WELCOME 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU........

I wish you all...

a Fantastic January
a Lovable February
a Marvellous March
Luckiest April
an Enjoyable May
a Successful June
a Wonderful July
an Independent August
a Blessed September
a Tastiest October
a Beautiful November
a Happiest December.........................................

May all your dreams come true...

Namoamitofu

Looking back - year 2008

Wow, wow we're on the verge to venture into a new year. Goodbye 2008, hello 2009. Wonder what's lies in store for us???? Here's a story I would like to share....

The Burden

Two monks were returning to the monastery in the evening. It had rained and there were puddles of water on the road sides. At one place a beautiful young woman was standing unable to walk accross because of a puddle of water. The elder of the two monks went up to a her lifted her and left her on the other side of the road, and continued his way to the monastery.
In the evening the younger monk came to the elder monk and said, "Sir, as monks, we cannot touch a woman ?"
The elder monk answered "yes, brother".
Then the younger monk asks again, "but then Sir, how is that you lifted that woman on the roadside ?"The elder monk smiled at him and told him " I left her on the other side of the road, but you are still carrying her....


Some of us are like the younger monk always carry the 'burden' wherever we go either into the new year or a new place. One would never realise how heavy the burden is it until we break down and start to complain. Others would let go of the 'burden' once they realise that they are carrying the 'burden'.

As for me I am the younger monk. Until now I've not learn the way to let go. It's very easy to gather burden but letting them go is one thing. Unless and until I learn to let go, I would always be grudgeful, unhappy, tension and complaining because I would never be satisfied. At the same time, I would be becoming greedier and uncompasionate.

I know if I am able to let go, I would be free and would see all matters and things as they are. Nothing more and nothing less. I would be able to be unattach to everything and at the same time be attached. Confused??? Well, this is the Buddhist concept. In a layman's term, I would be a neautral. I would be to able to live at that moment without thinking of a grudge, complaint, happy, sad.... I would be ME!!!!!

In the meantime I would still be complaining, still searching for the ways to satisfy my needs, still be unhappy, still be happy, still be sad, still be tension, still be angry............. I would not be liven the moment as it is meant to be.

My RESOLUTION for year 2009, be slowly able to let go attachments and burden......

Opening the door to your heart......

Ajahn Brahm is a Buddhist monk.

In the first chapter of the book, called ‘Two bad bricks’, Ajahn talks about how he built his first wall. It is very difficult, of course, for one with no bricklaying experience, Ajahn lamented, and he challenged the readers to try building one. Nevertheless, he finally completed the wall and stepped back to admire his handiwork.

To his horror he noticed that two of the bricks were crooked and he felt these two ‘bad bricks’ spoiled the appearance of the wall. He then asked the abbot for permission to tear the wall down and to start all over again. The abbot, however, told him to leave it as it is. Since then Ajahn felt ashamed of his shoddy workmanship.

One day, a visitor visited their monastery and expressed admiration for how the monks had built it from scratch with their own hands and without any outside expert help. Ajahn pointed out that the monastery was actually far from perfect because one of the walls had two bad bricks.

The visitor replied that he did not notice it because all he saw was the 998 good bricks, not the two bad ones.It suddenly dawned upon Ajahn that all this while he was upset about the two bad bricks without noticing the 998 good ones. And to think he actually wanted to tear the wall down because of these two bad bricks while not realising he would be destroying 998 good bricks in the process.

Yes, many see half a glass of water as being half empty rather than half full. And that is also how we see people and situations.

Sometimes one can only see a few good deeds a person did and be easily fooled by him. Yup... I was one of them.. Then again, there are times when one can only see the bad things he did and forget the good ones he did.

So, let's us not judge a person at all for the things he did because we are not judges.....

Namoamitofu......

This Must Be Shared

This I Borrowed From http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-11T18%3A34%3A00%2B08%3A00&max-results=7

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.. 'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly. 'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'. I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now' We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.

Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had got an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

The way of life

Written in only 260 Chinese characters, The Heart Sutra contains the most profound wisdom in Buddhism, as illustrated in Prajnaparamita. Here, Buddhism is presented as the accumulated wisdom of "enlightened ones" who contemplated the trials and mysteries of life. In today's world, where serenity seems to be both desirable and unattainable, on how to achieve spiritual cultivation can be immediately applied in daily living, and furthermore provides practical guidelines for disciplining the mind and behavior.

