A Tit for a Tat (291) Tit: Why did you cross before the lights changed? Tat: Because there was no traffic! Tit: Still. shouldn’t you follow the lights? Tat: Well, traffic lights are for directing traffic and I was the only traffic! So, I directed myself! Tit: Do you use the lights at...

A Tit for a Tat (290) Tit: Because the vase was so beautiful, it was bought. Tat: And? Tit: Because the vase was so beautiful, it was shrink-wrapped. Tat: And? Tit: Because the vase was so beautiful, it is no longer so beautiful. Next aT4aT:...

A Tit for a Tat (289) Tit: I find the term ‘walk-in wardrobes’ fanciful. Tat: Why? Tit: Aren’t they just rooms with racks of clothes and such? Tat: Isn’t calling walk-in wardrobes ‘rooms with racks of clothes and such’ much more fanciful? Next aT4aT:...

Question: Is it really necessary to embrace a religion to become enlightened, or can it be done by personal understanding? I only believe in myself. Answer: Yes, it can be done by oneself. In fact, it is the only way it can be done. It was what the Buddha did – in what Buddhists see to...

Question: For how long did the Buddha sleep every night? Answer: It is said to be an hour only. Question: Did the advise on how to sleep less? Answer: Am not sure but conservation of energy allows this. It can be done by training greater mindfulness to waste less energy via unnecessary...

RJ: Look at http://kooky.com.my/chinese/node/4324 – Buddha images speaking? SA: Hmmm… It’s a mixture of amazing and amusing…. Not sure if it’s real. Sometimes cameras’ changing pixels can play tricks on the eyes. If you see the Buddha (image) blinking,...

A Tit for a Tat (288) Tit: Why am I a sentient being and not a non-sentient thing? Tat: Why ask this? Tit: Because I’m sentient! Tat: Okay, but why does it bother you? Tit: Was thinking life wouild be much simpler if I wasn’t a sentient being. Tat: Well, if you’re not a...

A Tit for a Tat (287) Tit: Upper management said that ‘Anyone who doesn’t close the office door mindfully for security will be dealt with.’ Tat: But the automatic door is faulty – it can’t close properly most of the time! We already know this! Tit: Looks like...

A Tit for a Tat (237) Tit: Hey! There’s a hole at the back of your shirt! Tat: Where? Tit: I see it when you put down your backpack. Tat: It’s okay then! Tit: Why? Tat: I’ll be carrying my backpack most of the time! Next aT4aT:...

A Tit for a Tat (236) Tit: Someone accidentally wore my shoes left at the door. Tat: How do you know? Tit: A somewhat similar older pair is left behind! Tat: Maybe it was deliberate! Tit: Looks like I have to wear this older pair now. Tat: What if they belong to someone else who...

A few weeks back, I rushed on a Saturday to buy some stuff at an IT show. I was quite exhausted and wondered if this would affect my teaching of a class in the evening. But it turned out to be one of the smoothest lessons delivered. It was a good lesson, a reminder on how our preconceived...

Not that I believe in God, Eden or the Devil, but… If good St. Patrick could drive all the snakes from Ireland, as according to legend, why did almighty God not drive one serpent from Eden, as according to the Bible? Why would a perfectly good, wise and powerful creator God allow a...

A Tit for a Tat (235) Tit: The washing machine added specks of dirt stuck in it from previous washings onto the clothes! Tat: At least it’s thoroughly ‘clean dirt’! Tit: Whatever that is! Nex aT4aT: http://moonpointer.com/new/2011/03/accidental-thief Previous aT4aT:...

A Tit for a Tat (234) (At a near empty restaurant) Tut: Do you have a reservation? Tit: No. Tut: (Silence…) It is better to make reservations first. (Silence…) Tat: Okay… We would like to make a reservation for two for… now. Tut: (Silence…) Okay… please...

Below is my reply to an email that proposes disasters happen on the 26th of months. You can see the email after the jump: I think this is a terrific example of selective number-matching to further one’s beliefs in a self-fulfilling way. It’s not convincing because obviously, many other...

From Adrian Tomine’s ‘Scenes from an Impending Marriage’ is this dialogue: Guy: (About whether to invite someone just because one was once invited) Come on! We’ve gotta break this cycle of endless obligation and reciprocity! Gal: I know you find this hard to believe,...

‘I’m busy, email me and I’ll reply later.’ Emails are an incredibly efficient means for procrastinating a reply. Let’s talk! While it’s easier to reflect before replying by email, it’s also easier to find time and ways to rationalise a reply. Real-time...

Should veg*ns patronise veg*n or non-veg*n places more? If we order veg*n food in a non-veg*n restaurant, will we urge them to sell more veg*n food? But if we don’t support wholly veg*n restaurants, they will most likely collapse because non-veg*ns seldom patronise them, while whether we...

Those who hold their liquor well think they are always in control but all it takes is a moment of lapse in alcohol-induced mindfulness to break the other precepts. (E.g. drunk-driving and killing someone on the road, followed by lying to cover up…) Is it a risk worth...

The Middle Path means not to take extremes, while it is often mistaken to mean one should be moderate in everything, including observation of moral guidelines (precepts). But to be so is to be half good and half evil - which is not very good at all. E.g. there is no such thing as moderate...