The Begining Of The 500 Years - Part II

When the moment had passed, the Buddha once again manifested himself and asked the love struck girl if she was happy that her wish had been finally fulfilled. She shook her head sadly asking why she was not built in the middle of the bridge so that she could have at least had a touch of him when he brushed past her. To which the answer was it would take another 500 years of meditation for a chance at a closer look and a touch. The Buddha posed her this thought if she would regret her decision and be willing to endure all suffering again for yet another 500 years just for that one more opportunity and the answer was once again a firm affirmative no to regret and yes to another five centurion wait.

She was thus turned into a seedling buried deep in the ground on a busy street and over the years bloomed into a big sturdy tree with lush leaves providing wonderful shade to all that walked under. This time being on a busy street many walks of life went by keeping her company unlike the previous situation. Each approaching man raised her hope and dashing it when they walked past as none were who she was waiting for. Eventually, she understood that she had to fulfill her part bargain of meditating for 500 years before that can ever happen again. With that she patiently waited through century after century.

Like clockwork, on the final day of her mediation, she saw him again. Handsome as ever, he was strolling this time unlike the last time she set her eyes on him. The weather was scorching that day and the young man came to the lush tree seeking some respite and rest. He leaned against her body as he sat down and soon fell into a slumber under the cool shade. She spread her branches out and gently swayed them creating a cool breeze for the sleeping man. Wakened from his nap, the young man looked up at the tree and gave it a hug as a way of showing his appreciation for shading him as he rested. With that he left to continue on his journey.

The Buddha appeared once more enquiring if the girl had wanted to be the wife of the man next. In reply she said no as it was enough to love someone without having to be married to the person. She further ventured by asking if the man’s wife in currently life had also suffered as long just to be with him. To which the Buddha nodded and she said that being able to finally touch the man of her dreams was more than enough. Upon saying that, she noticed the Buddha heaved a sigh of relieve and she was curious and asked if even the great Buddha had a problem. The Buddha then smiled at her and said a young man, who in order to have an another view of her, had already waited a thousand years but now he doesn’t have to wait yet another thousand years to just meet her again.

Perhaps this girl had already a man for her but because she had wanted to have another look at the young man she saw at the temple fair, she gave up her right to everything else and in the process losing her right to her affinity which had to be started a thousand years later.

The Begining Of The 500 Years - Part I

There was once an orphan girl in ancient China who had never experienced the love of a family, happiness nor sadness. Upon reaching marriageable age she was introduced to numerous eligible young bachelors but they just never seemed to be the right man for her, not the person she was waiting for. As it so happened, she chanced a glimpse of a young man at a crowded temple fair and immediately felt that he had been the man she had been searching for. Unfortunately with the throngs of people that day, the man of her dreams did not see her and she lost sight of him before she could approached him. Even though the good looking young man did not see her, she yearned for the opportunity for that one more look again. However for the next two years it was a search in vain no matter where she looked.

Saddened, she prayed earnestly to the Buddha daily asking him for the chance to see the man of her dreams again. All she requested for was just for that one more look. The Buddha moved by her sincerity manifested in front of her and asked her if she was prepared to sacrifice everything including losing her freedom and right to thought just for that one more view at the man. To which she replied with greatest affirmation. Buddha asked her again if she would be willing to pay the price and be turned into a huge rock meditating for the next 500 years just for the chance. She replied for that one more sighting she was willing to endure all sufferings.

Her wish was granted and was turned into a huge boulder on a barren ground weathering over the four seasons. Despite the hardship, she preserved mediating knowing that in time she will once again meet the man that stole her heart. The hardest part of it all was over the next 400 over years, not a single soul walked past. The forlorn girl sat thinking if only there were people walking past at least that will give her some encouragement that one of them one day could be her prince charming.

