Love In Action....

Back to Posting...

2009-04-17T22:16:00.002+08:00

I know most probably people would have stopped reading my blog already. Its been way overdue and i had no time no mood and no energy to put anything up. Haven't got any inspiration do blog anything. But recently has been busy studying for exams which is today(17th April). I saw that my last post was 20th Dec. Wow... and just 4 months later from that i bought my new car!! Its a big thing for me since i paid the car myself. so yeah..

Gonna have a paper next week. Thanks to Mr Philippines's Complex Analysis. Guess its gonna be tougher than it looks.
Looking forward to next friday 1130am and i am done with all these studying. But think again, what next??? I need to find something to occupy my mind. Poor me......

Life is Unfair

2008-12-20T23:37:00.004+08:00

Why does some people get more things than the other? Why are there hungry people while other get to waste food? Karmic effect? hmmmm..i ve yet to find out....
I know God must be sad that i am doubting his ability. Lets see what the ALMIGHTY god can do in our lives...

Love,
Lin

Spoilt child!

2008-12-15T00:26:00.003+08:00

As i was talking to my primary school mate the other day, he claimed that being the only child, its assumed that i am a spoilt child. And i said seriously that i am definitely not. Why doesn't anyone believe that? Then something struck me. Why do i have to be the perfect child? What do i get out of being a good child? DOes coming home late determines u to be a bad child? No no (as long as my parents know) Does throwing some harmless tantrum means u are bad? (controversial, yes to some, no to some) And does singing more bhajans gives u peace of mind?? Someone please enlighten me......

Love,
L

If God has email......

2008-10-18T15:59:00.003+08:00

If god has email, will his inbox be flooded by emails of pleas, request, enquires or even chain mails? As we always wonder if you prayers would be answered or not, i wonder why God doesn't have an email? If he does, how often does he reads them? Does he clear mail just like me? CLICK CLICK CLICK (DELETE). Or does he go through every single email and reply them? And if he replies them, does he reply to selected people or to everyone? How long will his reponse take? Wait.... how regularly does he check his email? Does he gets frustrated to see unending emails flooding in? or is he very happy to hear from his beloved children? Is he enthusiastic about what is happening in his own creation? I wonder......

Giving abit of my time....

2008-10-03T17:26:00.002+08:00

Strangely, right about i put a full stop to my last post, i have been very busy. Busy with what? haha... surprise surprised, someone really came to my rescue. Watched MAMMA MIA, which was really good considering that i like ABBA and all that classic stuff, and after that i met my friend of 4 yrs! wah time flies man. Haven met him for 3 years (i met him for the first time 3 yrs ago!). and life goes on that week, with lots of rushing for assignments and one test. I was telling my cousin that i have never been so busy in my life before. I always thought it was poor time management, but no there is no time to manage, have to squeeze in every single bit thus resulted in lack of sleep and occasional mood swings!! pardon me ple, if i have been hard on you. Weekends are here, tuitions are here too! Oh...and i received a good news, tinglin made one of my wish came true! She got back her results, those interested ask her...

Since my wish came true for the last post, i am going to do it again. HOTPOT TOM YUM at Thai Express someone please, i will treat u Ben & Jerrys to cool things down after that. Sounds great huh... lets see..... :)

Soooooo no mood today

2008-09-26T15:12:00.003+08:00

I woke up at 11+am and i jumped out of bed as i am suppose to meet Jon at my gym today, thank God he smsed saying it rained(meaning he is not coming). So much for gym and keeping fit. I need more sleep than anything. and i need more motivation then just energy.

Its been 3 days since i dreamt of him in that stupidly vivid dream which i wish didn't happen. Now my thoughts are fill with Zzzzzzzzzzz... Its not nice as i always thought i was over him. Oh well. People think i am strong, nono... wrong again. I am not as strong as you think. I wish he didn't have to go. I wish he would come back soon. Get a decent job here cmon'. Money isn't everything.

Hence, i cant do my homework, i cant sleep, i have no mood to go out.. i donno what i wanna do...super no mood today. Not my usual self. Perk me up someone.... please.....:0

I am sorry

2008-09-14T22:07:00.002+08:00

Firstly, i would like to apologize to those who have come under my sudden outburst these few days. I shall save the explanation to later. I would like to apologize to Miss S. for my sudden blurt on Thurday, ok, i know its an accusation. Sorry about that. I shall not talk anymore after school on Thurday. My excuse of being tired is not valid because everyone is tired on that day. I have been having bad days last wed and thursday. School work is weighing me down during the day and i am haunted by my dreams at night. I really have no place i can escape. My bad dreams have caused me to wake up in the middle of the night wide awake and after that feeling very lethargic and easily irritated. I am really and extremely sorry to those who I have caused hurt to. I really didn't mean it. I should have just shut up then and there.

