Thousand Words : Snapshots of Life

RM50 for Credit Cards. Our Government Bankrupt Ah?

2009-12-29T04:12:00.005+08:00

The recent decision of the government to impose RM50 charge for each credit cards is really a blow to small time consumers and really shows whether their noble goals are true or that they are desperate to look for alternative cash source as they are going bankrupt from overspending and corruption.

I got a card because of the convenience of paying without bringing out overt amounts of cash to pay for things like petrol and to avoid bank costs of charging 50 cents for each transactions past the first four for accounts with less than RM5000 only to find that they want to charge me for mt card. Really a sad day to sacrifice convenience since I've always been fiscally sound and paying my bills monthly. Rather the extra burden for students and young working adults will be a bigger impact than those with cash and spending multiple cards to pay for their extravagant lifestyles. The people that will suffer will be those least likely to be financially unsound and defeats the purpose of their so called noble government's reasoning of teaching consumer to spend wisely. So take your RM50, I hope the banks will realise that charging small time users will not benefit their services and end up bigger losers as people cancel their cards. Rather if it is really the government's purpose to teach wise spending, charge higher premiums for any cards above the first and set an incremental increase for all subsequent cards. I think consumers should really give our finance minister and for that matter our PM who says he cares so much for us Rakyat a piece of our mind, even if we know that it will do no good.

On the other note being a newly income earner and one who plans to get married one day and own property the new slew of taxes really hurts. From the soon to be imposed GST to the property gains tax and a more than likely increase in fuel price once subsidies are revised following the new year, living looks to be getting harder while real income are still low. The constant deficit spending and money lost to crony-ism and mismanagement of funds by the government (where it goes does not have to be said outloud as we all suspect why our government is constantly cash strapped) looks to be hitting the rakyat hard and the next year looks bleaker to those who does not own million (and cheating the IRB by not paying tax while we do) and live in comfy mansions in Klang or part of UMNO Putra.

I-City Christmas Light Up

2009-12-26T10:37:00.004+08:00

Sometimes the most unexpected finds are the most interesting ones. Driving to Shah Alam for a Christmas dinner hosted by blogger Sabrina both Viz and my head were turned to see the most garish sight along the highway which we eventually had to located. We stumbled into I City, Shah Alam with a display of Christmas lights, a veritable oasis in a sea of black. And it seems we were not the only one there as when we reached the place there were people milling about taking photos of just having a leisurely walk there. Usually I hate artificial fake lights but this display was beautiful in a garish kind of way and actually nice on some levels. Display will be up till new year so head there if you want to see it. I-City, Shah Alam, Selangor

The Pursuit of Happyness

2009-12-25T14:10:00.003+08:00

One day a girl had a bottle and showed it to a friend saying that in the bottle contained all her happiness and she was saving every little precious bit so that she'll always have it close to her. The friend saw her again one day crying and asked her why she was so sad. Looking up the girl in tears showed her the empty bottle and said she lost her happiness and she was without any left. The other girl stood silent, took the bottle and from her heart took a small piece of her own happiness and deposited it into the bottle. Stopping her tears, the first girl took the bottle back and asked "why?".

The reply, "We all want the fullness of happiness in our lives but then if we never know sadness or hopelessness, we'll forget to cherish it. So God gave us the means to keep on collecting happiness by tipping the bottle every so often, so that we may again find the joy of rediscovering our happiness and also to share it with others."

Remember it is the act of pursuing happiness that is the key to life and not the the end that should be valued. So share some happiness to those that don't have it and be enriched yourselves. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all.

Thoughts

2009-12-20T00:15:00.002+08:00

Life never goes the way you think it might. This year has been pretty bad for me and it seems that everything that can go wrong has gone wrong. Getting out of a rut is never easy and the worst part of it is that knowingly people that you thought you could depend on to be there walking away when things gets tough. It really feels like life doesn't have any meaning anymore at a point and all you can feel is an emptiness that just keeps on sucking the life away from you. You don't feel inspired, you don't feel joy, you just give up and lose hope that you'll ever be happy.

Being human means having to feel pain, its a constant struggle to stay on top and to keep on moving forward towards the pursuit of happiness. I don't want to be famous, I don't want to be popular, I don't want to be rich but I want to be happy and thats the hardest thing to achieve.

To those people that really hurt be, I've learnt that karma is very much real. I feel that I am going through this time of troubles because I have caused the same hurt and pains to someone else, someone that deserves better than me and because of that the cosmic balance decrees that I should receive that back in equal measures. Realising that doesn't make it easier but it does give hope that every valley soon climbs to the peak again. To those people that acted like friends in name only, I guess I'm more sad for the fact that you can treat people like that rather than what you did to me. The worst are those that used you and never once step forward to support you in any meaningful way while wanting to take and not give anything.

While I can't say that I'm completely over from the beating I had last year, I think it's time to take those few small steps to move up the mountain again, I don't know how long it will take but I'm a patient person. As I step back and review the past 20 years, I guess I am a little sad, I wished I could've been more likeable, I wished I had better friends and I wished I had achieved more of the goals I wanted to reach for. But if life gives you lemons make lemonade.

I do have to thank one friend in particular. I guess it goes to show that when you least expect it, there are people that really comes up and help you without asking for anything in return and no matter what will not take no for an answer. I think I owe my sanity to her and I would be worse for wear if she was not there to push and prod and even kick my ass when I needed it. You find the strangest connection when you least expect it and for that I thank whoever sent such a person my way. I owe much and I hope to repay that. I wish there were more people like that but this is not a perfect world. People associate with others for what they can gain from them or how they can benefit from such an association. A sad fact in this world we live in. I still hope that there are people who can accept me for who I am, judge me for what I do rather than what they expect me to do for them and will really see the person I am despite the many flaws I have. I always believe that no matter what idiosyncrasy someone has we all have our good and bad points. I've always looked beyond the shallow surface of people and always give someone a chance whether they deserve it or not but I guess expecting the same from others for yourself proves harder.

I guess I'm sad that I'm sitting here in my room alone on my birthday. It hurts. But I guess I can smile a little again and hopefully this year will pass by and the next treats me more gently. Thank you.

Namawee? Modern Crusader or Loudmouth Hill Billy?

2009-11-29T20:35:00.002+08:00

One thing you've got to hand it to Namawee, he got guts. Looking at his video, people will either love him or hate him. While many of us can emphatise with the notion that Malaysian service providers and utility companies including the civil service is more often lacking, its a question whether the method he went about it was the best method.

We all have our share of power cuts though people in the Klang Valley will not truly understand the crux of the matter compared to people living away from the urban center. I was in Sabah for five years and I can tell you the service there was terrible. Often blackouts occur nearly every single month and god help you if it occurs at night, then you can expect no service till the next morning. Though this may have improved things there as of now I still wonder. For consumers it is a right to question why service providers cannot deliver when customers are paying their bills and yet the same excuse time after time is that 'best service available' policy which literally means 'it's not our fault we keep on getting subscribers and later complain out rollout of infrastructure cannot meet peak demand'.

Should we stand for this? Take for example my Astro has problems every time it rains and I cannot watch, meaning in a tropical country like Malaysia, say bye bye to your telecast during monsoon season. This after they have promised better service transmission with the launch of the new satellite and digital system, not happening. Streamyx is another thorn in the foot, for years this monopoly has provided subpar service and while other neighbouring country are heading forward with better broadband and faster speed, we are still crawling and Streamyx imposing bandwidth capping citing '20% of the users are using 80% of the bandwidth'. So What do you expect? Files are getting bigger, online tools such as streaming videos and filesharing programs are the norm, if they cannot keep up with people's need, give the job to someone else. But having said that while there are headaches, and some very chronic indeed, not all their staff are bumbling idiots.

Citing an example recently, I had problems with slowdown of internet in my home and called the call center a day before Hari Raya, they said they will rectify the problem by Monday. To my surprise they came on a Saturday, checked the system and resolved the problem. Kudos to the two fellows who came.

Nowe back to the video, first of all again while I emphatise with the grouse he had, trust me if this happened in KL every single datuk will be ringing up the TNB chairman to get power up within the hour so realistically being in the dark is no fun period. Secondly three blackouts within the year is not a small problem, question begs as to why this has occurred as in the case of Muar for Namawee's case, is it due to inadequate maintenance, sub-standard equipment or as he claimed TNB staff not doing their job?

While Namewee tends to be rude, okay very rude, I believe he is quite brave to do what he did. How many Malaysians actually stand up and get down to the matter of things? How many qould question why things happen such as blackouts and why action in getting power back on are not as efficient as it should be? How many people would make formal complains and ask for an explanation for which as a paying customer he has the right to? Most probably none. While the manner of his is not diplomatic, I can emphatise with the fact that desk officers are not often the most friendly bunch, more often the norm rather than the exception. To be more efficient and beholden to the customers I believe that the companies should be more responsive. We all don't ask for much, we want to know of the explanation when something happens so that we can ascertain if its a reasonable enough explanation. We would also like to see service providers ensure that the customers are getting what they paid for. Would TNB be more efficient if say they have to compensate customers for downtime? I've experience before TMnet Streamyx service getting cut for a week whereby I couldn't do any work and still the same amount of bill came at the end of the month. Should I have been given a rebate for loss of service? Yet all I got was a phone operator telling me, we are trying our best to solve the problem, that is if they can be reached at all.

Bottom line is, customers all want quality service commensurate to what they pay. Should Namawee be blamed for his outburst? No really but I did cringe with the language he uttered and how he treated the TNB workers, he had a legitimate claim but the way he put if forth made them hostile. What can we learn from this? We all should bring along a portable camera when we go and meet service providers to complain and ascertain how they actually conduct their job. Namawee will most likely make as many enemies as he does admirers. But Malaysians should also take his video as an eye opener that we should not just sit down and take whatever service providers dish out to us and not bat an eyelid. If they are not keeping up the quality of their service, exercise your right to complain, we have consumer associations, we have politicians, heck even the service providers have complain desk (when they actually work), so go through the proper channel first. If that don't succeed, well Namawee has shown us another outlet to vent your anger right?

Food for Thoughts

2009-09-19T07:59:00.001+08:00

No Plans

2009-09-17T08:12:00.004+08:00

What's the use of planning if the only result you get is to see all your hard work in reaching your goals come crashing down on you and you can't do anything about it? It just leaves you depressed, disenchanted and feeling sorry for yourself. Better to live day by day without any expectations so that you don't end up hurt.

That's IT!!!!!!!

2009-09-03T21:04:00.002+08:00

I'm going to set some goals to help me survive till the end of the year and hopefully by then get myself out of a rut that has been sinking me to a slow death day by day. Don't know how successful I'll be but doing something is better than nothing.

1. Stop feeling sorry for myself.

2. Remind myself that despite everything I have it better than so many people out there that are worse off.

3. Find joy in the small things.

4. Find one reason a day to feel happy about.

5. Recharge myself, get my butt out of the house and live again.

6. Rediscover my lost passion of the lens, go somewhere new each week, take photos that I like and to please no one else but myself.

7. Take one step at a time, forget the past and move on.

8. Stop stop stop feeling so helpless and depress.

9. Find real friends that accepts you for being you.

10. Rekindle relationships that has stagnated from caring for just one person.

11. Find love, but to first find reasons to love myself first.

Who'd Ever Thought Smiling Was Hard?

2009-09-03T20:38:00.002+08:00

If you'd told me that the simple act of smiling, of being happy and joyous and of having an uplifting feeling that tomorrow holds endless promises was something that comes naturally I would've agreed months ago. I've always been a pessimist but I've never let myself feel hurt or down or to fall into despair. When times were tough I've always been able to cope and to bounce back, all it needed was a good night sleep and the next day all way right in the world again. Yet at this moment, no matter what I do, things all feel as if all the effort I put in are futile, that whatever I do seems so pointless. It feels like the hardest thing to feel happy again and not to fall into self loathing and pitifulness. And it has never felt so lonely before ever. I know I really have to shake this feeling off, but at this point in time, I just can't. So for those out there that have someone to be with, or are able to enjoy their happiness, cherish it and grasp it so tightly that it can never escape you.

It is a Sad Day So Near to Merdeka

2009-08-30T18:24:00.003+08:00

If you haven't read about the Cow Head Incident in Selangor please do.

It is a sad day and worrisome incident that such a thing happened and within the Holy Month of Ramadhan which is a month of contemplation, fasting and forgiveness and within days of Merdeka, a celebration of freedom for ALL races. It is sad or scary if you consider:

The people of Section 23 say they are left with no choice but to take protest and bring a severed cow head to the Selangor State Secretariat. A wholly "Muslim" congregation parades a symbol sacred to another religion to protest the construction of a religious worship center in their housing area is provocative and sacrilegious. And these people are suppose to be fasting this month. God knows only how swift action would be taken if anything nearing bacon was wielded and calls for death to infidels would be incited if it was the other way around. And through all this time have they seen Indians or for that matter of fact other races protest violently when only the Section 23 residents have acted uncivilly?

"We object to this temple" and "Rodziah Babi" written on the fence. Using an item forbidden by ones religion while wielding the object of sacred nature of another in protest is just sheer hyprocracy and bigotry.

These people claim to represent the voice of all Section 23 residents. So it is really 90% Muslim or 40% Indian in Section 23? I can't believe who's right at this moment but just hop over to the Department of Statistics and it can be cleared up easily right? But why does racial composition matter anyway? Oh right, allocation of land for worship depends on the area's racial composition and thats why Indians, Chinese, Christians are finding it so hard to build places of worship while under the government policy, land is alienated for suraus and mosques in every housing estate. 1 Malaysia I salute you.

Police took no action in halting the illegal protest and no further action were taken even if from my eyes the act warrants ISA if there was ever a case. Other illegal rallies and protests were put down with the full force of the law. Bloggers have been arrested, questioned and jailed. A mysterious death of a person brought into MACC questioning is slowly dying down and no answers are forthcoming. A murder of a Mongolian national has gone off the radar and no justice is forthcoming. A death of an Indian in police custody has no solution though evidence have pointed to the fact that there was foul play. Body snatching and demolition of Indian housing were greeted without an eyelid of those not concerned with other races. Where were the people of Section 23 then?

They said they feel cheated by the PR Muslim Leaders. What does Pr or not have to do with this? Or are there some malignant forces from the cough 'opposition' stiring the pot because the corrupt and bigoted ex premiers got booted off when they deserve it and now is stiring the hornet's nest to regain power, God wonders if these people should even be elected ever. Why feel cheated, the people of Kg Buah Pala also said they feel cheated by PR but wasn't these problems a legacy from the previous administration? Will voting UMNO save the day for the Section 23 residents?

They say they were not consulted? Is this the relocation of some dangerous nuclear waste dump, some hillside project that threatens their life? From the sound of it relocating a temple is akin to putting a mental asylum or pusat serenti or even a prison with violent criminal next to their house. It boggles the mind to understand how siting of a religious temple in a housing estate would need consultation or their approval. For god sakes people its a temple and you can't coexist with one when the rest of Malaysia have happily coexisted with Malay houses of worship built with tax payers money at every corner of the country. Have we ever protested. Oh yeah we forgot what a ruckus it was when Teressa Kok was slandered by Utusan concerning her disapproval of the azan being played from a surau which turned out to be untrue. Did we all come with pork and did the unthinkable. I think we are more civilised and tolerant in that sense.

160 m from a house, 50 m from a playground and 150 m from a surau? Why is this relevant or even a concern? People please take a drive down to Harmony Lane in Melaka where a Chinese temple, Masjid and Indian Kuil are within walking distance of each other and is there any conflict? 160 m from the house? Industrial areas have been built within less distance and are more harmful than a mere kuil can ever be and no one complains. 50 m from a playground and comments that parents now fear letting their children play near the temple? Mind boggling as it makes it sound as if temple going people are liable to cause mischief and trouble to the point that children need fear. I've entered numerous temples and joined them while they pray and not once have I feared for my safety and life. It's scary to think if these people actually have this mindset against other races or pity them if they really think other races are as such.

Prices of houses falling? Property devaluation? I believe similar concerns were voiced by residents of a condominium when plans for the expansion of a Muslim cemetery right outside their property were approved but in the end with all their peaceful protestation it was snowballed through. Where was the justice then and you expect the opposite now? What of the Muslim cemetery in Bukit Damansara and Sg Buloh Forest Reserve? So green space can be trammeled for the sake of religion while siting a religious temple in an housing estate is unacceptible?Prices falling, let me see research showing this actually occurred, that property near temples and kuils actually devalue. In the end such flimsy excuse denigrate the intelligence of the people in the area. Please refrain from making asses of yourselves.

Relocation of the temple was proposed by BN to an industrial estate which as far away from any residential area. Smart move and its no wonder why its not a good move to relocate the temple to a housing area nearer to the masses. It's no wonder under BN's policy permits to construct places of religious worship for other races are curtailed. Complex and long hauled permit and planning permissions? normal. Race-based requirements such as percentage of total population to site building? with slowly reducing non-muslim birthrates siting looks likely to become impossible in future. Its no wonder and sad to see so many Christian worshiping in shophouses and Indian temples being demolished as illegally sited. Sad Sad. The tenets of freedom of religion is guaranteed in the Constitution but in practice is sorely true. And I thought we were living in Malaysia and not Myanmar or China.

If the legacy of the past 50 years have led to paranoia and xenophobia among the population concerning each other then its a sad sad day indeed. What can make residents who are Muslim's fear for another religion as if it is so antithesis to have them nearby I cannot fathom. At the same time it is scary to see if true that the general populace holds such disdain and loathing for people of other religion and races. If it only involves a handful of people then its ok but if it really is the general attitude and perception shared by the majority Muslim population something is wrong in this country. Playing with fire concerning religion and race will lead to long term impacts and those wishing to use such tactics to their own gain are really the most despicable persons on earth.

