EXTENDING A HELPING HAND

I got to view an exhibition of some very interesting paintings done by children with disabilities. The visitors were asked to judge the work of the children by the the organisers who happen to be from JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency).

The two pretty young Japanese girls who are JICA volunteers spoke to me in the Malay language and they told me that it was one of the activities of their agency to contribute to promote social participation for persons with disabilities. Now this is doing something worthwhile that youths should be involved in.

MADE IN MALAYSIA

Last Friday, my mum and I visited the exhibition booths promoting Malaysian handicrafts at Kinta City. Both of us spent some time visiting all the booths to admire all the fine craft produced in our country. Here I would like to share some of the pictures I took there.

Labu Sayong or Gourds crafted from clay from Sayong

Bead jewellery

Finely crafted jewellery

Me in front of the batik booth

More earthernware pieces

A flower crafted from newspaper

My mum looking at some bracelets

Batik shirts for men

Demonstration on how to weave baskets

Embroidery piece

Baskets crafted from newspapers

Beadwork from Sabah

These miniature labu or gourd are sold at RM7.00 for 3. Very cheap, eh?

WHAT TEA TO DRINK

I am a tea person. Each day I drink cups and cups of tea. My favourite is green tea. Actually I have been drinking tea even before I found out that it has so much benefits. For your information, I don't drink coffee. When I was a little girl, I did try drinking it but afterwards I found that I has insomnia. Furthermore, I don't like the taste. As I said before I am a tea person. Want to try tea but am not sure which one will suit you? Well, read the information below that I got via email. It might help.

1. People who use their 'brain' to work or students who study hard day
   and night.
   --- Should drink more Chrysanthemum Tea.


2. People who need a lot of body energy to work or those people who
   exercise a lot everyday.
   --- Should drink Wu Loong Tea.


3. People who travel on a bike or work in dirty and polluted places.
   --- Should drink Green Tea.


4. For people who like to sit down all day long and not do anything,
   even exercising
   --- Must drink Green Tea and Flower Tea.


5. People who smoke and drink a lot of alcoholic drinks.
   --- Should drink more Green Tea.


6. Carnivore ( i.e. people who must eat meat at least once a day, or
   feel sickly)
   --- Try to drink some Wu Loong Tea.


7. People who go to the washroom too often or not often enough.
   --- Should drink more Honey Tea


8. People with high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
   --- Wu Loong Tea, Green Tea.


9. Those who work with computers everyday.
   --- Need to drink a Lot of Tea (any tea will do).

• Whenever you are working with the computer, you should make some tea, drink it when you are free.


• Drinking Tea is healthy, it can protect and prevent the harmful Ultraviolet light from harming us (when using computer).


• Furthermore, it can also relieve us when we are tired and help make our bodies feel fresh again.

LOVE APPLE

The tomatoes above were shaped by nature and not as a result of intervention by Japanese farmers who put the fruits into framed containers. Do you know that tomatoes are also known as love apples or Pomme D'Amour?

'LEAVING THE GARDEN' RITUAL

I have actually heard of this ritual before many years ago. If my memory does not fail me, I came to know about it because one of my young relatives became very ill and was advised to go through this ritual after the mother consulted a medium. Miraculously, after the ceremony was carried out the girl recovered.
Yesterday, I read in the Star Newspaper that one such ritual was carried out by the Teochew Eight Districts Association in Johor Bahru. This is actually the third time the Chu Hua Yuan ritual meaning “leaving the garden” was held by the association. 17 boys and girls aged 15 took part in the ritual. According to Chinese calculation 15 is the age of attaining puberty and these 17 were said to begin a new phase of their life.

"The Association president Dr Tang Hai Chiang said that according to tradition, a child was recognised as an adult after the ceremony.
He explained that the clan believed the child lived in a “garden” from the day of birth and was taken care of by an elderly couple, referred to as Kong Pho, meaning grandfather and grandmother.
He said the ritual, usually held on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, was conducted for the child to pay homage to the couple and thank them for the protection and care they had given during the past 15 years.
Dr Tang also said the custom signified a new role for families – the children would start to take part in discussions and decision-making while parents are reminded not to treat their young as children any more.
Met at the ceremony held yesterday at the association’s building in Stulang Laut, Dr Tang said the participants had to mandi bunga to cleanse themselves before the ceremony and put on new clothing and a pair of red clogs.
“They also have to offer a variety of Teochew traditional food to the old couple,” he said, adding that they had to bite a chicken’s head symbolising that leadership qualities would be endowed on them."
Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/8/24/nation/4576356&sec=nation

IXORA: JUNGLE FLAME

I don't think one needs to really think hard to know why the Ixora coccinea is known as Jungle Flame. It is rather obvious, isn't it? For your information, Ixora is derived from the name of a Hindu deity and is commonly used in Hindu worship. It is also known as Flame of the Woods and Jungle Geranium.

