Recommended Posts

Guest Jason Croft

What defines a Daoist?

There can be only one:

Discipline to the ancient principles

Edited by Jason Croft

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

What defines a Daoist?

There can be only one:

Discipline to the ancient principles

 

Wonderful!

 

Such forceful answer and such real direction to guide me to be what I want to be.

An oasis of light in this miasma of confusion and obsequious obfuscating tangle of words

If I am not a Taoist, at least I see the light and finally I have holy guidance to that Path .

 

Er... tell me more and scatter your pearls of wisdom as to the Discipline and Ancient and Principles

 

I assure you I am not the only one seating around you at your feet with great eagerness to learn more that you care to impart.

 

Idiot on the Path

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was very touched by your story of the bird Shanlung. It recalled a different moment to me.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was very touched by your story of the bird Shanlung. It recalled a different moment to me.

 

Then you will like even more the continuation of Yingshiong.

I reported that on Apr 2014 in my livejournal

End of Dubai chapter// Colugo again // Yingshiong Reunion & Tinkerbell // Taijichuan at Koh Phagnan

shanlung.livejournal.com/145170.html

 

I extract from above what happened.

 

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Yingshiong Reunion & Tinkerbell 

 

I have not been using much of Facebook in the past. But in the last 3 months, I discovered Facebook could be used in interesting ways such as capturing snippets that I felt too short for Livejournal. Those snippets grew and grew. As you can see from this entry which encapsulate only a bit. I had to leave out the baby bat that my wife discovered and my attempt to keep that insectivore bat alive via kitty mash. And kitty mash became a bloody gourment dish for the kitties. I even had to eat the salmon bits (discards from human sashimi grade salmon)I bought for the kitties when I found that to be more fresh and more tasty than what I bought for myself.

 

By friending me in Facebook, you will see a lot more.

 

I had not thought of seeing Tinkerbell this year. But a call with Mr Yu over Chinese New Year told me that Tinkerbell was plucking. My planned retirement checkout of Nepal Pokhara was placed on hold and changed to a visit to Taiwan this year.

 

With that , I will switch to extracts from my Facebook.

That a tiny 32 grams bird could remember me 7-8 years after less than a year with me. What more for parrots and bigger birds?

 

Livejournal allows one to have more photos and write more and better organised than Facebook. So I thought I better update my Livejournal as the Taiwan trip will be on in a couple of days. And followed by a month in Bali and Lombok

 

 

Extracts from Facebook

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Facebook 26 March 2014

 

A bit of the background to that. You knew I given up Yingshiong the white rumped shama to the Jurong Bird Park in 2005. I refused blank cheque offers so that he could fly in huge aviaries in JBP.

I went back to see him in 2008

Shama Yingshiong - Final Closure 

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/2008/04/10/

 

Then I was there and wrote of that about a year ago uncertain if I seen Yingshiong

New camera at Jurong Bird Park // Shades of Yingshiong 

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/142032.html

 

I was afraid of asking for Yingshiong as that was so many years ago, even if it seem to me just a short while back. What if I was told Yingshiong died or they at the JBP do not know what I was talking about. After all, they have thousands of birds, bigger and more valuable than a tiny white rumped shama.

 

I now cut to a recent posting I did in my facebook

 

You know I do not have birdies now and not have any until I find that place I will retire in where ever that might be. I thought my interactions with birdies will be restricted to what I can shoot in my camera even though I got myself a year pass into Jurong Bird Park. I also got a year pass into Singapore Zoo , and a year pass into Gardens by the Bay. But perhaps my interactions with birds might be more than just looking at them. I accepted an offer to be a Docent of Wildlife Reserves Singapore , an offer made to me I suspect largely because I am a year pass holder and not because of me as Shanlung. That will give me free and unlimited access into the Zoo and JBP. I am still undergoing training to be Docent in the JBP. That depends also on my being able to pass the tests they conduct. And my being in Singapore long enough (remember I am about to go on my walkabout to check out retirement places). In a strange way, I will be having a lot to do with all kinds of parrots from African greys to Hyacinth Macaws, white rumped shamas to green leaf birds, and Hornbills, and raptors and more. See what Jurong Bird Park is about. I strongly suggest that those planning to visit JBP for the first time should allocate an entire day here at the least. You might even see and talk to me as one of your guide into the bird world.

http://www.birdpark.com.sg/ 

 

I was assigned to the station of my choice and into the JBP. In last weekend, 22 March 2014, I and others were at the JBP for station training. Part of the training was a guided walk into the South East Asian aviary. When we were there, I saw a white rumped shama flying in the huge walk in aviary and not in the side aviaries of that SEA exhibit. That shama flew in front of me a couple of times.

 

After that walk and the training session was over, I finally gathered my courage and asked that guide how long he was in JBP. If he told me he was there for 5 years or so, I would not ask if he known Yingshiong. He told me he was there for 15 years.

