GODDESS OF MERCY

Look at little Jonathan.... doesn't he looked a bit like our Kuan Yin? hahahahah...



Just for laughs... anyhow here is a write up in regards to the Goddess of Mercy...

Quan Yin is one of the most universally beloved of deities in the Buddhist tradition. Also known as Kuan Yin, Quan'Am (Vietnam), Kannon (Japan), and Kanin (Bali), She is the embodiment of compassionate loving kindness. As the Bodhisattva of Compassion, She hears the cries of all beings. Quan Yin enjoys a strong resonance with the Christian Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Tibetan goddess Tara.

In many images She is depicted carrying the pearls of illumination. Often Quan Yin is shown pouring a stream of healing water, the "Water of Life," from a small vase. With this water devotees and all living things are blessed with physical and spiritual peace. She holds a sheaf of ripe rice or a bowl of rice seed as a metaphor for fertility and sustenance. The dragon, an ancient symbol for high spirituality, wisdom, strength, and divine powers of transformation, is a common motif found in combination with the Goddess of Mercy.

Sometimes Kuan Yin is represented as a many armed figure, with each hand either containing a different cosmic symbol or expressing a specific ritual position, or mudra. This characterizes the Goddess as the source and sustenance of all things. Her cupped hands often form the Yoni Mudra, symbolizing the womb as the door for entry to this world through the universal female principle.

Quan Yin, as a true Enlightened One, or Bodhisattva, vowed to remain in the earthly realms and not enter the heavenly worlds until all other living things have completed their own enlightenment and thus become liberated from the pain-filled cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

There are numerous legends that recount the miracles which Quan Yin performs to help those who call on Her. Like Artemis, She is a virgin Goddess who protects women, offers them a religious life as an alternative to marriage, and grants children to those who desire them.

The Goddess of Mercy is unique among the heavenly hierarchy in that She is so utterly free from pride or vengefulness that She remains reluctant to punish even those to whom a severe lesson might be appropriate. Individuals who could be sentenced to dreadful penance in other systems can attain rebirth and renewal by simply calling upon Her graces with utter and absolute sincerity. It is said that, even for one kneeling beneath the executioner's sword already raised to strike, a single heartfelt cry to Bodhisattva Quan Yin will cause the blade to fall shattered to the ground.

The many stories and anecdotes featuring this Goddess serve to convey the idea of an enlightened being who embodies the attributes of an all pervasive, all consuming, unwavering loving compassion and who is accessible to everyone. Quan Yin counsels us by Her actions to cultivate within ourselves those particular refined qualities that all beings are said to naturally possess in some vestigial form.

Contemplating the Goddess of Mercy involves little dogma or ritual. The simplicity of this gentle being and Her standards tends to lead Her devotees towards becoming more compassionate and loving themselves. A deep sense of service to all fellow beings naturally follows any devotion to the Goddess.

From such an easy and comfortable way of thinking the world slowly and inevitably becomes a better place.

BEING SICK

An alcoholic friend of mine who recently posted a header saying that he is every sick got bombasted by us ----> his friend!

JH's Post: James is under medical surveillance. Suspect dengue. If not, german missles. Or else, leukimia. Will know soon. No need prayer... not dead... 2:17pm

Dylan Lem at 2:18pm October 7
pergi rest la...kaka caucau here hehehehe ... take care n recover soon ;-P

Kah Yean at 2:23pm October 7
agree .. go be ur pig la .. raining out there .. :D

David Oh at 3:04pm October 7
being under medical surveillance does not mean u have to be a drama queen to prove ur point.... muahahah... dun be a wimp and get better!

Kah Yean at 3:08pm October 7
wow .. ah gor ah .. din know ur frens are so "caring" oh .. XD

Ho Kim Lian at 3:15pm October 7
aiyo...you drink not enough is it...anyway get well soon ya!

David Oh at 3:16pm October 7
hahahaah.... he will collect his medication at u know where la kimlian... his lala land... hahahahahah he'll be up and mighty after tonite!

Ho Kim Lian at 3:21pm October 7
lol.....hey david,i'm sure its not dengue,cause the mosquitoes will get drunk 1st once they bite him....

David Oh at 3:27pm October 7
kakakak.... i totally agree with you. And I don't think it's leukemia because he's still fat, no unintentional weight loss... kakakakakakak

Ho Kim Lian at 3:34pm October 7
lol...ur so mean david....but sorry james, i totaly agree wif david....tat leaves him wif german missles....aiyo then all dot dot mah not handsome liao lo....

