My Little Tour of Kuala Lumpur

The Sultan Abdul Samad building and foreboding rain clouds. I came to Malaysia to fulfill a promise to visit some friends who now live there. Most of my co-workers left the company for Kuala Lumpur four years ago as soon as our binding contracts expired. It was sad as these guys have almost become family to me. I was team lead but they called me "Kuya Ian" rather than the usual "sir", which was really endearing. From looking at my friends' Facebook photos, I thought that Kuala Lumpur was on the same level as Singapore  - slick, clean, dynamic, and robotically efficient. When I finally got there myself I found that there is as much dirt and grime as one would find in other third-world Asian countries. Not quite a developed country,...

Read more »

A Visit to the Batu Caves and the Sri Mahamariamman Temple

Murugan temple. A pandit prepares for a puja ceremony. The Batu Caves are actually quite far from central Kuala Lumpur, but thankfully getting there is as easy as hopping into a train near my hotel and getting off in the station named "Batu Caves". Ironic that getting to my workplace is far more difficult than getting to a cave. The giant gilded statue of Murugan can be seen from the train even from afar. After I arrived, a tourist approached me and handed his SLR to me and grunted some incomprehensible word. I understood though that he wanted to have his photo taken, and being the hospitable Filipino that I am I happily did so. With all smiles I also handed my camera to him and politely asked to take a photo of me, but the jerk...

Read more »

10 Things About Wicca That Wiccans Should Know

1. Gerald Gardner, known as the father of Wicca, never actually used the word "Wicca" nor "Wiccan". He referred to his religion as "witchcraft" or "the Old Religion", and its followers, "the Wica". Ironically it was from his adversary, Charles Cardell,  where the word "Wicca" actually came from. G.B.Gardner and an unfortunate chap.  2. "Wicca" is an Old English word simply meaning "witch". In the middle ages this word is pronounced as "witcha". Whether it also denotes the meaning of "wise" is still largely debatable in the field of etymology. 3. While a sabbat is a gathering of witches for the purpose of religious celebration of the seasons, an esbat is a gathering of witches for any other occasion. It does not necessarily have...

Read more »

Remembering the Departed

I have to admit, I still am afraid of death despite all the wisdom teachings that tell me I shouldn't be. I think fear of death comes with the survival instinct implanted by Mother Nature herself and it would just be unnatural not to be afraid of it. While not having fear may mean transcending my lowly animalistic self and my attachments to the mundane world, being afraid on the other hand means I am still finding reasons to live in this world despite all its faults, and it also makes me focus on what's really important and "live my life to the full" as the cliché goes. My fear of death must have its roots from the fear of the unknown. I always say that death does not mean an end but rather a transition from one form to another....

Read more »

The Lights of Diwali

Somehow I find myself always having an affinity with the goddesses of the arts and beauty. Yeye Oshun has been for me a symbol of gaiety and elegance. Brighid of the Gaels provides me with artistic inspiration and the energy to turn it into craft. Now I pray to Maha Lakshmi, the lotus goddess of wealth, for material providence and sustenance - because the reality nowadays is that art and beauty often costs money. I was also feeling a need to get acquainted with the vedic gods being that the Philippines is a part of Greater India. The feast of Diwali is traditionally a time to make puja to Lakshmi. Being my first time to do puja I made a  research on the internet, and gods, the information was very overwhelming. Aside from...

Read more »