Continuing from my last update, I went for Om quest the day (Saturday) just before going to NUSBS Dharma Camp. I had to pack on Sunday and when to Cheng Beng Buddhist Society that night itself. Thanks to Tzyh Haur for letting me put my stuffs in his room. Well, Om Quest, Johan, Wen Xin, Jason, Shi Jie and I went for it, we got the last position, yet I find it to be very nice, as some of the places we went to was new to me.
I had joined in the NUSBS Dharma Camp, behaved myself properly most of the time, and enjoyed it in as much as I could inspire others. The camp was the smallest that I had been to, with more than half of the people are 2nd or more timer. However, as I said in facebook, best (in terms of activities, Dharma content, atmosphere, personal experiences, and thus overall, oh ya and the best people!) NUSBS Dharma Camp in my 4 years of joining! I was involved in making one of the games. Oh ya, and my group got the best sketch!
Yup, the sword and Nintendo DSi was part of the props. Hehehe.
After the camp, I went to Johor with Wen Xin to join in a Vajrayana Puja, of Karmapa linage, the temple of Pertubuhan Penganut Agama Buddha Goshir Dharma Negeri Johor. That temple alone organised a huge 3-4 hour procession that saw over 1200 participant walking and promoting the Buddha Dharma Sangha to the city of Johor Bahru. Wen Xin's family was heading the organising team, and I had the good fortune to be witness to a culture so different from the usual Theravadan one I was used to and to learn a lot of the many cool things that needs some explanation. I find myself searching about Tibetan Buddhism too.
After 3 nights of staying over and helping out, I went back to Singapore and had a meeting with my FYP Prof before going back to Petaling Jaya using a Konsortium Bus straight from Singapore. I was carrying my bagpack, laptop bag, and a heavy luggage bag. With the luggage bag at the bottom of the bus, I went on the bus and played Pokemon on my Nintendo DSi for the remainder of the trip. When I came to my destination, the bus was only stopping for a while in KL. They called me out and I barely got my bagpack and laptop bag ready, stepped down of the bus, and someone asked me if I required a taxi.
Then the bus when off. With my luggage! I chased the bus for a while, and then after realising that it is not stopping anywhere near, I realised that I once again lost something and had to learn to let go. Well, thinking back, I am glad that I gave the Buddha statue I got from the Vajrayana puja to Hung, and put only clothes in the luggage bag. Including a lot of Buddhism shirt. 4 years of NUSBS Dharma Camp T-shirt, 2 years of NTUBS Dharma Camp T-shirt, the new T-shirt I got from the Vajrayana puja, and some cool long pants that I had to wear during the Dharma Camp (inside a temple). Well, it’s just clothes, I left not so sad… even less effect than that time I got cheated 20 pounds in UK. I’m glad that I left a pant in Wen Xin’s home (did laundry there), maybe I should had left more there… Oh well.
However, just to make sure that I do my part in my responsibility to recover it, I spend a lot of the time on the 14th December to call up the company and found out that the bus was going to Hatyai, Thailand. It’s a scary thing to know that I am able to let go so easily and not feel sad or motivated to find it back. If I hadn’t learn Buddhism, I might had been very anxious to want to find it back and that would be a very good motivation to call and make sure I got it back. Instead, now I call because I think I have at least that responsibility to try to track down where my stuffs are. That night I when to the D2Y (Dharma Duta Youth) Camp with my parents to see my sister, Ching Yuan to perform in a sketch (their camp sketch was on the 3rd night, and open to the parents of the participants!). That night the Singapore office called me and told me that the driver will be bringing the bag for me tomorrow, near midnight again.
Well, tomorrow I was in another camp. INCOVAR Camp. It’s the second time I joined in and I really was looking forward to re-experiencing the wonderful experiences I had the first time (refer to this blog somewhere on the 31st INCOVAR Dharma Camp which I went to). Ok, so my parents will have to find my bag for me. I had to leave the camp early too, to meet my friends in Melaka, to bring them around Melaka.
