Dine in the Dark

I had the opportunity to experience Dine In The Dark during my Bangkok trip. It was a nice fine dining place at The Ascott, but I had no clue what the restaurant looks like except for the fact that it was filled with curtains/veils on the inside.

It was a strange yet enjoyable experience. It really showed me how dependent I am on my sight... my sight affects how I taste, how I hear, how I speak, how I feel and how I think. They are all linked whenever we experience anything in our daily lives. When you take out one of the elements from that linkage, you make the whole experience unfamiliar and strange.

8 of us went for this dinner and I only knew Natasha... the rest were strangers to me. That made the experience even more interesting for me. We were all led into the restaurant and to our seats by our blind waiters. The waiter also explained to us what was in front of us, where are our glasses: water and wine, where are all our cutlery, and he always tells us when he was serving us each of our course. But never does he describe what he is serving us.

I knew Natasha sat next to me but I didn't know who sat in front of me. So the conversation started with an intro as usual... erm... not quite so usual.

Me: "hi, I am Karynn" 

A voice in the dark: "hi, I am Ben" 

Me: "hi Ben, erm... sorry but I'm not sure which one was you as I was introduced to 6 new people all at once and I haven't quite placed the names on the faces yet." 

A voice in the dark: "It's ok, I don't know which one was you either, I am the only one here who does not work at whisper"

Me: "whisper???" 

A voice in the dark: "Ya"

Me: "... ... ..." (In my head I was wondering what he was saying) "I know Natasha from University, she's the only one I know here, the rest of you work with her at that World Society of Protection of Animals right?"

A voice in the dark: "That's whisper (WSPA). I don't work there, I am a photographer"

Me: (ting! lightbulb... oh WSPA, duh!)

Then there was the appetizer:

Me: "hmm, is this chicken?? eh, there is some crispy stuff on it...  what is that?' 

Natasha: "er, dunno, but it's definitely chicken. But sometimes I end up with nothing on my fork"

Me:  "hey, this salad portion must be huge, it seems to go on forever" (hmmm, how big is this bowl anyway, raba-raba the bowl. where in the world are the veges, lantak, probe in with fingers at a fine dining restaurant...muahahah nobody will know)

A voice in the dark: "I think I will use my fingers... since no one can see anyway"

Me: "Ya ya!! I already am. It's so much easier" (*grin*, macam la orang nampak)

Then, the main course:

Me: (sniff sniff) "how come got no smell??"

Natasha: "Is it pork??"

Me: (nom nom nom) "Hmmm, maybe... but the sauce is so sweet"

A voice in the dark: "I think it is duck"

Me: (nom nom nom, eh eh... it IS duck. ) Oh yeah, it IS duck! (shucks, I can't tell pork from duck?? @.@)

The dessert:

Me: "Oh, I taste bananas and ice cream!! yum... and some crispy stuff"

Natasha: "Is there cake??"

Me: "Dunno, I think I'm gonna use fingers again"

There were parts of conversation which was really strange because I could not see if the voice in the dark heard what I was saying, so I stopped halfway... until he asked more questions. Wasn't sure if people were talking to you or to the person next to you or next to them. All you hear are voices, you can't see the direction they are looking at, the expression on their face and everything.

We finally came out and saw the food displayed in light at the reception!!! Wooohooo, light & sight never felt so good before!!! We had a Chinese chicken salad with deep fried meehoon, then duck with a fruity sweet sauce, and a cake thingy with vanilla ice cream and bananas.

What I learnt?? Don't take your sight for granted!!!! And don't just depend on sight, all your other senses are just as important!

