After a good cup of coffee and hearty dinner at Hoshino Coffee at Ion Orchard, I headed straight to the Kino bookshop at Ngee Ann City mall to read the latest magazines and books. I felt rather tired after work so I must have a good cup of coffee8.
Today I only spent about two hours in the bookshop but I brought some creative postcard made of wood material which can be made to a cam and follower toy. Also brought a book on painting and cute notebooks designed by Ah Guo, our local watercolour artist. Spent quite a lot today but I like what I brought today.
I love watercolour art by Ah Guo, a local artist. The above watercolour painting is by Ah Guo. I used to play badminton with my sibling and friends at the badminton court where there used to be a tall metallic umpire chair. It was fun to climb up the chair and watch badminton match. Now you don't get to see this tall umpire chair around.
There are a wide variety of magazines at Kinokuniya
I like this creative postcard made of wood material and rubber stamp.
Another interesting post card which can be made into cam and follower toy designed and made in Taiwan.
This morning, father cooked fried kway teow and a cup of milo with black sesame seed powder. My father is health-conscious so the fried kway teow tastes rather bland.
I had pomelo and soya bean curd for dinner today. Pomelo is one of my favourite fruit as it light with citrus taste and not overly sweet. It is also rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants and helps in digestive system. If I have a plot of land, I will grow lots of pomelo and eat everyday.
Soya bean curd with black sesame seed powder. I like the fragrant black sesame seed powder prepared by my mum.
I had four sweet tasty jackfruit for dinner today with milo and black sesame seed powder. This afternoon I also had papaya, apricot, honeydew and pomelo. They are good for health.😊
Sometimes when I'm busy with work, I might forget about Buddha's teaching. It is good to read and reflect again on Buddha's teaching in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life. I realised my temper could flare when there are too many tasks. Sometimes I have to say no.
In the following scene, many people hurled insults at the monks for asking for alm instead of working. The following scene is from Buddha episode 37 and it was first posted on Heart Sutra and Buddhism blog in June 2019.
Buddha: Didn't the people offer alms?
Disciples: Guru, can't we go to another place?
Buddha: Sure we can. But the reason for you all to leave this place may follow you to another place too.
Disciples: The people from this region always humiliate us. They are repulsive and jeer at us.
Buddha: You feel agitated of their behaviour? If the people welcome you with respect, you will feel happy, won't you? It means you have given the key to your internal peace in another's hands. So the external factors are affecting you and can rule over you.
Disciple: Guru, we have realised our mistake. It's not the external factor but our mind that emote pain and vexation. That means we have not understood your teaching.
Saw a really big and bright round moon yesterday night on the way home. I could see rainbow halo around the bright moon. Yesterday is 17th day of lunar month. Normally it is full moon around the 15th day of lunar month.
So the plants that I grew last month had wilted. Mum suggested that I grow the long beans with the seed packets sent by National Parks last year. We actually kept the seed packet in the fridge for a few months.
Last Saturday, I started to plant the seeds. Wow the long beans sprout very fast. I planted the long bean seeds last Saturday and yesterday (about 3 days) they have grown quite tall ! I might need to transplant the plants to bigger container with more soil.
The seed packet registration has already closed. You can visit National Parks website here on how to start seedlings here.
This must be the best fruit that really tastes like dessert yet it is really nutritious and loaded with rich Vitamins A, Vitamins B6 and antioxidant. It has this custard like texture and it is good for the heart, respiratory system and the skin!
However do take note the that seeds are toxic and should be removed first before eating and consume in moderate amount. People who are allergic to it should refrain from eating.
Click here to read more on the nutritious value of this amazing fruit! It is definitely my favourite fruit now. Instead of wasting calories from sweet unhealthy cake, I will buy healthy fruit that taste like custard dessert!
Wow this sugar apple or custard apple looks like giant green strawberry right?😃
Yesterday I had the Queen of Fruits, mangosteen. Today after dinner, I had the King of Fruits, durians D24. It is rich with nutrients like vitamin C but it is very sweet and creamy like cream custard. But we have to take in moderation as it is very sweet with high calories. I read that one should not eat durian and drink alcohol as it is bad for health.
I love durian and don't understand why foreigners say that durian has pungent smell. I think it smells fragrant and sweet. What about you?
Happy to see the plants growing taller with more leaves. Plants just need the right conditions with water, carbon dioxide and exposure to sunlight everyday to grow besides soil.
Anyone has any idea what is this plant? I sprinkled a few seeds into the soil and only two sprouted.
29 years ago on 30 June, Wong Ka Kui, the multi-talented musician, composer and lead singer of Beyond band from Hong Kong passed on after an accident in Japan. He left behind many inspiring and timeless songs for us fans. The song Glorious Years as shown below was composed by Wong Ka Kiu in dedication to Nelson Mandela. How time flies. Next year will be 30 years of his death anniversary. Maybe I should go to Hong Kong next year.
I promised a friend that I will do a book review on Man's Search for Meaning, by a holocaust survivor Mr Viktor Frankl who went on to become a world renowned psychiatrist. I brought this really meaningful book, Man's Search for Meaning back in 2004 when my lecturer at NUS highly recommended this book during the compulsory course Understanding HR in the New Economy in final year course.
There are many takeaways from this inspiring book. How do you find the strength to live in a fearful and derelict conditions and also witnessing and experiencing horrendous atrocity in a confined concentration camp? Do you just give up or live with the hope that one day you will get back your freedom? In the concentration camp, new arrivals were stripped naked and everything was taken away from them. Clothes and material things don't make you, character do. Every material thing can be taken away from you but not who you are intrinsically.
There is also something that Cannot be taken away. What remains is "the last of human freedoms"- the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances." You don't blame others but you can take action to improve Your one life on this planet earth. Your attitude will decide how you response and take action. Viktor Frankl could just give up and languish in that horrendous and unpredictable condition but he did not give up but still gave his best in doing what was necessary. Do the right thing. Your conscience 良心 will tell you that you have done the right thing when the heaviness from your heart has dissipated.
There is also an interesting question like do you let fate takes it course or just grab the opportunity given to you? Viktor Frankl shared that he decided to let fate takes it course as shown on page 75 below instead of accepting his friend's offer to get his name crossed off the list that was supposedly send to the rest camp but nobody believed it and they thought it would be send to the gas ovens. Fortunately for him, he did go to the rest camp and survived to write this International best selling book.Sometimes I think it depends on destiny and luck too if you make the right choice to let fate takes it course or be proactive in grabbing the opportunity. Viktor Frankl actually chose both in different situations.
There are also inspiring quotes from this book . He shared Nietzsche's words,
" He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how". One needs to have a why or aim for their lives in order to strengthen them to bear the how of their existence. What is your purpose? There needs to be an important change in our attitude toward life. It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.
He also talked about taking Right action and right conduct. To find meaning in suffering for example how to turn one's predicament into a human achievement or making the suffering less painful.
Finding meaning in difficult times (Interview with Dr. Viktor Frankl)
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