Trip to Melaka

(Back to attend to my blog after being busy for the past few weeks)

Around five weeks ago, I have been to Melaka. (photos on my Facebook)

It's been 8 years since I last went to Melaka. Things have definitely changed a lot. Last time, I only had the chance to go around Melaka Town. This time, I have got the chance to explore beyond Melaka town.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude and say thank you so  much to Bear, Bear's mum and family...and also Aaron, Zi Jia, Shu Wen, Aeson, Yu Yan.  Sorry for all the trouble.

I think being sick did affect me during the trip but I really did enjoy the short escape trip from Cyberjaya.

On Seeds of Hope

Many of you would realise that my blog have been full of posts regarding the Seeds of Hope exhibition.

For those who would like to revisit the posts: 

http://lsm-whisperfromwithin.blogspot.com/2011/04/seeds-of-hope-visions-of-sustainability.html

http://lsm-whisperfromwithin.blogspot.com/2011/03/seeds-of-hope-exhibition-in-conjunction.html

http://lsm-whisperfromwithin.blogspot.com/2010/12/seeds-of-hope-exhibition.html

Definitely, being involved in the exhibition has taught me a lot of things. 

I think the most common response I got when I start to take visitors on their tour is: "Oh, it's a go green exhibition."

But, there is a sense of relief that I have narrated well when at the end of the exhibition they would announced proudly that they have been inspired by the exhibition. Most realised that the exhibition is just not about going green. 

I think that is actually how the exhibition works through the formula of Learn, Reflect and Empower. At the end of the day, we hope that the visitors are empowered to really initiate action for change. That would clearly reflect on the message of the exhibition: 'The power of one"

I must also stress that it is the heart-to-heart dialogue between the narrators and the visitors that have made the passing of the key message to be possible.

I am also grateful to the Good Samaritans I have met throughout the series of the exhibition I have been. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. Those who are reading this, you would not be able to imagine how these people have really helped me.

The Seeds of Hope exhibition is now touring the country. So, do find out if it is near your place.

To end this: I would pick this quote of Mahatma Gandhi from the exhibition:"You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."

Touring Penang

For those who didn't know that I am back in Penang already, I am telling you now that I am back in Penang! It may be a little late for me to tell you now since I will be leaving Penang in 4 more days. But, as the saying goes: better late than never!

This semester break, the experience has been a little different. Overall, I had the pleasure of taking three different groups of friends to tour Penang. Firstly, it was housemates and university friends, the "4.30am Melaka people" and thirdly, SGM Educator Group members from Johor.

Perhaps, growing up in Penang makes some Penangites like me to take for granted the unique values of Penang. This time, it has been an eye opening experience for me to really look back and appreciate my hometown. Penang is the place where I was born and educated. It is here where I grow and Penang would be part and parcel that forms my personality. It is also here where I was well-fed with great food!

To describe how deep Penang is to my heart, I would rewrite this phrase that I have posted on Facebook before: 

"While many people (especially politicians) are still thinking whether to declare themselves a Malaysian first or not, I shall declare this: I am a Penangite first. 
And that does not make me less Malaysian nor less Chinese.

Leaving Malaysia

(I am not leaving Malaysia- don't let the title mislead you)

Recently, The Malaysian Insider has set up a few segments to allow its readers to write in on why they left or want to leave Malaysia. It is rather interesting to see the articles being posted. Here is the link: 

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/search/tag/migration

And interestingly, few days after setting up he segment for migration stories, The Malaysian Insider decided to create another segment called Why I Stayed. Here, readers get to read another side of the story.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/search/tag/stay

These two sides of people would argue whether the grass outside Malaysia is greener or vice versa. However, there has been some common points raised by both parties:

The issue of social fairness, governance, discrimination , education, business and  job opportunities have been the core of each and every writer's discussion. There should be something really wrong that these people has been talking about it. I may dedicate one post in this blog for these issues, soon.

THIS FLYER IS MEANT TO BE THROWN

Last month(which means I haven't updated my blog for a very long time), when I was walking in my university, a university mate came and passed me a flyer. I thought it was for an event, or maybe sale. Let me give some of the description on the flyer:

" DOTA Competition! All gamers are encouraged to join....Prizes up to RM500 up for grabs....Register before so and so..."

Okay...it's definitely not something that I will join. But wait, the most imortant past would be what was written at the bottom of the flyer.

"The event above is not real. THIS FLYER IS MEANT TO BE THROWN. It is meant for a survey purpose only"

When the world is trying to go green, there are some people are printing flyer for people to throw. And what type of survey is it when you pass the flyer to someone and that's it!

I did not confront them to know details of what it is all about since my exam was too near at that moment for me to look into that matter. But I could not find reasons to justify their action.

PS: As I have ACCIDENTALLY thrown the flyer away, all the above quotes from the flyer is from my own memory. I have tried to rewrite it again in the most accurate way possible.

Our Beautiful Earth Photography Exhibition by Daisaku Ikeda

Our Beautiful Earth Photography Exhibition by Daisaku Ikeda   "These sublime, noble peaks were just as I had imagined them. As my heart filled with awe and appreciation, I raised my camera and snapped the shutter six, maybe seven, times. These mountains seem alive - breathing. Behind these mountains exists a great life-force. Through these tremendous prayer towers, the life-force of the planet surges skyward and calls out to the heavens. The Himalayas stand as a monument to the Earth's unaging and undying activity."   These were the impression of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Ikeda as he recalled striving to take photographs of the Himalayas back in 1995. Photos of the Himalayas, along with other breath-taking shots is now on exhibit in the "Our Beautiful Earth" exhibition at the Ikeda Peace Exhibition Hall in the Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) Mentor and Disciple Peace Hall. This hall is located on the 8th floor of Wisma Kebudayaan SGM (WKSGM). "Our Beautiful Earth" is the inaugural exhibition of the Ikeda Peace Exhibition Hall.  Those who have viewed the "Dialogue With Nature" exhibition at National Art Gallery in 2003 will be happy to see that some of the photos that they loved at that exhibition are now in the "Our Beautiful Earth" exhibition. They will also be thrilled to see other photographs that were not part of the "Dialogue With Nature" exhibition. For those who have yet to see "Dialogue With Nature", then they will be threated to an visual feast of breath-taking and meaningful shots.  Date Opened on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd weekend of the month from Friday to Sunday (including any public holidays which fall on Friday to Sunday). Friday Saturday Sunday May 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 June 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 Time 11.00am to 6.00 pm Venue 8th Floor, Wisma Kebudayaan SGM Admission Free Inquiry 03-2141 2003 （Chong Giat Wuan） Source: Soka Gakkai Malaysia Do take your time to enjoy the exhibtion

Salvador Dali Crystal Glass Sculpture Exhibition

Date :	May 1 (Sunday) to June 12 (Sunday), 2011
Time :	11.00am – 6.00pm
Venue :	7th Floor Exhibition Hall, Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia
Opening Date :	12 May 2011 (Thursday)
Opening Time :	7.00pm
Organisers :	Soka Gakkai Malaysia and Embassy of Spain
Admission :	Free
Inquiry :	03-9075 6876 (Chan Yin Kwan)

"Every morning when I wake up I experience an exquisite joy —the joy of being Salvador Dalí — and I ask myself in rapture, 'What wonderful things this Salvador Dalí is going to accomplish today?'" — Salvador Dalí.

About the exhibition:

Dali had an ingenious creativity and innovative spirit which can be seen in his paintings, furniture designs, films, writings and sculptures. In 1968, Dali was fascinated with the special method and technique of glass making process called Pate de Verre which transforms elements from soft to hard and from opaque to transparent. This transformed Dali’s imagination into reality. He created his first crystal work entitled "Bouquet".

This exhibition features 25 of Dali’s crystal works including "The Melting Clock" and "Venus de Milo with Drawers". Each creation, executed based on the subjects in his own works, was then softened, distended and underwent transmutation, becoming a dream-like artwork.

About the artist:

Painter, sculptor, furniture designer and writer - Salvador Dali is one of the greatest masters of the Surrealist movement of the 20th century。

Dali was born in Figueras, Spain in 1904. He became proficient in many styles of art while studying in Madrid and Barcelona. By the late 1920s he had developed his own style of painting for which he became famous. Dali was a member of a group of artists and writers known as the Paris Surrealists. The group studied the effects of the subconscious mind over logic. This topic had become an interest for Dali after he discovered Sigmund Freud's writing on subconscious imagery.

Dali was an artist of great talent and imagination. When painting, Dali would put himself into an hallucinatory state to bring about images from his subconscious mind. He often painted common place objects and portrayed them in a changed or deformed way.

Dali died January 23, 1989 in Figueres from heart failure. This brought to the end the life of a most incredible artist and an extraordinary man. There may be much controversy surrounding Dali and his works these days but what can never be taken away from him was his extraordinary way in which he viewed the world and thanks to his art we get to see a bit of what was inside of Salvador Dali’s mind and just maybe our own.

** Feature - The Magnetism of Dali's Glass Sculptures **

In conjunction with the exhibition, there will be a series of programme during the exhibition period, details as follows:

Guided tour Every Saturday and Sunday, 11.00am to 5.00pm. (appointment booking is required for groups of 20 persons or above)
Art Talk by Associate Prof. Ramlan Abdullah Date 29 May 2011 (Sunday) Time 11.00am Venue 11th Floor International Conference Hall, Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia Topic Sculpture Appreciation Medium English Admission Free
Art After 5 Special evening sculpture appreciation sessions with cocktail reception Date 4 June 2011 and 11 June 2011 (Saturday night) Time 8.00pm – 10.00pm (Registration starts at 7.30pm ) Venue Ground Floor Lobby, Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia Participant Limited to 20 person per night, participant age must be above 18 years of age Attire Evening wear Fees RM 30.00
I Am Not Mad: Make your own "Salvador Dali" art piece Salvador Dali once declared, "There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad." Have you ever been called "crazy" when you did something out of the ordinary or did things out of the box? Don’t be upset! We provide you an opportunity to express yourself through ceramic art and to declare "I am not mad!" Date 8 May 2011 and 12 June 2011 (Sunday) Time 2.00pm to 5.00pm Venue 2nd Floor Reception Hall, Wisma Kebudayaan Soka Gakkai Malaysia Participant Limited to 24 persons per section, age 13 and above Material Fees RM 20.00
Registration deadline for activity (3) and (4): May 1 ,2011. Reservation by first-come, first-served basis. For registration & enquiries please contact: Ms. Ho Pei Ying at 03-90756876 or 013-3510380 | Email: arts@sgm.org.my. The Organiser reserves the right to change.

Source: Soka Gakkai Malaysia