#jiaobei

[levynite]

Went to temple the day before CNY Eve because oh boy do we not want to ford the press of a sea of humans while fighting a granny for a folding table to lay out the food offerings while slow choking to death in the thick haze of incense. (there's still more cleaning to do at home help)

Things of note this year:

*The confusion over the pre-ordered paper offerings because only two out of the 6 attendees can actually read fucking Chinese characters and the one who did the pre-ordering did not communicate to us directly about the new conditions, and only sent her brother who speaks in the briefest ways possible so he pointed at the items in question and said "Man, woman" and we're like ???? Yeah? we get 3 sets men and 3 sets women every year? (it comes with gender coded paper clothes) and then dad saw that we were short so he bought two more. Turns out, they were selling selling couple sets now and that's what my cousin pre-ordered, AND NOT TELL THE ONES WHO ASSEMBLES THEM EVERY YEAR.

Me: Eh, the ladies get spare clothes then! Besides the extra hell money.

*As I was washing up the temple provided dishes and teacups at the sinks just next to the doors that are between the memorial tablet hall and the fireplaces? where we burn the paper offerings, chaos briefly broke out behind me and I turn to see a small pile of flaming paper offerings in the middle of the open air covered tiled floor area that leads to said fireplace? and I'm like, wtf, you are about 15 feet short of where you should be; then I realised a temple staff was loudly chiding a temple patron for moronically lighting his paper offerings on fire on the many candles inside before walking through the increasing crowd to go outside and promptly dropped the whole fucking flaming mess onto the floor short of the fireplace? oven? kiln? that is already merrily blazing and people have been peacefully queuing up with armfuls of offerings to toss in. And he dropped it because it was already on merry fucking fire? It's all paper and cardboard? There's a breeze outside that fanned he flames? Like outside has wind and airflow? And he was a good distance away from where it's supposed to be burnt proper to float off to where ever the ancestors are??

F O O L

*So here's the thing about asking spiritual beings questions: kinda hard to do. So the Chinese developed simple "fortune telling" tools to glean any indication of an answer or a general direction. In this case, after laying out the food offerings, and offering up the joss sticks, and the paper offerings are assembled beautifully in a vaguely lotus shape, we have to wait while the ancestors "eat" and "drink" the food offerings (a can of Carlsberg for my Second Uncle in this case as well) and this can take a while; meanwhile we're slowly getting smoked by fragrant incense by all the joss sticks being lit. And it's not even the insane crowd on CNY Eve!

Anyways, my Second Uncle's wife is the most senior in the temple group so she's usually the one asking if the ancestors (and her late husband) are done eating yet. We use something called a jiaobei or poe (with the accent) or loosely translated as moon blocks. These are a pair of crescent shaped pieces of wood carved with matching flat and curved sides. You toss them onto the floor after silently asking a question directed to the gods or the ancestors or whatever spiritual being, and then depending on how they land you get a yes, no, or the rarest, a confused answer where the blocks stand on their edges???? (wtf seriously never seen).

So I keep hearing the wooden clacks of the blocks getting tossed after a minute or so pause in between, with each pause getting shorter. I was guarding the paper offerings but I got curious and went over to have a look after hearing 5 clacks in a row; it was my aunt. And she really wants to go home now because it's been 2 hours of slowly becoming smoked jerky, but she keeps getting two same sides up (no) again and again. She hands it over to her daughter (said cousin who caused the pre-ordering confusion earlier) and she gives it a go; it's a NO. I was like, uh maybe I can give it a go? Aunt tries one more time, gets another NO from the ancestors. Tries in front of her husband's memorial tablet; gets a YES. Fed up, she hands me the blocks because what else has she got to lose.

Me, shuffling over to in front of the ancestors' tablets: *silent asking* Cousin who has known me since I was a baby: WAIT WAIT WAIT.....don't throw so hard. Me, about to fling the blocks down onto the tiled floor where they are sure to bounce off into the underside of the insanely heavy ornamental tables and more folding tables holding food offerings and the many feet of other devotees: .......OK.....*flings down gently* Me, staring: IT'S A YES, LET'S GOOOOOO

You have never seen an octogenarian pack up a whole ass boiled chicken, steamed cupcakes, fruits, etc etc so fast. Meanwhile I've booked it to go get the paper offerings to burn to reach the spiritual realm of whatever; I dunno, I'm not well schooled in Buddhism.

Later on during lunch at home, I told dad what had happened and he wondered if the ancestors were annoyed at Second Sister-in-law for the paper offering screw up because it's the first time we've deviated like that, and that was why they kept telling her NO but she essentially kept going (and I'm paraphrasing a friend here) 'Are we done eating yet? Are you full? Are we done yet? How about now? How about now? How about now?'

Edit: Well that didn't save properly but anyways this thing has been sitting in my drafts for almost 2 weeks. Fortunately CNY has been pretty quiet despite how busy and exhausted I was (caught hives for some damn reason on the third day). And now I can finally post this up on the final day of celebrations lol.

