oh my !! this is so ......

there are some cool stuffs from the Clubbing... Change is on! Prepare! that I want to shout about.
latest light effects in town. move-able lighting system. wooden dance floor that protects your knees when you dance, and vibration-reactive to the music.

glass bridge across the euphoria dance floor. yes transparent.

i know this is unbelievable, but you are not dreaming. Designated Smoking Area! this is the first non-smoking club in town!

nicely designed washroom sign!

pre-launch. open bar. finger food.

to be euphoric, pix and I got our new dresses on!

prepare! euphoria by Ministry of Sound in KL

please allow me to share I

May be this is not new to some of you. I thought it is great as a reminder. I have picked part of it. Lets see..

A Buddhist view of Relationships
by Eddy Canfor-Dumas
Why him? Why her?
In fact, as we chant and study the life-philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin, we can go even deeper into ourselves and begin to see and understand the pattern of our attraction to certain people. For, as Nichiren Daishonin teaches, two people who have chosen to live in a close relationship fit each other perfectly, in all their strengths and weaknesses. Describing the relationship of husband and wife in thirteenth century Japan, he says:

When a husband is happy, his wife will be fulfilled. If a husband is a thief, his wife will become one, too. This is not a matter of this life alone. A man and wife are as close as a body and shadow, flowers and fruit, or roots and leaves, in every existence of life (Major writings, Vol.1, p.146).

This observation is based on the Buddhist principle of the Ten Worlds. Buddhism teaches that all people share ten basic life conditions – Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquility, Rapture, Learning, Realization, Boddhisatva and Buddhahood, all of which have certain characteristics.

Hell is the world of suffering; Hunger is the world of insatiable desire; Animality is the world of the instinct. Anger is dominated by the ego, Tranquillity (Humanity) by calmness, Rapture by momentary pleasure, Learning is characterized by the desire to learn from the teachings of others, Realization by the desire to improve oneself through one’s own efforts, and Boddhisatva by the exercise of compassion. Buddhahood, which is revealed through chanting Nam myoho renge kyo, acts as a kind of positive filter which brings out all of the beneficial, value-creating aspects of the other nine worlds.

Everyone tends to live predominantly in one or two of these life conditions, which, although they are displayed according to the personality of each individual, retain their basic characteristics. Thus, one person might be brash and boastful and another quietly superior, but both are exhibiting aspects of the world of Anger, the ego.

The important thing about this, as far as relationships go, is that we tend to be attracted to those people who share the same basic life condition as ourselves.

A person in the grip of Animality, for instance, will take every opportunity to indulge in instinctive pleasures – sex, food, drink, sleep – usually with little thought for the consequences of his actions. He will tend to be attracted to someone who is also in the grip of Animality, even though the object of his attentions might not exhibit all the same aspects of the life condition. For instance, both might share an appetite for sex and alcohol, but one might consistently defer to the wishes of the other in all other matters – as Nichiren Daishonin says of Animality, ‘It is the nature of beasts to threaten the weak and fear the strong’ (Major Writings, Vol.1, p.34).

Exactly how the Ten Worlds operate in individuals can be extremely subtle, and there is no space here to analyse all their various nuances. And they are by no means all bad. Each of the Ten Worlds has both negative and positive aspects (except Buddhahood, which is wholly positive), so if we are fortunate enough to be dominated by, say, the positive aspects of the world of Tranquility (or Humanity) – clear, reasoned judgement – our chances of forging a successful relationship will be much higher than if we are in the clutches of Hell, whether or not we chant Nam myoho renge kyo.

Even so, as we chant about our present and past relationships, we begin to identify which of the Ten Worlds have been dominant in them. Almost invariably, we see that we have been attracted to the same type of person, ‘chosen’ by our own dominant life state.

This pattern Buddhism calls our ‘karma’, habitual behaviour which we are bound to repeat. Take the couple described above. If the man begins to despise his partner’s weakness and continual deference – one of the very things that attracts him in the first place – he might eventually end the relationship. Being dominated by Animality, however, he is only attracted to those who share characteristics similar to the person he has just left. They might appear in a different form –this time, for instance, he might play the subservient role – but essentially he will find himself in the same kind of relationship.

Breaking the pattern.
It is to break out of the pattern imposed on us by our karma that we chant. As we do so and reflect on our actions, we begin to see our motives more clearly. And after a time (it varies from person to person), if we conclude that our attitude is based on the negative aspects of one of the Ten Worlds – especially the ‘lower worlds’ of Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquility or Rapture – we determine to challenge and change it, for the happiness of both ourselves and our partner (present or future).

