Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
:)
travelling is fun... i like planning for trips too. so exciting.. after europe, next up in the pipeline is somewhere near... somewhere that starts with a 'B'..
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Religions
Read yahoo news, learnt about the latest religion saga. the same religion again. sigh. someone posted this under comments, which i agree.
By Mr Piya Tan, a Buddhist,
Stories we live by
You name your God, I name mine. This has been going on since we first wondered why the sun rises, why there are stars in the night sky, why the wind blows and water flows, why we are here, why we die. It was a time long before science and human awakening. When people could not find the right answers for such things, they tell stories about it.
Some thinkers say that the kind of God that a tribe or group worships reflects their common struggles and hopes, and this story holds them together. But now our various communities throughout the world are becoming more globalized. We keep bumping into one other’s Gods.
In our global community, we can see a few interesting reactions to the God stories. Firstly, there are those who claim “my God” is better than yours: they are like selfish children; it is best to leave them alone. One great weakness of such a story-group is that their lives are moulded and guided by differences rather than by similarities. They live in a black-and-white world where “friends” are those who think and live like them; those who are different are “enemies”; those who fit into neither category are “strangers” to be converted, appropriated. There is a lot of measuring of humanity here, as if it is a measurable commodity.
Then, there are some God story tellers who see a commonalty in our need for a higher purpose: it does not really matter which God, they are wont to say. The story matters more than the story-teller, even the story-maker. Let us walk humbly with our God, they preach. This is a more empowering approach, as it allows everyone of us to be truly friendly to everyone else. There is much less measuring of humanity here. The main problem, however, is that there can be a lot of superficiality here, like a nicely packaged box, or one with layers of nice wrappings, but the content is really paltry, or nothing really.
The third group simply says, hey, these are just stories, great stories, but please look for their meanings. Stories may divide us, their spirit brings our hearts closer together. Let us live by the spirit, what the stories are really trying to tell us. The fact is that we cannot live by stories alone: we must live life as it comes. Stories may be about what the world can be or should be, but life is what things really are. So we need a reality check.
If we are truly honest with ourselves, we are likely to notice that no matter how “perfect” the story we live by may be, the ending is not always what we expect it to be. The thing about stories is that once we know their ending, it becomes boring; we then forget what the story is really about. Or we invent our own ending to the story; in which case, we don’t really need the story, after all.
There is something much better than any story, even better than all the stories that can ever be told. That is, to look deep into ourselves. What do we notice? We might notice, if we look deeply enough, that we have a lot of thoughts rushing through our minds — these are our great story tellers.
Our minds are the greatest story tellers. They are often very self-centred story tellers, for the simple reason our minds are, as a rule, unaware of other minds. If we look even deeper, we will see that our minds or hearts have lives of their own. We really have no control over them, and this is what the stories are about. They are our attempts at harnessing the wildness and wilderness that are our hearts. The God story seems the best story to do so.
But let us look deeper into ourselves. While our minds differentiate us with our stories, there is something that is intimately “us” from day one, something that runs the same way in all of us, whether we are human, beast, or alien. No matter which universe or multiverse we are in: we breathe, and we all breathe the same way. To breathe is to live, to live is to breathe.
Our perspective of life is inextricably and essentially linked to the way we breathe. The more violent we are, the heavier we tend to breathe. To breathe is also to slow-burn ourselves up, as it were. As such, the more violently we breathe, the faster is the burning, the more violent our lives become.
Even in physical exercise, there comes a time when our breathing flows harmoniously with our bodies. Then body and mind act as one. Yet, there are times when we need to simply sit comfortably still and forget about the body for a while. There is just the breath, getting ever more peaceful. It comes to such still point, a radiant stillness, that the joy is unspeakable.
This is the well-spring of religion: it is the realizing of our true selves. We seem to be just a blink in the vast moonless cloudless night sky, amongst billions of other twinkling stars. What beautiful stars, what blissful space! This is the religion that needs no converts, that can never have followers. For we have come to the journey’s joyful end. We’re truly home.
