Nucha's Small World Articles

EDSA Day: The People Revolution of the Philippines

2010-02-25T13:18:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 25 February 2002)

Once Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino, the exiled opposition figure,
arrived at Manila International Airport in 1983, He was
murdered even before his feet touched the Philippine ground.

Before the return, his family and friends tried to ask
him not to come back but he insisted to. They told him his
life was in danger. Ninoy said "The Filipino is worth dying
for". This word of his, nowadays, appeared on all Philippine
Peso banknotes. He became the country's second hero after
his death. (The first hero was Dr. Jose Rizal whose
execution by the Spanish regime raise the independent fight
all over the Philippines more than a hundred years ago).

Aquino's murder precipitated a loss of confidence in the
business community. Capital left the country in the rate of
US$12 million a day. The country went bankrupt, and that,
actually, was the start of the EDSA's riot in 1986.

The matter went hot and hotter when Corazon Aquino, the
widow of Ninoy Aquino's, candidated for the Presidential
election in 1985 and was robbed of her winning by President
Ferdinand Marcos's administration. Moreover, General Ver,
one of Marcos's people, was acquitted of complicity in the
Aquino assassination. Of course, Marcos was suspected to be
behind all these.

The Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Jaime Sin, declared on
February 8, 1986 that the election was fraud. Computer
workers of COMELEC (the Commission on Elections), noticed
the discrepancies between the numbers they had in the
computers and the official announcements, also stood up with
the church and Corazon Aquino to tell the people the truth.

Despite of the government's controls over media, the people
learned the truth and asked Marcos to step down. Marcos
reimposed the martial laws (which was actually being used
almost all the two decades of his presidency) and planned to
arrest Mrs. Aquino and other 10,000 members of the
opposition.

On February 22, Defense Secretary and his Vice Chief of
Staff decided to turn their back to Marcos and join the
rebel.

The main traffic artery in Manila is a wide boulevard named
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA for short). And that's
where the people gathered chanting "Cory, Cory, Cory!" (for
Corazon Aquino). Cardinal Sin gave his words of support and
after a while ministers and nuns started their fast to
protest.

The nuns and the people also lined themselves to protect
the rebels when Marcos sent tanks and gunmen. When
helicopter pilots, who were supposed to shoot into the
crowd, saw how strong the people were this time, they
surrendered the gunships to the rebels.

On February 24, the U.S. Ambassador said Marcos should leave
the country. President Reagan said he and his family will be
allowed to stay in the U.S. (wonder why?). And Nancy Reagan
told Emelda Marcos (the First Lady) that there's no hope.
Then, almost the entire armed forces had peacefully deserted
Marcos by the 25th.

Marcos and the family left Malacanyang Presidential Palace
that night and they left for Guam and Hawaii the next
morning.

For more insight on the last day of Marcos in the
Philippines, go to http://stuartxchange.com/DayFour.html
This is so dramatic that I almost felt sorry for them.

Hail to the people of the Philippines.

More:

I hope all the revolution could be like EDSA's people power.
The Philippines had two of this in its modern history (one
for Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and the other for Joseph
Estrada in 2001), and no-one died in the rallies.

Today, Manila International Airport has got its new name...
"Ninoy Aquino International Airport" for remembrance of
their national hero, who has shown his love for the country
and its people unconditionally.

In Thailand, where I was born, they said, "When a buffalo,
bull, or elephant dies, there'll still be horns or tasks
as evidences for its once-being. When a human die, there is
nothing, except for what the person has accomplished in his
life -- good or evil -- remaining in this world." (Oh...
there is no bone either. Thais cremate their bodies when we
die.)

Had the gunmen in Tien Un Mehn square (and several other
places in the world) had this kind of consciousness -- know
what's right or wrong, innocent people would not have lost
their lives like falling leaves.

Oh there were "Nigerian scams" claimed to be letters from
Loi Estrada, Joseph Estrada's wife, too. Please do not trust
these people. Loi Estrada is fine in the Philippines. While
her husband's popularity went down the ravine, Loi is fine.
She was even elected a senator (after the impeachment
incident... believe it or not... She must be dreaming of
being another Hilary.)

An Eyewitness History People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986

Chinese New Year

2010-01-28T11:26:00.001+08:00

Previous Chinese New Year Articles published in Small World Ezine:

	27 January 2003
	13 January 2004
	Hong Kong's New Year

Happy Chineae New Year 2003

Long time ago, there was a monster called Nian. It was born
to be very ugly and ferocious. On the first and the 15th of
each lunar month, the monster would come down from the
mountains to hunt people. People were very afraid of it and
locked themselves inside the houses early before sunset on
the days of its coming.

There lived an old wise man in a village. He thought it was
the panic in people that made the monster so bold and
furious. Thus the old man asked people to organize together
and to conquer the monster by means of beating drums and
gongs, burning bamboo, and lighting fireworks in purpose of
making large noises to threaten the hateful monster.

At a moonless and freezing cold night, the monster, Nian,
appeared again. The moment it opened its mouth at people,
burst out the frightening noises and fire made by villagers.
Wherever the monster went, it was faced with the terrible
noises.

The monster was forced around until it fell down with
exhaustion and was then killed. Savage as the monster was,
he lost in the end by the cooperation of the villagers.

Since then, people have kept the tradition by beating drums
and gongs, and lighting fireworks at the coldest day in
winter to drive the imagined monsters away and to celebrate
the victory over it. They also wear red clothes to scare the
monster.

Today, Nian refers to the New Year's day or the Spring
Festival. People often say Guo Nian, which means 'live the
festival.' Red becomes the color of joy.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, people usually have a
vegetarian diet, fearing that killing anything on the first
day of the New Year will bring bad luck. Good food will be
served on the next days.

Other than family get together and the parades of food, New
Year is also a good time for people to visit their friends
and relatives. People greet one another a happy New Year and
use auspicious words like 'Kung Hei Fat Choy' (wishing you
all the wealth in the coming year).

It is also traditional that children pay their respects to
the older generation at home by greeting them a happy and
healthy New Year first thing in the morning on the New Year
Day. Then the family will call and visits their relatives,
friends and business contacts, bringing them New Year
greetings and gifts.

Kids and employees got lots of "red envelopes" with money
inside :-)

It is yet another custom for the people to stay home on the
third day of the New Year festival, based on a superstitious
belief that it is a bad day to visit friends and relatives,
if one do so, there will only be quarrels and disagreements.
Therefore, people choose to go to the temple and make
offerings to the God instead, or simply conduct other ritual
ceremonies.

Other than the tradition mentioned above, there are also an
interesting list of superstitious believes during this
festival.

For instance, all debts must be paid by New Year Day and
nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so
will be lending all the year. Everyone should refrain from
using foul language, bad and unlucky words, negative terms
and the word 'four' ("si" in Chinese), which sounds like the
word for death, are not to be uttered at all.

Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are
taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as
everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new
beginning.

It is also believed that if you cry on New Year's day, you
will have a sorrowful coming year which will make you cry a
lot. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not punished
even when they are mischievous. I remember when I was a kid,
it's the most joyful time of the year for all my Chinese
friends as they could be as naughty as they wanted.

On New Year's Day, one is also not supposed to wash his hair
or clean the house, for fear that good luck will be washed
and swept away. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve,
every door in the house, including windows, must be opened
to allow the old year to go out.

This year's Chinese New Year starts on the first of
February. It is going to be the year of the Goat (or Ram or
Sheep). And this is the 4700th year of the Chinese calendar.

Kong Hei Fat Choi everyone :-)

-----------------------------------------------------

Happy New Year 2004

What is the largest ethnic group in the world? What language
is the most spoken? And which country has the largest
population?

Chinese, Chinese, China...

Chinese New Year 2004 starts on January 22, and the
celebration takes the whole week... actually fifteen days...
It ends with the Lantern Festival.

Traditionally, the New Year starts with the New Moon on the
first day of the lunar New Year and ends on the full moon 15
days later. So it falls on a different date every year.

Most of the time it's about eating good food, talking about
good things, and seeing relatives. If you know a Chinese
who owes you something, this is the best time to go ask for
it. They have to get rid of all debt to start the New Year
clean ;-)

The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the
gods of the heavens and earth". Many people eat vegetarian
food, as it is a good deed - prevent killing. (However, this
is the time of the year that duck, geese, chicken and pig
vendors make the most profits). Families visit their elders
on the third and fourth days, but it is forbidden to go out
on the fifth day because it is the day the God of Wealth
visits households. On the sixth to the tenth day, however,
are the days to go out and have fun. They also visit the
temples to pray for good fortune and health. The Chinese
are not really loyal to one single religion, so any Chinese
temple will serve the purpose fine.

After heavy parties at every house you get yourself invited,
the thirteenth day of the New Year is the day to take a rest
with lighter food... Just to be prepared for the Lantern
Festival on the Fifteenth night!

What a celebration, ha?

It is one of the most joyful times of the year for the
Chinese. They don't even work... And the Chinese are the
world's most famous diligent workers!

If you are invited or if you'd like to give something to
your Chinese friends...

Make sure your gift is colorful (and/or loud - as loud
noises scare the devils away). Red is the favorite color for
the New Year. Gold (gold chains, bracelets, figurines) is
not a bad gift to give. Oranges and tangerines are the most
popular fruits to give as the name of the fruits in Chinese
sounds the same as the word "lucky". Avoid tofu and bean
curds as they are white... a mourning color. Avoid from any
gift of pale colors. Do not wear white clothes to a Chinese
house either (especially when there is someone old or sick
with them).

What else?...

Kong Hey Fat Choi!

The famous San Francisco Chinese New Year parade

----------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong New Year

Courtesy of News Canada

(Published in Small World Exine on 16 December 2003)

(NC)—Everyone loves a parade. From Carnival in Rio to Caribana in Toronto, colourful costumes and festive music will draw a crowd every time. They've discovered that in Hong Kong where visitors this year will be able to enjoy many more aspects of New Year Celebrations than just the Chinese New Year Parade.

Hong Kong is a unique destination in Asia and has remained so because of its incredible sophistication and rich cultural mix. This year, instead of focusing visitor attention on the parade, the entire 15-day New Year celebrations have been packaged - hotel rooms along with a variety of festival events including flower markets, fireworks, visiting temples and horse-racing. The parade itself has been given new significance by transforming it into the International Chinese New Year Night Parade.

New Year begins on the first day of the moon after the sun enters Aquarius - so in 2004 the Year of the Monkey begins on January 22. Crowds will line the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui to enjoy the spectacular creative lighting effects that will add to the dazzle of fanciful and elaborate costumes.

Performers from around the world - including Caribana - will take part in this spectacular opening to the most important Chinese festival of the year as East meets West on the magnificent Hong Kong waterfront. Visit www.Discover HongKong.com/Canada for more information.

After the fete comes the feast. Traditional New Year foods play an important role. Almost every dish carries a symbolic meaning, with names that sound like Chinese characters for good fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity. Tangerines and oranges are given as gifts because their Chinese names sound like 'gold' and 'wealth'.

Discerning travellers believe this is the best time to visit Hong Kong. Festive events and fine dining are at their peak and the shopping is as great as ever! Feast your eyes, your soul and your appetite at Chinese New Year in Hong Kong.

- News Canada

Christmas Around the World

2009-12-20T11:32:00.000+08:00

(First published in Global eBiz Tips in December 2001 -- Additional Notes made while reprinted in Small World Ezine on 20 December 2002)

In Thailand we celebrate all the occasions (Christmas,
Thai New Year, Chinese New Year, etc.) And after asking
around I found similarity in India and China -- No conflicts.

In the Philippines, Christmas celebrations start since
late October. See article "My Last Christmas"

Subscriber Priya from India is visiting a beach with her
family (she's Catholic, her husband's Hindu). Roshmi
(India), a Hindu, is also partying. And here's what our new
friend, Josh (Nepal), wrote:

"I find, for most of the Asian countries, Christmas is just
colorful event like, bright Christmas Trees, Santa Claus
with presents, departments stores decorated with colorful
items, song, dance and booze.. In Nepal, till 7 years back
it was difficult to find a Christmas card. Now it is
different, big hotels and discos advertise for dance and
dinner and door prizes and department stores are full of
Christmas items. So for most of the Nepalese Christmas is a
time for merry making, lot of dance and booze.

"We, a handful of Catholics (5 thousand out of 22 million
population) celebrate it in a different ways. We believe,
that if Jesus is God then we have to find him in our
context. So we make cribs in Nepalese style, even the
statues of Jesus, Mary, baby Jesus, angels, shepherds are in
Nepalese faces wearing Nepalese dress. I am a member of a
small group called Christian Workers Movement, we give our
voluntary service to fight against Child Labour and Migrant
Labour. Every year we celebrate Christmas with street
children. We organize games and sports for them and give
them small presents. When I see smile in their faces, I find
baby Jesus smiling. It is so fulfilling.

"My Christmas wish to all of you is that may the season
bring peace, joy in your hearts and may your lives be more
meaningful to you and all those who come in contact with
you. May you be an instrument of World Peace."

And Josh wrote this while he was telling us that there was
a civil war in Nepal. Don't we love him?

In America, How's Christmas?

We also received some messages from subscribers and friends from the States.

Here's from Char: "In Minnesota, We cut down a 6 foot pine
tree, (or in my case, get out the artificial wire tree) drag
it into the house, adorn it with lines of lights that are
twinkly, tinsel, hang home made ornaments, top with a star
or angel, hang Mistletoe over doorways (two standing below
must kiss), wrap presents, write "from Santa Claus", play
Christmas Carols, go caroling in the streets in groups
singing Christmas Songs (Silent Night, Jingle Bells, etc.),
the outsides of the houses are adorned in lights, holly is
every where, spray frosty stuff on your windows, give away
"candy canes" (mint, or fruit flavored), eat a big Christmas
Dinner complete with Turkey or Ham, Cranberry, mashed
potatoes and gravy, stuffing, olives, pickles, buns, corn,
apple pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, fruit salads, jello,
(everyone brings a dish to pass), fudge, nuts (bowl full
with cracker: walnuts, pecans, filberts, hazelnuts, etc),
put up a big pine bough wreath on the outside of the house,
spray pine-scented spray, then let the kids make a huge mess
in a room with the paper and toys and drink wine and beer
and warm apple cider with cinnamon."

And Lonny: "Christmas morning, all the little tykes in the
nieghborhood ( some in their twenties and thirties) come
outside and start showing off, parading around, and sharing
their newly gained loot, well, the expressions on their
faces just sort of washes all the other yuch off.

"In my house we normally do the stereotypical Christmas
scene. My wife vetoed the idea this year though. You see, it
starts with a trip out to a "reprod" unit. For those
unfamiliar with the term, a reprod or reproducing unit is an
area that a timber company has clearcut at some point in the
past and then replanted little trees that will hopefully
grow into bigger trees. So, in the past, the tradition has
been that we all pile into my battered old Dodge pickup,
drive out into the woods, to a reprod unit, where, in theory
at least, one will find a horter, well shaped Christmas
tree.

"That is the theory. But, did you know, that a tree in the
woods looks a whole lot smaller than a tree in the house?
Last year, when we got the tree, my friend Rod and I,
wrapped the limbs with rope and bundled the tree prior to
cutting it down; big mistake. You see, in an effort to
expediate matters, I pulled the tip over and we bound it
right with the rest of the tree. Then we dutifully cut the
tree to the desired eight foot length, and headed proudly
for home. We got back into town, wrasled the tree into the
livingroom, and then the tree stand.

"Did I mention that we had doubled over the top of the tree?
about three feet worth. Well let me tell you, a tree grows
wider at the bottom, and the closer to the bottom you get,
the wider the limbs spread, so I calculated the distance
from our picture window, to the tree stand, ased on my
recollection of its girth in the upper six feet, while in
fact I was emplaceing the full eleven feet. Right about the
time I got the tree where I thought I wanted it, our eighty
five year old nieghbor Edna, came over and stood right at
the window, as she will often do when we are up to something
new and unique. I cut the rope bindings of the tree and
those limbs just naturally went all helter skelter;
including through the picture window.

"I watched in horror while a particular limb on the lower
row just sort of gracefully fell through the opening where
the window had been, and the slender twigs at the end parted
around Edna's head.

"Of course, in typical Edna manner, she just looked right at
me and said " I think the trees too big."

Aren't Char and Lonny having a great time? They also
reminded me of National Lampoon's Christmas when Chevy Chess tried his best to set all the decoratives into places. The
tree was too big it broke the ceiling and windows. And when
he put too many bulbs when he turned them on the whole
neighborhood got black-out.

Don't we love them all?

It's the Family Gathering Time, perhaps too commercialized:

Subscriber Sue's in Georgia told us that "Typically,
Christmas is celebrated with family gatherings, lots of
house decorations, carols on the stereo, decorating the
tree, wrapping presents and cooking galore. Years ago when
my girls were young we used to go carolling around the
neighborhood. To this day, I NEVER miss the showing(s) of
"It's A Wonderful Life", "A Christmas Carol" and "White
Christmas". Wonderful Movies!

"While not a regular churchgoer like in years past there is
always reflection, however, about what the day really
celebrates: the birth of Christ. In my opinion, Christmas is
probably Numero Ono of holidays in the U. S."

Subscriber Don (NC) "My whole family celebrates Christmas by exchanging presents and all gathering at my daughter's house (when my wife was living, it was held at our house) for a huge meal. My daughter does most of the cooking but most others bring a dish that they have prepared. This lasts from noon till whenever. Although we all (except for a daughter that lives in New Mexico - about 2000 miles from my home in North Carolina) live within spitting distance of each other, Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving are the only time we all get together.

"Too, our homes are all decorated during the Christmas
season which now starts before Thanksgiving. Here in the
U.S., Christmas is very commercialized - tis the season for
all retailers to get rich selling decorations and presents.

"When I was growing up, Christmas was a wonderful time of
the year to me. Now it's full of stress. Why? Because we all
spend much more than we should in buying presents, etc.
Every year we talk about drawing names and not buying each
and everyone presents but we never seem to get around to
doing so.

And Dawn said, ...

"I live in a small town in Southern Illinois. My husband and
I celebrate by spending time with family, exchanging gifts
Christmas morning and staying up all night Christmas Eve
watching a 24 hour marathon of "A Christmas Story".

"As a Christian I feel that Christmas has become to
commericialized. Stores are putting up Christmas stuff while
they are trying to sell us Halloween."

Hmmm... Guess it's also depressing having to get presents
for everyone you know and trying not to forget a name. In
the Philippines, we get together and bring food but do not
give gifts.

Companies may give gift baskets to their employees and have
draws for bigger items. Still commercialized, though.

Well, It's Not Too Bad After All:

Jules from Down Under said it's not too commercialized there.

"... in Australia, most people celebrate Christmas in a
similar fashion to Americans. We have a public holiday and
many businesses (non shopping) and government workers have
the whole week off until January 2nd.

"Most families (except probably many of those who come from
countries the don't celebrate Christmas) get together on
Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I have a friend who used to
visit 4 different families on the day, just so she could see
everyone.

"My family is small, and this year my parents are travelling
from their home in the country to visit us for the day. My
sister and brother in law will come here early in the
evening for dinner after going to my brother in laws
relatives for the midday meal.

"As other people have been saying, in Oz the shops are very
busy and everyone wants you to spend money with them. Our
city is lit up with thousands of extra lights and
decorations. It's beautiful when you go for a drive at night
time.

"We used to all exchange presents, but now we only give to
the children. My Mum decided it was too expensive so we just
don't give presents to them at all. I didn't like the idea
and the last couple of years I gave my parents a present.
They were embarrassed because they didnt' have one for me,
so I won't give them one this year.

"My memories of Christmas as a little girl (about 35 yrs
ago) are helping my Grandma bake puddings in cloths with
sixpences inside the puddings, rich fruit cakes and hundreds
and hundreds of different kinds of biscuits. She gave away
most of the food that we baked. I can still remember those
mouth watering smells in her kitchen.

And from Alannah Moore, our only source from Europe (She is
from U.K., now living in Paris):

"Christmas in the UK is probably quite similar to what you
do in the States, but I was talking to an American friend
and she had no idea what Christmas pudding was, so I guess
there are some differences! We always eat turkey or goose
(which I guess is harder to come by these days) followed by
Christmas pudding, a dark-coloured round steamed pudding
full of raisins and decorated with holly on top, and set
alight with flaming brandy, accompanied of course by brandy
butter. We also eat mince pies (do other people have them
outside the UK? - they're sweet rather than savoury, again
full of raisins, nothing to do with mince!) and Christmas
cake, a rich dark fruit cake covered in marzipan and thick
hard white icing. No-one I know actually likes it but every
household has one!

"In Scotland though it's not such a big deal I don't think,
as Hogmanay (New Year) is their really big celebration. And
they really go to town for that.

