Nine Emperor Gods Festival

Baba's thought for today.

"Food which fans the flames of thirst should be avoided."

The ninth day of the Chinese lunar calendar signifies the last day of the celebration of the festival of the Nine Emperor Gods. This Taoist festival, is a religious one dedicated to the nine sons of the Queen of Heaven and Goddess of the North Star who is believed to control the Book of Life and Death. The nine sons known as the Nine Emperors are worshipped as patrons of prosperity, wealth and health. This may explain the large hugh crowds during this festival.

On the first day of this festival also known as "Kiew Ong Yiah" devotees do to a river bank or a seaside locality to invite and receive the deity for the nine days of worship, prayers, chanting and observance of vegetarian diet. Temples dedictaed to this deity are crowded with worshippers, the majority clad in white and many stay in the temple compound for the duration of the festival. Some do this as a form of thanksgiving for favours granted, some in prepration for the solemn and mystic ceremony of going into a trance, (some with spears pierced thorugh their cheeks, some with objects hanging form hooks on thier bare backs, just to name a few) some to fulfill their vow for the fire crossing ceremony. As an observor, I am amazed by the deep faith of these devotees and their endurance in undertaking such acts of faith.

On the eighth day there is a procession through the town and the many floats bearing the different deities from participating temple, add novelty to the celebration. An interesting and for me an unexplained phenomena is the sight of the sedan chair (bearing the deity) carried by four people, jerking and tossing around and rocking wildly as it makes its way through the town.

An unusual observation this year is the presence of female mediums or devotees in a trance forming part fo the procession. It is interesting that women are also gaining equality in this area!!

The last day is marked by the fire walking ceremony after which the deity will be sent off.

Arthur's Seat

Baba's thought for today.

" Service springs out of love and it scatters

Love in profusion."

Arthur's Seat is a hill resort located more than 302 meters above sea level. It is a granite peak on Mornington Peninsula. The main attraction here is the reward of a panoramic view of the surrounding area as well as the natural bushland with mixed varieties of eucalyptus trees. The scent of the eucalyptus is very refreshing ...just like being in a spa while we sat down for a simple lunch of the breakfast leftovers which we packed from Boxhill shopping complex. Sitting on the hugh metal chair, Arthur's Seat, certainly did give me a sense of being "lord of all I survey"!! Enjoying the cool wind in the midday sun was an unsual experience.We would have seen some animals if we had strolled along one of the many tracks in the park.

On the drive down the treacherous slopes we made four stops at the lookout points to capture some interesting shots. The first is Chapmans Point 274 m, the Murrays lookout 247 m, Franklin Point 195 m and the lowest is Bowens Point 145 m. We were luckily to have clear blue skies and cool weather to make this a worthwhile and enjoyable trip.

Teachers

Baba's thought for today.

" The teachers of tomorrow are the students of today"

It is truly distressing that Joanna Gilbert Anson who was accepted for a postgraduate course at the Teachers Training College Rajang was discriminated against when a senior official told her that she was too fat to become a teacher. In the New Straits Time dated October 21st, she claimed that the man told her" You are too fat. You can't possibly be a teacher. You look unhealthly, come back next year when you have slimmed down".

There are two main issues here. One pertains to the qualities of a good teacher and the other to discrimination on one's size and appearance. Is it fair for the officer to pass judgement based on the size and weight of the candidate? One wonders whether he is aware of what qualities or characteristics a good teacher should possess and whether one's weight has any bearing on a person's performance as a teacher. Any right minded person would be sensitive to such personal issues and the least he could do was to be empathatic instead of passing offensive, insensitive and unfounded statements. It is plain and simple that a good teacher is not measured in terms of her body weight!! It will be interesting to know what sort of disciplinary action will be taken by the college authorities for this dispicable behaviour of the senior officer.

And to Joanna, do not feel discouraged. You have the qualifications as well as the inherent qualities to be a good teacher. Do not give up your dream. This is just a minor obstacle. Look ahead, fight for your rights, see that justice is done and take steps to do the post graduate course. You will be a good teacher.

A teacher's role includes besides the imparting and facilitation of knowledge, the social aspect of instilling the right values, guidance in the development of leadership, teamwork and other life skills. Thus a teacher has the responsibility to be good role models for the future teachers and one's weight is definitely not a necessary pre -condition for achieving this.

