Hummelstown Art Festival 2013

All photos taken using Canon T4i

Elizabethtown Fair 2013

Annual E-town fair in Mid of August is our favourite time to hang out with friends and enjoy the beautiful summer. There are plenty of activities for both adults and the little ones- petting zoo, rides, games, contests etc. Local farmers also put their best homegrown veggies, fruits, animals in the contests judged by the public.

Pictures taken using Canon T4i

ABC? Nope MBC...

Being a Malaysia and growing up in a multi-ethnics country is a privilege. A Chinese descent, I would always tell people that I am Chinese Malaysian. I am proud of my heritage as a Malaysian. I learned to speak in three languages fluently, amidst Malaysian ‘slang’ and also few other dialects.

            However, while growing up in Malaysia, I have also been labeled as  ‘ABC’ (American born Chinese: not sure why, when MBC might be more appropriate since I am born in Malaysia!), banana (being yellow on the outside and white inside), OCBC (Orang Cina bukan Cina; translated as A Chinese who is not Chinese) and what’s not! I have learned to take all that in my stride but sometimes I don’t feel comfortable when people, CHINESE, gave me a ‘kind’ of look when I said I don’t read and write Chinese! They always said how you could forget your root! *You know who you are!

            Since moving to the States in July 2010, I am comfortable here because everyone speaks what I understand. United State being culture melting pot of many nations and peoples, English is the common uniting language. Being a Malaysian who speaks three languages and few more dialects, people are always amazed with our abilities to speak more than one language. However, I faced one stereotype here, since I speak English differently from how a Chinese (from countries whose native language is Mandarin) speaks, people (read Chinese) thinks that I don't speak or understand Mandarin at all!

          I can't count number of times people are surprise when I spoke in Mandarin and they will stop what they are doing and look at me strangely and amazed! Many times, I have used that to my advantage. Once, I uttered something in Mandarin to distract my opponents in badminton to distract them from the game and won that crucial point! Many times too I have keep quite and just observed the conversation they are having!

           Here is one situation during the course of my work. I wanted to collect some East Asian DNA and I asked from some people I work with in the department. After explaining what I am doing and what I am going to do, here is the conversation that took place.

Me: So, would you help me by spitting some saliva in this kit? It's painless took about 5 minutes!

Chinese 1 (turned to her another friend and started to speak in Mandarin):  I don't want give him this sample. Not sure what he is going to do.

Chinese 2 (relying in Mandarin): Yah, me too.

Chinese 1 (turning back to me and replying in English): Let me think of this and will give you the samples later!

Me: Ok (and at the same time in my mind thinking, no you don't! Don't you think I don't understand?)

            I felt like answering them in Mandarin and look at the smirk in their faces, surprised that I can understand all their conversation all these while! However the sense in me hold that back and just smile and said thank you!

That is not just the first time I participate in 'silent' conversation and smiling in my heart!

Undilah video clip

I don't feel insulted from this video clip. Is our government getting more paranoid and fear that they will lose at the next GE?

Selamat Hari Malaysia

To all Malaysian and everyone who lives in Malaysia.

Selamat Hari Malaysia

Is it in your shopping list?

I saw this ad in the newspaper last week. Man, this is a good ad with interesting pictures too. 

 

I turned in and saw this wonderful camouflage suits which make you feel like you are living a good summer time. But I am sure, you will stand out when you walk down the New York Times Square!

There are also the boots which help you to have a better footing and protect your feet when you go for a hike and walk in the jungle or the woods.

And then, there are nice tents for you to use too. If you like the higher view, well, there are chairs which you can hang up on the tree too..:)

And if you like what you see, you can but a sling shot and better still a bow for $329 only. This will guarantee at least a meal for you while you are in the wild. A deer maybe…

And you can find the arrow head with fancy design too. It’s all metal and with different designs to make sure your catch don’t run away.

Don’t like it? Too heavy or too much of a hassle? You need something which you can get it quick and clean? Don’t worry. There are more…

 

Shortgun anyone? And it’s cheaper than a desktop. You can get one at $299.99. Want a fancier one? Well, you can get better shortgun. After all, it’s mostly below $1k.

No? Ok. I get it. More impact. More style!

Pump gun? How do you like that? From a rifle that costs $99.99, which is cheaper than my handphone, and to the more expensive model of $1399.99. You like some semi auto, you got it.

Man…Do you use all this while you go hunting?

And the best of all, the target loads, or bullets…It’s only $6.49 for a box of 25 and it’s on sale. 20% sale! Too expensive. Well, you can buy in bulks too.

And it’s only $16.99 for 525 rounds!

Man…now, remember, all these come in the Sunday newspaper advertisement, there is a toll-free number to call and the website to access to.

And I have to be credit checked and pay a $500 deposit just to get a handphone here?!

