How does it feel when the RIGHT lesson came to smack U at the face or tap at your forehead or daze your eyes till they're teary, JUST at the VERY moment when it is needed?U'RE FILLED W/ IMMENSE AWE.
I've no idea what U're undergoing in this stage of your life, my friends, but the above-mentioned awesome feeling was what happened to me when I watched "Born into Brothels", a widely awarded documentary by Mr Ross Kauffman & Ms Zana Briski.Of course there's Avijut's extraordinary achievements & adventures & the concerns on the girls' fate & destiny, but I can never forget Manik's gentle eyes (if I'm right w/ the Sanskrit root in his Bengali name, Mani- means ‘jewels’) nor Gaur's kind & mild temperament in his deep ideas of righteousness.When a child is named Shanti (meaning ‘Peace’ in Hindi; could be a common name though), there must have been an immense accompanying sentiment w/ the birth of this little one… .Just HOW do we set ourselves free from our visible/ intangible frames?
Sure, the audience will have their own personal journeys & struggles to move on w/, but perhaps nothing echoes better what Forrest Gump says: "Life is like a big box of chocolates, U'll never know the taste of your next piece till U actually unwrap the foil & put that into your mouth."(the literal than the verbatim here).
Though cannot fully distant myself fr the sensitive subject of Religion, I do wanna stay away fr Politics (urh! :-6 ) as much as possible. But perhaps an exception here, would U mind?
Just read in the June 1st issue of Times magazine on P.20-23 "The CXA's (or CIX's) Silent War in ...**". I've actually flipped thru' this piece many times & was about to return this copy to the library, but.... . Well, I scorn any recount of the content here as it is too nauseating & believe a better title will be "The XIA's (or CXX's) Dirty Cheapie tricks of Cowardice." Check this piece out & I'm almost sure U'll be w/ me here.
Just what is in the small stale minds of those weapon developers (they've a nice name: defense contractor) ???? Mr. Engineers of a company named Gen. Atomics based in SD? This comes to 2 main points of discussion.
1. Does the (what-you-want or as-you-desire) end ALWAYS justifies ALL means? Ask yourselves, Mr Engineers, can U honestly tell any fundamental difference in your haggard & end-of-wits ideas behind this 'defense' development project from those engaged in jihads, other than that it costs millions more & comes w/ a high-tech fanciful name? Let aside ideological rightfulness & polical correctness, at least people know what's in a jihad; I do not know a 'drone' can have such applications as to kill (perhaps it only refers to the sounds the machines produce?), U cowards! Quoting a top operation man in Afghan, Mr Hxnk Crxmpton, "the drone was a 'brilliant intelligence tool'." OK, tell me Mr Crumptxn, do U teach your son to ambush in school playgrounds when he is desperate at anything, do U or do U not? Make a statement of yourself by telling: do U or do U not, sir.
For sure even a high-schooler can tell if the end always justify the means (oops, perhaps not US high schoolers...). But is it even more shameful to have your dirty trick put under the banner of 'scientific development' & hips of money into crushing the unarmed at the strikes? Dear sirs, think about the spirit of swordmanship in tournaments your European medieval ancestors talked of; ??this spirit has got so diluted by capitalism, expansionism (of course Egoism!) & whimsical paradigm shifts (or swirls?) that it now only gets smirked at? But isn't the Middle Ages also called the Dark Ages in European History? Where are we now? The Ultra-Dark Ages? Even from a totally utilitarian point of view, all intelligence points to the VERY fact that 'for every family affected by any drone attack, at least 5-6 potential jihadists can be recruited. Do U know simple arithmetics, sir?
2. I 1st learnt about the term "terrorism" reading history of the Russian Revoluation: the Tzar's then stance of extreme sovereignty choked every thread of free-thinking of the young, especially those who had traveled & received education abroad. Down & out & frustrated, a small group of extremists resorted to blackmailing, kidnapping & violence, hoping to get themselves heard. "Terrorism has always been forlorn desperate means of the weak", when there is a lack of normal negotiating or ventilating channels. Then it just fits into the idea of:
"Any attack is a call for help." by Neale D. Walsch in his Conversation w/ God series; U'll find this in Bk 1. Chew between the lines & U'll see the gem of truth that lies underneath. This got me to think of the equally down-&-out Somalian pirates.... .
**about unmanned (drone) aircrafts that lay booming eggs
I never know that eggs should cost this much before I came here. The average is about HKD4 to 5 EACH, yes each. So half a dozen is about HKD30. When they come in specials, the lowest price I've come across is about HKD3 EACH, yes each.
Why are eggs in Australia expensive? They 'put the CHICKEN BEFORE the eggs', so they say. This pic was taken fr the bottom of an egg card board package; I almost wanna cry over the lines T_T Well, I wonder the 'cage people' in Shamshuipo HK may think this degree of stretchability a luxury ... .
Are the Australians being petty here? Then I do not know if it's petty to be KIND. I do know of a Science lunatic who has a strange imposing tendency to glorify everything 'scientific': nuclear power, the microwave, new mega-drugs, electronic gadgets ... & sure enough, evolution! I wonder how he should opine about 'store-raising' our evolutionary 'ancestors' in tight stacked-up cages, where their excreta get drained on heads to toes, only to get dried in pented-up summer heat?
New chicken brands by local farmers are renowned being 'shots-free' & a precious gem of scientific researches, but are they? A friend lives close to a chicken farm in Yuen Long HK & can tell exactly the 'vaccine' days of the year-- half a day of deafening squeaks when the actual shots are done, followed by DAYS of pungent choking smell of 'chemical' excreta.
