Daily follies

There is a famous Buddhist Zen parable about four monks observing silence. They sat meditating around a candle light. A breeze blew in, the candle flickered and went out. The first monk said, "The candle is out." "Why did you talk?" the second monk accused the first monk. The third monk admonished, "Why are the two of you breaking the silence?" The fourth monk laughed and said proudly, "Ha! I'm the only one who didn't speak."






It's a well-known parable and most people who hear this parable would laugh at the foolishness of these monks. Yet, the truth is, most of these people never see the foolishness in themselves when they are parties to such follies.

I see this happen again and again in the office. It is something that never seem to go away.

Every now and then, some one would make a mistake sending something to a wide email distribution list. Someone would reply with something like "you send to the wrong person", "please remove me from this distribution list" etc. Then someone would reply to all and said, "please do not reply to all." And it would snowball. Someone would then reply to all again shouting "STOP REPLYING TO ALL". The strangest thing is that there are many who would say something like "I am sending to all of you to tell you that you should stop sending to all."

Actually, the easiest solution to the above is just ignore the message and simply delete it and it would die down quickly. But the person who send to all admonishing others or urging others not to reply simply fails to see that he is committing the act that he wants others not to do, and that he is contributing to the problem.

It is amazing how this email war never seem to go away. It keeps coming back and often take many days before it would die down.

In spite of the common wisdom we all know from parables like the above, we simply keep committing the same follies again and again. Of course, some of us do get wiser. :)

Good Will Hunting

Goodwill stores was one of my popular shopping destinations when I was living in the United States. Few people here know about Goodwill. It is an organization that provide training and help disadvantaged people get jobs. It runs a chain of Goodwill stores, where it sells used goods donated by the public.
For the two and half years I was staying there I liked to dropped by the Goodwill outlets. I just liked to browse and see what they have. I remembered one of Singaporean colleague once broke the glass pot of his coffee maker. A replacement of the whole set would have cost something like $15. I found a replacement of the pot at Goodwill for just $1.50.

What made shopping at Goodwill interesting was that sometimes you could find something interesting that someone just donated. And they had color tags with discounts on different days.



There isn't anything like Goodwill in Singapore. Salvation Army's thrift store probably come close though I've not been there before. But recently I discovered Cash Converter.


A few months ago the hot pot at home burnt out. I was going to get a new one but remembered seeing used ones selling at Cash Converter. I checked out the store near my house. Most of them were going for about $15. I could probably get a new one for about $35-$40. I could not make up my mind. For another $20, I could get a brand new one, which comes with warranty. Besides, it is not like I could not afford that $20... I walked out of the store undecided.

That night, I happened to pick up The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. As I was reading it, I suddenly realized that I got it all wrong.

The point wasn't really about new versus old, and saving dollars and cents.

If I was really serious about conserving the environment (which I always thought I was); if I was really serious about reduce, reuse and recycle; then the consideration should not have been (just) about saving the $20. And if I was serious about practicing what I believed in, the choice should have been obvious.

The next day, I went back and bought a used hot pot for $15 at Cash Converter. And that weekend, we had a hearty vegetarian hot pot meal with my family.

Since then, I had been browsing at the Cash Converter frequently. Most of the time, it's the same old junk. Or stuff which I have no need for. But I've found some gems.

I recently bought a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. I didn't realize that it is possible to bargain at Cash Converter. I tried my luck and managed to bargain the camera from $600 down to $555. (Later, I found that there is a vibrant resell market for DSLR cameras on the internet and if you are lucky, there are better deals).

I found a very good deal in a wireless mircophone system which I bought and installed at Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society.

Recently I got lovely old-styled  mahjong set for just $10.

And just this weekend, I found a VCD box set of the anime series Record of Lodoss War for just $1.50! It's an old anime series, back from my university days. For nostalgia sake, I just had to buy it (it's $1.50 anyway).


Unlike Goodwill which is a non-profit organization, Cash Converter is a profit making company.  Its business proposition is about money: cash for the ones selling unwanted stuff, and savings for the thrifty ones. But it does play a role in recycling and reducing waste.

The next time you need some appliances, may be you should just drop by one of such thrift stores first. You may get a great bargain, or you may not. But beyond saving a few dollars, you do contribute a little bit towards conserving the environment.

Pink Dot 2012

The national flag flew past.

Lim Yu Beng leading the singing of the national anthem.

Pink Dot 2012, 30 June, happened to clash with the Singapore Dragon Boat festival. We had a good run at the dragon boat race and managed to progressed to semi-finals (against my own expectations). We got to the pink dot rather late.

There was already a huge crowd and it was difficult to move around. We made it to the front of the stage and watched the performance. It was around this time that the helicopter flew past with the national flag. A cheer went up and disrupted the performance.

Then Yu-Beng went up the stage and got everyone to stand. He lead the Pink Dot in singing the national anthem.




To me, it was a surreal moment. You almost believe then, that this country could be an tolerant inclusive country that embraces all of its citizens. And I know, many believed that, one day, we will reach there.


I must hand it to the person who managed to seize the moment to play the national anthem. And to the organizers: the night pink dot was a great idea! Great job!

一起回家

“一起回家”这四个字，不管在哪个生命历程，都有很浪漫的意义。“一起”代表这件事一个人无法独立完成，“回家”意味着背后的温馨情愫。

--九把刀 《那些年，我们追的女孩》

如果，有一天，我问你，愿不愿意一起回家，那便是我的爱情宣言。

There is always something romantic about "going home together", no matter which phase of life you are in. "Going home" is always a heart-warming feeling, while "together" means you are not alone.

-from You are the Apple of my Eye by Gidden Ko

Quotes from "Under Heaven"

At the lowest ebb, of a person or a nation, the first seeds of later glory may sometimes be seen, looking back with a careful eye. At the absolute summit of accomplishment the insects chewing from within at the most extravagant sandalwood may be heard, if the nights are quiet enough.


Most of us are foolish in our dreams. The trouble comes when we bring folly out of dream.


A person can adapt to more than he might have thought he could. What he is uncertain about is when that stops being a virtue and turns to something else, leaving you too much changed, undefined, unanchored, like a fisherman's empty boat drifting on a river, with no way to be returned to where it belongs. (abridged)

from Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Mutual Support

My first ever ceramic piece. Created 23 July 2011.

丑小鸭的故事

不久前，在报章上看到了一则以丑小鸭为题的文章，
突然有感，在Facebook上写了这么一段：

随着日子一天一天过去，
丑小鸭依然是丑小鸭。
最后，丑小鸭是老死的，
始终没有变成天鹅。

结果引起了一阵喧哗。

许多人大喊，太悲伤了！太悲观了！

又有人问丑小鸭不好吗？难道丑小鸭注定悲伤，而天鹅一定快乐？

又有人说，鸭子怎么可能变天鹅？这种不合逻辑的童话本来就骗小孩的。

又有人说，人生总要有一点童话，有一点梦想，才活得美丽。

其实，丑小鸭慢慢老去，最后死去，始终没变天鹅，难道这不是你我平凡人生最写实的故事吗？

丑小鸭快乐吗？天鹅幸福吗？冷暖自知！

不要因为曾经有只丑小鸭变成了天鹅，就以为丑小鸭必有变成天鹅的一天。

不要为了等待那一天而蹉跎了一生。