Above are some beautiful pictures taken two weeks ago in Melborne.The picturesques scenes along the coastal road around Port Phillip Bay to Sorrento are really breathtaking. The azure blue waters reflecting different shades of blue add a certain mystic charm during this drive. We made a stop at Sorrento located at Mornington Peninsula, from where there is a car and passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the other tip of the bay. Unfortunatley we had to forgo this experience of sailing through the bay and enjoying the view of the skyline of Melborne. But anyway Sorrento also has its own charm of historic buildings, quaint shops and interesting cafes. On the homeward journey we passed by Frankston, Rosebud and Dromana following the gentle sloping road from higher elevation of Arthur's Seat towards the coast of Phillip Bay. As Rosebud is a popular beach resort, the row of numerous little colourful beach huts is a unique sight here as can be seen in the first picture.

Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Baba's thought for today.

"What is the unmistakable mark of a wise man?

It is love for all humanity"

No artist can compete with Mother Nature when it comes to the beauty of the spectacular coastal features found along the Great Ocean Road in southern Victoria.

These features have been sculptured by the giant waves and strong winds in the Southern Ocean. The most outstanding of these features are the Twelve Apostles which are in fact craggy limestone stacks rising majestically from the water.

Viewed from the deck, I did not see twelve of these stacks, some may have been hidden from view, but I have been told that in reality many may have collapsed. As can be seen in the pictures, the stratified rocks besides the unique shapes also bear interesting colours and the layering effect lend a certain charm to the scenery.

Another interesting sight was the Loch Ard Gorge, where it was believed that an iron-hulled clipper was driven into the rocks and only two of the fifty people on board survived. The London Bridge arch does not justistfy the name now for part of it has collapsed. But we cannot expect nature to stand still. Nature will take its course and the coastline will continue to be ravaged by the wind and waves and more novel features will form and be aptly named.

For the more adventurerous visitors, this are also popular for surfing, fishing, nature walks to observe the vegatation and the animals. But the not tobe missed the food. We stopped by at Timboon for lunch and we enjoyed the fish and chips, the gourmet cheese, the local beer and of course the ice cream and cheese cake!!

Taiping Peace Park

Baba's thought for today.

"World peace and indivivual peace can be accomplished simultaneously. When the hand takes food to the mouth where it is chewed and swallowed, the nourishment spreads to every part of the body."

Taiping, my hometown, means everlasting peace. The town was so named after peace was restored between warring groups who were fighting over tin mining rights in the Larut district. Today it is significant that in 2001 the Taiping Peace Initiative was launched and a Peace Park was started in the Lake Gardens. The only indication of this park is a Peace Pole erected on a small one foot high platform as shown in the pictures. I wonder how many Taiping folks are aware of this or are seriously involved in achieving the objectives of this project.

The objectives of this group of interested parties are indeed noble. I quote from a speech made by Anwar Fazal, Chairperson of the Taiping Peace Initiative "I am particularly grateful to those who helped shape The Taiping Peace Initiative where we promote a triple peace - peace with ourselves (inner peace), peace with other people (social peace) and peace with the Environment (eco – peace)."

Many of us also subscribe to these three dimensions of peace. Taking care of one's well being, having high self worth, not bearing any grudges, being kind in our thoughts, words and actions, will work towards the cultivation of inner peace. With inner peace the cultivation of social peace will be a natural consequence whereby one will be able to put into practice the values that guide us in our daily lives. For peace with the environment we can play our part in many ways, for example, through a change in our lifestyle, through the way we dispose off our garbage, through recycling and reusing things , just to name a few. Maybe we have to get involved in the activities of this project!!

To follow further on the thought for today, societal peace, in the wider sense will include world peace. World leaders have their hands full with this as their main agenda. The absence of peace means that there is conflict. Thus to attain peace will involve identifying the nature of the conflict, then investigating into the causes of the conflict, be it insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political or religious radicalism, racism and even nationalism. World leaders are not having an easy time- they themselves are facing conflict in their endeavour to solve these conflicts!! It takes a lot to be a successful world leader!!

Baby's full moon celebration

Baba's thought for today.
"Know that the purpose of human birth

is to reach the Lord through worship."

Congratulations to Jin and family for Whye Jing is one month old today. Following in the tradition of 'full moon" celebration, certain customary 'nyonya' food items were prepared for thanksgiving in the temple and to the deities worshipped in the home and at the alter of the late ancestors. These items included 'nasi kunyit"(tumeric flavoured glutinous rice steamed with coconut cream) and chicken curry, 'mee koo" (red coloured cakes with mung bean filling), red coloured hard boiled eggs and fruits. (See picture posted).

As baby and parents are in the US, we performed this ritual here, by proxy. But back in the US, Jin will be giving Whye Jing a clean shave of all the 'womb hair' from his head. He will be a handsome 'kojak'!!!Then he will be dressed up in new clothes, decked with gold ornaments in celebration of being one month old (or young) and permitted to leave the house. (This was in the olden days when the confinement period for new mothers and babies, was strictly followed). Some many feel that such rituals are frivolous but I think that the observance of such customs is important and serve to remind us of our roots.

