and so it begins. it's been an interesting and educational weekend. an old friend and me went out of town for land hunting.

we've talked about starting a small business together for years now and only 'till this past weekend the opportunity seems to present its possibility. to start a business we need a good financial standing and for that we need to put our heads together and start doing something instead of keep wishing and hoping for something we want. our plan is to purchase a land or two and then resell them for a small profit. if all goes well, we may continue doing so and with the profit we make we could then start building that little business we've always talked about, whatever that may turned out to be.

we visited 5 different locations and have picked out our favorites and talked about the pros and cons if we decide to go ahead with the whole thing. we would have another meeting this coming weekend with the agent to ask more questions, and to do some bargaining in terms of sales conditions before we decide on whether or not to purchase one and/or which one to purchase.

we both may not have much but have saved little by little each year. we want to take it one step further by making our savings work to generate more savings. we are at that age phase where saving and generating money become a lot more important aspect of life for securing our future.

we have little experience in this (well, I have none) and so rather nervous with the idea of spending a large chunk of our savings for something that may have a long term wait before it gives any return.

so that's what's been occupying my mind for the past week and for many weeks to come, I suspect. I won’t know what to decide for our next move until after we have that second meeting with the agent. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

apparently, you can have your dog machine washed now if you live in japan. go figure.

source:
washing machine for dogs.

Having read various news on the damages Taiwan received from typhoon attacks stunned me with a disbelieve that I could very well be one of the victims had I not returned from my trip as early as I did. Many people lost their homes, some even lost their loved ones. It makes me wonder whether a statement I made just a week or so ago “I could see myself living in Taiwan” would still be uttered from my mouth if I had seen the disasters beforehand.

Taiwan is no stranger to natural disasters, judging from the news on Taiwan for the past 2 years. My feelings for Taiwan is a mixture of sadness for their lost, gratefulness for what I experienced, and affection for what they have to offer to my memory and palate. This by no means my last visit to such beautiful country.

Sitting comfortably at home while eating Taiwanese rice and drinking Taiwanese green tea that I have purchased during my trip there just last week, I couldn’t help but remembering the many great scenic locations I visited in Taiwan that may have looked quite differently by now due to the typhoon attack. And all of the smiling food vendors, whom may have lost their means of earning their daily bread, may have to endure a substantial amount of absent time before they can once again serve their hand-made delicious food to locals and eager travelers like myself.

I hope the days of disasters would soon leave and allow the people to once again experience happiness and contentment. I wish this with all my heart especially with blood related relatives living there, whom are Taiwanese in spirit and would remain true to Taiwan in heart and residency for the rest of their lives.

ok, let me get serious for a little bit here. about a couple of weeks ago, i came across a blog

the value of life.

by a fellow xangan about his view on human's life and his believe that not all people deserve to live.

i left a comment but have yet to receive a reply so i don't know whether or not he is in agreement with my view. not to judge one's personal opinion here, for i am sure every one of us would have an opinion of our own on such subject, whether it is Pro for the choice in killing another human or against it, but what really bothers me the most is the way he expressed his opinion with such conviction as if taking a human's life is something that may be done out of necessity and not something to be ashamed about. i would not say that i agree or disagree with his personal view but his blog makes me wonder where we should draw a line when it comes to such situation.

my question is... is it acceptable to let our emotion takes over our sensible judgement in committing such act if we FEEL/THINK/BELIEVE that a particular person doesn't deserve to live? should the answer be any different when different circumstances apply, such as in self-defense and death-penalty?

apparently, there's a cooking contest in Serbia with testicles as the main ingredients. i wonder what would they taste like... chicken??

source:
testicle pizza.

i just woke up from a weird dream. i dreamt that i was part of a group of adventurers, with a mission. somewhat like The A-Team but with no guns and explosives. i was on a helicopter and a speed boat. i was brave and had an awesome life. on top of that, i could also fly AND heal those with illnesses with one touch. one of those i healed was Eric from True Blood. you know, the vampire. i wonder what do all these mean?...

