Happy New Year 2007 to everyone. Hope year 2007 will lead you to the path of peace, joy, harmony, unfailing love and creative living.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Sunday, December 17, 2006
The Saviour of the condamned, the broken hearted, the sickness striken, the demon possessed and....
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus,"Teacher, this woman was caight in the act of adultery, In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such woman. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her,"Woman, where are they? Has no one condamed you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condamn you," Jesus declared. "Go and leave your life of sin."
JOHN 8:1-11
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her,"Woman, where are they? Has no one condamed you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condamn you," Jesus declared. "Go and leave your life of sin."
JOHN 8:1-11
SMS joke
I received an sms joke from a pal and I laughed my head off. It was about our prime minister and former prime minister. Since I am still in Malaysia, I better pratice self-censorship. I don't want to get into trouble. So, I modified the sms. Oh yeah, we have 27 million people in Malaysia. So, here you go...
Bush and Blair were in a helicopter. Bush said:"If I throw 2 USD100 notes, 2 person down there will be happy. Blair said:"If I throw 200 USD1 notes, 200 people down there will be happy. The pilot heard it and said:"If I throw both of you down, the whole world will be very happy.
Bush and Blair were in a helicopter. Bush said:"If I throw 2 USD100 notes, 2 person down there will be happy. Blair said:"If I throw 200 USD1 notes, 200 people down there will be happy. The pilot heard it and said:"If I throw both of you down, the whole world will be very happy.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
AI Global Letter Writting Marathon 9-10 Dec 2006
Amnesty International-24-hour Global Letter Writing Marathon Write Letters, Save Lives. 9-10th December 2006
In conjunction with International Human Rights Day 10 Dec 2006
More information at http://marathon.aimalaysia.org
In conjunction with International Human Rights Day 2006, Amnesty International is organizing our yearly 24-hour global letter writing marathon on the 9-10th of December 2006. We would like to invite you to take part in this marathon
During this 24 hours AI members, supporters and friends get together to write letters to help victims of human rights abuses worldwide. A steady stream of letters does have an effect and we know of many cases where the abuses have ended because of the letters.
This letter writing marathon was initiated by Amnesty International Poland in 2002 and since then every year around International Human Rights Day thousands of people from around the world, including those in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas take part in this marathon. Last year, 37 countries were involved in what proved to be the largest ever Letter-Writing Marathon. Around 80, 000 letters were written worldwide with 1,800 letters from Malaysia
HOW DOES THE LETTER WRITING MARATHON WORK
The marathon starts at 12pm on the 9th of December and we keep writing for 24 hours. It ends at 12pm on 10th December. You can write letters anytime during this period. You can come join us, at the venue, to write letters or get together with some of your friends, anywhere, and write letters or write from home
Letters can be written on cases found on our website. If you want we can also send the cases to you via e-mail.
For those writing for the first time we will also send you a letter writing guide. We also suggest you use an aerogramme for each letter as they are the cheapest and most convenient method of mailing (RM0.50 cents)
After you finish writing and mailing you need to provide feedback to the AI office on how many letters were written and on what cases. Then we will provide this information to AI Poland who will give us the global tally
Do you want us to send you the cases:
Please send this form to marathon@aimalaysia.org or call 03-79552680 to sign up
To become a member of AI please contact :
------------------------------------------------
Amnesty International Malaysia
E6, 3rd Floor, Bangunan Khas,
Jalan 8/1E, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel : 03-79552680
Fax: 03-79552682
Email : aimalaysia@aimalaysia.org
Website : http://www.aimalaysia.org
In conjunction with International Human Rights Day 10 Dec 2006
More information at http://marathon.aimalaysia.org
In conjunction with International Human Rights Day 2006, Amnesty International is organizing our yearly 24-hour global letter writing marathon on the 9-10th of December 2006. We would like to invite you to take part in this marathon
During this 24 hours AI members, supporters and friends get together to write letters to help victims of human rights abuses worldwide. A steady stream of letters does have an effect and we know of many cases where the abuses have ended because of the letters.
This letter writing marathon was initiated by Amnesty International Poland in 2002 and since then every year around International Human Rights Day thousands of people from around the world, including those in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas take part in this marathon. Last year, 37 countries were involved in what proved to be the largest ever Letter-Writing Marathon. Around 80, 000 letters were written worldwide with 1,800 letters from Malaysia
HOW DOES THE LETTER WRITING MARATHON WORK
The marathon starts at 12pm on the 9th of December and we keep writing for 24 hours. It ends at 12pm on 10th December. You can write letters anytime during this period. You can come join us, at the venue, to write letters or get together with some of your friends, anywhere, and write letters or write from home
Letters can be written on cases found on our website. If you want we can also send the cases to you via e-mail.
