April 18, 2011

Life

"We are visitors on this planet. We are on here for ninety or one hundred years at the most. During that period, we must do something good, something useful  with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, true meaning of life. "
                                                                            His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama

How true that few sentences are! I have this phrase hung in my house, but everyday, we just walk pass it without much thoughts. In the past weekend,  I dwelt on it from differently  and thought how wise the Dalai Lama is.

Last weekend, was a sad and solemn weekend for all of us in the family, because my dear aunty (who had been battling with cancer for the past five years has lost the battle). She passed away after much pain and suffering on Friday morning. I wished it was much easier for her. But anyway, I pray and hope she has a better after-life now. And the living will always have her in memory.

I really reflected a lot on life in the last weekend. Life, people relations, goals, happiness, karma etc. It may be difficult to put them in writing, but I hope to capture some of my thoughts here.

Our lives might not be even ninety or hundred. It is highly likely to be shorter than that, taking into account the mortality rate in the current years. In the conduct of our everyday life, we might encounter some negative thoughts. What should have been done/should not, like/dislike someone or what someone else does, dwelling on your neighbour's rights/wrongs, gossips on friends or relatives etc. If we can use mathematics to put some numbers to all these, you imagine how much of time or effort they take up from our relatively short time on this earth!

We have also come across many different types of people in the course of our life. Their life story can be lessons to us. Every human being choose to live their life differently. It is not our perogative to criticise or to say, what is right or wrong and we should never dwell on them. Rather, we would reflect on our own life and improve ourselves further. How certain things happened ot turned out for these people around us, are due to their own karma, and how they handle things is also due to their own encounter or experience.

What matters, is our ultimate goal in life, and how we can make this life more meaningful  and how we can say, at the end of our life, that we have no regrets for the path we took, for we ourselves are responsible for our own lives.

January 2, 2011

Happy New Year!

Sunday 26/12

My dear ex-schoolmates, Gladys and Li Fung organized a gathering in Singapore last Sunday. We had the gathering a NUS Guild House Cafe, which was really a suitable venue, since they also had a children playroom, which could occupy the children while we chatted. There was a choice of BBQ Buffet or ala-carte. We didn’t have much time to eat though since we were busy catching up.

Some of us have not met each other for close to 20 years, since our secondary school graduation day. Some of us are now mothers, some are career women, some have immigrated half a globe away etc etc.


I would say, it is really a wonderful time, meeting up with old friends, seeing their family and kids, sharing what is latest in our lives, and overall, having a gala time!

What a way to end the year! Happy New Year to all! And may 2011 bring us all happiness and good health! And Peace to the World!





(delayed posting again)

Christmas wish

Saturday (25/12)
 
(Note the dates, due to delayed postings)

Merry Christmas! We don’t actually celebrate Christmas, but we only started off the day, with a hearty breakfast of eggs/otak and bread (the kids’ fave!)

In the afternoon, we visited my aunty who is suffering from cancer. This is her fourth relapse, and we are praying hard, that she can make it this time. The CT scan last week showed a large mestatic growth on her liver, though she was in remission after the operation of the intestine more than half a year ago. So, now, after her 1st chemotheraphy, she is very weak, and have bouts of pain which she can hardly bear. I wish she has more courage to fight the disease and the pain. But I guess, it really takes a lot of will power to do that. There is not much we can do, just be there wherever we can, to spend more time with her. Many of my relatives are cheering her on including my parents, who are there almost everyday. My mum would labouriously cook her favourite food, and I know, my aunty is grateful for that, although she can hardly eat a few mouths due to poor appetite.

So, anyway, Om Mani Padme Om… I really wish it is less painful for her and please take this suffering away from her. Yes, this is my Christmas wish!

And, I think we must all appreciate our lives and be grateful for the healthy and happy life that we have.