Not many people know that I am a fountain pen (FP) user and perhaps, well… close to an addict. I have been using it for a few short years now, own several, and have since joined a forum online that discuss the world and love for FPs.

Recently on the fountain pen forum online, a member asked a question that made me stop and think. He was asking whether us FP owners and users, who happened to have more than an average of 2 or 3, would justify ourselves for the need to own that many. He wasn’t condemning the act, for he is too a FP enthusiast and already owns 2, but was trying to understand the craziness we all are under, and a lot of us have, when it comes to the world of FPs. Some serious collectors would own from dozens to hundreds to even thousands. That’s a good enough reason to open up a shop.

I’m sure such thought of justifying the number of FPs we own crossed to each one of us FP owners' and collectors' mind. But it is harder to justify when the more you dwelt in the world of FP, the more jewels you discovered along the way. As humans, we always want more and want what we don't have and could have.

Mine started when I wanted to acquire a nice pen for work/business. For image reason. First what I got was a high-end ball-pen, then moved on to a roller-ball pen, and then finally a FP. Once I got the hang of writing with a FP, I got addicted and abandoned my ball-pens and roller-ball pen. Then I started looking into a better quality FP. I got to try different brands and felt in love with them also. Since then I’ve been acquiring several and kept wondering what other brands out there that might be worth having and it started to snow-ball from there. And oh, don't get me started with my bottled ink collection. The obsession is even worse.

But unlike some people, I don't buy my FP (both cheaper and more expensive ones) to show off. It's merely for a personal satisfaction, and since I’m still in that learning stage, the discoveries are always heart pumping and never failed to bring in a jolt of happiness. It's a personal thing. Sure, like some people, I have tried to get rid of few of my FPs so I won't have to deal with so many, though I love them all. But with what I have, I use them and rotate them on monthly basis. So far I have 9 and countless bottled inks in different colors. Yeah, I think I may need to stop for a while. The FP I mean, not the inks

I returned feeling terribly exhausted and jet-lagged. Sleep was the only thing on my mind. Sleep was all I needed to get back to my regular self. The trip was both nice and a disappointment, rather like a group tour I was a part of many many years ago when I was much younger. Yeah, you heard me. I’m THAT old. At least I feel like I am. You want to hear all about it? Here's a little review on the recent China trip covering harbin-shenyang-dalian-qingdao-beijing.

Harbin - a small city. It has less Mongolian influence to the city than I thought it would be initially. Instead, Russian influence is everywhere. It's only 2-hour away from the border of Russia. Since it's close to the border of Russia, the city offers lots of Russian products as souvenirs. The region also produces great tasting rice. Similar to Japanese rice in a way that it's somewhat sticky and sweet (no, I’m not talking about Madonna) and they don't sell the rice outside the province either. And so I brought some home with me. I LOVE ME RICE The city also has subway. It's brand new. They also gets only 6 warm months in a year so they have lots of constructions going before the cold weather arrives. When it comes, it's too cold to do any outdoor work. I was told it can get as cold as -30C. The city is well known internationally for its annual ice caving festival during its winter season. They even have a hotel completely made of ice, specially made for the winter months. On a down side, the people are rough and rude. More than those I found in Beijing and shanghai. Everyday I was there I saw people argued/fought over something. Guess it’s their way of showing a little bit of love.

Shenyang - an industrial city. The city is bigger than Harbin and currently has construction going on for subway. There are many more cars and cars of all brands in Shenyang in comparison to Harbin. They manufacture many brands of car there so cars are cheaper commodity than outside the region. They also produce many consumer goods, so it's the city to do shopping. Many underground shops available to satisfy your shopping mood. Unfortunately, they don't produce many leather goods that I was hoping to find for myself.

