Penang Trip Part 2 of 2: A walk in Georgetown

Below is a short introduction of Georgetown which I tried to summarize from Wikipedia :)


"George Town, the capital city of the Malaysian state of Penang, is located at the north-eastern tip of Penang Island and is one of the oldest city in Malaysia, which has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008.


George Town was established as an entrepôt by Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786, and it was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia.


Due to the intermingling of the various ethnicities and religions in the city, George Town acquired a large assortment of colonial and Asian architectural styles. It also gained a reputation as Malaysia's gastronomic capital for its distinctive and sumptuous street food. Moreover, the city hosts unique cultural heritage, such as the Peranakans (Nyonya and Baba) whose legacies are still visible on Penang's architecture and cuisine.


The city also serves as the financial centre of northern Malaysia and the nation's most vital medical tourism hub. Logistically, the Penang International Airport links George Town with several major regional cities, while a ferry service, the Penang Bridge and the Second Penang Bridge connect the city with the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Meanwhile, George Town's Swettenham Pier has emerged as the busiest port-of-call in Malaysia for cruise shipping."

以下是维基百科对于乔治城的简短介绍 :)

"乔治市是马来西亚槟城州的首府，位于槟岛东北角，也是国内古老城镇之一。她在2008年7月7日正式列入联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产名录，形成了现今的古迹区。乔治市是槟城州乃至整个北马区的政治、金融、旅游、文化和高等教育中心。


 乔治市是由英国东印度公司船长弗朗西斯·莱特（Francis Light）于1786年作为转口港创立，也是英国在东南亚的早期殖民地之一。


由于全盛时期时许多不同种族及宗教的人抵达并在这里居住，使乔治市的建筑风格以殖民地和亚洲风格为主[12]。由于其独特且无处不在的街头小吃，使乔治市获得了『马来西亚美食之都』的美誉。还有，乔治市也拥有许多重要的非物质文化遗产，如土生华人 或娘惹（Peranakan，为早期华人先辈与当地土著的后代）就拥有自己的建筑风格和饮食习惯。


今天，乔治市也是马来西亚最重要的医疗旅游中心，接待国内约一半的医疗游客，也有一些来自临近国家。乔治市也是数家马来西亚和国际银行在北马的金融中心。乔治市也是一个交通发达的城市，位于乔治市南部的槟城国际机场提供飞行至亚洲主要城市的航班，快捷渡轮（馬來語：Rapid Ferry）和槟威大桥则连接至对岸的马来西亚半岛。槟城港口将乔治市与全球200多个港口连接起来，并吸引豪华邮轮在此停靠。"

Penang Trip Part 1 of 2 - Awards and food trip 槟城之旅第1部 - 奖项和美食

Penang has recently gained a lot of interest among friends and colleagues in Sweden. Hence the requests to me to share and introduce the beautiful city to them, especially knowing that I was recently in Penang last summer. Naturally, I would like to share the food tips as well the leisure atmosphere one could experience in the city, which I strive to relate wholeheartedly trying to avoid missing any important details as much as I could :)

One of the reason Penang has gained a lot popularity (especially in Scandinavia) is partly due the international awards bestowed on this marvelous city:


1. Lonely Planet: #4 Top Ten Cities To Visit
2. Los Angeles Times: #1 of 16 Must-Visit Destinations
3. Yahoo Travel: 10 Islands To Explore Before You Die
4. CNN Travel: Asia’s Top 10 Greatest Street Food Cities
5. The Guardian: #8 of its Top 40 Holiday Hotspots
6. Forbes: #1 Top Ten Best Budget Travel Destinations
7. CNNGo: Penang Laksa is World’s #7 Most Delicious Food
8. ECA: #8 Most Liveable City in Asia
9. CNN: #6 Best Places To Retire Abroad
10. UNESCO: Word Heritage Site
11. CNN: 17 best places to visit in 2017
12. Huff Post: Best Local Delicacies
13. TIME: Best Street Food in Asia


A picture is worth a thousand words. Therefore, I have also compiled some picture collages on the sumptuous food I have taken from the recent Penang trip (Mom's cooking is also included) :)


最近朋友和同事们都对槟城很感兴趣，向我讨教一些这城市好玩好吃的。这时候，我自然而然首先会想到的是在这城市所能吃到的佳肴美食和能够感受到的悠闲生活，让我满腔热情，全心全意地向他们介绍，尽可能地不遗漏任何细节 :)

槟城获得了好多的国际奖项，这可能也是这城市近受北欧人欢迎的原因之一，其中获得的奖项如上。

一张图片胜过千言万语。 因此，我借此编制了一些摈城美食的拼图（妈妈的烹饪也包括在内）:)

