ATTENDING AN OFFICIAL FUNCTION

Early this morning I received a call from my principal asking me if I could attend the state level teacher's day celebration in her place.  Since I was in Ipoh and I had nothing much to do in afternoon, I agreed. The celebrations was held at the state secretariat building in Ipoh.
Though it is the school holidays, teachers can be called for duty.  If I am not mistaken, we can be called to be on duty for at least a third of the holidays.  In the first picture, you see the state secretariat building and in the second is one with yours sincerely in front of the majestic building.

CLEANSING OUR AURA

An aura is a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object.  Our auras are like magnets that can pick up energies wherever we go.  They can absorb positive and negative energies depending on ones personal circumstances.  Therefore it is advisable for us to cleanse our auras once in a while to free ourselves of the negative energies.

Standing under a shower

There are a few ways to cleanse our auras.  They are:

1. Taking a salt bath. 
2. Stand under a waterfall or shower
3. Run freely and playfully in the wind
4. Walking in the rain.
5. Positive breathing
6. Regular Meditation
7. Reiki Treatment
8. Floral Baths 

SOURSOP TO BOOST FERTILITY

The article above is about a drink made from the soursop fruit (annona muricata) having the medicinal properties to give fertility a boost.  Well, for childless couples who have tried all sorts of ways but still have come to naught, why not give this a try. According to the article above, the couple needs to drink the concoction every day.

The ingredients needed are:
The Soursop (durian belanda)
The dried bark of the soursop

Method

1. The bark of the soursop is cut into square shapes and boiled to soften them
2. When the bark is softened, add the flesh of the soursop.
3. Blend the bark and the soursop flesh.
4. Strain the mixture and add sugar to taste. 
5. If possible do not add ice.

Besides giving a boost to fertility, the soursop drink is believed to help treat heatiness in the body and is also said to help prevent cancer.  

So, to those who want to hear the patter of little feet, why not give this soursop drink a try?

HOLY WATER FROM THE DEITIES

I only realised today that underneath the altar of the deities at the Tong Wah Tong temple is a source of water.  The water is seen dripping from the altar on to a well like structure at the bottom.  

he altar into the catchment area and is believed to be holy water from the deities. 

The miraculous thing is that the water is not from a tap or a pipe.  It flows from the altar into the catchment area and is believed to be holy water from the deities. 

The holy water that is collected is placed in a mineral pot.  The worshippers who visit the temple are welcome to drink it for free.

I drank two glasses of the holy water and brought a bottle back for my mum and aunt.

BUYING EGGS THAT ARE ON SALE

Normally Grade C eggs are sold at RM8.90 for 30 which works out to about 30 sen each.  However, I bought this carton of eggs for RM6.49 at a hypermarket this weekend.  It was a one day special offer for eggs.  When I was there, I saw people buying at least 3 cartons of eggs.  Well, we need to be extra thrifty in such times where the prices of foodstuff keep soaring but our salaries rise at snail pace.  That is why we have to keep an eye on the adverts and buy the food that are on sale to stretch our money.

THE TRUTH ABOUT ONIONS AS DISEASE FIGHTER

There is this belief that sliced onions in a sick room absorb all the germs and prevent contagion.  How true is it?  

Onions Prevent Influenza Infection-Unproven!

Summary of the eRumor:  This is a forwarded email about onions.   It says that during a 1919 influenza scare farmers would cut onions and place them on plates to  ward off infection.   It also warns about leftover onions and how they can be poisonous to dogs.

The Truth:  There is no medical evidence that onions attracts viruses.  Onions have been mythically thought to ward off diseases since the days of the bubonic plague in the middle ages.   The Vetinfo.com web site does warn that onions are unsafe for dogs and included the tasty vegetable on their list of toxins for dogs. Left over onions, alone, may not be toxic but can easily pick up contamination from preparation utensils.   FoodHygieneTraining.com, a website in the United Kingdom offering expert food safety tips, suggests using different cutting boards when preparing meals and vegetables, to prevent cross-contamination.    The web site also warns that bacteria, viruses and parasites can grow in a matter of 20 minutes on a cutting board that was used for uncooked meat if not cleaned properly. It is not difficult for onions and other vegetables to pick up  such microorganism that are invisible to the naked eye.  Natural enzymes in vegetables may even inhibit growth. If stored improperly, onions can eventually go bad.  The National Onion Association posted suggestions on their web site regarding the storage of unprepared onions recommending that be stored in a cool dry place where air can be allowed to circulate.  Depending on the type, onions can be last in storage between 30 to 180 days.  They also said that "Chopped or sliced onions can be stored in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to 7 days."  Source: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/o/onions-flu.htm

