Kuala Lumpur -Today

KL Street - Where is the usual KL's traffic jam?

At Monorail, heading to KLCC ...

Church at Brickfield - A serene environment ...

Temple at Brickfield - People being busy for seeking blessing...

Oh, my dear Chief ... How are you?

KLCC ....

Another side of KLCC ...

Oh, I thought it is the St Jame's Park, at the 

very heart of London ... but this is KLCC's Park,

also at the heart of KL. Well, feel relaxed here.

Normally I see this kind of tree, I think of Orang Hutan. 

Yes, it is at center of KL. But no Orang Hutan here, ha ha.

Finally, find a peaceful corner of Kinokuniya, at KLCC.

See any good book to buy or not ....

Here is the St Jame's Park of London ...

Happy New Year, for the Snake Year! Have a nice year, 
peaceful to your life, well & happy ...

Essential Spirituality

Despite our pleasant materialistic surroundings, many people today experience dissatisfaction, fear, anxiety, and a sense of insecurity. What we seem to be missing is a proper sense of human spirituality --- The Dalai Lama

Below are some quotes from the book; Essential Spirituality, the author, Roger Walsh, beautifully articulates the benefits of spiritual living and its practices. 

• Religion and Spirituality - Religion, mostly implies a concern with the sacred and supreme values of life. On the other hand, spirituality, refers to direct experience of the sacred, which is most central and essential to our lives. Spiritual practices are those help us experience the sacred - through meditation and contemplation. 

• Psychological and Spiritual Benefits - The ultimate aim of spiritual practices is awakening; that is to know our true Self and our relationship to the sacred. As we progress along the path. with deep and profound understanding of true Self, we discover our relationship with the sacred world of universe,  Gradually, the heart begins to open, fear and anger melt, greed and jealousy dwindle, happiness and joy grow, love flowers, peace replaces agitation, concern for others blossoms, wisdom matures, and both psychological and physical health improve. Virtually all aspects of our lives are touched and transformed in some way.

• Physical Benefits - Spiritual practices can reduce stress, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. They may help alleviate insomnia, muscle spasms, and diseases ranging from migraine to chronic pain. They even reduce the effects of aging and lengthen the life span.

• The Greatest of All Discoveries - Over time, spiritual practices work their transformative wonders on our hearts, minds, and lives. As the heart opens and mind clears, we see further and further into the boundless depths of the mind. There within ourselves, we finally find the most profound, the most meaningful, and the most important discovery any human being can make. 

• The Secret of all Secrets - Within ourselves we find our deepest self, our true Self, and recognize that we are not only more than we imagined but more than we can imagine. We see that we are a creation of the sacred, intimately and eternally linked to the  sacred, and forever graced and embraced by the sacred. This is the greatest of all discoveries, the secret of all secrets, the priceless gift for mankind from great ancient contemplative religions.

• The Central Message - The words differ from one tradition to another, but their central message is the same: You are more than you think! Look deep within, and you will find that your ego is only a tiny wave atop the vast ocean that is your real Self. Look within, and at the center of your mind, in the depths of your soul, you will find your true Self, that you are intimately linked to the universe of the sacred. There, you share its unbounded bliss.

Today is Chinese New Year, also the Year of the Snake.  We hope, will finally bring peace, justice and freedom to all Malaysians. Happy New Year.

鄭丁賢‧洋蔥剝出的悖論

以東姑阿都拉曼來和馬哈迪比較，唔，恕我直言，是對東姑不敬。然而，又怎麼會將兩位前首相扯在一起，進行比較？

話說，沙巴非法移民皇家調查庭開始剝洋蔥，每剝一層，都透露許多機密；當然，一些所謂的機密，早已為人所知，只是如今在皇家調查庭公開，意義不同凡響。

洋蔥終於剝到核心，有當事人供證，馬哈迪任內批准了20萬公民權，讓非法移民登堂入室，成為大馬公民。這一下，馬哈迪被嗆到了；但是，狡黠如他者，自然能夠編造出一套悖論，藉以脫圍。