Story 5 故事 5

过去的污点可以成为未来的亮点

读初中时，美术老师请来市里的一位老画家，在课堂上为我们现场作画。


老画家的腿有点残疾，当他走上讲台准备作画时，由于右腿站立不稳，一个趔趄，只见他手中的笔抖落出一滴墨汁，正好溅落在画纸上。美术老师赶忙上前扶住老画家，问是否要把这张弄脏了的画纸换掉。老画家摆摆手说：“不必。”由于那点溅落的墨汁正好位于画纸中央，看得出老画家对它颇费思量，手中的狼毫在砚盘里蘸了一下又一下……


突然，老画家迅速提笔、运笔，画纸上就出现了一只展翅高飞的雄鹰。原先的那点墨汁，竟成了雄鹰双爪下紧攥的一颗石子。老画家的精巧构思和布局，赢得了阵阵掌声最后。


美术老师代表我们全体同学向老画家表示感谢。他说：“感谢老画家给我们上了生动的一课，他不仅教给了我们画画的技巧，也教给了我们做人的道理。同学们，如果人生是一张画纸，如果刚刚开始的人生就有了污点，那该怎么办？”


“像老画家对待那张有墨汁的画纸那样，依然珍惜它、爱护它，永不自暴自弃。”我们回答道。


“对！”美术老师激动起来，“同学们，人生的画纸有了污点，只要我们勇敢地面对，照样可以画出最新最美的图画。
 

Cherish and learn from your mistakes

In junior high school, the art teacher invited an old artist to our classroom.

The old artist was slightly crippled. When he took the stage to paint, he nearly fell and accidentally spilled a drop of ink onto the drawing paper. The art teacher immediately seized hold on the old artist, and asked if the drawing paper was to be replaced. The old painter waved his hand and said: "There is no need for that." The old artist looked at the drawing paper, which was stained at the center by the ink, gave it a thought, and began dipping his brush in ink…

Suddenly, the old artist raised his brush, drew and a majestic flying eagle appeared on the drawing paper. The dot of spilled ink became the little stone in the eagle’s claw. The ingenious idea of the old artist was received with applause.

Later that day, the art teacher, on behalf of all the students, expressed gratitude to the old artist, said: "Thanks to the old artist by giving us a precious lesson. He did not only teach us the painting technique, but also the lessons in life. My dear students, life is like a drawing paper, if there is a stain in the beginning, what should we do? "

"We should treat it like the old artist did with the stained drawing paper. We would still cherish it and never give up on it." We replied.

"Yes!" The art teacher exclaimed. Life is like a drawing paper with stains, as long as we are brave enough to face it, we can still draw beautiful pictures on it.

 

Det gäller att vara rädd om och att lära sig av sina misstag

När jag gick på högstadiet bjöd bildläraren in en gammal konstnär till vårt klassrum. Den gamle konstnären var något handikappad. När han intog scenen för att måla, föll han nästan omkull. Oavsiktligt spillde han en droppe svart färg på ritpapperet. Bildläraren tog omedelbart tag i den gamle konstnären och frågade honom om ritpapperet skulle bytas ut. Den gamle vinkade bara och sade: Det behövs inte.

Han tittade på ritpapperet som redan var fläckigt i mitten. Han tänkte en liten stund, och sedan målade han en majestätisk flygande örn på ritpapperet. Den svarta färgfläcken blev till en liten sten i örnens klo.

Konstnären geniala idé tog vi elev emot med applåder. Senare på dagen talade bildläraren oss: Tack vare den gamle konstnären fick vi en värdefull lektion. Han lärde oss inte bara målningsteknik utan också en lektion om livet. Mina studenter: livet är som en ritpapper. Om det finns en fläck i början, vad ska vi göra med den? Hur ska den kunna bli något positivt?

Vi bör behandla den som den gamla konstnären gjorde. Vi borde fortfarande vårda den och aldrig ge upp, blev vårt svar.

"Precis så! ", utbrast bildläraren.Livet är som ett papper med fläckar. Så länge vi är modiga nog att inse det, kan vi ändå måla vackra tavlor.

Laying your foundation 扎根

Below is a story which I read from Facebook. I feel that the passage is meaningful and would like to share this piece here :)


In the easternmost part of China. grows a type of timber bamboo called "Moso Bamboo" or "Maozhu". The farmers in the region sow the seeds and carefully cultivate them as they bud. Despite all the care and hard work from the farmers, the bamboos grow only 3 centimeters in 4 years. Knowing that, the people from other regions would shake their heads, thinking the effort spent by the local farmers is just a waste of time and incomprehensible.


However, on the fifth year, the bamboos will grow at a rate of 30cm per day which can amount to a length of 15 meters in just 6 weeks, which could instantly turn a field into a dense bamboo forest. To the naked eye, one may easily presume that the bamboos have undergone an incredible transformation in the past 6 weeks which prompts the major growth.


