Time flies... so do Flys; and birds... ^.^

Happy New Year!!

As the Chinese think red is an auspicious color, I shall be blogging in red this session. ^.^

So what have I been doing these past few days? Something exciting? Great parties? Lots of cheers and drinks? Well... unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the passing of 2004 into 2005 was very low key for me this year.

Spent most of my time at home with my gf and her family. In the last hours of 2004, I was watching "Save the Last Dance" on DVD with my gf. Nice movie... but a bit lacking on the "oomph" factor... it focused mostly on the social inequality between blacks & whites in America (apologies for my lack of PC). But then it's not surprising to see such a theme as I see the name Micheal J. Moore somewhere in the credits at the end.

But the point is I watched a movie for New Year's Eve and at exactly midnight, went on to my roof top to watch the fireworks happening on the Yarra River. Well, not exactly watched as my place was surrounded by the city high rise office buildings. I was watching the fireworks display through the reflection off those high rise building windows. Nice, pretty explosions... but a bit bored of it as I've seen quite a number of it in the past few years in Melbourne.

But the only "fun" little thing that was different this year was the sparklers. Me and my gf went and got ourselves some sparklers earlier that day at Victoria Market. So within the next 10 minutes of 2005, I spent my time waving lit sparklers and grinning like an idiot! ^.^

And that's what happened during New Year's Eve/New Years... simple and non-eventful.

The next day I went to the SGI Melbourne Culture Centre for the annual New Year's Gongyo. Was there bright and early (about 8:30 am) 'cause I was helping out with the VCT. Lucky for me, I got a last minute ride from Daniel... no need to take the train, yay! ^.^

I was glad that I went early as a VCT member as for the first time, I felt in-sync after such a long time (maybe about a month) from "inactivity" in SGI. I really enjoyed the morning Gongyo we did together; the daimoku session felt as if I touched the cosmos... almost as if I was reborn again. What made it even better was that it was New Years day. A brand new start... and as Eng Teck mentioned later that day, a day to draw the line between the past and the future; almost as if we are restarting from zero again.

Another thing that was really impressionable on that day was that Olga surprised me during a conversation that she had Ongi Kuden (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings) hardcover copy stocked in the bookroom. At last, the English translation of Nichiren Daishonin's lecture is available!! I was reading sensei's foreword in the book and I suddenly realized how important this book was; especially it's appearance/availability in English at this point in history. To quote:

[Nichiren]... delivered a series of lectures onthe Lotus Sutra for the instruction of his disciples. He revealed the hidden meanings of the sutra passages that were so familiar to him, the meanings that earlier authorities on the sutra such as teh Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai and the Great Teacher Miao-lo had not fully brought to light. Nichiren, utilizing the work of these earlier commentators, in his own lectures on the sutra proceeded to make clear these hidden meanings. (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, pg xi Trans. by Burton Watson)

Now, in English, everybody world-wide has access to the true teachings and intent of Nichiren Daishonin. Well, we always had it in the form of his letters to his disciple (the Gosho), but in a form of an explanation lecture... never in English.

It is no surprise that at such a time where the world seem so crazy, that such a wonderful book would be available to help the people that are suffering. I really, truely believed that Nichiren's philosophy and Buddhism will help people find and seek their own happiness and overcome their sufferings.

Anyways, later on that day, a bunch of us popped over at Edmund's place and had a great home-cooked meal of spicy fried noodles and spring rolls by Eric (or was it Lee?). It was a great get together... had a nice celebratory party.

The next day was another day of same-old, same-old... except my gf's parents were going back to Malaysia. In the last month (December), my gf's parents were staying over for her graduation and also her brother's graduation. Been a little stressful staying with them, so when they left, it was in a way a bit of a relief. But that feeling was replaced, almost immediately with loneliness... I'm reminded of the song in the movie Team America where the villian Kim-Jong Il sings I'm so Ronery [lonely]... halarious! If you want some politically incorrect comedy, watch the movie... by the makers of South Park (ie Trey Parker). Anyways, I detract. The loneliness I felt was due to the fact that, I guess, I miss the family type of atmosphere. I realize that I was without this environment for maybe at least 5 years now... have I become so isolated?

So it was a bit depressing for a bit... I really needed some distraction. And lo and behold, Eng Teck calls me up and invited me for some drinks... right on dude! I'm there!!

So it ended up to becoming a night of Nasi Lemak cooking and learning how to make the chilli-sambal with Daniel and Eng Teck. Eng Teck's recipe = just look at the ingredients used for the bottled sambal. 'What about the amount of the ingredients?' Well, according to him... agak-agak! (It turned out that he was actually making an 'experimental' sambal paste; we were the guinea pigs).

The nasi lemak turned out to be quite good... very spicy too (well, of course it would be!! Considering watching Eng Teck pouring the whole 200 gram packet of dried chilli into the wok!!) But it was a wonderful learning experience... definitely a mouth-watering culinary experience! ^.^

Had a very short and powerful Gongyo after dinner; Jimmy popped by later on in the evening to join us for dinner. Very unique night in terms of conversation-wise because ET had lots of stories from SGI members in Singapore involving the supernatural. Had a bit of trouble believing it; it's not that I don't believe or I believe the members are lying.... but it's just hard for me to come to terms of the existence of spirits/ghosts. I always believe that there is some other explanation.

Just before I left for the night, ET passed me a bag with something rectangular, like a small box. He told me it was a gift; I was a bit surprised and asked him what it was... he just brushed my question off and told me to open it when I got home. When I got home, I unwrapped the present and to my pleasant surprise I see that he had given me a copy of the English translation of Ongi Kuden. I ended up sleeping quite happy last night.

So I end todays entry with a tribute to Soon Eng Teck! A comrade, a brother, a guide, a friend... Thank you for all your help and support! You are truly a bodhisatva of the earth, a buddha (as are we all). I shall respond to your gift with actual proof of my growth and development.