And everything in between – Malaysian Drivers

Some questions (and suggestions) I always have about (for)  Malaysian driver.

1. Don’t they know how to use the indicator light when they want to change lane or to stop at the side?

2. Green light GO, yellow light, ready to stop and red light STOP and NOT, I mean NOT Yellow light is still CAN GO and Red light, GO lah…colour blind ka?

3. Don’t you know how to use the ‘round-about’? I know some countries don’t have that but if you stay at the outer lane, you have to exit at the next exit. You don’t keep circling at the outer lane!. NO, indicator doesn’t apply here because we can’t see at that angle!

4. Hey! Yellow box is there for a reason. You don’t stop in it and turn your head away and ignoring the driver that you just stop in their way. And by the way, you are causing all the jam too!

5. Oh…road is for you to drive and not to park your car! If you want to park your car, there is something call CAR PARK!

6. Motorist, I know that you can go faster than a lot of cars and you can squeeze in between cars, but you don’t have to show your skills at the outer lane of the highway. I know you are good and skillful but, my car can be more POWERFUL. Safety first man.

7. Why you must turn on your radio so loud that I can also hear what you are listen too…actually, to think of it, do all of you play the same music? It always goes boom, boom, boom…Do you hear my music too? It goes honk, honk, honk…

8. I wonder how many of you actually know there are designated lanes to turn right, left or to go straight at the traffic light and junctions. Not all lanes can do everything you like. Right lane to turn right, left lane to turn left…oh…you don’t know which is left and right? Then, I would suggest that you…… STOP DRIVING!

9. Come on, driving can’t be that hard. You don’t need to tailgate someone else car to eliminate the wind drag to your car. And by the way, it doesn’t save you any petrol too. I know because I watch Mythbusters and they said so! Don’t believe me, next time watch that too! Oh…by the way, some times I do apply brake to my car to slow down because cars in front are slowing down too and they are STOPPING. Sorry, I can’t twitter to inform you earlier because you DON’T twit and drive!

10. Don’t talk on handphone while driving applies at ALL speed. No, you are NOT safer if you travel at 20kph and talk on the phone while you hog the road. And no, the polices still see you while you travel at that speed while talking on the phone, you don’t go invisible!Summon doesn’t come in speed categories (I hope so and yes, pun intended!) except when you over-speed! Oh, by the way, the same goes for those who want to smoke and drive, twit and drive, snap-a-pic and drive, tour-guide and drive and drink and drive too…maybe not drink and drive – you can’t even go straight what more to follow traffic rules!

Happy driving folks! And welcome to Driving in Malaysia 101: Do’s and Don’ts or is it vice-versa?

Happy Chinese New Year

Hi. I want to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.

May the year to Tiger be a roaring year for everyone.

But…you don’t be a tiger ya…:)

Charter for Compassion

I have heard of so much of random acts of kindness that rendered by people who we don't know are realise they are there. Yet when times of needs arises, they volunteered themselves to act. It can be just a simple act like holding an umbrella for us during the rainy days and when we don't have an extra hand or to donating to a person who is so much in need of the money although it is just RM5.

Such a story or act actually soften my heart and makes me realise that humanity and compassion still exist in this world which is so self-centred and 'kiasu'(afraid to loose).

Newspaper today bombard us with news that will just 'tear us' apart rather than positive news. As such, when I received an email from TED, I am so encouraged.

At least now there are people who documented an act of kindness or compassion done by people for people. By people like you and me and for people like you and me.

This Charter for Compassion have so much of random acts done by people. You can go there and read of the random acts and be lifted up or you can also signed up and support the charter.

Cheers and have a great day!

1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now

As I sit in the office, I am pondering and thinking about what I have been through this morning.

I have recently graduated from a public university and currently working on my postdoc with a university in US. However, I am now back in Malaysia for my field work and my wife is still a PhD student with the same public university I had graduated from. However, lately, the authorities had cordoned off all parking bays in the campus and students are not allowed inside. We are all asked to park at the 'park and ride' and ride the bus.

However, as a graduate student, our work and research doesn't just confined to a specific lab. We worked with so many research labs and also places. We also don't work with just books but with equipment and kits which we have to carry around. Our time is flexible yet at a very fast pace. We can't afford to loose our time with the research materials we are carrying. Every minute that we are transporting our materials/ subjects will cause it to degrade.

As such, how do we parked our car outside the campus and take the bus into the campus and then, do our work. After that, take the bus again, to get to our car and drive it in to load all our research equipment into the car? How long will that take and how much time will it be wasted?

We went to complaint but the answer that has been given is this:

1) Staff also don't have enough parking - so, how do you solve this and that will the benefit both sides? Most of you clock in and then clock out without necessarily needed to go out.