In fact, for the past 4 years, each individual bamboo is busy growing and extending its roots. And the extension of the roots may stretch to hundreds of square meters in the soil.

So never ridicule the people around us, who work hard and yet still cannot yield any results. As long as they don't give up and be open to changes, the experiences and even hardships they encounter are the foundations of their success. Some may treat them as unfortunates or fools, but as their foundations grow stronger and deeper, it will eventually propel them to greater heights and successful than others when the time is right.

The next time if you feel that you are disheartened because you cannot see the results, please do not be afraid, you are building your foundation through your experiences and preparing yourself to your imminent success.

这是我在面子书上阅读到的一篇文章，觉得意义深长，想在这里跟大家分享  :-)


一种只生长在中国最东边的竹子"毛竹"。那里的农民到处播种，每天精心培养。种子萌芽，即使农民们几年来一直精心在照顾，毛竹4年也不过长3公分。别的地方的人看到这种情景，摇着头变表示完全不能理解。


但是，竹子5年后，以每天在足足30公分的速度生长着。这样只用6周就可以长到15米，这里瞬间就可以变成郁郁葱葱的竹林。虽然4年间只长了3公分，但从第5年开始了暴风成长。或许，看起来这6周间好像发生了不可思议的变化，但之前的4年间，毛竹将根在土壤里延伸了数百平方公尺。


我们身边也有这样的人，即使拼了命去努力也看不到成果，或者即使不被人知道也坚持到底的人们，当我们看到他们的时候，也许会认为他们很不幸或认为他们是傻子。但他们并不是不在成长，而是在扎根，很深很结实的根，等到时机成熟，他们会登上别人遥不可及的巅峰。


也许你现在做的事情看不到成果，但不要害怕，你并不是没有成长，而是在<扎根>。

Story 4 故事 4

从不丢东西的老太婆

从前，在一个遥远的村落，住有一户孤儿寡母，两人相依为命。家境虽不算富有，但倒也不愁吃穿。只是这位妇人经常喜欢对别人夸耀：「我从来不会弄丢东西。」

一天，她又在对别人讲述她从来不丢东西的时候。她的儿子就想试探母亲是否真的具备这种本领，于是将母亲手上戴着的一枚戒指取下来，扔到了附近川流不息的河水中，然后对母亲说：「您不是总说自己不会弄丢东西，我现在把您的戒指扔在河水里，您还能找到吗？」

母亲没有正面回答儿子的问话，只是拍了拍儿子的头说：「我从来就不会丢东西的。」然后，她对儿子说：「过不了几天，戒指自己会回来的。」

当时，正是捕鱼的季节，这位妇女到市集上买了一条鱼回家。到了家中，剖开鱼腹一看，只见那枚被儿子扔在河中的戒指藏在里面，被阳光一照还闪闪发光呢！这位妇女便拿起这枚戒指对儿子说：「这回你相信我说的话了吧！我说过我从来不丢失东西的，你看！这是不是你扔的戒指？」

儿子见到母亲的戒指果真失而复得，而且毫不费半点力气去寻找，不禁惊讶万分！

过了几天，正好佛陀带着众弟子们托钵乞食，恰巧来到此地，儿子就来到世尊面前请示说：「我母亲为什么会有这种不丢失东西的福气呢？」

佛就指着远处的一座山告诉了他原委。原来，在这座山的北边，每年一到冬天，就变得又阴又冷，所以家家户户都要迁移到山的南边去居住。山北有个孤老太婆，年老体弱，家中贫穷，无力往返搬迁，就独自留在山北，为大家看管留下的东西。等到第二年的春天，大家又迁回来的时候，她就把代为看管的对象一件件地交还给原主，从来也没有弄坏或丢失过。多少年过去了，这个孤老太婆始终为大家做着这样的好事，为此，大家都很感激她。这位孤老太婆的高贵品德，打动了居住此处的一位仙人，仙人就暗暗地赐给她这个「不丢东西」的福气。

讲到这儿，佛陀停顿了一下，对眼前的孩子说：「其实这个孤老太婆就是你母亲的前世啊！」

儿子听完，深深为母亲前世的美德所感动。此后，他对母亲更加敬佩，也更加孝顺了。

A woman who never loses her belongings

Once upon a time, there lived a mother and her son. Although the family was not rich, they didn’t have to worry about their livelihood. The widow often boasted to others: "I never lose my belongings."

One day, while her mother was boasting about her ability, the son wanted to put her ability to the test. He took his mother’s ring off and threw it into the river, and said: “You cannot say that you will never lose your belongings. Now that I have thrown your ring into the river, do you think you can still find it back? "

The mother just patted her son's head and said: "I never lose my belongings. In a few days, the ring will be back."

