醒世九篇

Value yourself. Life is very interesting indeed. If you are willing to accept the best, you often seem to get your wish. - W. Somerset Maugham

Concept Determines Our Quality of Life

If you are of the view that it is obligatory of your father to give you gifts on your birthday anniversary, you will be unhappy if he does not do so.

If you hold the view that your sub-ordinates must take your order and follow your instructions all the time, you will be unhappy when one of them does not.

If you think that when you donate to somebody in need, he must thank you, then you will be unhappy if he does not.

If you think that your boss must pat your back and praise you each time you make the right decision, you will be unhappy if he forgets to do so, even once.

In life, if we have preconceived ideas of what others must do when a certain thing is done or not done, then we will forever be setting demands that may not be fulfilled most of the time. This will bring stress to our own self, create tensions with people we need to work amicably to achieve the desired result. We will be judging others' behaviour by our own standard of what is considered good or unacceptable responses.

Our Life will be miserable if we do not change this concept.

Is your job the problem? Or it is your way of looking at the opportunity available else where? The media may be writing something that is unfavourable to the job seekers, but you can change your opportunity of landing a better job by simply refusing to believe what the media is saying, and really looking hard for it. It may just be the one that you want, right there, or here!

弟子规

总叙

弟子规 圣人训 首孝悌 次谨信 泛爱众 而亲仁 有余力 则学文

入则孝

父母呼 应勿缓 父母命 行勿懒 父母教 须敬听 父母责 须顺承
冬则温 夏则凊 晨则省 昏则定 出必告 反必面 居有常 业无变
事虽小 勿擅为 茍擅为 子道亏 物虽小 勿私藏 茍私藏 亲心伤
亲所好 力为具 亲所恶 谨为去 身有伤 贻亲忧 德有伤 贻亲羞
亲爱我 孝何难 亲憎我 孝方贤
亲有过 谏使更 怡吾色 柔吾声 谏不入 悦复谏 号泣随 挞无怨
亲有疾 药先尝 昼夜侍 不离床 丧三年 常悲咽 居处变 酒肉绝
丧尽礼 祭尽诚 事死者 如事生

出则弟

兄道友 弟道恭 兄弟睦 孝在中 财物轻 怨何生 言语忍 忿自泯
或饮食 或坐走 长者先 幼者后 长呼人 即代叫 人不在 己即到
称尊长 勿呼名 对尊长 勿见能 路遇长 疾趋揖 长无言 退恭立
骑下马 乘下车 过犹待 百步餘
长者立 幼勿坐 长者坐 命乃坐 尊长前 声要低 低不闻 却非宜
近必趋 退必迟 问起对 视勿移
事诸父 如事父 事诸兄 如事兄

谨

朝起早 夜眠迟 老易至 惜此时 晨必盥 兼漱口 便溺回 辄净手
冠必正 纽必结 袜与履 俱紧切 置冠服 有定位 勿乱顿 致污秽
衣贵洁 不贵华 上循分 下称家 对饮食 勿拣择 食适可 勿过则
年方少 勿饮酒 饮酒醉 最为丑
步从容 立端正 揖深圆 拜恭敬 勿践阈 勿跛倚 勿箕踞 勿摇髀
缓揭帘 勿有声 宽转弯 勿触棱 执虚器 如执盈 入虚室 如有人
事勿忙 忙多错 勿畏难 勿轻略 斗闹场 绝勿近 邪僻事 绝勿问
将入门 问孰存 将上堂 声必扬 人问谁 对以名 吾与我 不分明
用人物 须明求 倘不问 即为偷 借人物 及时还 后有急 借不难