 

I then asked if he knew of Yingshiong with my heart in my mouth. To my surprise, he told me yes, he know of Yingshiong. And that he was flying about in that huge walk in aviary. He asked how I knew. I then told him I am the Shanlung who gave him up. He smiled and said that yes, he been to my web pages a long time ago but had not known I was among the latest batch of Docents.

 

I smiled too. That likely it was Yingshiong that flew a couple of time in front of me.

 

And since I am a Docent there, I will be seeing a lot more of Yingshiong.

 

And I bought my ticket to Taiwan , Apr 10-24, where I will be seeing Tinkerbell again.

 

Next extract from facebook

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Facebook extract 30 March 2014

 

On the 26 March, I wrote that I might have seen Yingshiong my old shama. Go back to that entry if you have not seen that.

Anyway, today on 30 March, was another of the Docent training at JBP from 1 to 3 pm. When that was over, I walked out of JBP with the others in my group. I was not certain if I want to check if YS was there and if he still knew me. I was a bit of a coward. I then retraced my steps and went back into JBP. I am still a Friend of Birds and a yearly pass holder to walk into JBP and Singapore Zoo.

 

I was glad not many people were in the South East Asia rain forest exhibit. With a heavily planted over center section walk in aviary and with hundreds of birds of different color and sizes there.

 

I walked and called “Yingshiong come come come”. Nothing came. I tried that a few times , glad no one was there. I reached the far end and saw a little shama high above me on a branch. I was not even sure if that was Yingshiong as those tiny white rumped shama looked so much alike.

 

 

 

I stood there watching him for ten minutes and decided that could not be Yingshiong. He then dived from his branch down towards me and did a circular flight about me and landed on the ground about 3-4 feet in front of me. He then flew to the side and perched there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No other birds which were not even as shy as a shama would have done that. He sang very softly to me. I mentioned the very soft singing of YS before in http://www.shanlung.com/shamasong.html ] 

 

I did not have my Olympus EPL5.

That camera gave up the ghost last night when I went with my wife to celebrate Earth hour with Spiderman 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1425245187720226/ ] 

 

I was going to take that to Olympus repair center to see if that camera of just one year can be resurrected.

 

I only had my Nokia state of art phone of 7 years ago. I resisted the arm twisting done by my wife on me to take her Iphone. That old Nokia could not take good photos. I had to be very near YS to take the photos you are seeing.

 

YS then flew 15 meters away to a branch on high tree. That was near a bench so I went there to sit and see what else that shama would do. 

 

 

 

In a while, he flew down nearer to me. I decided I would not even try to get YS to land on me as he needed to be wild. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I remained contended he flew down near me. After another 30 minutes or so, I said my goodbye to him and that we will meet again.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Next facebook extract Mar 31 2014

 

I felt like a fool. After all, I could not recognise Yingshiong at first. I wanted to believe that was YS but dared not believe that was YS and therefore thought that was not YS at first. 

YS must have seen thousands of humanoids walking there. And to a Caucasian, Chinese all look alike and with Chinese, all Caucasians look alike. 

 

What about to a tiny bird? Wouldnt humans all look the same to the birdie? The last time YS was with me was until early 2006 when I went to Riyadh. And for visit in 2008. Clearly it was YS who recognised me to have done that circling flights around me and landed in front of me, and flew about near me, about 3 feet from me.

YS showed better memory than I had. And when he showed he remembered me, I did not say "Yingshiong come come come" anymore. He was already there. And much as I like the thought of him landing on me, I had to restrain myself and have minimum interactions with YS for his own long term good. I hate the thought that if I got him used to landing on me, he might land on other visitors. But that being said, YS never landed on my wife and friends much as they tried even with bribing YS shamelessly.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

From my facebook 6 April 2014

 

Last Saturday, 5 April 2014, was another of my docenting thingie at Jurong Bird Park. That was in morning from 10 to 12. You know I had this disquiet mingled with strong desire to see Yingshiong. Part of me already more than satisfied YS still around, and can be seen and heard, and still showed that he remembered me. The other part was to leave him alone and be in his new life. I felt it will not do to keep seeing him daily or even on weekly basis. Then I thought, hang on a moment, I probably will not be able to see him for close to 2 months. You know I be flying off to Taiwan from 10-24 April. Followed by almost the whole of May in Bali and Lombok. 

So I thought I say hi to him in his South East Asia Aviary. I walked to the end and place where I last saw him. I called his name but could not see him. In a while, a tiny black and red bird flew to a branch and remained there. Almost like not acknowledging me. I stood there a while and he remained on his branch for that while. I was not unhappy that he did not seem to do more such as flying that circle around me and landing in front of me that he did that first time. 

I was happy enough that he was there. 

That day was heavily drizzling the entire day. I was under my umbrella. My poor YS might have been under shelter of a leaf and came out into the wet and the rain for me. I told him silently until the next time and I walked off.

 

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

The photos of Yingshiong embedded in my livejournal entry did not get carried into here.

Go to that livejournal entry if you feel fascinated enough by my account of Yingshiong to see those photos.

 

 

Idiotic Taoist

Edited by shanlung
  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites