Epiphyllum oxypetalum...a midnight bloom

Recently my garden is blessed with the blooming of Epiphyllum Oxypetalum. I love the plant and have anticipated its blooming for a long long time.Unlike other plants whose blooms will last a few days, this one will show itself for a short span of a few hours after midnight and than it will starts to fade when morning comes. So if you want to catch the special moment, you will have to stay up after midnight to celebrate its opening.

In this part of the world, we called the bloom 'Qiong Hua' or 'Keng Fa'. The fragrant of the flowers are sweet and pleasant to the nose. Scent filled the air and it made me very happy to see its opened white long petals, exposing the pollens and the heart. The white petals were so white that it looked like white feathers. The local people will let the flower dropped off and dries it and use it to make soup with pork ribs. It said that it cures diabetic. These are only local believe which I have no scientific proof for it.

Quote "Epiphyllum Oxypetalum is a night blooming succulent cactus of the type called an epiphyte. Oxypetalum is also called Dutchman S Pipe".

Sharing here are photographs that I took. All three bulbs in my garden bloomed one after another and it was said that it will bring good luck and abundance to the Owner of the plant.

All ....But for a good LAUGH!

This is a joke someone sent me. Don't jump to conclusion until you read the end and have a good laugh!

OLD people have problems that you haven't even considered yet!

An 85-year-old man was requested by his Doctor for a sperm count as part of his physical exam. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, 'Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow.'

The next day the 85-year-old man reappeared at the doctor's office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day.

The doctor asked what happened and the man explained, 'Well, doc, it's like this -- first I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing.

'Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, still nothing.

'We even called up Arleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit, and she even tried squeezing' it between her knees, but still nothing.

The doctor was shocked! 'You asked your neighbor?'

The old man replied, 'Yep, none of us could get the jar open'

My Thoughts - 2011

1) I Love My Parents...they are Irreplaceable!

2) To Deal...with...honesty to oneself and others.

3) The world revolves around me and I revolve around them...

4) To live sincerely...and die peacefully.

5) The statement of 'What you see is what you get' is no longer true.

6) People say and do things with an Agenda and you can't be too careful.

7) Is your life in daylight reality and your dream unreal? THINK...again. You perform all activities when you are 'awake ' and 'dream' alike...so you actually 'wake-up' in both states...so how can one be real and the other unreal?

8) Does one needs to be a fanatic in religious believes? The term 'fanatic' = a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm. How can anything irrational be taken as Truth?

9) Buddha taught the 'Middle Path'. Anything that is pulled to an extreme and lulled to an extreme will not produced ideal result.

10) Did you see or recall any of the great religious Leaders - Buddha, Christ and others an extremists?

11) What chances human has against Nature?

12) Silence is Golden...unless you are dead.

13) Human unkindness is performing thoughtless actions that hurt others indirectly.

14) Money is not everything BUT without money, who is going to pity you?

15) You can live poor BUY you cannot live without dignity.

16) How many people can put others happiness in front of them without personal agenda.

17) Sometime when I try to explain myself, I realized the more I explain the more ridiculous it becomes.

18) I hope to live life simply or live a simple live?

19) We are attending lessons every day but we never learn.

20) It is very difficult to be oneself. I am influenced by people around me. If I am myself, people will say I am anti social.

21) It is sad to know that one's freedom is in the hands of another.

22) What will you do if you know that tomorrow the world is coming to an end?

23) When you are alone, you are true; when you are with another, you try to be true; when you are with more people, you put the truth behind you.

Woes of a Nation - Japan March 2011

As we watched in horror, pictures after pictures, reports after reports on the television filled our eyes and ears with shocked. This time it is Japan. Most of the people living near the sea probably have lost their lives. We saw big sea vessels coming inland carried by the 10m strong water. Yes, it swept everything in its way. How fast again can human react to act of nature?

I did not know what happened as I was in a library deep in my revision for the coming examination. It is a temporary cut off from the real world and woes behold, when I stepped out.

Many years, when I was a kid, Mum used to say that Japan will one day disappeared overnight. After watching reports that Japan is actually sitting along the ridge of live volcanoes undersea, we may have some ground to ponder upon. I was in Japan and had experienced the minor swaying which I was not expecting. However to the Japanese, it is part and parcel of their lives. No one can be more prepared when the earthquake triggered a tsunami.

I was speechless as I watch. Although we are from different country and far from Japan but we are one people...we are Global Citizen. With disasters happening around all our neighbors, words of comfort is no longer necessary. The pained is feeling the pain; the lost is lost forever; the missing is yet to be found and will it be found; the bits will have to be picked up; the road is tough and the tough got to push against the odd...

Life is so fragile..my Guru keeps reminding us. How long will we live? You said 60s, some said 70s and some said 80s. No one wants to die and especially in such unpredictable way when you have wishes and dreams unfulfilled. In actual fact, we live by every breath we take. Once the breath is not coming, we are goners.