信

凡出言 信为先 诈与妄 奚可焉 话说多 不如少 惟其是 勿佞巧
奸巧语 秽污词 市井气 切戒之
见未真 勿轻言 知未的 勿轻传 事非宜 勿轻诺 茍轻诺 进退错
凡道字 重且舒 勿急疾 勿模糊 彼说长 此说短 不关己 莫闲管
见人善 即思齐 纵去远 以渐跻 见人恶 即内省 有则改 无加警
唯德学 唯才艺 不如人 当自砺 若衣服 若饮食 不如人 勿生戚
闻过怒 闻誉乐 损友来 益友却 闻誉恐 闻过欣 直谅士 渐相亲
无心非 名为错 有心非 名为恶 过能改 归于无 倘掩饰 增一辜

泛爱众

凡是人 皆须爱 天同覆 地同载
行高者 名自高 人所重 非貌高 才大者 望自大 人所服 非言大
己有能 勿自私 人所能 勿轻訾 勿谄富 勿骄贫 勿厌故 勿喜新
人不闲 勿事搅 人不安 勿话扰
人有短 切莫揭 人有私 切莫说 道人善 即是善 人知之 愈思勉
扬人恶 既是恶 疾之甚 祸且作 善相劝 德皆建 过不规 道两亏
凡取与 贵分晓 与宜多 取宜少 将加人 先问己 己不欲 即速已
恩欲报 怨欲忘 报怨短 报恩长
待婢仆 身贵端 虽贵端 慈而宽 势服人 心不然 理服人 方无言

亲仁

同是人 类不齐 流俗众 仁者希 果仁者 人多畏 言不讳 色不媚
能亲仁 无限好 德日进 过日少 不亲仁 无限害 小人进 百事坏

余力学文

不力行 但学文 长浮华 成何人 但力行 不学文 任己见 昧理真
读书法 有三到 心眼口 信皆要 方读此 勿慕彼 此未终 彼勿起
宽为限 紧用功 工夫到 滞塞通 心有疑 随札记 就人问 求确义
房室清 墙壁净 几案洁 笔砚正 墨磨偏 心不端 字不敬 心先病
列典籍 有定处 读看毕 还原处 虽有急 卷束齐 有缺坏 就补之
非圣书 屏勿视 敝聪明 坏心志 勿自暴 勿自弃 圣与贤 可驯致

From The Indian Ocean To The Himalayas

A first person account of the road and rail journey from Mumbai(Bombay) to Kathmandu and back, in 1976.

This article is dedicated to my classmate and good friend Ramesh Manander, who died in a tragic plane crash at the young age of 36.

Getting to know India

India has always been a fascinating country. This is because of its long history, size and the varied culture. It is a also a country that is easily accessible by all modes of transport. To the east, west and the south is the Indian Ocean. The mighty Himalayas straddles the north.

As a student of architecture, I paid particular attention to the evolution of Indian architecture. Here, as in many other places of the world, architecture has always been influenced by religion. After all, one's religion is supposed to guide whatever he does.

The majority of Indians are Hindus-85% of the Indian population. Next comes the Muslims and then Christians, Jainism, Buddhists, and Zoroastrianism. The evolution of Indian architecture very closely reflect the various phases of Hinduism, and the faiths of subsequent ruling dynastic kings and Maharajahs.

From the time of the early Indus Valley Civilization to modern India, the trail is evident from such famous sites as Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, the Sun Temple of Konarak, the Taj Mahal at Agra, and the High Court building of Chandigarh, in the State of Punjab. A journey through the heart of India therefore promised to be a walk through its history.

As a student of architecture, I was therefore very much into its history. So, come summer vacation, when the normal year end semester examination was over, I was naturally delighted when invited to visit and stay with my Nepali classmate - Ramesh Manander, in Kathmandu. Ramesh, however, had the luxury of a free air-ticket. I was instead to take a train with Anand, another Nepali friend of mine. We were joined by Prafulla, who also hailed from Kathmandu.

