Thai Green Curry Laksa (Taman Free School)

        I passed by this stall many times wanted to order something from it but always got disappointed because it's not open.

        It's a beautiful Sunday today and while we were discussing where to have our breakfast, I decided to visit here for breakfast (but never have any specific thought about this stall).

        So to my surprise, it's open today!

        We ordered thai green curry and this is how it looks...

        First of all, before really digging into the taste of spiciness, we're impressed by:-
        (1) The portion
        (2) The very nice serving dishes, and
        (3) The friendliness of the seller

        Oh come on every now and then we tend to see the lousiest manners hawker or ones always reflecting how hard to earn a living being a hawker by serving lesser portion but higher price. But this one is totally different!

        And the seller would come by to give us extra soup, sat down to chat with us about Kathina in different places, and offer us nice desert without extra charge (of course we were receiving these offerings with gratefulness and not here to spread the idea so people can go there with an expectation to get free stuff).

         He serves other Thai food too, such as Maeng-Kam, Thai Fried Rice and so on. He highlighted all the spices and fresh ingredients are imported from Thailand (supposing he's serving with a group of people who help to provide him the supply).

         I told him about my experience that always found his stall not open and he told me that was because he went to places for charity work. And the receiving of selling these food will go to charity.

         One thing I must highlight - the taste of the food very not local. With all the spices and chillies (ah, it's hot-and-spicy from tongue to tummy, mind you), I could almost feel like I am in Thailand.

         Wanna know where is the location? Here's the pointer:

       If you come from Green Lane McD:
       (1) Take your 12 o'clock when you come to the round-a-bout.
       (2) Immediately turn left and then right after you passed a small car park.
       (3) Go straight until you come to a junction on your left where there's a no entry sign.
       (4) Walk in and it's the first stall on your right.

       What's better when you enjoy good food, great manner and the proceeding goes to charity?

       I am very grateful for this wonderful morning, to have eaten such filling meal both body, mind and soul, and to have met such inspiring person.

       Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! (*with Wai - palms pressed together in a prayer-like gesture)

A time to count the blessings

On this day two years ago, we tied the knot and started our journey together.

We are grateful that every step of the way has enriched our lives in all possible ways. And too our gratitude goes to all the available support given to our growth.

A Day of Remembrance

My last post was in July.

After such a break (for 3 months) comes a day that is going to be remembered for another reason - my birthday, also the same day the world remember the passing of Steve Jobs.

My friend said to me, "birthday is the day we remember how our mother had gone through big pain to bring us here in this world. We should be grateful for that, especially on this very day".

I replied to him saying, "well I am grateful for everyday since that great pain because it is from that day onwards I get to witness and experience all the wonderful things around me".

And then I realized this day also mark another special message - with the passing of a great person, who had brought the world a different dimension in seeing and enjoying connection with style and personality, not only inspired so many young souls but also motivated such different perspective in seeing things, everything in our life is a creation of our believe and effort.

Leave no regret when we are to waive this world goodbye.

We can do great things. We can, however, do better in doing small things with great love.

To Steve Jobs (1955-2011): thank you for your big message. For you have done your part to this world in this life, may you be in a better place in the next continue to become more inspiring.

     

Our World

There are many sayings about Apocalypse, End of Days, End of the World, Judgement Day etc. If the world does end, let say, tomorrow what memory would you have?

Rest assured that ending is waiting somewhere, since there has been beginning.

It is a cycle.

What really matter is the journey that we have on this world. The footsteps and the times we had through thick and thin with people around us.

The world is beautiful because we see it with our heart.

Celebration

When I first heard, "when you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced; live a life in such a manner that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice" by Kabir an Indian Poet, I thought it has described how one should really live so that they have a life.

Until I hear "Actually funerals are an important ritual in the grieving process. They don't just recognize that a life has ended. They recognize that a life was lived" from the movie Love Happens.

Life is indeed a celebration, although the departure is always hard to people around.

For some reason, I realize and open the photo folder of my father's funeral and the memories of the day we received call from Thailand about his demise and all the afterwards of such sudden shock came back. For me to remember that day, I still keep in my phone the messages that I corresponded with my youngest brother when he was there handling the body pick up with mom.

There are often lot of times we have regrets in being not able to do something especially when it comes to losing someone dear. We mourn until we barely able to get on our feet after such hit.

Yes on one hand I comfort everyone including myself that he is at peace without pain but on the other hand I somehow still feeling that loss inside, which the separation has taken out from me - we did not get to say good bye, face to face.

I guess this is the hardest part.