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES AND USES

• The parts used are the flowers, leaves and bark.
• The roots are astringent, acrid, sedative, stomachic and antiseptic. They are useful in fever, anorexia, diarrhoea, dysentery, sores, chronic ulcers and skin diseases.
• The leaves are used in diarrhoea.
• The flowers are astringent, bitter sweet, carminative, digestive and constipating and can be used in dysentery, catarrhal bronchitis, sores and ulcers
• It is also said to have anti-cancer properties.

References

http://www.da-academy.org/medplants.html

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ixora.htm
http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/flrarch/flrsep02.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixora

COMMUNICATION TOOL BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

I read in a blog on Chinese deities that some Chinese have the misconception that incense and joss-sticks are actually the "Food" for Deities or Spiritual Beings. Well, this is not true. In Taoism, incenses is a form of Media that is used to transmit one's Message to the different Levels of Heavens or Deities/Spiritual Beings. Just like the the cellular phones and house phones, burning incense will help to connect Heaven and Earth. In Taoism, when a Taoist is offering incense to the deities, he/she will need to recite a "Offering Incense Mantra/Incantation" (祝香神咒/上香咒).
By doing so, the Message will be transmitted through the smoke of the burning incense to Heaven where the Deities reside.

Reference: http://javewu.multiply.com/journal

GOOD IDEA

Getting a good grip on the glass
For those who like to sleep this way

Pillows that look like rocks

Book shelf cum reading chair

Toothbrush holder

Faster way to pour water

Page holder

Cute pot holders

No need to ask for a measuring tape

Children diving into the rock shaped cushions

Couple umbrella

Shoes and slippers at the bottom stair drawer

Source: discover.163.com

MR BEAN'S FAMILY

Rowan Atkinson and his wife

Everybody knows and loves Mr Bean. He seems such a funny and quirky character, right? Well, here are pictures of Rowan Atkinson's (the guy who plays Bean) real family; his beautiful wife, his son and daughter. Don't your agree that the daughter looks like the missus? He also has a son (picture unavailable). Wonder if he looks like Mr Bean?

HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVALOF THE SEVENTH LUNAR MONTH

The Hungry Ghost Festival is also known as the Zhong Yuan (中元) Festival.
Since ancient times, the Chinese believe that the gates of hell are open between the 1st and 30th day of the Chinese lunar 7th month. During this period hungry ghosts are allowed to wander on earth to look for food.
There is a popular Buddhist legend on this festival about a Buddhist priest by the name of Mu Lian. He was very concerned for his bereaved mum who was apparently not a very good person when she was alive.
He remembered Sakyamuni Buddha teachings that when the wisdom eye is opened, one can see anything. Tapping on this teaching and his own power, he looked everywhere for his mother. Finally he found his mother - in hell.
He was saddened. His mother was competing with the other ghosts for food and looking miserable. Seeing that, he sent food (by making offerings) to his mother but to his dismay, the food turned into burning coal and burnt his mother’s mouth.
He went to his teacher for advice. His teacher told him to make offerings (plenty of it) on the 15th Day of the 7th lunar month. Strangely it worked and his mother was fed.
From that day onwards, people made offerings to the ghosts in the form of prayers, food and paper money.
In Malaysia, pieces of gold and silver colored paper are rolled into tubes and folded in both ends to make them look like silver and gold ingots. The Chinese believe that by doing so, they would receive blessings from the gods and spirits (somehow feeding the ghost became secondary to money).
During this period, the ghosts (and human beings) are also entertained with public performance of Chinese operas on makeshift stages erected in open spaces.
This is however changing as Chinese operas troupes are dwindling and harder to come by. Replacing them are performances by Chinese pop artists.
In addition to the offerings and performances, dinners and auctions are also held raise fund for temples and other charitable organizations.
What has this got to do with Feng Shui? The Chinese believe the 7th month is a dangerous month with so many ghosts wandering the streets. It is a taboo to move house or get married during this period. This is the connection to Feng Shui!
Not everybody however subscribe to this taboo. In my practice, I normally ask my clients if they adhere to his belief. If they do, I would select a ‘move’ date outside of the lunar 7th month. It so happens that the 8th month is highly auspicious.
The Chinese have other taboos about the 7th lunar month. It is a month of excessive yin and therefore one should not wear black coloured clothing to avoid absorbing negative energy into the body.
Also it is not a good time to attend funerals, visit the sick or attend any ‘yin’ celebration. It is a good time to do some charity work and take vegetarian meals on the 1st and 15th day. And do not stay out late.
Many people claim that there are more disasters and accidents during the 7th month. They also claim that more people fall sick during this period. I have not done any research on this but it is something worth looking into.
In some years, in addition to the 7th month there is another 7th leap month. Does this means that the ghost are out for 60 days instead of 30. The answer is no. The leap month is not considered!
Are you grateful that the ghosts are out for 30 days only instead of 60?

