It is not Healthy to be out there! - Georgetown under siege.

                                                       A new building goes up across the road.!

It is one hazy afternoon, by noon the haze was getting thicker by the minute until is is like a wall of lethal mist. I decided to go to the mosque and take some refuge from the noonday traffic and the intense heat radiating from all around you as they bounce of the concrete walls of building that surrounds you; you are in an oven, my friend.If your heart is not in good condition it is best to stay home or better yet visit the Public Library or the Museums or Galleries around town so long as there is air conditioning system and you can still do your work.A great time to learn to appreciate reading and art as something that is not only good for rainy days but for hazy days as well. Otherwise sit and worry about it, be mad about it, fear of its effects on your nasal passages that can cause Asthma attacks leading on to a possible heart attack and so forth...Ladies and Gentlemen we do apologize for the inconvenience but the Haze is Here to Stay! Please take note when making your plans, do think of the best possible ways to avoid adding on to what is already bad situation.
This too is what you get when you burn down the forest and just so you are reminded, the problem is not a contained problem but has the affects of the entire planetary system that our earth has been used to.Now we are overheating and compounding it by depleting every available space with concrete and metal, glasses and rubber, trees and grasses as an option if and when there is left over spaces that can be spared. We are inadvertently building ourselves an oven that will when it has reached its critical levels will create a combustion, if not worse. It is all in time but the time is running itself out faster each moment,"Oh how time flies!", be as it may, whatever we choose to do about our immanent future negative outcome is right now, right here, right this very moment. We have to make a covenant with ourselves, as a whole, collectively, as individuals who are awakened in mind and spirit, we who understand what is being said at a perceptive level, what can we do to help?

                                          It is just the dry spell,,,all dried up...the haze..this too will pass!

What can one person do in the face of such challenges that is faced by his hometown, the City he was born into, he grew up with, what is there that a drifter who writes his life out for the world to share, what can he do? How do we stop burning ourselves out of existence? How do we avoid burning down our forests and still have wooden chairs to sit on? How do we channel and conserve every drop of precious water from the hills from just flowing out into the sea after it has been polluted beyond recognition and hazardous to all living things. How do we transcend beyond our borders of consciousness and collectively make a leap of faith towards achieving the impossible; are we not Homo Sapient! Are we not Endowed with Wisdom and Intelligence? How can we, you and me, look at our planet's fate with not a feeling of trepidation, nary a fear deep within us if not for ourselves , for our children and those who will inherit what we leave behind.

The heat and the smell added to it will make a better picture.

How much fuel does one Airline such as Emirates Air spends in a day of operation world wide? The answer is worth pondering because that is how much "coolant" we are taking out of our planet's cooling system on a daily basis for just one Airline, not to mention all the vehicles driven all over the Arab Peninsula and every where else, the amount of carbon fuel extracted from the bowels of the earth seems like endless; Is it? What will it take for us to wake up to reality that we are in essence bleeding our planet till it is bone dry, Holly Wood? All the Environmental Disasters related movies are today made almost at virtual reality impact level for an average human mind to experience the events that can happen to us like floods and fires Hurricanes and Tsunamis. Ah, those are just movies...Holly Wood! Every major production of Epic Holly Wood films are the result of efforts of many, it is a collective effort of the best of minds sometimes, masters at what they do, and this collective spirit spearheaded by one such as James Cameron, you have "Avatar", the movie.This is what one man can achieve if he so desires to save his planet, Cameron used his creative mind and spirit, he brought together a body of like minds from various fields of expertise and orchestrated and Directed  an Epic Movie.

It reminds one of the Fall season, but it is just Hazy day. 

The Collective Spirit is not something out there but is within all of us; it is dormant from lack of exposure and use. Mankind has become so very self centered in his thoughts and actions that he tends to forget the rest of the world that he lives in; man has become an island unto himself. We are tribalistic just our forefather had been for as long as our family tree stretches back in history and time. We  cannot let go of our mind created past nor can we give up our race, color and creed. How can such mental beings ever come together without killing each other off to be The One! The Chosen ones, the right people for the right job, us and them, what is in it for me? How can we come together, Right Now! For those who have been taking their time and follow my thoughts, well you know that i know, and we know what we each and everyone of us has to do and for all the right reasons , among which is that our Planet needs us! It needs us to wake up and act sooner than later because not so nice things are starting to happen due to our sitting and just watching while the haze is killing us!