It was the fishing season at the time, and the mother went to the market to buy a fish home. When she cut open the fish belly, she saw something shiny inside the fish belly and realized that it was her ring which the son had thrown into the river. The mother picked up the ring and said to her son: "Now do you believe me? I never lose my belongings. Isn’t this the ring which you threw into the river?"

The son witnessed how effortlessly his mother retrieved back the ring and was completely amazed!

A few days later, Buddha and the disciples were collecting alms in the village. The son went to the Buddha and asked, “Why is my mother blessed with the ability not to lose her belongings?”

The Buddha related to him the story of the villagers living in a distant mountain. When the north side of the mountain became dull and cold during winter, the villagers would migrate to the south of the mountain to live. One of the villagers, a solitary elderly woman, was too poor and frail to migrate during the winter. So she would stay back and help to look after the belongings of the other villagers at home. When spring arrived, the villagers would move back to the village and the elderly woman would return all their belongings without a scratch. She had been helping the villagers for many years and everyone was very grateful to her. The fairy of the mountain was very touched by the elder woman’s nobility and honesty, hence blessed her with the ability to never lose her belongings.

Mentioned here, the Buddha paused in front of the son and said: "In fact, this elderly woman is actually your mother's past life!"

The son was deeply moved by the virtues of the mother's past life. Since then, the son had become filial and a very good son to his mother.

En kvinna som aldrig förlorade sina saker

En gång i tiden levde det en änka och hennes son. De var inte rika, men de hade aldrig heller några bekymmer med sin ekonomi. Änkan sade ofta till sina vänner: Jag har aldrig förlorat någon av mina saker.

En dag testade hennes son sin mor för att se om detta var sant. Han tog en ring från sin mor och kastade den i floden och sade: Nu kan man inte säga att du aldrig kommer att förlora någon av dina saker längre. Nu har jag kastat ringen i floden. Tror du att du kan få tillbaka den igen?

Änkan klappade sonens på huvudet och sen sade hon: Jag har aldrig förlorat mina saker.  Den ringen som du har kastat i floden ska komma tillbaka senare.

Det var fiskesäsong. Änkan gick till marknaden för att köpa fisk. När hon skar upp fiskens mage, såg hon något som glänste och förstod att det var den ringen som sonen hade kastat i floden tidigare. Änkan tog upp ringen och sade till sin son: Nu kan du förstå att jag aldrig förlorar mina saker.  Är inte det här den ringen som du hade kastat i floden?

Sonen blev väldigt förvånad.  Några dagar senare samlade Buddhas lärjungar allmosor i deras by. Sonen gick till Buddha och frågade honom: Varför har min mor välsignats med förmågan att inte förlora sina saker?

Buddha berättade för honom att det fanns bybor på ett avlägset berg. När norra sidan av berget blev kallt under vintern, migrerade byborna till södra delen för att bo där. Bland byborna fanns det en ensam gammal kvinna som var väldigt fattig och så bräcklig att hon inte kunde migrera under vintern. Hon stannade kvar och hjälpte till med att bevaka bybornas tillhörigheter. När våren kom flyttade byborna tillbaka till sin by och då återlämnade den gamla kvinnan alla deras tillhörigheter till dem. År efter år hjälpte hon byborna som alla var mycket tacksamma mot henne.

Detta berörde Älvan som bodde i berget och hon gav den gamla kvinnan belöning och välsignade henne med förmågan att aldrig förlora sina tillhörigheter. Buddha sade vidare: Den gamla kvinnan var faktiskt din mamma i sitt tidigare liv.  Sonen blev rörd och sen blev han mycket snäll mot sin mor.

Popeye Nintendo Game & Watch 大力水手任天堂游戏机

These days kids (adults alike) are bombarded by different kinds of entertainment and information devices. The most common device nowadays is a mobile phone, which blows my mind after learning  that the number of mobile phone users is forecast to reach 4.68 billion in 2019 (around 67% of the world population). On top of that, there are smart TVs, computer desktops, laptops, smart pads, smart watches, video game consoles and other smart innovative gadgets waiting to be launched in the market as we speak.


I was impressed to see my friends paying their bills at the restaurant counter with smart watches. And I wished to wipe the smirk off their faces after they discovered that I still don't own one.


Should I get one Apple smart watch for Christmas? Is Samsung gear a better choice? On the other hand, there is also this fantastic Nintendo Switch which I am also considering to buy. But hold on a second, have I just heard the Dyson V10 vacuum cleaner has a special offer right now?


