Déjà vu

April 28^th, 2012, overwhelmed me with a feeling of déjà vu. It was very much like the black day in the history of Malaysia to see the citizens finally standing up for their electoral rights and democracy in the country.  Nostalgia of July 2011 could be seen in the uproar of protestors in yellow take it to the streets, rains of teargas and water cannons, brutality of police personnel, damage of public property, allegations of violence, deaths incurred and arrests of rally protestors. Everything seems to be impossible to tell apart. All I could see was pandemonium broke out crushing out the actual intention of Bersih 3.0 last Saturday. It was an unethical attempt by some other individuals (I don’t need to spell it out loud!) to tarnish the effort rolled in by Bersih organizers. This rally is definitely not spun out to create mayhem to the solidarity of our beloved Malaysia. Rather to safeguard Malaysia from injustice and uphold the democracy of ‘rakyat’ per say.

This Bersih 3.0 sit-down came in with gusto and left with an uproar in quest for clean and fair elections.  This is the talk of the town right now. Last Saturday, more than twenty thousand protesters marched through the centre of Kuala Lumpur city, several other states in Malaysia including other parts of the world calling for fair elections and greater accountability. Once again people took it to the streets to show their solidarity in quest. It marks the humanity struggle to realize the democracy.  I hope the fight for a good cause will be worth the effort. Only when the elections are fair, the citizens can have real democracy of their life and expect the public servants to act accountably.

As I watched the day through the news and global network, I saw the rays of hope, unity and aspirations to make our home Malaysia a better place to live in each and everyone’s eyes. This rally sit-in arose not from hatred but for tranquillity, solidarity and the spirit of oneness.

Although I was not present in the sit-in physically but my silent yet loud and tolerant yet unwavering pledge to have justice, fairness and solidarity in my homeland one day for my kids to appreciate and savor it. It did send a resounding signal to the other corners of the world to bring a difference in this blessed country. People from all walks of life came together simply because of civil obligation to uphold the liberties that rightfully belong to all of us, democracy restored and peace culminated. This event is a moment of truth for all Malaysians and one for future generations to come. Politicians of the ruling party and other inconsiderate citizens of Malaysia blindly toss accusations on these Bersih organizers for tarnishing the reputation of our country in the eyes of the world. Actually, this is defining the reality for the world to witness the justice voice to be heard and reinstated, making this place a better place to live for everyone.

I hope all the effort put in will not be vain. Someday we might be the torch-bearer of democracy. The beauty of this effort will be all Malaysians irrespective of their ethnicity and social differences, they stand united and holding the vigil for a better Malaysia.

Malaysia Boleh!

Yet another child abduction

Child kidnapping cases has been on rise in Malaysia lately. You may have heard the news of abduction of 12 year old Nayati Moodliar in Kuala Lumpur few days ago. This is yet another case after Nurin, Shalinie and Dirang. I rather feel it is no longer safe for parents to leave their children to be alone and unattended in the public especially in this country. The regret for leaving their son walk to school would be exactly how the parents of Nayati are feeling right now. Indeed the entire social media fraternity and the humanitarian community have been poignant about the little boy disappearance since Friday morning. This kidnapping case sparked a massive buzz across the social networking sites, TV news and also has been the talk of the town.

It was no rare news for all on the abduction of a 12-year-old Dutch boy in Kuala Lumpur on last Friday, 27^th April 2012. The boy, Nayati Shamelin Moodliar was dragged into a dark-colored Proton Gen 2 with number plate WNH 1356 by two men before the eyes of his classmates in broad day light (the police confirmed that the registration number of the vehicle is phony). He was abducted around 7.40am early Friday morning on the corner of Jalan Kiara when he was on his way to the Mont Kiara International School. Since then nothing has been heard of him.

Nayati is a 12 years old with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He is mixed origin of Indian and caucasian. He is 1.5 meters tall. He was last wearing his Mont Kiara International School white school shirt and green shorts. The boy Nayati Moodliar is the son of a couple from South Africa, Shamelin Moodliar and Janice Moodliar of Dutch nationality. The family had just moved in to Malaysia for the relocation of the boy’s father as management consultant in KL.

His parents are too distraught and plead to whoever has taken their little boy to return him home safely. All they want is to have their Nayati back home. For the past couple of days, various social networks are providing updates, flyers and photographs of Nayati have been put up to spread the news to get to his whereabouts across the country. A video of the parents going public with their plea is seen flashing on internet. I am just one of the compassionate strangers who feel for their family’s plight and helping to spread the word to let others know about Nayati in the hope that somewhere he will be found and returned home safely.

