Slowing down my footsteps

Things I realise only after I slowed down my footsteps-

1. Just after the sun sets and just before the sky becomes dark, the colours of the sky are the same as the colours of a rainbow. Starting from nearest the ground to rising into the sky, in the exact order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. I think it has always been like that, just that I never had time to look at the sky carefully.

2. People are generally nice and many people make a sincere effort to help others. For example, the counter guy at the airport who put my backpack carefully in a tray and assured me that it'll be well-taken care of and it'll reach my destination safely. And the lady at my guesthouse who went beyond her call of duty and helped me make a phone call to book the guesthouse in my next destination and even wrote down some instructions in Thai for me so that I can use it to ask the locals for directions. And the locals who waved and smiled at me cheerfully as I walked by. And so many more, their little acts of kindness made my days bright and I'm truly grateful to them. All these may have happened everyday of my life, but I may have been too busy rushing off somewhere else to think of them.

3. Beautiful wild flowers (often nice-smelling as well) grow along the roads everywhere, even in the dusty corners. I have never taken time to really appreciate them. What a waste, I must have missed so many beautiful sights.

4. It is actually difficult to just do nothing, even though it is what I set out to do. The monkey mind just refuses to be quiet and jumps around to try to get attention all the time. I realized that peace really starts from the mind. Even in a very conducive, quiet and serene environment, if the mind cannot be tamed, peace is unattainable. Now, I have to learn to control and calm down my mind.

Experiencing life slowly, mindfully is really a new and interesting journey. Do try it!

Things that made me happy today...

15 May 2012, Bangkok

1. I safely crossed many huge roads and am still in one piece. I understand perfectly well now why the Chinese have a saying that roads are like tigers' mouths. At the major roads, although the pedestrian green lights were on, and the cars perpendicular to me have stopped, but somehow there are still many cars coming from many other directions. Every time I have to cross the roads, I think of YY and wish she was around to hand my hand and guide me across. ( Yy, if u are reading this, you'll know how much I miss you) But oh well, now when I cross a major road, there's a few steps that I perform: I take a deep breath, chant a mantra under my breath, grit my teeth and walk across looking calm, trying to ignore the cars that seem to be coming dangerously close to me. So far, it worked perfectly.

2. Meeting a Thai pediatrician at the entrance of a temple. She was attracted to my orange Mani wristband and thought it was the one distributed in Thailand during the King's birthday celebrations. She started talking to me for some time in Thai before she realise I was giving her a blank look. When she found out that I was a foreigner, she v enthusiastically brought me into the temple and introduced the temple and some Thai culture to me before planning a whole day's itinerary in Bangkok for me. I'm very touched, unfortunately, I have limited time and money in Bangkok this time, will have to leave the itinerary for the next trip.

3. Seeing many Thais making food offerings to the monks in the marketplace early in the morning and having a chance to do so myself. And then going to a Wat and do a short meditation with the monks and a few laypeople who looked like they came by before heading to work. It's v encouraging to see people trying to include Buddhist practices in their daily life.

4. Finding a Thai vegetarian eating place where I had a v yummy, hearty and healthy local lunch.

5. Visiting the Golden Mount temple and finding a Buddha statue there that I really like a lot and felt a sense of calm when I was sitting with that Buddha statue. Also hang 2 bells at the top of the chedi which contains the Buddha's relics. One was to wish for the continuation of the 100 Million Mani Retreat in Singapore annually to benefit all sentient beings and the other is to wish for the well-being of my family. Hope both bells will resonate loud and clear in the wind and send my aspirations to all the protectors and devas in Thailand.

6. Fellow tourists who helped me take my photos at various places, putting in effort to help me find the right angle for the best shot and sharing with me some spots where I can take very artistic photos. Nice people are really everywhere.

7. Watching a group of people from all ages, male and female exercising to the tunes of hip music like "nobody nobody but you", "Starry starry night" etc in a local park and really enjoying themselves. Their joy is so infectious that I find myself immersed in their simple pleasure too.

I am a happy girl today. :)

Living each day mindfully, joyfully and gratefully

A friend wrote  this in my huge “WAH!” card (given to me by my dear colleagues just before I start my long leave), “出走是需要勇气和决心的”(translation: Embarking on a long journey requires courage and determination). I agree with the statement but I also have more sentiments to add.

Embarking on such a journey requires courage, determination and the coming together of many conditions. My courage comes from the support and encouragement of my parents, my teachers, my family, my employers, my friends and many others… Some of these people may not really understand why I need to take this route, but nevertheless showered me with their blessings and love. My determination stems from my belief that a human life is so precious and short and therefore, I should live my life without regrets. To me, the coming together of all the conditions that make my journey possible is because of the blessings of the Triple Gems and the aid of many beings (seen and unseen). Without any one condition, this trip will not happen.

Therefore, I intend to experience this 1 year mindfully, joyfully and with deepest gratitude. I don’t know if and how this trip will shape me, but I hope that I will return wiser and more compassionate (to bring benefit to more sentient beings). It seems to be the best manner to repay all who have helped me in one way or another.

猫要出走了！And once again, a deep heart-felt THANK YOU to all.