Berish.428

The banging of batons on police shields were met with the thunderous claps of citizens on the streets.
The shouts of policemen yelling, "Retreat!" were met with the Malaysian anthem.
Negaraku

Tanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidup
Bersatu dan maju
Rahmat bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita 
Selamat bertahta
Rahmat Bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita 
Selamat bertahta...

Of the old and young, able bodied and some who were not, gathered together as Malaysians, spearheaded by the desire of change and hope for a country which in this day saw beautiful chaos on its city streets.

In the midst of tear-gas and fear, people inspired and led each other forth. People brushed aside differences, beliefs and selfishness. They became focused on the end goal, they became citizens of a nation which needed to  detach itself momentarily from the notion of being a 'nation-state'.

In all respect, the police were there to carry out their duties. However, it was obvious, with every tear gas fired, their hearts shattered. Many time, I saw the water canons being used -fired on the floor.
 There was a half-halfheartedness about their jobs today. Will they sleep better tonight ? No. Many will ponder the resilience of the people today.

I'm in awe.. of the power of teargas. Even more so, the power of people in making sure fellow citizen is safe.  We laughed, joked and shared concern - salt was passed around. I gave my bag away to a man cringing on his eyes. I felt that perhaps, with every simple gesture of care and concern, opens the eyes of Malaysians that perhaps, yes, we can and will do this. Together.

To a better Malaysia.

thatface.sandra

i never really liked shooting people/portraits. sometime middle last year, i changed my mind. I hope it can and will only get better on my end.

The power of consistency is to stay inconsistent. sometimes.

Alpha.

If you pursue a sport of any sort and think that by being absolutely careful, you can avoid injuries and setbacks ? You're in to be disappointed.

Although, of course, your ability to stay safe and injury free is very much dependent on how smart you train.
But, mistakes are sometimes unavoidable, inevitable, freaks of nature, undesired, but it happens - we can contemplate the Whys? and Hows? and the "Woe's me" notion, but really, fuck that.

As I've learned to live by the notion that you can't change circumstances, but you can change your attitude towards it.

Ironically, I was walking and it struck me. Similarly with life, we can live conservatively, live carefully, live in the nutshell of always wanting to be safe and secured.

Yet, indeed, like with the pursuit of any sport, the pursuit of life is a road filled with many unexpectedness, failures,  disappointments, and setbacks.

They are as inevitable as injuries to sports. Make the damn connection already.
Yet, translate the same mantra, about your attitude towards circumstances; you will see these setbacks as measures to greater success, new heights, new lessons, and new beginnings.

You don't learn to swim by getting at the shallow end of the pool, but perhaps by at the deep end - trying to avoid yourself from drowning.
peace/

I remembered your face from the past, perhaps a dream i had.

"MACK" premiers.

stay tuned on The Weekend Projects this Friday for shit to go down. 

I can only hope and appreciate for your social media kindness and promise to watch, enjoy and share the flick on the interwebs. 

Post House#4 Reflections.

Respect, Understanding, and Encouragement.

I think were the three important elements towards this build. Mix them together and you have a working formula of an awesome team building experience for people who hardly know each other.

Even better, these three elements overlap each other to create patience, resilience, inspiration and power.
As I observed the way everyday people who come from different backgrounds,sizes, strengths, with and without knowledge and skills of using power tools and 'labouring', become so proficient and confident with themselves over the shortest period of time. Understanding allows people to literally understand that not all of us are gifted with using our hands to actually build something, yet, from the most literate to the most challenged ones, understanding helps empower people, shape them to do better.

Credit is due to great leaders, at the top and at the team zones to reflect and teach these virtues. Never have I  ever heard so many words/phrases of encouragement - Great job! Well done! Excellent! and Good stuff! - were among the most powerful words you can ever use to inspire and help bring about  the best in people. You may not see it at first, but you slowly start to see the power of these words when shared among people.

Strange we don't have them enough here in the city, but I had to hear them most in the jungle. When nature calls perhaps.


This time around, I've experienced many challenges - from being utterly frustrated from errors, to going hungry at night (due to the random flood which blocked the only road out for us to get food at night - yet, we pulled whatever food/water we had left and shared, sang songs and waited for the rain/flood to subside; t'was beautiful, semi-managing people, and getting things to eventually work at the end of the day - very daunting, challenging, and exciting tasks at hand.

Credit is due to the Big Man who makes all things possible with whatever little faith/believe we have, in despite of being such shitheads sometimes. Thank you.

This home (i hope) doesn't just impact Atan and his family, but also towards the other builders who I hope take back something new in their lives. Something to shout about, to learn from and to share with others - it may not be to build another home or along the same lines, but to spearhead, inspire and lead new powerful initiatives to make where we live, a whole lot better.

let this temple burn.

when we were young. wild. carefree.
and together.

friends and friendships.

Gone are the days when friendship circles exist in the multitudes of 10s and 20s. Back in the day when there were no such thing as clicks or pacts, but everyone were simply friends. 


Today, we are a divided bunch. Driven by different passions, ideals, hobbies and such. 


However, there are those who choose to alienate you, to judge you, and just simply not talk to you. These are the fuckers.
Yet, you can't blame anyone, that's life. The natural order of things .That's the way people are. 


I pondered a few months back on this and thought about this today, how really easy it is to say that we have many friends, but really, not many friendships. 


