Pummkin’s Pitch

It’s been quite a few weeks after cajoling myself up to Cameron Highlands to see what I did not get to see at Christmas last year. A successful alarm dodges near the dash. I visited the Time Tunnel, an antiquated pieces museum that depicted the history of Cameron Highlands & her visitors, the period pieces of life that denoted a simple childhood & the decor that adorned coffeeshops of old. I’ve contemplated on starting a proper travel blog to publish my life’s work & it’s currently underway. Once that is up, you can bookmark it to read about my journey & come here to listen to issues that I so do not want to deal with! I’m hoping to do this as much as I can!

More about the Time Tunnel later in the new travel blog.

Birds-eye view of the prison wall surrounding the prison.

Hardly anything was mentioned about the people who painted the mural of the now, demolished Pudu Prison Wall. On the night of the 21 June 2010, these walls that once held the regal paintings of scenes from a convict’s captive imagination of the jungles & streams from his younger days, came tumbling down to make way for a wider road. Ironically, nothing much had been said about the soon-to-be demolished former prison that once held 6,550 inmates requiring them to take sleep shifts in 240 cells over the years since it was built in 1895 until yesterday when UDA announced the plans for a mixture of commercial & residential project over the site.

The mural of the jungle & waterfall that’s left on the day of demolition.

In the 1980’s, there would be a man, with buckets of paints, preparing to spread the wall with a white emulsion. I watched in fascination as daddy sends us to school & most often we get stuck in traffic along Jalan Pudu. The earth-coloured walls would take on panel by panel of white paint, much like what the art teacher taught us to lay down a foundation before your work of art goes onto the paper. Over the weeks, these white walls were soon taking on a greenish hue, multi-tones of turquoise & stops where the outline of what seemed to be tree trunks, took place. As the branches were drawn, I could only imagine that the artist was painting a jungle - totally befitting of how the area derived its name from. Pudu in Cantonese is called Pun San Par, meaning ‘half jungle.’ With my windows down, I would watch this artist accompanied by a uniformed watchmen, with fascination as he laid the intricacies of the mural with his fingers & hand! He paid no attention to the buses & vehicles plying the route & went on to paint from morning till whenever. This stretch of 394m vertical facade made the entry to the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest mural on earth. Week by week, the walls transformed into a beautiful work of art that was vibrantly standing in the heart of the Golden Triangle.

Sceneries of the beach & seaside was also captured on the Jalan Hang Tuah’s section of the wall.

Although several people worked on this mural according to Helen Ang who wrote in the NST on April 21, 1994, only one person (Khong Yen Chong) got the recognition for it. This is what she wrote in a blogpost recounting the article:-

Let me share with you something I wrote in NST on April 21, 1994. It’s about ex-convict Pha Tee, the man on crutches with one leg amputated. A former drug addict, Pha had been in and out of jail most of his adult life, serving his first term in 1963 and last released 1990. His daughter recalled she sometimes saw her father painting the Pudu mural when she passed by the prison; “I wished then that I could have stopped and talked to him.”

In the photo, the right side of Pha’s jaw is swollen – “due to an infection which began when a fish bone stuck in his gum. In an attempt to cure the ailment he had extracted several of his teeth, using a string to pull them out”.

Pha earned his living through menial work, scavenging cables and electrical wires from abandoned buildings or collecting scrap metal.

According to Pha, the other artists who worked on the mural – and whom he remembered – were Khong Yen Chong, Cheng Tai Cheng, and Lee Kim Seng.

At the time I interviewed him in 1994, Pha said he’d painted murals on a block of flats in Jalan Pandan, another on a fence in a back lane behind Jalan Talalla, hotel in Perlis and factory in Terengganu.

As for my article headline; Pha said covering the prison walls with scenes from his captive imagination allowed him to remember the jungles and streams from his younger days, and gave him a transient feeling of ‘freedom’. “We worked outside from morning until early afternoon but the guard was always there, and so you always knew you had to go back inside.”

The main gate of the prison.

Someone had a sense of humour when this was drawn. No, it’s not part of the original mural.

When I got news of the demolition, I got hold of Aziz, my neighbour, to accompany me to get the last shots of this place. Although some of the panels had been tainted with graffiti, I was just glad to save a piece of history for my own recollection in later years. We ran across to the road divider as well as the nearest monorail station to try to get the best shots & left no holes un-ferreted. Aziz said that there used to be a little hut on Jalan Hang Tuah right beside the prison where they used to sell the handicrafts & goods made by the inmates. That hut is no longer there but the memory lives on.

