Just watched the movie "Avatar" in 3D mode. One of the best movies or perhaps the best movie ever made so far! Although the plot may be a little predictable, its still amazing. James Cameron not only created a whole other world, he managed to amplify the life in mother nature, show the beauty of life and the importance of connection back to the world...
The movie really reminded me of a dream I had a year back while i was in Narrogin. When I told my friends about that dream I just got laughed at... So sad... But sometimes I feel that the world of dreams is such a wonderful place. People always tell me to come back to earth and stop day dreaming. But earth has become so dead - study, work, grow old and die... If there was a population of Navis on Earth like in the movie, I'll definitely join them. For they will understand my heart.
No matter how much I'm laughed at, no matter how much I'm put down.... as far as I can, I'll hold on to the end... believing in my dream.... that someday I too will be one with the world....
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Busiest Xmas Ever
This is probably the busiest holiday season I've ever had. Starting with the Water, Earth, Air ceremony which lasted from 20th Dec to 26th Dec. I attended the ceremony daily, squeezing time in between for all the other parties:
22nd Dec: Dong Zhi celebration with the monks
24th Dec: SLP X'mas lunch, AusEd X'mas lunch, Xmas dinner with Family, Felicia's Xmas Count down Party.
25th Dec: Grandma's Xmas dinner, Cousin's Birthday party, Party at Pan Pacific.
26th Dec: End of Water, Earth, Air Ceremony Dinner at Bright Hill Temple, Uncle Stan's Xmas dinner, Ed's Xmas Dinner/Supper.
27th Dec: Dinner with monks at Singapore River, Tawan's Xmas Dinner
28th Dec: Movies with friends, Star Horizon Xmas BBQ
31st Dec: New Year's Count Down Party
1st Jan: Offering to a hundred sanghas ceremony
3rd Jan: Mei Qi's birthday celebration at Sentosa Cove!
Been a seriously crazy end of the year... Guess its been an extremely good way to end the year and receive the new one - Spent in prayers and celebration!
22nd Dec: Dong Zhi celebration with the monks
24th Dec: SLP X'mas lunch, AusEd X'mas lunch, Xmas dinner with Family, Felicia's Xmas Count down Party.
25th Dec: Grandma's Xmas dinner, Cousin's Birthday party, Party at Pan Pacific.
26th Dec: End of Water, Earth, Air Ceremony Dinner at Bright Hill Temple, Uncle Stan's Xmas dinner, Ed's Xmas Dinner/Supper.
27th Dec: Dinner with monks at Singapore River, Tawan's Xmas Dinner
28th Dec: Movies with friends, Star Horizon Xmas BBQ
31st Dec: New Year's Count Down Party
1st Jan: Offering to a hundred sanghas ceremony
3rd Jan: Mei Qi's birthday celebration at Sentosa Cove!
Been a seriously crazy end of the year... Guess its been an extremely good way to end the year and receive the new one - Spent in prayers and celebration!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
水陸空‘09
Totally forgot about the 水陸空法會 this year until I received a call from 覺聞師, one of the monk friends I made during last year's ceremony. They were once again in the Shurangama hall and while reciting on day 1, felt that something was missing, and realize it was me... so they called me up. I've become part of the Shurangama group! Lolz. Its so nice to have such great friends... they're really my 善知識 in Singapore.
Day 2, I got there and they decided to start from Scroll 1 again, so I didn't miss anything. It took awhile before I got into the flow. Been a while since I did sutra recitations, and they go really fast coz in the room, I was the only layperson, the rest were all monks.
Day 3 was 冬至. The day where we eat 湯圓 in Singapore, Glutinous rice balls in sweet soup. One of my favourite dishes. Got up early again to head to the monastery and continued with our recitation. It is only the 2nd day of recitation and we're already on the 7th scroll. During the break, the monks were talking about a trip to Myanmar in January and they invited me to go along. Soon the rest of them were saying: "I'll go too if Jonathan is going!" the initial group of 5 will grow to about a size of 8 - 10 provided if I go.... Peer Pressure from the monks... Lolz.
During the afternoon, there was also a 3 hour break and I was just hanging around aimlessly when I received a call from one of the monks to head over to the monks quarters. I went there and they prepared a bed for me to rest! It was really really sweet of them. Although it was just a wooden board and a wooden pillow, I had the best sleep ever! Really needed the rest to last me for the afternoon session.
