Showing posts with label Buddhism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buddhism. Show all posts

24 September 2014

請給小生命一個活命的機會!PLEASE GIVE THE LITTLE ONES A CHANCE TO LIVE!

There are some topics that are very close to my heart and this is one of them.

I am not thinking less of those ladies who opted to abort before. What I am saying here is if you had done so before, in the articles I am going to share below, you now have the knowledge to make up for what you have done before.

Whatever the reason was, we cannot go back to undo it. But if it is to happen again, please don't take the easy way out. It is the human instinct to fight for survival. The same goes for our baby.

I remember what my student once said to me when I was tutoring in the past. She was very unhappy with the way she was being treated by the adults in the household and came to me wailing hysterically, "Teacher, why do you adults always think you really know what is best for us? Why do you adults never ask us what we think, what we want? Why do we always get knocked off just because we are children? Why, teacher, why??? I hate being a child! I hate being a child!"

If that is what a disgruntled child feels, what will the baby feel when his body is crushed ruthlessly and ripped apart into pieces?

Ladies, if you want to have unprotected sex, please be fully aware of the consequences. And before you jump into bed with a man, please ask if he is ready to have a child with you if things go awry. If he's not, whatever 'I love you' he said is fake. He just want a cheap thrill out of you.

I salute Tammy Tay from Ohsofickle for standing by her decision to have a child out of wedlock and not taking the easy way out. You might say because she has $upport. I think otherwise. Respect for giving Baby Elroye a chance to live and bearing responsibility for her own actions.

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Master Dai Hu, a trained and professional geomancer with more than 15 years of experience, has posted more than 70 insightful articles on Buddhism and Chinese Metaphysics like Feng Shui, Name Analysis and Bazi Analysis in both English & Chinese on his Facebook Page.


http://www.facebook.com/masterdaihu
 
www.facebook.com/masterdaihu

 
Articles below are shared from Master Dai Hu's Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/masterdaihu):

【玳瑚師父出差碌】 《不要摧毀自己的命運》

Do Not Destroy Your Own Destiny (English version below)

吾說了又說,勸了又勸。 千萬不要墮胎!千萬不要墮胎!

不要傻傻地以為沒有把孩子生出來,妳的生活會好過些。更不可以給這種理由,說那時候沒有錢,那時候還小,才16歲,18歲,我害怕等等。

這麼多理由,當初為何還要縱慾呢?

妳天真地以為那麼簡單,哪知後來數十年糟糕了!整個樣子,整個命盤都變了。

墮胎等同於墮掉一切的福因啊!

吾真實看過太多太多這樣的例子了。請認真地思考再思考吾的勸告。

做男人的,不要始亂終棄、不負責任,以為魚水之歡不用付出代價。慫恿自己的女伴去墮胎,殺生之罪你一樣沒得幸免。

做母親的,對方不負責任,妳怎麽也象他一樣不負責任呢?不要讓恨的烏雲遮擋智慧的太陽。妳有最後的決定權。如果妳不要拿掉自己的孩子,沒有人可以逼妳走進 那手術室,任由冷酷的醫療器材把嬰孩的身軀給砸碎,再吸出來丟棄。告訴妳,那血淋林的‘肉碎’被丟進垃圾桶時,妳身後就會有位充滿恨意的水子靈(嬰靈), 勢必要向父母復仇。不要說妳走頭無路,妳應該知道會有那麼一天。到最後,妳要負起的因果報應,妳以為是吾在開玩笑嗎?妳真以為妳負得起嗎?別傻了!因果之 事,不用你妳信,一樣照報!

沒有能力養,可以讓別人領養,讓孩子的生命延續下去。

勸別人墮胎的人,很不忍心地告訴您,您自以為的一番好意早已種下惡因了。天底下沒有一位福神會跟隨像您這樣的幫兇。進行墮胎手術的醫護人員和做出和墮胎相關的產品和服務人士,後面的果報是你妳得不償失的。你妳的後代也會遭殃。

你以爲吾在唬你?唬你根本得不到好處啊!

讓吾再說一次。吾所見過,墮過胎的婦女的業報有身患婦女病如子宮長瘤、婚姻不美滿、身體有異味、樣子比同輩老得快速、事業一波三折、得憂鬱症等。後來無法生育、流產、難產或生出不孝子女,很難帶、很難教因為是之前的水子靈來轉劫洩恨。

流產的、夭折的也被歸類為水子靈。父母親也得負起責任。因為吾觀現在很多婦女沒有照顧好身子,亂吃亂喝亂睡,卻一直想懷孕。結果受孕後,孩子在子宮不到十 個星期就發現沒心跳,又或者生出體弱多病的孩子,導致夭折。吾批八字時,曾勸過一位婦女不要在某幾年懷孕。但她求子心切,不把吾的話放在心上,不斷嘗試受 孕,結果胎死腹中三次之多。天啊!這都是殺生啊!

流產過、墮胎過或有夭折孩子的父母都得為孩子在寺廟安靈位、修法懺悔己業和報名超度法會至少500次(由有證量的上師主壇)。若有人說幾次就可以了,別聽 信。自己用腦筋想想,如果吾用個鉗子夾碎您的頭直到頭破血流,再將您五馬分屍,血肉一團,再扔進垃圾桶,您會因為吾幾次的道歉賠償幾千元就原諒吾嗎?

吾已經做了十多年的師父,以上的所見所聞是確確實實的經驗。遇到有水子靈的婦女,彷彿是家常便飯。可見這草菅人命的問題事態嚴重。最令人擔憂的是很多女性對水子靈之事根本沒有悔意。寧願這樣子對待自己的親生骨肉,果然人比鬼更可怕!

(嬰孩照片取自搜房。嬰孩的母親藉此照片希望大家切勿墮胎,給小生命一個活命的機會!)




Do Not Destroy Your Own Destiny (English version)

by Master Dai Hu

posted on 24 Sep 2014

I have said it over and over, and given countless advice on this.

Never go for an abortion! Never ever!

Do not foolishly think that by aborting the child, your life will be easier. It is absurd to hear reasons like "I am broke", "I am only 16 or 18, too young to have a child", "I am scared" etc.

So many excuses, then why did you allow yourself to fall prey to the temptation of lust in the first place?

You were too naive to think that this is not a serious matter, but alas, years of sufferings will follow. Your entire destiny and well being will take a turn for the worst.

Aborting a baby is akin to aborting all seeds of fortune and merits!

I have truly seen too many, countless, in fact of such cases. Please ponder deeply upon my words of advice.

As a man, please be responsible and do not fool around, thinking that there is no price to pay for your reckless behaviour and casual flings. Persuading your female partner to go for abortion is the same as being an accomplice to a murder, for which the karmic retribution you shall not be spared either.

As the mother of the child, how could you shirk the responsibility, like your partner did? Do not let the dark cloud of hatred obstruct your light of wisdom. You hold the ultimate vote of decision. If you decide against abortion, no one can force you into the operating theater and allow the cold and feeling-less medical instruments to crush the helpless fetus limp and sucking it out from your body. Let me tell you this, once the bloody and mangled piece of flesh, that was once your baby, is thrown into the waste bin, a fetal spirit will be standing right behind you, full of hatred for you and your partner. The spirit will be bent on exacting revenge on you and your partner. Please do not say that you had no other choice. You should know that this day will come. In the end, you would bear the karma of your cruel action. You think I am joking with you? You think you can easily bear this responsibility? Please do not be foolish. The Law of Karma holds its power over all, regardless if you believe it or not!

If you are not capable of raising the child, you can put the child up for fostering. At the very least, you preserve the child's life.

For those who had advised someone else to go for abortion, I really hate to tell you this, but your 'kind' intention had already sowed the seed of sufferings for yourself in time to come. No god will bless an accomplice to such a heinous act. The same goes for other 'accomplices' like the surgeons and nurses who administered the abortion, as well as those companies promoting abortion-related products and services. It is totally not worth it to bear the brunt of karma, and it will even implicate your descendants as well.

You think I am kidding you? I have absolutely nothing to gain from this!

Allow me to repeat myself. I have seen cases of women who had previous abortions and now suffering from various ailments concerning the female health (ovarian tumor, for example), their bodies giving off a strange odor, as well as a more aged appearance compared to their peers. They have depression bouts and their marriages encounter more obstacles. Any future pregnancy is either impossible or fraught with many difficulties resulting in miscarriages or traumatic births. The fetal spirit may reincarnate as their future offspring, who will turn out to be a child that is extremely difficult to teach and manage due to the innate hatred.

Babies that die from miscarriages or at a very young age after birth are classified under fetal spirits. The parents have to bear responsibility too. I have observed that many ladies do not take care of themselves well, wilfully consuming unhealthy food and adopting irregular sleeping hours, but yet hoping to bear a child. Once they got pregnant, the fetus could not sustain for more than 10 weeks before being discovered that the child's heart had stopped. Should they carry the pregnancy to the full term and deliver the baby, the child, more often than not, will have a bad health predisposition, resulting in a premature death. I once adviced a lady, who came to me for birth chart analysis, not to try for a child during certain years. Overcame by desperation to have a child, my advice fell on deaf ears. As a result, she had to suffer a stillbirth, not once but thrice! My goodness, this is killing of another being!

For babies who died in abortions, miscarriages or at a young age after birth, the parents should set up a tablet in a suitable temple for the fetal spirit, cultivate repentance practice and enroll for bardo deliverance ceremonies (conducted by a Master with spiritual attainment) for the fetal spirit for at least 500 times. Do not believe if somebody tell you that a few times is enough. Exercise your wisdom and ask yourself this question: "If I use a pair of steel pincers and repeatedly crush your head and body, ripping you apart till you become a mangled state of flesh and blood before dumping you into a bin, will you forgive me just simply because I apologise a few times and compensate you with a few thousand dollars?"

What I have described in this article are all true experiences from my line of work for the past 10 over years. I have seen many ladies with previous abortions that it is becoming too common for my comfort. It is a very grave situation that human lives are treated as if they are not worth a straw. What worries me most is that many of these ladies have no sense of regret at all! To have no qualms in treating their own flesh and blood with such cruelty, a human being can be more terrifying than a ghost indeed!

Photo credit: Google & SouFun. Photo is used as the mother of the baby hope to warn all against abortion. Give the innocent child a chance to live!)

【玳瑚師父出差錄】 你不要的那個小孩還在

The Baby You Did Not Want Is Still Around (English version below)

posted on 20 Apr 2014

上個星期一,我到台中的新光三越買褲。 在臺灣買褲一大好處是櫃檯專賣店都提供即刻改褲的服務。 等待當兒,我向售貨員要了一張白紙,免費為她測名。
...
離開前,我問:“你有曾經不要過孩子嗎?”