Aziz peering through the hole in the tiny metal door.

Locks that secured this door.

The Watch Tower on the main gate. I was really tempted to climb it.

I could only imagine the hope of Pha Tee in being free to see the place that he held so vividly in his imagination that translated into this work that’s now demolished. It must have been this hope, that sets him apart from the rest for being able to set foot outside the prison for months. I wish all the artists who contributed to this fantastic piece of history, would lead new lives after they have served their term.

I bet if Pha Tee is still alive, he might not remember the pudgy girl who constantly yelled from her daddy’s car window, but he would surely remember hearing “Cover that section of the tree!” or “Cover this section of the grass!”… whenever the car stopped at where he was smudging!

Some of you have landed here from the link in my Twitter homepage or some of you got here from the gallery of pictures that I showcase but whichever the case, let me clarify what this blog is to me as is to you who have followed me since the inception in 2005. Maybe you got here to get an idea of who I am and what I do or maybe you are a client or prospective client for my services. What I write here is entirely my personal expression of what God had been doing in my life and how He has brought me to see much of the world to bring about the purposes He has in store for His people. I am merely the messenger who lives a life doing what she does best, diving, teaching, writing and photography. When I’m not teaching diving, I’m writing.

Friends say that I bare too much here but that’s because I don’t believe I have anything to hide. It’s not like I air dirty laundry in public that people might take and fling it back at me, it’s stuff that I encounter and personal difficulties that make me human. I’m in touch with myself, my emotions and my ability (sometimes not) to handle situations. In a world where people look at what you have, how much you earn (or think you earn), whom you know, what you know and how your popularity ranks amongst the Joneses as a measure of your success, I’d say, that’s not God’s standard of how I should live. With what I have (not a lot) I give of myself, with what I know, I share it to make others empowered, with whom I befriend, I make it worthwhile for the time spent in each other’s presence. When clients come to this blog, they will get an idea of the person that I am, not a person who has a facade that shields a warped mind or an incapable person for the task that is to be bestowed. Having said this, it’s also not the right platform to see my professional capabilities because everything here is an honest view and expression of integrity in my day-to-day living that’s above all that I do. I promote stuff that I use, places that I think is worth going because my opinion matters to students who have benefitted from my experience as someone who’s qualified, well-travelled and capable of making use of gadgets, equipment and computers.

Sometimes, you will read of my professional challenges here, but most often, you will read about how I overcome them instead. God did not call me to be a victim of circumstances nor did He say that I would be free of trouble but He promised me that He would see me through each situation as I encounter them. In my pursuit of underwater photography, I’d been messing up a lot. Firstly, in wanting to buy over Derrick’s strobes, he insisted that I take them on loan first to try. So I did. Both his SeaandSea YS110 were so powerful that at the lowest manual setting and the highest aperture and shutter speed on my LX3, I still had to pull the arms that secured the strobes back. And for some reason, the fibre-optic cable was not registering the light emission to fire in sync so I get a proper shot and several dark shots that followed. I missed a great number of shots of moving subjects and was extremely frustrated. Secondly, I get so excited going on a night dive without students that I forget to attach the fibre-optic cable to fire my strobes! Aaaah…..what a klutz! I’ve got to accept that things happen even when you are ultra meticulous.

A lot of my works, cannot be published here due to copyright issues and contracts signed with my clients (magazine publishers, portals, corporate companies, travel agents, tourism authorities and the likes) hence, until such a time that such contract cease to operate or when such term expires, I’m able to share them randomly on the net. Yes, it’s somewhat restricting to what many of you like to read about my exploits and adventure but it pays my bills and I’ve got to abide by them. I’m thinking of putting them up in a different section of my blog, once I’m able to, to show you what I’ve done with my literary pursuits. I am available for commissioning with due notice given.

Of late, there has been a string of projects that warrant me to give feasibility studies report and tourism activities potential feedback to the prospective clients and I’ve completed one in West Sumatra last month. Naturally, the piece that I’m writing cannot be published until the client accepts it and approves it for publication.

In the passed few weeks (maybe even months), I’d been having mental blocks, a period where words just wouldn’t flow. Inspiration was not forthcoming and despite putting myself under tremendous undue pressure, I couldn’t write pass 10 words. Worse, I didn’t know where to start. I thought it may be because I had abandoned my love for sharing, for the work that I am due to submit and I’m right!

