Hill Monkeys of Kuala Selangor

Before we end the year 2013 with a Big Bang, let's take some reflection into some intrinsic values in life by visiting Kuala Selangor before welcoming the New Year.

For those looking for an interesting weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of KL city to see Fire Flies or enjoy some seafood, you can stop by at Bukit Melawati – a hilltop in Kuala Selangor.  There’s generally not much to do up here so many locals and some tourist will visit this place for about an hour or two. Mostly in the evenings you may see some locals walking or jogging there.  

Bukit Melawati formerly known as Bukit Selangor is a historical hill. The star attraction of the Melawati Hill is actually the Silver Leafed Monkeys looming around this hillside seeking food from visitors. There are vendors selling food to feed those monkeys here.

Altingsburg Light House

This small peak was once home to a mighty fortress built by Sultan Ibrahim of Selangor towards the end of the 17th century, an effort to safeguard the state from Dutch forces that had conquered Malacca, a little further down south. The fort faced the sea with a commanding view of the coastline and the Selangor River mouth. Built with solid slabs of stone and held by massive pillars, it was certainly an impressive sight during its days. Despite all its stature, the fort faltered in the face of powerful Dutch cannons and fell to their naval forces after a two week siege.

However, it wasn’t long before the Dutch tangled with Ibrahim’s troops again; in less than a year, the Sultan launched a night raid and succeeded in recapturing Melawati Hill while driving the Dutch back to sea. The fort continued to be at the epicenter of many struggles and battles over the years, especially during the Selangor civil war, fought between factions created by rival sultans and Chinese tin miner gangs. When British forces arrived to impose their presence in Selangor, they hammered the fort into little pieces, with the help of massive gunboat Rinaldo. Today, all that remains for visitors to see are a few decrepit foundation stones and walls, along with some of the 68 cannons originally used for the fort’s defence.

In place of concrete and stone, grass and shrubbery now cover the hill to create a pleasant park-like environment along with cooling rain trees that tower over the landscape. At a corner of the hill, sits a royal mausoleum for the first three Sultans of Selangor. The point where most visitors congregate is the view point in front of the Altingsburg light house, slightly below the peak. This light house was built in 1907 and continues to guide ships sailing through the Straits of Malacca today. From here, one can look out to the lush greenery and mangroves below and further out, a vista of open sea. Looking closely, you can see where the sea meets with the Selangor River, with tiny ships and boats sailing through.

The Parade of Mommy Monkeys With Their Babies

Kuala Selangor Seafood 

Luckily this pet rabbit did not end up on the dinner table in the restaurant. With this short travel story we would like to wish you a very Happy New Year.

Tiger of Jelutong - A True Fighter for Justice

A Giant Has Fallen

With deep regret YB Karpal Singh was killed in a car crash near the deadly Gua Tempurung stretch in Kampar area.  Karpal was looked up as a fighter who inspired many to join the struggle for justice.  Also killed in the accident was his long trusted assistant Michael Cornandez.

The Tiger of Jelutong, a bright Star that will always be remembered. Condolences to the family members.

KARPAL gone but BURNING BRIGHT - The Economist
KARPAL SINGH, who died in a car accident in the early hours of April 17th at the age of 74, was a rarity in the venomous world of Malaysian politics: a man respected by many of his opponents as well as those on his own side.

That side, for all of a long career in politics, was the opposition to Malaysia’s ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has held power ever since independence in 1957. Yet on Facebook and on Twitter condolences to his family have poured in from across the political spectrum, including from the prime minister, Najib Razak, who paid tribute to a “formidable opponent”. Known as “the Tiger of Jelutong” after the constituency on the island of Penang he long represented, Mr Karpal was indeed formidable.
Anwar Ibrahim, leader of an opposition coalition, of which Mr Karpal’s Democratic Action Party (DAP) forms part, mourned the passing of “my brother-in-arms for freedom and democracy, an inspiring symbol for the struggle against oppression and injustice and a man of unimpeachable moral integrity."

For most of Mr Karpal’s political career, opposition politics has been a mug’s game, offering virtually no chance of winning power, and endless trouble, from petty harassment to, in Mr Karpal’s case, imprisonment.

He was one of 106 critics of the BN government who were locked up in 1987 under Malaysia’s Internal Security Act by the government of Mahathir Mohamad, a long-serving prime minister. The act itself was repealed in 2012. Mr Karpal also campaigned long and hard against the death penalty in Malaysia, which still remains on the books.

