Dear Green, Thanks for lending me your listening year. Yesterday, I found a friend of yours. His name is called Blue. It has some entries from one year back. It kept me accompany when you are away for your long holiday.I never did called Blue Blue but with the numbering system of article one, two and so for. Yet Blue needs to be more personalised, more humanised like U, Green. Besides, after being with me for a long time, you should know that maybe some of my complaints are due
to my oversensitivity on my part. So you may get bored or irritated by it.So Blue can act as a buffer for you. Greem.....one of my friend, Gordon read my entries and noticed that there is a error in your name. I could have done two things: 1)With my ignorance and arrogance, I refused to accept it as a mistake. I would rather make an another mistake to cover this error of mine. Maybe i opt to call you grimy green. Saying I add the "m" for a reason. 2) Admit it as a mistake. I choose the later but with a reason attached of course. People do make mistakes and that are sometimes unavoidable. We are NOT as enlightened as the Buddha, our teacher, who is capable to see the cause and effect for every phenomeno in every situation. What I can do is to realise my mistake once
it is taken noticed by someone. This, thus, may enhance my learning to be a better person. These are some of the entries I have taken from easyjournal. 30.4.2004 // The countdown Posted at 3:21 AM Dear Green, It is now 2am. The date is 1st May 1, 2004. Labor Day. I am trying to sleep at around 1am after watching one of favorite show, Emperor Kang Xi. I believe not many people will want to watch this show. The only person I know who watches this show is Jun
Jun. I met her on Monday to get some posters on “Sounds of the Human World' Buddhist Hymns Songwriting Contest” by Fo Guang Yuan. The date has been extended to the 16th May 2004. Lyrics are provided. There is some monetary return if your song has been chosen. This is the link: http://www.blia.org.sg/Poster/P4.html.if you are interested, please take a look.
That was five days ago. Tired…. Alex 30.4.2004 // Continue...... Posted at 1:12 PM In less than a day, I have written to you twice. Maybe I start to pick up the momentum to have more entries in the journal after the first one at 3am. Last five days ago, besides meeting Jun Jun to collect some posters, I went to job hunting with a friend around the Bugis area. As the interview starts only at 2 pm, we went to the nearby Pasa malam to window shop. I come to notice two shops that had escaped my attention when I previously walk through after praying at the temple nearby. The air-conditioned second floor of the shop houses sold mainly
the young girls stuffs. And a Tibetan shop that sold Buddhist Artifacts. I am thinking of getting a Thangka (http://www.buddhanet.net/thangkas.htm) for my room. Maybe it is for both the aesthetic and religious reasons that I wish to have one. Thangka has fascinated me recently. The interest grew as I read more on the subject from a book borrowed from the
NUSBS Library (Images of Enlightenment by Jonathan Landaw and Any Weber). Now this is my next aim: to get Thangka since I have gotten my prayer wheel from the 25th Management Committee and of course there is the two CDs. A big Thank you again to them……if they are reading this. Last four days ago, I went to watch a movie with Gillian, Weiyang, Darren, Chun kit, Pearlyn and Siling at 4pm. The movie is “ Into the mirror”. I am not very fond of sacred movies. They just frightened me and I would lost sleep after this. But there is some part of me who wanted to watch it…….Don’t u get that kind of Feeling, Green. I did watch the movie without closing my eyes and ears. The movie is not as scary as I thought it would be. On the other hand I am more concerned about Chun Kit scaring me as he is sitting right behind me. Fortunately nothing has happened. But I still believe that I would have screamed if someone have tapped on my shoulders . Scary The plot of the movie is good if Green will to ask me. Very convoluted and thought-provoking. There is a second movie I watched in this week. Guess
what is the movie called. Hint: I looked at you baby And what did I see I saw love in your eyes Made me feel so warm inside Now look at me baby And what do you see You see love in my eyes Gleaming just for you And now we know it's Time to get alone To get alone And just be together We'll only be together Come and do a couple days Just a ways Away from the people And safe from the people The pine-scented air Smells so good in the snow In our toboggan we'll go Screaming down the mountainside The touch of your cheeks When they're rosy and cold Feels so cozy to hold Just to take you close And make you warm and Time to get alone To get alone And just be together We'll only be together Come and do a couple days Just a ways Away from the people And safe from the people Lyin' down on our backs Lookin' at the sky Looking down through the valley so Deep and wide
