but simply looking at or probably through his fingers...holding his head low...i noticed no one was communicating with each other...they were all in their own space...but somehow it was PEACEFUL in there...

While i stood there scanning through the room and not knowing whom to approach first ....or what to say to them ....an angel came to the rescue...another chinese girl who also looked about 13 or 14....must have been looking at me standing frozen there in the middle of the living room......she must have sensed that i was feeling lost....so with a BIG SMILE ...she stretched her right hand out towards me....with a nod ...which conveyed a message that clearly meant ..." hey you...come over here".....so i immediately walked up to her and held my hand out....she grabbed my hand ....and with her left hand she patted on the seat of the sofa and almost shouted at me " DUDUK LAH!!!" hahahahha....i laughed...Nantha who had been watching the whole thing....laughed out too...! so i sat down and smiled at her....still not sure what to say....then i asked her..." whats your name ?".....she immediately looked down...and shook her head as if to say she doesnt know...and her smile faded a little....i was puzzled at her reaction...i dont know if she did not understand what i said ....or she did not want to tell me her name for some reason...and i am still wandering what was going on in her beautiful mind....

then the next moment she got up and cheerfully walked about ....hmmm...so that was life in there....and i felt a little embarrassed at how long i took to get familiarised with the environment and the people...while it was so easy for that girl to reach out to a complete stranger !...i guess we just think too much !!!...She wasnt afraid to reach out to me....coz she SAW simply ME ...and nothing else....she saw...whats inside...which we all share...and recognized no difference....wish i could get there ! :) dont you ??

On my way home....i coudnt help asking myself over and over ......now...

WHO IS ACTUALLY NORMAL ??

If any of wish to contribute or simply share the love with these lovely souls....

There are 25 ppl in need at :

Chasity Home

Mdm Amutha: 017327 4809

Add: No 11, Jalan 10, Taman Sri Langat, Jalan Reko, 43000 Kajang, Selangor.

Account number: EON BANK 0112-10-0009057

Little Princes

This is an amazing story about ONE MAN'S Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. Its funny that just about a month ago i decided to write about what ONE person can do to make a change...and then i coincidentally ( or maybe not :) come across this book in MPH...so i just grabbed it and walked straight for the counter ....simply eager to know how this ONE ORDINARY PERSON made such an impact on the lives of these beautiful children of Nepal.

And when i finished reading it....i am all the more convinced that EVERY ONE person should do something...big or small...because every action seems to have such a momentum that will eventually string more people into that cause and make an impact probably beyond what we even expected.

This guy, Connor Grennan was just 29 and in search of adventure when he went on a long trip around the globe, beginning with a three month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Childrens' Home, an orphanage in war torn Nepal. And the shocking news awaiting him was that these children were not orphans after all....but victims of child trafficking !!

Parents from extremely remote ( you can only get there by hiking for weeks ) villages who were intimidated by Maoist rebels who abducted children and forced them to join the rebel army in the fight against the royal government, wanted to simply save the lives of their children and sadly fell for the tricks of child traffickers who promised them to take their children to safety and collected vast sums from these impoverished families for the service. Then they just abandoned the children hundreds of miles from their mountain villages where some became slaves...some starved to death and some lucky ones were found by these orphanages. Thats how these young ( mostly 3 or 4 years of age ) became orphans.

Its so sad that these parents have absolutely no idea what had happened to their children....and some of them have been waiting for years hoping to see their children again while some of these children dont even know they have parents or siblings alive.

So this guy...Connor...a graduate of the University of Virginia and the NYU Stern school of Business was then drawn into the lives of the children in the strangest way...while he only intended to do his duties as a volunteer for 3 months and then just go back to America and be settled like a "Normal" person would.....while he had his friends, family and job waiting for him....Life had something else to offer....he became the HERO to these children at the orphanage...and if ONLY you read the entire book that you will see how a person could be drawn into risking their lives for others ...unintentionally...!!

And the good news is ...or i would say the miracle is...eventually after an unbelievable journey through the mountains for about a month....taking the risk of getting killed in the process....this BEAUTIFUL guy managed to reunite ALL the children at this orphanage with their parents...! I had tears when he found every parent...as though i was there while it was happening...he is still doing more by launching a nonprofit organisation in 2006 dedicated to reconnecting trafficked children with their families in a postwar Nepal. When the idea of creating the organisation popped up to him, he had absolutely no idea where to get the fund from. But nature as always brings everything you need if only you channel your request through LOVE ! This guy had nothing to gain but the LOVE of these beautiful children who deserved their lives ! So it worked !

I am not writing much about his quest here for you should really read this book, and by purchasing this book we are also helping in a small way...as a portion of the proceeds from this book is going toward food, clothing, educational supplies and finding more families of these trafficked children.

For more info and to listen to this beautiful guy discuss about his quest please follow these links below :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzS9v1TBsbM

http://www.facebook.com/nextgenerationnepal?sk=info

http://www.nextgenerationnepal.com/How_It_All_Began

TRULY INSPIRING :)

Tsunami VS Human ??

11 MILLION people murdered during holocaust with estimated 1.1 MILLION CHILDREN !

Estimated over 70 MILLION people dead during World War II

80 THOUSAND people mass murdered in RWANDA GENOCIDE

100 Thousand civilians killed in GULF WAR

Over 10 Thousand dead in just 4 years in Afghanistan war

100 THOUSAND killed in Sri Lankan War

over 13 Thousand killed in 10 just years Nepal Civil war

23 Thousand Elephants killed EACH YEAR !! for its tusks

38 MILLION sharks killed EACH YEAR for its fins

ONE MILLION animal killed PER HOUR !!! for human consumption ONLY in US !!

Plus .... http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/massacre.html ( Please have a look before you read on )

Plus MILLIONS of more killings recorded by human being for money , fame, power & greed all over the world

VS

the DEADLIEST tsunami IN HISTORY claims lives of 200,000 ??

erm....yeah we sure have a BETTER chance with nature....

whos wit me :) :) :)