I know what you are but what am i?

2010-06-16T14:10:00.001+08:00

Jenny Guan @ Vista Komanwel. 8th December 2007

2010-06-11T19:52:00.002+08:00

Sazziana Abdul Jalil @ my house, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Sazzi the latest victim of alcohol induced brain hemmoraghing on CSI:PJ.
(oh lordy! this is what happens when two people are meant to be doing work but one gets distracted with a very elaborate photo set up just from seeing a magnifying glass)

2010-06-08T02:55:00.000+08:00

Iman Omar @ Hartamas Square, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
1st April 2008

2010-06-06T18:38:00.001+08:00

Brian Chong (with a giant bucket of meat - ready to be BBQ'ed!) @ Taman Tun, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 4th January 2008

2010-06-05T19:54:00.001+08:00

Kevin BrokenScar @ No Black Tie, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
10th December 2007

2010-06-04T18:52:00.001+08:00

Zaidee Tuco @ Vista Komanwel, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia. 7th December 2007

2010-06-01T21:13:00.001+08:00

Imelda Yong @ Palate Palette, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 31st May 2009

2010-05-31T09:24:00.001+08:00

Olga Moya @ Illy Espressemente, Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur. 22nd February 2008

2010-05-31T09:09:00.000+08:00

Amira Latiff @ Rasta TTDI. 1st of February 2008

2010-05-29T21:12:00.002+08:00

Ng Juan Jin @ Palate Palette, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
4th June 2009

What better way to jumpstart than with food right?

2010-05-28T17:46:00.005+08:00

December 2007 - The best Mee Rebus in Penang : Edgecumbe Road Mee Rebus

I remember this place being across the walled off ocean. To the family i stayed with in Pulau Tikus, this man and his family made the best mee rebus in all of Penang.

Kompleks Gerai Persiaran Gurney, Penang.

In Loving Memory of my father, Anantharajah Kathirasoo

2010-03-12T21:54:00.010+08:00

Anantharajah Kathirasoo (1955 - 2010)
Slim Jim, 23
Engineer of the Soul (the great storyteller)
Teacher

Anantharajah or Anne’s Rajah, was born to Kathirasoo and Kanahambehai on 23 April 1955. He was conceived after 10 years of marriage. His mother had made a vow to St. Anne and she staunchly believed that Her divine blessing was the reason for the advent of Anantharajah into this world. And so the saga begins…

He had two elder sisters and should he, as a toddler have a fall, or hurt himself- they had to face the music which believe me was not so sweet!

Rajah was a Georgian through and true. Though he received his early education in Taiping (the pensioners’ paradise), he was far from complacent. He was a member of the school rugby team and was proud to be given an opportunity to coach them. He often mentioned this with much pride and happiness. Diligence was not his forte! He refused to regurgitate facts and was an advocate of 99% inspiration and 1% perspiration!

* * *

Whilst pursuing his law studies he was also pursuing the love of his life- Viji. The story goes… this ravishingly beautiful lady opened a window of her hot stuffy lecture hall to let in the cool London breeze- but what she saw on the other side blew her off her feet! Need we say more?

They were married in October of 1981 and had three lovely children- Arjay, Aveena and Sanjay as attestation of their love and devotion which spanned almost three beautiful decades.

Concurrent to beginning a family of his own, he expanded his passion as an engineer of the soul- a teacher. He earned a humble beginning teaching tuition in a small room and 30 years later, left behind a legacy of knowledge for which he would forever be remembered.

As a parent, both mom and dad, taught us life lessons we will carry and practice throughout adulthood, and someday bestow unto our own children.

These life lessons, moulded the people we are today and set the bar for who we will be tomorrow.

These life lessons being:

To equip each of his children with an independent mind.

To trust and love people without fear.

To never settle for second best.

To be optimistic even in the face of dire difficulties.

To have faith in people.

Ultimately, he taught us that we are the captains of our own fate.

Sometimes he lent words of his father when none of his would suffice: “Humans are but creatures of circumstance,” Tata said.

And most importantly, he begged us to see what our mother had to offer. We were to learn the true essence of generosity and humility from our mommy, the woman he married for her heart of gold.

Essentially, they taught us to distinguish good from evil and gave us the freedom to find ourselves in the world with endless faith that we’d find our way in the end. And we will!

He connected well with people. They made his day beautiful, lively, colourful and worthwhile. He was kind and compassionate, always ready to listen to your woe or worry, and be that helping hand when you most needed one. When his students sought help, he was always there- enlightening them- their guiding light. May that light live on forever in our hearts! We love you daddy. God loaned you to us and He has seen it fit to take you early! In Him we trust.

[My brothers, aunt (dad's sister) and I wrote this the day after he passed. If there were ever one tip to give someone going through a similar situation, it'd be to reminisce their life and write memories down. Writing something like this was the best advice I ever received from a friend who'd gone through the same.]

Happy Thaipusam!

2010-01-30T20:04:00.008+08:00

Kugaydran Selva; 30th January 2010 Thaipusam @ Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia.

A nervous excitement before the procession begun: from hooking 108 milk vials (paal kodums) to his back, piercing a rod through his cheeks and piercing hooks onto his forehead to getting en-tranced. All so beautiful but surreal.

Kugan praying with his Guru before the piercing.