Gerogetown is not this bad all the time; it is getting close though..

Pilot of Lumut - part 2

Every man takes pride in their lifelong pursuit whether as a career or a a practice that which he finds satisfaction in doing to the best of his ability and commitment, but time gradually removes our enthusiasm and passion leaving behind only memories of moments of complete sense of satisfaction with one's calling. A teacher or a plumber, a fisherman or a farmer irregardless of who we are or what our walks of life may be, we have in alol of us a sense of wanting to fulfill something that is of our own. Watching the pilot pulls out the sixhundred footer out of its berth and slowly eases her out towards the open sea was watching such commitment at work. This is meditation in action..

Machines, and engines, tools and gadgets are all there for us to use them  accordingly but the trust we have in our own innate ability to make things happen accordingly is much more satisfying. We control the computers on board this vessel to obey just the right commands o move this ship left or right fast forward or dead slow, it is our own sense of precision, our ability to 'eyeball', to make quick changes that is critical in any form of work large or small the undertaking maybe, we pride in our on sense of  ability to have a creative vision that drives this ship towards where we need it to be.

In any project in any thing we do that involves the collective effort of many each operating different equipment and tools related to the task,  a good  sense of communication is paramount especially for those who play the roles of command givers, the Pilot, the Ship's captain and the crew of all the vessels involved, such as the two tugboats in the water pushing and tugging the ship to keep it headed into the right direction like a piece of log in the river. It takes years of working and depending on each other's abilities that can create this collective mind. 

On looking all the way down the length of the ship towards the horizon, I felt like i was drifting along on a piece of log, I could barely feel the engine propelling this  cargo vessel. Only when a command is given by the Pilot is there a slight change in the whole structure of the ship. like a sigh of relief from deep somewhere down below.

How often do we dream of tanding upon the deck of one of these ships just to feel what it is like as we cruise along the  passing the islands and beaches along the way. How majestic  some of the ships anchored in the water casting a reflection upon the sea surface like a Monet painting.

I felt most fortunate that i was able to tag along with my cousin Captain Yahaya Merican, the Pilot of Lumut.. He has run out of counts as to how many ships he has boarded day and night out in the middle of the sea to bring them inot the harbor or drag them out of their beth and set them on their way back to where they came from. They were from all over the world, some were large and some were small, but they all get the same treatment with  precision and passion.
There is very little or no room for errors when you are handling a six hundred feet long ship even if it is along a  calm body of water in a shaded cove.

A sailor's life is both adventurous and boring.

There is grace and beauty is every vessel that is being put to sea.

The Pilot of Lumut - part one.

                                                                              

How he parks his little car does not reflect how he can park an ocean liner, my cousin Capt. Yahaya Marecan or better known as the Pilot of Lumut. The man has spent 22 odd years of his life playing valet parking to large and small ships of all shapes and sizes for so lng as they heed his service to enter th waters off Lumut.

A man who had spent about his entire life suffering fro asthma attacks so much so that they nick named him Pa'Ya Lelah or the Asmathic Pa' Ya., till today has been climbing up and down the sides of large ships to ge to where he can steer the ships in and out of the area.

His ride to the vessel that awaits his arrival inorder to push off after having unloaded its cargo of whatever form wherever. This time it is a Russian  cargo vessel about six hundred feet in length named the "Crested Eagle".

She sits high on the water  after being emptied of her cargo. Being up close to these huge vessel  gives you a sense of awesomeness and power. I have done this saveral times before following my cousin to see what he does.

 The climbing along the side of the hull is what gets to me! It gives me the shivers just looking at the height. and one slip plop you go into the water! Clinging to t hose rough ropes while climbing was like clinging to dear life itself while for my cousin it was like child's play.

It is high when you look down from the top deck , you are on top of the world of vessels. that litters the harbor.

Imagine having to scrub this deck!

And so on we go climbing towards the  pilot house.

More steps!

Ah! at last the navigation room.