I was quite irritated today also when i received an SMS from TL that she did not bring her homework today as i expected her. So i punished her by asking her to do another paper. It was not so much of anger but much more of worried. I would be nice to her if she would have been more responsible. I have been TOO good to her i think. I just hope i am not taken advantage and i hope she appreciates my effort. If not, i really don't feel like giving my heart and soul dedicately trying to save her results. You know, after all it is HER results. I could have no taken up such a big responsibility to teach her. Sorry TL. But you got to prove to everyone you can do it.

Lastly, i wander if i should attend bhajans tomorrow. It has been two weeks since i last went for Monday bhajans. I long for the time when i am free and with no stress about school work. Gone are the days. And also, i wanna go Parthi on the 23rd too!!!

Good Dates/ Bad Dates

2008-08-30T00:03:00.004+08:00

Its rather strange you know. I thought it is always a known fact that whenever a guy asked a girl out whether as friends or not, the guy would do the gentleman thing. These days, its not. First date, walk into food court and say, " Maybe you want to get your own food first?" I was like, shocked. Next, he said, " Lets go and get some dessert". I said, " Sure, no problem" and he led me to a dessert place. We placed the order and he took the receipt and place it in front of me peering down to look at the price i should pay for my OWN dessert which is, " $1.90" I handed out the money and he pocketed it. That was shocker number 2. This thing happened quite sometime ago but till this day it is still fresh in my memory. Whatever happened to the well-mannered gentleman behaviour nowadays?

Is it the age thing, upbringing or our country's culture? The foreign man i dated were never ever like that. They offer to hold your things, they make every effort to make a date a success and that is where they aced. ( i am not even talking about caucasians here) And guess what, they even follow you go shopping with never a bored look as they would be busy trying on the new clothes too! Most importantly, they never make you their servant. THEY DONT SIT THERE AND WAIT FOR YOU TO BUY THEM FOOD.
Excuse me, i am a precious daughter in my household and you make me buy food for you? Are you ok?? Dont tell me i am pampered and all that, every woman deserve to be treated better.

That reminds me. I remembered there was this guy i met, i went to buy fries for myself as he didn't want any (i didn have lunch while he had his without me!) After buying, i started eating on my way and he was beside me, so kindly, i offered him a piece. Then he started taking more and more of my fries so naturally i made him hold it (altho' feeling frustrated due to my hunger). The next thing i know, he said, " Well, let me have the rest of the fries ok?" WHAT CAN I SAY????? Well, i think i said " Whatever!" That was the last i saw of him as he will never make it to my PEOPLE TO MEET list.

To the guys who happen to read this, " If you have tasted chilly, you know how it is" Please, respect all woman. If not, in my books, you are never civilized. Please do not knock on my door. Thank you for your cooperation. I rather have no date than date rubbish.

Success & Goals

2008-08-09T23:26:00.002+08:00

I believe everyone wants to taste success. For a person who does not have success would not have motivation. As i always say to people, if they do not have motivation, why bother to wake up in the morning? Why bother to wake up, brush teeth, eat? If there is no motivations and goal in life, we are just like living corpse!

Mostly our goals are driven by our desires, ambition and aspirations. As for me, i wake up every morning with a set of agendas written on my mind to fulfil everyday. These are the set of things i want to accomplished before going to bed.

There are long term goals and short term goals. But right now, i only need to focus on the task at hands as i past everyday being busy with my school work. Well, i find that being able to manage time and plan your workload helps ALOT. But then, thanks to my school workload, i did not have as much time to do my weekly shopping. My weekly shopping is the 'reward' i give myself after a hard week's work. I believe in full pampering myself and indulging myself in order to boost my performance.

Well, i hope everyone has their goals written down somewhere or always in their mind. I am not telling you all what my goals are but i am working towards it.

"DO NOT SELL YOURSELF CHEAPLY-You are worth exactly what you say you are worth."

Lesson from Dad

2008-07-28T23:49:00.005+08:00

This post is taken from Lim Qi Hong (my cousin)... It seems we share the same teaching as my dad and his dad (my uncle) are very close just like me and Qihong. Here are some teachings that they have imparted to us...although i admit i don't follow everything, for my own benefit, i try to follow as many as i can. Here goes it:

Dad taught me always remember to be contented with what we have...and it made me desire less of owning materialistic stuffs...

