Bersih 2.0 rally

A lot of blogs and websites have commented on this Malaysia’s 2.0 rally, BBC, The Economist and the likes have covered it. Approximately 50,000 people marched bravely on the streets of KL.They marched for basic human rights, for righteousness, for family, for friends, and most importantly their country. All these people knew what was at stake. The government have threatened to throw the marchers in jail, calling the march illegal, citing reasons such as traffic and business disruption. But we all know better. We can smell their nervousness. The government knows what a successful Bersih march means. A year after the 2007 first Bersih march in 2007, the Barisan National party lost its largest share of votes since 1957 when it started ruling the country after the British left.

The government did make good their promise. More than 1,600 people were arrested. Water cannons and tear gas were fired at the peaceful demonstrators. But they marched on shouting “Bersih, bersih, bersih!” (clean, clean, clean!). All the demonstrators wanted were clean elections, transparency in the ballot counting, freedom of speech. There was no rioting. Just a peaceful walk around the city.

I look back on the event with tearful pride. It’s a watershed moment for the country I was born and raised in. Yet I’m here in the comforts of my home across the globe. I haven’t lived in Malaysia for almost a decade. So I cannot say that I am fully patriotic. Parents have urged their children to take up permanent residency or citizenship elsewhere if they could. “There’s no hope in Malaysia. It’s going to the dogs,” they say. And who knows, perhaps its true. But I look at the leaders of the marchers and can’t help feeling a little embarrassed that I’m here and not back there. These people are willing to sacrifice everything for a cause they feel so strongly about. These people are smart and with good careers. Working with the government would bring them much more financial advantage than working against them. Yet, they march on. They take on a cause bigger than themselves. For their integrity. For the children that would come after them. For their country they call home.

Part of me knows that I am in no position to even comment on the event. Who am I to say anything when I don’t even live in that country anymore. If I left the country, obviously part of me thinks change in that country it is not worth fighting for and the stakes are too high. All this in the name of a better future.

But some part of me wished that I was in Malaysia. To have a place that I call home. I look at the Koreans who are so proud of their heritage and their land, who are so immersed in their culture. When you talk to them, they have a certain pride about their country. That is something I’ve never felt before. Even though I’m somewhat contented with my new country of residency, but it’s definitely not a place I was brought up in. So I think of myself as a global citizen. But just sometimes, I would like to say with certainty and fire in my eyes that I’m a citizen of the country I was born and bred in and will always be.

….

On a related note, I am extremely embarrassed by the leader of my country. Watch this video titled “Malaysian Clown” and you will understand why.

After this watershed event, the best he can come up with is to mock the opposition, mock those who suffers for a better life, mock those who fight for a better country to live in. Has he forgotten that he is also a leader of the people whom he laughs at. Has he no words of wisdom for the nation. As a leader of a country, people watch your every word. He is on a platform of influence. Yet he acts like a big bully standing with his little minions behind him in a school playground mocking and teasing the weaker ones. Has he no shame or he is really as stupid as he portrays himself to be?

The nation as a whole is maturing. Financial bribes to win votes do not work as well anymore. I believe that within the next decade, the tide will turn. No longer will BN hold the majority of votes, there will be a balance of power within the Parliament. Democracy will prevail.

Toby at week 10

The little cutie initially weighed 1.4 kgs. Today I brought him to the vet for his first vaccination and he weighs a whooping 2 kgs. He is so much bigger now. Noooo, I hope he remains as that small little bundle of joy. Don’t grow too fast Tobs.

He seems to be much happier these days. Initially he seemed to be always moping around, always sleeping. He didn’t play much with his toys. A good 2 minutes and he is done with them.

But now, he seems to like his toys even more. I try rotating his 3 plush toys around. So that they always seemed fresh in his eyes.

He recently developed this terrible habit – biting! And mind you, it hurts as his newly formed teeth are sharp.

He seems to have taken a liking to his crate and sleeps in there most nights. His crate is his own private space and we treat it that way. That means, he does not get scolded or whacked in the cage. Also, his crate is purely for slumber time. He eats and drinks water outside the crate.