This is a little help that we all can do on our part to help spread the awareness of this missing child and pray that he will be able to return home safely soon. I hope fellow Malaysians can spare a few moments to pray for this little boy’s safety and spread the news alert on the lookout for Nayati.

A new couch to siesta on!

It was time for furnishing our living room with a new couch. I and mom have been flickering through the brochures by Courts, Lorenzo and Macy’s discussing for weeks about which sofa we were going to go with. I wanted something that looked classy, comfortable to nap on after work and also reasonable in price. Last Saturday, we took a drive to the nearest furniture gallery and hopped in with excitement. Bear in mind, getting a sofa is not as easy as we think. It has to satisfy all of us in terms of quality, pricing, color and design, material and comfortableness. That’s mouthful huh?

After about nearly two hours of contemplating on the various couches we saw in the gallery, we manage to spot down to two couches that were actually worth the buy. After back and forth discussion, we decided to pick the one with most reasonable sofa set with a complimentary coffee table. It costs us RM 2000 even though we wanted something less pricey since we are planning to move in to our very own home in near future. So getting a pricey couch will be not a good idea since it’s prone to damage during the moving. But then again on second thought, duh! Let’s get it anyway.

I really look forward to sink myself into the comfy couch while watching the TV. I am a home person and love to be accompanied by TV during leisure weekends. So the thought of getting a better sofa was something I looked forward to. At last the couch was delivered the same evening and I was super excited to see it! It's exactly what I was looking for. The color is perfect.  All four of us fit on it. The seat is deep and it's nice to have a sofa with an arm rest wide enough that doesn’t strain for hours long that we get glued to the TV. It comes along with abundant of fluffy cushions to keep us cozy all day long.

Mom and I are planning to make it extra cozy by adding up some furry drapes either from IKEA or other stores to give some texture to it. We have a nice carpet to keep our legs warm since the vicinity around my house is naturally cool than usual. If it rains, it feels like we are in some highland resort. Another splash that is worth to light up the ambiance of the room will definitely be flowers! Time for another shop for interior décor!

There you go my salary! But I'm loving it!

I hate gossips

Anytime I am asked to list down what I hate the most, only gossip comes to my mind. So much so that it simply spoils the aura around me. It has become a culture by its own but something intolerable. Juicy gossips or tittle-tattling happens to make its round more happily than ever regardless of where you are. Believe it or not, there is almost no place without at least little bit of gossips and backbiting. It resembles a wave that can create nonsense in any academic institutions, in corporate organization, in a social occasion and even among family circle. I can tell you it is very contagious and spreads like a pandemic.

It just never ends. Over the years, as I grew up, the more I run into people that loves gossiping and backbiting. Both are just about the same. I always wished this would not be the scenario. Somehow I can relate both these social stigma with immaturity and fallaciously assumed that older people don’t talk behind people back. But on second thought, my assumptions deceived me. Occasionally, I experienced seeing older and wiser (or so?) people happily talking about others without a clear conscience. I was completely wrong. Can you believe that men out beat the women when it comes to gossiping? Yes it is. I will cover this topic on my next post. He-he. 

Gossips are usually never about the real news that goes around but it is a spin off from the original news with extra ‘spice’. The moment the distorted news is set on fire, it goes all around and around. Trust me it just never ends. Is it impossible not to talk about others in your conversations? How does it do good to you? Maybe some people finds talking about academic, politics, business etc can be plain boring but juicy gossips can be entertaining to them. What I just said could be contradicting but sad to say this is how the society works.

It is inevitable to bitch about people you don’t like or even the people that you like too. My close encounter would be in a wedding I attended sometime ago. A wedding would be a joyous occasion where we get to meet old friends and family members that we don’t get to see often. It is a time for catching up from where we left. But it baffled me when I overheard one conversation (I wasn’t eavesdropping btw, it was loud and clear enough for me to be make out what they were talking about). The bunch of ladies and men were talking about the newlyweds! Does it matter how they met and what they have been doing? It is none of their business any way.

