Ollie inspects the newly bought red radishes from Sheng Shiong Supermarket. He hopes the sunlight by the living room windows will be enough for them to continue sprouting the few leaves they have. He puts one in a snail shape pot containing soil and water it. The leaves are looking good, but the red radish root appears to be shriveling. So Ollie prays over it. Red Radish Two grows slowly but steadily. Ollie is pleased to see the lush green leaves thriving even if there’s no sign of flowers. “Just take your time. I know we cannot hurry Mother Nature,” Ollie says to his Red Radishes 1,2 and 3. Ollie’s puppy friend, Nicki Ning-en sniffs at Red Radish Two. Ollie tries to make sure his Red Radishes get to meet the morning sun. Red Radish One is flowering while Red Radish Two needs more time. Ollie is happy to see his plants thriving under the sun & windhorse prayers flags everyday. A cat loves his garden even if it’s made up of a few pots of plants. Ollie is greeted by the new blooms of Radish Two on the 13th Day of the Lunar New Year celebration. The first flower is pink.
Ollie learns to see hope in the size of a potato, like the small red radish. And even if it cannot grow as fast as he likes, or may not even flower after all the troubles, being kind and showing care is definitely an act of hope.
Each week day morning for the past 30 odd years, a single question filled me with dread. And that is, “Will I be able to get a taxi to school on time?”
And I cannot even describe the existential crisis that awaited me on rainy days.
Pre-Grab App mornings, my senses were attuned to only ONE thing. And that is, the automated response from the taxi company handling my booking.
I was all dead to morning birdsongs as my whole being was focused on listening for the robotic voice to tell me the car number of the taxi assigned to me.
With Grab App, my eyes were glued to the iphone screen, tracking the rush hour cab rates & availability, while trying not to hyperventilate. Some days I felt as if my heart would just stop and I might black out on my way to the cab.
With so much going on in my mornings, I never really noticed the Sun.
If I made it to school on time for the morning assembly, my thoughts would be on whether I could log onto the digital attendance marking platform, or whether a student had brought the letter of excuse or medical certificate after the umpteenth reminder. And if I still couldn’t log on by then, I needed to update the support staff asap about the attendance. Missing the cut-off time would raise questions about my efficiency or duty of care as a teacher.
The Sun’s warmth on those mornings felt like a thousand needles poking on my neck and back.
But eversince I stopped working full time, I started noticing how each morning, the Sun reveals his gentle presence in my home bit by bit, setting my flat aglow with gold while doing so.
Morning sun on wardrobe. Not trying to be artistic here, but this is truly the first time I noticed what’s been happening for years.
A shaft of light against the wardrobe, a set of gold rectangles on the floor and speckled shimmers on a cat’s fur all announce the Sun’s arrival!
Suddenly, these are the most perfect patterns I’ve seen in my life! Sounds absurd. But that was really how I felt, as if I’ve suddenly grown eyes! Speckled shimmers on Ollie.
This morning, a friend gave me a ride to the temple on his way to work in town. The Lunar New Year festivities will be ending in a few days’ time. And while our lives and plans are affected negatively by the novel corona virus, I thought I should at least use some of my dearly bought time to dedicate prayers.
After I got off my friend’s car, I didn’t have to rush for my appointment with God. I was able to sit on one of the benches along NAFA Campus and steady my legs before making my way to a vegetarian breakfast and then for prayers across the street.
The Sun as seen from NAFA Campus touching every thing with his golden rays. The Sun above me as I dedicated prayers of liberation, forgiveness, reconciliation and healing to animal and human beings.
I think I’ve spent the best years of my youth not seeing the Sun because I was trying to hold down a job.
So with whatever years I still have, I hope to be able to keep my meetings with the Sun and other natural elements. And it’s great that for most of these appointments, there’s no need to take a cab.
El took this picture during breakfast at Himalayan Java Cafe at Boudha. The day before we had handed some ear cleaning meds to helpers of street and shelter animals. When this picture was taken, I was thinking of the joy of the young rescue worker as she hugged the bottles of medicines I gave her. (December 2019, Boudha, Nepal)
“此时此刻最美好” has been on my mind for some time. The phrase, made up of 7 Chinese characters literally means “now is the best time.” In translation it doesn’t seem much, especially when the context is unknown. But somehow, when the thought is conveyed in Chinese, it has an almost poetic feel to it even as it stands alone. At least for someone like me.
