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Key Pledges of Pakatan Rakyat Sarawak 2011

The much anticipated Sarawak State Election will be happening on the 16th April 2011.

To all anak-Sarawak near or far, let us show our unending support towards our state for a better change. Let us vote for the right leaders to lead us to a better Sarawak.

It's a WRAP!

Date: 23rd March 2011

It was the last day of Kraf Kraf Kreatif shoot at Get Crafty, One Utama and so far, it was the most exciting and wonderful episodes we shot - the crafts were brilliant, the kids were good and it was just amazing! It's now off for another 4 weeks of editing to mark the end of KKK...hoping for the next season on TV!

~AWESOME~

Underwater Camera?

An underwater camera cost...

1. DSLR + Casing + Strobes = RM20,000 - RM50,000 (depending on what model and lenses)

2. G12 + Casing + Strobes = RM3000 - RM5000

3. Compact Camera + Casing + Strobes = RM2000 - RM3000

After further contemplation and research, I decided to get myself just a compact camera and its casing for the first round of purchase and a pair of strobes later after confirmation that the camera is good for underwater photography. As for now, I've decided to get a Canon IXUS 130 + Ikelite Casing which costs RM1589.

So far after a tryout, it seemed pretty good but a little hard to use because I'm totally not familiar with Canon compact camera settings but time will help for me to work this camera in a blink.

So, one final question to myself before purchasing this camera...

do I have enough money to buy one?

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa OST

Anuar Zain - Sedetik Lebih

Setiap nafas yang dihembus
Setiap degupan jantung
Aku selalu memikirkanmu

Dalam sedar dibuai angan
Dalam tidur dan khayalan
Aku selalu memikirkanmu

Ternyata ku perlukan cinta dari dirimu sayang
Barulah terasa ku bernyawa

Kasihku ku amat mencintai kamu
Kerana kau beri erti hidup
Ku kan terus mencinta sedetik lebih selepas selamanya

Di kala penuh ketakutan dengan badai kehidupan
Ku bersyukur adanya kamu

Biarlah kehilangan semua yang dimiliki di dunia
Asal masih adanya kamu

...loved the film and love this song...

No Hope for the Malaysian Chinese - A Letter from a Chinese Malaysian Resident in USA

A Malaysian speaks up....

I am a female Chinese Malaysian, living in the Washington DC area in the United States . I have read many of the letters that often talk about foreign countries when the writers have no real knowledge of actually living in those countries.

Many draw conclusions about what those countries are like after hearing from someone else or by reading and hearing about them in the media or after four years in a college town in those countries.

I finished STPM with outstanding results from the prestigious St George's Girls School in Penang . Did I get a university place from the Malaysian government? Nothing.. With near perfect scores, I had nothing, while my Malay friends were getting offers to go overseas. Even those with 2As got into university. I was so depressed. I was my parent's last hope for getting the family out of poverty and at 18, I thought I had failed my parents.

Today, I understand it was the Malaysian Government that had failed me and my family because of its discriminatory policies.

Fortunately, I did not give up and immediately did research at the Malaysian American Commission on Education Exchange (MACEE) to find a university in the US that would accept me and provide all the finances. My family and friends thought I was crazy, being the youngest of nine children of a very poor carpenter. Anything that required a fee was out of our reach. Based on merit and my extracurricular activities of community service in secondary school, I received full tuition scholarship, work study, and grants to cover the four years at a highly competitive US university. Often, I took 21 credits each semester, 15 credits each term while working 20 hours each week and maintaining a 3.5 CGPA. A couple of semesters, I also received division scholarships and worked as a TA (teaching assistant) on top of everything else. For the work study, I worked as a custodian (yes, cleaning toilets), carpet layer, computer lab assistant, grounds keeping, librarian, painter, tour guide, etc. If you understand the US credit system, you will understand this is a heavy load.

Why did I do it? This is because I learnt as a young child from my parents that hard work is an opportunity, to give my best in everything, and to take pride in the work I do. I walked away with a double major and a minor with honours but most of all a great lesson in humility and a great respect for those who are forced to labour in so-called `blue collar' positions.

Those of you who think you know all about Australia , US, or the West, think again. Unless you have really lived in these countries, i.e. paid a mortgage, paid taxes, taken part in elections, you do not understand the level of commitment and hard work it takes to be successful in these countries, not just for immigrants but for people who have lived here for generations.