且聽他怎麼說：“我建議成立另一個皇家調查庭，去調查東姑阿都拉曼，何以在獨立前，提供公民權給100萬外來移民。＂

馬爺爺的言下之意：既然東姑當年提供公民權給華人和印裔移民，我馬哈迪為甚麼不能提供公民權給菲律賓非法移民？能夠提出這種悖論，除了腦袋要靈活，而且臉皮也要有厚度。否則，又怎能玩弄歷史，有辱先賢！說它是悖論，在於表面上似乎能夠自圓其說，實質上並不能通過邏輯和真相的驗證。

東姑年代100萬公民權，有法律依據，獲得各方認同，且是公開透明的進行。

其出發點在於偉大而無私的目標，就是爭取國家獨立，成立馬來亞聯合邦，讓各族和平團結的共同建立一個家國。獨立之前，獲得國際認可，英國政府和馬來亞人民支持的李特制憲團（Reid Commission）對成立馬來亞聯合邦進行研究和調查，它在報告中建議，華人和印裔等居民，已經是馬來亞不可分割的一部份，因此，若成立獨立國家，應該給予他們公民權。

有了李特制憲團的報告，爾後才有馬來亞憲法；這部憲法提供華印裔公民權，與此同時，也交換馬來人在某些領域擁有特殊權利。這是當年的社會契約，以憲法和契約為基礎，才有馬來亞聯合邦，以及後來的馬來西亞聯邦。

東姑並不是憑個人的喜好，或是私人的利益，而發出100萬公民權；東姑只是一個執行者，他依照合法途徑，在各族人民認可之下，以公開和透明的方式，發出公民權。而馬哈迪任內，又是如何發出數十萬公民權給菲律賓非法移民？

這個計劃是暗中進行，沒有經過國會辯論和批准，甚至沒有在內閣通過，而只是幾個掌權者的個人意願。這個計劃也不符合國家的需要，它加重了政府的財政負擔，加劇社會問題，也破壞了原有的人口和政治平衡。而它造成的衝擊，是為馬哈迪，或是當時的政權提供選票，以便得到執政沙巴的優勢。這是基於個人和黨派的利益，而不是為了國家和人民的利益。

馬哈迪顛倒的不僅是歷史，也是正義。皇家調查庭要挺住，繼續剝洋蔥，即使未能挽回歷史，也要還社會一個公道。

鄭丁賢‧國陣（和民聯）要擔心的事

或許，國陣並沒有預料，112大集會能夠掀起熱潮。

過去的紀錄顯示，不包括淨選盟大集會，如果是民聯號召的集會，一般上，出席者在萬人以內；即使是大規模動員，也很難突破2、3萬人。1萬到3萬人上街，可以理解是民聯的中堅分子，也是積極的反對者；不管民聯是否有表現，也不管國陣有否改變，他們都是吃了秤砣鐵了心，跟定了民聯。這樣的一個數目，是國陣能夠消化的數目；只要能夠控制在這個數目以內，對國陣的衝擊就有限。

國陣的期望，在於沉默的多數，如果更多人民保持觀望態度，就還有爭取他們的機會。國陣手上有各種的資源，民聯也會犯下錯誤；等待和爭取，這也是納吉遲遲不解散國會的原因。但是，112的人群，遠遠超過了國陣的預估，也翻轉了國陣的棋盤。不管是警方估計的5萬人，民聯稱的10萬人，甚至外界機構評估的15萬人，都比國陣預估的人數，翻了倍。多了好幾萬人，這些人是哪兒來的？他們為何會響應民聯的號召？是否政府和警方採取溫和姿態，鼓勵了更多人走上街？

這是國陣急著要找出的答案。

如果以10萬人作為一個參照數，代表著過去許多消極的民聯支持者，以及政治中立者，如今改變了態度；他們放棄了沉默的立場，投向民聯，成為積極的民聯支持者。這些人當中，過去沒有固定或堅定的政黨傾向；然而，他們是政治醒覺的一代，關心社會課題，重視國家的發展。他們被許多課題所牽引，從政府的施政、經濟發展的差距、環保的爭議，政界和公共服務界的貪腐，乃至選舉的公正透明等等，在在激發他們的關注。他們要一個有前途的國家，希望擁有一個更美好的社會；這也是公民社會的期盼。

