Catch me flying!

New Blog!

2008-09-25T15:05:00.001-07:00

We've got a new blog up! Yippee!
Since this blog may previously have some readers, it'd be nice to redirect the bunch to here. I know... the new blog doesn't seem to have a new creative name, but I just love it!

Keep tuning in ya'all. ;-)

The End

2008-08-02T06:21:00.000-07:00

I should have closed this blog 'officially' earlier. But somehow I just didn't, because I love the blog name so much! ;-) "Catch me flying" has followed me through two blogs now, and I may start another one, hoping to resonate the same essence. I hope those who have read bits and pieces of this blog enjoyed it, although most of the times it's pretty much a mean for my self-indulgence, I also like to look at it as my personal analysis of decisions/thoughts.

If you do not know my other travel blog (which I've also concluded), you may like to visit www.twomonkeysandadog.wordpress.com/

Cheerios!

Amy

Ghost!

2008-02-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

2008

2008-01-08T09:59:00.000-08:00

I realized for year 2004 and 2005, I had a little flashback on my blog, taking account to what are some of the things I've done in those two years. Then I skipped 2006 (not sure why), maybe because that year too went by so fast. so I thought I should probably write a few lines about 2007.

2007 went by really fast, and it definitely was a huge turning point in my life!

From Jan-March,then April-June I was working on two television projects that I am proud to be associated of. First, the agricultural show that brought me and the crew to places over Malaysia, visiting farms and factories, speaking to entrepreneurs and farmers, it really opened my view on the world of agriculture and how important it is in the future. Baha'u'llah, wrote in Tablet of the World that "Special regard must be paid to agriculture..." and in many other Writings the emphasis was also given to this industry. It was also great that the team I worked with was united and fun to be with. It's definitely a highlight in my working life. The second project was a reality show, and this job really pushes me. Everyone on the team worked really hard, 7am till 11pm everyday... if I go on for more than 6 weeks on this, I would have gone nuts, you just don't have a life after that. :-P But at least I've tried, and I know the schedule isn't exactly what I'm excited about.

June-July is wedding time. yeaaaaahhh.. the best time in my life! There's still lots to do like designing wedding cards, editing online video invite, our how-we-met video, sending invitations, shopping, arranging venues and accommodation for our guests, etc. It was one full-on event that both Rosh and I organized ourselves! Of course, many things are left to Faith, that took most part of our stress away. After the wedding, a friend came to tell me and said that the fact that there are some bloopers, it only makes the wedding more memorable. :-) How sweet.

August-September. Rosh and I have just been travelling travelling, and adjusting to staying together. We stayed together for one week at my little room at my apartment, then we both agreed that it might just be best to live with my in-laws. Contrary to popular belief, it was fantastic! I haven't had so much yummy home-cook food for a loooong time, and having sisters around was really fun too. That was great. We went around Indonesia - Thailand - Cambodia - Vietnam for our getaway. Then the whole rush of getting UK visa, that was another ball game!

October. Finally, we packed. The air tickets were bought one week before we flew. UK here we came.

November. Still settling in. Finally got a temp job as an administrator at a mental hospital and despite mundane routines, it was a good 'British' experience. I'm the only person who is non-white at a department of 20+ colleagues. Except for another girl, the rest are all 35 years old and above. I gotta make coffee, answer calls, manage boss's emails, etc which are generally very easy except the fact that I have some challenges in understanding the accent or the expressions they use. hehe.

December. Christmas was coming and off we went to Czech Republic! For two weeks we were surrounded by wonderful people who're doing great things from all over the places, and there were just so many inspiring stories. One thing I learnt was the use of the arts and how when someone perfects his/her crafts/arts, it brings beauty to this world and opens the hearts. The question I'll post to myself next is, what is my role and my contribution in building this new world civilization. I can be an artist, but how am I different from the rest? I always knew the answer, it's doing that takes time and effort.

2008 swings in. I wanna read more, wanna travel more, wanna dance more, wanna paint more, wanna learn more, wanna save more, wanna teach more, wanna love more, wanna hug more, wanna laugh more, wanna be more patient.

Wishing you too a happy new year my dear friends. :)

A Woman's Worth

2007-12-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God
that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others"

- Marianne Williamson

A Brand New Chapter

2007-11-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

If only life is like your blog - get a new one anytime and start scribbling on it again whenever you feel like your previous blog is not good enough. But it's not. So, I've been thinking of 'moving' again, to a new blog, as a significant mark to the changes in my life now. Then, I thought about it again, I like the life I had/have, there's nothing I would say that I'd like to change or did not do. Alright, cut the philosophical crap, I'm just too lazy to do up a new blog and to think of a blogtitle better than this. hehe.

I'm married now. for almost 4 months. Rosh and I both got the working-holiday visa and now we've moved to the UK. as of today we're officially in this very expensive country for one full month, and tomorrow i'll be starting my first temp work as an administrator/receptionist at a hospital near where I live here in oxford.

All this time I was worried I may have problem settling in, but these past few months there's been so much changes that we're actually doing pretty alright in embracing new ones. I mean, I'd still like to 'settle' in one place and not live out of a suitcase..at least not for the next couple of months.

There are times we suddenly wonder why are we here, it is after all a difficult place to live if you couldn't get a job considering everything is so pricey. But we know these coming 2 years is what we want to try out, to experience, so... who knows how it will turn out right. Life is full of surprises!

got married!!

2007-08-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

the date was 20.07.2007.
Yupp, rosh n I got married!! ;-) there's so much to update but I just couldn't cath up with it - the thousands of photos taken are waiting to be sorted out, presents and thank you notes for people who helped out, accessories and clothes all over my messy little room... etc. yeah, it was a 10-days journey of 3 receptions from langkawi, subang to sibu. i stayed back in sibu to spend a week with my folks, then rosh n i flew to bukit tinggi in indonesia for another week to spend some time with his grandmother and aunties and uncle, paid respect to papa jaan at his grave, and now back here in the middle of august which we originally planned to be somewhere on an island chilling, drinking mango juice and reading some books if not snorkelling. reason we're back is for an interview that is going to take place in another 7 hours time from now.

i'm excited! and really hope that everything goes well!! will update soon. what's happening next in our lives is going to depend on that moment. *cross me fingers*

at the meantime, u could also check out some photos on my facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=17242&l=1bdee&id=598695195

bangkok

2007-07-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

10 days there weren't enough for me!!

we had so much to do, every day we woke up, "what's our priority today?" shoes? bags? clothes? suits? what seemed like an easy shopping trip isn't as easy as it is.

that wasn't the only fun of course, the best part i enjoyed the most was spending quality time with my friends in thailand. good food and good company man.. that's what it's all about.

..i'm a bit lost of word right now. had a 'hangover' when i got back to my room here in PJ - used to complain that the highway across was bit noisy. but after coming back from bkk, this is considered VERY quiet. also, being in a new environment makes me feel more alert and eager with the surroundings - i guess that's the sign for me to move on.

sometimes when one gets too comfortable with our own environment, we just take for granted many things.

anyways, this entry is bit boring-lah. better ciao now.

2 more weeks...

2007-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've not really written about getting married. Counting down, it's only 2 more weeks to go. I have 10 more days before I leave KL to go Langkawi. And here I am, without accessories, no confirmed make up artist and hairstylist for the receptions, haven't seen some of the wedding favors ordered, no wedding band yet, big zit on the forehead, put on weight after coming back from bangkok, and worst of all, SICK.

I'm not complaining, didn't mean to use this blog to do so - I'm just writing to note down some of my feelings, that yeah, 2 weeks before I tie the knot, I actually still have a lot of things not done! It's already hard that my mum's not near me and I've got no sisters to count on. I do have girlfriends but I'm hardly the girlie type, so yeah, Rosh and I just have to figure out our own ways as it goes. Recent chat with Sheils over skype really made me feel like, O GOSH, where did it go wrong? I thought I've got the whole timeline planned out. I took off from work for 6 weeks and still, lots are still to be done. I wonder how the working brides handle. Now I understand why some couple start preparing as early as one year ahead. But for me, 95 days are enough to go on and on and on about me, me, me, and me. why 95? It's the number of days (or less) a Baha'i couple should marry after their engagement. To worry and keep thinking about your wedding for one whole year, brrr... sends a chill down my spine man.

Nevertheless boys and girls, I'm definitely excited. I'm thrilled to meet friends and families, enjoy a good dinner by the beach and at hotels (for the receptions), good music, good company..... on top of it all of course, is to be spending my every moment with my dear suami-to-be from then on. Whatever physical arrangement that didn't work out won't really matter after that one day I guess.

I know this definitely marks a milestone in my life, and we'd like to enjoy every bit of it. As for plans after? Beat me. I'm still waiting for a Sign from above. hehe. Well now. thanks for all your prayers and wishes. =)

6 months of sweat...

2007-06-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

That's right. I worked on thes two projects since last mid November. "Seeds" I started from the very scratch as the Assistant Director, and "The Firm" I only joined in halfway, assisted in both the production and the post production. Both were really exciting to work on, and I had the opportunity to learn many things from organic farming to real estate situation. ;-)

Seeds is a fresh, hip and more attractive look at the agriculture sector. It takes you through the upbeat side of agriculture and showcases its appeal and how lucrative the business can be. Watch every Sunday 5pm on NTV7. www.seeds.tv/

The Firm is a one hour corporate reality tv program, ala 'The Apprentice'. The 10-episode series, which will start on June 24, will be aired at 9.00pm every Sunday and is expected to attract up to 600,000 television viewers.

Baha'i Awareness Week

2007-06-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

This week is the Baha'i Awareness Week for my community here in PJ. It almost comes to an end, but I thought I'd like to cut and paste this little writeup about this very wonderful Faith I have, and share it with you all.

ps. last day of work today. marking the end of a phase, and the entering of a new one. :)

***
About the Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá’í Faith is a world religion based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. He explained that there is only one God and one human family, and that all religions are spiritually united. Bahá’u’lláh’s writings offer spiritual guidance as well as directives for personal and social conduct.

The more than five million Bahá’ís around the world are engaged in the process of learning how to translate that guidance into realities of individual and community life. Though they come from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, they are united by their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and by their desire for a united, prosperous, and peaceful future for all of humanity.