Until the idea from the movie got into me.

As I looked at the pictures taken that day, although they are filled with our grief of losing a father, a husband, a healer, a teacher and good friend (my dad has always been a good friend to me), I know too that he, although may not be able to speak his last words to us personally but, has given us the opportunity to look at life itself - so that we live too the life and get recognize when the time for us to leave comes.

It is a matter of how we look at life itself. And dad, you just never stop teaching me things even you are gone.

We miss you dearly.


And Happy Birthday pa, wherever you are.

As We Age, We Forget Things...

            Such as the innocence to feel happy even for a little deed or accomplishment we have done.

            The other day I brought lunch to Joie and John when they were busy working on doing photo-shooting for a pair of lovely couple. I saw them trying capture the "split second" which projects the essence of true beauty and after many attempts where I helped hold up the veil, release it on the count and run away from being caught in the picture I saw one very very beautiful reaction by John, my youngest brother.

            He hold both his hand high up in the sky (with his camera) and start jumping in circles for joy - he has caught the moment that he likes.

            I will never forget that image.

            Often we are overwhelmed by so much expectations to meet and obligations to fulfill we stress ourselves to forgetting a little act of happiness means so much to our heart. It gives us the pleasure that is irreplaceable with anything else.

            It may not seem significant, not to the extend of making big money or paying bills but the accumulated little joyful things are meaningful enough to give us the sense of purpose in things we are passionate about.

            Most of all, it reminds us: we are the difference we want to see.

There Is No Boundary

Sometimes life can be a little difficult when things do not turn out the way we hoped it would. While most of the time the feeling of defeat and worry about what bet have we left for the coming challenges is driving us to the edge of falling, the real reason of stirring our stomach is always losing control.


The gap between effort and result is way too far apart that it ultimately taking all efforts into insignificance.


When the results are not promising it is almost like a big pile of disappointment appearing like a stack of thick blankets oppressing over the chest causing this suffocating gasps.

I stood by a tree the other day watching its tentacles-like "leaves" growing upwards. I observed how it is showered by the warm sun and move along as the breeze flow, and listened to its whispers of the rustling.

And then, I see hope.

I see life.

What's life?

Oh, it has passed midnight so the following stuff is considered yesterday then.

I had a very wonderful conversation in the afternoon with a patient-turn-into-friend. She was my dad's patient and now she had become a family friend to us. The face to face chat was incredible because I realized all the little things in life can actually make up to very very useful knowledge. And the best part of it is: they are all everyday thing.


And we always thought "day in day out nothing is interesting if it is not big".

So what about life? Take it easy, but not lightly. Many confuse being easy going and not serious. Well, we can be serious and easy going at the same time. Serious in treating life as a very precious and valuable journey that we should waste no time on not paying attention; at the same time taking it easily so that we don't choke ourselves to death when we come across challenges or obstacles and failures.

Being serious doesn't mean having prejudice and/or discriminating others when the common understanding/value conflict. And so it is always the first thing to remember: we aren't here to not do mistakes but to learn to understand what mistake is.

Pain is part of life. It is through surviving the pain we understand what we have earned so that we know how important wisdom is in our life.

I thanked her for sharing, because she not only taught me the experiences she have but also given me such a big reminder: stay young at heart in order to keep on learning. So that the mind doesn't get filthy by arrogance and egoism, which usually possessed by habitually-complacent adult.


Be at the moment and always learn. Breakthrough is a joyful thing.

What is life if there isn't any process of achieving goals?

I guess different people just make different decision in defining life. I attended the 20th Anniversary Luncheon organized by the theatre troupe that I once belonged to and met many friends. It's always an interesting experience when many who got separated after taken their sail are once again back at the very same place where they nurtured their teen spirit.

We all have dreams.

They may vary from time to time, and sometimes accordingly to different life stage.

No matter what our dreams are we should never give it up for anything for they keep our soul soar so we can always hold our head high to face challenges.

Because of the gathering my memory wanders. I wonder where have the other absence gone and how have they pursue their dreams, and I missed them.

I guess different people have made different achievements in defining life.

Whatever yours is I wish you continue to achieving more goals!

I am Holding Up

It took me quite a while to get back on my feet since the demise of my beloved father.

Everyone worries about me because I looked rather fine with the shock. I sincerely appreciate all the warmth and concern from each and every one of you. However it is just personal to me and I do not prefer expressing them in the way people expect I would.

I mourn his depart with silence and I remember him with smile.

Life has never been easy.

But I keep working on it.

