This is what i call perfect english!

Dear Zhemin,

It's nice to hear from you after all this while. Yes, indeed time seems to fly. Ha! Before long you'll be graduating and working. Do not worry about your decision 3 years ago ...remember what I told the class ....

"Yesterday is history, nothing but a memory;

Tomorrow is a mystery, an uncertainty.

What matters is today ... that's why the PRESENT is a GIFT."

Just do and give your best .... with sincerity, honesty and responsibility. Leave everything else to the 'gods'. Accept things as they come along .... with understanding and wisdom.

I trust you have the maturity and wisdom as far as time management is concerned. Life comprises various facets ... one needs to find the balance as one grows, most importantly, in compassion and wisdom.

Yes, the standard of English today is not good. I still have an MUET class and it is a big task to motivate the students to improve in their English .... reading, listening, speaking and writing. Well, I do what I can .... when I still can! Actually much depends on the individual. I had one student in the last batch who scored Band 6 ( He is an avid reader ) but when he sat for his SAT and TOEFL ( He's trying to get into a US Ivy League University) , his English scores were still not good enough. No wonder our Government is getting 'worried' and there are so many jobless graduates due to poor communication skills.

Yes, I am aware of the current BLOGGING craze .... I had a look at various Blog Web sites ... Ha! Blogging is really not for me. For one thing, I do not have the time. The Dhammaduta work at PBHP is tremendous . But then, for we Dhammaduta workers , this sort of work is the most joyful and meaningful in life. You know, I really like the theme of our 11th DYC , "Troubled Times, Dhamma Chimes." When one reflects on the state of the world today ....terrorism, natural tragedies, social conflicts and upheavals, the 'dis-eased' individual minds etc., one gains some insight as to what one really wants to do in such uncertain times. I try my best to live by one of the philosophical ideals of PBHP .... "Serve to be perfect. Be perfect to serve." ( Actually, Dhamma-wise this refers to the compassion and wisdom aspects of our practice .... a reaching out and a looking in .)

Virtual chit-chat and blogging don't really appeal much to me. I prefer the human touch where I meet with people face to face for Dhamma sharing etc. Of course, such things do have some uses but I find that today too many have become addicts and valuable time slips by.

We are all getting along fine over here at PBHP. We have started to use our new building. There are still lots of things to tend to but we do the best we can for the benefit of many. Our 13th DYC ( from 17 Nov to 21 Nov 2005 ) with the theme "Doing good, seeking Truth" will be using both the old and new buildings. It's already Full House ... 80 participants and more than 30 committee members. I have just finished the script and Power points for the Talent Night ( on 19 Nov 2005) .... a Multimedia Presentation of the Life of The Buddha. It took me some time to write the script and do the Power Point Slides .... more than 300 all in all. Anyway, despite the hard work, there was much joy in it.

It's unbelievable that PBHP is now more than 18 years old ...It was like only yesterday when we started the Buddhist Association. Much has happened .... and the Dhammaduta work gave many of us meaning and some insight of what life is all about. Although every year is a busy time, I do take breaks .... vacation or retreats. The most meaningful and spiritually uplifting time for me last year was our Pilgrimage to India and Nepal in November 2004. You know, the feelings and experiences at the Holy Places are really indescribable. I hope I will be able to go again for a third time somewhere in the near future.

2005 will be ending soon. In June 2005, I went for a 10-Day Meditation Retreat conducted by Ajahn Brahmavamso, an Australian monk. It was the best retreat I've ever attended. Ajahn Brahm ( a disciple of Ajahn Chah ) is truly remarkable. He overwhelms you with his tremendous compassion and wisdom. To me, the things we learnt and experienced in the retreat were the greatest lessons of life. You know, if you wish to know more about this remarkable monk, you can visit the website,

www.bswa.org You can download fantastic Dhamma talks by Ajahn Brahm.

Yes, I'll still be having my guidance classes next year apart from Dhamma classes. Ha! So you see, I will be kept pretty occupied. In between, when I find some time, I do some writing ( a manuscript ... ha! still struggling along ) and prepare some power points for Dhamma promotion or my educational classes. ( I attach a File of a ppt 'Humor Lessons' I did recently . Hope you like it. )

Well, I think I need to sign off now. All the best to you. Take care.

With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin

This was a mail i received from my teacher in secondary. Most of the times, people tend to use boombastic words when they are writing(including me). Some even use those words when they are not sure about it. They just like to impress others rather than express themselves. This is a fatal mistake! However reading this mail makes me feels that the words and sentences are well connected and it just flows smoothly. There is little or none vocabulary that i don't understand in the mail. I can read the whole mail without the help of dictionary.

If only i could reach one third of this english standard then it would be really sufficient to me! Anyway i posted this mail as the content is inspiring and motivating. I hope that you can benefit from it!