她一臉驚訝地點了點頭說有。

“你要為你的孩子報名超度。他一直還在你的身邊走來走去。”

我不只看到售貨員的嬰靈,也稱爲水子靈,更看到她未來精神的問題。我看人不是單純地看外貌,而是看進去裏面,看他的氣色、他的磁場、他的思維。

我看到很多女客人身邊有水子靈,但她們絲毫沒有悔意,可見這問題很大,需要多去告訴人們水子靈會帶來的問題。

很多人對‘失去’的孩子都漠不關心。世人無知,不知蓄意墮胎,先影響到個人,然後家庭、社會,之後就是國家。很多家庭的風波如孩子叛逆、事業不振、生意衰敗、疾病纏身、夫妻失和,就是因爲沒有人去留意這些被遺忘的孩子。等到事情發生時,才去求神拜佛。其實真正要求的是自己。

在這宇宙閒,根本沒有一個人有權利剝奪另外一個人的生命,或一個生物,就算肉眼看不到的細菌,這些都是不能夠的,更何況是一個比較具有靈性的人。衆生皆有佛性,墮胎如殺佛。 五戒裏面,殺生為第一重罪,所以妻財子祿這些福都會在頓時閒被消除很多很多,如一粒苹果在分秒中被切成一半,所以不可不慎。

很多人以為經過人工墮胎,孩子就不會出現在她們的生命里。告訴你,你的想法是錯,錯,錯。被打掉的孩子會以另外一個形體留在你的身邊,因爲你還欠他,而這個欠是多了一倍,甚至多好幾倍。你下一個生出來的孩子,爲什麽會是體弱多病、軟骨、有唐氏綜合症或很難教,多方面地耗盡你的體力、家產和精神,不是沒有原因啊!

被殺的孩子最想看到我們誠懇地懺悔跟向他道歉,再求真正有證量的法師/修行人為水子靈做超度法事。這樣雙方之間才能夠解掉那個冤,否則未來一定是悲慘的。我看到我的女客人,因爲水子靈的問題,身體有異味、脫髮、睡不好、健康每況愈下、甚至有婦女健康和精神問題。就算當初是男伴要求墮胎,女的責任始終比較多因爲她是做出最終決定的人。

我們都要快樂輕鬆地過日子,曾幾何時卻增加了自己的負擔?所以大家要動動腦筋,不要一失足成千古恨。





The Baby You Did Not Want Is Still Around (English version)

by Master Dai Hu



Last Monday, I was buying a pair of pants at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung. The good thing about buying pants in Taiwan is the on-the-spot alteration service they provide. While waiting for the alteration, I asked for a piece of paper from the sales lady and gave her a free Name Analysis.

Before leaving, I asked, "Have you not want a child before?"

She nodded yes, with a bewildered look on her face.

"The spirit of your child is still lingering around you. You need to enroll in puja sessions to deliver his spirit to a better realm. "
What I saw was not just the fetus spirit, I also saw the emotional ailments that would take place in the sales lady in time to come. When I look at a person, I see beyond the outer appearance and read into their energy fields and mental thoughts.

A lot of my female clients have fetus spirits with them from their past abortions but scarily, they have little regret. This is a serious matter that needs a much broader awareness on the implications of abortions.

Many people are not concerned about their aborted babies. A great majority of us are ignorant about the grave effect of deliberate abortion, from oneself to the other family members, even affecting our society and country on the whole. Family problems like difficult children, flagging careers, failing businesses, illnesses and broken marriages are caused by our neglect to these fetus spirits. It's not too late to repent now.

In this universe, no one has the right to take away the life of another person, another animal and even the micro-organisms which escape our naked eyes. There exists a Buddha nature in all living beings. To abort a child is akin to killing a Buddha. I sincerely hope all of us will meet enlightened ones in our life to guide us onto the path of light.

Amongst the five precepts of Buddhism, the act of killing carries the most severity, heavily and speedily reducing our fortunes in marriage, wealth, descendants, career and health. It is akin to halving an apple in a split second, thus we need to be very cautious against committing the act of killing.

Many who had an abortion perceived that their child would not appear in their lives again. How wrong you are! Their aborted fetus spirits will manifest in other forms, as their karmic debtors. The next child that comes along is likely to be sickly or very hard to teach, draining the energy and resources of the parents. This is the law of karma!

The aborted children seek a sincere apology from their parents and a true cultivator with the ability to do deliverance pujas for them. It is only through sincere repentance that the enmity and grievances in the spirits of the aborted children can be resolved. Misfortune befalls those who chose otherwise. Many of my female clients with past abortions suffered from various ailments: strange body odor, hair loss, poor sleep, women health issues and even declining mental health. Even though the man might have initiated, the woman is ultimately the final decision maker when it comes to abortion and thus bears a larger responsibility.

Everyone yearns for an easy, carefree life, but why are we adding burdens to ourselves? Let's think harder about this for one wrong step may cause a lifelong of regret.

Photo credit: Google

 

ABORTION - THE SILENT SCREAM COMPLETE VERSION (with permission from APF). Republished with Permission from Roy Tidwell of American Portrait Films as long as the following credits are shown:

VHS/DVDs Available
American Portrait Films
Call 1-800-736-4567
www.amport.com

The Silent Scream Complete Version - Abortion as Infanticide

Dr. Bernard Nathanson's classic video that shocked the world. He explains the procedure of a suction abortion, followed by an actual first trimester abortion as seen through ultrasound. The viewer can see the child's pathetic attempts to escape the suction curette as her heart rate doubles, and a "silent scream" as her body is torn apart. A great tool to help people see why abortion is murder.

The unborn baby is a member of the human community. Please don't act recklessly. And no matter what you think, please know that having intercourse means that is always a chance of having a baby. Whether you are ready or not.


Metta, 
欣雨 Xinyu

06 March 2014

LAUGH IT ALL OFF

A couple of days ago, I watched a Dharma video on Youtube and the Vajra Master Samantha was sharing her experience with a cancer-stricken man. The man came to consult her on how he can prolong his life. The catch is he didn't want to do any of the usual homework that the Vajra Master gives, nor does he wish to make any donation to anywhere to accumulate merits.He said he didn't have the time or knowledge about this. He wanted to leave his money behind for his wife & children.

I wonder why he came to a Buddhist master seeking advice, when he didn't subscribe to the beliefs & ways of doing things.

Then the experienced and smart Vajra Master Samantha said alright, then make it a point to look into the mirror and laugh hard every morning. On top of that, he was to laugh heartily 3 times a day and countless smiles. Not the grin kind of laugh, but the laugh-very-hard kind.

