Poetry a Celebration of Life

Dont Go Far Off, Stay Close Pablo

2011-07-31T10:19:00.001-07:00

dont go far off stay close
stay where you have always been
like the sun, for eons, never disappointing
sending its light and cheers
the moon, never haunting,
for eons sending its inspiraton
dont go far off stay close
make my day a blessing to have
and night a sanctuary to luxuriate in
dont go far stay close
let your laughters fill my day
and your breath, my breath
let the day brighten up with optimism
and the night a wonder drive for morrow
dont go far stay close
as close as the heart can be
because when you are gone
the days are as good as it is without
the sun and the night moon
and the beach without the water
to carress and serenade its love song

(In Memory of Pablo Neruda)

Haiku collection

2011-05-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Sunset Taj
a love intensifies in
the diminishing light

a saffron
shrouded sun
the buddha

Chap Goh Meh
this lovely cat her eyes
bright like the moon

Tapestry of the mind
filling up the gap
between the stitches

new oil find
an excitement floating
over dilemmas

what a lovely valentine
another dictator
gone

there she is
lost like an ant
miss self conceited

Sniffing here
sniffing there
miss want-to-get-forward

valentine's wish -
love to grow many folds
like the price of roses

February high noon
the icicle tearful
farewell to winter

HIs overblown ego
every of his words sharpens one's knife
for the throat

every inch every line
nature's accents its mood
flowers everywhere

In between our talk
of an old disappearance
the freshness of tea

CHinese new year
the nian wants to run away
from it all

Haiku Collection

2011-05-07T07:43:00.000-07:00

Yokohama sakura
my heart light
as the wind

folded cranes
one thousand and one wishes
for Japan

snow peak and fiery sky
a ballet dancer swirls
with all her ambitions

still stunning and waiting
at angkor wat corridors
heavenly nymphs

snow capped peaks and
the fiery sky
melt my heart

between the rushes,
gushes of the waterfall
angler quietly waits for his day

face
the mind's
twin brother

the cherry blossom
radiates so many feelings
this spring

dawn ganges
the chant of shiva rides
the light waves

dawn ganges
trailing the light
my chant of shiva

three cats
two facing
the other

earth hour
brightness and darkness
in our hands

haiku - the password to
a treasured and
enlightened moment

Liz taylor's love for the Ms
money, men and men with aids
leaves the first M to charity

in the flurry oftsunami
death radio news
cherry blossoms fall

tohoku tsunami aftermath
the snow weeping
on my face

Liz taylor tribute haiku

lost - the pair of translucent eyes
celluloids make
so exciting

yoga reflexology
an inner light corresponds
to each cakra

supermoon
quake victims willy nilly
take a look

supermoon
the size of my
fascination

supermoon
my fascination tonight
too ballooned

in the arch
of the rainbow
a gown of bliss

tilting up and down
a row of pigeons
on a loose wire

smile and laugh
putting wings
to my day

the stream flows
trailing time
in a canvas of infinity

dawn lotuses
i am open to all
fresh ideas

anger
the body burning up
itself

rain
in its sound
me

death anniversary
the field full with
migratory birds

sunset nostalgia
those empty days when my mind
was full of you

new spring kimono
trailing the fragrance
of the fresh blossom

spring
riding the nose
to me

friightened octopus
legs at loggerheads
with each other

approaching spring
an excitement thrusting over
the landscape of my mind

dawn nettles
at each tip
the day's light

in the tranquility
of the buddha's curvatures
yesterday's rain

skewering the heart
first pimple
on the face

a shadow
the crescent
emrbaces

journey to Shirdi
between the leaves
the welcoming light of Sai

the snow
weeps
on my face

i met Roberta many years back. The first impression of her...

with a deep hurt
she calls out
my name

In the lake too
blessings of the new day
the sun, the trees, and the bliss

New Haiku Collection

2011-05-07T07:16:00.001-07:00

shrivelled leaf
i still hold onto
the sweet moments

morning dew drops
such tender refreshing
youthfulness - you

striking like the collapse
of another huge tower
bin laden's death

Nature
the soul
of God

sunday late noon rain
hynoptising, the hasty feet
clapping hands of rain

fleece in the sky
my worries have found company
and slowly drift away

William Kate Royal Wedding
I feel the joy of youth
again

so dearly facing the sky
between me and the rose
a sacred intelligence?

that star
i faintly remember
a long lost friend

black cat in the dark
its eyes help me
see it

sea death
a bouquet of roses washed
ashore

Haiku and other writings

2011-02-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

They write their articles like upper form students who try out all the words they have just learned making their article strange and not coherent. I say you can use less of the big words, write more creatively and still win the Nobel prize.

I admire some writers who use their words in such a prudent manner
so that when you read their work, you just want to read more...and never give up.

I love writings by Nobel prize winners because they create beautiful art and cultural pictures with their cleverly chosen words... and usually not those which would overwhelm you or put you in a very inadequate situation.

Second Haiku Collection February 17, 2011

2011-02-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

February high noon
the icicle's tearful
farewell to winter

There is one thing I will just laugh off without fighting back - when someone labels me a terrible writer.

I told them if you are always so negative about your staff, your company is going to go nowhere.

his overblown ego
every of his words sharpens the knife
for his throat

It is good that God does not reveal too much of himself. It would have killed the real fun.

One Malaysia
the land below the wind
the torch bearer

The strangest experience while criss crossing Borneo is the sight of posters of Prophet Mohammad's footprint for sale as well as people hanging them in their shops perhaps to bring good luck. John wonders whether this is allowed in Malaysia. Feels strange that the poster of the Prophet is not allowed while his footprint is allowed. Can someone enlighten me as this reporter just wants to know more.

every inch every line
nature's accents its mood
flowers everywhere

Back from criss crossing Borneo....found that you cannot drive from Banjermasin to Pontianak because there is no road yet. However, covered Samarina, Balik Papan and Banjermasin on the East and Southern coast. Overhead at the airport...."We all
thought Kalimantan is all forest until we found these modern towns. It is just not so backward."

Nature is game for life no matter how small it is, how trivial each is. it soon raises dust to a a creature, infuses its own thoughts so that it livens up life. look at the clouds in the sky, sooner or later, the wind makes them into shapes of birds, rabbits and doggies....nature is game for life...no matter how trivial they are.

met so many different groups of people this morning. Borneo has seen migration from Java and other parts of Indonesia since long time ago. The man who took me on a cruise of the Mahakam was a Bugis, the one whotook me tothe Bali hindu temple a Javanese, met Chinese at the Tua Pek Kong temple and bumped into dayaks here and there.

took the one hour flight back to Balik Papan last night instead of the 15 hour gruelling drive over dangerous mountain terrain and was immediately whisked to Samarinda, the town by Boneo's longest river the mighty Mahakam. IT just dawned on me that Borneo is the largest island at the Equator....it is the oldest natural rainforest and a giant storehouse of great herbs and plants.

cameron highlands
over the tea fields
a mysterious appearance

in between our talk
of an old disappearance
the freshness of tea

The road from Balik Papan on the west east coast of Borneo to Banjermasin, the main town in the south really threw me off my seat. It was a hair raising experience as our bus passed by deep gorges both on the left and right in the middle of the night. All i could see were tree tops and tall ferns. The driver had to negotiate his way. by folllowing the white line in the middle of the all the three hours we were on the highlands. In Banjermasin, I heard from the Banjermasin folks that the annual plunges average about two.The best part about Banjermasin is that it has some of the most beautiful mosques i have ever seen in the travel throughut the Indonesian archipelago. The main mosque has a dome shaped like a huge flying saucer.

Chinese new year
the nian wants to run away
from it all

winter wish
sakura, sakura sings
in me

bombay shah rukh han posters
the sea, the ghettos
and the dreams

adam's apple
how deep and vocal
this downfall

beauty of butterflies
helping the forest flourish
and the flowers bloom

singapore travel
an emptiness orchard road
could not fill out

Haiku Collection - FFebruary 17, 2011

2011-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Chap Goh Meh
this lovely cat her eyes
bright like the moon

tapestry of the mind
filling up the gap
between the stitches

all about presentations
the cheers inside
and out

new oil find
an excitement floating
over dilemmas

a lovely valentine
another dictator
gone

when the bosses talk about circulation,
i really think about circulation,
the body circulation.

they live like nuns
it is written all over
the faces

valentine cake from one
who doesnt like me too much
she is so sweet

miss out of the blue laughter
she wont save herself
with that

there she is
lost like an ant
miss self conceited

sniffing here
sniffing there
miss want-to-get-forward

the dwindling figure
i shudder as miss know all

passes by
egypt revolution
every reason why the pyramid
still stands so tall

a new child
a new warmth
in the family

valentine's wish -
love to grow many folds
like the price of roses

I refuse to follow the art critics. I pick the painting that my heart says is the best, not the opinions of others. Taste like talent is an ingrained thing. You dont need people to tell you which colour you must like. That applies to my body chemistry that determines what i like.

i told him "Tune down your ego a bit, tune up the width of your pupils, the focus of your ears, eyes and mind. You would have arrived at a more workable gadget for the survival of the fittest."

the wait
a thirst fires up
a little corner

Haiku postings Nov 29 - Dec 3 2010

2010-12-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

love
more than fire
can burn up

stirring song from the
old roman column
stork's nestlings

yokohama Symbol Tower
we reach the utmost
of our stamina

bahrain male doctor's dilemma
see but dont look when
checking women's genitals

flickering birthday candles
she steadies herself to
blow them all out

big bang
it too starts
with a liquid

this body
a mere instrument
to God

DNA
your thumb print
my thumb print

first snow
the geisha powders herself
whiter than usual

earth are you
the only one in the universe
that breathes?

first snow
the roads and rail
in a snarl

paper
what is written there what is not
there too

death
nature's way to help us savour
life

I asked the myanmar waitor
whether it is a rough ride
from yangon to mandalay
and he replied that the road is good
it looks like i will be my own rough
road in my travel there

truth
good and evil try to find
a balance in the man

It was such an embarrassment. The editor accepted my contributions, and asked for my bio. I wrote back with the note: this is my bio. I did write a bit about the awards that I won but that's not really the problem. She never even bothered to erase the line This is my Bio...making me look so pompous in the succeeding lines. I will be very careful next time when submitting to magazine.

muay thai
loud speakers roar
through phuket streets

Femme fatale
the artist distils every inch of her
on the canvas

femme fatale
every inch of her touched
the artist's brush

femme fatale
with a brush the artist helps
her bloom on the canvas

femme fatale
the artist helps her soul live on
on his canvas

i am not into the things on the painting
they can be lousy squares, imperfect circles,
a windtorn spider web or or a downed pyramid
i am into the things they evoke in me
unblocking the minds from the mundane
thoughts held bondage by suicidal conventions

evening candles
on the wall shadow
dances with light

breeze
lips and lips of smile
in the lake

To sample haiku into one big magazine is not the way to treat haiku. it is like putting people into a concentration camp. you cannot really enjoy them. haiku has to be encountered each like a new friend on the street. They cannot come into your life like a noisy intruding crowd.

new day
the children in the school
waking me up

Poetry is more than food. It helps bring together all the consciousness of my existence, even those days when I lived as a worm

Sunset Snake

2010-11-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

To sample haiku into one big magazine is not the way to treat haiku. it is like putting people into a concentration camp. you cannot really enjoy them. haiku has to be encountered each like a new friend on the street. They cannot come into your life like a noisy intruding crowd.

new day
the children in the school
waking me up

dont care about them - those who snigger about your cyber habit...it is nobody's business. if it is an addiction it is a healthy addiction...just dont spoil your eyesight or forget your meal and healthy relatonship with real people...that's all. the world can say what they like.

Hatred breeds confusion. Clear thinking and careful action can come only when the heart is free from hatred. The laws of God are eternal, lofty and deep. The man who is obedient to them will be happy and after death, will experience joy unsurpassable.
- a book of hinduism.

sunset snake
a luminous red slowly
devoured by night

beach holiday
the coconut trees dance
more wildly than us

sunday blues
adrift on the web
spun round the universe

pouch kangaroo
the dawn sun slowly crawls
over the mountain

With my news article and feature stories published in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore as early as the 80s, I am quite proud of my own writing achievement. So when this reporter friend said I dont know how to write news, the only thing I could do is laugh instead of show grievance. This reporter cannot get the facts in the office correct, how to do the outside?

There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library; this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration. ~Andrew Carnegie

beach walk
stress rides
the waves

harem idle hours
unveiling a part of herself
she holds so dear
...
Cameron Highlands Haiku:

Brinchang mossy forest
a past she holds onto still
gives her the shudders

Jimmy Choo so obliging you can wear his shoes

2010-11-26T05:14:00.000-08:00

daughter's water colour seladang
a sea of admiration charges
through the office

beach walk
stress rides
the waves

harem idle hours
unveiling a part of herself
she holds so dear

Brinchang mossy forest
a past she holds onto still
gives her the shudders

Brinchang mossy forest
a harboured past that still
gives her the shudders

HERE is our Brain Series 2 - the bus stop with the glass roofing.

Well, it shields us from the rain but not the hot sun. So those people with high blood pressure cannot sit there to wait for their bus. It is too much for them too when they have to wait elsewhere and run to the bus when it arrives. This bus stop at Brickfields.....a pain I think to many.

childhood memories fly
in and out of my mind
like butterflies

every day is a new born baby. carry it well and you will see it smiling to you, cheering you up. you will never see every day as the same anymore.

every day is a new born baby. carry it well and you will see it smiling to you, cheering you up. you will never see every day as the same anymore.

Loy krathong moon
in my heart
a tide of wishes

love, sins and negativities
feed flames that consume
the darkness of the world

"The fog descends
in the wee hours of dawn
like a sacred thing."

Loy Krathong (thai new year)
our wishes float down the river
in candlelight

Reincarnation spectre
her contours stirring the heat
in the African desert

portrait of the French Lady
she holds tight to the
pleasures of her life

I
smell
God

jimmy Choo so obliging
you can wear
his shoes

chapters of my life
on the pavement
leaves flying asunder

difficult times
mother and child holding
onto a bleakness

Loy Krathong Moon

2010-11-21T19:09:00.000-08:00

loy krathong moon
so bright a wish soars
from my heart

loy Krathong (thai new year)
our wishes float down the river
in candlelight

reincarnation spectre
her contours stirring the heat
in the African desert

Gunung Merapi

2010-11-21T07:00:00.001-08:00

troubled times
gunung merapi and obama
each sounding louder

Blooming just as well, the lady with flowers in her basket

2010-11-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

reincarnation spectre
her contours stirring the heat
in the African desert

portrait of the French Lady
she holds tight to the
pleasures of her life

i
smell
God

Jimmy Choo so obliging
you can wear his shoes
if they fit you

chapters of my life
on the pavement
leaves flying asunder

difficult times
mother and child holding
onto a bleakness

the red rose too
finds its way up
to praise its Creator

Kinabatangan river cruise
our eyes darting around
like monkey

flower selling girl
at her quiet corner
a basket of dreams

lake of consciousness
a lotus charges up to claim
the beauty of transcience

as he strikes his plough
on the soil he picks up vibrations
of all his existence

as he strikes his plough
on the soil, vibrations of all
his existence bounce back

consciousness
a timeless zen
everything falls into

consciousness
timeless
transcience

consciousness
a lake of timelessness
transcience dances a ballet

nature's expanse
one little corner
streaming with life

blooming just as well
the lady with flowers
in her basket

My journalist friend told me he is always frightened of being thought as not an intellectual, so he uses the most specfic words to describe his experiences for his feature stories...words that you wont come across again half your life.

