On November 1, 2001, artist Ahree Lee began taking daily digital snapshots of her own face; and she has continued this project every day since. In 2004, Lee compiled all of her daily images into a montage with a wistful musical score. In the fast-paced parade of images you're about to see, each second of screen time represents about one week's worth of pictures.
http://www.atomfilms.com/film/me.jsp?channelKeyword=channel_artsy
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Suspected terror group leader escapes from detention
Hey, how he escape man???? so good in escaping?
By GILLIAN WONG,Associated Press Writer AP - Thursday, February 28
SINGAPORE - The suspected local leader of a Southeast Asian terrorist network who allegedly plotted to crash a plane into Singapore's airport has escaped from a detention center in the city-state, authorities said.
Mas Selamat Kastari, said to be commander of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant group's Singapore arm, slipped away from the detention center on Wednesday, the Home Affairs Ministry said.
It did not say how he escaped.
"Mas Selamat was the leader of the Singapore (Jemaah Islamiyah) network. He walks with a limp and is presently at large," the ministry said in a statement. "Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down."
Several riot police trucks were parked along main roads near the Whitley Road Detention Center, from which Mas Selamat escaped. Dozens of police officers checked passing cars.
The ministry said the suspect was not known to be armed.
Mas Selamat was allegedly involved in plans about seven years ago to attack Singapore targets including the U.S. Embassy, the American Club and government buildings.
Singapore, a close ally of the United States, was named an al-Qaida target in a transcript from alleged al-Qaida operative Khalid Sheikh Mohamed's Combatant Status Review Tribunal, held last year at the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The ministry said Mas Selamat also plotted to hijack an airplane and crash it into Singapore's main airport, Changi, in retaliation for the country's arrest and detention of some of his fellow Jemaah Islamiyah members in a crackdown on the militant group's operatives here.
The alleged schemes were never carried out.
Mas Selamat left Singapore in December 2001 following the arrests of nearly 40 other suspected Jemaah Islamiyah members.
The ministry's Web site said Indonesian authorities detained him in February 2003 on charges related to possession of falsified identification documents. They deported him to Singapore in February 2006, the ministry said.
Mas Selamat has since been held in custody under Singapore's Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
Since 2002, Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of terror attacks that killed more than 250 people, most of them in Indonesia. Scores of its suspected operatives have been arrested across Southeast Asia since 2000.
By GILLIAN WONG,Associated Press Writer AP - Thursday, February 28
SINGAPORE - The suspected local leader of a Southeast Asian terrorist network who allegedly plotted to crash a plane into Singapore's airport has escaped from a detention center in the city-state, authorities said.
Mas Selamat Kastari, said to be commander of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant group's Singapore arm, slipped away from the detention center on Wednesday, the Home Affairs Ministry said.
It did not say how he escaped.
"Mas Selamat was the leader of the Singapore (Jemaah Islamiyah) network. He walks with a limp and is presently at large," the ministry said in a statement. "Extensive police resources have been deployed to track him down."
Several riot police trucks were parked along main roads near the Whitley Road Detention Center, from which Mas Selamat escaped. Dozens of police officers checked passing cars.
The ministry said the suspect was not known to be armed.
Mas Selamat was allegedly involved in plans about seven years ago to attack Singapore targets including the U.S. Embassy, the American Club and government buildings.
Singapore, a close ally of the United States, was named an al-Qaida target in a transcript from alleged al-Qaida operative Khalid Sheikh Mohamed's Combatant Status Review Tribunal, held last year at the U.S. military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The ministry said Mas Selamat also plotted to hijack an airplane and crash it into Singapore's main airport, Changi, in retaliation for the country's arrest and detention of some of his fellow Jemaah Islamiyah members in a crackdown on the militant group's operatives here.
The alleged schemes were never carried out.
Mas Selamat left Singapore in December 2001 following the arrests of nearly 40 other suspected Jemaah Islamiyah members.
The ministry's Web site said Indonesian authorities detained him in February 2003 on charges related to possession of falsified identification documents. They deported him to Singapore in February 2006, the ministry said.
