"Same Same: A Dan Lain-lain Project"

Back in early May when I was in Chiangmai for a Consultation, I came across this phrase "samesame" emblazoned across souvenir t-shirts that were being sold on the streets. I didn't know what it meant or symbolised, so I figured that it must be one of those slangs that the locals used (although for God knows what!). :-)

And then two weeks later, I came across an "advert" (if you can call it that) on Facebook, inviting mixed-race families of Malaysia to contribute their stories and photos of: how did they meet, what were their biggest joys, obstacles, adventures, misunderstandings, etc., while being in a mixed-race relationship. To my pleasant surprise, the project was called...SAME SAME! Was this fate or what? The project is the brainchild of Lithuanian photographer Paulius Staniunas and aims to celebrate Malaysia's cultural and racial diversity.

Coming from a mixed race family, I was intrigued with this project, and promptly submitted a photo of my sister, cousin and me to Paul, explaining how the three of us are of mixed raced and often get questioned as to which race we belong to. Lo and behold, our picture was posted on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/samesameproject/photos/pb.1555171511367613.-2207520000.1439280391./1659929877558442/?type=3&theater)

What happened next was simply amazing!! Paul then contacted me, asking if by any chance I was based in Penang. He explained that he was planning to have a photo/story exhibition of mixed race families, individuals, couples, in Penang, in conjunction with the George Town Festival, and asked if I would be interested to take part. Joe Sidek, the festival director, had heard of his project and has asked if he could do a similar project focusing on the people of Penang. (For full background info of the "Same Same: A Dan Lain-lain Project", go to http://www.samesame.my). 

Having learnt more about the whole project, I of course wholeheartedly jumped on the bandwagon to be part of this amazing endeavour. Emails were exchanged, dates were discussed...and finally, my family and I met Paul and his friend, Alex who was helping him in the project. The two of them were very engaging and friendly as they interviewed my parents on their background, how they met, the complete love story. They even got my dad to admit that he stole my mum from another guy (much to my sister's and my surprise)!! Haha!!

A month and a half later, and the beautifully taken photograph and well synthesised story of my family is now on display at Dewan Sri Pinang, together with 30 other photographs and stories of mixed race families from Penang. 

It was/is indeed such a pleasure and honour to be part of this project and I am excited to see how the entire "Same Same: A Dan Lain-lain Project" unfolds. If the exhibition in Penang is anything to go by, I'm sure the entire project will be something spectacular to look forward to! :-) 

Five girlfriends and a jungle trekking adventure

One weekend, five girlfriends decided to “be one” with nature. The aim: jungle trek to Monkey Beach and then hike up to the Muka Head Lighthouse located 242 metres (794 ft) above sea level.

These girls were quite an “active” bunch: one could and WOULD sleep at anytime of the day, at ANY place; the other, is a self-confessed couch potato whose idea of exercising includes watching E-News and Keeping Up with the Kardashians; one is a bookworm whose friends are mostly characters from books; another is called Miss-I-Like-All-Things-Weird; while the other spends her free time chauffeuring her mum.

So on one Sunday morning, with all of us appropriately attired and adequately protected from the sun (i.e. sun-block: checked, hat: checked, water: checked) we stood at the entrance of the Penang National Park, all gung-ho ready for our adventure!

Having set 60 minutes as our time limit to reach Monkey Beach (the estimated time proposed by the park is roughly 105 minutes), we were ecstatic when we “reached” Monkey Beach in under 60 minutes! We all commented on how easy the trek was and that we must be in really good shape to have trekked that fast. Imagine our horror and embarrassment when we found out that we had only reached the Teluk Ailing Beach which was where the USM Research Station is located. We were not yet on Monkey Beach! Suppressing our glee, we marched on, this time at a slower pace as the trail was a fairly narrow path through the jungle with a number of headlands that went up and down. When we first started, it felt like were we on an Indiana Jones’ adventure. But as time passed, we began to feel as though we were in the series Lost. Needless to say, the chatter and laughter that accompanied us from the beginning soon deserted us as the true colours of our stamina began to show. Other people soon began to overtake us as we slowed down. There were of course some “accidents” where two of us slipped down a slope but no harm was done. In fact, it brought back some laughter and “excitement”.