Dalian – a larger and hipper city than Shenyang. It may be voted as the cleanest city in china for the past 10 years but I didn't think the city is all that great. Not really much going on there except that it has good schools. It’s the only city in china that has cable cars (similar to HK) and policewomen on horses. Yes, they are known for that. The horses are huge and handsome. Lots of them were taken from the Mongolian area. The policewomen themselves are very tall and lean, similar to a profile you would imagine in models. With its prized modern developments, the land price of Dalian is getting more expensive and real estate business is on the rise. Currently, the city also has a construction going on for subway.

Qingdao - my favorite place from them all. It's a laid back small beach city that has a mild weather. The city itself is sandwiched by the sea and mountains so it is cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Harbin-shenyang-dalian-beijing were all around 30-33C hot when I was there, while Qingdao was only around 25C and the only city that rained. It is known for the seafood products and its brewery. Most people have probably tried china’s famous beer - Tsingtao beer. I had the opportunity to visit the factory and got myself free beer. Well, it’s included in the entrance fee. Personally, I prefer Harbin produced beer better, with its cleaner and lighter taste and aroma. However, most people would prefer to come to Qingdao for its annual beer festival. The national park LaoShan is a must-go place, about an hour outside the city. Located among rocky cliffs and valleys, it's quite green with running fresh cold water all around down from the top of the mountain. I wouldn't mind going back there.

Beijing - BORING. Maybe cause I’ve been there before. I did go to the Great Wall again. It was the only thing I enjoyed doing. Sure, I visited the famous Olympic buildings – the Bird Nest and the Water Cube, but I always prefer nature to traffic and pollution any day. The ridiculously large crowd at the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace didn’t help either. Much worse than my first visit last year. I decided to purchase my second Chinese silk shirt on my last day there. It was the only thing that could remedy my poor perception of the city. Plus, it was only for RMB80 and I got compliments for it

This past weekend I finally got together with a bunch of friends to give them their souvenirs - Russian chocolates I got from Harbin. Then we went for a movie and dinner and ended the night with mahjong card game for dessert. Well, second dessert, after we devoured the Russian chocolates.

I got this from a friend. This is a game but it’s fun to do. Just read the 'offense' and if you've done it, you owe that fine. You don't have to confess your answers, just the amount of your fine. NOTE: fines to be added only once, not for how ever many times you have done it.

Smoked weed -- $10
Did acid or pills -- $5
Ever had sex at church -- $25
Woke up in the morning and did not know the person who was next to you -- $40
Had sex with someone on MySpace/Facebook/Bebo etc -- $25
Had sex for money -- $100
Ever had sex with a Puerto Rican -- $20
Vandalized something -- $20
Had sex on your parents' bed -- $10
Beat up someone -- $20
Been jumped -- $10
Cross dressed -- $10
Given money to stripper -- $25
Been in love with a stripper -- $20
Kissed someone whose name you didn't know -- $0.10
Hit on some one of the same sex while at work -- $15
Ever drove and drank -- $20
Ever got drunk at work, or went to work while still drunk -- $50
Used toys while having sex -- $30
Got drunk, passed out and don't remember the night before -- $20
Went skinny dipping -- $5
Had sex in a pool -- $20
Kissed someone of the same sex -- $10
Had sex with someone of the same sex -- $20
Cheated on your significant other -- $10
Masturbated -- $10
Cheated on your significant other with their relative or close friend -- $20
Done oral -- $5
Got oral -- $5
Done / got oral in a vehicle while it was moving -- $25
Stole something -- $10
Had sex with someone in jail -- $25
Made a nasty home video or took pictures -- $15
Had a threesome -- $50
Had sex in public -- $20
Been in the same room while someone was having sex --$25
Stole something worth over more than a hundred dollars-- $20
Had sex with someone 10 years older -- $20
Had sex with someone under the age accepted by rule of thumb (half your age plus 7) -- $25
Been in love with two people or more at the same time-- $50
Said you love someone but didn't mean it -- $25
Went streaking -- $5
Went streaking in broad daylight -- $15
Been arrested -- $5
Spent time in jail -- $15
Pissed in the pool -- $0.50
Played spin the bottle -- $5
Done something you regret -- $20
Had sex with your best friend -- $20
Had sex with someone you work with -- $25
Had anal sex -- $80
Lied to your mate -- $5
Lied to your mate about the sex being good -- $25