Since the arrival of my nieces, sister and bro-in-law from North Carolina two weeks ago, I endeavoured to spend as much time with them as possible, thereby, abandoning work, writing, blogging and the Macbook altogether. How liberating it has been! I’m aware that I need to live and to have fun to be able to generate an output worthy of my clients’ engagement! What a tough time it has been! I’ve been sitting in the shell for too long, looking and feeling silly like this Hermit Decorator Crab that I shot. Looking at what I’ve put together so far, indicate that I’m on the road to recovery and am ready to take on challenges of having a column in a noteworthy magazine and being on the waitlist for a faraway expedition of a lifetime.

Life is a process of living through predestined encounters, some bad, some not so good and some that would leave you breathless. Ive said to myself that maybe one day, when I do have that encounter again, I would make the effort to build on it. What happens when you feel that you are in it by yourself? Would it invalidate your encounter? Or would you let that experience build on you? Uncertainties are most unnerving and many give up because they dont want to be let down. What if it was disappointment in the first place that warranted a defensive action which seemed to be a rejection but its not? What if theres really something at the end of the rainbow if you care to wait after the rain? What if the rainbow is that something that you may be beaming from within you, that can be sighted long after the rain is gone? How would that measure up to what others see in you?

The only way to find out is to look outside every time it rains, and wait for the sunshine…it may beam you up higher than wherever you have been before…

It’s taken me so long to write this piece because I am dry and uninspired from a few events that transpired after New Year. I’ve poured out my heart to God in prayer but He gave me visions instead of answers to my persistent queries, not even coming close to what I can make out of. I decided then, I was not praying in line with His will & began to ask for revelation. Setting my heart & my soul aside, I asked Him what it was that He wanted me to do. I realised that if I wasn’t filled with the Spirit, something else would take that place. I went on trips that couldn’t reach that deep longing in me for contentment, I pursued things that I was made to do but found no joy in doing them. Something in me died but I’m not sure what. It’s like I’ve almost reached that point of emptiness where nothing made sense at all. I didn’t want to party, I wasn’t making an effort to meet people, I was settling into a routine that I myself couldn’t understand what has become of the adventure-loving soul that I once was. Surely this temporary predicament is a phase in everyone’s life?

God began to reveal things in the realm to me. The rights of the indigenous people had been robbed of them. He showed me the situation of things to come. He told me to be prepared. I wish I could understand prophecies! Given in parts, it hardly made sense at all but in preparation for things to come, I will heed all that He has said & will lay my plans down to do His will. There will be trips but to the interiors of Borneo soon. I am not sure what He wants me to do but the least I can do is to be available. Just then, I received assignments of all sorts, some good, some totally ridiculous, masking as a kamikaze mission with a one-way ticket to heaven. Imagine being asked to locate a Russian warship that sank during World War, together with a German submarine that sent the torpedo out to sink the Russians. Due to a fluke, the submarine sank too. A bit of research told me that this Russian wreck sits on 90m of water right in the middle of the busiest shipping lane in Penang with bad visibility and currents so strong, that I would resurface in Phuket. Err…..did they forget that I’m an underwater photographer who love the thrill of putting a skill to work using scuba and not a Remotely Operated Vehicle??? I may have the experience of putting the project together but there is no fun for me if I don’t take the pictures myself. I took on simpler assignments instead as it was more challenging without running the risk of contracting diseases in a polluted ocean….

I went to West Sumatra recently to explore much of the highlights not listed on any websites. We possibly charted many waypoints along the way while seeing what the town of Padang has to offer on the way to Cubadak Island. Wait for my article then. I need to get this out of my system before embarking on that….

One of the first few blogs I had written was about cupids and the role they played in my life. What has changed 5 years on, is the people whom I was set up to meet, are all married now and different friends have taken on the cupid role. I would like to think I’m not off the shelf neither am I desperate to get hitched but every time friends want me to meet so and so, I do it for the friendship and camaraderie of having fun.

Few years ago, on a trip to Sipadan, I blogged about how total strangers have advised me the things that I already knew in my mind from the experience that I had gone through having worked in the dive industry. In this post, I was reflecting upon how God had been providing for my every need even as I led a world renown biologist to dive and he had a major fit. Just because I had been proposed, it doesn’t mean I will accept. In my entry detailing the man of my dreams, I had listed out the kind that would turn me on, and the kind that would turn me away. Even my favourite hawker reminded me how I need to open my life to having someone again!