As consumers, it seems you are deemed easily caught in the race driven by the ever expanding temptation around you. Having the money to buy is only part of the solution. Reading through surveys and browsing through Youtube reviews in order to make smart remorseless choices is the key!


Aw....welcome to this new age dilemma :)


In retrospect, I remember life was much easier in the late 80s when I was still a kid. The craze at that time was a portable handheld electronic game console called Game & Watch, produced by the company Nintendo and designed by its employee Gunpei Yokoi. Having such a game console at that time really pushed your popularity ratings to the top in the primary school. We used to gather during school recesses just to share and play them with other schoolmates. Thanks to my parents, my elder brother and I used to own 4 of these and we really had our share of fun with these devices.


I was a bit nostalgic when I was back in Malaysia last summer. After rummaging through the things in my parents' storeroom and guess what I found - a Popeye Nintendo Game & Watch! I tried to clean it, changed the polarizer filter, installed 2 fresh mercury batteries and to my surprise, the LCD screen started to lit, followed by the MIDI tones of the game when I pressed the "Start" button. And it was a delight to see the characters like Popeye, Brutus and Olive came to life as I played.


"Still got it!"


I smiled when I controlled Popeye to punch Brutus to the corner, snatched the can of spinach (while avoiding the sword fish), powered up, hit Brutus to the sky and saved the girl of his life - Olive :)


Let me share some photos of it, and let me enclose also some fun facts of Popeye and his can of spinach with a link below:
https://www.thekitchn.com/why-did-popeye-eat-so-much-spinach-the-surprising-answer-191802

如今，孩子们（和成年人）都受到各种娱乐和信息设备的轰炸，而现在最常见的设备是手机。让我大吃一惊的是，在2019年，手机用户的数量预计将达到46.8亿（约占世界人口的67％)。除此之外，还有智能电视，电脑台式机，笔记本电脑，智能平板电脑，智能手表，视频游戏机和其他智能创新产品等都在市场频频推出。

当我看到好朋友们用他们的智能手表在餐厅柜台支付账单时，我心里佩服得很。随着他们得知我还没有有拥有一个智能手表，以一副很不屑的眼神看着我时，我顿时想一手把

他们得意的假面都给我卸下来 :)

想想，我应该为圣诞节购买一款Apple智能手表吗？三星是否会是更好的选择？另一方面，还有这个Nintendo Switch游戏机，我也在考虑购买。但是稍等一下，我刚刚听说Dyson V10吸尘器有折扣？

作为消费者，您似乎很容易被周围不断扩大的诱惑所驱使。有钱购买只是解决问题的一部分而已。调查和浏览Youtube评论，以便做出明智的选择才是关键！

噢....这个就是新时代的烦恼 :)

回想起来，80年代末，当我还在上小学的时候，生活是如此的简单。当时的热潮是一款名为Game＆Watch的手持电子游戏机，由任天堂公司生产，员工Gunpei Yokoi设计。当时在小学，拥有这样的游戏机会将你的受欢迎度大力提升。我们常常在学校小休时聚集，与其他同学分享和玩这款游戏机。还真感谢父母亲，大哥和我曾经拥有4个游戏机，在我们的童年添了不少欢乐，也交了不少猪朋狗有友。

去年夏天我回到马来西亚时，心中有点怀旧，就开始翻找父母储藏室里的东西，猜猜我发现了什么 - 大力水手任天堂游戏机！我试着清理它，更换了偏光滤镜，安装了2个新的水银电池，令我惊讶的是，当我按下“开始”按钮时，液晶屏开始亮了起来，还播出游戏的MIDI音乐。看到大力水手，布鲁图斯 (Brutus) 和奥利弗 (Olive) 在眼下开始动起来是一件令人振奋的事。

“我还是像以往一样厉害！”

我控制着大力水手，将坏人（布鲁图斯）逐渐迫到角落，接住了菠菜罐（还避开了剑鱼），强力化再把坏人打飞，并出成功救出了爱人 （奥利弗） :)

让我在这里分享一些照片吧！

也让我分享有关一些有关大力水手和菠菜罐头的趣事的链接：

https://www.thekitchn.com/why-did-popeye-eat-so-much-spinach-the-surprising-answer-191802

Story 3 故事 3

父母是我们的菩萨

杨甫，是安徽省太和县人，从小父母就十分疼爱他，供他念书、吃穿一切。但是，他进城考试却没考中，出外做生意也没赚钱，想要娶个妻子，也没有合意的对象，但是，他的父母仍然认为很安心，因为杨甫总算平平安安的，虽然没做什么大事，或当大官，可是一家人却过得平淡自在。

　　然而，杨甫觉得每天这样过日子，挺乏味的，而且他认为人生无常，就有了出家修道的念头。一有了这样的想法，他就四处打听，后来听人家说，四川省无际大师的道行很高，他就决定辞别双亲，一个人出发到四川去访师求道。