Merdeka 52 Years of Malaysia

2009-08-29T09:37:00.002+08:00

This Merdeka is our 52nd year of existence as a nation. It might be a good time to reflect on what it really means to be Malaysians. Does it only end at us ticking an immigration form stating our country of origin? Is it just a denomination we use to reply to others who ask us which country we are from? Is it nothing but a name and no more? Lets look back to nearly half a century and see what we had to go through to get to this point in history. Multiple races finding their destinies entwined in a foreign land, staying on because of the promise of opportunities and a place to call home, hardships and wars, having to forge a nation from so many diverse patches of origins, people, religion and background can be a daunting task. We might gripe and complain that things are not right in the country, we may bellyache about the corrupt and incompetence of our politicians, our growing mistrust and fragmented society, our unjust and self-defeating lack of meritocracy and fairness but we must also take to mind that we have a lot to thank for. Where as could've gone the way of Yugoslavia with its endless sectarian and racial wars and terror leading to its eventual breakdown as a country, we are still very much vibrant and intact as a people and as a country. So what does that say about us? No country is perfect.

For this Merdeka, forget about the political infighting, the actions of extremist and fanatics that want to paint us Malaysians as a intolerable, bigoted and fascist bunch, the ever present corruption and injustice. What Merdeka means to us is freedom, freedom to do right or wrong but by our own. If we fail than we have only ourselves to blame. Politicians would always like to remind you that the success of the country is due to the Government and how they have led us the past 50 or so years. I say the success of this country lies more in the ordinary people that have given their sweat and blood to build this country up. As great as leaders such as Tunku Abdul Rahman and those lesser leaders that has followed in his footsteps, Malaysia would not be a reality if not for the man on the street. So let it be a celebration among us the rakyat and that no matter how bad things are on the top, we as a nation led by the actions of the individuals chart a course that will bring us to greater heights.

When the national anthem Negaraku starts playing, stand tall and sing, not for the politicians, not for the government but for your country and for yourselves. Happy Merdeka Day come Monday.

2009-08-28T22:20:00.002+08:00

Glen Hansard - Falling Slowly Lyrics

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

How to Continue Loving in a Relationship?

2009-08-22T18:14:00.001+08:00

Ask me again in the next lifetime. I'm too hurt and fed up with it to want to go through it again.

Life Wasn't Suppose to Be Fair Was It?

2009-08-08T10:15:00.004+08:00

It's been a really tough year and it doesn't look like it will get any easier as the days goes by. I've been hurt like I've never ever been before and I feel so lost. My mother was hospitalised for the best of a month and during that time it really took a toll on my dad who's getting on in age. My colleagues in the office has been in a sort of musical chairs this year as well with the result that the familiar faces of three years ago can now be counted on one hand. Friend's who you thought were genuine turns out to be double faced, turning their back when you need their support and getting snubbed in the process. I've enough heart breaks alone to really make me believe that it's no longer worth it to love anyone because it always ends in you being hurt. I've people that makes you feel inadequate, down and god damn useless. Most of all I'm lonely.

I've never really felt alone in KL before this. Its the most densely populated city in Malaysian so within such a sea of humanity how can one truly be alone? I've no close family here. Maybe everyone is just right, it's just me, the anitsocial, the hopeless socialite. Most people never know how hard it is to befriend someone, and when you think you found someone, it turns out you get back stabbed later. I've always known that I'm not the best in anything, I just try to be me, but it is never good enough. It's always something wrong with me, something not right, something non-conformist that others view as if you are like some social pariah. When you hear people at the edge you wonder how can anyone drop as far down to the point that life seems no longer liveable. It's scary that these few months the thoughts that I have to the point that I've to slap myself back to reality in case I really resort to something stupid. Pouring yourself in work helps, at least you're tired out at the end of the day to the point that you don't care anymore.

I just want to laugh again, I just ask for some happiness, I just want to be accepted and loved. Yet these simple things seem so hard that I wake up crying for no reason at all. I feel depressed and down and I have no one to turn to or want to turn to. I know this is quite scary but I'm taking things day by day hoping to move forward as much as I can. Being self pitiful isn't healping I know but I've to get through this. The lesson I learnt, getting close to someone makes you vunerable to get hurt, helping someone out doesn't always mean that someone will help you back when you are in need, being a man isn't manly unless you fit the stereotypical mold cast for all Herculean image that a man should be; masculine, confident, brash, action oriented and good looking.

When can people learn that imperfections makes us us, that there is no perfect person, that there is no such things as a happily ever after. Life is hard and yet it should not be so. I've always excepted that flaws and imperfection in others, I may not like certain people but I never fault them for it. We may not always agree but can't we be earnest and agree to disagree at times. When you try to be understanding and kind, people say you are weak and soft, when you decide to turn the other cheek, people say you don't stand up for yourself or that you re without principles, you give people space and not try to find arguments, you are called indecisive and without leadership, you try to find amicable middle ground and you end up ostracizing both ends. Maybe the flaws in me is that I'm too patient, that I ask others to act without being pushy, that I am willing to take the abuse and angry shouts and consternations because I don't want to be antagonistic, that I don't pick fights, smoke gamble or drink, that I'm perceived to be weak and it hurts. I seriously does. Well maybe life with the motto of 'survival of the fittest' isn't working for me. Maybe I'm not suited to live life at all.

Sigh Good day to you all may you all have it better then me.

Daicon 2009 - Cosplay Galore Part 2

2009-07-13T23:45:00.003+08:00

Otaku news from Malaysia always seems to be on the bad light and especially from Sankaku Complex a site well known to highlight the seedier side of Japanese visual and animation culture and lovingly take pot shots of China which must be swelling his page views each time he does that. Funny bit is that Malaysia also generates preety much bad vibes from the site blogger. The latest news is about Daicon 2009 which the web mentions about an incident where a manic otaku fan actually went up to swipe Chihara Minori's Evian water and began to execute an 'indirect kiss' by sipping the very bottle she just had taken from. The writeup can be found HERE. Oh well I wasn't there the second day so the verity of what actually happened is lost to me but I'm sure in this age and time with so many people with digital cameras, videos and camera phones there must be something floating about on the net.

Anyway, continuing my blogging with more shots of the cosplayers during Daicon 2009. Again if you are the one depicted or know of that person please feel free to contact me and I'll send the high res photos to you as thanks for posing. Here goes:

Daicon 2009 - Cosplay Galore Part 1

2009-07-12T01:01:00.004+08:00

Cosplaying is an intriguing form of anime/ manga fandom with people making elaborate costumes in the likes of their facourite character. Made well coupled with talent from the cosplayer, the results can be fantastic. The showing at the Daicon 2009 at Multimedia University were a testemant to how cosplay has become part of Malaysian culture as well. The participants really went all out. To me the most impressive showing were the girls cosplaying as the girls from K!-on, particularly of Mio and Yui. Guess Ritsu and the others weren't as popular. Don't see much of other more popular anime recently such as Macross, Code Geass and others. On the other hand old favourites such as Haruhi Suzumiya, Bleach and Naruto still show popular strength as can be seen in the turnout. Maids in maid costumes were beautifully done but not much of other typical costumes such as nekomimi, miko or suzimizu can be found. Other notables noticed during this saturday were the Mario Brothers, oldies but still gold more due to the infectious cheerfulness of the guy playing Mario than anything. The two Dantes were good and costume well done but they have to put more in the act to define the carefree macho guy Dante is. Others not participating in the cosplay contest can be seen throughout the convention. Cute and moe characters do dominate with a profusion of goth-loli and lolita fashion, the Ouran Host Club was also popular. Not forgetting the dancing storm trooper Danny Choo which gave quite a showing with his MJ dance and antics to the applause of the audience. Tomorrow is another day of event so expect to see more cosplayers.

Daicon 2009

2009-07-11T22:32:00.004+08:00

It's been quite a long day but one that is refreshingly positive. I actually only heard about Daicon 2009 when it was posted on Animenews.com, guess the local promotion was slow or lacking else confined to a small circuit of groups. Anyway, I always wanted to head to a anime, manga, cosplay, otaku fest. Since this time it falls on 11 - 12 July 2009 of which I'm actually physically in KL and without anything to do I headed to Cyberjaya for the Multimedia University where the event was being held.

Here is a summary of what to expect:

"Daicon is a celebration of Japanese Modern Visual Culture held in Malaysia at the Multimedia University. Daicon 2009 features various visual arts activities inspired by Japan including cosplay contest, doujinshi booths, figure collection display from Gundam, Macross and other anime as well as the appearance and concert from Chihara Minori."

Highlights of the 11th and what to expect tomorrow:

(1) Cosplayers

Both days have scheduled cosplay events, the individual cosplayers on Saturday and group cosplay on Sunday. The quality of the costumes were good especially the seifuku and goth loli inspired K!-on groups. The cosplayers were a friendly bunch who didn't hessitate to pose when asked. Some characters were too fun, the two guys playing Mario and Luigi were just barrels of smiles, the Dantes from Devil May Cry were more macho and kept on crossing their swords and pistols. The most attention grabbers must surely be the girl playing Haruhi in her bunny suit and concert getup as well as the people who were K!-on crazy, very elaborate and great setup. The setup and management of the contest was a bit of a letdown as the sound system wasn't really top notch, music drowning the cosplayers speech and technical problems here and there. I think the cosplayers were more animated and active in the waiting areas with the photographers then they were on stage. The finals were also not as thrilling as I had hoped but never being in a cosplay contest before not really sure how others are handled.

(2) Sales Booths

Lots of booth setup throughout the hall. Some are selling artwork and doujinshi from local artists. The most popular must be the merchandizing booth where people had to lineup to view the stuff on sale. Not much of a selection and prices can go off the roof (a t-shirt at RM114), the items include character mugs, folios, writing pads, t-shirts, stickers, etc. Come early to ensure you get the best stuff and avoid a 30 minute waiting time.

(3) Figurine Display

Several booths on display throughout the hall. The most impressive must be the figurines from the various animes and games. The organisers were a bit strict to enforce photographers behind a predetermined lined, understandably since one of these figurines can run up to 4,000 yen. The models were top notch and must be worth the huge moolah forked out. Glimpse lovely bikini clad idolmasters, the entire haruhi and lucky star neroids, hatsune miku, hayate, Ah! My Goddess, Tears to Tiara, Chobits, you name it. The other booth of interest is the Malaysian Macross Fan stall with models of the various Macross crafts particularly those from the latest Macross Frontier. A Gundam building contest is one of the events going on as well.

(4) Karaoke Contest

Karaoke contest today. Opinions are mixed. On one hand I can safely say 80% (90% if I'm mean) can't sing to save their life. I either have to admire their bravery and guts to go up in front of a few hundred people and sing with broken high notes, out of pitch, or totally messed up the beautiful songs that anime can provide. There were a few shining moments, those that can sing can realllyyy sing. But overall it was just an ear splitting experience, doesn't help that the hall is not sound proof and the din from the booths mixed in with the singing, and again the bad sound system all contributed to quite a fracas.

(5) Board Games and Maid Cafe

A slew of board games challenges (Zooloretto, Settlers of Catan, Jungle Speed) were ongoing throughout the day. A Go competition was running at the same time. A maid cafe was also being run at one corner of the hall. Didn't go in to take a look but judging from some of the wandering maids they don't look half bad. This was unlike the creepy feeling of realising that 2D cutesy girls in maid costume works better as they are than their 3D counterparts when I was at Singapore.

(6) Chihari Minori Q&A and Concert

Guest star for the event is of course the much touted seiyu Chihari Minori who played various animes most famous of course being Nagato Yuki in Haruhi Suzumiya. She was holding a Q&A session today with a concert tomorrow. Both events are pay events though so be ready to fork out a minimum of RM50 for seats and RM250 for exclusive access to the voice actress including posing Q&A and getting her autograph.

for those that missed the events today you all still have a chance tomorrow. Further information can be obtained at the website HERE.

For additional photos of todays events check out my FLICKR Page. Oh if anyone featured in the photos wishes for a high res photo please contact me. Also thanks to those that allowed themselves to be photographed and apologies if sometimes I was caught impromptu photographing.

Laveenia Sivalingam's Arangantrem

2009-07-06T22:24:00.003+08:00

Congratulations to Laveenia and thank you for allowing us to share in this day of yours where you took to the stage and dance your heart and soul for the audience and for the Gods. I have so much to say about your three hour performance but I was left breathless at anticipating each new twist, each turn of your form and the multitude of expressions you presented that left everyone in awe. If I had words to say I would comment that you showed great confidence on stage and there was never a moment that you looked in doubt of your own ability, which was honed in the countless hours of grueling practice and choreography. You also looked full of joy and pleasure at dancing, each step bringing about smiles and pleasure as if truly you are in communion with the deities. So I hope that you will be able to continue gracing the stage and let the audience enjoy the wonder that is Indian classical dance.

Thank You for Visiting the Exhibition

2009-07-05T20:43:00.004+08:00

Thanks everyone for visiting the exhibition.

Thank you to those that gave their limited time to come all the way to KLPAC for the joint exhibition by Visithra and I. The turnout from people I know were mixed but there were so many out there that gave their support by just attending and viewing the exhibits. To these people (you all know who you are) I am truly grateful to know that our friendship over the years means so much to the lot of you. First off would be from T'san and Mira for being the first to attend early on Saturday and the lovely bouquet of flowers presented to us. Then there was Kwang Meng and brother and Lay Cheng,I'm really touched that you all actually made it all the way from Ipoh to attend and walking the long distance from the KTM distance to KLPAC. Then to Kuok Sum for bringing (dragging hehe) his two lovely ladies from Toastmasters to come and visit especially since they just had to attend a meeting themselves. Jeremy Tok and his German counterparts for making an appearance. The old Master's gang, May Yen, Cheng Yi, Pei Ni and family for taking time off their ever so busy schedule and its was great catching up with everybody. My cousin Gary (Wai Ken) and his lovely girlfriend, sorry for not being able to entertain you all as I should since I was watching the Mak Yong performance. Joe and Faridah for giving us the support and space for our exhibition and for becoming our first patron.s Ripi and Ali for coming over to see us and everyone else that may not have been mentioned.

It has been quite an experience for those three weeks. It is my first exhibition and those few weekends sitting there and watching the crowd is an experience that I truly enjoyed. It touched us that so many took time before, in between or after performances to linger and comment on the photos, some even reading the articles (wordy as they were) line by line, it really shows that the effort putting those up were not wasted. I especially am intrigued that my photo of the Indian temple corridor was the one garnering so much attention, even to a point that a man walking on the opposite side of the hall made a 90 degree turn and headed straight for that one photo. Some took time to go one by one to view all 20 photos, others were more interested in particular pieces.

We wanted the exhibition to be fun yet informative. We had some people asking about the photo on Agathian Home and inquiring how they can get in touch with them. Others were interested in the shots of Pekeliling Flats, we had a few people mentioning they used to stay there and it was nostalgic. So once the three weeks were up it was a decision that was not wasted, even if we didn't turn a profit, the experience left us more the richer for it and I fell in love with KLPAC. If not for the exhibition I would not have known what joy it was to enjoy the arts. I went for my first theatre performance which cost me only RM15 and loved the Mak Yong which featured a stellar cast ensemble. I went to watch a Shakespearean play by the Young People's Theater and loved it. I was invited to attend an alternative dance to celebrate the solstice and got dragged as part of their show, led in arm (against my will) to be the centerpiece, Viz must have been laughing all the way seeing me dragged as such. I finally got to attend Urbanscapes 2009 and had a blast. I plan to continue this love of the arts and if there is a chance for another exhibition the decision will be clear. It was a lot of work and I really have to thank my partner for the hard work she put in, especially for the posters, without her this might not have pulled off. We still have photos for sale so if you are interested please contact us for the price. We are also releasing limited prints so if interested do call or get in touch. Again thanks everyone.

Exhibition 01 - Childish Innocense

2009-07-04T17:08:00.005+08:00

Location : Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (2008)
Camera : Canon EOS 400 D
Photographer : Chong Sim Chung

Many people know about the immigrant issue in Sabah, yet we seek to shroud our eyes from the fact that the majority of the locals here in Kota Kinabalu and similar towns are in fact foreigners. With its historically fluid borders with Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines, many arrive to seek a better life on Sabah’s shore. Walk by the stretch of coast along the modern Wawasan Square and Le Meridian Hotel and you will see the rows of wooden sheds and makeshift stalls at the local Kota Kinabalu Market. During market day, early in the morning or at the night market, one sight you cannot miss would be the large number of children, from as young as five to teenagers loitering the area.

These children are the street children of Sabah, the legacy of unfettered immigration, both legal and illegal to the State. Most of these children are without citizenship and thus are not entitled to education, healthcare and social benefits we enjoy. They will not be in schools or experience the normal childhood Malaysian children often take for granted. They live day-by-day in limbo, surviving the harsh reality bequeathed onto them, losing their innocence early in life.

Most follow their parents who are traders here or act individually to serve as bag carriers to the myriad people shopping for groceries, exchanging services for a few cents of coins which will likely be used to supplement their parent's meager earnings to ensure that they survive the day with food and shelter if any are to be had.

Yet if you meet them they are just like any other children with the innocence and joviality that only children can show. They smile, they play with whatever they can find, they laugh, they cry and they dream as any of us would. They show a spirit un-broken, not even by the difficult life they lead. They find simple pleasures in their surrounding and show a bond with each other that surprises you. These photos tell their stories so they we never turn a blind eye again.

in/Visible - Joint Photo Exhibition (Kervin/ Visithra)

2009-05-16T09:55:00.005+08:00

It's been a long cherished wish of mine to be able to share my photos and this is one step in the long path. I will be having my first exhibition in a joint venture with Visithra to be held at KLPAC from 1 - 14 June 2009. Entrance is free so I hope that you will be able to join us on our photographic journey.

Why did we call the exhibition in/Visible you may ask. We both have been shooting around Malaysia, in places both remote and familiar. In KL alone, walking by the city we often find ourselves in familiar sights, the large malls, the busy streets, the gardens, commercial areas, food stalls and tourisy attractions. In our haste to get from one place to the other, we often miss so much of our surroundings, and you'd be amazed to find that in the most improbable places, there is beauty. The theme also fits with both our passion in the living soul of KL and not just its infrastructure and places. It's the people that makes KL a living breathing place that throbs with life, without its people, the city is dead. Our Country is rapidly developing and in that haste we often forget or choose not to see the less privelaged in our society, the folks living in shanty towns and remnant villages amidst the sea of concrete jungle, the kids and orphans that is trying their best to live on while facing whatever challenges they face, the disabled and infirmed and the foreigners and drifters that we depend so much for our development, all these are invisible to us. That's what we want to show people, that we have to open our eyes, take a step back and appreciate what makes our Country as it is today, what makes us Malaysian.