DOING A TASK FOR MY SIFU

When I went to my sifu's temple this afternoon, I told him that I was going to the hill temple for prayers.  Sifu Lai asked me to help him bring 4 packets of joss-sticks, 2 packets of incense powder and one 5kg bottle of oil up to the temple as offerings to the deities there.
My mum and aunt who were to remain at the sifu's temple were rather worried when they saw the prayer paraphernalia that I had to bring up.  I was also bringing with me two lotus candles and a small box of incense at the same time.
Surprisingly, I was able to carry out the task given by my sifu but I had to stop to rest every few steps as I approached the top.  Then I had to light the joss-sticks on my sifu's behalf and also pour the oil into the oil lamps as well.
Actually, what I did was small in comparison.  Some devotees carried a large statue of the Buddha up the hill and some carried up a refrigerator.

HOW I LOOK AFTER THE PUNCTURED TYRE EPISODE

 When I finished getting my tyre changed, I went home to rest a bit as I was tired from going around getting the spare tyre changed before sending the car to the tyre clinic.
I lay on the sofa to rest my weary body and took out my camera to capture how tired and worn out I looked from all the energy sapping activity of the morning.

Unfortunately, to my dismay the pictures I took of me did not portray any sign of how worn-out and tired I was.  Actually, I looked very fresh and cute too (Ahem! Ahem!).

OH NO! MY TYRE IS PUNCTURED AGAIN

 When I reached the market this morning, a passer-by told me that the back tyre of my car was punctured. At first I thought I could go to the motorcycle shop and get help from the man there to help me change the tyre.  I walked to two different shops but could not get anyone to help me.  I was informed that it was Sunday and the shops were not open.  I tried to take out the jack from underneath the passenger seat in front but was unsuccessful.  One elderly gentleman tried to help me take out the jack but he too was unsuccessful.  I tried calling my uncle but he did not pick up the phone.  I later found out that he had gone hill climbing.
Luckily, the vendor whom I always buy things from volunteered to help me.  I slowly drove my car to his stall and he helped me to change the tyre.  Of course, I also helped by jacking up the car and carrying the spare tyre.  After all the man who helped me was also elderly.  It took us about 20 minutes to change the spare tyre and the uncle told me to send the car to the tyre shop pronto.  He refused any payment from me, saying that he could do whatever he could help.  Nice man.
I discovered the puncture at 8.45 a.m. and only got the spare tyre changed at 10.00 a.m.  It was rather tiring walking around the place looking for people to help change the tyre.  I took another 15 minutes trying to remove the jack and another 20 minutes helping to change the tyre.

 Here I am at the tyre shop.  Thank goodness it is open on Sunday.  The man at the shop said that I had been driving with the punctured tyre for some time and the tyre was useless.  The tyre rim was also bent.

 My mum and aunt at the tyre shop.  It is because of my punctured tyre that my Autn Linda missed her Sunday church service.  So sorry Jesus Christ for not being able to send my aunt to church today.

The tyre man checking the other tyres of my car for nails.  The punctured tyre had one big nail lodged on it.  He said that most probably the air was released slowly after it lodged itself on the tyre.  There were a lot of renovation work on houses near my house in Ipoh.
 Hmm ... I had to buy a new tyre and also get the rim of the tyre repaired.  It costs me RM220 in total.  My mum and aunt said in unison, "Por Choy Tong Choy" which means "Losing money helps to prevent calamity or bad luck".

BUYING PLANTS FOR HERB GARDEN

 When my friends ask me to suggest a treatment for them for wind and other common ailments, I would suggest using herbal plants as cures.  For herbal plants, I'd suggest boiling the leaves from edible fruit trees, citrus plants and zinzibers (ginger family) to be boiled for the medicinal baths.  To uplift the spirit, I'd suggest the citrus fruits like lemons, limes, kaffir limes and also leaves from these plants.
I'd also go and source for plants for the school herb garden at the Farmer's Market during the weekends to add to the garden.
In the above pictures, I am pictured with one of my regular florists, Khairi @ Harry.  I get a lot of plants with him.  Yesterday morning, I bought a lemon plant and a Kayu Manis plant from him.  I also ordered from him a Vanilla plant.  He'd be bringing it for me next week.

When I was at the Farmer's Market, I met my student Fakhrurazzi and his family.  They operate a stall selling herbal medicine there.  In the above picture, you can see me with Fakhrurazzi and his two sisters.

WHITE CATS WITH BLUE EYES

It is said that 85% of white cats with blue eyes are deaf.  This is attributed to a genetic disorder.  The two cats above are mother and son. Like his mother, baby cat is white and has blue eyes.  However, they are not pure white as their tails have colours.  In many cultures, white cats are a sign of good luck unlike the black cat.

