The bitch of all bitches is finally here!

When one spends as much time with birds in the wild. As I do – one can sense and intuit when they are happy, sad, fearful, anxious etc etc.

One knows it deep in the marrow of one’s bones – this is what means to be one with a thing….

This afternoon at around six. My friends. The birds started to behave very strangely.

They all flew frantically in tight ‘S’ figures and their cackling was reduced from the usual three to only two stanza’s.

My friends, the birds sense something evil coming this way….they are trying to warn me!

I checked my homemade weather system – the barometric pressure was normal. So was the humidity, this time of the year – it’s at a balmy 85%. There is really nothing unusual going on…it’s the way it’s always been.

But my friends the birds. They are never wrong – they can sense things beyond the range of even the most sophisticated weather instruments….and they all love me.

They are all telling me, ‘run farmer….run as fast as your legs can take you!’

She is finally here!

La Niña!

Preparing for the big one – La Niña & Trump

I don’t care very much for Mr Trump’s variety of politics…I care even less for Hilary Clinton’s.

I am only interested in so far as both presidential candidates have publicly announced they are against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) – an evil plan hatched by US big businesses to consolidate their global reach under the guise of promoting free trade.

If you scroll thru my blog circa 2015. I told you all that I will do everything possible to scuttle this evil pact – since I am a member in virtually every farming forum in the world…I spend at least fifteen minutes everyday writing propaganda against the TPP…fortunately most farmers are kind enough to make allowances for my mangled grammar, atrocious spelling and poor sentence construction.

I wrote to Obama, Trump, Mr & Mrs Clinton, Sanders and at least thirty politicians in Congress stating the reasons why I and the 20,000 farmers worldwide was opposed to the TPP.

I oppose TPP not for the same reasons as Trump and Clinton – but because I consider it the mother of all mistakes to seek to boost peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific region by strategically excluding China….to me boxing up China is the most ludicrous idea I have ever heard.

I also happen to believe doing that would be geo politically dangerous for reasons that I will hope to elaborate further in a future blog entry.

Another reason why I oppose the TPP under the strongest possible terms is because it has nothing whatsoever to do with ‘free’ trade and everything to do with preserving the primacy and hegemony of corporations on the cheap without them having to create any new value….extending the life of patents, copyrights and trade marks is just one of many examples not to mention increasing the price of medication arbitrarily by constructing a regional architecture of supranational laws that effective bind member states to the proposed TPP terms and conditions – this confers US corporations absolute and unmitigated powers to do whatever they like at the expense of the common man.

Now that the TPP is dead….I can at last put down my writing instrument and rest.

Yes…it is finally dead.

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‘If the TPP is really about promoting peace and free trade. Then I am all for it!

But from what little I have been able to beacon out from the murk (most of the negotiations are conducted in secret) it’s just a cheap back door caper to keep fat cat corporations rich and powerful without having to add anything new into the pot…now I am not a communist. I am not against rich people per se – what I am against is the idea of a free ride….and that is exactly what the TPP proposes to do!

It will not be wrong to say – the TPP is just a lazy man’s con job based on the corrosive something out of nothing culture that is so prevalent these days.

You get no free rides from me! Not even when it seems you’re getting it.

First time I deal with anyone…it’s like signing a pact with the devil…I rarely ever haggle about price not even when it’s up there in the stratosphere…it’s all for the taking…for the FIRST time ONLY!

But if I don’t get what I paid for.

My advise to that person is please close shop. Because I am going to make sure you never ever get a repeat order from me or my circle of friends ever again. And that’s really the pithy summary of ALL ‘free’ trade agreements it seems, it’s the same story with the WTO, Nafta etc etc.

The politicians say it’s all about increasing the aperture of opportunities and increasing wealth at the base – but in reality, it’s the direct opposite….if what they said was true, then why did so many people in the UK vote in favor of Brexit?

So to me the politicians and power brokers have no one to blame but themselves whenever they moot the idea of anything that comes with the prefix of ‘free’, especially when it’s coupled with trade no sane person believes them….as 30 years of historical precedents proves conclusively usually it’s got nothing whatsoever to do with free trade and everything to do with the preserving the hegemony of the elites.

Like I said, if you want to enjoy the fruits of wealth…you should work for it like most hard working folk – start by putting in a honest day’s work – instead of just sitting down on your fat ass and creaming off the top!

Get lost!’

Living like a proletariat and thinking like a CEO

I never ever thought that I could possibly get so lucky. As to get three straight days of hot sun without a single drop of rain at the tail end of July….not after the relentless rains last week and the week before.

This unexpected break in the weather gives me a rare window of opportunity to finish off the final leg of my earth works in the most flood prone sections of my land – which I didn’t have time to complete as I misread the weather terribly in early July.

But to make full use of this window of opportunity. I’ve had to move super fast and there was no room for mistakes or digging stuff that wasn’t put right the first time!

The work would have been impossibly dangerous during the rainy spell…but with last three days of scorching sun, the soil was just right….not too hard or slushy…just perfect.

Today I made a 24 hour decision to restart from where I last left off my outstanding earth works.

Woke up at five to study and memorize the flood prevention blueprints. By day break – all the heavy machinery and materials arrived at site to dig up sections of laterite roads that needs laying subterranean pipes…it was still sunny and dry – however, last minute, the earth works contractor phoned up to tell me he needs to increase the price due to the ultra short notification – I told him to go back and sleep…you are optional lah!

Did the river surveying, leveling and got the work done myself.

All finished by six sharp in the afternoon….I am so incredibly dead beat tired, but very happy. As the uncompleted sections have been bothering me all of this month and I had long since reconcile myself to the prospects of the worst case scenario – it’s not everyday that I get an opportunity to press the pause button and the world suddenly stops spinning. Only to go right back where I last left off to right the things that need righting. I wish I could do that for other areas in my life. I am very lucky this time round. I am very happy.

After the last drainage pipes were buried and roads resurfaced… the rains resumed. Just in the nick of time. Now I am ready for the big one!

Bring it on lah!

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‘Most of life is perception driven…it’s not based on reality. Usually we transpose our own understanding of how the world is or should be on the bare facts that we are presented with. Most people don’t ever bother with the winnowing part…to separate truth from lies…fact from conjecture. Experience informs me quite reliably on almost every occasion – they just take and run with whatever little they have.

That’s life!

This underscores the importance of managing perception.

Take the case of fall guy No.1. How does he come across to you?

Well for starters he happens to be fat. Now I’ve got to be very honest with you all – I have nothing against fat folk. In fact some of my best friends happen to be fatties….but my opinion hardly matters in how YOU go about forming first impression judgements about people…and that’s a fact.

Do people have a right to judge others based on how they come across – again that’s irrelevant. As my point is people do regularly judge others whether you think it good, bad or neutral. And usually they do so based on imperfect information. We all do this hundreds or perhaps thousands of times every week.