The general synopsis of our exhibition is as follow:

We often breeze through life seeing things without connecting to our surroundings. The duality of our surroundings is revealed, only when we stop, for a moment, and view through unclouded eyes.

Shot in various places across Malaysia, using Canon point and shoot; and DSLR cameras, the exhibition aims to capture the spirit of the photographers, Visithra and Kervin who have found a convergence in photography through a shared passion in life.

We hope that you would take time off to drop by the gallery, KLPAC is an astonishing venue and you'll love the gardens, art space and old buildings found in its grounds.

Visit our Facebook event page to sign on or to find out on updates. See you there and thank you.

The Sun Sets

2008-12-13T15:54:00.004+08:00

Sometimes you wonder if the sun is setting in your life ending in darkness or its just a respite for an even more glorious dawning.

Faces of the Times

2008-12-12T08:15:00.003+08:00

A handshake speaks volumes of these people, even when we had no means of communication.

In the small town of Dengkil, you can meet a microcosm of what Malaysia truly is. Walking by the local mosque during Aildil Adha after the morning sermons were finished, the group of people streaming out would be familiar to any Malaysian at present. All were Bangladeshis who form part of the 2 million or so immigrants and foreigners that call Malaysia home for economic reasons. As they exit the mosque, these people who are often more misunderstood most of the time show a side that we don't often acknowledge, that they are just as human as any resident here in the country. Seeing their compartiots, they openly welcome each other by giving hugs and embraces, surprisingly a gesture that many locals would not even deign to show citing impropriety of public indecency.

In a land which they don't speak the lingua franca (I tried but was replied by a mix of body language and facial expressions), often working in the lowest paying jobs that Malaysians scoff at, they often only have themselves to rely on. Looking back at our nation's history this is a glimpse of what our forefathers endured, living in ramshackled conditions, far away from home anf often exploited and at worse endured suffering and death. The camaraderie and friendship shown by these people only serve to define what Malaysians are and what we can expect the demographs to be in future, some foreign nationals already surpasses the legal numbers of certain races in the country, so how do we define ourselves as a nation? Do we still go by race, religion and political affiliations? Or do we look beyond and treat a citizen as anyone who contributes to the nation, a nation of melting pot that is not one or the other but of the whole.

Another quark we seen in this town is a reflection that Malaysia is very much a multicultural and tolerant nation, even if this was truer in the past then present. A stone throw away from the main road of Dengkil we can see the mosque that the Bangladeshis stream out from, is also a Chinese temple set up in the early 30s and further down is a small roadside shrine and temple manned by Hindu Priests. If the proximity of structures of various religion is not enough, we bumped into a Chinese uncle seating on the five foot walkway who greeted my Indian friend with so fluent Tamil that she was amazed that he spoke even better than most Indians, and this was his only language. Times are changing and multiculturalism is giving way to racism and narrow minded politics. We should take a leaf from the little town of Dengkil, located near to the ultra modern administrative capital of Putrajaya (of which is nearly all Malays), that we as a nation are more than the sum of our race, religion and beliefs and we share this land with each other, for better or for worse.

Talking on the phone to home.

All smiles and as charming in wit, he must be the most fluent and eloquant Tamil speaker that Visithra had met.

Bangladeshis waiting off the rain after morning sermons at the mosque.

Rise the Chauvanistic Generation

2008-12-01T20:08:00.005+08:00

You take one step and you think that Malaysia is finally shaking off its racial polarization after being haunted for so long by it and the next thing we find is that instead of making progress it feels like we make a back slide to the bottom and we have to start again. I believe that many Malaysians are moderate, pragmatic and progressive that wishes to be left in peace to make a living for themselves and their family but there are groups out there that revel, enjoy even being in the limelight and would not be shy to use what ever means to achieve their 5 minutes of fame.

Race relations have been a thorny issue for too long especially since many quarters have been shooting their mouth out, questioning the origin of the people of Malaysia, harping on imposing religious laws onto others and now we have a group of so called 'Malay Chauvinists' that decided that they would wake up and so Datuk Chua Soil Lek for RM 2 million for comments made that he would support Malay rights but not Malay supremacy.

It's quite a tragic comedy, one which I know not to laugh or cry. In the age when Obama made history in breaking into mainstream America as the first black president we have people like Mohd Apis who heads the Young Malay Graduates Movement. It sends a thingling feeling in me to image that these are the leaders of tomorrow, people who have been weaned on tax payers money, paid to be sent to study overseas, landing cosy and comfy government positions and contracts and getting fat at the expense of other people that are more derserving than them. It is surely a farce to see tax payers money bringing up bigots, racists and race chauvanists into our society.

A look at their web page and other of their ilks show that they are neither intellectuals, contributors of society or even decent human beings. The entire page could even be called seditious and a danger to security, moreso than Raja Petra's blog or even the entire Hindraf movement and maybe a sprinkle of Ayah Pin Combined. Rather then rant and rave I'll let readers decide for themselves on what is written and decide are these proxy of UMNO and running lapdogs worth even our time to lambest or should they be pitied that in a world where diversity should be encouraged they chose to be narrow minded and retrograde.

GGMM Webpage
Perak Bangkit
Keris Pusaka Melayu
YEOPerak
Pemuda Enggang
Empayar Malaya
Panglima Perang Cyber

If they are so keen to sue Dr Chua, let them look back in history as well as brush up on their kenegaraan where the constitution safeguards the rights of all races, religion and rights. Then the orang asli should pay Mr Apis a visit with a petition to collect on payment rendered for:

(a) invading and displacing the kaum pribumi/ orang asli from their ancestral land
(b) infringing and trampling on the rights, culture and lifestyle of the orang asli
(c) disregard the orang asli as bumiputera whereby they have as much right and even more to be here than immigrants from tanah melayu
(d) pay back interests for the years that malay imigrants have been residing and inhabiting this land which belongs to them

I think RM2 million is too little don't you think?

The Mannequin Graveyard

2008-10-21T22:45:00.002+08:00

It's often amazing what you can stumble into. Was walking to Laman 2008 when passing through Muzium Negara we saw this display. The workers were discarding tons of used mannequins used for displays.

It's amazing to see the details on some of these pieces and when I saw them being loaded it hit my mind a question "Where do mannequins go when they die?" We'll we stumbled into one such resting place, it was scary how life like they were and how creepy a pile of them look, it almost human in tragedy to see them.

Still its sad to see them discarded, I imagine they have been on display for years sitting in the stuffy museum displays for people to see them in their historical regalia. Now they are striped naked, bare and discarded as if they are junk. It is a sad fate.

Kampung Baru Ramadhan Food Trail

2008-10-19T14:30:00.003+08:00

This is the first time I saw fried popiah with chili padi in it, was nice but not as crispy as I liked.

One thing I look forward every time its puasa is the stalls of food selling lovely stuff for berbuka puasa. Nowadays its so common to find a pasar Ramadhan in almost every single location here in Kuala Lumpur each with its own variety of foodstuff though the more common fare are always present no matter where you go, just the quality differs. I've heard complaints once that many of these stalls often pop up just during Ramadhan when people are out to get some extra cash for Hari Raya and thus the quality of the food served are questionable, how good can it be if its only available just one month of the year by a cook who doesn't specialised in cooking? True there are the bad from the good but generally I find the atmosphere of the pasar more delightful then the food served. Its often busy with people browsing and puchasing food, the sights and sounds and the pushing and shoving to get at price morsels along with the shouts and stunts of the stall keepers trying to attract customers to their stall (who wouldn't as competition is stiff, imagine there were 10 murtabak stalls in a single street). You can tell which are popular by the lines forming and during this year at Kg Baru, I saw a queue a street long for a particular murtabak stall and they had 5 skillets going at once and still can't keep up.

The stalls at Kg Baru streched several streets long with all kinds of foodstuff. There were murtabak, nasi campur, ayam pangang, goreng pisang, apom, drinks, roti jala, roti john, kepak ayam, nasi kerabu, som tham, mee and meehoon goreng, etc. Visithra, Praveen and I went about purhcasing from most of the stalls to test the food there. Sadly it wasn't as nice as I expected compared to the one we went to at Subang last year. The som tham we had was tasteless, the nasi was ok though but on the pricey side (ayam, sambal and sayur for RM5.50 is a bit much) and the restaurant we went to served my two Indian friends tom yam with beef inside and asked us back what was the problem. But it was nice walking about and enjoying the atmosphere there, the best sight we had, the Kg Baru mosque distributing the famous bubur lambuk for free to the crowd.

Ayam Perchik is one of the dishes I look forward to every Ramadhan.

Kepak Ayam being sold on skewers.

A shy stall owner making ikan bakar.

Variety of juices were on sale.

The famous murtabak stall where the crowd were just lining up to buy as soon as it left the skillet.

Roti jala being made.

Roti jala goes great with chicken curry.

Ikan keli masak sambal my favourite!

Roti John, just that the guy was handling it with bare hands.

Otak-otak freshly made to order.

Prepacked drinks is just a thrist quencher after a hot day out.

Street Children of Kota Kinabalu Part 2

2008-10-19T14:08:00.003+08:00

If eyes could talk this girl would have much to say. Hanging about all day at the Kota Kinabalu wet market, carrying baggage for a few cents seven days a week.

Street Kid, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

So young yet having to work to sustain life.

Smile when hardships are upon you is one way to get you through difficult times.

Curiosity and inquisitiveness are still part of this child though her childhood is long gone.

One of the countless bag children in the Kota Kinabalu Market. Plastic bags tucked into her clothes and a pouch to hold the change she gets for her service and nothing else but the clothes on her back.

Moving on, she walks by looking for the next customer to offer her a few cents to carry their bags. At least its an honest living.

Averting his eyes from me, a chance shot managed to obtain a portrait of this kid.

Elsewhere in another life, she may have grown up to be a beauty enough to grace the catwalk, yet her beauty never diminishes even in her present condition.

Hunger is a constant companion, without means for a proper meal this kid was sucking on the discarded sauce for fruits, something most of us never think about throwing away.

Through Different Eyes - Street Kids of Kota Kinabalu Part 1

2008-10-12T21:47:00.004+08:00

Having a little fun at my expense, this cheeky little bugger is too cute to kill.

I always wanted to do a photo essay on the subject of street kids in Kota Kinabalu at its ironic that I only managed to get about it now when I was there for a day when I had five years previously to do so. These kids comprise of both locals and foreigners particularly those from the Philippines and Indonesia whose parents arrive here through both legal and illegal means. Most of then are without citizenships and thus are not entitled to education, health and social benefits that we enjoy, in other words they live in limbo from day to day. Yet if you meet them they are just like any other children with the innocence and joviality that only children can possess. Most follow their parents who are traders here or act individually to serve as bag carriers to the myriad people shopping for groceries at the Kota Kinabalu Market, exchanging services for a few cents of coins which will likely be used to supplement their parent's meager earnings to ensure that they survive the day with food and shelter if any are to be had. These photos tell their stories and we may have to look at ourselves and question who is entitled to be citizens and who are the foreigners, particularly in Sabah.

Different reaction from different kids are the norm, some are natural posers that will keep on following me to get in front of my shots, others are more reserved like this kid who stares warily, others are just plain afraid and hid from my lens probably from advice not to have their face so easily identifiable in case I'm from the authority.

Portage for cash, offering to carry heavy packs of vegetables and meat for customers for a few cents.

In the absence of any family structure, kids find other avenues to give them a sense of belonging, forging close ties with one another as if thats the only form of 'family' they will ever see.

Unabashed, this guy got in front of my camera countless of times and kept on saying 'ambil gambar ambil gambar!'

Are we exploiting them or are we helping them to earn a living? Western child labour laws isn't known here.

A look straight from Dicken's novel as if he's saying "Please sir can I have some more?"

Though he may look shabby and messy his eyes shone with an intelligence borne more from surviving on the streets than any formal learning.

Life isn't too hard if there are others of similar situations as these boys gang up together.

Taking a moment to rest in her mother's arms as she mans the vegetable stall at Kota Kinabalu Market.

XDR Tuberculosis - James Nachtwey

2008-10-04T00:09:00.000+08:00

Normal tuberculosis, if treated diligently, is very inexpensive and doesn’t take very long to cure. But if normal TB is not treated, it mutates and becomes 100 times more expensive, requires a two-year cure and a long stay in the hospital, which many of those infected cannot afford.

The thought of XDR getting out of control is truly frightening.

Check out one of the many live showings of James Nachtwey’s photos around the world.
Go to www.xdrtb.org to view the photos, learn more about XDR-TB, spread the story and take action to stop the disease.
Pick up a copy of this week’s TIME magazine to see an eight page spread of the photos

I Used to Believe

2008-09-13T10:43:00.003+08:00

I used to believe that BN was still redeemable even after the defeat in March 8 and its subsequent rhetorics into a party for all Malaysians.

I used to believe that for all its faults and failings the ISA was a tool that could be used to control the more extreme elements in society to ensure peace in the country.

I used to believe that Abdullah was a fair man that actually has the heart of the country in mind and with at least a bit of fairness to all races.

I used to believe that even at the nadir of political success, the MCA, Gerakan, MIC and all other component parties will still have the interests of the Non-Bumis at heart even with the domination of UMNO.

I used to believe that March 8 marked a maturing of democracy that will bring Malaysia forward into a better country.

I used to believe that race based politics and divide and rule politics have once and for all been sent back to the stone edge.

I used to believe that it was immoral and unfair to voters that Anwar wanted to wrest control of the contry by hook of by crook.

Now i believe a transitional change in administration is too long overdue and should be achieved by any means as even its better to have an untried government than a morally brankrupt government we have now. The arrest of RajaPetra, Teresa Kok and Tan from Sin Chew has also shown that the Abdullah government has no respect for the new media, the old media and the opposition who are no longer opposition and the use of the draconic ISA shows that it has no respect for due process. It pains me to see the real culprits aka UMNO and Ahmad Ismail go scott free while the messengers of the rakyat are the one punished. What happened to the whistle blower protection bill? I used to think that if BN reformed that I will still vote for them in the coming elections but as things are I don't think I will ever again turn to BN, I'd rather vote PAS than MCA. It is a lesson to all Malaysians today that a government which no longer cares of the rakyat should not be allowed to hold the reigns of power ever and this is what BN has shown now. MCA and Gerakan should divest their interests in the coalition which is now a sinking ship.

Shooting the Messenger

2008-09-12T17:37:00.004+08:00

The crackdown on cyberspace, the showcause letter to three national language papers akin to Operasi Lalang (Sin Chew Daily, the Sun and Suara Keadilan) looks set to be a case of shooting the messenger whereas the person that cry wolf goes away scott free without facing the ISA. If the papers cannot report the truth that was said by a guilty party who will? A moment of silence please. To Raja Petra we land a silent prayer for your safety and release. Maybe the police should look into Chedet.com and Ahmad's rhetorics and slap the seditious and racial inciting writings as well to ensure that it does not look like its so targeted a crackdown.

The Last Mile For Better or For Worse

2008-09-07T11:31:00.003+08:00

An ending and a new beginning, thats what Lynn Johnston has envisaged from September 1st as her comic strip, for better or for worse finally comes to a conclusion and she revisits her earlier strips in a retelling of the life and times of her characters. I read the last few strips and was both happy and sad, grieved yet satisfied and wished that Lynn would continue on to perpetuity with her strip as her readers have come to love. The characters in For Better or For Worse (FBOFW) revolves around the family of the Pattersons, mirrored Lynn's own early days as a wife, mother and carrierist, and with them their community and friends. From the start it was decided that the strip will evolve, that the characters will not remain static, things change and through the years as with its title, for better or for worse. Yet it works, the daily antics and life her characters undergo is so similar to real life, mirroring every foibles from work, studies, parenting, social issues, raising a teenager, having pets to more serious problems such as life as a gay, bullying, special need groups, ingeniousness groups, death, etc that many of us, including me have come to relate and emphatise with the characters.

Begining with Elly and John Patterson the newly married couple with children Mike, Elizabeth and later April as well as three dogs (Farley, Edgar and Sarah), two rabbits (Mr B and Buttercup) and a cat (Shimsa), soon took a life on its own as the couple grew old, the children grew from being kids to teenagers (along with all the associated angst) and finally marrying adults. Readers took into their heart as events unfold with the death of Farley their family dog who saved April from drowning, Elly's mom passing away and later of her dad's stroke. We saw the heartbreaks as both Mike and Elizabeth got in and out of relationships before settling on their respective life partners, of loosing touch with old friends and meeting new people, of careers and choices one makes in their course of their lives, as well as their consequences, all of which has repurcussions on the story and characters. The dynamic flow of the story and its characters are one of the charm that Lynn has brought to the readers over a career spanning nearly 30 years.

With the last strip, Lynn has tied up all the loose ends of the characters story culminating in the joining of Elizabeth and her long time friend Anthony, both of whom had their own troubles in their relationship. As Lynn is returning to the roots by revisiting her old strips is is as good a time for new readers to follow the story of the Pattersons and for old time fans to look back and appreciate the intricacy and complexity of a strip that defies convention and dared to cross the border of comicdom to become something more. In the end we all felt we are part of the Pattersons, I myself once saw parallels to Mike, of wanting to venture in a career in journalism, of meeting the right person in life.

So if you have time, take a moment to visit the site, unlike other comic that disallow their strips to be shown to the public or for only a brief period of time, Lynn's comics are posted online for readers to view as far back as 2001. I always believe that if one's work is good enough there is no fear that people will not appreciate it. After reading her strips I have her entire book collection and this was spurred by her online archive. It goes to show share and recieve in return. Truly Lynn has shared the tale of this amazing family with us and we all have gotten something back from the Pattersons. So to this family, thank you for being a part of our lives and to the lives of those of us to come. Goodbye for now.