Mas Selamat has since been held in custody under Singapore's Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
Since 2002, Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of terror attacks that killed more than 250 people, most of them in Indonesia. Scores of its suspected operatives have been arrested across Southeast Asia since 2000.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Movie - The Eye
The Eye Review
Thanks for checking out our “The Eye” review. It’s all the rage in Hollywood in recent years to take vastly superior asian horror films, and remake them into vastly inferior North American versions. The Grudge. The Ring. Dark Water. The Ring 2. Yadda yadda yadda. I’m all for remakes if they’re done well, so I was more than open to the idea of a remake of “The Eye”. So did this remake fair any better than the others? No, it didn’t.
THE GENERAL IDEA
Jessica Alba plays a symphony orchestra violinist who, in a tragic accident, lost her eyesight when she was a little girl and has been blind ever since. However, she gets the opportunity to receive a double eye transplant in order to see again. A donor set of eyes become available and she gets the procedure. The operation is a total success and soon Alba can see again. However, she also begins to see dark, nightmarish and unnatural things that just can’t be real. Is she going insane? Is she peering into another world? By the end of the movie does anyone really care?
THE GOOD
If you’re a comedy, you can fail at almost everything else, but at least be funny and you’ll be watchable. If you’re an action film, you can fail at almost everything else, but at least be exciting and you’ll be watchable. And obviously, if you’re a horror movie, at least be scary and you’ll be watchable… and on this level “The Eye” succeeds at time. There are a number of moments in the film that are legitimately creepy and eerie. Where most North American horror films rely on “BOO!” and shock type scares, The Eye does a good job of utilizing atmosphere and environment to achieve its dark goals. I admit I jumped out of my seat a couple of time and just downright spooked a few times too.
THE BAD
After you get past the promising premise, the film has next to nothing going for it. The story is thin to non-existant, the resolution of the film is very weak and makes next to no sense… and this all leaves you with a major sense of dis-satisfaction as you realize the whole movie was basically taking you down a road that doesn’t end up leading you anywhere good. It’s like mom and dad telling you their taking you to a great place, you drive for 6 hours… your anticipation builds… only to discover that you got taken to that fat aunt’s place you hate so much.
Everyone likes to jump up and down and slam Jessica Alba’s acting ability (or lack thereof), so I hesitate to jump on that bandwagon… but it really has to be said: Jessica Alba can not act. Alba is a delightful person, very friendly, very nice, and the type of person you really want to cheer for… but after seeing her “performance” in The Eye I’m left with nothing left to be positive about. Listening to her narrate at the beginning and end of the film was like hearing a 5th grader reading from a giant cue card in the school play. Nothing about her performance even came close to being convincing, and every time she spoke you were painfully aware that she just doesn’t belong up there.
Thanks for checking out our “The Eye” review. It’s all the rage in Hollywood in recent years to take vastly superior asian horror films, and remake them into vastly inferior North American versions. The Grudge. The Ring. Dark Water. The Ring 2. Yadda yadda yadda. I’m all for remakes if they’re done well, so I was more than open to the idea of a remake of “The Eye”. So did this remake fair any better than the others? No, it didn’t.
THE GENERAL IDEA
Jessica Alba plays a symphony orchestra violinist who, in a tragic accident, lost her eyesight when she was a little girl and has been blind ever since. However, she gets the opportunity to receive a double eye transplant in order to see again. A donor set of eyes become available and she gets the procedure. The operation is a total success and soon Alba can see again. However, she also begins to see dark, nightmarish and unnatural things that just can’t be real. Is she going insane? Is she peering into another world? By the end of the movie does anyone really care?
THE GOOD
If you’re a comedy, you can fail at almost everything else, but at least be funny and you’ll be watchable. If you’re an action film, you can fail at almost everything else, but at least be exciting and you’ll be watchable. And obviously, if you’re a horror movie, at least be scary and you’ll be watchable… and on this level “The Eye” succeeds at time. There are a number of moments in the film that are legitimately creepy and eerie. Where most North American horror films rely on “BOO!” and shock type scares, The Eye does a good job of utilizing atmosphere and environment to achieve its dark goals. I admit I jumped out of my seat a couple of time and just downright spooked a few times too.
THE BAD
After you get past the promising premise, the film has next to nothing going for it. The story is thin to non-existant, the resolution of the film is very weak and makes next to no sense… and this all leaves you with a major sense of dis-satisfaction as you realize the whole movie was basically taking you down a road that doesn’t end up leading you anywhere good. It’s like mom and dad telling you their taking you to a great place, you drive for 6 hours… your anticipation builds… only to discover that you got taken to that fat aunt’s place you hate so much.