INCOVAR Dharma Camp, the 35th, was the smallest camp I had been to. On the first night, there were 10 participants, most of which where not first timers. Plus the organisers, we were about 10 people less than NUSBS Dharma Camp. Ok I am used to small camps by now, yet as the days when on, (the first day was draggy and not so enjoyable, as before), I started to like the small camp more and more, for the interaction that we have, the noble silence that is automatic, although not compulsory, during meal times, and there is Bante Kumara! The same Bante I just meet less than 3 weeks ago, just after my exam, and before the NUSBS Dharma Camp. That made me like this camp, plus the sharing of Buddhist Societies later that night…and of course the singing of The Phantom the Opera…we even sang the Lazy Song! The IXP this time was that we had to make our own tang yuan, with insides filled with different stuffs, representing the good and bad experiences with our family. Then they cooked it and we eat it. Amazing! Not much fun and games, but there was a Guardian Angel game. Joe, from UM Buddhist Society was my guardian angel, and I was Ka Yin, Ken Juin’s sister’s Guardian Angel. Some people from D2Y Camp came over to join in INCOVAR on the latter days as well! I had to leave early as I said, so I left in the middle of the sharing session after IXP.
My parents (who came to fetch me) told me that the bag was taken in Hatyai by someone who claimed to be my relative. Well, so long bag! Haha, nothing much I can do about it anyway. I done what I could. We went to Melaka the next day, I brought Tzyh Haur, Hung and Minh on a trip to visit the Historical city! Well, I wasn’t really a good host, my family was a better one. They came on Sunday leaving on Tuesday, and I was going back to PJ on Monday because I’m going to Penang on Tuesday for a family trip. On Monday morning, I brought them to visit Hutan Rekreasi, taking photographs of Dinosaurs!
At Penang, we reached late at night, with the 5 of us in the family. Dad, Mom, 2 Younger sisters and me. 3rd aunt’s home was just not the same without Jia Long and Ting Hui there. I slept in Jia Long’s new room and well, had to do some work for NUSBS! Haha. The next day was a booked van to Hatyai. Yup, the place where my bag was supposed to be lost.
Second time in Thailand, I visited this:
And realised finally why are there so many people of other nationalities who come to NUS but from Thailand, I only met a handful. The whole culture is in Thai language! From Harry Potter to religious books. Barely found anything English there.
But I like Thailand, a whole country full of Buddhism! Just look at this! It’s found in the bookstore as a normal offering meant for the public! Nice…
On the night of the second day, I went down the hotel to
a store I happen to pass-by and then was surprised to find it right in front of the hotel. Well, I just realised that I could had called them to make sure they had the bag in Hatyai, asked them to wait and then when we went to Hatyai, I go and collect the bag. Well, I didn’t had the strong enough motivation to think of that then. Now instead, I was walking into the store, to check on the bag, just to satisfy my urge to be responsible for my lost. I was expecting nothing. No bag. Just in case of the off chance that it… it most probably isn’t there.
On the off chance, I managed to communicate myself to them and fortunately one of them remembered me calling and quoting the bus number. She asked me to come and see and then there it was!
A miracle.
Lost 8 days ago, and I found it. Well the trip was worth it. Whatever else we did there. Buffer dinner to celebrate! It seems that my family was wayyyy more excited at me finding the bag back than I am myself.
Then we went back to Penang the next day, spend Christmas eve there watching TV, going to eat Cendol… And Christmas morning walking around a dam, visiting Kek Lok Si Temple, and then back to PJ, with William and Michelle visiting.
Then finally I could rest and sleep for 10-12 or more hours straight for a few days at home.
Until 24 Hour Metta, which I volunteered for the timing of 12pm-4pm on the 31st and 12am-8am on New Year’s day. It was a meaningful way to get into a new year. I met Joe, Wong Dan Yi, and some other people from the Malaysian Buddhist Circles there! NUS representative! Haha.
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