Cheng Beng ( qingming )

清明
清明時節雨紛紛
路上行人欲斷魂
借問酒家何處有
牧童遙指杏花村

This morning, I performed my annual visit to my parents' grave in Fairy Park, Klang. Both my parents passed away in 1994. It seemed like only in yesterday I was hit with extreme emotional challenge over the death of both my parents within a short span of one month. Time flies, it has been 14 years. Well, if there is indeed life after death, I do sincerely hope both of them are now living happily ever after in the beautiful gardens of God.

I remembered, during those days in 1994, Fairy Park was a relatively new private managed memorial burial grounds. During those days, if I remembered it correctly, a plot of “double holes” land with construction of tombstone costs approximately RM 28,000. To live is difficult, but to die is an expensive affair ! There were many vacant burial plots available back then. But now, almost all the plots are occupied. The park now also house a crematorium, a section catering to the Christians, and is also well landscaped and maintained.

To my parents, May both of you rest in peace..... Namo Amithaba Buddha

Some mothers do have them

A robber attempted to rob a shop in Chicago, but was told by the employee there that the manager who has key to the safe is not in. The robber, 18-years-old Ruben Zarate, left his cell phone number and asked the employee to call him back when the manager is in. The employee called the police. Plain clothes policemen were stationed in the shop to lay an ambush. They called the would be robber using the given number. Guess what, the dumb head actually turned up waving his gun again trying to rob the shop, but he was shot by the policemen and caught. READ FURTHER HERE.

This funny character does remind me of some of our corrupted politicians here. Well, do I need to say more ? Every minute, a fool is born into this world. And God created human being ? That mighty fella must have a good sense of humour.......

A praying Dog.....

( Source : nydailynews )

Buddhist priest Joei Yoshikuni, and his Chihuahua named Conan in daily prayers at Naha's Shuri Kannondo temple in Okinawa. The dog usually does his daily prayer before his morning and after his evening meals. The priest is now trying to teach Conan how to meditate.

Bow wows, a Buddhist dog ? It goes to show that Buddhism is truly a universal religion for all living things on earth. Hahaha.... Perhaps, to make it more Zen like, the priest should have shaved the dog's head, and custom made a monk's robe for the dog.

Namo... Namo.... Namo Amithaba Chihuahua.... Woof, woof, woof.....

The Times They Are A Changing ?

In the year of the rat, the longest night was casted on March 8 2008. The opposition parties ( aka Barisan Rakyat ) never has it so good. They managed to ride on the changing of the 12 years cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, the first zodiac sign of rat gave them a windfall to wrest control of 5 states from the Barisan Nasional government. At the Federal level, For the first time in 50 years, the BN government came close to defeat, but was saved by the solid support from Sabahan and Sarawakian. But a win is still a win. After all, the general elections results are a manifestation of all Malaysians' decisions of wanting the present federal government to remain in power but with stronger opposition presence to do the “check and balance”.

It's been almost a month now, but the after shocks of the General Elections still ripples through the many corridors of power. The federal government has been formed. The Barisan Rakyat have resolved their differences and successful formed the state government in Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Perak, and Kelantan. But the Barisan Rakyat is basically an informal alliances of PKR, PAS, and DAP, as long as the alliance is not formalized, the possibilities of dissolution is political eventuality waiting to be unfold. On the BN side, things are not that rosy either, Perlis has just resolved their differences of who should be the Chief Minister, but the state of Trengganu are misfortune to be tangled with the possibility of constitutional crisis. At the Federal level, the Prime Minister is being bombarded with calls for his resignation, not from the opposition parties, but from within his party ! The ship is not even sinking, but mutiny already begins to brew. Remember ? The Prime Minister did once warned “Saya Pantang Di Cabar !”. How about giving the Prime Minister a peaceful mind and a chance to captain the troubled ship out from the stormy waters, and to right all the wrongs of the past ?