　　当他抵达四川以后，就遇到了一个老和尚，老和尚问他说「你从哪里来?想做些什么事?」杨甫便回答老和尚说「我从安徽省太和县来，想要拜在无际大师的门下，学习佛法。」老和尚告诉杨甫「你要拜访无际大师学习佛法?那不如直接去找佛菩萨学习来得好。」杨甫问「我是很想见佛，但是不知佛在哪里?」老和尚告诉他说「很简单，你赶快回家去，当你看到肩上披着棉被，脚上倒穿鞋子的那个人，就是佛的化身。」杨甫听完老和尚的话，一心一意想要见佛，就赶快回家去了。

　　当他回到家的时候，已经是三更半夜了，他敲着家中的大门，呼唤着妈妈，请她来开门。他妈妈一听到是儿子回来了，很高兴的从床上起来，也来不及穿衣服，就把棉被披在肩上，又因为很急着想见儿子，鞋子也倒穿了，就忙着跑来开门。

　　杨甫一看到门开了之后，母亲的样子，肩上披着棉被，脚上倒穿鞋子，突然想起了老和尚的话，杨甫这才了解，妈妈从以前到现在，对自己的照顾和包容，一点一滴，此时都浮现在他的脑海中，原来父母亲就是家中的活菩萨啊!

　　杨甫了悟这点，突然哭起来，抱着父母说「孩儿不孝，居然不了解您们对我的用心，从今以后，我一定尽力服侍你们俩。」自此之后，杨甫便竭力孝敬双亲,如同恭奉菩萨一样，全家过着和乐的生活。

各位小朋友，现在了解谁是家中的活菩萨吗?其实，就是我们的父母亲，孝顺是一切道理的根本，孝顺父母也就是恭敬佛菩萨啊!

 

Parents are our Bodhisattva

Yang-Fu, was a young man from Anhui province, Taihe county. His parents loved him

all heartedly and supported him with his studies and daily expenses. He couldn’t advance in his studies, nor was he successful in running a business. And he had no intention of finding a wife. Nevertheless, the parents were happy and contented, thinking that what would be better than living this simple and ordinary life with their son.

One day, Yang-Fu grew tired of this mundane life and decided to become a monk. He bid farewell to his parents and went to the province of Sichuan to seek admittance to a monastery.

When he arrived in Sichuan, he met an old monk.  The old monk asked him, "Where are you from? And why are you here?" Yang-Fu replied, "I am from the Province of Anhui. I would like to meet the Master of the monastery, and hope that he would take me as a student, so that I could learn the Dharma.” The old monk told Yang-Fu, "The best way to learn the Dharma is from the Bodhisattva.” Yang Fu replied, "I want to learn the Dharma from the Bodhisattva. Please tell me where I can find the Bodhisattva." The old monk said, "It is indeed very simple, just go home and knock on your door. The person with a blanket on the shoulders, and with the feet in the wrong side of the shoes is the Bodhisattva.” Being anxious and keen to meet the Bodhisattva, Yang-Fu hurried home.

It was already midnight when Yang-Fu reached home. He knocked on the door, asking her mother to let him in. His mother, knowing that the son was back, quickly got out of bed, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and rushed to the door happily. Not realizing that she had accidentally put on the wrong sides of the shoes on her feet.

When Yang-Fu saw his mother, he noticed the blanket and the wrong sides of the shoes on his mother. Suddenly, he remembered everything. He remembered bit by bit how his parents, especially his mother took care of him when he was little. And how they had loved him unconditionally until now. And he realized that the Bodhisattva that the old monk mentioned was none other than his own parents at home. They are the living Bodhisattva!

Yang Fu burst into tears, hugged his parents and said, "I am such an unfilial son! From today onwards, I will honor and take good care of you all." Since then, Yang Fu honored and took good care of his parents. The family lived a very happy life ever since.

Dear children, do you understand who is the Bodhisattva in the house? They are our parents. Being filial, respectful and honoring our parents is the fundamental of life, and is the teaching of the Dharma.

 

* Bodhisattva: An enlightened person who has great compassion and love.

* Dharma: The teachings of the Buddha.

 

Våra föräldrar är vår Bodhisattva

En gång i tiden fanns en ung man som hette Yang-Fu. Han bodde i Anhui området i Taihelän. Hans föräldrar älskade honom. De gav honom alltid i hans studier och i hans liv. Ändå kunde han inte gå vidare i sina studier. Han var inte heller framgångsrik i sitt eget företag. Han önskade sig en fru men det gick inte heller. Ändå var hans föräldrar glada och nöjda med sin son. De tyckte att att det räckte så länge som alla mådde bra.