A temple volunteer spears through the flesh of his cheeks.

The intensity of the entire atmosphere was palpable. Sheena, Kugan's wife, looks on protectingly behind as the skin of his chest is pierced through with hooks.

108 Paal Kodums (milk vials) hooked onto his back.

2009-11-19T17:56:00.000+08:00

Elyza Khamil, Hari Raya Haji @ Janda Baik, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-10-26T01:31:00.002+08:00

The Assam Laksa stall opposite the Air Hitam (Itam) Market, Penang, Malaysia. July 2009

2009-10-20T02:32:00.000+08:00

Barmaid @ Scuba Junkie. 15th January 2007; Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia.

2009-10-17T12:51:00.001+08:00

Matthieu Fong post-dives @ Scuba Junkie Bar, Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. 15th January 2008

2009-10-11T12:04:00.001+08:00

Vendor making steel wire bookmarks @ Petaling Street. 5th December 2007

2009-10-07T16:03:00.001+08:00

Janis Seet @ La Bodega Lounge, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar. 5th December 2007

2009-09-28T21:31:00.002+08:00

Lawrence Phua, 5th December 2007 @ iKopi, Jalan Panggong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Barista over at an awesome syphon coffee joint we found in town. I remember the brazillian blend being muchos dark, bold and bloody beautiful. Try it if that's your cuppa!

2009-09-22T18:24:00.002+08:00

Uncle Khamil, Lydia's dad all prepared for Hari Raya Haji; Janda Baik, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 19th December 2007

2009-09-17T03:40:00.001+08:00

Najwa, post-No-Black-Tie gig, 2007.
Jalan Mesui, off Jalan Nagasari, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2009-09-15T23:21:00.001+08:00

Ibkaar Darke 2007 (date unknown); wearing a bisected plastic human heart on his shirt.
Medical Museum (mucking around) Session, International Medical University, Malaysia.

2009-09-12T15:31:00.002+08:00

Yuna, post-performance at NBT unplugged. 17th February 2008
No Black Tie, Jalan Mesui off Jalan Nagasari, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-09-11T01:42:00.002+08:00

Adam Ting @ Pam's surprise birthday - 8th December 2007
Vista Komanwel Apartments, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia

2009-08-17T16:25:00.002+08:00

James Veerapan, 10th December 2007, Happy M.U.N.D.A.E gig @ No Black Tie, Jalan Mesui, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2009-08-15T15:33:00.003+08:00

Jang Yoo Jin, August 2006, Shisha @ Lecka Lecka Bukit Bintang
Scanned off contact sheet
Taken with Holga, double exposure with white then blue flash.

2009-08-09T13:57:00.001+08:00

Hoo Yuan Lih a.k.a Wendy 11th January 2008
That Mr.Chang's chinese restaurant place just opposite Scuba Junkie.
Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia

2009-08-07T13:22:00.001+08:00

Marieke Zolner playing with a baby hermit crab on the beach between dive intervals, 12th January 2008
Pulau Sipadan, Borneo, Malaysia.

2009-08-06T01:58:00.004+08:00

Oege Scholtsen, 11th January 2008;
On our diving boat just off Pulau Sibuan, Borneo, Malaysia.

2009-08-03T18:32:00.008+08:00

Waiter at the Old China Cafe, Jalan Panggong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
12th June 2009.

I highly recommend checking out this remarkably quaint Malaysian Chinese gem of an establishment. In an attempt to preserve the physical heritage of the old Chinatown (Chee Chong Kai), the Old China Cafe started running business in 1997, serving up Baba-Nyona-Chinese cuisine.

The background on this place is that it was previously occupied by the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Laundry Association. Apparently, the classic faded black and white portraits hanging so cooly on the walls of this antique-y joint are of the members of the association from the previous tenants. Everything from the tables and chairs, the slow spinning fan to the shadowy green lamp shades hanging from the ceiling add to its charm.

If you're looking to find a spot in KL that truly resembles Chinatown of Malaysia, head here for lunch or even a tea-time snack.

Don't forget to sample their Pie-Tee (Tophats) and Tauhu Bakar (Stuffed tofu). Oh and by the way- it goes beautifully with some authentically Malaysian Tea (Boh!) or it's selection of Malaccan Coffee.

2009-08-02T15:09:00.003+08:00

Appom Balik Uncle on Petaling Street (he's been around for 40 years btw), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
12th June 2009. One of the few remaining true Petaling Street relics.

Ps. If you see this guy, make sure to look out for:

1. the Soya Bean guy to try the infamous KL Tau Foo Far (Soy Bean Curd with sugar syrup) at the cross junction of Petaling St.

2. About 7 paces away on the other side of the street, look for the infamous Air Mata Kuching stall the most refreshing thing you could opt for on a hot humid Malaysian afternoon.

Essentially, just gaze out to the busiest stalls on the street- flocked to by the local Chinese customers and you know you've hit the jackpot.

Au Revoir' for now!

2009-07-31T12:12:00.001+08:00

Cassandra Cheah a.k.a Baby Cheah; 12th July 2009, Carol's Condo.
Looking all extra cool with her favourite guitar!