PiyaTan ©2010
By Mr Piya Tan, a Buddhist,
Stories we live by
You name your God, I name mine. This has been going on since we first wondered why the sun rises, why there are stars in the night sky, why the wind blows and water flows, why we are here, why we die. It was a time long before science and human awakening. When people could not find the right answers for such things, they tell stories about it.
Some thinkers say that the kind of God that a tribe or group worships reflects their common struggles and hopes, and this story holds them together. But now our various communities throughout the world are becoming more globalized. We keep bumping into one other’s Gods.
In our global community, we can see a few interesting reactions to the God stories. Firstly, there are those who claim “my God” is better than yours: they are like selfish children; it is best to leave them alone. One great weakness of such a story-group is that their lives are moulded and guided by differences rather than by similarities. They live in a black-and-white world where “friends” are those who think and live like them; those who are different are “enemies”; those who fit into neither category are “strangers” to be converted, appropriated. There is a lot of measuring of humanity here, as if it is a measurable commodity.
Then, there are some God story tellers who see a commonalty in our need for a higher purpose: it does not really matter which God, they are wont to say. The story matters more than the story-teller, even the story-maker. Let us walk humbly with our God, they preach. This is a more empowering approach, as it allows everyone of us to be truly friendly to everyone else. There is much less measuring of humanity here. The main problem, however, is that there can be a lot of superficiality here, like a nicely packaged box, or one with layers of nice wrappings, but the content is really paltry, or nothing really.
The third group simply says, hey, these are just stories, great stories, but please look for their meanings. Stories may divide us, their spirit brings our hearts closer together. Let us live by the spirit, what the stories are really trying to tell us. The fact is that we cannot live by stories alone: we must live life as it comes. Stories may be about what the world can be or should be, but life is what things really are. So we need a reality check.
If we are truly honest with ourselves, we are likely to notice that no matter how “perfect” the story we live by may be, the ending is not always what we expect it to be. The thing about stories is that once we know their ending, it becomes boring; we then forget what the story is really about. Or we invent our own ending to the story; in which case, we don’t really need the story, after all.
There is something much better than any story, even better than all the stories that can ever be told. That is, to look deep into ourselves. What do we notice? We might notice, if we look deeply enough, that we have a lot of thoughts rushing through our minds — these are our great story tellers.
Our minds are the greatest story tellers. They are often very self-centred story tellers, for the simple reason our minds are, as a rule, unaware of other minds. If we look even deeper, we will see that our minds or hearts have lives of their own. We really have no control over them, and this is what the stories are about. They are our attempts at harnessing the wildness and wilderness that are our hearts. The God story seems the best story to do so.
But let us look deeper into ourselves. While our minds differentiate us with our stories, there is something that is intimately “us” from day one, something that runs the same way in all of us, whether we are human, beast, or alien. No matter which universe or multiverse we are in: we breathe, and we all breathe the same way. To breathe is to live, to live is to breathe.
Our perspective of life is inextricably and essentially linked to the way we breathe. The more violent we are, the heavier we tend to breathe. To breathe is also to slow-burn ourselves up, as it were. As such, the more violently we breathe, the faster is the burning, the more violent our lives become.
Even in physical exercise, there comes a time when our breathing flows harmoniously with our bodies. Then body and mind act as one. Yet, there are times when we need to simply sit comfortably still and forget about the body for a while. There is just the breath, getting ever more peaceful. It comes to such still point, a radiant stillness, that the joy is unspeakable.
This is the well-spring of religion: it is the realizing of our true selves. We seem to be just a blink in the vast moonless cloudless night sky, amongst billions of other twinkling stars. What beautiful stars, what blissful space! This is the religion that needs no converts, that can never have followers. For we have come to the journey’s joyful end. We’re truly home.
PiyaTan ©2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
ended CDC attachment. Quite an eye opener in e past 2 weeks. Many young HIV members, screened and newly Dx either before NS or before ORD. Bisexual, MSM etc. Old man who ve gotten t a few yrs mostly through CSW.