[irismfrost]

July 13 - Longshan Temple, Ximen, Yuyu Yang

There is much to update today. First off, yesterday after I published my blog, I visited the Raohe Night Market. Night markets are an interesting phenomenon that doesn't exist in the US. In Taiwan, nighttime is reserved for leisure and social interaction while in the US, nighttime is usually a time for "private pursuits" as mentioned in our texts. It is less about the purchases you make and more about spending time with friends and eating interesting food. There are many shops packed in to a small space, all selling unique foods and items. There is less mainstream vegetarian food than I expected and so much fried food. Yesterday, I had fried quail eggs on a stick, a brown sugar donut, mango juice, and a beer. This was my first time having quail eggs and they are more rich than chicken eggs - the lady put a TON of oil in there. The donut wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be, but the mango juice was sweeter and thicker than I expected. I don't know too much about beer to begin with, but this beer was more bitter, bubbly, and definitely stronger than a Busch Light. I also totally got scammed - was not worth NT$300 (~ US$10). I also purchased some jewelry because why not. Though I don't speak any Chinese, it wasn't too hard to communicate with the vendors. Most of them speak a little English and if I have questions, I've gotten pretty good at Google Translate. I've also been sharpening my skills at mentally estimating NT$ to US$. It's fun to just stroll into the side shops and see what they have. Most of the food vendors are in the middle strip. Taiwan also does not have many trash cans in public areas. I think this is to prevent trash in the streets; it is very clean here. In contrast to the night markets are day markets. These are more about the purchase than the social time. You see more fruits and raw meats than ready-to-eat foods and trinkets. There is more of a variety of foods here than in the US. Here, you can find "unique" items such as a WHOLE chicken (feet and head included), squids, fruits that I didn't recognize, as well as other lifestyle items like clothes and bags. One commonality between day and night markets is the hustle and bustle. There is a constant stream of people moving and they are all moving in the same direction. It's hard to describe but i'd classify it as organized yet chaotic.

Our first stop today was the Longshan Buddhist and Daoist Temple. The Buddha is located in the center of the temple. Daoist gods are scattered throughout and along the sides. The Daoist gods speak through the offerings. You deliver the offering, pray, and take the offering back when you're done. You also can ask questions using moon blocks (Jiaobei). the blocks are shaped like little red moons. One side is flat and the other side is curved. To ask a question, you throw two of them on the ground. If the flat side is facing up for both blocks, it is a maybe/ unresponsive. If the round side is facing up for both blocks, it is a no. If you have one of each, it means yes. You can also ask more specific questions by drawing a fortune stick. These sticks have numbers. The number corresponds to a little box that has poems in them. The poem is your answer and you have the responsibility of interpreting it. You can also confirm these answers using the moon blocks. These blocks can be found at both Buddhist and Daoist Taiwanese temples.

Next, we visited the National Museum of History, featuring work by Yuyu Yang. He is a very famous artist. His work can be found all over the world and he is talented in many style and mediums. In his early years, he seemed to focus on more drawings and bronze sculptures, the moving into stainless steel sculptures later in life. His work integrated architecture, landscaping, and what I believe are engineering marvels. Some of his work is more realistic while some is completely abstract. This museum carried 3 stories worth of his art.

The Xiamen Red House is a cultural and historical landmark first built in 1908 by Japanese architect, Kondo Juro. It was the first government-built market in Taiwan and one of the most well-preserved historical buildings. Currently, a day market opens on the weekends. I bought a few items myself today.

Reflection

There is so much to take in here. The culture is different from the US and I think this is mostly due to religious and historical differences. Time is not as linear and structured here compared to the US. In the US, time is a limited resource and efficiency is rewarded; I think if this as being future-oriented as you are focused on maximizing your time to prepare for the future. In Taiwan, time is a measure of moments and experiences; I think of this as being present in the moment. Take the night markets for example. Your time at a night market is spent making memories with friends - it isn't measured or categorized. As someone from the US, I feel guilty if my time is not used being productive. It's almost an automatic reaction and it is stressful. I think it would be helpful for me (and probably most others from the US) to focus on pursuing a balance between the two perspectives of time.

Another point that makes me curious is the religious influences here. Everyone is so tolerant to the point that Buddhists and Daoists share the same temple. Our guide mentioned that his family is Daoist. He shared a story of him as a boy asking his grandmother how it's possible that you pray to your ancestors (Doaism) and you are reincarnated after death (Buddhism). His grandmother just chided him for asking the question. The people here do not see a reason to squabble over the differences and I think the US could use a little bit of that energy. The way people treat religion here is representative of the way people live their lives. They seem free and adaptable. They are understanding and give people the benefit of the doubt. For example, if someone pushes past you in a rush to get to their destination, a typical reaction from a US citizen would be "wow that's so rude of them", while a Taiwanese reaction might be "wow, they must have had a tough day". I believe this mentality is also correlated to Taiwan's historical background of changing "ownership" many times. They HAVE to be adaptable if they are going to live under the rule of so many different groups that change so often or they would be in constant war. They never know when a strong earthquake or typhoon may happen - they are at a high risk for both. The future is very unknown, so it's important for them to treasure the present.

[brookebeebe-blog]

July 13th - Longshan Buddhist Temple, National Museum of History, Botanical Gardens, and Ximen Red House

Today, we started with an authentic market. They mostly sold meats, fruits and vegetables, but it was super interesting to see the different types of cuisine available in this country compared to America. There were so many different types of fruit that I have never seen before and they were selling huge slabs of shark meat. Then, we went to the Longshan Buddhist Temple, which was super beautiful. It was fun to partake in some of the culture and see how big a role religion plays here. Next, we went to the Botanical Gardens and the National Museum of History. There were lotus flowers in bloom and the museum had lots of art. Lastly, we stopped at Ximen Red House and we did lots of shopping around that area. Our group got hotpot together, which was super good and some of the people in our group were very adventurous with what they were eating (I was not).