Principles of Bahá’í Belief

The Bahá’í Faith recognizes the unity of God and of His Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society.

It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes extremes of poverty and wealth, exalts work performed in the spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace.

For more: www.bahai.org

"Let your vision be world-embracing, and not confined to your ownselves..." - Baha'u'llah

let me see...

2007-06-08T11:45:00.000-07:00

there's few things that i never thought i could, or WOULD do, but somehow did it (or is still doing it) - this year thus far.

1. work night shift - to go back and edit again, and actually having to work from 10pm - 6am. always wonder how the rest of the world did it (esp. the call centre ones), but yupp, i did it for couple of days, and going to be doing it for few more days.

2. tutor a ruhi discussion group - although so far only 2 classes, but glad we started it. i've tried co-tutoring with another tutor before, but this is the first time i had to facilitate fully the discussion, of course with help from others. ;-) guess all i have to do is don't think so much, just jump on the wagon!

3. spending $$ on make up. gosh, i feel old just going around shopping for make up, trying out this brand, that color, this material... guess when i was 10 i'd never thought i'd grow up to do so after all! (it's essential shopping, not leisure...).

4. to survive a 15 months long distance relationship and is still kicking butt. hooray!

5. erm, and getting married too. =)

the 25th-year-old's party

2007-05-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

Finally I managed to upload my photos. Yupp, thanks to Fabian who volunteered to take the photos for that night. They turned out really nice.

It was an open mic session which is the 3rd time I organized during my birthday - what I do is I invite friends to come sing a song or two, either they wrote it themselves or just something they'd like to express. Mien did a poem recital and she's really happy that she's got the space to do so, and I thought that is the reason I organized something like this, I wanted a space to sing too! ahah... Anyways, it won't be successful have I not lucky enough to have sporting friends, and talented ones around me. Love you all, it was another awesome birthday.

We all want to be beautiful...

2007-05-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

I would like to dedicate this video to all the women in my life.
sung by devon gundry.

:)

craftsman

2007-05-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

"It is the commandment of the Blessed Beauty [Bahá'u'lláh],...that whosoever engageth in a craft, should endeavor to acquire in it utmost proficiency. Should he do so, that craft becometh a form of worship."

My father is a denture maker. Since young, I always have difficulty explaining to my friends what my father does. He is not a dentist - thus every time his patrons call him 'yi sheng' (doctor), he'd humbly corrected them. Making denture involves many steps, among which including mounting, boiling, carving, brushing...

Until today, my father still sits at his little corner in the house - he called it his lab but i think it's more like his little sanctuary. Many long hours are spent to perfect his 'art'. And many customers keep coming back to him and many introduces many others as they like his 'artwork'.

As I grow older I start to appreciate more what my father does. He may not be a 'successful' lawyer, businessman, engineer, but he serves as fervently. Like how he usually jokes, "my job promises beautiful smiles for others."

Love you dad, Happy Father's Day!

journey

2007-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

you have no idea how much i miss travelling... miss being in a new place, or a familiar place, miss being anonymous, miss being with friends i meet along the way...
Over the year there's been many times i heard from people who'd been moving around countries - as i listen to their sharing, my heart yearns too.
"Soon." I tell myself. :)

Happy Ridvan!

2007-04-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

It's 1st of May today, and tomorrow's the last day ie.12th day of Ridvan. The Ridvan Festival is the King of Festivals and it is during these 12 days that marked the significant period of Baha'u'llah's declaration as the Promised One. To celebrate, among one of the many things that I was involved, was my little birthday open mic party which i had few nights ago. Many friends were invited and thank god the numbers who came didn't bring down the house. ('ferncroft' is one of my fav homes, i'm lucky that i get to use their homes twice as venue for this.) We had no less than 10 performers singing, sharing a story and reciteth poems. It was the 3rd time I had the open-mic thingy cum bday celebration, (skipping last year) it was as good, if not better than the past years. Must really thank everyone who had so graciously agreed to contribute for the night. Oh, I can't wait to put the photos up - although I forgot to bring my fav cam, a friend showed up with his professional digicam n said "this is my contribution for the night". voila! Mayb next week I'll get to post them.

A couple of weeks ago, the community also had Kippy's tales again, this time on the theme of 'we are different but the same'. I was in one of the puppet show - gosh, it ain't easy singing and being a puppet at the same time!! Then there's some face painting for the kids, and here I attached two little clips I managed to capture during the show.

a tribute to equality.

2007-04-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

watch this! ;-) hiak hiak hiak.

It's a wrap!!

2007-04-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

I started on this project on the 13th November 2006. And today, marks the end of our shoot... It's been 5 months of labour, and I'm glad. I'm glad I did this project, I'm glad to have a great team to work with, I'm glad I learnt a lot of things, and I'm also glad that it's o.v.e.r. =)

spring has come

2007-03-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

having EARLY breakfast together? that was fun. at 630am the 'few' of us gathered together for chinese dim sum in taman paramount. some of us are big fans, some of us are there for the company.

then, there's NAW-RUZ! THE TIME OF THE YEAR! =)
just random photos... I didn't shoot much that night, wasn't feeling the most comfortable coz I wore this dress that felt as though it could drop just anytime. *_* couldn't totally enjoy myself (note: it's important to wear what's the most comfortable to u!), hehehe. alfred n cherissa, my bro n i, son n ziwen, my 3 musketeers-ex-boys-next-door.

march...

2007-03-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

fasting month has come and gone so fast. it wasn't an easy fast, mainly because i had to be on shoot most of the time. out in the sun and standing for hours, u'll see me attempting to steal some quick chill-out moments whenever i can... hehehe.. but it was still cool. we interviewed datuk siti nurhaliza, met the prime minister for a walk-around interview in his garden, shot in the rain in the paddy field, wear funny boots to see how chickens are being slaughtered and cleaned and processed...

anyways, just some pics for fun. :)

...

2007-03-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

And the coolest part is... while on my transit to KL in kuching, my cousin took me for laksa sarawak hunt! I was cravvvviinngg.. and she didn't disappoint me. Though rm4 to spend for one bowl of noodle in kuching is a culture shock for me. and i actually randomly texted my primary school friend and she agreed to meet up! AFTER SEVENTEEN YEARS! that's right. 17. last we met was before i left to sibu, yours truly used to be from an even smaller town called serian. somehow we found each other on friendster and got back in touch. that's the girl. i hope to post our 9-yr-old pics together, we haven't changed much. :)

and oh ya, that's love n i on a beautiful island. ;-)

...

2007-03-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

There's chinese new year get together with old time high school mates, and lots of food for reunion dinner...

...

2007-03-10T10:47:00.001-08:00

Then, there's work...

one month story

2007-03-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Gosh! Has it been that long that I didn't even drop one single line? Well, it's been crazy... work, chinese new year, work, planning, etc etc...

As you can see from the first batch of pics, ms.sonia princess turned 22 - we had some REAL GOOD FOOD at her home, played imaginiff, and just chilled out. nice.

Babel?

2007-02-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

"i saw babel few days back, have you seen it? i like it lots, and in a weird way reminded me of your work - mayb because i really
like how different locations of the world are juxtaposed next to each other, suddenly japan, mexico, morocco, you're like jumping from one culture to the other, everything so familiar to you, yet when put together in one narrative just seemed bizarre, yet totally cool -

SO, i just CAN'T WAIT to see your film~!!"

that's bita joon alright, the female filmmaker whom i got to work with very briefly. when i thought of this whole globe hopping documentary work she's doing, i just get so excited - as an audience, i enjoy seeing a wide range of visuals, and to imagine it being edited all together, linking all the different countries she's been to, it will be a feast for the eye. this pic is taken by ryan lash, a videographer/editor/photographer whom i also got to work with many years back, and he actually met bita in london and shot some work together too! what coincidence.

(2pm, January 22. London, UK. Here's a lame shot of the cross walk outside of the Abby Road studios. I was in town shooting some video for a friend who was working on a documentary and needed an extra pair of hands. That's her in the Afghan burqa - Ryan L.)

yupp, among some of the crazy work we had to do... ;-)

Air Ruhi ;)

2007-02-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

If you haven't gotten your boarding pass to Air Ruhi, it's definitely time for you to run to the departure lounge and see if you could still catch the flight. ;-)

Been serving on the cluster growth committee for almost a year now, and i must say it truly has been a learning experience for me. It's not just another committee, but one that overlooks the progress of the various core activities in the whole cluster. (petaling jaya for ours) and in case i haven't mentioned in any of my previous post, these core activities that the Baha'i community is actively serving in are 1) children's classes (in my neighborhood it's called the Unity School) - our teachers are trained in a series of courses and this virtue + spiritual-centred classes are offered free of charge as a community service project 2) junior youth gatherings - young adults and youth who are also trained, are to facilitate a group of youth aged 11-14 based on a series of books that follow the story of few characters through discussions, activities, that are contemporary and definitely relevant to their age group, not just to open up their critical mind, but to expose them to the sweet savor of service 3) devotional gatherings - opening homes for people of various faith to come together and pray 4) the Ruhi books are sequence of courses facilitated by a tutor in a group of not bigger than 10, to discuss and reflect on the Words of God and how we can practice them in our daily lives.

My brief explanation definitely won't do justice to how important these core activities are in building a foundation for a good community. but you know, i'm just an email or a phone call away. =D

fasting month is fast approaching - i'm nervous about it, also excited. spring is coming, yeay!

i havnt blogged

2007-02-05T04:43:00.000-08:00

if you notice, and yes, i havn't blogged - and YES, I'VE BEEN B.U.S.Y.
shoot started. with one AD not continuing her job as contract ends, and i hav to take over her jobs - there was a sudden pressure put on me, and it wasn't like i've done this before. i too grop my way thru. nevertheless, i'm still learning - still learning, how to manage people, how to deal with people you met for the first time, u know, the soft skills. besides waking up as early as 4am, the more exciting part of the job is definitely meeting people from all walks of life! and since i'm doing an agricultural show, it's just fun to be meeting people who are passionate about their work. whether they're the biggest organic retail chain owner, the first person to create what a malaysian garden is, one of the few top women entrepreneur who promotes herbal skincare product, the person who makes sure all klcc stores' food are safe to a standard, a young entrepreneur who loves farming, or just an average jane who moves out from her housewife shell n became a creative entrepreneur.

work like this, day in day out, people think i is making da money - *_* not! (ps. this reminds me of the 'joker' borat met, who taught him american jokes). but i guess, now i can really say, in some ways, i've tasted production lifestyle. do i like it?

like i said, it felt like i was on the 13th month of last year - now it's feb n my december calendar's still up. go figure.

