My mum’s now gotten the whole Feng shui craze. I think it’s sweet but she isn’t quite getting all the information needed. So I try to fill in the gaps thanks to Google.
How it really started was when she started seeing programmes on TV and reading books about it. Then she got a golden/bronze frog that has a coin in its mouth and it’s now placed near our main/front door. I really don’t know if there’s any kind of effect yet. It’s been months.
Then came a very convincing neighbour who attends all sorts of Fengshui workshops. Let’s call her aunty 1. She used to stop by our place every morning for a quick Lankan style neighbourly chat. This is when she shared her knowledge on the subject with my mum and made her believe that it was the magic she was looking for all this time.
My mum then convinced another neighbour. Let’s call her aunty 2. Mum and aunty 2 are very close and do a lot of things together.. like the weekly grocery shopping, clothes shopping, gossip sharing, meeting astrologers, temple visits etc...
Aunty 1 had mentioned something about keeping a tomato on full moon poya days and burying it in the garden at about 1 or 2 am. Aunty 2 and Mum have now successfully done it for 2 consecutive months. It amazes me the kind of things that people would do for a better life and wealth etc...
This exercise required them to keep the tomato in something with coins, if I’m not mistaken, and dig a hole at that God forsaken time of the night, or rather early morning, and bury the tomato. They actually DID it! Twice!
Aunty 2 would actually set her alarm and call mum 15 mins early so the digging can start. First call would be on the land line. If it’s not picked, 2nd call would be on her mobile. If that isn’t picked, third call would be on bro’s mobile. Then 4th would be the landline again.
They actually walk out into the garden by themselves at that rather scary hour...and dig! And bury things!
I wonder what they’ll do next.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I have...
Been so busy lately that I haven't had time to blog or read blogs..
A major sweet tooth
An obsession for shoes, perfumes, earrings, rings and many other things....
A few good friends who I know will be around to help, if needed
Never expected to feel the way I do right now
Finally started going for Zumba whenever time permits.... and I like it
A thing for vehicles.. I love them...name them...and talk to them
A list of things I’d like to do this year... and hope to stick to it
Started to read more this year
The tendency to always wonder and think about how different my life would be right
now if dad was around
Not been to the temple much for some time.. something just pulls me back
Been looking for a huge purple mug for a while... haven’t found one yet
Dental issues again... and need to find another dentist to get a second opinion
So many things to say...but am stuck with work.. so this is it.
A major sweet tooth
An obsession for shoes, perfumes, earrings, rings and many other things....
A few good friends who I know will be around to help, if needed
Never expected to feel the way I do right now
Finally started going for Zumba whenever time permits.... and I like it
A thing for vehicles.. I love them...name them...and talk to them
A list of things I’d like to do this year... and hope to stick to it
Started to read more this year
The tendency to always wonder and think about how different my life would be right
now if dad was around
Not been to the temple much for some time.. something just pulls me back
Been looking for a huge purple mug for a while... haven’t found one yet
Dental issues again... and need to find another dentist to get a second opinion
So many things to say...but am stuck with work.. so this is it.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Random Memories (1)
I’m going to have a series of posts, on and off, titled Random Memories for times when I travel down memory lane so I can make a note of them.:)
This will be the first.
(1) I remember sitting with my mum when I was really young and getting her to read stories for me, especially those in Sinhala. So what she did was read them in Sinhala first, one paragraph at a time, and then translate them or say it in a simpler way so I would understand. What I remember very well is the story of Marie Curie. My grandma used to do this too, where she would tell me ancient stories and what I remember well is something about the Mahasona, stories about demonic possessions, those about the great kings and religious stories.
(2)My father is the one who got me into the habit of praying every evening when I was pretty young.. then it just died off...and became more of a ‘pray when in the temple’ things..
(3)The first time I cried in school was in the 7th grade. I was a good swimmer and always went for school swimming meets. I fell sick and couldn’t make it for practices once and the teacher in charge conveniently took my name off the list without checking to see why I missed just one practice session and replaced it with one of her favourites’ name. Me being the spoilt kid I was, cried when I saw the name list and made a big deal out of it after going home.
Outcome – The teacher was given a warning by the management and asked never to do that again. It was too late so I didn’t get to swim that year anyway.