I want him to be proud of me, like he always have, even after he is gone.

Getting to Somewhere

Ever came across this situation? Playing on a puzzle game trying to find the solution but it seems unsolvable. So what do you do? Keep trying? Or just leave it?

Well, I assume you are the fighter type - keep trying. So how do you work on the attempts? You use different combination, or you change the pattern. Right?

Imagine we are driving in a stranger place. We might have map and Global Positioning System (GPS) to help us with the routes but there is still possibility that we end up getting lost. So what do we do? We try different routes, or we simply ask for direction.

It is very obvious - we are not getting anywhere if we don't try, we are not getting anywhere either IF WE DON'T CHANGE OUR COURSE/METHOD (putting aside the thought of waiting for rescue to come by itself).

Solving the small problems is the fundamental of big achievements!

We Are Ourselves Both The Creator & Destroyer

As we continue seeking the potential future that we can ever explore, we have somehow finding a very good reason in neglecting who, or to be more precise, what we really are. Well at least it is "hope" that we are talking about and looking at, we may say.

Thanks to the advancement in multimedia and technology, movie has become more and more exciting and interesting.That we are almost able to make any projections that we have on mind into fascinating pictures, or rather movies.

For many of my friends find ideas adopted by motion picture such as Avatar a "channeled" from some place higher than human realm, I think it is rather a place in us that we keenly hoped and prayed to exist after we have seen so much cruelty we have done among one another. Deep inside us there is a place where both good and evil reside.

Seeing "SPLICE" is like asking ourselves to confront this very special place in us - it exist whether we like it or not. Of course I would say the movie isn't as interesting and beautiful as the blue creature planet because it's dark, and it has more lust and desire.

We create to destroy ourselves. How interesting is that?

Watch the movie, although I don't like it.

But I love the whole idea of it.

Feeling What's Feeling Inside

I've always have this struggle in me: whether to really surrender myself to my feelings or hold myself up with what I really have and can.

Thinking has always been reasoning. It's breaking things down to particles and sort them out accordingly, which I've taken quite some years to learn and practice. Some say it (for being sensible)somehow is in my blood that's why I can resonate with that pattern. But I must confess that I have been pulling myself back and forth between being sensual and sensible because I have had several feeling attacks over the years which I end up like the broken pieces my brain's handling and it felt as if I totally lose myself.

Being cool and detach in the dimension of thinking and reasoning and mapping things out is more of a training than being fragile and vulnerable towards the dimension of true heart feelings inside that comes naturally through the veins. I am not too sure if what I am having right now after watching this video is a mixed combination of thinking and feeling but I do know one thing for sure: feeling gives me the pleasure and fear at the same time.

It's too honest.

So from time to time I allow myself to feel what I can and what I am feeling and record it with the help of words through my head. This is perhaps the best method I can find so far to let my feelings and thinking find their balance.

Do You Deserve Winning?

I watched Hell's Kitchen Season 2 on AFC yesterday. It's one of the episodes where Gordon Ramsay tests the 3 contestants, Keith, Heather, & Virginia, who's competing for the place to the top and one will be terminated by the end of the show.

Every contestant gets to nominate with his/her reason for the one to be disqualified and their decision will finally being decide by Gordon.

Sometimes we are standing at the crossroad not knowing where we will go. But often this feeling of unknowing is actually being driven by the fear of taking charge. If we are on the path of becoming a leader, we have got to be a leader - be able to lead and be able to know what must be done and DO IT!


Watch it, from minute 2.22 of this following clip and continue with the remaining two. You'll know what I mean.

I personally like this part a lot where Gordon has mentioned a few very important things:
(1) All I'm looking for right now is a leader.
(2) You got two choices: you run the team or the team runs you.
(3) A good leader, each and everyday, has to make tough decision.

It doesn't matter how well you have been and what your dreams are. What matter is how good you are now, what quality do you have and how well is your endurance through and through till you really get what you want.

Ask yourself: Why you deserve to win? Are you the old or new dog?

Sometimes Something Just Don't Standout Until You Really Pay Attention

We were waiting for our movie to start in the cinema and watching the commercials playing. This one came into picture almost a 9 months ago and I am still impressed every time I see it replays. But I don't know why nothing beats this time that hits real hard when I hear the sentence - DREAMS BECOME REALITY.

Yes, a dream is the goal that we seek to achieve being drafted and painted in our heart and mind. We have it guiding us through our lives breaking all obstacles and defeat every challenges just to making sure we do not stop trying until we get there.

All dreams are immature fruits and only through our continuous attempts it will ripe.

