Wednesday 14 November 2012

Being grateful or gratitude



A simple word to describe this is somebody did something good for you, you feel thankful and you’re readiness to return kindness.

Many times people that matter not only did not show gratitude but also will stab you in the back.

Chinese people have a saying, if you're doing good deed you're likely be rewarded one day and if someone do good deed for you, you will feel obligated with a strong sense of gratitude and indebtedness to repay their kindness.

This Chinese characters above for gratitude or in mandarin 'gan en' meaning to express thanks or a strong gratitude for someone.
At the bottom of both Chinese character have the Chinese symbol for the heart at the bottom line. So do remember to give thanks to someone with the bottom of your heart!


Does an animal have the capable of feeling of being grateful or thankful? YES / MAYBE / NO?


Recently I happened to watch this Hong Kong cable TV program about paranormal called The Unbelievable.
It is believe that all this happen in Phuket, Thailand.


Swift birds found new home- home sweet home

Swift birds normally are difficult to find in Phuket as the birds normally live in a cave but this flock of birds live in the temple instead of its natural cave home. These birds make a bird nest on the statue decoration and have no fears of incense smoke, smoke candle prayer, also from people who come to worship.

Once there was an old monk who was very kind to the swift birds in an old and shabby temple. There were some swift birds that fly into the monastery attic to find a new home, one of the little monk chases these birds away.

The old monk found out and reprimands the little monk by telling him to be kind to the swift birds and all living things?

As time passed, the old monk grew old and died. We were told that his body did not decay after his death.



Monk's  body does not decompose after death



On the day of his funeral, millions of swifts came to pay the respect. Some did not return and stayed at the temple.

The temple grew rich and able to built one of grandest temple in Thailand due to revenue earned from selling the raw bird's nest gathered from the temple.


Temple Attic Swifts condominium

For those who did not know- Bird nest is the Chinese name for bird's nest soup, yàn wō (燕窝), translates literally as "swallows nest". When dissolved in water, the birds' nests have a gelatinous texture used for soup or sweet tong sui. Bird nest is purely of swift’s saliva secretion

Bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. It is believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion ands overall benefit to the immune system.
Bird's nest painstakingly cleaning process of
separating  strand
by strand dirt,sand, feathers, egg shell and other impurities.


Some of the earned income will use to fund charitable help for nearby school.

The swift birds indirectly have repaid the debt of gratitude to the late monk by providing a source of income for the temple.

There’s another story regarding swift birds that came from this temple.

Once there was a storm, the fishermen while at sea were lost and helpless, unable to find their way home. Then came a group of swift birds, circling around the boat and as if giving them a gesture…please follow me?

Unbelievable but true, the stranded fishermen were lead back to their fishing village when they followed the flock of swift birds direction home. They were very grateful to the swift birds for saving their lives!


Next, we talk about how animals able to sense a danger or natural disaster coming.

A couple from UK spent their holidays with their daughter in a Phuket resort. They knew how their child likes elephant ride. So they allowed their child to select an elephant. The child (eight-year-old Amber Mason from Milton Keynes, U.K.),somehow picks one particular baby elephant(named Ningnong, a four-year-old elephant).

A day after Christmas, a strong earthquake in Indonesia was followed by a giant Tsunami in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean including Phuket.

Amber Mason was riding on the elephant on Laguna Beach in Phuket when suddenly the waters receded.


Twenty minutes before Tsunami strike, this elephant screamed and agitated ran for higher ground. When it comes to danger, animals will have a natural early warning system, something human deprived of the sense of natural disaster warning alert.

The elephant somehow instinctive hunches recognises something was wrong and according to the rescued child statement, the elephant ran with her on its back away from the incoming rushing sea.

As the wave swept in and with water up to Ningnong shoulders, Ningnong dashed out of the waves to the top of the beach, carrying Amber to safety and leaving the little miraculously escape girl unharmed. The elephant took the pounding of the wave, if she was with her parents, she would be easily swept away by the waves.

