And just like that, the first new moon of 2024 is upon us. It felt like just recently we were at Boudha Stupa to observe the last new moon of 2023.
Observing the last new moon of 2023 at Boudha Stupa with some of the most compassionate people I know. (13 Dec 2023, Nepal)
The postcard I wrote & mailed to myself on 7 Dec 2023 from Nepal arrived on 7 Jan 2024 in Singapore. I showed it to my first tuition class of the year to get them to design & write a postcard to themselves to capture their hopes for the New Year.
“Who’s Marcus?” The curious speed readers in my class asked.
Visiting Ganesh at Park Village Hotel in Budanilkantha. (7 Dec 2023)
“Marcus was my travel buddy who helped me carry relief supplies for street & shelter animals. He also held my hand when the road became uneven so that I wouldn’t fall down,” I explained to the clean limbed and bright eyed 12 year olds.
Marcus with Lakshmi at Street Dog Care.
For Nepal constantly tests one’s fitness, capacity for kindness and openness to changes.
Marcus carried all the heavy stuff, helped me up & down stairs, vehicles, curbs and kept me from tripping over misaligned tiles & bricks on our paths.
Some days he went ahead to check out places we could have our meals in, their menus and accessibility to me. He was my google map. 😄
Our first meal in a Tibetan shop tucked deep in an alley. Without my travel buddy, I wouldn’t have the motivation nor strength to venture further.
Silence followed as the young ones ruminated on the challenges of travelling with someone like me, and reflected on new reasons beyond that of entertainment & education for travelling.
Listening to his singing bowl at Pilgrims Book House, Thamel, Kathmandu.
As we look to the first New Moon of 2024, may we continue to find new meanings, new directions and new resources for our benefit and for all sentient beings, regardless of the conditions & situations we’re in.
The “photo bombers” in this pic show me we don’t need to wait for a “perfect background” to take a good shot. In fact their presence enrich this picture. 🙏
“Please give Pema a hug for me!” My friend, Sharonne, texted when my trip to Nepal was finalised. Pema is the name of her sponsored shelter dog.
Pema means Lotus Flower in Tibetan. Although rooted in mud, the Lotus rises from its murky surroundings without carrying a trace of dirt.
Hence, the Lotus in eastern spirituality has become a symbol of rising above challenges while remaining free from defilements.
At our recent shelter visit to Street Dog Care, we were greeted by dogs that embodied the spirit of the Lotus.
Despite having suffered from human abuse and neglect, they came prancing towards us like we were their best friends.
To avoid getting knocked over by wave after wave of canine affection, I had to quickly sit on a little mound of soil upon entering the shelter.
Dr Bikesh quickly offers a chair.
Dancing at our feet in anticipation, each dog was vying for the chance to pull us into their earthy embrace.
Laughing humans, smiling dogs and swirling dust … what an absolute chaos but oh so delightful!
Earthy hugs that lifted my sadness of losing my cats Emmanuel and Oliver this September and November respectively.
Rocky had an acid wound that was deep & red, but he offered his face and looked at me with the kindest eyes as I spoke to him. Could this dog be anymore aggressive as his abuser claimed?
Rocky’s was wounded but his kindness remains. Rocky snuggling with vet, Dr Bikesh. Can this dog get any more aggressive as claimed by the person who poured acid on him?
Then there was one who pedalled frantically on two front legs to welcome us. He was probably a survivor of motor traffic or birth defect. Marcus quickly went over to receive his greetings to show the beige angel that he was not overlooked.
Beige Angel. Marcus makes sure the paraplegic dog knows he is loved.
We couldn’t finish walking the length of the shelter without getting greeted, kissed or hugged by dogs.
Rough sleeping on the streets and not having ready access to cleaning did not defile the purity of these canine beings one bit.
Loving under the Prayer Flags. 🙏
On our ride back from the shelter in our little taxi, I was beaming from ear to ear. Mud splattered and in my down jacket punctured by canine attempts to hug me, I felt cleansed of all sadness by the Lotuses in the dog shelter.
Pema is my friend, Sharonne’s sponsored shelter dog.