The cocktail that is... Bangkok

There's plenty of things to do in Bangkok. This city truly has a wonderful mix of the old and the new, the east and the west... and endless creativity. If you're looking for places to go for a drink or two, you'd be spoiled for choice. The day I arrived, Natasha brought me to this place called the Iron Fairies. The place was very small, dark but packed with people. They serve cocktails in the form of fairy potions, I had some fairy dust with dragonfly wings and such. Yumz!! Refreshing but weird-looking... I could not make out what else was in it except for watermelon juice. The jazz band was good, not too noisy and they do all the all time favourites like "It Had to Be You", "L.O.V.E" and "The Way You Look Tonight". The petite Thai singer had a sweet voice but it was obvious she didn't understood a word and memorized what she hears... or at least what she thinks she hears. :p

Decor was old and weird, yet cosy & inviting.

Hey, they are in New York too???? Jeng, jeng jeng!

Since Natasha is a photography enthusiast, I decided to tag along with her for one of her photography expeditions. We woke up at 5++am to make it to this event. Sun rises pretty early so, it didn't feel all that super early to me. I was wide awake. Perhaps because Bangkok is 1 hour behind KL time anyway. We saw a sea of bald men and bald boys in orange robes. Not sure exactly what it was but it must be some kind of Buddhist festival.

Climbing up the closed parking lot building to get to the top.... to get a bird's eye view

Ta-da!!! There were suppose to be around 20,000 monks (I think.)

some went on top of a crane for that view

some on the roof of other buildings... and up to something even more

look! it's a bird, it's a plane, no... its... a remote control helicopter with a camera!!

Yes, photography enthusiasts go all the way to capture the best angle or view of their object of interest. Rather interesting but photography is really not my thang. My idiot-proof point-and-shoot camera is good enough for me. I don't take photos as a photographer, I take photos as a story-teller. I'll be motivated to take a shot if my eureka bells ring in my head that I can fit that photo into my story. :)

The Thai government loves creativity, promotes creativity and funds many non-profit projects to encourage creativity among its people. We visit the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre where I was warned, there will be exhibits in there that does not make sense.

Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

I liked the first exhibition of photography work by Philippe Ramette where he "engineered" photographs that seems to defy gravity. No photography allowed in there so if you are curious, go click his link & download his portfolio. Amazing photos... all untouched-up. Some, we could figure out how he did it... some we could not. Loved that one!

A group of Australian aborigines also displayed their stuff but their stuff were too abstract and un-understandable. Some of it was too dark and gave me the creeps too. Next was another un-understandable exhibition to raise awareness of HIV. Some of it were alright but mostly mind boggling, which is weird. How do you raise awareness when people cannot understand it??

The next one I liked was the hair art. Art pieces created by human hair... hair of cancer patients who lost their hair after chemotherapy. Sad but beautiful. This one I felt could really pull heart strings and increase public awareness of cancer.

Another cool place to go for drinks is at the rooftop bars. We went to the one in Banyan Tree... where the view is of higher priority than safety. Hehehe, the side railings were only waist high. But that was what made it so awesome compared to those practically 80% covered with glass ones like those in KL. You want to feel that rooftop breeze in your face and the adrenaline rush when you stand by the side of the railings and look at the long long looooong journey down. ;)

I is not afraid of heights... I love heights!

My melon-y cocktail... can't remember the name as I love to order stuff that I don't know what's in it. Yummy!  

My visit to the Thailand Cultural Center was a very disappointing one. They were under renovations... no shows, no exhibitions. Bleh. 

The garden decor was nice though... since I was already there might as well hang around. I <3 <3 Orchids!!!

 

Other than all these art/cultural centres, they even applied their creativity in other areas... an area that thrives in Bangkok, Shopping!! Terminal 21, just another mall?? Not quite... A mall with fancy design?? Kind of. A mall with the theme of an airport.

Every floor you go is a different city, Rome

even the decor and structure of the toilets are in theme with the floor's city

artsy roman ceilings

You can depart from one city and arrive at the next city in.... 30seconds!! How I wish travelling is that fast. I was in Tokyo and in a blink of an eye, I was in London.

even the guards' uniforms matches the city of the floor they patrol!

I wasn't as amazed by the theme as I was amazed by the extent of the details and the commitment to the design. If you wanna do something, do it all they way... that, is the commitment to an idea that can bring something to life!!