This is just one of the worst waves of gossips that I have heard. I am totally against of gossip and it is simply because I was (and perhaps still) a victim subjected to gossips. It all came from the root of jealousy. I just don’t get it why people just love to bitch about me when they know a little about me. I know I am smart, bold, independent, beautiful and blunt lass that can spark the jealousy of anyone. Ha-ha I am not being smug here but this could be why they are lashing behind my back. I am sorry for those folks. You think you can stop me from me being successful and being everyone’s sweetheart. No you can try but it just never happens. Why? Because I don’t harm others, I don’t ruin their lives or I don’t have bad intentions on them. It doesn’t bother me if they are doing well or they are going down the drains.

Perhaps gossips and talking about others are merely the way a person is conditioned. It reflects in their nurturing from young or it could be a genetic factor. I came across an article last year that there is underlying genetic factor identified to be associated with aggressiveness trait. So who knows gossips, backbiting and jealousy also has underlying genetic factor?

But I don’t think it is fair enough to talk ill about someone and ruin their lives in any way. If you can’t do something good for everyone around you, then might as well you don’t have to do bad to those around you. It makes a difference at least. I just wish people would learn to mind their business although other people’s business seems to be more entertaining for them. 

I am a pretty private person. A private person with a blog about random parts of her life you might say? Well let me tell you, there’s a lot I don’t reveal about myself and what I do tell you is up to my discretion! It puts me out of my comfort zone when people ask me about me, and my life. It is not for them to know anyway (unless you’re my close-knit family and friends).  It’s my life and it doesn’t concern you. I guess it is worth to choose handful of acquaintances to fit into your closest social network. I am sure only a few will shine out above the rest.

Barong dance truly an experience

Bali is famous for their exotic art and culture. One of it is definitely none other than the Barong dance. The Barong Dance is a powerful battle of good and evil and most well known in Bali. This dance is the classic example of Balinese way of acting out mythology, resulting in myth and history being blended into one reality.

There is a story line to the Barong dance, but really the dance is entertaining with a touch of sacredness imbued with the soul of Barong. The story is about Rangda battling against the King of Bali, Erlangga in the 10^th century. Erlangga seek the help of Barong to battle with Rangda and her strong black magic troops. Here the Barong battles the evil Rangda. Rangda uses magic spell to force the warriors to turn their knives on themselves. Instead, the warriors turn to Rangda and started attacking. This is when things get interesting. In the end, Barong triumph.

It is hard to tell what is going on during the dance show. To us, the dance is entertaining, mystic and an air of sacredness surrounds the stage. However to the Balinese people, this dance is an opportunity to keep the cosmos in balance. We can see the performers in masks and holding daggers stabbing themselves (for sure not hard) but the Barong’s magic protects the warriors from Rangda’s spell.

The masks of Barong and Rangda are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, and offerings must be presented. This is one show that is performed at various tourist attraction spots and one should not miss it.

I was actually slightly in a bundle of nerves when my husband urged me to go and take a snap with the dancers. Having a close-up shot with them was truly an experience. But the dancers look very bloodcurdling with their ruffian look masks, make-up and costumes that tickled my feelings for awhile. It is a great show, though...

Pre-wedding portraiture - a romantic bliss

Of all the things we've planned for our wedding, my husband and I didn't expect that our most priceless moments would be the pre-wedding photo shoot. Before we got engaged in November, neither of us had the idea to go for a pre-wedding shoot. These days, pre-wedding photo shoot marks the start of wedding planning and the celebration coming ahead. It has become a trend for most couple to capture the priceless moments as marriage celebration happens ‘once in a lifetime’. It sounds ridiculous, but in the wedding business, pre-wedding shoots are now seriously making big money. It is a must-have when you get into serious wedding planning. Of course I didn’t want to fall into the mainstream of modern day couples. But my husband told me, “We are only going to go through this day once and through these photographs only we can re-live the day in years to come ”. “I am sure being a new bride, you wouldn’t want to miss these precious moments”. I gave it a second thought and the next thing I knew I had already sign up for the photo shoot.