David Oh at 3:58pm October 7
nah... he won't be having german measles too.. his skin is way too thick to have those dots poking out to surface... hahahahah so in summary, don't worry. Our dearest James is fine.

Winnie Ng at 4:38pm October 7
yalah damn drama queen... give you OSCAR award la.. anyway take care and get more rest..

James Hong at 1:36am October 8
LOL.. kns... ! Thank you kawan!..

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM - I HAVE 'DIE-DED' AND CAME BACK

I just woke up from a dream and I remembered it. If you happened to read it? Don't laugh! This time, I dreamt of myself dying (car accident due to the stupid malfunctioning brakes) and GOD was so kind to give me a period of time (I can't remember how long) to come back to earth and finish my unfinished business before I leave again! But the whole situation was almost similar to the movie 'Fly Me To Polaris'. This time, my unfinished business was my grandfather and mom. My mom, for a reason, is not in talking terms with my grandfather. And my objective is to mend the rift between them.

I could remember that I am living in Penang still. However, not in the same house as my family. Maybe with Dexter I think. The moment I came back, I looked for Dexter and he started asking me if I'm back to because of a task that I had to do. I nodded YES and asked if he wanted to follow me to solve it. (But then again, I still can't figure out why I was still alone in the car when I got off the car on 2 occasions - meeting my mom, and grandad separately).

I met my mom first. I drove to her in that junk that killed me which happened to be repaired by then. I kept telling myself not to drive too fast this time around because I do not wanna get killed again. When she saw me, she was really happy. But then again I told her that she had to reunite with my grandad. Of course, I didn't reveal that it was my unfinished business and after I'm done, they have kissed and make up, I'll go. The best part is, someone tried to give me an angpow for returning home, and for a reason I told her "Burn it for me. I can't receive it!" hahahaha and she did. Then it was automatically placed on my rear sit. Mom's not ready to meet up or forgive my grandad yet. But deep in me I know she will. It is just that I need to let them meet each other.

Hence, I drove to my grandad's house, where he moved out now... staying at the same row as my tuition centre. And I saw him walking in to his house after his morning exercise and I hollered for him. He hollered at me and was very happy to meet me. The things that he was carrying fell down to the ground. I think it was newspaper and guess what? This time, I could pick the paper up and pass it back to him. And I remembered asking him,

Me: Is it that serious until you have to move out?

Grandad: Well, *@##**@#**@#**@#* (unclear, can't remember)

Me: I'm gonna head back home now and and get mom to meet you. And you both HAVE to meet up.

Grandad: Why are you here? You should not be back here! You don't belong to this place anymore. Tell your mom that I will meet her with you at the temple where we place your altar. I thing it will bring you good too.

Me: OK. Will go home now and inform her.

And I headed on driving home using the same lane that I just to drive (when I was younger) to William's house and the traffic was damn horrible. Every single car was driving on the opposite site of the road. Even the pedestrians are hideous. They can't simply walk out and cross the streets without even waiting for the cars to go first. Furthermore it was a cross junction. I still remembered my specky malay neighbour (who is my grandad's good friend) who happened to stubbornly cross the street at that time while I was driving through, screamed at me saying "Son, why are you driving this way? I'll tell your grandfather!". I remembered ignoring him and driving even more carefully and slowly as my brakes are not functioning properly still. After crossing the streets, I saw Selvi on the floor with another man/lady who is nearby. For a reason, she gave me a feeling that she had just left my house after her cleaning service. And she was holding to her non-bleeding knee. I asked myself "Since I was rushing home and our cleaner is involve in an accident, should I just stop the car and help her or should I head on home since there is already someone helping her? I still need to rush to my mom and tell her the news right? In contrary, what if GOD is testing me to see if I have stopped?" I then had this bad feeling and stopped the car as if I was blackmailed by GOD to do so. I parked the car and by the time I went to her... I FUCKING WOKE UP AND GRAPSING FOR AIR!!! I guess I was really dead huh!

I've now, woken up, scooped a small bowl of my 'tin kai' porridge, wullop the porridge while typing this and I am definitely going to sleep again. Do you think I am gonna continue with this weird dream of mine? I hope not!