For those writing for the first time we will also send you a letter writing guide. We also suggest you use an aerogramme for each letter as they are the cheapest and most convenient method of mailing (RM0.50 cents)
After you finish writing and mailing you need to provide feedback to the AI office on how many letters were written and on what cases. Then we will provide this information to AI Poland who will give us the global tally
Do you want us to send you the cases:
Please send this form to marathon@aimalaysia.org or call 03-79552680 to sign up
To become a member of AI please contact :
------------------------------------------------
Amnesty International Malaysia
E6, 3rd Floor, Bangunan Khas,
Jalan 8/1E, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel : 03-79552680
Fax: 03-79552682
Email : aimalaysia@aimalaysia.org
Website : http://www.aimalaysia.org
Friday, December 01, 2006
Happy Birthday to Mimi
Today is my best friend's birthday. I can't be with you now, so, here is a cyber cake for you. Thanks for coming. You know how much it really meant to me. Hope to see you again soon. May your birthday filled with joy, peace, love and laughter. Happy Birthday. Oh yeah, Kavern, it's been a month since your birthday, I hope it's not too late to wish you Happy Belated Birthday. Hope you don't mind sharing this very vintage cyber cake with Mimi. Love,Kriss
World AIDS Day
Today is 1 Dec, the World AIDS Day. So,let's talk about sex. AIDS has changed the way sex and life used to be cos AIDS doesn't discriminate. So, just to remind you sexkittens out there to take precaution when you taste that forbidden fruit, yes I know forbidden fruit tastes much much sweeter but it comes with a big price-eternal damnnation?!!Hmm...only God knows, none of us need to be so judgemental and prejudice. Like I said before, AIDS doesn't discriminate whether you are into marital sex or premarital sex or one-nite-stand sex or orgy. No, you won't get AIDS by watching pornos but you probably at risk in becoming a porno addict or a sex addict. You are at risk as long as your sex partner had been had sex with multipal partners or still have multipal sex pertners behind your back. So, take precaution or just practice celibacy. Good luck and enjoy your sex life.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Halloween in Bangkok
Halloween in Bangkok was gruesome and way too happening. I went to Kaosan Road 2nites in a row for its street party which took place on the eve of Halloween and on Holloween nite. The street was jam-packed with goth ghosts,beautiful Satans and devils who wore Prada?! Madness. I was in front of the stage watching the concert most of the time. Thai alternative rock boy bands such as Good September and hip hop chicken chop, I mean just hip hop boy bands, do you call them boy band as well?!
I am not really into hip hop but this hip hop trio really made the crowd ran as wild as wild boars. We all started to dance like a real hip hopper. The actual Halloween night was madness of the madness. There was almost a stampade. Yeah, someone was stepping on my shoes and pushing me around cos there was a fight in the crowd in front of the stage when famous hip hop ganster Joey Boy was performing. Yeah, when the high school kids start to drink, they just make a fool of themselves and get other people involved in their foolishness too. Well, when I was a semi alcoholic during the good old days, I never got involved in a gang fight. Well, almost but I am too old for this now.
The finales were really happenning though when D.J Tonic (on Halloween eve)was playing to full house of people mainly mat saleh travellers dancing in the street. Halloween night was D.J Angel Mushroom playing the night away,well til 12 midnite when the armies and police started to do their round there. All the wild spirits, the punks, the rockers, the goths, the hip hoppers, the dreadlock travellers refused to go home, lapaking in the street til the break of dawn as usual just like every weekends. So, I breast-stroked my way back to where I came from.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Art market
An evening spent at Silpakorn University Festival on 29th Oct, 2006. The festival took place from 27-29 Oct. Silpakorn University is a prestigious art university in Bangkok. Santhichaiprakhan park was jam packed with uber artsy crowd, roaming around. I loved the art market. There were ultra cool postcards designed by the students, bags, nick-nacks made by the students. There was also a percussion performance by students from the faculty of music and a fashion show to end the night. It was so much fun.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Back to Bangkok for good.
Hi everyone, how are you doing? I would like to thank those people who dropped me a line or two in the comment section. At least, I know that my time spent on blogging was not wasted. I arrived in Bangkok on 12 Oct, since then I have been busy exploring the underbelly of Bangkok. Bangkok is filled with mysteries. The creative space doesn't end at exhibitions and art galleries, it goes way beyond that. The street art space is expanding beyond my expectation. Trash bins, street walls, back alleys and abandoned comstruction sites are adorned with graffities.