Dad taught me always remember to respect others...and it made me became a love-able person

Dad taught me to keep my promises...and it made me became a trust-able person

Dad taught me to help others depending on my capability..and it made me realise how lucky i am...

Dad taught me not to waste food..and it made me realised how lucky i am to have sufficient food for living..

Dad taught me to be patient all the time..and it made me handle everything one at a time and tolerate any being in this world

Dad taught me to work hard..God will bless my results

Dad taught me to enjoy life..as there is only one chance to live as a human being.

Dad taught me to trust myself..and it made me a more confident person

Dad taught me of letting go every bad qualities...and i am trying to be as good as possible..

Dad taught me to forgive people.... as people will forgive your misdeeds.

Dad taught me not to be petty.... as what is yours will always be yours.

Dad taught me not to be possessive... as nothing belongs to you permanently.

Dad taught me to surrender.... as many things are not within our control.

I added slightly more stuff to QH's list of Dad's lesson. I hope it would help everyone of you in one way of the other. Although i admit i make mistakes at times, i want everyone to forgive and know that i am still learning. Let us start making the world a better place, and make ourselves a better person.

The World of 5.6

2008-07-26T00:17:00.003+08:00

I secretly took this picture when i was teaching Health Education on Friday 930am -1000am. They were abit noisy that day i guess because they are probably excited as it was a Friday! Mrs Azhar told me that they behave this way every Friday. Oh My God! This is my first ever class that i went to ever since my one week experience at 3.7 last year.

Each individual is different to me and its a special relationship. It seems that i have known them for many years when i just knew them for only 5 weeks! I am very surprised they warmed up to me very quickly. Within the first week, i was determined to know all their names by hard as i really wanted to learn more about them. Most, if not all, of them are very hardworking and inquisitive. Yet, they know how to balance between work and play which is very important. I was taught how to blog by Cyril, Samoeul and another boy which I kind of forgot (he sits next to Cyril in com lab). Thank you very much guys.

I want to thanks the girls who take the time to make the little cards with wonderful words written on it. All your cards are sticked on my wall beside my bed now. I will see it every morning and think of you all. Thanks for the bears and puppies. I really did not expect ANY of these! Gosh, i only bought a small pencil for you guys!

I am really touched by the love, innocence and bright faces i see every morning. I would definitely miss those times and i will treasure it at the bottom of my heart. I hope to hear from Mrs Azhar about your fantastic results at the end of the year. I hope the top P5 students would be from your class (ok please do not tell other classes!) Work hard, help each other, do not cause any inconvenience to others and certainly do not 'accidentally' harm anyone ok?

Love you all 5.6. and i will always miss you all.

Loves,

Miss Lin

My School....

2008-07-23T07:55:00.002+08:00

Everyday i start school singing the Anderson Song loudly! So much so that the school counsellor thought i was from this school! Well, i would say my short stay here was an eye-opener. I found a good friend in Ain (my attachment mate) and no day will pass without her laughter and silly jokes! I found 4 teachers who really inspired me. Our SCM, Miss Emily Lee, is one gentle, young-looking veteran teacher who is full of energy and I don't know how, but she seemed to win alot of respect from the students. Her gait and style is classic. The ones you see in classic movies, the type of teacher that is evergreen, whatever that means. Next is my Princess-looking Mdm Kaur. She is the sweetest teacher i ever known. I think when she smiles, the whole class will keep quiet because her smile is soooo... 'bollywood-ly'.

My CT Mrs Azhar is also one fantastic teacher. I amazed at how she can strike a balance between entertaining the class with jokes and at the same time get them to do their work seriously. She tolerates no nonsense and can sometimes come across as strict. But her lessons were NEVER boring! She really knows what the students want and tap on that. And her care towards me, i tell you, it is sooooooo 'detailed', i can't ask for any better treatment.

The school is very dynamic. And my class 5.6 is one of the class that i will never forget. Everyone in the class is special in their own way. And i owe it to them the fact that this blog exists so wonderfully. Especially the blogskin. I admit I am such a noob at blogging. Well, thanks guys, i learnt alot from you all! Love you all, Andersonians.

There is only one race, the race of Humanity!