Amber said she felt very fortunate that Ningnong had saved her. If not for the quick action of Ningnong trying to get off the beach she would never have lived.
After the aftermath, seeing the damaged done by destructive force of Tsunami and everyone was running out of the sea had caused her mum started crying because she'd thought lost her precious little girl forever.

Expecting the worse to happen, her mom searched for her daughter and when Amber parents managed to found her, they were dumbstruck. It’s better than striking a Jackpot lottery!

Amber and her parents feel forever indebted to the elephant.
Now, every holiday trip to Phuket, the family will make a pledge to visit the elephant.

There is another interesting part of the story. The elephant somehow formed a strong bond of friendship with the little girl.
When they arrived at the airport, the elephant will feel agitated, like a sixth sense he would know they have arrived to visit him.
Just like a doggy will sense his master's presence have come back from work even before reaches the gate.

I remember you, you're Amy right? An elephant never forget!
There was allegedly a TV documentary film that record on this scene. A team of TV crew cameras was rolling showing the arrival of the family at the airport while the other team will capture the elephant responses.

We all know the saying An Elephant Never Forgets but I don’t know about whether this ESP case is real? It’s Unbelievable right?

The animals know about being grateful but do people know?

I heard this on the radio, a sad story about a dog. A dog owner wanted to get rid of his dog. What he did was he laced the dog's food with poison. Even while dying the dog will bring him the slippers.

How can he be so cruel to his own pet? Why can’t he just give away the dog to someone else or the SPCA?

Some animals can be more human, loyal and display more gratitude than some human’s beings.


I'm sure all have heard of the true story of the faithful dog .... Hachikō.

Each day, when Ueno his owner, a college professor left for work, Hachiko would stand by the door to watch him go. When the professor came home from work at 4 o’clock, Hachiko would go to the Shibuya Train Station to meet him.

The following year, his master died of a heart attack while teaching at the university. Hachiko didn’t realise that he died, and so the dog returned to the train station every single day to await return of his master.

This will continued for the next nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station, without fail, rain or shine.
A bronze statue honouring the dog's
 became a national symbol of loyalty

Eventually, Hachikō died of illness and become a national symbol of loyalty. A statue of Hachiko the faithful dog was erected in front of Shibuya Station.

In this movie based on real life Hachiko named “Hachiko , a Dog's story". Hachiko does, everyday 5 o' clock in the evening, for the next 10 years waiting at the train station to greet his beloved master. Hachiko is not aware that his master (Parker,co-star Richard Gere) had passed away.

Hachiko now old and weary, limps to the same spot in front of the railway station where he had waited faithfully every day.
Hachi died in his sleep while dreaming of Parker showed up at the station in the afterlife to get him and bring him home. The movie is a tear jerker, not recommended for macho man like me. Warning! It can cause embarrassment crying openly.

A bit difference as in this movie, Parker will come home regularly from work at 5 o’clock not 4 o'clock, Hachiko would go to the Train Station to meet him.



Hachi died in his sleep dreaming of Parker, bring him home. His long wait for his master finally ended.
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh! Sob, where is my tissue box?




The Lion knows gratitude



There's a folklore story about a slave in Roman times named Androcles who escape from ill-treatment by his master.

He's lost and alone, wandering around a vast forest searching for any food that can satisfy his hunger. Suddenly he got the fright of his life when he stumbled upon a lion. Oh no! He’s about to become the Lion's Lunch.

He was about to flee when he noticed the lion was in excruciating pain, instead of pouncing upon him, came and fawned upon him, at the same time whining and lifting up his paw as if trying to tell him there is something in his foot. Androcles examined it closely and found a large splinter embedded in the ball of the foot.

Plucking up his courage he seized hold of the thorn and drew it out of the lion's paw, who roared with pain when the splinter came out, but soon after found such relief the ordeal was over. The injured limb was bandaged up as well as he could. The wound was rather a bad one, but good hearted Androcles kept the lion with him and takes good care till he was quite well again.

