"Photo" - Ryan Cabrera

A photo can say a thousand things
But it can't say the million things I wanna say
A photo can capture the way we were
But it can't capture the way we are
'Cause you're far away
What it's like to know you
What it's like to touch you

When you told me that you loved me
were those just words
You can't tell me you don't need me
and I know that hurts
'Cause I'm looking at your picture
'Cause it's all I've got
Maybe one day
You and me will have one more shot

Timing lost minutes and moments
And I might be lonely girl
But I'm not afraid
In a second
It all comes right back to me
Nothing's forgotten now
Yeah everything's saved
What it's like to touch you
What it's like to know you

When you told me that you loved me
were those just words
You can't tell me you don't need me
and I know that hurts
'Cause I'm looking at your picture
'Cause it's all I've got
Maybe one day
You and me will have one more shot

You were my life
you were my faith
You gave me hope every day

When you told me that you loved me
were those just words
You can't tell me you don't need me
and I know that hurts
'Cause I'm looking at your picture
'Cause it's all I've got
Maybe one day
You and me will have one more shot

*******************************************************

*******************************************************

This song is specially dedicated to my loved one...

“SECRET OF LIFE”




What is life? Most of us ask this basic question. Look around us. The bird chirping, the flowers blooming, the hot sun blazing and all of a sudden, the wind blows. All these including the physical form of the human race are life. From birth, through growth and deterioration up to the final moment of life called clinical death. Every emotion is part of life like the natural occurrence of mountain eruptions and earthquakes. In fact, all that is, contain life. In essence, we can summarize life as the principle of change in vibration; one event after another. Each unfolding is new and fresh.

The problem in the human sphere lies in our outlook where we normally see with the eyes of the past. Our, mentality comes from the past, conditioned to react with the past and the sustenance through the coloring of the past create conflict in the present.
In order for life to operate in harmony and balance, we have to limit our desires to what is essential for our survival. Whatever comes by, in accordance with cause and condition are seen to be temporary in nature, inspiring the individual to accept and harmonize with whatever living conditions.

As long as possessiveness creeps in to what is essentially instruments of convenience, we open ourselves to all sort of problems. The ‘me’ and ‘mine’ pollute the mind. If life flows simultaneously without the interruption of the self, life would have an order of its own. However the naïve self has survived for too long in ignorance. It is hard to get to the core because the survival instinct is to continue to promote permanency. By doing so, it has every reason to deny the void which the individual has created in the first place.

We do not know that the constant occupation of the mind through thinking and activities in the physical realm makes the void more apparent. That is why humans have this concept of ‘boredom’. Humans throughout the world resist this phenomenon at all cost either by doing or forgetting ourselves through activity. Of all phenomenon experienced by humans, the big void is the most fearful one. We had invented all sort of spiritual nonsense in order to escape from it thereby making the mind more fragile than ever.

In the course of clinging to our various rituals, superstitions and delusions, we create a gap, thus driving us further away from the truth. If we were to face this void bluntly without any sense of resistance, we would know that the void has a beauty of its own. A void when perceived as it is is in a state of vibration.

This is the beginning of creativeness. Life with creativeness is holistic for the flow will not be diverted through ignorance. The self is seen and the light of understanding will be the guiding force. Life by then is a harmonizing whole without getting lost by the separation factor of thought. Whether you take a stroll or sit in meditation is a matter of balance in accord with circumstances, this turning of life knows not about fear or death. It just moves on. That is the secret of life.





by VENERABLE SAMPANNO

Food for Thought

Those who become immersed in the world and drown in it only realize the material would and its desires, which we have called physical or mudance sustenance. When you only know this one dimension, you refuse to believe that the land or the transmundance exists - just like a fish.


The sea and the land meet and are only separated by a fine line. Fish, however, cannot know or imagine what life on land is like. Nirvana is like an island of refuge, but there are very few people who make the supreme effort to swim to it. The same is true for birds caught in a trap - very few ever escape the grasp of the hunter.

Matang Wildlife Centre - 19th Feb 2006 (Sunday)

It was the second day of Kevin in Kuching, which was also his birthday. I planned a trip to Matang Wildlife Centre; a place to relax, to explore, to rejuvenate, and of course, to escape from dreadful city air condition, and hectic life. It’d been two years I didn’t visit the wildlife centre after I moved to my current house. Well, as for Pei Foon, our voluntary driver (Neh, she was just offered herself to bring us strolling around, while enjoying the sceneries too.) who used to stay a few kilometers away from the centre, never been there before, not until this time.