"Here in France, things work quite differently. When they
have an important celebration like Christmas or New Year,
you actually eat during the night, the night before. So you
will be eating your Christmas dinner around midnight on
Christmas Eve - and it will be an incredibly extravagant
meal of oysters, foie gras, goose and Christmas log (buche
de Noel) (luckily you've got Christmas Day to recover,
because the 26th is not a holiday in France! People go
straight back to work on what we call Boxing Day which I
find awful!) Christmas isn't quite so commercialised here
I'm happy to say - buying presents is still a big deal, but
as for decorations and all that, they don't really go in for
gaudy lights as we do, they decorate the streets with
swathes of evergreen here in Paris and it's really pretty
and old-fashioned. Decorations are for the "fetes" in
general, as this season is known, rather than for Christmas,
and can still be up towards the end of January. "

To Add to Alannah's comment, Boxing day is also a Holiday in
many other countries such as Australia and Germany. When I
heard of it the first time, I thought it's the day people
go watch boxing matches. Hey I am from Thailand. That's the
only "Boxing" I knew :-)

More:

Christmas Talks:

"I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year."

-- Charles Dickens.

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

-- Longfellow

"Call a truce, then, to our labours
let us feast with friends and neighbours,
And be merry as the custom of our caste;
For if "faint and forced the laughter,"
and if sadness follow after,
We are richer by one mocking Christmas past."

-- Rudyard Kipling

Looking for contents about Christmas?

How about visiting these sites...

Tracking Santa >>
http://www.noradsanta.org/

Christmas Sites >>
http://www.12days.com/
http://christmas.com/

In this time of joy, do not forget about the children of
the world. UNICEF

Loy Krathong Festival

2009-10-28T11:44:00.001+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 19 November 2002)

Loy Krathong is a big festival in Thailand, but it's not
a public holiday because the celebration is at night. This
year we "Loy Krathong" on 19 November.

In the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month (about
November), the moon is said to be the biggest. Also, the
rivers will reach their highest level tonight. Thais,
Laotians, and Cambodians will make lotus-shaped "Krathong" s
of banana stems and leaves or other light materials, put
candles, incense sticks, flowers, coins, etc. and float
them down the rivers.

We have done it for too long, but no-one was ever sure why
we did it. There are several stories, for example...

- We want to thank you for the water the mother river gives
to us, and at the same time, apologise to her because we
have been taking her and her water for granted for the whole
year. (remember? In our language, the term "river" and
"mother" are the same. Read it here...)

- We want to pay worship to the Buddha's footprint, which
is believed to be at the bottom of the ocean.

- We want to float away all the bad luck and negative stuff
with our krathongs. Hopefully, the next year to follow will
be a better year.

Whatever it is, we always go out to float our krathong.

There is also a belief that lovers' krathongs should be
floating to the same direction. If they go separately, the
couple is not destined to be together.

Remember Sukhothai, the Thai's first capital? Read it
here...

It is also believed (no written evidence) that the original
Loy Krathong was held in Sukhothai 700+ years ago. So,
Sukhothai today takes it their tradition to celebrate their
yearly Loy Krathong festival and fair within the ancient
city. It's the best place to visit for Loy Krathong in
Thailand.

Sukhothai's Historical Site:

More readings and pictures...

Chiang Mai's Loy Krathong
Thailand Grand Festival
Sukhothai's Loy Krathong

Merry Christmas!

2009-10-01T08:09:00.001+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 11 November 2002 as "My Last Christmas")

It's almost Christmas again. How was your last Christmas?

People in the Philippines start celebrating Christmas since
October. Now the whole country is covered with the joyful
songs, decorations, and happy faces.

About this time last year, I had to renew my Philippine
resident visa.

As most of you may have already known. I am a Thai who live
in the Philippines. Although my husband is a Filipino,
getting and extending my visa is always a pain!

Because I live outside Manila, and I and my husband are both
teachers who have fixed schedule to follow, finding the
time to go to Manila is not easy. And since there is no
information or application form available to public, we had
to get to the Immigration Office to get the blank forms and
requirement list. Then we come back to gather the needed
documents (rule change often), and come back the next week
to submit the application. And we have to come back again
and again to see if it's approved. If so, it's another day
to pay and another day to get certificates and stamps in my
passport.

This is such a pain. Only if we can send somebody else on
some days they don't need our appearance, it's best. So I
decided to talk to an immigration agency, and ask them to
just get the forma and submit the papers for us. I was going
to do the rest.

The promised minimal fee of the agency turned turned out to
be almost $200! Just to hand the application form to the
officer at the submission counter! The guy's transportation
could not be more than $2, including lunch. And the
submission takes him not more than one minute!

He said he had to pay "under table"!

I don't know what kind of under table it was because I had
done nothing wrong. And I was not in a rush either.

And we were so dumb we forgot to add all the fees up. We
knew it was too high, but did not know it was THIS high.
When we found out we felt so bad we gave them the money.

I felt we were stupid. I felt Filipinos were greedy and
selfish. I felt I was in a bad country where all natives
were looking forward to ripping off all foreigners they'd
come across. I felt only if my husband had contacts in a
high place, we wouldn't be like this. I felt the world was
not fair. And I just wanted to return home to Thailand where
people can get all the information from the government
easily.

I was complaining and pouting while my husband drove us
home. It was a hot day, and the heat had just made me more
moody.

As if it weren't enough, our car air-con broke down. And
it's not possible to continue the trip in a moving oven. We
had to stop at a nearby garage to get the air-conditioner
fixed.

At the garage, I told my husband to ask for a written
quotation first, and to never in any circumstance pay an
extra. Then when all were agreed, we left the place.

Fifty minutes later, we returned to get the car. My husband
went to talk to the mechanic, and came to tell me they found
something else which needed to be replaced. (I was like here
we go again). My husband said he had told them to go ahead,
and took me to eat at a canteen nearby. There I asked him
how much was additional the part and replacement, and he
replied he didn't know.

What would you do? Kill your husband? Amazingly, I just
pouted more. After fifteen minutes, we went to get the car.
Our air-con was back to work. And it's much better than
before. Ready for what could be next... We asked how much
was the extra...

"Oh, don't worry. It's free." the mechanic said. "Merry
Christmas, and here's your Christmas gift." (handed us a
well-wrapped gift and a 10% discount coupon).

More:

Of course, you can imagine how embarrassed I was!

Then I've learned a great deal.

Get rid of stereotype.

DO NOT JUDGE!

One person, good or bad, nasty or friendly, sexy or humble,
does not represent the whole nation, race, gender, age, or
any demographic group.

DO NOT JUDGE!

Or you are going to miss a lot of nice things in your life.

Asia_Manila, Philippines (at Travelocity)

Had I not met this nice garage guy, I would never found the
spirits of Christmas in the Philippines and its people's
joyful hearts. After that incident, I looked at the
Philippines and its people in another angle. And, yes, this
is where I live. It's not perfect, but it's a lovable place.

Crisis in the Philippines

The Philippines Damaged Culture?!

Macarthur and the Philippines

100 Resorts In The Philippines

The Naga Rocket of Thailand

2009-09-29T20:09:00.000+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 15 October 2002)

The Mekong river is the third longest river in the world.
Originated from the snow of the Himalayas, she flows from
Tibetan plateau through the south of China, Myanmar,
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and into the South China Sea in
the south of Vietnam. Total length of 4,200 km. This
waterway has been the crucial lifeline to the people of
Indochina. The term Mekong is actually 2 words -- "Mae"
(mother -- our term for rivers) and Kong (which is the real
name of this river). It's sometimes written "Mekhong".
That's the same river.

Because of her length and depth, as well as the strong tide,
there are many mysterious legends about our mother Mekong.

Of all the myths, this Naga's rocket is one of a few that
remains unexplained.

The Naga is an underwater creature from Asian mythology
(from South to South East Asia -- similar to Chinese's
Dragon). Superior to humans, it inhabits sub-aquatic
paradises, living at the bottom of rivers, lakes and seas.
It is the keeper of the life-energy that is stored in the
water of springs, wells and ponds. It is also the guardian
of the rich of the seas -- corals, shells and pearls. Naga
is also protecting the wealth and productivity of tropical
waters. If it does not rain much, we said Phya Naga
(pa-ya-na-ga, meaning the great naga, or the king of nagas)
-- or Nagas (there could be more than one) do(es) not give
the water to the earth. Naga is the king of all water
creatures, including snakes.

Phya Naga also had important roles in different events in
Lord Buddha's teaching mission. That's why you'll always see
sculptures of Nagas in Buddhist temples. Here's a photo of
a seven-headed Naga protecting Lord Buddha.

Here is the Thai Naga

Since people had found numbers of caves under the Mekong,
there were talks that the caves were the residences of
Mekong's Nagas. Legend goes on that there are secret paths
or tunnels from under the Mekong to caves on the dry land
in different landscapes in Laos and Thailand.

This phenomenon "Bung Fai Phya Nak" (in Lao and North-
Eastern Thai dialects, or Naga's rockets happens EVERY
YEAR only on the full moon night of the eleventh lunar
month. And as if it's not amazing enough -- the day is the
last day of the three-month Buddhist Lent. (It's also the
day people all over Indochina celebrate with various
festivals. Provinces by rivers will celebrate with boat
events such as boat race, illuminated boats, etc. This time
of the year the rivers are usually full).

We call it "rocket" but "Bung Fai Phya Nak" is actually
a number of fireballs erupted from what seems to be nowhere
in the Mekong in the area of Phon Phisai (pronounced Porn-
Pee-sigh -- a district in Nong Khai province of Thailand),
where the river is being the natural border between
Thailand and Laos. Nobody knows exactly when the fireballs
were first witnessed. To senior villagers, the phenomenon is
one of their earliest memories. People seem to accept the
explanation that this is Phya Naga of the Mekong celebrating
the end of Buddhist lent.

The small and quiet district of Phon Phisai has been
welcoming thousands of tourists in this time of the year
(actually only in this day) since no one remembered. And
according to the records, the fireballs were always there.
Tourists have never been disappointed.

There are theories about how this happens. Pure miracle,
gas, or human. I think the third is the most convincing
because it must be almost impossible for a natural
phenomenon to always occur on exactly the same night of the
year. The interesting part is they could never find who and
how. It could be Thais or Laotians. (I seem to think it's
the Thais LOL). And since the Mekong is very wide and wild,
it is not easy to find out. People have been trying, though.

What do you think? Luckily, we do not have the alien theory
yet. Or there will be more to prove.

Since the photos of the fairies, Nessie, and the crop-
circles are already revealed (by confessions) to be human's
works. I guess this phenomenon, which is as mysterious,
will be eventually revealed so.

Now, we just enjoy the festivals along the Mekong river.

This year the end of Buddhist Lent falls on the 21st of
October. I could be able to have a photo for you to see
then. Not promising.

Article and web forum "Naga Fire"

Note: Later the movie "15 Kam Duan 11" and some other TV documentaries have revealed the truth that these rockets are man-made. The popularity of the show to dropped dramatically. We can, still, go there and watch the light show during the festival for fun.

Raksha Bandhan

2009-08-20T20:13:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine some time in August of 2002)

This Friday, August 23th, is the Raksha Bandhan festival celebrated mainly in India. It is a great time of the year siblings of opposite sex exchange gifts. Sounds like a nice time of a year :-)

Raksha Bandhan has always been practiced in South India, Bengal, Orissa, Gujarat and Rajastan. However, it is known to be popular throughout India.

The festival takes place in a late August. On the day (this year it falls on August 23rd), sisters will tie a a Rakhi -- which may be a colorful thread, a simple bracelet, or a decorative string -- around the wrist of their brothers. This is a symbol that the girls are willing to take the brothers as her protectors (Raksha is a Sanskrit term for protection). In turn, brothers recognize the special bonds
between them, by giving some small gift items to their sisters, such as some money, clothes, sweets, jewelry, or just blessings.

Though in principle Raksha Bandhan is an observance between biological siblings of the opposite sex, the practice often extends more generally to people of the opposite sex who are not biologically related, or who are not related as siblings. Girls may give Rakhi to older men or male cousins who do not have sisters, or to men whose images are like protectors of people such as soldiers or politicians (oh... well...).

The beauty of Raksha Bandhan is that its celebrations are not obstructed by geographica boundaries. When brothers are far away, sisters still observe the occasion by sending their token of love by mail. And the brothers too reciprocate by sending a gift!

Raksha Bandhan ( Our Festivals)

The origin of Raksha Bandhan is not really known but there is a popular legend which goes like this. There was a fierce battle between Gods and evils in which the evils seemed to be winning. Goddess Indrani (wife of God Indra) consulted some old scriptures and prepared a talisman which she tied to her husband's wrist. God Indra went to the battle field again and, this time, beat the enemies. It was Shravan Poornima day.

Ever since, on Sravan Poornima day, the tradition of tying the thread began and it was believed that the persons would be blessed with health, wealth, happiness and victories.

Over time however, the significance of Rakhi moved on to brother-sister instead. Sisters tied Rakhi to their brothers asking for protection. While the sisters also prayed for their brothers' welfare, the latter vowed to take care of them even if it called for some sacrifice on their part.

The Rakhi thread which was originally a simple thread, gradually began to be embellished with beads, semi-precious stones, colored or golden/silver threads, satin ribbons, floral motifs etc. Rakhis are available in different sizes, colors and shapes from the typical round ones to heart shaped, symbolising the bond of love.

Book: Why I Am Not a Hindu: A Sudra Critique of Hindutva Philosophy, Culture and Political

The Moon Festival

2009-08-07T20:04:00.002+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 16 September 2002)

The Chinese Moon festival (I think Korean and Japanese and
Vietnamese too?) is on the full moon day of the 8th lunar
month. Normally it falls somewhere from the second half of
September to second week of October. This year, it is
September 21st. This is the day children and their families
come to the parents' house for the family reunion.

Nobody is certain how the first moon festival took place.
The Chinese had been partying on this certain day before
anyone could remember. On this day/night, family and lovers
would meet, exchange moon cakes, enjoy the moon and eat
and drink and say poems about the moon. It's supposed to
be the most beautiful night in a year.

However, what'd made this event joyfully special was
probably this historical legend...

Since the Mongolian (the descendents of Gengis Khan)
brutally invaded and ruled mainland China in 1280 A.D.,
all brave Chinese leaders at the time had come together to
organize the underground liberal group. In 1368, when they
were kind of ready for the 'big act', the leaders, knowing
that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making
of special moon cakes backed with a message with the outline
of the attack hidden inside. On the night of the Moon
Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the
government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming
dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644).

Today, the Moon festival is also to celebrate this victory.

More:

There are also legends of the man who shot the suns (there
were 10 of them at time) and his wife -- Lady Chang Er, who
flew to the moon. the rabbits and the man who was punished
to cut down the magical tree, which could restore itself
with each blow.

Read the stories here...

And general information on the Moon Festival...
About
China Vista
China Page

To your Chinese friends or business partners, you can give
them a nice gift such as fruits or nice book/collectibles.
A moon cake is also fine.

The English Rounabouts

2009-07-11T08:07:00.002+08:00

(From a forwarded mail from England)

The English Rounabouts

Imagine that you're driving through Great Britain and you're already a bit annoyed about the fact that you have to drive on the left hand side of the road. (You only have your driving license for three weeks.)

Suddenly you see the next traffic sign appear:

You start wondering what is going to happen now? They didn't show you this sign during your driving lessons………..

A few hundred meters further you're suddenly in the next situation!

The magic roundabout !

Sikhism

2009-07-10T20:25:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine some time in January 2002)

Do you know how come a lot of our Indian friends have their
last name "Singh"? I have 3 "Singh" friends in Thailand, and
a "Singh" student in the Philippines... Asia is not a place
you'll accidentally have the same last name as somebody
else. There's always be a story (or two) behind the names.

When Guru Nanak (b.1469) founded the Sikh Religion 500+
years ago, The Guru preached that people of different races,
religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God.

The teaching of Sikhism is well ahead of its time for
example the equality among men and woman and restrictions on
child marriage, gambling, tobacco, alcohol, or drugs.

And because it was a time of heavy religious wars in India,
all the Sikhist men's names are suffixed "Singh" (lion), and
women names are suffixed "Kaur" in order for the unity.

Now, the world's 5th largest religion, there are 20+ million
Sikhists worldwide. In most places, "Singh" becomes the
family name used by both men and women who follow
international tradition. Some of them are even converted
to Christians or other religious beliefs, but they are still
using the old last name.

And that's why there are so many "Singh"s.

One character of a (conservative) Sikhist is that they'd
never cut their hair. And men will wear turbun, esp. when
they go outside.

See the way he put the turban? It's tight and neat. The
turban could be of a different colour. But it's certainly
does not look like the one of the Al-Qaeda's. Please do not
hate our Sikhist friends only because of their turbans.
Remember one Sikhist was killed in America a few months ago
only because the murderrer thought he was related to the
terrorist? Ignorance kills!

By the way, the word "Sikh" is Punjabi for "discipline".

If you are interested to learn more about Sikhism, please
visit the Sikhism web site at... http://www.sikhs.org/

More:

How about a "Banta Singh" joke -- straight from India?

Not to make fun of the "Singhs",... Just to express there
are really many "Singhs" in the world. And because of the
turbans and the beard (don't shave either), they all look
the same. I can never recognize my old friend from school
until he says something to me. Really!

One day, Banta Singh was enjoying the sun at the beach in
America.

A lady came and asked him, "Are you relaxing?"
Singh answered, "No, I am Banta Singh."

Another guy came and asked the him the same question.
Singh answered, "No, No, Me Banta Singh!"

Third one came and asked him the same question again.
Singh was totally annoyed and decided to shift his place.

While walking he saw another man with turban soaking in the
sun. He went up to him and asked, "Are you Relaxing?"

The other Singh was much more intelligent and answered, "Yes,
I am relaxing."

Banta Singh slapped him on his face and said, "You !@#%!.
Everyone is looking for you and you are sitting over here!"

Just a Lil' Joke

2009-07-09T08:20:00.001+08:00

(From a forwarded email)

Has to be Jewish...

Yitzak's just told his father, Moishe, "Father, I am going to
marry!"

Moishe was very happy. "Tell me, is she a good Jewish girl? What is her name?"

"O'Brien," replied the son. ... "She's Catholic".

"Oy!" said the father. "But as long as you're happy...
My blessings to you both".

But the father was still counting on his remaining sons,
Schlemiel and Chutzpah.

Schlemiel called on his father the next evening, "Father, I
too will marry soon!"

"What is her name?" the father asked. "Kazalopolous,"
said the son. "She's Greek Orthodox."

"Oy" said Moishe. "But if you are happy, you, too, have my blessing,"

Dejected, Moishe went to the temple to pray. "Please, God, let my remaining son Chutzpah marry a nice Jewish girl to raise nice Jewish children in your eyes ... PLEASE!"

Chutzpah came to his father excitedly and exclaimed,
"Father! I am to wed!"

"Her NAME? WHAT IS HER NAME?" his father demanded.

"Goldberg!" said Chutzpah.

Moishe was beside himself with joy! He asked, "Is she Dr. Goldberg's daughter Shelley?"

"No..." said Chutzpah. ... "Hmmm," said Moishe. ...
"Must be Attorney Goldberg's daughter Rachel?"
"Ah...no, father," says Chutzpah. ... "Well, then, what
is her first name, my youngest, most beautiful son?"

"Whoopi."

China's Eunuchs

2009-07-08T13:10:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 4 August 2003)

The word "eunuch" comes from the Greek word "eunouchos" and
the Latin word "eunuchus" -- both meaning "keeper of the
bedchamber". While the term and the meaning says nothing
about the castration, it was the practice in most royal
courts and harems in the old time that one needed to be
castrated to be trusted to take care of the "bedchamber" so
that one could not reproduce -- at least.

When we talk "castration", the purpose must be to eliminate
the ability to reproduce. I am not going so far as how and
which part(s) they removed -- only that it's different from
place to place...

Check this site... How weird!
http://blather.newdream.net/e/eunuch.html

The term is Greek, but male castrations could be traced back
to the ancient Egyptian time, where the male slaves captured
from wars, monk-to-bes and bedchambers were castrated. In
the Middle-East and Mediterranean, castration used to be
the punishment for rapists and homosexuality as well. In
Italy, they did it to the boys in church's choirs and opera
so that they could perform with sweet and higher pitched
voices while women were forbidden to perform in such places.

Only in China that a eunuch could be very rich and powerful
if he became favourite and thus, assigned with important
jobs in the palace. Sometimes they even became close friends
to the emperor, or even got involved in politics. There were
more than once that a eunuch was behind the rises and falls
of a Chinese dynasty.