I so fear readers may not understand my writing, i use the simplest of words for my work, poems, prose or newspaper features.

the midnight bus leaves me
in the shadows
of a haunted house

bakun dam
a whole town wallows
in troubled waters

The Days

2010-11-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

My journalist friend told me he is always frightened of being thought as not an intellectual, so he uses the most specfic words to describe his experiences for his feature stories...words that you wont come across again half your life.

dam here dam there
damned here damned there
Be damned that's all

I so fear readers may not understand my writing, i use the simplest of words for my work, poems, prose or newspaper features.

the midnight bus leaves me
in the shadows
of a haunted house

there used to be haunted wooden house on stilts that cast long shadows onto the street as bus passed by. i used to drop off near here because it was near my house. my hair always stood on ends when i was here because of the menacing shadows. what was most strange was that you could see a flight of stairs at the rear between the stilts leading to the first floor. it was most eerie. the house was torn down two years ago.

the stairs looked frighteningly inviting, an oppresive emptiness full with the vibes of evil ever ready take into its fold the unsuspecting visitor.

i heard that people who slept in the house would find themselves outside the house. shadows ran here and there. according to beliefs when a haunted house is torn down, the evil goes with it because they fear sunlight. that's why sometimes people tear down the roofs of their houses when they know they are haunted.

i must say the house faced the intersection of three roads, two
divided by a road island from the opposite direction and the other
right in front.

bakun dam
a whole town wallow
in troubled waters

troubled times
gunung merapi and obama
each sounding louder

gunung merapi eruptions
for the first time the child
hears about krakatoa

It is technologically possible to devise a soul for a man if he is born without one. John looks to the future.

The following by Gert Sonderby:

A big question that's been asked time and again is "What is the nature of the soul?" We've found no material evidence of even its existence - but that doesn't necessarily make it nonexistent. After all, the vast majority of the interesting stuff in our brain is purely informational - signals going to and fro between nerve cells in that big lump of gray matter we do our thinking with. Well, I'm a software developer - for me it's easy to see the soul as, well, software of a kind. It's the system that our brains run on, that it does what it does by.

The way I see it, if there were a Creator he'd want us to achieve our fullest potential, to grow and become strong and wise, like any good parent wants for their children. He'd perhaps even want us to eclipse him. Perhaps in the way he once eclipsed his own creator? Who knows.

But I do know that a good parent teaches his or her child to grow to their fullest potential, to become all that they can be. Whether there is a creator or not is moot to the question: We should strive to become greater (in the true sense of the word) than we are

As such, anyone, or really any -thing- with significant brain activity can be said to have a soul. And what's more, theoretically, such a soul is transferrable - clone a new body, transfer the software (never interrupting its running) to the new one - and the person inhabiting the old body now inhabits the new. This gets highly interesting when you consider that a sufficiently advanced computer probably could run a soul as well... Or that you could potentially copy it into two bodies... Or perhaps even meld two versions of the same consciousness back together into one.

One thing is certain: The future will be a very interesting place.

the world is
a crystal ball
you can wish for anything

the old summer leaf
a gentle brittle grace
trailing the breeze

http://www.slideshare.net/kuronekosan/gce-o-level-2010-section-b-unseen-poemthose-layered-cakes-by-john-tiong-chung-hoo

gert:

ou can find schmucks everywhere. Religious of any stripe, non-religions, actively anti-religious. But there's good folk too. Saying that 'Islam does not respect' other religions is... shall we say using a somewhat broad brush. Sure some of the louder people involved are not too pleasant - but they're not the only ones, just the newsworthy ones.

Did you know that, for instance, a number of prominent American Islamic clerics issued a fatwa condemning attacks on the USA as harmful to fellow Muslims and against the will of God? That sort of thing you will never see in the news, right along with the many moderate and very sensible Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists around. The ones you do see are the ones who shriek loudly and shrilly at one another, because -that's- newsworthy. For some reason.

the cat sleeping by the bus stop
it meows a world of loss when i pat it
two times on the head

the days are my morphine
have you anything against it?
i have been abusing myself

buddha's enlightenment
at the tree canopy
light dances with leaves

After disrupting all my morning sleep, chasing away the birds and bungling
my weekends the last three years, the 15 storey high class condominum behind ours is ready, spic and span, a enviable spacious living space that will soon be filled with people you see occupying the smart offices in and around Kuala Lumpur.

a smile that sends
the world reeling
mona lisa

Angkor Temples

2010-11-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

a smile that sends
the world reeling
mona lisa

Madeleine...every real artist is a perfectionist...transfering real life into a piece of canvas is not that easy but i would say leonardo is very successful in that...seeing mona lisa...you can sense that he had even transferred the veins and arteries inside the person there....the whole picture is filled with a force that can only be his |"life and blood".

mona lisa
the world lining up
too see her smile

artists like poets i think are born...you really need those extra thngs..innate talents to bring out the life of a person on a little canvas.

Yes, i agree. It is the most difficult thing to do a dull thing with style. If one can do that....wow.....that's art. making the dull thing comes into life...into an excitement..

I think I can relate tio that more because I work in a newspaper. Almost everyday journalists face the same news... and it is for them to make them appetising for the readers ...the people in the newspapers are perpetual artists....making the dull things come alive...with style

all cells stilled for
the artist to concentrate
on the most beautiful me

i still the world
for a permanent place
- on a painting

i still myself
to leave myself
- in a painting

i still myself
to be frozen
on a canvas

i let the artist
freeze me on
a canvas

waterfall outing
the ladies bubbly
like the water

orange roses
nature hugs us with
such fiery emotion

angkor temples
still holding onto power
giant old roots

childhood lane
did mom drop any
of her dreams here?

God probably wants me
to be his sob story
- a poet

Deepavali postings

2010-11-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

deepavali
her fiery red vibuthi, renewed spirit
light up his life

deepavali
in this year's light
last year's wish again

childhood lane
did mom drop any
of her dreams here?

sunset lotuses
they too have closed
for the day

My friend Sterling Price said this which I think is very clever: "To me, the word "I" is not a noun but a verb, constantly changing. So who we are is a marvelous kaleidoscope".

God probably wants me
to be his sob story
- a poet

to awaken the poet in anybody, you need to put him through all sorts of experiences...usually the worst kinds....like chiselling a flower from a very hard stone. of course, then he also must have acquired that language skills....it is only through the hands of God/nature that a poet can be born. i hope i am right in explanation. i also hope i will not be perceived as self conceited. it is just a way of getting things out of my system and understand the situation one is in.

an upper intelligence shapes our being....like the flowers in the garden. the human has a choice though...sometimes in contradiction with the choice of this intelligence's natural choice ..that's why the dilemma

deepavali
in this year's light
last year's wish again

the beauty of the season.....season of light...flame flickering,..flickering.....ligting up our wishes

hey walk around
pieces of ice crying
to be melted and warmed

in your warmth
the layers bloom
like a lotus

our seasons
the poet grasping his thought
for lines

We are an infinite space our bodies hold onto for survival and guidance. We take the bodies as our pets, pampering, satiating their wildest egos knowing one day we will part ways.

the rejang
tearing
a river of tears

just so thinly veiled
to let the body
talk to you

all souls day
the same smile from the child
next to grandma's grave

cruising, i refuse
to stop by the port of
self conceitedness

hong kong wine and dine festival
our main appetiser
the victoria harbour

i am the earth
plant all your beliefs
onto me

Bintulu kite festival
sweeping us off our feet
coral fishes in the sky

A large rectangular opening is left on this condominum for good fengshui effect. People in Hong Kong are fierce believers in the fortuen of wind and water. The condominum is in Repulse Bay, the best place in Hong Kong to live because the prosperity element here is best according to fengshui master. We passed by the house of Jackie Chan as well as Run Run Shaw.

ust so thinly veiled
to let the body
talk

all souls day
the same smile from the child
next to grandma's grave

i am the earth
plant all your beliefs
onto me

Haiku collection

2010-11-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

i hand on to transcience
like it is a commodity
only to be smitten with tears
i thought about nirvana
like it is a commodity
to be had eternally
only to be smitten with tears

cruising, i refuse
to stop by the port of
self conceitedness

watering my plants
the zen of sound
relaxes my senses

watering my plants
the zen of sound
relaxes my senses

i am the earth
plant all your beliefs
onto me

Bintulu kite festival
sweeping us off our feet
coral fishes in the sky

roses are nature's prayers
trying to reach out
to the Creator

the roses
folds of
nature's gratitude

courtship
clothes unveil
the heart

coursthip
clothes fail to conceil
what the heart desires

little mermaid
never drying up
the sea and her love

bakun dam
impounded
the rejang and its people

one dropped leaf
the ants' green meal
feeds my fascination

rush hour subway train
donald duck on my shirt
kisses her mickey mouse

young girl and dove
each longs for
a flight of passion

One dropped leaf

2010-10-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sapeh recital
the warmth of orang ulu
worms its way into my heart

rainbow
it has been so long
childhood memory

Tao means
giving people their dues
and yourself a chance to grow

facebook birthday do
friend asks how long
they have not really met

young woman in white hat
bursting with sexual maturity
the artist's strokes

Wish to know something about haiku. Read this. It is very enlightening about short poetry that reveals to us the power of the "unsaid" . Robert Wilson, the owner of Simply Haiku magazine shares his ideas.

one dropped leaf
the ants' green meal
feeds my fascination

rush hour subway train
donald duck on my shirt
kisses her mickey mouse

Really admire Najib. So steady in his closing speech, as if talking to one family. Admire him for his steadiness and nonchalance though so much criticism has been hurled against him in cyberspace.

young girl and dove
each longs for
a flight of passion

autumn stillness
enjoying the clatter
of my clogs

husband at sea
swept asunder by the fear
of his safety

vain courtship
in the summer heat
the rage of love

Halloween
child tells mom to buy
a not so scary mask

LIGHT THERAPY
-----------------
the candle burns away sins,
hatreds and pent up feelings
ill energies hindering us
flickers and flickers
it evokes a triumphant feel
cresting over me
the fire burns away
all the ill stars around us
brighter and brighter it becomes
ushering in all the good luck

living by someone's else script

2010-10-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

living by someone else's script
i walk the middle path with fulll respect
of what is reaped

sibu landscape
slowly nearing
my dream

Nature talks through dreams

2010-10-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Nature communicates with us in the placidness of the world of dream. it infuses its messsage with symbolisms the way we write our own poem so that only close friend could understand the full extent of its meaning.

rejang river
a sea of wood
rushing out to sea

Nature fights back
giant sticks, muck, water
and tears

I slice myself like a loaf of bread

2010-10-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

leaves of grass
each blade a thought
craving for eternity

chopped trees
angry villagers stand up
for their rights

land disputes
villagers stand up
for chopped trees

ecological disaster
over the sea of woods
free fish for pick

i slice myself like a loaf of bread
so that you can have the best of me
spread out with all the things that you love

Nature's Tongue

2010-10-19T10:44:00.002-07:00

This body is nature's tongue to taste the fruits of its evolution in all spheres, spiritual, emotional, physical, intellectual....

John prays that all the multi billion dollar projects such as the eco nature resort in Sabah and the 100 storey tower in the new budget will be successfully carried out and not become another port klang. Malaysians are quite good at this sort of things. So many projects ambitiously planned in the past had ended in a fiasco, money wasted and lost.

Political Omen haiku and other postings

2010-10-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

poltical omen
show them the way out
rejang river logjam

all these mega projects
i fear another
port klang, cyberjaya

port Klang scandal
where have all the billions
been ferried to?

The journalist in some journalists are handcuffed, bound, gagged and left to rot in a death chamber because of the racist in them.

Now that we have Pakatan and BN States to compare, it makes voting so much easier. We will vote for the party that gives the best to the people. It is as simple as that.

John prays that all the multi billion dollar projects such as the eco nature resort in Sabah and the 100 storey tower in the new budget will be successfully carried out and not become another port klang. Malaysians are quite good at this sort of things. So many projects ambitiously planned in the past had ended in a fiasco, money wasted and lost.

Light Therapy Verses

2010-10-19T10:41:00.001-07:00

the candle burns away sins,
hatreds and pent up feelings
ill energies hindering us

flickers and flickers
it evokes a triumphant
feel cresting over me

the fire burns away
all the ill stars around us
brighter and brighter it becomes
ushering in all the good luck

Rainbow haiku and others

2010-10-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

rainbow
it has been so long
childhood memory

Sapeh recital
the warmth of orang ulu
worms its way into my heart

A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good.'

Samuel Johnson 1763

Tao means
giving people their dues
and yourself a chance to grow

The Malay world is an interesting real life drama for me to enjoy.

Postings

2010-09-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

I dont know what they are taking and putting into my mind..these aliens.

they talk about spaceships....i think aliens are more about
travelling thoughts. They have found a way to survive by discarding their physical forms. they are travelling consciousness..that can overrun us. they have colonised our consciousness....for good, for bad.....time alone will tell. But then when you can travel fast as "consciousness", what is time???

One poem came to me early this morning like four am. I was lazy to wake up to write it down. And now I am trying very hard even to remember what it was. May be it will come back to me. pray.

The heart is a perfect machine to measure sincerity of words

2010-09-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

the body
a hand of nature to exhibit
its magical acts

the flower too
a hand of nature to exhibit
its beauty and scent

These beings, when they talk they are not even polite about it. They do not know how to blot themselves out so that you wont know they are there. These other beings when they flip through my brain in the night, they are also not even polite about it. They let me see snatches of images running from one to the other. If they can flip through my mind, then they should be able to let me sleep through it. Strange .

Yes, I cannot remember even one line of the inspired poem I did not write down. It is gone - to the space of non existence.

antique shop
the buyer inspects a pottery
for sign of cheating years

the words they are from the heart. when it is a poem from the heart you know, when it is not, you know too. the heart is a perfect machine for measuring sincerity of words.

Antique shop haiku

2010-09-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

antique shop
the buyer inspects a pottery
for sign of missing years

antique shop
the buyer inspects a pottery
for sign of cheating years

It is amazing that some people can sell only one type of medicine that makes people feel good but never really heal the wound yet enjoys good support year after year.

One poem came to me early this morning like four am. I was lazy to wake up to write it down. And now I am trying very hard even to remember what it was. May be it will come back to me. pray.

Lake Kenyir
the water brims
with my pleasure

Lake Kenyir
the water lifts my spirits
to the heavens

Kuala Lumpur 7.30pm moon
a large sunkist orange finds it way
through the clouds

Mid Autumn Festival
are you too
looking at the moon?

empty sea coast
whistling the peace
casuarina trees

Mid Autumn Festival Sept 22, 2010

2010-09-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

Kuala Lumpur 7.30pm moon
a large sunkist orange finds it way
through the clouds

Mid Autumn Festival
are you too
looking at the moon?

Mid Autumn Festival moon is said to be the roundest and luminuous and hence most beautiful. Some societies believe the moon helps to sharpen one's intellectual acuity. So look at the moon for as long as possible tomorrow night. You might find yourself, a sharper person in every sense of the word after that.

empty sea coast
whistling the peace
casuarina trees

The above haiku was inspired one solitary dusk as I walked along a windy Tanjung Rhu
or Cape of Casuarinas in Langkawi. There were so many casuarinas trees and all of them
them whistled to me.

fallen leaves
i try to remember
the day we met

Pearl of the Orient
best story tellers come
to share their gems

Writing and Rewriting

2010-09-19T01:29:00.000-07:00

Writing IS like that. You write..you rewrite, rewrite and rewrite until you are satisfied with what your intelligence has to deliver. After that, it is the sub editor's business to do it to his/her heart's content. If the sub editor thinks like you, it is okay. Otherwise, you will always be in two worlds and it will be reflected in the final product.

Dennis Chibi Chunghoo san, you understand editors. Sometimes I feel, editors, are fallen angels. The know both heaven and hell.

Fallen leaves

2010-09-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

fallen leaves
i try to remember
the day we met

Pearl of the Orient
best story tellers come
to share their gems

nature is nothing
but the living will
of God

the breath
the spirit
the intelligence

nature
the will
of God

the days roll by
roaring a river
of happiness

empty sea coast
whistling the peace
casuarina trees

Malaysia Day

2010-09-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

Malaysia Day
at last coming to terms
with Malaysia

the waves refuse
to let me
blaze a trail

We have talking too much about the gory murders of Cosmetics Queen Sosilawati Lawiya, her driver, bank officer and one lawyer. Last night I dreamt about her and she just spoke these to me . "I will follow." Wonder what she meant...probably she wishes to follow the murderers and take them to the noose...