At the end of the entire day's recitation, I was told to stay back for awhile, and 覺聞師 personally cooked vegetarian dumplings to share! He said in China, 冬至 is not celebrated with 湯圓 but with 餃子! As 覺聞師 started cooking, more and more of the other monks came in to help prepare - cutting the veggies, preparing the sauce, setting the table. Then as we sat around the table having our meal, it felt so much like a family... We drank tea after that and chatted the night away till I had to leave before the temple gates close (I got locked in once and they also prepared a bed for me then Lolz). And before leaving, they gave me a packet of the dumplings to give to my grandmother. Its been a really really good day spent with good friends in a spiritual setting. 真的是法喜充滿！
Sometimes, the smallest gesture can mean so much to another. If you can find beauty in the smallest actions, you will see that this world is filled with many beautiful people...
Day 2, I got there and they decided to start from Scroll 1 again, so I didn't miss anything. It took awhile before I got into the flow. Been a while since I did sutra recitations, and they go really fast coz in the room, I was the only layperson, the rest were all monks.
Day 3 was 冬至. The day where we eat 湯圓 in Singapore, Glutinous rice balls in sweet soup. One of my favourite dishes. Got up early again to head to the monastery and continued with our recitation. It is only the 2nd day of recitation and we're already on the 7th scroll. During the break, the monks were talking about a trip to Myanmar in January and they invited me to go along. Soon the rest of them were saying: "I'll go too if Jonathan is going!" the initial group of 5 will grow to about a size of 8 - 10 provided if I go.... Peer Pressure from the monks... Lolz.
During the afternoon, there was also a 3 hour break and I was just hanging around aimlessly when I received a call from one of the monks to head over to the monks quarters. I went there and they prepared a bed for me to rest! It was really really sweet of them. Although it was just a wooden board and a wooden pillow, I had the best sleep ever! Really needed the rest to last me for the afternoon session.
At the end of the entire day's recitation, I was told to stay back for awhile, and 覺聞師 personally cooked vegetarian dumplings to share! He said in China, 冬至 is not celebrated with 湯圓 but with 餃子! As 覺聞師 started cooking, more and more of the other monks came in to help prepare - cutting the veggies, preparing the sauce, setting the table. Then as we sat around the table having our meal, it felt so much like a family... We drank tea after that and chatted the night away till I had to leave before the temple gates close (I got locked in once and they also prepared a bed for me then Lolz). And before leaving, they gave me a packet of the dumplings to give to my grandmother. Its been a really really good day spent with good friends in a spiritual setting. 真的是法喜充滿！
Sometimes, the smallest gesture can mean so much to another. If you can find beauty in the smallest actions, you will see that this world is filled with many beautiful people...
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
India
My India trip has been a trying yet fulfilling one. It started off with me getting a fever the night before my flight. Surprisingly by the time I arrived India, my fever was gone and I didn't get quarantined in some Indian hospital.
It was then an 8 hour drive to Chaitanyajothi, the ashram of Swami Atma Chaitanya who was kind enough to host us. High in the mountains, the ashram had fruit trees of every kind and our daily meals were all from the ashram grounds - organic food! The water which we drink and bath was all from the well, natural spring water. And breakfast milk was from the ashram cow - Nandi! Really fresh....
Swami Atma is a great cook! Everyday he'd cook the daily meals for us. Really tasty, but everything is curry in some form or another. Really spicy and not that helpful to my recovery... My cough and sore throat got worst, and my stomach got bigger... Lolz. Other than eating, we had our daily meditation sessions and chat sessions. Pretty fun.
Stayed there for about 3 days before embarking on another 8 hour journey to Mookambika Temple - the 1200 year temple of three goddesses. The story behind this temple is pretty amazing as well. I'll reserve it for another time else my post will be too long. We arrived just in time before the temple gates shut for the final ceremony of the day. It was almost as if the goddess had waited for our arrival and the moment the last person of our group stepped in, the gates closed to all others. At that temple, the dinner, you have to receive 3 rounds of servings of rice and curry to represent each goddess giving you food. That's 3 rounds of dinner for u... extremely filling.