Typing Mania 4 - Anime Lovers Must Try

2008-09-07T08:30:00.004+08:00

For passionate anime fans or people who just want to test their typing skills here's a fun online game (Typing Mania 4) that can be extremely addictive I know as I was up last night trying it. It's a bit difficult since there are a few quirks that make it more difficult than it should be. Most of the japanese songs are in ramanised form that can play hell if you're not too familiar with the japanese words or sounds while the english lyrics can be easy but with the need to space between words and the hyphens and semicolons etc it too takes some getting used to. The nice things about this application is the great anime songs presented and even if you are not out to challenge yourself in your skills the songs are interesting listen in themselves with such hits from True Tears, Ghibli studios, Code Geass, Final Fantasy, Romeo X Juliet, Haruhi Suzumiya and more its enough to keep anyone playing, at least for a while. More songs are added on occasion so that is one factor to keep you coming back. The difficulty level ranges from 0 all the way to 100 and if you want to see how killer it can be try Lucky Star's opening theme. For beginners try to lower levels (below 4) to get a feel before even attempting the harder ones.

Squatting, Squatter, Squatted, I Don't Give a Squat

2008-09-06T18:09:00.002+08:00

Historically speaking if Chinese were squatters, it must also be noted that 90 percent of Malaysians today are squatters due to the fact that historical migration from the Malay Archipelago, Indian States and China has resulted in our current day population. If this statement was true by Ahmad Ismail, then the country rightfully belongs only to the orang asli and local racial groups of Sabah and Sarawak and even the Malays themselves are from different stocks such as Achenese, Sumatrans, Bugis, Arabs, etc. UMNO can argue semantics and all but its high time that what comes from the horses mouth should be taken as it is and no amount of spin doctoring should belittle what inteligence Malaysians possess by misconstruing what is an obvious insult on all Malaysians (for that is what any Malaysians should feel when any groups are put down with racist remarks be they Malay, Chinese, Indians, etc). Lets call a racist a racist, and its about time these fossils be put in the museum where they belongs and the people that actually love this country be allowed to live without prejudice and fear from such bigotted self centered individuals from any party at that. Apologize if a mistake has been made and it may be forgiven if sincere yet recalcitant comebacks and unrepentent behaviours when one is in the wrong does not have any place in civil society.

Happy 51st Birthday Malaysia - Merdeka

2008-08-31T22:08:00.003+08:00

Sometimes we forget easily, we are so focus of what divides us that we do not see what unites us even if it right in front of us. If we were to look for the true Malaysia, just look forward and see these people. It is not the VIPs sitting on their cozy dais for an hour, it is these people, ordinary Malaysian youths that has spent the better part of the last week practicing, be it rain or shine, in perfecting this unison of syncronised display that truly shows who we are. No talk of race, no talk of religion, no talk of division, just young people intermingling and working together to pull something this spectacular off. It is no easy work, but to see them there smiling and enjoying themselves should leave all of us in a bit of shame, we talk of unity, we talk of equality, we talk of fairness of leveling the field. Yet we should ask out leaders, the come to the front of these kids and tell them that they, as Malaysians have a share in building up the future, a future for all regardless of race, religion and ideology. If they can do that, then can we only say we are truly MERDEKA. Independence day is a day to reflect, of past sacrifices, of compromises and also a look into the future, where we want to be, where we are headed, what future lies for us all as Malaysians. Malaysians, now thats a word we ought to be saying more, and less of Malay, Chinese, Indians, Kadazan, Murut, Bidayuh, Bajau, Nyonya, Singh, orang asli, etc. Malaysians, it is a beautiful word and one we should strive to realise. So Malaysia happy 51st birthday and hopefully by the next year we can truly be proud with our heads held high and say it with pride.

Hail to Anwar - The Winner by Far

2008-08-26T21:23:00.002+08:00

It's might not be a surprise to many that this man is now a Parliamentarian, winning comfortably with a 17,00 plus majority over the BN's candidate (who's his name again?). It was more a proxy war between Anwar, Najib and the son in law-who aspire to be when he's not, in what is a succession struggle more than anything else with Pak Lah keeping to the sides and popping into LRT's to hear the people's woes on public transport (been there done that still as bad). WE live in interesting time, as this by election heralds bigger implication on the national level. Will Anwar pull a sleight of hand and get his 30 crossover defectors? Will the economy react to this new turn of event of uncertainty in who's really running the show in the Country? Will the Pakatan last or will it crumble over its own weight of high personality clash between the orthodox ulama party of PAS, the Malaysia Malaysian party of DAP and the middling influence of Anwar's own PKR. For now Malaysians might give a sigh in relief as all the doubt as to what Anwar's fate will be has finally been decided democratically. Let us all continu watching the show we all call 'Who wants to be become prime minister'?. Surely it will be more gripping than an Obama and McCaine clash.

Mamma Mia!

2008-08-23T08:22:00.002+08:00

Another musical starring an all star casts?! Can you shout out Moulin Rouge and Chicago? Anyway I am a fan of musicals and if Pierce Brosnan I know someone who's dying to see the movie with me. Since Nuffnang is so kindly giving away free tickets to the first 215 Gliteratti members I'm game. Music from ABBA, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan what more reason can I say but to watch it. Show me the tickets!

Pekeliling flats - A Forgotten Legacy

2008-08-23T01:53:00.001+08:00

One of the blocks of the Pekeliling flats.

Old places have long memories. That phrase rings true whenever you think of the Pekeliling Flats. Abandoned due to a decision to redevelop the Tunku Abdul Rahman Housing Projects (as its more formally known), which is one of the earliest public housing projects in Malaysia after independence, the place is now a hollow shell of its former self as the development stalled to a halt post 1997. Drive past Jalan Pahang near the Pekeliling roundabout and the KL General Hospital and you can't miss it. A few of the blocks had already been demolished but those near the Police quarters are still standing with a few blocks still occupied.

Yet the place is surprisingly haunting as you walk past it, it seems to glare at you and challenge you to enter it and at times I confess that I do get the creepy feeling when I was there. My friend Visithra who accompanied me actually mentioned that she heard voices coming from the vacant elevator shaft and felt cold chills at certain stretches of the blocks where sudden temperature changes can be felt. Yet the more common dancer would be from the broken debris littering the floor and the presence of drug addicts which loiter around for their fix.

17 storeys upwards is a long way.

The place used to house thousands of living, breathing people and their absence is felt throughly though remnants of their past are everywhere to be found. Entering each room makes you feel like an archaeologist sieving through the rubble of the past to form a story of each of the occupant's life and times. Enter one and you find discarded toys and a graffiti of a list of football member's names. Next door is a doorway hung with mango leaves and leftovers of earthen pots belonging to an Indian family. Walk downwards and you see Koranic verses stuck to the walls and you know a Muslim stayed and prayed here previously. Downwards a discarded Christmas tree speaks volumes of past jolly celebrations.

A kitten makes it home on a discarded mattress.

The place wasn't totally devoid of life. Where humans had left a void, life will come back to fill the place as we found a litter of kitten makes their home amidst the rooms, a pack of dogs somehow running about the 10th floor as if its their territory now and a lone plant stalk somehow blooming amidst the crack of a concrete steps shows how life can flourish in the harshest conditions. Yet death is also present as a skeleton of a cat shows that life is harsh. The Pekeliling flats may not be your typical tourist spot but it is part of KL's identity and past and to many of the previous inhabitants it was home and had been for a large part of their life. They shared their joy together, their sadness, their fears and their hopes. All these now echoes in the empty halls as the flat awaits its fate, one which doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. If you there make a trip there at least once, go in a group and alert others that you'll be there in case of anything.

24, enough said.

Who is Kumar? a questioned that may never be answered.

It so easy to imagine a family sitting on this sofa and watching the television, now it lies empty and vacant as most of the other rooms are.

A hoard of shoes tells of a large family of school going kids.

Death stalks the living here.

A makeshift conference setting, but for whom?

A sad end for a soft toy.

Warning signs at the lobby.

Pasir Penambang - A Fishing Village

2008-08-23T00:33:00.000+08:00

A group of kids entertaining themselves at the village jetty stop to give a smile and pose to tourists.

There is a small town, a fishing village that lies nestled next to the Sungai Selangor where the fireflies light up the dreary nights, where fishing boats cast out early to try their luck with the day's catch and hope to bring in a good load by the end of the day, where the paddy grows green as emeralds and golden when near harvest time and where time sometimes feel as if it never ticked a second towards the present.

Pasar Penambang lies off the Kuala Selangor road towards Sekinchan and here is one of the main centers for seafood products in Selangor for those city slickers that never does set eyes upon the ocean (I do miss living near to the coast). If you're down visiting Bukit Melawati for its famed fort and every so friendly monkeys, do give a thought to stop by here. Framed by a one street row of double storey wooden houses where the lower floors sell everything from dried shrimp to live deep sea fishes you are sure you're getting a good deal here with the wide range of products.

The work table of the seafood shop reveals much of the store owner's business know how, many small shops operate here usually family business where every single member pitch in to help.

Most people would also know that Pasir Penambang or more synonymous to Kuala Selangor is a great cheap place for seafood. We had 20 of us gathered for our Flickr trip and we were at the local seafood restaurant (there are a few there and all can be assured to be as good) ordering perhaps 7 dishes consisting of steam fish, fried sotongs, crispy lemon chicken, seafood tom yam, two kind of crabs, kangkung masak belacan and drinks all around and at the end the bill came to about RM140 which to me was a bargain for the amount we had. The food was delicious and the price light on the pocket. Before we headed back we were sure to bring back some dried keropok to fry, dried shrimps which makes good aroma enhancers for any dishes, ikan bilis, some fish snacks and even a salted fish.

The store owner comes to greet prospective customers, offering advice on how to choose good products and even haggling away if you feel like it though prices are reasonable enough.

If the town is an attraction, walk a few meters down and you'll hit the village. Built on stilts like most other coastal villages, Pasir Penambang is an all wooden construct characterised by narrow walkways which allows bicycles and motorbikes to pass and nothing else. The houses are open fronted and connected by the walkways, looking over the edge you can see the sea at your footsteps and if you dare go waddle in the mud. A friend of mine dropped something of his onto the mudflat and the ensuing trudge through the goo was a sight not to be missed, especially the expression on his face.

The Chinese character of the village is unmistakable, as you stumble onto a small temple adjacent to a house with incense burning offerings to the various deities especially to those most affiliated with the sea to ensure better catches and safe voyages. The people here are quite friendly and casual, most stopped to talk to us and give us their best smiles. We entered into a keropok making factory and the entire family clan was busy preparing and packing the crispy chips into plastic packings for sale from the youngest kid to the patriarch of the family who sat like a king in his chair overseeing the enterprise as his wife busily handles the accounts while the grandma was preparing the evening meals, all this taking place within the same room which was part business, part home and part living area.

The double storey wooden shophouses that line Pasir Penambang's main street.

If you're there you have to take the opportunity to visit the other nearby attractions. As mentioned, the paddy fields near Sekinchan are a sight to behold but be sure of the season lest you end up in empty fields after harvest time just like us. You can make a trip to Kota Melawati where you can walk amidst the old sultanate fortress and feed the friendly silver backed macaques of which the young ones spot a brilliant golden fur. A bit farther down river you can take a river cruise at Kg Kuantan to watch the fireflies.

A man looks to the river and tries to figure if he could get some fish for himself today.

A friend decided to model at the village.

No 2-25, a humble enough abode in a fishing village.

A chinese prayer altar says much about the occupants here, most of whom are Chinese though other races also live side by side.

The wooden walkways of the village connects individual houses which are built on stilts over the water's edge.

A reflection shot of the clear sky and village houses.

An occupant carrying goods back to his house.

Look closely to find this wind mobile near the village jetty.

The evening sun casts some pretty long shadow which can be loads of fun for shadow shots.

Two mode of transports, both time tested and works.

An old lady rests outside a friend's house to have a chat in between work and chores.

Burnt incense at a chinese altar.

These kids were playing with their puppies, too cute.

Every friendly and shy all at the same time, priceless.

The narrow lanes often means the best mode of transport is the trusty bicycle which most folks here own.

A Moment of Peace

2008-08-19T22:40:00.000+08:00

All I need is a moment of Peace. Been busy lately haven't been shooting wish it was not so. Aaarrggghhh I need a holiday.

Goodbye Avril We Will Miss Seeing You.

2008-08-19T22:18:00.003+08:00

In a move to pander to a small minority of ultras in our nation, the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage has decided to disallow the Avril Lavigne concert to be held in Malaysia citing reasons like 'it is not our culture', 'too sexy' and 'tainting our independence'. I as a citizen and an avid arts, culture and heritage lover am just taken aback that after 51 years of independence that a decision such as this can be given to justify a cancelation of one of the more decent artiste and a damn good one at her profession at that (We love you Avril, please don't mind the knuckle heads manning the government at the moment). It seems once again we will lose out to the likes of Singapore in hosting international artists and be stuck in the barren desert landscape of culture. I'm miffed and rightly so, we says we have to abide by the decision of suited politicians sitting on their ass up in the ministry to tell us what is and what is not suitable for our culture. Culture is ever evolving, it is the sum of the human experience, static and malleable and changing with the time. As a global nation we have to allow absorption of global culture, in Japan punk, rock, goth and extreme fashion including cosplay, doujinshi and anime otaku fandom is the norm and these are not native to their culture yet it resides comfortably alongside Japan's older culture without any clashes of culture. Malaysia must learn to accept that times have change and we are as diverse as the cumulative global culture since the dawn of time. WE don't want ulamas telling us what is right or wrong, we have a brain to decide, for those that disagree, go stay home and let us enjoy the show. You have a choice and you have voice your disinterest, I am here to voice out taht I disagree with you all and the Ministry's decision and that's my perogatative and choice. If we want to ghance things, maybe its times we take the bull by the balls and let our voice be heard. I'm sending an email to the ministry and though I knwo it may not change a thing and may not even be read, I hope others will go ahead as well and follow suit and let them see how many people really want the concert to go on. Their web feedback address is HERE. If thousand of mail is sent I believe that they can't not take notice of the ground level dissatisfaction.

You and Me

2008-08-09T22:00:00.004+08:00

Tell me if this isn't one of the best songs you've heard with a fusion of Western and Eastern artists with a universal message of friendship. You and Me by Sarah Brightman and Liu Huang during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

China Olympics - China's Welcoming Party into the World

2008-08-09T08:13:00.003+08:00

The Olympics Opening was in a word breathtaking to say the least. The greatly choreographed showcases and beautiful venue was surely a sight to be seen. Even with all the issues and problems especially with the protests and condemnation during the torch relay run worldwide it was a great finishing for its last leg here at the Bird's Nest Stadium last night. In a sense this is the opening party for China itself as it steps into the world stage as a main player and there was no greater show of strength, ability and capability of this Communist State then what occurred in the Capital in Beijing.

From the dance forms and cultural display highlighting China's contribution to the world for such inventions as paper, the compass, gunpowder and the written official examination it blends the old and the new, history and present to reveal what China truly is. And seeing Sarah Brightman singing in Chinese for the official opening theme song was truly a sight to behold. Even as we are no longer nationals of China as a Chinese it truly feels that emotional on a lot of levels to see the display being played out and China being in the eye of the World.

Many have often slammed China for its human right's problem but they should take a look at themselves first and I'm sure no country has ever escaped from social upheaval and social inequality before and China with its vast land area, diverse population and far flung states should be given a handshake for how it manages to keep its population intact while achieving such stellar development to become a nation that looks set to take the USA's place in terms of economic might. The US has centuries of oppression and social problems and I'm sure its no easy task to balance this in China which might even be unavoidable.

PAS Youth Should Just Shut Up and S***W Themselves

2008-08-09T07:51:00.002+08:00

PAS Youth's vehement and thoughtless hankering on trying to ban any shows and entertainment in the Country is not only perplexing but counterproductive. After the debacle with Inul's concert they are now demanding the banning of Avril Lavigne's show in Malaysia. It is not easy finding and organising international artists to Malaysia and most often they end up in Singapore instead which is a great loss to fans in Malaysia and the opportunity loss in terms of earnings to the country. The reason that was given that it insults our freedom fighters is utterly incomprehensible, didn't our soldiers sacrifice themselves to give us freedom which also freedom of choice. An artist singing doesn't tarnish our Merdeka nor does it insult anybody well maybe PAS.

The last time I heard a party asking people to just focus on patriotic concerts was when the Chinese Communist ban all artforms and only allowed the staging of State sanctioned opera which promotes the Motherland. It spelled the death of choice and the decline of the arts. Maybe PAS should study back their history and not just spout out their nonsense whenever they feel like it. At this rate Malaysia will be an entertainment desert that all international artists will bypass us in favour of more liberal and open minded countries aka Singapore. If PAS wants to sit in their segregated stadiums and listen to nasyid and prayers please go ahead but don't force your bull shit ideology on a multicultural society with the ability to think for themselves and to choose what's best for themselves and not let some mindless self appointed custodian of values to dominate us.

I'm a fan of Avril Lavigne and it does not have to do with her punk and rock background, in actual fact she is an even more decent artist in respect to so many Hollywood and American singers. I loved her album when it first appeared with songs such as Skat8er Boy, Complicated, etc. PAS should be more open minded and such archaic thoughts and beliefs is not welcomed here in Selangor so you can all go Fug yourselves please.

Spirit of Flame

2008-07-29T07:52:00.003+08:00

A performer spitting a gout of flame into the night.

Fire invokes a primeval feeling in all of us, its usefulness has led mankind to become the dominant species gifting us with the ability to cook, obtain warmth, hunt, illuminate and more. Even so fire remains much a force that can at the same time overwhelm us turning into an uncontrollable inferno that burns anything and everything in its path with scant disregard for any masters more so us. It is a sight to see a person handle the hot flames, bringing it inches to their expose skin, smothering it with their bare mouth and spitting a gout of flame into the night eyes. Yes fire eaters fascinates us by using this primal force for our entertainment.

A dangerous dance of fire.

There is beauty and danger at the same time in such an act.

Respecting the flame is crucial as you never know how it will act, a fickle medium.

Quite a way to quench your hunger in partaking this fiery meal.

You can see that he is enjoying himself immensely.

Too close for comfort if you ask me.

Cheers erupt as the flames spews forth, the heat keenly felt even as we were a distance away what more for the person doing the act.

Urban Scapes

2008-07-23T22:33:00.003+08:00

I had this set of photos featured during the Flickr second anniversary gathering but never did post them up in the blog. Just a theme on urbanscape called fragments.