Everyone likes to jump up and down and slam Jessica Alba’s acting ability (or lack thereof), so I hesitate to jump on that bandwagon… but it really has to be said: Jessica Alba can not act. Alba is a delightful person, very friendly, very nice, and the type of person you really want to cheer for… but after seeing her “performance” in The Eye I’m left with nothing left to be positive about. Listening to her narrate at the beginning and end of the film was like hearing a 5th grader reading from a giant cue card in the school play. Nothing about her performance even came close to being convincing, and every time she spoke you were painfully aware that she just doesn’t belong up there.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
What Causes Stress - The Top 5 Culprits
Stress is something that we cannot run from in our daily lives and will in some way plague us if we allow it to build up too much. However, do we know what causes stress; in this article we would find out more about them.
Stress is inevitable, and whilst we may sometimes be able to change stressful situations, it is impossible to always avoid all stressful situations. Stress is the result of our physical and psychological reactions to changes in our environment. In certain amounts, stress can be beneficial, pushing us to achieve our goals. However, too much stress will lead to negative emotional and physical reactions as it is our body’s way of telling us that we need a break and that we are unable to cope.
There are some 60 over different causes of stress, with more sources being added to the list with time. This is not surprising given the rate of change that we are facing in our lives. Not all stress is resultant from negative changes; positive changes in our lives may increase our stress levels as well. Whilst we are not able to avoid all stressful situations, we are certainly capable of learning how to deal with them.
A stressor is something which creates or increases stress, and there are different varieties of factors that cause stress. We identify the top 5 stressors that most people face, and highlight them for you to make it easier for you to spot your own personal stressors.
Cause #1: Monetary
Money may not make the world go round, but it is certainly essential for a certain measure of happiness. Financial stresses are one of the leading causes of stress due to the increased standards of living that people want to achieve. Money is needed to finance the purchase of a new home or a new car. Further, a loss in inflow of money is also a primary cause of stress. These include the loss of a job, or the potential of being retrenched.
It is not hard to understand after all. Money is needed to send your children to college, or to pay for medical expenses, and the various other needs that we have.
Cause #2: Occupational
Closely tied into the first stressor is that of our jobs. Our jobs cause us stress as we need to worry about meeting our performance targets, or impressing the boss for a pay rise. Or it could simply be office politics, or a fear of being retrenched. A merger with another company could drastically change our working conditions, and the list goes on. There are countless factors and reasons that cause occupational stress, both external and internal.
Cause #3: Performance
This is a situation which many at some point or another in their lives have faced. A sudden call for a speech; lunch with the boss; meeting a potential date; driving on the highway for the first time; final examinations and the other monumental events that we go through cause us great amounts of stress. There is a need to perform, to do well and be accepted, leading to greater anxiety. These may even be events that we are familiar with and prepared for, but when placed in the spot still causes stress.
Cause #4: Bereavement
Be it the death of a pet, a loss of a relationship, or the death of a life partner, these are not events that occur commonly. Whilst the death of a loved one is not something that we experience in our lives everyday, it is probably one of the stressors with the greatest impact.
Cause #5: Personal
This refers to stresses that are largely internal, though they may be triggered by our external environment. For example, we have a need for a certain measure of control over our lives. We like to think that we have a choice over what we want to do, when we want to do it. When this sense of control is missing, we find our stress levels rising. Recall waiting for your friend who is late to arrive to catch a movie? These are events that are out of our control, causing us to be subject to other people’s demands, and can be a great source of stress.
Personal changes of any sort, positive or negative, also cause a large amount of stress. The decision to get married, the birth of a kid, or perhaps a legal case, these are all personal stressors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Frost is a leading innovator in the field of Stress Relief and the director of http://www.HowToRelieveStress.org which specializes providing a whole range of stress relief topics to improve the quality of your life
Stress is inevitable, and whilst we may sometimes be able to change stressful situations, it is impossible to always avoid all stressful situations. Stress is the result of our physical and psychological reactions to changes in our environment. In certain amounts, stress can be beneficial, pushing us to achieve our goals. However, too much stress will lead to negative emotional and physical reactions as it is our body’s way of telling us that we need a break and that we are unable to cope.
There are some 60 over different causes of stress, with more sources being added to the list with time. This is not surprising given the rate of change that we are facing in our lives. Not all stress is resultant from negative changes; positive changes in our lives may increase our stress levels as well. Whilst we are not able to avoid all stressful situations, we are certainly capable of learning how to deal with them.