A QUIET WEEK AFTERALL

I've been staying home, away from the hideous lifestyle, riding along with the long raya week - where applying my self attained work leave, is just a total bitch. In my years of work, this is the first time seeing application for leave is plain difficult. But mainly because of 1 fucking reason, my boss! I'm entitled to my leave BITCH! (If you are such a good superior, then try coming in earlier than 1130 hours daily and leave after 1630 hours to your drunkard joint for a start). Minus any further details... I have to shamefully admit that my boss and his division is pretty malfunctioned - total fucked up!

The week was totally peaceful, no calls for work (there's no call at all as there's no business - hence the sinful handover from the previous staff which has been so 'helpful'), no disturbance or stalking from 'pests', and I've solely concentrated in job seeking and being totally out of the world (except for my internet addiction for updates of course). Yeah. It's a pretty pleasant yet a boring weekend for me. I've not even stepped out of my door even for a single step. Even my cigarettes are delivered to me. How lazy could I be? Life's a bitch, yeah and I'm on holiday. So what the heck? One of the good ways to do soul searching to come out from this temporary depression from work which, I know it will be resolved soon. But then again, with the recent recession, things are getting slower. On another note, sleeping at 0600hours and waking up at 1700 hours is sure FUN! It's been years since I get to do that!

It's a Friday night today, and in 2 more days I should be reporting back to the hell house again. And I've told myself I need to go out but then again, am pretty lazy to do so. I've even turned down Kah Yik's birthday bash just to stay home. He's gonna kill me. But I dun care... am sure am gonna make up to him...

Anyhow... am gonna kill myself with boredom now whilst waiting for my friend to get home and start to drown me with his silly, yet entertaining jokes.. and of course... the food that he craves to have before he sleeps! Damn.. he sounded like a teddy bear! And Yes I need to change my blog address too... I dun really want this blog to be revealed anymore (if possible).

Adious...!

PS... Am heading to Frangi now to down myself with graveyard!!... SHHHHHH!! *Wink

FUN TIME WITH CREATIVES

It's been a while since I did something this fun.. Anyhow... Do enjoy...

TEAM WORK

Team building skills are critical for your effectiveness as a manager or entrepreneur. And even if you are not in a management or leadership role yet, better understanding of team work can make you a more effective employee and give you an extra edge in your corporate office.

A team building success is when your team can accomplish something much bigger and work more effectively than a group of the same individuals working on their own. You have a strong synergy of individual contributions. But there are two critical factors in building a high performance team.

The first factor in team effectiveness is the diversity of skills and personalities. When people use their strengths in full, but can compensate for each other's weaknesses. When different personality types balance and complement each other.

The other critical element of team work success is that all the team efforts are directed towards the same clear goals, the team goals. This relies heavily on good communication in the team and the harmony in member relationships.

In real life, team work success rarely happens by itself, without focused team building efforts and activities. There is simply too much space for problems. For example, different personalities, instead of complementing and balancing each other, may build up conflicts. Or even worse, some people with similar personalities may start fighting for authority and dominance in certain areas of expertise. Even if the team goals are clear and accepted by everyone, there may be no team commitment to the group goals or no consensus on the means of achieving those goals: individuals in the team just follow their personal opinions and move in conflicting directions. There may be a lack of trust and openness that blocks the critical communication and leads to loss of coordination in the individual efforts. And on and on. This is why every team needs a good leader who is able to deal with all such team work issues.

Here are some additional team building ideas, techniques, and tips you can try when managing teams in your situation.


Make sure that the team goals are totally clear and completely understood and accepted by each team member.

Make sure there is complete clarity in who is responsible for what and avoid overlapping authority. For example, if there is a risk that two team members will be competing for control in certain area, try to divide that area into two distinct parts and give each more complete control in one of those parts, according to those individual's strengths and personal inclinations.

Build trust with your team members by spending one-on-one time in an atmosphere of honesty and openness. Be loyal to your employees, if you expect the same.

Allow your office team members build trust and openness between each other in team building activities and events. Give them some opportunities of extra social time with each other in an atmosphere that encourages open communication. For example in a group lunch on Friday. Though be careful with those corporate team building activities or events in which socializing competes too much with someone's family time.

For issues that rely heavily on the team consensus and commitment, try to involve the whole team in the decision making process. For example, via group goal setting or group sessions with collective discussions of possible decision options or solution ideas. What you want to achieve here is that each team member feels his or her ownership in the final decision, solution, or idea. And the more he or she feels this way, the more likely he or she is to agree with and commit to the decided line of action, the more you build team commitment to the goals and decisions.

