On Fasting Day 1

Tags

fasting

Yesterday was the start of the 40 Day fast and prayer and to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t as prepared as I was in the past. Usually we would be given a few days notice and there would be conversations about why we fast and so on, but back here it’s dive into it and that was a something i had to adjust to. Friends had already chosen what they wanted to fast and so on but me, i didn’t even think the actual fasting was important. Nevertheless, I dived into it and one of the things that was recommended was to read 10 chapters of the bible a day. Since i didn’t have a plan i decided to just go for it. There wasn’t much to expect, my mind wasn’t in the right state and mentally i had not been prepared, but as i read the verses and took time to think about them, i realised that my spiritual man was hungry.

I read the media and news everyday, i’m updated with the latest happenings in the world and i pride myself on that, but today it hit me, i’ve been doing all that and forgetting the importance of reading the word. That is the only way to get to know God better other than prayer, and it’s hard work. Funny how it’s hard work because it shouldn’t be. And that is what this act of fasting is for, it’s not to lose weight or to purposely starve ourselves. It’s to carve out time to spend time with God, to be spiritually fed and to learn to depend on Him for strength and nourishment.

From past experiences, fasting has always presented me with different experiences and i’m now excited to see what is in store this time. Oh don’t get me wrong, i believe i will be mad and hangry, but i’m looking forward to diving into the word and learning more about the wonderful God i serve.

Never Again

Tags

1961, Berlin, Berlin wall, cold war, Germany, never again, poem

Never Again

Never; will life as we know it change,

East and the west may be divided,

But freely are we able to move between.

The conflict lies amongst the governments, 

Again we tell ourselves that,

It will never concern us or our families.

Whispers of change are getting louder,

Another neighbor has left yet again,

We sit here,

uncertain.

The day begins as usual,

We get ready to cross to the other side,

There is a crowd where the divide is,

Guards are posted by barbed wire,

What are they protecting?

There is a silent divide between guard and civilian,

Suddenly someone runs towards them,

We hear a shot, again and again,

The cold reality hits us,

Never did we ever believe,

this day would come.

With that barbed wire,

Never will we cross freely again,

Never will we live in peace,

Never will we forget missed opportunities,

Never will we be complacent,

Never will we keep quiet again,

Never will we doubt again,

Never Again

Was looking through some postcards i got from my recent trip to Germany and the ones that hit me the most were the ones picturing the Berlin wall in the 1960s. I’ve not read enough to make comments about it, but, just looking at how people looked over the wall or found ways to made me wonder how it felt like to be trapped in there against your own will. Granted, not everyone in East Berlin wanted to go over to the West, but from the many escape attempts we’ve learned about we know that there were definitely those who weren’t in the East on their own will. Why build a wall if there’s nothing to keep in right?

Barbed-wire barricades/Berlin Wall/1961 The Berlin Wall. (Building began on 13 August 1961). – Barbed-wire barricades are erected near the Brandenburg Gate, 14-15 August 1961. – Photo (Gert Schuetz).

As such, i’ve made an attempt at poetry writing based on this image that I had. This was the ‘Berlin Wall’ at the very beginning. It was only barbed wire as they could not build a wall overnight, but in terms of restriction, it mirrored those of a wall. I remember the guide telling us stories of people just staring at the barbed wire and people who attempted to cross were shot dead on the spot. Those stories were the basis of this character who believes that what the government is doing has nothing to do with them/him, they keep quiet, ignoring the signs around them until one day they wake up and it’s too late. Even then it takes a rude awakening for them to realize that life will never be the same again. I think that’s how i feel with all the politics, local and international happening around me. It’s easy to just live your life and pretend it won’t affect you, but truth it, it will, eventually. I’m not saying i’ll become a political activist, i wouldn’t know where to start honestly. I think we need to be aware of the issues that arise, start conversations about it, and when it comes the time to act, act wisely.

p.s.Had to use italics to separate the stanza’s as wordpress automatically adjusted it to space everything out evenly.