Love and his birthday (slightly more than quarter-life)

2007-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

At the very last minute, we decided (or more, ro-boy did) that we'll have a bbq just to get friends together and say some prayers and play some games. once again, boys against girls for the annual pictionary battle.... though the girls didn't start off our year as well as the boys' did, but i do wanna play a couple more times to see if we really did lose 'coz of our gender. how did the boys understand each other's bad drawings? i mean, one crooked circle, that's america? who would have guessed that. Well, it's still a jolly good night. *smiles*

the month of the Capricorns II

2007-01-04T07:18:00.001-08:00

Then there was nana boy's birthday, we chilled at a coffee place late night, catching up with some good ol' frennies. few days later was new year's eve! what could be more fun than a simple get together with friends for dinner and chit chat. =)

the month of the Capricorns I

2007-01-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

It was Mien's birthday, we had french cuisine @ frangipani. nice classy place, not one that i'll patron much, but the girls had fun. happy birthday dear! ;)

my first public screening

2006-12-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

"My New Home" finally went on its first public screening. It's the first time my fellow crews, and actors, and even close friends, get to see it. ;-) Thanks to Mien and Effa who organized the Filmmaker Anonymous, through word of mouth and a post on a mailing list, we managed to get not less than 40 people at Indiescene Cafe to come watch the 10 short films. Well, it's my first piece I direct since I left school, didn't expect much. It did feel vulnerable to be standing alongside other directors after the screening for Q & A. There were some shorts that I really really like, very well done. If you were not there, too bad.

Anyhoos, it's new year's eve.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007~!! *hugz* and thanks for reading my blog.

peng you

2006-12-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

adrian and colin are among my most favourite friends in high school. they are cousins. one i see on and off, the other last i saw was years back. we spent a wonderful few days catching up and just did stuff. it was good to feel that our friendship hasn't changed. 10 years, it's been that long. :)

end of the year blues...

2006-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

it must be end of the year.
the time when you look back and ask,
what have i done?

christmas songs filling the air,
friends and families getting together,
buying gifts and shopping malls,
cheesy lovers hugging tights.

romantic comedy makes you cry,
white snow you wish but rain you get,
people are happier, lonely ones tear,
traffic jam only makes me fear.

old friends i see, memories i had,
schooltime, innocent days, all that i cherish,
in that one box i brought along,
since the day i left, till i perish.

now it is,
it is end of the year.

Stuffs we did

2006-12-17T06:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a few.
hanging out at the beach

bita in action

in the mall with a lady behind me

bought herself a 'dish-dash'

the 7star hotel as background

Finally the last bit of photos I want to post are all done. I may now close this chapter. ;-) moving on...

The people we met

2006-12-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

We were very lucky to have met very kind people who helped us along the way. John is one of them (the guy in the first picture). When I told a friend who used to live in Dubai to pass me a contact, she gave me one number and said he'll take care of me. And he surely did his best. :) Among other photos are women we interviewed and friends we stayed with. one day as we were walking down a street we've not been, bita met her classmate from melbourne who just arrived on that day, eating lunch by the roadside. for a class of only 9 ppl, it was such a pleasant surprise to meet someone across the globe in a country you've not been. bizarre. (the couple in the shisha pictures)

photographs...finally.

2006-12-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

Some of the places I stepped foot.

The desert on the picture is taken out from zarrin's balcony. she's a malaysian friend of mine who works in dubai and i'm very thankful that we get to bunk with her for few days. look closely and you will the skyline of dubai - they've got lots of high rise on their main highway, the syeikh zayed road, which can get horrendously jam. it's awful. the camels are chilling on the desert, and as how zarrin would describe it "i wake up and see camels outside my window, who else got a view like mine?"

First few days we didn't know where to go, and the cheapest food was fast food. there were iranian restaurants and lebanese restaurants, but they were not cheap, nevertheless we still enjoyed the variety. kebab, hommous, salad etc etc. yummy!

Land of the Emirates

2006-12-09T05:35:00.000-08:00

I think I should definitely drop a line here while I'm in Abu Dhabi. It's day 9 in UAE Land, with first 7 days in Dubai, and a couple of days in Abu Dhabi, and leaving back to Dubai again before I fly back.
It has been work, work, and work! Calling the few contacts we have, looking through newspapers finding interesting stories and speaking to friends' friends or even strangers on the road or in some conference we crashed, our only aim is to find THE ONE woman whom we would like to feature. I am but the humble cameraman in this team of two. But really, I have learnt a lot - not the easiest way. Imagine, me and Bita (the director of this documentary) both flew a total of 40 hours (plus transit time) to meet here in Dubai, FOR THE FIRST TIME, and have to work so closely as though we've known each other for ages. Definitely there's some clashes of personalities, different methods, adjusting to each other and all that jazz. I came with no expectation whatsoever. I really didn't know what to expect. I just keep reminding myself to be open-minded about this and try to learn as much as I could. It really challenged me in many ways which I figured only by sitting down with me, you'll get the real impression of what I went through. (hope it doesn't sound all that bad)

There are some days that are slower which we just logged our tapes at home, or sampai jalan buntu kut so we went to the beach and chill. (yupp, I've dipped into the blue sea of arabian gulf). Mediterranean weather at this time of the year is nice, cooling and yet still sunny.

I might come back earlier than I think. Funny that I knew I was going to miss home and I DO - the secured feeling of routine, the warm and loving group of friends, understanding and patient colleagues and bosses, my own chill out pad and loyal sunnyboy waiting for me... or maybe just cheap 'xue cha' (cold chinese tea) and banana leaf rice that I miss. hehe. been eating lots of fast food 'cause everything is SO EXPENSIVE here, also kebabs and more kebabs. ro-boy must love it here a lot. they've got lime n lemon for most stuff, the humus, the mint leaves, tadik, salad, etc. all that.

Also, Bita's an American of Iranian origin. I think I have never had a close American friend and they are different from the usual Asians (duh!) definitely. We misunderstood each other quite easily at times, even the simplest way of saying things can come out different. For those who know me, *you know how malaysian the way i speak right*. I told myself I should probably stay in one of the caucasian countries one day, for a year or two, just so that I could comprehend the different culture a bit better. In another words, learn to deal with people who are a lot more vocal. ;-) (bita if u're reading this, love u k.)

Photos will be posted when I'm back. Till then.

Dubai

2006-11-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Leaving tomorrow night. I'm so excited! There will be lots of first in this trip. I've not been on a long haul flight. I've not been to a middle east country. I've not travelled THIS far to meet up with someone I haven't met. I've not... the list goes on. But overall, I'm quite nervous and hope I do a good job with the purpose I'm there.

My boy is going to miss me.

ps. please do not sms me in the next 2 weeks, I have to pay just to receive your smses. email me, and if REALLY urgent, you can try calling me. rumor has it that receiving calls might be free on my end, but have to confirm with ro-boy first.

alright, no blogging for 2 weeks! OUT.

.a

farming

2006-11-28T18:23:00.000-08:00

busy. busy. busy.
this new magazine show i'm working on right now is called "Seeds", and the whole purpose is to promote agriculture in the country. I remember when I was presented with 3 different programs, asking which I would like to pick, my 'fun' side wanted to do a reality show - young, hip and happening, but somehow I thought while I'm still young and should always try to push my limit or take challenges, I opt for this agriculture thingy. My producer was taken aback and wanted to know why. I didn't really explain, maybe because I'm trying to understand myself why Shoghi Effendi refers farming as one of the noble professions. hopefully by the end of the show I find my answers. :)

yo buddies! dinner tonight?

sicklee

2006-11-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

been sick for so long it's just not funny. woke up one morning with dry throat, then sore, then flu, then cough, then swollen tonsils. saw doc, gave antibiotics, finished them, couple of days later it got back, with fever and headache. another doc gave me a new set of antibiotics, stronger ones, after a week, gotten better. friend's birthday we had crabs together, i thought i've recovered! next day, sore throat, swollen tonsils, cough... the whole cycle again! and it seems, a friend told me today i might have astigmatism. it seems if i look at the lamppost and see lines coming out from it, it's time to get myself a pair of spectacles!

OH NO!!!
i was just thinking of how some ppl look more intellectual when they put on their glasses, but, but.. i don't want to be one of them.

besides that.
new job. new tasks. new experience. new things.

and probably. new country to conquer.

keceriaan mengambil gambar kanak-kanak

2006-11-11T00:41:00.000-08:00

Had a few activities with children in the past weeks. I didn't have to handle any big responsibility, which means I had more time to snap photos. yeay! good thing about stills is u snap, u photoshop, u post. video you gotta shoot, capture, edit, edit, edit, then transfer, or convert, or computer hang, or restart computer, or... you get what i mean. =)

TOYM award night

2006-11-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

I guess this was one of the things I've been busy with for the past 2 weeks. You saw the 3mins clip manesh n i did. It was screened on that night before soonkam, our fren who won the award, went to stage and gave his speech. It was a very meaningful night - not because he won the award, but mostly because of the recognition given to the work he was involved in, and what the community is doing - namely the children's classes and the junior youth gatherings.
Jenjarom is well-known for its notoriety even for a small town. some parents were happy to see their children involved in healthy activities, to learn about virtues and to be of service, but there were also some who are sceptical about these free classes. anyways, action speaks louder than words (and awards). the transformation the children/youth had, only themselves or their parents would know.

*TOYM = the outstanding young malaysian award.

pictures below>>1)i like how this photo turned out 2)the video team with soonkam 3)soonkam and family 4)guang liang (aka michael wong) is also one of the winners! i've been listening to his songs since a decade ago, so excited that he's there. too bad i didn't get to take a picture with him. this isn't the best photo i have of him, but i thought it's funny that the man on the right corner (probably a doctor, a scientist, or a humanitarian volunteer) had the peace sign. ^_^

one night when i was yamcha-ing with my frens...