A stressor is something which creates or increases stress, and there are different varieties of factors that cause stress. We identify the top 5 stressors that most people face, and highlight them for you to make it easier for you to spot your own personal stressors.
Cause #1: Monetary
Money may not make the world go round, but it is certainly essential for a certain measure of happiness. Financial stresses are one of the leading causes of stress due to the increased standards of living that people want to achieve. Money is needed to finance the purchase of a new home or a new car. Further, a loss in inflow of money is also a primary cause of stress. These include the loss of a job, or the potential of being retrenched.
It is not hard to understand after all. Money is needed to send your children to college, or to pay for medical expenses, and the various other needs that we have.
Cause #2: Occupational
Closely tied into the first stressor is that of our jobs. Our jobs cause us stress as we need to worry about meeting our performance targets, or impressing the boss for a pay rise. Or it could simply be office politics, or a fear of being retrenched. A merger with another company could drastically change our working conditions, and the list goes on. There are countless factors and reasons that cause occupational stress, both external and internal.
Cause #3: Performance
This is a situation which many at some point or another in their lives have faced. A sudden call for a speech; lunch with the boss; meeting a potential date; driving on the highway for the first time; final examinations and the other monumental events that we go through cause us great amounts of stress. There is a need to perform, to do well and be accepted, leading to greater anxiety. These may even be events that we are familiar with and prepared for, but when placed in the spot still causes stress.
Cause #4: Bereavement
Be it the death of a pet, a loss of a relationship, or the death of a life partner, these are not events that occur commonly. Whilst the death of a loved one is not something that we experience in our lives everyday, it is probably one of the stressors with the greatest impact.
Cause #5: Personal
This refers to stresses that are largely internal, though they may be triggered by our external environment. For example, we have a need for a certain measure of control over our lives. We like to think that we have a choice over what we want to do, when we want to do it. When this sense of control is missing, we find our stress levels rising. Recall waiting for your friend who is late to arrive to catch a movie? These are events that are out of our control, causing us to be subject to other people’s demands, and can be a great source of stress.
Personal changes of any sort, positive or negative, also cause a large amount of stress. The decision to get married, the birth of a kid, or perhaps a legal case, these are all personal stressors.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Frost is a leading innovator in the field of Stress Relief and the director of http://www.HowToRelieveStress.org which specializes providing a whole range of stress relief topics to improve the quality of your life
How To Think Outside The Box
You hear that to be more creative you need to think outside the box, but what is the box? It is your normal ways of thinking, and all the hidden assumptions you make. Imagine actually living in a box, and knowing the outside world only through the pictures and descriptions written on those four walls. Even the best pictures and most accurate descriptions couldn't encompass the totality of the world outside, so you would have all sorts of assumptions about the world that might not be too useful or true.
This metaphor is a great one for understanding how limited our thinking can be, and it suggests an obvious solution as well. Your thinking and assumptions are like those pictures and descriptions, and they form the "walls" of your box, limiting what you can see or know about the world. The solution? Stop looking at them and get outside the box! Here is one of the best ways to do that.
The Best Way To Get Outside The Box
Perhaps the best way to get out of your habitual thought patterns and have some new and creative ideas is to identify the assumptions you are making and challenge them. This is a powerful way to deal with everything from personal to business to artistic problems and issues. Let's look at some simple examples.
Suppose a young single man wants to buy a house, but he doesn't seem to be able to. He doesn't have the money saved for a down payment. Also, he can barely make his rent and a house will cost more per month than that. He is ready to give up when he decides to try thinking outside the box. Specifically, he remembers an article he read about identifying and challenging one's assumptions, so he tries that.
He starts by explaining to a friend why he thinks he can't buy a house. There are no more zero-down mortgages lately and he has no money saved. He doesn't even have enough extra income to save a down payment. His job doesn't pay enough to cover the costs of owning a home. "I may just have to wait a few years until I get a better job," he says. He clarifies this into the following list, even though he sees some of them not as assumptions, but as reality:
1. A down payment is necessary.
2. I have nothing for a down payment.
3. I can't save money for a down payment at this time.
4. My job has to pay enough to cover all the expenses of owning a home.
With the help of his friend, he challenges these assumptions one-by-one. Is a down payment really necessary? Maybe there are government programs that can help. Does he really have no down payment? His friend points out that he can use the money in his retirement account, and even avoid the usual tax penalty since he is a first-time home buyer. He also has some things he could sell to raise money. Can't save? If he worked overtime it could all go towards savings.