At the same time we struggle to base our relationships increasingly on the world of Buddhahood, with its deep respect for the inherent dignity of life and for the fundamental equality of all people. For ultimately, Buddhism teaches, it is a relationship based on shared goals, respect and equality that stands more chance of enduring and growing than one based on passion, romance or unrealistic expectations of our partner’s ability to make us happy. As Nichiren Daishonin states:

Explain all this to your wife, and work together like the sun and the moon, a pair of eyes, or the two winds of a bird. With the sun and the moon, how can you fall into the path of darkness? With a pair of eyes, how can you fail to behold the faces of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas of the universe? With a pair of wings, you will surely be able to fly in an instant to the Buddha land of eternal happiness (Major Writings, Vol.2, p.231).

What does this mean in practical terms? First, if we are not involved with anyone at present but wish to be, it means making a strong determination to meet the right person for our happiness – which also means the right person for kosen-rufu – and then, effectively, forgetting about it. Lodged deep in our lives, the desire to meet the right person, coupled with a strong daily practice, will eventually draw that person to us when the time is right.

In the meantime, instead of being obsessed with having ‘a relationship’ and feeling sorry for ourselves that we are alone, we can concentrate on creating value in our society and growing as strong and independent individuals – who are, anyway, generally more attractive to others than those who are always desperately seeking someone.

‘The right partner for kosen-rufu’ does not mean, however, that there will only ever be one person ‘out there’ with whom we can possibly build a happy relationship, whom we somehow hunt out with our chanting; neither does it mean that he or she should necessarily be a Buddhist.

There may, in fact, be more than one person with whom we forge successful, creative relationships on the path of our human revolution towards finding our partner for life. They may or may not be Buddhists (although this would be hard with someone vehemently and consistently opposed to our practice). And even if our partner never chants, if we do our utmost to respect and support him or her in the fulfillment of his or her unique purpose in this life, he or she will respect and support us in turn, and help us fulfil our unique purpose, too.

In this context, chanting is a means of developing sufficient good fortune, through our thoughts, words and deeds based on Buddhahood, to be in the right position to meet the right person at the right time. Chanting also helps us develop enough wisdom to recognize the potential that exists in that other person (and any existing relationship we might have), and then to decide whether to act or not.

So, secondly, once we meet someone to whom we are attracted, we should chant seriously before we become romantically (or sexually) involved with him or her. We need the wisdom (and courage) of our Buddhahood to look clearly and honestly at the nature of our attraction. And if our wisdom counsels against involvement, we must listen to it – or face the inevitable consequences. Our karma to be drawn to a certain type of person may be very strong, but if we have suffered from it in the past, it is only by not succumbing to it now that we can hope to change our pattern of unhappy relationships.

What’s gone wrong?
Once in a relationship, then, it follows that we must chant seriously about all of the problems that it will inevitably throw up, however minor they might seem at the time – for, in Everett’s words, ‘Tall oaks from little acorns grow.’

Buddhism teaches that however passionate two people are at the start of their relationship, over the course of time the intensity of that feeling will fade and change. This is because romantic love is all too often a manifestation of the world of Rapture, which is, by definition, short-lived. The passing of the rapturous phase does not necessarily mean that the couple will have stopped loving each other – although some people think this is what has happened and can get very worried – but that other aspects of the Ten Worlds have come to the fore.

For example, through the rose-tinted spectacles of Rapture, Ms A is beguiled by Mr B’s easy-going charm. But as Rapture fades, as it must, she’s increasingly irritated by what she now sees as his laziness and refusal ever to take a stand on anything. In other words, the Tranquility that attracted her has begun to repel her.

I have been busy and I am still quite busy

Of how I convince myself to forgive myself of not taking care of t-ffany.blogspot.com

Yes always, new one better than the old one.

No, this is incomparable. soak republic is what I have been up to.

Why?

It needs a lot of effort to build up. Really, I am not lying...

Witness it if you don't believe it.

I really wanted to record, how much fun I had for Songkran festival, how am I juggling with work, practices, how I over-strained my wrist, I have been through my first acupuncture, performance, and little online business.

That little business is not that little.
Duty for me is:
- to check email inbox for new orders
- reply invoice to the orders (sometimes)
- drafting / writing (for new updates and entries)
- editing photograph
- strategy of how to advertise and where to seed
- keep on hunting for more surprises
- keep on thinking of how to design ...
- keep on keeping track of everything

Too much details? well, just for you my friends.


please support soak republic!

Suk San Wan Keut!

happy birthday teeeee ruk!!
Have a great year ahead, and I am sure you will have a great birthday with your family :) have fun!!

kot kot

forgot to ...