2006-11-10T23:57:00.000-08:00

yes, one of those mondays that used to be reserved for futsal, became one of the lets-go-out-n-hav-drinks nights. for malaysians especially, 'having a drink' or having supper u may call it, is a very imperative norm in many young people's lives. maybe it was the togetherness, maybe it was the lively conversation, maybe it was just killing time, maybe malaysians don't read, maybe nothing is on tv that night, maybe it's the nice weather since it's been drizzling at night, maybe it's just bad diet, and maybe that's why we all have bellies because we eat more than we exercise!

anyhoos, that one night (finally getting to my point), i was 'storying' my frens about a huge hole clarice n i found on a road one day. then someone said "oh, i saw it on newspapers." you should have seen me - mata aku terbeliak, hatiku berdebar-debar, senyumanku tak segan - i was just SO EXCITED that i rushed to buy that day's newspaper at 11pm. it was the last one left.

ceritanya macam ni... clarice n i was on this street one morning at 730am, and it was still fine, until 10am when we went pass the same road, we saw a huge hole and was just totally amazed at how it collapsed by itself. lucky no car went in. being curious, we both parked our car and walked to the crime scene and decided to take photos. when we got back to the office, we called up a newspaper's hotline and thinking that they might actually reward us for giving them such an interesting news, all they said was "thanks, we'll send our people there." FINE. since the two of us didn't wanna waste our photos, we sent in to this column where they pay for interesting pictures. the next day, it was out. woohoo! though we didn't win the rm50, we were just excited to see our work - my photo and her words, out on newspapers. haha. cheap thrill.

Arise!

2006-11-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

you can say i was bumming all the time at home - but at least i got something out from this week! let me present to you "Arise!" a once in 3 months newsletter for the community of PJ. I used Pages, a mac software that has lots of nice templates, and all I had to do was collect some stories and pictures and put them altogether. though a last minute effort, but thanks to the support of many others, we managed to launch it at the right time! ;-)

I'm only showing 2 out of 8 pages here, hehe.

Temple land visit

2006-11-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

Finally last weekend, I get to visit our temple land in Kuala Kubu Bharu. It was about one hour drive away from Petaling Jaya, and thank god the weather was alright. It wasn't too hot, and it seemed like it was going to rain, but it didn't. We had to park our cars bit far off as the road was blocked by puddle of water, and everyone, young and old, started walking as far as 600 meter to reach our temple land.

As we could only receive funds from Baha'is alone, raising the money to buy this land which will build our future house of worship, is definitely a challenge. But in the end, of course, it was purchased. There's many other stories which we could hear from some individuals on how the land was found, purchased, leveled, etc etc, which I personally believe must be God's intervention.

A beautiful devotional was prepared and we all stood around and enjoyed the breezes caressing our faces as we listened to the chants and prayers recited. It was an overwhelming experience for me. Since my visit to the Mother Temple in India, to be at a spot where the House of Worship will be built - where people from all walks of life, despite religion, race, status and what not, come together and worship under one roof. That's the symbol of unity.

The Bahá’í House of Worship is dedicated to the praise of God. The House of Worship forms the central edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (the Dawning-place of the Praise of God), a complex which, as it unfolds in the future, will comprise in addition to the House of Worship a number of dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific pursuits. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes the 191 Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as “one of the most vital institutions in the world”, and Shoghi Effendi indicates that it exemplifies in tangible form the integration of “Bahá’í worship and service”. Anticipating the future development of this institution, Shoghi Effendi envisages that the House of Worship and its dependencies “shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant”. In the future, Bahá’í Houses of Worship will be constructed in every town and village.(excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas)

friends in china...

2006-10-31T07:17:00.000-08:00

so sad people in china actually couldn't log on to blogspot, and maybe other blog providers too - mainly coz the government controls the flow of information i guess. anyways, below is a video taken last year but i never really sat down n finished it up until recently. guess extra time at hand (that's right - i've been "bumming") does push me to fill it up with tying loose ends. enjoy this video. ;-)

good thai food

2006-10-30T11:00:00.001-08:00

went to see a doctor this morning. so glad to find a relatively cheap doc - consultation plus 2 packets of antibiotics and some pills for my blocked nose, altogether rm22. with the haze and people getting their tonsils swelled up, blocked nose, sinus problem, etc, there's definitely many people swarming to the clinics.
"no cold drinks, no spicy food, no oily, fried stuff for you..." *sob sob*

guess i just have to look at them and drool........

*see the burning lips? that's how spicy they are. yummmmmyyyyyy!!*

last year this time...

2006-10-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

received a message from sufy saying she's busy decorating her department for the coming-up halloween party. and that she's started to see lots of people dressing up in the wildest costumes parading the streets. how fun! well KL ain't florida, definitely not a culture here.

since it's such a bore this year, maybe i'd post some pics from what i did last year this time - carving pumpkin (it's almost impossible to find an orange pumpkin here in south east asia i suppose, we had to paint a green one), and having a halloween costume party on a hut house, ain't that fun? the makeups were fantastic i must say, haha!

a crazy wedding joke

2006-10-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

this happened last year. and i thought it was darn funny!! my ro-boy is mr.darth vader (and yes, looks like he's walked down the aisle with some other gurl huh! *sniff*). and look, that's the 'sticky' me. now, pizzas had helped putting me the pounds in a real short time. besides the point, hope this lovely cute young couple friends of mine are doing fine across the globe. drop a line some time peepz! -luv-

some nice music...

2006-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

i'm never the type that knows much about the latest music, singer, band - yupp, that's right, i dunno the name of the lead singer of red hot chilli pepper. but i love music, good music, especially the one sang with a sincere voice accompanied by clean guitar background.

now, get yourself a glass of juice, or a nice hot cup of tea, let your hair down and just sit back - close your eyes and enjoy. :)

devon gundry
ferraby lionheart
meichern
reza salleh
pete teo
rhapsody
alexparks
khalil fong

a treat for my blog readers.

2006-10-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

i was only going to blog it after it's premiered next saturday at the awards night - but heck, not everyone is going to be there, and looks like our fren soonkam himself also have showed the video to his family & friends, so i thought, WHY NOT? =)

happy anniversary bloggy!

2006-10-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

i've been wanting to blog this - my blog is officially a year old now! i just skimmed through all my entries over the months, and hell, it's been ONE year. =)

i've also slowly discovered new addition of friends who read my blogs - pls dun hesitate to drop me a comments so i know u exist. hehe.

just switched to google blogger to see what's the fuss all about, just as i was so excited when i found out there's the counter to show me how many hits i get, google blogger took it out - anyone knows how i can add it back?

ro-boy flew back to the land of hornbills today, and the deeparaya break is also coming to an end. time to get back to work now!

a quiet weekend...

2006-10-24T23:54:00.000-07:00

... has been spent editing in my room, for a friend of mine who's won the outstanding young malaysian award. i must say i am utterly proud to be his friend, and yes, having some free time at hand - few of us took our big and small toys, some borrowed some dug up from the layers of dusk hidden in the corner of the room, and took a road trip down to jenjarom.

soonkam won the award on the category for moral and religious leadership - for his work and involvement (with the rest of the youth as well) in starting children's classes and junior youth empowerment program in a chinese new village called jenjarom. it was my first trip there though i've heard of many stories in that town, and one of the most inspiring things i encountered was this young vegetable seller whom we interviewed. he used to be one of the gangsters, went around doing 'bad things', then somehow he and a few of his friends started joining the program and he actually found himself liking it lots. i saw him singing with the children, holding hands with them (there's few classes, each almost 30 kids crammed in one small center, with less than 5 teachers but lots of young helpers - and most importantly, all happy) walking them to the sink to wash hands while serving tea and biscuits, just small but sincere simple act of service.

no words could fairly describe how the community has transformed - and how this group of young people have helped throughout the years.

the 3 mins video will be screened at the award night before he gives his speech.
(pic1>some of the friends we interviewed; pic2>soonkam & grandma; pic3>friends we met at jenjarom baha'i center)

party~!!

2006-10-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

it is my deepest regret that i forgot to snap a pic of the host and hostess! it's been awhile we have a party since new year's, and to have 50 people coming and going, food contributed by pot luck, i must say everything went pretty well. i enjoyed the company. =) and yes, our theme was supposed to be traditional costume, but only a few wore. nonetheless, HAPPY DEEPA RAYA!!

** i hav problem putting photos and texts next to it, html-illiterate la me. basically, those who were there - there's the chinese kung fu masters, the macca-brothers, the chill-out-i-only-wear-jeans dudes, the pretty girls, the i-wanna-show-off-my-traditional-costumes ppl with yours truly, and more smiling faces! ;-)

the performers!

2006-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

-ablaze youth workshop performed at the World Peace Day 2006 organized by the Baha'i community of malaysia recently. the theme was : waging peace through equal wings.

it was a simple 30 mins production: starts with a short contemporary dance that shows men overpowering women, followed by four monologues of people from various settings. first was a journalist reporting from a war torn country, then an african woman sharing her fight to be heard, then a college kid from a divorced parents background, then a corporate lady who juggles with work and family. the show ends with a beautiful contemporary dance by the same couple on gender equality.

was a lovely experience to have performed on stage with a group of talented young people. we maybe amateurs, but we did nail the crowd (or so i think). hehe.

holiday with grandma

2006-10-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

check out the lim family photo - my dad's side siblings and my grandma, cool strong grandma who's not aged at all! it was totally a surprise that we get to visit grandma this trip back to sibu, coz usually it's a 2 hr drive from home, and another 2 hr boat ride. not the most comfortable journey. 'cuz love came for a visit, and my folks thought that since there's a new road built into our kampong, we should drive up and check it out!
my dad couldn't stop saying "never in my life i've ever dreamt that i could actually drive back home!" imagine..his childhood days where he had to take hours of long boat to get to town, can b reached via 30 mins drive now. the pic me n grandma stood n laughed was taken on that road, most of it is already tarred.

a trip to the jungle!