I’m not sure if I’ll ever find myself anyone I had envisioned that way but the journey in search of this guy is just hilarious. I hope you would enjoy my pieces which have brought me much fulfillment and to be there to journey with me as I live the drama that enfolds daily in my walk that is never short of excitement.

Founded by Stephen Ronee Lau in 2008, this project was initially doubted & scorned by skeptics. The participation fee of RM50 was deemed too much by cynics who cast off this initiative as a scam. Stephen is the brainchild behind the branding of Aquaria KLCC’s programs and their first coffee-table book. His concepts in events and mind-map training have earned him a reputation of being a trendsetter. When he approached me to ask for my participation in submitting 20 underwater images for the digital album DVD, I didn’t hesitate. Though the deadline had been extended several times due to insufficient number of images, that didn’t deter Stephen and the rest of us in believing what he could do with it.

On 6 March 2010, this event was launched at the National Art Gallery by the Deputy Minister of Natural Resource & Environment with an exhibit ion of 42 participants’ work, one of each selected from the portfolio submitted for this program. We were given a certificate of appreciation for our work as each one was called to the stage to receive it from the Minister. Even the participants themselves couldn’t believe that such opportunities existed in a simple submission of their photos. It was to be displayed for a month but the Minister announced that it be made a permanent exhibit as Stephen presented all 42 pieces, bound & framed, to the National Art Gallery. I was told a month prior to this launch to be present and being the first of its kind in Malaysia and for the dive industry, I told Stephen that I would not miss it for the world. I even told a dear friend who is no longer here, that it would mean so much to me if I could share the moment but who am I to warrant the time of bigwigs with their heroic deeds? I am just a small fry in the ocean looking out for other small fries not wanting to be eaten before our time.

Well, my little moment of recognition came with the presence of my dear friends who made it in their finest attire to grace and celebrate the event with me since my family could not. Thank you, Heanna, Er-Win, Jia Li, Wong & friend. Your support had been tremendously uplifting.

Picture courtesy of Bahaman Hashim.

I can finally say I’m exhibited in the National Art Gallery!!!

The call has come to unite & stand for justice in our country. When I began to pray, God showed me these verses in the Bible the moment I opened the Book. He has answered & He will begin the cleansing & deliverance!

When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts?
Bring no more vain sacrifice; incense is an abomination to Me; the new moon and sabbath, the going to meeting; I cannot endure evil and the assembly!

Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me; I am weary to bear them.

And when you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek judgment, reprove the oppressor. Judge the orphan, plead for the widow.

Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. How has the faithful city become a harlot? It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.

Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water; your rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves a bribe, and is pursuing rewards; they do not judge the orphan, nor does the cause of the widow come to them. And the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, the mighty One of Israel, says, Alas! I will ease Myself of My foes, and avenge Myself of My enemies.

And I will turn back My hand on you, and purge away your dross as with lye, and take away all your alloy. And I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her returning ones with righteousness.

And the downfall of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together; and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you shall be ashamed for the gardens which you have chosen. For you shall be like an oak whose leaf fades, and like a garden that has no water.

And the strong shall be like tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall put them out. Isaiah 1:12 - 31

This article was published in the Virtual Malaysia magazine that’s distributed to all of Tourism Malaysia’s offices worldwide & is a culmination of my travel experiences to stay safe as a female, sometimes solo traveller. Hope it can help you plan a safer trip wherever you may be going!

As much as we would like to have a safe and fuss-free travel, not every situation is preventable no matter how careful you are. So prevention is always better than cure. What this guide was designed to do is to give you a precautionary measure before and during your travel. You may think that misfortune only happens to somebody else; but to others, you are somebody else!

Before Travel

• Scan all credit cards, airline tickets, passports and important documents, front and back and inside front cover and stored online in your email for easy retrieval should you lose them and need to produce verification.

• Jewellery and luggage and all valuables should be photographed prior to trip. If you don’t need them, it is better to NOT bring them.

• Get your cash from the ATM and change your currencies a day earlier and as you wouldn’t want to be a target on the move.

• Keep your cash in separate places, in your wallet for easy access and in a travel sling wallet on your neck or a secret compartment in your belt.