Happy 47rd birthday Malaysia. AT last recognised by your own people.

two hands
i could jump into
like a sea

field walk
his eyes
on the clouds

Early in the morning, one part of my brain told me "with a human voice" some good news is coming. Just wonder what this will be...just have to wait.

Many companies collapse because the people running them do not know how to manage their manpower. Some of their moves actually hasten the collapse. Enthusiastic staff
have their fire doused, while those who are in purely for the money couldnt care less whether the company survives. Experience bought at a very large pri...ce, that is if they ever learn from the collapse.

John has just come back from meditation at the Vihara Buddhist temple. Just read something at the temple I love so much to share:

Do some selfless service for the welfare of others to gain hope and confidence in the next life. Altruism purges all selfish attachments. Purity oof the mind, not attachment to worldly thing...s will ensure a happy parting from this world.

Good News

2010-09-12T02:16:00.000-07:00

Early in the morning, one part of my brain told me "with a human voice" some good news is coming. Just wonder what this will be...just have to wait. on my top is the universe. i am just a part of the brain i possess. i look at the brain like i look at the stars...part f nature, part of me, but a world apart from me.

Many companies collapse because the people running them do not know how to manage their manpower. Some of their moves actually hasten the collapse. Enthusiastic staff
have their fire doused, while those who are in purely for the money couldnt care less whether the company survives. Experience bought at a very large price, that is if they ever learn from the collapse.

John has just come back from meditation at the Vihara Buddhist temple. Just read something at the temple I love so much to share:Do some selfless service for the welfare of others to gain hope and confidence in the next life. Altruism purges all selfish attachments. Purity oof the mind, not attachment to worldly things will ensure a happy parting from this world.

Yes unity is the key to the success of any nation. Suspicion of any kind between the races would become a stumbling block to the nation's success because unscrupulous leaders would make use of this destructive force to gain political mileage. A line from the Koran says suspicion beyond a certain level becomes a sin.Leaders who sow discord among the races has committed a grevious sin I think. I can relate and is proud of Najib's Hari Raya message.

Facebook postings

2010-09-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Yes unity is the key to the success of any nation. Suspicion of any kind between the races would become a stumbling block to the nation's success because unscrupulous leaders would make use of this destructive force to gain political mileage. A line from the Koran says suspicion beyond a certain level becomes a sin.Leaders who sow discord among the races have committed a grevious sin I think. I can relate and is proud of Najib's Hari Raya message.

butterfly
over my wings
paradise

butterfly
on my wings
paradise

butterfly
where are you taking
my dream to?

shimmering noon
a spindly spider runs
into nothingness

tonight
a thousand crickets echo
the emptiness in me

the intelligence
all around me
- God

tonight
a thousand crickets sing
my loneliness

haiku big bang
a frog jumps in
the sound of water

Haiku postings

2010-09-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

flaps of wings
scratches of claws
the slit chicken fending off death

~john tiong chunghoo

haiku big bang
a frog jumps in
the sound of water

the intelligence
all around me
- God

Education can be the most dangerous trap if we do not approach it the right way. This is because education sometimes teaches us the wrong things, gives us the wrong value in life..which so easily become accepted as norms like how people believed the world was flat at one time.

semoga tuhan
menyatukan
manusia

If people cannot go beyond race to form a proper relationship with people, their brain is stucked in the drains of their race. It will stay there and rot over time. This applies to everyone in the world, Chinese, Indians, Americans or English.

painting on the canvas
my emotions lighten
materialise in colours

painting on the canvas
my emotions ligten
taking shape in colours

painting on the canvas
my emotions seep into
the colours

National Day musing
the rainbow too unveils
the beauty of diversity

National Day musing
the rainbow too teaches
the beauty of diversity

august sunset
the breeze just gentle
as your hair

midnight rain
under the streetlight
a million ballet dancers

The world is a prison if you do not know what to do with your life.

God always likes to give a shocker. He does not play ordinary game. He plays extraordinary game.

First step to writing Haiku

2010-08-31T06:58:00.002-07:00

the first step towards zen is writing haiku. it necesitates one to key in to each and every treasured moments with a three liner. that is whenwe come face to face with the importance of dividing the imagined from the realities. Thisis because only realities - real experiences - can affect people the way haiku does. it is zen encased in words.

Haiku - August Sunset and National Day

2010-08-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

august sunset
the breeze just gentle
as your hair

National Day musing
the rainbow too unveils
the beauty of diversity

midnight rain
under the streetlight
a million ballet dancers

The world is a prison if you do not know what to do with your life.

God always likes to give a shocker. He does not play ordinary game. He plays extraordinary game.

First step in Zen

2010-08-28T17:13:00.001-07:00

the first step towards zen is writing haiku. it necesitates one to key in to each and every treasured moment with a three liner. that is whenwe come face to face with the importance of dividing the imagined from the realities. Thisis because only realities - real experiences - can affect people the way haiku does. it is zen encased in words.

A Birth

2010-08-26T06:59:00.003-07:00

a birth is always painful
like how the universe came into being
a blast strong enough to impregnate
every fertility nerve of earth

a child bursts out innocent tears
when it is shoved into the world
a woman is awakened to a new self
love flows with renewed intensities
in so many spheres; sound, touch, taste,
sights, hope, fear ....

the birth of a soul is also a painful experience
the living faculties close one by one
as every cell takes the cold shoulders
to let the soul loosen itself into the realm
beyond the blast of the big bang

Facebook postings

2010-08-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Poetry like evolution grows new legs and wings over time to take the mind to a different dimension.

John is amazed that some countries can be run like a circus with their people willy nilly playing clown.

Port Klang Scandal
where has all the money
been shipped to?

Colmar Tropicale
i breathe cool tropical air in
a dreamed french town
...

How to appreciate me

2010-08-19T10:21:00.001-07:00

afar like a flock of birds
because when you come near
they would have flown away

tell you how you should
appreciate me

look from afar

like a birdwatcher
screening their
colourful feathery prizes
in the burstling
privacy of each other's world
the birds joining you
in praising the
wonders of nature

seeking pleasure
the lightness and
gentleness of feathers
without feeling the
trickeries of time
zen bathing in
so many hues
and shapes of green

taking the striking
plumes as an invitation
to the lanes of God
in the search for
the ultimate beauty

the chirpings
as the start of that journey
hypnotising
clear crystals
and mountain spring
a song to the
sanctum of
sacredness
of tranquility

the bird's hop
a child's inquisitive search
for adventures
as they fly in
the sky of
make beliefs
and fantasies

the bird's smooth
and adorable head
filling the soft spot
in our heart of love

their crowns
a salutation to
the hands of God

and yes, just be there
watching things from afar
and be aloof
because if you come too near
the bird would have flown
away with all the feathers
of all my dreams

john tiong chunghoo

Poetry, the blood of my Soul

2010-08-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

poetry
the blood
of my soul

Meridith Gray Love
Monday at 11:56pm · Like · 1 person ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon You get my "blood" boiling ... .
Tuesday at 3:00am · Like ·

Catrina Heart words running into my veins.....
Tuesday at 4:59am · Like ·

John Potts
poetry
the soul
of my blood
http://www.facebook.com/pages/haiku-crossroads/124507644228482
Tuesday at 10:24am · Like ·

Hasmukh Amathalal ‎'Poetic thoughts:

“Hi, how do the poetic thoughts emerge in mind”?
I was unable to react and reply to the question of its kind
I had to struggle hard for the answer to find
...
Tuesday at 12:03pm · Like ·
John Potts
POEM THINK
this is poem or the raw
like a flower or a claw
in the night no; dream a day
sometime this is
or, it may

be something else
(a small perfume?)
— jp

http://www.facebook.com/pages/haiku-crossroads/124507644228482
Tuesday at 12:26pm · Like ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon ‎..."the blood of my soul," you express best what the artist KNOWS as TRUTH...thank you friend!!

Tuesday at 7:37pm · Unlike · 1 person ·
John Potts

poetry
the oil
of my hinge
— jp
...
See More
John Potts ‎(or, 'henge? O_O)

Tuesday at 8:24pm · Like ·
Gergana Yaninska ‎...
poetry
the bliss
of my heart
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Potts
poetry
the other
leg
— jp
http://www.facebook.com/pages/haiku-crossroads/124507644228482

Visit Malaysia Year Haiku - Colmar Tropicale

2010-08-19T08:02:00.001-07:00

Colmar Tropicale
i breathe cool tropical air in
a dreamed french town

Malaysia has a little town modelled after Colmar in Alsace. I was there yesterday and was amazed at the food here, French, Italian and Malaysian. The best part is Colmar Tropicale nestled at about 2,700 feet above sea levels among the hills of the Main Range. It is just about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur. Here is Colmar Tropicale.

http://www.berjayahotel.com/berjayahills/index.asp

Destroying ego

2010-08-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

my ego is some ugly little frogs
some oriental restaurant workers
smash on their floor
before cutting them up
live for the frying pan

my ego is some
loud annoying cockerels
some restaurants slit
before gutting them of all
their vital organs
belly, liver, heart, gizzler,
gall bladder, big and small intestines
to be boiled down into soup

my ego is some vipers
villagers smash with all their might
head, body, and tail
so that they are nothing
but a roll of flowery, leathery
spineless outcast fit only
for the rubbish bin

my ego is some doggie corpse
on the street
offensive and buzzing with
large blue green flies
everybody has nothing to like but
shun and ask to be buried
two metres in the soil

my ego is dark and slippery
like the remains of dinosaurs
burned to drive cars,
factories and industries
a primordial leftover i wish
to use in the right way to
fly me to the silky abode of my dreams
and heaven!!

Poem - not here, not anywhere

2010-08-08T08:52:00.001-07:00

i am not here,
not there, not anywhere
forgive me
i am torn between words
and their charms
between their essence
and their chameleon arms
a sincerity sometimes
caught between the
drunkenness for beauty
and the realisations of selves

haiku - lantern festival

2010-08-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

lantern festival
the moon too dangles
from my heart

tiger
thick bold strokes of
roaring discipline

love transparent
as the laces he
presentst to her

Ribbons and Laces for Very Pretty Faces (-1904)
By : Edmund Blair Leighton (1853-1922)
Oil on canvas
Private collection

night sky
beauty of dreams lighted up
by stars and angels

In The Night Sky
By : Hans Zatzka (1859-1945)
Oil on canvas, 55.9 x 76.2 cm
Private collection

Visit Malaysia Year Haiku - Tasik Kenyir

2010-08-02T07:08:00.001-07:00

Tasik Kenyir
malaysia boleh spirit vibrant
as this emerald lake

Had been dormant the last three days because I had been to Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu. Beautiful lake. The water is emerald in colour and there are many waterfalls, caves and even a herbal island where you would find 200 over herbs grown for tourists.

Haiku for famous paintings 2

2010-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

the only thing common
between the young lady and rose
the spring of life

A Summer Rose (1913)
By : Emile Vernon
Oil on canvas, 64.7 x 54.6 cm
Public collection

childhood happiness
ripples over the face
like a gracious river

Best of Friends (1917)
By : Emile Vernon
Oil on canvas, 64.8 x 54 cm
Private collection

tenderness
the eyes shinning with love
and the lips carrying a smile

An Elegant Lady With A Yellow Rose
By : Emile Vernon
Oil on canvas, 54.7 x 65.4 cm
Private collectiona

Haiku for Famous paintings

2010-07-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

forentine beauty
floating in a dream
of lace and love

inspired by painting
A Pair Of Florentine Beauties - Pic 1
By : Tito Conti (1842-1924)
Oil on canvas, 51 x 40.5 cm
Public collection

Florentine beauty
gentle as the lace
covering her

A Pair Of Florentine Beauties - Pic 2
By : Tito Conti (1842-1924)
Oil on canvas, 51 x 40.5 cm
Public collection

young beauty
gently covering the canvas
robustness of youth

A Young Beauty
By : Tito Conti (1842-1924)
Oil on canvas, 41.9 x 52.7 cm
Public collection

love letter
lifting me up
like a flower

The Love Letter
By : Tito Conti (1842-1924)
Oil On Canvas, 85.5 x 62 cm
Private collection

waterfall outing fun
the fishes jump up
to greet us

watefall ouing fun
the fishes too
excited with joy

A Water Idyll
By : Hans Zatzka (1859-1945)
Oil on canvas, 80 x 61.6 cm
Private collection

night sky
beauty of dreams lighted up
by stars and angels

In The Night Sky
By : Hans Zatzka (1859-1945)
Oil on canvas, 55.9 x 76.2 cm
Private collection

the bulbous breasts
when other things dont
measure up

Harvest time
the joy of
togetherness

The Harvester
1868
By : William-Adolphe Bouguereau
France

Youthful ecstasy haiku

2010-07-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

youthful ecstasy
steel cannot
hold them in

youthful ecstacy
strong eough to
break through steel

it smoothens out
in marble to become
a couple madly in love

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=156742&id=100000879575317
Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625)
By : Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
Marble
Galleria Borghese (Rome, Italy)

Statue Haiku - Aeneas and Anchises

2010-07-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Aeneas and Anchises
we carry our memories
over each other

Aeneas and Anchises (1618-1619)
By : Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
Marble
Galleria Borghese (Rome, Italy)

memories of war
they weigh heavier than
all of us on the shoulders

warrior
baring all
for the country

Michelangelo's Angel with Candlestick
lighting it up
for the good news

Statue Haiku - The Genius of Liberty

2010-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

the genius of liberty
it feels better than
having wings

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=156488&id=100000879575317&subject=123624217678740&ref=mf
The Genius of Liberty (1833)
By : Augustin Dumont (French, 1801–1884)
topping the July Column at the Place de la Bastille in Paris. Gilt bronze
H. 4 m (13 ft. 1 ¼ in.).
A bronze draft of the same work is also exhibited in the Louvre Museum

Haiku today - Cheers, cheers

2010-07-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

hanoi puppet theatre
my memory runs
like clear water

50 and still unable
just to draw myself
myself well

budget ryokan
just small enough
for our warm memory

tenderness
the eyes shinning with love
and the lips carrying a smile

childhood happiness
when we have nothing
to hide

the only thing common
between the young lady and rose
the spring of life

harvest time
outside the field
the joy of togetherness

the bulbous breasts
when other things dont
measure up

cheers, cheers
the women and their contours
for the dance of life

Haiku - another sloppy bachelor

2010-07-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

another sloppy bachelor
his potted plants
dying

chakras
i pray for
the chair of God

Haiku Today - death too tall a hat to wear

2010-07-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

the city's dry humour
even the dropped glove showing
its middle finger

holding me on dearly
to the memory of Vietnam
Cham bulbous deities

mermaid
the days and waves come and go
my love is always here

mermaid
the only nude girl
on the beach

naked musician
cock up your ears
look at my flute

the steel willed wise man
never short of admirers
begging t be disciples

Michelangelo's Angel with Candlestick
lighting it up
for the good news

Michelangelo's cross carrying Christ
a trophy
in his hands

Michelangelo's David
pride weighs heavy
on the shoulders

Michelangelo's Mother and Child
heavy on the lap
the way of God
the way of the
God

Michelangelo's Saint Paul
'i am the witness of
Christ'

Michelangelo's Saint Paul
one small step
in the direction of Christ

Michelangelo's Saint Peter
the softness of his look
on the stone

Michelangelo's Saint Peter
even from the cast stone
the softness of his look

Michelangelo's Pius
harder than stone
his stares...

Giuliano de Medici tomb
a disciplinarian harder
as stones...

Lorenzo de Medici tomb
cold and quiet as stone
the man in thought..

demon
looking through
the folly of time

weapon
hold dearly to it
it is life

clash of civilisation
when technology
really differs

death
too tall
a hat to wear

if they will
just ask me
....

look at me
that's the way
to go

the elixir of life
you need to be strong like me
to take this

meinkampf look
it shoots me back
to slyvia plath's daddy

rock hard eyes
such a great trial to let go
of this world..

great great man
he can make something to last
longer than himself..