Malaysia - The New Villages

2008-07-22T23:56:00.005+08:00

If you take a look around and closely scrutinise your surrounding you are sure to find great places where you were never aware. I've always been fascinated with the new villages which according to your history books came about during the Communist insurrection as a result of the Brigg's plan to relocate far flung settlements into a centralised area to prevent smuggling of aid and food to communists. Largely these new villages were predominately Chinese in nature and today there are still countless of these villages in existence most often haphazard wooden housings with community centers and commercial activities to sustain them. The luckier ones have been given their land titles and thus secure against any eviction or urban renewal, those not so fortunate often find themselves living in limbo, wondering if the years they have settled can be swept away in an instant if the government so wishes it.

I found myself one morning walking the streets of one such village, Salak South, a collection of wooden houses, modern brick bungalows, shoplots, makeshift factories and temples located along the hills and surrounded on all sides by the modern city. So much so it looks like a little oasis cut off from much of the development surrounding it. It is fascinating to watch the individual houses as each is different fro m its neighbour so unlike most of the modern housing estates . Walking by you can observe old uncles sitting by the roadside coffeeshop sipping black tea from chipped cups and saucers as they exchange in a lively debate on everything from the weather to local politics. Elsewhere you find a blue Moris Minor being put up for sale, proclaimed with the price written on its windscreen yet it looks as if no takers have been inquiring from the weeds that have grown around it. Down the road, school children in similar blue and white uniforms rush to make it before the school bell rings, old ladies with goods laden behind their bicycles heading to the market, a salvage shop noisily dismantling a wrecked car for scrap metal, a priest coming out to make the morning offerings off joss sticks, old grandmas sitting out in the porch watching strangers go by, men in suits and ties going into their Mercedes Benz while driving out from their wooden kampung house, and many more unique sights can be found.

The next time you pass a New Village take some time to soak in the atmosphere and see for yourself. Written for The Malaysia Pages.

Cakes, Pastry and Bread - Malaysian International Baking Competition

2008-07-22T23:14:00.002+08:00

Ever hear the expression that something looks too good to eat? Well the entries at the Malaysian International Baking Competition fits the bill. Each pastry was so delicate and masterly done that they look ever so delectable. It was all I could do to hold my saliva in and willpower not to sneakily snatch one and eat it before someone caught me.

A Morning in Serdang

2008-07-22T06:23:00.004+08:00

The lone tree which Viz informs me is the exact tree featured in the NTV7 screen caught in the early morning.

Viz has always said that her little space in Serdang is heaven on earth with everything readily available and thus the reason she stayed there most of her life. She told me of the time she went out to this little spot of hers to catch some very stunning sunrise and so I just had to see for myself. The place was none other than the agriculture fields of UPM characterised by endless rolling fields and hills with cattle grazing lazily in the distance. That morning didn't yield much of a sunrise but it didn't mean that the place was not worth visiting. The place feels out of place from the hustle and bustle of the nearby city life, it was so quiet and tranquil that you would think you're somewhere else rather than in Selangor.

Green fields encompass much of the area with cows lazing in the distance in the morning cooleness.

Morning mist shroud much of the landscape bringing about a sense of peace and tranquility which seems out of place just 10 minutes out of bustling KL.

A couple of shots of the weeds amidst the green background of the UPM fields.

It was a bit frustrating to capture the blue sky as the sky was downcast and thus usually yield an overblown sky or underexposed foreground. Solved the problem when I chanced upon this reflection amidst the reeds in the pond.

Morning dew collects amidst the grass.

Posing with some reeds.

A shot of Viz's car in the morning sunlight.

Old Friends Old Times

2008-07-20T08:09:00.003+08:00

Good friendships are like old wine, the longer you keep and store them they don't age but mature, growing sweeter and vintaged as time goes by. It's been such a long time since I get to see the old form 6 gang, the last time was about a year and a half ago when we all gathered in town over Kenny Rogers, ice cream and shared memories. When Kwang Meng mentioned that he was coming in town after he finished his clinical and Lay Cheng was here as well. Too bad when we tried to get Thiagu he was flying off to Australia on Sat. Anan was still missing and Chin Ching is still in Penang. Me and T'san we are the few people still practically in KL had no problems meeting them at Midvalley save for the stupid police roadblocks due to the Parliment RIOT which never materialised. Overall it was fun, Kwang Meng's brother came as well though he was a bit quiet and we managed to talked on the old times, the current times and the future. Here's to another meeting which should not wait another year or more!

My First Published Work - Tattoo Arte Magazine

2008-07-12T12:05:00.004+08:00

It's always glad to see something you wrote and photographed published. In the past I had a few write ins to the Star but this is the first that I've had a full article spread and photos published. It was a nice surprise when Cordelia who is an editor of the Spanish magazine Tattoo Arte contacted me after seeing the shots posted on Flickr and asked if I wanted to contribute to the magazine. At first I thought it was a bit unconventional since the magazine is mainly writing on body art such as tattoos and body piercing of which she wants me to contribute a writeup on the Thaipusam Festival that I went for with the KLFlickr group. But after a few correspondence with her and being explained the reason I readily agreed to it. Its quite a gesture since many people in Flicker has complained when finding out that unscrupulous magazines has taken their images without permission, acknowledgment and compensation which tantamount to stealing.

What Cordelia was looking for was a more local feel and understanding of the Hindu ritual as opposed to a previous interview with a foreign participant of the event in Europe. It was felt that the ritual minus the religious context and meaning to it was unbalanced and wanted my article to give a different perspective to it. After a couple of drafts of which I've to give a great thanks to the ever helpful Visithra for the editing and correction of the text, I was given notice that the board of editors were accepting the article and duly it was printed in the July Edition. Cordelia was even great enough to send me a copy, thank God the customs people didn't confiscate it as some of the content might be judged inappropriate for Malaysians.

So thanks everyone who helped me in this publications, I still wish to continue to publish if possible. Below is the entire text of the article so enjoy.

Thaipusam is a significant religious festival among the Indian community in Malaysia. Though there are other famous venues around Malaysia such as the temples in Selangor, Melaka, Penang and Johor, none comes close to the grandeur and scale achieved at Batu Caves, where thousands of devotees rub shoulders with sightseers, visitors and the curious. In multicultural Malaysia, other races join in the festival as well, some personally as part of the ritual, others bearing witness.

The trials for the devotee often begin long before the actual festival date. Those taking part undergo a strict one-month regime of fasting (often a vegetarian diet and exclusion of alcohol and abstinence of sex), songs (bhajan) and prayers to prepare them mentally and spiritually for the task. Bearing the kavadi, often a large structure made of metal frames, decorations, idols and hooks, is never a solo venture; many kavadi bearers find strength and companionship going through the rituals together, supported by their family and friends.

On the day itself, the devotee and the prepared kavadi, which is often constructed by the devotee and stored at a local temple, find themselves among their brethren at the Batu Caves. The bathing ritual is an important step to cleanse the body while symbolically cleansing the soul and spirit, and often takes place at a nearby river in which they immerse themselves for the ritual dip. Some also opt to be shaven clean, a service offered by street barbers. This done, the next step are prayers, carried out by a Hindu priest who sets up offerings of fruits, incense and spices. It is a very emotional and electrifying moment. People around work themselves up to a kind of frenzy and even observers keenly feel the energy and vibrancy all around.

Some witnesses are even caught up in the moment and enter trances. Often they are left in their frenzied state, possessed by one of the multitude of deities, which dictates the behavior of the possessed. The priest will often break the trance through the application of holy ash. The ritual is an emotional moment, many carry out this act of extreme faith to make amends for wrongdoings in the past, others as a gift of thanks for blessings in their life, and some come to honor the lost memories. Tears flow freely as a son hugs his mother and asks for forgiveness while a father touches the head of his son and offer a prayer of blessing.

The moment comes and the devotee sits on his bench and the screws are fastened on the harness. The kavadis are huge structures, often dwarfing the person carrying them by half his height and they can weigh as much a ton. Yet the physical burden is lighter then the spiritual one. Though the most common kavadis are the tall altar structures strapped to the backs of devotees, other extreme forms include piercing of hooks to bare backs as well as milder shoulder borne small wooden framed kavadis.

The priest comes with his plate of ash called vibuthi, and with a prayer, the calm expression of the devotee changes to one of built up energy and vigor. Some shout out, others must be held down by their entourage. In the trance state, the helpers begin to fasten the hooks onto the body, finishing off with skewering the cheek or tongue with tiny spear which symbolizes the vel. They feel neither pain nor burden, and amazingly no blood is shed. This is just the beginning, the devotee then makes his way along the crowded streets where other kavadi bearers follow and then faces a 272 step climb up the mountain to reach the temple. It’s slow and arduous and pit stops are common. Again, the ritual is not a solo event, musicians bearing traditional instruments like the urumi melam (drum), cymbals, nadhaswaram (wind instrument) and thavil (drum); play haunting tunes while others shout out ‘vel vel’ to encourage the kavadi bearer.

There lies the heart and soul of the ritual, it isn’t about the piercing or the trials; clearly evident to observers it is about the bonds of family and friendship. It is a time of self-reflection and of strengthening of one’s faith. A good friend of mine, Visithra, accompanying her friend in his walk was exhausted from helping to support the kavadi and sat by the side. As she felt weak and tired she chanted:

Thirumaal maruga vinao theertaruval,

varuvai umaiyal maganeh vahruvai ...

muruga muruga vadivel azhaga

varuvai varuvai arulvai kumara … muruga muruga…

(oh holy one will you not release me of my burden, oh son of umaiyal won’t you come,
muruga the handsome one, please come and bless me … muruga muruga)

These simple words, a prayer to lord Muruga, lent her the strength to rise up and move on, manifesting the power of faith and belief.

The journey ends at the temple in the caves as the barbs and skewers are removed, again without physical pain or blood to harm the devotee. Another friend helping to carry the kavadi down marvels at its weight and wonders how the bearer did it.

It is a surprise to find that there is so much interest generated outside Asia on Thaipusam. From the interviews in the magazine and personal accounts of those participating in it I feel that the ritual of bearing the kavadi, practiced without its religious context, especially in its aim of thanksgiving and penance, subtracts from the real meaning of why devotees carry out such an arduous ritual. In short, the rite of Thaipusam alone is without any true value unless it is carried out true to its original intention, which is part religious, part human values, part testing your own physical limits and part mental and spiritual cleansing. Without these components, I believe that the act of putting on kavadi is no different as with other body piercing art forms such as suspension in the air by hooks. It still demands physical and mental strength as well as challenges the limits of the human body, but it is just not the same on many levels.

As an observer, it was a great opportunity to observe up close and be caught up in the electrifying atmosphere. It helped that I accompanied friends who themselves were taking part in the kavadi and they deepened my understanding and appreciation of the ritual. Eventhough I was not participating, the raw emotions and feelings emitted by those who did were infectious and bewildering. Nothing stayed static and it felt like I was in constant motion and swept along by something larger than life. For foreigners watching the festival it is clear to see that those not accustomed to seeing such scenes were a bit squeamish, or worse, in disbelief or put off. If they did not think to delve deeper into the meaning of the festival and not just the physical ordeal, they may have left with the wrong impression and failed to grasp the real essence of Thaipusam.

Sadly, it seems that this year’s kavadi was caught up in the grasp of politics with the recent ‘Makkal Sakti’ (People’s Power) movement in Malaysia. Compared to the first kavadi procession I attended in 2007, which gathered a record number of 1.5 million people at Batu Caves, this years’ festival saw a reduced attendance which to me is a shame. I don’t foresee religious persecution in the country even though Indians are a minority in Malaysia, but people were venting their anger through their boycott of the events at Batu Caves. Yet many rose to the occasion to separate faith and politics and still came to carry out their religious rite. I expect to be there again next year and if you have the chance, come bear witness to this unique and uplifting event in Malaysia.

Portrait Series2: Identity and Shackles

2008-07-11T21:17:00.005+08:00

This is the second series I'm putting up. I wanted to do a social message shot without too much posing or scene staging, so with a white shawl and red scarf I set up to do a photo shot with a strong enough message to project. I've always been an advocate of women speaking out for themselves and the dismantling of a patriarchal dominated society. Often we see women who are too afraid or are unable to speak out for themselves, most often creating shackles for themselves that binds them tighter than any chains and iron could. Most often the greatest lost is the lost of their voices to speak out, their identity of self and the freedom of choice by a self imposed muzzling and bondage. All this I wanted to project with these shots. So again I want to thank Praveen for posing and giving some great ideas, I didn't really had to prod much and she was a natural after I explained the gist of what I wanted.

Portrait Series1: Red Hot

2008-07-07T23:10:00.002+08:00

Red hot lips invite those who dare to claim them, I was shooting Praveen full face when I realised I wanted something more mysterious and it hit me that her lips minus her full feature lends an air of mystery to the portait and this was the result.

This is the first of several series of portraits that was taken with Praveen who volunteered almost too eagerly to pose for the shots. Viz, Praveen and I decided to take a jaunt to Serdang and Seri Kembangan which is Viz's stomping ground to find places to shoot. One of the nice surprises that greeted us was within the UPM grounds located near the lake and exhibition area. With lush trees, jogging grounds and green everywhere it was the perfect place to shoot a model shoot. It was nice to flex my Canon 400D and its sister 50 mm lens to shoot. Lighting was great with gentlt light being filtered through the bough of the tree canopy. With help from the various props from Viz we were going at it for a good 2 hours till my 2G memory card was filled. I never liked model shoot previously but with Praveen being so easy a model by getting the poses right without much direction and even going ahead with some of our suggestions we had a blast. Here is the first part of the portrait series that I'm inaugurating my new camera with.

We went for a gypsyish theme as the red scarf of Viz complement's Praveen features, the see through transparency of the scarf reveals enough to take in someone's attention while not revealing the full picture to entice the viewer even more.

The bokeh effect and colour of the Canon 400D really sent me dancing. The bright redness of the scarf against the cool green of the background was truly heavenly to shoot.

I always wanted a picture where the eyes tell the story and catches attention. I don't have an Afghan girl photo but experimenting with the same theme gave me new insights and appreciation on how to add such elements into portrait shoots for future experiementation.

Roleplaying a theme can sometime give pleasant results. This photo was unintentional but came about as Viz was trying to adjust the scarf. It just hit me that instant that the photo said something to the tune of "I am your master slave, I own you". It gives off force and authority.

And this shot is of the model unmasked still with a scarf tied on she looks like the buccaneer of old or a gypsy queen such as Esmeralda.

A Moment in Tanjung Karang

2008-07-04T08:30:00.000+08:00

Few months back me and the Flickr people went to Tanjung Karang to have a view of the padi fields and to have the excellent seafood spread at Pasir Penambang. Sadly some things didn't come out right. For one the padi fields were just harvested a week before we arrive and instead of sprawling yellow fields of gold we were greeted by vast plains of brown cut hay of which the farmers were busy burning to prepare for the next planting season. Coordinating 5 cars and scores more of people can really be a task, you have to get everyone to follow and most usually don't, there was even an hillarious moment when we took a wrong turn and ended up on a one way kampung dirt track only finding out we had to reverse which was a feat unto itself when you have five cars in a row with little turning radius. But we still had fun, some of our people were good enough to turn model and with her lovely purple baju kurung she looks as one with the surrounding kampung with a scene out of Mukshin itself. It was my first view of the great padi plains and I was quite impressed at the endless acres of flat land which in kl and kuantan wasn't really anything equivalent of it. The sun was hammering on us as best as it could and some of us took refuge in the car with aircond, doesn't help that the fires lit were adding to the heat. As with any kampungs, the local boys came out to see what this bunch of lunatic photographers are up to and oblige shots which they were jostling to get into the frame of everyone they met.

A Not So Brief Moment in My Life

2008-07-04T08:12:00.003+08:00

I've been negligent in posting as usual but due to the nature of work and other commitments I guess my usual compulsion to post one post a day had fled and I'm more relaxed in pacing my posts though not as often as I'd like. To recap some of the major things happening lately I'm going for summaries instead of full blown writings.

1) Joined the first treasure hunt in my life, though Viz, L, Prav and Gaya were giving our utmost best in squeezing our brain centers, none of us having any inkling of how the organisers actually phrase the clues, we all had fun even as we didn't win and more the wiser in our next attempt, hopefully
2) I've got conned into joining California Fitness. The next time a phone call comes to you for a free two week trial as they got your card from a draw stay the way clear, in the end I was suckered in for a year's membership option for personal training and no free two weeks because I signed one. It hasn't been all that bad I finally realise I need to control my health and if I pay its more motivation to utilise it fully without an excuse

3) I've got my new Canon EOS 400D as hinted in previous posts, loving it as well as a new 50mm lens which I've always been slobbering for. Sadly the opportunities to use it has been limited which I'm quite down about, haven't been photographing lately due to lack of opportunity
4) I took a day off from work, the first holiday in a while and went back to Kuantan with L in tow, another first and another milestone, this time her parent's didn't try to kill me off so I think that is a good sign
5) I hosted an Australian at my place for a month, he's here on work related detail at our firm and turns out to be an extremely nice guy even with all my misgivings of having another live in person after living along for so long, more like worried that he can't stand my messy habits
6) Survived a tough major Project review which sapped my time, strength and wits for the entire month of May so I'm quite pleased about it but no time to rest my laurels
7) Finally caught up with my supervisor who finally after god knows how long finished one of my crucial chapters for my master thesis within an hour (can you believe that, he could have done that ages ago with no effort) so hopefully I'll be graduating or the very least pass up my thesis after paying for no reason to the coffers of my stupid university
8) Got an offer to publish an article on Deepavali for a Spanish magazine and took the publishers offer. Hopefully this will be my first printed article and photos though its a bit obscure a source
9) Last month was full of family affairs, a cousin got married, another cousin announced that he'll be marrying by next year, another cousin is slotted to be married by November this year and another cousin just gave birth to her second kid, a girl
10) The company saw the departure of a huge portion of its staff, old and new, and it seems the office dynamics has somewhat changed with all the old hands gone and injection of new people. It's been quite quiet with the departure of an especially boisterous cousin
11) Two friends got into a bit of bad luck, one was hospitalised for denggi fever while holidaying in Perhentian with her boyfriend another saw her car being slammed by a truck and it was a new car, luckily both are fine, thank God
12) I'm dating again and I'm happy to find someone new in my life after the past breakup.