Through the scorching heat of the summer and bitter cold of winter, the 500 years neared. One day a group of travelling craftsmen on route to the next town walked by. As they were contracted to build a bridge in the town centre, they found her size very handy and hacked her down into smaller manageable pieces. Over the next few months the bridge was built and she became a part of it, sited on the highest curve of it with the view to all the town folks walking by. The day the bridge was completed it was also the final day of her wait. As it was opened for use, she saw before her the very man she had so yearned for the last 500 years. It brought elation to her as he appeared finally and in full view due to her placement, she was finally able to get her wish granted. She felt her sufferings and loneliness had been worth it. While that should had brought her wish to a closure, the young man seemed to be in a hurry that day and hastily walked by failing to realize that she was gazing at him lovingly.

Affinity of life

Today I heard a long phrase in Mandarin about ones affinity with another human being which moved me to tears. To get me to shed some tears with just simply words, it has to be really something and so to share I will attempt to reconstruct it in English to the best of my ability and bring forth the meaning in its full entirety. Hopefully, its impact will not be lost in translation and I can do it justice. Here goes.

There was once a lotus born in a pond which faced the Buddha teaching the truth of life to his disciples. Everyday, it was exposed to lessons after lessons and in one great sermon, it learnt about the affinity of ones life. In that teaching the Buddha said : ‘ do what is to be done, go where one is meant to go, meet one that is meant to meet and connect with who you have affinity with.’ To earn that one life time’s chance to meet with a stranger face to face, you would have had 500 times of glance back of that someone’s back as you both walk in separate direction. It is always just seeing the back of the person but never to meet. To wait a further 500 years to exchange one life time’s chance to meet face to face. Therefore, to achieve the opportunity for two to be in wedded union as one, it is a seemingly endless anticipation of wait.

So to all that are married, cherish all the time you have left to enjoy each other’s company, share in each other’s dreams and live every single moment together knowing that once this life time is over, your chance to be together again maybe another few thousand years or never again. You earned the right, you earned the chance. Least you may forget. It wasn’t just the meeting of someone that turned out well. It was the work and effort put in thousands of years back for a chance of affinity with one another.

I guess this post is more to remind all in a union to remember the meaning of affinity. Or maybe truly understand it for the very first time. Tell your significant other how much you cherish and love him or her because once the clock stops, no amount of money earned or recognition gained in society will ever present or buy you back this life time’s chance to say it again. Maybe not for another few thousand years of glance backs.

Auto Hand Sensor Wash Basins Can KILL You

Picture this, I was minding my own business literally, doing my part in trying to fight the fire in the men’s room of a shopping mall. Ok maybe you shouldn’t picture that. Anyway when I was all out, I moved over to the wash basins pumping the liquid soap to ensure the all clear. Now here’s where all that national campaign of washing your hands with cleansing soap is important even if it’s just after a simple small business transaction can sometimes lead you to greater harm. Along with its accomplice the automatic hand sensor tap water basin, it can even lead to life endangerment.

So after giving the hands a good scrub with generous hand overlapping, interlocking, finger nails scraping against your palm movements, I began to realize something wasn’t really quite right about this guy who was back facing me using the basin behind mine. Initially from my mirror reflection, he looked like any other ordinary guy checking out his hair and styling it while singing a song. Actually it was more the song that started to get me all nervous. He was singing something he very probably made it up himself and I would have not thought much about it until it got more audible by the moment. He started with his lyrics on how this chick presumably his ex girlfriend spurned his attention, ignored his love, decided to go out with another guy, broke his heart and how mad that made him. How he was going to kill her. Ok I made up the bit on killing her. Thought it would make my story be more interesting. Anyway, I figured it would be a very wise move to quicken the washing of my hands and slid out of the washroom as unnoticeable as possible.