The problem of income seems irresolvable at first. He has been looking for a better job, he says. His friend points out that the idea of needing a better job is just another assumption. That makes him think about starting a business on weekends, but he doesn't hold out much hope for that. Then he again returns to the assumption that his job has to pay for the house. What if this wasn't true? What if something else or someone else helped pay for it?
That's when he remembers a friend of his who rented out rooms in his house. He got $400 per room per month. Looked at this way, a house might be far cheaper than renting. Working with this and the other ideas, he is soon in a new home and in better financial shape than ever.
You can see how assumptions create a "box" that is tough to get out of. Argue about how to save Social Security and you might not notice the assumption that it's worth saving, rather than scrapping it in favor of something better. Assume that motorcycles need wheels and you'll never invent the first "motorskimobile" for use in snow. You need to both identify and challenge your assumptions to think out of the box.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Copyright Steve Gillman. There are many other ways to think outside the box. To learn more, go get your free Radical Thinking Course, at: http://www.radicalnewthoughts.com/
This metaphor is a great one for understanding how limited our thinking can be, and it suggests an obvious solution as well. Your thinking and assumptions are like those pictures and descriptions, and they form the "walls" of your box, limiting what you can see or know about the world. The solution? Stop looking at them and get outside the box! Here is one of the best ways to do that.
The Best Way To Get Outside The Box
Perhaps the best way to get out of your habitual thought patterns and have some new and creative ideas is to identify the assumptions you are making and challenge them. This is a powerful way to deal with everything from personal to business to artistic problems and issues. Let's look at some simple examples.
Suppose a young single man wants to buy a house, but he doesn't seem to be able to. He doesn't have the money saved for a down payment. Also, he can barely make his rent and a house will cost more per month than that. He is ready to give up when he decides to try thinking outside the box. Specifically, he remembers an article he read about identifying and challenging one's assumptions, so he tries that.
He starts by explaining to a friend why he thinks he can't buy a house. There are no more zero-down mortgages lately and he has no money saved. He doesn't even have enough extra income to save a down payment. His job doesn't pay enough to cover the costs of owning a home. "I may just have to wait a few years until I get a better job," he says. He clarifies this into the following list, even though he sees some of them not as assumptions, but as reality:
1. A down payment is necessary.
2. I have nothing for a down payment.
3. I can't save money for a down payment at this time.
4. My job has to pay enough to cover all the expenses of owning a home.
With the help of his friend, he challenges these assumptions one-by-one. Is a down payment really necessary? Maybe there are government programs that can help. Does he really have no down payment? His friend points out that he can use the money in his retirement account, and even avoid the usual tax penalty since he is a first-time home buyer. He also has some things he could sell to raise money. Can't save? If he worked overtime it could all go towards savings.
The problem of income seems irresolvable at first. He has been looking for a better job, he says. His friend points out that the idea of needing a better job is just another assumption. That makes him think about starting a business on weekends, but he doesn't hold out much hope for that. Then he again returns to the assumption that his job has to pay for the house. What if this wasn't true? What if something else or someone else helped pay for it?
That's when he remembers a friend of his who rented out rooms in his house. He got $400 per room per month. Looked at this way, a house might be far cheaper than renting. Working with this and the other ideas, he is soon in a new home and in better financial shape than ever.
You can see how assumptions create a "box" that is tough to get out of. Argue about how to save Social Security and you might not notice the assumption that it's worth saving, rather than scrapping it in favor of something better. Assume that motorcycles need wheels and you'll never invent the first "motorskimobile" for use in snow. You need to both identify and challenge your assumptions to think out of the box.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Copyright Steve Gillman. There are many other ways to think outside the box. To learn more, go get your free Radical Thinking Course, at: http://www.radicalnewthoughts.com/
True Stories on Blogs
True Stories on Blogs
January 29th, 2008 by meijun
Many people have found their voices through blogs. People with stories to share, advice to give, or people who have no one to speak to, blog their thoughts to the world.
Anya Peters had a story, a story of how she was abused, became homeless, was forced to live in her car, and use hotel and hospital restrooms for her showers. One day, she went to the library and created a blog. With her first few entries, her story attracted many comments, and spread to more and more readers. A reporter was attracted to her blog, and Anya got her story published on the New York Times front page. Since then, she has been receiving a regular flow of emails from readers, and published her own biography, called “Abandoned: The True Story of a Little Girl Who Didn’t Belong”.