Mek Awang Local Delights Review

Tags

cendol, chinatown, food, kuala terengganu, malaysia, Mek Awang Local Delights, peranakan, terengganu, waffle

Made a day trip to Kuala Terengganu this Raya and one of the recommended places to see was the local chinatown. So we made our way there and stumbled across this place. Mek Awang serves traditional and fusion peranakan food. The menu is fun and interesting and the staff that served us was well informed about the dishes and recommended some good stuff.

Good for: brunch, lunch and tea.

We tried:

1. Nasi Hailam Ayam Goreng Berempah (Hailam rice with fried rempah chicken)
2. Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng Berempah (Nasi Lemak with fried rempah chicken)
3. Kay Hong with White Rice (Peranakan style braised chicken with Melaka sugar)

One thing that i liked about the menu was that they had the ‘core dish’ like Nasi Hailam (Hailam rice) for example, and then you could pair it with ayam kari (curry chicken) so you’re not just stuck with one choice. When it says premium on the side, it just means that the portion is bigger which is a good choice if you’re really hungry. I would say that even the normal serving is filling for the average person as you can see from the picture below. This was what i ate and they were generous with the chicken and rice.

Kay Hong with white rice

A visual of some of their recommended menu items

Prices:

I would say that the prices are reasonable and it’s cheaper than what you would get in Kuala Lumpur. It would definitely be a $$ on Yelp just to give you an idea of the price range if you’re on a budget.

Service:

The server who took our order was really chatty and friendly and made good recommendations, the other staff could be better and more attentive as it was a little difficult to get their attention.

Additional comments:

This is the first place i’ve seen that serves uniquely Malaysian waffles. We’ve heard of chicken and waffles in America, well here there’s curry chicken and waffles, cendol waffles, egg and sambal waffle. I’m really impressed by this and you can see the fusion of east and west in their menu. You can see the same thing for the spaghetti dishes that was in the picture above.

If i didn’t take a picture of the menu, many of my friends would not believe it and that’s what i love about this place, the creativity with local delights. So if you’re craving peranakan food but you’re bored of the usual stuff then pop by this place. Or if you’re feeling too drained by the sun and want some refreshing, cool and tasty desserts then also come by!

I give this place 4 stars!

A tribute to underrated Disney Movies

Tags

Atlantis, disney, family, introverts, Jim, life, Meet the Robinsons, Milo Thatch, Movies, themes, Treasure Planet, underrated

Pandora recently reminded me of the Disney movie “Meet the Robinsons” as it played the credit song “Little Wonders”. Many people don’t know this Disney movie and i think it lacked the marketing that most Disney Princess movies gets. And that got me thinking, this movie is really good, there’s some genuinely funny jokes and a good story about finding family. I don’t want to ruin the movie for you if you haven’t watched it, but if you’re looking for something that will make you laugh, has some time travel in it, and reminds you about what family can mean then watch this movie. It also got me thinking about the other movies that don’t get as much attention, I have to admit that these movies have males as the main figure which tend to take the backstage compared to the princesses. I guess you could say that this is a funny gender anomaly when it comes to Disney? Anyway, here are two other movies which i really love but never got the recognition it deserves.

Treasure Planet

Based on the novel Treasure Island, but as the planet part of the title might tell, it’s in outer space, where humans live amongst aliens and instead of space ships we have space boats built in the early 1700 Georgian style complete with Georgian styled clothing too. I have not read treasure Island, but this movie has the underlying theme of a boy growing up to be a man and what it means to take responsibility for your own life. There’s also some really painful stuff if you look closely, one of it is rejection by a family member. If you watch the music video for the song “i’m still here” by the goo goo dolls below you can see that a life changing point in Jim’s life was when his father walked out on his mother and him when he was still a young boy, maybe 10. I mean, come on, that is some real shit, sorry but there’s no other way to put it. It reflects real life and for some kids, that’s the reality they live in. Broken relationships between a couple affect the children the most no matter how old they are. I don’t want to get into my whole take on what I think about relationships in general because that’s a while different conversation. But this movie shows that despite that experience, Jim was able to learn how to stop using his father as an excuse and be his own man. Revisiting this movie got me thinking about his mother too, and how much she sacrificed for her son, how many years she must have suffered just holding out for a man who did not appreciate her. She’s not a key character in the movie, maybe gets five minutes, but i’m glad that she stayed for her kid, she tried her best to raise him up right and in the end Jim saw that and thanked his mother in the best way he knew how, by making her proud.