2008-07-21T22:45:00.007+08:00

I can't believe the children in 5.6 managed to get my blog address! I got a shock out of my life when Didier shouted and pointed at me so excitedly saying, "Miss Lin, I saw your blog!" Well, since the Andersonians would be reading this, i think they would be very happy seeing this post about the racial harmony celebrations! In this post, i would like to say about Racial Harmony in modern times.

Today we learnt about treating all as equal. There should be no distinction in skin colour, religion or language as all our blood is red. We are all equally important and that each of us have to respect one another. Not only as an individual, also as have to respect their culture and religion. There are many religions in the world, but all leads to the same goal which is Goodness in Character. No religion teaches one to be evil or to cause harm and inconvenience to others. If one realizes this fact, he would automatically understands the religions of others. Realize that no religion is better than the other. It is their own way of practice that is adapted to suit their language, people and culture.

When people start to understand other religions, they would learn about their culture, practice and tradition. When they understand their culture, practice and tradition, they would learn to communicate effectively with them. As the communication improves, there would be no racial disharmony.

"Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu"

(May all the beings in all the worlds be happy)

Self-esteem....

2008-07-19T18:51:00.003+08:00

Self-esteem is how one feel about oneself. It is about self-worth and how you love and appreciate yourself. From Maslow's Hierachy, we realize that we need to transcend the feeling of self-love before you learn to feel spiritual. If one does not love oneself, it would be a torture for them to live in this world.

What affects our self-esteem?The feeling of being inferior to others, mainly due to appearance, social status, ability and talent and even qualifications. We will feel more conscious of ourselves the moment we start to compare ourselves with others. yes, it is a material world. It is a rat race because nobody wants to be a loser. This is because a loser is often plague with a disease call inferiority complex. Everyone nowadays only want to see and talk about the bad and ugly side of others because through that it would make one feel 'happier' and more 'superior'. That leads to the ugliness of jealousy and envy towards others. Then these people try to climb to attain their temporary self-worth by telling lies, building fantasies etc.. The more serious cases are ones which lead to fights, quarrels and court cases. I realized there is no end to comparison. For instance, people starts comparing how big their cars are, how many maids they have...to the extent of how big their bank account is and to how many pets they have and the list goes on.

We all have our inadequacies. Nobody has everything in the world even if they seemed to. Those who feel inferior to others, please... stop comparing and start living. Life is more than a rat race... It is about being contented, being grateful and being forgiving.

And to those who are more fortunate than the others, being humble is a virtue. Let us start living a life..... be contented, be happy.

Man's Greatest Fear

2008-07-07T12:15:00.004+08:00

Why are we gloomy and worried? Why are we stress? Have you thought of it? This is because everyone has fear. You may ask what do we fear? We don't even know what we fear because there is way too many things to be afraid of. To sum up, we fear the uncertainty of life.

We are worried about our job, we are worried about our kids, our income, our family, our studies, our mortgage, our debt..and the list goes on. We cannot predict what will happen to the future. There are things we can never expect. Who can expect that the petrol prices, property prices, food prices, commodity could have risen so sharply. Who can expect that natural disaster will strike Sichuan and Myanmar. We cannot even predict if we will be diagnosed with any sickness tomorrow! This is the uncertainty of life. It is beyond human ability to control what is in stall for us that is why we are afraid. If we start to feel secure of our future, do would not be afraid. Really, they say, ' Take charge of your own life'. That is true only for a certain extent. We really cannot plan life. When things do not go your way, leave it. As we have no control over it, we really can't do anything about it, so stop worrying.

From the above, you realize, Man's greatest fear is uncertainty. Some people seek peace by finding their identity, some seek help from God by surrendering to him. I, seek my inner peace through bhajans.

A typical Day in my life....

2008-07-02T22:47:00.000+08:00

630am : " Daya karo sai narayana......" Time to wake up. Get dressed, eat breakfast in the car, zoom off to school.

700am: Reach school, slack in my allocated place on my laptop. Sign in MSN.

720am: Reach assembly area, sing National Anthen and school song.

730am: Return to staff room, write reflection, on Sai Radio.

830am: Go for class. Sit behind and tries to scribble some notes in my pink notebook.

1030am: Brunch time. Pack something from canteen. See who is online again.

1130am: Go for class, crash someone's class so that you will not be too bored in the staff room. Of not, continue writing your reflection.

1pm: School ends. Decide whether you should go home or stay around to do reflection.

2pm: Reach home, bath, online, slack in bed. Time to rest!