Reflecting on the purpose of birth involve serious discussions- views vary according to one's religious beliefs. Without a firm inclination towards any of the denominations, I faithfully believe in my better judgement in my words, thought and actions and along the way consciously believing in the hidden hand of the Almighty. Outward rituals help in strengthening one's beliefs though for some private worship in the form of introspection, meditation and quiet prayers serve the purpose bringing inner calm and feeling self actualized.

Bill Granger's Restaurant

Baba's thought for today.

"Whatever acts, a good or bad man may do
the fruits thereof follow him and will never stop
pursuing him."

We are all responsible for our actions - be they good or bad. The law of Karma (the effect of action and reaction) is something that we cannot escape from. When good things happen to us, we say it is good luck or attribute it to one's ability or resources. But when the unexpected bad things happen we try to blame everyone, everything, anything but ourselves!! It is prudent then that one reflects carefully before one says anything or do something. This is my reflection for today.

The fame of Bill Granger's talent of preparing simple food into something tasty and well presented has led to more cafes being opened since the first one in Darlinghurst, Sydney in 1993. On a cold and wet Saturday morning Sin directed the cab driver to Bill's Restaurant, a quaint looking cafe located in the corner perched on a slope!!

The setting here is relaxed and informal and diners may even choose to eat fuss free from a communal table. (See picture) There are comfortable corners for reading and customers have free access to the numerous magazines and books. It feels like home to be inside, so much so that I was immediatley attracted to the centrepiece of the communal table; a large bowl of attractive red pomegranates. I noticed a little girl on the next table eating this fruit and so I decided to help myself to one of them too after I had finished breakfast. Shortly after this , the nice waiter came by the table and asked whether I had wanted one of the fruits. When I replied in the affirmative, he added that the fruits were for display only. Imagine my embarrassment! I apologised and requested that it can be put into our bill. It was a pleasant surprise when Sin settled the bill as this item was not charged! Was it done out of courtesy or maybe they did not know what to do. But we were happy!

We were fortunate that we did not have to wait for a table as the place became crowded just when we were about to leave. We started off with a drink called 'Sunshine', a smoothie of yoghurt, orange juice, strawberries and bananas. The couple next to us had champagne but for us, Asians this seem somewhat strange. They were celebrating their anniversary and I guess they just wanted a head-start to the day!

We had the chef's speciality of scrambled eggs with rye-toast and we added a side order of smoked salmon. The other order was hot cakes and bananas served with flavoured butter and honey. Well, as I am not a food connoisseur, I ate the food slowly to savour everything, not only because it was expensive but also to try to determine what secret ingredient had been added to the dish. It was fabulous, well worth the effort of getting up early and braving the unfriendly weather!

So on your next visit to Sydney do head for bills (note that there's bills2 too!).

Marriage vows.

Baba's thought for today.

"It does not matter, how bad or low the husband is;
the wife must, through love, bring him around and
correct him, and help him gain the blessings of the
Lord."

It was indeed a romantic setting -Lisan and Jeeuk seated calmly with the Sydney Harbour bridge in the background while they waited for the ceremony to begin. As is the practice in Australia, the ceremony was officiated by someone called a celebrant. Relatives and friends were treated to a rare experience of a cruise wedding, with good food, heavenly cakes for desert and the spirits flowed freely. Congratulations to Lisan and Jeeuk. The other pictures show Lisan with her parents and aunts, Lisan with her cousins and Lisan "sealing her love" for Jeeuk with a ring

Sydney harbour bridge

Baba's thought for today.

"Greed yields only sorrow;
contentment is best"

How does one determine how much is enough before one crosses the line into being greedy? I guess one has to differentiate between what are 'needs' and what are 'wants'. If it is something you cannot do without, then it is a 'need'. If not then we have to learn to put a ceiling on our desires to aviod being greedy. Not an easy thing to do no doubt for humans are by nature avaricious!!

Contentment involves one being satisfied and with one's status and one's possessions. It does not imply a state of complacency but a state of being equanimous and being mindful of the present.

A visit to sydney would not be complete without shots of the Sydney harbour bridge, commonly referred to as the coathanger. Sin suggested that we attempt the 4 hour climb from one end to the other but I was not brave or fit enough for this adventure. Imagine paying A$200 to be strapped up with all the safety gadgets and putting on attire to suit the windy weather before the assault.