2006-10-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

finally, get to put the photos up! it's been awhile. one of those days that i was dying to get closer to the nature, somehow this little treat drops down from the sky. a birdwatching session with the malaysian nature society! so a few of us decided to get up at 7am, gathered at the kota damansara forest reserve, bird watched, and went on a little trail. it's definitely not the toughest trail i've been on (record would still b that 2 hr trail i took with love years back, with only one bottle of water in our hand, filling it up with river water as we walk, n finally reaching to the big big waterfall at the end. tough walk man.) but the best part is doing the trail with a group of friends whom i've never been in this environment with. always hanging out with these city folks at mamaks, restaurants, movies, homes, never on a nature walk. so it was fun-lah!

tutuplah satu lagi fasa.

2006-09-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Recently, someone dear dreamt of someone dear dies. mayb she got worried and so she went online and checked out what it meant - the dream that is. to her relief, she told that someone dear, 'u're dead in my dream, means in real life, you are moving into a new chapter of ur life.' probably something major.

let's just say, someone may have dreamt that i died recently, but haven't gotten to tell me yet. =)

reading the very first entry of this blog - yes, i was right, it has been one year since i quit my job and decided to go for a 2 months long break, followed with the decision to freelance and not take any full-time job. how do i fair after one year? well, the first few months, i worked, thinking that as long as i earn the minimum i could probably survive. let me share with you an advice, as long as you are not paid for that job u did, u don't consider earning a single cent in that month. it was only till few days ago that i received payment to some of the jobs i did 6 months back. my luck got better after those months of can't-afford-to-pay-rental, i took up a contract job which secures me for 4 months. although doing the same thing still, which was editing, but i was happy - with the people i work with, and the vibe of the job. it may not be a socially conscious type of project (u know, like berkobar-kobar change the world and make it a better place), but the experience was a peaceful one for me.

then i ask myself, what was more important? to work on a project that means something but have to struggle with the people whom u work with, or to work on a no-brainer project but happy in the process of doing it?
at one glance of course working on a good cause is more noble than just being complacent with a job. (here i'm referring to 'harmless' jobs, not porn or shows that degrade people. then again, 'harmless' is subjective one may say.) but is it really? how do we find the balance?

anyways.. i wasn't planning to talk about my job in this entry.
i'd just like to mark the temporary closing of my freelance edit life. going back home tmr, H.O.M.E. *mix emotions but mostly glad*. when i come back, i'll be working on a new project which i get to do a different role this time.

on top of everything, a recent forwarded email reminded me of how important it is to balance our lives and not get too indulged with the ongoings, especially job & money. at the end of it, what is our purpose in this world?

tell a story yo kippy!

2006-09-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

i had these photos on my desktop for the longest time. finally i get to upload them.
and yes, loads have been going on, but within the perimeter - meaning, i'm still here in PJ. =)

check out kippy's tales - a storytelling session done by a group of us for the kiddos.
and watch out for the second one coming up in october!!

you've got tubed!

2006-08-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

REALITI on 8tv 3rd sept onwards 10pm. catch this 2min trailer here.

this old man...

2006-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

a pic i took when was in the mountains. :) there's something wrong with my camera's focus lense, though it turned out bit blur, i like the effect.. kinda dreamy n all.

hey stranger.

2006-08-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about a job as an editor is, especially when you edit a long-form series, you feel as though you see a lot of the actors (well, practically you can recognize every frame of their face muscle's movements after 10 episodes!) because you repetitively watch them as you edit, and it creates a false idea that you know them........ but you actually don't!

When I went for the wrap party the company had, I felt so familiar with the actors - their voices, their gestures, (except for some I didn't expect to be really short - camera angles make them look tall) etc, but they don't really know you (the editor) exist. of course, after some introduction, they usually would go, "aah.. you the editor". and yes, I know what you tried to do when you think the camera is off or when you forgot your lines. This reminds me of a funny actor who found out that the editor, me, is a girl - so being a cheeky person as he is known for, everytime the director shouts 'cut', he'll pops up from nowhere and greets me! IT'S FREAKY OKAY. Until one day, I saw him at the studio and smiled at him, thinking in my heart if he knows I'm the editor he's been greeting to.

This morning I was introduced to one ex-Miss Malaysia, actually the second one in the past month. I smiled as I shook her hand, thinking, maybe to strike a small talk, I could say "Hey, I've edited you." Did that once to somebody I can't recall, but the conversation didn't go very long. I mean, what do I expect right? If someone you've not met in your entire life suddenly come to you and say, "Hey, I saw you on the newspaper and I cut your face out to keep it in my scrapbook," what would you react right?

Geezz, quite a scary thought, ain't it?

over!

2006-08-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

The show I edited is called "realiti". and finally... I managed to steal some stills, and blog it. =P going on air first week of september. can't wait! ;-)

...

2006-07-25T10:55:00.001-07:00

When asked for a definition of a pure heart, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “The pure heart is one that is entirely cut away from self. To be selfless is to be pure.”

cheese!

2006-07-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

some people like to take solo pic - you know, those with the camera phone usually secretly enjoy shooting themselves; some hate taking pictures because they think they put on 10 pounds on photos; some like posed pictures like those we shoot in the studio - yupp those photoshopped or professionally air-brushed pics; some like natural snapshots to capture 'the' moment; some like it black and white; some like it well-composed; some like to store them digitally, and some just had to print those special ones to remind them of someone special...

these are just some group photos i had in my iphoto-album with my family - in sibu, and my pj community i depended on for the past 6 yrs, and my baha'i family i met for one day in baguio, and of course my friends who have been as close to me as family.

ps. time to take more new pics. hehe.

ah, my first room

2006-06-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

this was my first office! i suddenly found the pic. there's a number 2 but i dun hav the pic. will post it. they kinda look the same after awhile.. but number 2 i got a big nice couch. *grin*

work space

2006-06-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

if you're wondering what i've been up to, it's just been work! work! work! 9am i wake up in the morning, leave my house at 9.45am, reach work at 10.30am, make my tea, put some hand lotion, n there you go... me - the mouse - the keyboard. non stop until 8pm. i never used to like staying until after 7pm. maybe i thought since i'm just gonna be with this company for a couple of months (i should finish up in another month's time), thus no harm staying bit late. and there IS lots of work. i'd love to put up some stills of the tv series i'm cutting now. it's called "realiti", a malay/english local drama about 5 finalists and their stories.
it's been fun so far, and definitely a warm working environment. although i dun interact much with the other colleagues except with my mr.mac (ironically, one of the characters is 'mac' too), i must say the people here are nice. =) the whatever stereotyped impression of 'production people'... i dunno, maybe i'm just lucky i havn't met any real nasty ones.

aight. 12.30am, another hour i should be in bed, says routine.

can't wait to get out of asia`!

2006-06-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

the bride and the hens

2006-06-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

besides working really hard, the other 'big event' that happened is a good friend of mine recently got married. the girlie frens got together and had a smashing hen nite, pretty fun with special spa treatment for the bride, and some incantation that our mother hen led us into, also sharing of memories... we havn't got together for some time, n each has their hearts set on different things and at different places. so we definitely gotta cherish what we've got.

surpRISe!

2006-05-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

my jungle boy got someone to deliver these beautiful flowers to me few days back. it was an attempt to surprise me as i've always joked how predictable he can be when it comes to buying gifts. this time, the florist had to call me for directions to come to my office, as early as 9am when i was still in bed! as you can see, the surprise didnt quite turn out. *smilz* nevertheless, it was still a beautiful anniversary despite the umpteen times my colleagues came knocking at my door, teasing or giggling at me.

during my adolescence, i came across this magazine that asked, what would u prefer - anticipation or surprise. some people love the feeling of anticipation, it is a blissful period as you are filled with hope and your heart is dilated with joy, anticipating the coming of something good. it is a period, not a day, or an hour, or a minute, which usually is how long a surprise would take. i asked myself why most people love to be surprised when that excitement is short-termed, while anticipation serves longer.

a girlfriend of mine was planning to surprise a good friend of ours who's getting married, by showing up at the hen nite which she told that she would not be able to attend due to family commitments. because she came back from some place far, it is only seemly that the girls should spend quality time together at this wonderfully planned party. the bride was of course not too happy of her absence, and definitely disappointed. my theory is this, even if the surpriser turns up on the night of the party, the bride may just feel excited for that moment, but before the day arrives, she will only remember the disappointment, letdown by her close friend. SO, for that one moment of "surprise!!", is it worth it to risk breaking someone's heart? maybe not so serious, maybe just a tinge of bitterness.

it turns out... when the surpriser touched down at the airport, she found the bride waiting for her to pick her up, taking the opportunity to catch up as the bride still thinks that the surpriser won't be there at the party. when she sees her at the doorstep, they were thrilled. then i think to myself, how beautiful their friendship is. what bitterness? when the heart is open and ready to love, u will forgive, and u will continue to give. coolness.

today, a darling friend of mine came back from a land far east, and surprised me while i was having dinner at an open air stall. i haven't been surprised for a looooong time, HA! and i literally jumped up and we screamed, we hugged. i actually had goosebumps. man, is that why people like to be surprised? that adrenaline rush. *phew* well, tho the excitement was temporary, the joy stays.

looking forward to my next surprise. :-)

girlfriends

2006-05-03T08:20:00.001-07:00

I have always commented that I have more male friends than females. Maybe it was my character (more boyish, direct or even rough), maybe I find the male species easier for me to be frank with (I'm more wary if I'd say something wrong to a girl and hurt her feelings), and somehow I always just end up hanging out with guys, more than girls.

Seeking myself deep down, I put the barrier maybe because of unpleasant experiences I have with girlfriends. maybe because of a certain expectation we have for each other when a group of girls come together and call themselves 'best friends'. I probably was rather hurt or dejected then, which till today, I'd rather spend my free time with boys who mostly don't dwell on petty matters and just enjoy their company.

It is a fear I should overcome, with grace, detachment and courage. After all, over the years I have had many close girlfriends who deeply touched my heart, and still are.

Last night, I couldn't get any of the boys to have dinner with me, but I knew I wanted to spend it with friends I hardly see. So I called up two female friends of mine whom I used to work with and eventually became good friends with, we had dinner at one of the girls' house, and just catch up bit about work and things we've been up to. Though they're like a decade older than me, but I was surely grateful to have sisters like 'em who do look out for me, and advise me. We laughed, teased, cheered and it was just joyful to be together.

Later online, I got a belated birthday wish from my friend, Sheila, who's also like a sister to me: [edited]

Darling, Ah-gerl!
Happy Birthday!!! You deserve a really happy, relaxing, stress-free, loving day for a present from the Powers that Be.... (not me ah!) You are a very .... [self praise is no praise i guess, haha] I love you very much and wish only the best for you. I wish i could give u a BIG HUG right now... miss you girl!!! (getting all emotional nowlah!)

Take care of yourself and be good, ok?? I love you.

============== I miss you too!

It's a beautiful friendship when you know you are excited to see your friends. and to all the many girl friends who have touched my life (yes... many of you), I want to thank you for your love, your patience, your gentleness, your warmth, your laughter, most importantly, for being there.

some changes.

2006-05-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

- it's May, half a year has passed. 12th day of Ridvan: He continued His journey to Constantinople on this day 143 years ago.
- my fren clarice actually bunked with me for more than a month, (and amazingly she actually didn't get onto my nerve at all!) and today she moved out. coming back to my room, suddenly feels like there's more space, less things. also less one person to talk to.
- a new housemate, young chap who works in some wireless broadband company. looks like internet will be free under this roof.
- officially drove to bukit bintang to work for one month now. i survived, and am still enjoying it.
- a year older i am. instead of an open mic like the past 2 years, i had a game night with friends. no difficult-to-prepare food, just nice companionship, and friends together. :)

my travel bug is slowly creeping back, itching me to go somewhere. some island would be perrrfect.

visiting love II

2006-04-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

a quick visit to the beach - a place i once used to hang out with other teenagers when I visit Bintulu.

visiting love I

2006-04-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Location: Palm Oil Estate in Sarawak
Job Title: Waste Manager
Job Description: to make palm oil compost. to increase per day output from one ton to ten tonnes
(pic above: driving in a ninja cruising in town, house behind is company's 'hotel' which he visits when he comes to Bintulu)
(pic below: adding 'dirty water' to the fibre, among some of the manual work he has to do)

cuzzies before n' after.

2006-04-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

When I went back for my grandparent's big birthday bash, I realized I haven't seen some of my family members for quite some time, mainly these cuzzies. The family gathering was nice, with rOsh meeting all the folks for the first time, and my cina-gang all trying to speaka-england to him, it was hilarious. One of my uncle who reminded that east malaysian only adopted malay 10 years after west malaysia, thus all the folks his age can still speak good english. His best joke was "the reason we can speak london is because our family is from U.K = ulu kapit" (kapit is a small town upriver, 3 hours away from sibu. people usually go there as a stop to travel further into the interior which can only be accessed by river)

:)

my Naw-Ruz...

2006-03-27T18:38:00.000-08:00

From hiking up in the mountain to visit the Wakal Baha'i community, to campfire with jokes and songs at night, and a wheel coming OUT on the way back in a van, my Naw-Ruz was just great! =)

a new song I've learnt: (will sing it upon request ;-)

I'll sing with you
teach with you
play with you
and laugh
But it won't be long
I have to go

The times we have
I'll treasure them
Memories will remain
and say the word we knew
Allah'u'Abha

There's a place
for you all in my heart
a place where love can grow
Baha'u'llah knows
coz it shows and we'll...

Teach the cause
Baha'u'llah's faith
'til we reach
every place
and say the word we knew
Allah'u'Abha

Joyous Naw-Ruz!!

2006-03-20T01:41:00.000-08:00

19 days of fasting has gone... another half an hour, I'll be breaking fast and celebrating Naw-Ruz with my new Philippino friends, exciting-nya!!
Would like to wish everyone who's reading this blog, Bahai' or not, a very very joyous Naw-Ruz. May the new breath of spring fresh air brings you another year of purpose, filled with joy and happiness. ;-)

"...the Báb ordained the month of ‘Alá to be the month of fasting, decreed that the day of Naw-Rúz should mark the termination of that period, and designated Naw-Rúz as the Day of God. Bahá’u’lláh confirms the Badí calendar wherein Naw-Rúz is designated as a feast.
Naw-Rúz is the first day of the new year. It coincides with the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, which usually occurs on 21 March. Bahá’u’lláh explains that this feast day is to be celebrated on whatever day the sun passes into the constellation of Aries (i.e. the vernal equinox), even should this occur one minute before sunset. Hence Naw-Rúz could fall on 20, 21, or 22 March, depending on the time of the equinox."

tidak halal ni!

2006-03-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

YSG met a student who's doing her undergrad on slaughterhouse, and she invited him to follow her to her fieldwork. that night, at 2am, we took a taxi to this dark corner of the market, busy in the day, quiet in the night..until, u get down of the taxi and smell the distinct stench. yes..a familiar stench. during my childhood my family lived in a government's quarter by a stream where the slaughterhouse/pig farms were upriver. only when we walked to the stream we could smell that stench..

anywayz, it was quite a sight. 25 men at work. all killing pigs. knocking their heads with big hammers until the pig stopped grunting and struggling, then cut them apart. More gruesome photos and videos i've got, but that's all i'll put here.
some photos of the market, having dinner with my housemate - ysg, mary (the owner) and jenny (she's 8 months pregnant, due anytime next week), and the sunrise scene from my window which i see every morning while eating my breakfast.

This morning we interviewed a lady who works in an NGO that organizes the urban poor people, and also the street vendors. She shared her struggles in the NGO, and also some difficulties faced working with the government and the vendors.
yesterday, i got Mary to do a reflective interview with me, who's also the research assistant for ysg's project.. she's an activist, also a theatre practitioner. everytime, it touches me when i meet people who are so concerned with humanity, pure hearted people who just want to make the lives of OTHER people better.

"it is difficult to gain their trust at first, who are we to come and want to do research on their lives? why should they reveal part of their lives to us, in the name of research?" "many of them have very simple dreams, they don't hope for anything more but to be able toe at 3 times a day, and their biggest pride is to be able to send their children to school" - Mary.

with the lady we interviewed this morning, we found out that some vendor, who's also the head of some vendors' association, been collecting money from other vendors, claiming that protection can be given. street vendors here face possibility of their stalls being demolished anytime, reason because of the anti-peddling law, and vendors aren't supposed to vend by the streets because they are public spaces.

suddenly it dawned on me, vendor or no vendor, there will always be a minority (or even majority) of people trying to take advantage of the others. the lady uses the word 'unity' a lot, referring to the collaboration between associations, etc. my thought was, if the driving force to 'unite', is mainly material - to get more $, for better house and better job (which definitely IS essential for a living), maybe the result will usually be less up to the expectation. YSG told me that he met few vendors who's faith plays an important role in their lives, which probably is the key reason that keep them going. Many vendors are Muslim Philippinos fled from Mindanao, their stories are truly heart-wrenching...

the name of the project we're working on:
"Being a Street Vendor: A critical ethnographic study of Sidewalk Capitalism in Baguio City."

glimpse of my baguio life...

2006-03-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

can't really call it my "life" here yet considering i'm only here for the past .. err.. 2 days. but it's been interesting. the living room and the bedroom is where i live, with a lady named Mary. YSG, aka my 'boss', ehhe, he's the one making the documentary here and i'm just assisting in some edit work. that's my work station. and the scenery u can see is this morning when i wake up eating my bread for breakfast - looking at the sunrise from my window. beautiful isn't it.. and the nightshot i took last night at some mall, after watching this baha'i guy, Arliz performed in a cafe. This saturday i will be meeting some Baha'is there as he's having another concert. oh yeah, i cooked today! eheh.. ysg instructed me, but i must say i'm a fast learner. hehe..felt nice eating my own dish, and mama's secret sarawakians belacan ingredient which i brought along. :)

more info on baguio

2006-03-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

dr.yeoh's the one who invited me over to help edit his ethnographic documentary, part of the paper he has to write for getting the grant from Nippon Foundation. Have a look at his blog

a University Town

2006-03-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

travelled the whole day:4 hours of flight, 5 hours of bus ride up the mountain. I'm now at the highest city in Philippines - introducing Baguio.
I'm staying with a lady who built her own house, like many other local people, they're very creative with their designs, very colorful, and very DIY. I gotta show some pics of the house. I'll be sleeping in the attic sort of space. looking out of the window, I can see night lights of the city. and it's coooooldd..!! probably about 5km above sea level, this place is packed with young people who came from all over Philippines to study in the local universities here. It's a mixture of Sikkim - how the houses are built along the slopes, Bukit tinggi - up the hill and near a volcano, Cameron - the weather, the freshness, Ranau - up up up the mountain overlooking other hills. really, am already loving the place.
Had dinner at some live band restaurant. When we were kids, during special occasions or when dad's in a good mood, the family gets to go to a hotel to listen to live Philippino band. right now, it's just EVERYWHERE. English is widely spoken here, and signboards are colorful. Heard lots of how diverse the cultures here are, looking forward to take photographs during the day. also can't wait to check out their clubs, and meet some Baha'i friends. :-)

baguio

2006-03-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

baguio, here I come! finally, in another 4 hours time, i'm supposed to wake up to head to the airport..yupp, for my flight to philippines. i never thought of going philippines, mayb because i don't know anyone there, also i don't really hear much of philippines besides the occasional political unrest. must say, the opportunity arises that i get to visit a friend, to help with a little documentary work, and also for a few day's break. another break u may say, hehe. but somehow i feel like i needed it - really looking forward to it. hopefully fasting won't be too difficult for me, have to wake up earlier, and crossing my fingers that the weather won't be a killer. but i'll get to celebrate naw ruz there!! YEAAAhhh.....!!

more pics comin' up! ;-)

2006-03-12T10:22:00.000-08:00

good game

2006-03-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

today, i finally reached the height of enjoying soccer. gosh, henry da man. liverpool vs. arsenal. sadly, the team i adopted lost. but gosh it was just *beautiful* to watch him play... ^_^

kill time

2006-03-06T02:44:00.000-08:00

Here I am, trying to kill time. its 645pm, the clock ticked away fast - maybe because i was doing work, maybe because i was staying indoor: a rather comfortable warehouse-turned-office place.
yesterday, i finally walked into this production house to do the job my fren passed on to me. besides it being a rather easy job for the amount i'm getting paid for, i made new friends (who constantly try to feed me and think that i'm on this massive diet) and got to learn couple of new stuffs. after 10hours of just cutting and pasting images around, i went home feeling 'careerly-fulfilled'. it's been sometime i felt like i've "worked". ahha. *this 'ability' of mine to work 12 hours straight, i shouldn't even be proud of it 'cause it's not something i would propagate. but it does come in handy when needed*

i went online to read up what's this company all about. they've only been around 4 years, have always worked on tv commercials of which some were award-winning. the director who i worked with won some major advertising award for an ad he directed. cool. and just the other day at the animator's training we discussed about the influence of advertising on today's younger generation. (i sensed an immediate test from Upthere.)

the major difference between this company and the previous one i worked in, is gender. it's like 99% male! only 2 girls i see around. one's a freelancer, and another in-house girl who so happened to be my senior in college. 'was it difficult being around men all the time?' she forced a smile.

nevertheless i m still rather attracted to the surroundings. probably is the adrenaline rush of the work, or the jobs they get to do... all the big big client. ha!
oh..gotta get back to work - more changes to do. =/

one step at a time...