33opm: (This week)
Mon- Go gym -bhajans
Tues- Meet Bro at Orchard
Wed- Go gym- tuition
Thurs- Meet Anny - meet Niron
Fri- Go shop meet parents

9pm- Take dinner.

10pm- Online to chat with Prince Qiqi at the same time plan what i can do for the afternoon next week.

Such is my typical day. All school work should stop after i leave school. Morning teacher, afternoon tai-tai. However, there are still rooms for improvement. :)

And you think you trust.......?

2008-06-25T18:25:00.000+08:00

Trust is something that has to be built on. They say, " Never trust a stranger", why is that so? Its because he has never given you anything to build your trust on. Why is trust so important? Those who have been in a relationship would understand that it makes or breaks one. Just like a knife, it can be used to cut vegetables yet it can also be use to kill someone.

Lets' see why we do not trust people.

1) Some people just fail you too many times. They say they will call you, and they don't. Once is ok, twice is ok. Anything more, just say goodbye before you get too hurt.

2) Looks. Some people just happen to have the look that make people distrust them. Oh well, i know its unfair, unless you have a look like mine hahaha. This can also be linked to instinct. How our instinct makes us feel.

3) Unreliable sources. Words that were being passed around (of coz' not by me). Stereotyping people. I am guilty of stereotyping people, me and cousin QiHong came out with this incredible formula:

Handsome + instrument player = player
Handsome + instrument player + can play 2nd instrument = (player)sq

Unless someone can prove the above formula wrong. The formula will still holds sadly. :)

4)Other people's past experiences. Hearing too many pass experiences dealing with untrustworthy people makes you think everyone is untrusthworthy. Unless a brave soul prove otherwise.

5) Our own expectations. Don't set unrealistic expectations coz' they bound to fail you. If possible, don't have expectations at all.

Solutions:

1) Never take praises seriously.
2) Expect all men to be playboy unless they prove otherwise.
3) Change your circle of friends every now and then.
4) Sweet talk back
5) Look at them straight in their eye and say, ' I dont trust you'

Shoes Affair

2008-06-20T23:41:00.000+08:00

The flats

The comfy sandals

The pretty killer heels

Some shoes are really uncomfortable. These days, its hard to find the shoes i really like. Some heels are really good looking. It just so tempting to get one of those types that you know you look so good wearing them. But when you wear them, you realize although they look good on you, it hurts your feet. That is my URS shoes for you. Look so good, hurts like hell.

Then there are those flats that doesn't look that good, yet it hurts. Wah, that one, i rather throw away. But for some flats, if you season it well and that it doesn't bite your feet anymore, its reasonably comfortable, you can wear them. But that takes a long long time. You need to warm up with that kind of shoes first.

I love Sandals best. They are the most comfortable. And i can run in it, i can jump in it, dance in it, everything's possible. However, the weak point is that, it is not glamourous enough. You see, you can't wear sandals to a wedding you know.

I am still trying to find the 'perfect' shoes. Or the veteran shoes. I know its impossible to find the perfect one, but i guess i have to compromise one thing for another. To me, it doesn't need to be a glamourous or a pair of good looking shoes. Mostly importantly, it has to be practical and it must fit my lifestyle and most importantly, it has to be long lasting too.

Seriously, i may have many pairs of shoes. Pretty ones, normal ones, painful ones, unglam ones, killer-heel ones. On days when i feel more adventurous, i wear those "i know its gonna be painful" ones just to look pretty. But halfway through the day, i realize how much i regretted wearing them. So in conclusion, i realize that, the one that fits me most and the one that love most is my Charles & Keith sandal.

Hey, maybe a decent looking branded sandals work best!

Post malaysia trip

2008-06-19T20:58:00.000+08:00

I am back from Msian trip. Here's some pictures to entertain the readers.

That is my Dad at cameron highland centre. Look, the chair is a duplicate of the one in the baba picture.

Ipoh centre at Tambun Cave. A unique experience, centre with a cooling effect from the limestone cave.

Penang, Gelugo centre. Vibhuti coming out of picture as you can see.

My fave centre. Kuala Kedah. Best Hospitality Award given to them.

Pre-Msia Spirtual Trip (10th to 17th June)

2008-06-08T00:08:00.000+08:00

Bro. Qi Hong will be coming to join our Sai Centre trip to Msia on Tuesday. It is something I currently look forward to. It is a yearly spiritual retreat which i usually come back with no voice to sing anymore. According to the trip schedule, seems like we have two bhajan session each day for the whole week! Shall see what is in store this time round. Although its a spiritual retreat, it is always a challenge for me every year. Firstly, hotel problem. I hope it isn't too bad. Secondly, bhajans in a foreign centre. I feel that the 'feeling' of singing in foreign centre somehow is abit threatening. Well, thirdly, bhajans selection. We cant select too difficult bhajans, nor too easy. And its definitely not easy to reach a compromise between both!