It’s part and parcel of the human condition.

Let me give you an example by throwing out another rhetorical question – do most people think (real or imagined) fat people are greedy and lazy? Does fall guy No.1 fit the bill?

Mind you. The question I just asked has nothing whatsoever to do with whether I believe fat people are greedy and lazy?

See my point – my opinion doesn’t feature in your decision making process about people and what attributes they may or may not have.

See what I am getting at?

Now I am not for one moment saying fall guy No.1 would have it any easier if he to look like one of those six packed korean actors in the descendants of the sun – but then again it wouldn’t do him any harm either. As there is no denying looks certainly plays a preponderant role in how we usually form judgements and opinions about others.

I am always mindful of this reality. Or should I say human failing – that’s why I try to stay within the working class quadrant whenever possible….that’s to say, I much prefer to dress in field wear and even if I happen to attend a formal function….usually I am dressed in my bush jacket…it’s my way of insulating my tiny world from the world. Here I am just like everyone else. Sometimes it’s best not to stand out from the crowd and just blend right in like wallpaper. It’s a sort of camouflage.

The whole idea is to create the impression of a man who is perfectly comfortable with the outdoors – that’s after my office!…you could even say it’s a sort of calling card or trade mark by which others know me by.

By the way, what’s YOUR calling card or trade mark by which others know you by?’

I really don’t think he’s a con man lah!

A con man is a fraudster! He is someone with no morality and principles – this JL chap gives millions to charitable causes…so to me there is something very wrong with the picture…..besides he comes from a very prestigious and wealthy family….so he already a millionaire even before he got involved in 1 MDB.

I have already warned all my regular readers to be mindful of greatest Bo Lang Ai of Singapore, Bertha Henson as she is a sort of woman who likes to make unsubstantiated statements concerning people.

I will not comment on what her blog wrote about fall guy No.1.

Yes I know the DoJ civil suit looks very bad and incriminating – then again it’s America. In the US even if you fart in a lift, people can sue you for attempted murder. As they will claim drama mama style (real or imagined) you had every intention to poison the air and snuff them out…so let us try to stand back and look at the facts objectively.

As at the end of the day one cannot run away from company law and the fiduciary duties of the board of directors to their stakeholders.

What baffles me no end about this circus show is I have only been asking one question since this whole capper erupted – who in the board of directors signed off on the dotted line to give fatty the $? Every time I do that….some idiot jumps out like a demented Jack in the box and throws a smoke grenade by shouting out, ‘he partied with Paris Hilton’ ‘Megan Fox is his girlfren’ etc…..to me this is all obiter i.e it’s irrelevant.

As in the final analysis IF the board did not sign off…fatty could have done absolutely nothing.

So as you can all see….there is a huge conspiracy here to fashion a fall guy to take the blame…..and I don’t want to be part of the lynch mob. I am not saying evil people should not pay their dues…..only I don’t believe for one moment it’s so simple Simon like everyone says it is….that’s all…for the moment.’

Lessons from the impending epic fall of Mr J.Lwo

One must always strive to go along with the rhythm of life….to be in the groove simply means one seeks harmony, symmetry and balance with the prevailing mood of the times.

When conditions are hard and unrelenting for many, it pays for one to remain modest, somber and discreet.

Eat the same food as your workers…work along side them when it rains….share their joys and hardships.

Be humble and observe how when the bamboo grows taller it bows with utter humility to the earth….this is the natural rhythm of a harmonious and well balanced life.

This way one will always be loved by all as one is always going along with the rhythm of life and not against it.

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‘What people don’t realize is just the mere act of breathing, living and going about one’s business in life can often inflict pain on others….especially when we are not mindful of the rhythm of life.

No one is saying an industrious man doesn’t have every right to spend his hard earned money…..I am not a communist…only this should always be done with utmost care and consideration to the prevailing conditions in one’s community.

Just be discreet….and low profile…..there is a time and place for everything…choose it wisely.

Truth is most people don’t ever mind if you happen to be doing better than them – but be mindful never to rub their noses into the dirt by living your life in such a brazen manner where you are constantly highlighting the disparity in wealth, living standards and opportunities between your lifestyle and theirs…if you do that, they will gawk at you at first…then, they will whisper amongst themselves, ‘why is my life so hard and his is so easy and comfy’. Soon you will bring out the worst in others.

But if one is mindful of this reality…one will always see the need to manage perception and strive to live a simple life free from all the delusions of affectations.

This is the philosophy of living that I have always preached long even before the 1 MDB saga came into the scene….iron discipline to live a spartan, simple and unpretentious life.’

Will 1 MDB fallout affect SG

The civil lawsuit filed by the US Dept of Justice is just a prelude to many other things that will happen – it’s the first phase, akin to kicking a ball off a mountain….as the investigators begin to drill deeper….more incriminating evidence is likely to emerge….the case will gather momentum.

As it is there is now an urgent and pressing need to find a fall guy to take the heat away from the center….the pressure must be stifling, as when the Americans decide to sink their teeth usually they never hold back….I do not have any idea who the No.1 public official may be. And even if I know of his identity….I have to be on the defensive. That suits me very well. As it states my position clearly and classifies my opponents exactly as I think they are. Or must be under these trying circumstances.

Having said all that, I have a very good idea who the No.1 fall guy would have to be.

This is really not a question of who is right or wrong, it’s Shakespearian….

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‘So far the racial card has not be played….but as the pressure is ratcheted up…I see this as inevitable. As it’s either that or broke.

Besides fall guy No.1 is the right race to pin the blame on and to exacerbate matters alcohol and women along with loads of $ is involved…let me be frank, he gave them the bullets they need to plug him ten times over by living the life of the rich and famous quite brazenly…so from a PR angle, he’s damaged goods!

I want you to understand this has nothing to do with culpability and intent. Rather it’s all about managing perception.

Most people unfortunately have very little inkling how a company works or is even supposed to work…so they’re not going to ask jugular questions like who in the board signed off on the dotted line for this and that…you and I know those are the right and perhaps only questions to ask.

But again. This is not about the business of getting at the truth as much as manufacturing one believable version of the ‘truth’ i.e it has more to do with the art of managing perception – how one spins the story seems to be more important. Added to that there is plenty of raw material there to fashion a fall guy. Personally I feel very sorry for fall guy No.1. Because to be perfectly honest with you his only mistake in life is not have the good fortune to read my blog.

If he had done just that – first of all he wouldn’t be a fatty….he would be a lithe 5% body fat and the rest muscle like more – he would just be going around town in a cute lime green cherry QQ, gyming in Safra, chowing on mee pok and the only highlight of his day would be Milo dinosaur…that’s to say if he read my blog regularly he would have kept an ultra low profile or maybe we would advise him to impersonate a farmer, ride a roti man black bicycle from time to time and pretend to borrow money from people who are poorer than him. Meanwhile all his money would be invested in opaque Africa and the Ukraine, where he could just as well get the same if not better ROI on his investments.