Also, hung out at the Thailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC). Unfortunately, only 1 of the galleries was opened. The rotating exhibitions were not opened. :( Was hoping to find displays of new young and upcoming designers that I like and can collaborate with to start my own brand. Sigh... I just took random namecards at TCDC and hopefully I will strike one that I like?? My search continues. TCDC had lots of literature from magazine to books on ALL sorts of design and art; namecard design, garden design, fashion, architecture, interior design, set design, costume design, playwright, theatre directing, and many many many more. There's a cafe there that aspiring artists or designers can hang out and do their research there as well. Cool right? 

Next up... the blind leading the sight???

Beyond tom yam & green curry

I've been to Bangkok many times, but my last trip was different. Had the opportunity to experience many non-stereotypical Bangkok things thanks to Natasha. Living there for several years, she's practically a local there. And this trip, I kinda fell in love with Bangkok... now I wish I can too, can live there for several years.

It is such an inspiring city... the experiences, the diversity, the food and of course, the wonderful people there. I feel that whenever I have a dry-season for inspirations from now on, all I need is to hop on an Air-Asia flight there and soak in the over-flowing inspirations over there.

Firstly, the food!! Whenever Malaysians think of Thai food, it's always tom yam, green curry and mango salad. Erm... newsflash, there is more to Thai food than 3 measly dishes. No doubt, their tom yam is still wayyyyy better than those in KL, but if you are there, do take the opportunity to experience the gastronomic burst of diversity. The only teeny weeny thing is that they eat a lot of bean sprouts and me, being anti-bean sprouts had to painstakingly pick out all the bean sprouts. I must must learn how to say "no bean sprouts" in Thai.

Gosh! I think I shall continue about the creativity and the arts in Bangkok in the next post... this post is makin' me huuungry!!!!!

Guys' Guide to Gifts for their Gals

Wanted to write this post for some time but never got down to it til now. I know that February & March is a stressful season for my hubby in the area of gift-giving... Valentine's Day, my birthday then our wedding anniversary all in the span of a little over a month. The fact that he IS stressed is already very sweet. :* So, this post is pretty much dedicated to him to help him ease that stress whenever this season comes by. This guide may not be effective for all women out there unless they are the same species as me...hehehe.  the problem with women is, no two are exactly the same. Yes, we are complicated. :p I will only cover 4 occasions; Valentines, Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas. All gifts should be planned ahead, it shows sincerity and effort. The monetary value of the gift is insignificant.

Valentine's Day

A day I suspect marketeers of the Floral and Chocolate industry probably created to boost sales. But thankfully, hubby has never been a victim of this marketing ploy... coz erm, I don't like flowers and I don't like chocolates. I'm weird as chocolates will end up expiring in my fridge, even the best kind. For this non-personal commercially created day, the gift need not be very personal but should be something romantic that both persons can enjoy. Eg. sexy lingerie on a bed with rose-petals and aromatherapy candles lit up, or a night in a hotel with a big jacuzzi for 2, etc. Get the picture? Anyway, since this is just a commercial holiday, we have decided to take responsibility for planning it alternate-yearly.

Birthday

This is her day. It's all about her and her alone. This gift should be something she has been eyeing for weeks or months. The longer she has been looking for it without finding it, the better the effect of the gift. It should not be something practical, not a need. It should be something she wants. Go stalk her computer for stuff she left in her favourite online shop's "shopping-cart" or stalk her facebook for any wall conversations with her girlfriends about stuff she is looking for. Or call her bestie or sister. In this case, stalking is a good thing. 

Anniversary

This is a celebration of your union. This is the significant day when 2 became 1. Like Valentine's Day, it should also be a gift that both persons can enjoy. But unlike Valentine's Day, this day is personal... it is close to the heart and it is only significant and important to the 2 of you. So, just like the day, the gift must be personal... something both of you share. Eg. a vacation to the place you had your honeymoon, a class learning about something you are both passionate about, reenact your wedding proposal, etc.