Poem - A dish

2010-07-15T11:08:00.001-07:00

I am a dish that talks
and usually i want the chef
to do his stuff my way
wishing this, wishing that
hoping to be the next best dish
to top the restaurant list

as the chef sprinkles
his spices and salt onto me
i diffident would complain of
the excesses, the overindulgent
use of veggies and mutton
or mollusks, mustard
vinegar and pepper
and even the overheating,
charbroiled, stir fried
steam cooked or stewed

i want it my way giving
little regard to the chef's expertise
for fear of becoming an
offensive blandness on
the tongues of the masters
over enthusiastic over
what would turn out of me

only when my fragrance
spreads over the table
to trigger that salivating
nerves in mouths that
the buddha himself would
jump over the wall to
have me in his belly that
i realise the chef is correct

he is cooking me and he knows
how best i should be served
that exquisiteness that could only
result from an original recipe
the chef himself knows best
how he should turn out his creation

i take the opportunity to ask him
what he finds most in the way
as he tries to realise his dream of me
and he says "Your load of bland ego
with the toughness of a three year old chicken."

'It takes such a long time to just
boil them down to edible portions.'

haiku - forever young

2010-07-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

forever young
love never
grows old

Sparkles of the Diamond

2010-07-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

like the sparkles on my diamond ring....i will never get tired of them...that is how a new day sparkles too...with all the sweetness of nature

Farhan Khan that's nice piece of writing!
July 5 at 5:41pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo inspired by my friend Peggy Johnson's posting -

Good morning wonderful world! Here we go again! Get your coffee ready and sing a song! The stars are bright :)
I'm hearing a rerun, "Good morning star shine...
I'm ready for this day!
July 5 at 5:47pm · Like ·

Peggy Johnson very beautiful words John :)
July 5 at 5:49pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo doing justice to the dawn of a new day.....paying respect...to the Creator.
July 5 at 5:50pm · Like · 2 people
·

Peggy Johnson I didn't refresh..didn't see the other posts. :) thank you my friend.
July 5 at 5:52pm · Like ·

Sulok Tawie alaaa jangan lah show, friend. nanti at the RWMF kena rob so how?
July 5 at 6:13pm · Like ·

Christa Sihombing i like it very much....
July 5 at 6:19pm · Like ·

Rhonda A Bishop Carpenter Good Morning my friend ~ Hugs from Arkansas USA this a.m. ~
July 5 at 6:43pm · Like ·

Elly Felicia wish to have a sparkling diamond that i cud never get tired of......... ;P
July 5 at 7:02pm · Like ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon The 'diamond', "all the sweetness of nature,"ah, 'sweetness'!
July 5 at 7:30pm · Like ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon The hardest natural material known...the diamond....
July 5 at 7:50pm · Like ·

Deborah Henry In communion with nature. Beautiful.
July 5 at 10:34pm · Like ·

Anne O'Neil beautiful sentiment John - thank you
July 5 at 11:03pm · Like ·

James Griffith Hannan ‎"The sparklers on American Independence Day
Reach always for the sky but like so many
They never get there"
July 6 at 4:53am · Like ·

haiku - New Maid

2010-07-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

new maid
the housewife tells her
what not to do

Carole McDonnell ‎:-) Good one. Made me smile.
July 6 at 8:19pm · Unlike · 1 person
·

Anthony Vincent wah ~i think that housewife is rich ......right john bro ?? : )
July 6 at 8:37pm · Unlike · 1 person
·

Daniel Fernandez I like it when you're playful John
July 6 at 9:08pm · Unlike · 1 person
·

John Tiong Chunghoo playful like Chisai.
July 6 at 9:23pm · Like ·

Daniel Fernandez Hahaha yes, like Chiisai. You playful with your words, she, playful with her soul.
July 6 at 11:24pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo ‎...

chip by chip
new chick cracks open
the world
July 6 at 11:25pm · Like · 1 person
·

Nahid Kabiri Smart!...that's all.
July 6 at 11:30pm · Like ·

Deborah Russell Nice one, John.
July 7 at 12:38am · Like ·

John Potts
My swallow family (in the front porch) have ALL hatched and are plumping up nicely!
/
on the step
in a baby swallow's eggshell
an ant

— jp
http://www.facebook.com/pages/haiku-crossroads/124507644228482
July 7 at 2:13am · Like ·

Su Huo Soon the first one must be ...dont touch my boyfrens....rite.....hahaha
July 7 at 8:25am · Like ·

John Potts ‎?
July 7 at 9:29am · Like ·

Daniel Fernandez The housewife tells the maid not to touch her boyfriend, I guess.
July 7 at 10:07am · Like ·

Poem - Mirror

2010-07-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

there is a gentle quiet repose about truths
the mirror holds them up so well
zen so well apportioned it crystalises
the world harmoniously to itself
we have all the respect for it
everyday we go up to it
to soak up its sublime honesty
smile and go face the world
as straight as we could
the part of us we love
we carry with gratefulness
a luminousity that lightens our steps
the part of us that slices up
our assurance of ourselves
we too carry with an ounce of dignity
like the mirror that never falters
in the face of adversities -scars, tortuous lines
that dig into the soul, claws that tear the hearts up,
shrivelled up looks, noses that go the wrong way, mouths
clefting like a mozart run awry

we throw in the grains
to help the mirror apportion
a better part of us to us
running through every corridor
of the selves, without fear or favour
in the spirit of the mirror
promising an enlightened trail friends
can rest their heart with ours
a zen mirror where strengths and
weaknesses, paradoxes and shortfalls
dance over our eyes with the
exquisiteness of a new and promising dawn

Annabel Haldane Nash wonderful, thanks John
July 7 at 9:00pm · Like ·

Daniel Fernandez Very nice John, thank you for sharing. Hugs.
July 7 at 9:19pm · Like ·

John Potts
"Each day I try to face the world more as it is." - Dali Lama
at the museum
tribal masks behind glass...

July 7 at 9:49pm · Like ·

Deborah Henry Beautiful and uplifting. Thanks, John.
July 7 at 10:08pm · Like ·

Daniel Fernandez Ha!!! Will the real John stand up.
July 7 at 11:31pm · Like ·

Michael Stevens Excellent! Thanks you John.
July 8 at 2:28am · Like ·

Gina Oceguera yes i did!!!love it..thank you John...beautiful........
July 8 at 2:47am · Like ·

Rositza Pironska nice!
July 8 at 3:26am · Like ·

Anne O'Neil it's great John, thank you - love the lines:

"our expectation of ourselves
we too carry with an ounce of dignity"
...
July 8 at 6:00am · Like ·

Rhonda A Bishop Carpenter Bravo ~ \o/ throwing of Red Rose Buds to you John
July 8 at 8:50pm · Like ·
aily Sedgwick Beautiful poem.
Saturday at 1:34pm · Like ·

Gina Oceguera John like always very very beautiful(*_*)
Saturday at 1:42pm · Like ·

Nayeem 'orittro' Rahman ‎"clefting like a mozart run awry" that is one beautiful metaphor. it touched me..sincerely
Saturday at 2:27pm · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black Beautiful poem..Hope,love.life and appreciation!!Wonderful work,John.
Saturday at 10:30pm · Like ·

Dennis Chibi the mirror a metaphor you've used with skill and compassion, yet, be aware as Robert Burns put it "... to see the ourselves as others see us ..."
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/32281.html
17 hours ago · Like ·

Flower Selling Girl

2010-07-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

flower selling girl
at her quiet corner
a basket of dreams

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=142887&id=100000879575317

young turkish woman
in the calmness of her face
reverberating drum beats

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=142889&id=100000879575317&fbid=130282957011023

butterfly
i too would soar one day carrying
a paradise on my wings

new maid
the housewife tells her
what not to do

like the sparkles on my diamond ring....i will never get tired of them...that is how a new day sparkles too...with all the sweetness of nature

John thinks the planets and stars were at one time super intelligent beings. They found that is the only way to perpetuate their existence...and we are the breath of a super being...this earth..it is a being.....and we are a part of his instrumentations. One day we would be also planets and stars taking up space in the mind of our own instrumentations.

It is very backward to think that we need only this physique or body to survive. It is cumbersome and susceptible to so many diseases. One day scientists can help us live in the best conditions...in
in the mountains, in other universes or just transform us into a planet without losing their
human nature;

man
nature
personified...

the sea of emotions
roaring ..roar
the goal post is in our heart

Fifa World Cup Germany triumphs Argentina 4-0

2010-07-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

beauty is the world
at peace with itself
the lake carressing the sky

Fifa World Cup
the men, the goal, the roar
jeers and tears

the sea of emotions
roaring ..roar
the goal post is in our heart

Club Med Sahoro trip in December 2009

2010-07-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

crispy - the air
light - the skis
thick - the snow and our joy

John was at Sahoro Club Med last December to experience snowland in the heart of Hokkaido. He was thrilled by the beauty of the thick snow on the mountains as well as the fun it gave.

Heart-warming moments in Sahoro
Storiy and pictures by JOHN TIONG

The freezing temperatures are worth putting up with as JOHN TIONG warms up to the festive launch of Club Med Sahoro in Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido

THE snow falls continuously the night we arrive at Club Med Sahoro in Japan. Though the cold bites our skin, we don’t mind. In fact, we’re happy to be here in this quiet mountain resort in the centre of Hokkaido.

Our group, comprising journalists from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia, is here to witness the festive launch of the winter season.

Fireworks light up the sky and a long row of oil flames on metallic frames is set ablaze to add to the celebratory mood as we dine on the spread of food and wine at the bar terrace near the club lobby.

A large lighted ice carving of a flying horse charges the atmosphere at the venue where we watch a fire dance performance. It is amazing to see how a young woman, dressed only in a light outfit, manages to withstand the freezing temperatures for half an hour just to watch the show.

Deluxe Rooms

My deluxe twin room on the fifth floor has a stunning view of the hills and forests beyond and I can see pines and polar trees.

The room dècor is a blend of modern comfort with essential Japanese elements such as separate tatami flooring and wooden doors to the bathroom and toilet. Humidity is controlled by a humidifier and the toilet seat is kept warm electronically throughout the day.

In the reception lobby and elsewhere, antique skis and ski poles made of bamboo and wood adorn the walls. An element of Hokkaido is seen in the tapestry of the indigenous Ainu people, as well as their farm instruments and containers, which decorate the lobby walls as well as the corridors leading to the various parts of the resort.

Let It Snow...

Outside, snow falls in abundance in winter and every morning, tractors can be seen mowing away excess snow. Winter in Sahoro is synonymous with powdery snow and skiing.

A couple from Hong Kong, speaking in their distinct Cantonese dialect, are playing in snow up to their waist, enthusiastically taking pictures while a pair of young parents are spotted happily pulling their child along on a sled.

I hear a familiar English accent and turn to see a group of children, aged between six and eight, walking through the snow with skis in their hands. When I learn that they are Singaporeans, I feel a little jealous that they’re having fun skiing at such a young age while I can’t even ski.

Their instructor, a Caucasian woman, is teaching them to roll down a slope. The first few lessons sound simple enough, like walking on skis and keeping the skis away from each other but this is easier said than done.

Food All Day Long

Away from the ski grounds, my favourite pastime is to sit in the bar terrace, where I can admire the white landscape outside while sipping hot coffee and nibbling on the noonday snack of pancake with honey. The bar terrace serves wine, beer and a range of snacks till midnight.

The service staff at the restaurant and bar terrace come from different nationalities. There are Koreans, Taiwanese, Indonesians, Malaysians and Indians as well as people from other countries. I chat heartily with a Malaysian woman, Saleen Chan from Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur, who makes great pancakes and coffee for us every afternoon.

One thing about staying at Club Med — you never go hungry (even if you don’t carry cash) as food is almost an all-day affair and ranges from Japanese cuisine to Korean, Chinese and Western selections.

If you like Japanese, there’s sushi, rice, tsukemono (pickled white carrot, cucumber and cabbage), umehoshi (red sour plum), fish tempura, Hokkaido tofu, oysters, miso soup, nori (seaweed) and potato — all downed with sake and sho chu (hot liquor).

One corner is dedicated to dairy products from Hokkaido with blocks of cheese and butter while another features the rich catch from the sea surrounding this northernmost island of Japan.

Many in our group just can’t get enough of succulent oysters, best eaten with a squeeze of lime juice. What is surprising, however, is the absence of the famous tarabagani (Red Sea King Crab) that Hokkaido is famous for.

In one counter, a Japanese chef is slicing the deep red katsuo (skipjack tuna) and salmon for sashimi.

Korean staples like hot, spicy kimchi and bibimpab (rice dish) are available too, as there are a large number of Korean tourists here.

Eating in the main restaurant is a pleasant experience with lots of ice cream, fresh tropical fruit, apples and orange juice as well as aromatic coffee.

Apart from offering Hokkaido chocolates, biscuits and cookies, the hotel souvenir outlets stock Hokkaido specialties like horse oil soap which is said to be good for the complexion as well as horse oil hair shampoo and conditioners, sought after by tourists, especially the Japanese themselves.

Hotspring Experience

One thing you should not miss in Sahoro is a trip to the hotsprings or onsen bathhouses. The resort management can arrange such a trip and the hotsprings are about 15-20 minutes drive away. Some onsen have pools right outside the bathhouse. Imagine soaking in warm water while snow is falling down on you. We spend a pleasant afternoon admiring the snowfall and scenery while the warm water keeps us from freezing.

Skiing Holiday Offer

IF you love skiing or have always wanted to learn this exciting winter sport, Club Med Sahoro has a great offer that’s not to be missed. For the winter season that’s on till the first week of April, you only pay RM800 per adult per night and you’ll have fun learning to ski, stay in a twin-share room with free flow of coffee, beer, wine and three meals taken care of as well as live entertainment. The rate for child aged 4-11 is RM480 per night.

With return flight and coach transfers at RM2,800 per adult before sur charge and taxes (which can be arranged through the Club Med Kuala Lumpur office, Tel: 03-2161 4599), you can have a thrilling winter sports experience without needing to spend more.

A 6D/5N tour, including food, accommodation and ski lessons, costs RM4,000 per adult. Ski equipment like skis, poles and boots is RM217 per day (adult) and RM175 (child). Adult pants and jackets ski wear is RM130 per day while a child’s is RM93. If you rent them for three days, you get the next two days for free. So for about RM8,000 per adult in all, you can have a really beautiful holiday in Hokkaido with lots of sweet memories to bring home.

Fast Facts

Like all Club Med properties, the location of Club Med Sahoro in the centre of Hokkaido, 140kms from Sapporo, has been chosen for many reasons. According to skiing instructor Mathieu Desbiens from Montreal, Canada, the powdery snow here makes it ideal for skiing. It’s also great for other winter sports, including snowboarding and snow trekking, and offers great views. The vast expanse of mountain terrain outside my room window is one of the most stunning I have ever seen.

The snow-covered acicular trees, pines and poplars with their sparse foliage bring to life the pages in Snow Country, written by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata.

During the winter season that begins in the first week of December, Club Med Sahoro has 25 slopes of snow (420-1,030 metres) for both new and experienced skiers, who are taken up the slopes via cable chairs.

You can actually ski in and out of the resort without having to spend time travelling to ski slopes and paying entrance fees. Ski lessons are conducted right outside the resort in full view of the main restaurant. Those tired of skiing can take a dip in the heated swimming pool.

During the summer months from June to September, Club Med Sahoro’s cool climate of 15º-20º Centigrade, attracts Japanese clients seeking to escape the sweltering heat of overcrowded Japanese cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama where temperatures can soar up to 40º Centigrade.