Academic Reflection

Unfortunately, we did not get to do the cultural center because it was closed, which is what most of our reading was focused on, so instead I will be using other resources to discuss what I have learned. First, our tour guide described to use the method of asking questions at the Longshan Temple. There are moon blocks, called Jiaobei, which you ask a yes or no question to and then when you throw them, they tell you your answer. One up and one down means yes, two flat side up means maybe, and two crescent side up means no. After you have your answer from the blocks, you can further confirm by grabbing a stick with a number on it at random. Then, after you have this number you bring it to a box with a matching number and open the box to find a poem, which should give you the answers you seek. There were so many different types of gods to pray to. Each one served a different purpose. For example, there was a god of medicine and a god of grades. It is also common practice to give an offering to the gods in order to please them. The next thing I would like to discuss is the importance of the Ximen Red House. After Japan suffered defeat in WWII, many Chinese immigrants came to Taiwan and enjoyed what the Red House Theater had to offer. It played everything from western films to old black and white martial arts movies. It was revitalized and today, it hosts an array of shops and cultural information.

Citations

https://talent.nat.gov.tw/life/unveiling-tradition-previsit-etiquette-for-exploring-temples-in-taiwan?lang=en

[altosynthesis]

Poe Divination pt2: Special Result

you can get special result in Poe Divination, the special results are: 站筊, 同心筊, 黏筊, and 隱筊. These results are rarely seen, so when it happens, people think the god is trying to tell them something.

站筊: one or both jiaobei stands instead of falling.

同心筊: Jiaobei stick together instead of separate.

黏筊: one or both jiaobei sticks on the tablecloth, table leg, or anything vertical.

隱筊: one of the jiaobei goes under the tablecloth or dissapeared, making the result unclear.

[falconemuses]

oc/oniontober day 10: burdened by knowledge

bonus chinese points to you if you figured out what he's doing before looking at the caption

it's a form of divination called jiaobei, and traditionally done with crescent-shaped wooden blocks. as a seer, ethan thorne theoretically should not need to do this, but the problem is that his third eye is as myopic as his physical eyes; that is to say, atrociously. this serves as "glasses" for his future sight

[goneontherun]

She walked me to the door, where we would part, perhaps for the last time in this way. My suitcase was already at the door, and like in a John Denver song, the uber was just a few minutes away. Outside it is hot, and already I'm dreading it, as usual. She remains inside, in socks because it's cold with the AC on, while I step outside before turning to face her.

"Take care," she says. "We are all waiting for you to come back."

I'm used to these goodbyes. Ever since I left this house to go to uni, we've always said goodbye this way. I've watched her hair grow greyer and lines thicken across her face through the frame of this door. I push a charm into her hands at the last minute, when I hear the uber pulling onto our street. It's a small, purple fabric bag -- something I got for 500 yen at some temple in Japan over the summer.

"Something for good luck, and health," I say. She tries to give it back, telling me, "I can't take your blessings. You'll need it more than I do." But my hands are already, predictably, full with my suitcases, and there are nowhere for her to push the amulet into. I shake my head, reiterate that it's fine, and say goodbye. "The uber is waiting." From the window of the car, I watched as she put it into the pocket of her pants, offer one last wave, before shutting the door.

I never used to believe in luck, or anything superstitious. I frowned at people who gathered in the common room in the evenings to experiment with Tarot cards, and rolled my eyes at all amulets, chamrs, and any sort of prayer. John used to think this was terribly rude of me. You should open your mind to more things, he'd say -- or something to that effect anyway. John wasn't that much of a believer in the occult, or in the magical either, but he saw Tarot, for instance, as just another form of intrigue. Something to be curious about, but not to put any emphasis on, or any real belief in. But it always annoyed me all the same.

"It's interesting, isn't it? How people believe and what they believe in." He would throw these comments out casually, over lunch or while we were just walking to the shops, but delibaretly provocative. He always stopped by the Jehovah Witnesses' stands t pick up a pamphelt, and always gave time of day to the keen, young Mormon elders hovering around the market square.

"How is it different for evangelizers who try to get people to go to church? Any form of false belief is the same thing."

We used to argue about it this way. I think about it now as the taxi speeds towards the airport, past neighbourhoods and districts that never cross my mind. Soon I'll fly somewhere different -- somewhere cold, again. In the years since leaving uni I've become somewhat of a hypocrite, even if just to myself. I've been to temples and stood beside my grandmother and bowed to guanyinma, and have enlisted the help of the old ladies to "kauchim" and surmise my fortunes by scattering jiaobei -- moon blocks, as I learnt -- across the temple floor. I've spread my palms open on rickety tables in alleyways behind the temples, and have asked for jade qmulets in the market  that coincide with my zodiac for the upcoming year. The year I took my final exams, it was a cicada, for wisdom, and on another it was a string of something else. I kept them firmly, deliberately, around my neck or with the rest of my stationery, as if belief was just another tool to get me through.

