A true Success.

Because of the Japanese Occupation in Malaya, my grandfather had to put his schooling at halt. Or really, all forms of education were reformatted towards being all things Japanese.

Hence, when he was already 14, he returned to school at a Standard 5 level (11 years old), with only two words of English known to him, "the" (which he wasn't sure of its meaning at all) and "boy" ( this he knew).

The first time, he sat for an English exam, he failed miserably. Yet, his tenacity and hunger for knowledge allowed him to learn and do a lot better in the months to come.

Fast forward to last week, one of the many times, he shared me this story, it never resonated so clearly to me before. About knowledge, about a man's hunger for it, about a man's desire to 'make it' in despite of compelling situations.

Today, my grandfather may not be the wealthiest man alive, but true hardwork and perseverance, he lives a fairly comfortable life - disregarding the various close calls to death.

Today, he still reads, his Bible, books and whatever he can get his hands on, he bought an iPad to allow himself a means of learning English easier, and more often than not,  he is more well informed than I am about the happenings of the world through the news.

A man's hunger for knowledge is evident in the things he plans to do and the things he eventually does. It is not about the perfection to it all, but the more progress of it all.

In school today, I've come to realise the desire for knowledge seems to be lacking. If anything at all, many are uninspired and have the tendency to just 'make do'. Focusing on the end result, the GPA, the scores, the Ds and HDs; compromising on the actual purpose of school - forging knowledge.

fei

let love be the movement.

emotions very much take up the same form as energy. a force. a means to and end. a decision. a decision to fell, to apply and to live such a feeling in an embodied state - to force change. to oneself, the environment, to history. 

like energy, it flows, in and through you, captivating and inviting your very senses, through the beating heart and the condescending brain, the spirit, soul and mine - interconnected through this synchronized rhythm of movement. 

it takes you. and like energy, it never dies. emotions never die. it just takes on another form. 

to hate, to bitterness, to despair, and once again, perhaps, to love, to hope, to joy. 

hello, love. never die. 

Coming out of the closet.

let me entertain these homosexual tendencies. Strange. very warm. fuzzy and strange.

oh no.

True athletes.

A testimony of the everyday man - wanting to get his life back on track.
Almost at the core of it all, is our bodies, the way we treat it, the way we think about it, the way we decide to mould it.

Forget the big athletes, the muscles, and the number 1's. This is number 1, this is success.

addict.

strange how we find addiction towards the most common of things.
irony.

Art

I worked on these a couple of months ago. Collaborated with a famous photographer in KL to produce two of the pictures below. The other pictures are mine, taking photos of different people to which by some force of nature, made these 'portraits'. 

To a degree, I wish I were a designer, went to art school, and have explored more of the creativity which is burrowed deep within. Visual stimulation is amazing. Having to visit bookstore and never read a book or magazine, but gaze and stare at pictures, colours, shapes, and all sorts of visual elements in whatever reading material I could find. Now, I am a reader, of journals, of literature, of shit that is sometimes difficult to swallow. 

At this point of being relatively 'old', it comes to a point I need to question. and question a lot.  

Evon and Suchi photographed by Johnny McGeorge

She tried to Kill me.

Of late, I've had these dreams of women. Some attractive, some fairly less desired however, they all come appearing to me at night with the intention of killing me.

Two nights ago, a chubby one equipped with a blade appeared to me. Said nothing, but with the abnormal strength she possessed, attempted to slash me.

These dreams are becoming ever more real. I enjoy a good nightmare. In my subconscious, I'm taken into new creative heights.
Yet, fear indeed cripples.

If

If i could remember one thing about this past.
It would be the grey, rainy, cold and damp corners of the room.
The way the air is still. Covered in nothing but mold, dust and rust of your thoughts. Your dreams, your nothingness, your inability to conceive joy. Your death, resurrection and all that's in between and beyond - nothing.
A senseless cycle of being. A form and structure. Easily replaceable with any other living being.
Your morbid soul taken into a faceless shadow of hollow creatures calling from below.

excerpt from the Chronicles of The Departed.

kiasu

i am more determined than ever.

vodka. yes. vodka

i am the broken piece of furniture, the writings on the wall, the dream you all thought you knew, but never knew at all. 

taken into spaces like a draft into winds like entering a room, almost like ghostly little things.

forget me not, but embrace me within. take me as whole, but penetrate my very skin. into veins, lungs, arteries and hearts. let this blood. let this blood. owh, let this blood. 

3series.

this is donmichael. he's a writer. and will destroy your mind with the power of words.
stay tuned. beware.

Pearl of the Orient

there was something quite natural, spontaneous, and special when things go wrong. 
profound. powerful and intriguing.  

this is Mel from Sarawak. She will bite you.

Turbulent Times

Dear Malaysians. Please register yourselves as voters. Please walk the talk. Please don't complain after all this is over, when you knew somehow you could have made a difference.

It doesn't matter really that you're a BN lover, PKR lover. As long as you exercise your right to vote, you become the change you want to be in the world. For democracy to work, you need to be the fuel, muscle, thoughts, ideas and inspiration for change.

This country needs you. The system needs you. As corrupt and fortified as it may seem to be, your actions in a multitudes can prove to be a force beyond yourselves.

Do share this  message. Or inspire others in your own way.

PHONY2012

KONY 2012.
A prime example of ignorance, emotion and non-rational thinking taking over our minds and wallets. It's official (perhaps) that even the Ugandans don't get the Kony2012 campaign.

When people come together at the comfort of their seats and attempt to plot change,  you're not going to get anywhere. Especially with Africa - who are we to get involved ? Who are we to force help upon others - when no one is really shouting for help in the first place ?

you argue AWARENESS, but I argue your IGNORANCE. I find myself annoyed with the many NEWLY 'highly determined, involved and psyched up activist' formed out there. Truly phrased, Watched 30 min video, Now an Activist.

You argue it will change my mindset - to be more aware. Fuck you. You're going to the pub this weekend, you're going to order your pints, skull your drinks and get smashed. Then, you're going to try and make shitloads of money for the rest of your life. Donate to Africa ? Hmmm... we'll see.


I'm sorry this offends you ? No, I'm sorry you're an idiot.
peace.

The Over-Comer. Not the winner.

The stark difference between the characteristics of winners and losers are apparent and daringly obvious. Yet, even within the 'winners' spectrum, there exists an elite group of winners.


Ideally, everybody is a winner. That's what they want you to believe. That's what you'd want to hear. The ignorant, the proud, the ones who are truly satisfied and complacent with where they are now - are all winners. You're a winner for just "being there".

Yet, I've come to realise, not everyone can be 'overcomers'. Over-comers of situations, of dire straits, of themselves, over-comers of the now.

What I've come to realise is - it takes heart. More than ever, heart, to drive oneself to go beyond himself/herself to achieve greater things. We may rationalise things, we may choose to internalise ourselves, but it takes heart to actually put things together.

A combination of a strong heart, solid mind, an able body - will deliver such an over-comer.

A little self-help. Self.

Your mission statement should be simple: continuous self-improvement.

to keep learning. to keep pushing. to keep challenging. to keep persevering.
to keep trying. to keep fighting. to keep becoming.

to be different from the man you were yesterday. to achieve some sort of excellence tomorrow.
with all that's said and done.
stay focused, stay disciplined. stay strong.

Mack

A couple of month's ago, Brad and I were talking about a concept, then we thought how cool it would be to be on film. Then we got serious at the gym one day, and then we thought that this could work. 

On the eve of my birthday, Jinn, Yugi, Brad and I gathered and talked about the story. The plot, the idea and the power of the film to blow your mind.

For more: The Weekend Projects

Do share and wait for it. No release date yet. 

in the council of extended family. i've never felt so alone before. to feel so awkward. to be such a stranger.
facade like. masked. lies. fuck