Formidable place

The places I dread the most in Beijing are the hospitals. I’ve learnt to never travel without travel insurance.

Prior to Beijing, I’ve never travelled with insurance before. But an incident that occurred to my friend a few months ago changed my perspective. She was struck with appendicitis and landed herself in hospital with a RMB 100,000 (roughly USD 20, 000) bill. Because she smartly covered herself with travel insurance, she didn’t even have to pay a cent for it.

There’s a huge difference between the public hospitals here and the high-end private hospitals. Every time I enter the public hospitals here I feel myself getting physically ill. The registration room to get a number is always filled to the brim – perhaps over 200 people screaming, pushing, trying to get a number to see the doctor. Then you walk down the war-stricken zone, I mean, hallway, which really resembles a disaster zone. Beds filled with old sickly people with drips stuck in their left hand. Mind you, the drips are not portable but hung from the ceiling. They don’t have those nice poles where you hang the drip bag, so that you can walk around, go to the toilet to pee.

Many hospitals in Beijing to not cater for foreigners. You need to know which hospitals to go to. Also, you cannot go through the normal system. A foreigner has to go to the foreigner wing and pay a much higher fee. But it really suits me fine. Because when you are ill, you really cannot be stuffed lining up with 200 people, trying to get a number.

One strange question they always ask is, “which department do you want to go to?”

“I don’t know! I feel ill. I have a fever, throbbing headache, feel nauseous, etc”

“So which department is that?” the nurse will ask.

Gee, if I knew I would be a doctor and I wouldn’t need to be asking you, would I.

Mind you, these series of questions were asked in Chinese.

Anyway, here’s my personal experience with hospitals:

When I first arrived in Beijing, as luck would have it, I fell thoroughly ill. I was vomiting about 20 times a day, going to the toilet about the same amount and 4 days later, I was feeling so weak that I felt that I might die in China and no one would even know where I was located. So I asked the hotel concierge in my very broken Chinese for the nearest hospital. They told the taxi driver to send me there. I was feeling very weak and nauseous from the lack of food and water. After throwing up for 4 days straight, there was no glucose in my system at all. I was quite hesitant to go to the hospital because I was experiencing diarrhea as well. What if I had to use the toilet in the middle of the road? I packed a change of clothes, my thick dictionary, money, money, phone and off I went.

I got dropped off and to my horror, I haven’t seen such a chaotic hospital in my life. The registration room was filled with people. I did a quick mental calculation and realised that for me to even secure a number, would take at least a couple of hours. I don’t think I can even stand up for the next one hour.

I approached a nurse and told her I wanted to see a doctor. She immediately figured out from my accent that I wasn’t local. She then told me that foreigners were not admitted here and I had to go to a different hospital.

I then waited in the scorching sun in the next 15 minutes for a cab. It was torturous. I wasn’t sure if I could survive the heat. Finally, a cab came and took me to the appropriate hospital. I went there and it was the same thing. A war zone. Beds lined the hallways. It had that sickly old people smell. It was terrible. I then decided to go to the emergency department. It took me a good half hour to find the emergency department. The hospital was complicated with a lack of signage. Lots of twists and turns. I couldn’t figure out where to go. Finally, I sought out a nurse and begged her to take me there.

She did and finally let me to what I think is the international department where foreigners went. But there were so many departments there – internal medicine, cardio, etc etc. I was thinking, all I want to see is a GP who would then direct me to the right specialist, had I needed one! It was really difficult in China.

But finally I saw a doctor. Till today, I still don’t know what that doctor specialised in. I did a blood test, urine test etc. Waited for results in the hallway for about half an hour.

For the first time in my life, I actually cried in the hospital. I willed myself to stop crying but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know why I cried. I think it was because I was so tired from being sick. It was such a tiring and complicated day. I couldn’t speak the language. No one could understand me. And worst of all, I was alone in a foreign land.

I felt so embarrassed because the nurses kept coming over, trying to comfort me.

Finally, after 30 minutes, I got my results. It was a bacteria infection.