I called him once, just once, in the years after uni, from a payphone in the airport. At that time we hadn't seen each other in a few years, but I wanted to try the number when I was back in the country. I wondered what had become of him since the day we said goodbye on the platform of the station after graduation. "What will you do?" I remember asking. I already had a PhD offer lined up, and all my storage boxes were labelled with a city and a country I knew I was moving to.

"I'll travel this year, wait a bit, and then figure things out." And he was off.

The phone rings a few times before it clicks into connection. Someone else picks up -- I can tell from the impatience that I've got the wrong number. I stand in front of the phone for a long time long after the line goes dead, emptying my coins into the machine. 

[luciabox]

El 12 de febrero el Sapphire Princess hacía escala en Penang.

Penang es una isla en el estrecho de Malaca, la segunda provincia más pequeña de Malasia y la octava más poblada. ubicada en la costa noroeste de la península de Malaca.

Los malayos la llaman “la Perla de Oriente”, y es una región rica en cultura e historia, con una mezcla única de influencias malayas, chinas, indias y británicas.

También está reconocida como la capital del street food de Malasia.

Tiene dos partes: la isla de Penang, donde se encuentra su capital, George Town, y Seberang Perai (antiguamente Provincia Wellesley) en la península malaya.

George Town es la segunda ciudad más grande de Malasia por población y está declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO.

La ciudad fue fundada en 1786, por Francis Light, un comerciante de la Compañía Británica de las Indias Orientales, como base de la compañía en los estados malayos.

He leído en algún Blog que la leyenda cuenta que cuando Light llega a Penang, se encuentra con unos locales que señalando los árboles de la isla dicen “Penang”. Él entiende entonces que es el nombre de la isla, pero no, en realidad era el nombre de los árboles. El caso es que sin saber ésto, el británico renombró el lugar como Penang.

Al parecer, en 1786, Francis Light persuadió al sultán de Kedah para que cediera Pulau Pinang, la “nuez de la isla de Betel”, a la corona inglesa. Otra leyenda cuenta que Light persuadió a sus hombres para que despejaran la isla de Penang, que era demasiado grande, disparando un cañón lleno de monedas de oro a la jungla como incentivo.

La isla pasó a llamarse Isla del Príncipe de Gales y su ciudad principal fue bautizada como Georgetown en honor al rey Jorge III.

En 1826, la zona pasa a convertirse en colonia de la corona británica. El dominio británico directo solo se interrumpió durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cuando Japón ocupó temporalmente el territorio.

Penang se fusionó más tarde con la Federación de Malaya (ahora Malasia), y se independizó del Imperio Británico en 1957. Tras atravesar una profunda crisis económica en la década de los 70, Penang reorientó su economía a la fabricación de alta tecnología.

El Islam es la religión oficial, y los musulmanes constituyen el 45% de la población,  seguidos por los budistas, un 36% y los hindúes, un 9%.

La moneda malaya es el Ringgit (MYR). Un euro son aproximadamente 5 MYR y aunque es fácil encontrar cajeros automáticos no es tan habitual realizar pagos con tarjeta.

 Llevábamos anotados un montón de cosas para hacer en la escala, pero como siempre, todo lo planificado se queda al final corto en una escala de crucero, aunque ésta sea de 10 horas.

Asi que ya desde el principio, descartamos y apuntamos en la lista de pendientes para una próxima ocasión la Penang Butterfly Farm,  una granja de mariposas que alberga más de 100 especies de mariposas vivas.

Tampoco tuvimos tiempo de visitar el Museo de Penang, construido en 1821, y que alberga en su interior unas extensas colecciones que incluyen fotografías, mapas y cuadros antiguos, así como arte y artefactos del sudeste asiático.

Wat Chayamangkalarm, el Templo del Buda reclinado,  también se quedó pendiente para un próximo viaje. Es un templo budista tailandés tradicional que cuenta con el cuarto Buda reclinado más grande del mundo, totalmente cubierto de oro.

También descartamos visitar el Kek Lok Si, el Templo del Paraíso, ubicado en la colina Penang que al parecer es el templo budista más grande del sudeste asiático, con su pagoda de siete pisos y una arquitectura que refleja las influencias tailandesas, chinas y birmanas.

Otra asignatura pendiente fueron los Jardines Botánicos, fundados por los británicos en 1884, también conocidos como los “Jardines de la cascada”, con miles de orquídeas nativas e híbridas, así como colecciones de cactus, helechos, bambú y árboles en flor.

Pese a todo, Georgetown nos ha encantado y hemos disfrutado de una escala muy interesante pero sobre todo divertida, que cómo mejor se conoce es paseando por sus calles.

En el centro de Turismo (en la calle Lebuh Pantai), facilitan tours gratuitos con guía por el centro histórico de la ciudad.

Este recorrido pasa por el George Town más antiguo y se organiza todos los martes, jueves y sábados a las 10.30a.m (aunque tienes que llegar a las 10h para registrarte) y dura aproximadamente dos horas.

Así que tras desembarcar del Sapphire nos dirigimos caminando, hay muy poca distancia entre el puerto de cruceros y la ciudad, para reservar nuestro tour.