Most importantly if fall guy No.1 read my blog regularly – he would have audio and video recorded every encounter with those double faced sharks that makes the watergate tapes look like a prologue. Divided the information into three packages, encrypted it with an auto send by satellite program and mail to Julian Assange, if for any reason he doesn’t log into his virtual account at 24 hour intervals…this was his biggest mistake…as it is, he’s got no proof of his innocence and their malevolence….he’s out in the cold.

What do I think about fall guy No.1? He didn’t do anything wrong or perhaps I should say, he couldn’t have done anything wrong if the board of directors didn’t at least give him their tacit approval by signing off – but that’s not really the case is it…as in the final analysis all one can really see is a spoilt brat who doesn’t mind splurging millions just to rub shoulders with the rich and famous with lashings of Cristal Champagne that comes at $500 a pop.

Now that the US Dept of Justice is involved. I can’t see how Singapore can help public official No.1 cover his tracks even if they want too. Recently MAS publicly named and shamed a couple of homegrown banks for their lack of good governance – but then again what choice did they have when the US is drilling fast and furious….so if MAS want to keep its appellation as a world class financial center, it can’t be seeing playing pariah dog games…that means in the long run, it will have to cooperate by disclosing more information.

And again since relations between Singapore and Malaysia is defined not only along racial lines, but also by the condescending ‘abang adik’ historicism – this once again can be given a spin to come out as something other than what it actually is.

The question now is where will this US Dept of Justice civil suit go? Will it at some point transition to a criminal case?

I see that as inevitable.

The only reason why I feel it’s necessary to ask this question is because the level of spin the story will be given is inversely proportional to level of damage that is likely to affect public official No.1 and his clique….the higher the penalties…the higher the spin and the more incentive to play the racial card.

It seems we live in interesting times.’

Mixing with people wisely

If you mix around with crooks, liars and cheats. You will also end up being a crook, liar and cheat.

If you mix around with violent people who only know how to solve problems by intimidating and bullying the innocent…you will also end up being a samseng (two bit gangster) and eventually you too can only resolve problems by intimidation and bullying.

But if you mix around with people who have principles and take life very seriously and are always mindful to treat others the way they want to be treated…you too can only become like them as well.

Above all one must absolutely cultivate a love for one’s own company….if a man is always restless when he’s not connected to others. If he’s always afraid of doing things all by himself and constantly needs the reaffirmation of friends by his side to supply him encouragement and support. Or regards loneliness as a form of mental torture like solitary confinement, that simply demonstrates, he is still very much a stranger to himself – he hasn’t really got to know himself yet. This man has not bothered with cultivating knowledge about who he really is – that is why the idea of being alone is filled with so much foreboding.

The moral of the story is if you find there are no good people around, it’s better for one to be alone with a good book.

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‘Most men don’t have the discipline to control money. Money controls them!

As soon as they come to a bit of money, you will see a radical change in their lifestyle…values and who they used to be …they become another human being…..they will go out more often…they will suddenly feel the need to connect with others and even be very high profile and flamboyant, like that fatty Jho Low.

They will be seen here, there and everywhere…and that is very normal. As money will attract all sorts of funny people who would never come into your life at all…if you are just an ordinary Joe.

Every night they will go out drinking with their buddies and fraternize with prostitutes….and in no time they will end up losing themselves along with their fortune.

A fool and his money always parts!

I have seen this first hand happening to some of own friends and on every single occasion – I have asked myself WHY?

But the man who is in full control of $. You will never find him doing all this stupid things. Never!…he is a very homely guy…probably doesn’t even go out after seven at night.

You don’t see him looking outside of himself to seek the approval, affirmation and validation of strangers like the fabled drug addict craving for his next fix!

As to this man knows $ is a just illusion – yes…money can open many door…good and evil….but it can also close many doors as well that you want to keep open – and since this man knows both sides of the coin of money….you will always find he is always alone with a book.

That is why people often say, it’s very lonely at the top.

But to me, being alone is not suffering….not at all. It too long the world has programmed most people to believe in that ridiculous idea, that is the only reason why being alone or not having anyone to share the day is often considered a form of purgatory – but if one cannot even enjoy the solitude of the self…then how can one possibly be comfortable in one’s own skin?’

Why 1 MDB will never go away

Let us not even discuss the subject…not yet. Let us just try to put the sums into some kind of understandable scale and perspective…..please try to suspend disbelief for one moment and just take a step back and look at it.

Yes….It is so incredibly big! We are not talking about loose change here!

It’s so big it’s like a bloody jumbo jet parked outside your neighborhood or an obese elephant standing right in the middle of your living room…so how can it just disappear from the public consciousness?

Is it even reasonable or for that matter sane to expect it to just disappear?

Even if you ask David Copperfield to make it all disappear…he will tell you…I surrender!

So what are you going to do, put everyone in jail just because they are thinking and talking about 1MDB?

What kind of logic is that?

Like I said, it’s so big! The sums involves are incredibly big…so big that it defies all manner of description….so how can it simply be wished away.

Only very crazy people expect it to disappear with a wave of the magic wand.

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‘The Americans are now starting an investigation into money laundering allegations involving 1MDB….so to me this matter will be seen to it’s logical end. Say what you want about America, say that they are a confused lot and there are a lot of things that are not working there – but you cannot say they don’t have a first class top drawer rule of law, staffed by very professional people who take their jobs very seriously…so seriously that even the Richard Nixon the President of the US was once impeached and had to leave the White House in disgrace!

So let us be sane and reasonable and realistic here….the US is not a country where the No.1 person can just pick up the phone and ask the Attorney General to make the file disappear…this cannot be done in the US. As the doctrine of separation of powers that delineates the responsibilities of the executive, legislature and judiciary is so well defined and clearly delineated.

It is not like a banana republic where the dictator can do all sorts of funny things and still get away with it…in the US, despite their many faults, they will certainly get down to the truth….so in my humble assessment, the truth will certainly come out.

It is not a question of whether the truth will emerge and see the light of day, but rather when…that is all there is to the matter.

So to me I cannot really understand the mentality of those who say this is matter that one should not even think or discuss openly – my feel is these people who make such statements are not reasonable….realistic or even sound…they are not!’

An example of knowing how to take advantage of the ryhthm of things

Many of my regular readers have written to me. Requesting that I clarify further on the wisdom of knowing the rhythm of things…allow me to illustrate this by way of a case study.