But Mr Karpal was no mug. He was recognised as a fine lawyer, even if he often found himself on the losing side. In one of his recent defeats, in March, an acquittal that had been won for his client, Mr Anwar, was overturned; a charge of sodomy was reinstated against him. Mr Anwar was sentenced to five years in jail, though he is appealing against the verdict.

A few days later Mr Karpal himself was found guilty—of sedition. Mr Karpal escaped with a fine rather than a jail term, but the conviction caused outrage. His crime was a remark he made during a press conference in 2009, when he merely expressed his legal opinion on a political dispute in Perak, one of the states in the Malaysian federation.

The conviction meant Mr Karpal had to give up his chairmanship of the DAP, the ethnic-Chinese-dominated party that led the charge for the opposition in last year’s election. Their coalition actually won the popular vote. Gerrymandered constituencies mean it has something far short of a parliamentary majority, but death has taken Mr Karpal at a time when prospects for the Malaysian opposition look better than ever before in his long career.

It will be tested, however, by the loss of Mr Karpal, and perhaps of Mr Anwar, too, if he is again removed from the political fray and put behind bars. Mr Karpal’s popularity was due to more than his tigerish courage and tenacity. His dignity, modesty, humour and courtesy, all played their parts. A BBC radio interview in 2011 demonstrated also the remarkable lack of rancour with which he accepted his life’s many travails—including an earlier road accident, in 2005, that left him in a wheelchair.

It was also a reminder that, though his death has been greeted with respect and regret (some nasty political jibes notwithstanding), that is not how Malaysia's opposition politicians are treated when alive. Mr Karpal had described taunts about his disability and even death threats, in the form of bullets sent in the post. All this he dismissed as "professional hazards". Many people, he said, wanted him dead. “I tell them 'You have to join the queue'.” -www.economist.com



Malaysia's Hero for Justice - A Biography of Karpal Singh

A must read book in remembering and honor a brave advocate for justice. It took a while to decide if this book should be highlighted here to remind us there's a true Malaysian hero and an outstanding man nicknamed the Tiger of Jelutong - a name given by the people in his Penang constituency. 

This is a biographical book about a great human rights advocate - Karpal Singh whom had shaped our own nation's history in dedicating his life to defending countless peoples with righteousness and without any fear even he was unlawfully being detained under the draconian ISA.  Karpal is uniquely a true fighter for justice.  

This book is available in Popular Bookstore at RM49.90 with 20% discount if you have Popular membership.

Title: Karpal Singh Tiger of Jelutong

Author: Tim Donoghue

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Editions, 2013

ISBN: 978-981-4408-53-0

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Protective Talismans for The Hardcore Believers

From Kung Fu to the ordinary folks in the streets, talismans are believed to be tools of power and protection especially by hardcore believers.  This belief system had been portrayed by one of Hong Kong's latest movie played by Donnie Yen. It took me by no surprise because a few years ago "Kongkrapan" or invulnerability talismans especially Takrut scrolls from Ayutthaya was highly sought after in HK.  

In essence, talismans can be designed for any purpose e.g.  for charming attraction and love, money, business, power, spiritual advancement or increase one's capability. This article aims to provide an unorthodox explanation on the significance of talisman energy and its application in real life danger as reflected in this fictional action movie by Donnie Yen. 

At age 5 my late grandfather took me for the first time to a cinema to watch my first ever Bruce Lee's kung fu flick movie.  The least I could remember cinemas in those days are mostly stuffy with cigarette smoke and plenty of "kuaci"  sunflower seeds on the concrete floors.  Not comfortable at all comparing with today's cinema standard that comes with 3D surround sounds system, carpeted flooring and comfy seats.

With advancement in today's entertainment technology that allows simultaneous interplay of voice, video, and data with rich multimedia applications thus enabling Smartphones to easily download movies.  The die-hard cinematic fans will still find the right atmosphere to enjoy a good movie with the good old pop-corns at cinemas.  As a cinema fan myself since a young age, I won't be easily taken by just any ordinary movie (simply being fussy for a money well spent).

Special ID story played by Donnie Yen however managed to attract my due attention from the angle of hardcore believers in risky profession albeit with the charm of a fiery undercover cop in the triad society.  This article will complement another earlier article titled The Charming Attractions of Khun Paen which provides an in-depth analysis onto the characteristics of this legendary Thai warrior talisman none other than Phra Khun Paen.  

As a strong reminder to readers, Thai religious amulets presented here are for self protection purpose. We do not condone to any form of violence in accordance to Buddhism or any other religions.  The representation of human violence in the movie Special ID is purely based on a fictional story for the purpose of entertainment only. 

