Selamat Hari Raya!

I may not be Malay nor Muslim but I am Malaysian. We celebrate everything, do we not?

Another Raya away from home.
I suppose this is the feeling that builds up the the balik kampung excitement for many. After a long period of time away from family and kin and the month-long puasa, nothing beats the anticipation of familiar faces, sounds and smell.

Another year without ketupat, rendang, lemang, kuih raya and duit raya.
Okay, okay, I know the duit raya is mainly for kids but hey, if I am still given some, I will not reject! And ahem, yes, I know I love my food. But how can you resist ketupat?

Source: http://asmaliana.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ketupat.jpg

And rendang?

Source: http://www.eglobaltravelmedia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Rendang_crt_indonesiatogodotcom.jpg

And lemang?

Source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lliol09w2Gc/UDSD82X46nI/AAAAAAAAAh4/pXuaNICFUv4/s1600/lemang.jpg

And kuih raya?

Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnGwm9iDz3N10Sq1kizszbmJ0rto7Krv8JaS1PtGo1J2UotQ1jVDrzKbtbXsZ9JR97VSqROGHj5jyZcxM2oVgOoxN-C-P_koO8Jm6rkZA1e_ZpnXvvxVWsiI7iC4skyaB0dbk_/s1600/kuih+raya.png

Another year of getting the Raya feel over YouTube and Facebook.
Doing this nevers fails to make me all emotional and homesick. I still do it regardless. This year, I particular like the Dear Malaysians campaign by DiGi, in reminding us all to ask for forgiveness for the wrongdoings that we have committed. By the end of the song, "For Forgiveness", sang by young talented Malaysian Min'Z, I had tears welling up in my eyes.

Here is to wishing all my Muslimin and Musliman friends:
Selamat Hari Raya,
maaf zahir batin!

Malacca Straits on Broadway

The Strait of Malacca was a prominent passageway for spice traders from the Middle East and South Asia in their economy-generating travels to South-East Asia and East Asia. This stretch of water between the Malay Peninsular and the Indonesian island of Sumatra was globally known, especially during the glory days of the Malacca Sultanate, after which it is named.

As Malaysians, how would a restaurant named after such prominence (especially after we have all the Malacca-related stuff drilled into our heads during our high school days of History) not catch our attention? However, I would have to admit that the restaurant is rather hidden. But since it is located within The Quadrant which partly houses UTS students and partly office quarters, I suppose the problem of crowd flow is not big.

Cosy in ambience, patrons to the restaurant are welcomed by an "Alamak!" sign on the wall. 'Alamak' is the Malaysian equivalent of 'Oh no', 'Oh gosh', 'Darn' or 'Bugger'. I wonder why they have it there, though.

We giggled ourselves silly upon hearing the broken Manglish sprinkled with Hokkien words coming from the kitchen. Ah, Malaysian feel from the lingo, check! After browsing through their purple and green menu, we decided on having pulut panggang ($10.50) for starters. Wrapped in fragrant banana leaf and grilled, a roll of spiced glutinous rice with dried shrimp awaited.

Okay, I admit this is a poor photo of the inside. It so does not reflect the fragrance and spiciness of the dried shrimp and the 'just right' texture of the glutinous rice hot off the grill.

The Hainanese chicken rice ($9.50), on the other hand, was less impressive. The steamed chicken was far from the succulent, the rice too dry and not sufficiently fragrant. Their home-made chilli sauce made up for it, though.

No complains on the wat tan hor ($11.00), though! The generous serving of wok-seared flat rice noodles immersed in a creamish egg sauce with chicken and mixed (real) seafood deserved two thumbs up. Of course, best eaten with them pickled green chilli!

The meal was capped off with a bowl of ais kacang ($5.00), which they called air batu campur instead.

Hm, I still prefer those they make up at Sambal. However, not too bad a job by Chef Tan, the person behind this set up. The ex-chef of two other famous Malaysian restaurants in Sydney - The Malaya and Neptune Palace, he is also formerly the Executive Chef of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), the national carrier of Malaysia.

If you are breaking fast during this soon-to-end Ramadhan, pay Chef Tan a visit at this halal joint of his.

Malacca Straits on Broadway
66 Mountain Street, Broadway, NSW 2007
Tel: +61 2 8021 7069
E-mail: malaccastraitsbroadway@yahoo.com
Monday to Saturday: 11:00am to 10:00pm
Cards welcome but with a minimum spend of $15

Bagan

Bagan is the name of an ancient city in the Mandalay Division of Burma. The ruins of Bagan cover an area of 16 square miles and the majority of its buildings were built in the 11th to 13th century, during the time Bagan was the capital of the First Burmese Empire. As such, the restaurant had decor that attempted to reflect the rich history of its country (with a heavy Buddhist influence).

On their appetizer list included the following two dishes:

Green mango seasoning ($5.50), a great way to intrigue the taste buds! If you enjoy sour tastes, this is definitely your dish! And then the mains arrived, starting with their famous pork curry with green mango pickle ($8.50).

Okay, down the fat lane for sure now. Imagine rendang (okay, weird to have pork rendang) with a tinge of sweet and sour because of the mango. And spicy because of the curry. Yes, symphony of tastes - thumbs up, especially with the pork so tender!