Handmade shelter for a community cat in one of the neighbourhoods in Singapore. (Source: FB post Dec 2023)
One Christmas Eve many years ago, I passed by 3 or 4 dogs seeking shelter from the on off day long rain under the void deck of abandoned flats.
By the time I bought dog food and aluminium trays from the supermarket to go to their aid, the dogs had disappeared.
A slight panic descended as darkness deepened in the deserted premise where I stood. Held down by trays of opened canned food, there was not much I could do. The drizzle was also gathering force.
“Miss Ong, what are you doing here?”
I looked up to see two smiling boys. They introduced themselves as SJI boys.
More than 20 years after the Christmas Eve Dog Feeding Encounter, I would be travelling to Nepal in Dec 2023 with Marcus Tan. Besides letting me hold onto his arm for balance when I walk on uneven grounds, this SJI boy also stops for animals. (Dec 2023)
Despite having no memory of seeing them in school, I told them what I was trying to do.
Without hesitation, they took the food offerings from me, and headed to the bus stop where they said they saw the dogs.
After they returned from their act of kindness where the dogs gobbled up everything in a flash, the boys and I held hands in the rain and gave thanks.
Those were the days of pre-social media. I had scant knowledge of helping homeless animals.
And had I let my physical condition, the inclement weather, and the darkness convince me to ignore the dogs’ hunger, I wouldn’t have met these two boys whom I believe to be angels in disguise. 😊❤️
And as the years pile on, the seemingly mundane, “Miss Ong, what are you doing Here?” has become a question of transcendental importance to me.
So in the spirit of Boxing Day as we put away present wrappers, and tidy up our surroundings, here’s wishing everyone increasing clarity to what we’re doing with our life & gifts. 🙏
Rocky, the survivor of acid attack came to welcome me. (Street Dog Care, Nepal, 11 Dec 2023)
Poinsettias in full bloom in Park Village, Budanilkanta, Nepal. (7Dec 2023)
In my youth December meant holiday jobs to make some money for personal outings & school supplies.
There was always some anxieties whether my limp would be an issue with the employer or labour laws.
December in my late teens & early twenties meant carolling rehearsals and admiring well dressed people who had invited us to sing in their beautiful homes on Christmas Eve.
Only in my 30s, December became a time of looking inward at who I really am. Living with 12 cats & 1 dog assures me that I am home. There’s no need to go outside to seek amusement or approval.
I adopted my first and only dog, Shoya, when I was 35 years old.
After my dog passed on in December 2014, and my cats slowly left me one by one, December becomes a time to rest & remininsce.
And whenever I get the chance to visit Boudha Stupa, I bring my animals with me. In my walks, I thank them for taking on animal forms to teach me what it means to be human.
Showing Shoya the Boudha Stupa at every chance I could since 2016)
This December as I stood still by windows & on terraces, I witnessed wedding celebrations in Budanilkantha, an engagement party in Nagarkot, cultural performances and devotional practices in Boudha.
On the balcony of Hotel Country Villa in Nagarkot Hills, Nepal. (10Dec 2023)
In the midst of music, singing & chanting my spirit lifted as my animals & I received the auspicious vibes generated by these celebrations.
Butter lamp circumabulation at Boudha Stupa.
December is truly an ending & also a beginning. 🙏😊
The exceptionally beautiful tree we met this morning also shed gorgeous leaves.
We bowed to the tie dye combo of emerald green, glorious gold, fiery copper and chrome yellow as we bent low to pick one leaf after another.
More leaves fell as the breeze rose, as if the tree was shedding her grace on us.
I told my brother that I would make a mandala out of these leaves that have been bathed by moonlight for the New Moon tonight.
He placed the 12 leaves in the car boot so they wouldn’t get crushed.
May the New Moon bless all that she touches even if they have to fall to the ground one day. And may all sentient beings be endowed with Grace to turn all life lessons into gold. 🙏
No trip to Little India is ever complete without a meal at Madras New Woodlands for us.
Even though we can visit more upmarket eateries now, going back to our old haunt for a meal always feels like a treat. This is the place that fed & welcome us in those days when we didn’t have much.
