To Love or Not to Love the Country?

I guess from the title of this write-up, you'd prolly know where I got the inspiration for my title from. 

Today, the issue of "whether we should Negaraku in cinemas" was a highlight in the news. Questionable? The practice of a six-minute clip comprising of our National Anthem, "Negaraku" and two patriotic movie clips being played before all movies in the cinema starts; will be launched from next Wednesday onwards. And noted that action will be taken towards any form of disrespect shown towards the national anthem. 

So, the real question is, will the singing the national anthem make the people love Malaysia more? Or perhaps, make their hearts harden beyond than it already is?

The thing is, people are questioning if the government is actually trying to make an effort to make sure that the people 'LOVE' their country. The answer to that of course, remains... Abstract? 

So I read the online version of the news. People blame the government for corruption, crime, religious tension, education and current inflation in the country. Yes, to certain extend, I belief that the trust of the people have been stripped since a long time ago. They lost their rights towards having a democratic and free country as our ancestors once did. I understand the anger that the people hold in their hearts. 

For such reasons, we turn against every single thing the government says. The Chinese, were pointed at by our current Prime Minister, Najib to return to our origin; China, after the past elections due to 'being ungrateful'. The truth is, we know so much that all WE as Malaysians, inclusive or Malay, Indians or other ethnics in this country, were purely fighting the road to JUSTICE. The issue regarding the usage of 'Allah' in Christian religion is now barred in Malaysia. The gun shooting as Dr. Mahathir stated, happened because, "if one is given too much freedom, they would abuse that freedom." 

Through this, we can see that freedom in religion has been taken away, racism was brought up as a blame by leaders of the country. As such, the hearts of the people continue to be hardened. More people are migrating out of the country because their rights are denied. Despite all these, the government seem to be implementing practices that make the public despise them even more than before. 

I have watched students with perfect STPM score, lose their right to receiving tertiary education from local universities. I too, have seen how corruption took its foothold within our country. 

Despite all that, I managed to witness how the people of our country stood together as one after the election this year. For justice, everyone marched to Stadiums all over the country to stand together as ONE voice. From there, I then understood the true meaning of being a Malaysian. Yes, I may be born with Chinese blood. I carry the Chinese surname of generations before me. But deep within, I'm not all together Chinese-Chinese. I have mixtures in my blood, from Dutch, to Thai, to Malay, and Chinese. As my lecturer once said.."We are ALL cultural bastards!" I agree to his statement. I can no longer trace my origins. When I leave the country for holidays, I don't label myself as a Chinese from China. I call myself a Malaysian.

And yes, no matter how ruined our country may seem right now, I believe that this shouldn't make the love for our country decrease. In four days time, we celebrate our 56th year of freedom from foreign hands. Our country was once divided. Sometimes, I still see division despite the 56 years of national freedom. However, I believe too, that unity does exist among the citizens of Malaysia. 

In my opinion, I think the true road to freedom begins from within ourselves. No matter how much we may be robbed from the outside in terms of finance and trust, that doesn't rob the freedom of us to being Malaysian first. That doesn't stop us from holding unity in our hearts; maintaining love for this country.

Yes, I may not like what I read in the news regarding the ruling of our country. But, I know this much to say... An injustice government does NOT alter the amount of love towards my country. Our country is unique, rich in resources, full of multi-cultures. No matter how far I may go, Malaysia will always be my home.

What I'm really trying to say is, don't let circumstances around you, cause the love for our country to decrease. Malaysia is a beautiful country. Don't let our internal love towards Malaysia die because of the mistakes of others.

P/s: This is just a personal message from me in conjunction with our National Day. xoxo

A Dance Journey with Bridges and Kaki Lima

The night began as it was. 

Noises from the chatters of the audiences. 

Dark by the alley, away from light; where a little story would begin.

                                                               

Dancers stood in by dirty bricks of wall. The silence broke into what sounded like growls of animals. The dancers began narrating stories symbolisms in signs of body language. The surrounding sounds, life which begun on the streets; where life as a narration itself begun from the very heart of Penang. The lights dimmed; and audiences followed dancers to their next 'scene'. 

                                                               Dancers by the Alley

Sounds of the siren, fights, and movements indicated defence as how it would have seemed to be like during the Japanese attacks. Screams, clashing of sticks, pain and what would seem like horror at midnight were painted. It seemed as if history brought itself back to life on these very same streets years ago.

Seated in a semicircle, it felt very theatre-like, yet, it was again an open space; except this time, by what would seem like an old-fashioned 'Home'. The windows were like Chinese houses as they were built, which still stands as it is until today in the heart of town. Typical as it was, a story about two lovers was shown. Of how a man once picked stones from the ground. To get the attention of his loved one, he would throw them to her window. She dances beautifully by her grilled window, where the pink tiny flowers she throws from above symbolizes gentle love and affection. He would stroll by each day, until he won her affection. Their love is beautifully portrayed by the mirrored movements and beautiful lifts. However, despite their romance and love for each other, religion becomes the barrier to their love which is portrayed by symbolic clasps of hands in the girl (Buddhist) while her lover, A muslim. Strong in believe, non-negotiable facts lead to the end of this love story. Music of the Erhu gives a very mellow, sad, yet beautiful ambience in this scene.