The life of a eunuch was not easy. I used to see a film
called "China's Last Eunuch" (Hong Kong / Taiwan). It is a
true story of the last eunuch in China. Because of poverty,
his parents decided to have him castrated as a child and
sent him to the Forbidden City for hope that he would then
be as rich and powerful as other eunuchs in the history.

This is a difficult decision because Chinese also believe
in having as many sons as possible to carry out the family
name via their many children. For a family to do this to
their own son, they must be really suffering big.

The sad thing is, the last eunuch did not get rich or
powerful like his predecessors. Just a few weeks after he
reached the palace, the Qing dynasty collapsed. The last
eunuch continued to serve the Last Emperor (Puyi -- then in
detention inside the Forbidden City) until they were forced
to leave years later.

The last Emperor died in 1966, but his last eunuch lived
much longer. China's Last Eunuch passed away in December
1996 in Beijing -- closing one page of China's history
forever.

Nowadays, having harems and eunuch servants are illegal in
most countries. But somehow, some modern people
deliberately have their organs surgically removed. I found
their web sites everywhere when I did the search for the
term 'eunuch'... In India, they even have their own
political party... amazing!

The Rotten Library: Eunuchs
http://www.rotten.com/library/sex/castration/eunuch/

The Death of the Last Emperor's Last Eunuch, 1996
http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/eunuchs2.html

Religions of Asia

2009-07-07T20:22:00.001+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 5 July 2004)

As Dan Brown suggested in his famous "the Da Vinci Code"
that Buddhists believed Lord Buddha was born from a lotus
and that we will be very upset if someone say otherwise, I
learned there are so much about Asians and our religion that
non-Asians do not understand. So, I did some searches about
religions in Asia and would like to share what I have found
here...

First of all, religion and belief in Asia are two different
things. Most religions do not require belief. For me, and
according to what's being taught in Thai Buddhism, Lord
Buddha was born human. He had a father and a mother like
anyone else. Legend says the moment he was born, he took 7
steps of walking and there were lotus flowers blooming out
of the earth accepting his every step. But we all know it
was a metaphor of how the earth welcome his birth. There
are some who think it was real. And we do not argue. As
Buddhist's way of thought is, "So what?" We do not argue on
a never-ending subject. We do not argue "belief" as there
is no way to prove who is right or wrong.

Our earlier article, "Who is Buddha?" and "Buddhism Explained"

One strong article "Buddhism and Anti-Buddhism"

Enough for Buddhism. There are much more practices in Asia.
Some of which we already talked about such as Sikhism or
Hinduism. Let's have a look of some ancient and newer
practices... (Please correct me if I say anything wrong.)

Cai Dai

Founded in 1925 by spiritist Ngo van Chieu, Cao Daiists
share the Buddhist beliefs on karma and reincarnation and
borrows Buddhist's code of conduct, but also worship
God in the persons of Christ, Sakyamuni, Lao Tse, Conficius,
and Khuong Thai Cong. Important people such as Chinese
revolutionary Sun-Yat-Sen, Writer Victor Hugo, and poet
Trang Trinh are also raised as saints. The temples look like
ones of Buddhist's, but the authorities sound catholic.
There is also a tie with the government of Vietnam. There
are about six to ten million followers in Vietnam and
worldwide.

Shinto

Founded in 660 B.C., Shintoism was made the official
Japanese State religion until the World War II ended.
"Shin-To" derived from two Chinese words, "Shen-Tao".
The meaning is "The Way of God". It's a cosmic religion.
Shinto finds in the beauty and symmetry of nature
manifestations of the gods. This must be the original idea
of Ikebana and several Japanese arts. In Shintoism, "kami,"
or the divine spirit is found everywhere in nature, the sun,
the moon, the mountain, the bonzai, sakura, etc. Aside from
the Shinto temples, you can find shrines everywhere even in
households. There is no specific code of conduct, but
certain concepts, such as loyalty, family, reverence for
nature, and cleanliness, are followed. The concept of ritual
suicide (Hari-kiri) must have grown from the concept of
loyalty.

Taoism

Taoism was adopted as the state religion of China in the
fifth century. There have been this idea and teaching since
the ancient time, before there was China. But Lao Tse was
credited as the writer of the first teaching book at around
600 B.C. The principal Taoist ethic is called Wu-wei, or
no-action, meaning to seek equilibrium and follow the
natural order. The Yin-Yang symbol, a circle divided into
equal areas of light and darkness, symbolising equilibrium
and the harmony of opposites, is the most well known. The
famous "Tai-Chi" was also derived from the concept.

Confucianism

Confucius teaching is the most influence "concept of life"
to Chinese. The code of conduct mainly about how men should
be loyalty and grateful to their ancestors and their nation.
Be good and the God will love you. Confucius held that
Society was made up of five relationships: Those of husband
and wife, of parent and child, of elder and younger brother,
or generally of elders and youngsters, of Ruler and Minister
or subject, and of friend and friend. And the teaching tells
how you take care of these relationships. In Asia, we call
the master "Kung-futze". The name must have been derived to
"Confucius" by visiting westerners. Confucius teaching is
not as ols as Taoism. Master Kung lived aprox. 551-479 A.C.
the teaching was widely practiced probably because the
emperor at the time adapt it to discipline his subjects.

Falun Gong

Founded in 1992 in China by Li Hongzhi, followers of Falun
Gong practice Chi-gong, which is a Tai-Chi like exercise,
and believe in spiritual transcendence. Killing and jealousy
are not allowed. Years ago, the Chinese government outlawed
Falun Gong and several (hundreds of) protesters and
activists are arrested and jailed. It only boosted its
popularity. Master Li is now exiled to the U.S., still
teaching Falun Gong. There are already almost hundred of
millions of followers in China and around the world.

Jainism

Founded in India in the 500 B.C. by Mahavira (599-527), at
about the same time as Buddhism. Members practice nudity and
vowed to poverty... to be closest to nature. Jainist Monks
vowed to worldliness and often seen to practice asceticism.
Jainists also practise "ahimsa" (no killing). Strict ones
will wear a mask over their nose and mouth to prevent
themselves from breathing in small living creatures. They
believing in giving away. Even the dead are not buried or
cremated, but fed to vultures. Now there are about 5 million
Jianists in India.

Parsis (Zoroastrianism)

Zoroastrianism was founded in aprox. 600 B.C. by the Persian
prophet Zoroaster. Unfortunately, it did not survive the
religion wars in the region. Now it's only found in India
and the United States. Indian Zoroastrianists are called
"Parsis" (Persians). Parsis believe in the "sacred fire" and
"purification by fire".

Baha'i

Founded in the nineteenth century by the Muslim mystic
Baha'u'llah, Baha'i is one of the most widespread religions
with millions of members in several countries. Baha'is must
strive to maintain friendly relations with all other faiths
(hey I like them already!), and avoid 'worldly' behavior
such as gossip, idle thinking, and materialism. Divorce is
discouraged and homosexuality or extramarital man-woman
relationship is forbidden. Baha'is don't drink either.
Unlike most other Asian beliefs, Baha'is believe all
religions come from the God.

Hinduism

Hinduism is very big and the practices vary. If you are
interested, you can find summaries here...

Sikhism

We already talked about Sikhism here...

Animism

Animism seems to be what locals were doing before new
religions were accepted to the communities. In places like
South East Asia and China animism is even blended with the
new religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism.

Western Religions

Christianity

There are only two Asian countries of which majorities are
Roman Catholic... the Philippines and East Timor. You can
read about Christianity in the Philippines here

Islam

The word "Islam" means "surrender", and it is derived from
"salam" or "peace". So the full connotation of "Islam" is
"the perfect peace that comes when one's life is surrendered
to God". It is one of the world's largest religion, and
still growing. It is the youngest of the "three great
Western religions", but it is the largest in Asia (with
Indonesia the largest Islamic nation).

Judaism

My Isreali friend used to ask me if there is a Jew community
in Asia, and I answered I had never heard of one. Now I
found that there was a synagogue was established in China's
city of Kaifeng as early as 1163, during the silk road era.
Nowadays there are at least three synagogues in Hong Kong
and three major Jewish communities in India. Read more here...

EBook: When Judaism and Christianity began. Volume 1, Christianity in the beginning

Our sources:
http://www.asiasource.org
http://altreligion.about.com
http://goasia.about.com
http://www.askasia.org
http://religion-cults.com/Ancient/Asia/asia.htm

"Some Dumb" Glacier

2009-07-06T08:19:00.000+08:00

(From a forwarded email)

Ha? What'd ya say?

On a cruise to Alaska, I saw my very first glacier in the magnificent Inside Passage. Excitedly, I asked the ship's officer what it was called.

"It's some dumb glacier," he replied.

Disappointed by his attitude, I bought a map to figure it out myself. I spotted our location and found the name of the ice mass.

It was called, just as he'd said, "Sumdum Glacier."

Irish Jokes

2009-07-04T08:03:00.001+08:00

(Put together from various forwarded mail)

Irish Jokes

Murphy was selling his house, and put the matter in an agent's hands. The agent wrote up a sales blurb for the house that made wonderful reading. After Murphy read it, he turned to the agent and asked, "Have I got all you say there?"

The agent said, Certainly ye have...Why do you ask?

Murphy replied, cancel the sale...its too good to part with.

----------

Two Irishmen met and one said to the other, "Have ye seen Mulligan lately, Pat?"

Pat said, "Well, I have and I haven't."

His friend asked, "well what d'ye mean by that?"

Pat said, "It's like this, y'see...I saw a chap who I thought
was Mulligan, and he saw a chap that he thought was me. And when we got up to one another...it was neither of us."

----------

One afternoon, Pat met Mick, whom he hadn't seen for quiet some time. After chatting for a while, Pat asked Mick what he was doing with himself at the moment. Mick told Pat that he was Studying at University College in Dublin.

"Jazuz." said Pat..."And what are you Studying?."

"Logic" replied Mick.

"What's Logic?" said Pat.

"Well!" said Mick...."Do You Have a GoldFish?" Pat: "I do!"

Mick: "So ..you probably have the Fish for your Kids!"
Pat: "That's Right!"

Mick: "So.. Having Kids means your probably married...!"
Pat: "That's Right!"

Mick: "So Being Married means you're not a Homosexual!"
Pat: "That's Right!"

Mick Explains that it was Logic that allowed him to figure all that out. The Boys say Goodbye and head off in different directions.

An hour later, Pat meets his mate Shamey! After a while Shamey asked Pat had he seen Mick around. Pat explains that he met Mick only an hour ago.

Shamey said: "And what's old Mick doing with Himself?".
Pat replies "He's studying at the University".

Shamey: "And What's He Studying?".
Pat: "Logic!"

Shamey: "And What's Logic?"
Pat: "Let me Explain....Do you have a GoldFish?"

Shamey: "I Do!"
Pat: "So you're not a Homosexual then!!!!"

-----------

Two Irishmen walk into a pet shop. Right away they go over to the bird section, and bought four birds. Then drive until they are high up in the hills and stop at the top of a cliff with a 500-foot drop. "This looks like a grand place, eh?" says Gerry.

"Oh, yeh, this looks good," replies Paddy.

They flip a coin and Gerry wins the toss.
"I guess I git to go first, eh Paddy?" says Gerry.

He then takes two birds out of the bag, places them on his
shoulders and jumps off the cliff. Paddy watches as his mate drops off the edge and goes straight down for a few seconds followed by a 'SPLAT'. As Paddy looks over the edge of the cliff he shakes his head and says, "This budgie jumpin' is too dangerous for me"

A minute later, Seamus arrives. He pulls a parrot out of a
bag, and then Paddy notices that, in his other hand, Seamus is carrying a gun.

"Hi, Paddy. Watch this," Seamus says and launches himself over the edge of the cliff. Paddy watches as half way down, Seamus takes the gun and blows the parrot's head off. Seamus continues to plummet until there is a SPLAT!, as he joins Gerry's remains at the bottom.

Paddy shakes his head and says, "Bejasus that parrotshootin is too dangerous for me."

A few minutes after Seamus splats himself Sean strolls up. He too has been to the pet shop and he walks up carrying the familiar bag. Instead of a parrot he pulls a chicken out of the bag, and launches himself of the cliff with the usual result.

Once more Paddy shakes his head - "First there was Gerry wit his budgie jumping, them Seamus parrotshootin and now you hen gliding".

---------

An American tourist was driving in County Kerry, when his motor stopped. He got out to see if he could locate the trouble. A voice behind him said, "The trouble is the carburetor." He turned around and only saw an old horse. The horse said again, "It's the carburetor that's not working." The American nearly died with fright, and dashed into the nearest pub, had a large whiskey, and told Murphy the bartender what the horse had said
to him.

Murphy said, "Well, don't pay any attention to him, he knows nothing about cars anyway."

----------

Irishman, Englishman and a German are caught in Saudi Arabia drinking.

"Under Saudi law you are sentenced to 30 lashes then deported. Before you begin you are entitled to something on you back, what would you like?" said the prison guard to the Englishman just before lashing him.

The English man, being a bit of a cricket fan, asked for
linseed oil. When they lashed him on a post and let him go to catch his flight back to London he groaned and crawled to the airport.

Next came the German. "Under Saudi law you are sentenced to 30 lashes then deported. Before you begin you are entitled to something on you back, what would you like?" said the prison guard.

"Nothing" said the German and, after receiving his lashes spat on the ground, bravely called the prison guards Schisers and started off towards the airport.

The guards then came to the Irishman. "Under Saudi law you are sentenced to 30 lashes then deported. Before you begin you are entitled to something on you back, what would you like?"

"Oh", replied the Irishman, "I'll take the German".

MISS AMERICA VERSUS MISS AFGHANISTAN

2009-07-03T07:54:00.000+08:00

(From a Forwarded Mail -- First published in Small World Ezine on 22 March 2002)

Afghan Girl - Poster

Miss America is a junior at Portland State University, hoping
to eventually get a Master's degree in Bioethics.
Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from receiving any education at
all, and cannot read or write.

Miss America has worked as a lab assistant at both the Oregon
Health Sciences University and the University of Puget Sound.
Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from working.

Miss America's father is an engineer. Her mother is a teacher.
Miss Afghanistan's father was shot by a gang of Taliban
militants. Her mother begs for bread scraps since she cannot
work or remarry.

Miss America wowed the judges by singing a Puccini aria,
"O Mio Babbino Caro".
Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from singing or even listening
to music of any kind.

Miss America will be traveling the nation nonstop during her
reign.
Miss Afghanistan cannot leave her house without a male family
member, cannot drive, and cannot be out after dark.

Miss America is an advocate for breast cancer research.
Miss Afghanistan cannot be treated by a male doctor, and for
all practical purposes has no access to medical treatment of
any kind.

Miss America can date, marry, or divorce anyone she chooses.
Miss Afghanistan will be stoned to death if caught in the
company of a male outside of her family. She is likely to be
sold into an arranged marriage to a man who already has two
wives.

Miss America wears sunscreen on the beach to keep from
burning.
Miss Afghanistan cannot live in a house with windows unless
they are painted black. Since she must wear a burqua outside,
her pale translucent skin has not seen a ray of sunlight in
years.

Miss America could have been disqualified if her swimsuit did
not meet pageant standards.
Miss Afghanistan can be flogged if the holes in the mesh
covering her face are too large.

Miss America will decide how many children, if any, she wants
to have.
Miss Afghanistan will be pregnant 3-4 times more often than
Miss America. Unfortunately, her babies are 25 times more
likely to die in the first year. One out of four will not
see their 5th birthday.

Miss America is majoring in speech communications at PSU.
Miss Afghanistan is forbidden from speaking in public.

Miss America is 21. Since the U.S. life expectancy for women
is 80, she's still a very young woman.
Miss Afghanistan is also 21. But since the life expectancy
for an Afghan woman is 43, next year she will be
over-the-hill". (Besides having a shockingly short life
expectancy overall, Afghanistan is one of the only countries
in the world in which women have a shorter life expectancy
than men).

Miss America is a beautiful, intelligent woman and everyone
knows it.
Miss Afghanistan could be a beautiful, intelligent woman...
but nobody will ever know it.

God Bless Miss America.
God Help Miss Afghanistan.

The Long Walk Home: Paul Franklin's Journey from Afghanistan

Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan: The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, by Chavis

The Hitory of Yodeling

2009-07-02T08:14:00.000+08:00

(From a forwarded email)

The Hitory of Yodeling

Many years ago a man was traveling through the mountains of Switzerland. Nightfall was rapidly approaching and he had nowhere to sleep. He went up to a farmhouse and asked the farmer if he could spend the night. The farmer told him that he could sleep in the barn.

As the story goes, the farmer's daughter came down from upstairs and asked her father, "Who is that man going into the barn?"

"That's some fellow traveling through," said the farmer. "He needs a place to stay for the night, so I said he could sleep in the barn." The daughter said, "Perhaps he is hungry." So she prepared him a plate of food and took it out to the barn.

About an hour later, the daughter returned. Her clothing disheveled and straw in her hair. Straight up to bed she went.

The farmer's wife was very observant. She then suggested that perhaps the man was thirsty. So she fetched a bottle of wine, took it out to the barn and she too did not return for an hour. Her clothing was askew, her blouse buttoned incorrectly and her hair all messed up. She also headed straight to bed.

The next morning at sunrise the man in the barn got up and continued on his journey, waving to the farmer as he left. When the daughter awoke and learned that the visitor was gone, she broke into tears. "How could he leave without even saying goodbye," she cried. "We made such passionate love last night!"

"What?" shouted the father as he angrily ran out of the house looking for the man, who by now was halfway up the mountain. The farmer screamed up at him, "I'm going to get you! You had sex with my daughter!"

The man looked back down from the mountainside, cupped his hand next to his mouth, and yelled out, "LAIDTHEOLADEETOO."

Mahatma Gandhi

2009-07-01T13:07:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 13 September 2002)

As promised, today we'll talk about a man who had fought the British Empire peacefully, and won. He is respected as the Father of the Modern Indian Nation -- Mahatma Gandhi.

"Friends and Comrades, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we call him, the Father of the Nation, is no more....

"The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in our country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many many years will illumine this country for many more years, and a thousand years later that light will still be seen in this country and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. For that light represented something more than the immediate present; it represented the living, the eternal truths, reminding us of the right path, drawing us from error, taking this ancient country to freedom..."

The above is part of the famous speech delivered by Jawaharlal Nehru in the evening of January 30, 1948 the day Gandhi was assassinated.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in the town of Porbander in the state of what is now Gujarat. Then India was under British rule.

In 1888 he set sail for England, where he had decided to pursue a degree in law, left behind his son Harilal, then a few months old. His mother, disagreed with his decision, made him promise that he would keep away from wine, women, and meat during his stay abroad.

After a year of practicing laws in India, the Mahatma accepted a job offer in South Africa. And it had become a long stay... 20 years.

It is here he'd become the leader of the Indian community after he himself was thrown from a first-class train despite his first-class ticket. He had decided to fight racism.

It is also here that he had developed 'Satyagraha' for non-violence resistance ('satya' is Sanskrit for 'truth' and 'graha' is 'family holding'). The best explanation of 'satyagraha' is -- If no individual or group could claim absolute knowledge of the truth, no one should use violence to compel others to act against their different but also sincere understanding of it.

And for the famous 'Ahimsa' (or 'ahingsa'), was explained, "Ahimsa had clear implications for political conflict. Violence used against oppression, Gandhi believed, was not only wrong, it was a mistake. It could never really end injustice, because it inflamed the prejudice and fear that fed oppression. For Gandhi, unjust means would never produce a just outcome. "The means may be likened to a seed, the end to a tree," he wrote in 1909, "and there is just the same inviolable connection between the means and the end as there is between the seed and the tree. . . We reap exactly as we sow."

Easily speaking, if you think a law is unjust, you keep doing what is forbidden and suffering the consequences, which could be imprisonment, torturing or whatever, to have your message delivered.

The Mahatma returned to India in early 1915. Then He travelled throughout India and he became involved in numerous local struggles, such as at Ahmedabad, where a dispute had broken out between management and workers at textile mills. His interventions in such cases earned him a considerable reputation. And it was by this time, because of his saintliness, that he earned, from Rabindranath Tagore -- India's most well-known writer -- the title of 'Mahatma', or 'Great Soul'.

After the Punjab massacre in around 1920, the Mahatma wrote a report calling upon Indians to withdraw from British institutions, and in 1922 he was arrested and sent to prison.

After the release, he worked hard to improve the Hindu-Muslim relationship by promoting nationalism. He also continued his fight on everything for Indian people, from hygiene and nutrition to education and labor. Most of his ideas around 1930 were published in his own newspaper.

The Mahatma's famous 1942's last call for independence sent him to confinement again. (he asked every Indian to lay down their life, if necessary, in the cause of freedom.) After that, he continued to take care of the riot-wounded people, walking from village to village, where Hindus and Muslim violence arose, and consoling the widowed.

In Calcutta he came to constitute, in the famous words of the last viceroy, Mountbatten, a "one-man boundary force" between Hindus and Muslims. The ferocious fighting in Calcutta came to a halt, almost entirely on account of his efforts.

Finally, the moment of freedom came, on 15 August 1947. Gandhi was nowhere to be seen in the capital, though Nehru and the entire Constituent Assembly were to salute him as the architect of Indian independence, as the 'father of the nation'.

In the early evening hours of 30 January 1948, Delhi, in the national prayer, where the Mahatma (who had just survive an attempt assassination) refused extra security, a man pushed through the crowd and shot him three times in the chest!

As the Mahatma blessed his assassin, he fell, his time-piece struck the ground, and the hands of the watch came to a standstill. They showed, as they had done before, the precise time: 5:12 P.M.

And that was the moment the light had gone out in India... but in all Indians' minds and souls.

Reference Sites:
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/gandhi.html
http://www.ourindia.com/gandhi1.htm
http://meadev.nic.in/Gandhi/ahimsa.htm
http://www.pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/india/satyagraha.html

More:

Never had a human being been regarded to by this many world's scholars and leaders...

"Not since Buddha has India so reverenced any man. Not since St. Francis of Assissi has any life known to history been so marked by gentleness, disinterestedness, simplicity of soul and forgiveness of enemies. We have the astonishing phenomenon of a revolution led by a saint."

- Will Durant

"Gandhi was probably the first person in history to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. The intellectual and moral satisfaction that I failed to gain from the utilitarianism of Bentham and Mill, the revolutionary methods of Marx and Lenin, the social contract theory of Hobbes, the 'back to nature' optimism of Rousseau, and the superman philosophy of Nietzsche, I found in the non-violent resistance philosophy of Gandhi..."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"He was right, he knew he was right, we all knew he was right. The man who killed him knew he was right. However long the follies of the violent continue, they but prove that Gandhi was right. 'Resist to the very end', he said, 'but without violence'. Of violence the world is sick. Oh, India, dare to be worthy of your Gandhi."

- Pearl S. Buck

"I and others may be revolutionaries but we are disciples of Mahatma Gandhi, directly or indirectly, nothing more nothing less."

- Ho Chi Minh.

Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth, by Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was a merciful human being. He did not eat meat or even drink any milk (because milking process at the time could hurt animals). His nobility is widely respected, not only among Indians, his children, but also by the people all over the world. The secret of his success lies in his dynamic spiritual strength and incessant self-sacrifice.

When you want to go to war, think of how this Great Man had beaten the world's biggest power at the time without a weapon in his hand.

When anger conquers your mind, and you want to retaliate, to destroy the enemy, think about how this Great Man solve several disputes without violence.

When you hate someone else because he/she is different, think about how this Great man had sacrificed his life for human rights, equalities, and the better-beings of mankind.

The truth is immortal. The truth never dies. The truth is all man regardless of races or religious beliefs are as human as us/you, and they/we deserve equal respects.

The Far Easterns

2009-06-30T08:39:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 2 September 2002)

As an Asian who claim to be a culture expert, the questions
I was often asked by non-Asians is "What is the common
language in Asia?" There is no common language. Chinese
speak Chinese, Koreans speak Korean, Thais speak Thai.
However, there are more Chinese than others, so you could
say Chinese is the most-spoken. And Mandarin is the common
language among the Chinese. (You know there are like
thousands of Chinese dialects, do you?)

When it comes to the looks and culture, it's also somewhat
different. Let's have a look into these 3 close nations
in the Far-East -- China, Korea, and Japan.
These are three big countries in the Far East. The people
of the three share similar looks and characteristics that I
was often asked to distinguish one from the 2 others.

If the English, Irish, and Scotsmen are different; so are
the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans.

Chinese written history begins in 2697 B.C. The Han people
were regarded as the progenitors of the Chinese race. They
lived and practiced agriculture along the Yangze river.

In 219 B.C. Emperor Chin Si (who built the Great Wall),
having become too powerful without anything else better to
do, sent Shufu, a learned man of his court, out the Eastern
sea to find a herbal treat to confer immortality. Shufu
cruised out with 1,000 pure maidens and youths. They'd never
returned. It's believed that they launched on an island,
which had become today's Japan. The 1,000 children, taught
and taken care by Shufu, were legended to be the ancestors
of modern Japanese. Many Japanese believe this despite the
Imperial house's preferred version of them being descendents
of the Sun God. Though.

On Korea, Chou Emperor had claimed it as a Chinese territory
since 1121 B.C. Then they freed it as an independent
country before Japan colonized it in late 1800s. However,
the stubborn Koreans (how they called themselves) are proud
that they have managed, against great odds and many
invaders, to maintain a surprisingly high degree of racial
homogeneity.

Therefore, the people of these three nations are closely
related. They share similar values and cultures/philosophy.
Nevertheless, there are great differences.

I guess it's the geography that contributes the differences.
China is a vast landmass while Japan is a tiny island, and
Korea is on a peninsula on the fringe of the vastness of
China. Japan and Korean do not enjoy the abundance of
natural resources that China does. And that makes them more
aggressive when it comes to economic survival while the
Chinese are much more easy-going.

When Chinese always have somewhere to run, the others
don't. A Chinese maxim says, "A wise man does not fight a
losing battle". The Chinese seem to see a long range goal,
and have no problems retreating and hiding in order to
regroup and attack at a right time. The Japanese, nowhere
to run, have a sense of honor that they would rather die
than surrender. Koreans are somewhere between the two
extremes.

Probably the Japanese are really descendents of Shufu's
crews. They act like sailors in the same ship. Bounded by a
deeply felt sense of common destiny, they place enormous
importance on the concepts of duty, loyalty, and
cooperation. At the same time, they have very little
tolerability to individualists.

The Koreans are known as the Irish of Asia for their fast
temper. They are said to be the only Asian to let the public
see how they feel. While others try to hide their emotion
Koreans let go their anger, tears and laughter all the
time.

Note: When we talk Asians, we do not include the Filipinos
for the culture is far too different from other Asians due
to Western influences, different religion and philosophy,
and vast migration in the past.

Introduction to Chinese, Japanese and Korean Computing

Asian Management Systems: Chinese, Japanese and Korean Styles of Business, by Chen, 2nd Edition

Where is Shangrila?

2009-06-29T08:06:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 8 October 2002)

Since we talked about Kashmir and Bhutan, our subscribers
have been asking about Shangri-La. And I'd promised to
find out about it. Only I could not find it. Confess!

Yes, I know the Chinese has this popular trekking tour to
Shangri-La from Yunnan. I thought this was it until
researches took me further to the point that someone had
said, "knowing too much is knowing nothing". Here's my
findings.

The term Shangri-La was referred the first time in British
novelist -- James Hilton's "Lost Horizon" (1933). The
scene was set in the Tibetan monastery of Shangri-La where
the inmates enjoy extended youth. Hilton had made Shagri-La
sound like another Utopia. Later books and movies did so as
well... Making Tibet, and the Shangri-La region of the
Himalayas sound clean and peaceful. The land of wisdom.

Indeed, you know how it's like. Tibet and the others have
suffered grievous the rages of war since forever.

In 1994, the Chinese government claimed Shangri-La had been
located around Deqen in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of
Yunnan. They even changed the name of Zhongdian -- an old
city to Shangri-La. And the Shangri-La trekking tours took
off like crazy since. That has created doubts. Lots of
doubts.

Somebody said Hilton's Shangri-La does not really exist. He
only borrowed the term from the name of a mountain pass near
Mt. Everest, Changri La ("La" is Tibetan for pass). For me
kind of strange nobody had tried to get it out from Hilton
when he's alive. (On the other hand, if he told... it'd
destroy everything. Right?)

However, everyone agreed Hilton's Shangri-La was in Tibet.
So, how China has dressed up an old city as Shangri-La (no
matter if it's real or not) is not that bad for Tibetan.
Since the siege by Communist China after WWII, Tibetan were
not allowed to carry on their religious, language and
cultural practices. Now that tourism is there. Tibetans need
to be able to present their usual way of living -- the
older, the more ancient, the better. As one local retires
school teacher said, "Tourism is helping to revive Tibetan
culture".

Talking about the culture of Tibet... Tibetan originated
from the nomadic, warlike tribes known as the Qiang. Chinese
records of these tribes date back as far as the 2nd century
BC. In its history, Tibet was in and out as a colony of
China for several times. But this is the most recent...

In 1947 an attempted coup d'etat rocked Lhasa. And in 1949
the Chinese Nationalist government, against all odds, fell
to Mao Zedong. And the Chinese 'liberation' of Tibet
eventually lead to 1.2 million Tibetan deaths, a full-on
assault on the Tibetan traditional way of life, the flight
of the Dalai Lama to India and the large-scale destruction
of almost every historical structure.

In 1950, Chinese troops attacked central Tibet. An appeal to
the United Nations had done nothing effective to help the
desperate nation. There is only on country, El Salvador,
which put the motion to condemn the behaviour of China.
Britain and India, former friends of Tibet, actually
managed to convince the UN not to debate the issue. China
was then already one of the founders of U.N., though.

From then, there were numbers of rages and riots in the
attempts to free Tibet. All ended up with Tibetans' death
and arrest. All the world's governments are still careful
not to show in any way that they recognize Dalai Lama's
political status as the head of an exiled government. The
good sign is there has been no fighting for a while. The
recent visit of Dalai Lama's to the U.S. (and probably the
growing of American Buddhist communities) had reminded the
world not to forget this tiny state.

I am a Theravaj Buddhist. Don't know much about Tibetan
Buddhist except that they are full of miracles and myths.
But that is their business. We don't agree or disagree with
others' beliefs if they do no harm. And I am not writing
this to solicit for any fellow Buddhists.

And one thing I think it's funny is the fact that both
Hilton and Shangri-La are the name of the world's big hotel
groups today!

More:

If you want to go there, July to November is the best time.
It's still going to be very cold at night, and much warmer
during the day. Prepare proper clothes.

How to get there...

From Kunming, the capital city of Yunan province (Kunming
International airport has daily flights from / to Beijing
and Bangkok. See which way is closer to you. Safest way is
go with a caravan tour group. You can also go by yourself,
but it is not convenient AT ALL.

Travelling in the remote area of China, prepare your own
toilet paper and other hygienic stuff. Bring food such ad
canned foods, boiled eggs, dried fruits, etc. with you in
case you cannot eat local food. Oh and diarrhea pills and
energy drinks are must!

If you want something easier, come via Nepal (on a 4WD).
Enter Tibet at Lhasa, the capital city. There are numbers of
tour operators in Nepal who will arrange the trips and
papers for you.

One more thing is it's highest place on earth. The air is
very thin. It could be dangerous if you have a health issue.
You have to be healthy enough. Do the check-ups before
reserving your trip.

Do not be scared yet. It's once in a life time trip. And
what you see is worth all the difficulties. It's the roof of
the world. Remember?

A forgotten American history

2009-06-27T08:00:00.001+08:00

(From a forwarded mail)

A forgotten American history

A long time ago when America was being settled, a group of people headed west in a wagon train from the east coast. The wagon train leader was very inexperienced and soon the people realized they were hopelessly lost. After wandering for weeks and weeks, their food supplies were gone and winter was fast
approaching.

As the group came over a hill they saw the first person they had seen for days; an old Jewish man sitting beneath a tree. The leader of the wagon train approached the man. "Can you help us? We're heading west but we're lost and all our food is gone. We're starving."

The old man replied, "Vell you know, I can see the future.... Wait... I'm getting a vision now." He held one hand to his brow and closed his eyes in concentration. "It's coming. Oh yes, I see, I see."

"I know what you must do. Go up this hill and down the other side. Go through the forest and across the stream. Then go up the next hill and down to the valley below. There you will find a bacon tree."

"A bacon tree?" asked the wagon tree leader.

"A bacon tree. Trust me..for nuttin I vud lie. I can see the future."

The wagon train leader shrugged and headed off. The group followed the strange old man's directions exactly. They went up the hill, down the other side, through the forest, across the stream, up the next hill and down to the valley below. Nothing... Not a thing and especially not a bacon tree.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, came Indians from all sides. It was a massacre. All but one man was killed and even he was seriously wounded. He crawled up the hill, crawled across the stream, crawled through the forest, crawled up the hill and crawled down into the valley. There, under the tree was that same old Jewish man, still there where they had left him.

The injured man crawled up to him and started shouting...
"What were you thinking? You sent us all to our deaths! We followed your instructions to the letter! We went up the hill, down the other side, through the forest, across the
stream, up the next hill and down the valley below. NO BACON TREE! Just Indians, thousands of them! And the rest of my group! They're all DEAD!

The man held up his hand and said "Oy wait for it... I'm
getting another vision.... Oy. Ooooh. Oh, I get it.....Oh
my, I made a big mistake... 'It vuz not a bacon tree... 'It
vuz a hambush!"

How To Fight Cultural Differences In the Marriage

2009-06-26T08:36:00.000+08:00

How To Fight Cultural Differences In the Marriage:
Advise about fighting the Cultural Differences In a
western -foreign family.

by Marina Smiley http://search4russianbride.com
(Published in Small World Ezine on 14 June 2004 -- with permission)

When people plan to marry, they expect to find in their
partner not only a lover but a friend also. A person with
whom they can share their opinions, their emotions, thoughts
and fears. In marriage we are looking for a partner who will
be able to understand our values, our likes and dislikes.

If a man and a woman are born and raised in the same
country, most likely they are familiar with the same songs,
movies, jokes, books and life in general. They basically
have the same roots. In the case of a western man -foreign
woman family everything is more complicated and requires
much more patience and understanding from both spouses.

On one hand each of the partners has an opportunity to learn
a great deal about the other's country, culture, traditions
and life styles which can be very interesting. On the other
hand it can be very disappointing, the inability to
understand your partner's excitements and, or frustrations.

For example, say you are watching the television and
suddenly you see a famous actor or singer, or other type of
an artist whose name you have grown up with. Maybe this
artist was an idol for your parents and the music of this
artist was often played in your house when you were a child.
Now seeing this singer on television reminded you about your
parents and house where you grew up in . You nostalgically
remembered the tree that you saw from your window. You feel
very light headed about this memory and want to share this
feeling with your foreign wife.

Unfortunately you realize that she is unable to understand
your feelings because she has no idea who this artist is.
Her eyes are absolutely empty, she has never even heard the
song before. You cannot believe it ! You tell her that this
artist is so famous! Everyone knows him! How it possible
that she doesn't know??? Your light feelings of nostalgic
disappear and instead you feel within your soul at very
large disappointment ...

Be patient! Don't become upset so quickly.
Remember that your wife has the same situation with you.
You don t know her country's songs, her country's famous
actors, her books. She has her own memories and in
actuality, for her, everything is much more difficult
than it is for you. At least, you live in your own country
where everybody can understand you. She lives in completely
strange surroundings, where she has nobody to share her
feelings with, except you.

Do some research and learn about your wife's country,
culture and lifestyles. Talk with her, ask her questions,
get to know what songs she likes, what movies and books
are of interest to her. The Internet will give you a great
opportunity to find anything! Tell her about your country's
culture, let her listen to the music that you like, rent a
movie for her that left you with great impression. Let her
understand you better through the things that you like.
Patience and time will help you to fight cultural
differences .

----------------------

Copyright 2004 International Soulmate

Marina Smiley is the author of some of the most popular
eBooks about Russian-Western marriages.
These eBooks are available through
http://search4russianbride.com
Get Your Free Newsletter The Naked Truth About Russian Women
mailto:russianbrides@getresponse.com

Books by Marina

---------------------------------------------------------------

More:

Thank you, Marina! I know perfectly well how it feels. And
my husband is not even a Westerner!

I am Thai, married to a Filipino. The cable TV company in
the Philippines we subscribed used to have one Thai TV
channel until they adjusted the programs recently.

I wrote and called them almost everyday, begging to have my
Thai TV back... LOL... They didn't put it, though. They had
German, Japanese, Indian, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean,
Chinese,... But no Thai. Any reader from the Philippines
who can help me on this? Please?

Back from the vacation in Thailand this time I brought a lot
of VCD and books... Though the hubby does not know or care
about my favorite singer of 18 years, My little girl is
starting to sing his songs.

Earlier this year, Anita Mui, the Asian's favorite star
(Hong Kong) passed away of cancer. I almost cried to
see her funeral in CNN. All the fun 20-year-old memories
flashed back in my head. But the husband did not share the
moment. He had never heard of her. He does not know either
Thongchai McIntyre or Leslie Chueng. He does not know the
"Legend of the Condor Hero" or "Ramayana". Myths and
Folklores or proverbs are rarely mentioned in our home as
either of us understands those of the other's.

However, we can share what we have learned during our latest
7 years... We talked about the last Philippine Presidential
Election. We watch Deutche Welle's news together. We are
looking forward to seeing the next "Harry Potter". And
we've discussed the "Da Vinci Code".

I think we both just have to live the present and see the
best future for the family... Seeing conflicts as funny...
and not trying to be too literate... ha ha...

Favourites:
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to do business in 60
countries and all in the "culture shock" series at Amazon

Munich Oktoberfest

2009-06-25T08:59:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 1 October 2002)

I am not a beer drinker. I have this so-called "broccoli-
tongue", which means I am too sensitive to bitterness. It
makes bitter foods and beverages torturing for me. However,
during my 2 years in Germany, I have tried almost all
kinds of beer they had (and that's a LOT).

And this is the last week of the World's Famous
"Oktoberfest", the largest beer festival. Not too late if
you live in Europe. But you'll have to stay the night out
of town (or at the train station ;-). To a non-European,
I am afraid it'll be difficult to find a ticket unless
you'll go somewhere far away (such as Vienna or Prague)
and take a train to the Fest.

It's been 192 years since the first "Oktoberfest", which
was actually a horse race in the royal wedding of Bavaria's
Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) to princess
Therese from Saxony-Hildburghausen. And that's why the
place is called "Theresienwiese" or "Therese's field".

From then, it has become a tradition of Munich to have a
festival in the same Theresienwiese at this time every
year. The term "Wiesn" has become the local synonym for
"Oktoberfest". And this field is reserved for only this
event.

This year's Oktoberfest (21 September to 6 October) is
going to be the 169th. (The festival was postponed many
times due to war, cholera and inflation). Each year it is
said to accommodate 7 million visitors, who drink 5 million
litre of beer and eat 700,000 chicken, 400,000 sausages,
200,000 fish, 60 deer, and 80 cows.

Me? I spent only one full day and night in the Wiesn. I had
2 litre of beer, rode 3 rounds of different roller coaters,
ate one fish, two sausages and some cake/icecream, and
ended the day with 19 rounds of Tequila! (Oh it was raining
and I was caught in a Tequila booth with 18 people in it...
so each of us bought one round of Tequila for everyone...).
Strange that the Tequila helped me recovered from the beer.
I even managed to get back to the hotel (in another town)
and spend 5 more hours in its bar, flirting with the
bartender (actually trying to get free drinks -- and
succeeded)!

Ah... there's a few times a nice lady like me went wild ;-)

Okay, back to the fest.

On the first day, the fest begins at 12pm, when the Mayor of
Munich taps of the first keg in the Shottenhammel tent each
year. From then, people will start drinking. There will also
be parades from several parties of Munich. Every year, the
first to march would be the parade of the tent proprietors
(those beer producers). They'll arrive with friends/families
and workers/servers on horsebacks, or in wagons.

There'll be parades or events almost everyday until the
Shooting Match on the last day.

It's a loud and fun party. Everybody eats and drinks.
People sing and dance with totally strangers. In the every
tents, there will be bands and concerts. Servers in
traditional Bavarian outfits carry a dozen of a-litre beer
mugs in both hands. Must be heavy. They are so PROs!

Kids are not allowed in most tents, but they can wander the
field, enjoy the foods, the games, the rides, and scary
roller coasters.

You have to pay for the beer and all the games you play.
Kind of expensive, but worth it...

Do not wear your best shoes because the main street (where
the most interesting stuffs are) will be full of poops from
the parades' horses.

More:

Travelling in Europe, train is the best means.

Try not to drive to Oktoberfest because there will be heavy
traffic on all the roads coming to the Wiesn. But if you are
driving, plan ahead. You can leave the car at your hotel and
take a bus, or park it at one of the Park-and-Ride areas.
Check here for more details http://www.mvv-muenchen.de .

There are always public transportations such as S-Bahn,
U-Bahn, or Bus to the Weisn. Actually you won't get lost...

Just follow the crowd!

For those who miss it this year, Oktoberfest next year is
going to take place from 20 September to 5 October 2003.
Reserve your hotel and transportations today :-)

Spare at least three days for Munich, and another day for
outer sites such as Neuschwanstein castle. You won't regret
it. One interesting place of Munich that travel books
always forget to mention is the BMW museum. Give it a visit
if you are already bored of the art galleries, historical
museums and castles. And If you have your children with you,
spend a day at Deutsche Museum. One of the best learning
centre I've been.