2006-03-03T09:24:00.000-08:00

Today, two people said this to me:
"Have confidence. You can do it." this is a guy I hardly know, the hi-and-bye type of friend you know. He passed on a job he couldn't do for me, and was running through everything as detailed as he could with me. it's either that's his nature of being very specific, or he's just worried that I might not perform up to the expectation of the client. whichever it was, I was very grateful that a stranger was being so nurturing and patient with me.

Another friend:
"I really can't go. You have to do it alone."
Nooooo....I don't want to go alone!
"You have to. Be strong."
I gulped and closed my eyes, probably I won't go with him, I'll get someone else to accompany me.
Alright, that's cheating.

I realized I do depend on Rosh A LOT when he was around. When he left, the things that were running in my head were "I have to do everything alone now?"
I mean, I wasn't even living with my parents at the first place, of course most things I have been doing all by myself. To tell you the truth, there are few things I *dread* doing. Namely, dealing with people from the bank, credit card, insurance, govt dept, mechanic, customer service etc. Rosh usually handles for & with me.

"You've got it all, what's holding you back?"
Me? Got it all? Why didn't I think of that? A huge hammer just knocks my head and I can see birdies circling me.

Things have been a little rough on my side. Mainly, the material side. Going through everyday, doing things I enjoy and taking my time, it was fabulous! Yet reality bites when the end of the month comes. Freelancing definitely is not a bed of roses. Yet I seriously could not complain. How can I ever allow myself to be down because of $?! Be thankful in adversity... I joked to a friend, 40 years down the road maybe I'll look back and say gosh, when I was 23, I didn't even have enough to pay my rent.

Baha'u'llah is very kind to me. I got two calls after that.

4 blocks away...

2006-02-21T07:20:00.000-08:00

He walked four blocks away from his place to get reception, so he could call. He wondered where she was. The dogs were coming out. It was dark and there were lots of mosquitoes. Still, nobody picked up his call.
===========
The phone buzzed. It was on silent mode. From the corner of my eyes I could see that the phone suddenly switched off - the characteristic of an old phone - a battery life that is shorter than a movie.

Finally the meeting was over, I checked both of my phones (a trend among many klang valley users these days), and the one that wasn't dead had 3 missed calls from him. I read his two messages. My heart sank. He left. I called.

Called.

And called.

There was no reception. My heart sank again.
===========
Guess it's the kind of pain where you're all tied up, and you can't express your uncomfort because your mouth is also covered. In my case, I felt totally crippled because no matter what I do, I could not get him. Despite so... I know, like myself, he'll be thinking of me too. Probably we will meet in our dreams. =)

Does distance make the heart grows fonder?

2006-02-15T07:49:00.000-08:00

depends.

if the relationship does not have a strong foundation, or did not share enough 'close-proximity-memories' together, then suddenly they have to survive on a LDR (long distance relationship), it will be tough. meaning, if you only went out with the gal/guy for a couple of months then one of you have to go away, it is hard because there's many things you did not get to do together like other couples.

i went out with a guy after meeting him for a month plus, he's great, and we kept in touch after i left for studies. then we decided that we could actually give this relationship a shot - on the basis that we will be with each other again after i graduate, and in between getting to see each other. well, it went alright for a year and a half, until our memories together start fading away. in total of the 547.5 days that we were so-called in a relationship, we probably spent less than 30 days in person, together. do u call that a relationship? technically yes. because you share the connection, you are committed to each other. yet to my definition, maybe it isn't quite a full-flesh relationship as well.

the next relationship was what i wanted more. (call me conforming to the norm whatsoever) i was in college, he was in uni, we were both studying, and we assist in each other's assignments, test each other during exams, took the bus and stuck for hours of jam to see each other, spent a bomb on a fancy dinner for special occasions, learnt to deal with each other's family, skipped classes for movies, broke, then slowly when i got a car, i graduate, i got a job, he too moves on, and we are still part of each other's lives.

i find it important to be sharing the same space with the person you are 'acquainted' to - that is how best you can learn the characters and attitude of each other. over the phone or over the net sometimes u juz really couldnt read the person's emotion or true response.

nevertheless, every relationship works in a mysterious way. it's an organic form, never a time u can say "we did it. this is it. our relationship is perfect." NEVER. constantly we need to be nurturing each other, helping each other to grow, work together, learn about each other...

"Where there is love, nothing is too much trouble, and there is always time." Baha'i Writings

catch time flying!

2006-01-15T10:11:00.002-08:00

people i met on the train, places i'd been, friends i miss, colleagues became friends, sleeping on the beach...

Finally...I decided to look back.

2006-01-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

I'm still in denial! I can't believe year 2005 has passed by. I didn't want to look back and say, gosh, what have I done? Or, what have I NOT done? plenty.. then I searched thru my old blog, and found this:

Tuesday, January 04, 2005

alright..looking back at my past year 2004. what have i done?

1. january - half way thru book 6, ended only monthsss later
2. february - climbed mountain kinabalu, had a month long of break and holiday. awesome.
3. march - went thru 19 days of fasting, hope all it's 'accepted'.
4. april - had a cool open-mic birthday party for myself to celebrate my friends'talents. ha!
5. may - completed a corporate documentary for a local ngo - yellow house, for my final sem project, n the client was very pleased. it was very heartening.
6. june - finished my final semester and is officially a bum. allowed a crew of people shooting ghost story in my apartment.
7. july - weeks of english classes with a group of taiwanese junior youth, taught me patience and MORE patience.
8. august - traveled alone back to Yasothon and Bangkok and Chiangmai, for a trip i treat myself before i officially start work.
august 16 - my first day of work, receiving my first pay slip at end of the month
9. september .. (somewhere along i tried out for the globe trekker search for a host, was looking forward to b 1 of d finalists)
10. october - my convocation. also my first car accident. i knocked someone on my first drive alone downtown kl, burst my side light. also attended my first live concert ever. alicia keys rock!!
11. november - arrived at a country previously wasn't on my list - Indonesia. a short visit to Medan and my friends.
12. december - visited mr.CoolGuy and his grandma in Indonesia. (one of the craziest thing i've ever done, to go back and forth indonesia twice in a month's time). to get knocked by women in silver waja twice. (and none of it is my fault!!)

well.. a glance at it all, looks like i haven't made much impact to humanity. haha.. i basically did lotsa fun stuff, crazy stuff, n made my year a rather exciting one as well. stepping into working world from college life..was quite a switch for me. must say i've passed the "teething" phase. now settling in rather alright, and hope to keep myself focused on the positive sides. right now, my schedule is such that there is a routine to my week, futsal tops the list, and hopefully a more consistent devotional gatherings, study classes come into the picture as well. not forgetting, time alone at home, (clean the house, read more, just spending quality time alone), and movie nights with friends. CG is entering another phase right now. though still has one last subject pending, he will be starting work and from there, i foresee that there'll be another adjustment for the two of us.

a happy 2005 year to u there. ;-) [CG = Mr.CoolGuy, what i used to call him in my old blog, hehe]
===============================

the year of 2005, reminds me of work. not a bad thing, but when I re-read what I wrote in my blog, I was quite morbid. half the time feeling empty, half the time dreading going to work. but of coz, i've learnt a lot at work, made great friends and formed good relationships, no regrets. I figured when one is put to immense pressure, the learning curve is much steeper.

January - March : I was editing 1.2.3, a young-parenting show. I survived, also made it thru fasting month. got my pilgrimage dates, have to start 'prepare' myself spiritually, also to *save up*.
April - July: edited one full season of 3R. rather proud of it, though the thought of continuing does scare me. I miss the whole team spirit, it was great. and I'm truly grateful for the learning opportunity working in Red. Also, the time I finished my Ruhi book 7. was having quite a routine life then. monday night, futsal; tuesday and thursday nights, Ruhi; friday, stress coz have to finalize the episode; weekends, more activities.
August: finally quit my job. 4th of August. couple weeks of joblessness did freak me out. but i took time off, and slowly, jobs start trickling in.
September: I've never felt as busy, it was really fulfilling. I took on few freelance projects at the same time, having to force myself to save for my upcoming travels that I'm so looking forward to. R finally graduated too. I picked up Adobe Indesign and learnt some book layout design. I got Ally, my new com that accompanies me thru rain and shine.
October - November: China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia. lovely!
December: holiday season.. meeting friends, who come and go. feeling that the world is getting smaller and smaller.

2006...
- hoping to gain as much exposure in film/vdo.. and not just confined to editing.
- one short film, one documentary.
- self-teach softwares to enhance skills.
- focus on junior youth training/gatherings, also incorporating more arts.
- pilgrimage and hoping to travel out of asia.