For more details, go to www.clubmed.com.my
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Haiku sunset bliss and others

2010-07-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

sepia
if you were
just there

moon
a different face for
a different occasion

Sunset bliss
feeble my mind
trails the leaves

sunset bliss
feeble my mind
trails the flowers

nightfall
all their nerves up
for actions

Sunset bliss
feeble my mind
trails the breeze

Grandma Funeral Haiku

2010-07-01T05:55:00.001-07:00

grandma's funeral
the only time i saw lipstick used
on her

Visit Malaysia Year Poem - The Women of Sibu

2010-07-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

I love this little town
where mothers love
their children like a
divine gift from the heavens
a sparkling jewel they cannot part
a part of themselves
two lovers no one could
tear apart without causing
the live-till-you-die pain

have you ever seen
a 60s something woman
who had died for hours but
still lied there with a body stiffened
with the propensity to love and to give
the most tender care to a child?
a gesture she had carried all
through her life. from her son to
daughter, grand daughter and
great grand daughter that even death
could not take away

that stamp of care that everybody longs for
that reassuraing touch that warms us
up to ourselves,
the tender touch of unconditional love that
helps us sleep better

death freezes a love
without taking away
the signature of its capacity
to warm up the hearts of children
that woman lying there wordless
and soon a feast for worms

i love this little town
where mothers love their children
till they are up to a ripe old age
as if they are still their new gifts
from the heavens, fresh out of
the first born maternity room

Haiku - I the only stone that moves

2010-06-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Zen garden
i the only stone
that moves
June 25 at 9:48pm · Comment · Like
Miyuki Takada, Gina Oceguera, Mike Keville and 16 others like this.

Mumtaz Kader wonderful ♥
June 25 at 9:50pm · Like ·

Marc Di Saverio perfect
June 25 at 10:10pm · Like ·

Anne O'Neil another little gem :) - thx John
June 25 at 10:36pm · Like ·

Peggy Johnson cool one!
June 25 at 10:38pm · Like ·

James Hannan Kurdish poem "Do not hate the stone because it does not move nor dismiss the water because it flows." Soy como soy/I am as I am.
June 25 at 11:34pm · Like ·

Howard Robertson Nice. I like it.
Saturday at 3:43am · Like ·

John Potts
hello little stone!
are you discrete
in lichen?

— jp
http://tinyurl.com/10rules0
Saturday at 7:02pm · Like ·

In the Shadows of the Partial Lunar Eclipse

2010-06-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

in the shadows of the partial eclipse
a copter crash, tremor and a sultan who wants
a bridge to singapore

Saturday at 9:50pm · Comment · Like
Gillena Cox, Gina Oceguera, Stephen Woods and 7 others like this.

John Tiong Chunghoo KUALA LUMPUR: On the June 26, Malaysians will be able to observe a partial lunar eclipse starting from 7.22pm to 10.20 pm.
In general, lunar eclipse will occur when the Moon passes the Earth's shadow during full Moon said the National Space Agency in a statement today.

The eclipse will start at 4:57 p.m. when the Moon starts to pass the penumbral...
See More
Saturday at 9:51pm · Like ·

Carole Ann Borges Nice!

John Tiong Chunghoo today's tragic news

american killed in copter crash in Sarawak

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/ChoppercrashesinSarawakjungle_killingpilot/Article/...
See More
Saturday at 9:57pm · Like ·

Carole Ann Borges One world, too much tragedy lately.
Saturday at 10:00pm · Like ·

Nhut Nakata Sorry to hear about the tragedy!
Saturday at 10:04pm · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black I got up to watch it as the moon was setting but the sky was cloudy.The full moon is in capricorn so according to astrological forecasts we can expect more earthly activities.
Saturday at 10:14pm · Like ·

ernadette Myers one world so much tragedy the lonly tears
Saturday at 10:44pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo haiku

partial lunar eclipse
from the fully lit temple
reverberating prayers
Saturday at 11:22pm · Like ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon J- At once 'real' and 'surreal'! You reached ME!
Sunday at 12:19am · Like ·

Anne O'Neil Love the emerging haiku from the shadows of the partial eclipse to the reverberating prayers
Sunday at 1:15am · Like ·

James Hannan "I have sought you in the light of the stars; but you are ecliptic; and I see only the shadow part"
Sunday at 1:59am · Like ·

Anne O'Neil Illuminating
& revealing shadow
both are true
Sunday at 2:16am · Like ·

James Hannan I am yin, you are yang
Or perhaps you are yin
It seems we are neither
Sunday at 5:34am · Like ·

John Potts Get a grip, James, or, rather, not.

— jp
http://tinyurl.com/10rules0
Sunday at 8:11am · Like ·

Robert D. Wilson trimming it a bit, John, i found this cool tanka

partial
eclipse, a copter crash,
tremors . . . ...
See More
Sunday at 12:07pm · Like ·

John Potts
be careful little dragonfly
the moon is full
tonight

— jp
http://tinyurl.com/10rules0
Sunday at 5:31pm · Like ·

James Hannan Firefly not dragonfly
Sunday at 8:20pm via Email Reply · Like ·

John Potts
NEO-HAIBUN

"It was during a sunny yesterday, here in rainy England, and a little blue dragonfly was skimming the water beside where we were having a picnic (with strawberries!). I knew there was a full moon that evening and so advised this beautiful creature to be wary of where it might choose to bivouac, come twilight; and this for fear of predation by nocturnal hunters. Also (as my daughter shook her head at my antics,) to not be fooled into thinking it was day in the brightness of any moonlit pond. However, a dragonfly nipping out of bed for a quick midnight snack in such a setting is, clearly, a beguiling image."
/
be careful little dragonfly
the moon is full
tonight

— jp
http://starturl.com/HaikuCrossroads
Sunday at 9:12pm · Like ·

James Hannan I understand. Yes, a beguiling image.
Sunday at 9:14pm via Email Reply · Like ·

John Potts Fairy snuff, James. A true haiku. A real event. SHASEI. Thing is, dude, you need to DEEPEN into a haiku. Give your robot a chance to switch off so your right brain can kick in with some primary visual thought. Jumpin' the gun is not the way to respond to a haiku. Especially a world beater like this one! No worries though, we all had to learn that, right Matsuo?

— jp
http://tinyurl.com/10rules0
Sunday at 9:35pm · Like ·

Haiku - Symmetry of the Shells

2010-06-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

spiralling symmetry of the shells
against my ears
a sea of symphony
Yesterday at 1:50am · Comment · Like
Gina Oceguera, Sridevi Datta, Angela Ling and 17 others like this.

Muhammad Rafique Farooqi my walk on seashore
Yesterday at 1:56am · Like ·

Christine Michael That's very well written... [via Celcom SMS]
Yesterday at 2:30am · Like ·

Dianna Crowley Adams One of the best of the best, John!
Yesterday at 2:44am · Like ·

Pamela Busch Beautiful word picture!!
Yesterday at 3:55am · Like ·

Ariel Peter Pan is so Hot

2010-06-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Ariel, so hot.
Yesterday at 4:51am · Comment · Like
Gina Oceguera and Mike Keville like this.

John Tiong Chunghoo Ariel's song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLUjCTR1avQ&feature=PlayList&p=2F23184873F8BD9B&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1
Yesterday at 5:02am · Like · 1 person ·

James Hannan At first I thought somehow that this referred to Ariel the sprite in Shakespeare's The Tempest. But after I listened to the song, I realized it was not. Peterpan huh, the boy who always is a boy! Also I Googled him and see that there is quite a sex scandal involving him. With the Internet nothing is secret and nothing is sacred.
Yesterday at 7:54am · Like ·

Christa Sihombing so hot....
Yesterday at 8:14am · Like ·

Gert Sønderby The internet regards secret as an invitation to dig - sacred as a malfunction to be ignored. This is by design.
9 hours ago · Like ·
James Hannan Ah yes, by design. But by whose design? The Internet creators. The Internet
users.
Humans in general. Specific kind of humans. Or other kinds -muckrakers, buckmakers - which can easily be named. Perhaps as we say all of the above.
3 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

Gert Sønderby The internet was originally created by DARPA - one of the US Dept. of Defense's research sections. It was intended to survive a nuclear holocaust and serve as a command and control network for the US military 'after the bomb'. As such, it is all but unkillable.

The attitude to secrets and holy cows and censorship - that's emergent behaviour. And a fine bonus, too, I feel.

James Hannan Thanks but yes, I know that. As a matter of fact I and much of my family worked or work with the DoD. Military & paramilitary & Intelligence
Community . ARPA - Advanced Research Projects Agency. D = Defense. DoD = Dept of Defense.
2 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

Robert D. Wilson Remember, artificial intelligence is already being accomplished. Someday in the future, computers will be able to think and reason.
And exceed the intelligence of humankind, BUT not infallible. In the wrong hands, we could be hosed:: our identities, bank accounts, personal information erased, altered, and for what purpose. That is the scary part. W Science has to be careful. What good came from the inventing of atomic weapons?
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo between the computer that is controlled by us and a computer that can think and act on its own is just a "button". my friend, that is very real. wonder who would be the first to fix that "button".
2 hours ago · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black Well look on the bright side if computors become intelligent enough they could go to work for us and bring home the bacon..samething with robots
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo what if they decide otherwise...Lorraine....dont forget they think on their own...divorced from our influences.
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo it is same like God giving us all the free will.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black Their only as good as the informantion implanted.It's the same way with us.
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo yes of course....
John Tiong Chunghoo yes of course....like they can wage a war with us.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Gert Sønderby Re. good from atomic weapons: Atomic energy. A mostly-clean source of power that stems from the same processes first used to blow shit up. It's part of a solid strategy for solving the energy conundrum we face today: How to wean ourselves of oil. The answer clearly is not to get hooked on uranium - that will eventually run out as well - but to use it to get free of oil so that we can develop the other sources: Solar, hydro, wind, and fusion.

Once fusion arrives (call it 2040 or so) our energy woes are mostly done with. Hydrogen will never be in short supply, and as long as there is hydrogen, fusion will provide power no matter where we are.

Perhaps even enough power to make some of the more outlandish plans for saving the climate work - not that the -climate- needs help, in and of itrself - but we do, elsewise the climate will mess us up. :-)
2 hours ago · Like ·

James Hannan AI is much more difficult than the sci-fi writers suggest. I worked at
the Harvard Computing Center on Automatic Translation of Russian to English. Sounded rather straightforward at the begnning. But not so. Then when I
was with the government and later as a contractor I was also involved in related endeavors. Of course the Intelligence community has probably progressed much further but since so many of my family are "in it" I rather doubt it. Further of course but "much" - ???
2 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black That would be something now wouldn't it.I think my computor is out to get me because it acts irraticly and aggravates me to no end..I'm waiting for the day when ''we" go a few rounds and then it pops off with" I'm just playing with your head' I hope it doesn't get that idea..I guess I had better come up with a name for and its companion"Mouse" hahaha!!!
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo My friend, we are still far from it. Your computer is nothing but still just a toy.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black But it knows how to tick me off!!!!
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo hahaha that's why it is just a toy.
2 hours ago · Like ·

James Hannan There is a greedy saying in the business world: "Whoever has the most toys
at the end wins". Toys are undefined and the end is unspecified.
2 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo James you did not get the point. sorry.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black Tinkebell was the name of the fairy in Disney's PETER PAN.Ariel was the name of the mermaid in Disney's LITTLE MERMAID.
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Ariel is the boy in the Indonesian pop group Peterpan whose overidding libido everybody in the Malay Archipelago can drool over through one touch of their little handphone.
2 hours ago · Like ·

James Hannan Yes - I found that out after I listened to the video and then Googled him. Peterpan huh?
I wish him good luck. Or maybe I don't.
2 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

James Hannan Thanks. I am very familiar with Peter Pan in all its incarnations and even more so with
The Tempest seeing myself as Prospero.
2 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

James Hannan Tinker Bell is also the ISP address of one of my best friends - not on
FB.
2 hours ago via Email Reply · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black I never heard of this version.The poet Percy Byshe Shelly was nicknamed Ariel.When it comes to information on the internet: Knowledge is power and wisdom developes from knowledge and experience.As James toy reference implies using a well known quote I might add that it isn't the amount of the toys someone has but its how these toys are used.I like the internet because of its wide range of knowledge on the information highway but my little toy computor better start behaving and cooperating with me or its going to go flying out the window followed by the mouse with its wireless tail tucked behind it.Is there such a thing as computorcide?
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Lorraine you sure are a "great computer" with all our inbuilt humour.
2 hours ago · Like ·

James Hannan Hmmm. I know what the Malay Archipelago is. I know what/who Ariel is in
The Tempest. I saw the video. I know that this Ariel is the lead singer of the group Peterpan. I am very familiar with Peter Pan the book and movie. I know about the sex video. And one touch of the hand. Is that it? Perhaps.
Can you explain it perhaps in guarded terms. Perhaps a word game!!! Maybe I
did get it? Maybe I should find the video online!Maybe....
about an hour ago via Email Reply · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201006/2931026.htm?desktop
about an hour ago · Like ·

Robert D. Wilson The future is beyond comprehension. The time will come when labor will be done by robotics and those who previously served as laborers will become unvalued and useless, forced into a form of exploitation to eat, etc. The computers will eventually be buttonless, self sufficient, virus unable to stop. We created atomic power and it's waste lasts for centuries. Pray that they don't pull the button on us. Or, if the educated and rich can control computers and have no need to work, they will atrophy and become jabbabthe huts having no need for appendages, travel, etc.
56 minutes ago via Email Reply · Like ·

James Hannan "...one touch...of their little.." I guess that is it. I saw and heard him.
As Prospero I prefer the sprite Ariel in the Tempest but still I enjoyed
it a lot and I must see the sex tapes. Well, not must but I may.
48 minutes ago via Email Reply · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black Robert,if the 2012 prophecies come true we won't have to worry about the future.
45 minutes ago · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black John when it comes to celebrity behavior bad behavior sells copies.And keeps them in the public eye.I just read the article.The fact that it was an Islamic group that imposed the anti--pornographic laws based on their religious views--well doesn't that say something to you??Michael Jackson,Marilyn Monroe and various other well known personalities were no saints..there are scandals all the time..look at Tiger Woods recently, but to imprison these young people just because they feel their youthful urges doesn't make them bad..just makes them normal human beings.I'm very open minded and understanding but the authorities can just pull the video off the internet and TV.It's too bad that freedom of expression and pursuit of one's happiness isn't allowed by their strict rules imposed on others.Are Ariel and his girlfriend Moslem??What is taboo for one religious group is generally allowable for other people.The saying goes: Different strokes for different folks.This is where conflicts begin and I see this one becoming a moral and political hot potatoe.Maybe Ariel and his girlfriend should apply for political asylum and come to the US.
28 minutes ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Lorraine, Indonesia is the world largest muslim country and aerial and his fling are both very muslim.
10 minutes ago · Like ·

20 minutes ago · Like ·

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black Well I just looked up the scandal on line.WHOEVER downloaded the video is in violation of privacy and had no right what so ever to invade these young peoples' bed room.Moslems are allowed 4 wives if they can support them.Sex isn't illegal...if it wasn't for carnal knowledge most life forms wouldn't be in existence.It's the Yin and Yang of the universe..opposites that complete .As long as they are consenting adults then their private business should stay behind closed doors.The only time sex is illegal if it's child pornagraphy or a case of rape.
4 minutes ago · Like ·

Why company fails

2010-06-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

Many companies flounder because they spend too much time talking about their own weaknesses rather than their strenghts. They forget that stressing on strengths will eventually rub out weaknesses because strengths inspire confidence and confidence in any undertaking works miracles.
2 hours ago ·
Comment · Like
Sunah Mogasoa, Angela Ling, Peggy Johnson and 6 others like this.