A slight misunderstanding caused a tension between the Russian captain and the Pilot. From what i can hear the Russian Captain's poor English mistook the Pilot's compliment for a criticism. The importance of understanding what is being communicated is so vital especially at the highest levels of management.

The family that works together...lives together.

Time for the Lady to get her parts checked out. A broken  drive shaft that needs to be replace. The problem started about fifty kilometers as i arrived into Sitiawan while driving through the Oil palm plantation ares between Pantai remis and Manjung.

The brake discs that needs to be grounded down to stop the wheel from shaking when brakes are applied. This happens when the disc is overheated and gets in touch with water, it causes the metal to become uneven.

Whatever else that needs looking into. let the Indian boys handle it> They looked competent and hard working crew which reminds me that they are no different from Ah huat or Ah seang at the Auto shop in Sungai Dua.

This is a family business that has kept this one family together over the years. Every time I see a small family hodling together to keep a family way of life i hope. I feel the connectedness between the individuals I sense a sense of belonging  among those present. 

And they like Art too! You must get this published said the father, they are too valuable! How should i feel when someone says such thing about my life's works.

This is my mobile gallery doing its thing, creativity knows no barrier and is honored by most as something special in a person. To them I am an Artist, a man of talent. How can I give up being creative when I meet people like this?

Now i got an Indian family behind me whenever i am in Sitiawan area. Sometimes you know they see you better than you see yourself, your virtues and your way seeking mind at work, sharing with them through chatting and sketches and drawings, a piece of my past brought into the here and now as a conversational piece. Soon you have established a relationship based on mutual Love and Respect.

Every now and then you meet a special man the father said to my cousin, I am glad they enjoyed my life and my works. Thanks to my cousin Captain Yahaya Merican, the Pilot of Lumut, I now have a family i can stop by ans say hello or even get my car fixed for a good discount, but at least i can rest assured that i can trust them wihtout nay doubt.

Crossing on a New Penang Bridge to get Home.

I arrived at Batu Kawan Toll entrance at around one thirty in the morning after driving all the way from Sitiawan near the Lumut area of Perak after sepnding a few days visiting my sister and her daughter's family who had arrived from Kuwait a day earlier on vacation. Had quite a great time and experience with my grand nephews and niece and was good to spend some time with my sister.The New or second Penang Bridge was launched by the Prime Minister on the first of march and i arrived at  one am. which makes it the second of March, I recieve a commemoration cap at the Toll kiosk and it was Ex- gratis. or free to use the bridge for the first month. It is 32 Kilotmeters from one end to the other; not somewhere you want to be stuck in a traffic jam which I did. I thought the Kancil was not going to make it and became one of the first few vehicles to be towed off the bridge after causing allot of curses over the new bridge. After crawling all the way across I felt like back to the old bridge for this guy, no more seconds! Perhaps once in the day time and see if there is any improvement with time. After all it is the longest bridge in South East Asia if not Asia Itself.

It is great actually to be back in town...Georgetown, that is! Traffic jams, now biasa la! At three you are hungry, no problem, kedai nasi kandar on the corner of Jelutong and the Market street is open for business. Limited sittings but still better than nasi Beratur on Kapitan Kling Street n4ear the Big Kapitan Kling Mosque.But hey its according to my taste and i am no connoisseur of gourmet cooking such as the Nasi Kandar this Island is most famous for in terms of food. Like everything else in our modern day life, we got for the quantity rather than the quality. Our 'standard of living is very  low compared to most western countries including countries such as Japan or Korea is because we cut too many corners to fill up empty holes in the business. We are not emulating Japan in our look to the East but slowly becoming Chinese influence as in The People's Republic of China where quantity is the dominant force in the International Market today.This is not to say it is bad or good it is just a broad horizon of a spectrum of an observation of the Cheeseburger Buddha as he dwells in this Dharma Realm of Mindfulness Awakening.
As I was driving along the North South Highway towards Penang last night I passed by an trailer hauling huge trunks of timber on its bed, I ws back in the at the foothills of Lintang, the Farm and the surrounding forest. I saw in my  mind the remnants of a few giant among trees still standing for posterity saved but for fortune by the wisdom of of the 'Major'. Who am I to judge others for their wants and needs, for so long as I am alive i am tied too to this wheel of life, the Dharma Wheel, the gigantic wheels of the Chariot of Lord Jaganathan as he was being transported from one temple to another in India during the Kumba Mala ceremony. The English word Juggernaut to mean huge or gigantic is derived from the Name of the Lord. J.And as this wheel rolls so does life in cycles and circles, sometimes one rides at the very bottom part of the wheel where life is hell and at other times one is at the very top of it all looking  up to heaven next. It also says nothing is permanent , all things comes to pass all in good time according to the motion of the Wheel of Life.