• Pack medical prescription plus first aid in a kit & some in your hand carry luggage. You’ll never know when you may need an antacid, paracetamol or anti-histamines.

• Carry a small LED torch with you. These are super bright and battery lasts for much longer on a set of batteries than those with conventional bulb. Can be handy when there is a blackout or when you get stuck in a lift or end up in somewhere dark. Anything that has 150 lumens (brightness) and above will be good. Sometimes you may want to check out if there are stalkers around the corner while you do a short surveillance with the long range torch.

• Have a GPS with you and learn how to use it prior to travel. Purchase maps of the country/place you are visiting and install them before you leave. It would give you an idea how far you are from your intended destination.

• Get a directory of breakdown service, in case your car breaks down.

During Travel

• At the airport, have your laptop bag placed on your lap and not in between your feet. If you have to, loop the strap around your leg. Syndicates work to distract you then steal.

• Make sure the person in front of you has cleared the detector before you put anything on the conveyor belt. You must delay putting your luggage and laptop on the conveyor belt until you’re sure you’ll be the next person through the metal detector. And, as you move through the detector, keep your eyes on the conveyor belt and watch for your luggage and laptop to come through at the other end, while keeping a your eye on what those in front of you are picking up.

• Always bargain the price of a taxi before entering it, even if it has a meter. Always use taxis that are recommended and referred by the hotel you are staying. Be wary of taxis you hail on the street. If you are in the airport, always use the appointed Airport transfer counter to get one with a list of fixed rates such as the Airport Limo (M) Sdn Bhd at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to avoid being fleeced by touts. See the table in the following page.

• Establish with your hotel to give you the name of the person in charge to pick you up. Do not get into any vehicle if the name of the person is different from the intended person. You could be charged with a hefty sum by unscrupulous cheats.

• You may take the KLIA Ekspres, a high speed train instead from KLIA directly to KL city centre (or vice versa) in only 28 minutes and from there, a taxi to your desired location.

• Stay close to your valuables when passing through airport security.

• If you are a single woman on the move, never admit that you are travelling alone. Always say you are meeting your spouse on the flight or at the destination you are going to. Even as you check into hotels, it would be defensive to check in as Mr. and Mrs. to deter unwanted advances.

• If you have important documents or papers, carry them with you; NEVER check in anything that you simply cannot afford to lose. Photocopy your passport, driver’s license and credit cards.

• Look for a parking lot that is well lit and secure. Find out if there’s valet parking and if it will be available when you need it. Use it, even if it costs a little bit more.

• There should be privacy for guests checking in: no one should be able to overhear a name, room number, or other personal information.

• Room numbers should be written on the key envelope, not mentioned aloud or inscribed on the key–this way, anyone finding your key won’t have access to your room.

• Never hesitate to have a hotel personnel escort you to your room.

• Couples travelling together should pack half of their belongings in each other’s bag. In case of missing luggage, both your clothes are still accessible in the remaining bag.

• Upon checking into your room, familiarise yourself with the fire escape plan usually stuck on the door. It pays to know where the nearest fire exits are.

• Leaving the ‘Please Make Up My Room’ sign at the door is an indication of an empty room. The do not disturb sign can make the room seem occupied (especially handy if you leave expensive items inside).

• Check the bills and write the total amount before you sign and return the slip. Phantom amounts has been known to be included in the ‘tips’ section above the total.

• When walking into a lift alone and someone suspicious unexpectedly comes in with you, press any floor other than the floor you are staying on. This decoy method is to prevent anyone from knowing which room you are staying in. Press the alarm if needed. If in doubt, get out before the door closes.

• If you place your carry-on bag on the floor when sitting in a restaurant or other public area, put your foot through the strap; don’t leave it loose.

• In a taxi, pay the driver while you are still inside to get your rightful change. If travelling with your partner, make sure the male is the first to get in and last to get out. Have the driver leave his driver’s seat to remove your luggage from the boot before you get out of the car.

• Use a security cable to lock your laptop to a fixed object in the hotel. If you wouldn’t leave your wallet exposed in the room, why would you leave RM5,000 unlocked?

These are only guidelines to a safer travel. There are no guarantees that you will not be a possible target when you are a tourist anywhere in the world but the more you prepare defensively, the less likely you will suffer the effects of crime. What you apply to prevent being fleeced as a tourist will be useful in your preparation for your future trips.