Amir Hafizi Well said, John Tiong!
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo A few who work in an environment where the blind is leading the blind discovered they have a lot to gain from talking about other people's weaknesses, so day in and day out they capitalise on that until everythng goes down the drain including their own career.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Jo Ann Massey Miller So very true... I also feel that often the leadership in companies fail to talk to the people that actually do the work....and therefore make uninformed decisions..
2 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo The truth is most of them are taken for a ride... if you know what i mean.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Marc Di Saverio I tend to agree John

hn Tiong Chunghoo i am seldom wrong in my observation.
about an hour ago · Like ·

Jerome Thompson Courage begets strength, fear begets weakness.Ultimately courage begets SUCCESS, fear begets FAILURE.
about an hour ago · Like ·

James Hannan "The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave one only suffers death but once." Shakespeare
15 minutes ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo sorry it should be flounder instead of flaunder
10 minutes ago · Like ·

Haiku on American freedom

2010-06-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

I love freedom
fifty stars of
freedom

Obama's haiku

2010-06-25T07:24:00.001-07:00

10,000th road project
the president's handshake warms up
the way to our recovery

respect your papa
president with runaway papa
tells Americans

Haiku on Michelangelo's Sculptures

2010-06-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Lorenzo de Medici tomb
frivolous as life
the nake carvings

Lorenzo de Medici tomb
cold and quiet as stone
the man in thought

Michelangelo's Moses
every inch the marbles shine
bright as commandments

Pope Julius II
Michelango's genius
carved in rocks...

dead christ on mary's lap
heavy
the world's sins.

michelangelo's naked boy
real as his
virility

Michelangelo's Mother and Child
heavy on the lap
the way of God

Michelangelo's David
pride weighs heavy
on the shoulders

Michelangelo's cross carrying Christ
a trophy
in his hands

Michelangelo's Angel with Candlestick
lighting it up
for the good new

auguste rodin's pense
eyes clothed with
tenderness of the face

Haiku written last week

2010-06-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

zen garden
i the only stone
that moves

between North
and South Korea
a river of tears

why are we still around after so long?
because one minute of God's
is a zillion of ours

why cant man see God?
because he cannot survive a zillionth
of his second

Pride Month
looking at everybody
in the eyes when talking...

rustic mill
the sound of water and
clothes washing

longest day
celebrating it with Fifa
football matches...

michelangelo's naked boy
as real as his own
virility

Michelangelo's rebellious slave
in the stone
he is cast

Michelangelo's rebellious slave
from the stone
his longing for freedom

Michelangelo's Saint Paul
one small step
in the direction of Christ

Michelangelo's Saint Peter
even from the stone
the softness of his look

Giuliano de Medici tomb
a disciplinarian of a million
other things

Giuliano de Medici tomb
a disciplinarian hard
as stones

Pudu Jail Haiku

2010-06-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Pudu Jail
as the wall crumbles
my lips ramble "et tu brute"

8 hours ago · Comment · Like
Michael Stevens, Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon, Frankie Lau and 8 others like this.

John Tiong Chunghoo The oldest prison in Malaysia torn down last night:

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles//Prisonbeyondredemption/Article/
8 hours ago · Like ·

Gina Oceguera wow more than 100 years!!!interesting......
7 hours ago · Like ·

Gurcharan Singh Anand woh all dungens should be raised good.....
7 hours ago · Like · 1 person ·

Haiku - Man the Real Alien

2010-06-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

the real aliens
on earth
us
...

Yesterday at 11:28am · Comment ·LikeUnlikeSharifah Aini, Bao Nguyen, Frankie Lau and 22 others like this.

Arnie Tahir hmmm ...just got 2 agree...:)
Yesterday at 11:30am ·

James Lee Jobe Well said, John.

Yesterday at 11:33am ·

Elizabeth Patrick Large statement to accomplish with six simple words.....excellent, John!
Yesterday at 11:54am ·

Muhammad Rafique Farooqi it is true, .......
Yesterday at 11:54am ·

John Tiong Chunghoo many animals have been driven to extinction and now earth is begging the reckless aliens, not to do any more harm, not to suffocate her. each day her fever rises a little.
Yesterday at 12:03pm ·

Adrian J Nyaoi how very true, and very poetically put.
Yesterday at 12:12pm · LikeUnlike · Rolef von Swedenborg I would think that extinction is in the Natural order of Life...
Yesterday at 12:25pm ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Rolef, that is not something very nice to say...you know some animals were hunted until they are no more.
Yesterday at 12:31pm ·

Rolef von Swedenborg Yes of course some animals were but also cataclysmic evolution has eliminated species Humanoids included and we as a people were not responsible. That is what I meant.... Humans are not responsible for every tragedy.
Yesterday at 12:35pm ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon I disagree. We may well be, and too frequently are our own worst enemy, we are in the chain of existence beings endowed with free will...with the capacity of discerning right and wrong. Therefore, it is with humanity that responsible stewardship belongs. Let's be responsible and make choices for all life.
Yesterday at 1:08pm ·

Adrian J Nyaoi extinction is the the natural destination of all form of life; but I would not want to blamed for speeding up the the journey
Yesterday at 1:13pm ·

James Harwood It's a far more complex issue than we think - we have destroyed the habitat in which the Giant Panda can survive, yet we insist on keeping the last few remaining pandas alive in captivity. We can try to be individually responsible, but do we REALLY have the power to stop this kind of thing?
Yesterday at 1:15pm ·

Adrian J Nyaoi Life is not an infinity. It has an ending. We as human; through our interference with nature bring that ending nearer.
11 hours ago ·

Rolef von Swedenborg What I meant is that Humans are not responsible for every life form that has gone extinct. Yes, we have done a lot of things and in the context of spiritual evolution it is something we can learn from. I do not think it is a good idea to trash Humans .. We do not need to have another extinction happening (humans)
11 hours ago ·

Muhammad Rafique Farooqi earth has its immune system i think it is working, by raising the temperature ,earth quakes tusnami, tornados, in order to eradicate infestation of human on its surface....... ultimately we are responsible for this due to our unfriendly behaviour towards Eco system........and we know earth will finally get rid of man
11 hours ago ·

Adrian J Nyaoi not all form of extinction are due to human act; many in the past were due to natural disaster. But of late human play a major role in speeding up that process. Not taking the blame is akin to hiding the head under the sand.
11 hours ago ·

Muhammad Rafique Farooqi we will disappear like dinosaurs....by any unknown method.....
11 hours ago ·

Rolef von Swedenborg We do not know what is going extinct except for the larger animals. Things are evolving also and we are finding new species at the same time. Life is wonderful, many things to learn and see.
11 hours ago ·

Maya Lyubenova it's not only about the extincted species - look what we are doing to ourselves - men to men are like aliens from different universes
11 hours ago ·

Adrian J Nyaoi For all known species we know most that are threaten; not just large mammals; The fact that new species are discovered also means that some would have been extinct before they were discovered. Life is wonderful; enjoy it well we can.
the killing between man and man just show that we are not different from other species where domination by the stronger member of the species may result in killing others who put up a fight.
11 hours ago ·

Maya Lyubenova it seems that the end of the human zoo is near: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/tech208.html

Adrian J Nyaoi that is a bit pessimistic

Maya Lyubenova well, it depends, on the point of view :~D
11 hours ago ·

Rolef von Swedenborg Life has been around for a long, long, long, time and will be around for a long time to come ..We are just at the Kindergarten level and maybe we need to change our diaper.. :-)
11 hours ago ·

Gert Sønderby Humanity is not alien to Earth - we evolved here just as did all other species on the planet. What we are, is -different-. We can think in the abstract, build tools (and what tools!) and that makes us the only species who can truly adapt any environment to us, as opposed to adapting to it.
As a consequence, humanity as a species is causing a mass-...

extinction-event, possibly similar in magnitude to the one that ended the reign of the dinosaurs, and have been for several tens of thousands of years. Nowadays, it is reaching a crescendo, with us shifting the climate and composition of the air and sea, rather than merely hunting animal species to extinction.

We are not just the disease, however, but also the cure. Stewardship of the Earth, as in, taking active control of and protecting the resources of our planet, is a notion that is gaining traction with a lot of thinkers. The next few centuries will be crucial. We're headed for the fall of an empire - the West's dominance is coming to an end, and may do so drastically, but in so doing it may actually open the door to a new paradigm of resource use. We shall see what time tells us.
10 hours ago ·

John Potts Scientists believe life on Earth was seeded by extreme elliptical comets! These loop all over the Milky Way - transmitting organic material incubated in nova.

OUTER SPACE!
the last
pit stop...
— jp
http://starturl.com/HaikuCrossroads
9 hours ago ·

Gert Sønderby Um, no. They don't. All it took was the presence of a number of chemicals, and a lot of time, both of which were abundant back then.
This is an excellent primer on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6QYDdgP9eg

Primordial soup...

Fat forms a bubble of chemicals
Life is created

Also, novas generate elements that would otherwise not be present in our universe. They do not, however, generate organic material, or even comets (which are thought to form during the accretion of the solar system IIRC).

In the beginning
There was only hydrogen
Novas changed this.

Dying stars
Created all solid matter
We are star dust.
8 hours ago ·

John Potts Yes, comet elipticals, sling shots all over Creation! Do some research, check Astonomer Royal, Fred Hoyle to start with. The primordial soup has been a problem since it was first conjectured - not enough time. Think about it, one universal organism. The imminent deity.. MULTIBEING!

all around my plate
fierce crab retro-engineered
red wine tastes like rust...

— jp
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=33138223345&topic=14213

8 hours ago ·

Peggy Johnson Excellent John;
God is probably scratching his head thinking the same thing :)
7 hours ago ·

Gert Sønderby "Mainstream evolutionary biology rejects Hoyle's interpretation of statistics, and supporters of modern evolutionary theory, such as Richard Dawkins, refer to this as "Hoyle's fallacy"." - wikipedia page on Fred Hoyle*.

Hoyle was not even a biologist, but an astronomer, and a fine one indeed. But just like Dawkins can make sense about biology and ...
See More
spout utter nonsense about religion, so Hoyle could be a prominent astronomer without much clue about biochemistry.

To let the haiku for rest for a minute:

There once was a prominent physicist
Who did not believe the biologists.
They showed he was wrong
And that should have been all
But he keeps getting callled by creationists!

;-)

*: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hoyle#Rejection_of_chemical_evolution
7 hours ago ·
John Potts

Yes, the universe as a functional hole. How else could it be? Of course we have many other mediums of transmission of universal intel - starlight, for an obvious interseller gossip facility! Then, the smaller things . . .
/
in the primordial pond
not just ducks...

quark!

— jp
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=33138223345&topic=14213
6 hours ago ·

Pamela Busch

Fevered earth
reflects our
fevered minds
5 hours ago ·

John Potts This is why haiku!
5 hours ago ·

Kathy Earsman Quite right, John.
4 hours ago ·

Sandy Hyndman Hey love this John..and I am one of them ..Nanu Nanu..thank you so much for this posting xxxx
3 hours ago ·

Pamela Busch Fevered earth
reflects our
fevered hearts . . .

Su Huo Soon i still US to be human beings and the aliens......animals , virus and bacteria
15 hours ago · Like ·

John Potts
Feeling alienated is a common problem in the modern world. BUT. This is just a mental construct. The reality is that we're all embedded in the matrix of the tissue of the universe - and ever more shalt be thus!
/
spelunking
the moles are lively...
See More
14 hours ago · Like ·

Kathy Earsman Gert, I was speaking tongue-in-cheek re humans being alien. Of course we are of this Earth. Well, of this solar system anyway; the iron in our blood comes from long dead suns ... we are 'built of chemicals distilled in constellation's bowl. But yes, we are 'alien' in that we have the power to destroy life on this planet.
I talk your language, Gert, as one of the vast band of people around the world preparing for peak oil and climate change. We are also witnessing, as you say, the collapse of international economies and trade. Big trouble ahead, not in a hundred years, folks, but now.
14 hours ago · Like ·

John Potts Cheery old ʇɐq, innit?

— jp
http://starturl.com/HaikuCrossroads
14 hours ago · Like ·

Kathy Earsman 'Tis high time we grew up, and faced reality, innit?
14 hours ago · Like ·

John Potts
rabbi grebe
/
ye old lobster pot
wove out o' wattery dreams und insect ...
See More
14 hours ago · Like ·

James Hannan One alien alone; where are my others; where is my home?
13 hours ago · Like ·

John Potts "Don't lock others out of your heart through fear and vanity - wear it on you sleeve.. NOW!" - anon

— jp
http://starturl.com/HaikuCrossroads
4 hours ago · Like ·

Obama on Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

be grateful to papa
the President with run away papa
tells Americans

Happy Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T00:12:00.000-07:00

dad's love
tonight my longing runs
the length of the river

13 hours ago · Comment · Like
Gina Oceguera, Nahid Kabiri, Frankie Lau and 21 others like this.

Bette Norcross Wappner very beautiful, john.
13 hours ago · Like ·

JB Mulligan Very nice, thanks.
13 hours ago · Like ·

Peggy Johnson meemories...beautiful John!
13 hours ago · Like ·

Annabel Haldane Nash This is so beautiful and tender, thanks John.
10 hours ago · Like ·

Madeleine Ann Eugenie McMahon In general, the American don't GIVE GIVE A SHIT! For the "DON'T GIVE A SHITS' it's about convenience and expediency :-((((
9 hours ago · Like ·

Carole Ann Borges A lovely and tender sentiment John.
7 hours ago · Like ·

James Hannan Are you focusing in on Fathers' Day, Maem? Or did it just
push a button in this general observation? I would really like to know. And to learn what you are pointng to? Without this info, I really don't "get" it. Jim
7 hours ago · Like ·

Bao Nguyen Yes! Thank you so much! ♥♪♫•*¨*•♪ Happy Father's Day and have a beautiful Sunday!
3 hours ago · Like · 1 person ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Thank you Baosan.
2 hours ago · Like ·

Catrina Heart fabulous haiku John...Happy Dad's Day!!!
2 hours ago · Like ·

Gina Oceguera Oh John I love it!! it touched my heart!!Happy Father's Day!! I still have my Father...God loves me very much...My Beloved TITO is 83!!! and he is a very bright , humble, and healthy guy....Have a magical Sunday!!!!
53 minutes ago · Like ·

Nahid Kabiri ُSplendid! Following the roots of your feelings in the future ,rather than flat inspectaions of the past...
6 minutes ago · Like ·

Obama talks about mending roads that create thousands of jobs

2010-06-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

united states' recovery
we mend roads to give us
a solid footing

Barack Obama In Columbus, Ohio, to mark this summer’s first Recovery Act milestone—the 10,000th Recovery Act road project to get underway. Listen to live remarks at 12:15 p.m. ET

Mage wappa haiku

2010-06-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

mage wappa
mom's love that follows me
to school every day

Art and crafts] This is the traditional lunch box made of Akita cedar, called “Mage-wappa(曲げわっぱ).” “Mage”means “bend”(曲げる), and “wappa” means “circle”(輪), which derives from the process to make the thinly shaving cedar bent in a circular pattern. Originally, it is said that the wood cutters invented magewappa as their lunch boxes. In 1600’s, the feudal lord, Satake Yoshinobu(佐竹義宣) in Akita prefecture suggested samurai warriors to produce magewappa as side job in order to get over poor life. I like magewappa because it is not only beautiful (the food looks tasty!) but also practical. It is breathable material to keep rice tasty: not too wet, not too dry. It is also so light to carry. In addition, it has bactericidal property to keep food well. (Ellie)

Fifa World Cup haiku

2010-06-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

barbeque talk
all the hot Fifa matches
we thought we would have won

Firefly River Cruise

2010-06-19T07:38:00.003-07:00

firefly river cruise
the glimmer of hope
in their eyes

firefly river cruise
the glimmer of hope
in the couple's eyes

Firefly River Cruise

2010-06-19T07:38:00.001-07:00

firefly river cruise
the glimmer of hope
in their eyes

firefly river cruise
the glimmer of hope
in the couple's eyes

Father's Day Haiku

2010-06-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

dad's favourite river
tonight my longing runs
its length

Haiku for Today

2010-06-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

Newsmen normally dont spread rumours or gossips because they are the ones who have to unravel the truths behind them. So when you encounter a newsman going all out to spread a gossip or rumour, he is basically out to cause injury and nothing else.

a bee all out to sting
the newsman who
gossips

..................................................