The Bagan chicken ($12) was a little like honey chicken just done lots better. We even kept half to bring home.

I did not take down the name of this dish and the price of it but if my memory serves me correctly, it was salt and pepper bean curd and we totally loved it!

For the bean curd crazy like me, the fried bean curd with special chilli sauce ($10) is a must have. I remember one of us ordering another serve to takeaway for lunch the next day. I am salivating now thinking of the spicy sauce that layers the crunchy piping hot bean curd.

As we hardly buy fish to cook at home, we ordered one.

This steamed barramundi with lemon (market price), which was served on a stainless steel plate with a candle holder (what is the proper name for it, help?!) underneath brought back memories of us having dinner out at a 'dai chow' (大炒） Chinese restaurant. The sourness from the lemon in the sauce went really well with the spiciness of the chilli. We cleaned the entire plate.

Now, we cannot try new cuisine without having their dessert, can we?

We tried the Burmese version of sago pudding but with taro pieces in it. It was too sweet for my liking and had too much coconut milk but hey, if you like the combination of the two, it is not too bad.

Be sure to ring them up to reserve a table for yourself and friends, especially if you plan to eat there on a weekend.

Bagan Burmese Restaurant
Shop 4, 41, The Boulevarde, Strathfield, NSW 2135
Tel: +61 2 8746 0666
Tuesday to Sunday 12pm-10pm

We teach who we are

I am glad I dragged myself out of bed early this morning to attend the lecture at 8:00am. Since I told Clare that I would be there, I told myself not to create excuses. And so there I was at the lecture theatre with the other tutors and some fifty-odd students.

This morning, the lecture was presented by a guest lecturer, Dr. William De Jean. And it was one heck of a lecture! If every lecture was as interactive and hyped up as his was, I would attend every single one of them!

The lecture reminded me of some of the lectures that were conducted last year for the same unit. The first questions he asked us to answer were why we were going into teaching and our intentions for doing so. My reply was a slightly selfish one. I am going into teaching (I am teaching) because these is a special feeling of achievement and pride when someone I have taught comes back to say ‘thank you’. I find that such appreciation actually motivates me to be better. So, indirectly, teaching helps me better myself because like what Dr. De Jean kept emphasising throughout his lecture, we teach who we are.

He asked us to read aloud the following questions, which he took out of The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life by Parker J. Palmer, an author, educator, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change:

The question we most commonly as is the “what” question – what subjects shall we teach?

When the conversation goes a bit deeper, we ask the “how” question – what methods and techniques are required to teach well?

Occasionally, when it goes deeper still, we ask the “why” question – for what purpose and to what ends do we teach?

But seldom, if ever, do we ask the “who” question – who is the self that teaches?

He related that back to how we are educated (as opposed to trained) as teachers. We almost always justify our teaching with what is in the best interest of the children. It always is for the children. We almost always not talk about ourselves. What about us? We teach who we are so how can we not place some amount of significance on ourselves?

I liked how he metaphorically referred to our teaching as roadmaps. We have all these directions to follow. We use compasses because we are going places we do not even know. How do we know where we are going with our teaching? Do we know what the creative superminds we are teaching today will create for tomorrow? I think we can only assume that we are laying a foundation for the younger generation. What kind of a foundation will depend on who we are.

Like it or not, our identity is made up not only of who we think we are but also who we think we are not. Dr. De Jean likened it to a beach ball that is being held forcefully underwater. Yes, the beach ball is our shadow and what we suppress will always surface when we are unable to take the pressure any longer. So, what do we truly believe about difference? Do we really treat everyone equally? Do we really know what it feels like to be wearing glasses or to walk with a plastered foot?

What do we truly believe about success? If people work hard, will they really succeed? Does that mean that people who do not succeed are people who are not trying?

What do we truly believe about intelligence? Who do we believe is “smart” and who do we think is not? Who do we believe seems “motivated and who is not? Who do we believe should and should not go to university?

What do we believe about language? What do we laugh at? Why do we say “Hey, guys” when half the crowd is made up of females?

What do we truly believe about gender? How do we believe boys should act? How do we believe girls should act? We get concerned when they do not act the way we think they should.

What do we truly believe or feel when we hear an accent? What are our emotional responses? How is it different if it is French, American, Aboriginal or Spanish? Why do we think that when someone speaks English in a French or Scottish accent sounds beautiful or sexy while a person who speaks English in an Asian accent needs to attend an English speaking course?

How often do we think about our race, gender, sexual orientation, “accent”, nationality, class and language?

How well do we know our selves? Our light, brilliance, gifts, talents, compassion, intuition and healthy boundaries. Our fears, shadows, judgements, hidden belief systems, agendas and grief.

What do we think? What do we feel? To me, I think that there are many challenges in being the teacher we think we can be and I feel that there is a heavy sense of responsibility that comes with it.

Quoting Margaret J. Wheatley (commonly known as Meg Wheatley), a writer and management consultant who studies organisational behaviour with approaches including systems thinking, theories of change, chaos theory, leadership and the learning organisation (particularly its capacity to self-organise),

“The leaders we need are already here.”