2) Student parked at the lecturer parking lot. Our dean also don't have place to park - so, now you asked all student to park outside so that the dean have a place to park?

3) Talk to the dean - where the heck is the dean? will he meet us?

4) Thanks for your complaint -so what are you going to do with it?

So, whose performance are we trying to help to push?

When did the university try to help to give us better facilities to promote a better environment for us to work. At first, they took away our rest area/ sitting room. Now the car park. What next? The lab?

The student can't work if we are always embroiled with campus politics and also problems that caused us to work inefficiently!

Who is the people first? Where is the performance? It seems all this benefits the staff only!

Wake up!

Forbidden City, China

If you want to have a taste and know how the emperors live, you should try to visit the Forbidden City. It was once forbidden for commoners to enter this  massive palace that when it was open to the public, it was know as Forbidden City. This place is so huge that it is not known as a palace, nor a complex or even a village or a town. But a CITY!

 

Now this place is known as Palace Museum. So, you are not entering this place to look at exhibits but the building itself hold the stories unknown to many. This place is simply massive and amazing.

Who have this massive drain to separate their compound from the public?

This is no drain...nor it is a stream. This is bigger than most rivers. And the Palace Museum has it surrounded at four corners!

And you don't just simply place any oil barrels as guard post but you built a massive command centre for it at four corners.

And at the main gate, let's built a fort! Not just any fort like Fort Cornwallis but a tall, huge fort! More like a castle cum fort!

 

Well, this is just the outside. Imagine what you can expect from the inside. Imagine, what will the emperor do when he is bored? How will he built his garden? Well, you have a big cascading waterfall 3 to 4 stories high!

 

Then, you built ponds and decorate it with stone sculpture...

nice, unique plants...

and also put up a massive 9 dragons mural!

Just to give you an idea how huge and massive this Palace Museum is, I spend the whole day in this place and only cover like 40% of the area. To walk from one end to another end without stopping takes me about 30 minutes. In this Palace Museum, they have more than 9000 rooms! Who have such a grand palace? I don't think Brunei's Sultan has such a big palace too.

Next time, when you are Beijing, do pay a visit to this place. It's open from 8.30am to 5pm and cost RMB60 for the entrance ticket. If you have your student card, bring along as the ticket only cost RMB20. Entrance to the Clock exhibits and Palace Collection is another RMB10 each!

Coming next Forbidden City II- The throne of the Emperor!

What a customer service person will endure...

Listen to

sivapratap.mp3
" target="_blank">sivapratap.mp3' target=_blank>this and have a good laugh.

It's long but this will be interesting to listen too...

I'm speaking English

Having received my education in Malay language but in a missionary catholic school, I have a pretty good command in English and Malay. However, we study the Queen's English. Now that I am in US, I am re-learning my English. Kind of.

Back home, when you need the water running, you say turn the tap on. But a tap is not a tap. It's faucet!

I get on a lift as my office is on the seventh floor of the building. But NO. You don't get on a lift but the elevator lift you up to the seventh floor!

Learning English in Malaysia exposes you to the infamous Malaysian English.

I uses a lot of 'idiom' back at home.

For example...

1) When I have breads and fruits for breakfast, I says, I took two pieces of breads and a banana....and people here asked me then, what do you do with it?

Hello...I says I took two pieces of breads and a banana during breakfast, who do you mean what I do with it? I ATE it!

2) I leave my office at about 5pm everyday here. But people still talking and chatting with each other. I says Well, have a good evening. I have to make a move now. Bye.

People will look at me and wondering what move will I make.So am I going to dance now or am I suddenly going to jump up and down in the meeting?

3) Or sometimes, when I have to leave, I will tell my colleague, I will have to go first!

And they will always answer me back and says, well then, I will be second!

ahh....there are more experiences which makes me suddenly so conscious of the word I use now!

But then again, who cares! I speaks English, matter of fact, I am Malaysian, I speak Malaysian English.

Malaysian Boleh!

What I am up to now...

Well, I have recovered from dengue. I must say the effect of dengue last for more than 2 weeks.

Immediately after that, I am up and running. Don't really have much to rest. Here are some pictures of what I have been doing lately. Mostly fieldwork for research.

Below are some pictures taken in Mardi, Kepala Batas.

Just ignore the date. I am using a replacement camera as my faithful Canon S5IS is in the service centre. I forget to switch the date off. I send my Canon for servicing as the flash  stop working  a year after I bought it. Again, about Canon, their service is so bad that after 26 days, I have not received it back....

Here are more pictures taken at Penang Jetty also for my fieldwork and research.

These pictures were taken at the Chew clan Jetty and also the Tan clan jetty. These are the earliest Chinese settlement in Penang. Most of the people lives here are of the 7th generations Chinese. All their house are built on stilts and on the sea.

You can find more information at MyChewJetty.com.