On the other hand, Kelvin (the one who stands near the tree, with "Peace" gesture), Jonas (the guy in yellow shirt) and Pinky (the one who wears black swimming suits) were invited to join the trip too; the more people join, the merrier the atmosphere is. Pinky brought her brother to join us, since it was Sunday. We reached there about 2p.m. As we approached the counter to pay for the entrance fee, the custodian of the park said the right time to enter the centre (natural habitat zoo) is 3.30p.m. (feeding hours). Since there was still had about one hour to wait, we went to the stream, and got ourselves wet in the water. The underwater rocks were very slippery, covered up by mosses. It was quite challenging when we walked over the stream, as we had to carry our own bags and shoes. So, it’s all about balancing.

This is Kelvin, topless, posing before he jumped into the stream. As for your information, he was the first one who couldn’t wait to bath in the stream. Followed by Pinky, who had ready worn the Mystical Black Suits, walking down to the stream.

Pei Foon went down to the stream for a short while, 'performing' how swift she was walking on the slippery rocks. While Pinky's brother (Not in the picture) was sitting on the big rock and enjoyed the beautiful mother nature.

When it was almost the time, we left the stream, and ready to watch those poor animals. Inside the centre or jungle I should say, we saw lazy crocodiles, hungry bears, birds (only two or three species, not even a Hornbill, how pathetic...*sigh*), busy monkeys, lonely eagle, shy por cupines, deers, lazy Beast (huge size Orang Utan, don't know what they call, his name is Man), hyperactive young female Orang Utan (Dorris, her name) and etc. Just to name it a few.

to be continued...

[搶不走]

一日臨濟禪師，跟隨老師黃檗禪師一同下田工作，臨濟禪師走在黃檗禪師的後面，黃檗禪師回頭一看，發現臨濟禪師空著手，因此就對他說道「你怎麼把鋤頭忘記帶來呢？」 臨濟禪師回答道：「不知給誰拿走？」 黃檗禪師停下腳步道：「你走過來，我有事跟你商量。」 臨濟禪師向前，黃檗禪師就豎起鋤頭道：「單單是『這個』，世界之上就沒有一個人能拿得動。」 臨濟禪師一聽這話，就毫不客氣的立刻從黃檗禪師手中把鋤頭搶過來，緊緊的握在手中，說道：「剛才老師說誰也拿不動『這個』，現在為什麼『這個』在我的手中呢？」 黃檗禪師道：「手中有的未必有，手中無的未必無，你說，今天有誰給我們耕田呢？」 臨濟禪師道：「耕田的由他耕田，收成的由他收成，關我們何事？」 臨濟禪師這麼說了以後，黃檗禪師一句話也沒說，轉身就回到僧院。 不久，溈山禪師就這件事問仰山禪師道：「鋤頭在黃檗禪師手中，為什麼卻被臨濟奪去？」 仰山禪師答道：「強取豪奪雖然是小人，可是他的智慧卻在君子以上。」 溈山禪師再問仰山道：「耕種和收成，臨濟為什麼要說不關己事呢？」 仰山禪師不答：反問道：「難道就不能超脫對待關係之外嗎？」 溈山禪師一句不說，轉身也回到僧院。 　 黃檗禪師的轉身，溈山禪師的轉身，轉身的世界，就是肯定一切的世界。世人有理話多，無理更是話多，若能在真理之前並回頭轉身，那不是另有一番世界嗎？

[我是谁]

临济禅师在讲道，有一个人在人群中说：“只要回答我一个问题 --- 我是谁？”

临济禅师停住话头，每个人都很警觉地注意，不知道他将会给于怎样的答案。但是临济禅师并没有回答，而是从他的椅子上走下来，来到那个人的身边。

所有的人更警觉地注意着，他门甚至不敢呼吸，禅师到底要做什么？他本来应该可以坐在椅子上回答，而不需要走下来。

那个人也变得很害怕。临济禅师透出一副能穿透一切的目光走向那人，他抓住那人衣领，然后说：“闭起你的双眼！走进去，看看是谁在问这个‘我是谁’。”

那个人闭起眼睛，他在向内走去 --- 默默地寻找。

所有的人都在等待，等待，又等待。那个人的脸变很宁静、安详，天地万物似乎已经完全沉静下来。然后临济禅师再度摇撼他：“现在走出来，告诉每一个人‘我是谁’！”

那人微着笑说：“这是一个多么神奇的回答方式！但是现在如果有人问我，我也会这样回答。”

“我是谁”真是一个很难回答得问题，然而临济禅师在这里却给于十分巧妙的回答，他虽然没有说一句话，但这种方式却收到了极好地效果，也得到了大家完全的认可。触类旁通，许多教育也可以尝试用这种“只可意会不可言传”的神奇回答方式，相信一定会取得意想不到地效果。

*Impetuous Act – Derived from Sensation of Dryness*

Back into my childhood, when I was six years old (If I’m not mistaken), I was confused by the coconut milk and dairy milk packaging. Still remember, it was a hot sunny evening, no one was at home accept my brother and I – My grandma was working as a babysitter, so left two of us in the house. I opened up the old-model fridge (I bet you never seen before; it was made of steel, heavier than ordinary / modern fridge, certain parts already rusted) and searched for something cooling and nutritious to quench my thirsty throat.