The restaurant began around the time we started university, which was 40 years ago. One top of its flavourful meals, its charges are easy on the pocket for students & young working adults. And regardless of the size of your order, you can be assured of utmost hospitality.
Over the years, and despite the market fluctuations, their menu and prices have remained fairly stable. And their hospitality always makes me feel like a much loved patron despite me being of a minority race among their patrons.
Pre-covid days, the restaurant made its muruku (dhal chips) and other snacks fresh. Their oil for frying was top quality. I used to haul packets of my beloved murukus home as if they were gold.
After we washed down our wholesome dosas & pooris with massala tea, it was time to check out Apollo Shopping Centre for sweets, oils, fragrances, retro time pieces & Handloom of India for pure cotton kurtis (short top) and kurtas (long top).
After lunch, we stopped by this little shop to try on their Rajasthani cotton prints. My friend Sharonne got to charge her phone here too.
Ever so cheerful & obliging, the husband & wife proprietors of Handloom spared no effort in showing us their wide collection of pure cotton tops that bore one of a kind chikankari embroidery from Lucknow.
To some, the embroidery may just be sewing. But vibrating among the delicate threads that form patterns of leaves, flowers & paisleys are aspirations for beauty & better lives.
When I bought my first cotton kurta from this couple, their daughter was doing her primary school homework among their merchandise. Now their little girl has become a teacher and is married.
As the nearly full moon appeared in the bright evening sky, freshly strung thanksgiving jasmine garlands by Prasad the Florist were our final purchase to wrap up an awesome day.
Sharonne took this shot of the Moon above me. (27-7-23) Thanksgiving jasmine garlands strung by Prasad the Florist was our final purchase in Little India to wrap up an awesome day.
“It’s ok, I can manage,” was my habitual response when I thought the young man at the Uniqlo fitting room was asking if I needed a stool to sit on while trying on clothes. I have seen my share of sales staff being bullied by the self-entitled, so I try my best not to add on to their burden.
Furthermore, years of trying to blend in with the able bodied for fear of being considered not good enough at school and at work have made me apologetic about my handicap and to overcompensate for it.
Truth be known, at the heart of all these efforts to cope with my physical limitations to the point of ignoring them, is the deep dread of rejection & abandonment.
You know how it is. In the wild, animals, including the new borns, are left to die if they show signs of physical weakness or injury. An injured animal will also try his best to mask his pains for as long as possible to avoid evoking the predatory instincts of the others.
And so it is with humans. Be it a limp or a lisp, the fear of mockery looms, especially when you are a child, and haven’t figured out how to navigate among the normals.
Compassion & Wisdom are ofen the first casualties when resources are limited and survival hangs on a thread.
So I learnt at a very young age, not to seek special treatment if I wanted to be included.
But the Uniqlo Angel would not back off. He took one look at my leg & cane, and decided that I would need a cubicle for the disabled to try on my clothes.
Striding confidently ahead, he lifted a grey curtain to reveal a brightly lit cubicle large enough to accommodate a wheel chair, and equipped with handrails and cushioned seat for the physically challenged.
And the way he secured the curtain you would have thought he invented the cubicle himself.
“Take your time,” said the lanky youth who saw through my carefully constructed armour of lies as he looked me in the eye. ❤️😄
I saw my first real waterfall in 2006 when I was in Japan. These days, a manmade waterfall like the one at Bird Paradise is as good as the real deal for me. (8 May 2023) ❤️
When I need to go out I pick my timing carefully to avoid crowds and transport fee hikes.
On the streets there are cyclists and people on mobility aid to be mindful of.
In the malls especially during school holidays, there is the exhuberance of unsupervised children at play that can trip me.
Increasingingly I find myself making detours, sometimes huge ones, to avoid shoppers clustering on narrow thoroughfares.
So an errand that may take 30minutes can easily turn into a 2 hour undertaking.
The obstacles I face on my outings force me to look ahead when I walk, and to stand still in the presence of running children or sudden movements by others.
I now understand why in my youth I felt strongly about regulating whale & dolphin watching tourism. Whales have been known to alter their migratory routes or delay their feeding in order to avoid boats.