The doctor recommended the antibiotic drip and the glucose drip. Initially I was really hesitant because I was afraid that it hurt but the doctor said that I should take it because my body was very weak at that point in time.

Till today, Im not sure whether the drip was really necessary because the doctors in China are known to abuse the IV drips, dispensing them unnecessarily. Anyway, I had to stay in bed for the entire day. The room was large with 6 beds. I was next to the window, sweating like crazy because I was so hot in there. It was summer, yet there was no a/c.

The sanitation in the hospital was atrocious. I went to the toilet twice and they had no soap nor toilet paper in the hospital. Which hospital has no soap? Hospitals are swamp with bacteria. And when they took my urine sample, they didn’t even wear a glove. Nor did they wear a glove and they poked the needle into my arm. It is no wonder that Chinese people always get sick here.

The bill came up to about RMB1000 (approximately USD180).

Ever since that episode, I’ve decided to buy travel insurance. If I ever get sick in Beijing again, I have the luxury of a peace of mind knowing that the bills are covered.

Culture differences

Having been immerse in China for quite some time now, there were some cultural differences which I initially reacted with surprise but have now accepted as the norm.

For example, the locals here have a different perspective of personal space. From where I came from, there’s usually at least 50 centimeters of space between me and the other person, if we were total strangers. However, I initially found that it’s sometimes not quite the case here. It’s quite normal to be speaking quite up close to the other person, till the point you are literally breathing down the other person’s breath.

I sometimes try to subtly move back a little bit, but it only results in the other person inching a little closer. I move, she/he moves. I move, she/he moves. And finally, I’m almost cornered. It’s almost quite comical, really.

The other day, I was in front of a restaurant, deciding whether to patronize it for lunch. I browsed through the menu, placed on a table at the entrance of the restaurant. As I turned the first page of the menu, a local came up and started browsing through the back part of the same menu. As a result, I couldn’t really look at the page anymore.

I glanced at her sideways, hinting to her that I’m not comfortable with this. How am I able to read when you are browsing the page. I was here first! How rude! Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore. I told her in mandarin that I wanted to look at the menu first. To which she replied candidly, “why can’t you look at the front part while I look at the back part of the menu?”

My first reaction was irritation but then I calmed down. She replied so casually that I realised that she she wasn’t being rude or anything but this was the norm. If this was in Australia, she would be slaughtered. It’s okay to do that here, just like it’s okay to subtly lean on you while you are lining up for the train. I guess in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Houhai Lake in Summer

Summer days are here.

Technically, it is still spring but it feels like summer has pushed it out of its way. In one of my old posts, I blogged about the frozen Houhai lake.

Below are pictures of how the lake looks like when the water is warm and enticing. The warm weather gives the lake an entire different look. The trees are no longer sleeping. There are more people on the streets. Kids are slurping down ice creams and shaved ice drinks. Lots of tourist rickshaws clog up the pathways.

One fine day, a month ago, saw me riding a bicycle around the lake and into the hutongs, having coffee on a rooftop bar and people watching.

I was in disbelief that the rock solid lake has thawed.

One can simply mistake the rooftop bars here for bars in Melbourne or somewhere else around the world. But the oriental backdrop with the distinguishable Chinese roof tiles with splashes of green and red is a sure reminder that I’m back in old China. I love it.

I forgot to ask the waiter to remove the whip cream from my mocha. I don’t know why but mochas here are always served with whip cream. I’ve never seen this done before in Melbourne. Is it an American thing?

I always love the playgrounds in Beijing. It is always teeming with life. Kids were hanging off monkey bars. Old men, wearing only their trunks, went swimming in the lake. Old women do stretching exercises around the playground. There are even manual elliptical machines, FOC. Who needs the gym? Also, there are table tennis tables free for all to use. All you need to do is to set up your net, and you’re ready to go. The government never forgets to exercise its citizens’ minds too. There are marble tables with large abacus sets attached to them. I believe that locals play abacus games with them.

During that day, there were a few young girls giving a ‘guzhen’ performance. The ‘guzhen’ is an old Chinese string instrument.

