World Youth Day for the "Young-at-Heart"

Here's a funny story about being 'young'. A year or so ago, an NGO (non-government organization) held an activity to celebrate "World Youth Day". Most of the members of this NGO were young people in their early twenties, who are full of life and vibrant with energy, enthusiasm for what they were doing, and bursting with bright ideas. They got a venue in a shopping mall where they expected lots of public to be passing, especially youth of their own age, who hopefully would spontaneously join in their program of activity, celebrating WYD.
Everything was prepared and set up at the shopping mall, and all involved were rearing to go on the big day.

However, due to timing, not many young people seemed to be around, that afternoon. Whether, more young people came into the shopping mall later in the day, I'm not sure. Perhaps, it was too impromptu or suffered insufficient publicity of the activity before hand.

Yet, to their credit, these young and vibrant persons did not give up and strived to get whoever, regardless of age, involved in the Youth Day celebration. Most of the people who sportingly came forward to participate in the Youth Day activity were mainly the middle-aged or even elderly 'young-at-heart' who, ironically, had a straggling youthful audience.

The 'young-at-heart' seemed to enjoy themselves in this youth activity, some even taking part in an 'eating contest'! In contrast, many of the real youth stood on the sidelines making up the audience, smiling sheepishly and appearing too shy to 'let- their- hair-down'. 
This was really awkward, as it seemed, a section of our youth seem 'older' and more reserved, than the middle-aged and elderly 'young-at-heart', game to celebrate Youth Day, anytime. To relive those good old days, when they were really as young and vibrant as our NGO friends.

This World Youth Day celebration was a success for the crowd for whom it was not exactly intended. Still, we (yours truly too) who have come to the half century cross-roads of our lives should take comfort in knowing that aging is merely a state of mind, despite the creaking bones and crows-feet wrinkles around the eyes.

 You are not old until you think you are, and start acting like it. Thanks to these young and vibrant NGO youth, who will probably look back in their twilight years and seek to relive those exciting times, just like we, the 'young-at-heart' are doing. 

Getting married at 60, my cousin's (the bride) wedding.

"Let's twist again, like we did last summer!" (1950's pop song).

Journey of the Comet

Disaster is a leveller. When people of whatever origin, ethnic, cultural or religious background face common adversity, their differences are forgotten. That, is usually the case, but there may be exceptions in certain situations. There are amongst us (the human race), all kinds of characters; some are opportunists, some revert to saving themselves whilst others may emerge as leaders, and still many more, will decide who they think is right. My country is currently facing the metaphorical disaster of bad governance, rampant corruption and crime. Much of the system is like a maze where you often come to a dead-end. The current ruling administration desparately tries to pull rabbits out of a hat to appease the growing rumbles of a dissatisfied population. These illusionist acts are costing us too much, driving up our national debt well over 50%. 

But, over the past couple of years, a rapid and encouraging change has come over a portion of the population who appear to have found their wings. This started when we realized,by the end of 2007, that we were facing a common disaster and so made a firm decision to avert it, but only managed to effect a partial change in March 2008. Yes, it was the  "3/08 Tsunami'  in Malaysia, that amazed our neighbors and friends.

From this, we saw the rise of the Movement for Clean, Free and Fair Elections (Bersih), a coalition of civil society and human rights organizations including a national laureate writer, lawyers, academics and activists. This was the comet that swept through the night sky of our despondency and continues to light a path of hope towards, democracy, justice, peace and reason, out of this quagmire of empty promises and descent to degradation.

Just yesterday, the Lady and Man from the Comet appeared in our midst, they rallied us to join the journey of the Comet. As in ancient legends and folk tales, the ordinary folk's eyes opened in amazement and wonder at the message they brought - of togetherness, peace and hope for a better life, a better future, a new unity, where "we are different, yet we are the same..." (John Denver). 

By joining the journey of the Comet, we become the stars in its constellation, populating the nightsky and lending our light to others to navigate their ships to safe harbours. So, come, let us go to light up the nightsky in the trail of the Comet. Let us protect this small and bright light following the path of the Comet in the hope of overcoming the Darkness for good, one day.        

 

Girls Getting Even

The status of women nowadays is apparently 'more' equal to men. Yet, there's an underlying feeling that women are still a step down in ways that are obvious at times, but subtle most of the time. Take the work place, for instance, discrimination against women working in the private sector is allowable and unchallenged by any law in Malaysia. Frequently, women are paid less than men for doing the same job, requiring the same level of skill. Some cultures still maintain that the woman's place is in the home and nowhere else. The reality is that, women are now gaining more knowledge of the outside world and closely connecting with it.  

When I was very young I felt this inequality very keenly, being the 'adventurous type'. My usual playmates were boys and I felt like just "one of the guys" even participating in their rougher games like - "chia-ba". 

This game was played in a circle with the "pitcher" in the centre throwing a small hard rubber ball at anyone he chose, then dashing to grab the place of the person who had been hit before being hit back. It was something like Tag, but more painful when you got hit by the ball, thrown with a lot of force. Having engaged in such play where pain was not an issue for me, I found it difficult in later years to adjust to being 'lady-like' and was often told to "shut up" because I was out-spoken, making blunt and tactless comments. Which I think, sometimes, held some grain of truth. Young children, frequently, don't know what they're talking about.

Looking back, I think my brother and his friends may have at some stage seen me as a threat. I couldn't understand why. It was a mystery to me as to why my brother always thought that I was in competition with him from doing little things to cleaning the family car. I was only putting into practice the principle that " whatever you do, do your best", which my parents and teachers kept drumming into us.

So much for parental control, like a wild flower, I found myself growing outside the garden and often being treated like a weed. When I was mature enough to analyse the situation, I decided that I was responsible for my own destiny and since then "getting even" with the male population has become part and parcel of my personality. It's a challenge all women have the choice to take or leave, depending on how satisfied they are with their status as women.

I don't hate men, in fact, some of them, I see as my best friends, especially the ones whom I feel interact with me on equal terms. However, the caring and protecting role of women should not be under-valued nor our ability to defend, under-estimated. There is a natural latent ferociousness in all women when their stability or their loved ones are threatened. So, to me, a woman has the power to decide her own destiny, and the ability to be responsible and in control of her own decisions and actions. It all depends on whether you are ready to take the challenge and face the consequences, positively.

A little out of the usual

Went down town yesterday to see what I could find at the "Refugee Carnival" that was held in the New World Park on Burma Road, near the Giant Supermarket, And came back with something I never anticipated having ... a henna design on my hand!

Isn't that sweet?

It was done by Aini from Tanjung Tokong. She's been doing this as a part-time occupation for a few years now. This is a new cultural experience for me as I've seen Indian and Malay women decorate their hands and feet with henna design but it didn't occur to me to try, up to now.


Aini and her husband.

There were quite a few kids and parents from the refugee community. The kids entertained the crowd singing popular English songs.

Rohingya refugee kids choir

And participating in a drawing competition.

 

.

Busy bee kids

And here are some toddlers, I couldn't resist snapping.

 

I wonder...

 

Can I play too?

Sweet dreams and bliss in Mum's arms.

It was a pretty good day for them and for me. Just a break for them from the everyday grind  of being a refugee, to feel human and normal for these few precious hours.  

How lucky Malaysians are to live in peace and safety, able to go wherever we wish without having to look over our shoulders at every turn and dreading the worst at the back of our minds. Often, we take stability for granted but will appreciate it even more if we know how precarious the existence of a refugee is. Just to survive is a struggle because there is no security and no guarantee of meeting basic human needs of food, shelter, clothing, education or medical treatment. Some food for thought...

Why am I doing this?

I've tried to blog before but was not confident that I could maintain a blog. That's not the only reason. Actually, blogging is a means of communicating with those who may take some interest in whatever I have to say. A way of sharing views informally and straight from the heart. Best, done with friends. Nowadays, many people have no time for others, they're caught up in the tight schedules and routines of their own little worlds. Nothing wrong with that, but taking time out does refresh you. 

So, I think this blog will be like my sitting room where I can just flop down in a comfortable chair or on the floor, and do whatever I fancy doing. "Build castles in the air", daydream and entertain all sorts of strange thoughts. Throw my mask to the winds and be who I am without judging myself. Anyway, so many thoughts have been jamming themselves into my brain lately, that I need to release some of them. So, chip into the conversation if you feel like it or hold your peace. This is a space for friendly conversation, please put all enraged, stressful and pent up frustration aside, as I don't tolerate vulgarity or bad language when talking to anyone. 

My thoughts may run in all kinds of directions from time to time, but I will try to stay coherent and understandable as far as possible. There's so much to talk about, even the weather is not a simple topic of conversation now. Climate change is something we all need to consider seriously. Very often we don't seem to remember how the world is physically changing and the dire need to save as much of it as we can. Human kind seems rather destructive by nature. Almost all we do impacts something else, often negatively. We need to learn how to protect each other and share our blessings. Until we do, this planet is still endangered by the inherent greed of its own inhabitants.