    As the Juggernaut rolls it gazers momentum and as it moves forward it gathers more to itself growing, snowballing, rolling down the mountain side and ripping apart anything in its way, crushing underneath its wheel those who slacked and are weak and headed for the final count down at the bottom when vertical velocity meets solid horizontal impregnable plane. The Big Bang..The End of Days...the end of it all...the beginning of a new journey inception begins of yet another universe no unlike this one,the burst of a new star causing the regeneration of energy and power to create and procreate. Evolution happens time and again at all levels and dimensions and consciousness, only we feel it of are aware of it  or not.
There is no sense going here and camping out here, if whatever that s gained no matter how ridiculously naive and idea, cannot be shared for the sake of sharing; indeed I have  failied. Indeed time has been wasted and money in the forms of sponsorship by friends and loved ones is not deserved. One of the most significant event of my travel to Manjung and Sitiawan in Perak to visit my sister and my cousin, the Pilot. I spent a few days each at both their homes, it was such a contrast between the two that it was like spending time in two parallel dimensions that runs alongside each other without ever crossing into another until such an event as a visit from the Cheeseburger Buddha would trigger a little sense of awareness of the presence of those who are close to us through blood or otherwise, should be kept alive; life is relationship.

Yes it is great to be back here especially when you have the whole house to yourself just me and Karim who is fast asleep in my room.which gives me the opportunity to ramble away my tiredness, my aches and pains of night long driving; my Blog. One of my most unforgettable moments was cruising down out into the Straits of Malacca while standing on the Pilots House of a Russian Bulk Carrier, the Crested Eagle. I also met some new friends when I had my car fixed, my cousin the Pilot introduced me to an Indian Mechanic and his family, it is all about creating good relationships with other through sharing, through simple being human, being who you truly are in all your glories and weaknesses. This! Is It! This! my Dharma position this  where i stand from and deliver to the worlds a thousand blessings just like the Buddhas before me. and Allah Is Great! for my position is meaningless if not for His Grace and Blessing, "Hanya dengan Kered'an Nya!" only through His Blessings can I call myself the Cheeseburger Buddha and claim to be the incarnate of the Buddha of Infinite Scatology.By His will, Insha'Allah, if and when I am able to step out of this dimension completely I hope i will evolve on to a more compassionate and forgiving dimension that is closer to the Throne of Allah.
As I walk upon this earth a step at a time fast or slow, I realized that one foot is in Heaven while the other is in Hell, Na'uzubillah, Heavens forbid, in the middle is my spinal column vertical pointing upwards towards heaven and down towards hell, ..Alif! the vertical pillar of energy runs through this pillar a life force the Hindu mi simplicity calls it the Kundalini or Serpent energy or light. We awaken this energy and make it move unhindered through the Seven Chakras,  through the Seven sounds and the Seven colors of Auric energy. to penetrate the Seven Petala Bhumis and the Seven levels of the heavens before we can even come close to the Arash or Seat of the Lord of which only the Prophet of Allah has ever been allowed excess to in order to stand before His Maker.This was the Mi'Raj, the nocturnal journey, this was when the Prophet of Allah transcended His human form to become close to the Divine the One, Lord of Power. Otherwise there is no need for prophets if this were not made to happen as token of faith and miracles of man by the Grace of his Maker. Yes, the is an Ape in all of us, but we drew the line in the genes when it came to who we are in the eyes of the AlMighty, Al Hak! Compare to this i am merely a wannabe Bodhisatva, still " swimming in a fishbowl, year after!" P.Floyd.
As we get older we tend to become more religious in our demeanor, we become less tolerant of those who we see as forsaken his religiosity and God is always on our side. We become obsessed with making atonement's and repentance  and looking for credits in virtuous practices. We reflect how much we have sinned and how little we have prepared ourselves to meet the Lord at Judgement Day.where very fingers and every 'Skandhas' or senses of our self will testify for us our sinful acts just incase we plea innocent  of having done so. So be nice to your vital organs and say your appreciation every now and then to your fingers instead of sticking it uyp your nose all the time or point it at others in accusation. Life is a Bitch And after death could be much worse if you are not awake when you die. How can you know who you truly are until you have died in this life to that which your mind has created for who you believe to be who you are, Joe De Magio of the New York Yankees, or just the farmer out -standing in his field, his Dharma position, his home plate. Three Strikes is all you get, and you are Out!
I Am, that I Am!
" a Sanskrit sentence, translated variously as "That art thou," "That thou art," "Thou art that," "You are that," or "That you are," is one of theMahāvākyas (Grand Pronouncements) in Vedantic Sanatana Dharma. It originally occurs in the Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7,^[1] in the dialogue between Uddalaka and his son Śvetaketu; it appears at the end of a section, and is repeated at the end of the subsequent sections as a refrain. The meaning of this saying is that the Self - in its original, pure, primordial state - is wholly or partially identifiable or identical with the Ultimate Reality that is the ground and origin of all phenomena." WikipediaI