Como sobraba tiempo y el calor era ya machacón, hicimos un alto en el camino para tomar un refrescante café con leche helado en el Black Kettle, un must en todo el Sudeste Asiático, al menos para los que somos cafeteros como yo.

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Al dar las 10.00 nos aproximamos de nuevo a la Oficina de Turismo para dar comienzo al tour.

Nosotros lo hicimos con Desmond, un divertido y encantador guía que compartió secretos y anécdotas de la ciudad mientras la recorríamos.

Esto fue lo que dió de si la excursión a pie por la ciudad:

La Mansión Baba Nyonya, una casa típica de un rico Baba de hace un siglo, que recrea el estilo de vida opulento y sus muchas costumbres y tradiciones. La pena es que solo pudimos observarla desde el exterior.

Nos quedó pendiente visitar el exterior de la KhooKongsi, uno de los mejores ejemplos de una casa tradicional de clanes fuera de la China continental. Ubicada en la parte más antigua de la ciudad, data de 1906.

Desmond nos llevó también a pie para recorrer las famosas Shophouses de Georgetown, una construcción que todavía se conserva en el centro de la ciudad, y cuya característica principal es que tienen una fachada muy estrecha (probablemente porque los impuestos se pagaban por ancho de fachada) pero son muy largas en su interior. Se denominan tiendas-casa porque solían tener el negocio abajo y la casa arriba. Hoy en día algunas han sido reconvertidas en bares y cafeterías.

Otro lugar que nos quedó pendiente fue el Templo de Kuan Yin, el templo de la Diosa de la Misericordia, en Pitt Street, el primer templo construído por los colonos chinos. Pese a no entrar a visitarlo, Desmond, nuestro guía, nos explicó el ritual de petición de deseos a la Dios, llamado Jiaobei, que consiste en pedir lo que deseas en forma de pregunta a la diosa y agitar un recipiente con muchos palillos numerados hasta que alguno caiga al suelo. Se lleva el palillo que cayó al mostrador del templo  y el encargado del templo facilitará un papelito con el mensaje correspondiente al número de palillo

Después solo hay que comprobar si lo que pone el papel es una respuesta válida para la pregunta que habías formulado. Para saberlo, debes de coger las dos piezas de madera, llamadas Jiaobei (de ahí el nombre del ritual) y tirarlas al suelo tres veces. Si las dos mitades no hacen un circulo perfecto, una cae para arriba y otra para abajo, significa No.Si caen de la forma correcta, entonces significa Sí.

Además tienes tres oportunidades para tirar los jiaobei, asi que malo será, jajajaja, y si aún así la suerte no te sonrie, puedes acudir al templo de enfrente, hinduista, y probar suerte allí.

Otra de las principales atracciones turisticas de George Town es su Street Art,   que comenzó en 2012 el lituano Ernest Zacharewicz, al que encargaron,  durante la celebración del George Town Festival, que crease “Mirrors George Town”, una colección de obras de arte callejero por las calles de la ciudad.

En nuestro paseo con Desmond tuvimos ocasión de fotografiar los más importantes.

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Es agradable pasear por las calles de esta ciudad, dónde se mezcla el arte callejero con la profusión de templos de todo tipo.

Pero como verdaderos amantes de la comida asiática, el mejor rato del tour fue la visita guiada que nos hizo Desmond por los mejores lugares de comida callejera de la ciudad, en especial en las zonas de Little India y Little Shanghai.

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El Templo de Sri Mariamman, en Little India, es uno de los más coloridos de la ciudad, y es, además, el templo hindú más antiguo.

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Otros de los edificios destacados en George Town son la Mezquita Kapitan Keling y el Templo de Hainan, budista,   fundado en 1870 y consagrado a Mar Chor Poh, el patrón de los marineros. En su exterior llaman la atención los grandes dragones enroscados a las columnas de la entrada.

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Tanto paseo nos había abierto el apetito, asi que después de probar unas deliciosas samosas en uno de los mejores puestos de la ciudad, decidimos probar suerte en un restaurante local ¡y nos encantó!

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La propietaria nos recomendó que probasemos el Yam Abacus seeds, o ñame gnocchi, plato chino que se sirve popularmente durante el año nuevo lunar, ya que el ábaco rojo redondo representa la reunión y significa riqueza y prosperidad. Al parecer, si lo comes, el dinero vendrá en abundancia, aunque han pasado dos meses y yo todavía estoy esperando.

Un último café antes de retroceder lo andado y disfrutar de las animadas calles de George Town en Barry´s Café, un agradable local regentado por locales.

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Ya de regreso al puerto pudimos ver la Torre del Reloj, construída en 1897 para conmemorar el jubileo de diamantes de la Reina Victoria.

Se edificó en estilo morisco con una altura de 60 pies, uno por cada año del reinado.

A raíz de los bombardeos aliados durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial la torre quedó ligeramente inclinada.

Otros edificios de interés son el City Hall, de estilo victoriano, construido en 1903, la Town Hall, junto al anterior, y la Iglesia de San Jorge, construida con convictos en 1817,  uno de los edificios más antiguos de Penang y la iglesia anglicana más antigua del sudeste asiático.

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Ya en el puerto nos esperaba una animada velada a bordo, pero eso será otra historia.

