Gil tells Adriana in ‘Midnight in Paris’, when they travelled back in time to an era of Paris (Belle Epoque) more appealing to her, ‘Adriana, if you stay here, though, and this becomes your present, then pretty soon you’ll start imagining another time was really your,...

Do all roads lead to Rome? If they do, any road will do? Some roads lead in circles. Some roads lead away, to the wrong way. Some roads are crooked and indirect. Some roads are convoluted and easy to be lost in. Some roads don’t lead all the way. Some roads come to dead ends. There must be...

Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford says in the movie, ‘Anonymous’ - ‘All art is political, Jonson. Otherwise, it would just be decoration. And all artists have something to say. Otherwise, they’d make shoes.’ De Vere, by the way, is the prime suspect,...

Those attached to living well, who have aversion to death, might forget that death is always eventual, that death can be more sudden than expected, that dying well is just as important, so as to have a better rebirth. Those attached to dying well, who have aversion to life, might forget that...

The movie ‘The Fox and the Child’ is an amazing unconventionally scenic story on how a young girl encounters a wild fox and became obsessed with befriending her. They go on intriguing journeys together and when the fox became tamed enough, she even brought her to visit her...

This is the best Facebook joke I came across in a while – in Facebook. If you don’t get it, do read again… and again. If you still don’t get it, the spoilers are below… When making a statement about generalisations, could you be generalising too? Could the pot be...

A Buddhist friend (Er… who could be reading this… but here it goes…) posted a photo of a grilled animal (as in ‘cooked’; not ‘fenced’ and awaiting slaughter) on Facebook. I assume it was to share how good or delicious it looked? Am not sure what exact...

The above is a 1995 photo by a school senior. This was how the library of Singapore Polytechnic Buddhist Society looked like many years ago. I remember first entering the society room, looking at the sheer number of books and being thoroughly humbled by the fact that I knew little about the...

There was a retreat in a Buddhist centre recently, which concluded, so I’ve heard, with a ‘pizza train’ celebration – many large vegetarian pizzas ordered lined up on a row of tables like a ‘train’. The retreat had mindfulness and compassion in the family...

A friend remarked, ‘It is depressing to know that many suffer from depression.’ This is surely nothing to joyous over, but should we grieve along? The Buddha would empathise, but not lament or even sigh, and simply contemplate skilful action. If we become depressed too, how can we...

A good actor can act as a bad actor, to the extent that you believe that (1) he or she is really a bad  actor, (2) he or she is can never ever be(come) a good actor, or (3) he or she is not acting at all. Paradoxically then, the best actors can be the worst actors, who might never be...

The below are common questions that some Dharma students might have, based on hypothetical scenarios: Q: What if a family member dislikes me attending a Dharma class? A: You should do your best to share with them on the value of learning the Dharma. Q: What if the person still does not...

A: Someone wants to meet me. B: For what purpose? A: The purpose is not clear. B: There is no clear purpose to meet then? A: Maybe the person wants to apologise or clarify something? B: Apologise and clarify over what? A: On some past online communication? B: Why not do it online if it was...

Note: In case any reader is in the category of (1) and/or (2) below, please note that this article does not apply to any one person, even if it seems applicable to your good self in part or whole. It is but a general observation based on limited perception, and not an accurate analysis of...

If one had created a misunderstanding with inappropriate words, one should just clarify with appropriate words. (Sometimes, no other action is needed; not even meeting.) If one had created a misunderstanding with inappropriate actions, one should just clarify with appropriate...

What do you do if you have a horrible boss who is making life hell for you, while you need the job due to complex reasons? ‘Horrible Bosses’ is a slightly dark comedy that paints such a scenario. Three friends each suffer under a horrible boss. So horrid their bosses are that...

From ‘The Straits Times’, ‘In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), the heart is believed to control the mind and hence all mental activities. When a person engages in a lot of thinking or has a diet of fried and spicy food, excessive “fire” accumulates in the...

A good journalist is supposed to just record and report an event, and not be part of the action?  But in times of need, how about being part of proactive action while recording it? If a journalist remains indifferent, is this journalist really ‘good’, in the moral (instead of...

Heard of a Dharma student thinking of giving up attending one of his teachers’ classes due to embarrassment over some miscommunication on his own side. He even thought of forgetting whatever worthy Dharma learnt from her. This is what happens, unfortunately, when even the pure Dharma...

When things get routine, we wish for the non-routine. When things get routinely non-routine, we wish for the routine. A friend has an interesting take on Groundhog Day the movie. You can read her review at http://tinyurl.com/77gqk9d As she was free from work for a few months after her...