It is quite an experience to drive along the 32 Kilometers over water, it was rther a long dull ride as you can hardly see the ocean for the high walls. Hopefully it will help to ease the flow of traffice in and out of the Island. Now let us see if they are serious about build a tunnel across the channel.!

The Kitchen/Dining Hall at SRI Lovely.

A critical part of the Oragnic Farming practice at the "Farm"is Family. and in the light of the people and location of the Farm it is in sync with Islamic tradition based on the Rasul of Allah's, Sunnah - Ways.

It is here that one learns about the life in Indonesia, the History, the Locations, the customs and practices of the different tribes or 'Puaks", The Javanese, the Balinese , the  what hold them together despite their major differences in religious practices.. While waiting of the food to be prepared , many ''Gudang Garam" have been smoked and the "Wak tells his story of growing up int Bandung and how he ended up being there with his wife at the "Farm".

Here there were  treated to a  sketchbook while we sat surrounded by the darkness of the forest all around us. When someone like these fill you with praises for having such talent, you owe to them to be better, it came from their hearts and it felt good. 

The Cik Gu as everyone calls her has 8 children or so i am told  but looking at her who would believe so! Now that is organic living, good food, fresh from the garden, no poisons, no chemicals all purely from what is available around the area. 

My friend Shawal and i slept in the kitchen hut one night during the full moon, it reminded me of nights like these while living at green Gulch farm in Sausalito, Marin County- California..In a way the SRI LOvely Farm tries to promote an 'Organic Life Style. Like getting back to being close to Mother Nature, The Environment, the forest, the trees, the tiny seedlings...perhaps to be able to sleep and look up into the vast Cosmos of Stars and Galaxies that the skies is littered with.

It may look simple and rustic, but the quality is in being present in he moment with your fellow beings sharing a common meal ans swapping stories about life and children, and the value of the  various 'Ulams' or raw salad or rabbit food,  young leaves or shoots plucked from various plants and trees around the area like the tapioca or pucuk ubi kayu.
Fresh fish from the lake or Dam close by.

Weekends!

The youngsters has to find their own spot away from adult ears.

Ample supply of 'Rokoks' or cigarettes of any brand for the matter is all it takes for a splitting of great minds to happen. The man with no shirt on saw an young adult tiger three days after I arrived at the place. They say his face was ripped open by a bear when he was younger.

What is organic but a state of mind that is pure and simple existing is harmony with Nature and all that is around us. Being sensitive towards what is being done to alleviate the healing process towards the damage that has been done to our environment and to ourselves as humans. Being closley i touch with Motherhood and what it is being a mother of being a father or being farmer, a teacher. Livng the Organice Life Style is simple getting to know the person within in connection with what is out there; it is where healing happens.