=======================

'The diverse peoples of the world may be seen as points scattered on the outer surface of a sphere with Baha'u'llah at its centre, at its core. There are forces in the world that are trying to pull all the points towards one pole, bringing them together in what is claimed to be a universal culture. But, when this happens, the points only move from one place on the surface of the sphere to another, and their distance from the centre, their distance from Baha'u'llah, does not change. On the other hand, if each one of these points, if each of these peoples, is allowed to move along its own direct path towards Baha’u’llah, they will naturally come closer to one another. Their cultures will change and be enriched as they each make contributions to the emergence of a world civilization’

snippetsss

2006-01-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

went for a baha'i winter school. we don't have winter here, but for the baha'is, there will always be 'winter' and 'summer' schools, disregard where it's held. it's similar to conferences, but less serious and it's not a meeting. there will be talk sessions, workshops for different age group, games and social nights. this year, the central region is organizing a winter school but because it's a holiday season, many families travelled from afar to come n share the spirit. more than 1000 people were present. just some pics of me n friends...

i have the privilege to be part of a production team that will be documenting stories from early believers of the Baha'i Faith. Mrs. Teresa Chee is one of the 4 daughters to the very first enlightened believer of the Faith, Mr. Yan Kee Leong, whom we more fondly known as uncle Yankee. aunty chee is a natural speaker, she flows her story well without having us to prompt her, and it was really captivating to see her speak! with so much joy, spirit, and emotions, her stories brought us back to the old days when there were a handful of baha'is in malaysia. the 3 of us listened to her intently, as though we were part of the history. for a separate project, i went n visit the asli kampong near tanjung rambutan. half n hour on a hilly road ride, we arrived at the village. the picture of the house, is actually a baha'i centre built by the aslis, and that's the interior. it's really cool, i love these kinda houses.

christmas eve

2005-12-24T06:42:00.000-08:00

the weather is sooo nicee..! woke up early for a friendly futsie tournament on grass - more like a little garden patch right beside national centre. we played 4 per team, and after beating 3 teams, my team got first! hooray! probably the first time ever i got first place in any sports i play. =P well, it's still in the spirit of the game no doubt. fun. fun. fun.

came back slept all the way till 9, finally got to speak to mum for a bit, still in a daze, hoping to do something fun for tonight, countdown or watever, but yea, looks like i might just b sticking at home, blogging. ha..

no 'deep' thoughts at the moment. only concern is to get this freaking profile video that hav been working on for the past one year DONE! o dear.. *pray hard*

merry christmas ya'all. =)

prelude to '3 little piglets'

2005-12-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

been trying to put some photos of me and my two galfrens. wrote a little something about us. but lost it all. mayb i'll just wait till i *finally* get my broadband, and post the pics up. soon.

a Good day.

2005-12-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

it is 2.55am, and here i am, cutting my nails!

tomorrow is christine and mani's wedding. yes, u heard me right for those who know them. after going out for 8 years, they are FINALLY tying the knot. so early tomorrow morning, me and the girls gonna b 'travelling' to the far, far away cyber lodge for their tea ceremony, and the usual pre-tea ceremony - the groom and his 'brothers' have to make way to see the bride by going through all sorts of games, tests, sometimes humilitations, to prove his love for her. haha, funny tradition, but it's always fun. so yeah, that's why i'm cutting my nails now, and that's why i came online to upload the photos in my camera coz i'll be taking more.

it's a loooong day tonight. went to work from 12-6pm, it's a decent edit job. 'decent' kerana it's not stressful, and i like the environment. rushed back for a fireside at night. navin's parents want to give a dinner to the 'young people' so we decided to invite some friends and some little discussion-based program was prepared. the theme was 'unity'. i was a bit tongue-tied when i was trying to invite my friends, like i said during the night, that the preconceived idea, or rather, the interpretation that people have when they hear the word 'unity' is usually more like a cliche. (or a government's way of inculcate nationalistic ideals) but anyway, 14 below-30s came. young and energetic, and very diverse bunch. with 2 new-kids-on-the-block-seychellesianz, a japanese, an indonesian who lived in malaysia, a half malaysian who grew up in australia, malaysians who were educated in singapore... fun, fruitful, healthy, discussion. :) as usual, we later break for mamak drinks at ming tien, and i found out teh o ais limau is now rm1.70!! *appalled*

it's a happy day i shall say. meeting new friends, getting to know old ones, and yeah, getting to talk about the Promise of World Peace made by Baha'u'llah in a non-formal interactive ways. COOL.

and yes, it's 3.05am, my eyes are going to pop out anytime. looking forward to the upcoming Baha'i Winter School in Port Dickson. good night.... *4 hrs of sleep coming up*

p.s. also adding to my already-perfect day, i received 2 emails from different corners of the world, friends who miss me. *blush blush* son, thanks for the cute mail u wrote, i miss u too!! sufie, thanks for the sweet poem u wrote, it's very special. and i've always loved ur poems...u're one of the few who still write poems! miss u lots too!! (rosh was editing the jiuzaigou videos and maaaan....miss it all!) =) aight....*crawling to bed*

in his eye...

2005-11-30T02:40:00.000-08:00

well, i have a manual SLR u c. i've always liked to bring it with me when i travel. but let's just say, somehow i dun hav very good 'yuan fen' aka 'fate' with this thingy. i've experienced taking one whole roll of film in india, then realized i didnt load any film at all; i've once shot a roll but accidentally exposed it before finish rolling it up; i've also printed out photos i took but turned out like shit. so yeah, my story with my SLR. yaschia. 28mm. *looking for cheap 50mm n 24mm lense if anybody has one*

so, i brought it along for this trip anyways. i took most of my pics with the digital (can't afford to risk it again!), while love used the SLR. well well.. out of 3 rolls, there are some *interesting* ones. but mostly blur. some photographer *ahem* told him that if u put your focus on infinity, everything will turn out sharp. i think he misunderstood wat the pro meant. nways.

that's us.

me. blank.

i look so... contented. but, was i? hehe...

Town mouse vs. Country mouse

2005-11-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

Just came back from a game of futsal. after 2 months of not playing any sports, my legs weakened during half of the game. but I must say I still did some good kick, and my stamina wasn't all that bad. Anyways, I came out of the court when I felt I might potentially get a cramp on my left leg. was looking at one of my friends, Julian, playing. he was here last year, playing faithfully every monday like how we used to. then he had to go back to where he's from. after a year, he came back and there he was, playing futsal with us again, as though he has never left.
When I was away, there were little little things that made me miss this place I live now. from the usual mamak stalls and the usual teh o ais kurang manis with nasi lemak kepak ayam, to futsal every monday at 9pm, I guess I enjoy the so-called 'lifestyle' I have here. there's never short supply of friends, mamak sessions, birthday parties, get2gethers.
But there are some things that I feel will not change. due to the pace of life, there's definitely more stress everyone has to deal with. people tend to be a lot more competitive, and usually we tend to wanna outshine the other. whether in our manners, conversations, or thoughts especially, we're constantly concerned of where we stand. Is her dress nicer than mine? Is my work better than hers? Is he earning more than I do? Is he more attractive and charming? THAT's the tiring bit.
When I travelled to all those smaller towns, life was much direct and simpler. Mayb I didnt stay long enough to 'judge', but just being in smaller towns gave me a sense of 'sufficiency' - that i don't have to keep wanting more, that i could live enough with just some basics. these probably isn't all that plus points because some might say that a slower lifestyle may cause the lack of urgency to develope/improve. Nevertheless, what I probably desire in a community life is one that all share, all give, and all care. that we strive *together* to improve the conditions around us, walking hand-in-hand towards a same direction and not pride on glory, that we're constantly in thirst to serve each other and always ready to embrace one another without any prejudices.
This is not an unachieveable Utopia. I have experienced it. The nature of the soul is to give.
And to give credit to all, I believe whether the soul is a 'town mouse' or a 'country mouse', they both have the capability to give. give. give.

more...

2005-11-26T20:45:00.000-08:00

the Mekong river

Vahid and Kavitha's kindergarten in Savannakhet. They're looking for volunteers, anybody?

after waking up late, we decided that we won't b going to Vietnam. So Pakse it is.

Mekong river in Pakse

The trios

Going to Don Det, one of the many islands of Si Phan Don

Circling around on the island, asking for direction

Searching for Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong river.

Crossing the crazy border!!!

Ben, playing the instrument thingy he made himself

Being back

2005-11-25T03:44:00.000-08:00

It's been 3 days now I'm back in PJ. for the first 2 nights, I had difficulty sleeping. there's just a lot of thoughts running in my head - looking for a job, paying off bills, and basically getting back into life. was feeling rather unsettled, with all the uncertainties that are ahead of me.

But later i met up with some friends, they shared with me what they've been up to, or what plans they have for themselves in the coming year (yeah...end of the year is always a reflective period for many people), it inspires me to want to do lots of things. and YES, there ARE many things that still need to be done! especially as Baha'is, we believe that the old world order is falling apart, with that, there's a lot of work to do in order to establish a new world order. simple things like organizing devotional gatherings, teaching children' or youth classes and getting together to systematically study the Word of God... these are the foundations to building communities. (alright alright, i know i sound like promo a bit, hehe..) but yeah, being young and at the heyday of our lives, if we don't do it now.. when else.

career wise... there's many opportunities lying ahead, i could choose to do so many things and i know i can, but i'll just have to think carefully what is it that i want to do with my life. do i want to make films and go for film festivals? do i want to edit anymore wedding videos? do i want to do my masters and continue studying? do i still want to live in the same apartment that i've been living for the past 5 years? do i want to get broadband internet? do i want sambal for dinner? lots of choices! lots of decisions to be made.

i'm just glad that i have a direction to turn to, if not it's always easy to form a certain reality in our mind and do what we want to do most comfortably, yet not doing what is needed or what could serve a better purpose.

yeah..it's great to be back. =)

Balik kampung

2005-11-20T04:14:00.000-08:00

Finally fell ill a day before i flew home from bangkok. (journey back was another adventure all by itself. will write if got time) glad to be back though, basking in attention and care. hiak hiak. mum made my favourite porridge, went see doctor immediately (and got free medication), no need to pay for anything, broadband n cable... but my sweet ol' piano is not there anymore. *sob* sold it 'coz it was being a white elephant at home.

CSI is gonna start soon, so quickly, will just post some random pics. so much to write! so many stories to tell!

Dale, the organizer of the Halloween party at Golee's house. she the angel, me the devil.

We didn't expect everyone to be so sporting! it was one hell of a party that night.

This is where the youth usually hangout. Golee's house - the centre of all activities.

we went to the river. it was cold. we saw fire. two men singing. thai folk songs. sad tragic stories. we made frens.

youth camp!

Huahin was flooded. everyone got stucked at the school, some almost missed their train.

took the train to escape traffic jam. a 3 hr road journey, turned into a 5 hr 3rd class train ride. the boys had to stand.

MORE PICS TO COME!