The Journey out of Bombay

The term 'summer' was used to designate the hot and dry months of February through May. Most parts of India only have two seasons, monsoon and dry period. Summer temperature in Bombay, now renamed Mumbai, was around 38 deg C

Having completed the last of the fourth year end semester, I was very eager to make the best of this trip. So, I took the first opportunity to rush over to the office of the Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR in short) to get a rail pass for foreign student. This pass entitled me to 50% discount on all train journeys run by the Indian Government. Getting a ticket for the long journey was not a big problem, but getting a berth was.

We were to go by the round about way to Nepal. We shall get into Nepal from its eastern end, because I wanted to see as much of India as possible. Bombay railway was already electrified at that time. The three of us got into a center coach just before it started to pull away at 2.00 PM from the Victoria Terminal (VT station in short ). The VT station was a majestic Gothic mega structure, with tinted glass. It was a beauty to behold. The coach was still very hot when we got in, the effect of 8 hours of hot sun bearing down on it through the day.

Having been traveling in jam-packed train for most of my four years in Bombay, I was quite used to the heat. Bombay was a city that was once made up of seven islands. As the train picked up speed, I could hear the frequent whistles, warning trespassers to give way. That reminded me of the large colonies of squatters on both sides of the railway lines. About 25% of Bombay's population stayed in those sheds they call home. Most had come to the city in search of new opportunity. However, they soon found that getting a decent roof over their head is a real pain.

India is not a welfare state. So, economic migrants just had to fend for themselves. With a population of 7 million in 1976, land in the city was a really scarce commodity. That explained why most of the squatters are found alongside the railway line, a government property.

The express train took about 45 minutes to reach mainland India. The first stop was Thana. Here, it switched to a coal fired engine. After Thana, we started getting a good feel of what is to come. The outside air was otherwise still, if not pushed aside by the advancing train. As it took a bend, I could see there were 13 coaches in all. The front locomotive was belching thick black smoke, its signature of power.

In the same coach, there were five whites, two men and three young ladies. I could see that they were not from English speaking countries. For some reasons, we did not communicate.

The Deccan Plateau

The mid and south section of the Indian sub-continent is a rather flat plateau, weathered into its present shape by alternate dry spells and heavy monsoons. It was like a huge promontory jutting out south into the Indian Ocean. On the western front, the dry period started with the onset of northern winter. Chilly wind, blowing out of the frozen lands of the north, must have done a lot of mopping on their way to the ocean. The onset of summer or dry period is a time of still air, prior to the reversal of the wind direction. Monsoon would start around June of each year for Bombay, and the western part of India. Moist air crossing into the India continent from the west would then start pouring rain as it came on land.

Thus far, Anand talked little. It's his way of trying to conserve energy. This was not my first long distance travel by Indian Railway. I had made it to Madras the year before. So, I sort of expected to see the same type of food being hawked to the train. To my surprise, I was approached by a railway attendant, who wanted to know what I wanted for lunch, dinner, and breakfast too. I opted for vegetarian meals, as did Anand and Prafulla. It turned out to be a good choice. The meals consisted of some puri, boiled potato and cabbage with curry powder, sour lassi or yogart, some white rice, dal and mango chatney. I was advised to drink a lot of water, and I should take the lassi. It kept my system in good working order throughout the journey. By nightfall, there was no more feel of the Indian Ocean.

The Hinterland

The western coastal plain is less than 200 M above mean sea level.The land started to climb upward slightly after Ulhasnagar. By and large, it was still quite flat most of the time. A large part of Maharashtra sits on the Deccan Plateau. We passed through Jagaon, Khandwa, and Itarsi before reaching the city of Jabalpur. The landscape in all these interior towns are the same, sub-tropical. Occasionally in the distance, we could see land being ploughed to prepare it for the next cropping. Here, potatoes, onions, and other tuber plants seemed to be the favourite. At Jabalpur, the train stopped to replenish water. It's already in the afternoon the next day. We got our lunch served here.