BBC. how can i forgot to blog about this. this is true. yes i forgot to blog about this.

I have prepared the screen shots of the site on 5th of March, almost a month.

the first adjustable layout site that i have encountered, other than facebook. netvibes - a good place for you to remember everything that you can't remember, safe, will not be lost in your life time.


customizing colours of the site, it is not a big thing, but it is really nice to have. reading news is not a boring thing after all.

personalizing website layout is definitely a big leap to the web culture.

i support EARTH HOUR

earth hour

Have you thought of what does it mean when everyday gets unexpectedly hotter and unexplained colder. Hottest summer reported every year, and another coldest winter ever.

Earth Hour 2007 Sydney: before & after


Earth Hour 2008 - global movement

Atlanta

if you have missed the previous one. you could sign up for Earth Hour 2009 to make it even bigger ( i wish Las Vegas can switch off their lights *finger crossed* ) OR you can make earth hour everyday - Simple things like turning off appliances while not in use and switching your light globes to energy efficient bulbs, will all help us reach our goal of reducing our annual emissions by 5%. Even something as simple as turning out lights when you’re not in a room and switching to cleaner sources of electricity like “green power”, make a big difference.

Measure the environmental impact of your lifestyle in facebook. Driving, flights, diet, home. I got a total of 7.04 tons CO₂/year. :(

always afraid that will be too late?

i'm MAKING A DIFFERENCE

many have known what is this about, text code to be added on msn messenger display name. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. There's no charge.

i’m is about making a difference. All users have to do is join and start an instant messaging conversation. MSN handle the donation. Once signed up, every ad in message window contributes to the grand total msn send to the causes.
*red+u American Red Cross
*bgca Boys & Girls Clubs of America
*naf National AIDS Fund
*hsus The Humane Society of the United States
*9mil ninemillion.org
*mssoc National Multiple Sclerosis Society
*sierra Sierra Club
*unicef UNICEF
*help StopGlobalWarming.org
*komen Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Money raised so far: $854,397.63 since March 2007
many msn messenger users are aware about this campaign.

Think MTV created buzz and videos for ( possiblities of connecting more target audience) -
Think is your community where you, your friends, and your favorite celebrities can get informed, get heard and take action on the issues that matter to you most. The site educates how people could take action to act on their favourite causes, besides, this site is offering badges and awards for supporters and participants in the campaigns or contests, featuring celebrities that help on the camapaign, featuring videos with issues that has all related to every community in the world and discussion on the site.

• it is simple “you i'm, we give”


• notice-able, up-front
• it is viral, as it creates curiosity when a msn messenger sees the text code and icon at friends display names


• it allowed supporters to create personalize banner to put on blog / sites, email signature


• it has all the script for buttons, banners, videos for users to copy and embed into their blog / sites for everyone who would like to spread the word


• many touch points - sites affiliations like think.mtv.com are very targeted, blogs, videos, banners, IM, music, events, etc.

Spread the word. Never under-estimate the effort from you could make a difference.
you are making a difference

bell /meucci ? telephone / teletrofono ?

I have always been amazed with the famous great inventors. Their wisdom and the spirit of not giving up in many experiments. Aren't everyone of them have been through same kind of hardship to get things invented? Thomas Edison for instance.

well, telephone invented before the light bulb.

Today, 3rd of march supposed to be the inventor of telephone Alexander Graham Bell's birthday. Recently (not really), June 15th 2002. Historians and Italian-Americans won their battle to persuade Washington, US congress, to recognise a little-known mechanical genius, Antonio Meucci, as a father of modern communications. In the years of poverty, he kept on repeating to his wife that his inventions would make them rich one day. He died poor in 1889 in New York City. After 113 years, the Congress on request of an italian-american representative officially stated that Meucci was to be considered the inventor of the telephone.


Meucci said in Havana City: "I have the feeling to have transmitted the human word.", Alexandar Graham Bell was 2 years old.

After all, Meucci's story is touching, and he has only get his hard work acknowledged and recognized after a century. We cannot re-write history that is true, and for us, ( not any inventor / genius ) I believe that a specific event in this world is meant to be done only by you, so believe in our unmeasurable potential to add values to our world.