No matter what he experienced, regardless of how people treat him. he had to be able to laugh about it. Laugh heartily about whatever that happens in life.

The man went home and thought about how to laugh so hard, when he was so frightened about having only 3 more months to live.

3 years later, he came to look for the Vajra Master Samantha and upon seeing her, he laughed very heartily, infecting everyone present with his contagious laughter. And the first thing Master Samantha said, "你好!你還在啊!" (You're still around!)

He made it through.

The subsequent days after the consultation, he went out to rent all kind of comedies in both English & Chinese. Everyday he would spent many hours watching the shows and read all kinds of funny things and laughed and laughed and laughed. And as the days started ticking by, his heart started opening up, he started to realise how silly and superficial humans can be chasing after things that didn't really matter in the face of death. He found it laughable and started laughing about life. He gained a new insight about himself and somehow managed to laugh his cancerous cells away.

That got me thinking abit. 對於人生的得失,我要多久才不會那麽計較? 還有多少時間給我學?

I dread to think that I might just die unhappy and unfulfilled. And I probably would if I die now.

I am not a optimistic person by nature. And it shows, I think. People don't gravitate towards me as readily. 我人不坏啊。 I find myself very closed up when being around with people, especially people I am not familiar with. I fret about what they think of me. My pessimistic thinking has hindered much of my life, aspirations and interactions with people. I hope to be a person who is able to give out positive energy. Life is short, why should we spend too much energy being negative?

It's an irony that we spent the first 10-20 years preparing ourselves for working life & learning the best possible way to make money. But how come on the MRT, I still don't see many happy people, do you?

I woke up the next day, trying to laugh into the mirror. Oh man, it was hard. Strange leh, why is laughing with no one around still so hard? Something inside my brain and the way I behave need to be rewired.




“人生能夠向彌勒佛一樣笑口長開,這是值得去學習, 也是我們追求的。

每天,什麽事情都能夠淡化,都能夠看開,都能夠放下,都能夠大笑,不是微笑,是嘴巴張開大笑。 這樣子的笑,一生當中有幾次,一個禮拜有幾次,一天有幾次?

我們不敢講一個禮拜,幾個月有一次這樣子哈哈哈笑出來從内心笑出來,笑不停的,開懷的。 要什麽事情能夠讓你笑開懷。能這樣子大笑的有幾次?”

~ 蓮花麗惠上師


So today, I went on Youtube to find something to laugh about & I remembered Ellen Degeneres. I like her sense of humour.



 

One of the videos that crack me up and I hope it does for you too. If it doesn't, alright let's try this. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Metta, 欣雨 Xinyu

04 June 2013

LOST IN TRANSLATION I

Where have you been all my life?

Over the Vesak weekend, I spent 6-7 hours daily doing translation works. Apart from doing my daily prayers practice at home, I didn't go for the usual celebratory activities. I wanted to use the time to do something for Buddhism instead. Think that would make Buddha happy too, no?

I would be in the bedroom on my small hot pink plastic table (and I mean, really small, like this S$12 foldable tray table from NTUC), sitting on my lime Ikea stool (I think it's meant for kids), voraciously churning out lines and lines of translated words. 

The Husband would be in the living room, sitting at the long dining table, either editing my works or doing the translation for other articles that I asked him to. If I had any word/sentence structure I'm unable to translate, I would snap a pic of my screen and watsapp him. The Husband's English proficiency is way better than mine (how can his mind work so quick?!), but I win hands down at being more meticulous in translating the original content without losing its intended meaning.

It was an awesome long weekend to be doing something literary, though it's not literature. I can't remember the last time I squeezed my brain muscles this much. TFL work is fun but this brings back so many memories of how I slough during my uni days, rushing projects after projects, assignments after assignments.

I only wish we have a super duper long work table in some big home office room so that the Husband & I can sit side by side to do this translating work so that I can pester him to death and work less.



I like the colour scheme but please give me some curtains or my eyes gonna melttttt!



Who says island tops can only be used in the kitchens?


Top favourite!

Modern vintage style is so pretty!!

Pictures credit: Google images

I would have at least 8-10 tabs opened on my Firefox. There's this Buddhist dictionary, Nciku.com for Chinese-English translations, Google search (ploughing through the entire web for translations if Nciku is not good enough), the original article I'm translating, my inbox, this tab of English Grammar (I'm thinking I should buy that Cambridge grammar book from Popular), sometimes Buddhanet and many other sites that I found just to translate that one tricky phrase. And of course, Open Office (I don't use MS Office. Open Office is free.)

I can really do this day in day out. 

Suddenly, it seemed like the past 20 years of education all make sense after all. 

We are blessed to be bilingual. I might still need a proper dictionary and a grammar guide. Just in case.

But I was pretty brain fried after that long weekend and had to stay off translating long articles for a few days. Jeez, I should have done more Sudouku for some brain yoga to keep it in shape. 

The other day, there was this sentence I had to translate: 大家看看,想想短暫又脆弱的人生...
  
I read it out loud from my phone (Inbox) and asked the Husband, "How do you say 短暫 in English?"

My brain was freezing after doing too many translations at one go.

The Husband replied, "Short-lived!"

"Short-lived? I thought there's a better word for it in Buddhism!"

"Temporary? I think it's either short-lived or temporary!"

"Sure or not? Sounds strange. Cannot anyhow translate. Can you be a bit more serious or not?"

"I'm serious! Who says I'm not serious? I don't look serious meh??"

"How about 脆弱?"

"BRITTLE!" He said it with so much conviction.

"Brittle? Sounds like bones advertisement. Like, brittle bones, please drink Anlene!"

"No, I'm very sure it's BRITTLE!"