I remember one of my friend told me that at the end of the pre wedding photo shoot, I will have a collection of pre wedding photos that will become very special to both of us, marking the start of our wedding bash and capturing that special bond. Besides, it was a perfect way for us to get to know each other even closer before the big day. A great deal of fun is promised! Both of us wanted our photo shoot to be chic, simple and memorable. I just don’t fancy flashy concept of backdrop. I had always wanted something very subtle and sweet. Not being particularly well-versed about wedding trends, Raj gave away the task for me to survey and pick the right studio for the portraiture photography. I browsed several bridal studio websites and also never missed the wedding exhibitions to grab a fairly reasonable package (Only after getting to the bottom of the task, that I realize it is not as straightforward as I thought since there are innumerable bridal studios in the city offering various attractive packages which can tempt us). Somehow the package happened to fit my requisite to keep it simple and sweet without exaggeratedly pricey and too many flamboyant outfits. All that matter is YOU. It is our inner persona and how we bring out that shine into the portraiture.
The portraiture didn’t happen immediately since both of us weren’t ready for our portraiture in quintessence. As an enthusiastic bride-to-be, I did some homework on the worldwide web to get an idea of styles of pre-wedding shoots. I was flabbergasted to find cheesy poses, groovy expressions, public display of affection, I vouch you that this is not going to be me at all. I can’t believe myself what I am up too. One thing for sure, I am going to agonize over the chunky accessories, bulky gowns and fake expressions! Ha-ha. We wouldn't have gone out of our way to book this pre-wedding shoot if it hadn't been thrown in with a reasonable deal. But that's the idiotic thing about weddings. You somehow end up doing stuff that's not even YOU.

This photo shoot involves spending the day being photographed in casually yet carefully co-ordinated outfits, gazing into each other's eyes while onlookers keep looking at us. The essence of portraiture is to capture the love-in-the-air and let’s-get-cozy expressions. The atmosphere at a pre-wedding shoot was quite casual, full of fun and laughter. I and Raj chose to have the shoot at Lake Garden KL, a public park that was a privately landscaped garden with a lake, blooming flower garden and fountain so loads of great spots for shooting. As a pre wedding photographer, Jack knows the perfect poses and location for us to capture our moments. Both of us right away could establish the rapport with Jack and that made us comfortable in our shoot which I believe would help us achieve natural looking photos. We sat on a grassy patch in Lake Garden. We were in love embrace in midst of a garden. We sat under a tree. We looked out over the horizon. He looked at me; I looked away into the distance (and vice versa). I cast my glance away from him, and he looked romantically at me. We were meant to gaze into each other's eyes a lot - romantic, yes, but it also makes you laugh in shyness, especially when you both are deliberately doing PDA (something I don’t favor).
Our photographer is pretty funny guy as he made us pose in the right angle as to capture the flawless shots. He made us feel comfortable with his easy-going nature so as to create a good rapport with him the entire day. Our muscles were flexed to the max with his joking skills and perhaps that’s how despite being tired, I was still able to continue the shoot. In the end, we had a laugh playing up the cheesy factor, but it's definitely not something we'll be doing it again. It’s also wonderful to work with thoughtful and discreet photography team from Universal studio. They allow the moments to unfold naturally. Well, I’ll let the film speak more for you. The outdoor shoot was something we wanted to opt for a more informal and fun photo shoot. Weekday was our pick since it will be lesser crowd at the garden. And I must say that Jack is a good photographer whom knows what exactly works best for you. He shows us some great photography tricks which give us more confidence for the rest of the shoot.
In fact, one of the reasons photographers themselves are so keen on the idea is that it lets you, see exactly how much fun photography can be. It's the ultimate ice-breaker where we can get a better idea on how to respond to the camera, what angles do and don't work for you, and how you interact together.
After 2 months of waiting, the much sought after photos from our pre-wedding photograph is here (it arrived about 2 weeks ago). A mere glance across the photo album cover, I was already walking down the memory lane to that beautiful, sunny day, 31st December 2011. A day we both shared and captured our romantic moments prior to the big day.

I am in love with my wedding album and all of the pictures that were taken on the day. I get a bit teary every time I look at the album or the slideshow of the pictures. Everyone loved it and the feedback has been amazing. The whole day was just magical and the pictures which were taken really captured the feeling of the day. I just loved them all! The whole experience from the pre-wedding shoot to the wedding day was fun, relaxing and exciting and I want to thank you all for that rapturous celebration.Our pre-wedding photo shoot was really fun and unforgettable experience but super tiring. I am glad we manage to squeeze a little time to capture these priceless moments.