(4)When I came to live in SL, I gave away all my softies and my Barbie and Betty dolls to poor kids...coz I couldn’t even imagine what being poor was like when I saw their living conditions. I missed my toys, but knew they would be treated like new toys again..and that they would be loved.
(5)When I was in my senior year in School, I didn’t go to the temple much. I once overheard a monk telling my parents that I must’ve been Catholic my previous birth. I didn’t know what to think of him and his judgements.
(6)My dad is the one who first taught me to cook chicken curry and kankun. I don’t think I ever cooked after that, which was many years ago. I kept saying I need gloves if I were to cook coz I hate the smell of onions and garlic that don’t go away for a long time...
(7)Whenever a frog is found somewhere in or around the house, and if this frog is seen repeatedly for a few days, my mum comes to the conclusion that it must be a dead family member...and the member is determined by the way it stares at us or the house!
Eg: the one on the porch who looks in might be my late grandma (dad’s mum) coz she directly stares at the spot she used to sit in her wheelchair and look at the garden or watch TV!
(8)I enjoy baking coz I was fascinated by my mum’s frequent cake baking sessions. I made my first cake at the age of 10 or 12.
(9)I didn’t know that the man who picked us up and dropped us to and from the airport every year in SL was my uncle till I was 11! It was a strange surprise. Then the family resemblance started to make sense.
(10)The first extracurricular activity/sport I ever did was swimming from the age of 6. I was taught by an Australian lady called Susan at the Hilton in UAE and she was very young and hot. I still remember her very well and can’t even remember most of my kindergarten friends or teachers.... she must’ve really made an impression.
This will be the first.
(1) I remember sitting with my mum when I was really young and getting her to read stories for me, especially those in Sinhala. So what she did was read them in Sinhala first, one paragraph at a time, and then translate them or say it in a simpler way so I would understand. What I remember very well is the story of Marie Curie. My grandma used to do this too, where she would tell me ancient stories and what I remember well is something about the Mahasona, stories about demonic possessions, those about the great kings and religious stories.
(2)My father is the one who got me into the habit of praying every evening when I was pretty young.. then it just died off...and became more of a ‘pray when in the temple’ things..
(3)The first time I cried in school was in the 7th grade. I was a good swimmer and always went for school swimming meets. I fell sick and couldn’t make it for practices once and the teacher in charge conveniently took my name off the list without checking to see why I missed just one practice session and replaced it with one of her favourites’ name. Me being the spoilt kid I was, cried when I saw the name list and made a big deal out of it after going home.
Outcome – The teacher was given a warning by the management and asked never to do that again. It was too late so I didn’t get to swim that year anyway.
(4)When I came to live in SL, I gave away all my softies and my Barbie and Betty dolls to poor kids...coz I couldn’t even imagine what being poor was like when I saw their living conditions. I missed my toys, but knew they would be treated like new toys again..and that they would be loved.
(5)When I was in my senior year in School, I didn’t go to the temple much. I once overheard a monk telling my parents that I must’ve been Catholic my previous birth. I didn’t know what to think of him and his judgements.
(6)My dad is the one who first taught me to cook chicken curry and kankun. I don’t think I ever cooked after that, which was many years ago. I kept saying I need gloves if I were to cook coz I hate the smell of onions and garlic that don’t go away for a long time...
(7)Whenever a frog is found somewhere in or around the house, and if this frog is seen repeatedly for a few days, my mum comes to the conclusion that it must be a dead family member...and the member is determined by the way it stares at us or the house!
Eg: the one on the porch who looks in might be my late grandma (dad’s mum) coz she directly stares at the spot she used to sit in her wheelchair and look at the garden or watch TV!
(8)I enjoy baking coz I was fascinated by my mum’s frequent cake baking sessions. I made my first cake at the age of 10 or 12.
(9)I didn’t know that the man who picked us up and dropped us to and from the airport every year in SL was my uncle till I was 11! It was a strange surprise. Then the family resemblance started to make sense.
(10)The first extracurricular activity/sport I ever did was swimming from the age of 6. I was taught by an Australian lady called Susan at the Hilton in UAE and she was very young and hot. I still remember her very well and can’t even remember most of my kindergarten friends or teachers.... she must’ve really made an impression.
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