"Then what? You mean like 'Everyone think think and see see how life is short-lived and brittle'? Or 'Life is temporary and brittle'? Like very 苦like that."

"Yes, you got it right! Life is 苦 what in the eyes of the Buddha. "

"I don't believe you."

Final translation - Let's take a look and think about how transient and fragile life is...
  
Sometimes Google translate works better than a human brain.

Just sometimes.

Anyone out there can figure out what the English term for 知音 is?


Metta, 
欣雨 Xinyu

16 May 2013

LOTUS CHARMS


While learning Buddhism, I develop this love for lotuses.

Not the actual flower though. I like tulips and sunflowers more.

It's the significance of it that captures my heart.

蓮花表示由煩惱而至清淨,因為它生長於污泥,綻開於水面,有出污泥而不染的深一層涵義。”

Yesterday while doing a pet project of mine, I was surfing and stumbled onto this Esty site selling, of all things, lotus charms! On necklaces, bracelets and so forth!

And they are so pretty!

My favourite style is the delicate lotus outline charms.



24 karat gold over bronze lotus pendant on gold chain from jersey608jewelry.etsy.com



 Mother daughter lotus flower pendant necklaces in sterling silver from jersey608jewelry.etsy.com

 What a mad adorable set!



 Lotus charm earrings on sterling silver from jersey608jewelry.etsy.com

No bigger than 1 dime! 




 Lotus charm bracelets in nickle-free materials from Etsy
 
I like how delicate-looking this bracelet is and it's double chained! Reminds me of Perlini's Silver bracelets that I tend to covet as a teen and they always break on me.  



Or wear it as a tiny charm bracelet! Real sweet from Etsy!




Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

15 May 2013

What if...

The other day over Mother-in-Law's Day steamboat lunch, my brother-in-law was asking me, "So how's things at TFL?"

I paused for a moment, thinking of how to answer.

I have been slowing down, compared to the usual weekly launches. Shuttling between home, suppliers & Vivo is also real tiring. When you go on public transport. Thank Buddha for the Husband who is more than happy to drive my stocks & I around.

The question on my mind the past 2 months is: How do you choose, when you have 2 passions?

2 passions that are not quite complementary.

2 passions that take up just as much time in a day as the other.

2 passions that seem to be telling you, "It's either me or him."

2 passions that when I'm indulging in one, I'm thinking about the other and i never to be able to focus and still my thoughts.

I love fashion. I like the different styles that we women get to play day in day out. Never mind if I'm always wearing pants (hahah, even my supplier's salesgirl notices). Even if I don't get to play Barbie on myself, I like seeing how fashion can make us women go crazy and delirious all at the same time.

I had wanted to be in fashion retail since I was a teenager. And this online phenomena is a God-sent to all of us. Without it, there would be no online stores. No affordable fashion every week. No seeing how others conjure up a myriad of stylish outfits given the limited budget we all have. No booming of online personalities who find advertising for online stores a viable source of income. This whole craze is just so Uniquely Singapore. And it's so god damn fun. 

I don't mind the late nights. I don't mind the long hours. I'm most happy when my customers are happy. And even the 2 hour shoot that I have every week with my models is a happy pill on my down days. Chattering about nothing in particular and everything that I can think of. I just like. 

Without TFL, I would have never be so internet-savvy. Customising my own blogshop, doing up pictures/montages, setting up a Facebook page and knowing what should go on it, moving on to a dotcom and the eventual setting up of this blog which I barely have the time to update, I know, but hey, knowing that it's here makes me happy. I don't have pretty OTDs pics to put up on this blog, I don't have exciting places to share with my readers, I don't do write ups on the latest fad in Singapore, so I guess if you are still reading this blog, you and I must have been the best of the best friends in our past lives. Lol.

You know, happiness is never quite determined by a single thing when you are of a certain age.

And the definition of happiness changes over time. 

I have a strong love for the Dharma. Learning it over the years cleared up so much of my past unhappiness, made me a stronger person, gave me hope when all else seemed to crash and most importantly, set me a goal that defines everything else in my life. Even the Husband said I'm a less grouchy person, compared to the early days when he first knows me. (At that time, he never say I grouchy leh.)

And since 2008, I had wanted to do more. To contribute to the propagation of Dharma, to help others to understand it if they are seeking an answer, to let people know that all can be well, that really Life is can be very enriching when you have a direction. 

I subscribe to the notion that everyone needs a religion, a spiritual guidance. Yes, if you ask me, of course, I would say being a Buddhist is the best because the teachings of Buddha is omnipresent and really answer every single thing in the Universe completely. His wisdom was far beyond a normal person's understanding 2600 years ago and remained so even today.

But no, I'm not the kind who go about bashing up other religions. Because 信好過不信.  And to be honest, no decent religion teaches you to do bad.

Come along TFL, and this little thought of mine got pushed back. 

This year, just as my geomancer predicted, was a year of many changes. Over CNY, I suddenly had this thought of slowing down and focusing on other things in my life. When we are so caught up with daily grind of running a blogshop, sometimes important things get chucked aside and by the time I remember, I can't helped but ask myself, "What if?"

So I took the plunge 2 months back and now I'm getting more involved in translating Dharma articles. 

Not easy, but I am so happy. So happy that I wish I can do it day in day out. I don't mind plonking myself in front of the laptop to translate the hundreds and thousands of articles to English. Years of training from handling TFL emails. I find my mind and heart expanding, as I do the translation and in awe as all these new knowledge flows into my mind, reminding me what an honour it is to be able to help in this little way, to be able to share such profound knowledge with people from all over the world, who had no way to understand this till now, in a language that they spoke. I am deeply humbled and grateful. Grateful too that I'm born in Singapore and that made me effectively bilingual by no choice of mine. Haha.

If my heart has wings, it would be fluttering up and down and doing a little skippy kind of dance. Just to show you how happy I am, even though most people would find it geeky.