 While the photos outcome is pretty good but I was looking for more uniqueness and classic shots. I must tell you that I am just not good in poses till our photographer; Jack had slightly tough time to get me picture-perfect for all the shots. We had hilarious time with Jack teasing me for being so ‘plastic’ in my expression while my husband cheekily enjoying me being bullied. The quintessence of the photo shoot was articulated at the end of the day. It brought us even closer, made us appreciate our bond and prepared us for the big event. Probably, I am just not the typical girl that loves the flash and glam life like some do. I am rather the girl-next-door person that loves to be plain and natural. On the other hand, I must admit that my husband looked very natural in his pose and smile away getting accolades from Jack for being easy to shoot. Ha-ha. Even the make-up and outfits did complement to my bona fide personality. Everyone who saw the photos complimented that I look almost natural.
At the end of the pre wedding photo shoot, we both have engraved the beautiful memories in an album that will become very special to both of us for years to come.

Paradox of life

Did you ever dwell on the absurdity of life? There were days in one’s life that you are boisterously happy, some days that you’re just alright, and other days one wish we could either wind back and start all over again, or fast-forward through. I do. On one fine Sunday evening as I was sitting on my balcony while enjoying the cool breeze, my thoughts started to drift away far into the horizon overlooking the mountain opposite my house (my house is on a hilly top btw). It made me contemplate on the meaning of life and why things happen the way they do. Is it the destiny of life or our own actions that make up our life? Why do things happen the way they do? One thing I believe is, the Lord is steering our lives from up above.

Since last year, I have been awakened by the painful news of people living this world unpredictably soon. When someone you know passes away, no matter how close you were or distant acquaintances, there is a gut-hitting-the-floor feeling when you hear that horrible news. The most recent was just a few weeks ago. And while I did not spin in the same social loop or necessarily be the nearest and dearest with any of these individuals, but that overwhelming loss is just the same. In some ways, I feel like I should not be enduring the sadness that those who were closer to them should. Somehow, I have the tender heart which goes all out for other people’s loss. My husband admires my compassion so much so that he feels behind this resilient girl; he could see a beautiful heart in me. J

It is not only on the grounds of humanitarian values inherent within me, but I feel it speaks on their influence on those around them and the fact I know them distress me a great deal. I just feel some of them went too soon away from this world. They may have left a lasting impression on us, their contributions to those around them, the smile they put on your face, their affection that made a difference in your life, and their presence could brighten up your dull day.

It all comes back to the enigma I had in the beginning. It makes me wonder why things work out the way they do. I have yet to find the answer to my conundrum. Perhaps, the realm of our existence elucidates that each one of us is a gift while we are here. The continuity of life despite their demise is our obligation to go on. This I would call the paradox of life. I hope those that have left too soon from this material world would be able to find peace. All I can say is God love them too much to be taken away too soon.

There are some moments in life; there are no words to describe. And I believe all that happens has a reason behind it.

Wretched Wednesday

I was on my way to my SDTC office in UPM-MTDC. It was a sunny Wednesday with rays shining through clouds. I was looking forward for a beautiful day as I have a list of agenda to work on for the week. As I hit the KL-Seremban expressway, a spin off from the Mahameru highway, I didn’t suspect there would be an abrupt traffic crawl ahead of me. Rush hour is far from over. It was 8am and I was driving on 90-100km/hour speed. As the Desa Petaling road draws closer, the traffic started slowing down gradually to about 30-40km/hr. I knew it was an accident otherwise congestion is unlikely for this direction of passageway. As a quick response, I dash for the volume panel of my car radio in order to get an insight of traffic report for KL-Seremban expressway. Fly Fm was my favorite radio station particularly in the morning as I commute to work laughing away to Prem and Jules shenanigans.
After 5 minutes into the area, I saw there was a traffic wedge on the opposite lane of traffic where police were gathered with an ambulance stand-in on site. I still couldn’t visibly see the accident scene till I my car inched up further. The moment I glanced across the road on my right, I froze for a split second. I couldn’t speak and my emotions were fluttering. There was a casualty as I noticed a body on the road was covered with black cover. I sneak a quick look through the lifeless body lying motionless on the road. It took a few minutes for me to understand what had happened. The accident happened earlier and all that was left was a large motorbike toppled with everything shattered on the road. The police personnel were clearing up the mess. My mood swung immediately. A grim atmosphere and a sense of melancholy serenaded the Wednesday morning.
The traffic flow eases in 20m after the site of the incident. As I hit on the accelerator, making my way to work, the scenario keep playing in my mind and from behind I heard the siren of the ambulance rushing the injured victim to hospital. I prayed for the victim to survive and to give them the strength to cope with the death of their partner. This was very tragic accident I saw ever in my life. It was certainly not an encouraging sight to start your day with.

I just hope the rest of the day will be good though!