Snow City : Nov-09

Since primary 3 (for more than 2 years!), Qiqi had been bugging me to bring her to the Snow City. I din oblige mainly because i'd got feedback that the Snow City ain't value for the money. However, Qiqi's persistence did not fade away over the years and finally for this holiday, I promised to bring them there.

I got my company's Science centre friends' card to get some discounts into the Snow City and after preparing ourselves for about 15 minutes, we were ready for some icy actions. Entering into Snow City, we were surprised by how small the place was, we could cover the place within 5 mins! The good thing was that the gals enjoyed the cold temperature and the snow slope which they could slide down. We barely stayed there for 30 mins, a damage for $50, mainly to clear the 'bug' away from me...

Xuan's academic results for P2 : Nov-09

Xuanxuan has a very good form teacher this year and thoroughly enjoyed all his classes. She often repeats his jokes in class to us and also says he taught them beyond the school syllabus; she has learned so much more because of Mr Khoo. Xuan has always been conscientious in her school work and usually studied her Spelling and 听写 on her own. When she was tasked in class to identify the noise-makers because she was one of the better-behaved students, she took her responsibility very seriously and brought her notebook everywhere. Similarly when she was made her group leader mid-term, she was very proud of her role and helped the weaker classmates in her group. When I met up with her teachers mid-year, I was pleasantly surprised that her teachers have absolutely nothing negetive to feedback to me!

We were very glad and relieved Xuan has settled in so well in her new class this year. That was not all; she even bettered herself in terms of results this year by being second in class and third in level for her Chinese language! (she was third in class last year) She has received 2 awards this year! Isn't it amazing?

Visit to Upper Pierce : Nov-09

The gals had just completed their final 2009 exams and it's time to go out to get some sun and have a good walk. En'en had never been to the upper pierce, so we decided to venture there to see if we could let En'en see some monkeys. With no disappointment, there are plenty of monkeys all around and En'en is excited seeing them! The sun is pretty and the scenery is beautiful, we are so glad to have our lovely Sunday morning at Upper Pierce.

Qiqi's Birthday : Nov-09

Our biggest baby turned 11 this year! She had since grew tall, and i'm sure she'll overtake Shin Yang soon.



Qiqi had requested me to design a treasure hunt on her birthday this year. So i bought some little presents and hid them at 5 spots. She was still ok at her first clue but subsequently started to ask help from everyone. She was so tired after the hunt... :P

Xuan completeing her elementary children's art : Nov-09

Xuan had started her art course at NAFA almost the same time we had started our family blog. After starting her elementary course for almost two years, she had recieved her certification of completion, a milestone for her to advance to the next level of her interest.

We have always been proud and enjoyed every single Xuan's art piece. We are sure to have the privileges to keep enjoying this more & more in the future. Keep it up, Xuan!

En'en contacted HFMD : Nov-09

One of the scariest disease a toddler or infant could contact is probably Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease (HFMD). Early this week, En'en got it! The sores on her hands and legs were still manageable, it was the multiple ulcers in her mouth which were unbearable.

I had never seen En'en so grumpy before... she not only screamed and scolded everyone but also cried during her meals and in between her sleep. We were prepared to spend a good few sleepless nights taking care of her. Fortunately with the tender loving care from En'en's babysitter and also En'en's resilience, she was able to get overcome this HFMD surprisingly fast. Everyone was relieved that our youngest princess was back to her norm now... :-)

Energetic En'en@amusement park : Nov-09

It was less than half an hour at the amusement park and En'en could make me so tired. I was perpetually chasing after her from one station to another... Her energy was powerful, and seemed limitless, emitting waves after waves... i wondered where they came here.

It was only when we were returning home, En'en fell asleep in the car within seconds... after all, she's our little baby using all her energy enjoying the things she liked, and not realising how exhausted she already was... so sweet.