The other day, when the Husband accompanied me to the shoot (a nicer way of saying that he was the driver), he saw me fiddling with the camera, ironing the clothes, putting outfits together to 'Barbie' my model and then stuffing the trolley when the shoot ended. He asked me why I seemed so happy doing all that 'rough work'. I told him I did not know how to tell me. It just feel right and I feel I'm in place. Not there, or there, but just here. Right here.

And it's the same feeling when I spent countless hours and long nights to do up the translation proper, so that no one would misunderstood the Dharma due to silly mistakes of mine. I just feel in place. You know, that feeling you get when the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle are put together. Something like that. It just clicked.

When I told the Husband about the internal mechanisms of my passions, he mused, "Well, I guess you just will never be the normal kind of 9-6 wife, or the chasing-after-kids wife. But remember, it's okay, I will always support you, as long as you are happy doing what you do."

Awesome husband. 

But there are bills that still need to be paid.

And like what my geomancer says, I'm always over-ambitious. So yes, one baby step at a time.

Do you have something that you really like to do, but never found the courage and time to?

I pray for you, that this year would be a year of good & positive changes for you too.

We only have one life. Let's feel right about it.


Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

15 April 2012

Jakarta in March



Waiting at the transit area for the plane, on March 24th! Terminal 1 is now so gorgeous!

I was rather grouchy at that time because this hastily planned trip resulted in me booking the wrong flight timing and topping up S$150 to change it. Plus, I was upset at not being able to fly over in the morning, because the Husband flew back from Pakistan only in the morning. Arrrrgh!!




Hot chocolate at Coffee Bean. Too sweet. Ice chocolate would be better. With an abundance of sunlight comes good pictures. Watching the planes can be therapeutic. If you are already in a good mood, that is. I personally am no fan of travelling. I don't fancy staying at hotels, no matter how many stars they have. I love my home. Period.




Didn't help that I couldn't find a pair of flats to bring along for the trip. Wasn't gonna wear heels for a place with tens of thousands of people. Couldn't believe I didn't have FLATS! So here's my oxfords with missing shoelaces. Honestly, oxfords are really very comfortable for walks! Just that they can be too manly looking for me.

And I was also grouchy that my favourite brown pants shrank shorter after washing. Certainly didn't start the trip off on a good tune.




This Zara travel bag for guys is gorgeous and well made! It definitely looks even better in real life! For S$120, it's such a great bargain! Plus, it's synthetic leather! No kill cow, yay!




The 3-star hotel that we stayed for 3 days 2 nights, in Bogor, Indonesia. A 2 hour ride from the airport. A 2 month-old hotel that has very friendly service staff, despite their lack of fluency in English.




Everywhere was very clean in the hotel, including the rooms. Coca-cola was cheeaaap! Being 3 stars, it was just a very basic room. At least it was very new. But food was bad over here. Breakfast buffet was only one table-ful of selection. Their restaurant is small and most of the time, I was starving over there. We had to order Pizza Hut delivery one night, through the hotel because of language difficulties. But Pizza Hut there did not do Hawaiian. o_O

Had to remind myself that I was there to participate in the puja by my Grandmaster and not on holiday.

We arrived on Saturday evening. The puja ceremony was on Sunday, 2pm at Sentul International Convention Centre.


Source: Google Images




Having prior experience in KL and Singapore, the Husband woke up at 7am to get the tickets for 30 of us. The rest of us arrived at 11am and sadly, tickets were only for tentage seats. White tents were set up outside the convention centre, and we sat there baking in the sweltering heat till about 2pm, when ushers came to give us entry to the halls. There were seats available! Woohoo!




Participants submitting their registration forms! The crowds lasted from 7am-1pm. Amazing!

Many Dharma Brothers & Sisters from Taiwan set up stalls at the convention area, selling made-in-Taiwan Buddhist artifacts, jewellery and chanting beads. I love collecting prayer beads! Had almost one in every colour! I didn't have enough rupiah with me and ended paying for most of the things in Singapore dollars. It was quite a sight with almost everyone paying in different currencies and the sellers would be busy converting the amounts with their calculators. And if they weren't able to give change, the sellers were generous to give an extra something. Sweet! Buddhist artifacts from Taiwan are so much more well-made than Singapore & Malaysia!


Source: Facebook

Wished we had seats in the main hall where Grandmaster was. =(

Oh well, watching him from a TV in another air-conditioned hall was still happiness! At least there's air-con! =))

At the risk of sounding silly, I was very moved when I saw Grandmaster on the TV. All the grouchiness and tiredness just melted away. Practically glued to the TV throughout the whole 3 hours of the prayer ceremony. Well, I don't get to see him every other day, you must understand. If you are a Christian who attends Sunday service every week and love hearing your favourite pastor speak, I'm sure you will know what I mean. For that matter, if you have a religion and are devoted to it in one way or another, you should know what I mean. 

When doing dedication of the prayer merits, Grandmaster mentioned thrice about 风调雨顺 for Indonesia. So yes, I was very very very glad that the recent Aceh ocean earthquake turned out to be safe for all!




In our chartered bus after the puja ceremony! Just nice for 30 of us!

After the puja ended at 7plus at night, some of us got separated from one another. Took us almost 2 hours to gather everyone back together. Because one group of us were SO lucky to be standing near the side exit where Grandmaster came out from, after the whole puja ceremony ended. The Husband was one of them and he literally turned into a gleeful fanboy when he saw Grandmaster. The whole group of them were personally blessed by Grandmaster one by one!!
All this while, I was standing at the main entrance for more than an hour, waiting for the Husband who said he would go find the rest back. Talk about 望穿秋水.  =____=

I didn't have a photo of the crowds at night, but there was only one pathetic doorway to the carpark, where many coaches were awaiting. And almost 30,000 people had to squeeze through that one doorway?? I wonder what went through the minds of the architects when constructing the convention centre. It took like 2-3 hours for the crowds to be fully dispersed that night. 