When managing teams, make sure there are no blocked lines of communications and you and your people are kept fully informed.
Even when your team is spread over different locations, you can still maintain effective team communication. Just do your meetings online and slash your travel costs. Click here for a free test drive.


Be careful with interpersonal issues. Recognize them early and deal with them in full.

Don't miss opportunities to empower your employees. Say thank you or show appreciation of an individual team player's work.

Don't limit yourself to negative feedback. Be fare. Whenever there is an opportunity, give positive feedback as well.

Finally, though team work and team building can offer many challenges, the pay off from a high performance team is well worth it.

Adoption in Peninsular Malaysia

Adoptions are not common in Malaysia. In general there are two types of adoptions in Malaysia - adoption of a Muslim child and adoption of a non-Muslim child. Prospective adoptive parent(s) who are non-Muslim may not adopt Muslim children. Whether it is a Muslim adoption or non-Muslim adoption, the adoptive parent(s) must be an “ordinary resident” in Malaysia, i.e. working and living in Malaysia for at least two years before the application and the prospective parent(s) may also be required to remain in Malaysia during the process, which can take some time.

Muslim Adoptions

The Registration of Adoptions Act 1952 and relevant Syariah laws govern the adoption of a Muslim child in Malaysia. A prospective child may be identified for adoption privately or through the Social Welfare Department. A court petition is not required. The Muslim prospective adoptive parent applies to the National Registration Department to document the child as his/her adopted child. To qualify, the adoptive parent must have resided with and had continuous custody of the child for a period of not less than two years. The application should include evidence relating to the care, maintenance and education of the child during the two years from the date of the biological parent’s statutory declaration relinquishing all parental rights.

If the National Registration Department is satisfied with the evidence submitted, an entry will be made in the Register and a certified copy of the entry delivered to the adoptive parents. If the Registration Department is not satisfied with the evidence, an officer from the Social Welfare Department will conduct an investigation into the well being of the child. Children adopted under the Registration Adoptions Act cannot assume the name or inherit property of the adoptive parents.

Non-Muslim Adoptions

Relevant Adoption Act

The adoption of a non-Muslim child in Peninsular Malaysia is governed by the Adoption Act of 1952 (Act 257).

Who can adopt a Non-Muslim child?

- Married couples can adopt both female and male children;

- Single mothers can adopt both female and male children;

- Single fathers can only adopt male children.

Age Requirement

If the prospective adoptive parents in a Non-Muslim adoption are not related to the child, at least one of them must be at least 25 years old. If they are related to the child, one of the prospective adoptive parents must be at least 21 years old.

Adoption Agencies

There are no adoption agencies in Malaysia. A prospective child may be identified privately through friends or relatives in Malaysia, or through the Malaysian Social Welfare Department. Prospective adoptive parent(s) may also contact the Malaysian Social Welfare Department for details of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that may be able to help in adoption matters in Malaysia.

Government Department responsible for Adoptions

The Family and Children’s Division of the Social Welfare Department, part of the Ministry of National Unity and Social Welfare Development, is responsible for adoption enquiries: They can be contacted at:

Family & Children’s Division
Social Welfare Department
Ministry of National Unity & Social Welfare Development

14th Floor, Wisma Shen
50100 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

Main Tel: (603) 2692 5011
E-mail: here
or contact: Mr Mohammad Azmi, Tel: (603) 2692 3537

Social Welfare Officers are normally appointed by the Court as a guardian to investigate the background and circumstances of the child and the adoptive parents(s), including all matters relevant to the proposed adoption.

The National Registration Department of Malaysia is responsible for issuing an adoption certificate upon receiving the adoption order from the Court. Their address is:

National Registration Department of Malaysia
Adoption Division
Wisma Pendaftaran
Jalan Persiaran Barat
46551 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Malaysia

Tel: (603) 7968 3200 or 3284
Fax: (603) 7958 5098

Court Adoption and Departmental Adoption

Court Adoption

Once a child has been identified, the prospective adoptive parent(s) must obtain a statutory declaration from the biological parent(s) relinquishing all parental rights toward the child. The prospective parent should engage a lawyer (see our List of Local Lawyers here). The prospective parents must care for the adoptive child not less than three (3) consecutive months before his/her lawyer is able to petition to the Sessions Court or the High Court for the adoption order. The Social Welfare Department would be involved as a report on the child and prospective adoptive parents will be required by the Court before they are able to grant an adoption order. This process is shorter than a Department Adoption (see below).