On the streets Penang, I was told a small group of ill informed Indian Muslims demonstrated on the streets shouting protests and waving slogans, because they feared the newly formed state government may end unfair practices and abuses in the New Economic Policy ( NEP). Perhaps, to them NEP means unlimited priviledges for Never Ending Plunderings. The demonstration angered Penangites resulting in Penangites boycotted their once famous and favorite Indian Muslim's food, Nasi Kandar. It was reported by the MSM that, the boycott resulted in 10% to 15% drop in Nasi Kandar business. Well, what can I say ? When come into racial politics, insane people tend to have tendencies for creative insanities. I said, despite all over natural tendencies of racial preferences, let's give the Penang State Government a fair chance to rule and bring prosperity to Penang. We had been shouting Malaysia Bolih for far too long, let's give words of encouragements and support to the new state government by shouting Penang Bolih !

The political climates in Malaysia has changed significantly. Gone are the days where racial pariahs can shout racial rhetorics to gain supports. Malaysians are now more educated and universal in appreciating the posture of a united nationality of being Malaysians. For those politicians still harping on the misguided hope of the bygone era of racial politics to seek political powers and relevancies. The words of advise here is, the world has changed. Politics is about fairness, equality, human rights, sustainable development, and advancement of human values.

Perhaps, this old song of Bob Dylan rings a bell to all of us ?

The Times They Are A-Changing
Bob Dylan

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth saving
Then you better start swimming
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changing.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no telling' who
That it's naming
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changing.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is raging'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changing.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changing.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fading
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changing.

The pot is darker than I thought....

George Bernard Shaw once said “When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport: when the tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity. The distinction is no greater.”

In Perak, when DAP instructed its assemblymen to boycott the installation of a PAS assemblyman as Chief Minister of Perak, there are many people out there protesting and what not, against the Perak's DAP. They claimed DAP show disrespect and disloyalty to the Sultan. Sensing the political reality, DAP unconditionally and immediately apologize and accept the wisdom of the Sultan in his choice of Chief Minister for Perak.

Rightly so, Malaysians have greater respect and love for the Sultans than all those cocky politicians. Malaysians knows, at the end of the day, during time of distress, they can always count on His Royal Highnesses to exercise their power as protectors of their subjects, not the politicians.

In Trengganu, Barisan Nasional recommended Idris Jusoh as Mentri Besar, but the Sultan disapproved of BN's candidate and went ahead with the appointment of Kijal assemblyman Ahmad Said as the new Mentri Besar. UMNO challenged the Sultan and go against His Royal Highness, who is also the present Agung of Malaysia, by sacking Ahmad Said from the party and send a protest letter to the Palace.

On one hand, they go around claiming to champion and protect the institution of the royalty, but on the other hand, they blatantly challenge the authority of the Sultans to protect their self serving interest. It appears to me that, these politicians are always not what they claimed to be. At the defining moments, their actions are always inconsistent with their words. The acts of showing disrespect and going against the Sultan is practically an act of revolt. I do sincerely hope these assemblymen can unconditionally apologize to the Sultan, surrender their titleships, and resign from their elected position gracefully.

Hello, the Rukun Negara ( National Principles ) stated the following :

1. KEPERCAYAAN KEPADA TUHAN
2. KESETIAAN KEPADA RAJA DAN NEGARA
3. KELUHURAN PERLEMBAGAAN
4. KEDAULATAN UNDANG-UNDANG
5. KESOPANAN DAN KESUSILAAN

Tell me, have you all forgotten about the 2nd principle ? The one that you pledged Loyalty To The King and The Country......

Cocks do indeed have great influences on their own dunghills. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, the elected assemblymen still have to pledge their loyalty to the Sultan. If they insist on their constitutional rights to challenge the Sultan, I guess the right thing to do now is, these assemblymen should now go to the state assembly and put a vote of no confidence against the newly appointed Mentri Besar. The Mentri Besar will then has to revert to the Sultan to seek his royal highness' consent to dissolve the state assembly, paving the way for another snap elections. Let's go back to the people again, and let the people decide who should be their elected representatives.

Biadap !!! I shake my head.....

“When the balance is broken then everything includes itself in power, power into will, will into appetite. So appetite, aided by will and power, becomes a universal wolf, at last eating up itself. “
--- Carl William Brown ----