I remember as a kid i really loved this movie because there was the whole adventure thing too and the space surfing, come on, that is cool and I want to sky dive because of this movie. The one thing that resonated with me was the song i mentioned above and its lyrics. I think i was 11 when i watched it, but I love the chorus and the bridge because it struck home, i guess when you’re that age you generally go through these feelings and thoughts, heck, i’m feeling it now and it’s been more than 10 years.

Chorus:

And I want a moment to be real
Wanna touch things I don’t feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong
And how can the world want me to change
They’re the ones that stay the same

Bridge:

They can’t tell me who to be
‘Cause I’m not what they see

 

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Next up is this movie, i’m referring to the first movie because the sequel was terrible. The story follows Milo, a linguist and avid believer in Atlantis. He is seen as crazy by the rest of the museum because of his search for the lost continent and is often made fun of and taken advantage of. First of, hey, this guy is a linguist, i did not know what that was till i took linguistic classes in college and guess what, i analyzed this movie for one of my linguistics assignments! It might just be me, but how many cartoon characters have jobs titles like Linguist or Museum Curator. As someone who has experience in both sides, I have a new found appreciation for this movie, i just wish someone would have pointed it out to me. Moving on, this movie has no singing in it, there’s the soundtrack for sure, but no one bursts out in song, just another great feature of Disney movies with male protagonists. (on a side note, Hercules is one exception that i can think of at the moment) One theme that resonated with me was the one about chasing your dreams no matter what people said about it. When he was at the museum, he was made fun of by the directors, when he went on the expedition, his teammates were less than enthusiastic about the sense of adventure and more interested in the money, and in the end, when it came to saving the place, he plucked out his courage and saved the day. Just one note on family since i talked about it in Treasure planet, if i’m not wrong, his parents died in an expedition and he was raised by his grandfather. And his grandfather eventually passed away. Milo is not the kind of guy you would see as cool or want to hang out with, Audrey said that he was one of those guys she would beat up in the cafeteria. That kind of gives you an image of a timid but intelligent kind of guy, but when you start talking about Atlantis, he can’t shut up, and i think that’s what many introverts are like. As an introvert myself i don’t really talk much even amongst my close friends. It’s only when it comes to topics that interest both sides that i begin to talk on and on. And this is true of any conversation, we like to talk about things we’re interested in but i don’t think we should label someone as quiet just because they seem like it. Like i say to myself, it’s not like i don’t like to talk, it’s just that you’re not talking about things that interest me. As for the real issues here, I think a view of introverts is one, another is about motivations. The scary part that always got me was how the bad guys were so driven by the love of money that they would kill an entire civilization just to get it. We’re talking genocide, and as we’ve seen in the real world, this is not something common, nor is it something that no one would ever think of doing, it has been done, several times too. The amount of selfishness involved here is real, there are people out there that are so selfish that they would take down everyone with them so that they won’t be the ones suffering alone for their own decision. That’s also some heavy stuff for a kids movie.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying the princess movies don’t have any depth in them, they do, especially the more recent ones. I think that these movies deserve to get more recognition too. Also, I’ll add in more movies once i remember them, you know, life has gotten in the way of movie watching.