I cannot remember exactly, maybe it was a year and half back ago. Yes, that was just around the time when a woman from the village approached me and asked whether I could reason with her ‘wayward’ husband…according to this woman, her husband has been spending a lot of time outside his home….in between tending their modest veggie patch, he whiles his time mostly in the kopitiam (village cafe) gossiping with other no hopers…in the evenings, he drinks till the late hours and only returns home when everyone is sound asleep.

I know of this woman and her ways….

So I was very frank with her….you are always raising your voice, I told her. The very moment your husband wakes up. Even before his foot can touch the floor – you have already ambushed him with all your guns blazing….this is not right, that is wrong…you should have done this, not that…why are you like this all the time and not like that… etc etc.

Can you imagine waking up to shouting…not occasionally, but every morning like an alarm clock!

Even if you do this to an animal such as a dog whenever he sees you…he will run as far and fast as possible. That is because everyone seeks peace, calmness and quietness.

Can you imagine starting a new day with that sort of jarring rhythm?

I merely advised this woman to only bring out controversial issues two hours after dinner and try not to speak in a soft tone.

She took my advice. Soon her wayward husband returned home more often and these days he is seldom seen loitering aimlessly around like a restless ghost.

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‘Do not bring out the worse in people. If you cannot make others happy and calm or even lack the knowledge to bring out the best in others, that is OK.

But never set out to make them sad, anxious and fearful….that’s evil!

Yes! In my book I see that as an evil act!

As not only is it selfish, but it also demonstrates very clearly a person who regularly does this to others is also someone who doesn’t realize the importance of treating others the way they want to be treated….they actually believe they are superior to those they r inflicting all this pain on! So if that is not the definition of evil, then I don’t know what is!

Because if you do not respect the rhythm of others – you cannot blame them, if they don’t want to associate with you.

This is very natural…that is why no sane person goes up to a cobra and disturbs it or pulls out the whiskers of a tiger! Only people who look for trouble do that!

Soon that negative association concerning you will be so strong and powerful that it will simply become a fact of life to others and they will not even give you an opportunity to make things right any longer….in other words, they have given up completely on you!

Once that end point is breached! They will consign you to the rubbish heap of their mind with a big label that simply reads ‘trouble.’ It is really the case of Amos Yee, people will only give you so much allowances to make mistakes….but if it keeps on going on and on…they will just give up and say…go and die lah!

No one is saying you cannot put your case across – you can! ONLY choose the right place and time to do it. Only never use others as a punching bag just to take out your frustrations…don’t!

Like I said when you do that, you are disrupting the rhythm of others consciously with malice after thought so that is evil!

Choose the right time when a man or woman is calm and his or her defenses is lowest when they are at rest to raise controversial issues. Learn how to create a congenial and friendly atmosphere before raising divisive issues for discussion.

As that is when the person you hope to influence is most receptive to constructive criticism…this is not extraordinary wisdom…it is just good olde fashion common sense – this way your advise will always go down very well. This way, they are most likely to agree rather than disagree with you and even if they don’t agree with you….they will be able to think it thru without anger or resentment.

By just abiding by this simple rule of life. At least you are considerate enough not to destroy their rhythm…by just doing this alone, it demonstrates you are a wise person who knows how to bring out the best in people to resolve conflict in an intelligent manner….this is the defining difference between the man who knows how to make things better and the one who always seems to make things worse.’

Why is it so important to know the rhythm…

….of people, animals, things and events.

Two weeks ago. An Alsatian bitch gave birth. My friend was very excited as this is his first litter. But he had some reservations as he went on to share with me – where his dog gave birth is not a very comfortable place for her. Since it is now the rainy season both he and his wife have set aside a comfortable corner in their porch with dry blankets. He told me that they plan to move her this weekend.

I advised against that idea very strongly. As I told him in very clear terms, his dog will get aggressive and bite either him or his wife or both should he attempt to move her. He laughed and told me, she has been with us for five years, why would she bite us, we mean well….I replied, you don’t seem to understand…this is not the dog you used to know….this a completely new dog. When a dog or even a woman gives birth to another life form…a new being is born…the dog who was not a mother existed before. But this new dog who is now a mother is a completely new creation….a new dog….that her own rhythm…so don’t disturb her.

Please do not move here….leave her alone. Those were my final words to him.

Today I heard when my friend tried to move his dog…the dog turned on him.

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‘When one becomes sensitive to the rhythm of things, people, animals, events etc etc….one is able to go with the flow rather than against it.

In Kendo, the way of the sword. A common trick frequently used by very skilled exponents is to destroy the rhythm of the opponent – once this is accomplished, it is impossible for the adversary to either launch or fend off an attack….he’s form is broken in two….he’s completely vulnerable.

Same holds true for a man and woman as well – a woman has her menstrual cycle…the man has his peak and low days. In the case of the man, this may not be apparent…but trust me…these cycles are continually swinging from left to right like a pendulum.

Be sensitive to this inner rhythm…be mindful of the rhythm of others around you as well.

When one becomes sensitive to one’s inner rhythm….others can never intimidate, irritate or bring out the worst in you – as since one is ALWAYS mindful of one’s rhythm like the swing of a pendulum, one’s mind will always have enough momentum to find it’s own speed and cadence to keep the swing from left to right rhythmically irrespective of what is happening around, so the mind is always calm, still and steady under every possible condition known to man…you can even try to incarcerate this man in prison….deploy psychological warfare….resort to threats and intimidation….it will all bounce off him…zero effect.

You are just wasting your time, opportunity cost and energy….might as well go and plough the bloody sea.

As to be at one with one’s rhythm creates a natural force field that serves to protect our being….the more one is able to sense one’s inner rhythm of being…the stronger this force field becomes. Till this invisible circle cannot be broken.’

The bullet train from SG to KL

Look! This is a game changer…but if Singaporeans are going to get the sweet end of the deal. They have to start preparing now….as when the Japanese say it can all be built, operated and handed over in seven years…seven years it will be. The Japanese are ultra serious when it comes to trains, they are not like those amateurs in SMRT..so you better believe it!

Seven years is not very long from now…

(1) Learn how to speak and write Bahasa Melayu.

The standard of spoken and written English is deteriorating fast and furious in Malaysia…even in the cities the youths cannot speak it well and when they do, it is not only hazardous, but also nonsensical as well. Who is to blame for this rot? Is not the objective of this entry, only understand the important….it is what it is….so if you want to maximize your opportunities in Malaysia, you have to learn to speak and write BM proficiently…it is strategic..this is not difficult in Singapore. More importantly cultivate Malay friends as the demographics along the high speed rail would have changed in seven years into the future. Learn their ways, be adept like a secret agent.

The govt will never tell you this with such candor…as this people do not have either foresight or wisdom to see the wider social ramifications of how the HSR will transform the social and cultural DNA of SG.

(2) Cultivate Malaysian friends.