Escala en Penang, visitamos Georgetown El 12 de febrero el Sapphire Princess hacía escala en Penang. Penang es una isla en el estrecho de Malaca, la segunda provincia más pequeña de Malasia y la octava más poblada.

[erenkereci]

Dünya,içindeki farklı kültürleri öğrenip,onlara saygı duymayı öğrendiğiniz zaman güzelleşir. . Burası bir #Buddhist tapınağının içi.Gördüğünüz yiyecekler,dua eden insanlar tarafından tanrılara adanmış.Ancak aç ve durumu olmayan insanlar bu yiyeceklerden yiyebiliyor.Tabi ki önce tanrılara dua edip izin almak şartıyla.Peki Tanrıların cevabını nerden bileceksiniz? Tapınağın içinde dua eden insanların her duadan sonra yere iki tane hilal şeklinde taş attıklarını göreceksiniz.Bu taşlara #Jiaobei deniliyor.Bu taşı attıktan sonra taşın duruş şekli size Tanrı nın cevabını veriyor.Sonraki resimde bunu görebilirsiniz. Budist tapınağına yaptığınız her yardımda,adınız tapınaktaki minik bölmelere yazılır ve o tapınakta edilen her dua sizin içinde geçerli olur. -Benim Dünyam çok güzel 😊 #Travel #temple #traveling #taiwan #taipei #photography #photooftheday #interrailturkiye @interrailturkiye #interrail @taiwan #台北 #turkinoy (財團法人台北市松山慈祐宮)

[rurouni-neko]

jiaobei 101 #jiaobei #moonblocks #YuMoGuiGwaiFaiDiZao #精靈惡魔鬼魂怪物快離開 #精灵恶魔鬼魂怪物快离开 #寺庙坛 #寺廟壇 #觀 #观 #guan #道观 #daoguan #taoisttemple #taoist #temples #templerun #templerun1 #templerunmanila #templerunparañaque #wheninparañaque #dongalo #kiupatlongshiaotemple #kiupatlongshiao #wanderingcat #mobilephotography (at Kiu Pat Long Shiao Taoist Temple)

[runawaymonkey]

2017.05.23 Jiaobei blocks or moon blocks are wooden divination tools originating from China, which are used in pairs and thrown to answer a yes or no question. They are made out of wood or bamboo and carved into a crescent shape. Each block is round on one side (known as the yin side) and flat on the other (known as the yang side). It is one of the more commonly used items found in Chinese traditional religion and are used in temples and home shrines along with fortune sticks, both of which are often used together when requesting an answer from the gods. #runawaymonkey #iphone6 #iphoneonly #igersvancouver #igerscanada #statigram #webstagram #nofilter #buabei #筊杯 #jiaobei (at 車城福安宮開基土地公祖廟)

[eurocitypro]

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[lovingcollectivepeach]

Uncommon forms of Divination

Quote : Pillip Young PhD

There are many forms of divination. The “Big Three” are astrology, tarot/oracle cards, and numerology. Also well-known are palm reading, I-Ching, channeling, and mediumship. This article, however, will explore and briefly describe uncommon forms of divination that you may find interesting to discover and explore.

What is Divination?

The dictionary definition of the word divination is, “the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.” In current times, divination has expanded to include spiritual insight about the self and circumstances, with less of an emphasis on predicting the future. The techniques and tools listed below show the many ways divination can be practiced, whether you are trying to peer into the future or your own soul.

Haruspicy : Haruspicy is a very ancient form of divination which involves analyzing the entrails (mainly livers) of sacrificial animals (mainly goats, sheep, and chickens). While the practice is not completely gone from the world, it was widely practiced in ancient western cultures, including Roman, Greek, and Babylonian.This form of divination is one of the few to gain scholarly study, evidence by a Harvard project known as the Prediction Project, which ran from 2017 to 2020.

Jiaobei/Poe : Poe is a form of divination using wooden pieces carved into the form of crescent moons, with one flat side and one rounded site. Commonly, two of the pieces are cast to answer yes/no questions. If one piece is flat side up and one is round side up, the answer is “yes”. If both blocks are round side up, the answer is “no”. If both blocks are flat side up, then the answer is “the gods are laughing at you” because 1) it is obviously no, 2) it is obviously yes, or 3) the question is unclear. If one of the pieces somehow lands on the tip and stays standing (which will depend on the kind of surface you cast on, like soil or sand), then the answer cannot be given at this time, and you need to ask the question sometime later.

Kau Cim : Kau Cim is popular in Buddhist and Taoist temples. The divination method uses small sticks that are kept in a round cylinder. The querent will ask a question, then takes the cylinder and tips it until a stick falls out. Each stick has markings that provide the fortune.

Libanomancy : Libanomancy is divination using incense smoke and ash. You complete the divination by asking spirit a question, lighting an incense stick, then interpreting the movement of the smoke and the fall of the ashes to determine the answer.

Lithomancy : Lithomancy is divination using stones. In modern practice, tumbled stones are commonly used and there is even a recent book, with an introductory video explaining the method, which involves 16 stones: 10 that represent the astrological points starting with the Sun and ending with Pluto, and 6 that represent personal stones (life, magic, love, commitment, place, and luck).