Thank you to the inventor/inventors may be... whoever it is that has advanced us to this current future - days when no one in the city can live without a phone.

believe it or not?

everyone needs a hug

yeah. i think what people need is hug. everyone deserves it. Very basic touch to the heart, yet it is straightforward and very simple.

the moment you hug someone or being hugged, a lovely friendship has confirmed, discrimination gone, happyness and sadness has been shared, forgiveness filled the gap, feel the love... are you longing for someone to give you a hug? have you hug your grandmother today? (as i will do it everyday, starts from today)

I have been looking into this campaign, surprisingly, it is already been there for quite some time, also amazed with the result generated.
tonnes of photos can be found on flickr

the Free Hugs campaign
The Free Hugs Campaign began on Wednesday June 30th, 2004 in an effort to cheer up one person’s day. Mine. --Juan Mann--

results:dated 1st march 2008

on facebook:
Free Hugs cause:
614 members

A Campaign for Free Hugs group:
35,208 members
Type: Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
"Research shows that we need at least three hugs a day to grow and become a better person. A hug is a universal symbol of support, concern, or just a way of saying, 'I’m here and I matter.' "
Has anyone heard of the Free Hugs Campaign over in Sydney, Austraila?
Sydney is such a lovely place. I love it so much, may b much more than New Zealand, if I would have stayed there longer.

Free Hugs application:
"Hugging is all natural: it is organic, naturally sweet, it has no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and is 100% wholesome.
Hugging is practically perfect: there are no movable parts, no batteries to replace, no periodic check-ups, has low energy consumption, high energy yield, is inflation-proof, non-fattening, has no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, is theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and is, of course, fully refundable."
-- Sharon Lindsey --

Firefox Add-ons:
HugBack for facebook - Changes all 'poking' on Facebook.com to the lovable action of 'hugging'! - that is i have not give a try yet.

on AOL:
'Free Hugs' was aired on 'Good Morning America.'

on Oprah Winfrey's:
So do people think he's crazy? "All the time," Juan says. "People tend to be a bit wary of strange men in velvet coats walking around with giant signs."

on youtube:

Added: since September 22, 2006
Views: 24,222,734
Comments: 47714
Video response: 407

The Illustration Guide to Free Hugsyou are allowed to download the book there, as well as make donation.

basically, when you google "free hugs campaign", it comes up with 1,030,000 results.

last but not least, on wikipedia:
The Free Hugs Campaign is a phenomenon which involves individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public settings. It began in June, 2004,[1] and was widely publicized in 2006 by a music video on YouTube that was filmed and produced by the australian band Sick Puppies. The campaign is an example of a random act of kindness, a selfless act performed by a person for the sole reason of making others feel better. The original organizer has stated in interviews that the purpose is not to get names, phone numbers, or dates.

add-on with International Free Hugs Day! every first weekend after June 30!

many more to be discovered, t-shirts, my space, forums... argh, again, i am not sure if i am too late to blog about this. well, it is awesome. the hand drawn typography style on the boards are very interesting too!

i hug you

conversations with grey

let me introduce, grey, one of my buddy buddy in college.
he blogs recently (not very very recent), i have decided to put his blog links here. therefore, i informed him...
in order to introduce him and his blog, i adopted his style as below. ahah

me:
hey..
just to inform u
i m blogrolling u in my blog
hehe

grey:
hey..
hey you have a blog?!?!
since when?

me:
no..
dont tell me you dont know
:(
err.. ok i dont blame u .. that was a short while after i left eminent..

grey:
oh no.. that means i can't bitch about my collegemates anymore.. arrrrgghhhh.....

me:
hahahah
not many ppl read my blog
its ok

grey:
oh oka... is it the creatiff animal one?

me:
no lah
http://t-ffany.blogspot.com/

grey:
t-ffany?

me:
see u know

grey:
woohoo..
i know la.. i know tfannyizyou and peterizhim oso.

me:
........... nice
very nice

“May we remember this night, as we do each other, for the rest of our lives.” quote from grey

drink coke. hug coke.

on the coke side of life. nothing much I can talk about, I'm just doing some research.

Welcome to the coke side of life - it has been launched since 2006.
"It's a simple idea, really. Drinking a Coke makes people happy. It tastes good. And it's an invitation to live on the positive side of life. That's the message behind 'The Coke Side of Life,' a new global marketing platform for brand Coca-Cola, which launches in the U.S. this week and in other markets over the next several months."

"We live in a world where we make choices every day and The Coke Side of Life encourages people to make those choices positive ones," said Marc Mathieu, senior vice president for carbonated soft drink core brands, Marketing, Strategy and Innovation, The Coca-Cola Company. "This new campaign invites people to create their own positive reality, to be spontaneous, listen to their hearts and live in full color."

"Coca-Cola has always brought people together. Each of these 'Coke Side of Life' ads is about friends and families connecting and sharing," said Katie Bayne, chief marketing officer, Coca-Cola North America. "There is now considerable research that shows the tangible benefits of sharing meals together. We understand and believe in the value of coming together -- during the holidays and every day."

iCoke


part of the plan

some gave bad comments too

found from the theinternetpatrol.com

football on the coke side of life
Coca-Cola - an official sponsor of UEFA EURO 2008™ - has announced its management team for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland. The team, headed by general manager Frank van der Heijden, will grow into a family of several hundred people by the time the championship takes place in two summers' time.