FOSTER MOTHER

 Here are four kittens who were born in my school to two different female cats.  One of the mummy cats was the Calico Cat, the one with three colours.  Unfortunately, I was told by the security guards in my school that the Calico cat had been missing for a few weeks already.  They suspect that she was stolen.

This is the other female cat in my school.  She gave birth to one white kitten with blue eyes just like her.  Since the Calico cat went missing, she has been nursing the other three kittens.

RITUAL TO MAKE A SICKLY CHILD HEALTHY

 After the ritual of 'buying' Nana from her daddy, I again underwent the same ritual after school.  This time Haji Hasnin 'gave' his youngest daughter Nabilah to me.  The girl's health is not too good and it was I who suggested that her parents 'sell' her to me.
In the above picture, you see me giving Haji Hasnin the symbolic 20 sen to 'buy' the girl from him. It is believed that after performing this ceremony the child will become healthier and their temperament will become better.  In short, it will be easier for the real parents to raise their daughter.

 After that I gave a present to my new daughter.  Wow!  In one day, I got two new daughters.  Now, I have one godson, Amir and two god-daughters, Nana and Nabilah.

A part of the ritual mentioned above includes the parents of the child giving pulut kuning or yellow glutinuous rice to the new parent.
For the Chinese, the parents of a sickly child will look for godparents for him or her.  They can also 'give' their children to the Deities for 'adoption'.

SYMBOLIC GESTURE OF 'GIVING' DAUGHTER TO AUNTIE LI NA

The Malays believe that when a child is sickly, the parents of the child would go through a ceremony to 'give' their child to someone else.  It would be preferable if the person is much older than the parents and of another race and religion.  Sometimes, they would even choose people who are very poor to 'give' or 'sell' the child to.  However, this is only symbolic.  In this way, it is believed that the child grow up healthy.
My colleague, Idzarif's daughter, Nana has been in and out of hospital since she was small and my friends and I suggested that he 'sell' the little girl to Auntie Li Na in the hope that she will have a change of fate and become healthy.
This afternoon, he brought Nana over to carry out the ceremony to 'give' his little daughter to me.  I paid him 20 sen as a symbolic gesture of 'buying' the girl from him.  After that Nana's daddy brought her back to the babysitter.  Hopefully, the ritual works and Nana grows up to be strong and healthy.

BLESSED FLORAL WATER FOR MANDI BUNGA

 One of my friends has not been in good health for some time.  A few of the Traditional Practitioners that he had visited told him that the reason for his bad health was to do influences by something "dirty" or unholy.
In the above picture, you see the religious teacher in my school reading some holy verses to bless some water with flowers, limes and leaves in a clean pail.  We would give the pail of water to our colleague to Mandi Bunga or have a Floral Bath with the hope that he would be cleansed of any evil or bad energies.  The Floral Water when added with blessings of holy verses for any religion is more potent and powerful.

LOOKALIKES

Have you ever heard people say that there are  7 people who lookalike living some where around the world. and they may not be our relative.  I also read somewhere that it has to do with genetics.  Do you know anyone who looks like me?

In the above pictures are South Korean Hallyu Stars, Bae Yong Joon and Kim Hyun Joon.  Many people have noticed that Kim is a younger version of Bae.  

GIRLS WOOING BOYS INSTEAD

The bear I am holding is a present from one of the girl students in my school to one of the male students.  I found the bear staring out of a paper back on the library table yesterday afternoon.  It seems that the girl passed her present to one of my librarians to pass it to a boy sharing a dormitory with him.
Hmm... these days, is it the trend for the girls to give presents to woo the boys and not the other way round?

PAPER DRAGON

The beautiful white dragon above is actually an intricately crafted 3D sculpture.  Amazing, isn't it?  The artist, Jeff Nishinaka, used very simple tools such as tweezers, a mechanical pencil, toothpicks, art knives, cutting mats, French curves and triangles and a small round wooden dowel to curve the edges of the works.  
Hmm... wouldn't it be nice to have such a sculpture to decorate for Chinese New Year next year which happens to be the year of the Dragon.  The Chinese consider this year especially auspicious.

THEFT PREVENTION DEVICE

My mother bought a cover for her water meter which is outside the house.  She told me that quite a number of neighbour's had some parts in the meter stolen and so they advised her to buy the metallic cover from the hardware shop as an anti-theft device.

Hmm ... the year of the Rabbit is really living up to the prediction of being a year that has a lot of burglaries, thefts and robberies since the Number 7 Star is the one which is in the centre.  You can say that it is sort of the Taiko or Big Brother for the year.