These people are where they are today because of hard work. (Of course, I am not saying everyone in the US is hardworking... There is always the lazy lot that lives off of someone else's hard work. Fortunately, they are the minority..)

Every single person, anywhere, should have the opportunity to succeed if they want to put in the effort and be accountable for their own actions. In the end, they should be able to reap what they sow.

It is bearable that opportunities are limited depending on how well-off financially one's family is but when higher education opportunities are race-based, like it is in Malaysia, it is downright cruel for those who see education as the only way out of poverty.

If you want to say discrimination is here in the US , yes, of course it is. Can you name a country where it doesn't happen? But let me tell you one thing - if you go looking for it, you will find it. But in Malaysia , you don't have to go look for it because it seeks you out, slaps you in your face every which way you turn, and is sanctioned by law!

Here in the US , my children have the same opportunity to go to school and learn just like their black, white, and immigrant friends. At school, they eat the same food, play the same games, are taught the same classes and when they are 18, they will still have the same opportunities. Would I want to bring my children back to Malaysia? So they can suffer the state-sanctioned discrimination as the non-malays have had for over 50 years?

The injustice the non-Malay have to suffer in frightening silence is the most damaging problem one has to face throughout one's life. You just have to look at the mighty govt structures which completely favours only one race, the Umno Malay. The Chinese and Indians are treated no better than the illegal Indonesians. Racism and corruption are openly practiced by the Malay politicians everywhere, Courts, schools/Uni, police, govt offices, contracts, GLC, NEP, ISA, local government.

It's so powerful and intimidating that you walk with fear and keep your mouth shut on anything and everything political. Religion is taboo unless you talk good about Islam.

As for being a slave in the foreign country, I am a happy 'slave' earning a good income as an IT project manager. I work five days a week; can talk bad about the president when I want to; argue about politics, race and religion openly; gather with more than 50 friends and family when I want (no permit needed) and I don't worry about the police pulling me over because they say I ran the light when I didn't.

Have we seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet (Anwar Ibrahim)? Or is it the head light of an oncoming Umno train? Lets hope its the former for the sake of all fair-minded Malaysians.

The dream of a Malaysian 'race' in the future is nowhere in sight with the present BN govt.

Where is Negara-Ku???

Project Aware Foundation: Dive for Earth Day 2011

Was searching for dive promotions in the web and came across Project Aware Foundation: Dive for Earth Day 2011. I marked my calendar on the every year's Project Aware International Cleanup Day on the 25th September...a day to be underwater 'MBKS' *smiles* I found out that Langkawi Coral is having the Dive for Earth Day 2011 on the 23rd April 2011 at Pulau Payar, Langkawi and quickly emailed them. Hopefully, I can join the dive team for this event!

For more information on these events by Project Aware around the world, just log into the website.

Cervarix Shot...2nd Dose

Cervarix is a vaccine against certain types of cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV). Cervarix is designed to prevent infection from HPV types 16 and 18, that cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. These types also cause some other genital cancers and some oropharyngeal cancers. Additionally, some cross-reactive protection against virus strains 45 and 31 were shown in clinical trials. Cervarix also contains AS04, a proprietary adjuvant that has been found to boost the immune system response for a longer period of time. Cervarix is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. An alternative product, from Merck & Co., is known as Gardasil. (source taken from Wikipedia)

Just had my 2nd dose of Cervarix yesterday after my first dose on 13th February in Kuching. Taking this shot in KL is a bit more expensive than taking it in Kuching though - RM220 per shot. Both doctors I went told me there won't be much of a pain, but so far the pain has been on-going for couple of days *sweats*

14th August 2011...my last shot!

Mares Trilastic Lady Rash Guard

Finally! After a long contemplation...I went to Scuba Dynamics, Hartamas yesterday and got myself a rash guard for RM79 *good deal* I've been wanting to dive without my wetsuit but haven't gotten the opportunity yet because I was still scouting for a good rash guard. So now, here I have it and I will use it this coming trip to Tioman. Let's see how it is like to dive without a wetsuit~

Japanese Earthquake Causes Tsunami

Tokyo (CNN) -- The most powerful earthquake to hit Japan in at least 100 years unleashed walls of water Friday that swept across rice fields, engulfing towns, dragging houses onto highways and tossing cars and boats like toys, apparently killing hundreds and forcing the evacuations of tens of thousands. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the "enormously powerful" earthquake has caused "tremendous damage over a wide area."