Reader’s Digest also carried an article about her in their February 2008 issue (see left picture).
Her story continues on her blog, Wandering Scribe.
Contributed by Ang Mei Jun, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services
January 29th, 2008 by meijun
Many people have found their voices through blogs. People with stories to share, advice to give, or people who have no one to speak to, blog their thoughts to the world.
Anya Peters had a story, a story of how she was abused, became homeless, was forced to live in her car, and use hotel and hospital restrooms for her showers. One day, she went to the library and created a blog. With her first few entries, her story attracted many comments, and spread to more and more readers. A reporter was attracted to her blog, and Anya got her story published on the New York Times front page. Since then, she has been receiving a regular flow of emails from readers, and published her own biography, called “Abandoned: The True Story of a Little Girl Who Didn’t Belong”.
Reader’s Digest also carried an article about her in their February 2008 issue (see left picture).
Her story continues on her blog, Wandering Scribe.
Contributed by Ang Mei Jun, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
SPI Baby Spirits Investigation & Research Events
SPI Baby Spirits Investigation and Research Events Field Trip
on Saturday, 16 February 2008 Research Seminar on Sunday, 17 February 2008
http://www.organise4u.com.sg/spi.html
What are the paranormal aspects of Baby Spirits? Kumontong, Toyol, Baby Spirits, Ghost Child, Kwee Kia, are they the same phenomenon labeled with different names?
For instance, a Toyol is a mythical spirit in the Malay mythology of South-East Asia (notably Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore). It is a small child spirit invoked by a bomoh (Malay witch doctor) from a dead human foetus using black magic.
It is possible to buy a toyol from such a bomoh in the old days. A person who owns a toyol uses it mainly to steal things from other people, or to do mischief. According to a well-known superstition, if money or jewellery keeps disappearing mysteriously from your house, a toyol might be responsible.
One way to ward off a toyol is to place some needles under your money, for toyols are afraid of being hurt by needles. Are these just sheer myths or they have certain elements of truth? Facts or fiction? Realities or folklores? SPI with you explores in depth of this topic, with research information, experiments, and investigation guided by spiritual masters. … as a matter of cultural belief: “Keeping a toyol has its price.
In essence, the spirit is that of a still-born (or aborted) child, and its temperament reflects this. According to most Asian practices and beliefs, the afterlife of a person is taken care of by the family, in the form of a tablet. It is usually made of wood, with the name of the deceased engraved. A collection of tablets at an elaborate family altar is a typical item in a large (and often wealthy) family.
Following the same principle, the master of the toyol keeps its tablet and cares for it. He must feed it with a few drops of his blood everyday, usually through his thumb or big toe. In addition, it requires certain coaxing and attention, along with offerings. Such offerings might include candy and toys, for the toyol is essentially a child and must be kept happily entertained.
According to other stories, a toyol must be fed with blood from a rooster. In old village tales, people keep toyols for selfish but petty gains. They use such spirits for theft, sabotage and other minor crimes. Serious crimes, like murder, are usually beyond the capability of these toyols.
A person who suddenly becomes wealthy without explanation might be suspected of keeping a toyol. The toyol is kept in a jar or an urn, and hidden away in a dark place until needed. What happens at the end of the "contract" is not very clear. It could be that the tablet, along with the urn, is buried in a graveyard (with the relevant rituals), and the spirit is then laid to rest. An alternative method is to dispose them in the sea. Or else, a toyol gets passed down in a family through the generations. This seems to suggest that once you obtain a toyol, not only are you stuck with it for the rest of your life, but all your descendants will also be condemned to own it.” Join the forthcoming SPI events for discovering more.
Saturday Event: Baby Spirit Investigation Field Trip
We invite you to check out some famous spots of alleged existence of baby spirit, and investigate into this phonemon together. Whether you opt to choose the role of an observer or a SPI investigator, this is the event that you should not miss.