Finally, as we were about to give up (not that we would have turned back), we reached Monkey Beach! We quickly spread our beach cloth down and proceeded to rest our legs and quench our thirst with fresh coconut juice. Needless to say, selfies (or wefies) were next on the agenda. Once that was done, we asked a stall operator how far and how long it would take us to get to the light house. The lady whom we asked generously told us that it would take us at least 40 minutes to get to the light house (this was after she looked at all of us from head to toe. I have to admit that we all looked like typical city girls who were dumped into the “jungle” to fend for ourselves). She also emphasized that it was 40 minutes ONE WAY.

After the resting, we started our hike up to the light house. As soon as we began our journey up the trail, we realized the mistake we made in resting our legs. As we hiked up the hill which was mainly stairs (!!), our legs felt as though they were fitted prosthetic legs made out of lead. Every step of the way up was simply torturous. We made new friends on the way up and by the way we looked, I think they felt like they had to encourage and cheer us on; embarrassingly, two of them even stayed back to help us maneuver ourselves at certain parts of the trail. There were numerous times when each of the five of us was on the verge of giving up, but we persevered, psyching ourselves by humming the song “Eye of the Tiger” despite us not knowing the full song!

Just as we really thought that we could not go on, we turned a corner and there it was…the LIGHTHOUSE! We made it! We were all smiles and laughter as we made our way up to the viewing deck…only to be disappointed by what we saw. The beautiful view that we all thought would greet us was missing! What we got was a clouded view of the sea and its surrounding. We had been cheated by the haze! Swallowing our disappointment, we maintained the positivity that enabled us to fulfill our aim: Five island girls had jungle trekked and hiked their way up a hill. They had indeed been “one with nature”.  We even made new friends! After the obligatory selfies/wefies, we headed back to the beach for more photographs, and then we took a leisurely boat ride back to reality. 

Why I read

Reading has always been a part of my life. In fact, when my mum was pregnant, she used to read the dictionary to me!! And this practice of reading the dictionary has stuck with me throughout my life. Yes...call me a nerd but I do still read the dictionary albeit occasionally. There are at least 3 dictionaries on my bookshelf and one is always within reaching distance. Of course with technology nowadays, I can just Google for the meaning of a word, and yet, I still find myself reaching for the small, worn out dictionary. But I digress.

I came upon the words below while browsing the internet one day and the words immediately struck a cord in me. It beautifully captures what I feel when I read. Aptly titled 'Why Do I Read', the whole passage explains exactly why I read. I shared the words with a fellow reader friend of mine and he too agreed with me. If you love reading and you love books....you'll understand the words. I also shared the words with my mum but she did not share the same feelings as me. I guess there are people who read as though their lives depend on it, and there are people who read just for the sake of reading. I'm the former. 

 

Delayed but not too late

I usually write my last entry for a particular year before the year actually ends, no matter how busy I am. In 2014, I started my year-end holiday rather early, which gave me 16 days to think about what my last entry for the year should be. Despite having that many days, all I did was scribble a few ideas onto a piece of paper and decided that I'll sit down one day and start writing. I sat till the end of the year and as you can see from the date of this entry...my last post for 2014 did not happen on time. So...instead of writing a lengthy post of what happened in the past year, I've chosen to highlight or mention a few things that made my year memorable (or not!). I may have missed a few events though.

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2014 was the year when:

1) I turned the BIG 29+1!! Yup...I left my 20s behind and stepped into a whole new decade. I ushered in the new decade with a party that was perfectly organised by my sister and was attended by some (there were others who couldn't make it) of my favourite people!!Oh...and I dyed my hair copper red!!

2) The year was also a year when friendships were re-kindled/strengthened. As many of you know, I seem to be able to only have very very few close friends (2-3 from high school and a similar number from college). The friendship that was severed or broken down about 2.years ago was patched up; while my hang outs/meeting-up with the friend that I only seem to meet up with once a year, increased. Thinking back, I can find no proper excuse as to why I only met this friend so sparingly. This was also the year when I finally met up with my high school chums after not seeing them for more than 5 years!! It was such a great meet up and oh my.....it was simply fantastic!! 