當他們認為政府不能滿足這些期盼，或是政府的改革速度太慢，他們就站了出來，以行動表達意願。一旦民聯的訴求和他們契合，他們就走出沉默，放棄被動姿態，認同民聯的立場。

他們成為積極的反對者之後，會造成滾雪球的效應，影響更多的人群。當更多原來的沉默者放棄國陣，就是國陣要擔心的事。

至於問說，如果當局採取高壓方式，是否會阻止人們上街抗議？

我的答案是否定的。人們依然會走出來，如果遭到打壓，他們會更加憤怒；這股情緒，會發酵得更快，更遠。

國陣做對的事，就是以和平姿態回應，贏回了一些聲譽；否則結果會更糟。擔心之外，國陣能做的，就是加速改革，挽回其他沉默者的信心；至於民聯，要維持這種聲勢和動力，就應該避免犯錯。

伊斯蘭黨吉打州政府的措施，對民聯是一種傷害；“阿拉＂字眼的挑起和內鬨，也使民聯受挫；兩者處理不好，會是它滑下坡的開始。


Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily (English translation)

Barisan Nasional (BN) probably had not anticipated that the January 12 rally could cause a stir at all. Past records show that rallies initiated by Pakatan Rakyat, other than the Bersih rallies, could only manage under-10,000 attendance, at best 20,000 to 30,000 on full mobilisation.

The 10,000 to 30,000 that took to the streets could be easily seen as diehard supporters of the opposition pact that would remain loyal whether Pakatan had performed up to the mark or BN had put in any effort to change. Such a figure could be easily digested by BN and so long as the attendance was placed within this bracket, the impact it would leave on the ruling coalition would be minimal. BN laid its hopes on the silent majority. So long as these people adopted a wait-and-watch attitude, BN should be able to bring them into its fold.

BN has vast resources at its disposal and Pakatan can make mistakes at times. That explains why Najib prefers to wait instead of rushing to dissolve the Parliament.

The attendance of last weekend’s rally far exceeded the estimates of the BN government. Whether it was the 50,000 estimated by the police, the 100,000 claimed by BN, or even the 150,000 some others have estimated, the figure was way higher than what the BN had anticipated. Where did these additional participants come from? Why had so many answered Pakatan’s call? Could the moderate stance adopted by the police and government embolden the masses to take to the streets?

This is what BN was eager to find out.

If we take 100,000 as a reference, it shows that many erstwhile passive Pakatan supporters and political neutrals have indeed changed their minds. They refused to stay silent and chose to throw their arms around Pakatan. Some of them did not have a firm or solid political inclination in the past but have now begun to care about social issues and national development.

They were led there by a plethora of factors ranging from dismal government policies, discrepancies in economic development, environmental concerns, widespread public sector corruption and lack of transparency in electoral procedures, among others. They want a country with a bright future, a more promising society. When they felt the government had failed them, or the government had slackened in implementing its reform agenda, they rose up to demonstrate their feelings.

The moment Pakatan’s appeals met with their aspirations, they would walk out of their passivity and silent past to embrace Pakatan.

When they have become active opponents to the government, a snowballing effect would ensue, enticing more people to their camp. BN should become truly worried when more and more people have chosen to drop their silence, and the ruling coalition.

As for whether a tough crackdown could stop the people from going to the street, I would say no. People would still pour out onto the streets and if subjected to oppressive operations from the government, will be more enraged, bringing the anti-government sentiment way further and broader than anyone could cope with.

What BN did right was to respond with a peaceful gesture which has spared it from much more horrible eventualities. Something that BN can do now is to expedite reforms to win over the rest of the silent majority.

As for Pakatan, it has to make sure not to commit even the slightest mistakes to sustain the momentum. The policies of PAS-led Kedah state government have dealt a blow to the integrity of Pakatan Rakyat; so have the controversies over the use of the word “Allah.” Improper handling of either could signal the start of its downfall.

People's Uprising Rally - Why Are We Here Today?

Today is 12 Jan 2013, why we are here?

Around 100,000 people in and outside of Stadium Merdeka gathering today,  for  the 'Uprising' rally - to express dissatisfaction to our Government. 

"Enough is enough, the people must rise up. This corrupt regime must be dropped. We must remove the corrupt government! We will come together in the next general election, we will choose a good government that will listen to the people, the choice is in our hands.” 

- Wang Tack, one of the NGO leaders gave the speech during the rally.

Yes, that is the reason why we are here today!

This is NOT a rubbish bag, but a donation bag! 