A flurry of Summer Movies?

2008-06-18T19:36:00.004+08:00

"After cleaning up the earth and discovering some robo-steroids, Wall-E can finally be all the robot he can be."

This is for an entry for two special passes to watch Evangelion: 1.0 You are (NOT) Alone. The rest is some fun I drew up in a couple of minutes. Feel free not to laugh if the parodies are too lame.

Announcer: Attention all passengers flying 'Air Apa', flight had been delayed again due to unforseen circumstances. We'll be giving away free coupons for delays amounting to over 3 hours, please have a good day.
Announcer: "ping pong", attention all passengers whoever parked his $#$#% car in the disabled zone, congratulations its been stomped by a giant robot.
PM: My fellow citizens, I had to take the ERL here due to the fuel hike and to show my support to the rakyat (please vote for me again if the Pakatan manages to steal my ministers). We are being invaded by an unkown crazy killer robot that is causing chaos, destruction and mayhem in the capital and no its not those PAS people again protesting everything under the sun. I wish to ask you to remain calm as we have asked some of the most famous summer blockbuster heroes to come to our aid. Let me first introduce this radioactive fellow, Mr Hulk?

Hulk: Me SMASH!
#SPLAT#
PM: Oh nasty green smudge on the robots feet. Eer next lets welcome mr Batty himself.
Batman: No worries I'll sort this out for you good citizens.
No2: Mmm he's in good form gotta find out how much costs he pays for those bat mobiles and other gadgets, maybe we can outfit our military with them things, hopefully he'll offset the costs of our next angkasawan to space.
PM: He's doing fine, look he just threw his batarang but seems like no effect. Mmm maybe we should stick with our scorpion subs and helicopters for now. Ouch he just got whacked, too bad. Next!
No 2: Mmm this big boy seems promising, he's big and mean and look at all that weaponry
PM: No can do la we ban such violent movie characters like then in the past, I still think we should have done more than change Hellboy to Super Sapiens. Cut!
No2: Next one is not too much of a hero but Mr Night
Night: "I see dead people"
PM: Eer ok but there's a giant robot loose can you do something?
Night: I got rid of an alien once by beating it with a bat will that do?
PM: Eer maybe something more than that? If you can't do the job you're out!
Night: This isn't Happening!!!!!
PM: Terrible la this people who's next?
No2: He says he's new but is destined to be the destined one and he'll do his best but suspicious la, he's only wearing an old brief.
Panda: Hi how are you doing? Panda's the name, kung fu's my game whooahhh.
PM: Look out!
"Dosh"
No2: Dang told you we should have passed that endangered species trafficking law now our hero just got bonked and is likely to end up in some back alley shop being served as soup!
PM: Sigh looks like we have to contract it to someone local, is Mr Cicak still in employ
No2: Mmm No la seems he's off promoting his new cicakman 2 movie in Indonesia so no go.
PM: I got an idea, lets just direct him north to the next state and then we can make it a Pakatan problem and let them see how they take care of it.
No 2: Good idea, at least this took people's mind off from the high fuel costs and rising food prices, now got more rebuilding to do and we can award the contract to the cronies so we can plan for the next election.
PM: Agreed, make it so.

*All people, names and places portrayed here are fictacious and are in no relation to anyone living or dead unless you think you have an uncanny resemblence to them

Another Look Back at KLCC

2008-06-13T19:20:00.005+08:00

The pearly white Twin Towers of KLCC.

I've been taking shots of KLCC for a long time and one feature that I've always been unable to really capture was the night scene around the Petronas Twin Towers. Using a Canon Powershot S80 was a great leap in terms of manual control adjustments but there were always limits. Not that I didn't like it, it continued to give me great shots and amazed me at times with the limitations I had to work with. Well here is another relook at the place with new EYES.

An intimate moment lest you find yourself fined RM200 for lewd and indecent behaviour as some had at this same spot, KLCC

Consider how hard it was to get good night shots with a f2.8 point and shoot, it came to great joy that my new toy the task was made much easier. I so love the ability to shoot in ISO 800 and ISO 1600 with hardly a sweat in worrying about noise and camera shake especially with an IS lens. The scene with the first photo of the Twin Towers was taken at a heartbeat. It sure beat the days when I had to steady my camera and with a 1/4 or less shutter speed pray and hoped that the photo didn't shake too much. The downside of the new effortless lens is that the triumph of getting that one shot out of 30 bad ones isn't as rewarding as it used to be. Take case in point with the couple committing khalwat snapping it using from a distance was no sweat at all.

A moment between a father and his son, KLCC

A fun time I had was taking all the impossible low light shots I have never been able to do and it was thrilling. Silhouette, crisp bokeh backgrounds with the 50 mm was so addictive. Plus the sharpness and quality even in the dark is so much to ask for. It must be the best 2k investment I've made in a while.

Harmony speaks if you open your ears and listen, KLCC

The smallest details are revealed where I saw none, I love my 50 mm, KLCC

Clear and crisp, Canon at ISO1600 is a godsend but it leaves a little anticlimax where once I had to shoot 30 shots with a P&S to get a steady shot using ISO200, KLCC

Kid in stroller, KLCC

I've got a Secret to Reveal...

2008-06-09T21:15:00.001+08:00

Noticed anything different in this shot from my previous shots? Three Guesses? Shhhhh.... All will be revealed soon enough. Wait and see. If you're curious visit my Flickr page HERE to get more hints.

Resoluting onwards

2008-06-09T20:20:00.000+08:00

Update on my list of resolutions:

1. ~~Go on a photowalk~~
2. ~~Buy a new DSLR camera~~
3. Go on a holiday excursion for a minimum of 5 days out of Malaysia
4. Get a credit card
5. Earn an income that would make me taxable
6. Get to know 10 new people and end up with a minimum of half a good friends
7. Go out and renew contact with some old friends which I've neglected
8. Find a nice girl that I can share my life with
9. Cook at least 4 home cook meals in a week
10. Buy a business suit and pants, new eye wear and leather shoes
11. Get my photos in a print media
12. Shoot a wedding
13. Shoot a large photo project of my choosing
14. Finish my entire season of Star Trek TNG, CSI, Grey's Anatomy and Anime collection
15. Get laid
16. Ensure that my boss does not scream, throw objects, denigrate, call me stupid, and appreciate me (fat chance)

2 down tons to go

Public Transport? What Public Transport?

2008-06-05T21:20:00.005+08:00

It's time that the government finally put their feet down and get serious about improving public transportation. I used to live in SS5 and didn't own a car but that was fine since all it took was a 50 cents bus ride on the bus to the Taman Bahagia LRT which took 15 minutes and I could be anywhere in KL for a minimum of RM2. Didn't matter that the bus was not always on time, it does come eventually. After moving to Seri Kembangan public transport was simply not an option, I've scoured the entire breath of Jalan Serdang Lama for bus stops and never really found one and the nearest LRT station is at Bukit Jalil and to this day, 2 years of being here I still cannot work out how to use the public transport to get to town. It's even more mind boggling to figure out how to get public transport from here to my work place in Desa Petaling it simply isn't possible.

Now here comes the pinch, without my own car I would not be able to get anywhere in KL. What is wrong with this picture? A fact that all of us know well enough, there is not a reliable public transport network in KL or for the entire country for that matter. With a fuel hike it is easy for the government to say take public transport, change your lifestyle or even tighten your belt and forsake luxury. Driving is no longer a luxury, its a necessity. The reality is that even if we opt to take public transport the infrastructure is not there. I've heard that the new expansion for the LRT line will cover Subang and Damansara all the way to Cheras and the city center. What I'm asking, if my assemblyman is listening, what about us in Seri Kembangan, Serdang and the other areas outlying here? I can understand the maths that they'd like the biggest catchment of commuters but most people in Damansara which is an upscale area would most likely have their own transport while us in the outskirts are without options. I hope to see that the saving we have in sacrificing for a higher petrol price and inflationary increases be justified and translated into more money puring in to improve the transport sector.

PPS Turns 5

2008-06-05T07:44:00.000+08:00

5 years is a long time in the blogging world and its an achievement of sort. PPS set out to become what it was meant to be, a Malaysian blog tal that seeks to allow bloggers to publicise and showcase their content to other like-minded bloggers. I remember well when I first started blogging and got to know of PPS, it helped me built up my traffic and at the same time allowed me a window into what others were saying around the country. It was a privilege to also find kindred souls and good friends in the blogosphere and it was thanks to PPS. PPS hosts all kinds and it had its lows and ups but since its still here and kicking, it is only fitting that everyone who has ever taken part in it to give thanks for its existence as well as to those who went about making it happen.

A Painful but Necessary Evil

2008-06-05T01:33:00.003+08:00

Oil has always been a decreasing commodity and the recent rise in global crude prices which passed to USD120 per barrel and not stopping in its upward hike is a potent sign of change. The realities of increasing fuel prices must have been evident to everyone here in Malaysia that the sweet days of cheap fuel will one day end. It was just that no one thought it'd end so soon and hike so high as it did midnight today. I believe everyone knows that subsidies cannot last forever but still it is a shock, especially since for one public transport in Malaysia is a farce, two there is no alternative transportation mechnaism besides private transport to get from point A to point B and three oil prices are the backbone for any further increase in the cost of living while wages are not increasing in tandem with inflation. Other countries are still paying much more than us but this may soon change as well. People out there must be mad, worried and fearful what it means as a oil price increase will affect every economic pricing in our daily lives. It seems that our friendly neighbourhood 'economy rice' stalls would soon see a change in signage to 'Non-Economical Rice' in the near future. If you noticed the jams tonight from the long queues of vehicles hoping to taste the sweet low fuel prices for the last time, you can expect that the effects are acute.

It is a double edge sword, a decrease in subsidies means savings in the form of government spending of tax payer's money for other purpose say education, job creation and health care but at the same time, a sudden hike and shock in increase pricing would mean hard times for the lower and middle income groups. The increase in prices should also mean a higher priority and impetus to ask for change, especially with savings in subsidy payments, to public transport, alternative energy sources and a change in the mindset and lifestyle of most people. It is a painful event, one not solely blamed onto the present government but I don't envy them making this decision as there will surely be a political outfall, for better or worse, as the rakyat vent their frustrations and anger. It is hard enough already to be asked to tighten our belts further and it does not look to be getting better in the long run. It will be worrisome if an economic slowdown occurs as prices rice and the cost of daily necessities escalates. We should be weaned off subsidies but that doesn't mean it does not smarts. Today I will wake to the reality of a RM2.70 per liter pump.

Once

2008-05-31T23:30:00.002+08:00

I've always been a fan of independent and international films as I believe that much of what we perceive to be 'movies' are dictated by Hollywood, not thats its bad (heck I've been delightfully entertained this summer by Ironman, Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and looking forward to Hellboy II, The Dark Night and Wall-E) but there is a lack of truly inspirational moments and films lately, either its a rehash of some similar theme or its just a run of the mill film that is good in its own right but there are tons of them out there.

T got two free tickets to watch any film and since most of the blockbusters have already been covered we decided to catch 'once' not really expecting anything but ended up quite piqued and loving it. An ordinary love story of two people connected by music set in Ireland which outshines its humble and down to earth storyline. Its no big budget Hollywood love story, come to think of it, it isn't abash to show the imperfection of everyday life, of the conditions that many people actually strive through daily life such as earning their living day by day, never knowing if tomorrow will bring anything to the dinner table, of love being messy and never straightforward but most importantly it believably to a fault that pulls you into the movie and loving the rough edge characters in the movies from the guitar busking hoover fixing guy to the single parent rose selling and house cleaning lady.

The best of it all, was the music, some might say its a movie built around the music but I feel that it integrates well without being made to be forced. Its not outlandish as Moulin Rouge or Chicago but it has charm to get by. I particularly love the song 'Falling Down'. The lyrics are as such:

I don't know you
but I want you
all the more for that
words fall through me
and always fool me
and I can't react

games that never amount
to more than they're meant
will play themselves out

take this sinking boat
and point it home
we've still got time
raise your hopeful voice
you had the choice
you've made it now

falling slowly
eyes that know me
and I can't go back
wounds that take me
and erase me
and I'm painted black

well you have suffered enough
and warred with yourself
it's time that you've won

take this sinking boat
and point it home
we've still got time
raise your hopeful voice
you had the choice
you've made it now

take this sinking boat
and point it home
we've still got time
raise your hopeful voice
you had the choice
you've made it now

falling slowly
sing your melody
I'll sing it loud
loud

Its ending its run at GSC so anyone want to catch a lovely romantic movie do catch it but it may not be for everyone as the pace is quite slow and if you are expecting a happy ever after ending you're better off watching Made of Honour instead.

Happy Wesak

2008-05-19T21:48:00.008+08:00

Today is Wesak, a happy celebrations to all Malaysians. May the true meaning of this year's theme “Creating a Harmonious Society with Compassion and Equality” ring true and clear to all. Though I missed this year's celebrations here are some photos of previous Wesak celebrations at the LINK.

A temple volunteer helping in topping up the oil lamps donated by devotees.

Saying a prayer.

The flame burns bright to light the path towards enlightenment and compassion.

Drummers walking about the temple compound.

Folding a lotus blossom.

A laugh from a little girl.

Volunteers manning the charity booth selling candles.

The Passage of Time

2008-05-15T01:51:00.002+08:00

Time slows down when your bored out of your mind and have nothing to do and flys by when a dateline looms near and you have a million things to do.

Heaven or Hell?

2008-05-01T01:36:00.002+08:00

One of the greatest gifts (or curse depending) for humans is the ability of choice. Do we choose our own heaven or hell? On a better note I finally managed to pull some semblance of myself together and now am up and running again.

Here and There Again

2008-04-24T22:27:00.002+08:00

Living out of a suitcase and in hotels isn't all its cut out to be and truly now I understand how it feels to be 'Home' after a long period away. Well I've more or less managed to shake away my depressing mood, maybe its the fact that there's so much work ahead to do that I had to get my act together lest I fall back and also a busy mind does help in making you forget about some of your problems. Now I understand what it really is like to suffer a bout of depression and it wasn't pleasant. Usually after a discouraging day sleeping it off would work and the next day I'm springing away again as usual. This time it took nearly 3 weeks of constantly battling to keep my spirits up and find a reason to be happy. Thank God that passed. I'm just afraid that it will come back again suddenly and hit me when I least expect it again.

Well I'm off again it seems, northwards again tomorrow to Sungai Petani and the following week for a dive in Pulau Redang. I'm still hoping for a few work free days at home to just rest and relax without having to think of anything, keeping fingers cross. On a smaller note, it seems I'll be sharing my space with a counterpart of my boss for the next month, hopefully it'll be amicable.

Goals to Aim for in 2008

2008-04-20T12:06:00.002+08:00

People usually posts resolutions during the New Year but due to the recent slump and to stop being a whiner that sits and rot I'm going to set up some short term goals and long term goals for 2008 and hopefully motivate me to finally settle some things that have been keeping me back. In no order of importance:

1. Go on a photowalk
2. Buy a new DSLR camera
3. Go on a holiday excursion for a minimum of 5 days out of Malaysia
4. Get a credit card
5. Earn an income that would make me taxable
6. Get to know 10 new people and end up with a minimum of half a good friends
7. Go out and renew contact with some old friends which I've neglected
8. Find a nice girl that I can share my life with
9. Cook at least 4 home cook meals in a week
10. Buy a business suit and pants, new eye wear and leather shoes
11. Get my photos in a print media
12. Shoot a wedding
13. Shoot a large photo project of my choosing
14. Finish my entire season of Star Trek TNG, CSI, Grey's Anatomy and Anime collection
15. Get laid
16. Ensure that my boss does not scream, throw objects, denigrate, call me stupid, and appreciate me (fat chance)

Friendship and the Important Things In Life

2008-04-20T10:54:00.002+08:00

I've been watching Sketchbook ~ Full Color's and it got me thinking when I finished with the last episode. Besides its great cast of voice actors and actresses, the water colour scenery is great as well as the slow unhurried pace of its story about a group of art class students living their daily lives in high school. A scene describing the art class having a sakura viewing picnic showed how much it means to have friendships, even if those around you are quarky or have their own foibles. Seeing a late blooming sakura trees when the trees around are near full bloom, everyone set out to help it bloom as well going to the extent of hugging it to give it that extra warmth and doing things like cheering from its branches. To normal people this may seem as pointless as pressing the lift button in the hopes of making it reach faster but you cannot dismiss their exuberance and general faith that the support they gave will bring about a change.

The comparison with Sora is that she lives life at her own pace and instead of being viewed as slow or holding others back, her friends were beside her all the way supporting and lifting her up. As she said no matter how slow the sakura tree blooms, in the end they bloom. It's a great message on the importance of friendship and accepting people as well as doing what you like best in life without the worry and stigma of being judged by others. Something that seems lacking in this world of ours but life cannot always imitate the perfectly scripted world of the anime, right?

Yet I find that sometimes this slice of life scenarios can be found here and now even. Even with all the negativity we hear about Malaysian youth's being more polarised and racially inclined, it is fortunate that I've found places that the colour of your skin, the beliefs and political alignment you profess to and the opinions each hold dear are never an issue. I've friends who are of all spectrum of race, religion and backgrounds that I'm proud to be associated with and when someone is down or browbeat, they are always there to lend their support, hear you out and extend a helping hand. Life is never easy, but its made more palatable with such people around. We should always remember that before it is to late, we should treasure what we have and give precedence to what really is important in our life, which does not always boil down to the pursuit of wealth, status or material things.

A Year Full of Blahs

2008-04-19T12:29:00.003+08:00

I've been thinking, actually, NOT!. I've been so busy, receiving so much blah in my face that I don't even have the strength to think anymore. 2008 hasn't really been treating me well, I've so much things happening in my disfavour that it seems pointless to think that the next 3 quarter of the year would get any better. I've been so uninspired that I've not taken a single picture for 2 months and that really makes me feel so useless and down. I've given my all to my work, forsaking weekends, ignoring holidays, forsaking relationships and friends and for what!