Christmas

This is the easiest, as this is not a personal holiday or a romantic one. It where you give presents to all the human beings close to you; mother, father, sister, best friend, church mates, etc etc and of course your partner. So, this gift can be practically anything... for me, it would be anything practical. I hate receiving generic gifts like photo-frames and paper-weights which is why I refrain from being involved in any gift-exchange activities. I think it is a waste of the Earth's resources. At least those secret santa / secret guardian angel type of activities will have everyone ending up with gifts they can actually use.

I hope this helps to eliminate the need for mind-reading and alleviate the pain of gift-planning for hubbies out there! =)

Mission is-possible!!

Matt 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Last week, 7 of us from the YAds team, Revival Centre went to Kampong Speu, Cambodia for a mission-trip. It is a rural village area about 1 1/2 hours out of Phnom Penh. I was both an eye-opener as well as an amazing miracle for me. We had many series of activities with classes for children and youth, and even conducting church service for their local church.

We stayed in a small guest house out in the main road of Kampong Speu where there is water and electricity supply. I guess us stupid pampered city folks won't survive without electricity & water-supply I suppose?? But we didnt try, and there were no guest houses inside the villages anyway. The main road area has electricity but it was out one of the nights we were there.
Anyway, guess what I saw outside our guesthouse everyday??

pergi jauh-jauh oso nampak Abbott trucks hahaha

The trip was eye-opening because:

1. In some of the villages, there is no water or electricity supply... they use kerosene lamps and waters from the well. They are very simple people but very appreciative of life.

Now THIS, is a real kampong... unlike Kampung Pandan or Kampung Baru

2. Some of the people are so poor there, a lot malnutrition happens. You can see small little kids who have pale blondish hair, whom did not achieve that look by dying their hair... it's lack of nutrients. Meat is also a luxury, when you order beef noodle, you will get noodles & cow spare parts. When you order nasi goreng ayam, you will get nasi goreng tulang-ayam. But I must say, they cook well... the taste is not bad at all.

cow spare-part curry wt bread

3. Small small kids are super duper independent. As young as 6 would walk or cycle >10km by themselves to class. There was one kid in one of our class who had to carry her baby sister to class, babysitting I suppose... she herself could not be more than 6yrs old!!! Yet, they are still so appreciative and thankful for everything they have or get.

the village children playing games & doing artwork (photo courtesy of Li Chan)

4. Many people do not get education because of the need to come out and work to support their family. Also, their education system is pretty corrupted causing their value of their degree to be next to nothing, unrcognized degrees, unrecognized universities... unfair for those who truly studied and worked hard to obtain their degrees. Sad. We had communication breakdowns whenever our interpreter was not with us, our request for cut chillies came out as a plate of sliced pork =.="

5. Pastor Kala (our contact there) answered God's calling 6 years ago to come here as a fulltime missionary... all alone!! She gave up all the comforts of Malaysia to be there to start teaching & do many community projects. Thanks to her, many of the youths in her classes can speak English, do simple Math & budgeting, know about caring for their health, and much much more! You can straightaway see the difference between those whose lives were touched by the missionaries and those whose lives were not. Hats off and total respect & admiration to Pastor Kala's selflessness and sacrifice. We visiting missionaries may be there to teach for a few days, a few weeks or even a few months... but it is her commitment and dedication that keeps all the programs running continuously, developing the people in Kampong Speu.

The church in Kandaldom

The trip was an amazing miracle because:

1. The water supply was unclean & Pastor Kala & our Cambodian interpreter, Vuthy warned us not to consume ice for fear of typhoid and cholera. But because it was the hottest season there right now!! (That's why not many visiting missionaries this season) We all cannot tahan the heat & thus, did not comply. Thanks for all our home-church people praying for us, we were protected. None of us got sick at all!! And we ate all the food just off the street-stalls and definitely had lotsa ice. hehehe

Matahari super terik gila!! Hot and dusty!