I cannot recall when & how these words came into my consciousness, except that I like the way the first 4 character look and how they sound when spoken. Plus I can pronounce them with some accuracy and enjoy doing so.
I took this selfie to remind myself how lucky I am to have my birthday celebrated with the birthdays of Jon’s wife and his father. (18 Jan 2020, Armenian Street, Singapore)
Thinking that I could have heard or seen the phrase as the title of a song or book, I did some online search but my effort yielded little.
Looking up at the leaves as light from the setting sun filters through gives me such peace. (31 Jan 2020)
But what I do know is that these 7 characters amply capture my state of mind whenever I have pictures taken.
Joy is sitting under a 40 year old tree outside Victoria Concert Hall on a Friday evening. (31st Jan 2020)
For once a happy moment passes, there will never be another one identical to it, ever again.
Branches silhouetted against the sky open my heart. Dr Nalini Nadkarni said the veins in our heart are like branches of a tree. (31 Jan 2020)
So I try to project an energy of gratitude & connection with all beings each time a photo opportunity occurs.
Young girls taught me to keep a beginner’s mind, while I showed them you can still smile even if your body is imperfect. (Nanyang Girls’ High School, 2003)
This quiet young sportsman learnt Shylock’s speeches by heart and went on to develop a strong interest in English and other writings by Shakespeare. (Singapore Sports School 2018)
And instead of worrying about my physical shortcomings, I try to be fully present with feelings of gratitude & acceptance.
With my calligraphy teacher, Dr SH Khoo at Nanyang Girls’ High School. Dr Khoo revived my interest in Kinmen Island where my ancestors originated. He is a Kinmenese as was my grandmother.
From qipao and sarong kebaya to chinoserie coat, I’ve worn them all in many memorable celebrations. (Sydney 2018)
Because in the days ahead and especially if they happen to be difficult ones, I hope to be able to look back at old pictures and say, “Yes, those were truly joyous times. And whatever happiness others have received, I’ve been given freely too. So there’s no room in my heart for jealousy or envy when others receive good things.”
And in the midst of mask buying and news of man-made disasters, I wish all my friends the equanimity to locate the various joys in their life and draw strength from them to sail through the winds of change.
Feeling extremely surprised by my first ever bonsai (mini tree). It was a birthday gift from Krison. We had lunch at Green Dot at JEM on Chinese New Year Eve.
Each lunar new year on the 9th day, the deity who lives in the sky and is therefore accessible to all tribes is honoured with offerings coloured in red.
My late maternal grandfather taught us to observe this yearly prayer ritual on Day 9 of the Lunar New Year. When we do this, we are also keeping memories of my grandfather alive.
The Sky Deity holds great significance among the hokkien/minnan speaking group of chinese people to which I was born in.
My cousin, Edwin, holding prayer offerings of longevity noodles, cakes and eggs while his father stood proudly at the door looked on. This continuation of spiritual legacy from one generation to the next is much appreciated by me.
Yesterday evening I dropped by the temple to join my mom, aunties, uncles and cousins. They have been observing this prayer ritual to Sky Grandfather since my late grandfather’s time.
Grandmas and grandpas making paper offering as the fire roars is a very powerful sight for me. To see elderly folks actively taking charge of the spiritual life of their families is active aging to me.
My mom and her brother making their prayers before taking their offerings to Fire. My uncle is the custodian of the temple. My late maternal grandfather was the custodian before him. Each visit to the temple for me is a visit to my childhood and renewing connection with my grandpa. He taught me many things. And I believe my understanding of spirituality partly came from him.
Folks in their 60s, 70s and 80s, some on their own, some accompanied by family members made offerings to Sky Deity.
The banner holds the title of the Sky Deity. He is known as the Jade Emperor among devotees.
Looking at the festive reds and leaping fires both energise and cleanse the souls of the wary and the weary.
My cousin, Edwin, tending to Fire, who turns all our earthly concerns into ashes, so that we have the space in our hearts to live fully for another day.