As we helped ourselves to the meals, we could see a number of people, some very young carrying their packed food on their head, walking here and there, looking for customers. There were very young children also begging for money from outside our window. However, none of us did any charity. These young kids quickly dispersed when they saw guards coming for them. Rural India was dotted with hut-like structure, some of brick and mortar, some of thatch and mud wall. All were low buildings which perhaps were erected by the farmers themselves. The mud and thatched houses must have been ideal for their weather, hot and dry.

Our next destination is Allahabad, a distance of about 450 km to the north east. Allahabad is a very important city due to its central location and close proximity with Varanasi, Hindus' holy city. It is also from here that most passengers from the eastern part of India get onto Delhi, the capital city of India. From Allabahad we were to change train to get to Varanasi and then Katihar, before boarding another train for Jalpaiguri.

At Katihar, we managed to get our light luggage down in time before the train moved on else where. Here, we waited for about 2 hrs before the train for Jalpaiguri arrived. The situation at the Katihar station is a bit more chaotic than previously. Because of the short journey, Anand told us to get into the 2nd class compartment. We noticed that there were quite a lot of off duty soldiers, evident with their military bagages. Then I realized that we were quite near the Chinese borders. After we have got into the compartment, wave after wave of new passengers came on us with their loads and loads of belongings, some climbing through the open windows, throwing their luggage onto us, trying to be the first to get a seat. Anand, with all his experience, managed to get us all seats. As I found out later, getting a seat did help me travel a bit more comfortably. There were some who could barely manage to hang on to the train as it roared off.

Our lunch for that stretch of journey was simple and easy. With people all sitting around us, we could hardly move away from our seats. We bought some local flavours - a chapati with some vegetable - to fill our tummy. The bottle of water we had filled up earlier at Allahabad came in handy. Due to the cramped compartment, the summer atmosphere was made even worse. We hung on, thinking each time the train made a stop, it would be it for us to disembark.

Jalpaiguri is situated at the foothill of the Himalayas. Even then, summer temperature was around 29 deg C. Here, we got down to swallow in gulps of fresh air. The train for Siliguri, our next destination, was a mini replica of the one we had been in all these while. The cute little engine, with its belching smoke, made for a romantic ride to the high mountains of the Himalayas.

For a picture of this mini train, pls click this Train

The climb to Siliguri was rather slow and tortuous. A number of times the hill was so steep that it had to go in the A fashion. As it kept belching thick smoke, I had to cover my face with my handkerchief, for there were a lot of soot rushing in our direction. But I could begin to feel the air getting cooler and cooler as we climbed up.

The train was so slow at certain bents that people could get in and out at ease without having to make a complete stop. The cool climate was ideal for vegetable planting. Those lady farmers got their produce on the train in rattan baskets, ready to send them up to Darjeeling.

Siliguri was half way up the hill. By the time we reach Siliguri, it was almost 4.00PM. The outside wind was strong and steady. Anand has told me that It would be alright to just wear what I had in Bombay. But by the time we landed at a hotel door, we just could'nt keep our teeth together. Eventually we had to look for some warm clothing. I bought a sweater for Rp 120. It was a lot of money to me. And because of this I had to be extra careful with any expenses later on.

(to be continued)

Likes And Dislikes

This world is fair. God help people make opposing views so that they balance each other. Else, one lopsided view point can just obliterate the other.

I make postings of Chinese poems in two separate Facebook pages -

"我们欣赏唐诗和宋词"

and

"悠悠古今情"

The reason I do it this way is that while the Tang and Song poems appeal to most people because they could arouse the emotions of its readers via certain set pattern, so easier for most readers to grasp the rhyming, the other periods also exhibit patterns of a different kind, albeit a little more difficult to understand, especially when the author used classical Chinese.

Here lies the difficulties. Which type of rhyming do you like? We then ask the question, "what were the students taught in class". My studies show that even though both types of poems were taught in school, the emphasis was on the Tang and Song period. This finding appears to coincide with the number of 'like' to the two sites of mind, even though both sites were launched on almost the date. The Tang and Song poem "like" out number the other period by 3 times.