Source of article: http://www.absolutelyfengshui.com/others/hungry-ghost-festival.php

Picture Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ancestor_worship003.JPG

Creating Wealth Chi

Energizing your home with wealth symbols

by Kathryn Weber

Our homes, like our dreams, speak in symbols. The art, the symbols, shapes, and colors we surround ourselves with at home tells a story of our lives. Mine speaks to a love of travel and does so in the artwork that I’ve collected from around the world. It's important that we place objects and items in our house that inspire and motivate us.

We need items that make us feel good and help us move forward in life and lift up our energy. Clutter has way of pressing down that energy. When we fill our homes with excess stuff we have to ask ourselves what is it we are avoiding. Open space can be intimidating and clutter fills space.

Keeping excess stuff, especially collections, puts distance between us and our feelings or keeps us from intimate relationships because things can quickly and rapidly take the place of people -- and even keep us from ourselves. In the process of removing the excess stuff in your life, you don’t just find space, you’ll find yourself.

It's good feng shui to use auspicious symbols and enhancers around your home or office. This is a great way to lift the energy of your home and your life. But you must have the space for it first. If you place a beautiful symbol in your home in the midst of clutter and excess, you will miss the effect and the ability of the symbol to work its magic for you.

As I write this, I am sitting on the balcony of my home. What strikes me is that the garden beyond my balcony is a mix of open spaces and gardens, with broad lawns and curving gardens that allow energy to gather and flow. The waterfall flows and water gurgles in the pool. It’s because of the open, neat, and restrained landscape that the cascading water of the pool becomes more prominent. When you clear the excess from your home, any symbols and beautiful elements you place there will become not only more noticeable but more potent in your life.

Add symbols for wealth and prosperity around your home and garden. When your whole space is energized, it becomes magnetic to wealth.

Use these 6 ideas for adding wealth chi to your home.

1. Add a water source. Water is vital for attracting and stimulating wealth. Many homes lack fountains, ponds and pools. The sounds and views of water flowing around your home brings vital prosperity chi to your home. Even a simple urn with a pump can bring beautiful, positive "sheng chi" -- the kind of chi that attracts prosperity to a home. Add water to the southwest, east, north, and southeast to tap the best energy!
2. Look for symbols to add to your entrance. The front door is your home's cash register drawer. Every time you open your front door, you can hear the "ka ching!" Enhancing the front door brings powerful, prosperity-enhancing energy to your entire home. My own front door has a mat that evokes the mystic knot -- a symbol of enduring love, wealth and abundant opportunities. This simple mat was bought at Lowe's for $10 -- but the opportunities it's brought have been worth much, much more! Excellent prosperity symbols include the mystic knot, vases, double happiness symbols, wealth Buddhas, and prosperity kitties, called Neko cats.
3. Use Chinese coins. These are the round coins with the square hole in the middle and Chinese script on one side. Place these coins in your business or money files, tape them to a phone and carry them in your purse or wallet. Place an auspicious number of coins under your mattress to stimulate wealth and let you sleep on top of wealth energy! Use your imagination to use these, just make sure you put the Chinese script side up...not the underside... and tie them with red ribbon to "activate" them.
4. Place water symbols prominently. You've heard me say it over and over: water equals wealth. Place pictures of water, ships, and fish in important areas. Avoid placing any water elements in bedrooms, though. Pictures of sailing ships at the entrance to your office or home (with the ships appearing to sail into the room) are especially good harbingers of good career and money news! Aquariums are also wonderful, powerful wealth activators, but the water must remain clear and the fish healthy.
5. Display wealth frogs. Wealth frogs are powerful representatives of money because their very shape is the shape of a coin purse! Homes that are on plots of land that are smaller at the front and larger at the rear are said to resemble a bag of money. Wealth frogs should always be placed facing a door and diagonal to it. Place the frogs on the floor or a low table.
6. Tap the phoenix. The phoenix bird brings wonderful opportunities as it is the "God of the Four Winds." The phoenix will magnify your potential for success and draw others to you who can see your magnificence -- and that attracts prosperity. Place the phoenix or other beautiful bird (rooster, peacock) on the south corner of your desk or in your office or living room, or place a small boulder out in front of your house to resemble a footstool -- this taps the phoenix celestial guardian of your home and raises your good name and brings more opportunities to you.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in classical Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui. For more information and to receive her FREE Ebook "Easy Money - 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui" visit http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=Kx9qC&m=1d0ezJbwsYH6wf&b=a2cO4LlIDEaGYRZZ9W7jwQ and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!

