Eye food

When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur 3 months ago, I was amazed by this sight. I was not the only person in awe. A few tourist stopped to admire it too.

What's up?

Hey, what’s up? When I first joined the organization, I was told not to use the phase `What’s up?” in my email addressing to my General Manager cos it was deemed not `corporate’ enough. Fine! After 3 months, I confronted her about this issue during our drinking session at the ultra posh Luna Bar. Since then, we all started to call each other babe, psycho and auntie, etc. Drop that corporate image bullshit thing. Finally, we all decided to be the way we are. We feel frustrated at times at work but in the end of the day, we know we love the organization and that is what keeps us going.

IIlegal assembly?!!

Illegal assembly? Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force ) in action again? Don't worry. It is just a bunch of foreign immigrants gathering outside a store watching Tamil movie on the tiny T.V in the downtown area of Kuala Lumpur.

Happy New Year 2008

Here, I would like to wish everyone Happy New Year 2008. Hope this year will bring joy, accomplishments, love, peace, good health and all the best of things. Yes, creative living, it is very important to be creative. Think about what to do when you are stuck in the traffic jam or get frustrated with work. What to wear to spice up your day at the office or to be a head turner when you walk down the street to catch the bus to work…. (in my case). I have a collection of funky ties that shout out loud. Fashion is good for the soul and is very empowering.

This year I am going to come up with New Year Resolutions cos there are so many things to do to get on my feet and live a desireble life again. So, I need to get things sorted out as soon as possible. Hopefully everyone of us has an exciting 2008.

First love

World Human Rights Day

This morning, I woke up feeling dysfunctional. Anyway, I dragged myself to work. Then, I realized everyone was out and about attending events except me and two other colleagues. I did my media monitoring session as usual. The main news that graces the front pages of many newspapers is about lawyers and activists arrested during a peaceful assembly yesterday morning in conjunction with the World Human Rights Day today. As usual, I am in favour of the lawyers and activists who tried to practice their right to peaceful assembly because Article 10 of the Federal Constitution gives us the right to peaceful assembly.

Under forgotten circumstances, S, my colleague started to attack me when I told her that I have never voted in my life cos I simply don’t believe in voting and politic. Then, she kept insisting that I don’t have the right to talk about human rights if I don’t want to practice my right to vote. I repeatedly told her that I am not concerned about my right to vote cos I am more concerned about other rights. According to her, her father used to fight against British imperialism during the old days for our right to vote. Of course, I understand how that had affected her. I told her that one of my friends used to be imprisoned without trial which really affected me a lot too. That’s why I am very concerned about human rights violation and state violence.

Then, we started to raise our voices to outdo each other’s voice. It was quite a comical scenario. I actually had to approach her to calm her down and she stood up starting to grab my arms as it we were about to engage in a wrestling session. Then, we started laughing and later we went out to have lunch. I promised her(did I?) that next time I am gonna vote in memory of her father who had fight for our right to vote even though I am very much an anarchist. (I can always void the vote…opps…)

Wishing all of you a peaceful and un-confrontational World Human Rights Day. Hmm…..very unlikely.

So precious...

Last Sunday, I went to KLCC park, lying on the grass, watching the blue sky and trees around me. At that moment, I felt really happy, properly happy....Mother nature becomes so precious these days....

That Saturday Evening

I have been super busy juggling my job and my social life lately. I don't have much time for creative writing anymore. It has been a month since I last updated my blog. I am tired most of the time, not to mention pretty numbed by the workload. The other day, while I was walking on the overhead bridge, I saw a woman sitting on the railing of the bridge. She stared at me and I stared at her. Then, I just moved on. Can you believe this?

Then, suddenly, a visual past through my mind like an indie short film, depicting the woman jumping off the bridge and hit by a car. It was like a hit on my head, I immediately turned back and asked a guy to pull her down from the railing. Phew..... Yes, She was trying to commit suicide and I happened to walk past. If you believe in God, you know this is not a coincidence. There was a Christian guy; stopping by to tell her that Jesus loves her because she was/ is/ was is a Christian, a lost sheep? This is not a coincidence.