History of Amulets and Talismans

To begin with, talismans are as ancient as mankind.  Early humans intuitively knew that they could combine symbols, plants, animal parts, etc. to create a desired effect to induce specific purposes such as love, wealth, attractiveness, courage, health, success and so on.  When such a talisman worked as expected, worshippers of these talisman saw this as a proof that they no longer deny the objects of having such power or efficacy. 

As we may already know talisman can be considered to be a magnet that is designed to attract desired circumstances.  Quite often, a talisman has also protective qualities. In this case, we had decided to highlight Phra Khun Paen talismans that played this dual roles as protector (warrior) and activator of charming attractiveness (maha saneh).  

The belief structures, of course vary from region to region, from tribe to tribe, and symbols of representation for a specific talisman.  In this aspect, to understand the working of a powerful talisman is to regard it as a stored "battery" consisting of cosmic energies into which the carrier of the talisman may tap whenever needed.  Some very ancient talismans have been found in tombs, temples, and holy places all over the world.  Interestingly many of those objects still have strong charges of psychic powers created by their original makers. 

The natural characteristic of Phra Khun Paen votive tablet talisman for instance would fit the description of  an ultimate psychic force by infusing a "warrior fighter" with high fighting spirit while enhancing his charming ability. Likewise, a good piece of talisman with high psychic powers already enough to protect and make a wearer gain success in his endeavor.     

Symbols on Talismans

What makes a talisman powerful is the skill of projecting the appropriate energies into it. As  mentioned earlier, the shape and material of the talisman is not an absolute necessity to consider, but those elements are extremely helpful to the talismanologist.  More importantly the symbols used are very useful in determining the exact nature of the energies that are projected into the talisman and the results they are expected to bring.  Symbols and written sacred texts on the talisman increase its effect, and so does the material that is chosen according to universal harmonies and correlations.

In the above example, a representation of Gumanthong (baby spirit of Khun Paen) at the bottom of the amulet is a symbolic combination of strong cosmic energies with enchanting power to evade the enemies.  These symbols are generators of the energies of cosmic planet which they represent.  With a combination of symbols, there is the possibility of combining the energies of two or more planets in one talismans. 

To put the symbols and writing on a talisman requires a vast knowledge of symbolisms. On many talismans, you will find the names of gods, angels, deities, devas, planetary spirits and other entities (energies of a higher order). Inscriptions are often wishes written in an ancient language such as "Khom" or Khmer texts in most cases for Thai amulets.

Supernatural Sciences of Talismans

After desired action by the master maker or a talismanologist, the created talisman will essentially be self-charging and storing the energy (life energy) until the time when needed. Some very ancient talismans have been found in tombs, temples, and other places of worship all over the world. It is very interesting that many of those objects still have strong emission of life energy. In this light, we may want to consider talisman more than just a "battery" but rather a transformer storing those life energies that is found anywhere in the universe.  

When speaking about universe life energies, it is imperative that this energy is needed to trigger the desired action and cause the desired result to happen. Thus taking this approach, the talisman is transforming the psychic energy that is everywhere in its non-shaped state into well-defined psychic energy that brings the desired results.

If theoretically it's true that the "curses" of Egyptian pharaohs which destroyed the robbers of their tombs,  it can be seen in this life energy of talismans being continuously self perpetuate.  Most people would believe that the charge of a talisman can be limited to a certain lifespan and won't have any more power after that.  Contrary to this popular belief, we attest that a fully charged amulet or talisman can be infinite, provided that it receives a continuous supply of life force.  This life force supply comes from the person who is carrying or wearing the talisman.  In other words, the combination of your bodily energy with the encrypted life energy of the talisman will activate its power in harmony to produce the desired result.  

One particular amulet example in this highly protective with powerful force is Luang Phor Toh that is worth mentioning here.  I recalled this amulet was personally handed over to me from a Muay Thai boxer before renouncing the worldly life and became a Buddhist monk.  It's still fresh in my memory when receiving this particular amulet piece that originated from a Kru or Chedi tomb of a very old temple.  Since I'm not a native Thai speaker, the monk showed hand gesture telling me to wear it around my neck and then started to show another gesture of fist punching stance like a boxer. I was taken by surprised as to why would a monk showed me these hand gestures to wear this amulet and to engage in a fighting stance like a boxer. Perhaps he wanted to relay the message that this LP Toh was specifically made to engage in fiery fights with opponents.    