Well, I know some people see this as vandalism but I see it as turning a big boring city dotted with artless skyscrapers into a platform for freedom of expression. No, the alleys wouldn't be that interesting without the splash of colours on its walls. Imagine the apartment block you live in is adorned with colourful graffities, isn't that great? Well, probably graffiti is not your cup of tea. What makes the world go round is that we are different. It is nothing wrong to be different and to embrace individualism. Let's celebrate our differences.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Military coup in Bangkok
It was 19 Sept 2006 on Tuesday day night. I was staying at the guest room of the church. It was my 5th night at the church before I left Bangkok the following day. Of course, I wasn’t alone, sister Yang, Pastor Tze and Cheng (Pastor woo’s wife) were there too. I was supposed to leave on Tuesday afternoon but I couldn’t cos all the train tickets were sold out that day. So, I had to stay back for another day. It was almost 12 midnight when Yang received a call from her mother, telling her that the military coup was taking place. The city of Bangkok was taken over by the military. T.V stations were controlled by the military. We only knew that the security forces and tanks had moved in to the city taking over government buildings. I started to worry, not so much about my own safety but about my family in Malaysia cos I knew they would worry about my safety.
Of course, I started to wonder whether there were demonstrators out there protesting or what the security forces would do to the people. Would the security forces massacre the protestors like what happened in the 70s during student uprising at Thammasat University in Bangkok where students were brutally killed, some of them were even hang on the trees by the security forces. My heart started pounding madly. Later, I went in to the room to pray. Yang and I stayed awake til wee hours waiting, waiting for the latest news spread by the word of mouth via phone.
The following morning, we woke up early. After breakfast, I accompanied Yang to the morning market. Later, I tried to use the internet but couldn’t be connected. This meant no access to the internet and no access to information. This is the most frustrating thing could happen to a journalist, to be deprived of the freedom of information. I had bought the train ticket on Tuesday afternoon. So, I had to leave in the afternoon at 3.35 pm. Yet, I wasn’t sure whether the train would stick to the schedule. So, Yang suggested calling up the train station. Thank goodness, the trains would run as usual.
So, in the afternoon, I was ready to leave. Of course, I was worried about what was going on but yet I would like to see what was going on. On the bus to the train station, suddenly I realized that I didn’t have my passport with me. I left my passport at the reception when I went to meet an editor of a newspaper on Tuesday morning. Gosh, the worst thing had happened. How could this happen. I had never been so careless when it comes to handling my passport but it still a mystery that I had totally forgot that I left it there. The receptionist didn’t even return it to me when I gave back the visitor’s pass and the entrance access card. Yeah, they really embrace maximum security.
On the bus, at that very moment, I was into coma for seconds. My mind really went blank. Then, I regained my conscious, telling myself to stay calm. So, again, I did the only thing I know best, I prayed for guidance. Previous day, the taxi driver told me about the subway train. Before I left that afternoon, Yang told me about the subway train too, saying that I can take the bus to Klong Teoy, where the newspaper office is and then take the subway train to Hualumpong train station. Then, suddenly I had this impression. So, I blurted out: ‘The subway train, to take the subway train.’There I was without my passport , walking to the entrance to the subway station guarded by armies with machine guns. Yeah, I managed to made it back to the train station on time to catch my train. Phew.
The following day, I arrived in Hat Yai safely. I was at the Hat Yai train station waiting for the next train from Hat Yai back to my home town Alor Setar. I had to wait for 3 hours there. Well, of course, again I was worried about my safety cos there was just a bombing in Hat yai killing a few people and wounded many. While I was waiting , I was observing people and checking for anyone suspicious. See, I have fear sometimes but I will never let myself to be confined by fear. A few armies walked past me with a cery chubby dog,sniffing around for bomb?!! or terrorists. Maybe the terrorists have some sort of special smell, evil smell?!! Yeah, I made it back to Alor Setar in one piece.
Frankly speaking, I myself do not support military coup or any form of undemocratic political reform. Having said that, let's see what the new Thai government has to offer. I have always taken pride in Thailand for its freedom of the press, freedom of expression and most importantly, the freedom of peaceful assembly which are the basic human rights that all of us are entitled to. These are the things that I do not get to enjoy as a journalist and as a person in my own country. I hope Thai people will continue to stay true to what they have always believed in.
Sure, I will go back to Thailand again. After all, this is not the time for me to forsake Thailand.
Of course, I started to wonder whether there were demonstrators out there protesting or what the security forces would do to the people. Would the security forces massacre the protestors like what happened in the 70s during student uprising at Thammasat University in Bangkok where students were brutally killed, some of them were even hang on the trees by the security forces. My heart started pounding madly. Later, I went in to the room to pray. Yang and I stayed awake til wee hours waiting, waiting for the latest news spread by the word of mouth via phone.