Date: 7:00pm to 11:00pm, Saturday, 16/2 Investigation
Venues: Child spirit altar at Chua Chu Kang Cemetery Baby corpse dumping ground Base of a bridge rumoured to have child sacrificed took place
Cost: Only $6 for sharing the rental of transport (by our SPI non-profit principle)
Meeting Point: Newton Food Centre Carpark
To sign up, simply email to register@spi.com.sg with the subject “Baby Spirit Investigation Field Trip” and with the following details: * Your full name * Your SPI forum nick (You are welcome to join our forum if you aren’t a forum user yet: Click here) * Your I/C number (for security reasons) * Your email address * Your contact number (It is very important that you provide a contactable number) * Indicate your membership (e.g. SPI Agent, SPI Friend, or public)
Remember to bring along your IC or passport for validation purposes. We reserve the rights to modify the activities due to unforeseen situation changes without prior notice.
Sunday Event: Baby Spirit Research Seminar
Reputable spiritual masters are invited to share their experiences with us, on the topic of baby spirits, as well as other divination techniques. Investigation files by SPI Agent Team on Baby Spirits will be presented as well.
Date: 1:00pm to 3:00pm, Sunday, 17/2
Cost: Only $6 for sharing the rental of seminar room and facility (by our SPI non-profit principle)
Venue: SMRT Clubhouse, No. 3 Bishan Street 14 (near Bishan MRT Station)
To sign up, simply email to register@spi.com.sg with the subject “Baby Spirit Research Seminar” and with the following details: * Your full name * Your SPI forum nick (You are welcome to join our forum if you aren’t a forum user yet: Click here) * Your I/C number (for security reasons) * Your email address * Your contact number (It is very important that you provide a contactable number) * Indicate your membership (e.g. SPI Agent, SPI Friend, or public)
Remember to bring along your IC or passport for validation purposes. We reserve the rights to modify the activities due to unforeseen situation changes without prior notice. Please note that there are 2 separate events - 2 individual registerations are required if you are coming for both.
on Saturday, 16 February 2008 Research Seminar on Sunday, 17 February 2008
http://www.organise4u.com.sg/spi.html
What are the paranormal aspects of Baby Spirits? Kumontong, Toyol, Baby Spirits, Ghost Child, Kwee Kia, are they the same phenomenon labeled with different names?
For instance, a Toyol is a mythical spirit in the Malay mythology of South-East Asia (notably Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore). It is a small child spirit invoked by a bomoh (Malay witch doctor) from a dead human foetus using black magic.
It is possible to buy a toyol from such a bomoh in the old days. A person who owns a toyol uses it mainly to steal things from other people, or to do mischief. According to a well-known superstition, if money or jewellery keeps disappearing mysteriously from your house, a toyol might be responsible.
One way to ward off a toyol is to place some needles under your money, for toyols are afraid of being hurt by needles. Are these just sheer myths or they have certain elements of truth? Facts or fiction? Realities or folklores? SPI with you explores in depth of this topic, with research information, experiments, and investigation guided by spiritual masters. … as a matter of cultural belief: “Keeping a toyol has its price.
In essence, the spirit is that of a still-born (or aborted) child, and its temperament reflects this. According to most Asian practices and beliefs, the afterlife of a person is taken care of by the family, in the form of a tablet. It is usually made of wood, with the name of the deceased engraved. A collection of tablets at an elaborate family altar is a typical item in a large (and often wealthy) family.
Following the same principle, the master of the toyol keeps its tablet and cares for it. He must feed it with a few drops of his blood everyday, usually through his thumb or big toe. In addition, it requires certain coaxing and attention, along with offerings. Such offerings might include candy and toys, for the toyol is essentially a child and must be kept happily entertained.
According to other stories, a toyol must be fed with blood from a rooster. In old village tales, people keep toyols for selfish but petty gains. They use such spirits for theft, sabotage and other minor crimes. Serious crimes, like murder, are usually beyond the capability of these toyols.
A person who suddenly becomes wealthy without explanation might be suspected of keeping a toyol. The toyol is kept in a jar or an urn, and hidden away in a dark place until needed. What happens at the end of the "contract" is not very clear. It could be that the tablet, along with the urn, is buried in a graveyard (with the relevant rituals), and the spirit is then laid to rest. An alternative method is to dispose them in the sea. Or else, a toyol gets passed down in a family through the generations. This seems to suggest that once you obtain a toyol, not only are you stuck with it for the rest of your life, but all your descendants will also be condemned to own it.” Join the forthcoming SPI events for discovering more.
Saturday Event: Baby Spirit Investigation Field Trip
We invite you to check out some famous spots of alleged existence of baby spirit, and investigate into this phonemon together. Whether you opt to choose the role of an observer or a SPI investigator, this is the event that you should not miss.