Away from the fire offerings, in the cool darkness under the red lanterns, silver haired devotees ruminated quietly on the ebbs and flows of life, and spoke affectionately of their creaky joints.
Yesterday around sunset, Ollie sat by the window and gave thanks for the Windhorses and his little garden of 2 small pots of radish leaves and 1 flower.
This morning when he woke up, there were 5 flowers!
“Ma, we have 5 flowers!” – Ollie the old cat
[五福临门] means the Arrival of Five Blessings. It is an old Chinese greeting which sounds nice but I never really felt its meaning till today.
The Five Blessings are longevity, prosperity, good health, magnanimity and an auspicious end when a full life has been lived.
In Chinese folklores, humans were born on the 7th day of the lunar new year. This day is called “ren ri” [人日].
Ollie and I would like to take this auspicious morning of 5 flowers blooming in our home to wish all friends and all human beings the Five Blessings, for our benefit and the benefit of all sentient beings.
Ollie the old cat sits by the window as if thanking the sun for the lush green leaves of the red radish and the wind that causes the windhorses to fly.
He’s a housebound cat living in a high rise flat. This is probably as close as he can get to sun, soil, wind & greenery.
According to chinese folklores, horses were born on the 6th day of the lunar new year celebration.
My Kimenese grandma was very mindful of animals, flowers and trees even when she was observing mainly human-centric rituals.
For example we were not allowed to sew anything on the first day of the lunar new year lest we sewed shut the eyes of baby animals born around this time.
It seemed like a load of superstitious nonsense in my youth, but my exposure to animals over the years taught me that my grandma’s belief & practice was her way of not causing harm to others in whatever ways she could.
The Chinese characters on the red paper, [敬土爱人] which came from her birthplace of Kinmen Island can be translated into “Respecting Earth, Loving Humans.” It is an exhortation to love the soil that we walk on and to love people as well.
This pair of handsewn donkeys represents all equine animals, including horses. I got them from a craft fair years and years ago.
So on this Day of the Horse, may we respect Earth and all her inhabitants, animals included, and become loving people.
Yesterday I hosted my first ever canine guest in the Year of the Rat at my home.
Overnight a little pink flower bloomed.
With the heavy rain all day today, I’m not sure if the flower can take the cold.
And yet amidst news of contagions & quarantines this lil’ wisp of a flower has chosen to unfold.
As tiny as she is, this delicate messenger has petals which she unrolls bit by bit, without haste and almost unnoticeable, giving me hope that the simplest prayers that we make for healing and reconciliation with Nature will be heard & answered. 🙏
My friend brought her adopted dog to my home for Chinese New Year visit today.
Dog approves of cny cake.
Dog girl looking at Windhorse Prayer Flags for the first time in her life. (4th Day of CNY, 28 Jan 2020)
At only 8 month old and of a slight built, Nicki Ning-en strutted about my home, sniffed around and made sonorous barks at the cats. Her 20 black nails and kohl-lined eyes gave her a touch of gothic vibes.
Black nails are cool especially when you don’t have to paint them.
Oliver the Cat hid behind the washing machine, wondering when this lanky girl would leave. Behind the glass door of the cat room, plump Hakim sat cross-pawed, daring Niki Ning-en to come closer.
Nicki Ning-en raising her head to look at Avalokithesvera and Ganesha.
Satisfied with her exploration, the girl dog lay down contentedly on the floor by the altar while raising her head briefly to look up at Avalokithesvara (Compassion) and Ganesha (Wisdom).
She had also chosen to relax on the same spot where Shoya, my dog, transited into Light in 5 years ago.
I smiled at the way she seemed so at ease resting on Shoya’s space.
Perhaps being born on an industrial site, losing her own mother, taken to the pound and living so close to death had given this dog an extra ability to sense peace.
As I gave Nicki Ning-en her Chinese New Year red packet, I wished her good health and a long life to accompany her human mommy for a long time.🌈🐾
Ollie and I would like to take this auspicious morning of 5 flowers blooming in our home to wish all friends and all human beings the Five Blessings, for our benefit and the benefit of all sentient beings.
Yesterday I hosted my first ever canine guest in the Year of the Rat at my home.
Lisa Ong 