He bade farewell to the lion and returned to the town but unfortunately his old master recognized him and took him prisoner in chains. The cruel slave master wants to make an example of him, to show others slaves who attempting to escape. He was brought before the local authorities and those days the Roman criminal law required a man's slaves would be hunted down and the punishment was he shall be put to death because he had fled from his master.

Those found guilty of treason, arson, or murder were also forced to fight with lion as part of the games at the amphitheatre. (Modern day refer as stadium)

Those lions were usually unfed or torture making it more frenzy just like today bullfight before release into the amphitheatre.

The emperor and all his court came to see the spectacle. Androcles was one of them led out into the middle of the arena and feared as fatal day awaits them.

Soon the wild beasts were loosed into the arena, and among the rest a lion of huge bulk and ferocious nature running after his victim.



Nobody expect this to happen, as soon as the intimidating roaring, growling and ferocious appearance of a hungry lion came near to Androcles, instead of devouring him up, it fawned upon him, stroked and caressed Androcles like a friendly dog.


Surprise, surprise…guess who showed up? The lion instantly recognized his old friend, the same lion that Andro had helped in the forest! … But for the rest of the audiences ... stood there, dumb folded and the whole area grew silence.

Hello Kitty!
The question on everyone's mind: "What's really going on down there?"

Shocked at this strange behaviour, the emperor demanded an explanation. When Androcles had explained the whole story, the slave was pardoned and freed… and what happened to the lion? Well, the emperor was so touched by the lion ability to express profound gratitude to his saviour and also allow it to let loose to his native forest.

The story is rather unbelievable to some but one thing can be sure, there are times when the human are found to be crueller than the animals. So that doesn’t surprise me when asked, “Do animals feel human emotions?”

They may have human nature feeling ... gratitude.


The Ungrateful


A long time ago, there was a young man who left the village for a better life. Although his mum reluctant to let her only son go but he promised to come back when he has found fortune.

Many years later, now a rich man and has a beautiful wife. When his mother come to greet him, he refuse to recognise she is his elderly mother. He has ignored the sacrifice his mother has done for him.

She did not give up and continued shouting, "I am your mother, I missed you so much, son, come back to me...," He was even more embarrassed. He commanded all his crew members to push her away. She was heart-broken.

The sky suddenly turned dark and the wind became strong.  Thunder struck Si Tanggang ship and GOD punished everyone in the ship -Si Tanggang, his wife, his ship and his crew turned to stone.

Si Tanggang was cursed and he was cast as a rock in a bowed kneeling position
 when begging for his mother forgiveness


Ever heard of the story of frog and scorpion?

One of the fable moral stories being retold is the one about the frog and scorpion.


Once upon a time, the frog meet the scorpion on the bank of a stream and the scorpion request the frog to carry him across a river on its back.

The frog have second thoughts on whether if he can trust the word of scorpion?

What? Do you think I'm a fool? What if I let you on my back and you decide to sting me? Hey Mr.Frog, why would I do that? If I stink, you know I will drown. Don't you know I can't swim?

Frog paused for a while thinking... Yeah, I guess you're right, I'm sorry I ever doubted you.

The frog nod in agreement and begins carrying the scorpion on its back, but halfway through the river the scorpion does indeed go back on ones word and sting the frog.


The frog screams "You fool! Why did you do that?" Now we're both doom!
 Both of us are going to drown!

I am sorry this has happened to you. I can't help it because I am a scorpion, its my nature to sting.

What's the moral of the story?

Some creatures or human is ungovernable, no matter how they are treated and no matter what the consequences.

Just like lions are predators and it is their instinct to hunt and kill for food. Lion is not a domestic big cat, not here kitty,kitty. You can't play with these cats.


To everyone who being big part of my life, my father,mother,sister,brother-in law and friends who were there to made me laugh and cry and you are there when I needed the most....

I am really thankful from the bottom of my heart! xie xie!

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