2. Many ad-hoc requests came up for session we did not plan. I had to conduct a vocal / music lesson completely impromptu!! Eeeeeeks!!! Takutnya. Yes, I know I can sing and play piano or whatever, but I am a lousy teacher. A really lousy one. But the feedback for my class was so positive. I even conducted an altar-call, me, erm... not exactly Miss examplary-Christian, conducting an altar call?? Erm... weird but people responded. Phew!! Just commit to what God ask you to do and He will give you the strength, skills and everything to do it well!! I know I should't have been afraid but hey, I am human too k?

Teacher Yee Huey... kekekeke ;-) (photo courtesy of Li Chan)

3. Testimonies from the locals... how this cute teenager was almost dead from dengue who was saved eventually, how someone was protected from dangerous accidents, etc etc. These super simple people with so many un-met needs... actually feel THANKFUL. So, Malaysians, if we are complaining, shame on us! We have so much more!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip... it was even wayyy way better than my first trip to Cambodia which was for touring purpose only. I think I gained a lot more from a giving-trip than a receiving-trip. Praise the Lord!! I can't stop sharing about my experience since the day I got back... starting with my parents as they picked me up from LCCT. hehehe. Would I go back there again to teach? Absolutely! ^_^

Shout with Joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's is my birthday!! My 34th birthday to be exact. yes, thirty-freaking-four! I feel like such a dinosaur.

This is going to be the year of discovery. Yes, I have arrived at that funny little milestone called the "mid-life crisis". I only plan to live to about 60++ so, yes... 34 is mid-life by my standards. I really can't wait for my 1-year sabbatical from the corporate world.

Is now too late for me to take an entirely new path for my career?? I have heard of people who had the courage to take the path less traveled after walking the "normal" path for a while. People like Linora Low and Mynn Lee who gave up their day-jobs when their inner entertainer / arts practitioner could no longer be suppressed. Now, they are both successful at what they do which is a cocktail of stuff related to the entertainment and arts such as radio-DJing, acting, producing...etc etc. Cool kan?? :) But both of them were definitely much younger than I am now when they decided to switch paths. How would an over-the-hill actress fare then?? My very first audition this year, and I was already told that I am not young enough to play the lead character... and too young to play the supporting roles since those were moms of the leads. @.@

This year, is my year of self exploration... exploring what excites me, inspires me, what drives me, and what keeps me going ... in or out of the arts. If things work out, I will be juggling the arts and my second passion (which I hope pays more than theatre kekeke) forever. If things do not work out, you will see me crawling back to the boring 'ol corporate world.

All the best to me... to the over-the-hill, 34 year-old, mid-life crisis ridden... but still-acts-like-21... one-and-only ME!!! Happy birthday!!

I am far far away.... weeeeee

Unconditional love ;-)

It's Valentine's Day... hubs is gonna be home late so am still lepaking around awaiting him to burst through the door for our big fat Valentine's kiss! While today, most people would talk about love between a man and a woman, I am gonna talk about the strange unconditional love people have for their pets. With your partner, your kids, your parents... you have certain expectations from them even if you love them to bits, true?

With pets, do we have expectations?? 

Lo and behold!! Notice the horrendous state of my couch and cushions??

"you're never here anyway, this is OUR couch... meow"

"what???? prrrr prrrr"

And what do I do if I ever catch them red handed in their destructive activities? I unleash the wrath of....

...

...

...

...

...

the lean mean... squirty bottle!!

They too have their secret weapon... they unleash....

"mew"

"mew"

... THE FACE. You melt, and think "Holes in the couch ain't so bad. Gives the house a new-age I-don't-give-a-damn-artiste motif, don't you think??" I love my kittehs, and the love for someone/something that can do nothing for you... is unconditional love. Meow! Happy Valentine's Day!! ;-)

Take your passion, make it happen

The minute I announced that I wanted to take a year off for a sabbatical... I get "attacked" right, left, centre by people who try to recruit me into MLM or other MLM-esque businesses offering the promise of passive income. (Hmm, if it's so passive why are they actively recruiting me then? =.=") Passive Income... is the ultimate dream of many people I know. Free-flow of money... effortless, and you can spend your days in a "tai-tai"-esque manner in spas, cafes, travelling to exotic places without having to worry about money. It's the ultimate dream isn't it? The dream to have no needs, no stress, nothing to strive for.