The quake, which struck at 2:46 pm local time, sparked fires in at least 80 locations, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported, and prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories.

Police in Miyagi Prefecture say between 200-300 have been found in the coastal city of Sendai alone, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported late Friday. The death toll is likely to rise as there are few casualty counts yet from the worst-hit areas. Kyodo, citing Japan's defense forces, said 60,000 to 70,000 people were being evacuated to shelters in the Sendai area.

Japanese authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of a nuclear plant affected by the earthquake, saying that while there was no immediate danger, crews were having trouble cooling the reactor. The Fukushima plant is one of four closest to the quake that the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said were safety shut down.

The epicenter was offshore 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said.

The prime minister said an emergency task force has been activated, and appealed for calm. The government dispatched 8,000 troops to assist in the recovery effort and asked for U.S. military assistance, according to Kyodo.But residents there continued to feel aftershocks hours after the quake. More than 30 aftershocks followed, with the strongest measuring 7.1.

A spokesman for the U.S. military bases in Japan said all service members were accounted for and there were no reports of damage to installations or ships. President Barack Obama, while offering his condolences, said the United States was standing by to help "in this time of great trial."

Images from Japanese media and CNN iReporters show smoke pouring from buildings and water rushing across fields carrying away entire structures.

"I wasn't scared when it started ... but it just kept going and going," said Michelle Roberts, who lives in central Tokyo. "I won't lie, it was quite scary. But we are all OK. We live on the third floor, so most everything shook and shifted."

The quake toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath. Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boats, houses and trailers. About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and surrounding areas. Firefighters battled a fiery blaze at an oil refinery in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. The quake disrupted rail service and left people stranded in their offices. It also affected air travel. Hundreds of flights were canceled, Kyodo said. Some 13,000 people were stranded at the Narita airport, with 10,000 stuck at the Haneda airport, Kyodo said.

At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's busiest subway stations, shaken commuters grabbed one another to stay steady as the ground shook. Dazed residents poured into the streets after offices and schools were closed. Children cried. Residents said though earthquakes are common in Japan, Friday's stunned most people.

"My wife was the calm one ... she told us to get down and put your back on something, and leave the windows and doors open in case a building shifts so you don't get trapped.""This was larger than anyone expected and went on longer than anyone expected," said Matt Alt, who lives in Tokyo. Richard Lloyd Parry said he looked through a window and saw buildings shaking from side to side. "Central Tokyo is fine from what we see, people are calm ... and not going inside buildings," he said.

Such a large earthquake at such a shallow depth -- 24.4 kilometers (15.2 miles) -- creates a lot of energy, said Shenza Chen of the U.S. Geological Survey. As the city grappled with the devastation, a massive tsunami swept across the Pacific Ocean. An earthquake of that size can generate a dangerous tsunami to coasts outside the source region, the National Weather Service said.

In Philippines alone, the tsunami is expected to hit in the early morning and the government has evacuated coastal areas. The National Weather Service issued warnings for more than 50 countries and territories. The wide-ranging list includes Russia and Indonesia, Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. state of Hawaii, where warning sirens were sounded in the morning. A tsunami warning was also issued for areas along the United States and Canadian west coasts.

While some officials feared that waves from the tsunami could be high enough to wash over entire islands in the Pacific, at least one expert said it was unlikely. The tsunami could cause significant damage and flooding, but "washing over islands is not going to happen," said Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Humanitarian agencies were working with rescue crews to reach the people affected. "When such an earthquake impacts a developed country like Japan, our concern also turns to countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, which might not have the same resources," said Rachel Wolff, a spokeswoman for World Vision. Wolff said her agency is helping people on the ground in Japan and teaming up to help others in countries along the path of the tsunami.

The tsunami could cause damage "along coastlines of all islands in the state of Hawaii," warned the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."

Tsunamis are a series of long ocean waves that can last five to 15 minutes and cause extensive flooding in coastal areas. A succession of waves can hit -- often the highest not being the first, said CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera. The quake was the latest in a series in the region this week.

Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck off the coast of Honshu. A day earlier, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had struck off the same coast, the country's meteorological agency said.

The largest recorded quake took place in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5, the USGS said. The quake Friday was the fifth-strongest in the world since 1900, the agency said and the most powerful to hit Japan since then.

LET US ALL PRAY FOR THE VICTIMS OF THIS EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN JAPAN

on Shoots and Edits

It has been a very 3 weeks since I got back to KL for my new job. Shoots were from Monday to Friday and edits for promo and episodes started the same week itself. There were many setbacks throughout these three weeks; locations, talents, guest artists, production support, post production support and many unforeseen problems happening day in and day out.