                                                                 Dance of the Lovers

We sat around a lighted house just a street down from the previous house, where musicians and singers gathered. At first, I found it rather odd. However, when the audiences begun to join performers in clapping and singing; I then realized what this scene was all about. No doubt it consisted of an acoustic electric guitar, erhu and percussion, the response of the audiences brought back what would seem to be like a gathering of crowds, singing happily together years ago. The song selection also represented the Bangsawan play that previously originated from Penang. That sense of cosiness and warmth filled within, as the stories my grandparents told me suddenly appeared so real to me.

We travelled further to another street where we witnessed different scenes. The dancers opened their weaved mats unto the road, their movements so symbolic in association with voice. There and then, we knew that they were delivering to us, the memory of a market scene. Later, they portrayed another form of culture from the Minangkabau, known as the Randai. From a scattered market scene, their mats were curled up, put aside and they gathered in a circle. To begin with, Randai is a traditional form of dance with symbolism of a circle indicating equality to each other, despite race, age or gender. It was clearly portrayed with their vocal 'hep' sounds to dance movements which were in a form of martial arts and contained elements of 'silat' in it. Traditional, powerful, and magical; you could almost feel the ambience building up to its peak.

                                                                        Market scene

                                Dance of the Randai with Martial Arts and Silat movements

It then led to a walking journey of which had a very dark side, back to the pain of the Japanese era. Except, this time, nobody fought. Bodies, taken souls. These could be seen when dancers took up white cloth, covering their bodies and staring straight with the haunted expression. It almost seemed as if they were dead, even if alive, experiencing the lost of souls. This eventually causes depression and death in physical as well. 

As we travelled along the red light district area, a girl sat on the first floor at the edge of the balcony in blood-seductive-red dress. Her movements were sleek bringing to live, the feel of how prostitutes would linger around by the streets at dark of night.

We landed in an open space where the ambience became bright again. Dancers made an entrance on bikes and bicycles. They were dressed colouful, in sports attire portraying our country's championship in the Olympics, ranging from Badminton games to gymnastics. They executed beautiful freezes, splits and stunts heightening up the mood of the audiences. 

Finally, we travelled to the last scene, in a lot called Sekeping Victoria. The building had trees growing in the inside. Dancers were in brownish nature-nude colours, partly indicating closeness to nature. What amused the audiences were the danger of the dances, whereby dancers danced on a high beam-like structure. Dancers were all in freeze and only started joining in one by one. The tension was built and different people were dancing at different places. It was so complex, in a world I couldn't understand. I then realized, that they were relating to the world of today. The scene changed to as one in a night club, and the unexpected part was the pulling of audiences into the performance floor too join them. Audiences then dispersed back to their seats at the change of music. The dancers grouped in a clan, moving together. Some, climbing on each other, being connected all together attempting to climb the flight of stairs together. I'm not too sure what this meant. But in my opinion, I guess that they were sending a message out to the public, to stay hand in hand with one another when passing through hindrances. 

Tonight's performance by Bridges and Kaki Lima was truly an amazing experience. I thought I knew Penang as it was. But for the first time, the painting of the history of Penang came to life. I experienced the horror, joy and pain of people whom I never met, stories which were never told. All that was forbidden and a myth, became a wonderful journey and adventure. Thank you guys for the lovely piece!

Reminiscing Bali ~ A Write-up

"Walking the streets of Bali, a thought suddenly struck me. Was our country as beautiful as these before tempered devour of urbanisation?"

Bali...
Where to begin?
A land of myths, an island of beauty. Rich in natural resources, Bali remains an island less pervaded by the grounds of urbanisation.

Being in the city for too long, I've been buzzed by noise and little did I appreciate moments of silence.
The moment of touchdown, the air changed. My first steps into the airport, my eyes captured glimpses of Balinese statues. Bali then appeared to me as a land, not just rich in natural resources, beauty, but also culture. This is when I realized, that visiting Bali would have a story of its own.

Walking the streets of Bali for the first night, the roads were clean. Often crowded, with motorcycles constantly pushing their way through cars. And yes, I think I see more branded cars in Bali than in Malaysia, probably a good question to throw to our higher lords. Honks of motorcycles, sounded of chattering, people walking to and fro, mostly the streets are patronized by tourists.

                                       

                                                                  Streets of Bali


Live band or music is played in different open-aired cafes, causing the clash of dissonances and sounds. These are soft, pop music, allowing the soul to rest to it's beautiful rhythmic beat. Beers in cafes are definitely cheaper here as well.

 

                                                  Vi Ai Pi Bistro Cafe with Live Band

Day one of our tour began with the taste of  the local cuisine; nasi pedas.(Mind you, the sambal was really the spiciest I've ever consumed so far). With that morning call from the spice in our tongues, we began our journey to the silver factories. I learned that working with silver required intricate designs, hard work and a lot of sweat.