2009-07-31T00:34:00.002+08:00

Gardener/Sweeper at KLCC Park; 5th December 2007

2009-07-29T00:38:00.002+08:00

a2 Art Gallery curator, Bangkok Lane, Penang.
23rd December 2007
Photoshop'ed with a colour focus on B/W

2009-07-25T00:39:00.002+08:00

May Jian Lim, 31st May 2009
Palate Palette. Jalan Mesui, Off Jalan Nagasari, Kuala Lumpur.

2009-07-24T11:02:00.001+08:00

Radha Balakrishnan, amazingly friendly random stranger on the KL Monorail. She was on a visit around KL with her husband, pictured previously, Mr. Balakrishnan.

2009-07-16T15:52:00.002+08:00

Reza Salleh, 10th December 2007
No Black Tie's Mundae Blues gig. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-07-16T13:45:00.001+08:00

Suwen Low; 2nd June 2007
Sunrise Jazz Festival, Plaza Mont Kiara

Double exposure with Holga (Lomo) on modified 35mm

2009-07-14T23:10:00.002+08:00

Bikash Gurung, 11th June 2009. Nepalese Restaurant near Masjid Jamek LRT

2009-07-14T16:03:00.001+08:00

Dawn Carr, 18th January 2008
Her first (and probably last) Durian experience at Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2009-07-13T18:32:00.001+08:00

14th June 2009, Sanjay Anantharajah my little brother.
Lunch at Bierhaus at The Curve, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2009-07-12T20:48:00.003+08:00

Caroline Cheah Fei Tse (a.k.a Cheah Fei Fei), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 12th July 2009

The asshole leaves me again. This time for Perth. This was a photo dedication deemed necessary by that mentioned above ;)

Love you, asshole. xxxxx

2009-07-11T21:50:00.002+08:00

Mr. Balakrishnan, friendly Indian tourist on the KL Monorail
KL Adventures 12th May 2007

2009-07-11T21:44:00.001+08:00

KL Adventures: Part 1 begun at KLCC park, 12th May 2007

25 Random Things

2009-01-30T13:35:00.000+08:00

1. Orange and Red are my favourite colours, although I don't wear em all to often. They call for occasions, I say! :)

2. I love scuba diving and reaaaaaaaaaaaaally want to go discover what lay beneath in the waters of the Galapagos!

3. If I could be reincarnated into any organism from the greater depths of an ocean that has evolved from being beyond the reaches of mankind. The more unique (aka weirder) the better.

4. When I was younger, my parents claim that I had an imaginary friend. I can't really remember him/her/it? Yes, I was a very timid child. Yes, people change. Or do they?

5. My favourite meal of the day is Breakfast! My new found love is Bircher Muesli... ohhh bebeh!

6. I only wear VERY high heels (3-5inches) or flats. Rarely do I wear any in between that range actually. hmmmm?

7. My identification tag when in public and within a mass of people is my bushy wild-woman hair! That and my very loud mouth ;)

8. I tend to innately notice certain times on clocks that make patterns or palindromic numbers... like "01.23", "12.34", "12.21", "13.31", "14.41" ...etc.

9. We (Chris and I) love making rude phrases beginning with the alphabets on a car number plate.

10. We were caught in the coldest winter (-40c) they'd seen in 50 years in Scotland on our very first few encounters with snow when we were younger (like 10 or 11?). oh mannn do i remember that. My mom's feet almost got frostbitten. hmmm?

11. The only fight i've ever had with Carol was over a piece of chewing gum she knocked out of my hand during Dr. Rand's afternoon Physics class when we were 15. I was angry at her for half an hour. Biznitchhhh! :D

12. Coffee is beautiful and it has become my passion; long black; latte; espresso or skinny cappucino... I've even resorted to going on coffee missions; discovering good coffee.

13. I think hating somebody takes too much energy. If you dislike a person; avoid or/and evade.

14. When I need to get into a zone outside of studying, I make jewellery with semi-precious stones or with beads i've collected from travels and gold/silver wire. That and soft pencil sketching.

15. Oddly enough, when I do sketch a portrait, I never start with the outline like normal people do... i start with the eyes, then nose, the mouth and everything else after that falls into place.

16. I love meeting new people. The human being and the psyche we control within ourselves is beyond measure. It's beautiful to watch people and understand why they do, say or think certain things.

17. I study medicine. I know this may not seem that random a fact, but even close friends and a professor at uni seem to think i've got a very lawyer-esque aura. hmmm? no no, it's just the rest of the familys' rubbing off on me.

18. I miss hiking as regularly as we used to. Next trip: Nepal! No, not to climb Everest! Just to discover Kathmandu and everywhere else the blur-case bikash wishes to take us. I'll help you plan Biks, Sangee will make funny noises and Yuan Lih, you make the faces that induces Sangee's funny noises k?

19. I should really be going to the gym now. Hmmm? I haven't been in like a week! Gasp!

20. I love dark chocolate. The darker the better.

21. I say very random things, very randomly. Many of you could attest to this, i'm sure :D

22. Diversity between cultures or within a culture is beautiful. If money weren't an option, I'd travel everywhere, beginning with Asia, then South America, then some parts of the Middle East, then Europe; simply photographing people wearing the thick black-framed glasses (that reminds me, i've got to get me another pair ASAP!)

23. I miss coffee sessions with the auntie Lyds! Today today! :)

24. My room is organised-ly disorganised?

25. What makes us human? Do you understand humility? I'd really like to know.

Toodles Noodles!

from way back when (maybe 2006?)

2008-11-20T14:44:00.002+08:00

Soft Pencil on paper

Two gold stars if you can guess who this is!

Anywho, just another random sketch from the 'ol sketchbook. I'm feeling a sudden burst of la inspi-ra-si-on of late. hmmm? Carol, do I sense a joint project coming?

Coney Island?

2008-11-18T21:51:00.006+08:00

Soft Pencil on paper

Just a seriously (obviously) incomplete sketch I found in my sketch book. Mannn, I should get to finishing this sketch soon eh?

Aiyy, it's a super low-resolution scan, will try and get something done asap la

Because I have no words to impart but found someone elses' that moved me

2008-10-29T23:35:00.003+08:00

Why stop asking "why?" ?

"We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world. We give little thought to the machinery that generates sunlight that makes life possible, to the gravity that glues us to an Earth that would otherwise send us spinning off into space, or to the atoms of which we are made and on whose stability we fundamentally depend. Except for children (who don't know enough not to ask the important questions), few of us spend much time wondering why nature is the way it is; where the cosmos came from, or whether it was always here; if time will one day flow backward and effects precede causes; or whether there are ultimate limits to what humans can know...

... In our society it is still customary for parents and teachers to answer most of these questions with a shrug, or with an appeal to vaguely recalled religious precepts. Some are uncomfortable with issues like these, because they so vividly expose the limitations of human understanding."

Excerpt from the introduction to A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking

My Blueberry Night

2008-06-28T15:49:00.001+08:00

"I've been learning how to not trust people and i'm glad I failed.

Sometimes we depend on other people as a mirror to define us and tell us who we are and each reflection makes me like myself a little more,

Elizabeth"

Answering a CVS Embryology S.O.S

2008-06-07T02:48:00.003+08:00

Ola! I come bearing educational goodies! I figure it's hard enough that we're raking our brains trying to pull off ultra-human feats of bludgeoning insane amounts of information into compartments of our brain, so we need breathers ever so often!

Time and again, people tell me how difficult they find learning the embryology of the cardiovascular system (CVS), but fear no more- the following videos i've attached below will shine some light unto your doubts and make all your worries (regarding CVS embryology :D ) go away!

Honestly, these are THE simplest, most straightforward and most definitely brilliantly EFFECTIVE diagramatic 3D representations of what we're meant to be learning from reading our boring lecture notes.

With that, I pray that I no longer hear that CVS embryology is a dry topic, because it's honestly quite amazing to learn! ENJOY, my friends!
Cest la Vie!

1. Embryology videos : http://www.indiana.edu/~anat550/cvanim/index.html
2. Fetal Circulation videos are included at the bottom of the page too!

ps. If you come across requests to fill in surveys, just opt to not participate and go straight to the animations. There are useful pre- and post- tests that allow for some self-assessment which inevitably comes in handy in the long run!
OK- enjoy em! Drop me a note if you have trouble accessing the link.

pss. ALL CREDIT TO INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY and VALERIE O' LOUGHLIN- you've made my embryology life a whole lot easier. Enjoyable, might I add!

Additional videos, they're good, but not as useful as the indiana state animations...
Check out the UNSW Cardiovascular Notes however, they're pretty damn good with their 2D diagrams of Congenital Heart Defects... http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/Notes/heart.htm

Toodles Noodles

You think it'll never happen to you...

2008-04-29T00:42:00.008+08:00

What do you do when someone attacks you?

Do you surrender, scream or fight?

You never think it’ll happen to you...

I’ve written this opening sentence and erased it more times than I’d like to count over these past few minutes. The fact is- I can barely get my head straight because of the constant perpetuating recollection of last nights’ events.

It was a thirty second window. Only thirty seconds. It was an awfully quiet street, lit and all. I was standing by the front gate of my friends' house, waiting for it to open. I noticed this big burly looking Indian guy approach from about ten feet away from the right of my eye. With every step moving closer, I can make out features on his face as he crept gingerly toward my direction. I look straight at him, with an overwhelming fear, pressing the house intercom profusely. No reply. I haphazardly try to call for help on my mobile.

I know this is not right. My heart is racing and all that comes to my mind is to scream at him to stay away. He moves closer and his pace quickens. He asks in Tamil for the time. I am afraid, helpless and vulnerable. Racked in my fear, my instinct is to start screaming. He forcefully grabs my arm and tugs violently at my bag. I struggle with him and I realize I should salvage what I can- in that surge of adrenaline I threw my iPhone over the fortress of a gate… and he overpowers me within seconds. He begun running away with my bag at which point I see the lights of a green aeroback Saga come alive. The car waits for him to get in and drives off around the bend. I screamed like you could never imagine- the neighbours poured out of their houses armed with sticks and torches. It felt like I was barely dangling from a thread of reality.

I was in a state of shock and hysteria. At that point, I can’t begin to describe what I felt- it was blatant shock and panic. How do you describe your confidence and sense of security dwindling to non-existence? What if he had attacked me with a weapon? What if he had abducted me? What if he had raped me? What if…

When giving my victims’ statement at the police station, recollecting the sequence of events- describing the assailants’ vehicle… I remembered that it was the same green Saga that had tailed mine from Zoo Negara as I entered the Kemensah Heights neighbourhood. This road is quiet and the lights barely illuminated its path… having a car tail yours closely is a sure enough warning sign but had not hit me until after. The resounding vividness of that memory was in fact viewing from my rear-view mirror; the right headlight of this car; dimmer and reddish in colour than the left. The image of this car following me will probably never go away- but I am certain that this car had followed me… waited until I had parked my car, gotten out and waited at the front gates- for that opportune moment- that minute window to attack and escape.

My everything was in that bag… my car keys, house keys, wallet containing my IMU receipts and home address, my ipod, my camera with photos of virtually everyone close to me. If they were brave enough to track me down, I fear that they would have no trouble in robbing me of more than just a material handbag and my immediate confidence.

I have spent the last couple of days recuperating, all physical wounds of the event I have are a few cuts and bruises but the healing has only just begun from the psychological trauma. My family and friends have been there with me to guide me through my low lows.

I am better. I will be stronger. I now constantly think of the “what if’s” and “what I would have done differently.” Honestly, if you’d asked me what I’d do if someone tried to attack me before it had happened to me- I would have told you that I’d swing my bag at him or at least reached to brutally kick his genitals. But truthfully, in that moment, that split second, I was blank. I was defenseless. I need to find a way to condition myself to react instinctively to arm myself in this situation. I will be taking self defense classes. I will be carrying a self defense weapon; be it Pepper spray, a Tazer or a Knuckle-duster.

But stemming from the events of Sunday morning, 2.54am, I thank God that Lydia was there immediately after it happened to help me make the police report and blanket me with her sense of security, love and care.

I thank God that I had Arjay, my big brother, to handle my hysteria and my hyperventilating through the shock and shivering in my voice. He drove across the Klang Valley without knowing how to wind through the labyrinth of roads, just to guide me back home in my frenzied state.

I thank God that my parents and Sanjay, my little brother, supported me with their immense strength when I had told them what had happened when I arrived home.

I thank God for friends whom listened to me as I broke down and put me back together when I fell apart.

I thank God for Yuan Lih and Keng for comforting me, making me laugh and giving me the courage to trudge through these next two weeks to our next exams by summarizing the lectures I had missed out today when they surprised me in my house.

I love all of you, even those I have not told already… I was not strong enough yesterday to keep talking about it over and over again.

If anything, I have learnt that there is more to life than a bubble in which university and its happenings envelopes. Yesterday enlightened many things: your day can always go down an even more unimaginably worse path… it’s how you handle the repercussions and pick yourself back up that defines the person you can be. You are the captain of your own fate and your life will be a series of consequence. Through reflection and restrospect can I grow and afix this experience as another rung on my ladder to get me to where I need to go.

Do I have your vote?

2008-04-07T00:14:00.007+08:00

from the summit of Gunung Hantu Besar, Jelebu, Malaysia

What can one voice achieve in a choir of unorchestrated opinion and deep-seated administrative politics?

---

Climbing in the dark against the whipping of cold wind at 4am forces you to realise that you've sometimes got to have a temporarily limited scope of vision lit within a circular parameter for which your dim head torch permits to get you to the summit. This, in essence, is to make you understand the latent strength and determination within oneself that you'd never appreciated to have existed; does in fact lie buried in there- tucked away in the personal subconscious. The focal truth in that mentioned prior, is seen time and again whenever our team of Infinity Milers sets afoot to conquer a personal demon when we scale mammoth mountains or run kilometers with coded tags dangling from pins onto our vests.

When you're on a mountain, looking out into the vast green, eyeing one spine layer the next you have no truth else to hold but that that is staring so blatantly back at you. Your presence (or voice, for that matter) may be miniscule (or insignificant) in comparison to what lies out there- but somehow it didn't fail to evoke the idea that my soul WAS significant; my voice COULD be heard and that I essentially DO matter.

This basically brings me to my point: this weekend spent hiking up Gunung Besar Hantu (literally translated to "Big Ghost Mountain") cemented my decision on running for Vice President in the Student Representative Council of my university. In honesty, there was never a doubt in my mind that if I were to take on the role, I would work intelligently, systematically and prove that the IMU student is heard. It may sound intensely cliche, but a common truth holds when it comes to analysing thyself: I am passionate (and that is primarily the driving force to my intent)

The role of a vice president in our Student Council governs the voices of our peers in matters of academia. In fact, it is an intensely focused role that requires persistence and a voice that will be heard. I find myself having to define the role of a union for a body of students- in essence, it is an elected board of people- capable of making ripples in the waters to which the administration reign... and ultimately- to provoke and affect change for our benefit.

In a discussion with my peers, it was raised that what our medical students truly lack is an infusion of university pride. I'll be honest and say that I do in fact love our uni! Heck, i've even got the university car sticker plastered on the back of my windshield! The fact that makes me most proud is the people in which this establishment houses and educates. The people i've met over these 3 semesters make this place worthwhile. Scaling mountains with them, be it in the great outdoors or on an indoor artificial wall; having lunch in a tiny cafeteria arguing over inflating chicken rice prices; and even hanging out in the dingy old library (not so dingy any more eh?)- finds its respective slot somewhere in that memory centre as a happy thought.

Anywho, I must be off- got to catch up with Hematology lectures! woo woo!
I shall bid adieu for now, then! Toodles, my lovelies!

Enjoy more pictures, then...

Humility?

2008-03-17T23:15:00.002+08:00

As far as I am concerned, "humility" is by far a concept I have not fully understood yet. It is something I honestly strive to appreciate completely, with time for sure... but recent events have accelerated this search for what this somewhat ambiguous word represents.

Is it fair that one is tested for something he does not enroll himself in to?

Can it invoke ones' humility through suppressing ones' autonomous decision?

Does it make a human being more humble? OR is one confusing it with instilling passivity?

What IS positive racial profiling? Maybe this is a term i've concocted in my head to represent certain things that have surfaced over the past couple of weeks. Nonetheless, is it wrong that one chooses only to interact with another of synonymous ethnic background?

YES!

I pose questions this time around. I have a multitude of answers to these... but i'll choose to answer them another day. As for now, I await enlightment on this vague zone of thought... "humility"?

...

2008-02-19T16:10:00.004+08:00

OH MY GAWDDDD!

Faye and Sven!!!!
woot woot! finally!

ok, sorry, i had to post my excitement SOMEWHERE!

if you're thinking i'm insane, i'm not- if you know what i'm ranting about thus far you're insane regardless!

Anywho, if you follow Questionable Content (an oh-so-witty-hipster webcomic) you know what i'm talking about... if you don't, I believe NOW is perfect time to get well acquainted to Jeph Jacques sketches!
Go to the archives and start from the very beginning!

Cupid has come early this year!

2008-02-13T22:28:00.005+08:00

"oohhh yeaaaah bebeh!" is all that comes to mind when I look at him (name withheld temporarily). Seriously... he's BE-A-U-tifuuuul!

Ok ok, fine, i'll spill- he arrived yesterday and well, from now on end will be considered a sibling to my one and only King Ralph II. Wait! I haven't acquainted you to this member of royalty have I? Here's a preview.

Riiiight, so now! Take a deep breath people... what you're about to see has had me in pre-valentine jitters for the past couple of days! Eeek!

YES! iPhone! woot woot!

Yes, I know... even I couldn't stop salivating! (even when not functional it still looks gorgeous)

Hmmmm?

I've been in knots trying to figure out where to take this damn thing to unlock the AT&T pre-requisite contract to the phone (American bought) and yeah- to no avail, no one in Malaysia caters for the new 16G iPhone! So yes, after a hell of a lot of online research, i'll be unlocking; jailbreaking; and subsequently updating this piece of art to it's tip top functional working order using online tutorials! woo hoo!

Will keep updating! Oh Lordy!

and btw, yes... I name my objects (hence King Ralph II). It's one of them things I do that simply has no explanation. Haiyyy. And eventually, i'll introduce you to Lenny. He's my Lomo, my gorgeous piece of plastic crap- the camera, Holga! mmhmm

As for now, I must bid adieu- a major assignment/report is due in tomorrow! Toodles, my lovelies!

ps. Oh! And Happy (early) Valentine's Day to you all!
I might have a date tomorrow with Joe, an ah-beng iPhone hacker in Subang Parade if anything doesn't go as planned later (a.k.a Aveena idiotically bricking her phone and making it completely unusable!)

The question of insanity?

2008-02-10T16:13:00.000+08:00

I'm pretty certain of the fact that at one point of your life, you would've come across at least one car that had been modified in some way or another from the manufacturer's standard design. Albeit a paint job; an additional fender; leather interiors to an ultra-primo-masculine-testosterone-induced engine modification.

Fine... all of that is well fine and dandy, until of course, you come across a car that fringes on ULTRA-STUPID. Seriously! There's just no need in reserving some tact or bluntness, because what you shall see following will evoke in you, questions of true insanity!

Essentially, I was driving on the highway next to the National Zoo and was in a frenzy when I saw IT. Right... so I intelligently and skillfully (might I add) started snapping photos whilst I was on the fast lane because it honestly seemed like such a blog-able chapter in that day. You should've been there... my friend and I were in a riot of laughter!

I present to you, Exhibit A, B and C consecutively (yes, triple whammy!)...

An ordinarily beautiful car made hideous with a paint job of a cartoon portrait of Christina Aguilera (from her "Genie in the Bottle" days) juxtaposed in a cloud of baby blue skulls.
mmhmm... I kid you not!

So do you conclude similar outcomes of the afore-predicted mental status of this car-owner? Yes... that's what I thought too!

Ps. If you're reading this post and you happen to be the owner of this car, i'd just like to add: Kudos to you! You've seriously got to have some balls to have done this to your car. Or for that matter, you might just have a seriously severe case of ADD (attention deficiency disorder)... nonetheless, have a brilliant day 'cos you sure as hell made my day! :D

Toodles for now!

Oh! And did I mention...

2008-02-07T12:24:00.001+08:00

... that I was hospitalised!

Aveena Anantharajah
00144134 21/F
Fatimah Ward - Room 20
Dr. Suresh

Oh yes indeedy... twas a whirlwind highlight to the start of the holidays. Apparently a bacterial infection a.k.a gastroenteritis = food poisoning that hit on the morning I got home from Penang. Twas a brilliant holiday regardless, but yeah... it followed with a whole lot of hurling and an even bigger load full of retching. That day I got back, I must've vomited at least 9 times. aiy caramba! Don't even want to get into the fiasco of what happened when I was rushed to Damansara Specialist Hospital. Essentially, I got asked to turn around after the preliminary check-up and go find myself another hospital. And Assunta Hospital was fastest to get to- so voila! And btw, Assunta staff nurses are awesome. Actually, everyone in that hospital was awesome. hmmm?

Oh! And I got the best room in the hospital by the way. The corner room in the ward with a massive view of city... if anything, the sunsets and sunrises were to die for (seriously, no pun intended)!

Diving in Sabah

2008-01-18T11:07:00.000+08:00

A holiday is supposedly a "a period of cessation from work or one of recreation; vacation," but the definition in which one finds most odd in relation to the word is "an unintentional gap left on a plated, coated, or painted surface." Is it really? Have you ever referred to a gap in your haphazard paint job as a "holiday"? Odd indeed...

Regardless, coming back to my initial point- i'm on holiday! Which means... end of year examinations came and went. Results arrived... and lo-and-behold, yours truly is finally a second year medic! Gosh, it sounds even weirder when read on printed text. And the holiday continues...

So we set off to the south eastern edge of Malaysian territory with a mere 1-2 hours of sleep the night prior, we clambered into the terminal all groggy-eyed with oversized backpacks and slight vulnerability stamped on our foreheads!

We were taxied, correction! -we were whizzed on a single lane road, darting from side to side reaching mere inches away of the car ahead of us to cut through and arrive at the tiny forgettable fishing village of Semporna. Scuba-Junkie, our diving company (with their amazingly friendly crew staff), got us settled in and essentially clued in to the itinerary for the days following.

Boat dock behind the wet market, Semporna, Sabah.

Essentially, this trip was by far an unforgettable experience... the things I saw, smelt, felt etc. moulded memories that when rekindled in thought is met with cherished feelings. Firstly, having crossed an ocean to get to Sabah felt in no way like I was still in a part of my own country. The people were different; the people saw me differently. In all honesty- we, in its oddity, stuck out like a manicured finger! It felt like we represented a buffer between the "true" guai loh tourist and a local Sabahan... we conversed with locals in Malay and tourists in English but I never felt like I fit into a category pre-concocted in this little town.

Tampi Tampi (a short taxi ride away from the Scuba Junkie travelers lodge)

Essentially, we got there- sat through a mind-numbing first day of total diving theory but the good stuff came on the days consecutive! Pulau Sibuan is GORGEOUS! Supposedly infamous for its macro diving... as opposed to my very wordy accounts of my experience, i'll leave you with a few snippets from my short Sabah Album on Picasa.

Do you notice the top ridges of the coral traces an almost identical shape to the island in its background. Coincidentally beautiful!

Oege sitting off the scuba boat during our second surface interval at Pulau Sibuan

Pulau Sibuan

Stroll around the entire island of Sibuan takes approx. half an hour- that's how tiny this diving wonder is!
Rambo (this is his real name by the way!) essentially ran up that tree with the aid of all four limbs... twas unreal to watch!

The only thing I do regret is the fact that I hadn't brought an underwater camera. What we saw down there was absolutely mind-blowing! Pictures could never do it justice, but it'd give you a glimpse into what this place has to offer essentially... The only possible way I can describe Sibuan and Sipadan is basically how i'd imagine entering outer space would be. In an environment where the sounds are alien and the rhythm and sounds of your own breath reverberates over all other acoustics. You know how they say every subsequent dive in the same spot will never be the same? Well yes... i'm putting that notion to the test, because i've already planned out my trip back to Sabah in mid-july! Yes, that's how amazing it was... the day I got back, i'd already started dreaming dreams of water and fish and giant green sea turtles.

You go to Sipadan(above) to do one thing, and one thing alone... enjoy the heck out of what beauty lies beneath this deceptively plain blue Malaysian seas.

As for now... I bid adieu! (and i've got more than just a faint feeling that it won't be for long and that there'll definitely be more to come)

2007-11-19T20:33:00.000+08:00

there's just about a half a day left until 'that' time comes...

and i've not come close to finishing (or starting, for that matter) what i've to get done for it.

one full sleep cycle in the last week... i think i deserve that, don't you? aaaahhh what a wondrous thing- a full 4 hours

now, i'm gonna go conquer my mountains!

i'll catch ya on the other side eh?

nite nite! you web-fiendish people, you!

s.o.s

2007-11-15T13:25:00.000+08:00

my eyes are dry
the fan is blowing into it
i can feel the redness burning marks into the whites of my eye (in lieu of the horrific events that're going to happen in the next 3-4 days, i shall refer to it in its scientific name- the sclera)
i need sleep
sleep is gooood

and popiah makes me happy

i've had it three days in a row now

i shouldn't be giving you inane factoids about my daily routine but i can't help it today

i remain the pilocarpine in your glaucoma-ed eyeballs,
the aveena

random memory #1

2007-11-11T21:57:00.001+08:00

It's absolutely ludicrous that a memory so damn random just popped into my head... but yeah, here it is:

I must've been around 12 years old and in that phase of figuring out that "feminine" side I never knew existed. First things first, lets set the story at the beginning: i'm cursed with the oh-so-hairy-syndrome I can so gladly thank my Indian roots for! And yeah... people were very much into shaving their legs at that point- so I decided to do it (haha, I so sneakily "borrowed" a disposable shaver from my parents' cupboard- UNUSED of course- twas one of the free ones you get from aeroplane overnight sets) and went nuts!

So... my mom finds out and obviously my dad joins in the fun and they're both totally bemused by my retarded curiosity. Anywho- to get to my point of this incredibly vivid memory- my dad adds that I shouldn't start shaving my legs (or arms for that matter) early 'cos (brace yourself for this one) apparently, he had a friend in uni who happened to like hairy women. Ok, to be honest, it didn't really bother me then- still not that much now, but heck I still don't understand that fetish. That and the whole feeders fetish. Uuuurgh. Haiyyy. People are many-a-funny-thing indeed.

9 November '07

2007-11-09T16:02:00.001+08:00

In the fritz of all this nasty exam preparation and dire lack of sleep, she reminded me of a certain life lesson.

I laid sprawled on a single bed, the ceiling fan spinning quietly overhead and the whisper of an almost-muted TV host on the tube filling the background. She sat comfortably on the seemingly giant green roller-chair, one leg tucked under her other thigh. And we talked...

She put into words and more-so emotion, what IT is all about. She said; light and life energy come from people around you and yourself. God is whom/what you choose it to be. He/It may be an energy/an embodiment of a human being/a pagan ritualistic statue... all said and done, He is the beacon of hope in which we instill our faith and lead our lives the best way we can.

So is it true? What is my religion? It's something she has passed on to me and I hopefully to another. It is in its simplicity, the religion to do good, to attain happiness and to love.

Essentially, she is one of two very bright stars that gave me light and life- 'moi mama.

Happy Birthday Mummy.

With Love,
your daughter.

Then...

and Now...

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter" - Martin Luther King

(In any context, this holds true)

Liberation

2007-11-04T21:21:00.000+08:00

We live in a world of non-stop hustle and bustle and I think i've said this more than once... we tend to forget to look back and reflect introspectively of all said and done. Maybe we don't regret decisions and their consequences because we never interrogate its very being. Maybe we don't feel guilt because we're secretly sociopaths deep down inside? Maybe all these "we" references should be "I's" instead?

...

Over the past year at least, i've found some solace in solo fitness training. It's the good sort of alone time (where it, in its pool of irony, feels like you're never ever alone in that mind of yours when the fatigue begins to set in). My new found love for alone-time is funnily enough, in a room full of sweaty strangers (sometimes studded with familiar faces) individually strapped into a metallic structure bolted to the ground... a.k.a spinning class/indoor group cycling. It's brilliant that you don't feel the time go by as each level escalates and inter-changes in intensity and gradient. I do have to admit though, the reason I love it most is because I like seeing the perfect concentric beads of sweat emerge from each pore on my exposed skin. The after-effect, oh-the-after-effect! It's rewarding , to say the least, the sheer tiredness guarantees a good nights' sleep that day.

I haven't felt that liberation in a while since other engagements have taken precedence. In the next fortnight, a time in which this liberation is most in need, running around my neighbourhood and familiarising myself to the old houses and the new shall suffice. It isn't all that bad, come to think of it. I've resorted to some sort of interval training due to time constraints and plus, it's a pleasant surprise to find others like me who tread the tar-mac when the sun retreats to the blanket of hues in the sky.

Adieu, I bid for tonight.

Questions I hope answers-to exist someday.

2007-11-04T01:37:00.000+08:00

"Human beings are creatures of consequence," he said. So why do we do what we do? Regardless, I've genuinely come to accept that people are different for reasons known/to-be-found-out/unknown and that for good cause... It's nice to stumble upon a personality that surprises you (hopefully in a good way more so than negative).

Don't you wish though, sometimes at least, there'd be an explanation as to why human beings feel?
As in really ask WHY? (I can't help but question emotions of late)
Why we laugh or cry or feel sad? (I know it's got a whole array of psychological/scientific explanation to it- but why?)
Where does it all lead to?
Where did it come from?

What makes you cry? (Most people know i'm a tap (more like a gushing fountain of tears!)- there must be some sort of scientific explanation as to why I can cry so easily. Not because i'm weak or emotionally unstable or sort... I really can't put it any other way but the fact that in that split second of time, whomever or whatever it concerns- be it real or fictional- I empathise (too much?). I do have to stake claim to the fact however, that when responsibility and at least a mask of composure is required of me- I can perceptively deliver. Does that make sense? The other explanation to why I cry on the polar opposite of this scale would inevitably be my uncontrollable laughter... some may attest to it being comparable to cackling- but heck, I like feeling feelings.

So... what makes YOU cry?

And, what makes you H A P P Y?
Choose not to take this rather primitive word for granted and really ask what? when? and more importantly- why?

Greetings

2007-11-02T00:56:00.000+08:00

Nanu Nanu (Mork would be so proud right now- if you get the reference, thy art most proud-eth of you!)

Regardless, i've been in an unusual mood to write/blog about something of late. Nothing particularly important nor interesting... I just feel like sharing with someone out there- whom might, even in the slightest bit possible, relate to me in one way or another.

That was my opening bid, more to come in due time!

I remain the chocolate sauce on your mashed potatoes,
the Aveena.