I had so many late nights in Media Prima's editing room for edits and early mornings from Cheras to Damansara for shoots. The last weekend was the most frustrating time in this project but I'm glad that things were sorted out and its going smoothly now.

There were a couple of cancelation of shoots last week and again this week where we postponed our last 2 days of shoot to the week after school holidays.

For now, it's a week off from shoot but every Monday and Tuesday for edits.

Catch KRAF KRAF KREATIF from 13th MARCH 2011 (SUNDAY) onwards at 5.30pm only on TV9 (CHANNEL 119 in ASTRO)

Movie of 2011: Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa

It was yet another day of canceling my shoot in One Utama and to spend my time wisely, I went to watch Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa at 12.30pm at GSC, One Utama. I was attracted to watching this movie in the cinema after watching the trailer as I was surprised with the quality of this Malaysia-made film.

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa - known as The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines in the international cinemas tells a story of Merong Mahawangsa, allegedly a descendant of Alexander the Great and the foundation of Kedah. The journey sets of when Merong Mahawangsa escorts a Roman Prince from Goa to wed a Chinese princess during the 2nd century and later to face attacks from the Gerudas.

This is one of the very few Malaysia-made films that I've watched in the cinema. First of all, two thumbs up to the production of this film! *applauses* This film shows improvements in Malaysia's filmmaking industry especially with its acting, cinematography, special effects and music scoring. It was a great product at the end of a RM8million spending to make this movie.

I find that it was quite odd to have the characters speaking in English, especially with different slangs. But then again, it was a GREAT film by KRU and hopefully more of these will be made into films soon!

Movie of 2011: The King's Speech

Another shoot cancelled and guess what I did after...had a great morning breakfast of Dim Sum at Happy Garden with Steven and Tracy. Damn, the Dim Sum was amazing - reminded me of Ipoh's Foh San Dim Sum that I had back when I stayed in Ipoh for 2 months. After breakfast, Tracy and I took the train down to Berjaya Times Square to catch a movie and we were 5 minutes away before the next show: The King's Speech at 12.10pm.

Heard about this show from friends who have been posting about it. Another movie based on true story, this time it's about King George VI. It was indeed a good movie; very inspiring and great acting. The freeze inside the cinema was a setback but overall I enjoyed every single minute of this movie *smiles*

Movie of 2011: 127 Hours

It was another cancellation of my shoot that brought me to watch this show in GSC, One Utama on Friday afternoon at 3pm. I saw the trailer in Kuching and had been wondering what the story is all about. Similarly to the TV Program from Discover Channel - I Shouldn't Be Alive - this show covers seriousness and humours. It's amazing how much a person can do to continue living even in such situations. It was an amazing movie to watch. Love the location and the cinematography!

...wonder what I'll do if I'm in a life and death situation...

Kraf Kraf Kreatif Shoot

What am I currently working on at the moment?

I'm now in a 13-days shooting period on Kraf Kraf Kreatif for TV9 with a twist. I am no longer working in production but in the directing department *smiles* Shoots have been on-going since 21st February and will be finishing on 10th March 2011. It's been quite a relaxing shoot but with a little of hiccups along the way. Not just going on shoots but now, I'm splitting myself to 2 shifts; morning on shoot, night on edits.

Can't wait for shoots to be over next week!

Catch Kraf Kraf Kreatif from 13th March 2011 at 5.30pm only on TV9

Movie of 2011: Sanctum

I've been wanting to watch this movie ever since I came across the movie poster in MBO Kuching. I even wanted to pay RM20 to watch 2D version in Genting Cinema the other day. Finally I get to watch it!

I was at One Utama for Kraf Kraf Kreatif shoot and at 12pm, we had to cancel the shoot for the day with reasons such as:

1. No lightning man

2. 2 sets lights given out of 4 sets

3. Talent went MIA

4. Superbly big screw up from the Production Assistant

After calling off the shoot, I went up and got myself the ticket at the 1.40pm show and no doubt, it was an amazing show, not to mentioned this movie was inspired by a true story. I had a great 120 minutes watching this show and I will definitely be buying the original DVD for it too *smiles* Thumbs up to James Cameron for another great film!

One thing's for sure, I will not want to go cave diving like this one! ...scary...

Here's the trailer!