I'll write about my Munich trip some time later. I went
there again during Christmas, and it's beautiful.

Our earlier Germany trips:
Heidelberg

Neuschwanstein

Oktoberfest's Official site >> http://www.oktoberfest.de/

Oktoberfest: With Original Bavarian Music

MUSIC OF OKTOBERFEST

The Great Wall of China

2009-06-24T13:03:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 11 February 2003)

People think Emperor Chin Si (Qin Shi Huangdi) was the one
who first built the wall. Actually before his time, there
was no China. The land was full of different countries and
tribe groups. These countries/groups fought for territories
all the time. The battles were endless. So some larger
countries built their walls to protect them from invaders.

When Chin Si (the leader of Chin -- or Qin -- group) beat
all enemies, he unified China in 221 B.C. and became the
first emperor of China ("China" is from "Chin"). Then, the
walls were combined into one Great Wall. It stretched from
east to west for about 3100 mile (5000 km). From then
extensions were made by the following dynasties in over 1000
years until, when it's completed in Ming Dynasty, the Great
Wall stretches 4,500 miles (7200 km), from the mountains of
Korea to the Gobi Desert, being the only man-made structure
to be seen from space.

According to the documentary in Discovery channel, the Chin
Wall was originally made of compacted earth. Workers filled
the a wooden frame with loose earth, which was then tamped
into a compact layer 4 inches thick. The process was
repeated layer upon layer, and the wall slowly rose 4 inches
at a time. With forced labour (prisoners), they made 1 mile
a day.

After Chin, there is the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220).
This is one of the best time of China (with the invention of
paper, porcelain, compass, wheelbarrow and seismograph).
Han emperor, Han Wu-Di, extended the Wall westward into the
Gobi dessert, to Central Asia.

This is another challenge. In the dessert, there was not
much material to use in the construction. The soil was sandy
and loose. They had to compact the red willow reeds instead.
There were already beacon towers in the Wall, sending
messages regarding attacks using smoke signals.

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), regained the power of the
Han race (read about the Hans in our article on Far Easterns and
about how the Hans freed themselves from foreign conqueror

(Mongols -- Yuan Dynasty) in our Moon Festival article), added

the grand structure to the Wall with bricks and granites. And
it has become the Wall we see today.

Information from
Discovery.com
http://www.travelchinaguide.com

History Timeline
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/time_line.html

More:

After the Mongols ruled China (1279-1368 A.D.), there was
another foreigner dynasty (Manchurians - Qing Dynasty).

The Mongols and the Manchurians managed to beat through

the Great Wall because of similar tactics and factors...

Chinese's weak inside politics, Chinese's corrupted

officers, and bribery.

They did not destroy any part of the Wall. Someone opened it
from the inside for them... No martial arts were involved.

And this is true for all countries... With weak (stupid)
leader and corrupted government, even the Great Wall cannot
protect such country.

Belly Dancing

2009-06-23T08:22:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 1 July 2002)

Nobody was sure what the original purpose of belly dancing was. Probably sexual, probably faithful, or probably pure artistic. I just feel the ability to move one's body like that is amazing. And it should be worth talking about.

When, where and why are problems.

Egyptians claimed there were paintings on ancient tombs as old as 14 centuries BC of ladies dancing with costumes and movement similar to today's belly dancing, but the Turks said the dance was introduced to Egypt by Turkish merchants.

There were many more theories, but all accepted it should be originated within the area of Mediterranean's, Balkans, Middle-East, and North Africa. Today, it went as north as Scandinavia, as west as America, and as east as Japan.

To Greeks, belly dance is the cifte telli; to Turks, rakkase; to Egyptians, raks sharki. Despite such variety, the belly dance traditions of different cultures share some generally recognized features.

Good dancers had incredible muscle control - every gesture and posture included the whole body, each movement being a significant expression of love towards the gods.

Throughout the ancient cultures of Greece, Persia, Palestine, and North Africa, sacred dancing was an important part of the fertility. It then became rituals that blended the erotic with the religious. The incredible belly movement is said to be the imposture of child birth. It had probably become erotic when, later, the movement of conception was included.

In Africa and Polynesia dancers of both sexes would gyrate their hips and breasts in an endless variety of postures, to an ecstatic rhythmic beat which developed into a complete erotic dance. The dancing girls of Egypt from the Ghawazee tribe performed unveiled in the public streets to amuse the rabble. In India the symbolic movement of the dancers was not only an art but an act of worship. In Turkey, it was first perform in temples but became so erotic that several of the temple dancers had turned prostitutes for greater pay. In Persia, belly dance was performed only privately, among women.

It was not intended for male viewing pleasure.

The common practice among traditional belly dancers of dancing barefoot also connects the dance to ancient practice.

Barefoot dancers remain in physical touch with the earth, while defying modern stereotypes of eroticism. And emphasizing the flow and ripple of belly muscles and the
sway of the hips, belly dance is not based on patterns of steps, as in Western dance, but on continuous movement.

Today, belly dance takes many forms. Some belly dance remains highly traditional, some employ Westernized music.

In whatever form it expresses itself today, it is not arguable that belly dance is one of the world’s strongest and most vital links to an ancient heritage.

I used to see the belly dancing many times in my life. Most of which in Turkish restaurants here and there. We know those were not real. However, the memorable one was in Egypt. I took a night dinner cruise in the Nile. And the dance was arranged for tourists. The cruise's dancer was just an amateur. But there happened to be a retired dancer on board and she could not help showing tourists how the REAL thing looked like! I could not believe my luck that night. I was told that the real belly dance was performed in places not appropriate for girls to go. Now the real dancer was showing her magnificent moves in front of my eyes!

For me it's not erotic at all. The lady worked hard practicing all these. If ballet, with that many touching between male and female dancers is defined as an art, belly
dancing, without any touch at all, should be too. And how about the Hula dance of Hawaii? With lots of similar tummy moves, is it an art? Oh who am I to say? I am a woman anyway. If there was anything sexual in the dance I saw, I have already missed it.

Rotoroa -- The Sulphur City

2009-06-22T08:34:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine some time in February 2002)

Oh everywhere I went in New Zealand was so lovely. I guess
I'll write about the strange one first... The city is called
"Rotoroa", nicknamed -- the Sulphur city.

I and 2 friends drove from Auckland in a rented car. When we
were approaching, we saw the whole city covered with heavy
fog (not knowing it was actually the thermal smoke from under
the ground). And since it was late afternoon, we thought it
was some kind of early evening fog (we knew it's a hot-spring
city, but had not expected it to be steamy everywhere).

Then we started to blame each other for passing gas in the
car. Yes, it was the smell of the Sulphur. When we found out
it was actually the smell of the town, we were kind of
wondering if we could stand it for another 24 hours.
Moreover, the Youth Hostel we stayed was located right in the
middle of where seemed to be the origin of all those smoke!

We got used to the smell within an hour and unbelievably,
then, enjoyed the smoke and the unusual scenery.

From our Youth Hostel, we could walk to the lake. The lake
shore was muddy with bubbling sulphuric geysers. Yet,
seagulls and swans wandered around for food from tourists.
They were rather aggressive, but seemed to match well with
the hot smoky bubbling mud. There was also hot spa in the
Youth Hostel! This is quite a Youth Hostel of all.

We found on the next morning that the smoke we saw when we
arrived was actually scarily arise from everywhere under the
town. It blew from under streets, manholes, drainages,
people's back and front yards, anything with openings to
underground. And when we went to the Maori's (native New
Zealander) Cultural Center, we saw Maori's cemetery with
thermal coming out from under the tombs too. That's like a
scary movie to us.

Amazingly, the place was not that hot. And only the Maori
cultural center was worth a visit. Not speaking the
sky-diving, sheep ranch, trout fishing, trekking,
bungy-jumping, rafting, and much more other activities
you can join there yet. Oh and the Hot Spa...

More:

How to get there...

Arriving at new Zealand at any International airport on the
North Island (Auckland or Wellington), you can easily rent a
car (or a camping van / RV) and drive it all over New Zealand.
To Rotoroa, it takes like 5-6 hours and the scenery on the
way is precious. You'd better not miss it. There is an
airport in Rotoroa too, but it accommodates only smaller
planes.

Rotoroa is a must for all visitors of New Zealand. And
remember, if you are driving, they drive to the left side of
the road (no problem with me ;-)

I am not sure if calling the native "Maori" is offensive, but
it's the term being used in all books and web sites I went
to. If it is considered offensive, I am sorry. Actually my
cousin-in-law is a half-Maori. His mom also lives in Rotoroa
(which houses the largest Maori community). I just could not
find the cousins to check the information because they work
for the Foreign Department and moved around often. I could
not locate them.

If you are in New Zealand, you have to visit the zoos and
all the National Parks / Botanic gardens. The wild animals
and native plants are amazing. Buy the Whale-Watching tour
at Kaikoura (South Island) too. This is also a 'must'. We
are going to write about New Zealand's South Island soon.
Hope we can finish it before the South's Summer starts.

For winter lovers... There is a nice place to ski in New
Zealand as well. Mt. Cook is like the Matterhorn of the
South. It's covered with snow all year. And the beautiful
lakes around it plus the cute little towns and the friendly
and kind people of New Zealand make me feel like going back
there every year.

Are You Asian?

2009-06-20T10:55:00.001+08:00

(From Forwarded mail)

45 WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU'RE AN "ASIAN"

1. You were/are a good student with very high GPAs

2. You majored in something practical like engineering, medicine or finance.

3. You have more than one-college degrees, especially more than one Master's.

4. If you play a musical instrument, it must be piano.

5. You have a vinyl table clothe on your kitchen table.

6. Your stove is covered with aluminum foil.

7. Your kitchen has a sticky film of grease over it.

8. You beat eggs with chopsticks.

9. You always leave outdoor shoes at the door.

10. You use the dishwasher as a dish rack.

11. You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times.

12. You save grocery bags and use them to hold garbage.

13. You have a rice cooker.

14. You're a wok user.

15. You fight over who pays the dinner bill.

16. Your don't dry-clean cloths, even if they need to be dry-cleaned.

17. You iron your own shirts.

18. You like congee with thousand year old eggs.

19. You use credit cards, and pay monthly bills in full.

20. You keep most of your money in a savings account.

21. You buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.

22. When you hand wash dishes, you only use cold water.

23. You hate to waste food.

24. a) Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.

b) You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing.

25. You don't own any real Tupperware-only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinse margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.

26. You also use the jam jars as drinking glasses.

27. When toilet paper is on sale, you buy 100 rolls and store them.

28. You have a collection of miniature shampoo/conditioner bottles and little soap bars that you take every time you stay in a hotel.

29. The condiments in your fridge are either Price Club sized or come in plastic packets, which you "save" every time you get take out or go to McDonald's.

30. You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (and travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes).

31. You spit bones and other food scraps on the table.

32. Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself.

33. When you go to a dance party, there is a wall of guys surrounding the dance floor trying to look cool.

34. Your house/apt. is always cold in winter and hot in summer.

35. Your mom drives her Mercedes to Price Club, or Shoppers Food Warehouse regardless how far it is, even if Safeway is next door.

36. You always look phone numbers up in the phone book, since calling Directory Assistance costs 50 cents.

37. You only make long distance calls after 11pm or during weekends.

38. You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached.

39. You never call your parents just to say hi.

40. You think ONLY Japanese can make good CARS!

41. You use a colored face cloth every morning

42. You starve yourself before going to all-you-can-eat places.

43. You've joined a CD club at least once

44. You never discuss your love life with your parents.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

45. You take this message and forward it to all your Asian friends.

Nucha's Note:

This is sooo true... I did all those (except for the spitting on the table, and chopsticks beating eggs parts). I know there're differences, but when it's pointed out like this. It's so funny!

Buddhism Explained

2009-06-19T07:55:00.001+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 7 July 2003)

(Genesis Stock Photo)

I am writing today is because of these two news articles at BBC...

Buddhists 'Really Are Happier'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3047291.stm

This article says that Tests carried out in the United
States reveal that areas of their brain associated with
good mood and positive feelings in Buddhists are more
active, and suggests that -- "Buddhist meditation can help
calm people."

UN Helps Rebuild Afgan Culture
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2992760.stm
The rebuilding this article mentions is the rebuilding of
the world's largest Buddha statues carved on a mountain,
which was destroyed by the Taliban years earlier.

I think there are a lot of issues in Buddhism that are
misunderstood or confused and would like to explain them
from my Buddhist point of view.

Do you believe?

No! One of Lord Buddha's popular teachings is, "Do not
believe." Do not believe even though the person who told
it to you is your teacher, your parents, a good person, or
even Lord Buddha himself. Do not believe even though it's
believed by people for a long time. And do not believe in
any circumstances, until... You have considered,
experimented, and proved by yourself that it is true. And
you will believe so until you can prove otherwise.

This is like a scientist's theory-proving -- think, observe,
experiment, and theorize.

Don't get me wrong. When we do not believe, we do not
disbelieve either. We leave the matter in a compromising
area. Remember? Before the invention of a microscope, people
thought bad spirits or wrong-doings caused diseases. Long
time ago no-one have heard about Oxygen, virus, atoms, or
the planet of Pluto. Nowadays we still cannot see them with
our bare eyes, but we know for sure they exist. How about
spirits, ghosts, angles, or heaven and hell?

Lord Buddha says, "Why do you want to know?" , "What do you
gain if you know?" and "What if you don't know?" Sometimes,
it is not necessary to know everything, is it? If you know
there is another planet after Pluto in our galaxy, is it
going to change your life somehow?

Buddha images/statues

No, we do not worship the images/statues. We do not feel
anything when the Taliban destroyed the statues except
sorry for the Afghans who lost the remarkable artifacts.

A Buddhist knows better than getting attached to anything
in the world. For us (actually not me... I mean for the
enlightened ones), things in this world are not real. They
change status. Where there is a birth -- there will be a
death. Nothing lasts forever. Things change. People die.
Even the Earth itself will be gone one day. Uncertainty
is the most certain thing.

No, they did not destroy Buddhism when they destroyed the
statues. Buddhism can only be destroyed by Buddhists who
misbehave.

We pay respect to a Buddha image because it reminds us of
Buddha's teaching (Dharma), but we don't worship it or ask
for blessing (at least that's the theory... LOL). There is
a rule of Karma to take care of what we'll get in the
future. No matter how many blessings we've got, if we kill
and lie and etc., blessings won't help!

What exactly is "Karma"?

No, "Karma" is not your past life. "Karma" is a Sanskrit
term for "action". The rule of Karma simply states that,
"our volitional actions inevitably have consequences for
us." (Kulananda, 1996). Scientific speaking -- You can
apply Sir Isaac Newton's third law, "Action equals to
Reaction," here.

Meditation and Buddhism

Mediation (not Yoga) is one of Buddhist way to stay
peacefully calm, know oneself, focus, and learn from the
inside. To hear yourself and to consider about things you
have heard. In Buddhism, study yourself and stay conscious
are two of the most important things that bring you to the
great enlightening.

Martial Arts and Buddhism

Martial Arts and Yoga are misunderstood to be Buddhist
practices. Actually Yoga was practiced in India long before
Buddhist time. Its original purposes were for meditation and
physical therapy. Monks in China's Shaolin temple developed
their martial arts from an Indian monks who brought Yoga to
China long time ago. There were times China and the temple
were threatened by The Mongolian and Manchurian armies. And
Shaolin monks had used their martial skills to protect the
country and their temple efficiently. They had become
heroes. But these are nothing to do with Buddhism. How about
Tai-Chi Chuan? The legend said Master Chang Sun Fong -- the
inventor of the art is a Taoist master, who left Shaolin
because of some disagreement.

Vegetarianism and Buddhism

Killing or torturing or harming any life forms (men,
animals and plants) is completely forbidden in Buddhism.
However, letting yourself starved is also considered
torturing yourself. So, occasional killing for moderate food
is accepted. Even Lord Buddha himself is not a vegetarian.
On the other hand, there was a tale of Buddha cutting off
his own flesh to feed some hungry crows (for exchange of
the life of a prey the crows were about to kill) as well.

However, most Buddhists believe that vegetarianism is a good
thing because, doing so, you help reduce killing. There is a
Chinese saying, "Rescuing lives is a better 'good deed' than
building a seven-storeyed pagoda."

Nirvana -- The Buddhist Heaven

Yes, "Nirvana" is the most-desired destination of life,
according to Buddhism. But NO... it is not a heaven.
Actually Nirvana is nothing at all. It is the end of
the circle. When you are enlightened, you are able to get
rid of all temptation. Thus, you don't have any worries
(or "unfinished business" as regarded in the West). Then,
you feel free to go and never come back to any life form
(re-incarnation or re-birth) again. In the other word, you
are done!

If life is suffering because it gets sick, becomes old and
dies... then Nirvana is a complete happiness because there
is no life to suffer!

I tried to explain this to my husband and he could not
understand. He asked if Nirvana is nothing, why we wanted
to be there. And I could not explain to him either. This...
Lord Buddha said, "You have to practice it to feel it
yourself." It must be like a headache or the joy of eating
icecream. you cannot explain it to people who haven't had
it. It is also impossible to explain colours to those who
cannot see, or tastes of food to those who cannot smell. In
this case, I've never been to Nirvana myself either LOL...

To Be a Good Buddhist

It is easy (but also difficult -- keep reading) to be a good
Buddhist. You do not have to believe in everything Lord
Buddha or the monks said. You do not have to go to temples
and attend any preaching or ceremony. There are only three
rules here, which cover all... Commit Good Deeds, Refrain
From Villainy and Purify Your Mind. The third rule is the
most difficult, isn't it? You can gather at the presence of
the Dalai Lama, keep looking down to the ground, walk in
circle, sit down in a meditating position -- but if you go
picking up a girl (or guy) in a bachelor club after the
meeting session... if you just do so to gain respects...
if you behave yourself only because you are afraid of the
rule of Karma (or afraid of the punishment), you are not a
good Buddhist. You have to be good because you'd like to.

More:

I am a Theravada Buddhist (kind of more orthodox) from
Thailand. My perception and understanding might be different
from those in Tibet, China, or Japan. And I am just
explaining this from my point of view.

I'd like to express my standing here again that I am not a
religious person at all. My husband and daughter are
Catholic and we have never tried to convert each other. I
never have thought that my religion (or any religion) is
better than others.

And I am not teaching Buddhism here either. Only if there is
a misunderstanding, I need to explain. You might have
remembered that our ezine used to talk about Sikhism and
other religions/beliefs too.

Petra

2009-06-18T09:30:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 22 January 2002)

Today's article is from our Jan 22nd's issue. Then

we had about 30 subscribers. It is one of my favourite

destinations, and I want to share it with our new

subscribers today... Petra -- the Hidden Treasure.

Remember the scene? It appeared in lots of movies

including  "Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade"...

Steven Spielberg demonstrated it as the place the

Holy Grail was hidden.

In 1900 an unknown writer wrote "between the narrow open of
the rocks we saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen; a
temple cut out of solid rock, the charming facade supported
on Corinthian columns . . . and carved with groups of figures
almost as fresh as when the chisel left them."

"Petra" (Greek for "rock") is an ancient city stood in the
narrow valley of Wadi Rum (the valley of the moon) in the
desert just outside the southern vacation beach town of Aqaba
in Jordan.

This place was, by the Nabateans during the late 7th to early
6th Century B.C., used as a trade post for caravan merchants
who travelled the silk road to exchange goods (silk from
China, spice/wild animal from India, brassware/carpets from
Persia).

The three things that contributed to the success of this
desert shelter was the very narrow entrance to the valley
which protected the place from invaders, the promise Roman
Emperor made to leave the place alone, and, the most
important resource the city provided, water.

It happened that the Nabateans were excellent hydrological
engineers. They constructed an intricate matrix of dam,
cisterns and clay pipes to not only supply the city with
water, but also to provide the city with protection from the
floods which are common during the rainy season ( November to
April in Jordan).

Petra was included into the Roman empire after the death of
the king who had made the peace agreement with the Roman
emperor. The Roman simply cut the water pipes then the
people surrendered. They stayed under the Roman for 200
years. You can see Roman influences on the pillars in the
picture.

Petra remained a well-known post until the trade community
shifted to Aqaba, and that's when it declined. And that's
when the Byzentines, Persians, Egyptians, Crusaders and the
Ottomans marched in one at a time. That's why the place's
with Pompei-styled rock-cut, mosaics, carved, paints, and
all kind of ancient architecture.