I am a great admirer of President Obama. This prompted me to visit his childhood school in Menteng Jakarta not long after he was elected president. This was what I found. Enjoy;

Obama childhood school visit
a solitary basketball court warms me up
in the evening chill

Obama childhood school visit
a solitary basketball court warms up
the evening chill

Cheryl Clark Some people might prefer a president with a single-minded American focus, but I'm really happy ours has a global perspective. We're all in this together.
Yesterday at 8:15pm · Like ·

Hadiah Hamzah Malaysian are very friendly.
Yesterday at 8:20pm · Like ·

Rhonda A Bishop Rhodes Sorry ...I do not feel the same about Obama ... he is robbing from us .. and destroying us ... but still yet ....My FAITH is not in man but in the Power of God so I lift mr obama up in prayer
Yesterday at 8:29pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Obama becomes my hero because of his superb eloquence.
Yesterday at 8:40pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Rhonda you are great. that is the spirit that christians should cultivate.
Yesterday at 8:41pm · Like ·

Rhonda A Bishop Rhodes John, I agree if I truly believe that God is Sovereign how can I not see Obama as part of the plan ??? and the True Spirit of Christ is that Obama is precious in God's sight ...is that not the truth? Yes it is! Therefore I am commanded by scriptures to love him and pray for him ...
Yesterday at 8:48pm · Like ·

Rhonda A Bishop Rhodes It is obtaining the Spirit of Christ toward all humanity .... regardless of sex, race
Yesterday at 9:13pm · Like ·

Carole McDonnell Lovely poem, John.
Yesterday at 9:15pm · Like ·

Frankie Lau jOHN, did u manage to trace his birth cert in that school? I don't really know why ppl are so crazy going after that paper...
Yesterday at 9:40pm · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Frankie, they want to know whether he was muslim when he was registered. He late stepfather was a muslim. When i was there coincidentally there was a magazine which interviewed his family's maid who said that Obama actually was brought up during those years in the muslim faith. So he should know a lot about Islam.
Yesterday at 10:15pm · Like ·

Frankie Lau Thanks for sharing facts, John. That means it would be even better for him as a person...what each of us bECOME would not just happen by accident, yes?
Yesterday at 10:25pm · Like ·

Suleman Pervez Sweet!
15 hours ago · Like ·

Carmen Sterba I heard that Obama went to a Catholic
School in Indonesia. I don't know the
source though.
13 hours ago · Like ·

Carmen Sterba John, your article showing different sides of Jakarta and mentioning both of Obama's schools and his love of basketball, was interesting and balanced.

I found a source from ABC network. About Obama's
schools that you visited. The Muslim one and the Catholic one. One of the many rumors about him was that he attended a radical Muslim school. This article sets it straight by interviewing people at his school:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2822061&page=1

By the way, he did not grow up with his father and his mother said his father was not religious. Obama's Kenyan grandfather, who he never met, was the Muslim in the family. I don't know about his cousins and half-sister, but after all, they are all normal human beings. I wonder if any president was so vilified before he even began his job. He didn't even have a "honeymoon period" at the beginning of his office.

Americans are as divided as they were during the 1960s, but it's rarely about peace or war. Arguments continue in Congress about national health care is necessary to help the minority people like those in poverty, the disabled and the elderly even the middle class since insurance and hospital care is outrageously expensive. The other half say national health care is socialism. Another topic is whether gun owners should pack (carry) the guns everywhere they want. The arguments for guns sounds like the Wild West to me.
9 hours ago · Like ·

Frankie Lau @Carman, i find you amazing. you prefer to go to the bottom of truth. Brava
9 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo No President in this one decade can afford to have "honeymoon" because the United States is in such a mess. Somebody needs to "oil" America.
9 hours ago · Like ·

Dennis Chua Eow Seong Only China can rule the world. China is the true king of the world. Heehee.
7 hours ago · Like ·

John Tiong Chunghoo this haiku works better I think:

Obama childhood school visit
a solitary basketball court warms up
the evening chill
7 hours ago · Like ·

Land below the Wind

2010-06-18T00:34:00.001-07:00

John is glad that he has finally visited most parts of Sabah after last week's sojourn in Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Semporna, and Tawau. He had earlier done Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort, Kudat, Ranau, Poring Hot Spring, Kota Belud among others. Perhaps one day I would climb Mount Kinabalu. It should be quite a feat.

Land below the wind
every corner i turn to
a different smile

Rules of the Arts

2010-06-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort and Spa

2010-06-18T00:28:00.001-07:00

Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort and Spa
trailing the mountain range
our laughter and joy

by john tiong Chunghoo

While the younger ones run around browsing for clues to their treasure hunt, I spend mine learning to paint batik - in the sweltering heat that sweeps through Langkawi at this time of the year in March.
All morning, it has been delightful to see my red and orange dyes spread out to become a stunning hisbiscus on a little piece of cottont. Just like the holiday here that has turned into a thrilling experience at the four starred Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort with its excellent back to nature feel.
A bewildering spectre of nature unfolds right in front of us as we are swept away with joy by the breeze, the emerald cresting of the sea, and a well manicured resort garden of frangipani, coconut palms, bougainvillea and the flame of the forest.
There is a grandeur in the Mat Cincang Mountain - our resort is at its foothills - that one cannnot resist admiring especially its riveting range that trails over the sky
like the scrawling of divinity.
The mountain, at 710 metres, is the second highest peak in Langkawi. It looms over the Northeastern part of the island
with ever ready stories and legends to awe the most well travelled tourists.
The rock formations which are more than 550 million years old has earned the island the first Unesco Geopark status in South East Asia two years ago.
We have visited its primary atraction, the Seven Wells
a series of little waterfalls that flow over huge boulders,
forming well like pools, that have since the old days been believed to be the bath places of fairies.
In the hot season, the water can run quite dry but in the wet season from August to October, the waterfall can be quite a sight oozing down the musculine looking slopes.
It is almost a blessing when we found that there is a cable car service from the Oriental Village nearby, a quaint shopping and dining enclave that gives us a chance to go to the peak of the mountain to savour the colourful landscape of the island.
Go for the morning forest walk at the foothills of Gunung Mat Cincang as you will be able to catch a sight of the the world’s smallest orchids as well as pitcher plants.
Two hundred over bird species could be found
in Langkawi. So if you are a birdwatcher, that is a boon.
Animals on the island include the Mousedeer, the world’s only gliding monkey, the Flying Lemur, the Dusky-Leaf Monkey some of whom would come visiting at the Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort, the long-tailed Macaque and Slow Loris. Giant Squirrels, Flying foxes, Civet Cats and the Pangolin. add colours to the adventures in Langkawi.

HIGH SEASON
It is the high season in Langkawi between November and April as caucasians escape the harsh winter at home to savour the tropical weather here.
Apart from their robust laugh and cheers over beer and coffee on the beaches, the island also resounds with the
calls and chirpings of migratory birds from the Northern hemisphere that all add up to the charms of the island.
At our resort , it has been a hive of activity. Waitors and waitresses tell us it has been a busy season. Breakfast
and dinner usually mean hours of walk, serving.
Guests lull on reclining chairs on the beach as well as around the resort’s fanciful shaped swimming pool, reading or just doing nothing while others swim in the bay fringed by the Gunung Mat Cincang at one side and Pantai Kok on the other.
The beach bar we go in the afternoon is also swarmed with men, women and children in swimming trunks, sharing stories of their adventures over beer, coffee and snacks.
The batik hut where I have spent the whole morning has also attracted a small group of guests, some to talk about their adventures with the batik teacher Azizi Alyas while
others just concentrate on the art of batik making.
One of the women makes quite an impression on me as she quietly dispenses her dyes on a meditative looking buddha.
Most of the guests here have paid RM65 for their lessons
from the master Azizi Alyas here afterwhich they keep the batik painting or leave it here for sale.

PARK LIKE RESORT

Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort is laid out like a park.
Be observant and you will be rewarded with the sights of hornbills, dusky leaf monkeys, squirrels and eagles.
If you are lucky, you may even sport the brown-winged kingfishers that make the mangroves between the Mutiara Burau Bay and Berjaya Resorts here their homes.
Mutiara Burau Bay Resort cabanas are set among well manicured greenery.
The best part is plants like the Paku Bogak are labelled with vital descriptions for children to learn about their
uniqueness. At the cafe, guests are also told to be mindful of monkeys that might come a-visiting, hoping they could have a bite of their food.
Some of the more expensive chalets such as the two Barau suites are equipped with round jaccuzi on its terrace. The suites with two rooms good for four adults and two children straddle the hillside with balconeys that afford a good view of the sea. The night can be slept away with breeze blowing in from the sea.

RESORT FOOD AND BEVERAGE

We are served fresh barbecued seafood; fishes, oysters, prawns and crabs, and surprisingly sushi at the Seashell Beach Cafe with live music from some exotic land in the evening. Part of the restaurant is open air lending it a very back to nature experience.
For those who do not wish too much of hotel food, there are local stores that serve local food right outside the hotel gate.
And if you are adventurous, you can even walk the stretch of Pantai Kok from here where we discover very delicious Pasembor that has earned her rave reviews among national papers.
The Thai palace set built for the 1999 Jodie Foster’s movie Anna and the King filmed here many years back still stands but in a dilapidated condition, doors, and roofs collapsing. It used to be a destination spot but it is said that a new hotel would be built over the site. Hopefully, with Langkawi’s pristine beauty and plentiful of adventures, dinning and lengendary spots, more directors would throng the beaches for their movies.

HOTEL
Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort
Burau Bay, LangkawI
Kedah Darul rizuan
www.mutiarahotels.com/mutiara_buraubay/index.html

GETTING THERE
Drive towards Pantai Kok, Northeast of the Airport. It takes about half hour to reach. From the jetty, it would take about an hour. Drive west towards Mukim Kedawang then towards the airport direction. From there, take the northeast or Pantai Kok route. See map here: www.mutiarahotels.com/mutiara_buraubay/bb_home_lm.html

MAIN ATTRACTIONS
Nature here beckons especially the lush greenery with Gunung Mat Cincang as backdrop. Oriental Village offers a place to shop as well as a cable car service up the mountain to view the landscape of Langkawi. Telaga Harbour offer a convenient stopover for fusion and food from other parts of the world. The mysterious Seven Wells in the mountain is worth trekking up to have a look as well as swim in.
Sightseeing information available here: www.mutiarahotels.com/mutiara_buraubay/bb_activities_info.html

FIRST IMPRESSION:
A simple set up with obliging staff that ensures your stay is memorable.

ROOMS:
One hundred and fifty wooden cabanas in all with
122 Superior Cabanas, 26 Studio Cabanas and two Burau Suites. The suites are sea facing while the others are either sea or garden facing. To view promotional rates please visit www. mutiarahotels.com/mutiara_buraubay/bb_rnr_room.html

F & B FACILITIES
Most guests prefer the Seri Mutiara Restaurant & Terrace and the Seashell Beach and Cafe with the Oyster Bar and Lounge near the lobby as a convenient third during check out and check in. The hotel’s Dewan Impian that can hold up to 120 people for convention or parties. Themed back to nature parties are welcomed here.

OTHER FACILITIES:
An outdoor spa to have yourself massaged by experienced massuse. A recreation desk that attends to your holiday needs such as jetski, surfing, parasailing, cruising, airport transfers, jungle trekking, internet, as well as learning a traditional game like 'congkak among others.

OVERALL SERVICE
Staff makes you feel at home in a resort you are left to experience all its magic.

http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Do_Enrichthesoulatislandgetaway/Article/

Murkowski Resolution

2010-06-17T03:27:00.000-07:00

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has introduced a resolution that would gut the Clean Air Act and increase America's oil dependence by billions of barrels.

Murkowski Resolution
murky costly chaining Americans
to foreign hands...

Gulf Oil Disaster Poems and Haiku

2010-06-17T03:24:00.000-07:00

But make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy.

Gulf oil disaster
are you rising to
its challenge?
floating over water?
refusing to be downed?
a top layered
president?
spill the beans
on who should
really pay, and
pay dearly
signing it with
black bold strokes

Haiku

drill baby drill
let it now be just an echo
like the last election

Bangkit

2010-06-17T03:23:00.002-07:00

Every race needs to bangkit. it should not be for only one race. A real leader teaches and drives all malaysians to bangkit above insecurities, build the common good and make this country proud and strong. there is enough opportunities in this country to build their sweet homes. In a multi racial nation, it is very easy to sow discord among the races as well as uniting them. I prefer the latter. Bangkit Najib, you are on the right track.

Tawau Bugis Haiku

2010-06-17T03:23:00.001-07:00

Tawau bugis bugis everywhere
but where is your phinishi
phinishi, my favourite phinishi

Dumpling Festival Haiku

2010-06-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Dumpling Festival
i ask for One Malaysia
Zongzi

inspired by my friend's posting below:
Chow Ee-Tan Chow has never seen so many different types of dumplings in her kitchen! Mom bought more than RM100 worth of `zongzi!! There are `pork zong', `chicken zong', `hakka zong', `cantonese zong', `sambal zong', `nyonya zong', `crystal zong'..!! well, Happy Dumpling Festival! *burp*

1Malaysia is an on-going campaign announced by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on September 16, 2008, calling for the cabinet, government agencies, and civil servants to more strongly emphasize ethnic harmony, national unity, and efficient governance (wikipedia).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Malaysia

about the dumpling festival
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duanwu_Festival

Rules about Rules

2010-06-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

One of the rules of the arts should be to learn all the rules and then break them when necessary to let the genius in you comes through. Rules should not become a prison for the mind, binding it. They should be about how to release the mind so that it soars in the sky of excellence.

Bettie DuChemin Ellens Brilliant John!
8 hours ago ·

Michael Stevens I agree with Bettie: Brilliant!
8 hours ago · LikeUnlike · .

Margaret Agusta I agree absolutely. Rules are tools toward creation and because the very nature of the arts is subversive (toward the exploration of possibilities beyond those already set out) people in the arts will always need to bend and stretch those tools and even break them when necessary to achieve the artistic potential inherent in the creative process.
7 hours ago · LikeUnlike ·

Michael Nickels-Wisdom "Break the rules if doing so is interesting." --Cheryl Clark
7 hours ago · LikeUnlike · 1 person · .

Frankie Lau Excellent and thank u, John. Rules and Laws are not meant to be so absolute and so rigid that they keep us in bondage....we don't just learn the rules of flying....we Soar, WOW! How FREE ;D
7 hours ago · LikeUnlike ·

Tarek Kawa The creation comes after breaking the rules and then this new creation becomes the new rule....
7 hours ago · LikeUnlike ·

Yvonne Augustine re-posting this!!!
5 hours ago · LikeUnlike · .

John Tiong Chunghoo thank you Yvonne. Every John's posting is meant for
all humanity. 5 hours ago · LikeUnlike · 1 person ·

John Tiong Chunghoo even if it helps us grow a little bit. it makes my day.
4 hours ago · LikeUnlike · 1 person · .

Catrina Heart well said John...love your logical way of thinking and how you have concluded what you have learned...break it away!!!
4 hours ago · LikeUnlike · .

Nhut Nakata Even if there is a rule; there's always an
exemption to the rule!
3 hours ago · LikeUnlike · 1 person · .

Nahid Kabiri A very good lesson for the beginners , as well as WORN-OUTS!
about an hour ago · LikeUnlike · .John Potts
understanding

"Learn all the rules
then use them ...
See More

to stand on."

— jp
http://starturl.com/HaikuCrossroads
30 minutes ago · LikeUnlike ·

Collected from Facebook

2010-06-09T09:35:00.001-07:00

Bill Page You have a wonderful mind!

Monday at 6:55pm · Comment · Like · See Wall-to-Wall

Bao Nguyen and Gina Oceguera like this.