I guess when most of a city’s population live in apartments and do not have their own backyards to play in, this is what you get – a bustling playground life!

Getting hitched

One of my favourite friends in this whole world just got hitched. I couldn’t be there for the exchange of vows but I will be there for one of their receptions. It made me thought a lot about life and relationships.

I am still in disbelieved that she’s hitched. I mean, of course, I saw it coming a long ago because they have been together for ages and most of us knew that sooner or later that they would tie the knot. But I guess it’s because I feel that you are not truly an adult till you get hitched. For me, marriage symbolizes adulthood. Because getting married tells the world that you are a responsible person, that you have the courage to make long term commitments and that you have declared to the world that you will go through all hardship with another being. There is no exit point. You make a vow to go through life in whatever circumstances is thrown to you. Through poverty and richness. Through sickness and health. And for me, that commitment is huge.

As for me, getting hitched is nowhere near in the present picture. Personally, I don’t feel ready. I am not ready to make that bold commitment and will probably not be ready in the next few years. I am still in the process of learning to be responsible for myself. But hopefully, I will be ready in a couple of years. Till then, I’ll get myself ready – by refining myself and trying to be the best person I can be.

The art of listening

The other day, I bumped into a Japanese friend of mine at a cafe. We had a quick 15 minute chat. Even though it was a quick chat, I felt that it was a good conversation. We basically talked about Japan, my previous student exchange program that I participated in Japan, Japan’s current state of affairs and its culture.

He told me that he had a younger sister. I asked him whether he has a good relationship with his sister. He said that his relationship with his sister was excellent, at least better than most other Japanese. In Japan, the relationship between a brother and a sister is not as close as a same-sex sibling relationship. He said that most people find it strange for a pair of brother and sister to go out alone because they would appear like a couple.

I was really surprised because I haven’t heard of that before.

After the conversation ended, I went through the motions of the conversation in my head. I realised that I enjoyed talking to him because he was a good listener.

He never interrupted. He always waited till I finished my sentence.

He always looked interested in whatever I had to say, always nodded to indicate that he is reciprocating.

He didn’t have the I-know-more-than-you look.

He didn’t look like he was rushing for time, even though he could possibly could have be.

All these rules are 101s but I guess, over the years, I forgot the basic rules.

When I was much younger, I think I was a pretty good listener. Probably because I genuinely believed that everybody had really interesting and wise things to say, at least much more interesting and wiser than what I had to say. I remember learning so much from so many people. I had excellent observation skills. I could remember people’s facial expressions, what they wore, the exact words they said etc simply because most of the time, I sat there observing and listening in. But over the years, I guess I’ve changed.

I know that I can be extremely attentive if I’m genuinely interested in the person’s topic of interest or if I think that he or she is an interesting person. If I think otherwise, I naturally won’t appear as interested in that person’s conversation.

Sometimes I feel like I talk too much. I noticed that I did that today when I was talking to a friend. In the midst of blabbing, I asked myself why did I do that. I think I talked to fill in the supposedly awkward gaps in the conversation. And I kept asking her questions. Asking questions about the other person is a good thing. But I think I asked the questions without really listening to the answers.

I’m not proud of that. Because I think this negative attitude has a lot of negative consequences. I believe that everybody has something interesting to say because everybody would have experienced something interesting or something different from you. You can learn a little something from everybody. So if you don’t grasp the opportunity to listen to them, you would have lost the
opportunity to learn from them.

So here’s 13 ways to become a better listener:
1. Stop talking.
2. Put yourself in the speaker’s shoes so you get a deeper understanding of where they’re coming from and what is driving them to say what they’re saying.
3. Focus on using inviting body language, such as making eye contact, uncrossing your arms, and turning your shoulders so you’re facing the person speaking.
4. Avoid thinking about what you’re going to say next.
5. Create memory triggers to assist your recall.
6. Be open minded and avoid passing judgment on the speaker.
7. Stop doing other things — all other things — while someone is speaking to you.
8. Reschedule the conversation when possible if you can’t remove the distractions.
9. Participate in active listening by encouraging the speaker with nods and affirmative words.
10. Take what is being said at face value and avoid focusing on the “hidden” meaning.
11. Don’t interrupt.
12. Summarize and repeat what you heard when it’s your turn to talk.
13. Ask for clarification to get a better understanding of what was said.