Tally it up and post it as: "My Fine Is ..…"
Mine is $265.60

3 full hours of treacherously rocky and muddy mount biking route... my butt cheeks are sore ;[

It was a Wednesday night. My sister got the call as I was chewing away at the dining table. She sounded different from her usual candid demeanor whenever she’s on the phone. “Huh?! When? What happened?” she asked with such authority in her tone. When she hung up her cell, she turned to me and said “Kevin is in the hospital and he may already be dead…”. My jaw dropped, my eyes bulged, and the pair of chopsticks in my right hand halted midair between my lips and my bowl of rice. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

We readied ourselves as fast as we could and went to the hospital. By the time we got there, our parents and a group of relatives were already waiting outside and sobbing. Right there and then I knew Kevin had left us.

It was later explained that it happened at home while he was playing his video game on his desktop. His brother heard a loud thud and when he walked in he found Kevin was already on the floor unconscious and had froth on his mouth. His sister, whom was also at home at the time, gave him mouth to mouth, but by then Kevin had urinated his pants. It was too late.

One of my aunts confided that he had an irregularity in his heart. When Kevin was born, the doctor informed that he had a small hole in his heart. He would be able to live a normal life but extra care must be taken during his puberty years for that’s when signs of a possible heart attack may start to occur. Kevin had been in a rather weak condition for the past few weeks. His parents thought he was just down with fever. None of us thought it could be due to his heart for he had always been active, cheerful and healthy all these years. However, he had a headache all day that day and decided to stay in that late afternoon to rest. There is a possibility that the excitement he got from playing his video games during his weakest what really pushed the button. His weak heart just couldn’t handle it.

A wake was arranged the very next day through Friday. Everybody was seen wearing either black or white. Plates of oranges, peanuts, steamed buns and cakes were passed around to accommodate the many visitors who came to pay their respect, but that wasn’t enough to erase the sadness of the occasion. It wasn’t the first wake I attended but it was my first wake for the passing of someone from my own family. It was then I understood the reason for the tears shed by the many people at the wakes I attended in the past. Seeing my beloved family and relatives couldn’t hold back their tears, I too had my share of blurry visions.

Saturday morning we went to the cremation ceremony an hour outside the city. It was once again a first for me. After a lengthy session of Buddhist chants led by a monk in a turmeric yellow robe, everyone lined up to give their final respect by throwing flowers on top of the casket. Kevin in his wooden casket topped with flowers was sent into a large stainless steel oven to be burned into ashes. His ashes and crushed bones were later thrown into the sea nearby.

I know death is something that happens to all of us but I never knew how heart breaking it can be until it happens to someone we care about. It had been a very gloomy week. He was only 16 years old. His name was Kevin. And he was a cousin of mine.

USA pentagon is changing the rules on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. who do you think this is benefiting?

news source - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125170512

it is extremely unnerving to know to what extend people of supposedly sane mind are willing to do, despite the fact that they have much more civilized and educated options to choose from. i have only recently encountered news on thailand where many of the country's citizens would draw out their own blood and have it thrown to the front of their prime minister's house as an act of protest. their goal is to have the PM to voluntarily step down from his current position.

why can't people just wait until the next election year to elect a different candidate that they feel more suitable as their leader? ok, so i'm not the most politically informed guy or that fully aware of what led these people to act the way they did, but logic tells me that's such a tremendous waste. not to mention stupid. if they really wanted to use blood, why couldn't they collect the blood of the many animals that were to be butchered for consumption? or at least use fake blood, if "shocking" was what they were aiming for. this way they would still be able to get across a message they want to convey, right? ...or am i just not getting it?

news source - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8571592.stm

i think i've had enough of 7 transfusions in a row. wouldn't anyone? with 7 needle marks on my hands and arms, i think i'm closer to look like a potential junkie.