                                              Local cuisine - Nasi Pedas

We adjourned on to the Kintamani for lunch where we were at the peak of the highland. There, not only sat our buffet lunch, but most amazingly, a volcanic view that was to die for. A lake stretched across the volcanic mountain. In it's surroundings, all that could be felt, was the aura and divinity of nature itself; and serenity which lied in the stream which led to the lake. Quite and peaceful, I heard wind blowing and the wooden chimes that clunged.

                                                               Kintamani - Volcano

We travelled on to coffee-tea tasting in a coffee plantation where our taste-buds began to activate individually. Later on, we travelled further down to the tea plantation site. The area was surrounded with villages, their roofs made from leaves of nature, all dark-browned as if they were already burned by the extreme heat of the sun. The paddy field site was beautiful, almost like a terrace on the hills, where little grass-like paddy were grown. All that was grasps in the moment were the greens, the people who worked, harvesting the paddy fields. Their shoulders were heavy with the weight of baskets of weeds, their head covered with straw hats. Their eyes stated nothing, but the simplicity of living.

                                                           Coffee-tea blind-folded tastings

   

                                                                    Villages in Bali

                                                             Paddy field - hilly terrain

After, we had pampering sessions at the spa and message area and then to Bebek (duck) meal for dinner.

                                                                    Bebek for dinner

                                                                  Massage session

The next morning was filled with spirituality and culture of Bali. We headed off early to watch a Barong dance performance. Barong, is a lion-like creature and character in the mythology of Bali. He is the King of Spirits, leader of the hosts of good. In this myth, Rangda is his enemy(demon) and mother of all spirit guiders. The battle between Barong and Rangda is featured in this dance, representing the eternal battle between good and evil.

                                                 Barong - Lion-head mythical character

Our culturally-filled morning was then followed up by our very first diving adventure in one of the beaches. Heavy with chained-gear to weight us down, our full-masked faces and oxygen gear, we were ready to explore five-meters deep in the ocean. For the first time, I encountered marine fishes swimming around me; their boundaries of aquarium walls were destroyed. I could taste the freedom from confinement as the ocean was large, and decorated with beautiful corals. Clown fishes, angel fishes, they swam around us. The sticky anemonae were plentiful on the seabed, clown fishes hiding for protection.

                                        Diver's suits. (sorry camera was off-bound in ocean)


Our adventure continued on to the lovely, which I think lifted to its name, Dreamland beach. The seas roared like the ocean would. For the first time, I saw waves as high as human could stand slamming to the shores of the beach. The sand, soft. The sea, blue and clear. All that was left to do was to listen to the sound of the waves clashing, and melting into the sand.

                                                                   Dreamland Beach

Watching the performance, and reading about their culture opened my eyes in understanding that they may lack in urbanization, but the uphold of morale, and to religion is as strong as ever. I noticed that banners on elections hung as well. This gave me a sudden thought of how Malaysia might not be too far from their political culture, after all, this might be the one thing in common we share with them.

                                                              Ceremonial processions

Bali, a place highly influenced by Hinduism. It is no surprise that the statues of the Mythical Bird and goddess were found all over Bali. Even cultural wise, the people would salute(salam) others  as a sign of respect, be it their guest, or their colleagues. Indeed, then, did I question myself regarding how civilisation itself has made us 'more' civilized. Or how urbanization has made us more 'urbanized.' Visiting Bali has indeed opened my eyes wider than just being surrounded in the little world of our own.

This is how Bali will remain in my memory.

XoXo

The Irony Of Life

"At some point of death, there must be a beginning of new life. At the end of a story, begins a new chapter."

There is that moment of adulthood where we wish we shrink to little children once again.

There's a point of pain whereby it can either hurt us or make us stronger. Like overworked muscles, it brings only two outcomes; it either causes injuries and tears or builds stronger ligaments. In life where it throws us, despite pain, we stand up in strength to laugh.

It's funny how we cry when we are sad, and how tears can also flow when we are over-joyed.

It's interesting how the person you love can turn out to be the wrong person, while the wrong person loves you.

It's no wonder how the person who owns possessions do not know how to treasure those within their hold, while the one with empty hands are reaching out to catch that very possession. Precious are those who do not own it, taken for granted to those who have within their hold.

How much of irony it seems when you said that you've tried, but realizing it was often not enough.
Fill a glass half empty, someone else calls it half full. 

How does the music play in it's silence?
How do humans trust again whilst their faiths been torn apart?
How does night fall and break open to day when the sun comes out?
How does the moon shine at night when it is overshadowed during the day?
How can there be storm, rain, and right after, see a rainbow glowing?

How difficult, but possible it is for us to be strong in our weakest moments.
How possible it is to be in the darkest side but to know you're already breaking through light?
How often do we remember that it is through foolishness, we gain strength.
That it is through failures, we become winners.
That is only when we do not pursue the option of giving up, that's when the prize of being a champion awaits us.
That it is through patience that the best comes.
And yet in the nick of doubt, that's when we have to believe most, cause the best is yet to come.