3) There were also relationships that were sadly broken. And this is particularly sad as it's family and in my opinion, it was over a small matter that went out of proportion. Unfortunately, we could not overcome the difference in opinions and so...I guess for the time being, it's best that we keep our distance.

4) I was also introduced to Penangpac thanks to my sister and her organisation. After my first musical show, I became hooked and have now become a patron of Penangpac. I supported my friend's dance group during a competition in which they won two awards; I watched a college benefit drama; I also went and watch a Malaysianised Hamlet. Ok...it may not look like I watched much shows but still....it's a start.

5) Coincidentally, I had my third trip to Berlin and also India!! The Berlin trip was the usual alumni meeting that is held every year (although I was surprised that my trip was still fully funded). My trip to India was to Bhopal. Yes....after hearing about the place and the tragedy that occurred there, I finally set foot on the place. That too after much drama on my way to Bhopal (my flight from Bangkok to Mumbai was delayed as we had to evacuate the plane due to a spark at the tail-end!). I participated in a rally (and had to walk for nearly 2 hours!) but it was all in solidarity and support. It was an experience I will not forget. Talking about trips, this year I also went on a super short road trip with a friend and my sis. We dropped my sis in KL, while my friend and I drove on to Melaka where I spent one whole day being a tourist!! I should have more road trips!!

6) How can I not mention that I now have a house of my own?? Ok...so technically the bank owns the house until I finish paying off the loan but heck....I bought a house!!!

7) My bucket list for the next 10 years is still not done although I have a draft ready. I just can't seem to sit down and decide on what I want to put on the list. I want a list that I can achieve and check off the boxes as the years go by, and not just have a list that by the end of 10 years, nothing or only 2-4 things are done.

8) Finally....2014 was also the year when my family and I returned to spend Christmas in KL after 10 years!! Yes!! It's been THAT long. We even stayed with my grandmother which is a first. Though it was only for 3 nights, it felt so good to be among loved ones.

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And so....there's my recap of 2014. From the looks of it, there are some things that were left unfinished like my bucket list. I really need to finish it! Also, I need to take more road trips. I plan to go to either Bali or Cambodia this year (ok so these are not road trips...) and I hope that the plans go through. I would also like to have a more active social life i.e. go out more often and not really worry about spending $$ too much (hahaha....the Scrooge in  me is already cringing). Well...maybe I can find a balance.

Anyway....I'm beginning to ramble so I'd better stop here...

Believe

I don't consider myself a religious person. I don't pray every day, or fast once a week, or go to temple every week. In fact, if you were to ask me what are the principles or tenets or "rules" of Hinduism (of which I was raised in), I'll be the first to admit that I have been short in my learnings. I DO know that Hindus belief in reincarnation and that the so-called idols/statues that we pray to are symbols of the ABSOLUTE or THE ONE i.e. God.

Despite my profession of being non-religious, I DEFINITELY do belief in God. Yes! Of this I am certain. Don't ask me why or how....I just know that deep in my heart, God exists. It's something that I can't explain and won't attempt to do so. I just know that God has always been there whenever I'm in trouble or when I'm conflicted, or when I'm happy, or simply when I am crazy. 

You can call me a theist, a person who believes in the existence of God. While I know of some people who may disagree with what I have said...to me....whether I define myself as a Hindu or Taoist or Christian, does not matter. All that is important is that I know that God is here. Of this I am certain!!

This may be an unusual entry in my blog but somehow, I just felt like I needed to write this when I came across the picture above. I smiled when I read it, and it reminded me...or rather, it assured me that God is always there, watching over us, whether we believe or not. 

Travel Travel Travel

So I'm lucky. My job allows me to travel to places and experience things that some people can only dream about. While I don't get to travel on first class or stay at 5-star hotels (in fact, it's the absolute opposite), what I get out of the experience is invaluable. My travels have ranged from the good (I won't say best) to the downright depressing: I've traveled to Europe and experienced the culture there; I've stayed with rural women in India and experienced days with no water or electricity; I've been to the Philippines and East Malaysia (places that I only ever talk about or plan to visit, but has not materialised in my personal life). 