Going to Koh Lipe used to be treacherous as you would have to pass through the occasional unrest in Southern Thailand before reaching the city of Hadyai. It was often perceived that cowboys ruled the border towns & lawlessness was the order of the day. Instead of travelling 9 hours into Hadyai by bus, 2 hours by van to Pak Bara and 5 hours of boat ride to Koh Tarutao before finally reaching Koh Lipe, I took a solo flight to Langkawi to board a 1 hour speedboat at Awana Porto Malai harbour the morning after.

How the place has changed! The Mat Sallehs, Mat Sallies & even Mat Salahs thronged what used to be a tranquil isle of recluse. I was somewhat, irritated by the crowd, the chaos at the point of waiting for our passports to be stamped by the authorities and the price hike of food at the resorts. I met a friendly Malay chap called Azhar, who had a car rental counter at the airport on the way there as we shared a conversation over our deteriorating state of affairs in Malaysia. He went to the trendy new resort at the end of the beach while I decided to traverse to the west of the island to Sunset Beach with its own fringing reef that I can snorkel over without much stress. Packing a 40litre Deuter backpack, my entourage this time excluded Choffster but had Simba & Monchichi in tow.

Settling in, I dropped in next door to say hello to Barry of Sabye Divers & Flour Power Bakery. Then upon embarking on my cross island adventure, I was shocked to see half the jungle was cleared to make way for development. What used to be the wetlands for the migratory birds was now a barren land with excavators paving the way for roads and more resorts. Horrors, I did not expect to see this.

Consolation was, I had a furry entourage with me wherever I went on the island & wherever I choose to settle. I could be taking shots of sunset for all that matters when these pooches come & settle alongside with me or on me. What a joy! Im never alone! I had them check out my camera, my pareo, my Crumpler, my hair, it was as if God had it all planned to welcome me. A Rottie greeted me by dropping the frisbee for me to pick up & throw. What do I do with such a mean-looking dog guarding the frisbee??? Nothing, he stepped away beckoning me to take the frisbee anyway. Upon flinging it into the sea, this Rottie ran into the water, fetched the frisbee & swam back! Woohoo! I am definitely not alone! What a dog!

The following day, while snorkelling, I met a German guy named Peter, who had ventured most of Indonesias exotic islands & was in Lipe for a fortnight. We had a fantastic, yummylicious seafood dinner at Daya Resort on the beach under the stars. He told me about the things he had encountered during his travels, all the while, showing me pictures on his camera! I must write about the people I encounter on my journeys one day……

Venturing into the sea gypsies village, I took pictures of the way of life here. They were fixing their bubus and having a bath by the well & boiling water over a fire, definitely not something that we see in the city.

Apart from falling off a disused hammock on Andaman Beach, there was nothing eventful nor dramatic about this trip. I returned to Langkawi a day earlier only to find that tranquil in my homeland. And I have been to Koh Lipe almost 10 times now, each time with a hurdle to cross or an issue to fix but this time, it was just me, my Crocs, my lion & my monkey.

The rest of the pictures of my travels can be found here:- http://picasaweb.google.com/pummkin/KohLipe2010?feat=directlink

In 2005, I was ranting about where my Valentine would be found so I tested the waters by inviting love letters, or any expressions thereof. Then by bringing my group of performers together, we went out to do crazy things, snapping pictures under bridges and singing on top of our lungs across the lake! The previous year, I held an exam for my group of students with Greg cooking up a storm at his apartment, which sparked off an annual event ever since. In 2006 & the years that followed, we had more celebrations, and this year, I decided to have a sit-down dinner to spice things up for the year.

Given that Valentine’s Day happen to fall on Chinese New Year, I decided to hold it a week earlier. Inviting the usual suspects, and my group of divers who are absolutely single (isn’t it fun?), we had a turnout of 30 people at The Terrace with a proper, 7-course dinner at Fukuharu Japanese Restaurant.

Andrew Sia, the Chief Reporter of The Star, was given the task of the 11th hour, to talk about ‘chivalry’ in modern times. He broke the ice, the notion that chivalry is dead and several misconception of women during the dinner which I thoroughly enjoyed. We had coffee thereafter which carried on till 2:30am before deciding to let everyone reminisce the event at home. What knights they were when meeting us nightingales…..

