Here are some quotes I have shared on my Facebook wall and some more I thought of. Any quote that sounds like it came from someone else is either coincidental. All this quotes are just random quotes that I think that are quoteworthy and out of the top of my head. Feel free to use them, just link back here so they know where to get more!

• The secret to happiness: Giving
• Smile. Even if you have to force a smile, you will gradually become happier.
• A sharp sword can't cut paper if held by a man without strength. A blunt sword can cut iron if held by a man with strength
• The blind can see better without eyes than a man with a closed mind.
• Time does not wait for you
• A human mind is like a flowing river. It is never ending unless you build a dam and stop your open mindedness.
• Do not see, Observe. Do not hear, Listen. 
• Act, not react.
• Do not wait till you die to help others. Help while death is smoking his cigarette.
• The secret to sadness: Selfishness
• When you look in the mirror and see a pontianak, tell yourself, "Wow! You look good today!"
• It takes lesser muscles to smile than frown. But it takes even lesser to slap the guy across the face and it takes none for the guy to punch you back in return. 
• Karma is like a wild dog. Do something stupid and it will bite you in the ass.
• If you believe in God, that is great. If you believe in Allah, that is just dandy. But if you hurt others under the name of your deity, then you do not truly believe in them as you are doing the opposite of what they told you to do, which was to love.
• The flame of anger can spread if not put out.

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Today, I am going to be writing about Anger. How anger is a poison and how to prevent anger will be the main two topics in the post.

Firstly, I would like to mention that I am not a person who is constantly angry and if anyone is capable of making me angry, they possibly caused the coming of Satan to arrive a few millennia early. I am just kidding. However, when I was a young kid, I was normal, I did have my temper tantrums. The only one I remember though is when I wanted a bubble bath and my mother denied me of that experience. So, I got angry and began to bawl and do what normal angry little brats do. Then, she just left me outside of the store. She left me there until I was calm enough to go in. No harsh scoldings but rather an insightful truth. When you are angry, it will attract a lot of attention at first and people will tend to you but after a while, people will just distance themselves from you.  Ever since that day, any temper tantrums I had were very minor and now they have stopped completely. 

First, let me talk about how anger can be a poison. When you are angry, especially when you are a drama queen, that anger tends to ruin the day. Let's say someone cuts you off on the road and flips you the bird while doing so and they do it around 8 a.m. in the morning. You will most probably feel pissed off and hope that guy drives in a ditch. However, if you continually think about that person throughout the day then it is a sign that your anger is getting out of control. As it slowly gets out of control, it becomes a poison. You will begin to yell at others about the smallest of problems and end up making yourself look like a bad person.

Also, according to the Buddhistic law of Karma, the law of cause and effect. By being angry, you will also be creating the causes for more aggravating things to happen in the near future and you will be opening the previous negative karma from the last time you were angry. 

On a scientific level, anger can cause multiple ailments. The ailments would include:

• Harming the liver due to secretion of catecholamine
• Splotches on the skin
• Hastened Aging
• Gastric Ulcers
• Myocardial ischemia
• hyperthyroidism
• Harming the Lungs
• Damage of Immune system

(Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Eight-Risks-of-Being-Angry&id=7372310)

Now, I will explain how to stop anger from arising. Firstly, you could take up a religion that promotes love and care. If you do not wish to participate in a religion, you can also follow the philosophical laws that promote altruism.

Another very simple way is to do this minor meditation which will relax your entire body. I will explain step by step.

Here is what you need to prepare:

• Scented Candles
• Sweet Smelling Incense 
• A comfy chair
• A pillow
• A radio
• An audio file about nature (Any peaceful nature sounds are fine)
• A comfortable room 

Here is how to do the meditation:

1. Light the candles and burn the incense
2. Turn on the nature sounds
3. Hug your pillow, close your eyes and sit up straight
4. Breathe quickly for 5 breaths
5. Breathe slowly for 5 breaths
6. While listening to the sounds of nature, breath in and out normally
7. Imagine that the anger and stress of the day is dispersing in the form of black dust from different parts of your body when you exhale and when you inhale, light, symbolising hope and love enters your body
8. Start with the crown of your head
9. Move to your shoulders and feel that you are freed from the burdens that weigh you down
10. Let your arms rest 
11. Let your feet rest from its busy day of walking 
12. Breathe in and breath out 
13. Tell yourself that you have done good today. Give yourself an applause
14. Tell yourself that by being angry you will hurt people who love you and by not being angry you will make people love you more
15. Congratulate yourself again on keeping your cool
16. Stay in that state for the next 5 minutes
17. Relax and you are done! 