The trip starts from Langkawi- kedah-penang- ipoh cave-cameron- batu caves-singapore. Most of the centres however are run by Chinese devotees who have very strong faith. Hopefully, they would also inspire QH and me! Getting excited over it. Will post some photos when i come back.

Loves to everyone.... :)

God is your only best friend.

2008-06-02T12:16:00.000+08:00

This blog is dedicated to my handsome, manly, cool, intelligent, sexy cousin. Have you lacked faith in Sai? Let me tell you, i have plenty of experience in this field. I have lacked faith many times. I have called for his help but he has not replied me. Sometimes i feel i am alone facing it. Baba said in times of difficulties, he will carry us on his shoulders right? I often doubt that.

As you know i have plenty of problems if i want to start worrying about them. I have school problems, result problems, relationship problems, career problems, personality problems and even attitude problem! I went for Anil Kumar's talk yesterday about Sai Youth. If you do Sai's work, he will take care of your everything, school work, family, career and even marriage! Please go and think about how you got your pilot training! Trust him. Anil Kumar gave many examples of how our beloved Sai took care of his pupils (Prashanti Boys) and you know he is omnipresent. He presents himself whenever the divine name is sung. Singing bhajans doesn't mean you get the rhythmn correct nor the perfect tone. Wrong! You are a lousy singer unless you sing with Bhava (feeling). When tears of Bhakti (devotion) rolls down your eyes, that is Bhakti love. Baba said when you shed a tear of devotion, he will wipe away a thousand tears of sorrow. Please trust me, in the difficult period i had (you know when lar) i was in Msia with you right? I sang my heart, i gave my heart and do whatever his work calls for, and i even gave my gut to him. He did not answer my prayer in the way i wanted. Instead, a totally new dimension is introduced. I tell you, even if Sai is to tell me to choose again. I would tell him i prefer the life now than i ever had before. Relationships are nonsense if you do not have someone to share your love for bhajans with.

For people like us, who thinks that bhajan is our life-blood, is our food, is our sole happiness, is our life-breath, let's not have anyone stop us from developing this special love and this special hobby (if you like to say it). Saint Meera said, " I dive deep into the ocean to find this pearl, let me not lose it." she was refering to her love for bhajans.

In Anil Kumar's talk, he talked about Happiness. Happiness lies in making people happy. But apparently, i always do the opposite! Anyway, he said Happiness is Union with God. How to get that Union. Please, i am sure you know that. Bhajans for us is the easiest. You know, before i undertook the 'act' ( i dont wanna say, coz God knows he might be reading my blog!). I kneel before baba, starting to cry already, i told Baba i don't know what to do about it. Please, i leave at your lotus feet, please guide me. And after that i did not think anymore of it. Then, things start to take place, people start talking to me, distracting my thoughts, i tell you, its one after another, until every 'morning' i fell down dead on my bed, giving me no time for sorrow! Such is how he took care of my 'escape' ( the one you talked about in your blog). As i sit down to think about it, i begin to feel emotional because of HIS detailed care and love for me. Trust me, one tear you shed for bhakti love, he wiped away thousands and hundreds. You were surprised at how i managed to 'escape' so easily. I think HE is the best person to ask. He's got the answer for you.

I love you cousin! You are my inspiration too. When my love for bhajans begin to waver, you were there to kick me into actions with your harmonium. OK la, we inspire each other. Just that i never play so well as you la. eh, i not full time nutritionist lar, i never work only study that.

I know you will do fine. I am not worried about you at all.

Every act of the Lord has a significance

2008-05-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

------Krishna humbled Arjuna's pride during the war in an interesting manner. About the end of the war, one evening, Arjuna felt proud that Krishna was his charioteer and his 'servant'. He felt that as master, he should get down from the chariot after Krishna and not before Him. So, that day he insisted that Krishna should get down first. But, Krishna was adamant: Arjuna must come down first, He said. After wasting a long time, pleading and protesting and praying, Arjuna got down, very unwillingly, swallowing his pride. Krishna then came down, and, immediately the chariot went up in flames! Krishna explained the reason. The incendiary arrows and missiles that had struck on the chariot were powerless so long as He was on it; but, when His presence was no longer there, they set the chariot on fire. Thus, Krishna showed that every act and word of the Lord had significance and a purpose, which mortals cannot gauge. Egoism is a tough enemy and it requires constant vigilance to conquer it.----------

We always question why doesn't God give me this and that? Why doesn't he answers our prayers? The above story answers this question.