The age limit for the adoptive child in a Curt adoption is before the child’s 21st birthday.

Departmental Adoption

Once a child has been identified, the prospective adoptive parent(s) must obtain a statutory declaration from the biological parent(s) relinquishing all parental rights toward the child. The prospective adoptive parent notifies the Social Welfare Department in the State in which he/she is resident of his/her intention to apply for an adoption order of the child. If the Social Welfare Department agrees with the adoption, an “offer” letter is issued to the prospective adoptive parents. This notification must be in writing. No lawyers are involved in Departmental Adoptions. Prospective parent(s) should contact the Registration Department to enquire on the status of the application. The case will come to conclusion once the Social Welfare Officer submits a full report on the child and prospective adoptive parents. The whole procedure may take two years or more.

The age limit for the adoptive child in a Departmental adoption is before the child’s 18th birthday.

Children adopted under the Registration of Adoptions Act cannot assume the name or inherit the property of the adoptive parents. Children adopted under this Act must surrender their original birth certificate with his/her biological parent(s)’ details to the Registration Department before an adoption certificate is issued.

Malaysian Documentary Requirements

The prospective adoptive parent(s) must present the following documents:

- a statutory declaration (notarised affidavit) from the biological parent(s) relinquishing all parental rights towards the child;

- adoptive child’s original birth certificate;

- prospective adoptive parents’ marriage certificate;

- prospective adoptive parents passport(s).

A NEW FEATURE ON K770i

I recently found a very special feature on Sony Erricson K770i and took some funny pictures on ourselves.... and here goes....

Breaking Up Is Never Easy But I Know That I Had To Go

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I know you receive a great deal of these kinds of "Leaving the Company" emails, so, I will try to keep this one as light and brief as possible. Try to think of it as my final "Potts Picks" article, if you will.

Many of you may already know that I will be leaving... For some reason, this fact may have slipped by unnoticed (I'll feel very unwanted if it's true!!). But, whatever category you may fall into, I can assure you that the decision to leave Michelin Malaysia was neither an easy or quick choice to make. I'm leaving the automotive industry for good to pursue further into my passion in life which is the advertising industry. You see, I have a very deep affinity for advertisements and events as both a vocation and as an individual form. It is an appreciation that I have cultivated since I was a child. I feel it has been a dream come true and a great blessing to being able to pursue further into the coming industry.

But then again, it does not mean that I don't have passion working with Michelin. Michelin has particularly groomed me into so much a better person, knowing how to be reactive and being able to handle different situations and people of different cultures in a very diplomatic way. And not only that, I really and truly felt for the first time of my life that Michelin, is my second HOME!!! I've never felt this way before.

Now... as for the grammy awards time.....I would like to thank the our OE team, in particularly Khun Wirat, Okochi-san, Philippe, Salena, Wicharnat, Piyurach, and Nuntarat (famously known as Kuan), as without them, we would not be able to establish our milestone to have Honda Malaysia as our OE customer. I still remember how tough the situation was at that time. Although it may be quite gruelling, I did enjoy going through the moment. You guys have been guiding and supporting me endlessly. I'm not a saddist ok, but kinda appreciate the experience that we went through together. Chor Hoon is right. Michelin is not about the money, but the learning and gaining the priceless experience is what that matters. Kok How, you have a good team here to work with. I wish you success in continuing and expanding not only the OE business with Honda Malaysia but also to penetrate further into the automotive industry. At the same time, people like Yves, Monica, Chirarat, Zaliha, Brenda, Alvin, Brian, GK, Phui Sie, Santhy and Karen, are not to be missed as well. We have together fight through the tough times and enjoying the good times of establishing both the proper OE and RT (modern trade, car dealers and motorsports) channel. It's not easy, yet, we've pulled through well. And of course the rest of you, whom I may not mention in name, but you know who you are, is very much appreciated too. Although we may or may not work directly, but you guys have been my utmost motivation at work. I THANK YOU ALL!!!

I wish you all well in working with Michelin. And, in closing, I encourage all to continue using our hearts as well as our heads to establish better success for Michelin that we KNOW are true. MICHELIN BOLEH!!!

So, in the words of Mrs. Potts, "Back to the cupboard with you, now." and this is 15 February 2008. Till we meet again.....

With great affection and admiration,

David OH