that said, i need to have my blood cleaned in order to fight this skin allergy. though the transfusions are behind me, i still have to stomach the bitter chinese medicine daily, twice a day, for months. it's one of those soup made from various chinese herbs boiled down to 2 cups of stinky murky blackish brown liquid. one cup for the morning and the other for the evening. one of the main ingredients is a bunch of dried bugs resembling oversized bees. well, they could very well be baby roaches. who the hell knows? all of the ingredients look similar. dried, brown, and in pieces.

how does it taste? bitter beyond bitterness with an aftertaste of bark and dirt, and with a hint of fermented fruit. tasty, huh? in the meantime, i have to stay away from anything seafood, red meats, chillies, fried foods, and eggs. maybe i should think about converting into a vegan again.

sigh...

i have been ditching my gym routine for the past couple of weeks now. what with my skin allergy acting up again i'm just not motivated to hit the gym and sweat it out. maybe next week...

more disturbing news... a massacre of 57 people in philippines. this news about a week old but i just found out recently. what in the world is going on?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120812464
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122190210

Iran is planning on building new nuclear sites. this is very disturbing!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120963098

Part 4 of 4.

“Would you like to find a female partner?” he said bluntly and loudly, toward me. Wh… what? I looked at him with disbelieve. It took me a second or two to register his words in my head. Everyone in the room turned their gaze toward me. My aunt, still grinning widely, said “Yes” instantly, as if someone just offered her a pot of diamonds. “You’re not married, right?” he continued. “No, he’s not” my aunt quickly replied, though he was looking right at me. I was like “Sssure… Nno…”. An uncertainly in my voice was evident. How would he know that I’m not married, or engaged to someone, or already seeing someone at the very least? Then he asked “You don’t go to the temple and you don’t pray, do you?” This sounded more like an accusation than a kind inquiry. I shook my head and said no. He smiled and turned around.

Then the bomb… The ever-so-helpful aunt of mine started to plead the temple master to find me a nice girl to marry. The temple master changed his facial expression. It resembled something to someone just made an error and realized it too late. He then said “But he doesn’t like them girls”. I was dumbfounded. The room grew small and hot. Suddenly I lost my ease and felt like I needed to run. Somewhere. Unaware of the details of my private life, my aunt merrily requested him to stop joking around with her and continued begging him to find me a nice girl. He just grinned. The kind that says he knows something that she doesn’t. I knew that IF he was for real, there’s a chance I might be entering a lion’s den. But, never in a million years would I thought I would hear those words coming out of his mouth. Well, THIS WAS NOT what I came here for.

He offered no more answers. Before he dismissed me, he gave us the green and yellow rectangular papers that he stamped earlier. He explained to my aunt that they are for me and to be burned. The ash of one is to be mixed with water and flowers and to be used for bathing. The ash of another is to be mixed with drinking water and then strained, before the water is consumed. All these to ensure luck to come my way. The temple master then continued to proceed with his consultation with my aunt and cousins. During the entire time I kept myself close to them, listening, trying to find some flaws in him. I needed to see something that will convince myself that he is a fraud and that all those words he said meant nothing. But there was none. Was he for real? He can’t be. But then, how would he know all those things…? All I could do was sighed, shrugged, and hoped for the best, though a slight damage has been done.

On the way back we stopped by a local street vendor selling Durian Dodol. An Indonesian version of Mochi made from white glutinous rice, palm sugar and durian fruit. The intense sweet flavor and its delicate chewy texture made it utterly delish. I bought plenty as souvenirs, wrapped in dried Nipa leaf, a cross between palm leaf and banana leaf. As I chewed down the free sample in the car, we were stopped by a road police. Again. A different guy this time. He made a fuss. We protested. We got fined. I had a bad feeling the day would turn ugly for me.