 

 

Carpets and rugs in a Museum

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Beaumont, Carpets, cleaning, conservation, discoloring, Elvis Presley, england, Graceland, historic royal palaces, McFaddin-Ward House, Memphis, museum, preservation, Rugs, tapestry, Texas

I recently came back from a road trip to Texas and on the way i visited a couple of museums, two in particular that i’m thinking of in terms of the topic of carpets is Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley and the McFaddin-Ward House. Both places claim to have the original carpet or rugs that were present when the owners were alive. Personally I have a hard time believing them at Graceland because millions of people have walked in and out of that house, including the time when Elvis was alive and to say that the carpet is the original one that he had, even if they changed it a couple of days before he died is still hard to believe. I walked on that carpet and i could just imagine people with mud and wet shoes walking all over it. How they’re going to keep the original as it is with the current situation? I don’t know, even if they were to put a glass walkway over it, you’ll still have to think about discoloration and off gassing. Again, i’m having a hard time believing that it’s the original so i don’t have much to say about it.

At the McFaddin-Ward house they have all the furnishings in place as it was when the family lived there. And I do believe that the carpets and rugs are the original ones unless they specifically stated that it was changed when the house underwent renovations to become a museum. When it came to the carpet, the museum decided to keep the original carpet where it was placed, but to preserve it, they decided to put another carpet on top of the original for visitors to step on. I think this works to a certain extent because there is still contact with the carpet and that will cause wear and tear or even stretching because the carpet, which i will refer to as the walking carpet, was placed on one end. The strain will be focused on that end unless they switch the ends from time to time. Also, i think putting this walking carpet on top of the original puts it in danger of uneven discoloring because sunlight will discolor the carpet, but if the carpet is just left there the whole time, the spot under the walking carpet will not discolor as much as the rest of the surface area. So here we have two problems, stretching and uneven discoloring. I think that if the museum switches the carpet around so that different ends are exposed to the walking carpet that would reduce the stretching and strain on just one end, and if the walking carpet was removed from the original at the end of each day, this should help reduce the obvious discoloring that will eventually happen. According to the docent, the carpet is really fragile, and the items are over a 100 years old, so i think if they’re really wanting to keep the originals in good shape, i hope they have some sort of long term plan for it. I’m not sure about this, but perhaps put a backing to support the rug if it became too fragile.

So this is just my personal thoughts on original carpets and rugs in museums such as these, the floor is an artifact you can’t help but let people “touch” it because they need to walk on the ground, if it’s a rug, you could always place it away from the walkway, but a carpet, that’s a little more difficult. On this topic though, I love this video from Historic Royal Palaces England where they’re cleaning a tapestry, it’s not a carpet, but the idea is almost the same as a rug. Here’s the video for your viewing pleasure. As a museum nerd I’ve watched this a couple of time in awe of the dedication and care they put into preserving their artifacts.

 

A New Category to the Chateau

Tags

life, new category

It’s been a couple of years since i’ve added a new category to this blog of mine and i think it’s important as it reflects how i’m acknowledging how history and museums have become such an important part of who i am, i now work at a museum as an intern and i’m looking at the next step whether that be another internship or grad school. Despite what the result will be, this is definitely something that i want to identify as an important aspect of my life. All the other categories are snippets of things i’m interested in and regrettably i’ve been busy with life to write about it. But hey, this blog has evolved as i have evolved over these past few years and it’s an exciting and interesting aspect to me. So stay tuned and i’ll try to put all sorts of things that interest me or pop up as i write and share it with you.

An Invaluable Asset to Society

Tags

free, libraries, museums, opinion, public, public service announcement

This comic explains it all, libraries and may i add museums (especially the ones that offer free admission) are a valuable asset to society especially the ones who do not have the resources to buy books or travel. I have been to the Smithsonian museums, the Museums in London, they are all free and have an extensive collection that spans the many centuries of human history. They hold the knowledge that human civilization has gathered and discovered over time in a single place and it is fascinating. My favorite experiences have been in museums where I learn by experiencing and looking at artifacts from the times or being at the place where history was made. You learn all sorts of things, how the human experience was in a certain time period and how it compares to today, and there is that connection that you make with the past. I believe that governments providing free access to libraries and museums is a public service that is worth the tax money you pay. An educated public is an asset to society.