Here's the video to show an example to illustrate the above statement





the story relates of how a man took pity on this old donkey, and tied it to the tree to let it rest; as it was habitual for the donkey to go around the mill, the donkey trots around the tree...morale of the story: eat when one eats, sleep when one sleeps. live every moment without a thought of the burdens of the past; live every moment without a thought of anticipation into the future... =)

SMK ACS Methodist, Seremban

Berkampung di Melaka Tropical Fruit Farm untuk 3 hari 2 malam, ia merupakan kem I yang terakhir pada tahun ini. Mula-mula ingat ia takkan jadi sebab ia diadakan di penghujung tahun..... jadi jugak.

Berbekalkan dengan 7 orang FC, kami berdepan dengan lebih kurang 70 lebih pelajar laki & perempuan. Kem ini amat berlain dari yang lain sebab pertama ia diadakan di penghujung tahun, kedua seramai 7 orang FC turun padang (walaupun 3 orang dah balik) dan kali ini ada seorang FC baru yang namanya Farid. Orang baru selalunya dibuli tapi dia ni ok orangnya, itulah yang suka kenakan dia.

Kem ini kem yang paling menggembirakan hati kita sebab ia dijalankan menggunakan stail yang sempoi. Lagi satu, pelajarnya memang sporting gilerlah, bertanggungjawab, bekerjasama, setiakawan yang tinggi dan gurunya yang memahami keadaan.

What do I remember from this camp....

1. Ada wall climbing

2. Pelajar yang meminta untuk direndam dalam lumpur

3. Andrew yang suka makan bawang

4. Namakan ibu negeri Shah Alam

5. Makanan yang sedap dan pelajar sekolah ini tidak membazir

6. Pelajar-pelajar yang sporting giler

7. Aznori tidak terkena dengan helah masuk lumpur

8. Penghulu dan penghuluwatinya

9. The jokes and the pranks

10. The blackouts

11. The things we did that night ......(hehehehe)

12. Line dance and the winner went to the girls

13. The way they did the empangan permuafakatan

14. The opening speech by their headmaster

15. The one student who nearly turned into a traitor, no thanks to me..................psssttttt and his name is Ben

A lot of thanks to Beatrice, Swaran, Malisse, Dr. Nirmal, Sheryi, Chui Yoke, Ben, Andrew, Canaan, Yuen May, Amret Sandhu, Shua and to the rest of perfects who came to the camps. Mizzzz u guys and gals ( See http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568788780PkRpEY)

Also my humble thanks and gratitude to Aznori, Shahrin, Farid, Ayu, Fadzil and Prof for making this camp a grand closing to the year 2008.......sigh .........

Namoamitofu.....

My Team 1

It's been awhile since I Blog..... The year 0f 2008 is coming to a close. As usual many people would sit back and think what have they done. The same goes for me. I looked back and what I saw was the members of my team of facilitators and the projects in which we participated. So, I take this opportunity to introduce them.

The most senior on of all would be

Ahmad - He is considered the senior because he is with us from the beginning. Now he has left the company and I wonder where is he now???? The last time I saw him, he was very skinny......maybe because he's upset that Liverpool lost a lot...wakakakakakakakaka., Check out it blog at xerominds.blogspot.com





Aznori - my right hand guy..... Trust in him a lot and he can be a good friend in times of my needs. A very sporting guy who don't mind being made fooled of. There in the picture, he was asked to sit in the boot after being shoved into a pool of mud.




In the front seat would be Akmal and Hani, Afiq and Sahila are the ones behind them. Both pairs are in serious relationships. Hani and Sahila are the the pretty ones. Hani is becoming a scientist and Sahila is an accountant. They are capable of working independently and as a team. Akmal never fear to try new things and sometimes I had fun disturbing him. After being disturbed he will look very puzzled..... Afiq is a born joker, born actor and very sporting and he's full of idea and cheekiness. In fact, having him around would make my life easier because he can handle everything himself. One thing bad about him that he's very attached to a mic and once he got hold of the mic, he wouldn't let go. He would continue talking and talking and it seems that he won't run out of ideas. Luv dat guy!!!!!! Make every camp enjoyable......


Shah or his glamourized name Duge. A fun guy who is quite sporting. You would never know what he thinks behind his dark glasses. He's also a business minded person. He has a lot of friends. He remains loyal his girlfren although he got a lot of admirers..





Farid just joined recently. One look at him, you feel very cautious bcoz of his look.... very serious and a no nonsense type person. But once he opens his mouth.... and you would have an enjoyable time. He mentioned to me that he's single now coz just broke of with his girlfriend, hence those who wish to get to know this guy.... faridstuff@gmail.com



And then there are ....... wait for part 2........