Anyway we decided on the ferry ride heading for Manly and enjoyed the adventure under the bridge instead of on top of it. The chilly weather forced us from the open deck after a few minutes back into the ferry proper from where we had to be 'contented' to watch the Sydney Opera house, the Sydney skyline and the other iconic buildings. There were a thousand butterflies in my stomach when the ferry wobbled, dipped, splashed and rocked from side to side during the short stretch called the 'heads'. Luckily this scary experience lasted only a few minutes!! But it was an exhilarating experience. I had to be 'contented' with this versus the bridge climb!!

Cup cakes

Baba's thought for today.

"Patience is all the strength that man needs."

This cake shop located on the ground floor of the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, specialises in cup cakes. It is appropriately called the Cup Cake Shop. The display of colourful cup cakes attractively decorated with royal icing fronts the whole shop. (See picture)

October 1st was Li Sim's birthday and Li San had ordered a hugh cup cake (see picture) to celebrate the happy occassion. I have never seen a cup cake of this size so it was a real novelty. It not only looks good but the taste was heavenly. One would normally eat the cake and leave the icing as we do in Malaysia. But with this cake, the butter cake was creamy and rich, and the icing was even more yummy...just the right sweetness and the texture was smooth. This experience will make me look at cup cakes differently. I wonder whether such a shop can be found in Kuala Lumpur for such a venture may have good potential!! Think about it you bakers out there.

Reflecting on the importance of Patience, I begin to analyse what being patient involves. Patience can be defined as a delay in getting what we want . Margaret Thatcher once famously remarked " I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end".

Patience is thus a state of endurance under difficult circumstances or perservering when our needs are not met or exhibiting forebearance when under stress. Therefore to put patience into practice means making a choice of either a small reward in the short term versus a bigger reward after a longer time. Being patient is thus a decision making process where one has to determine one's intended rewards.

Queen Victoria Building, Sydney

Baba's thought for today.

"Do not get swelled up when people praise you
and do not feel dejected when people blame you."

This iconic building, the Queen Victoria Building located at the intersection of Market street and Pitt street in the CBD district of Sydney is an interesting building. It was built in 1898 featuring Byzantine architecture to replace the markets of Sydney. But over time it was remodelled for various purposes including as a concert hall. But in 1984 it was refurbished by a Malaysian company Ipoh Garden Ltd and is now home to more than 200 shops covering four floors.

Staying in the Swissotel located opposite, I took the opportunity to visit the building everyday to appreciate the interesting interior consisting of many domes and domelets. A stroll through the various floors (see picture) is itself a treat. The two mechanical hanging clocks have many unique features. Notice a miniature ship rotating indicating the passing of seconds.The exquisite stained glass windows are works of art and add character to the building.

The front facade is distinctive for no one can escape the majestic statue of Queen Victoria and also a wishing well guarded by her dog Islay. It is always crowded for the Town Hall station entrance faces it and as such is a popular meeting point.The basement is connected to the train stations and all the main shopping outlets such as The Strand, Myers, David Jones and Sydney Central. This indeed is a shopper's paradise!!

Reflecting on the quote for today, I am reminded not to be taken in by compliments and praises, and not to be adversely affected by undue criticisms and negative comments. Instead one should have confidence in oneself and hold fast to our own convictions and stay detached but mindful of events in our lives.

After Sydney and Melborne

Baba's thought for today.

"Through the media of films, books, music
and the behaviour of elders, young minds are
excited and aroused into indulgences."

After four days in Sydney and four days in Melbourne I am back to share my experiences in these two Australian cities.

Before my departure for Sydney, I was forewarned of chilly weather. But on arrival on the first of October, I was greeted with very hot weather. We hopped on the Sydney hop-on-hop-off bus (picture 1)and headed for Bondi Beach. (picture 2)

The clear blue waters of the bay with the white sands and strong surf beating towards the shore were greatly appreciated by the 'sun worshippers'. The beach was crowded with people sun bathing while the surfers had a hey day on their surf boards. Unfortunately for us we were not prepared for the hot weather, clad in jeans, without any hats or umbrellas or sun block. Being shy of the blazing sun, I tried to shield myself from the scorching sun with my scarf. I must have been a real sight to behold but for me self protection is more important than public opinion!!

As I stood in the shade of a tree and watched this scene, I wondered to myself why Australian were still heading for Bali when they have such beautiful beaches and surf at their doorstep. This brings me to today's reflections. The power of the mass media with their aggressive promotions of holiday destinations have lured people to such places when sometimes similar experiences can be obtained at home or nearer home. But people still feel the need to indulge themselves with expensive and exotic holidays for reason know only to themselves. Therefore it is up to the individual to make their own choices.