The Coca-Cola Company has supported international football for more than 70 years, and is one of UEFA's longest-standing partners, having been an official sponsor of the UEFA European Championship since 1988.

and to hype the event, the campaign ideas should be as interesting or more interesting as these "virals" videos or more than just video



Came across some interesting websites:
It's nice that
Group Hug - Register with Group Hug to use those nice little HUG and SHRUG buttons over there. That’s how we figure out which confessions to put on the front page.
i have nothing

back walkover. i did it

For REAL and for the first time in my dear life.

I manage to do back walkover!! on my own. with my own legs and own arms. haha
no words can describe how it felt. too nice and fulfilled...
It is still at the beginning, more practises needed.

Can't show it here, just go to youtube and type "back walkover" :)

yeayyyyyyyyy yeayyyyyyyyyy yeayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

metamorphosis dance concert poster

The committee commented that the previous design is for kindergarten kids performance. I was kind of speechless in the beginning. "something black or grey or brown?". All right that is what they meant by cool.

For me, metamorphosis is suppose to be the beginning of life and new look!
Was it suppose to be mysterious and dull?
I thought this is what they wanted, but after a while i changed my mind and made some changes on it.

I am not sure if you can see 2 people morphing into butterfly / vice versa. Just make sure you think it's cool ( for secondary school performance )

I don't want to complain, but people are just taking things for granted. I m working up til 2am in the morning. I want to quit.

this is the last time! no more!

i knew it. tired... need some rest

oh valentine's day

Happy Valentine's Day ? A day to remind me about my loved ones. I was more concerned about what my dad is buying for my mom. I mean, what will he surprise her, because I think she deserves it.
good enough? couple t-shirt, "SO CUTE" and the "You" and "Me" puzzle pendent.

I don't need roses or chocolate or pink iPod nano OR Tiffany & Co. Emerald-Cut Diamond, but I don't mind if there is a bonus for me :P

this was really something I thought of before, for myself, imagine my loved one does that to me.

:)

dance performance poster

As i promised to design a poster for my sister's co-curriculum dance concert / show.
here is the first complete draft, hopefully they will not need me to change it later on.


the concept is butterfly morphing into people and these group of people are the dancers presenting the performance.

?

new new new year

It is new year, and for chinese everything is about new new new. Head to toe, hair, clothes, nails, shoes, may be glasses, necklace, rings, last but not least, under garment. I am getting into the "trend", as well as things in red for chinese is symbolic of good fortune and happiness. So I got a totally red dress for the first day of Chinese New Year, my mom was quite surprise, as I never got anything like that before.

today, I tried the new "IN" thing - Cupcakes
My new handphone accessories - kokeshi doll with half dozen of cupcakes, they have some very interesting frosting - Forget me not (lavendar cake with bailey's frosting), Banopy (Banana cake with Vanilla frosting), Persian Love (Pistachio cake with Rosewater frosting), Wake me up (Coffee cake with coffee frosting), many more

all from cupcake chic

new stuff in my room. PORTIS hat and coat stand from our all-time favorite:



it is now mainly hung with my bags and decorated with colourful lamps from Kow San Road in Bangkok

hehheeahaha

KL bird park

First of all, meet the cutest bird of the day that I have met in KL bird park.Come on, follow me to the bird park, one of the biggest free-flight aviary in Asia

what is this machine thing, want to peek at me ? hmp

want some chips mate ? what ? why not ? this is about balancing

Most cocky bird in the world. They kind of pissed me off, because they always turn their back on me when I pick up my camera

in the midst of showing off

how can we miss out one of the proudest Asia / Malaysia identity? Hornbill

the crowned pigeon, with the turning peacock at the back.

look at the eyes. - hawk, with eyesight that is 8 times sharper / more powerful than human

SLEEP is the best thing in the world, you can keep on talking and make noise, I will not wake up until the sun set, want to be as smart as me? sleep more

Eagle owl, with that rock n roll, cool hair style

Lories feeding - some milky water based food

Agressive parrots, scolding each other for not fighting for the food

the milky way, for milky storks



The "Don't miss it bird show"

Bird Performances
Show Time: 12.30pm & 3.30pm (Mon - Sat)
Additional: 10.30am (Show on Public Holidays)

Adult per entry costs RM15(local) RM35(non-local)

Asia is such a colorful place, the birds, the people and the food.