Aren't you glad we finally got away Glad we finally got away Aren't you glad we finally got away Now I looked around baby And what do I see I see love in your eyes And I'm so glad that we Finally had some Time to get alone To get alone And just be together We'll only be together Come and do a couple days Just a ways Away from the people And safe from the people With Love Alex 17.5.2004 // Quan Yin and the renovations Posted at 5:08
PM Dear Green, I am back for good for now. It has been a wonderful experience that I can only say it is Chinese to U. 法喜充满.After I have been back home, my HDB flat is now undergoing a major renovation. The Kitchen and the two toilets ( common toilet in the kitchen and the master's bedroom toilet are now
in the midst of getting a face lift. Now the whole home is covered with a thick layer of dust and sand.And when U walk on the floor, it just give a smooth and uncomfortable feeling.My face is also not spared from the agony too. Sand on the face. Free Facial. If u want it, I beg u to come. At least I am save from such suffering. This whole renovation is going to take about three weeks. That is long,man if a person thinks it negatively. Ok lah i will write to u later. With Love Alex 20.5.2004 // Results............... Posted at 10:32 AM Dear Green, What can I say now? My results are the cause of my idleness and complacacy. Yesterday night, I checked my Second Semester Results. This is after some friends "forced" me to do it. I didn't want to do it because I want to prolong my carefree and happy state. Am I wrong to do? Not sure. Yes, because I am deluding myself. Sooner or later I am going to know my results. No,because
I will be happy.....only for the moment. That is ok right. My results are terrible. Maybe not so bad if u deem bad as having failed grades. But my CAP drops and it continues in that way for the last 3 semesters. Maybe I have too expectation of myself, Comparing myself to those high flyers surrounding me. What will I do now, Green? I think I have to focus and study hard for the next four semesters. i can 't afford to allow my CAP to drop any further. The
reprecussions is ...... I am not at all intelligent just hardworking. Peace Alex 23.5.2004 // Vincent....E-mail. Posted at 5:11 PM Dear Green, As you do not have access to my mailbox, I have send this e-mail by one of my friend called Vincent. Allow your mind to ponder. Hi, I very much agree with David on it, all talk and no practice comes to naught in Buddhism. The debate on hinayana, mahayana has been around for two thousands years already. Discussing it won't make it any more right or any
more wrong. But it does broaden our knowledge on the history of Buddhism. The other much talk-issue since the Buddha's nirvana is the precepts (monks accepting money in violation of precepts? Is there really bodhisattva precepts? and so on) Highly accomplished masters, arahants or even bodhisattvas (if we know who they are) will encourage others to practice and living out the Dharma in life instead of preaching mahayana, hinayana concepts. Read the biography of the great teachers of Thailand, Tibet and China and we will truly feel how close the Dharma is to our life. The great compassion exhibit by the teachers is really touching and worthy of our learning. The crux of the mahayana is the love on sharing the Dharma with others, hoping they will be free from samsara. Worthy of such praise in modern days are the committee members in buddhist organisations, volunteers, teachers who share their time and effort to bring Buddhism to many. We may have abundant knowledge of Buddhism, but when it comes to simple things like lending a helping hand in Dharma propagation and outreach, can we apply the things we have learnt? Vesak Day is coming soon in Singapore and most Buddhism-related emails I have received are mostly calls for helpers. The NUS Buddhist Society is also having their freshman orientation camp and outreach projects for the coming term. Many of them are at the forefront sharing the Dharma with others and through it, they also experience the importance of Dharma in their lives. Their actions truly reflect the spirit of praise-worthy Buddhists. So are we theoretical (academic) buddhists or the true disciples of the Buddha? Vincent With Love Alex Meditative Love Alex
