Happy New Year Life!

It has been a hectic year for me. A year that’s worth living for despite all the things that can rip you of your sanity at one point of another.

In life, not everything that happens around you will affect you in a good way. The common thing, I mean. It’s more of a compulsion. You have no choice but to conform, no matter how hard you try to dodge its reality.

But that’s okay, as long as you know that someday, it will stop haunting you. As long as you hold, tightly on to your belief, then you will find freedom.

New Year is coming in a few days away. People celebrate New Year. Counting down the last bit of the year, 3,2,1 and…… that’s it!. I don’t see the significance of celebrating it. Life passes by in its orderly fashion every year without fail. Nothing new.

In the same breath, year end is marching on to close its chapter. Year end has never failed to give me this distinct feeling. A feeling that I can hardly describe.

That distinct feeling gets stronger and stronger as it gets closer to the end of the chapter. A moment of reflection. Life and common thing. Common thing and life. Change. Some things change and some things remain indifferent. People. They come and they go. Decision and indecision. Confusion and clarity.

If we decided to live a life that defies gravity, for every single day that passes by, without us realizing, we will reflect on life to reaffirm our belief. The belief that says it's the only way a life should be lived and nothing else matters.

We cry along the way, we break down, we get crushed, but we still believe that it's the only way to go. No matter how hard things get we know it has always been right. I guess the feeling of knowing that it's the right thing to do is all that really matters.

Dear Life, happy new year to you.

Mentari JUST Kids Camp

It has been so long since I last dropped by Mentari Centre. It felt so bad that it got so hard to juggle too many things on weekends.

When Cikgu Mawarni, the backbone of the Mentari Project called up for dinner early this month to discuss where we should go from where we are, I told myself that I just needed to make time for Mentari no matter what.

Many asked what is Mentari Project?

Mentari JUST Kids Project is a voluntary tuition program for less fortunate primary students living in low cost flats in Desa Mentari. Seeding program starts at Desa Mentari Flats but it is hoped that the project can be expanded in the future. For that we need as many volunteers who are willing to spend 2-3 hours a week for the children.Further information can be found here and here.



Before 2010 closes its chapter, we planned to organize our first Mentari Camp for the kids. On 25 and 26 December 2010, we managed to organize our first successful Mentari Camp at Lembah Azwen, Hulu Langat. Those two days that I spent with the volunteers and the kids gave me that serene feeling which I never fail to feel every time I get surrounded by the kids for the past three years.



Throughout the Camp, the kids were exposed to the following programs:-

1)They were tasked to discover their abilities to affect change through "Know Yourself" and "Chasing Dreams" Assignments.

2)The kids were taught on sexual harassment on children through "OK Tak OK" program.

3)We screened the provocative and enlightening film "GADOH" in order to get the kids to grasp the concept of humanity, racial relation and racism.

4)The kids really enjoyed The Amazing Race and all outdoor activities.



I was assigned to conduct GADOH film screening session and I was pleasantly surprised that the kids actually paid full attention to the film, bearing in mind that it has always been challenging to get their attention on almost anything when it comes to learning.

They really loved it. After the film screening, I asked what did they learn from the film and their answers were brilliantly spot on. And right after we concluded the session, they kept coming to me, reminding me of my promise to get them a copy of the dvd each.

All in all, the camp was a huge success. As I was talking to Cikgu Mawarni, reminiscing what it was like three years back, when we only had 8 students who signed up, we noticed that things have tremendously changed for the better.



There’s hope. There’s hope that these kids will live a purposeful life despite the fact that they have been victims of the system and lives have not been easy for them.



Three years back, we could hardly have a student who would want to raise his hand to answer a question. Three years back, we could hardly have a student who would voluntarily step forward and share his ideas with every one.

And now, we have to actually tell them that we are running out of time, hence not every one would have the opportunity to speak.



At the end of the camp, we gave them a small yellow paper for them to write what they feel about the camp and stick the paper on the notice board. One note reads:

“Saya gembira dapat datang ke kem Mentari, saya juga sangat gembira dapat tidur dalam bilik yang berhawa dingin” (I’m so happy to participate in Mentari camp, I’m also happy that I get to sleep in a room with air conditioner).

That note.

There’s something about that note that words can never explain.

Catch Me If You Can!

Things that can make you laugh and laugh, when your words don't coincide with what you think or what the real facts are, which would result in you, getting trapped in your own confusion.

Conversation 1-In the car with ex schoolmates in Melaka:-

A : (telling a story) - There's this funny story abut my housemates, we were talking about movies and I asked, what's the title of the movie, with Leonardo in it, catch me if I...? And my friend replied confidently, "Catch The Thief If You Can". Every one laughed their heads off!

Me : (I laughed and laughed). Your friend is so funny, there's no such thing as "Catch The Thief If You Can"!

We continued laughing.

Me: It's the one with Leonardo right? It's "Catch Me If I Fall" right?(confidently)

Every one in the car laughed like crazy and I was like "what?"

I : Fad, it's "Catch Me If You Can"!


Conversation 2-At home after coming back from my office.


Me : We have to watch "Let's Meet the Mohan!!".

F : What? "Let's Meet the Mohan"? What movie is that? You don't watch Hindustan do you?.

Me : Not Hindustan lah, Adam Sandler acted in it!It must be funny!

F : Mohan and Adam Sandler, what movie is that?? Ohhhh...It's "Don't Mess With the Zohan" lah!!

There you go, these conversations took place 2 years ago, but my friends still crack the same jokes until today, just to annoy me :P

Brick Game, Flip Flops and Kain Batik

The "You know what" conversation over dinner, while getting so hooked on brick game which was so popular 15 years back, which every kid would have in their possession and all you could hear was them bragging on and on about who's got the highest score:-

Me : Oh my God, this brick game can really make us happy!It was so popular back then when we were 15 years younger. As popular as PSP and the likes, which I can never get.
Nas : I know!We are simple people!
Me : You know what, one of the things that I always wanted to do in life is wear flip flops to work.
Nas : You know what, all I wanted to do is wear kain batik to work. It's so comfy!I did it once.
Me : No, you didn't! I don't have "kek batik" at home for me to wear to work.
Nas : What "kek batik?".

We went on and on and on, as if somebody just drugged us.

By the way, the brick game in the above photo was the exact brick game that I had 15 years back, which I shared with my granny. I could still remember teaching her how to play. She got so hooked on it that I had to wait for so long before it was my turn to play. I think Mom bought a new one for me so that both, granny and I could have our own brick games.

Those were the days, days without PSP and the likes.

Freedom

Raindrops.
Tree.
Affidavit.
Hope.
Mentors.
Dream.
Liberty.
Goatee.
Revolution.
I Phone.
Change.
Strawberry.
Worries.
PJ.
Decision.
Freedom.I'm breathing it. Yes, it's real.
It's Freedom.

Shoot me with your dying conscience
Rip my soul to pieces with your blunt speech
Punish me for my faith
Execute me for my belief
For you can never comprehend
What it is to be human
Even in the certainty of my death
You can never win this war
The war you wage against yourself.