Life is full of unexpected turns, winding me up in places that I never thought I would be. I’ve met people, been to places and I’ve encountered amazing things that sometimes, they are too unbelievable to mention. And every time, I tell myself that it’s going to get better…..it almost always does! God has closed chapters for me, although sometimes, I wonder why as I haven’t finished them myself but as He opens up new ones, I will go where He leads. At times when I wander away from the grasp of a Father’s hand, I suffer the consequences of disobedience often resulting in pain, hurt, betrayal and disillusionment. Like a prodigal son, I return to the flock, wounded and bruised but not beaten. I learn to treasure the times spent, the lessons learnt and the healing that’s too precious not to receive. When things are not right to begin with, they cannot be the basis of anything. In the absence of truth, there will be voids, be it space or validity, these voids are too great to patch with anything less than the truth, honesty, sincerity, integrity and candour.

Like the cliffs of Uluwatu that plunges into the depths below, serenity can be found when my heart rests at the right place, my mind at the right thoughts and my soul at the right hopes…..

For awhile, work was all I could think about. The inspiration for my work came in that ability to channel something in me into something worthwhile but of late, I seem to have lost it. It must be a creator’s greatest nightmare to experience a blank, an uninspired phase that decelerates everything else in your life. When I encountered a sad occasion at the end of September, a week of crying did me a lot of good. It was almost like a severance. Then I went through my archives of the tens of thousands of photographs I took and picked out a few to elevate my mood and symptomatically treat my signs of withdrawal.

And then things became alright……

Send me some inspiration please…..

The two days that I got to see my eldest sister back in 2005 didn’t count as she was on an urgent mission to see dad in his last days on earth. I had a dive centre to run on an island who’s Indonesian workers were besieged by a wicked management. It had been 11 years in total, that I haven’t seen my nieces nor have I met the additional one to the family. The temperature was freezing by my standards, giving me the chore of wearing leggings underneath my pyjamas, with flannel top plus a hoodie over it. And we haven’t even gone outdoors yet.

My darling nieces have grown and for a change, I got pampered with food as they baked a pumpkin pie and made brownies for me!!! I got tucked into bed at night by Zazi, who’s 13 years old and enjoyed girlie talks with the eldest one of 16 years. They taught me how to rake leaves which I thoroughly enjoyed in their backyard while discovering bunny holes in the ground where they hibernate for winter. My sister would take me to the huge hypermarts during the day while the kids are in school and I spent 7 blissful days with them in Charlotte, North Carolina doing stuff that girls do!! I got to taste my first caramel apple and found a conditioner for my hair that doesn’t fluff it up like a lion’s mane.

My brother in law took us to Billy Graham Library to see the legacy he is leaving behind, the crusades that he rallied in and the magnificent work of God in his lifetime. His wife was buried in the grounds of the property too. The library was scheduled to be closed for renovations during winter and I’m glad I got to visit it.

Nonetheless, 7 days is too short to make up for the 11 years of separation and parting is never easy. I watched the youngest one score in the volleyball championship and made it all the way to be the champions of the season! Ah! The sports’ trait is running in the family after all! The eldest is trying for the swim team while scoring as the top student in her grade. The second one is just as talented to be the top in her grade too, making me miss all their witty and intelligent conversations. I miss them already. The 35hour journey home made me jetlagged for a week. What an opportunity it would be if I would get a chance to spend more time with them.

As soon as the meeting was over, the planning for my next excursion began! The following day, Wolfgang and I, drove to Disney World (yay!). Stepping into a world that’s foreign to mine, the music seems to be emanating from all directions, projecting from the plants, the pillars, the authentic postbox and possibly even the dustbin! Disney has a way with the world he created and he made sure the surround sound really encompassed you! The parade in Orlando, Florida’s fantasy land, had begun as Wolfgang and I walked in, almost running into the crowd to catch the floats that carried my all-time favourite Disney characters!!!

It’s the child in all of us (especially me) to experience Disney once in our lives and this is it! I joined in the parade to dance with Goofy, Mr. Incredible, Donald Duck & the whole host of people celebrating together!

My quest for their autographs had begun soon as the parade was over as we set out to explore the park. There’s nothing like a sunny day with blue skies for photography! The castle’s main corridor was adorned with mosaic pictures & medieval arched ceilings. Walking through it was so surreal!

Staying on till the end of the day where the pyrotechnics was displayed, I sat in the middle of the castle’s courtyard to capture the fireworks……

For the rest of the pictures, you may search www.pummkin.net/gallery