Anwar of PKR

Lim Guan Eng of DAP.

Ambiga of Bersih

The following is the speech of Ambiga Sreenevasan.

- Co-chairperson of Bersih (Bersih is a non-partisan NGO fighting for the people and safeguard the people’s rights in the coming general election): 

My friends, why are we here today?

Why have we chosen to give up our Saturday to gather here? Together. Again.

The answer is, we love our country. We care about Malaysia. We care about Malaysians. Our children, our parents, their future, our future.

And more importantly we are here because we have hope. We think that a better Malaysia is within our grasp. We know it is. I know it is. And it is all because of you ! A rakyat that cares enough to do something about achieving a bright future for our country .

As far as Bersih 2.0 is concerned, we just want clean and fair elections. If there is to be change in the leadership, we want to do it through the ballot box. Our objectives are clear and clean and fair. Our message to all the political parties is: Respect our rights as citizens, honor our vote, and, give us clean and fair elections!

Yet I have unhappy news ! By all accounts, GE 13 will be far from clean and fair. I will not go into the details, many of you know them. The recent fiasco with the over- seas voters is yet another example. The suggested process is not clean, not transparent and the conditions that have been imposed on overseas voters are not, in my view, constitutional.

So why am I so sure the election will not be clean and fair? Well, one of the easiest demands to fulfill is to give free and fair access to the media to all parties. It takes just a phone call. Yet we see no move towards that and the mainstream media continues with its skewed and often dishonest reports. It shows a complete lack of political will to even the playing field between the parties.

Does that mean, however, that we throw in the towel? That we walk away in despair? On the contrary, Bersih has two important projects that we have launched which we believe will make a difference in the next elections.

The first is our project called PEMANTAU, a citizens’ observer mission. This is not a new concept as it has been carried out in numerous countries. Studies have found that citizen observer missions can reduce political violence and fraud.

We are excited about this project and we are looking out for approximately 10,000 volunteers to help us cover 30-40 per cent of the total number of constituencies.

The second project is to bring out the vote. (Keluar mengundi, lawan penipuan). Although our voter turnout is high, a higher turnout will help to mitigate fraud to some extent. Both these projects need your help and your input. Both are projects of the people, for the people and by the people.

So there is much work to be done. And we can all be involved to ensure as far as possible, that fraud and discrepancies can be minimised in the 13th GE. Knowing the rakyat I know you will rise to the occasion as the nation calls to you to take part in its future.

As that famous song goes, my fellow Malaysians, “This is it”!!

2013 - New Year, New Life

 2012年走到尽頭了, 回顾

 生命中會經歷上許多事情

 是有苦有痛有樂

 當下或許會傷心難過

 但這一切終究會過去

 再回頭去看

 只會見到許多恩典

 在生命的後頭留下足跡

 快乐的是福气,不快乐的就学習 

新的一年      新的開始      新年快樂 ....

 即  使  前  方  困  難  再  大

 但  只  有  試  試  看

  才  會  知  道  自  己  行  不  行

  2 0 1 3 年 加油~

Happy New Year

Quotes of the year, from Leo Tolstoy (俄羅斯大文豪托爾斯泰)

1. 幸福的家庭都是相似的，不幸的家庭卻有各自的不幸。
2. 不幸福的人們，是因為追求不同的東西，從愛情、理想，乃至物質、地位等等，一頭栽了進去，就在慾望和痛苦之間打轉，因為種種原因而不幸福。
3. 真正的幸福，並不是來自這些外在的追求，而是從內心產生；一旦理解幸福的真義，它是油然而生，能夠領悟者，幸福自然降臨。
4. 幸福的人們，共同領悟這個道理，他們的幸福也是相似的。幸福的真義，在於慈悲包容，能夠提起，也懂得放下。
5. The Kingdom of God Is Within You 

Merry Christmas 2012

The Ego is an exquisite instrument. Enjoy it, use it -

 just don't get lost in it.

Ram Dass

Even if you get lost in it, that's one way to learn all 

about it.

Jim

The truth is, the more attentive we are, the less we screw up, the more clearly we come to know ourselves, the more at peace we are, and the better able we are to live the kind of life we want to live.