Sage words from successful entrepreneurs

Tags

advice, entrepreneurs, life, success, words of wisdom

We all need a little reminding once in a while, because life is like that, life engulfs us with its essence, worries and tasks that sometimes we forget what’s important. That is why i like to on occasion read words of advice from successful people to remind myself about what’s important and what i should be focusing my attention on. After all, life is short and we should make the best of it. So here are some words from an article i read. I’ll link the original so that you can read the whole thing for yourself.

1. “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?”  – Steve Jobs

2. “Never be the smartest person in the room. And if you are, I suggest you find a different room.” – Michael Dell

3. “It took me a long time to understand it, but the best advice I ever received was to ask for help when I need it. People love to help. I don’t have to be insecure and know it all. I was reticent to rely on anyone else around me and balked at the thought of asking for help, counsel, or assistance. But when you’re in a business partnership with two other guys, this thought process is going to create serious problems.”-Chip Wilson

4.You cannot unify everyone’s thoughts, but you can unify everyone through a common goal. – Jack Ma

5. “There is no ‘correct’ way to play the game.”– Tiger Woods

6. “Why worry? If you have done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.”– Walt Disney

7.  “I have yet to find the man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.” – Charles M. Schwab

8. “I very frequently get the question: ‘What’s going to change in the next 10 years?’ And that is a very interesting question; it’s a very common one. I almost never get the question: ‘What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?’ And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two — because you can build a business strategy around the things that are stable in time.” -Jeff Bezos

9. “I dislike this concept of proficiency in education. … I’ve never met a Nobel Prize winner who didn’t think they had an awful lot more to learn and wasn’t studying every single day.” – Michael Bloomberg

10. “Sometimes in the thick of life, when my call list is longer than the day and people are lined up waiting for meeting after meeting, I just stop. I still myself. And look at a tree. A flower. The sun’s light reflecting off the window. And I remember love is available. I inhale it, exhale, and get back to work.” -Oprah Winfrey 

11. “My partners taught me that in order to create wealth, I needed to pair up with people whose strengths compensated for my weaknesses.” – Kevin O’Leary

12. “In your 20’s I encourage you to travel and explore the world. Get to know and respect the citizens of this planet. Have some adventure and learn about yourself and discover your true passions. And then I hope you bring it all back.” – Ross Perot

13. “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.” – Henry Ford

 

 

14.  “I listen to the bad stuff more, so I know what not to do. The stuff that’s not selling.” – Dr Dre

15.“I don’t believe in 50 friends. I believe in a smaller number. Nor do I care about society events. It’s the most senseless use of time. When I do go out, from time to time, it’s just to convince myself again that I’m not missing a lot.” -Dietrich Mateschitz

16. “If you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” – John D. Rockefeller

 

17. I train for my head—not my body. The ancillary benefits [of training] are that I’m healthy as a horse. It really does clear my mind. It’s an opportunity to wash anything from my head, business-wise or personal. That’s my moment when I can get into a zone.” -Vince McMahon

18. “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” – Madonna

19.  “When it comes to making friends, what it comes down to is finding people who don’t need anything from me. That’s the test.” – Gurbaksh Cahal

100 lessons from 100 entrepreneurs

Weekly Reading List (Feb 16th-22nd)

Tags

career, habits, life advice, resume, time management, travel and food

Here it is again!

Travel and food

24 U.S coffee shops to visit before you die

Time Management

The pros and cons of doing one thing at a time

Life advice

13 habits of exceptionally likable people

How to buy happiness: The Purchases most likely to bring you joy

I sold two companies for millions. Here’s how i prioritize

Career

7 negative behaviors of first year professionals that limit their success

Why ‘knowing it all’ won’t help you at work

5 marketing secrets that will help your resume get noticed

Weekly reading list (Feb 9th – 15th)

Tags

for fun, job search, life skills, motivational, stationery, travel

Motivational

11 life philosophies of influential leaders

Life Skills

How i prioritize like the president

Travel

Do booking sites raise prices based on your habits?

For fun

12 seriously awesome office supplies you didn’t even know existed

Job search

How to get a job you’re not qualified for

53 ways to get a job before graduation