I shifted the plastic bag containing left-out food to the other side on the top tray, took out the pickles which were made by my grandma and placed it on the lower tray, removed… At the end, I found a unique (in the sense of colours and design) small size rectangle packaging, with the big written word “Milk” placed at the corner of the fridge. Heedlessly, I just took it out from the fridge, cut the corner edge along the dotted line and directly poured into my mouth. As for your information, it was quite a large quantity in one pour.

Once I was about to swallow the milk, I found it odd – not sweet, taste awkward, a little salty and diluted. When I studied carefully on the packaging, finally I saw a small picture of coconut and coconut tree, plus the Italized “Coconut” word which was quite small, written on top of the “Milk”. Sigh. I didn’t puke, but took it as a lesson for being not cautious with what I’d did.

Or, I can say, maybe that day was too hot, stuffy, thus making me a little dizzy till I never thought of reading the label of the product.

(I’ve forgotten the brand of the coconut milk, these are only the substitute pictures)

p/s: Always be the smart consumer! Be vigilant! Hahaha

How much do you know about your Horoscope…



* Aries(21 Mar – 19 Apr)
The leader; “me first”; loner, pioneer, go-getter; enjoys action, adventure; quick to anger; ruled by Mars


* Taurus (20 Apr – 20 May)
The builder; practical, patient, steadfast; enjoys material comfort and wellbeing; ruled by Venus


* Gemini (21 May – 21 Jun)
The talker; quick witted, restless, easily bored; enjoys travel, new ideas; constantly on the look-out-for new experiences; ruled by Mercury


* Cancer (22 Jun – 22 Jul)
The nurturer; empathic, sensitive to needs of others; imaginative; enjoys home and family; ruled by the Moon


* Leo (23 Jul – 22 Aug)
The actor; plays centre-stage, dramatic, generous, warm, affectionate; enjoys good living romance and “to-play”; ruled by the Sun


* Virgo (23 Aug – 22 Sep)
The perfectionist; precise, meticulous, pays attention to detail; enjoys work in the service of others; sincere, dependable; ruled by Mercury


* Libra (23 Sep – 23 Oct)
The adjuster; seeks to bridge or reconcile opposites, to balance; relationships important need for peace and harmony; enjoys aesthetics and beautiful things; ruled by Venus


* Scorpio (24 Oct – 21 Nov)
The transformer; death and rebirth, endings and beginnings, going to the depths, emotional intensity; enjoys the occult, the mysteries of life; ruled by Pluto


* Sagittarius (22 Nov – 21 Dec)
The traveler; journeys to expand horizons; free spirit, adventurous, buoyant and exuberant; enjoys humour, having fun, new experiences; ruled by Jupiter


* Capricorn (22 Dec – 19 Jan)
The climber; works hard to achieve ambitious and lofty goals; patient, cautious, responsible, committed; enjoys the status of success, black humour; ruled by Saturn


* Aquarius (20 Jan – 18 Feb)
The reformer; intellectual revolutionary, seeks social justice, a “brotherhood of man”; freedom of thought, originality and emotional independence enjoys gadgets, machines, electronic media; ruled by Uranus and Saturn


* Pisces (19 Feb – 20 Mar)
The dreamer; impressionable, imaginative, sensitive and artistic; psychic development, mediation, spiritual transformation; refines and idealizes; enjoys the arts, but also has a tendency towards escapism; ruled by Neptune and Jupiter

Hello world!
I never thought that I would create my own blog!!!
First of all, I would like to thank Telekom and Streamyx for offering such services, so that I've a better internet connection to create my personal blog on interent, rather than using the previous wireless-dial-up.

Secondly, I would like to thank my friend, Shirlynna, who had been driven me to buy Ethernet card; so that I can plug the cable to the CPU with appropriate port...hahaha

Karma: the law of reciprocity, volition or will; what goes around comes around.

"The most feared element in the consciousness of most believers is the concept of 'Karma' especially unwholesome ones but it seems that most of them are creating it in order to satisfy their desire. That itself is a contradiction and also the abuse of our primordial wisdom."

by Ven Sampano