3rd Anniversary of Soka Women Glorious Victory Day : Nov-09

Weeks ago, Mummy has told me to dress nice-nice for this meeting so that the three of us - Jiun, Mummy & I could take a nice-nice picture after the meeting. As this day drew nearer, things began to look gloomy. Though Mummy still looked gorgeous, those who know her would realize that she's hardly dressing her best. Nevertheless, being reunited with Angela, our childhood friend, was a cheery occasion.

This day also serves to re-ignite our determination for another total victory for Mummy. YES, MUST BE VICTORIOUS!! All of us!

Sensei's Article : What is Happiness? : Nov-09

Words of Wisdom by Philosopher Diasaku Ikeda : Short Essays : What is Happiness?

What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.

Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness really is.

A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she first thought about happiness she saw it as a matter of becoming financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society then was that happiness for a woman was only to be found in marriage.) But looking at friends who were married, she realized that marriage didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.

She saw couples who had been passionately in love suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had married men with money or status but who fought constantly with their husbands.

Gradually, she realized that the secret of happiness lay in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin. She saw that happiness for anyone - man or woman - does not come simply from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins with having the strength to confront and conquer one's own weaknesses. Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy a successful marriage.

She finally told me, "Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life."

I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.

Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us. Buddhism teaches that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our vitality - the amount of energy or "life-force" we have - is in fact the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are happy.

True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever you go. You will never find happiness if you don't challenge your weaknesses and change yourself from within. Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another. This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is truly happy.

The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For someone who has not trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every inch of the climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same climb, however, will be a thrilling journey for someone who is prepared, whose legs and arms have been strengthened by constant training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come into sight.

My teacher used to talk about two kinds of happiness - "relative" and "absolute" happiness. Relative happiness is happiness that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family, surroundings, the size of our home or family income.

This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters easily when external conditions alter.

Relative happiness is also based on comparison with others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a newer or bigger home than the neighbors. But that feeling turns to misery the moment they start making new additions to theirs!

Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are never defeated by trials and where just being alive is a source of great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only exist in the innermost reaches of our life, and which cannot be destroyed by any external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.

This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best. Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated result of such efforts is a life of great victory.

What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We should compare who we are today against who we were yesterday, who we are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement. And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.

One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia Satz, who founded the first children's theater in Moscow. In the 1930s, she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of Siberia.

After she recovered from the initial shock, she started looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity. She realized that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and talents. She began organizing a "university," encouraging the prisoners to share their knowledge. "You. You are a scientist. Teach us about science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art."

In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually, Mrs. Satz even made use of her own unique talents to organize a theater group. She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the rest of her long life to creating children's theater. When we met for the first time in Moscow in 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was as radiant and buoyant as a young girl. Her smile was the smile of someone who has triumphed over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on "Happiness":

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.

Link http://www.ikedaquotes.org/what-is-happiness.html

First computer art-piece - 嗔 (Rage) : Nov-09

It started off with a thought to draw something on my long 'shelfed' sketch book.. So i sketched an angry eye and filled it with the magic inks.

On the sketch book


I wasn't too satisfied with my sketch... Then i recalled during my army days, how we were using typewriters to type letters and how inreversible they are.... when computer with wordperfect was introduced later, it brought wonderful surprises to everyone... work were then able to be saved, reversed, erased.... and things just got easier, quicker and more perfect.

So I scanned this sketch into the computer, get a stylus pen and an artist software, and started to work on my very first computer art piece. It wasn't as difficult as i thought, and with the beauty of computer, i was able to reverse any single error and made the work more perfect. I thought the outcome was definitely many times better than the one i got on my sketch book.. :P

Computer art piece - Rage

Rage - The Daishonin wrote "Hell is a dreadful dwelling of fire" ("Letter to Niike", WND, pg 1026), and those who reside there experience pain and suffering, as if dwelling in the midst of fire. Also, in the above passage, he wrote, "Rage is the world of Hell." Rage here is characterized as frustration over one's complete loss of control as well as an extreme hatred for one's surroundings; this only intensifies an indivdual's suffering. Doomed to a constant state of agony, those in the world of hell can do nothing except wallow in their rage. The world of hell, then, is one of unmitigated misery, and whatever one experiences in that state only adds to his or her suffering.