If they are already here, our jobs as teachers are to make sure that we make them absolutely fantabulous leaders. Get out our compasses (GPSes?)!

*Unless otherwise hyperlinked, much detail included here were from the lecture slides provided this morning.

In 10 weeks, the last 10 days

Exactly ten weeks ago, while I was shopping in IKEA for things to move into where I am living at now, I received a call from home telling me about the passing of Grandpa. Ten weeks later now, I am back home.

I have been home for ten days. The last ten days of her life.

***

In the afternoon on the day after the evening I arrived, I drove Mum and 小阿姨 to University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC). The hospital was crisp clean and adequately decorated. I prepared myself as best as possible with Mum prepping me,

"Tell you first ar, 婆婆 looks very different to the last time you saw her."

Gulp.

***

I turned the knob to push the door open.

"婆婆!"

"Oi..."

She did not realise that it was me. I called out again.

"婆婆..."

"唉, 你回来了？"

A big smile flashed across her face. Her tired eyes sparkled in the light.

It was heart-breaking to see how much effort it took her to breathe. And when she coughed, it felt like every ounce of energy left in her would be drained away.

A young doctor, Dr. Tan, came in to talk to everyone for a good half hour. Nice chap from Penang, he made sure she received everything she requested. He managed to get her approval to have her stay until the latest Friday, so that he could ascertain the morphine dosage that was required.

She laughed at jokes. She ate the slices of watermelon she asked for. She tried to sleep.

On the way home, 小阿姨 noted that it has been some time since anyone saw her in such a happy mood.

"她看到竫竫很开心."

Who would not be happy to see someone they have not seen in a long time?

***

The next day, she suddenly requested to return home. No, demanded. And that was just 15 minutes after she told Dr. Tan that she would continue her stay at UMSC. We all knew, her time is near.

I rushed over with Dad as soon as I locked up the centre. The ambulance was still there. Two of my aunts were red in the face from their crying. 小阿姨 told me to say some nice things to her, to let her know what a wonderful person she has been.

"婆婆很好的。婆婆从小看着我大的。我很喜欢婆婆煮的汤。。。"

My voice quivered. Tears welled up in my eyes. I had to quickly exit the room before my tears rolled down my cheeks.

***

Thursday and Friday were days that passed by slowly for us. She drifted in and out of consciousness and her breathing was heavier than before. It was obvious that it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe.

She was in her best condition that weekend. With Cousin Meng Cheng bringing her baby Kevin to visit his great-grandmother, as well as Cousin Pei Qi with her baby Yang Yang, the atmosphere lightened up significantly. She finally got to see the fourth generation of her family. I remember telling Mum on the way back to the centre to be prepared even more.

***

Mum rang to ask where I was. I told her that I was working at home and asked if she needed me to be at the centre. She said that I should stay home to get some work done and would ring me only if she would not be able to make it back to the centre in time to lock up.

6:25pm. I felt something amiss. Mum has not rang me. Why did she not require my help? I rang her and heard her all groggy from the powerful effect of the medication she consumed.

"Stay there. I am coming down right now. 10 minutes."

I have never seen Mum in such state. She did not even have strength to walk and talk properly. I felt absolutely helpless.

***

Bro came home to tell Dad that he just visited and things do not seem very good over that side.

***

"I think we had better dapau some food to bring to your Mum first then only deposit the money."

"Okay."

"Wah, so many cars today? Everyone must be here tonight!"

"Hm, something's not right."

***

"Mummy didn't call you?"

"No..."

I rushed into the room. I quickly kneeled down and joined in the chanting.

"南无啊弥陀佛... 南无啊弥陀佛... 南无啊弥陀佛... "

45 minutes later, there was no movement.

***

10:00pm, August 3, 2011, Grandma ended her painful battle with lung cancer with many us in the room with her.

Teach For Malaysia

Recently, a group of young men and women have been making headlines. They are the cream of the crop, graduates from elite tertiary institutions like Harvard and Yale. They aim to inspire, lead and make change. Who are they? They are Teach For Malaysia (TFM). TFM is part of the Teach For All Network, which could also be found in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Israel, Pakistan, China, India and Australia.

I attended one of their information sessions here in Sydney and walked away feeling happy because I was introduced to a group of like-minded people, who are passionate about making change through education in Malaysia. And having spent almost all the time of my nearly one decade away from home, I also walked away learning about things I was not aware of.

Did you know that:

• One out of every four students in Standard Four classrooms does not meet targeted numeracy levels?
• Three out of five heads of poor households in Malaysia only have a primary education or less?
• Four out of five working Malaysians are only educated up to SPM level?
• In Chile, 95% of children in the highest income quintile complete secondary school, while only 30% of children in the lowest income quintile complete the same level of education?
• In Australia, students in the lowest income quartile are 2.5 years behind the average in science, reading and math?
• In Lebanon, students in state schools are 29% less likely to attend high school than their private school peers?
• In the United States, half of low-income children do not graduate from high school, and those who do perform on average at an eighth grade level?
• In India, more than one in three children who begin primary school will drop out before reaching fifth grade?
• In China, only 5% of students from poor rural areas go on to higher education compared to the 70% of students from China's major cities?