After the Ottoman, it was technically "lost", then guarded
by the desert's Bedouins (the Gypsies of the desert) who were
convinced there must be some kind of treasure hidden
somewhere inside. The place remained a forbidden secret
treasure house until a Swissman named Johann Ludwig Burckhart
disguised himself as a Bedouin and smuggled himself into the
ancient city in 1812, and Petra's wonders were known to the
world at large once more.

Now it's one of Jordan's most popular tourist attraction.
The city-centre of Petra is located within the modern day
Governorate of Ma'an (1996 population of governorate 85.300)
of the constitutional monarchy Jordan. It is 260 km SSW from
the capital of Amman and 180 km NE of the port city of Aqaba.
Hidden within a fissure in the mountainous desert of Wadi Rum
located at 30 20' N, 035 26E the protected area of the park
is 264 sq.km. within the greater conservation area of
900-1000 sq.km. which comprises Petra National Park.

When you arrive at the park, you'll have to ride on a horse
through the narrow passage of the valley until the bottom,
which is the supposed treasure house.

It's a wonderful view when you are approaching because the
passage is full of curves and you'll never see it until
you're very close. Everybody goes "VOW". I assure you.

Been there ;-)

More:

Jordan is a very peaceful middle-eastern country. People are
nice and friendly. Despite the poverty (no oil), there are no
begging attacks against tourists. The King and Jordanian
government take good care of the people and they have nothing
to complain.

The average temperature in Amman ranges from 8.1 degrees
Celsius (46.6 Fahrenheit) in January to 25.1 degrees (77.2
Fahrenheit) in July" (7). According to the Ministry of
Antiquities, the highest point in the Petra National Park is
935m above sea level.

Petra was added to the list of World Heritage Sites during
the Ninth Session of the UN Committee UNESCO in 1985 with the
great efforts of the late King Hussein of Jordan and Her
Majesty Queen Noor (who was graduated from Princeton with
a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning).

Hong Kong and the Opium War

2009-06-17T13:01:00.000+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 28 June 2002)

The Opium War

Two things happened in the eighteenth century that made it
difficult for England to balance its trade with the East.
First, the British became a nation of tea drinkers and the
demand for Chinese tea rose astronomically. It is estimated
that the average London worker spent five percent of his or
her total household budget on tea. Second, northern Chinese
merchants began to ship Chinese cotton from the interior to
the south to compete with the Indian cotton that Britain had
used to help pay for its tea consumption habits.

To prevent a trade imbalance, the British tried to sell more
of their own products to China, but there was not much
demand for heavy woolen fabrics in a country accustomed to
either cotton padding or silk. So the best solution at the
time was "Opium".

Opium for medicinal purposes was first manufactured in China
toward the end of the 15th century. It was used to treat
dysentery, cholera and other diseases. Not until the 18th
century were there any accounts of opium smoking in China.

In 1729, the Imperial Government prohibited opium smoking in
China, but it seemed to be too late. Numbers of Chinese
people had already been addicted, and the British-owned East
India company has already monopolized the opium trade there.

Britain's governor-general of India wrote in 1830, "We are
taking measures for extending the cultivation of the poppy,
with a view to a large increase in the supply of opium."

The Opium War of 1839-42 started when the Chinese imperial
government confronted foreign merchant ships and demanded
they surrender their illegal cargo. Captain Elliot of the
British fleet sent in British battle ships from India
instead.

After the deaths of thousands of Chinese, the first Opium
War ended on Aug. 29, 1842, with the Treaty of Nanking. The
treaty forced the Chinese government to pay $15 million to
the British merchants. Furthermore, it opened up five ports
to English trade. And that's when it ceded Hong Kong to
Britain for 99 years, ending 1997.

Meanwhile, the opium trade continued to thrive. It led to
the second Opium War in 1856-1858 of which result was
another loss of China. The humiliation the Central Kingdom
suffered is still remembered and strongly affects important
aspects of its foreign policy today.

References, and more readings:

http://www.druglibrary.org/
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/
http://www.infoplease.com/
http://www.hyperhistory.com/

How to get there...

Hong Kong International Airport is loaded by International
flight from all over the world. You can take a flight from
any big city there.

To get around...

You can get a taxi or a bus from the Airport to town (kind
of far). If there are more than three people in your group,
getting around by taxi is cheaper than bus. Do not try the
Star Ferry from Hong Kong (the island part) <--> Kawloon
(the mainland part of Hong Kong that is attached to mainland
China). It's a historical ferry. Used to be the modernest in
the region.

To stay...

Better stay in or nearby SOHO or Tsim Sha Tsui area. This
place is packed with restaurants of different and/or exotic
cuisines from around the world that you can eat 24 hours a
day. When it's time to eat, Hong Kong is said to be the best
place on earth.

Where to go...

Shop in Tsim Sha Tsui and Stanley Market, visit the most
famous viewpoint of Victoria Peak, meet fortune-tellers at
Wong-Tai-Sin Temple. If you have kids with you, give one day
to the world's largest reef aquariums (plus dolphin shows &
roller coasters) at Ocean Park. The landscape of the place
is remarkable. You should visit even though you are not with
kids. And if you have one or two days left, you can take a
day trip to Lan Tau Island (with giant Buddha) or Macau
(ex-Portuguese port famous for gambling activities). You can
also take a train trip into the suburb of mainland China.

Here're some views from live cameras...
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/

Hong Kong International Airport Diagram Digital Map

Royal Plaza Hong Kong

The Chopstick Cultures

2009-06-16T07:44:00.001+08:00

(Published in Small World Ezine on 13 May 2002)

"The honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the

slaughterhouse and the kitchen. And he allows no knives on

his table." (Confucius)

Same tradition as a Westerner should not hide his hands under

the table, Chinese dining table will not allow anything that

can be used as a weapon on it (knives/forks).

Actually the invention of chopsticks is not quite an event as

many believe. They are just the perfect tools for picking

noodle. Longer chopsticks are also pretty handy deep-frying

meat and vegetable.

It is believed that Chinese started using chopsticks around

1700s BC. (It's like forever, isn't it?) Now it is widespread

throughout the world.

"Kuai zi" is how Chinese call Chopsticks. "Kuai" is

translated as fast ("Chop"), and "zi" means "pick up".

Chopsticks are usually made of bamboo, wood, ivory, or

plastic, although more expensive sets, made of lacquered

wood, silver or even jade, are available. In martial arts

tales, heroes often carried a pair of chopsticks made of

ivory or silver when he travelled. According to the belief,

ivory and silver chopsticks would change colors when there's

poison in the food.

Slight differences exist between Chinese and Japanese

chopsticks. Chinese chopsticks are longer, about 10 inches,

and blunter than Japanese chopsticks, which are tapered at

the ends.

Japanese believe that individuals should not share chopsticks

with someone else. If you use a pair chopsticks after

somebody, you'll be transferred bad luck (in the old time,

somebody probably used somebody else's chopsticks and turned

ill with the same disease?). Even in a family, everyone has

his/her own pair. Never mix. And that's why they use these

wooden-disposable chopsticks in Japanese restaurants. If you

have to detach the chopsticks into two pieces, you are the

first person who uses them.

Actually there are three major ethnic groups in the world

who eat with chopsticks -- Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. The

rest of Asians only use chopsticks when they eat Chinese

food. Mongolians and Vietnamese also use chopsticks

while eating.

Being PERFECT tools for noodle, chopsticks are something else

for eating rice. To eat rice with chopsticks, you'll have to

rest the edge of the bowl on your lower lip, and pat the rice

into your mouth with your chopsticks. And that's the manner

too. It's the only way you don't spill the rice around.

Japanese rice is more sticky. You can probably make a ball of

rice for it's easier to be picked up with your chopsticks.

But to pat it from the bowl into your mouth is also the thing

to do.

Some "DON'Ts" in using chopsticks.

- Do not point with your chopsticks (esp. to people)

- Do not suck, lick or bite your chopsticks

- Do not stick chopsticks in your food (e.g. dumpling,

wonton) in order to pick it up.

- Do not hold the chopsticks with all your fingers

- Do not rest the chopsticks on the table if you are not

finished with them yet

- When Chinese offer food to the death, they lean the

chopsticks against the side of the bowl. When Japanese

offer food, they stick chopsticks in the rice bowl

upright (like inscent sticks). So, don't do those.

More to read on chopstick manners, there is this hilarious

article at San Francisco's China Town Web Site.

Neuschwanstein

2009-06-15T08:53:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 2 July 2002)

Today I am writing about my dream place. This castle was the main reason I moved to Germany in 1996... To explore its castles, Travel the Romantic Road, and Visit Neuschwanstein.

King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886) was born in the wrong time. When he became the King of Bavaria after his father's death, his position was more likely just symbolic (at the time Bavaria or Bayern was a sovereign kingdom). Thus, his dream of being Louise XIV of Bavaria was just an impossible dream.

Inspite of his aspiration of being "Ludwig the Great", he was a shy King. Because he was raised in a sheltered environment, young Ludwig spent much of his youth in a castle named Hohenschwangau ("high region of the swan") and an ancient castle known as Schwanstein. Ludwig grew up there among swan images and icons, and the nearby Schwansee (Swan Lake) featured the real thing. As a King, he withdrew himself from Munich (the capital of Bayern), and spent more time in his beloved mountains in the Bavarian Alps -- that's when he first met Richard Wagner.

They said the relationships of these two were closer than friends. Whatever it was, it was unarguable that Ludwig adored Wagner as his music idol. It was known that Ludwig drew much of his inspiration for his castles from Wagnerian opera (particularly Lohengrin and Tannhäuser) -- although he had insisted on the original Germanic mythology rather than Wagner's operatic revisions.

In 1868 Ludwig began his own building campaign. Much of the Bavarian king's fame is associated with his castles: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, and Herrenchiemsee. (A fourth castle, Falkenstein, was planned but never built.) Among the three, Neuschwanstein, though unfinished, was the most famous. The castle's unique location combined with Ludwig's "fantasy in stone" creates a special magic. But like any work of art, the more one knows about Neuschwanstein, the more one can appreciate it.

When Ludwig started the project, he called this castle "Neue Burg Hohenschwangau" ("New Castle Hohenschwangau"). Only later, when the castle was opened to the public on August 1, 1886, just weeks after Ludwig's death, did the edifice come to be known as "Neuschwanstein" ("new swan stone").

To execute his dream project, the king commissioned a stage designer, Christian Jank, as architect. Thus, the castle was as beautiful as it could be, but part of it was impossible
to construct. That's why the project is unfinished until today. Yet, Neuschwanstein's central heating system and kitchen (barely been used) were said to be ahead of technology of the time. There is no single fireplace in the castle!

King Ludwig II of Bavaria passed away in a tragic and mysterious enigma. Just three days after he was announced "legally-insane", Ludwig was found drowned in Lake Starnberg (der Starnberger See) south of Munich. Ludwig was a fine swimmer and the water was kind of steep. The questions were -- was it an accident, was it a suicide, or was it a murder?

Today, Neuschwanstein and the story behind it are the most magnetic attraction for Bavaria's visitors. If you have a chance to go there, do not miss it.

More:

I think Walt Disney used Neuschwanstein as the model when he designed the Sleeping Beauty's castle for DisneyLand, did he?

Anyway, here's how to get there...

Easiest way is from Munich (Muenchen). You can drive or take a public bus or tourist guided bus. If you drive... drive south 160 km. or 100 miles towards Fuessen. Look for a small
town named Schwangau. At Shwangau, which is the small town at the base of the castle, you can take a horse drawn carriage up to the castle. Be warned however, that in the off-season (September to May), the driver will wait until the carriage is completely filled before ascending the hill (this can take some time). It took me 15 minutes walking up the hill. With the scenery and the fresh air up there (not too thin), I did not feel tired at all. If your health provides, walk.

Hohenschwangau castle is just at the foot of the hill. You can visit it too. For both castle, visitors are not allowed to wander inside. You'll have to buy the guided tour (available in several languages). The fee is DEM 10-15 each. The tour takes 15-20 minutes, but the waiting will take you almost forever. Arrive early. It opens at 8.30am (April to September) or 10am (October to March). Closing time around 5.

Don't forget to bring your student ID (if you are a student). Students in Europe can get special rates in every place they visit.

If you have time for the day, visit Linderhof too (Drive to Oberammergau. It's as wonderful. I went there during Christmas. Cold but Beautiful!

To stay the night, get back to Munich is the best, but if you are planning to go further to the south (Austria), Fuessen has nice guesthouses you can stay. There is a Youth Hostel too.

Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt: v. 2 - Franz Liszt ; Richard Wagner : Translated by Francis Hueffer - Print On Demand (non-refundable)

Richard Wagner: His Life and His Dramas

The Rhinegold (English National Opera Guide) - Richard Wagner ; Andrew Porter : Translated by A. Porter - Print On Demand (non-refundable)

Mongolian Grills

2009-06-13T07:52:00.000+08:00

Mongolian Grills

The idea is for each guest to help him/herself from a selection of ingredients in a bowl and stir-fry the combination all together on a hot grill.

Meat/Seafood Choices:

Pork (cut into 1"x3" strips)
Beef serloin (cut into 1"x3" strips)
Chicken breast fillet (cut into 1"x3" strips)
Fish fillet (cut into cubes)
Shrimps (peeled and deveined)
Squid rings
any kind of meatballs

Vegetable Choices:

Cabbage (cut into 1/2 inch thick slices)
Carrots (julienne strips)
Turnips (julienne strips)
Any vegetables

Bell peppers in several colours (julienne strips)

Minced spring onions
Celery stalks
Ginger
Garlic
Finger chili
Toasted ground sesame seeds

Choice of rice-noodles:

Steamed rice
Soaked and drained glass noodle
Blanched and drained noodle or egg noodle

To serve:

Place ingredients in separate serving dishes and arrange on buffet table. Set griddle pan and grill pan (better yet a terriyaki grill) at the end of the table. Guests will fill up their bowls with their choice of vegetables, meats, rice and/or noodle and sauces and cook them all together in hot grill pan or wok.

Did I forget about the sauces?

Sauces for the Mongolian Grill (allot 1/4 cup per person)

Chili sauce

Combine 1/3 cup chili sauce with 1 cup pork broth, 1/3 cup rice wine, and 2 tablespoons seasoning sauce (chili favour).

Teriyaki sauce

Combine 1/2 cup soy sauce (use kikoman brand)with 1-1/2 cups water, 2 tablespoons grated ginger, and 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Mongolian sauce

Combine 1/3 cup oyster sauce with 1 cup water, 1/3 cup rice wine and 3 tablespoons of seasoning sauce (chili flavour).
Mix throughly.

Satay sauce

Combine 1/3 cup peanut butter with 1 cup water and 3 tablespoons of ordinary seasoning sauce. Mix throughly.

All ingredients for the sauce can be found at your nearest Asian grocer. Or you can order online at our sponsor's link above.

Enjoy partying ;-)

Female Circumcision

2009-06-12T08:35:00.001+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 29 September 2003)

You must have already heard the good news... If not, the
Nigerian appeal court has overturned Amina Lawal's death
sentence last Friday.

In March 2002, Amina Lawal was sentenced to stoning to death
for having had a child while divorced. People all over the
world, including our subscribers had sent messages to the
Nigerian government protesting the sentence. Thank you all
for helping the world save another life as well as defend
human rights :)

Read more about Amina and other human rights issues at
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=407908&l=6839

More and more cases like this occur everyday in the world.
The ones in power "claims" they are following religious
teachings. We have been searching and could not find
anything to support such claims. I think it's some leaders'
discrimination (and craziness). If adultery is wrong, how
come the guys who co-committed this sin had never been
punished?

Same as the practise of female circumcision (FGM -- Female
Genital Mutilation)...

I used to think that it's done by clipping the tip of the
clitoris... but when I did the search, I have found this
shocking fact...

FGM is being done in three forms:

- Sunna circumcision in which the tip of the clitoris
and/or its covering (prepuce) are removed.

- Clitoridectomy where the entire clitoris, the prepuce
and adjacent labia are removed.

- Infibulation (a.k.a. Pharaonic circumcision) which is a
clitoridectomy followed by sewing up of the vulva. A small
opening is left to allow urine and menstrual blood to pass.
In some cultures, the woman is cut open by her husband on
their wedding night. She may be sewn up again if her husband
leaves on a long trip.

This is being done in several countries in Africa. In some
countries, the practise is a tradition -- a way of life.
Something women may not like it but they'll do it to their
own daughters anyway -- just because their grandmothers had
it, their mothers had it, and they had it.

Here's what I've found...

- 90% or more of the girls in Djibouti, Ethiopia and
Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan (North) have been
mutilated.

- over 50% of the girls in Benin, Burkina Faso, Central
African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia,
Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and
Togo have been operated on.

- There are over 30 million mutilated women currently living
in Nigeria, and about 24 million in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

- Various groups estimate that from 114 to 130 million women
worldwide have had the operation.

Where the practise is outlawed, the girls are in even greater
danger because it would be done in a basement with household
equipment such as scissors, razor blades, or kitchen knives.
And when there are complications, parents are reluctant to
seek medical help for fear they would be convicted. This
only leads to severe infection, keloids, and even bleeding
to death in some cases... not talking about the physical
and emotional pain in those who survived.

The scary fact is, when these people migrate to other
countries, they bring the tradition with them. In countries
where locals and authorities are not aware of this
tradition, there is no law to prevent it. When a case is
brought to attention, they don't know if they should
consider the practise "child abuse" or "cultural
toleration".

England and several other E.U. countries were the fastest to
take action. Yes, they have laws against FGM. Yet, these
people still fly their daughters back to their home town to
circumcise. Canada and U.S.A. used to grant asylum to women
who did not want to return to their country and be forced to
circumcised later. Clearly, prohibition by regulations is
not going to work... U.N., WHO and several International
non-profit organisations have been trying to educate women
in/from these cultures about the risks and consequences of
FGM. The problem is how many of them these organisations
could reach, and how many of those who have been educated
will agree that this tradition is something they should not
support.

I agree that education will help open the eyes. At least
those who do it because they believe...

- if a baby's head contacts the clitoris during birth,
it will die

- it is a poisonous organ, that can cause a man to sicken or
become impotent or die if touched.

- Bad genital odors can only be eliminated by removing the
clitoris and labia minora. (This one is easy to prove
false, I guess)

- it's the only way to protect girls from men... reserve her
virginity, and so and so...

- it prevents cancer, makes girls more beautiful, etc...

- If FGM is not done, older men may not be able to match
their wives' sex drive and may have to resort to illegal
stimulating drugs (duh...).

There was a case in the U.S. that one immigrant did it to
his 3-year-old daughter because she was too active and loved
to play outside too much! He believed it would tame her.
They do it to babies, toddlers, teenagers and pregnant
women... If you were born with a critoris, they will
remove it.

Fundamentalists also try to justify the tradition by linking
it to the religion. Fact shows female circumcision was
practiced in the region thousands of years before Islam.
Today, it's being done to girls in all religious beliefs --
Muslims, Christians, Animists, and Jews. To my knowledge,

No-one can refer to anywhere in the teachings of any religion

that female circumcision is mandatory.

Other argument made to this perversive act is that
circumcision is done to prevent girls from going out and
doing bad things... (because they won't enjoy it). Okay, are
these girls being punished for something they 'MAY' do? How
about cutting everyone's hands off so that people won't

steal. Better remove their tongues too so no-one lies!

How about preventing men from raping as well?

I think everything has its pros and cons... including being a
virgin. But if you really need your daughters to remain ones
until they are married, teach them well. Tell you
something... Most of my girl friends in Thailand were still
virgins when they're married (at about 30 years old). One of
them had been seeing the guy for 10 years and the only such
experience they had was a peck on the cheek on their
engagement day (in front of the parents). It's love and
decent teachings from our parents that prevent us from
fooling around.... you see.

More:

FGM supporters also said Western women go through plastic
surgery to enlarge their breasts so what's the deal of
them circumcise their daughters? I was like, "duh..."
Pamela Anderson had it done because she wanted to... after
talking pros and cons with her doctor. And when she was not
happy with them anymore she went to her doctor to have them
removed (or made smaller). Nobody straps a baby girl to the
floor for breast implant with a knife, or were there any?

More information on this matter...

One woman's story at BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1171359.stm

If you want to cry, read the story of activists in America -
"c Comes to America"
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/flashbks/fgm/fgm.htm

Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage Or Violation of Rights?
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html

A Muslim scholar's summary and point of view on FGM...
http://www.minaret.org/fgm.htm

The Blue Mountain

2009-06-11T08:50:00.002+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 30 April 2002)

I love to travel in autumn. It's not too hot, and the sun is not

too strong. I love the colors of the leaves (it's boring here

where I live because leaves are always green). And sometimes

the cold breeze :-)

Now it's Rainy Season down here, and Spring up there.

How do we enjoy the fall? Yep... Down Under... Let's go to one

of  Australia's most visited National Park... The Blue Mountains.