The following morning, we woke up early. After breakfast, I accompanied Yang to the morning market. Later, I tried to use the internet but couldn’t be connected. This meant no access to the internet and no access to information. This is the most frustrating thing could happen to a journalist, to be deprived of the freedom of information. I had bought the train ticket on Tuesday afternoon. So, I had to leave in the afternoon at 3.35 pm. Yet, I wasn’t sure whether the train would stick to the schedule. So, Yang suggested calling up the train station. Thank goodness, the trains would run as usual.
So, in the afternoon, I was ready to leave. Of course, I was worried about what was going on but yet I would like to see what was going on. On the bus to the train station, suddenly I realized that I didn’t have my passport with me. I left my passport at the reception when I went to meet an editor of a newspaper on Tuesday morning. Gosh, the worst thing had happened. How could this happen. I had never been so careless when it comes to handling my passport but it still a mystery that I had totally forgot that I left it there. The receptionist didn’t even return it to me when I gave back the visitor’s pass and the entrance access card. Yeah, they really embrace maximum security.
On the bus, at that very moment, I was into coma for seconds. My mind really went blank. Then, I regained my conscious, telling myself to stay calm. So, again, I did the only thing I know best, I prayed for guidance. Previous day, the taxi driver told me about the subway train. Before I left that afternoon, Yang told me about the subway train too, saying that I can take the bus to Klong Teoy, where the newspaper office is and then take the subway train to Hualumpong train station. Then, suddenly I had this impression. So, I blurted out: ‘The subway train, to take the subway train.’There I was without my passport , walking to the entrance to the subway station guarded by armies with machine guns. Yeah, I managed to made it back to the train station on time to catch my train. Phew.
The following day, I arrived in Hat Yai safely. I was at the Hat Yai train station waiting for the next train from Hat Yai back to my home town Alor Setar. I had to wait for 3 hours there. Well, of course, again I was worried about my safety cos there was just a bombing in Hat yai killing a few people and wounded many. While I was waiting , I was observing people and checking for anyone suspicious. See, I have fear sometimes but I will never let myself to be confined by fear. A few armies walked past me with a cery chubby dog,sniffing around for bomb?!! or terrorists. Maybe the terrorists have some sort of special smell, evil smell?!! Yeah, I made it back to Alor Setar in one piece.
Frankly speaking, I myself do not support military coup or any form of undemocratic political reform. Having said that, let's see what the new Thai government has to offer. I have always taken pride in Thailand for its freedom of the press, freedom of expression and most importantly, the freedom of peaceful assembly which are the basic human rights that all of us are entitled to. These are the things that I do not get to enjoy as a journalist and as a person in my own country. I hope Thai people will continue to stay true to what they have always believed in.
Sure, I will go back to Thailand again. After all, this is not the time for me to forsake Thailand.
Freedom Film Festival
You know, the problem with us Malaysians is that we are so into Hollywood movies which, often have bad storylines, unrealistic and sometimes are as plain as plain Jane. Okay, there are some good Hollywood movies such as Million Dolor Baby, Fight Club, what else, can’t remember. Okay, some movies are quite entertaining! Think...Superman, Spiderman, what other man?!! Well, can’t blame us Malaysians cos there are not many options when it comes to movies.
Good locally made indie films are screened at film festivals around the world except in Malaysia cos these films are down right truthful, sincere, realistic and thought provoking that these films are seen as threatening and intimidating by the authorities. (Who else?!!) One such film is The Big Durian which deals with the issue of the Internal Security Act or better known as the ISA.
Despite all these, there are always people out there who are so passionate in what they believe that they work tirelessly to organize private screenings of quality indie films or films which have been denied screenings at cinemas.
Tomorrow is the beginning of yet another long-awaited film Festival. The Freedom Film Festival will kick start in Penang on Friday until Sunday(6 Oct-8 Oct) from 10am -10pm. This year for the first time, FFF will feature a human rights photo exhibition entitled `Wrong & Rights?’ featuring 60 images by seasoned photojournalist & social activists, Tan Jo Hann. FFF is organized by Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat(KOMAS)or the Community Communications Centre
For enquiries and invitation, please contact:
Wee Ching 012-2755438
Chon Kai 019-5669518
or
visit www.freedomfilmfest.komas.org
Venue: The Actors Studio Greenhall
(Address: Ground Floor, Zhong Zheng School Memorial Centre, 32, Lebuh
Light,
10200 Penang)
Hope all of you will come and show your support.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