A child's origin often determines his or her education, and therefore his or her life outcomes (if the person reading this now was in any of my three sociology tutorials last semester, please tell me you have this drilled in your head). However, research has shown that excellent teaching and leadership in schools can completely change this correlation. High performing teachers have been shown to more likely improve students' performance. Low performing teachers, on the other hand, well, you make a guess.

So how does TFM address the education inequity at home? For the short-term, they are looking at creating an immediate impact in the classroom. As full-time teachers, TFM Fellows (i.e., you) will lead their students to increased levels of achievement and aspiration. Fellows will develop a deeper understanding of the unique challenges that students from underperforming schools and high-need communities face. For the long-term, they hope to make systemic change with the influential network of the TFM Ambassadors.

As TFM is new, they are looking for people to join their team. Who are they looking for? They are putting out a call for promising leaders who demonstrate:

• Outstanding academic, extracurricular and professional achievements
• A passion for TFM's mission and goals
• Commitment to making a long-term impact
• Strong communication, persuasion and motivation skills in both English and Bahasa Malaysia
• Excellent problem-solving skills, critical thinking and creativity
• Ability to organise and plan effectively
• Exceptional determination, perseverance, resilience and love for challenge
• Respect, humility and empathy

The journey with TFM begins with intensive training. A full eight weeks of it. The eight weeks of experiential, residential training begins at the end of October, 2011. The training was developed in collaboration with Teach For All, corporate partners and the Ministry of Education. The training practically provides guidelines on applying teaching, learning and leadership theories, based on the Teaching as Leadership framework. The training also provides the opportunity to practice teaching, live in a real classroom.

The training is continued throughout the two-year Fellowship. Each Fellow is assigned a Leadership Development Officer who provides personal coaching, resources and guidance; a Mentor based in the same school a Business Coach from one of TFM's corporate partners. There will be workshops by training partners to share innovative teaching methods and best practices, as well as seminars by corporate partners on a wide range of transferable workplace skills. Fellows will receive an education certification in the form of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education after the first year of teaching and credits earned towards a Masters degree. Although they told me that the training is all contextualised, I still wonder how contextualised it would be still.

Fellows make a difference in the classroom by leading students towards academic achievement that defies traditional expectations. They would need to engage, teach and challenge students in and outside the classroom, as well as work collaboratively with other teachers and school staff to build skills, share knowledge and obtain resources for the classroom. More importantly, Fellows make a difference by leading by example - be an inspirational role model by giving the students the courage to dream big!

In the community, TFM Fellows are presented a unique opportunity to design, implement and manage a sustainable, transformational project in the school or community served, with the help of the Business Coach and community leaders. This gives the chance to develop a deep understanding of the many barriers to achievement and complex problems associated with achieving equity in education.

By being involved in TFM, Fellows indirectly place themselves in a web of professional development opportunities. There will be internship and employment opportunities with top-tier organisation in Malaysia; professional development workshops run by corporate leaders and exclusive networking events with senior figures in private and public sector firms. Some of the organisations which support the Teach For All partner programs globally include McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, PwC, Deloitte, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Citibank, ExxonMobil and Google. It is also possible to receive deferred confirmed employment offers and also defer or replace scholarship bonds. University programs that allow admitted students to defer for two years to join the TFM Fellowship include Harvard Business School, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Harvard Law School, Columbia University Law School, Princeton Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs and Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.

There is a five-stage admissions process involved in applying for TFM.

1. Candidates complete an online application at www.teachformalaysia.org
2. First round interview conducted over the telephone
3. 30-minute long online assessment
4. Full-day assessment including a group case study, a mock classroom activity and a one-on-one interview
5. Final offers made to successful candidates to join the First Cohort!

Intrigued? Well, check them out, bombard them with questions and if you think you would like to be part of this, apply. Their application deadline is next Monday, July 25, 2011.

Bersih 2.0 Sydney

On the ninth of July in the year of 2011, Malaysians from all walks of life regardless of ethnicity came out in full strength to show the world that they are no longer tidak apa with the goings-on in Malaysia. Likewise here in Sydney, I joined a group of passionate Malaysians in the second edition of Bersih:









While we were demonstrating our dissatisfaction through peaceful singing and speeches, we were also praying for our compatriots back home in KL, who were having a much harder time but who came out in extremely large numbers in the march of solidarity. I was especially worried for the safety and well-being of some of my friends, who I know were taking part. However, deep down inside me, I knew that they would be safe.

Watching the videos shared on YouTube and the photographs on Facebook made me have goosebumps. I was highly struck with emotion and awe. I take my hat off to the thousands of you back home who took the streets of KL fully aware of the potential risks involved.

I believe that today, we have shown what the true spirit of 1Malaysia really is like. 1Malaysia, after all, is all about national unity, is it not? So, when we really want something to happen, are Malaysians game enough?

If you ask me, today, Malaysia definitely boleh!

Let's paint the town yellow!

It has taken me some time to consider this but I have now made my mind up - I will take part in the event!