John Tiong Chunghoo i think it is a blessing from God.
Monday at 6:58pm ·

John Tiong Chunghoo thank you Bill.
Monday at 6:58pm ·

Gina Oceguera i agree tremendously!!! you really do.I admire very much. GOD bless you always.
Tuesday at 12:18am ·

Haiku - Obama meeting old citizens

2010-06-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama Hosting a tele-town hall meeting with senior citizens across the country to discuss the new health care law and answer questions. Watch live at 11:40 a.m. ET.

Obama - Senior Citizens meet
looking for a new solution
to an old problem...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barack Obama Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has introduced a resolution that would gut the Clean Air Act and increase America's oil dependence by billions of barrels.

Murkowski Resolution
murky costly chaining Americans
to foreign hands...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

travel reporting
the roads
my treadmill

Sheila Michaels, Bao Nguyen, Sandy Hyndman and 7 others like this.

Sandy Hyndman Cool my John.. was just talking to my neighbour.. want to get back to my gym ..think you might be talking about the roads as a treadmill..but anyways brought this to my mind.. thank you.. work to do but the gym helps the work xx
2 hours ago ·

------------------------------------

Myeongdong walk
famous korean actors smile to me
from cardboards

Myeongdong is an upper class shopping enclave in Seoul. It is crowded with Japanese particularly during weekends.

Bernadette Myers, Nahid Kabiri, Tarek Kawa and 9 others like this.

Nhut Nakata Myeongdong is like Ginza in Japan,I heared.
Yesterday at 5:45am ·

John Tiong Chunghoo I was in Ginza but it was in the late 80s, even then Ginza looked more posh and classy than Myeongdong.
Yesterday at 8:07am ·

Christine Michael John, i tried sendng a simple poem/haiku to u ystrday but that sms kept going2 anothr person. Read yr 2.40am haiku this mrng and jst want2let u know that i appreciate it very much. [via Celcom SMS]
Yesterday at 8:16am ·

Nhut Nakata Yes,I think so,too.It's just like an adjective to describe it but not actually the same.I visited Korea years ago and stayed at Lotte hotel in Myeondong and yes,many Japanese tourists in the area.
Yesterday at 8:42am ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Seoul is so popular among the Japanese, there are flights from every major Japanese town.
Yesterday at 9:27

Nahid Kabiri Well done John!...I'll crown this tiny one "Depth of Observation".How about that?
10 hours ago ·

Nahid Kabiri Or"OBSERVATINS!"?
10 hours ago ·

James Hannan Sensory overload Ginza
Heard of it then heard it
And saw
2 hours ago ·

Haiku - River Kaveri

2010-06-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

River Kaveri
the hindu women loosen their hair
saris and the feelings of guilt

Thomas Fortenberry Love that haiku!!!!!
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez This is the most racy Haiku I've read from you, love it!!!!
49 minutes ago ·

Noreen Long I am sharing this one. Thank you for the imagery this a.m.
25 minutes ago ·

Gina Oceguera beautiful thank you for sharing Dear John san.
3 minutes ago ·

THE STORY PUBLISHED IN THE NEW STRAITS TIMES
-----------------------------------------------

http://travel.nst.com.my/Current_News/TravelTimes/article/FeatureStory/20090223164934/Article/index_html

IT sounds like a pilgrimage - travelling by bus over 1,000km in 2½ days to visit four temples, the sacred river Kaveri and a 2,000-year-old dam in Tamil Nadu, India.

Wearing the vibuthi mark — that declared us as Hindus (though we were not) — on our foreheads, we gained access to the sacred sanctums of the temples.

Elsewhere, policemen with machine guns greeted us as it was barely three weeks after the Mumbai terrorist attacks that shook the world late last year.

The atmosphere at the temples was tense. In Madurai, we were refused entry to the Meenakshi Sundareshvara Temple because one of us was carrying a laptop. The policewoman finally relented when an officer convinced her that we were guests of Tamil Nadu Tourism. But the hour-long argument left us with very little time to see the temple thoroughly. Moreover, it was a Friday and the temple closed at 4pm.

Though I entered the sacred shrines at almost every temple we visited, I didn’t do so at Meenakshi because the large crowd waiting to get in proved rather overwhelming.

Everyday, over 10,000 Hindus visit this temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva (incarnated as Sundareshvara) and his consort Parvati (in the form of Meenakshi).

On the temple grounds, I saw a big statue of a calf in a sitting position with its face turned to the main shrine. This was nandi, a heavenly creature that was said to have carried Shiva around. Hindus often whisper their wishes in nandi’s ear so that it would relay them to Shiva.

Devotees lit lamps and placed them in a receptacle at the shrine where there was a smaller nandi statue. In the back was a linga, a spiral image that Hindus believed represented Lord Shiva.

A museum in the temple grounds had statues of the various Hindu gods, especially the various manifestations of Shiva. The central figure was Lord Nataraja (as Shiva, the God Of Dance). There were paintings as well as exotic sculptures of heavenly nymphs.

One particularly stimulating section features ivory carvings of gods and goddesses in dance as well as other more suggestive postures.

Unfortunately, at the time of my visit, all the gopurams (gate towers) of Meenakshi Sundareshvara Temple had been thatched for restoration works.

There are 12 colourful gopurams which, like most gopurams in India, feature a multitude of Hindu gods and sacred animals. The tallest gopuram at the main entrance is 52m high.

On the west side of the temple is the Golden Lotus Tank with stepped banks and a tall brass lamp. It is surrounded by a colonnade with ingenious wall murals of the earthly adventures of Lord Shiva. The ceilings feature circular floral medallions.

Rocky Roads

We had the least problems getting into Jambukeshwara Temple, which we visited barely two hours after touching down in Tiruchirapalli or Trichy as it was more fondly referred to.

To reach the temple, our bus passed through roads and lanes with lots of potholes - November and December are wet months.

The roads were packed with yellow tut-tuts, motorcycles, old and new cars and packed buses as well as cows and goats strolling leisurely along.

I was stricken by the sight of women from the lower castes collecting rubbish and loading them on a cart. The whole scene looked like a page from V.S. Naipaul’s India, A Wounded Civilisation, brought to life.

There were statues at road intersections of historical figures who had contributed to the development of India, like the one of a seated Gandhi wearing a dhoti and reading a book.

The town centre looked like a shanty town as most of the buildings were old. Most of the colour came from temples with towering gopurams, mosques with huge domes and the tall Belgian gothic roof of the Lourdes Church.

The poorer parts of town looked even more depressing. Some grocery stores were nothing more than tiny huts in which oversized owners sat, waiting for customers. One store owner had bottled drinks hanging on the walls of his tiny shop!

Some outlets served coffee, tea and roti prata but our guide Rajan advised us to avoid such eateries in unhygienic surroundings. Sound advice indeed as, on the bus rides in Trichy and Madurai, we saw men simply lifting their dhotis and peeing on the roadside, with scant regard for women passers-by. There was even an open-air toilet.

We didn’t try any of the food and drinks but I had a hot coffee outside the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and at a roadside stall in Madurai. These tasted good and cost only 50 sen. Best of all, I didn’t have a stomach upset after.

Fascinating Temples

Sri Jambukeshwara Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, impressed us with its different sized columns, a startling example of Dravidian architectural symmetry. We were particularly fascinated with a pavilion adorned with shapely heavenly nymphs or apsaras.

The ancient shrine was a dimly-lit and damp stone enclave. The priests chanted as we filed by to look at the sacred linga (a phallic symbol representing Shiva), a natural formation discovered here in ancient times.

Like all ancient Hindu temples, mystery envelops the origins of Sri Jambukeshwara. It was said to have started as a small shrine when the linga was found.

The shrine was expanded upon by the successive rulers of Tamil Nadu especially the Cholas, Pallavas and Pandyas who sought the blessings of the Hindu Trinity Gods of Vishnu (Preserver), Brahma (Creator) and Shiva (Destroyer).

I was given flowers by the priests and I took vibuthi from a tray to place on my forehead. Some devotees placed donations on the tray as thanksgiving.

Temples in India are like large caves with specific enclaves, some dimly lit for their gods and goddesses. The many deities, like Shiva, Sundareshvara or Nataraja, are actually reincarnations of the same God through the ages.

According to the Vedas (ancient scriptures), Buddha was Vishnu in his second last reincarnation. Vishnu had also taken the forms of Krishna and Rama and would be reincarnated as Kalki before the end of this cycle of the world.

Temples are also a favourite haunt of beggars who hang around the entrances as well as along the corridors leading to the various shrines.

At the Rock Fort Temple, we saw men placing long rows of banana leaves on the floor. Food would be served later. The temple provides 200 free lunches daily for the poor.

At Sri Jambukeshwara, we saw large piles of clothing donated by the wealthy.

World’s Oldest Dam

During the height of their power from the 9th to 12th Century, the Cholas controlled much of the Indian Ocean and invaded the Sri Vijaya Empire, the precursor of the Malacca and Johor Empires in the Malay Archipelago.
Many of the kings were able rulers. King Karikalan, for instance, is remembered for the dam that he built 2,000 years ago and which still functions today.
The Kallanai or Grand Anicut was constructed out of stone to divert water to irrigate the fertile Kaveri delta, particularly the Thanjavur district.
The dam was further expanded both by the British and the Indian governments and now operates on electricity. A beautiful white and blue bridge has been constructed over the dam, enhancing its appearance.
A statue of Karikalan mounted on a white horse at the entrance of the dam greeted visitors while a colourful statue of former Tamil Nadu chief minister M.G. Ramachandran in traditional garb stood in a park about five minutes away.
The park is a favourite weekend spot for locals, particularly those who love fishing. A little wall at the river bank indicates the flood levels over the last few decades.

Rock Fort Temple

It is simply amazing. Twenty years ago, I climbed the 272 steps leading to the Batu Caves Temple in Kuala Lumpur and was so tired after the effort. But I was not even panting when I reached the top of Rock Fort Temple in Trichy — a climb of 423 rocky steps.
Dedicated to Lord Ganesh (Elephant God), the temple sits on an 80-metre stone outcrop. The reward at the end of the climb is a circular space with a 360-degree panoramic view of the city.
The Rock Fort Temple also houses a Shiva temple on the lower outcrop which I didn’t enter as a sign outside read: For Hindus Only.
In one of the enclaves on the way up, an elaborate old wall stone carvings was a supreme example of artwork from a long gone era.

Island Temple

In Srirangam, an island in Trichy, is the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, dedicated to Vishnu (The Preserver). The two parts are connected by a large bridge that offers a panoramic view of Kaveri.
To see the extent of this largest temple complex in the world, we climbed to the top of a building in the fourth wall enclosure from where we could see that the temple complex was as big as a town, with seven walled-in enclosures beginning with one for the poor and beggars, a second for chettiar traders while Brahmins are in the third, fourth and fifth sections. There are 21 grand gopurams, the tallest of which is 73m. This forms the main entrance.
One gopuram is white in colour, in memory of those killed while defending their land from the attack of the Moghuls in the 14th Century. A gold top sanctum marks the most sacred area in the temple, barred to non-Hindus. The main shrine features Vishnu in a sleeping pose under a golden dome.

Cleansing Rituals

Hindus in north India bathe in the sacred waters of the Ganges and Indus rivers while those in south India head for the Kaveri to cleanse themselves before making their way to the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. Children as well as men and women can be seen bathing here, fully-clothed.
The river bank is known as Aman Madaman Ghat. On the opposite side is a place where the dead are cremated and their ashes scattered in the river. Groups of Brahmins can be seen seated here, chanting together with family of the deceased. There are several shrines, including one where devotees come to pray to the gods of the nine planets.
Barbers have set up businesses here too, to cut hair for men, a necessary rite after a death of an elder in the family.

Direct Flights

AirAsia is the first Malaysian airline to fly direct to Tiruchirapalli. Since its inaugural flight on Dec 1, 2008, the response had been very encouraging, with a 100 per cent load in January. AirAsia offers flights every morning at 7.40am. For details, please visit airasia.com.
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Haiku ...Wailing Wall

2010-06-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Wailing Wall
echoing in me...this
the Chosen People of God

a hug at 50
a lightness that carries
a thousand tons of meaning

Early summer Haiku

2010-06-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

early summer
she craves for
last year's tan

Daniel Fernandez Hahaha I like that one. Dedicated to all the beach girls.
2 hours ago ·

Niko Nemoto early summer
time for
annual diet
2 hours ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo I used to live by the beach facing Andaman Sea in Langkawi. I had a store, pretty much selling sun tan oil to Caucasians who lazed on the beach all day long.
2 hours ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Haha what happened to the store? What happened to the Caucasians?
2 hours ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Niko, it's too late for annual diet. You should start early fall, not early summer hehe
2 hours ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Fortunately, I left a year before the tsunami struck.
2 hours ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Phuket Patong beach was almost devastated but has now recovered. Langkawi was affected but thanks to the many outlying islands and mangrove swamps, the main island escaped without much damage.
2 hours ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Lucky for you and lucky for us.
2 hours ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Coincidentally, I was in Phuket when the tsunami struck. I stayed in a hotel only about 200 metres from the beach.
2 hours ago ·

Niko Nemoto John-san blinks/tanned girls and tsunami/appears alternately

If it's too late/never mind/your big tummy
2 hours ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Hahahaha Thank you Imouto-san. I'm imagining John-san blinking and confused whether he sees tan girls or tsunami hahaha.
2 hours ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo haiku

langkawi new year's beach
shimmering
the sea and the girls' smile
2 hours ago ·

Daniel Fernandez This looks like a Haiku face-off. It's like a tennis match, I read Haiku here, then I read Haiku there. Keep it up, I'm entertained.
2 hours ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Pantai Cenang for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmVL4egyCo4
about an hour ago ·

Niko Nemoto Daniel-san/it's your turn/to talk like a haiku master
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Thank you John, looks so nice, one day I'll be there. I want those sandals at the beginning of the video.
about an hour ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo this is the beach during high season December - April
always packed with European tourists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDOCnmEC9dk&feature=related
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Daniel-san/can't Haiku/With John and Niko
about an hour ago ·

Rolef von Swedenborg Yes very good as I work in the sun all day
about an hour ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo thank you Daniel, Niko. it is great to know that you are enjoying my postings.
about an hour ago ·

Niko Nemoto Wow, beautiful..... k, I go back to bed before work. Have a nice day ofutari-san (=two of you). See you later :)
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez The beach doesn't look too overcrowded being high season.
about an hour ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo yeah, that is the best part of it.
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez I'm going to bed also, see you John, see you Niko.
about an hour ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo i love your posting today Rolef...

Art is a jealous mistress, and if a man have a genius for painting,
poetry, music, architecture, or philosophy, he makes a bad husband and
an ill provider. —Ralph Waldo Emerson,
about an hour ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Ask Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Vincent van Gogh...
about an hour ago ·

Niko Nemoto Ah, now I see Daniel-san talking like haiku master. I love it :) Thanks John-san for haiku posting. I always appreciate your creativity :) See you later~
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez Haiku is your mistress.
about an hour ago ·

Daniel Fernandez ....Vincent van Gogh, John Tiong......
about an hour ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo yes

haiku magic
sparse words that get the world talking
back to me
about an hour ago ·

Nahid Kabiri Brilliant!
about an hour ago ·

Catrina Heart I am learning from your haiku/senryu...
about an hour ago ·

Santha Suppiah Miles early June
I think I'll keep
my natural tan.

hehehe. don't be cross w/me.
about an hour ago ·

Nick Dockerty That is just sublime john. Brilliant. Hope you're well?
about an hour ago ·

Frankie Lau John-san, sahabatku...your haiku never fails to open up a sea of conversations. Facinating, really! Arigato gozaimasu for keeping our imagination alive... 0)
about an hour ago ·

John Potts
after roasting on the beach
her skin fell
off

— jp
http://starturl.com/HaikuCrossroads
36 minutes ago ·

John Tiong Chunghoo Yes, John it is so true. I once saw a man walking to my shop
his skin peeling off like an old coat of rubber paint.
29 minutes ago ·

John Potts Please, John, I'm eating a chicken's leg!

— jp
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5666139&id=523632663&comments&ref=mf
23 seconds ago ·