Now that we are all wearing our secret agent balaclava…this is a MUST. As only Malaysians who have lived and grown up along the route of the HSR can supply you first class intelligence.

This is vital to increase your chances of success – without this there can be no decisive victory….you must have near perfect intelligence otherwise it is virtually to plan to effectively….otherwise theory can never be translated into reality with the highest degree of planning fidelity.

Again this can be easily done….if you are a male, all you have to do is broadcast I prefer Malaysian to SG gals…next thing ten lorries will appear with two metric tons internal beauties….so I will leave the HOW to most of you to flesh out yourself.

(3) Learn to be comfortable with Malaysians and Malaysia.

Singapore is very well administered country when compared to messy Malaysia…this often provokes a lot of fear, anxiety and nervousness amongst Singaporeans….as a consequence at a sub consciousness level at least most Singaporeans are fearful of doing anything long term in Malaysia.

I can understand their concerns and even anxieties…as to be quite frank Malaysia is a very corrupt and messy country and it is likely to get more corrupt and messy in the next seven years!

This mental programming FIRST needs to be smashed…if it is still enable…even so much as slightly, it is not possible for one to move to the discomfort zone confidently to accomplish the mission….you will fail.

Study and research my advise well…I mean well.

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‘In my mind there are only two types of people who are in business. The first will go from strenght to strenght and win eight out of ten times. The other can only fail…they will start of well, but soon as the number of problems multiply, they will be either be so overwhelm or run out of reserves to continue. Eventually they will throw in the towel and put the blame on everything from a lousy business model to blaming the market for not appreciating what they have to offer.

The defining difference between the former and latter is simply this, the man who succeeds is very serious…as to him, business is war!

I fully appreciate this would probably come across as a very brutalized version of business and even politically incorrect way to describe running an enterprise – but to me, it is what it is…after all, you are probably going to sell everything along with put all your life savings into this endeavor…and even if you don’t plan to do this, you may have too!….you are probably going to put in twelve to sixteen hours a day…seven days a week in the early stages of growing your enterprise. This is normal as well. So to me failure is not an option at all.

The gold standard is to get it right the first time!

I realize most politicians and leaders will talk about the importance of cultivating a spirit of going where no mind dares to go and maybe why it is important to migrate out of your comfort zone….but to me, these are not as important as setting the right attitude to succeed….in my opinion, it requires seriousness first and foremost….everything else follows thereafter!

The serious attitude is key!

As a serious outlook to business requires one to adopt a warlike attitude….this I fully appreciate is a repugnant idea to most Singaporeans as the very word ‘war’ implies conflict and the opposite of everything that one desires…peace, harmony and continuity.

But I don’t see it in that sense at all…to me when I use the aphorism: business is war! It simply means that one is fully conscious and under no influence of any delusions that it can be anything else other than a very serious life and death endeavor.

Understand this! I cannot emphasize the importance of this strongly enough!’

Who are you….really?

This afternoon while attending a bankers garden luncheon….a very curious lady who had been observing my fingers asked, ‘your fingers are all plastered…did you have an accident?

I replied sonorously, ‘no…it’s an occupational liability..I have been moving rocks to prepare for the rainy season.’

‘May I ask….what do you do for a living?’

I replied quite naturally, ‘I am a simple farmer.’

I could tell from this lady’s body language, she was slightly taken aback and not very impressed by my credentials….but I do not blame her, as I can also tell, the woman who had been so surprised by my reply was searching for something else.

She then went to ask further..or maybe I should say, it was yet another woman in this woman who asked this other question…are you really just a farmer?

I replied, ‘yes…amongst all other men in the man who likes to call himself the individual…you have my word…you are most certainly having a conversation NOW with the man who is JUST a farmer.’

She was very confused by my answer….but it did not matter…it’s was a social function and soon like a cloud that flits off somewhere else another woman in the same woman I was talking too, asked another question thereby changing the subject and the conversation moved on to other things.

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‘Man has no such thing as a single individual identity commonly referred to as ‘I.’ This concept of singularity of one’s character is a complete fabrication of society….it’s an assumption…it’s imputed…a fait accompli.

If you want prove that what I am sharing with you is not bullshit, but rather the truth and nothing but the truth….all that needs to be done is to have a conversation with someone…anyone will do…ONLY this time…listen and observe very carefully and hold on to what I have just shared with you – listen to the sound of their voice….the topic and how they describe their objects of interest….observe how they verbalize their thoughts with their selection of words along with their expressions…sense their many yearnings, desires, curiosities, fears and doubts in the way they express themselves.

As one cultivates the art of listening and observing with a still mind. Soon you will discover the person who you’re talking too isn’t a single person…rather it’s like one of those Russian dances where someone jumps into the circle dances only for another to jump in and this goes on and on…soon you will even discover you are not having a conversation with only one person…although there is only both of you.

By listening and observing with a very still mind one will be able to seek out the many separate small “i”s in a single person without too much difficulty – very often these separate identities that reside in someone is entirely unknown to even the person you are talking too.

That is quite normal…the person who you are conversing with is not a psycho…there is nothing fundamentally wrong with him or her upstairs.

As you practice this more and more…the art of listening and observing with a very still mind – you will find this is the nature of man.

As I mentioned earlier…most of us have been brainwashed to believe in the idea, there is only ‘I.’ There is no one else except this single individual who accounts for all our thoughts, acts and omissions.

But that is NOT true…not at all – it is ONLY when we are mentally sensitive enough to sense the different personalities running around in our OWN heads FIRST….that we can begin to see the same in others as well….only then can we begin to clarify the idea of who really is the real ‘I.’

Only AFTER we have sought out in our own consciousness the true ‘I’ and make every effort to ignore the other false men who are constantly running around in our heads and distracting us all the time….only AFTER fellowshipping with this true ‘I’ for days, weeks, months and years and steadfastly ignoring the rest…only then can one begin to make real progress in understanding our nature better…..who is the real ‘I’

Who were truly are….which is a very different conception from who you think or others think you are.

Without this foreknowledge, one will simply have to go through life like a man living in a mad house….and this is actually how most people live their life without truly knowing who they are.

I do not for one moment pretend this insight is a simple subject to understand…it is not – that is why this entry is longer than usual and should you find your patience straining to complete this article…just be mindful another man in you has jumped into the circle and told you to speed read thru this….but hold on to what I said.

Every statement a person makes….every gesture…every act and reaction is an entirely different man within the many men who reside in only one man….a moment ago it was a fleeting thought, now it is a desire, or a sensation, another thought again maybe…a yearning perhaps and so this goes on endlessly thru out the course of a single conversation with any person….and on and on.

It is only when one knows oneself completely that one is able to recognize that man is really only the sum of all his plurality of personalities.’