Reactive emotional states always begin with a single impulse - of fear, anger, jealousy, lust, etc. If we are attentive enough to see the impulse when it first arises, it is possible to avoid going down the path of events that result in a state of fear, anger, jealousy, lust, etc. It is simple - at least in principle. Ken Wilber

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” – Mother Teresa, Charity Worker

「世人對愛及認同的渴望，超過對食物的飢渴。」– 德蕾莎修女

It is not feelings, it is the awareness of feelings. And that awareness itself is free of feelings and free of thoughts. And allows both feelings and thoughts to float by, just as clouds float by in the emptiness of the sky. Ken Wilber

感言 : 

好好的愛身邊的人，在工作與專業上努力取得別人的認同 。你所能獲得滋養心靈的滿足，遠遠超過購買奢侈品的虛榮。

真正的開心與快樂是來自內在發起的感受，與接受別人傳達的快樂心情所勾起的反應。

汲汲營營追求的快樂常常就是在身邊被忽略的感受，付出多一些，收回的快樂也就多一些。

看著身邊的親人或朋友的笑容 ，不由自主的跟著快樂起來。同時得到愛與認同的感覺，就是我們所追求的快樂吧。

摘錄: 閱讀

聖誕節快樂

Just Another Date ...

Just another date for Mayan calendar. The Maya actually never predicted the end of the world. 

It is people incorrectly interpreted it. 

So the Mayan apocalypse fiasco have come and gone, and life goes as usual ....

摘 錄: 鄭 丁 賢 _ 末 日 後 語 (部 分)

當你讀到今日這個專欄，證明你已經逃過世界末日浩劫，可喜可賀。

絕大部份人都活了過來，鬆了口氣；當然，不包括那些對末日論太過執著的人們。

譬如，花了500萬人民幣購買的諾亞方舟，一過了午夜12時，就成為負資產。那粒幾噸重的大鋼球，冬冷夏熱，不宜居住；要預備下一次末日之用，又得另外等個5千年。

哪些躲到法國避難小村的人們，沒有碰上末日，也沒有外星人來到；此刻才發現，小村的村夫村婦，看似單純的農民，然而精明程度不輸給華爾街的大鱷；在他家後院搭個小帳棚，收費1千美元，賺盡末日財。

或者，你因末日論而看破人生，炒了老闆魷魚，賣了房子和車子，在末日之前，做了一趟環遊世界豪華之旅，把生不帶來，死不帶去的儲蓄，一次花光。

回來之後，世界還是老樣子，銀行戶頭卻是一去不回頭。這時會發現，沒有末日的日子，比末日更充滿挑戰。

於是，末日論教會了我們許多人生道理。人，其實很渺小，也不是想像中那麼聰明；人，不能和大自然對抗，甚麼時候要你走，不由你自己決定。活著的人們，要懂得謙卑一些。

The End of the World ....

Song: The End of the World, of 60s, interesting listen to this

on eve of 21 Dec 2012, haha...

把每一天當成最後一天，活得更有意義 - 蘋果先生

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t trap by dogma - which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. 

-Steve Jobs

事實上，除了接受命運，我們別無選擇，哪怕迎面而來的是重病、親人的死亡、自己的死亡。我們唯一真正能掌握的是，就是我們面對重大變故時的態度。我們永遠都該把自己當成明天就要離世的人。我們總以為眼前還有很多時間，但就是這些時間要了我們的命。

-愛爾莎.特麗奧萊，法國作家

Movie: 2012. World destroyed by water ... 

Movie: Knowing. World destroyed by fire ...

Quotes from Steve Jobs

1. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered... to help me make the big choices in life.
2. If today were the last day of my life, what would I want to do? I know I need to change something.
3. Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me, going to bed at night saying we have done something wonderful, that's matters to me.
4. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
5. I think different religions, are different doors to the same house. Sometimes I think the house exists, and sometimes I don’t. It’s the great mystery.
6. If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is. If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there's room to hear more subtle things - that's when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present moment. Your mind just slows down, and you see a tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much more than you could see before. It's a discipline; you have to practice it.

時間不多, 珍惜一切, 活在現在, 再給生命一次機會, 重新啓動....祝大家末日快樂 ... 

Relax and allow life to unfold
Trust me, the sun will come out tomorrow

'末日' 後的明天，明媚的陽光從外面斜斜射入, 

一样發光,   照耀大地,  充滿生命 .....