Disbelieving that a religious talisman such as this particular LP Toh could be produced for instilling high fighting spirit in oneself is to wear it and discover myself.  The result was astonishingly accurate in terms of hot temperament and burning fire as described by the monk on this piece of talisman.  Not once but on two different occasions the results are the same.  

However, talismans may also have their own limitations. This is to say an infinite supply of energy alone does not necessarily mean that the energy does produce what it is expected from the talisman. Very specific rules have to be observed if the talisman is to be effective of that which it is supposed to bring. No matter how the functioning of the talisman may be explained, there are myriads of methods to make talismans. Those methods depend widely on the cultural background and religious beliefs of the maker of the talisman, or folklore elements, astrological knowledge, and many more factors. 

Supernatural sciences combining all the factors mentioned here is further proof that talismanologist must have skill sets and arcane knowledge to produce highly effective Phra Pidtas such as Kelantanese talisman masters, Luang Pu Thuad amulets from Wat Changhai and other temples in the southern parts of Thailand, Takruts and Khun Paen from Ayutthaya region, etc.   

Talisman for Protection and Gaining Triumphant Success

The fundamental of amulet talismans is to defend against demonic or negative forces.  Amulets may be used to overcome hostile powers of any kind. At times when childbirth was a risk for both, mother and child, talismans were designed to protect against demonic influences which are out to kill the newborn. Some are made specifically to banish the effects of the "evil eye", and to protect against poisonous animals.  Seemingly, history also tells us in many instances in which would-be lovers successfully went on to harness the love energies of talismans, after all other means failed.

Talismans are also designed to draw good circumstances such as luck, love, health, success, power, and wealth. We have written many previous articles associated with the effects on the wearer from Somdej, Pidta, Takruts scrolls, Meed Mor knives that defeat guns and various forms of amulets with the underlying foundation of Buddhism.  Some talisman category can also help you achieve spiritual insights, wisdom, knowledge, and psychic powers.

War is one of the most lucrative field for talismanologists throughout ages. This is very true based on our research into the warring years during Ayutthaya period.  We come to a conclusion that many soldiers and warriors could help in battle. Some warriors paid hefty sums to their priests for some blessed amulet of a saint, or god and not limited to blessing their weapons. Others went on to get more effective help such as well designed talismans which contained energies of protection as well as success. A typical example is the coat of arms which often contains hidden symbols that are exclusively designed for talismanic purposes.

Another widely used field of talismans is in business and politics. Success, power and wealth are pursued by many people. Many of those who made it to the top are crediting this to one or more specifically designed talismans. In many cultures, talismans are set into houses to act as a form of protection and for success of the householders.

Throughout the course of history, many materials have been used for making talismans. In our times, the preferred materials are precious and semi precious stones, baked clay tablets, wood tablets (e.g. Raja Kayu), metal tablets (e.g. gold, silver, copper).  Statues, especially of gods and saints, are considered to work as talismans too.  In some cases, plants are also used as talismans, and so are parts of animals such as feathers or claws. As long as the talismanologist can establish a link between the material chosen and the energies desired, the results will be good regardless what the materials used in the making.

There are no limits to the use and envisioned purposes of amulet talismans. The only limits are found at the boundaries of human desires. As we know, the realm of human existence wishing and desiring can be infinite and so is the infinite life energy of talismans and amulets.

In this article we can conclude that effective talismans with high psychic powers are prized among hardcore believers for the specific effects that it could bring upon to the beholder. Sadly without much knowledge or simply due to ignorance most people mistook talismans as a tool for gaining power by harnessing the energy from amulets and cause harm to another human being. 

Ayutthaya's Highly Protective Talismans 

The 3 poisons of the mind; greed, hatred and delusion are ever present.  This is a true fact that cannot be easily denied.  One of SimplyBuy's fan and strong supporter Darren Hor pointed out it's all about Karma (cause and effect). As Buddhist in particular, amulets are just there to remind us that as Buddhist ourselves we should refrain from doing any bad deeds. If we accrue merits we will be protected by devas and the Triple Gems. Not entirely depending on the amulet talismans for protection as there's no absolute guarantee amulets can help us to escape from doing bad deeds.

With proper understanding about the Triple Gems and the Supreme Dharma, one will seek amulets purely for self protection against any harms while refraining to harming other beings. This is the right approach for any avid amulet collectors and hardcore believers in respect for the wonders of these highly effective talismans that can deliver the intended results to whomever activated the life energies within the amulet by wearing it.

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