Yes, Malaysia-loving Malaysians who still think that the tanahair is worth it will be gathering in all major Australian cities. Join us to support BERSIH 2.0 for democratic, clean and fair elections. For a better Malaysia. Our demands:

1. Clean the electoral roll
2. Reform postal ballot
3. Use indelible ink
4. Minimum 21 days campaign period
5. Free and fair access to media
6. Strengthen public institutions
7. Stop corruption
8. Stop dirty politics

For Sydneysiders, the Bersih 2.0 Sydney will take place at Town Hall/Sydney Square at the universally-agreed date of July 9, 2011 (this coming Saturday). The rally will begin at 2:00pm and should go on until 3:30pm. There will be a guitarist and we will be singing the Negaraku, so be prepared to sing along! Oh, and of course, come in something yellow!


My first rally. Do not know what to expect, really, but ooh, excitednya!

PappaRoti Melbourne CBD

Junda and the guys have done it again! Melbournians, listen up! PappaRoti is coming to your CBD!


And as per PappaRoti tradition, everyone gets one bun totally free on grand opening day, which will be this coming Tuesday, June 21, 2011.

PappaRoti Melbourne CBD will also be offering to its patrons speciality teas, shakes, frappes and flavoured gelato (durian, lychee, chocolate, strawberry jam and more!). They will also have Malaysian speciality drinks on their menu! Hm, I would think along the lines of teh tarik...

Congratulations, Victoria, you now have two PappaRoti outlets in the state (the other outlet is in Glen Waverley, which I totally forgotten to mention here)!. That is the same as Queensland with outlets in Toowoomba and Warrigal Square. New South Wales still has the most with one each in Kogarah, Cabramatta and Kingsford. I wonder when will it be Sydney's turn to have one in the CBD?

PappaRoti Melbourne CBD
349 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

Mycitycuisine.org - A Traveler's Guide to Local Cuisine

I received an e-mail from a name unfamiliar to me early in the morning. It was a contributor to the below Wikipedia project and she was asking for my permission to use a photo from this blog.


I had a quick look at what this project was about:

"What should I order?" is a question faced at some point by all travelers sitting in a restaurant in a foreign country. MyCityCuisine is a Wiki project designed to create a free, reliable and up-to-date guide to the most original and tasty traditional foods from different countries around the world. MyCityCuisine is an open project, so we encourage you to contribute!

How interesting! I know some of you blog heaps about food (and know your food impeccably well) so why not consider being a contributor to this project, too?

Vivid Sydney 2011

This year, Vivid Sydney took place from May 27 to June 13. As I missed it last year, I happily joined Jocelyn, a Photography Club friend of hers and her brother to the city to be part of the event.

As the Southern Hemisphere's largest festival of light, music and ideas, Vivid celebrates and showcases the creative genius that is right here in Sydney, as well as extends an invitation to the world's best creatives to unleash their talent on buildings and the harbourside.

Vivid's lights go on every night from 6:00pm. From just about every vantage point on the foreshore, I could see the spectacular lighting of the Sydney Opera House sails. The World Heritage-listed icon permits bespoke lighting only for very special occasions and the annual Vivid Sydney festival is one of them. It is an image that is screened around the world and this year, the high-profile installation called Lighting the Sails is by French design collective, Superbien. We actually started from the back of the Opera House - the smaller sail:

Then, after an embarrassing discovery of where the stairs were, we went to the front part of the sails:

How cool is that colourful stingray (or jellyfish?)!?!


Love the reaction of the kids in the video. Honestly, I was very impressed with it myself. I was wondering how they managed to get all those lights onto the building until I turned around and saw this:

Ah, so that's where the shots are called. Apparently, they used the technique of projection-mapping, which maps video onto the actual shapes of the sails to create a 3D-like effect. That is one hell of a powerful projector they have there!

With over 40 stunning light art installations from local and international artists in a free outdoor exhibition where children are encouraged to climb on interactive sculptures and aspiring photographers can put their night camera settings to the test, the whole city is bursting with life despite the cold! I did not get to see all 40 but I did cover the few that were situated along the foreshore of Circular Quay.

One of them was C/C by Singaporean artist, Angela Chong.

This futuristic and functional sculpture is made from acrylic sheets fashioned into this public chair. It is illuminated by night with low energy, colour changing LED lights to bring its playfulness to light. The work uses light to blur the lines between reality and imaginary fiction.

Further down was Positive Attracts by Singaporean architect and sculptor Edwin Cheong. He is an environmental, kinetic, light-art artist, educator and writer. He holds a Master of Architecture and is a design and art lecturer. His interest in three-dimensional arts sees him work with broad scope furniture, landscape and sculpture. He is the celebrated creator of Singapore’s 33ft tall Youth Olympic Games Commemorative Sculpture.

We got to interact with our 'Heroes' up close to bask in their positive energy. These life size light statues had Infra Red sensors to detect when you are in close range and trigger their LED lighting effect. The artist wanted the rainbow waves of colour to charge us, the spectators, with doses of optimism. We got to guess the real life heroes they are named after from the quotes at the base of the statues, like this one:

This was my personal favourite. Do you know who said this? No? Well, it was Steven Spielberg.

Just next to this was Melody by Sun Yu-Li. He is one of Singapore’s most notable sculpture artists of the past 20 years. His celebrated 12-metre high steel work “Harmony”, created in 2001, symbolizes China-Singapore close relations and is featured on national stamps and minted coins of both countries. Sun Yu-li’s work inquires into the origin of aesthetics, putting solid form to the conscious moment.