Source: Google images


Next day before the flight, we rented a car, wanting to go shopping at the malls. But the hotel staff gave a lousy recommendation and we ended up at some half-past six mall called Seasons City, after an hour ride. It was like our People Park Complex. Gosh!


Later on, we requested for the driver to drive us to Central Park Mall that we saw en route to Seasons City. After much language difficulty and many phone calls, we finally made it! Albeit with only an hour left before we had to leave. This mall is classy, huge and awesome! It can totally rival our Ngee Ann City! We saw Topshop, Mango, Zara, Marks & Spencer and many other familiar brands! The food selection was vast and the money changers provided competitive exchange rates. Best of all, it's only 45 minutes away from the airport! If I ever had to go Jakarta again, I would seriously consider staying at the Pullman Hotel beside the mall. Such convenience!




Took Jetstar there and Valuair back the next day after the puja. This was the last flight back to Singapore. I have no idea why I booked a flight so late. There were many Dharma brothers & sisters all on the same flight. =D





In my grouchiness pre-departure, I totally forgot to check out the beauty products at Changi Airport. Was reminded of it when I was Jakarta airport. So delighted to find my favourite cleanser from Biotherm, with a new name and packaging! It was discontinued for almost a year!




I had tried Laneige sleeping pack many many years ago. Result was so-so. Thought I would give it another try with the advancements they have made. Bought the duo set and got a pack of Laneige samples free (in the pic above)! Happiness! Best of all, the products suit me! Will blog about them soon!




Nothing beats being back in Singapore. =)

I'm really happy to have the chance to go Jakarta amidst my busy schedule, even though that means missing out one launch. Most of the time, Grandmaster is based in Taiwan. It would be more expensive for everyone to make it there. I'm thankful that my job now gives me the flexibility and freedom to make room for plans like these. No matter how passionate I am about TFL, there is always a part of me that needs to be refuelled by spirituality. We all need to be reminded now and then about what life is all about, don't we? And it's definitely not about money alone.

Have a fun Sunday, everyone! I'm so thrilled about introducing clothing to TFL this week! Hope you girls will love it too!




Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

20 January 2012

“扎西德勒”

This is classic.

From my fellow Dharma sister, a humourous lady in her fifties.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


陳傳芳師姐說:

一歲 ── 出場亮相。

十歲 ── 學業至上。

二十歲 ── 春心蕩漾。

三十歲 ── 職場逛盪。

四十歲 ── 稍微發胖。

五十歲 ── 老當益壯。

六十歲 ── 血壓向上。

七十歲 ── 時常健忘。

八十歲 ── 搖搖逛逛。

九十歲 ── 迷失方向。

一百歲 ── 掛在牆上。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

很多人讀了﹑聼了會會心一笑。

活到這年齡,漸悟到人生真的就是如此。

對於人生,許多人都在財﹑色﹑名﹑食﹑睡裏打滾。
沒多少人會去想做人更深一層的意義。
 
我經常會想到,卻總是沒做到。
為添芬藍忙了多年,很多該做的功課都沒做好。
這幾年,我不但沒進步還退步了。
慚愧﹑慚愧。
遺憾﹑遺憾。

我不願我的生命只為世俗的俗務忙碌到老。
這樣的人生太空洞了。
我的夢想也不只一個。




新的一年裏,願我能夠智慧增長﹑修行更上一層樓。

  བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས།
藏文: “扎西德勒”
 祝願大家日吉祥﹑夜吉祥﹑時時都吉祥如意!



Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

19 November 2011

窮人問佛:我為什麼窮?

Source: http://2girl.net/home.php?mod=space&uid=12256&do=blog&id=484002


   窮人問佛: 我為什麼窮?

   佛: 你沒有學會佈施。

   窮人: 我一無所有如何佈施


   佛: 一個人即使一無所有也可以給予別人七種東西
    一、為和顏施: 對於別人給予和顏悅色的布施。

   二、為言施: 向人說好話的佈施,存好心做好事做好人說好話,並勉­人切實力行。

   三、為心施: 為對方設想的心,體貼眾生的心的布施。

   四、為眼施: 用慈愛和氣的眼神看人。

   五、為身施: 身體力行幫助別人。

   六、為座施: 讓座給需要的人的佈施。 
 
   七、為察施: 不用問對方就能察覺對方的心,並給予相對其所需的方­便的布施。


Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

24 October 2011

Book-shopping


Guess what, this is the very first time I create a label 'Shopping' for my entries!

Not that I haven't been shopping for girly stuff!
Just that, I don't have a camera to flaunt my purchases. 
The Husband is a scrooge when I nicely ask for his Iphone.
He complains that I drain his Iphone's battery too fast with my umpteen shots.
*sulks*

Iphone 4S is coming out this Friday!
*throws confetti*
But no news from Starhub yet on its pricing.
I presume it should be about the same as M1. =)
My phone contract ends on April 7, next year.
Contract renewal between 13th to 21st month of current contract means paying an extra S$200.
Absolutely rubbish, if you ask me.
Not like they are losing money when we sign our lives to them for another 2 years.

So that means I can only buy the Iphone 4S from January 7th onwards.
No taking pretty X'mas photos with a 'camera' of my own. 
Torturous.

I wonder if Starhub will send me a S$100 handset upgrade voucher, as they did previously.
All these years, I've never utilise all those vouchers. I only go for S$0 phones.
That was before the era of smartphones.
Every other phone seems the same. I didn't feel the looks make much difference.
All my previous 3-4 mobile phones were either lost/misplaced/stolen/forgotten in Neverland.