Respecting the rhythm of others

Yesterday I came across a very angry man….he was so flustered that someone did not lock the common gate…steam was literally shooting out at full blast from both his ears. He was like a hand grenade with the pin slowly wriggling itself out….he was going to explode at any moment.

I knew instinctively…I cannot follow the rhythm of this angry man…but how does one go about the business of restoring calmness to a mind that is in turmoil?

This man kept asking me in a fuming tone, ‘do you know who is the bastard that keeps going in and out without ever bothering to lock the gate?’

I told him….I know who it is…..but I will only tell you….if you help me fill the wheel barrow with rocks instead of just standing there and fuming like a spoilt child – he agreed grudgingly. Soon we were taking turns pushing the rocks up a very steep incline….all the while, this man kept asking me the same question in an angry tone.

Eventually as the cadence and rhythm of work seeped into his being and with each wheel barrow of rocks, it seeped deeper and deeper into the marrow of his bones…I could tell, his features were no longer strained. Gone was his anger….he was now in my world….following my rhythm.

After completing three loads that was when we sat together underneath a tree for a water break….I asked the once angry man…do you want to know now, who it is that keeps using the gate without ever locking it?

The man who was once angry was now very calm. He simply replied, that’s not important to me any longer
….I understand now what you are trying to tell me.

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‘Everything in this world and beyond our tiny planet….absolutely everything in this whole universe that incidentally includes you, I, and the greater ‘them’….ALL have a rhythm – it is only when we still our minds that it’s possible for one to discern the rhythm deep within the core of things, people and events….the rhythm of how one season bows out to another…the rhythm of getting something done….the rhythm of old, middle aged and youths….the rhythm of trees germinating, fruiting and eventually dying…the rhythm of waves breaking at the shoreline…..the rhythm of rains before during and after….the rhythm of how humans interact with each other when they work, play and live together – it is only thru patient observation that one is able to discern the core of things, people and events – everything in this world abides by it’s own unique rhythm – it is only when we cultivate an observant eye and gather knowledge on the rhythm of things, people and events can we truly understand HOW to harmonize …harmony in relationships…harmony in bringing about change…harmony even in managing oneself and others……without this foreknowledge it is impossible to bring out the best in people and things around you….you will always be stepping on the toes of others…always out of sync and no one will ever want to be part of your world.

Still your mind…be observant and you will sense it…the rhythm in all things.

Living an experimental hermit’s life

These days I spend most of my days in my plantation. I rarely ever go down to the village any longer. I find the company of my dogs quite sufficient. I work mostly with my hands under the hot sun…..the only thought I seem to ever hold on too for any period of time is to remind myself constantly to drink as much water as I can – I used to go back to the plantation house when the sun is highest at two, but these days, I prefer to chow in the field – I find that whenever I return back for any reason…I rarely ever come out again…I know it doesn’t sound like much of a life, then again…I am never truly alone even when I am…never.

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‘If you set out in life to be liked by everyone. You must be prepared to compromise on everything under the sun, and since you are have spread yourself so thinly across the social landscape like trying to make the last scoop of peanut butter cover all four corners…you will probably end up living a compromised life as well.

That’s what most people do….it’s not an indictment on the human species…it’s just what most people HAVE to do….to get by. It’s not as if they have anything else resembling such a thing as a choice…they don’t.

But as I grow older – I find it’s no longer important to invest one’s time on meaningless pursuits such as hanging out with strangers just to come across as a likeable person or worst still to seek the approval and validation of people who you hardly even know…that’s a game for kids – suddenly those things don’t matter very much to me any longer….that’s all I am saying.

So I have a choice….I can shut the world out in the four corners of my plantation…that I can do and never see a single soul thru out the whole entire day.

You see…the only thing I really care about these days is to get to know myself better – I realize this may come across as weird to you…but I’ve never really gone down deep inside who I really am.

I am not just talking about the superficiality of who I or others think I am….I am referring to the real me…..to make a strong connection and to have a deep spirited conversation with this stranger….if I can do just that regularly, then maybe I will discover other things that I didn’t know about myself…like this afternoon when I was pushing a pile of rocks in a wheel barrow up a slope. Somewhere in my head….a voice whispered, slow down…what are you trying to prove? Hey, what’s the point of reaching all the way up there only to flatten out for the next fifteen minutes? There’s no one here to impress…it’s just you and me…slow down…take your time…I laughed to myself…how right!

Do you see what I am getting at?

It’s only when one makes a conscious effort to fellowship with the self….that we become aware that our being is continuously giving us hints…..truth is we are not truly who we are even to ourselves…we just like to think we are – truth is most of us is one part: what others think we are, the rest, we just make it all up somewhere in our heads to believe whatever we choose to believe – but the real you or me that we have never ever had a conversation is always whispering to us – whispering stuff like what to do…how and when to do it along with maybe even whether we should or should not to do it at all….it’s just a whisper…..nothing loud or full frontal like Boo!

One’s being doesn’t ever shout….not at you or even others, that at least seems very true from my first hand account. But you can really only hear it when you’re made a genuine commitment to start seeking out this other person who resides deep down inside you.

This inner being who is the person that is really you….not how others or even you see yourself.

That’s not real!

This inner being is…he will never lie to you…he will never lead you astray. As he’s not someone whose trying to be someone else except maybe you….and that’s the first step to maturity – when one feels the inner tug to have a meaningful conversation with the self.’

Betraying the self

Today I sat around a group of village elders who were all planning to ostracize someone by refusing to see, talk or listen to this person…one of them said, he deserves it for being so stubborn and set in his ways…another injected, this will teach him a lesson.

When I was asked for my opinion – I simply said, he might be stubborn…he might probably break under intense social pressure….but at least he has the truth on his side….and that is a very powerful force as it that means, this man has self respect and beliefs that he is prepared to stand by….no matter what the cost may be – I then turned to these people and told them all ‘the only reason why we have come to this end point is because none of you have the courage to take responsibility for your actions and apologize and to give this man the assurance the transgression will never occur again….I then when on to ask further of them all – ‘are you sure you all want to do this without the truth on your side?’

I wanted nothing to do with this.

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‘In order to make up for our emotional immaturity, and because of our fear of getting hurt, disappointed and let down – we all develop a denial system.

That’s a very natural response. I do it all the time, so do you do you…so let’s just call a spade a spade….otherwise this will just be a bull shit sharing.

In that process of transforming a lie into the truth, not only do we become perfect liars to ourselves and others….but we also betray the self….that to me is the real tragedy…we betray everything that is good, noble and worthy.

At times our lies are so well crafted that we even believe our own lies.

As time goes by, we don’t even notice we are lying any longer and sometimes even when we know we are lying, we continue to justify the lie by wordsmithing a counter narrative to the truth by convincing ourselves and others that we are righteous…justified and closest to the truth.

In truth, we lie only to protect our stunted emotional state so that we can continue to believe and project the illusion to others – we are emotionally mature and whole.