Since a blade of grass would not be able to move without his willing, let alone be the happenings of the world. Physically, humans are constrained. Our eyes cannot see more than a certain metres, our ears cannot hear things beyond our capability and our brains capability has a limit, how then can we try to understand the mystery of nature (God). Thus, when prayers are not answered, the reasons behind could be that the subject of prayers may necessary be a good thing. Also, the time in which the subject is involved may not be suitable or karma surrounding the subject is not timely.

My dad use to tell me. When the mother is preparing delicious food in the kitchen for dinner, her child ask and insist that he wants the sweets placed on the table. He cries for it, he begged for it, yet the mother hit his hands and refuse to give him what he wanted. This is because better things are in stall for in the kitchen for him!

Yes, indeed, trust me. Alot of better things are in stall for me now. Thank God for not answering my prayers. He knows what is best for me and i am enjoying my life every minute of it now.

The Importance of Sadhana Camp.

2008-05-25T22:22:00.000+08:00

For those who does not understand the meaning of Sadhana, it means spiritual practice. One who wants peace of mind has to follow a certain spiritual practice. Ok. Enough of facts. Sadhana camp doesn't mean you have to shave your head, wear ochre robes to be a monk or nun for a specific number of days.

The motive behind Sadhana camp is TRANSFORMATION. Sadhana camp comes in different forms, you can have a few days (weeks, years) isolated from the world to learn Veda chanting, to learn meditation, to learn bhajans (kirtanam) or even learning the teaching of Prophets, Lord or Messengers.

What is important is not the programme listed here. The most important is how much you have transformed after undergoing such camps. The camps need not be lengthy nor should it have any specific time. When devotion is added with stress (certain goals must be fulfilled at certain time), it is not pure devotion anymore. It becomes just another chore to fulfill one's achievement. The surface benefits of Sadhana Camp is that you get time away from your routine chore, so since you are free from your worldly duties, your entire time is just spent pursuing what you want. Lets say you want to learn Narayana Upanishad, let the day be spent just doing that, take your time, at your own pace to learn the veda uninterrupted by wordly duties. Moreover, you must preferably have a partner who is also as motivated as you to reach your goal. In this way, you are not likely to suddenly decide to give up.

In my Mini Sadhana Camp in the past two weeks at KL, i have learnt to sing bhajans using my heart more than my head. I learn to be more humble as i met the devotees from Malaysia. I have learnt that if you are willing to place your problem at Sai lotus feet and continue to do HIS work, you are in safe hands.

i have examples to support my learning point. Firstly, those who sing from their head are there to impress. As they sing bhajans with their head, one can hear ego 'flying everywhere' in the bhajan being sung. However, the one who sings with love, not necessarily having a wonderful voice, can touch many hearts and inspire many.

As i met the Malaysian Sai devotees, i realize that, if you want to compare level of hardworking, they are far more hardworking then you. If you want to compare bhajan singing, they go the extra mile to 'polish' up every bhajans! If you want to compare contribution to society, definitely, in this area i am nothing. And lastly, comparing veda chanting, Oh no. One of this Chinese guy actually finished the Veda book!

There is two examples to state to prove the point of Surrender. This Sai devotee was preparing for Vesak Day celebration but he was approaching the deadline for preparation and he is severely lack of man-power. He needs the drama, exhibition and bhajans to be up soon. As God has his way, i was made to stay in KL for holiday, but holiday it is not, it was time for me to do HIS work. My uncle's family and I helped him with the drama, exhibition and decoration for the vesak day. And the devotee said, "thank god, you all came in time to answer my prayer, i would not have made it all by myself, i am relieved of all the hard work now!"
Such was the grace of God when you surrender at his lotus feet.

Since i talked about transformation, lets see if i have learnt to sing from my heart (not my head, bye bye ego), learn to be more humble and for heaven sake, trust God that he would protect his devotees just like how the "eyelid protects the eye"

------Complete surrender to Lord Krishna, freedom from the threefold shackles which bind one with the external world of objects, the observance of good deeds and virtuous disciplines, these are the principal truths underlined in the Geetha. ---------

Bhajan-ing at home.....