However, for me... passion and obsession is an important ingredient in my happiness. Yes, I would love passive income but I still thrive on wanting something badly and working my ass off to obtain it. For me stressless-ness and having nothing to strive for, is like having nothing to look forward to. The loss of purpose and drive... boredom. I love the feeling of wanting something badly, and I love the feeling of getting that thing I want badly, even more. If I do not have anything I want badly, how can I get that thrill of getting the thing I want badly?? Confused yet?? ;-)

During this sabbatical, I would like to tryout everything and anything that I have always wanted to but was afraid to, did not have the chance to or does not pay the bills. I am an avid believer that passion is what drives excellence. If you love to do something so much that you would do it for free, you will do such a good job that people will pay you to do it... makes sense?

Work or play??

Recently got to know about The Zhariff Initiative through Ellyne (whom also runs an awesome & amazing business herself ^.^). I guess in the last couple of years or so, I started to realize that life or your career need not be desk-bound from 9 - 5 in order to survive in this world. Businesses have evolved into something much much more meaningful than just profits and losses. It is amazing how people are creative enough to marry practicality and their passion rather than trying to juggle both at the expense of rest like what I had been doing.

What this company does, is a dream for lil' miss schizophrenia here... a cocktail of the arts, business & making a meaningful impact in society. What more can I ask for?? One of their uber cool project is this, RockCorps... will let the video speak for itself:

Is it cool or what?? There's more cool stuff up their sleeves. The founder himself, Zhariff Afandi is a walking talking inspiration with endless energy.

I'd really really like to give this a try but the timing is just not right. I still want 1 year sabbatical; to try anything & everything I've ever wanted, to cross off some of my silly wishlist like busk in NYC wt my ukulele, write a musical or just get a lead role in a musical...etc. This is more of a permanent position, & I doubt this opportunity will still be here waiting for me 1 year down the road. Or could this work end up feeling like play?? Or be the beginning of a new passion? Anyway, they're probably still interviewing heaps more people. Let's see where destiny leads me.... ^_^

Sisterly Reminiscence: Part 2

I don't usually do sequel posts but my last post really unleashed so many old memories that were weird but truly truly awesome beyond words. I just realize how wild our imagination was as kids. I don't have as good a memory as my sister so she remembered all this crazy stuff I imagined up!

1. After watching an episode of Bionic Woman about female robots called Fembots replacing humans, I imagined up our own Fembot lab where we too kidnap people & replace them with Fembots. We could monitor what the Fembots were doing through the monitors. So, detailed, siap dengan mini fire extinguisher in d lab. kakakaka

2. Another imaginary place I dreamt up. We were witches living in a scary castle surrounded by a bloody moat. It even rained blood! Indoors & outdoors also I drew!!

3. This is a drawing of our home's living room. Even the cushion cover patterns are exactly like this. The 2 heads sticking out from the couch are my sis & me. Sis said that I wrote a whole essay for this photo but I can't remember what I wrote.

4. This is one of the many "Be Bo Ba Bo" pages in my book. I invented that term for free-scribbles pages. Hahahah

5. And kiddy essays I wrote, the Malay one is about a Magic Coffin that can bring dead things back to life. (I think I must have been very fascinated with all things sci-fi, fantasy and the paranormal since little). The English one was about a boy my mom used to babysit whom I really hated. hahahah.

One conclusion is, I was one crazily imaginative child!!! But that was what made our childhood so interesting. We didn't have the luxury of travelling, having computers or other canggih stuff and had never even flown on a plane. How else can we have our adventures but in our minds?? In the end, I think our adventures were way more interesting, wouldn't you say??