Later that evening we shared our thoughts on the ritual and the outcome of our consultation. My aunt made a point on how lucky it was for me to have my bowl broken on my first visit. My cousins didn’t get the same luxury. Then out of the blue she started to talk about how my single status needs a remedy, fast. My cousins agreed whole heartedly. Here we go again, I thought. There’s no escaping to this now. Something I dreaded and feared would happened since my arrival and now it’s happening. I took it like a man. I endured the whole episode. I nodded. I smiled. And made a promise that I know I will never keep. Ever.

The next day I departed Medan feeling rather relieved but empty just the same. It had been an exhausting weekend. I thought I would end up having a religious nightmare on my first evening back. To my surprise, that night I had a wet dream.

Part 3.

The temple master had just returned from a break. Apparently, he too needed breakfast. In appearance, he looked just like someone’s uncle, still in his late 40’s. His hair, as black as ink neatly combed and glistened with hair gel. Wearing a loose black robe adorned with colorful stitches on the back of what seemed to be a dragon, he took a sit on an oversized red chair, facing the wall of the golden statues of the gods and with his back to the entrance door. In front of him, a red desk covered with stacks of papers and books. On the left a red ink pad and a dozen or so oversized stamps, each with a different Chinese character, each with a different meaning and purpose. On the right, a Chinese ink brush and black ink in its stone-well. Very authentically Chinese, I thought.

Before the consultation began, he would need to let the certain “god” to enter his body. To do so, he started to say few words of prayer or sort and then BAM! He dropped his forehead right down on the desk. I thought to myself, that got to hurt!. And that was it. He lifted his head up and opened his eyes as someone else, as the “god” who supposedly just entered his body.

My aunt quickly made her way to his left to whisper requests. I was instructed to stand to his right. She spoke of me, and that she was also representing me as I have no clue on the rules of the ritual. He took one look at me and nodded. He asked few questions and she answered. All the while she was speaking in a very soft tone of voice. She bent low as she spoke, much like a commoner talking to a king. She handed him my t-shirt and a single empty white porcelain bowl. This “god” began to write something inside the bowl using his ink brush. Then on yellow and green rectangular papers and have them stamped. Each with a different stamp.

There’s this thing the temple master does with the bowl. He would have it wrapped in your t-shirt and then have it thrown a few feet away from his back. If the bowl breaks as it made its landing, this signifies the bad luck has been “chased away”. Thus, you would get what you came here for. If it doesn’t break, well then, that means you are in deep shit and you can come back another time to try to claim back your luck. No pressure, right? As he was about to throw the bowl, I was instructed to kneel down and bow until my forehead hit the ground. Literally. As my forehead touched the grey ceramic tiled ground, the sound was muffled by another. The sound of my bowl made its landing. It sounded heavy, more like a thud, unlike a sharp high pitched sound one would hear when a porcelain bowl breaks. My aunt made a skeptical expression on her face. This can’t be good.

The temple master explained that if the bowl breaks and it is broken only on the upper edge, it doesn’t count. It needs to have broken all the way down to the bottom end of the bowl. When the t-shirt was loosened from the bowl, it revealed a pleasant surprise to us. There sit two pieces of white porcelain instead of one whole piece. One third of the bowl was split all the way down to the bottom end. My aunt was grinning widely. She thanked him for granting our wish. He replied by saying that it was because I have a good heart and gods listened to good people. I smiled. Forcefully. I mean, what else could one do? In order to show some kind of appreciation, I had to. I think he was trying to get me to be a believer and was trying to get some kind of reaction from me.

Though his words somewhat eased my ill thoughts on this whole scenario, I still couldn’t escape the skepticism I have had ever since I boarded the plane the day before. So far he had not done anything I would call extra ordinary. Just as I thought we should make our exit, his sudden next words came as a surprise and threw me back a little…

Part 2.