My current Nokia phone at 3.5 years old is the longest surviving phone.
What they say about Nokia producing very durable phones is true!
I've lost count of the gazillion times my phone survived bungee jumps.

Actually, the whole point of this opening is to wonder aloud if it's too thick-skinned to email Starhub for the voucher, erm, in advance?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


At the Chinese books section at Kinokuniya, Ngee Ann City.
I love Chinese books! Their selection beats Popular's hands down.
Borders should have worked harder in having more selection in different languages.

Bag: Sammi Tote, Tian Fen Lan
Necklace: Pinnancles Necklace, Tian Fen Lan


I rarely post photos of myself. Hence the need to self-advertise a bit first.
And must write my store's name in full, with hyperlinks to boot.
*smug grin*
I really like to carry bags at the side, with the long sling strap.
It doesn't crumple up my blazer and I don't have to fumble to make sure everything is in place.
So much easier to unzip the bag and grab whatever!

Top: Saint Jose Top, Love Bonito
Pants suit: G2000

At my age, it can get kinda tricky to buy clothes from blogshops.
The choices can be too young, too cute, too playful, too not-my-age/style.
Love Bonito really does it well in having great material, designs that you can play up/down according to your style & age and most importantly, an abundance of options for work and R&R days.
That said, I don't quite understand why such a pretty & versatile top is only 22 inches long.
Too short! I don't have abs to flaunt and it runs up when I sit.

Once upon a time, G2000 has lousy cutting for long-limbs people like me.
Ever since they change their cutting and improved their fabric choices a few years back, I'm a total convert to their suits!
Read, suits only.
I'm a huge fan of pants/skirt/dress suits.
No mismatched stuff when it comes to important work occasions.
Very few local girls don full suits, I realise.
I've 4-5 so far. The fit is great!
I do wish their jackets can be slightly longer though.

G2000 is having a season sale till end Oct. 
Their sales always have very good bargains!
I saw this black pin-striped pants suit going at 40% off from its usual price of S$159. 
My previous suits were bought at S$119-129. Similar material.
Seems like they are slowly inching the prices upwards.

I was looking for the latest book written by my Grandmaster, 蓮生活佛 (the Buddhist master I took refuge in).
 It's his #223 book that I'm holding.
That's right! He has written a mind-staggering number of 223 Dharma books over 30 years. 
Every day, he makes it a point to write an essay. So in a month or 2, he will have enough for a book.
Such amazing dedication & focus!
I've accumulated about 150 Grandmaster's books, I think. Bought from Taipei, Hong Kong, KL & locally.
Still hunting for the older ones!
I'm struggling to read as fast & understand as much as I can, to keep up with his pace!

You know the next best thing about Kinokuniya??
Not the Japanese fashion magazines.
Not the Japanese manga.
Not the Coffee Club.
Not the aisles and aisles of English & Chinese books.
.
.
.
.
.
.

It's their Wonderland of diary planners/organizers!!!

No other place I know in Singapore has such an amazing variety of organizers!
Not the usual Keny/Moleskin kinds!
I dare say they have it in almost every imaginable style you can think of!
The above photo is only showing 25% of the choices there.
Look at that! Shelves and shelves and shelves of planners for you to go wild about!
*fangirl scream*



Their 2012 organizers are already out! There were so many girls checking them out when I was there yesterday.
I've been a fan of Kinokuniya's organizers since I was in uni!
Girly, sweet and adorable, checked!
Whimsical and hand-made, checked!
Fabric or PVC covers, checked!




In every colour of the rainbow, checked!
With or without button closure, checked!
Monthly, weekly, daily layouts with notes area or an assortment in one, checked!
Big, Medium, Small & even XS organizer for that dainty lady, checked!


Or you like it vintage with a Harry Potter feel, checked!




Something Chanel-esque, checked!

Only thing is...
.
.
.
.
.
.


Be prepared to pay S$25-30 over bucks for a planner that is made in Japan. 
Don't try waiting till next January to buy from Kinokuniya!
The nice ones will be gone by then!
*speaking from experience*

If you divide the cost over 365 days, plus that bonus extra month/week, it's only S$2+ per month.
Self-consolation.
Or you can buy planners in Japan!
Just as kawaii & mostly less than S$20!

There were just too many dazzling options that I couldn't decide on what style I want to adopt for 2012.
Never mind, I will be back!!

By the way, have you seen the latest launch on my sister site, www.polkadotpigs.com?
I hearts their current collection so much!!
Let me show you what took my breath away!




My goodness, I wish I'm 21 again!
This suspender skirt is so cute to bits!!!
It reminds me of what Minnie Mouse might wear!
They also have it in blue! The Smurfette blue!



High-waist jeans in Mustard are such a rare find!
All their prices include local postage. It's a complete steal at S$29!
You can colour-block like mad with this versatile pair of jeans!
Dress it up with heels to go more sleek!
They have it in Baby Pink too for the demure dressers.



I'm a lover of shirt dresses!
They are forever in vogue and so easy to wear for any kind of figure.
This version that the piggies have is more light-weight than what the photos show.
A great choice for our sunny Singapore!
The fabric is velvety to the feel yet soft. What a quaint contrast to the usual shirtdresses!
Jazz up the dress with your own coloured belt & viola, a chirpy & vibrant look!
The piggies have this pretty shirtdress in a neutral beige too!

If no one buys them, I'm going to grab all!

The main point of squashing the big montages in my tiny blog is to show you the piggies' new template for their clothing.
It's done by, ahem, yours truly!!
*self-applause*
I think this new template showcases their adorable & colourful clothing much better than the previous one I did a year plus ago.
Only thing is, now I think theirs is nicer than TFL's. -___-
Heard orders for this collection are 2 times more than the usual!
So happy!!
I would like to think it's all the credit of my new template.
The piggies have such pretty clothes!
Hop on over to the piggies' site to gawk & shop now!






Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

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