Here’s where my carefully thought through plan A failed miserably and I didn’t have time for plan B. Bloody hand sensor taps don’t sense very well. None of the 4 sinks in front of me did. I was screaming under my breath ‘work damn it work! Quit the start stop flow’ ‘damn senseless sensors! Work! Damn you inferior quality sensors!’ ‘God! I am going to die here! I don’t want to die here....not here…Nooooooooooo.’ I can see the newspaper headlines now. Crazed singing guy who btw had a pretty harmonious voice decided it’s not worth living after his chick walked out on him ended his life and along killed crazed other guy trying to wash his hands over 4 sinks. The end. I didn’t even get to say my goodbyes to all the beautiful girls in Kobe and Osaka. Half of the population of beautiful girls there does not count as all.

Obviously I managed to get my hands washed after attempting it like a thousand times, exaggeration fully acceptable given the circumstances, and lived to tell this tale. I mean it would be pretty creepy if I didn’t make it and this was still posted. Awesome. Anyway I learnt something from this. Life is unpredictable. Next time I am going to say my goodbyes to all the beautiful girls in the country or state I am visiting when I leave them. Seldom you get a second chance. Hello my beauties!

Eye Diabetes

Firstly before I write any further, I would like to apologize to those who had been so kind to send their birthday wishes to me via sms and didn’t get a single response. Reason being I was once again back in Kobe and reunited with my love. Those who missed out on that post can read previous entry on my Kobe affair.

As it was an extended trip which included Osaka and Kyoto, I didn’t come back till 9 days later and hence any smses sent earlier were all deleted from the server because I do not own a 3G mobile phone. *Hint Hint.* So to all those that remembered and one who actually stayed up till midnight to be the first to wish me, my sincerest apologies for not responding and my biggest thank you. I am afraid I am not able to thank you personally because I do not know who actually sent out the greetings. Maybe she was the only one. In that case, I take back my thank you!

So once again I was back in Kobe and it was freezing which made me appreciate my beloved even more during the cold mornings and nights. Ok freezing is rather exaggerating I guess but then having come from a summer climate almost all year round, a perpetual outdoor air conditioner blowing cold air into your face making your ears and nose feel like they could break and fall off any moment was pretty awesome. Then it becomes not so awesome when you catch a chill which was what I did. Dumb ass. Coupled with less than 5 hours sleep 4 nights in a row with loads of beer, sake and vodka pump into your guts, a chill becomes a head splitting lung wrenching whooping cough.

So there, I successfully infected at least a quarter of Kobe and Osaka’s population spreading the love of my made by Singaporean flu cough bug. Kyoto was spared mainly because we were not there long enough, just half a day or slightly more, but man the cherry blossoms there though not fully bloomed were beautiful. I swear I am not gay but it was a gorgeous sight. Again I am not gay.

I don’t know if it is because of my coughing that affected my eyesight or it is really because all the stunning ladies from Japan gather in Kobe and Osaka. Almost every minute something beautiful and sweet cleanses your eyes. It was eye candy galore and I was concerned it may give me diabetes of the eye due to the overdose of sugaring in its finest form. In fact, I feared if I didn’t die from diabetes of the eye over there, I could have been killed in a road accident. It was hard to keep your eyes on the traffic while crossing the roads with your eyes peeled on the chicks there and everywhere. I couldn’t count on my colleagues saving me as their eyes were equally clouded by visuals of heavenly sent angels all around us. No, we were not consuming any illegal substances. Chewing gum does not count as illegal substance over there.

I wished I could speak fluent Japanese or at least understand it perfectly so that I could have seen a doctor over there. I couldn’t count on my colleague’s Japanese friend to save me either while trying to get medication from the local pharmacy. The dude was better in his English than his mother tongue. But thanks Isa all the way dude. You were a hoot and made the pain more bearable. It was utter misery to be blinking sick while the rest of your colleagues were partying or hamming up for the camera while sight seeing. So it was pretty understandable at least from my point of view why I was the happiest person on our departure day at Kansai International Airport. Never thought I would be so pleased to get to see a doctor who can speak my language or at least didn’t require me to play charades to explain what was wrong with me. 2 days of MC made me even more pleased.