The denial system is like a magician that always finds a way to fool us us from seeing things, people and events for what they really are – for example, we spend a lot of time and effort to craft a near perfect social mask…why?

Because usually it’s too painful to see ourselves truthfully or to let others see who we really are…so we lie!

And by constantly betraying ourselves day in and day out, we choose willingly to live in that world of lies thereby becoming the assassins of the truth.’

The constant rebirth of the self

The character of every human being is never at one point – it’s constantly shifting….sometimes it veers to the destructive or self destructive. At other times, the character will be enriched and nourished and it will grow mentally and spiritually….but which ever way it goes, it is never the same thru out the life time of every human being.

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Man is never the same. He is constantly changing and in a state of flux. The moment a child is born, the father is also born. This new man never existed before. The man existed, but the father…he is an absolutely new creation.

The very moment a salaried man starts an enterprise. Again a new man is reincarnated within the man. This time it is the businessman. Again this new man never existed before. The salaried man…yes, but the businessman is entirely a new creation.

The moment a man falls in love with a woman. He becomes a soulmate. Again this new man never existed before. The empty and incomplete man…yes, but the soulmate to the woman who this man loves is completely new.

From this we can see very clearly….man is constantly experiencing rebirth of different kinds thru out his entire lifetime.

Within a life time there are many deaths and rebirths…life is not linear, it’s not simply the case of from cradle to coffin.

Just as the businessman thinks very differently from a salaried man…he has been transformed.

This is why it is so important to keep the things that good and to only throw the bad at each level of reincarnation…this way when a man dies and is reborn again in his lifetime…he does not lose the important aspects of his beliefs and principles.

If a man is not mindful of this…he will flounder and change for the worse.

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‘Wealth, power and influence….these are merely illusions of one kind or another. They are not real. They just appear to be so.

What is really super real is the level of maturity and character of a man.

Wealth, power and influence without maturity or character can only lead to extravagance, abuse and the constant need for adulation.

A mature person is always investing in his character by throwing out the useless and taking what he has considers to be worthy to a higher level….he is doing this all the time…not only for himself…but to others around him as well.

So always try to seek out mature souls to hang out with….don’t waste your social opportunities and time on people who are merely fun to be with – cultivate the company of serious men of impeccable character. Learn from them….observe how they make decisions…observe how they proceed…if you cannot find such men, then it is better to be alone reading a book. Rather than mixing with shallow people who will lead you astray.

Be mindful of this and research it well.’

Learning to be kind and loving to yourself

Am I prepared for La Niña? Well, there are many things I should have done but did not do. There are some things that I did which were just plain wrong. Then again, there were many others things that I did which I believe was done just right….they are perfect!

Did I do my best?

No! Yes! Maybe….but that is really not a question for me to supply an answer – all that matters is when the super rains hit…come what may, I must always remember to be kind and loving to myself.

I mustn’t beat myself….No!

I started in life with nothing…zero…absolutely nothing…I am a self made man….so what’s the big deal! – whose very accustomed to hardships and toil and even should I have to go down for the count all bloodied….I will just roll up my sleeves, pick up myself up from the dirt and gather the broken pieces up again….this is not the first time I have done this.

Not at all!

The most important thing for me now is there is a chilled bottle of wine in my fridge. I will look forward to that this evening with some home cooked spaghetti.

Like I said, I’ve seen it all before…..and the only lesson here is when the tough knocks at your door…always be kind and loving to yourself. As no one will ever do that for you….it all starts and ends with only you….and only you.

Especially for men like myself. As I never ever want to burden others with my problems.

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In another life….in another time…

The Chinaman Cocoa planter who stood ramrod for hours on the hill scanning the Northern horizon with his field glasses knew that trouble was brewing up north in Uganda – three days ago a strange metallic pod was found on the Western part of his lands – he had picked up a fragment of this cigar shaped container and surmised, it was a recently jettisoned fuel tank from a jet fighter – the Cyrillic and Arabic markings with the hyphenated “Jin,” suggested it was a Sudanese jet, probably a MIG-21 – through the whole of last week, the Chinaman had stood on the same spot and traced out jet vapor trails high across the far Northern steely skies – he could make out from the neat trident shape of the vapor trails high above, they were military jets probably on a bombing sortie – even in darkness, the Chinaman Cocoa farmer had stood on the same spot and watched the eerie glow of arklight throughout the whole week, as they waxed and waned in the distant horizons to the far North – he knew it to be heavy artillery.

Even in the early morning, the Chinaman had still stood on the same spot – he had noticed how even the red footed falcons that usually only began their long epic flight home to the Russian steppes in July had began their journey earlier that year – he noticed, that his fine feathered friends who flew in from the North were all tired, so tired that some even rested in the rectangular apertures that the Chinaman had constructed to allow many of his fine feathered friends to rest, hunt and fatten themselves before they began their aerial marathon across the Ugandan Great Rift Valley and swung off sharply Southwards towards the Indian Ocean through to the Himalayas to make the 10,000 mile flight all the way back to the Ukraine. The Chinaman had even looked closely at his fine feathered friends – he noticed the tips of their feathers were stained with a fine powdery white substance – when he plucked the feathers out and brought it close to his nostrils, he recognized instantly the deadly yet sweet smell of cherries that he knew to be phosphorous mixed with paraffin – napalm.

Even the yellow fitches that usually flew through Kenya and rested in Lake George of Uganda to the far South did not come his way that season – the man surmised his fine feathered friends had taken the treacherous route northwards through the falcon invested Sahara instead of the northern arid plains through Chad and Egypt that led to the Mediterranean – the Chinaman realized even his fine feathered friends, the yellow fitches knew that there was trouble brewing somewhere northwards.

In the evenings, when the Chinaman strained his ears to listen to the wireless – even that only seemed to confirm his suspicion that something was amiss – he had been in Africa long enough to realize that the white man was the first to leave a sinking ship like crafty rats – for the last three consecutive days, the VOA, the Voice of America had began to play, Bing Cosby’s, “White Christmas.” Even though it was only June – as for Radio Moscow, it had been more subtle yet equally revealing – He had noticed how the news announcer who usually spoke with a fake Bostonian accent had used two consonants on three consecutive sentences during the beginning of each news broadcast of the African service for the last three days – this the Chinaman realized were secret codes that something terrible had broken out to the North. Neither could he count on the UN which the man considered to be the UNITED NOTHING. As for the legion he surmised even those cowards had secretly pulled out in the cover of darkness and had now begun the long retreat back to Djibouti.