En dag blev Yang-Fu trötta på sitt tråkiga liv och bestämde sig för att bli munk. Han lämnade sina föräldrar och gick ensam till Sichuanlän för att bli antagen i ett kloster.

När han kom till Sichuan möte han en gammal munk. Munken frågade honom: Var kommer du ifrån? Vad ska du göra? Då svarade Yang-Fu : Jag kommer ifrån Anhui. Jag vill träffa Mästaren i klostret. Jag hoppas att han vill lära mig Dharma. Då så Munken: Det bästa sättet att lära sig Dharma är att du kan lära dig från Bodhisattva. Yang Fu svarade: Jag vill lära Dharma från Bodhisattva men jag har ingen aning om var man kan hitta honom. Då berättade den gamla munken för honom: Det är mycket enkelt. Du går hem till dina föräldrar och knackar på dörren. Då kommer en person som bär en filt på sina axlarna och har skorna på fel fötter. Den är din Bodhisattva. Yang-Fu åkte hem omedelbart .

När han kom hem var det redan mitt i natten. Han knackade på dörren och då rusade hans mamma upp. Hon hade hoppat upp ur sin säng med en filt runt sina axlar och tagit skorna. Hon var så glad som en lärka för att hon skulle komma att se sonen eftersom hon hade längtat på längre.

När hon öppnade dörren märkte Yang-Fu att hans mamma hade filten på sig och hade skorna på fel fötter. Han minnes på en gång hur hans mor tog hand om honom när han var liten och hur föräldrar älskade honom utan några villkor. Då förstod han att hans föräldrar var precis den levande Bodhisattva som munken hade berätta om.

Plötsligt grät han och kramade om sina föräldrar. Han sa: Jag är en dålig son! Idag ska jag börja ta hand om er båda.

Sedan levde familjen ett mycket lyckligt liv.

Förstår ni mina kära barn, vem som är Bodhisattva inne i hemmet? Jo, det är våra föräldrar. Det är viktigt att vara respektfull och ge kärlerk till våra föräldrar som är grunden i vårt liv. Detta är en undervisning i Dharma.

* Bodhisattva: En upplyst person som har stor medkänsla och kärlek.
* Dharma: Buddhas undervisning.

A visit to DTU 访问丹麦技术大学

Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) or the Technical University of Denmark, is situated north of Copenhagen. It was initially founded in 1819 by Hans Christian Ørsted as a polytechnic, and is today ranked among Europe's leading engineering institutions.


And it so happens my younger brother received a research position there and I took the opportunity to travel to Copenhagen to visit him over the weekend. I travelled by rail and the journey was exciting (and slightly exhausting) as I was bringing a folding bike with me as a gift to my brother. Partly due to the fact that the bike has been parking in the basement for some time, and Linda and I thought that it would be of better use with my brother in Copenhagen.


And the local saying goes: Life starts with the saddle of a bicycle in Copenhagen.


My brother is currently putting up with a research colleague/personal friend in Copenhagen. I met him a couple years ago in Malmö when we were in the Bersih rally in 2013, and unfortunately we have not been in touch ever since. The interesting turn-of-event was he eventually became my brother's academic mentor a few years back which rekindled our contact :)


I spent the night at their wonderful place, admired their nice modern home decoration, enjoyed some very delicious carrot cake by his wife, and above all, I am grateful for the family's hospitality.


The visit to DTU exceeded my expectation. The area was calm, peaceful and I could immediately feel the conducive atmosphere for academic research. And it was a delight to see my brother beaming from ear to ear introducing me to his faculty and office :)


Let me share some pictures of the trip :) 

丹麦技术大学, 简称 DTU 位于哥本哈根北部。它最初由Hans Christian Ørsted 于1819年创立，是一所理工学院，如今它已成为欧洲领先的工程学院之一。

其实，我的弟弟在那里获得了一个研究职位，我借此去哥本哈根，在周末期间乘坐高铁去访问他。这次的旅程是令人蛮兴奋的，但稍微会有点累，因为我带着折叠自行车当做礼物送给我弟。部分原因是自行车已停泊在地下室一段时间，Linda和我一致认为把它送给弟弟，使用率会更高一些。

当地有句谚语：哥本哈根的生活从自行车开始。

我弟目前住在一位研究同事/朋友的家。我和这位朋友多年前在Malmö认识，当时我们在2013年参加Bersih的集会，遗憾的是我们没有再联系过。但几年后，有趣的是他成为了我弟的学术导师，因此重新点燃了我们的联系 :)

我在这位朋友家度过了一夜，其中我非常欣赏他家里摩登的漂亮装饰，也享用了他妻子亲自烘焙的萝卜蛋糕，非常感谢这家人的热情。

DTU的访问超出了我的预期。该地区平静，我可以立即感受到学术研究的气息。我看到弟弟自豪地为我介绍他的研究所和办公室，我不禁为他感到开心。

让我分享一些照片吧！

  

Simple life is our Dharma 简单的生活就是我们的佛法

Today is the end of the Daylight Saving Time (DST), which marks the beginning of winter time as we shifted our clocks 1 hour forward this year. In another words, it is currently 7 hours difference between the time zone in Malaysia and Sweden.