Date: 7:00pm to 11:00pm, Saturday, 16/2 Investigation
Venues: Child spirit altar at Chua Chu Kang Cemetery Baby corpse dumping ground Base of a bridge rumoured to have child sacrificed took place
Cost: Only $6 for sharing the rental of transport (by our SPI non-profit principle)
Meeting Point: Newton Food Centre Carpark
To sign up, simply email to register@spi.com.sg with the subject “Baby Spirit Investigation Field Trip” and with the following details: * Your full name * Your SPI forum nick (You are welcome to join our forum if you aren’t a forum user yet: Click here) * Your I/C number (for security reasons) * Your email address * Your contact number (It is very important that you provide a contactable number) * Indicate your membership (e.g. SPI Agent, SPI Friend, or public)
Remember to bring along your IC or passport for validation purposes. We reserve the rights to modify the activities due to unforeseen situation changes without prior notice.
Sunday Event: Baby Spirit Research Seminar
Reputable spiritual masters are invited to share their experiences with us, on the topic of baby spirits, as well as other divination techniques. Investigation files by SPI Agent Team on Baby Spirits will be presented as well.
Date: 1:00pm to 3:00pm, Sunday, 17/2
Cost: Only $6 for sharing the rental of seminar room and facility (by our SPI non-profit principle)
Venue: SMRT Clubhouse, No. 3 Bishan Street 14 (near Bishan MRT Station)
To sign up, simply email to register@spi.com.sg with the subject “Baby Spirit Research Seminar” and with the following details: * Your full name * Your SPI forum nick (You are welcome to join our forum if you aren’t a forum user yet: Click here) * Your I/C number (for security reasons) * Your email address * Your contact number (It is very important that you provide a contactable number) * Indicate your membership (e.g. SPI Agent, SPI Friend, or public)
Remember to bring along your IC or passport for validation purposes. We reserve the rights to modify the activities due to unforeseen situation changes without prior notice. Please note that there are 2 separate events - 2 individual registerations are required if you are coming for both.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Beyond Positive Thinking
Beyond Positive Thinking
As a personal development coach, I do a lot of talking about positive thinking, and I know very well how important it is in changing your habitual way of thinking (and the results you are getting in life). But real change requires more than positive thinking. It requires "extreme repetition."
I've spoken before about going 'beyond positive thinking" and many people have emailed to ask about the best methods of staying in a positive state of mind, and how they can best help the process along.
One method that is very effective is to use affirmation programs that shift your state of mind and provide you with massive amounts of positive suggestion and commands. These definitely make a difference--I've used one for over two years now with great results.
The two most popular of these programs are Mindzoom, and Affirmware's Sculptor 3, both of which are great programs (I personally use Sculptor 3, but Mindzoom has it's fans too).
The real benefit of these programs is that they provide you with a relentless repetition of the "right" messages. The key word in that last sentence is "repetition," because that's what it's all about--relentless repetition.
Imagine being exposed to positive, affirming messages one day a week, and then back to the same of negative stuff the rest of the week. How much good is that really going to do you? Probably not much. Of course, it is better than nothing, but you're certainly not going to get the dramatic results you want.
Now imagine being exposed to positive, affirming messages six days a week, and the old negative crap only one day a week. Do you think your state of mind is going to be much, much better? Do you think your self-esteem and confidence would increase substantially? I guarantee you it will. "Repetition is the mother of all skill,"as the old saying goes. And it is just as true wityh positive thinking as it is with riding a bike.
"What we are exposed to on a consistent basis is what we become."
Ever wonder why most criminals come out of prison worse than when they went in? Think about what they are exposed to on a consistent basis. It's common sense really: whatever you are are exposed to with extreme repetition WILL influence your life. The more repetition, the more influence it will have on you.
Take advantage of any and all positive information you can: software programs, positive books, audios, seminars, and of course, be around as many positive people as you can.
Remember, extreme repetition is how people change. Use every resource you can to get the "right ideas" into your head, and then repeat them relentlessly. If you use affirmations, repeat those relentlessly too. At a certain point, all this positive information will overwhelm your old, critical voice, and it'll fade away into the sunset.
Author Resource:-> Jon Mercer is a personal development coach and author, and teaches advanced Law of Attraction techniques in seminars, videos and online.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Saturday, February 02, 2008
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