Melody implied the rhyme of the Sydney Harbour in Circular Quay and the music emanating from the Sydney Opera House as part of the magical precinct it was located in. This free flowing ribbon form, beamed light from inside and invited admirers to touch, sit and walk through its perforated stainless steel sculptural frame to enjoy the ambience.

A few steps away was Light Wave Action by a local Aussie team from Haron Robson’s lightmatters®. Multi-lighting design award winner Bow Jaruwangsanti, from Thailand, industrial designer and illumination student Kristy Philp from Fiji and design engineer Christa Van Zoeren from the Netherlands used their diverse backgrounds, both cultural and technical, to promote a rich collaborative effort for sharing ideas and considering solutions from varying perspectives.

We got to wander through this wave-like sculpture for a multi-sensory experience, inspired by nature, reflecting the subtle colour of twilight skies and paying homage to the sea – representing nature’s power in the movement and formation of waves. The artists used the interplay of lighting and form with low energy LED to reflect on the subtle and emotive performance of nature.

32 Hundred Lighting, founded by Iain Reed, is one of Australia’s most innovative event lighting and audio companies responsible for many big profile events, from fashion shows to charity events to Sydney New Year’s Eve installations. For this year's Vivid, they put together Skyscraper Illuminati, where they theatrically transformed Sydney’s Circular Quay's five buildings with illuminations coordinated with next generation animated lighting. Cast Lighting effects ‘conversed’ across Circular Quay Railway Station, Gateway, Sydney Harbour Marriott;

and Four Seasons Hotel Sydney to form one large canvas and presented a regular 20-minute show, created through a wireless IP network to show the very latest in low energy LED colour lighting technology.

This was my favourite part of the evening: Unfamiliar Customs by The Electric Canvas, an award-winning Australian company recognised internationally as a leader in architectural projections. The company has worked on prestigious projects worldwide presenting immersive projections using large-format filmstrip and high-powered digital projection. The in-house art department is known for their creation of dynamic, theatrical experiences.



Cool right?! I was so amazed! The installation was created entirely on a virtual model using computers driven by the visibly smart 2nd Generation Intel® CoreTM processors. Customs House literally appeared from sand as the projections both celebrated and sometimes mocked the iconic architecture in a playful creation reflecting its 160 years standing on the shore of Sydney Harbour.

On the other side of the quay stood three cute jellyfish-looking light sculptures. French lighting designer Pascal Petitjean, co-creator of Lighting Balloons, teamed with Australian film light expert Simon Lee and Singapore architect Aamer Taher to create Jellight. Petitjean has been involved with projects such as The Titanic and the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Lee has been involved with lighting films including Moulin Rouge, King Kong, Australia and Avatar. Taher trained at London’s School of Architecture and is a council member of the Singapore Institute of Architects.

Jellight giant jellyfish floated magically above the harbour in this film-like installation. The artists created these imaginative light Jellies to be imagined as floating away from Earth. The sculptural, eliptical light balloons depicted jellyfish departing the polluted oceans to escape into the universe as ‘reverse UFOs’. The colourful light emanated from the robust lighting balloons, producing 360-degree non-glare light sources. Due to the massive crowd, I could not take get close enough to take better pictures.

As we walked past the Overseas Passenger Terminal, The Light Wheel, by local lighting designers Andre Kecskes & Mark Hammer, animated itself and cycled through its colour spectrum with pulses and ripples with clever LED lamps that created a mass of moving patterns. The sculpture ran entirely off one 10amp outlet using just LED technology.

Hammer lit the Harbour Bridge for its 75th anniversary and has been the lighting designer of the Sydney New Year’s Eve Bridge Effect since 2008. Kecskes specialises in large-scale event lighting design, as well as private events, such as the Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban wedding.

We were just in time for the FireDance, an incredible performance of dancing flames that used 40 jets of flame higher than a three-story house that exploded five times a night every night of Vivid Sydney. Choreographed to music using the same technology that controls the Harbour Bridge fireworks every New Year’s Eve, FireDance featured two different shows, alternating between each other on the eighteen incendiary nights of Vivid Sydney.

The spectacle of dancing fire in this intimate harbour arena erupted every hour from 7:00pm for six to seven minutes as the firejets flared and flamed in a choreographed balletic performance to the magic of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite


and the Katy Perry hit Firework, remixed by renowned artist Pee Wee Ferris.


FireDance used a pressurised non-toxic hydrocarbon liquid in its firejets, and its warmth could be felt literally tens of metres away. It was warm even from where I was standing! FireDance was produced and created by Howard & Sons, a fourth-generation family business and leading exponents of flame-projector technology.

Well, since we were on the other side of the Opera House, we had a bigger picture view of the entire show, which called for a video-taking session!


We capped the night by walking the night market over at The Rocks, where we stumbled upon illuminate by Daniel Mercer and Richard Neville. Richard is a young Australian lighting designer whose work spans professional theatre, concert, television, dance party, recital and corporate projects around the world. Richard has collaborated with Daniel – one of the founding directors of Australian lighting and visual design company Mandylights - and Alex Grieson, a young creative designer.

illuminate drew on the collective power of numerous tiny, highly efficient light sources in creating this appealing lighting design using less power than the existing lights for The Rocks Square. Some 140 hanging tubes were filled with individually controllable LEDs producing 9000 pixels of light, re-lighting this space with continuously changing colours and patterns.