The loud ticking sound of the clock on the wall right above the head of the bed didn’t help me to retire in peace. Tossing and turning I did. Feeling so out of place in a little’s girl bedroom. Winnie’s smile didn’t help. His intense stare made me a bit uneasy. I barely slept before the alarm from my Casio alerted me to get ready for a long day. My aunt was already busy in the kitchen downstairs getting things ready for the trip. She had the day’s breakfast and lunch ready, all neatly packed, together with disposable plates, bowls, spoons and chopsticks. Before we left, she had our pillows and blankets stuffed in a sarong and sticky taped both open ends of the sarong to prevent the pillows from getting dirty. By 4.30am sharp we were all in the car buckled up, each with a bottle of home-filtered water.

The drive was long, quiet, and quite exhausting. Yet I couldn’t fall asleep despite the sleepless night the night before. It started dark and all you could see were headlights of trucks on the way to the city for their usual delivery. Before long, the midnight blue sky turned pastel blue with a hint of grey, pink and yellow. Too bad I couldn’t see the sunrise. It would’ve been nice. With a brighter lighting now, both sides of the highway were seen covered with the many palm tree plantations. On the way, a road police stopped us for a routine check. Nothing major. We passed the inspection. A sign of a good day.

Upon arrival, I quickly made my way to the toilet. It didn’t matter we were at a temple. If I had to wait a minute longer I would have peed my pants right there and then, possibly creating an amusing puddle of uric acid. And the thousands of burning incense sticks wouldn’t be enough to hide the strange sour perfume either. Alas, with an empty bladder I was ready to face a religious day with hope and conviction.

My aunt promptly seek the temple master to find out how early we could start what we came here for. He was already busy helping other visitors. We would have to wait in line. Our turn would not be for at least another hour. It was a good thing I brought along a book to read. And so we unloaded our stuff from the car and had ourselves some breakfast. Stir-fried organic rice with garlic and mushrooms, accompanied with freshly sliced cucumbers. I had mine in a bowl with chopsticks and they had theirs on a plate with a spoon.

Soon after, we lined up the stuff needed for the ritual. A couple of t-shirts (old enough to donate), plain white porcelain bowls, sticks of incense and of course, cash. There’s no charge in seeking consultation and partake in a ritual but there is an unwritten rule that you make a donation on your way out. Before we go and have our personal consultation with the temple master, one is expected to pay respect to the many gods that reside in the temple. And so I burned tons of incense sticks and made my round. They were maybe about a dozen different gods to present your incense sticks and prayer to. Three sticks for each. As you knelt down, sticks above your forehead, held with both hands, and eyes straight ahead and up, a prayer will be uttered (or maybe more like a beg for the gods to grand your wish). You would then place those three sticks inside the individual urn intended for each god. Each spot would have a label of the god’s name too, incase you forgotten their name.

The ritual requires more than just prayers and burning incense sticks. As I observed the other visitors going through their ritual, I noticed that one would have to crawl on his/her hands and knees underneath the two long high wooden tables displaying a golden statue of one of the gods and massive metal pots or urns containing burning incense stick. Start by lowering yourself at one end of a table, crawl to the other end, make a turn to the other table, continue to crawl to the end of that second table, make a turn back to the first table, and redo the whole I’m-not-worthy-please-punish-me crawl all over again several times. I was told that it is to show the gods that you are dead serious in trying to overturn your bad luck and if they see you are suffering, then they’ll have a sympathy for you and grand your wish. I would have to do the same, as expected for everyone. And so I did.

It was a good thing I had on my jeans. Some people only had on their shorts and so their exposed knees got mild bruises or cuts, for those who crawled for like a hundred times. I’m not that desperate, nor am I religious, and so I only made a couple of rounds. I figured, I made it here, didn’t I? And with 2 hours flight and 3 hours drive, don’t that count for something? I brushed away the dirt on my hands and jeans, looked for a quite place to sit and immersed myself in my book. Mentally, I needed to get away and be entertained.

After what seemed like forever, our names were called. It was our turn. My aunt suggested that I should go first, then she and my cousins would follow suit. She said she would help me in communicating with the temple master. I nodded. I didn’t care. I just wanted to get it over done with. And so we went in...