Then, there was this Muslim woman trying to console her. I didn't know what to say to her. She was heart broken in a relationship. I told her that we care about her and God loves her. That was a Saturday evening, I just came back from a local pilot project that took place in Muar, Johor......bitten by sand flies all over my arms and feet..... I was tired and numbed ..... And a woman was trying to commit suicide...

Transformation

So so sorry for the long long silence. I started working for a humanitarian agency since 2 weeks ago. I have been wonderfully busy and at times awfully busy, which is good for the time being. I have been appointed as the Publications Officer. I had a good laugh when I was told cos I expected myself to be called a writer. Well, it is a good training ground for me to grow in many ways.

Yeah, this is a job that I like. I actually looking forward to going to work every morning, which I think is pretty weird cos in the beginning I couldn't visualise myself going to work in a office, not to mention wearing high heels and office attire again. This is something holistic cos I am doing something which is completely new. My life has been transformed yet I feel quite positive about this transformation.

I have to confess that I used to be quite judgmental towards the working class. Actually, it requires a lot of strength to wake up early in the morning to brave the traffic jam and crowd to work. I guess as long as you are doing something you love doing, everything seems to be quite alright even you have to stuck in the traffic jam...Well, I am wearing my pleated skirt and tie printed with Korean characters, not bad at all.

Actually, I fell really ill after my first week of work. I was suffering from allergic reaction, which had never happened before. Maybe my body wasn't ready to adjust to this new way of life and environment.

The coming weekend, I will be joining the mobile clinic co-organized by my agency and UNHCR. Then followed by a conference and SPHERE Training (it is some sort of emergency response training) next month. For you well wishers out there, please pray for me cos I really need extra strength to do all these.

Radiohead-Fake Plastic Trees

Student activist expelled in Singapore

A second-year fine art student was expelled by LASALLE College of Arts in Singapore recently after he was suspected of tagging the brand new premises of LASALLE with 'It has to start somewhere' graffiti.


I talked to that student recently in Singapore. According to him, he is just a suspect, the college has yet to come up with any solid evidence. So, personally I think the punishment is a bit too harsh considering he is just a suspect and yet to be put on trial. The inside story is this: the student is actively involved in human rights activism, so this harsh punishment is like a form of intimidation.


Of course, I am totally against the vandalism. I think it is okay to practise freedom of speech and expression as long as it doesn't violate the basic human rights of other peoples.
Anyway, I think the student deserve a second chance. So, I really hope that Singaporeans or anyone out there can appeal for this student. What you can do is to write an appeal letter and send, fax or email it to:
LASALLE College of the Arts
1 McNally Street
Singapore 187940
Tel : (+65) 6496 5000
Fax : (+65) 6496 5353
Email: enquiries@lasalle.edu.sg

Amazing grace.

So sorry for the long silence. I have been busy since I arrived in Johor on 31 Aug. I joined the Healing Rally conducted by pastor John Tharu from India. It had been so long since I last felt the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit. Peoples spoke, sang in tongues and moved to tears by the Holy Spirit. During the healing rally, I was chosen and prophecised on. Within a week, the prophesy came to past. Since I arrived here, God have unlocked many doors for me which I thought were impossible. For men, these seemed to be impossible but for God, everything is possible.

Actually, few days before I came here, my friend told me about the Asian Film Symposium which was going to take place in Singapore. Of course, I would like to attend it but hack, I thought it was impossible cos I can't affort Singapore. Then, Hani, my friend in Johor called me up and invited me to come over to Johor.

So I managed to spend a few days in Singapore to attend Asian Film Symposium which took place on 6 Sept til 10 Sept at the Substation and felt really inspired creatively. Then, another friend took me to New Creation Church at Suntec City in Singapore to attend Sunday Worship Service. It was amazing to see young peoples queue up to attend the worship service.

The worship service started at 2 pm but we had to queue up at 1pm in order to secure a seat. After attending the worship service, I figured out why peoples were queuing up. The sermon was so powerful and uplifting. I also joined the sea gypsies ministry in Johor. It was such an amazing experience to join the sea gypsies to worship the lord and moved to tears by God's presence. I am so glad that I made the decision to come to Johor. I guess it is very important to walk by faith and trust God.

When things go so wrong, we think God doesn't love us anymore. It is our own bitterness that separates us from God. God is a forgiving God, it is ourselves that are so unforgiving towards ourselves. Sometimes, we are our own worse enemy.