2010

as i reflect upon the year that was, a single thought resonated: i survived!
oh nine was one that began with fear, trepidation, uncertainty and all round
bad news. it was a year of general lows and beset with plenty of naysayers
and prophets of doom. mostly from my former boss.
at the same time, it was also a year that tested the best of us
and brought out strength, perseverance and resilience.
but even with all the odds stacked up, i felt so blessed.

the single most defining event last year was the giving up of my 2 year car.
it was the year i faced the ultimate challenge – public transport!
having ‘lost’ my mode of transport i was faced with the nasty notion of long waits,
uncertain timing, smelly armpits and the fickle weather.
then i discovered the wonderful tropicana mall free bus.
a 10 minute brisk walk from the office and i get to be dropped
so near my home, it was unbelievable.
the downside – i had to make it on the designated times.
recently my oft morning ride fell down a hill, broke her ankle and i was
forced to seek alternative ways to get to the office.
only yesterday i discovered that the u89 from the kelana station stopped directly
behind the office for a mere rm1- brilliant!
another great thing was that i now walk a lot more, a lot. which kinda makes up
for my loss of wheels and trips to the kiara gym.
and most days my boss would give me a ride nearby and i would take a
15 minute stroll home, something that i began to enjoy so much that on some
mornings i walk to the megah market instead of driving.
nowadays, when i see the endless jams on the ldp,
i say a little prayer of thanksgiving.

i decided to venture into the passe world of blogging, documenting stuff that i liked,
putting images that i could reference later if i wanted and generally trying
to eschew the usual banality of what i had for breakfast, my latest dog trick,
my last dump and all the stuff that’s been done to death(and better).

and that’s been hard! but looking back, i am glad i started because it get’s a little
easier and i don’t feel pressured to have to blog something anymore. and it
doesn’t really bother me if no one reads my rants anyway!
hey, 70 posts a year ain’t half bad, right? i miss my waxing lyrical but as soon
as i get my mojo back on that one, watch out!

oh nine also saw the end of my tenure as rt chairman, something that
i looked forward to and am proud to declare that there has been signiificant
changes in the community. there are about over 90 residents on the email list
and things are finally gaining momentum. the war with the ah longs is still
on going and quite enjoyable actually.

it was also a year that stretched me financially and to my amazement,
help came from the most unexpected places. while i am not out of the woods yet,
i am beginning to adapt to the forest, admire the miracles and wonders it produces.

this year gabriel starts morning school and that’s going to be a challenge -
the shifting of time and schedules. i can see him literally growing before
my eyes and there’s always the evolving demands of parenthood.
work wise, there’s still a lot of uncertainty but opportunities arise at the least
expected times and that’s something to hope for.
this year there are alliances that i pray will work out to be fruitful.
also this year, i seek to spread  a little more compassion, patience and
kindness to my fellow homo sapiens.

so if there was a word for oh ten i think it would be: optimism
there’s a lot to look forward to and to move in ever increasing faith that God is
behind me all the time.

2010….bring it on!

To market, to market….

last christmas weekend we went back to raub, as we always do
each year. now, raub is a fairly small town with a few modern
conveniences, like a 7-11and local versions of hypermarts and
that’s pretty much it. to say that life goes by slowly is an
understatement, time actually slows down and some say,
snails have been known to give humans a 5 minute head start.
so when sunday came, i decided to take my camera
and go to the most happening place in raub in the early hours of
the morning – the pasar pagi or  morning market.
it’s impossible to document everything so here’s a sampling of my

nestled in the main mountain ranges of pahang, raub town comes alive on sundays

bunches of serai (lemongrass) sprout everywhere, like tall lalang

bananas-rama! going ape over these beauties

pucuk paku or wild fern shoots is a popular ingredient for kerabu (malay salad)

another fascinating fruit, the buah salak or snake fruit
named because of it’s scaly snake-like skin

the petai makes a yummy meal, if you can stand smelly pee later…

young bamboo shoots, used for curries or salad

asam mountain. what was interesting was the ayam brand can most
traders used as a measuring unit – recycling was in their blood!

fish don’t come any fresher. this pakcik scoops up a good sized patin
and deftly prepares it for sale. the fish is still moving minutes later
in the plastic bag!

neeeemooooo!

heads up

nameless heads on frameless stalls

tenggiri slices with yummy roe – be still my beating heart!

can’t remember the name of this one
but it’s also used in the same way as the petai

almost all the traders were friendly and amused by this city slicker taking photos

natural looofas or kitchen scrubs -
this is a kind of gourd/melon grown from the ground

the burung plant – the lady says it actually flowers to resemble a bird

ayam brand’s hot!

another fascinating oddity – the chickens sold here are slightly roasted
for some strange reason

keropok lekor, a malay fast food

whitening powder’s also sold here – the vendor was persistent and
made ademo on my arm to show the results.
i did not have the heart to tell her that i had no desire whatsoever
to look like sayuri in memoirs…

wholly cow’s leg!

nasi kerabu, nasi ayam all lined up in pretty rows

succulent satay on the grill

this pakcik does a quick satay that’s really good -
the meat’s fat free and juicy, not tough

Coconut woman is calling out
And everyday you can hear her shout
Get your coconut water, four for five
Man it’s good for your daughter, four for five
Coco got a lotta iron, four for five
Make you strong like a lion, four for five
A lady tell me the other day
No one can take her sweet man away
I ask her what was the mystery
She say coconut water and rice curry
You can cook it in a pot, four for five
You can serve it very hot, four for five
Coco got a lotta iron, four for five
Make you strong like a lion, four for five
Coconut woman says you’ll agree
coconut make very nice candy
The thing that’s best if you’re feelin’ glum
Is coconut water with a little rum
It could make you very tipsy, four for five
Make you feel like a gypsy, four for five
Coco got a lotta iron, four for five
Make you strong like a lion, four for five

Raiders of the Lost Art

the 6th and final season of lost has got to be the highlight of next year.
this series has certainly outdone itself with each passing season and has proven
to be clever, witty, refreshingly infurating all at the same time.ultimately it will set the benchmark for all tv shows in it’s unique storytelling approach.

here are some fan art that’s quite good, plus an upcoming teaser poster for the last
season that’s supposed to hold some clues to what’s in store….

Tron Again

i still recall when tron first came to the shores of malaysia in ‘82.
that year i has just begun my commercial art studies at the mia.
back then, the net was something you hit a shuttlecock across and
the mac had not even been introduced yet(yes i am that old) and the
notion of computer graphics in a movie was a thrilling prospect.
of course, computers back then weren’t personal and i envisioned them
to be these huge behemoths housed in giant warehouse-like rooms with
the processing speed the equivalent of a 3 legged pregnant tortoise.

with bladerunner, et the extra terrestrial, star trek: the wrath of khan
and the thing all released that same year, my imagination and
appreciation for sci fi leaped and somersaulted.
in many ways, it shaped the way i thought creatively and opened up a
whole new realm of exciting possibilities.

fast forward to present day, and tron was a distant memory – until recently.

i doubt this new movie will elicit the same sense of wonder and awe i
once felt going into an effects movie.
perhaps it’s because every other big movie nowadays are effects laden
and dependent.(don’t get me started on the yawnfest that was 2012!)

have we od-ed on cgi? will having it in 3-d stir up the loins?
while the thought of a sequel seems intriguing, i suspect that this tron
won’t be a gamechanger like avatar(if it lives up to the hype, that is).

sadly we have had our fill of video game inspired movies and this one
looks no different.
the question we need to ask is, has the game really changed?

Let Cylons be Cylons

here’s a pretty cool poster in light of the coming ‘caprica’ series.