It would be good at least to receive some recognition for all the long hours and sacrifice in terms of time and opportunity costs but in there end there is just more work, more yelling in my face telling me that I'm not good enough, scoldings and demotivational whats-not that even for someone with infinite patience, I think is going overboard. I was looking forward to getting a new SLR either a Canon 400D or the latest 450D and thought I'd deserve to treat myself with such a baby after working so long and saving up but with this slump I'm not sure anymore, getting it would be pointless if I don't have the interest or time to experiment and enjoy it. I truly envy that my friend who just got a good deal for a 350D and spending a week in Thailand using it and I wish I could also share the same feeling. I'm glad for her.

Sometimes you try and try and end up never meeting people's expectations. I've neglected this blog to sell my soul to a capitalist rat race culture that does not really rewards you for your efforts and what have I got? I'm still asking myself that same questions, more so recently. I really wish to reclaim my life back and start climbing out of this hole of despair but nothings helping. I'm really happy even for a moment that there are great friends out there and last night was no exception. I'm not really the social guy but being there with the mishmash group of Flickrs let me be lost in a moment of thankfulness even for a moment. Singing karaoke (which I never do) out of sync and with my horrible voices and laughing at our mistakes and trying to beat the 94 score (thank Viz for her rendition of Lambada), indulging in Big Apple chocs and Domino's pizza with an endless stream of orange cordial and root beer courtesy of Johan and Adi, laughing till our sides hurt doing stupid poses and taking shots via Casey, Erna and Prakash and generally being among the whole crazy bunch really helped me a lot. So thanks for being there guys and gals.

As for the future of my blogging and even more so for my photography activities, I really have to pull myself together and regain the two activities that I enjoy. I want to be holding on to a SLR camera and give my all out to capture pictures again and not lose out to my competitor and friend hehe. Only time will tell if I am able to do so. For now bear with the silence and down tone from mua. It really feels empty and alone at this very moment and i hate this feeling.

The Morning After the Dust Settles in Malaysia

2008-03-10T00:29:00.002+08:00

It was no surprise that discontent from the Malaysian citizens especially the Chinese and Indians were evident even before the campaign started. Whereas the four year term began with a resounding endorsement to Pak Lah in 2004 with a 91% majority for a force of change, at the end not much has changed and it can be said much has gone down the drain since then. The people's mandate has now been revealed and the results shocking even to the opposition that found themselves in possession of 5 states, Kelantan, Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor and with inroads in traditional BN strongholds and reduced majorities in most other seats save for Sabah and Sarawak.

It was a major victory for the netzens in the fact that Jeff Ooi of Screenshots fame got voted in as a parliamentarian in Penang. Many of the old guard have once scorned the new media and the power of the blogger but the new streak of wins by young intellectuals and technosavy individuals have shown that they are not a force to be just swept under the carpet. Jeff from all the blogosphere we congratulate you on your success and wish you well in your future duties and we hope that you will uphold the ideals of the citizens of this country.

Truly a wind of change has come and marks a new milestone whereby a more savvy electorial has shown that democracy is very much alive and that any government be they BN or the opposition should not rest on their laurels once they secure their seat and instead act as they should wish is to serve the rakyat first and foremost lest the rakyat decides that a better representative should be given the opportunity to serve instead. So Malaysia, we wake up to a new dawn, lets see which direction the light will shine.

On Hiatus

2008-02-28T14:24:00.001+08:00

Posting will be sporadic if at all for the next month until at least mid March. I'm currently heading off to Sg Petani for work and will be secluded away from the cuber space that I love. I still hope to post on and off about the experience here in Kedah and there are many stories to tell but that depends if I don't collapse from exhaustion each night or not.

I Miss My Dogs

2008-02-15T23:20:00.003+08:00

At this moment I wish that I still had Lady or one of her pups. I guess I never truly appreciated how much she was as a companion to me especially at times when human companionship was not enough. Yes she always dug under the fence and escaped which resulted in long chases to get her back, yes she howled for days on end when she was on heat and I barely slept a wink, yes she would trade her affection as readily to anyone that could offer her a meal based on her charm alone and she required attention and care that could send anyone nuts.

But despite all this she often sat beside me and listened as I ranted without being judgmental. I could relate anything and everything to her and she just stare back with those puppy dog eyes and stay silent, popping her head onto my lap once a while to show as if she knew what I was going through. When I couldn't sleep I would just go to the yard and she'll be there and no matter the time of the day or night she would always come and give me a welcome. Giving her a doggy treat meant the world to her and she'll treat you as if you're the only person in the world she'd ever cared for or need, at least until she decides that it would take another biscuit to renew the affection.

She was always warm to hug and never went easy with her kisses and licks. I still think of her and hope that the owner I left her with is treating her well and that she has lots of love and affection with her new family. It broke my heart when I knew I could not bring her back and still I miss her to this day. It has been lonely.

The Endless Road Ahead

2008-02-15T22:59:00.004+08:00

Sometimes in life you reach a fork in the road and you're unsure of which path to take. Both seems as if they would lead somewhere but which is the better course is always unclear. But, the very moment you make a choice and take that first step onto one or the other, you'll know it deep down to the very core of your soul.

I've done much soul searching the past year, I've made some very critical decisions and choices that would lead me down to a path that I would never be able to backtrack. Many times I doubted if it was for the best, many times I wonder if what lies at the end of that path I took would be something worthwhile for the opportunity loss for forsaking the other path. Sometimes it just seems that each step is just an endless crossroad and the more I had to choose the more lost I was.

There was happiness but also tinged with unexpectedness, worries and doubts. True these are expected in the journey we call life. There was hope as well, yes, and it always stayed aflame no matter how bad things got and never wavered. These past few weeks has been trying but I still cling to hope because that is all I have for now.

I don't know what the future holds, all I can do is give my best and let the dice of fate roll for the future, where it stops I will never be sure. Life is tough if I've to face it alone and yes, I do get scared.

Shit Happens

2008-02-12T20:57:00.000+08:00

It's been a hell of a week with so many things happening, mostly not going my way or to my expectations. Chinese New Year home was a disappointment for more reason. I'm down and out now, I'm sick like a hippo since the second day of Chinese New Year and regret it was so. It's still going on today and I can't pick my mood up. Life has just been lousy lately.

Sometimes I Wish

2008-02-11T18:36:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I Wish:

That I wasn't so nice a guy,
So that people don't take me for granted,
That I was more self assured and confident,
So that people would notice me and not brush me aside,
That I was more spontaneous and bold,
So that people would not view me as hesitant and unsure,
That I dared to take chances without fear of the consequences,
So that I do not hold back and let chances fly by,
That I could speak my mind out loud,
So that they really know what I feel deep inside,
That I didn't care what other people think of me,
So that I can be myself and not pretend for other people's sake,
That I could dance and sing and play an instrument,
So that people can view me as talented,
That I was more outgoing and open to strangers,
So that I am not perceived as being a loner,
That I could cry out openly without being seen as weak,
So that the hurt hiding inside can finally be let out,
That things would go my way for once,
So that I can at least be happy for a moment,
That people would not treat you as if you know nothing,
So that I can stand out for once,
That people would at least say thank you or praise for a job well done,
So that I can at least be proud of myself even for that one instant,
That love was easier to obtain and more secure,
But it is always the most elusive and hardest thing to hold on to,
That happiness was not so fleeting,
So that I never have to fall into a pit of depression.

-Self penned at a time of depression

Kuala Selangor - The Keropok Factory

2008-02-11T12:15:00.000+08:00

Family business means that every member is involved in the work as seen here at a local keropok (fish crackers) factory

Walking by the town of Pasir Penambang you'll likely pass many small shops selling a variety of seafood products. As Pasir Penambang is a fishing village the sight of ships heading into Sg Selangor or down stream to the sea is a daily occurrence. Most often the shops are small and are family run, including fresh fish products, dried seafood, crackers and more. One shop that I chanced upon was for a keropok making shop. Outside the shop, rows and rows of wafer shaped crackers were placed on strung netting out to dry while walking inside a hive of activity was present. The entire family was busy getting the day's production packed into individual packaging. The family patriarch sits on his old reclining chair and supervises as his wife, children and relations busily sorted the strewn crackers on the floor. Within this small store is all the necessary facilities needed to live and do business under the same roof. In one corner is the kitchen where meals are prepared, a small desk couples as the accounting desk as well as the area where the small kid was busy doing his homework when he is not busy helping the family with work. At the back is the machinery room where the fish paste is kneaded and formed into the huge rolls of fish cakes that will later be steamed before ultimately sliced into the thinner wafers. All in all, everything is done under one roof and later shipped to the nearby stores for sale or sent to other major cities.

The steamed keropok prior to being sliced

Kid packing finished keropok udang for sale, Pasir Penambang

Keropok left to dry in the sun, Pasir Penambang

Journey through Mud

2008-02-10T22:15:00.000+08:00

This series of photos shows Prakash in our recent Kuala Selangor trip heading down the mud flats near the chinese fishing village at Pasir Penambang. The reason for this was due to the fact that a piece of equipment from a camera he was loaning fell through the floor boards and hence the long journey down the pier to retrieve it. The expression when he was trudging through the mud was priceless but finally triumphed to get the dropped item and was none the worse for it except a bit muddy and squeamish. Was going to post something more substantial but just got back from Chinese New Year back in my hometown of Kuantan and was down with fever the previous few days.

Scenes from Thaipusam 2008

2008-02-03T07:53:00.000+08:00

Drummer boy, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Carrying the idol, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Blessing ash, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Kavadi bearers, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Devotee, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Cheroot smoker, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Devotee exhaling cheroot smoke, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

My Published Pic in Reuters You Witness News

2008-02-02T08:22:00.000+08:00

Didn't know if it'd get featured but submitted anyway and today saw it among the 37 chosen for the week. I'm smiling from end to end and baby its a point and shoot camera! Guess my Thaipusam shots got beaten by all the others submitted which were great photos.

Thaipusam 2008: Faith and Tribulations

2008-02-01T23:49:00.000+08:00

Girl having hair shaved, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Thaipusam must be one of the top events on my 'What you should not miss when you are in Malaysia' list. A celebrations by Hindus this celebration is often the culmination of a month of self abstinence and fasting by the devotee who then goes on to bear the kavadi, of which there are various forms as well. Though there are other famous venues around Malaysia such as the temples in Raub, Rawang and Klang as well as in Melaka, Penang and Johor, none reaches the grandeur and scale as what is done at Batu Caves.

Ritual bathing near the Gombak River, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

This is my second time visiting Thaipusam and again with friends. It truly was an experience that will leave an impact on anyone there. The sheer energy and franticness can border on overwhelming but a breathtaking experience nonetheless. The ritual bathing by the side of the Gombak river, the prayers and preparation of the kavadis, the emotions running through the devotees, the loud chanting of vel, smoke, incense, sweat and most of all faith. Faith permeates the atmosphere, of which bearing the kavadi is itself the ultimate form of the faithful of their religion. From the giant kavadis weighing 70kg strapped to the shoulders and back of devotees, to the ritual piercings undergone by others and act of sheer disbelief such as walking in sharpened blades. All this may seem macabre but looking beyond the veneer of the act, one can appreciate the inner strength needed to accomplish what these people do. There can be so much said about the event but to truly understand it, one has to be there personally.

Man taking ritual bath, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Kavadi bearer, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Girl having head shaved before carrying kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Man in trance, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Holding on to a kavadi bearer in trance, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Hooks sunk into the back of a devotee, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Oranges strung on the back of a devotee, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Woman bearing kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Closeup of a kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Devotee bearing kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Kid, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Kuala Selangor Travels - Monkey Business

2008-02-01T21:42:00.000+08:00

Flickr went ahead last week to visit Kuala Selangor. I've heard so much about this town and have been dying for ages to visit it and finally got the chance. Travelling through the oil palm plantations of Ijok and Jeram, heading down to the historic Kota Melawati, riding through the flatlands of paddy at Tanjung Karang and finally stopping at Pasir Penambang for seafood and a fishing village, it does seem that Kuala Selangor has all. The only thing we miss was the fireflies but heard that nowadays there was not much to see anyway.

The first stop brought us to Kota Melawati of which we took a RM2 train ride up the hill passed such suspicious attractions as the poisoned well (telaga racun) and batu hampar (where the japanese were said to decapitate their prisoners). The main attraction that people often associate the area with is the silverback macaques of which I've to admit I was a bit apprehensive at how 'friendly' monkeys can get after several bad experiences with simians especially when food is involved.

The community of monkeys there are not so like their more feral cousins and does have some modicum of behaviour in the presence of humans, its not to say that they are afraid of you or are hostile, more like they seen so many people that they just don't care. I was utterly surprised to be able to get as near as several cm to the apes and not have them react aggressively. They were everywhere, hanging from the trees, sitting on the embankments, lying under the trees but mostly standing near people in the hopes of getting food. Several food sellers there offer small packets of vegetables that the monkeys like but some inconsiderate people actually hand the monkeys junk food which is bad for their system. Its a poor sight to see a monkey eating twisties which they were never meant to have ever.

Kazzie had a little scare when an over eager ape tried to climb on her and clung to her shirts without letting go until she handed over her prize of greens which he then took and left. Prakash was the most reluctant to be near them and was keeping a good distance training his 200m lens from afar, as he described it a long standing phobia from an unfortunate event. The best and most attractive part of these monkeys is that the newborn babies are of a golden sheen apart from their grey and black parent's coat. The group seems very sociable and the mothers guard their young charge diligently, often having to discipline their overactive charge with a little spanking to put them in their place, which is naturally clinging with all four onto their mothers as she goes from place to place.

Sadly it seems that their time may come soon enough. A change in the law recently rescinded their protected status claiming their numbers are too large and are causing a nuisance to their human neighbours whom I thought were the ones to have taken over our simian cousin's natural habitat in the first place. Hopefully these monkey will still be here for long to come, delighting visitors who deign to visit the area.

The full photo gallery for the trip can be found HERE.

Thaipusam - Chasing a Chariot

2008-01-29T06:21:00.000+08:00

The lighted chariot, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I never had a chance to follow the chariot from the Sri Mahamariaman Temple before and when the chance came I hopped on to it even as I was told I had to be there at 11pm and it'll last till 2am. We were surprised as the streets around Kuala Lumpur wasn't as chaotic or jammed as we feared, even the crowds at Petaling Street and Central Market which were part of the routes to be taken by the chariot was relatively clear of traffic and people.

The silver chariot with the twin silver horses decorating the front, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

At 11pm, people were already starting to gather at the Sri Mahamariaman temple where the chariot was already removed from its storage and prominently displayed at the front of the temple. It was about 2 storeys high and decorated with multifaceted bulbs and lighting. The silver chariot is said to be at least a hundred years old and has been used for the ritual of transporting the statue of Lord Murugan to the temple at Batu Caves every Thaipusam. The day before, temple workers were busy preparing for the eventual journey by polishing the silver and cleaning the chariot.

Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

On advise from Visithra we decided on 4 staging points that we were sure to get a good view and shots of the chariot. It was a no no to stand directly in front of the temple as we soon found out due to the fact that the main crowd of worshipers that were to walk with the chariot were congregating there and it was packed to the point you can't even get close to the chariot. So we positioned ourselves opposite UDA Ocean where we were sure was the first route that the chariot would take. I was surprised to be told that the crowd there was 1/5 of the usual numbers and I can't imagine the streets ti be any more chocked than it was then. People were already lining up by the side of the road and waiting, others were walking along the route and many more just waited anywhere they could to catch a glimpse of the passing chariot.

Workers preparing the chariot, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The chariot moved slowly as it was pulled along the route. In the front a temple worker was pushing through a cart laden with flags and twin torches to signal the way. The chariot towered over the devotees and the people moved like the tide along with it in its wake. Some bore milk containers, others with shaven head though most just walked alongside it chanting prayers. The chariot stopped at several points for the temple workers on it to offer prayers and blessings to the assembled, at times a baby would be passed onto the chariot by their parents for the priests to bless. A lorry carrying musicians lead the way as the rhythmic sound of the drums and flutes can be heard over the cacophony of the crowd. Behind the chariot was the large red truck of the Federal Reserve Unit that was there to ensure that situation remained as it is, it was even more evident after the Hindraf issue.

Workers preparing the chariot, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After it passed us, Visithra ushered us quickly via the back lanes to our next destination. There we were about 10 photographers marching in line to make it in time to the intersection at Kotaraya to beat the chariot. It must have seem funny as we positioned ourselves on the traffic island at the Petaling Jaya intersection in anticipation of its arrival. Police soon came to the scene to help direct traffic, cars were at a near standstill as the roads were closed to allow the devotees and chariot to pass. This was repeated all along its route and we finally arrived at our last vantage point in front of the Menara Maybank to bid the chariot farewell as it headed down Jalan Tun Perak. The chariot will continue on its journey and the faithful will follow along, it was to stop and offer prayers and blessing as it went until it finally arrives at the temple at Batu Caves where the chariot and the statue of Lord Murugan will be housed throughout the celebrations.

Workers preparing the chariot, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The lighted up chariot, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Slinging the flower garlands over the chariot, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Worker getting the chariot ready, Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Chariot in front of the Mahamariaman temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Flame and flags headed the chariot, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A kid with glow sticks waiting by the side of the road, Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The flame of the torch ahead of the chariot, Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Lord Murugan chariot making its way to Petaling Street

Women offering prayers as the chariot makes its way past Menara Maybank, Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kavadi bearers moving with the chariot, Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Journey of a Kavadi Bearer Thaipusam

2008-01-28T22:29:00.000+08:00

Preparing the kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

This would be my second Thaipusam experience. Last year I came never expecting the number of crowds and hectic pace that went about throughout the day, I was disoriented partially by the smoke and incense as well as from the fervent emotion and energy the people exuded. I was crowded worse than sardines in their can and blasted brown by t he sun. Yet I loved every moment of it. This year it was more subdued, whereas when we got there previously by 5am to find not a single parking space for miles and a sea of people stretching way past the main gate, this year we got a parking space 5 minutes away from the main temple and the crowd were visibly less. We expected as much after Visithra told us that the crowd that came to greet the chariot procession was 1/5 the normal crowd that the same would hold true for the actual Thaipusam event at Batu caves as well and true enough it was such. It was due to the rumours spread via SMS that many stayed away and the FRU were heavily present even as they were hidden away under the underpass. It was also a sign of protest at the administrators of Batu Caves for their part during the Hindraf protests that many decided to boycott the events or find alternative venues. But it is sad that politics and religion had to be caught up in each other.