Once upon a time, there was an old witchdoctor with three
beautiful daughters. One day the daughters were playing on
the edge of the cliff while their dad was in the valley
hunting for food. One of the sisters, Meenhi, threw a stone
at a little lizard, and it missed and went over the edge of
the cliff. She had broken a cardinal law of the bush. NEVER
throw a stone over a cliff.

The falling stone woke up THE BUNYIP, a mythical creature of
the bush, who angry that his sleep had been disturbed,
lumbered toward them, making a terrible noise. The
Witchdoctor, hearing all the fuss, ran toward his daughters
to save them, but he was too far away, and so he pointed his
magic bone at them and turned them into stone. The Bunyip now
turned on the Witch Doctor, who turned himself into a
Lyrebird and ran into a cave to escape the Bunyip dropping
his magic bone.

You can still see the Three Sisters Meenhi, Weemala, and
Gunnedoo, trapped in the rock, and the Witch Doctor still
searching for his bone scratching in the soil to this day
in the Blue Mountain National Park. They are also called
as the Three Sisters of Katoomba.

Here's how the stones look like today.

In the year 2000 over one million hectares of land was listed
as the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The Blue
Mountains are magnificent at this time of the year. Superb
mountain scenery with outstanding geographical features,
beautiful gardens, great tourist attractions and a reputation
as a gastronomic centre make the area a favourite destination.

The City of the Blue Mountains is located, primarily, along
an east-west ridge between the Grose and Coxs river gorges.
The Blue Mountains National Park is in 2 sections; one north
and one south of the main string of towns which follow the
Great Western Highway and railway. This is the most
accessible park in the region. It covers dissected
sandstone plateau, forested river valleys and deep gorges.

While there, you can rest at any of the Blue Mountain towns
of Blackheath, Glenbrook, Katoomba and Lithgow where you can
find any kind of hotels/hostels, restaurants, tourist
information, trekking services, etc.

Do not miss Katoomba's Scenic Skyway. There you can take a
a seven minute scenic ride on a cable car 350 metres across a
deep gorge, 200 metres above the valley floor.

Oh and the Railway at the old coalmine (it's just beside the
cable car station). The railway was built in 1878 for mining
purpose. It's said to be the world 's steepest railway. The
facts and figures are Here.

It's a fun ride. No seat belts. When it starts you'll be in
a kind of half-lying position, but when it's travelling down
the valley, you'll be somehow in a standing up position
because of the 52 degrees gradient of the rail and the cliff.

At the bottom of the railway you can enjoy short or long
bushwalks through a temperate rainforest area. If you buy a
round trip ticket, do not come up too soon.

This can be a one day tour from Sydney (without hiking). But
you need to check the weather forecast before travelling. I
went there in June. It rained that day, and after the rain it
was so foggy that I could not see anything from the cable car.
It 's like we travelled into the mist. It was boring but
became scary when some boys started to scare their fellow
passengers for fun. The cable car went only half way and the
operator decided to return to the station. I missed the great
scenery of the Three Sisters from the cable car, but on the
way back in the coach, I've seen it more than enough.

More:

How to get there:

Sydney is the closest big city (90 minutes drive). From any
of the major big cities in the world, you can fly to Sydney
International Airport. Stay there. Sydney has lots of fun and
interesting places to visit.

I remember I bought the Blue Mountains Day Tour from Sydney's
Circular Quay (discounted for students, juniors and seniors).
If you want to enjoy more of the National park and explore
the place yourself, you can go there by a rental car (drive
to the left side of the street), train from any major railway
station, or coach from any large terminal (as well as
Sydney's Circular Quay). Here're details and map.

Once you are there you can rent a mountain bike to get around
too.

Infanticide in China

2009-06-10T12:59:00.000+08:00

Nucha's Note: I wrote this story long time ago. It was what happened in the past until late 90's and no longer there now (or very few). I decided to keep the article so we know what used to happened and learn from it -- specially law makers -- make sure you foresee culture-related problems before implementation.

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 29 April 2002)

The story we are about to discuss is not a pleasant one.
I have been thinking since the beginning of our publication
if we should talk about it. This weekend I came to the
decision that we should publish it. If we realize what is
going on, we probably can help one way or another.

In some cultures, men are considered prime creatures, and
families will be disappointed if their newborns are girls.

In China, you'll be considered a bad descendant to your
ancestors if you do not have a boy to carry the family name.
It's also a culture that when a girl is married, she'd move
to the groom's house. That makes parents prefer boys because
the boys are supposed to take care of them when they grow
old.

For hundreds of years, if poverty attacked because of floods,
droughts, famines, locust invasions, or anything... the
peasants in these areas, who were dependent on the land and
the crops, did the only thing they could think of to survive
under these conditions--they killed their female babies.

Since 1979, when the "One-Child Policy" was introduced by
the Chinese government to control spiralling population
growth (Couples are penalized by wage-cuts and reduced
access to social services when children are born "outside
the plan."), infanticide rates has rised dramatically. If
they'd be allowed only one child, it had to be a boy.

If the girls were not killed, they'd be abandoned. Some
were made crippled by their parents because, according to
the regulations, if the first baby was disabled, the
parents were allowed to have another baby.

This is sad that the government's planning has resulted in
a slaughter of the innocents.

Even nowadays, many of the girls were killed while still in
the womb -- the victims of ultrasound technology that
revealed the baby’s gender. Others, were starved to death
after birth or not treated when they became ill.

Since 1980s World Health Organization (WHO) is looking
seriously into this problem. And the Chinese government has
allowed couples to have a second child if the first born is
a girl.

Here're the facts from a web site called the Dying Room
(the site is no longer on line).

- Every year there are around 30 million babies born in China.
- Many thousands, possibly even up to a million, of these new
borns are abandoned when they turn out to be girls.
- Many of those abandoned die of exposure. Others are picked
up by gangs and used for begging. The lucky ones go to the
State run Orphanages.
- Under-funded, understaffed, the levels of care in these
orphanages range from barely adequate to downright inhuman.
- In some Orphanages, death rates among the babies can be as
high as 1 in 5.

There are more to read if you are interested in the issue:
Gendercide Study (also have cases in India)

This is an old issue, but the problem is still there.
However, I would also stress that not ALL Chinese are doing
this. My Chinese friend said it happens in only some parts
of the country where the people are very poor. Now that the
One-Child Policy is "relaxed", we just hope poverty does not
continue. How about this kind of cultures/beliefs? Should it
be discontinued too? How?

More:

As a result of the 1979's "One-Child-Policy" and the killing
of baby girls, Chinese population at the age of 20s consists
of more men than women. It is said that to get a good girl
to marry nowadays, a man has to pay a good deal to the girl's
family. Now parents probably like to have girls already?

Kimono

2009-06-09T08:33:00.000+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 20 May 2002)

Though we are kind of using the term "kimono" for bath robes
(or bedroom robes), it is actually the Japanese word for
"clothes"... Well, at least originally it was. Nowadays, the
term is being used to refer specifically to only traditional
Japanese clothing.

Kimono-making technique was successfully developed in the
Heian period (794-1192). It's the straight-line-cut method,
which involved cutting pieces of fabric in straight lines and
sewing them together. With this technique, kimono makers did
not have to cut the fabric to fit the body.

Straight-line-cut kimonos offered many advantages. They were
easy to fold. Thus, They became suitable for all weather. In
winter, they could be worn in layers. And in summer, people
wore kimonos made of linen. Kimonos, therefore, become part
of Japanese people's everyday lives in all occasions.

Over time, as the practice of wearing kimonos in layers came
into fashion, Japanese people began paying attention to how
kimonos of different colors looked together. The combinations
of colors also represented either seasonal colors or the
political class to which one belonged.

During the Kamakura period (1192-1338) and the Muromachi
period (1338-1573), both men and women wore brightly colored
kimonos. And warriors dressed in colors representing their
leaders. Later it bacame a form of uniform for Samurais.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan was heavily
influenced by foreign cultures. Soldiers and Government
Officers were ordered to wear western-styled uniforms. But
ordinary citizens still wore kimonos on formal occasions.
Using garments decorated with one's family crest would also
identify his or her family background.

More:

Nowadays, Japanese people rarely wear kimonos in everyday

life, reserving them for such occasions as weddings, funerals,

tea ceremonies, or other special events, such as summer festivals.

They change their kimonos to fit the seasons and occasions.

Wearing a wrong kimono to an occasion is an unacceptable manner.

Ebook: Kimono in the Boardroom

Whale Watching -- Kaikoura

2009-06-08T08:46:00.000+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 3 December 2002)

This is a nice time to visit New Zealand. It's spring going
to be summer there, perfect for one of New Zealand's most
visited spots -- Kaikoura.

"Kaikoura" ("crayfish food") is an old fisherman's town on
the west coast (Kaikoura penninsula) of the South Island of
New Zealand. What makes it famous is that there are two
strong ocean currents from the pacific which converge in
the deep water canyons which result for a very unique
ecosystem including a number of marine wildlife and birds
not far from the shore. It's a good diving spot too.

There are crayfish, blue cods, and others that have
attracted fishermen (commercial and recreational) to the
place since the beginning of time. But for sightseeing
tourists, it must be the Fur seals, Dusky dolphins and
several kinds of whales that live not very far away. On a
nice day, we can even see dolphins and seals from the
shore.

This is not just a mere over-exaggerating ad. While we
(I and 2 friends) were driving from Picton (the port town)
south toward Kaikoura, we emerged (from a tunnel) to the
breezy sea-side highway (highway no.1 if I remember it
right) and saw a tourist bus park on the side of the street
with all passengers out on the stony sea shore. So we
stopped our car and went to see...

You won't believe it. There were seals sunbathing on the
shore... just on the side of the highway. Not one, but more
than ten of them, big and small. There was a sign on the
side telling us to be quiet and refrain from giving food.
That means the herd has been there for at least quite a
time. The other sign said it was one of the preservation.
That's amazing!

We stayed in the Kaikoura Youth Hostel (YHA). There are
numbers of other hostels, inns and hotels in Kaikoura. The
Youth Hostel is on the beach road just a minute drive from
town. If you keep driving southward along the black-sanded
beach until the end of the penninsula, you'll get to another
seal habitant! You can see them in their natural home
without having to pay an entrance fee. Rough map here
http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/ .

Oh and you can see a snowy mountain range in a distant while
standing on the beach looking up north.

Anyway, the reason we put Kaikoura in our travel plan was
its famous whalewatching activity. There is a "Whaleway
station" you can get to find several whalewatching tour
operators. There are also more of them in town.

The day we went out (in a tiny engined inflated raft - how
is it called?), there was no Sperm whales nearby. Our guide
pulled out a long metal stick (said to be the sonar
detector) and put it in the sea. He listened from his
headphone for a while and said there was a chance to find
some killer whales. If we were lucky we could get to see
them. But throughout the three-hour trip we were lucky
enough only to see some hard to find sea birds, seals, and
New Zealand's Dusky dolphins (at this point my friend said
the plastic whales must have been out of order). Now the guy
said if we saw the dolphins, we won't see the Killer whales
because they were natural enemy.

Actually seeing the dolphins was not too bad. They (about 12
of them -- dark, with a lighter stripe on each side, much
smaller than Flipper) swam with us for about almost an hour.
I got all in my handycam. This is one of my most memorable
trips. And not that there're no dolphins in Thailand. I used
to go out in the sea with dolphins before (they like to swim
with us). But somehow... the weather and the atmosphere
were just right. And they were so close to us. (My friend
still thought they were plastic :-)).

There is also helicopter tour, but I think going in this
tiny raft is much more touchy. (Oh one thing I like about
this place, they gave me the "small" sized life vest LOL.
In the Philippines I am a giant, can't even put on an XL
shirt sometimes).

This country is great for those who love nature, the sun
and sand, mountains and lakes, etc. I did not talk about
their flowers, herbs and the unique plants yet.

The people were also friendly. Whenever we approached
someone on the street with a map, they'd be, "You are lost,
aren't you?", and would not hesitate to help when they
could.

Oh and the sheep... they are so cute!

More:

New Zealand is also the gateway to the South Pacific Island
(and the South Pole). The largest airport is in Auckland on
the North Island. On the South island, Christchurch Airport
handles some International flights. You can even go there
with cruise lines from Australia and even U.S.A. Don't
forget to check if you need to apply for a visa. Those from
Australia, U.S.A., Canada, E.U., and Japan do not need to
have a visa, but you need to have a valid passport (at
least 6 months beyond the expected time of departure) and
a confirmed return ticket... If you are not staying for
more than 3 months.

From the North island there is a big ferry service you
can take from Wellington (the capital city) to Picton (the
northern port of the South Island). Everything comes with
this ferry line; cars, motorcycles, buses, and even trains.

Two thing you might need to know...

- If you are planning to drive, it's so convenient... but
you will have to study the traffic code and signs (all the
car rental services will give it to you together with the
map). And remember they drive on the left side of the road.
Do not exceed the speed limit. My other friend had came
back for a week when he received a ticket (one NZ dollar
per an exceeded kilometre per hour). In the attached letter
they said they'd send his photo taken by the hidden speed
camera for NZ$7 !

- Electricity... The power current in New Zealand is AC 230
volts, 50 cycles, and most power sockets accept only
three-pin, flat plugs. If you do not have your own
adaptor, you should buy one at the airport upon arrival.

Vietnamese Fried Rolls

2009-06-06T07:49:00.000+08:00

Vietnamese Fried Rolls

Prepare to taste... Julienne cabbage, flakes of boiled
chicken, slices of boiled shrimps, Julienne tofu, spring
onions cut to desired length, cucumbers (no seeds),
vermicelli or glass noodle (soak in water), eggs, sesame oil,
salt, pepper, chopped shitake, Vietnamese roll wrapper
(dried).

Okay, I told you to get the dry kind of Vietnamese spring
roll wrapper, but first thing we need to do is soak the wraps
in water. Do it separately, piece by piece, or they are going
to stick to each others. Don't soak too long. Just until they
turn a bit softer. Then mix all other ingredients. Set aside.

Spread out one piece of wrapper and put the mixture on it.
Wrap well. Set aside. Do next roll.

Put lots of oil in the frying wok or skillet. Wait until it
boil. To see if the oil is boiling, stick a wooden chopstick
in it. If there are bubbles... It's boiling.

Deep fry the rolls until almost golden brown. Remove before
it turns black. Serve hot. Eat with fresh vegetable (basil
leaves and mints are common side fresh vegies for Vietnamese
food). Dip with one of the sauces for Fried food in the Thai food recipes.

The Philippine Jeepney

2009-06-05T08:30:00.000+08:00

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 19 May 2003)

Thank you our subscriber Barbara, who asked about the
Philippines' remarkable "Jeepney". I search around and found
that they even had a "Jeepney" forum and listings! What is
a "Jeepney"? Why do I have to be amazed to the fact that
they have a chat forum? Read on...

A "Jeepney" is a form of public transportation here.
Actually it is the most popular transportation in the
Philippines. With the minimum fare of 5 pesos (about a
dime), you can travel across a town.

But the cheap fare is not what made Jeepneys "Philippine's
pride".

At the beginning, Filipinos built their own Jeepneys out of
U.S. army jeep surplus after WWII. The back of the jeeps
were extended and installed with two inward-facing benches.
A steel roof is added to protect riders from sun and rain.
One Jeepney can accommodate 22-23 passengers (20 at the back
and 2 beside the driver).

Then drivers started to add their identities to their
Jeepneys. Designs and decorations highlight every square
inch, from mudflaps to headlights, including much of the
windshield. Prominent adornments include Catholic
iconography and multinational corporate logos. A crucifix
mounted on a Mercedes-Benz grill is not unusual, and hubcaps
of any brand can be attached to most parts of the vehicle's
exterior. Vehicles are christened with names ranging from
"Jesus is Lord" to "Sex Machine." Some jeepneys require a
second battery just to power gratuitous lights and horns.

Nowadays, there is no more U.S. army surplus. Jeepneys are
made from parts salvaged from exhausted Japanese trucks,
and probably Toyota engines. Also, some owners won't
decorate their Jeepneys that much anymore becuase the bad
economic situation had taken away their resources and
spirits. However, Jeepneys will still remain the main public
transportation of this country for a long time.

Read more about the Jeepneys and see the pictures at...
Jeepneys of the Philippines (see an over-loaded Jeepney)
Jeepney Mania (with Jeepneys all over the Philippines)
Gerard's Jeepney Collection

I don't like riding on these Jeepneys very much... actually.
I found very few safe drivers. There are no door both in
the front and at the back. The receive the fares and give
changes while driving. And I'd never seen a slow Jeepney
(unless when they are passing a school or department store
and slow down to look for passengers).

However, safety issues are not the reasons I don't like
travelling with a Jeepney. My problem is... Filipinos are
tiny people, and the Jeepneys are built based on their
average size. I am from Thailand, which is a neighbouring
country, but Filipino XL size is sometimes too small for me.
Actually I am only 1.64 metres (5'4") tall and usually weigh
65 kgs (1.35 lb.) -- not too huge by International
standard -- or is it?

When people get on a Jeepney, they have to walk in with
their knees and back bent down until they find a seat
(because the roof is low). When I do that, my chin almost
get knocked-out by my own knees. And when I sit down, my
knees point out farther that anyone else in the Jeepney.
People step on my feet all the time. I guess my butt takes
too much space on the long bench too. I guess drivers don't
like me much either because they can't charge me double
(laugh).

I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg

2009-06-04T08:23:00.001+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 9 July 2002)

Writing about Germany in the Neuschwanstein article, I can't help myself thinking of Heidelberg... The place I used to stay for 2 years. And, like they said in the song, it's so beautiful that "I lost my heart in Heidelberg".

Europe's oldest human skull was found here. I saw it in the
museum and could not understand how they knew it's a human
skull. If I found a small piece of stone like that, I'd not
give it a second glance. However, from all the bones and
tools found, it was concluded that traces of human existence
around Heidelberg had dated back 500,000 years ago. The
stoneagers found here are named Homo Heidelbergensis after
the city.

Then there came the Celts in about 800 B.C., Roman followed,
and then the Alemannic tribe. The name "Heidelberch" was
first mentioned in 1196, in a deed of the Cloister Schönau.
The history of the castle starts in 1225, when the
Wittelsbach Ludwig I., Count Palatinate, gained a castle as a
feudal tenure from the Cloister Lorsch, with the aim that he
might protect the trade road into the Neckar valley. The
castle was renovated, ruined, burnt, and rebuilt several time
in history. Read more at this link.

Heidelberg

Nowadays, the castle becomes the town's herbal medicine
museum, and convention center. They have events, plays,
operas, and concerts all the time, esp. this time of the
year. I used to attend parties in the castle's hall twice...
one Christmas Party of our University, and the other time was
the wedding party of a friend. The rest of the time I went to
the castle just to walk or have a picnic in its garden (open
to public).

Oh almost forget, the world's biggest wine barrel is also in
the Schloss (castle). The castle looks red... I think it's
built of sand stones.

In 1386, Ruprecht I. founded the University, which is said to
be the centre of higher education in Europe at the time. It
played a leading role during the age of Humanism and the
Reformation. Martin Luther was received here with great
honors and defended his 95 theses. Today the university has
expanded to be the centre of philosophy, medicine, law and
theology studies in Germany. The university is what makes the
town alive. Because Germans study for free, they'll keep
studying until Ph.D. Two-thirds of Heidelberg populations are
students, professors, or academic personnel. With the recent
opening of Heidelberg's TechnoPark, the demography is slowly
changing, but they still recruit work forces from the
University. And workers from the park also attend courses
there.

With the beautiful scenery, Heidelberg became the favorite
of an illustrious group of poets including Arnim, Brentano,
Hölderlin, Eichendorff and Goethe, to name but a few. No city
was so beloved by the Romantic poets as Heidelberg. And don't
forget the music Composers such as Schumann, C.M. von Weber,
and Brahms also captured their impressions of Heidelberg‘s
unique blend of river landscape, historic town, and hillside
castle in their music.

Heidelberg used to be Hitler's headquarters during the war
too, but we shall not go there. Just a note that Heidelberg,
somehow, or miraculously, survived the bombs without a
scratch. They said when the allied bomber pilot saw the
castle, they could not make themselves let go the bombs, and
destroy such a piece of art. Thus, they had to drop the bombs
in the nearby city of Mannhein instead. In WWII, Mannheim was
completely destroyed. (This was told to me by a half-American
Mannheimer who felt sorry for his home town but was also glad
Heidelberger Schloss was not hit).

Today Heidelberg resides the headquarters of NATO in the
region. There is a large U.S. army base together with all the
American stuffs (i.e. supermarket, Laundromat, U.S. post
office, U.S. ATM, U.S. satellite TV and video rental, etc.)
inside. I lived in the same apartment building with a U.S.
sergeant and attended Management classes with a U.S. captain,
they took me there a lot.