We stayed a night at Mookambika before heading on to Puttarparthi, a 13 hour bus ride through mountain roads. We even had to cross the Indian Muslim border and at that point Swami was telling us how some vehicles are stoned or bombed along this road. That explains why all other roads in India are crowded but that particular one was deserted. He told me to prepare my camera just in case anything happens and told the group to have faith in God that everything will be fine! Really a test of your faith this time...
Finally arrived at Puttarparthi in the wee hours of the morning - the Ashram of Sathya Sai Baba. Been 10 years since I've visited this place. Much have changed. We were fortunate to bump into another Singapore group there who were organizing a short play for the silver jubilee of the Schools and thus got special sitting. There were about 400 Singaporeans there altogether, and thousands of other people from all around the world. I even got to make a very good friend who was from East Africa. We would help out at the dining hall together, serving food, washing dishes, and go for morning prayers together. Really fun. This trip, I also managed to get into the inner meditation chambers twice, which is really rare coz among the thousands of people, only about 100 is able to get in to do their meditation in that room per day.
We spend 5 days in Puttarparthi before finally heading back to Singapore. On the last day, we got caught in the Andral Pradash riots while having breakfast in the city and the store owners were rushing to shut their gates as the mob came through the streets. We were trapped inbetween. Exciting. Lolz. After the streets were cleared, then were we released and we packed our luggages and headed to the airport. We got to take a propeller plane during our domestic flight from Bengalaru to Cochin! How fun! Then finally it was back to Singapore.
Had lots of amazing experiences this trip. Too much to write here... but I'd say despite my cough and fever... Its been a great trip.
It was then an 8 hour drive to Chaitanyajothi, the ashram of Swami Atma Chaitanya who was kind enough to host us. High in the mountains, the ashram had fruit trees of every kind and our daily meals were all from the ashram grounds - organic food! The water which we drink and bath was all from the well, natural spring water. And breakfast milk was from the ashram cow - Nandi! Really fresh....
Swami Atma is a great cook! Everyday he'd cook the daily meals for us. Really tasty, but everything is curry in some form or another. Really spicy and not that helpful to my recovery... My cough and sore throat got worst, and my stomach got bigger... Lolz. Other than eating, we had our daily meditation sessions and chat sessions. Pretty fun.
Stayed there for about 3 days before embarking on another 8 hour journey to Mookambika Temple - the 1200 year temple of three goddesses. The story behind this temple is pretty amazing as well. I'll reserve it for another time else my post will be too long. We arrived just in time before the temple gates shut for the final ceremony of the day. It was almost as if the goddess had waited for our arrival and the moment the last person of our group stepped in, the gates closed to all others. At that temple, the dinner, you have to receive 3 rounds of servings of rice and curry to represent each goddess giving you food. That's 3 rounds of dinner for u... extremely filling.
We stayed a night at Mookambika before heading on to Puttarparthi, a 13 hour bus ride through mountain roads. We even had to cross the Indian Muslim border and at that point Swami was telling us how some vehicles are stoned or bombed along this road. That explains why all other roads in India are crowded but that particular one was deserted. He told me to prepare my camera just in case anything happens and told the group to have faith in God that everything will be fine! Really a test of your faith this time...
Finally arrived at Puttarparthi in the wee hours of the morning - the Ashram of Sathya Sai Baba. Been 10 years since I've visited this place. Much have changed. We were fortunate to bump into another Singapore group there who were organizing a short play for the silver jubilee of the Schools and thus got special sitting. There were about 400 Singaporeans there altogether, and thousands of other people from all around the world. I even got to make a very good friend who was from East Africa. We would help out at the dining hall together, serving food, washing dishes, and go for morning prayers together. Really fun. This trip, I also managed to get into the inner meditation chambers twice, which is really rare coz among the thousands of people, only about 100 is able to get in to do their meditation in that room per day.
We spend 5 days in Puttarparthi before finally heading back to Singapore. On the last day, we got caught in the Andral Pradash riots while having breakfast in the city and the store owners were rushing to shut their gates as the mob came through the streets. We were trapped inbetween. Exciting. Lolz. After the streets were cleared, then were we released and we packed our luggages and headed to the airport. We got to take a propeller plane during our domestic flight from Bengalaru to Cochin! How fun! Then finally it was back to Singapore.
Had lots of amazing experiences this trip. Too much to write here... but I'd say despite my cough and fever... Its been a great trip.
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