To me, choice of partners is a lifestyle choice. Felt sorry for some of them. They are as innocent as another person who caught a flu from ther partner. Initially, all of them r so normal looking. Like any of our friends. How hard muz it b for them to carry such a heavy secret with them ard. Imagine, teenagers younger than me..
Tts in the clinic.
The ward has some end stage patients.. All sorts of complications hound them, refusing to budge. Spiking fever like nobody's business. I got to noe Mr X, a long term IVDA, member of coz, who was prev residing at a halfway house. IVDA is a bit wasteful la. But he talked to me n i felt pitiful for him. Lodging is a BIG problem for these patients if family support is low. They live lifes without a fixed residence. Shuttling between hospitals (shld there b an acute infection) and whichever halfway house or volunteary housing that hav space to take them in.. Mr X was complaining to me of the restrited life he was place under at his new lodging.. His prev loding that he liked that some probs w him hence he was not placed there after his discharge this time..
sigh.. i hope that these patients will take god care of themselves. guai guai take their ARTs, don miss doses, practice public responsibility. Good luck n jiayou!
To me, choice of partners is a lifestyle choice. Felt sorry for some of them. They are as innocent as another person who caught a flu from ther partner. Initially, all of them r so normal looking. Like any of our friends. How hard muz it b for them to carry such a heavy secret with them ard. Imagine, teenagers younger than me..
Tts in the clinic.
The ward has some end stage patients.. All sorts of complications hound them, refusing to budge. Spiking fever like nobody's business. I got to noe Mr X, a long term IVDA, member of coz, who was prev residing at a halfway house. IVDA is a bit wasteful la. But he talked to me n i felt pitiful for him. Lodging is a BIG problem for these patients if family support is low. They live lifes without a fixed residence. Shuttling between hospitals (shld there b an acute infection) and whichever halfway house or volunteary housing that hav space to take them in.. Mr X was complaining to me of the restrited life he was place under at his new lodging.. His prev loding that he liked that some probs w him hence he was not placed there after his discharge this time..
sigh.. i hope that these patients will take god care of themselves. guai guai take their ARTs, don miss doses, practice public responsibility. Good luck n jiayou!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Alone
I went to e temple tdy, alone.
Went there to let go of some stuff.
Then I walked to e coffeeshop down tt corridor
sat there n ate lunch at 5, alone.
then I walked to e busstop,
I tot I saw someone n tt made my heart skipped a beat;
I wave at e person.
Lucky it was a stranger. Lucky..
Better nt appear at tt moment
I can't handle it.
Then I went home, at peace.
Went there to let go of some stuff.
Then I walked to e coffeeshop down tt corridor
sat there n ate lunch at 5, alone.
then I walked to e busstop,
I tot I saw someone n tt made my heart skipped a beat;
I wave at e person.
Lucky it was a stranger. Lucky..
Better nt appear at tt moment
I can't handle it.
Then I went home, at peace.
Monday, January 18, 2010
A long time ago before I stopped actively blogging, I ever wondered how nice it would b if I can jus connect a wire to my head n sync watever I wan to say into words n post it on blog.. nt realli thee yet bt close now wy new I phone!! Hee. Su0pose to get it for work purpose shun Bianfor leisure. Nw I can really post as I walk.. Save some time hopefully can study one more chap tis way. Haha. Found a good bubble tea shop at bedok interchange recently. San told me bout it. My 3rd cup so far coz it's nt cheap n interchange nt near for me.. Good also if nt waste $$ k hopefully w tis tea go home hav eneegy chiong. Jiayou. Two more mths!!! Cannot upload photos. Hmm try again next time
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
it was a merry merry xmas at work.. pre-regs rockz!!! all of us planned hard, cooperate w lots of chemistry, n played hard too!
i won the hamper that i was suppose to give out! hohoho.. pretty pretty picnic basket!! i can go picnic loh!!!
i hope i can stay n grow healthily w ttsh n its ppl.. hopez.. brains where r u!!!
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