Next year, I am going to make sure that I get to see all the sculptures. And so, I would have to be properly prepared - must look up website prior to going and have warmer clothing!

Moved, again

This is now the view that greets me each time I return to my room.

Yes, I have moved, yet again. But for good reasons.

First, it is cheaper than the previous place.
Second, it is nearer to uni than the previous place. As in, right across the road, which means
Third, I do not need to train to uni.
Fourth, Woolies is at the doorstep.
Fifth, Aunty Pat is nearby.
Sixth, new housies, which means new faces and places to add to my database of life.

I wonder what kind of experiences await ahead...

Teaching children respect

by Deborah Lambeth

Everyone needs respect. In a world where the current mantra seems to be "it’s all about me" there seems to be a loss of respect in many different areas—loss of self-respect, respect for property, and respect for others. If this is the situation from an adult perspective, then how do we teach children to have an attitude of respect?

Most of the schools across America have been implementing what they call "character education." While this is a good approach to teaching children different good character traits, I believe the teaching of these begins and home and continues long after the curriculum has been taught. The character education curriculum is comprised of teaching children many different aspects of character—trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, and respect just to name a few. In the teaching manual on respect, they list six components:

• Treat other people the way you want to be treated.
• Be courteous and polite.
• Listen to what other people have to say.
• Don't insult people, or make fun of them, or call them names.
• Don't bully or pick on others.
• Don't judge people before you get to know them.

These seem to be very basic tenets of being an all around good person. But how do you teach a child respect? There are several ways.

1. Modeling. This is the simplest way children learn. If a child hears your opinion about not liking other races, for example, the child will begin to emulate that, as well. On the flipside, if a parent exhibits a kindness towards people who are different, the child will begin to see the world as an opportunity to learn from different types of people.

2. Start at the very beginning of your child’s life. When children are old enough to play and share, it is important to teach children how to take care of their toys. This is one aspect of teaching respect for property. Teaching children how to share is also a component of respect.

3. Teach your children how to talk with people (not to people). Asking how someone’s day is going, complimenting a person on what they are wearing, etc., being concerned about something that person may be experiencing are ways of teaching your child to respect other people.

4. Expose your child to different things. Take your child to a cultural festival so they can see and experience cultural differences. Unusual foods, interesting customs, different types of music and dances can be a way a child develops interest in and acceptance of people of different races/cultures. Cultural differences abound in this country. Rather than look down on people who are different, look at cultural differences as an opportunity to learn and experience something different than your own.

5. Demonstrate respect. Do something kind. Make it a goal for you and your child (or children) to do something kind for someone at least once a month. Give your children choices and help them decide what they want to do. It may be taking used clothing to a shelter, selling lemonade on the corner and giving those proceeds to an organization that helps children, or going to your local shelter to serve a meal to the homeless.

6. Teach your child to say no. Say no to drugs, premarital sex, inappropriate touches, unwanted behavior, cigarettes, etc.-anything that would have a bearing on their development physically, socially, and psychologically. One of the more difficult challenges is to teach a child respect for themselves, but in order for a child to exhibit respect to others, they have to learn how to respect themselves. This means teaching your child that some things are just unacceptable. The bottom line is that everybody is worthy of being treated with respect—even the individual!

Aretha Franklin’s song is a good one that we all should remember however old we are! As a mnemonic device, you might want to consider this a way for your child to learn respect:

R-Respect yourself
E-Everybody deserves respect and kindness.
S-Socio-economic status has no bearing on whether someone should be respected.
P-Property. Respect other people’s property by not abusing or damaging it.
E-Environment. Respect the environment by not littering, conserving, and recycling.
C-Cultural differences should be embraced, not criticized.
T-Things. Respect the tangible and intangible things that are yours as well as others. Respect the wants and wishes of others. Respect other people’s opinions.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T—not a hard word to spell, actually and not a hard word to implement either.

(Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/teaching-children-respect.html)

Down memory lane

Perhaps it is due to recent happenings in my life that I have flashbacks of the past as I prepare for bed at night. Unconsciously, people and places that used to matter to me stop by in their journey on my train of thoughts to smile and wave at me. Reflexively, I smile and wave back.

The autumn colours along the pavement in uni and the piercing cold winds that are ushering winter into the year bring back memories. Special ones which make me think that I have experienced much; emotionally, intellectually. I did not realise how much one person could have an impact on me, especially one whom I was confident was a passerby in life.

Goes to show how much an ass I made out of myself.

Sometimes, I cannot help but activate my iPhotos to browse the photos that were taken during the autumn adventure I was on last year. It was one that continued to be a wonderfully memorable winter, with me doing random unanticipated things. Things like take a train in the wee hours of the morning to spend a whole day with a person I hardly know to places not set foot on for a photo-snapping spree.

I walk down this lane pretty often. This lane has windows of memories; some which I merely look into while some are which I open to have a better look inside.