HERBAL REMEDIES AGAINST INFLUENZA A

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Neem (Azadurachta indica)

The Indians believe that herbal plants like holy basil (Tulsi or kemangi) and neem are nature's way of disinfecting homes and helping to fight infection. Here is information I got from an article in the Sunday Star newspaper.

What to do:

1. Occupants of the house should hang two bunches of Neem leaves at the main doorway of the house.
2. Neem leaves have extraordinary properties and the leaves at the doorway act as a protective shield. They should be replaced with fresh ones once they are dried.
3. A person who is sick should place the leaves on the bed and around the bedside and it will help the individual to recover swiftly.
4. Neem bark, leaves, flowers, seed and fruit pulp are used to treat a wide range of diseases because they have powerful healing benefits.
5. Occupants should wash their house entrance every morning with water mixed with saffron and Neem leaves because both have cleansing and anti-bacterial qualities.
6. The basil plant, which can also help purify the atmosphere, should be grown or placed in a pot in the front and back of the house. It is a unique plant and it is known as an excellent green for absorbing negative energy that flows into a property.
7. Basil is widely used in Ayurvedic treatments for fever, cold, coughs, sore throat, respiratory disorders and many other health issues.
8. In the case of fever, the leaves should be boiled with powdered cardamom in water and mixed with sugar and milk. This will bring down temperature.
9. Drinking the juice extracted from basil leaves can also bring down fever.
10. Chewing on the leaves relieves cold and flu symptoms.
11. To ease a sore throat, drink water boiled with basil leaves or use the water to gargle
12. Basil leaves work well to relieve headaches when the leaves are pounded and mixed with sandalwood paste and applied on the forehead.

To read more, please visit: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/8/23/lifeliving/4558138&sec=lifeliving

PINK GUAVAS

I was at the Pink Guava Plantation in Sungai Wangi yesterday to present a plaque to the management. A couple of months ago I brought my librarians to visit the plantation so that they could learn about the fruit. Unfortunately I did not bring along a momento from the school but I told the executive there that I would be bringing it at a later date.

As quite a number of things cropped up after the visit I was unable to keep my word immediately. It actually bothered me quite a bit and was always at the back of my mind. So I made up my mind to go during the school holidays to get the errand done. Yesterday, I honoured my word by presenting the school plaque to a representative of the company.

Here I would like to share some information about the health benefits of this fruit with you.

Health Benefits of Guavas & Guava Leaves
NutrientsGuavas are an excellent source of Vitamin C. They are a very good source of Vitamin A.

Antioxidants

The pulp and the peel of the guava are a remarkable source of natural antioxidants and AODF (antioxidant dietary fiber). The antioxidant properties of the skin are ten times higher than that of the pulp. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant known for its protective action against prostate cancer, and is found in guavas. In addition to lycopene, guavas are also an excellent source of beta-carotene and vitamin C.

Guava leaf extracts have also been shown to contain high levels of antioxidants, and has been found to enhance male fertility in a study in rats.

Anti Inflammatory

Preliminary studies on the anti inflammatory properties of guava leaf extract have indicated that the extract is involved with the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 (inflammatory agents). It is speculated that the numerous chemical compounds present in the plant are responsible for the anti inflammatory effects of the leaf extract.

Acne

Research has shown that guava leaf extract is beneficial in treating acne.

Diarrhea

Essential oil guava leaf extracts have been tested and shown to inhibit the diarrhea causing bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli, and that the use of guava leaf extracts can be a feasible treatment in diarrhea cases where access to commercial antibiotics is restricted.

Teeth

Guaijaverin, a flavanoid compound present in guavas inhibits the growth of Streptococcus mutans, which is considered to be a pathogen for dental caries.

Diabetes

Preliminary studies suggest that guava leaf extract possesses anti diabetic properties.

Source: http://www.elements4health.com/guavas.html