In the last two weeks, I've been on 8 flights. And in another two weeks, I'll be off again. The last time, I went to the West. This time it's South Asia: my third time to India. I wasn't really keen to go on this trip, simply because my body is still tired and the connections for this round of travel is simply exhausting!! I'll be spending an obscene amount of hours in the airports; all these just so that I can attend an anniversary celebration for 3 days!! While it is indeed important for me to represent my organisation at this celebration, I can't help but dread the travel. Nevertheless, I have no choice and I just have to suck it up!!

While I complained and garnered sympathy about my "predicament", I came upon this on FB recently (see below)...and suddenly, I had a change of heart. 

I realised how lucky I was to be able to travel for free (literally everything is paid for) and gain a whole new dimension of experiences that not many people are lucky enough to enjoy. I realised that I should stop complaining (although I doubt I'll be able to) and accept what's been offered to me. My mum told me that, while I may be complaining now, in years to come, when I look back upon these experiences, I'd tell myself that it was all worth it; and that I would not have changed anything. 

You know what? I think she may just be right! 

:-)

Going through a roller coaster of emotions

I have read countless books and I have never reviewed one. I don’t intend to start doing so here. However, recently, I read a book that was recommended to me by my mum and OMG…it was one of the most difficult books I’ve read thus far. Not that it was long or that it had many chapters. But the emotions that were invoked in me as I read page after page, chapter after chapter…I felt as though my soul was being slowly chipped away as I turned the pages, while at the same time, hope, inspiration and gratitude was threatening to burst out of my heart. Never have I felt such a roller coaster of emotions while reading a book. And that is why I have to write this.

I’m the type of reader who prefers to read within my genre of comfort. Reading a book that is not in my comfort zone is a rarity, something that I have just began to venture out into. And so, when I decided to take up my mother’s recommendation about the book, both my sis and mum were surprised! Surprise soon turned to regret (I think), because I kept complaining the whole time I was reading the book, much to their chagrin!

The book: The City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre

“What irony, that one of Calcutta's most devastating slums should be known as Anand Nagar, ``the City of Joy.'' By interweaving impressionistic glimpses from the lives of a Polish Catholic priest, a rickshaw driver, and an American doctor, Lapierre creates a searing vision of the struggle for survival, the flashing violence, and the social and cultural practices of the slum. His theme that from human misery can emerge joy might seem to some readers as a bogus acceptance of a terrible evil. Yet Lapierre's narrative slides skillfully in and out of both history and fiction to create an effective but horrible montage of disease, death, and destruction amid elements of charity, hope, and love.” – adapted (and edited) from Barnes and Noble.

The book was written based on interviews, immersions and visits to the City of Joy. In a way, it was sort of like a consolidated diary of various people. I took that review/synopsis from the Net as I just could not find the right words to describe the premise of the book. To me, whatever I say will not live up to quality of the book.

As I read the book (which was later turned into a movie starring Patrick Swayze), a whole range of emotions went through me. There were times when I wanted to cry, when I actually laughed out loud, when I actually closed my nose when reading a scene. The book really hit me simply because, I have, to an extent, experienced some of the scenarios from the book - the lack of (or no) water and electricity; mingling with the children (not slum children but rural children who are underprivileged); the poor men and women being so generous with their food and whatever else they had. I’ve been to India twice and reading this book brought me right back.

I’ve not been to Calcutta, but I guess the extent of poverty, disease and destruction is somewhat similar all over India. Lapierre’s use of words and description of places were so vivid that I did not even have to imagine it in my mind; but rather, I could SEE it so clearly, as though I was a fly on a wall, watching every move, everything that was happening. This was an old book, written in 1982 (if I’m not mistaken). While my copy of the book looks like it has been chewed by a dog, the issues detailed in the book, sadly, have not changed in the 30-odd years since it was first published. That is just so sad.

The good thing is: the book is a great read! No regrets! And while I was forced to delve into emotions that really shook me, I’m happy to have “survived” and come out stronger, more inspired, more thankful. The book also delves into religion and there were times when I had to stop reading, close the book and pray, thanking God for all that I have. I’m not a strictly religious person but the people in this book served as a reminder to me that, even when everything is going wrong, faith and hope (in God) can carry us through anything.

This book is going to stick to me for quite awhile. It’s just hard to forget or erase what I have “seen.”--