So, that is pretty much it! Hope you enjoyed reading! 

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When I was a little boy around the ages of 5-10, I used to love and hate balloons at the same time. I used to love it as it was like a companion which was always in a colourful mood. It used to make me feel happy.

However, I used to hate balloons because I noticed that the Balloons started to deflate and it felt as if my 'friend' was going to die. This was, of course, before I was really into Buddhism and my knowledge of impermanence was rather impaired at the time.

Thus, it was due to balloons that I learned about impermanence.

I used to cry and cry as I watched the balloons deflate. Being a child who was usually shy and anti-social, the balloons were pretty much my only constant friends, who were there when I needed them and I felt comfortable with as they were not capable of showing feelings.

 After crying, I got over it and moved on until the next balloon came along. I just toss the old balloon in the trash or wait for the maid to do it.

Then, I wondered what if I deflate one day, will people cry for a bit and then just forget about me? It kept me thinking until recently after looking at other people who died that people will just forget about you.

Now, I realise that all humans, young or old, are just like the balloons of my childhood days. Balloons that are deflating.

Till this day, I still hate balloons. I do not mind popping balloons or looking at them but I hate having balloons by my side as it reminds me of life being something that is always slowly seeping away. I know I should be embracing the truth but sometimes seeing a 'friend' wither away slowly, causes tears to flow from my eyes.

This post is not meant to be morbid and I am not a child with a twisted personality but this blog post is to let everyone know who I was since I was a child and also to let people know what I used to fear as a child.

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What is happening guys? Two days ago, Aunty Susan found a brown golden retriever wandering around the Bandar Utama area. It had a collar and was well trained. Aunty Susan brought the dog all the way back to Bangsar and allowed the doggie to stay in the back area. So kind :D

Before leaving to volunteer with some stuff at my spiritual guide, Tsem Rinpoche's, household I decided to make a video about this dog.





 

The next day, I put the video up on a facebook page called Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better. I found the owner.

The owner who's name I will keep private for privacy issues came to my house the next day (Today) and picked up the dog. The owner was extremely happy. She even gave me and Aunty Susan a hamper that came with a card.

I found out that the dog's name was Ricky. A very cute name for a cute dog.

 The owner and Ricky reunited.

The hamper she gave us. Such kindess.


I hope the owner and Ricky will have an awesome life together!

Love,
Sean
www.facebook.com/AnimalBefriendersCoalition
www.youtube.com/user/SeanSays97

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I was reading the blog of H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche and I found an article regarding 20 of the weirdest dishes from around the world. I will only be writing about 10 of them.

http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/animals-vegetarianism/20-things-you-dont-wanna-eat-or-do-you.html

I will be writing about my take on the various foods mentioned in the post. Why? It is because I am a food lover hehe.. 

1. Cambodia: Itsy Bitsy Spider

Yikes! I have arachnophobia  and that sense of fear is coming. Spiders are extremely scary little bugs (or arachnids). I find it very odd that people are willing to eat them. I know, I know, Cambodia was once a poverty-filled country and it still is. But eating spiders is going a bit to far. But I must say, the presentation for the dish is not half bad if it weren't for the spiders.

Weird factor: 6/10

2. Philippines : Balut



This is a snack that is made from half-fertilized duck or chicken egg. Yucks! I guess PETA was right this time with eggs having the life of a animal (or not really as the ones we eat are unfertilized). It is served with a little bit of salt (hopefully while it is not alive)  after being boiled (Ok...It most probably died while being boiled which is still bad). It apparently as popular as hotdogs in the US in the countries that do sell them. Yikes.

Weird factor:  8/10

3. Snake and Scorpion Wine



After a few days of fermentation, the venom is dissolved and it is ready to drink. I wouldn't drink that! One, I am creeped out by scorpions (even though they are a bit cool) and I wouldn't want them in my drink. And it seems that they drowned them in the wine. Disgusting!

Weird factor: 4/10

4. Cobra heart



This takes being bloodthirsty to a whole new level. It is like being a vampire except you are not glittered up and it is cobra blood instead of human blood. I would accept that I could be something that natives drink to prove their manliness but I would not have expected that people sell this commercially.

Weird Factor: 5/10

5. China : Birds Nest Soup



I actually do not know why this is on the list but it is still a bit weird as a lot of people spend a lot of good money on this! It is one of the most expensive dishes that people buy due to the difficulty in obtaining it.