Nephomancy : Nephomancy is a method of divination that involves interpreting shapes and colors in clouds, as well as their position in the sky and movement through the sky. If you look up into the sky and note a shape that looks like a boat or ship, you may want to consider a trip over a lake or ocean. Given your circumstance, you may receive something, or someone delivered by a boat or ship. You can also do the process “actively” by thinking of a question or a situation, then “looking to the clouds” for insights or answers.

Oneiromancy (Dream Divination) : According to the Oxford diction oneiromancy is the interpretation of dreams in order to foretell the future. Dream interpretation is a common psychological practice, but the “use” of dreams to predict the future or engage in spiritual work moves the interpretation practice into the realm of divination. In ancient and modern times, certain drugs can and have been used to enter the dream state with an intention. Doing so would also be a form of oneiromancy. Often, one of the key roles of a Shaman is to perform oneiromancy and help individuals understand the potentially spiritual and psychic meaning of their dreams.

Ouija : Ouija is a divination practice using a talking board or spirit board. Made famous by the Ouija Board “parlor game”, which was first produced in 1890 by Elijah Bond; the board has numbers and letters on a board. A planchette, which is a small heart shaped piece of wood or plastic, functions a movable indicator that leads users to specific letter and numbers to get answers to a question.

The process functions much in the same way as automatic writing. The user places his or her hand or hands on the planchette, relaxes and enters a meditative state, then “allows” the planchette to move until it stops, noting the letter or number. Movements continue until a full message has been received.

Pyromancy : Pyromancy is divination using fire. As a broad category, it does have sub-categories, like xylomancy (burning wood), libanomancy (reading the smoke and ash from incense), and carromancy (candle divination). Additional forms (wiki) include:

Alomancy, divination by salt, one type of which involves casting salt into a fire

Botanomancy, divination by burning plants

Capnomancy, divination by smoke; light, thin smoke that rose straight up was a good omen; otherwise, a bad one.

Causinomancy, divination by burning (specific to the object burned)

Daphnomancy (also, Empyromancy), divination by burning laurel leaves

Osteomancy, divination using bones, one type of which involves heating to produce cracks

Plastromancy, divination using turtle plastrons; in China, this was done by heating pits carved into them.

Scapulimancy, divination by scapulae; in Asia and North America, this was done pyro mantically.

Sideromancy, divination by burning straw with an iron

Fire is also one of the best tools for meditation. You can stare into a flame until you can achieve an altered state. Once in the altered state you can ask questions and seek answers from spirit.

Scrying : Scrying is mostly done by looking into a reflective surface until you achieve a meditative state that allows you to access spiritual knowledge. Before mirrors became widely available, pools of water in bowls were the easiest way to scry. Crystal balls are probably the most famous scrying tool. Any surface that reflects, rather than absorbs light can be used to scry.

Tasseomancy (Tea Leaf Reading) : Tasseomancy, also known as Tea Leaf Reading, is one of the best-known types of fortune-telling thanks to its recurring appearances in popular culture, especially TV shows and movies. The most common way to perform a reading is by visiting a reader, or “sitter”, and having them serve you some tea to drink that contains the loose leaves. You come with your question or concern, drink the tea, then hand the cup to the reader who will interpret your message from the shapes and position of the leaves in the bottom of the cup.

Xylomancy : Xylomancy is a type of divination which involves burning wood. You can enter a scrying state while watching the flames burn and see if the message you need appears while you are staring at the flames. Traditionally, you let the fire burn down and see what the scorch marks look like on the burned wood. The burning of a Yule log is probably the most famous version of this practice; once it has flamed out, the color and shape of the log can be used to predict the future year ahead.

Maybe one of these could be suitable for you to explore . So don't shy away go ahead and always listen to your intuition.

Namaste , Julie

[altosynthesis]

I have the urge to post this(Poe Divination)

lil translation:

If you want to ask the gods something, you can use "Poe Divination"(擲筊).

聖筊(curvy&flat): agreed/correct(if it's something important make sure you got 3 or more 聖筊 in a row)

笑筊(flat&flat): smiling but doesn't say anything/don't understand/thinking(you can just throw the jiaobei again or say your question again)

沒有筊/陰筊(curvy&curvy): angry/disagree

*A-side(curvy side) is Yin and B-side(flat side) is Yang.

*The moon-shaped thing used in Poe Divination is called "Jiaobei" or just "Moon Blocks"

*this is what Jiaobei looks like.

[avabowers981094-blog]

NASA's LADEE Lunar Probing To Crash Into Moon This Month.

I, for one, can't wish to meet, literally, all individuals along with who I have a connection - a partnership typically (but certainly not exclusively, give thanks to paradises) sired by an online stations and reared through my keyboard. This non-obligatory rapid is meant to clean one's wrongs created within a two-year period-the year prior to the fast as well as the year after. On the positive side, General Motors diet regimen is good for a full week if done once in a while to purify the unit. The LCD feature is simple to check out and also recognize and also this gives a combination from both humidity as well as temperature levels. Actually, anybody which has ever found an overall solar energy eclipse will definitely certainly say to of the spectacle from finding the dark eye of the Moon cross before the Sunlight throughout the daytime. Nativity Rapid: forty times causing X-mas - also St Philip's quick, Christmas quick, or even winter months provided or even quick (Asian Christianity ). There appear to be no scholarly studies on the incidence from the Guy in the Moon disorder in different locations. Everything that could be brought in on the Moon can be embeded any type of orbit a lot more inexpensively coming from there compared to coming from Earth. Things may happen rapidly this month, especially initial week, 10th (moon), 13th, and also 19th. The real exciting component from Moon is the evaluation of exactly how a man emotionally copes with being stranded alone in space for three entire years. Back in the area, I scan the dark-wood wall structures along with a brand new understanding, experiencing a mix from desperation and also hope off those tossing their jiaobei moon blocks to the fates. The Moon is connected to the number 18 which could indicate a incredibly competent and also solid individual.. This is terrific for interaction as well as clearness, especially around 25th (new moon = clean slates) and also 31st. Um I am actually minor certain I really want a soulmate, (I am a Libra sun Aries moon), I want that best buddy, fan, other half, and also mom from achievement kind of female.