More:

Summer and Christmas are the best time to visit Heidelberg.

The Castle lighting and fireworks always take place on the
first Saturday in June, second Saturday in July (this coming
Saturday?), and first Saturday in September. There will be
light shows for remembrance of the time the castle was on
fire. And after that -- 15-20 minutes of fireworks.

At the time people will gather on the bridges and the other
side of the river, eating drinking and enjoying the summer
night. There are also Wurst (hotdog), beer and Sekt (German
sparkling wine) stands all over the place.

During the summer day, just lying on the grass yard by the
river's bank and enjoy the sun is relaxing enough. You can
also hike up the hills, ride a bike, or run on skates. There
are certain bike-lanes that people are not allowed to walk on
them and cause traffic to bikers. Isn't it a biker's heaven?

Every Saturday, there will be markets in several places
nearby the castle. You can get anything from fruits, flowers,
candies, souvenirs, clothes, etc. I even got my Bayern
Munich scarf from the market. Just take a walk on
Hauptstrasse (Main Street), and you won't miss them.
Haupstrasse itself is already interesting -- full of artists,
musicians, magicians, ... There are University facilities
everywhere, and museums, restaurants, cafe (where you'll
enjoy the tea) They say Germans can't cook. I am not sure
about that, but it's certain to me they can bake. Talk about
Pretzels, Cakes, Pies, Icecream with such fruity toppings...
There are also other European restaurants on Hauptstrasse...
Turkish, Greek, You name it... The most delicious Kebab stand
is also here. What's more... McDonald's, Hard Rock Cafe, even
a Thai restaurant.

If you happen to visit in winter there are still Christmas
markets and parades. Don't forget to try the Glühwein (a warm
wine available only during Christmas). The Christmas market
is open everywhere in Germany from end of November to mid
December (just before the Christmas break). Though Heidelberg
is located on a higher place, but the valley helps keep the
place warmer in winter and colder in summer. (Don't ask me
how). It's one of not many places in Germany with steadier
weather.

How to get there and around:

Nearest airports are in Stuttgart and Frankfurt. Frankfurt
International Airport is one of the modernest and most
equipped airport in the world. If you arrive at Frankfurt,
you can either

- Rent a car and drive there. Just get on to the Autobahn
and follow Stuttgart direction. Be reminded that they drive
VERY FAST on Autobahn (160 km./h or 100 mph up). Keep right
if you are not sure where to go.

- Take Lufthansa's Airport bus from Terminal B directly to
Heidelberg's Marriot Hotel. From the hotel, just take a taxi
to Bismarkpaltz which is the town centre. Hauptstrasse starts
from here.

- Take a train to Heidelberg's Hauptbahnhof (Main station).
And from there, take a tram or bus to Bismarksplatz. The
Tourist Information is just in front of the Train station.
But they work office hours only.

You can also take the train until Heidelberg's Karlstor
station at the other end of Hauptstrasse, but taking a
tram or a bus provides you better scenery of the town.

A tourist can get a Heidelberg Card, and ride on trams/buses
in Heidelberg free for 3 days. The card pay your entrance to
the Castle, Old University, and 10 more museums too.

To go to the Castle, walk on Hauptstrasse or take a bus until
Kornmarkt, and walk or take the cable car (Bergbahn) uphill.
Do not drive up there. The driveway is steeper and normally
difficult to park. The castle is only the first stop of the
cable car. You can go until the top of the hill, and enjoy
the scenery very far away. But from the castle you can see
all over Heidelberg already. The Castle's garden is free to
go, but you'll have to pay DM 1 or 2 for the Castle (free for
Heidelberg Cardholder). Everywhere in Germany, there are
always discounts for juniors and students. Just ask.

Coming down, don't forget to stop by at Alte Brüke (Old
Bridge). The bridge itself is beautiful. And the castle view
from there is incredible!

If you have time, take a cruise along the Neckar, come back
to the castle at night, and see Heidelberg's romantic view
from the garden. Oooohh I miss Heidelberg...

I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg

To stay the night, there are hotels, Youth Hostels, Guess
Houses, and camping sites.

Best Western Rega Heidelberg Hotel

London Bridge

2009-06-03T12:56:00.000+08:00

(first Published in Small World Ezine on 21 May 2002)

I saw the story of the London Bridge in yesterday's Disney
Channel, and thought it was interesting. You probably know
it already. But it's still something to talk about for our
kind of ezine, right? :-)

The above picture is the old London Bridge, not the one you see below...

(Tower Bridge)

The first time I went to London (1992), I went looking for the
London Bridge because I wanted to know the story behind the
"London Bridge is Falling Down" song. And I was pretty
disappointed that the London Bridge was "just a bridge". Oh
it's only until I found out that normal looking bridge was
not the bridge in the song.

(Battersea Bridge)

When the Roman was there, ther was no London (yet). The first
bridge was probably built around 80 AD from timber in order to
cross the Thames. We do not know how the Roman (or the Saxon
who arrived arter them) called the bridge. A later record
written in 984 AD was probably the first document to mention
the "London Bridge".

Two other timber bridges followed, one being swept away
entirely in a storm in 1091. A third was built in 1163. The
man who built it, a priest named Peter de Colechurch, vowed
that his next bridge would be of stone. That was around the
time of King Henry II.

This bridge took 30 years to build. It had a road 20 feet wide
and 300 yards long and was supported by 20 arches, curving to
a point in Gothic style. This time it lasted over 600 years.

There were gatehouses, a drawbridge and the street houses to
provide rent for the upkeep of the bridge. Then, People and
merchants began building houses and shops on the bridge and
this continued in the years to come. They projected far out
on both sides of the bridge supported by stout Timbers. Many
tradesmen brought their specialties to the bridge and it was
soon nearly completely covered with buildings.

(Early London Bridge)

In 1450 the bridge was held against Jack Cade and his rebels.
There was fire. Houses were burnt. People were slaughtered.
But the worst time was the 1633 fire. Forty-three houses were
destroyed and many of the shops were also burned and damaged.
But this helped prevent the damage from the great fire in 1666
because the 1633 fire had left a big gap before the bridge
and the fire of 1666 could not reach the other side.

When they rebuilt London after the great fire, they also
rebuilt the bridge. This time they replaced the drawbridge with a
big arch in the middle.

In 1825, the new bridge was built 100 feet west of the old
bridge. It was finished in 1831. And they demolished the old
bridge. However, more traffic came with civilization --
trains, buses, etc., this bridge did not last very long. It
sank unevenly as years passed and could no longer cope with
the extent of modern traffic. So, the British Government sold
the bridge to Robert McCulloch of Arizona, USA for $2,460,000.
They moved it to Lake Havasu, Arizona in 1960's. And it's been
a tourist attraction of Arizona until today. It is here:
http://www.oldlondonbridge.com/images/arizona.jpg

(London Bridge 1909-10)

They built a new concrete bridge in the same place over the
Thames.

Nice Picture of The Construction of Tower Bridge London 1892-1894

Novotel London Tower Bridge

The Kumari of Nepal

2009-06-02T08:24:00.000+08:00

The Kumari of Nepal

(This article was first published in Small World Ezine on 28 January 2002)

The "Kumari is Nepal's living goddess. Once chosen, the
girl's feet will never touch the earth anymore until she is
retired from the position.

The Kumari is not born a goddess nor does she remain one all
her life. She is usually chosen from a goldsmith family when
she is about five years old. And will be retired when she
reaches puberty.

To be selected, it is essential that she has been never hurt
or shed blood.

After careful screening by a number of people, including the
astrologer the selected candidates, about ten candidates are
locked in a dark room where fearful things are kept inside
and frightening noises are made outside. The girl who shows
least fear is selected.

She is installed on a throne in a room in a three-storeyed
house in Kathmandu, the Capital city of Nepal. She will be
living there and never touch the earth again until she reaches
puberty. Then the Kumari becomes human once more and a new
Goddess must be chosen.

The selected friends and teachers are sent up the house to
entertain and educate the Kumari.

For three days during each September at the time of festival
of God Indra marking the end of the mansoon seasons the
Kumari is taken by chariot around Kathmandu to give blessing.
She also blesses the king of Nepal on this occasion. It is
said that the Kumari gave her blessing to one king very
reluctantly in the year that he died. People said that she
was feeling very sleepy and had to be literally forced to
mark his forehead (for blessing).

There is a belief that a man who marries an ex-Kumari may
die within six months. And that's why many of the ex-Kumaris
are living their lives miserably lonely.

Some ex-Kumaris and International organizations are now
debating the "Human-Rights" issue with the Nepali Government.
But since it's a belief and the parents take it the pride of
the family to have their girls chosen, it's probably almost
impossible to change.

Feminism and Nationalism in the Third World (Third World Books) - Kumari Jayawardena - Print On Demand (non-refundable)

More:

We mentioned above about the Hindu God Indra. God Indra (his
body is green -- I guess it's to resemble the fertility of
a land) is the God who takes care of our well-beings.

It is said that whenever there is a disaster on earth, his
seat/bed will turn so hard that the god cannot ignore it.
Then he'll use his magical glasses to search who is in pain
or where's the disaster, and come down (or send somebody) to
help.

This is from what we know in Thailand. The myth could be
slightly different in India and Nepal. Similar to how the
Greeks and Romans believed in the same gods but different
names and sometimes also in different manners.

Easter Island

2009-06-01T08:10:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 19 March 2002)

Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) is one of the world’s greatest
archaeological sites, and also one of the most remote. The
Rapa Nui is in the Pacific just about in the middle between
Chile and Tahiti. If you do not recall, see the tiny pic at your
left. Yep... That's the statue and place we are talking about.

The tragic of the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was just
because somebody thought (and are still thinking) that people
who looked, acted, or believed otherwise were uncivilized,
and, to those barbarians, they can do anything (even more
barbaric) without guilt.

First, this island is called Rapa Nui, but the Dutch
explorer, Jacob Roggeveen did not care. He found it on the
Easter Sunday of 1720 A.D., 1400 years after the first
Polynesian had moved in, and decided to call it "Easter
Island" without asking the tenants how the place had been
called by them.

Then came the Spanish captain, Don Felipe Gonzáles, who
calimed the island for the King of Spain in 1770. Captain
James Cook and the French admiral and explorer, le Comte de
La Pérouse were also there a few years later. But not much
damage had been done (Some islanders were killed because they
looked dangerous to Europeans. And the mainland diseases
such as VD, TB, small pox, ... were brought to the island
where people had no natural immune or medical knowledge to
any).

Once a while when ships needed more labors and/or women
would stop by and kidnap islanders from their home. The
real major life-taking threat was when the slave-traders
discovered the place. One after another, they kidnapped men
and women of Rapa Nui to the slave markets. When this was
finally over, it was said that only one-thirds were left in
the island with health problems from the outside.

Now came the missionaries who tried to help with their
medicine, but in the process of conversion, they destroyed
almost all the evidences of old believes including ancient
scripts, tablets, and wooden artifacts.

Finally, In 1888 a Chilean Captain, Policarpo Toro Hurtado,
took formal possession of the island in the name of the
Republic of Chile. Twelve Rapanui chiefs ceded sovereignty
to Chile "for ever."

With the amazing sculptures on the shore of Rapa Nui, there
were hundreds of theories on WHO, HOW and WHY. The lost
continent, UFO, Egyptians, etc. I'd like to quote from
http://islandheritage.org/mysteries.html that...

"To suggest or intimate that the ancient Easter Islanders
did not carve their statues and build their shrines is to
deny them their past. Easter Island has a rich history,
coming out of the Polynesian tradition, which in turn derives
from Southeast Asia. They created a remarkable civilization,
out there, isolated in the vast South Pacific Ocean. Let’s
give them a little credit!"

The mysteries of Easter Island

More:

How to get there...

Only one Airline flies from Chile (takes 5 hours). You can
also buy a package cruise from there, but I think taking a
cruise from New Zealand might be a better idea. It is
probably too far and dangerous for a private yacht or
sailboat.

Stay for longer (like a week). There are 1000+ archeoligical
and historical sites to see. Bring your food and water. Food
is expensive (to tourists), and safe drinking water is rare.

It is recommended to attend the mass in the Catholic church
if you are there on Sunday (if it's not against your belief).
The singing is "not missable".

Locals speak Spanish, but Rapa Nuis speak their language.

Last but not least, the Easter Island Foundations is raising
funds for preservations of the island's magnificent
archaeological heritage. Visit their web site for the
information on upcoming projects, and donation at:
http://islandheritage.org/projects.html

TIKI Rapa Nui Easter Island Wall Calendar

Korean Spare Ribs

2009-05-30T07:46:00.000+08:00

Korean Spare Ribs

I love to eat MEAT. My best friend said I was a "meatarian".
One of the favorite is Korean's Barbecued Beef (or pork) Ribs.

There is nothing about the ribs. You just get the meat of your
choice ... ribs, strips, cubes, whatever. Just remember to cut
it into small pieces (knife is not allowed on the table,
besides, smaller pieces allow marinade to penetrate better).
The secret is in the typical Korean's marinade.

Mix some soy sauce, sesami oil, honey, toasted sesami seeds,
finely chopped spring onion, ground black pepper, finely
graded fresh ginger, and crushed garlic well together and
pour over the meat. Leave it for 4-5 hours. Turn frequently.

Don't ask me how much for each ingredient... that's up to
your taste. Put more soy sauce and less sesami oil (4:1).

More secret is to use "Kikkoman" soy sauce. Every country
in Asia seems to develop its own soy sauce. The taste is
different. Japanese Kikkoman goes best with this recipe.

How to cook? That's not important. You can grill it on
charcoal, put it in the oven, or fry it in oil (don't use
butter). Just make it look like a barbecue... browned and
crisp.

Don't forget some steamed rice to go with :-)

The Art of Origami

2009-05-29T08:12:00.002+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine on 10 June 2002)

When the first atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on the
sixth of August in 1945, Sadako Sasaki was 2 years old. The
little girl was 1.5 kilometers from the explosion. She
survived it without an injury while most of her neighbours
died. People said it was a miracle. Miracle was not forever.
Nine years later Sadako was diagnosed leukemia.

There was an old Japanese legend saying anyone who folded a
thousand paper cranes would be granted a wish. So, Sadako
started folding the cranes and made a wish to get well
again. When she died on the 25th of October 1955, at the
age of 12, she had finished only 644 cranes. Her classmates
finished the 1,000 cranes for her, and started their
campaign against war in her honour. Sadako and her cranes
have become the symbols of World Peace. And children all
over the world fold paper cranes and send it to put beneath
Sakado's statue every year on August 6 (anniversary of the
first nuclear bombing) or World Peace Day (September 15).

I'd like to urge you, if there is a child in the house, to
tell him/her about Sadako, and if he/she is interested,
he/she could start folding 1,000 cranes for Sadako. (In
Japan, they make cranes very small and make like bead
curtains or necklaces out of them, so the 1,000 cranes are
not too much to handle). It's a nice way to tell our kids
about the tragic of war.

We are not sure who invented origami. It's probably Chinese,
who had invented paper earlier. But there were evidences
that, it was the Japanese who had sophisticated origami forms
as early as 1200 years ago. The tale of 1,000 cranes was also
as old.

In the old time, it was not for fun because paper was rare.
Important documents such as a diploma or a certificate
accompanying a value gift item would be folded in a certain
way to make sure it's the original copy. Then, it has become
a tradition to fold important documents or gift wrappers
ceremonially. Though it has already become more like a
recreational activity, people had invented different ways to
fold their paper until it has become an art today. It is
that Akira Yoshizawa, in the 1930s. had developed as many
as 50,000 of models.

In the west, The Spanish "school" of origami, the 'Unamuno',
was founded by Miguel Unamuno, 1864-1936. It is still in
existence in Spain and South America. And since Robert
Harbin published his book "Paper Magic" in 1956, tens of
thousands of designs have appeared from many artists in
many books.

There is more to origami than just the art of folding paper.
There is a philosophy which surrounds origami. When most
people will just cut a piece of paper to the shape they feel
like, some will take the time to find the way to fold it to
the desired shape. That is meditated, patient, creative, and
artistic.

Rubb-Origami: The Art of Creating Rubber Band Sculptures: Volume One: How to Make Your Very Own Rubber Rubberband Man

Copenhagen -- The Little Mermaid's Hometown

2009-05-28T08:08:00.000+08:00

(First published in Small World Ezine -- Lost the date)

New York has its Statue of Liberty, Paris has its Eiffel Tower, and Copenhagen has the Little Mermaid.

The Danish poet, Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) wrote "Far out at sea the water´s as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass; but it´s very deep, deeper than any anchor can reach. Many church steeples would have to be piled up one above the other to reach from the bottom of the sea to the surface. Right down there live the sea people."

At the age of 15, the little Mermaid for the first time swims to the surface of the sea, where she fell in love with the Prince she saved from drowning. To be with the Price she she sold traded her voice to the evil sea witch for the "most beautiful legs any girl could ever have". Unlike its Disney's version, the poor mermaid did not win the Prince's heart and was transformed into deadly cold sea foam forever.

Carlsberg's Carl Jacobsen, enthused by the the ballet "The Little Mermaid" he had seen on Det Kongelige Teater (the Royal Theatre) in 1913, asked sculptor Edvard Eriksen to created a sculpture with the mermaid captured before the transformation and with the fish tail intact. And The Little Mermaid was put up at Copenhagen's Langelinie quay on August 23'rd of 1913 as his present to the city.

Being the icon of Copenhagen, the largest and liveliest city of Scandinavia, the Little Mermaid is pretty small for the job. She is only 4 ft. tall. And that's probably why she was vandalized for too many times.

Neither Big Ben of London, The Eiffel Tower of Paris, the Statue of Liberty of New York or Manneken-Pis of Brussels can match the number of attacks the Little Mermaid has suffered. Since 1961, the Mermaid has been drenched with red paint, put on a bra, arm-amputated, and twice beheaded!

The city and people of Copenhagen had done their best to rescue her back to the original shape.

More:

I said earlier this was the best time to go to Copenhagen because the famous century-old Tivoli theme park will be open only in summer. Opposite the northern corner of Tivoli is Rådhuspladsen, the city's central square and main bus transit point. You can take the airport bus to/from here.

Getting around in Copenhagen, you can ride on a bike, or take a bus. Taxis here receive credit cards... Does that imply a higher cost? If you plan to drive a rental car, be aware that safety and traffic regulations in all Scandinavian countries are more strict and a bit different from Europe's and the rest of us. Big car rental companies will provide you with manuals. Please read it carefully.

The parking space is also expensive and hard to find. If you are not planning to go out of town, I'll say bus or bike is more convenient.

And do not forget to walk on Strøget, the world's longest and probably oldest pedestrian mall, which runs through the city centre between Rådhuspladsen and Kongens Nytorv, the square at the head of the colourful Nyhavn canal area.

The Royal Palace (Amalienborg Palace) is located at the North of the canal. You can watch the colourful changing of the guard when the queen is in. Copenhagen is also famous of its museums. You can find just almost every kind of collections here. Start with the National Museum.

Oh and the Little Mermaid... it's like 10 minutes up North from the Palace.

Classic churches to check out are Vor Frue Kirke, the city cathedral with its famed statues of Christ and the disciples by Bertel Thorvaldsen, and Christianshavn's Vor Frelsers Kirke, which has an elaborate Baroque altar and an equally elaborate carved pipe organ (It's huge!). And for a magnificent city view, make the dizzying 400-step ascent up the church's 95-metre spiral tower - the last 160 steps run along the outside rim of the tower, narrowing to the point where they literally disappear at the top.

Read about Mermaids of the World

How to get there:

Among all airports, I spent most times in Copenhagen's (not counting Bangkok Airport). It's one of the most convenient airports in the world. Almost all overseas flights to Denmark arrive here. If you are there, stop by at the supermarket, and buy the smoked herrings and mackerel home.

Best I've ever had ;-)

There are daily bus and rail services between Denmark and Germany too. And there is the Øresundsforbindelsen (Øresund Fixed Link), a road-rail system stretching nearly 16km (13 m.) of bridges and tunnels between Malmo in southern Sweden and Copenhagen, which links the island of Danish capital with mainland Scandinavia. And of course, before there were bridges and tunnels, there were ferries to/from all major ports of Scandinavia, Benelux, and Germany.

Try to schedule your trip, esp. if you plan to arrive after September. the day will be shorter, and so do the opening times of shops, restaurants, and hotel front. If you haven't made reservation for the hotel (why hadn't you?), there are a Youth Hostel and a YMCA Hostel. Hotels (budget to luxurious) are located nearby the Central station. I remember there

With good planning, you need to spend only one or two days in Copenhagen. Then move up to Sweden, or out to the countryside of Denmark.