I got this list from here.

Sketch

I haven’t sketched a human portrait in ages. So today I decided to sketch Ed. The purpose of the sketch was to practice getting my composition right. The sketch took me a long time to do. But hopefully with more practice, my sketching will improve.

Reference photo. As you can see, it is not exactly the same. Among other flaws, the forehead should be slightly bigger in proportion to the rest of the face. But oh well, that was the best I could do today.

Art and Child prodigy

Yesterday I was feeling a little tired from the entire week of sleep debt. So last night, I decided to paint. I haven’t painted for almost a year because I couldn’t find inspiration but yesterday, I thought, heck it, I’ll just hold the brush and start painting. Who cares whether its ugly. There’s no right or wrong in art.Perhaps there’s art that’s not that good because of bad composition or something. But, there is no ugliness in art. Art is up to your interpretation and that’s the beauty of it.

And so I painted. It’s not very good because it’s so raw. but I’m glad I started painting again.

Today, I went to the Art District 798 in Beijing to buy more art supplies – cheap acrylic paint and canvas.

Very excited but I probably won’t start on anything till three weeks time because my next few weeks are fully occupied.

I know I paint better than the average person but not extremely well. Perhaps because of a lack of true talent or because I don’t practice enough. I believe that art is 20% talent and 80% skill. A lot of people think that they cannot paint, draw, sketch etc because they are not creative. But I honestly believe that everybody has a creative streak in them. For example, you might have never dabbled in painting but you are humorous. It definitely takes creativity to be humorous. Or you might have lots of business ideas. Or you are good in photography. I think sometimes people don’t come up with anything creative because they tell themselves that they are not creative. If you don’t believe you are, then you cannot be.

I was lucky in the sense that I was put into art classes since I was a kid. And I was constantly told by my art teachers that I had a creative streak in me. Whether it is true or not is not the point. But because people pointed it out, I believed that I had a creative mind.

So, go out there and draw, paint, write, blog, take photos or think of business ideas. You never know what you might come up with.

Also, I spent the last two hours or so surfing this child prodigy artist’s website. Her art is absolutely breathtaking. Not only is she technically good but what makes her stand out, is that her art is the result of her vivid imagination and visions. Her art represents the future or her interpretation of the world. Not many artists can paint like that. Not many artists can accurately paint how they feel or the visions and dreams they see.

Aside from painting, she also writes poetry, have published two poetry books and speak 4-5 languages. Some of her art pieces also sell up to USD $5 million. And she’s only 15 years old.

And here I am, thinking that learning an extra language is difficult. Shame on me #willnevercomplainagain

Here’s her website if you are interested – http://akiane.com/home

失眠

两个小时前，我感到很累。但是现在我一点都不困。我的身体是很奇怪。 如果超过某一个时间，而我还没睡觉，我可能睡不着或者睡不香。

刚才，我去看了一个人的blog.他写的中文和英文都很好。我很羡慕他。我希望以达到他的汉语水平。每天写日记是一个提高语言水平的方法。所以，我每天要在这里写我的日记。不好意思，我的文章肯定有很多错。朋友们，如果你们可以读汉语的话，请帮我改。

今天， 我的心里不太平静。可能，我觉得我的汉语进步很慢。而且，现在我觉得我每天没有时间。我想要很多事情。但是，我感到每天没有时间。其实，我觉得我平常都浪费很多时间，做很无聊的事情。

我觉得我最大的问题是我平常都睡不香。 不是做噩梦，就是睡觉的时候我的脚和胳臂非常麻木，而且很疼。关于，第二个原因，我没有办法。我从小到大都有这个毛病，看医生都没有什么用。我无可奈何。

好了。今天到这吧。我现在要试试睡觉。