Yeh, I know it is kinda foolish to jam my mind w/ all these sway thoughts just upon looking at the bottom of an egg box... . What is in your mind as U have your fried eggs & bacon this morning, my friend?
I came across this picture at an eye-catching spot in the council newsletter of a Northern Suburb of Sydney some months back. Guess what it is about? An interview w/ a Mrs Davis who has helped save >200 orphan infant possums in the past 2 decades.
One fine day some 20 yrs ago, somehow, it occurred to Mrs Davis that perhaps there's a baby in the pouch of a dead possum by the curb side, apparently victim of a motor vehicle accident. Call that the 6th sense or what, indeed there was one little 'Pinky', so these little ones are later affectionately referred to. She gained help fr the local veterinary groups & RSPCA, but still many died; some are simply too underdeveloped to survive, I suppose.
Couldn't help myself fr the read, against the then-still-chilly breeze on my way to school that fine early spring morning... . Does it speak anything about the community, that this sort of apparently 'unimportant', according to the standards of most utilitarian societies perhaps, news ever get a place in the council newsletter? What is in our headlines of our local papers this morning? And yours?
Perhaps too much query on how true people in the Entertainment Business are? Whenever they (even try to) express themselves, opinion/ emotions/ response/ whatever, they're mostly taken: "well, she's an actress after all." "HOW he ACTS!"
No news that those who have spent enough time in the industry tend to go 'burnt out' or a bit out of the frame... . On the other hand, any experienced Show Biz personale, who stays at the same time 'socially acceptable', often has to resort to leading a hermit's life or run the risk of 'out of sparks' (ie. end of their career). Yet at the back of my mind, they have my fullest respect. Anything less than complete devotion is simply not enough for the basic support of their sanity; so I learnt fr memoirs & biographies. A nice movie/ play/ drama speaks so much more in the chorus of Humanity.
Therefore when Lee touched at this very point in one of his answers in the Q&A session, it was really unnerving, to me. I forget even the question. But his line here is: "I think that (what's most important) should be Honesty... to oneself & others alike; yet at the same time keeping your sanity."
This line weighs that of a gold nugget but feels like a lead lump in my throat. For the online video record:
3. Everybody turns hungry sooner after we switch to less-meat-&-whole-grains meals (look, better & more efficient digestion!).This eats into the family budget.Help!
Our Tips: Add in supplementary carbohydrate-rich vegies: seasonal lentils & beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin dices, milias, polentas & other grains. Taste & texture of your rice is greatly enriched. Similarly, rice enriched with sauteed vegies or mushrooms can be considered for the same budget-lowering effect.
Beans often take longer cooking time depending on their bead size, so boil them a few minutes ahead of the soaked rice as required. According to Ayurvedic medical principles, diet in line with the seasons is the best proof to Health & the colour often gives the observant the hints: red beans, black beans or kidney beans are best for Winter; green beans & eye beans for Summer. Corn kernels, pearl barley or polentas are all-seasons versatile add-ons. Think about chestnuts in Autumn to early Winter.
On the other hand, pumpkin, Taro & the potatoes are done sooner. Cut them into small dices to be added to your rice later at the final stage of low fire. This little trick gets every ingredients ready at the table in their respective required cooking time; thus no more soggy overcooked pumpkin or potatoes like rags. The skin of these stem-roots (except Taro) are wonderful source of nutrients. For the best benefits, buy organic, clean the surface w/ an old toothbrush & skip the peeling. Pls take note that patient of stomach problems or dyspepsia should avoid bulk amount of Taro or sweat potato.
Take it this way: would U rather spend on medical bills or on your food? Long-termed inappropriate diet is already beyond doubt the culprit of many chronic diseases. Let alone the medical bills, some may argue their insurance being seamlessly comprehensive, & what about the mental & emotional stress during even minor ailment?. It surely pays here: U're what U eat.
4.煮全穀類米飯，很花時間才能把飯煮開. 家人都投訴飯硬和「頂胃」。
4. It takes a long while to cook un-milled whole grains like wheat, red or brown rice. And everybody complains against the 'hard' meal.
Our tips: We all know hours of soaking the whole grains ahead of cooking saves time & energy. One may also like to begin by mixing whole grains w/ white rice to soften meal texture. One quick fix is: soak the grains in a frost-resistant container to be placed in your freezer. Grain fibres get softened by ice crystals as a result & your tenderly chewy rice will be ready for the hungry gang soon enough.
Yet a most important & highly overlooked point is the invaluable bit of how your eat-- chewing (just think about this: when did U last spend at least half an hour at the table for a totally 'devoted', un-distracted meal?). An universal piece of traditional wisdom, as well as well-proven in modern medical terms, it is known that chewing of no less than 50 times is needed for adequate pulverization & mixing w/ saliva for the best digestion and absorption. U'll find the natural delicate grain flavour the ultimate bonus. Why so much hard work for our dutiful stomachs all these years in place of mere negligible minutes 'earned' from hashed meals?
Every one talks about art & artwork & arts & artists' events in Sydney & what I found here is: too much is going on & too many to join in.
This picture is in one of the rooms of the New South Wales Museum of Contemporary Art, a place I regard the best to spend a whole day every now & then.
Of course there're ongoing events & big exhibits... . But I rather adore a series of little side rooms at the back showing pencil works & sketches of early settlers. Small pieces of work of the size of your palm or your PC, as if they were just yesterday. Time in a bottle.
Click the label "旅遊大世界; Round the world in 80 seconds" for my other adventures. :-)
How does it feel when the RIGHT lesson came to smack U at the face or tap at your forehead or daze your eyes till they're teary, JUST at the VERY moment when it is needed? U'RE FILLED W/ IMMENSE AWE. 
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