Don't stop believing. Dreams are reachable!

What is it that your mind is trying to tell you?

It is said that we have only got a small portion of our mind explored by conscious, and the remaining is all in our subconscious and dreams. While we know from the study and research report saying that our left brain controls analytical ability whereas right brain focuses on creativity, we haven't really fully understand what this central controlling mechanism - why does it functioning such a way and what is it that the brain trying to tell.

I think the evolution has come to the point where our intellectual meets our spiritual awareness. And by acknowledging we are both rational and emotional, we are becoming more aware of our current state of mind. With that we know: we are indeed a very powerful living, just not yet fully realized and awaken.

But we are getting there if we believe and try.

At least Christopher Nolan is giving me this impression and feeling, from his The Prestige, Batman Begins, Batman: The Dark Knight and the latest production Inception.

This Sci-Fi movie emphasizes how we can dig in to our mind (whether to use it the right way or not is not an issue here as 'Inception' is not a Crime movie). Assuming the different actors in the movie plays the different roles our mind is capable of, what do you think your mind is trying to tell you?

A 2.28hour thriller that is definitely taking serious viewers' breath away. And don't say I never warn you in the first place: you will never stop wanting for more once you start asking.

Is it even an issue at all whether this life is a dream or reality? After all, it's a process of the game don't you think?

I highly rate this movie because I really enjoy how Christopher Nolan actually manipulate minds!

Show Time!!!!!

Two nights ago at the rehearsal, our director talked to a group of young comers. They are the ones that will help us make our performance complete - the backstage crew. A lot of people never get it - crew is of equal importance like performer. When everyone finds the stunning feel standing under the spotlight enjoying the admiration of audience, little did people realize and notice the reason that a performance can be successful is heavily depending on the support from technical side. Imagine a play of 2 hours has only the dialogue of performers, without any music and lighting design to create the ambient.

Scary right?

The show starts tonight. All the effort and hard work by each and every involved party throughout the months will fruit today.

We hope you enjoy the story, as much as we do.

See you at the theatre!

photo taken during warm up before final rehearsal

Hand in Hand

Times flies.

Joyce did "HOPE" last year where she's brought dancers of different ages together to show how this word mean to them. Another year's quickly gone by and she is back for "HOPE 2".

It just felt very amazing when the thought shifts from HOPE to HOPE 2, like we are moving from point A to point B seeing all thing's changed except the scene. Yes both were performed at the very same venue, but by different performers except Joie and Aainaa the little girl.

Joyce said HOPE 2 is still very much on "what does hope mean to different people" but the presentation this time is very different from the last one. It has gone deeper and portrays more detail.

We all gain our strength from different sources but one thing for sure is we always hold hope in us. It is something that keeps us coming back and going on.

Although it showcases 2 shows for one day only but it has certainly mean something to the performers throughout their rehearsals with Joyce and also the audience while watching them move without any audio support.

Every baby step means the universe.

Through HOPE we see the future.



Joyce has gone back to the U.S. today. Have a safe trip and we'll see you again when you come home. Lots of hugs! Thank you for showing your love and care.

Anton Chekhov's "3 Sisters"

I am taking part in a theatre play, script by Anton Chekhov titled "Three Sisters". This script is about 100 years old yet the story is still applicable today.

So what is it about the script that live almost forever? The story about "Three Sisters" is emphasizing heavily on human's attitude and nature - we long for what we don't have, mourn what we have lost, and never in time to cherish what we have.

Life vanishes with time. Without noticing how fast we lost it, we tend to place ourselves in the pathetically wrong position, watching age and all that happening around us eat us all up.

Watched the animation "UP"? Here I excerpt a part of the movie that talks about the life we have.



By the way, my play is held at P.Ramlee Theatre Penang, from 9th-11th July. Please come!

The A-Team

Watching some remake old movie is a joy. First you get to recall the times you had before, second you get to see the difference, much more on the effects, and most of all, it is like having a cuppa coffee that make your smile crawl up your face without knowing why.

Movie like The A-Team is much more on entertainment so it is important that audience get to sit back and enjoy the show.

And I did.

Seeing all characters coming alive once again, what's more is they are given a better enhance in their personality.

Watched the movie? Please go if you have not.

Oh just FYI, the old A-Team is still in the movie business. For instance, Templeton "Faceman" Peck actually played as the Pensacola Prisoner Milt; Mad Murdock was the German Doctor in the very same movie; Baracus (by Mr. T) had his voice presented in "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"; except for Mr. Hannibal who's passed away in 1994.