I pray for all the people in Japan - may those who are alive live well and in safety, the unfortunate ones, may they rest in peace. Japan at crisis need to be united and strong. Kudos to all those who lend a hand to help Japan, be it its own people, tourists, countries around the world - physically or in prayers too be well and happy. Deepest Condolences to the Japanese people.

I am glad and grateful that my blogging friend Cindy is safely back home in Malaysia. My friend's brother and sister-in-law with their 2 boys were in Tokyo when it happened and they just touched down Singapore with the first flight out of Japan. To my friend Tazuko, whose parents and relatives are in Japan be safe and the son and family of Aunt Lian is safe too.

Japan is plagued with earthquake, tsunami and now the nuclear plants leaked...is going through a difficult time. May we joined together in prayers that these disasters will be over soon and Japanese picked up and be strong.

The World is changing. I feel that the World is cleaning up and slowly will see all these as we draw closer to 2012. 2012 may not see the end of the World but we will see the World in a different light.

My prayer : Ohm Mani Padme Hum

what a terror....

I wonder how many Singaporean are aware that terrorism is actually at home? Are they concerned about their safety? Did you ever think for a minute that your good neighbor , your friend, someone you know..... Think if you walk on the street with someone walking next to you who carries a bomb in his bag and if it explodes than...do you just say 'I am suey lah!'.

With incidents worldwide...the biggest being the World Trade Center 911 incident but again it was so far away from home. We sympathized with the victims and families and that is all. The pain is there but the pain is not ours.

Why do some in Singapore wants to do harm to this little island they call Home? We have to thank Mat Selamat for hitting the nail home. Again how many Mat Selamat are out there waiting for their opportunity to harm US? When it really happened, it is too late to cry or regret. Singaporean are so fortunate, complacent and dependent on the Government. To date our country is superb in their vigilance but there are people out there who are weak at will. They can sell themselves if someone gives them monies.

We all did wonder how did Mat Selamat escaped from such tight security? Although the government warned against housing him but they are against the notion of family. Even with such stringent punishment, can you say you turn your family away in such situation? The family may not be a terrorist but they are human and they have compassion. They know housing this person will put them in trouble and yet they did. Can we blame them? You can't...it is human. If it happens to someone in your family, you will do same...so don't blame.

Not blaming does not mean 'tidak apa'. Not blaming those whose emotions are invested and not see the bigger picture But it surely shows that if Mat Selamat is convicted and sentenced...what will the emotion of his family be? Will they multiply? This is home ground.

Looking at the world around us now...it is surely chaotic. All the unrest in the West, in the East...to the North and to the South. It is people throwing government and they no longer want to be suppressed. It is not only the people, Nature is also wagging wars at human!

Beginning of the Metal Rabbit 2011, the worst hit is Australia. Imagine Brisbane going underwater not to mention people loosing their homes and lives. Now the earthquake that shook New Zealand and left many dead. So it is not where you live, it is when is the time one will die and where. Many of those dead are foreign students.

So up in China, down in Australia/ NewZealand, east in Korea/ Taiwan/ Thailand/ Cambodia and west with Libya being the latest.

As human heart/desire goes from goodness to anger, when the heart feels the perception unfairness, when the heart feels why should I care for others when my happiness is at stake, when the heart feels why must I be suppressed to poverty...it rebels! Feelings are contagious and it can influence. Again there are those that play with the weakness of human beings, brain washing them to sell their life for a cause....are unethical but as long as it serves their purpose.

I can never understand that any religion, if it is a TRUE religion will want to take life or lives for the benefit on one cause. It is a human one is dealing with, it has its own thoughts and believes and can never be forced to do anything. When you scolded someone, if that someone do not retaliate does not mean that someone agrees with your doing. No two persons are the same and how can you force someone into your own mind...for a matter of fact, why don't you turn around and think like me? So you won't and than why should I?

There is justice in this World. When it comes to such a time that people cannot control themselves, Karma will.

LUNAR NEW YEAR GREETINGS....

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR 2011
GREETINGS
TO ALL
MY READERS.....

Bye 2010...Hello 2011

The Year 2010 is coming to an end with just a few more hours to go. It is an eventful year for the World as well as for myself. I count my blessing, and take all the good, bad and ugly with a pinch of salt. Life is not a bed of roses but again it is thankful to be alive and be useful to family and the soceity. Always remember the worst cannot stay worst forever, neither can good time last forever. Live the moment and tomorrow to take care of herself. Always remember to be kind towards people you love, people you have no patient with, people you think is not up to your standard and more. Do not take lives for fun...not killing for one's own hobby.

For 2011, whatever is going happened is already set. Live it as it comes...so HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 to my blog followers as well as those visiting here. My greeting this year will be Banners so painstaking done by GOOGLE... thank you and cheers!