As much as I do not enjoy thinking and saying this, but I feel that this stroll down memory lane is a happy one. And it reminds me heaps of you.

Sudden goodbye

I was shopping in IKEA when my mobile phone vibrated in the right pocket of my black Giordano hoodie. It was an SMS from Dad:

Yesterday, mum went to... On the way, she dropped in two see Grandparents. Both alert, she said. I'm in Tawau today. She just called to say that Grandpa has passed away.

I went blank for a bit and because I was in IKEA, I tried to contain myself. I did well until Mum returned my call and said this at the end of the conversation:

No need to fly back, okay? Gong-gong can't see or hear you anymore. When you come home next time, we will bring you to pay your respects to him, okay?

I replied with a mono-syllabled nod. I had to turn away to wipe the tears that were bulging at the edge of my eyelids.

Grandpa,

I will always remember the added festive atmosphere of Chinese New Year that you never fail to create by coming home for reunion dinner half drunk from drinking beer at your mahjong sessions down at the kopitiam singing at the top of your endearing tenor voice.

I will always remember my first and only ride on your pink Mini Bus (yes, those that used to conquer the roads before RapidKL and Metrobus).

I will always remember the combination pork porridge you packed from that porridge stall at the Pasar Besar Serdang to let me have as comfort food when I had fever.

I will always remember your jovial character and how you laid on the cool tiled floors with one leg crossed on the other while reading the papers.

I will always remember how you would jump up and ask, "Have you eaten? Want something to eat?" every time I come to visit you and called out, "Gong-gong!"

I am proud to have had the chance to be your granddaughter. May I have this honour again next life, please?


Love you, Grandpa.

Celebrating 2,600 years of Buddhism

Wesak in 2011 marks the 2,600th year of the Buddha’s enlightenment and the teaching of His Dharma. And to celebrate this special occasion, many temples around the world hold various programmes including courses,seminars, exhibition, drama, and movie screenings to help the public understand and appreciate His teachings.

Buddhist friends and devotees are also encouraged to participate in devotional activities such as alms-giving, blood donation, chanting, meditation, and Dharma talks. Different temples would have their own ways of collecting donation, such as through oil lamp lighting, or monk robe sponsorship.

Wesak Day has always been a day I thoroughly enjoyed since understanding the Dharma more. I disliked it when I was younger because I had to get out of bed really early in the morning and join the crowd at the temple. Sometimes, I got lost and when your height was up to an adult's waist, that was no fun!

The day begins with alms-giving, donation and chanting at the Maha Vihara in Brickfields. The atmosphere is colourful and vibrant. The soothing sounds of chants float in the air while we queue to join the others in the main prayer shrine to partake in the water blessing ceremony. Here, we also receive threads of yellow string - a typical Buddhist symbol - to tie around our wrists.

Mum then makes donations for incense and candles. These candles are no ordinary candles. These candles come in the shape of a pink lotus flower sitting on a green lotus pad. Mum normally makes separate donations in the name of the family and the centres. She also donates by sponsoring oil lamps and monk robes.

The above are daytime happenings. After tucking ourselves into a light vegetarian lunch in a nearby Indian restaurant, we head home to rest in preparation for the activities in the evening, which to me are the highlights of the day.

My Wesak memories are filled with the float processions that go through the city with the picturesque Kuala Lumpur skyline as a backdrop. I always have enjoyed walking for three hours with a whole entourage of devotees and some curious tourists. Perhaps also, it is simply something else that I relate to and enjoy with my parents.

So if you are enjoying the bright full moon in the clear night sky right now with a lovely cup of tea in hand, or if you are in KL right now with thousands of others ready to take to the streets with colourful floats, I wish you Happy Wesak and metta.

Buns for Books!

I came across Mari Kita Membaca (MKM) a few months ago through a friend's facebook page. Literally translated as Let’s Read, MKM is a project to bring books to children living in the rural and under-served areas of Malaysia and to encourage the love of reading.

They believe that by cultivating the love of reading and independent learning they contribute towards empowering local communities. They work closely with grassroots organisations and partners on the ground supporting local initiatives. They take inspiration from the local communities, who despite the lack of resources, work hard to provide education opportunities for their children.

Education, like in any socially stratified society, is the key to breaking the cycle of inequality and discrimination. I have also found this in UNESCO and UNICEF reports, which support the work of their consultants and other personnel in imparting education and care skills to local communities in hard-to-reach areas. They go by the saying of how giving a man a fish will only let him eat for a day whereas teaching a man to fish would help him eat for a lifetime. By equipping the local communities with skills and knowledge, they come to realise the power of education thus would feel motivated and would strive to provide their children with a better future.

Currently, they have provided Library Boxes (the books are packed in lovely boxes!) to Orang Asli (indigenous) villages in Negeri Sembilan, Perak, Johor and Sabah. They also conduct reading activities in many of the villages.

In support of their good work, I managed to get the co-operation of the Malaysian Students Association (MSA) in uni and PappaRoti Australia to help me in raising funds.




A big thank you to Clayton for coming up with the designs above and for being the messenger between the MSA committee and I. Also, a big thank you to Junda and his PappaRoti team for sponsoring the buns.

Look forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday!