Category: KL

2013 At A Glance

This year I learned that my body and my mind don’t communicate with each other. One can be weaker than the other; it doesn’t matter which is weaker, either way, I suffer.
This year I know I’ve underperformed, for reasons best kept to myself. But one important take home lesson is that I should believe in myself more. I really should. It’s something I’ve struggled for a long time, but this time it hit me hard.
This year I felt there were more downs than ups for me, but maybe that’s not true. I do have many blessings too. I went to places, saw things and people that reminded me of how fortunate I am; I met and made new friends, I’m beginning to learn to be more selective with friends, keeping only the ones who are true and sincere; I was given the opportunity to do something good for others; I learned some Tagalog; I passed a tough exam; I still love and enjoy what I’m doing/learning now. 
This year my best friend gave birth to a little princess; my classmate gave birth to a prince; another one got a baby girl too. Another best friend got married. My grandmas are still around and don’t have major health issues (special thanks to big brother and Cynthia for taking care of ah mah). These are among the many things I’m grateful for. 
And yet, in some ways this year went by in a lightning speed, my memories of the year were marked by sporadic blackouts which I couldn’t recall much of what happened. 
This year is finally over. I’m thankful for all that happened, and all that did not. I’m still learning about life, still finding ways to be a better self. This coming new year will be a year about a better self, and my goal is to take it easy, and live every day like it’s the last. 
Happy new year everyone! 

Souls.In Love

Souls in Love
By Hands Percussion

If our souls can be weighed, how much is given to love?
No one remains alone forever. We are bound by love.
Love is familiar. It is a part of us as we live and breathe, at every waking moment. Yet, can any of us truly grasp its meaning? Is there even a meaning to love?
Some say that modern day love is only imagery – it is passionate, it overwhelms, and is selfish.
We kill love with trivialities – who has taken too much, who has given too little. No one should stay if the love is unrequited.
Love is not always a sad tale about passions and regrets. Nor is it an unfaltering candle always burning bright.
Love is a schemer of the highest order, arousing all sorts of emotions within us at different times, and sometimes all at once. In love, we find warmth and cold, fight and desertion, joy and hatred, satisfaction and annoyance.
Some say we can measure the value of our existence by the weight of our love.
Love is never right or wrong.
We find love in the sweet whisperings of a young courting couple; and in the drone of a spinning, jaded city.
And sometimes we find love in complete silence.
Love penetrates, tussles, and scathes our hearts. Like a scar marked with its memories – it cannot be mended or erased. Like the multi-coloured shades of love, the gradient of our lives change with every encounter.
We all have tales of love of our own. Some are explicit, and others are locked away in the deep vaults of our hearts.
Love is an image. An abstract notion, yet so real.
愛・本相
靈魂的重量裏，到底有多少是給了愛？
世上的一切都不孤零，人融合於一個精神──愛。所謂「愛」，似乎人人都知曉，也被視為人之常性。但又有幾人真正明白愛的本質？
有人說我們身處在一個愛情泛濫又同時匱乏的年代。人與人之間總在計較，誰少愛了點，誰付出多一點。無論如何，沒人願意像賣火柴的小女孩，凝視著一根又一根劃亮火柴中所顯現的種種，最終只得幻象。
愛，不會只是鴛鴦蝴蝶，也不僅是閃爍著朱紅光芒的神龕。愛，含括了這個世界所有的殘酷與溫暖、所有的奮力與棄逃、所有的喜悅及悔恨、所有的燥烈及柔和……，更多的時候，是關於人們對自己存在價值的必然質疑。
Hands Percussion is one of my favorite performance group. Should check them out if you’re in KL! They are performing between August 9 and 12 at KLPAC. 

Running

To many, running a marathon is probably no big deal. But to me, it’s no small feat. My memories of childhood consists more of seeing the doctor for coughs, colds, asthmas (albeit only mild ones) and almost nothing on being active in any sports. The only memories that were sports-related were the many times when I broke my glasses playing basketball. Even then, I wasn’t really playing- all I remembered was everyone fighting over the ball and the next thing I knew I felt it smashed into my face and my glasses either broke into half or went out of shape beyond repair. (Oh no wonder I have a flat nose!!)

And so, the fact that I used to be the sick kid made my participation in this marathon all the more meaningful. I didn’t do it to prove my dad wrong (he told me outrightly that I couldn’t do it) or to prove that I’m physically fit; I did it because I wanted to challenge myself to something I wasn’t completely sure I can do. To me, it’s just as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge. God only knows how many times I wanted to quit, even on the night before- I was still thinking of ditching the race or scaling it down to 10km. But! I persisted. And though I stopped to walk for a few miles due to abdominal cramps, I still got to the finish line. I can’t even begin to explain how exhilarated I felt when I got there! I couldn’t jump around and scream “I did it I did it I did it” because people would stare and think I had come out from some psychiatric hospital, but really, that’s what I felt like doing. No I didn’t win anything, but I’m still on cloud nine even as I write this. 🙂  Ok some pictures.