That evening the Chinaman drove to the German school teacher’s house at the edge of his plantations – this time, he had insisted that she pack up her bags and he was here to drive her all the way to Kampala proper where he knew she would be safest in the German embassy in Kololo – the nun had refused vehemently and even protested at considerable length, but the Chinaman was in no mood for a prolonged conversation – and when it seemed a war of words was just about to flare up between the school teacher and the Chinaman; the latter had slapped her so hard that even her habit had come clean off. He had regretted instantly what he done and when he had reached out for her, the woman cringed away. And though she was none the wiser as to why he had behaved in such a brusque manner – the nun began to pack up her belongings.

That night as the Chinaman sat behind the half sobbing nun in the car; the car stopped on the fork road – the road to the South, he reckoned would probably be filled with LRA militia and the entire Acholi tribe all the way to Kampala by now – so he instructed the driver to take the longer Southern Westerly less used village road which would have doubled the journey time to Kampala. Hardly had the car proceeded more than 20 kilometers – the car was stopped at a makeshift checkpoint. In the half glow of the crescent moonlight – the Chinaman could just make out a man in his thirties armed with a semi auto along with a couple of other kids perched like birds on the metal railing blocking the car – he saw the way the man looked at the European woman with the long flowing blond hair – he knew what would happen next – without even so much as a word, the Chinaman stepped out of the car drew out his revolver leveled it at the man and shot him squarely in between his eyes – the boys immediately cocked their AK-47’s but the man could make out these weren’t battled hardened child soldiers, their weapons lacked the patina that came with regular use. So he stood his ground fired another shot into the man and after lighting a cigarette he shouted in a booming voice,

“Aki Shahidi, name tombu mama kaba di mabuto jia-kimba!” (I am the Shahidi, now run or I will kill you all like this pig. Obey me!)

They dropped their weapons promptly and ran like hell. The Chinaman looked relieved. His gamble had paid off.

That long night as the German nun and the Chinaman sat at the back of the car as it barreled towards Kampala –– it was as if both of them were hermetically sealed in their own world – the Chinaman features looked distant and implacable as the few passing cars from the opposite direction illuminated his granite face and blood stained bush jacket from time to time – it seemed as if he might not even have been aware that the nun had gripped his hand so tightly throughout the entire journey. Harder if not impossible to really know whether he was even thinking why she needed to do such a strange thing – perhaps she realized then that she had meant much more to the Chinaman – perhaps she realized how naïve, stupid and irresponsible she had been to have kept on insisting to stay on even when he had previously pleaded with her to leave and now that she had pushed him to this point….this point when all hell had been unleashed….the point when the man even knew deep down. It was really impossible for him to ever run away from whatever he was running away from – when he decided to settle in Africa to turn the well of life as the Shahidi – she knew only too well at that very moment the Chinaman may have once lost someone dear to him and he was not going to ever let it happen again – he had crossed an invisible line in his head to that other world that had brought him all the way to Africa – but when the Chinaman had made a decision to protect her no matter what the cost. He not only cared. He went back into that other world in his past – a world that he once turned away from. In that world, he did not have the luxury to care. He had after all made a decision to protect her.

Even if it meant that she had to see a part of him that he had never ever wanted her to know about him…..never….never ever. A part of him that had probably brought this Chinaman to Africa in the first place. And with these thoughts she griped the hand of the man who she knew probably cared more about her than even the God she served and worshipped with all her heart – the man who she knew may very well have been the devil everyone said he was….but that night Eva Meyer, the woman and not the nun had crossed an invisible line….like the man who now sat beside her in the speeding Mercedez……he too had crossed a line….. with these thoughts her grip on the man’s hand tigthened further as the car barreled through the velvety night towards Kampala.

What matters most is NOW!

My workers are all complaining…as the work to move the stones to the right location to build the road in the plantation is hard and back breaking work….usually when they complain, I roll up my sleeves and work along side them….thru out the working day…some of them will ask from time to time, what are we going to do with the rocks down there….what if we don’t arrange the rocks properly will we have to redo this all over again?

On every occasion, when they look at me expectantly after asking a question.

My reply would always be the same, let us finish with this pile of rocks that is in front of all of us here first…don’t bother about that, we will crack our heads when we reach there.

The lesson today is there no simple secret to happiness and even if that notion really existed…..it’s not sustainable. As happiness without nuances of sadness, disappointments and regrets would just be no different from a shot of heroin.

If you want that variety of happiness – then go and search out for crystal meth or something that has the capacity to alter the chemical composition in your brain….to see the world only thru rose tinted glasses.

The only sustainable state of mind that you can ever hope to reasonably attain without having to sell everything you own and live in a cave is to strive for contentment in the moment.

I can feel my muscles straining, my back is tight and each load of stones takes everything out of me…the strain is just bearable….but I am happy I can still do this.

Many men cannot. As they don’t nearly trust their stamina or muscles….but I don’t have to bother about that and that makes me happy.

Am I doing it right? I don’t know….but if it is not right…then I will do it all over again, till I get it right and that is all there is to it….this I reckon is as close to contentment as I will ever get.

Contentment is the direct opposite of happiness – your mind is not bubbling with joy, rather you are in a state of peace and stillness – as one is focussed ONLY on the present and very little else.

To have both feet firmly planted in NOWness is not easy…but if one strives to be in this state of presence continuously…one can find peace.

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‘The vast majority of humans don’t live in the present. They don’t. Usually they have one feet planted in the past and the other is in the future – whatever remains is what you can reasonably refer to as their default mental disposition. To live always in the corridors memories – is to relive pain and hurt….what did he or she say…why didn’t he or she do this or that….why did he, she or they treat me that way….don’t they know I have a right to be angry?

This is what usually goes thru a person’s mind during the course of an ordinary day. No! They are not psychotic people or even crazy….that’s just how people live their life’s without them ever realizing it, to live always in the imagination.

When one does this, it is so natural to feel miserable and sad all the time, because so much of life is passing you by without you even realizing it….’

Super rain?

July rains are usually very light and drizzly….but just after lunch today we had six inches of rain in just two hours!

On one hand I am gladden the rains have come early this year…the ground was beginning to crack due to the prolonged drought and unusually hot weather….now the earth is moisturized and temperature has gone down dramatically.

But too much rain is not a good thing – I fear….I may have started my road works too late…if this is the case then the arrival of the super rains will bring in it’s wake a new set of problems.

The blessing comes with a curse….I must remain calm and not allow my mind to run around like a restless monkey.

‘I do miss Africa….it’s so very serious, yet at the same time a very funny place…..boring, yet dramatic….colorful, yet band. A contradiction. I especially miss the idea of dressing up on a Saturday evening in a creme suit complete with spectator shoes and a finely woven panama Montecristi sipping Campari in the verandah of the Blue Fin overlooking the river that separates Zaire and Brazzaville – one doesn’t need to do anything….one just needs to talk a little, drink a little and talk again…then when it’s time…one just walks back home and tomorrow it’s a beautiful day.’

I can smell ’em….

Carriers…..