As I age every departure from the familiarity of my flat & neighbourhood is thus a bit of an expedition. I don’t have the bandwidth to conquer mountains or check out the ocean because the landscape in me is a perpetual mystery of unpredictability.
National Gallery, Singapore 2020.
The outcome of negotiating external changes in my environment together with my physical limitations has strangely put me in a constant state of the beginner’s mind.
Every outing I can make it on my own whether alone or with friends is always my first, and could also be my last. It is perhaps one of the reasons why I’m always taking pictures. 😊
Panda, the shelter dog’s affection is boundless. (June 2023)
On the full moon that just passed, a former student made a trip to Nepal. She offered to help me deliver non-prescriptive medicated animal supplies to friends who are taking care of street & shelter animals there.
The soft spoken child in her impossibly white school uniform writing compo in my class some 20 years back is now venturing to rugged Nepal & wants to help me bring stuff?!
When we took this picture, I didn’t know one of these young girls would one day help me deliver animal relief supplies to street and shelter animals in Nepal. Wound washes & medicated shampoos to relieve animal suffering, improve their physical conditions and increase their chances of getting fed. For animals, beauty is never skin deep because it makes a difference between getting fed or getting kicked. 🙏
I didn’t jump at her offer at first. But I was touched that someone with little exposure to street animals & shelter work would want to take on this extra weight on her personal trip.
I was also unsure if I could assemble the needful items in time for her trip. There was a medical emergency in my family at that time.
Looking back I’m so glad she persisted in wanting to perform this courier duty.
As it turned out, she not only fulfilled all she needed to do in Nepal, but also took time off to climb the “epic” hill (cos her taxi couldn’t climb) and reached the village where the dog shelter was located. (I did this only once in 2018 with help).
My former student is all grown up now and wears many hats, among which is that of peacemaker to keep dogs from squabbling.
“I’ve never been so dirty and happy,” she texted me, referring to the muddy paw prints on her attire and person, as the dogs inundated her with cuddles.
Receiving the Baptism of Mud from shelter dog, Dorjie, to remind us to remain grounded no matter what our positions are.
Her enthusiasm in helping & subsequent initiative to seek out the shelter to hang out with the dogs & relief workers are compassion & wisdom at work. In return she felt honoured and blessed.
Art of Giving: Simple food lovingly cooked and respectfully given.
Today people living in the Southern Hemisphere observe the Winter Solstice. Yesterday those in the Northern Hempishere marked the Summer Solstice. It depends on our geographical positions.
But there’s a position which we all can claim regardless of who we are and where we’re born. And it is the position of power to render help. This power begins in the heart and radiates from the mind.
I believe it is this power that keeps people with limited resources going, and in turn inspire others to get involved.
Street Dog Care e.v. treats street dogs and shelters the ones that need a safe place to recover before returning to the community. It is supported by donation and run mostly by local staff & volunteers.
So I like to take this Solstice celebration to wish all of us the power to bring relief regardless of our positions, so that collectively we become a source of delight to all sentient beings.
Happy Solstice to you, and all sentient beings in the North, South, East & West. 🙏
This unexpected gift of a crystal singing bowl will be sounded for the first time on Vesak Day tomorrow.
The rain today is a welcome respite from the scorching heat that had weakened my resolve to walk to the nearby shops to get flowers and snacks for this Vesak Day weekend. 😄
A gentle breeze in the on off drizzle this morning gave me the courage to sally forth.
The breeze this morning, the soft sun light and the on off drizzle gave me the courage to venture out to get flowers for the gods and snacks for my friends.
It’s the first day of June, make it memorable. Don’t waste the beautiful weather. So I asked my brother to join me for a meal.
In the spacious heartland coffee shop, two grey haired siblings had an ordinary but hearty meal, like they used to in their primary school days.
After that we stopped by the young hindu florist to pick up fresh jasmine garlands, and flowers for the gods. And for the humans visiting my home tomorrow, I got them cakes and pineapple tarts from the happy muslim baker. ❤️
Lisa Ong 