The idea of Daylight Saving Time was actually mulled by a British entomologist by the name of George Hudson, with the reason to conserve energy as well needing more daylight hours during the summer in order to capture bugs for his collection. Malaysia does not implement DST as we are situated at the Equator, while Sweden, on the other hand, is situated at the northern hemisphere which has been observing DST for 40 years.


As starters, I was actually 1-hour awake from bed "too early" due to the time change on a Sunday morning. I lazily got myself out of bed to drink some water in the kitchen. As I peeped through the window blinds, I noticed a thin mantle of snow covering the car park and the garden surrounding the apartment. The morning was calm, and the white powdery snow seemed to add an extra tranquility to the atmosphere.


Linda and I had no specific plans today. She decided to stay at home to continue watching some Chinese soap-operas while I decided to perform Dana at the Buddhist temple at Säve. I usually prepare fried noodles to the temple. So today was no exception.


As a norm in this Buddhist temple in Gothenburg, the ceremony starts when the monks take their seats in a row on the altar. Foods are offered by the devotees to the chief monk, and the chief monk will subsequently pass the food offerings down to the next monk in the row. Today, I was instructed to accept the foods from the last monk to pass down to the subsequent practitioners. As I thanked and passed down the food offerings, a sense of appreciation was brewing inside my heart.


After lunch at the temple, I decided the take a scroll at a recreational park called Hisingsparken. The leaves on the trees have already turned yellow and there was hardly any breeze as I scrolled around the lake. It was sunny and the lake mirrored the picturesque image of the trees and clouds from the sky. I could not help but to stop in order to take pictures of them.


I went for some grocery shopping later on. When I reached home, I was surprise to discover Linda and her mother were making dumplings for dinner! The atmosphere was warm and joyful, and I took some pictures of the dumplings making process :)


As the topic says, a simple life is our Dharma. To be honest, our lives these days have been clouded by slight mishaps due to some circumstances. A little happiness and appreciation here and there are perhaps the best remedy during the period.


"A few bad chapters in life does not mean it will be a bad story."


These were the wise words I read from one of the facebook post a few days ago :)


As usual, let me share some pictures from today!


今天是夏令时（DST）的结束，这也意味着冬天的开始。住在瑞典的我们都会把时钟调早1小时，这时，马来西亚和瑞典的时差将会是7个小时。


夏令时实际上是由英国昆虫学家George Hudson提倡的，最主要的目的是节约能量，其次是想在夏天时有更多的时间来捕捉昆虫。马来西亚没有实施夏令时，因为我们位于赤道，而瑞典位于北半球，已经实施了夏令时将40年。


今天早上，我实际上是“太早”醒来了。我懒洋洋地从床上起身，走去厨房喝点水。当我透过百叶窗窥视时，我注意到白雪薄薄地覆盖着停车场和公寓周围的花园。早晨很平静，粉状的白雪似乎为大地增添了一丝宁静。


琳达和我今天没有具体的计划。我决定去佛庙布施，而她决定留在家里继续追剧。我经常会带炒面去布施，所以今天也不例外。


在庙堂里，当一排的僧侣们在坛上就坐时，我们会将带来的食物供奉给第一个僧侣，而食物会随后送到下一位僧侣。今天，我被指示接受最后一位僧侣的食物，再传给居士们。当我答谢和传递食物时，我内心酝酿着法喜。


在庙里用完午餐后，我决定去Hisingsparken的公园里散步。散步时，我注意到树上的叶子都变黄了。这时几乎都没风，而且阳光明媚，湖面上映照着树上的黄叶和蓝天的白云。我忍不住停下了脚步来拍下在这个景色。


我后来还去超市买了一些食物。当我到家时，我惊讶地发现琳达和她的母亲正在准备晚餐- 饺子！家里气氛非常温暖而愉快，我不禁又拍了一些照片:)


正如话题所说，简单的生活就是我们的佛法。说实话，这些天我们的生活因某些情况而蒙上了阴影，今天到处的小幸福正好就是我们需要的。


“生活中的一些不好的章节并不意味着它将是一个糟糕的故事。”


这些是我几天前在facebook帖子中读到的明智之语 :)


像往常一样，让我分享一些照片吧！