2008-05-21T20:50:00.000+08:00

Singing this intense yearning for God and enjoying the experience of adoring Him helps to purify the atmosphere. Man is today forced to breathe the air polluted by sounds that denote violence, hatred, cruelty, and wickedness. Therefore, he is fast losing the high attainments that are in store for him. The vibrations resulting from singing the glory of God (bhajans) can cleanse the atmosphere and render it pure, calm, and ennobling.

Let your whole life be a spiritual song. Believe that God is everywhere at all times, and derive strength, comfort, and joy by singing His glory in His presence. Let melody and harmony surge up from your hearts, and let all take delight in the love that you express through that song.

To follow rituals or not to follow?

2008-05-20T18:28:00.000+08:00

Religion comes with rituals, or does it? Many of my friends told me, religion is very confusing, we have to follow a certain ritual if not God will be displeased and may even punish you. So why start the hassle, we do not want to burden ourselves with going to the church every sunday, going to temples every wednesday etc.. We do not want to burn incense in the house, we don't want to be vegetarian every other day. It is too bothersome. Here, we take the above as forms of rituals.

Do we really have to follow rituals to be considered religious?
Let us consider again, does going to a temple everyday makes someone more religious? I know it is a very controversial question. However, i take the challenge to answer it. I feel that intention and love is of outmost importance and rituals to me are not THAT necessary after a certain time.

There are two groups of people.

1) One group employs elaborate rituals and its members assert that unless these procedures are rigorously followed, God would be displeased with the worship.**
2) The other group does not seem to bother at all about procedures. Its members behave in strange ways; they talk to You, sing to You and dance for You. In many ways they appear crazy and abnormal.

** God will not feel angry or displease at his own child whom he love so much. If God is so petty, how can he be called the ALL-MERCIFUL, ALL-COMPASSIONATE, ALL-LOVING GOD.

I am sure many of you would not think that the second group exist at all. But let me tell you, they do, just that in much much less proportion in comparison to group 1.

Lord Krishna says in the Gita, " 'There are basically two approaches to worship, the external approach and the internal approach. The external approach relies heavily on procedures while the internal approach does not bother about procedures. Both approaches are acceptable, provided Love is the basis."

The role of ritual is like a rituals are a stepping stone. They are like the floatation aids used by those learning to swim. Once they know how to swim, the floatation aids are thrown away.

In the same manner, rituals are supposed to get people started on the path of worship; later, when love for God develops in full measure, rituals could be given up.

I admit that I WAS a skeptic of rituals myself. However, i feel that without the start of rituals, it would not trigger the push to learn about divinity and religion. So yes, ritual has its importance to some extend.

Here i would like to talk abit on idol worship. An idol of the lord is just like the flag of a country. Why does a country needs a flag? A flag represents a country. In our limit-bound body, we need a pointing finger to remind ourselves the existence of God. When one realizes that divinity is within ourselves and that we see everything as manifestation of God, do we still need idol? A true Yogi sees God's manifestation in the manificent of the mountains, the beauty of the waterfall, the peacefulness of light rain etc.. then, there is no need for idol worship, for a portion of God's splendor and glory can be seen in our eyes.

If we can see all as God's manifestation, do we still need rituals to remind ourselves of his existence?

Vesak Day at Sai Nivas, KL

2008-05-20T12:44:00.000+08:00

Vesak Day Celebration 19th May 2008' at Sathya Sai Nivas, KL.

Vesak Day

2008-05-20T00:49:00.000+08:00

The celebration in Sathya Sai Nivas was awesome. Vedas were chanted before the chinese bhajans which commenced at 740pm. The bhajans were followed by medleys of a mixture of sanskrit and chinese bhajans. Afterwhich, a drama was performed by the members of Sai Nivas. The drama brought tears to many as the stories depicts how an unwanted female baby was brought up by a mother who believed and surrendered her child to Lord Buddha. As the female lead (the mother of the child) held her child and kneels down in front of the audience on stage and yearned for Lord Buddha as she sympathises with her daughter, many audience were found in tears. The drama ended with the daughter attaining full enlightenment.

Since it is Buddha Pournima, as buddhist i should post some principles taught by him during his lifetime. A little on hindu history, Lord Buddha is the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In his life mission, he taught AHIMSA which is non-violence and he taught the cycle of birth and death as well as Karma.

Below are excepts from Website.

The Four Noble Truths
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The path to the cessation of suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path
1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration

For details visit: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html