Shankar, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

I had many shots already from the previous outing with Flickr and this year I shot more conservatively deciding to focus on the elements that I missed previously such as the ritual bathing, the inner temple where the kavadi bearers end their journey as well as keep closer to the group I was following for a more personal shoot rather than just random shots. Again Visithra's friend was walking and bearing the kavadi along with his family. It was a pleasure to meet Shankar and it was an honour to be able to walk by him and offer our support as he made his journey of faith.

The devotee's journey begins long before the actual day even arrives, fasting and abstaining for a month to cleanse the body and mind in preparation. Many find different reasons to carry the kavadi, some for forgiveness of wrongdoing, some as a form of thanks for good luck received and blessings, others as a test of faith but whatever the reason the journey is both enriching and grueling. Looking at the kavadi its a huge structure of steel decorated with idols, peacock feathers, pictures of deities and holy symbols. Someone told me the structures weighs nearly 70 kg and bear in mind that the devotee is strapped to this with the weight bearing on his shoulders and mid drift. The morning begins with the prayer from the priests accompanied by chanting and sprinkling of blessed ash and incense. Makeshifts altar of paraphernalia and offerings are piled before the kavadis as the priests goes to each and offers a blessings.

The initial prayers and blessing by the priest, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

The faithful can be seen as calm as they stood in front and prayed. They are not alone as the journey is not one that is done alone but with your family and friends giving you support and the will to carry on and it is this aspect of the ritual that truly awes me seeing family members cheering them on ,encouraging them to take the next step and helping support the kavadi as the bearer rests even massaging aching limbs. The bearer sometimes looks worried as the metal braces are strapped on and tightened. But all melts away as the priest arrives and offers a blessing. Touching his hand on Shankar's forehead the anoints it with holy ash and mutters a prayer and in a few minutes he was in a trance and in that same moment a close member will go forward and pierce the skewer into his tongue. Another friend helps insert hooks adorned with flowers or fruits on his back.

Prayers before his journey, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

All the while music from the accompanying musical group plays loud and constant. The cacophony drowns out everything else and even now the tune still rings loud and clear in my ear long after the actual events. Shankar soon stood up and the walk begins. A group of 5 kavadi bearers and their entourage soon made their way to the Batu Caves temple. Along the way they started dancing and swinging all the while with the weight of the kavadi on them yet it seems as it was weightless. Yet the journey is not easy, each makes stops as they walk and helping members will arrive to provide stools for them to sit, trickle water to quench their thirsts and support the weight of the kavadi to avoid it toppling. Soon enough Shankar moves but still the pace was slow and the sun was shining ever hotter as it got nearer to noon. The way up the staircase was even more grueling, lining up to wait while the front moved and navigating the tall kavadi under the archway was a trial in itself. The 272 steps also offer its challenge and many times we witness some that almost gave up but encouragement and massages from family members soon allowed them to stand and walk on.

Giving blessed ash to the devotees, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

The cave temple was crowded as ever when we got there. Finally it was ending and the devotees awaited their turn as the priests put them out of their trance and back to normal. The skewers were taken out and the devotee was none the worse for wear except maybe more tired. His friend who later carried the kavadi down the steps was tired out and wondered how Shankar actually managed to carry the weight all the way up. It does speaks volumes at the huge amount of faith and belief that makes thousands of Hindus carry out this act of faith each year. To those who missed it, I would ask them to visit Thaipusam at least once and you'll see how diverse and beautiful the ritual is.

Priest blessing the kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Family portrait, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Shankar in front of the kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Traditional musicians, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Offering prayers, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Prostrating before the kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Friends and family give support and motivation by walking with the devotee and lending a helping hand when needed, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

The metal brace strapped onto Shankar, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

A friend helps to apply the roses onto Shankar's back, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

The monk applies ash on shankir's forehead to begin the trance, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

A skewer being pierced into the tongue of a devotee, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tying a sash on the idol atop the kavadi, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

The group accompanying the kavadi bearer, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Giving thanks and prayers, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Shankar making his way slowly step by step as the weight of the kavadi bears down on him, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

Interior of the Batu Caves Temple, Thaipusam, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

What Now? Malaysia After 50 Photo Exhibition

2008-01-22T22:54:00.000+08:00

A photo collage of the submissions by photo Malaysia members that didn't make the cut

Malaysian photographers have come a long way and to date there are many photo forums, club, groups and clicks that have formed in the country such as Photo Malaysia, Photo Kaki, PSPJ and KL Flickr. It has come as another milestone that one of the oldest and largest forum and photo groups have embarked to hold an exhibition for the general public to generate a greater interest in the hobby/profession. Photography has come a long way since film cameras and with the advent of the digital camera, the power to capture the moment forever on a medium has reached the hands of millions. Technology has gone ever more sophisticated that the power of the first generation of digital cameras can now be miniaturised into the handphone, putting this powerful tool into the reach of an even wider audience. No longer must one be a professional to own the necessary tools to make a picture, put a handphone in the hands of a 5 year old kid and he's a photographer and the results may even surprise you.

Saying this, the exhibition held at the Annexe in Central Market is by fellow members of Photo Malaysia entitled What Now? Malaysia after 50. The title is appropriate to track how much Malaysia has changed and also how much it hasn't. The images are provoking and everyone viewing it will definitely have a different opinion of each. Thus the presenters often ask the viewer to interpret what they see themselves instead of being held and led to the presenters' interpretation. In a way it challenges one to freely explore the images and come up with their own meaning, something many of us even after 50 years of independence has yet to grasp or leave the leading hand that never lets go to leave you to explore and hit the floor hard if need be.

It was with great appreciation that Ted Adnan, who has several photos on exhibited that he deigned to welcome us and share a bit of his thoughts on the exhibition. We all sat lotus style on the floor in a circle among these images and walls and in olden fashion where wiser men have sat in a similar position among the fire and told tales. In my eyes it was a good exhibition, not necessary of skill and techniques though those were evident but also for the subject matter shot. Juxtaposed among the achievements of our nation like the towering skyscrapers of the Petronas Twin towers were more idyllic scenes from Semporna, a part of the country most of us have and will not see, where sea faring Bajaus built villages on stilt and are as alien to the modern culture of KL as it can get.

It was a bit sad as well to see that the halls were empty and not many people arrived to view the photos. I observed as well that while the photos are for sale, not many takers have shown interests revealing much about how Malaysians still view the arts. The exhibition runs till January 27 so those who have not made their way there please feel free to do so.

The window at the annexe gallery

Ted Adnan became our guide for the day to explain the theme behind the exhibits

Trying to understand the meaning behind the photo

The various photos chosen for viewing

Tips on Shooting Thaipusam at Batu Caves

2008-01-20T23:42:00.000+08:00

A trio of dancers bearing light weight decorated kavadis, thaipusam, selangor

Thaipusam is a huge celebration for Hindus in Malaysia and as a photographer I must advocate that any photographer should at least experience it hands on and conduct a shoot at least once in their lifetime. There are so many things happening during the festival and so many millions of people gathering here that it could well overwhelm even the most steadfast photographers. Thankfully the Government this year had decided after years of empty promises to allow for Thaipusam to be extended as a public holiday for Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, no doubt to appease the Indian sentiment which had been badly bruised lately.

Some of the highlights to look out for during the week long celebrations which a first timer there should look out for are:

(a) The morning preparations as the family members and friends gather for prayers
(b) The cleansing ceremony by the side of the river where devotees bathe themselves
(c) Shaving of the hair and face of the kavadi bearers
(d) The priests offering blessings to the kavadi bearer and group
(e) The inducement of a trance into the kavadi bearer
(f) The ritual piercing of the entranced individual
(g) The fastening of the kavadi onto the devotee
(h) Women carrying milk containers
(i) Music groups accompanying the kavadi bearers
(j) The kavadi procession making its way to the temple
(k) Climbing the steps up to Batu Caves
(l) Entering the temple
(m) Other entranced individuals in their respective deities
(n) Couples carrying their babies on sugarcane poles for blessing
(o) The various food and religious paraphernalia stores set up

A devotee receives a ritual shave before the ceremony, thaipusam, selangor

There are several tips to observe during the entire photoshoot:

(1) Be careful of your gear either from being snatched or accidentally damaged as the crowd there are large and you'll face a tight squeeze wherever you go to
(2) Come early and park father down away from the temple or use public transport to avoid headaches as most major roads are closed
(3) If you are not too inclined to push it with the crowd go to the days before or after the main celebrations as the devotees still carry out the festival over a weeks time
(4) If you're shooting in groups make sure to agree on meetup points as its easy to get separated
(5) Take care when shooting as not to disturb or disrupt the devotees, don't be too intrusive
(6) A point and shoot may be needed as a backup as sometimes you wish for angles that will be hard for SLR due to the crowd and also limited space
(7) Bring water along as its going to get hot and sweaty
(8) Listen to instructions to the crowd control people and let them have the right of way, don't provoke or challenge them
(9) Bring lots of memory and batteries, it'll be a day long event and there are a lot of subjects to shoot
(10) It might be easier to follow the same kavadi group as you get to cover the entire ritual
(11) Try to avoid getting squeezed when reaching the top of Batu Caves, a lot of people will be cramped in and you may get stuck while trying to enter or exit

A large skewer tipped with a lime adorns a face of a kavadi bearer, thaipusam, selangor

A woman bearing a mouth skewer in a trance, thaipusam, selangor

Devotees possessed by the Hanuman deity experiences a feverous state of possession and trance bearing all the characteristic of the wild deity he represents, thaipusam, selangor

Devotees making way along the parade route to the temple, thaipusam, selangor

A devotee in a trance while resting on a chair of nails showers blessings to the crowd, thaipusam, selangor

A kavadi bearer is always never alone but supported throughout his spiritual journey by friends and family, here a crowd dressed in matching colours accompanies the devotee with music, chants and songs, thaipusam, selangor

A child looks on as his father prepares to bear the heavy kavadi, thaipusam, selangor

A devotee in a trance collapses while his fellow devotees comforts him, thaipusam, selangor

Extreme bodily skewering and piercing leaves no pain to the person in trance, thaipusam, selangor

The crowded stairs leading to the temple, thaipusam, selangor

A girl bears a milk carrier, thaipusam, selangor

Taking a rest on his way to the temple, thaipusam, selangor

Large crowds take up most of the space of the staircase, thaipusam, selangor

Numbers on the steps remind how much more you have to climb to reach the top, thaipusam, selangor

Kavadi bearer near the entrance to the temple. thaipusam, selangor

The crowded interior of the temple grounds, thaipusam, selangor

The Road to Frasier's Hill

2008-01-16T00:05:00.000+08:00

The 6am sunset from the Kota Kubu Baru resthouse was fantastic.

The day started out well enough, we all were so pooped from last night that we just collapsed in our beds (after a long chat session and gossip sharing). The morning came with some very interesting incidents, Visithra sleeping with Kazzie, was awoken by the later who was on top of her and shaking her awake when she opened her eyes and screamed. After that incident the girls were all full awake because Visithra apparently can scream quite loud. Kaz was trying to get me to wake up as well when she came to my front door and found it unlocked with the key sticking out in the door jam. That was how tired I was to not have noticed (It was near midnight when we crawled into the hotel after Eddie and Jenn's wedding) and forgot to even take my key in.

As mentioned there we four stood in the room's balcony waiting for the first ray of light to peek from the mountain range. In front of us the Kota Kubu Bharu golf course stretched far and wide and the air was ever so fresh. The morning sunrise did not disappoint. We decided to skip breakfast as we couldn't find anything really nice to eat in town and made the decision that we'll wing it and stop by some place on our way to Frasier's Hill.

Large cloud banks envelop the mountain ranges of the Central Spine with a view of the Selangor catchment dam in the foreground.

We went in my car for the drive up and after a few missed turns and about turns to find a place to eat and a place to park Kazzie's car, we found the right road up to the Pahang border. Kota Kubu Baru is a quaint town with only a few main streets and though the place looks big its mainly due to the various government offices situated there. The rest of the area is mainly scattered villages and we saw some great colonial government houses here and there and even some odder houses that wasn't real nice. The journey wasn't too eventful and the first sight we stopped to have a look was near the Syabas station fronting the Selangor Dam reservoir. From afar you could see the large dam walls fencing in the man made lake miles away and the sight of the mountain fringed lake was beautiful.

The serene river we saw on the way up to Frasiers.

The road up to Frasiers was as winding as I would have imagined. I haven't been up to Frasiers before and I was quite excited to travel there. Soon the villages gave way to narrow mountain passes with lush forests on either side of the narrow road. It was quite a challenge to navigate as the two way traffic often looked as if they would collide due to the narrow gap. We passed an old iron cast bridge on our journey and decided to stop. Here the river flowed naturally over the rocky river forming minor rapid, along it banks trees formed a picturesque panaroma hardly found in a city like KL. Apparently the area was a rest stop and recreational area as we saw families venturing down to bathe on the river banks. Our only disappointment was when a group of 3 rowdy Malay guys on motorbikes stopped as well and started harassing the girls, especially Kazzie and Han. When we decided that the situation warranted a hasty retreat we called to Visithra but she was precariously hanging from the side of the bridge trying to take photos even as huge lorries passed by and made the bridge shook. We did finally made a getaway and hoped that the biker gang would leave us be and thankfully they did.

The traffic light at the Gap guard house signaling that traffic was moving from the other direction.

The winding road was quite hard to navigate, not only were we driving uphill at quite a steep pace, the road itself was quite narrow and the traffic at the other direction sometimes consists of people speeding at over the limit for such space. Constant roadworks were also apparent to repair damaged roads along most of the stretch. Despite these, the road passed through many wonderful vistas, lush forests, huge valleys and multiple waterfalls. We passed by several cyclist on our way up and Han opened the car window and began shooting their picture to their chagrin. I forgot that the Gap was a single lane road and it was a surprise to see the one way traffic system put in place by the British being used even to this day. Near the Gap resthouse, a line of traffic had already built up and we lined up as well to wait for our turn to ascend the hourly single directional traffic.

Kazzie was so kind to get everyone corn in a cup since none of us had any breakfast at all.

The wait wasn't too long and we had fun waiting by chowing down on some hot corn sold by the roadside. The people gathered at the stop was interesting to note as well, a family of sikhs were digging in for the wait and the cyclists we passed by earlier all caught up and were their in their colourful attire after a long journey up, man were they fit. Once the traffic light turned green, we set off once again, this time along an even steeper climb and narrow road. At last we reached the top and into the town center. The first sight were a row of stone walled buildings that looked so colonial. The town center was the clocktower and roundabout while surrounding it were the commercial areas such as restaurants, hotels, golf courses and shops selling souvenirs and essentials.

A family of sikhs patiently waiting for their turn up the Gap.

Our first priority was to get food and after browsing along the various restaurants we settled on one which served nasi lemak and roti arab. The lovely old shopkeeper was trying her best to persuade us to try the roti arab which was a baked bun dipped in dall curry. At first we didn't know if it was good but Han ordered one for us to share and soon we were going back for seconds. The nasi lemak was fantastic as well with spicy hot sambal. All in all the warm food and drinks kept the chill air away.

Several of the cyclists cooling off after a hard climb up to the Gap.

We spent some time driving around the place which we though was small but instead found that Frasier's Hill stretched to a large area. Various places of interests presented themselves but we didn't have much time as we wanted to make it for the down traffic near 230 pm since we wanted to get back to KL before evening sets in. We went to an Indian temple which was having a ceremony and joined in. It was quite odd for them at first when we bunch of photographers barged in but soon enough they were all smiling as we took their photos. The organiser of the ceremony even invited us to stay for the free lunch but we declined as we couldn't stay.

An interesting post box set within a money plant covered wall.

A brief stopover at a roadside strawberry farm for eats was our last business for the day. It wasn't much and nothing as fancy as what you'd find in places like Cameron. We tried the jam laden waffle and strawberry tea/drinks but I found it wanting, the waffle was thin and soft and the jam was a the bottled kind and not fresh preserves. The strawberry drink was weak and not too tasteful. So strawberries in Frasiers is a no no. Driving down wasn't much of a problem but navigating the winding road and avoiding falling asleep was one thing.

Han taste testing the roti arab.

The bottom line was that Frasiers was a nice hill resort, not to glitzy as Genting Highlands and not too developed as Cameron Highlands. It still is the small cool hill resort that the British developed to escape from the tropical heat and to make a small piece of England in this foreign land they somehow acquired to rule. Maybe staying there would have produced more interesting happenings and sights but we only planned a day jaunt, maybe next time.

Flowers decorating the base of the clocktower.

Menu sign of one of the restaurant in the town center.

Strawberry blossoms.

A converted colonial resthouse.

Saying goodbye and heading back down the Gap.

Sabah Craft- Sword Smithing and Wood Carving

2008-01-15T08:11:00.000+08:00

Man shaping the soft wood into the base shape before proceeding to carve more intricate designs.

Wood carving is a fine art form, the shaping of a piece of wood to form into marvelous sculptures and designs. Moreso if the person is using naturally shaped wood and have to use his imagination to find the design based on the natural grain, twist and shape of the wood. Whereas some of the designs are merely for decorations as the many animal shaped carvings for sale to tourists and locals alike, wood carving has also been deeply ingrained as a functional artform in the making of weapons.

The Malay kris which is a blade shaped in a wave form is such a traditional artwork, while the forging and shaping of the blade itself in an artform and a revered skill, the carving of the hilt and sheath involved no less a painstaking and skilled work. Among the Sabahans, the Bajaus from Kudat are renowned for their weapon forging skills often involving the making of parangs or machetes and other weapons. Most often these are functional and are sold to be used for everyday life such as for bush clearing, house chores and even slaughtering animals.

Carving natural wood pieces are harder as the carver has to work with the natural shape of the wood piece

The wood grain and natural twisted shape makes this owl carving seems alive and organic

Various weapons with carved sheath and hilts on display for sale

The intricately carved hilt of a parang, famous amoung the Bajau weaponsmith.

A finished parang shows the skill of the carver in applying the design

Boxfish for Lunch Anyone?

2008-01-14T07:48:00.000+08:00

A boxfish caught from the floating hut became lunch, tastes like chicken, Banggi, Sabah