Their vernacular for someone which tells a laugh thus terribly, that is actually therefore unfunny you can certainly not aid however laugh aloud. Passion also is quite on the program, as well as the brand new moon (20th) indicates new or renewed connections. The Last Sector Moon (Sunshine straight Moon) is a middle in between the subsiding as well as polishing cycles. When Reverend Moon established the Marriage Theological Seminary (UTS) in Barrytown, New York he chose David S.C. Kim to be its own initial head of state. Seen their booth at Center Island a few weeks back as well as they were incredibly welcoming too! NASA had actually already determined that a lunar track gathering point will be a part from the moon touchdown course, which would call for a first orbit relationship at the moon. Speaks may aid, however also friendly dialogues will not conceal that the 2 countries' interests contrast in substantial techniques. I also locate that shanghai mooncakes are not easy to reduce to look great yet fairly appreciate consuming shanghai mooncakes. The workers gets on as well as with the add-on in 2013 of the constantly very hot and fun Chandler responsible for the bar the Parrot is better than ever.

A complete eclipse develops when the dark shape from the Moon totally masks the extremely luminous disk of the Sun, making it possible for the a lot fainter sun circle to become obvious. However at some point my moon observed photographes from people from around the globe fuhrer-von-laura17.info as well as she began to ask if our company can travel.

[golvio]

Detention: the Personal, Political, and Spirtual in an Age of Terror

Last night I saw someone play through a game called Detention, and wow.

It’s a point-and-click adventure/horror game with an art style in the vein of The Cat Lady. And it starts off setting itself up like a typical horror game, with a boy waking up in his abandoned school in the middle of a typhoon, meeting up with a girl who seems to be the resident Generic Love Interest who’s fretting about a necklace she lost. Except, once the action lulls, the rug suddenly gets pulled out from under us.

This game is about the girl. (It is also about the boy, in a way, but not in the way you’d think). And, as you progress further into the school and backwards in time through the girl’s memories, it becomes clear that this game isn’t just mystery/thriller, but a work of historical fiction. The setting is in Taiwan during the White Terror, when the KMT government, having fled from mainland China during the Communist Revolution, imposed one of the longest periods of martial law in history out of fear of an invasion from the mainland, during which countless dissidents and suspected sympathizers were imprisoned and even executed.

I could say that the way the game paces the story and gives you clues as to what really happened at the school, and how seamlessly objects taken from a single person’s memory are seamlessly woven into symbolism for a meditation on guilt, was like Silent Hill 2. I could also say that, in a lot of ways, this game was what every Silent Hill game after 2 wished it was, but I feel like such a comparison without context would be selling this game short, and would be misleading about the game’s story and its meaning. SH2 used its medium to make a statement about individual selfishness, and the things that drive us to do unspeakable things behind closed doors, when we think no one is watching. It meditated on the quiet, private guilt that eats away at us after our moments of weakness.

The statement that Detention makes is much more political (although also personal), discussing the impact that an oppressive society and the culture of fear and suspicion it breeds has on its most vulnerable and innocent members, its youth. And it is about how, in such an environment, an act of teenage selfishness done unthinkingly in a moment of anger can domino into a typhoon that sends good people to their deaths and destroys the innocence of those who survived, its consequences reaching ahead decades after the fact. The guilt here is not for an isolated moment of weakness, but a single act that ended up causing far more harm than intended. The darkest stretches of a nation’s history is often the cumulative result of a million such actions, amplified into a single wave of terror and anguish.

There’s a lot to love about the more benign aspects of the setting as well. One puzzle involves tuning into Taiwanese pop songs from the ‘60s on an old transistor radio. Another moving scene involves the girl visiting a temple and throwing jiaobei blocks, asking the City God, Justice Cheng Huang, questions about her future. Humans’ relationships with the gods is a lot more personal in the Taiwanese religious landscape, with people offering money and making promises in exchange for favors or answers. In this game’s case, the gods serve as bringers of answers that the girl already knows, but refuses to face herself. The ghosts the girl faces are either forgotten ancestors starving for food offerings, or servants of the Underworld looking to punish sinners and drag the wayward dead back to hell. The Buddhist concept of hell comes into play here pretty heavily, especially the idea of repetition as purgatory, and there’s a breathtaking scene involving the river of blood in one of the levels of hell in the bad ending.

I suppose what struck me about this game was how political, spiritual, but also ultimately personal it was. It’s definitely worth checking out, even if you only watch someone else play it like I did.

[azkabuitenzorg-blog]

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