Weird Factor: 1/10

6.  Baby Mice Wine

Traditional in China and Korea, this type of wine is said to be a "health tonic". People say that it tastes like raw gasoline. Yucks. The baby mice are drowned in the rice wine and left to ferment. Disgusting!

Weird Factor: 5/10


7. Casu Marzu, Sardinia

 This is maggot cheese. You know, when I first saw the word "Sardinia" I thought it would be infected Sardines but it was cheese. I am a cheese lover but I would never eat this cheese. If the larvae died, the cheese would be toxic. It is like eating a poisoned apple. Just, yuck.

Weird factor: 7/10

8. Indonesia: Kopi Luwak

This takes the term "This coffee tastes like shit" to  a whole new level. This coffee is made by a cat-like animal called the luwak. It is found in its shit. Yuck. It is also one of the most expensive and rarest coffees ever. So, now you can really tell people to eat shit!

Weird Factor: 6/10

9. Tuna's eyeball


 According to many people, it tastes better than it looks. I just find it odd to have a meal that looks back at me. Instant guilt trip!

Weird Factor: 9/10

10. Rocky Mountain Oysters



Yummy oysters! Oysters were once my favorite seafood. Well... These are not oysters. They are bull testicles.  I can guess why they decided to call the dish "oysters". I guess people will feel uncomfortable when the waiter says, "Wanna have some testicles on a plate?" People might be weirded out!

Weird factor: OVER 9000!

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Ah, South Korea, it is a land full of wonderful scenery, the homeland of K-Pop artists and the birthplace of the popular Gangnam Style music video. South Korea is a very beautiful place. Or is it?

South Korea is also the land of dog meat consumption. In western countries, a lot of kids plead their parents for a pet dog. I would guess that some of the readers of this blog also had once longed for a dog, man's best friend, your companion that loves you even more than your wife in certain cases. 


Looks yummy, doesn't it?Well, that is the meat of an innocent puppy. The dish is called Gaegogi Muchim.



This is one of the common types of dogs fed to the South Koreans. They are called the Nureogi. They are so cute. Imagine cuddling with them as they lick you and love you.


Oh dearThat above, is the fate that these innocent Nureogi (or Old Yeller) in South Korea will have to endure. It is so saddening. How can cute doggies become food? It is so cruel.

Well, you may say that animals like cows and chickens are also cute and used for slaughter. That is true and that is one of the many reasons why I am vegetarian but the method of slaughter for these innocent doggies is very cruel and relentless and can even be more painful than the method used for slaughtering cows, chickens and other meats.

The way that these doggies is killed are that they are beaten after being prodded by electricity. Even though the electric prod had dulled their senses a bit, the dogs can feel the full amount of pain from the beatings they are given to help increase their tenderness.

After the painful beatings, the slaughterer will bring for the knife and use the popular method amongst all forms of slaughter, bleeding. They stab the knife into the throat of the dog and let it hang as it bleeds out while still alive.

Then after bleeding out a certain amount, the dogs, still alive, would be boiled to help make skinning the dog and removing its fur easier. The dog is drowned in the boiling water.

This cruelty must be stopped.

There is a solution. Go to facebook pages and spread awareness of this cruel practice. Email your friends. Tweet. The internet is a more powerful than the pen or the sword. Use it!

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Kukkuripa, not to be confused with Kukumalu, is an indian mahasiddha, an indian saint. Kukkuripa means dog lover. That was because he loves dogs. He even had a dog with him while he did his meditations.

He meditated so well that at one point, he achieved many high attainments and got to go to Kechara Paradise (Not the one in the shopping center lah!)



He received many teachings and ate many feasts. In Kechara heaven, everything is a Dharma teaching, even a feast. But Kukkuripa could not stop thinking about his little doggie pal back in his cave.



So, he left Kechara and went to his dog. He took care of the dog. And when he scratched the dog's back, the dog turned into a dakini.

She said, "Well done, you gave up Kechara Paradise to be with just a dog, it shows you have given up attachments, now your dakini will give you the final paradise (enlightenment)."

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This story is retold by me after learning of this story through His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche.  The story is here http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/heavenly-feast-or-a-dog.html

I think that the story is about how we should be detached from our "happinessess". Kukkuripa had so much compassion for his dog, he returned from a paradise to spend time to care for the dog.  It was not that he was "attached" to the dog, although it outwardly looks like it, but in fact, he returned to the dog to take care of it as he saw that the dog was lacking care. He was overwhelmed by compassion. It is a very moving story. What do you think? Do share it with your friends :)

Love
Sean

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