Public Relations as I think it should be
It says a lot about Indonesia today that when an employee of mine recently quit his job to apply for asylum in Canada on grounds that he's gay and feels discriminated against in Indonesia, they not only put him on the Protected Person's list as they usually do to asylum seekers - they classified him... Continue Reading →
When I was younger I used to think it hyperbole when they said that you'd need seven years to master Taiji (or T'ai Chi if you used the old Wade-Giles spelling). Now, after having taken up Taiji for coming close to three years, I am inclined that you'd take considerably take more time - like... Continue Reading →
This Christmas season was different. We’re not Christians and don’t really observe Christmas but like many of our friends join in the festivities and merry making that also marks the season of the ending of the year. Normally, our family would go somewhere for a holiday but this year things are different. My 93-year... Continue Reading →
Well-meaning people all around the world are wishing their Buddhist friends and acquaintances a Happy Wesak. The conventional wisdom is that Buddhists should be happy as they joyously celebrate the birthday, Enlightenment and death more than two millennia ago of one Siddharta Gautama, the "founder" of Buddhism. There is irony in this, because Siddharta, who... Continue Reading →
Today, I taught my 12-year old son how to polish his shoes. He was intrigued by the process and pleased with the outcome of eyeing his scruffy shoes looking much more presentable after a coating of bootblack and brushing. Even a small and not too difficult task, I felt good, having passed on to my... Continue Reading →
Respect. Ajahn Siripanno looks like one of those rare individuals who either have a huge amount of courage, or are disturbed enough by the dhukka in this world to renounce a life where Daddy's millions of dollars would guarantee him a comfortable of not lavish life. Of great interest to Unspun is the catalyst that started... Continue Reading →
Guillin, China, has been a tourist hub for thousands of years. Over the Christmas break Unspun and family thought they'd try to go to somewhere cold but when we got there it was freezing at a daily average temperature of ) to 3 degrees C. The cold notwithstanding Guilin is a fun tourist destination. Things... Continue Reading →
Over the past month in the leadup to my bypass operation, I had been very careful about not falling sick or contracting any infection. But as luck would have it, I ran a fever yesterday, the eve of the operation. The surgeon, on discovering my fever, said he could not operate as it would be... Continue Reading →
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