In my point of view, to be a REALLY a friend, you've got to go beyond faults, judgement and the dirty things. You've got to look beyond the fact that he/she smells like shit, has bad time management, can't be reliable, and all those different and difficult personality traits.

To me,  it's all about one or two very important things, whether they are willing to give up their time for you and whether they want to establish that connection with you - in whatever way possible. 


I will look beyond your faults as a human being, for you are my friend. But the moment you think, I've got better things to do, the value of true friendship is broken to shits. I can probably still call you a friend, but what kind of friendship is that ? 


Hence, in this day and age, we truly have many 'friends'. But can we really question ourselves, how many friendships do we have ? 


so, to you friends whom I've known and love, those who were/are willing to spend their time and toil with me, to laugh with me, to enjoy a meal with me, you are a friendship i will keep. 


to you other, friends, here's to your life and i wish you the best. 

Sweet Slumbers Rest

I've had this experience once. Scary. I've had thoughts about it last week. I wrote a poem about it a few days ago. We shot the short flick two days ago.

We are The Weekend Projects.

Enjoy. Like it ? Share it please. Get us places.

end day reflections

what good is a body, if it cannot be put to good use ? 

once again, i'm even more certain that the training style which we've been implementing over the months, mixed with whatever crossfit stuff i've been doing serves a mighty purpose. no way, would i be able to get things 'moving' the way it did today with just doing bicep curls and leg extensions.

Instead, every deadlift, squat, press, tyre drag, rope pull, squat clean, clean and jerk, and the array of movements learned over the year helped tremendously in getting such work done - almost with little difficulty. Hence, if ever there was any advice I'd share with you all, is pick a training style that challenges your body and allows it to function in the times when you think you'd never use it.

* we moved 20, 90kg, concrete blocks unto a truck and of load it to higher ground at the built site for Epic Homes House Build 4&5. 


With little brains and lots of brawn, good friendship and Mighty works at hand, all good things are possible.
To my friends who took the time out on this glorious public holiday to help me, I appreciate your assistance as much as I treasure the friendship. It was nice to experience the support of you peers in my efforts/projects. You can be sure, I will support you all too.

If there are any lessons to take back from today:
1. train smart and hard, your efforts will be put into good use when the time calls for it.
2. people make the difference.

peace.

a sweet slumber's rest.

jack, oh little jack. 

sleepy eyes and comfort tides as you hit the sack. 

pillows plushed, is a must, as you tuck yourself away. 

soothing sounds, all around, on this warm summer's day. 

but now it's night and without a sight we choose to come out and play. 

jack, oh little jack.

you are alone, we hear you breathe, and know all your thoughts and fears, 

they tell you stories, and they tell you lies, they try to explain science through your eyes, 

but don't forget, never forget, we exists only at night. 

when all's slumber, and your imagination wonders, we come in and leave a fright. 

and now it's night and without a fight, we choose you to come out and play. 

as i watch this world fades into oblivion, of the inglorious excess.

as i passed by all the glitter and gold, pictures of dreams, hopes and all pretty things.
with words and phrases which shout your imperfections, of life and details which can make you nervous.

with their words of wisdom, advice and undertakings, telling you "here, please, buy my shit".
the silver screen is lighted with diamonds and pearls, of suits of men and chiseled jaws, but, you my friend, are nothing like a boss.

you are the insignificant, walking cash wallets, cashing in, consumers and puppets for mass display. your insecurities become your desires - the pleasing of inglorious excess, of inglorious beings, of inglorious statuses.

you become the spark. which you feel becomes the bright shining star, the lucifer of your generation, the proud, your pride which takes on the forms of the car you drive, the clothes you wear and the women you fuck.

the degradation of  your life begins from the inside. from the perception of your eyes. shaped and contoured by these men in suits and chiseled jaws. sitting in offices on the 30th floor.

strip yourself of these things, what are you now, man ? but, man. naked, bare and powerless. nothing but your own mind, sought to fight. your soul, more precious than gold.

Out There.

We shouldn't stop. Never stop. Being athletes. Being leaders. Being learners. Being whoever we ought to be. who we want to be. who we should aspire to be.

We should never cease to find ways of finding meaning. to life. to death. to breathing. to the things that brings out the joy in life which can feel often so mundane and imperfect.

towards the things that takes us beyond ourselves. beyond our schedules. beyond our own being.
you were always designed for something bigger.

Wake

Ernest said it best. A rational and refined gentleman. A powerful writer. An outstanding person.

Today was a wake up call. Easter and such beyond the fact, I am/was/still am on the road to self-destruction. I've taken strange paths towards it, crossed rivers of soulful joy and pain, lingered on groves of death.

There's a need to wake up and move. Faster and further than ever before. Away from one's old self - to die to one's old self - the ugly self. Let the re-birth take shape and place.

FIGHT GONE BAD

Here's an except from Pushmore about a fun way to do charity - raising funds through the things you're passionate about, good at, for a great cause. 

I'm looking to participate and hoping perhaps to look for some of you kind souls to help me pledge so we can do this TOGETHER. It's not just me performing, but very much you as well.

Do read the deets as below. If you're keen and want to talk to me privately, DO NOT HESITATE. 

PushMore Fitness Centre is participating in a charity drive to raise funds for House of Joy, one of the homes under Joy To The World Community Services (JTTWCS), Petaling Jaya. We will be organizing a “Fight Gone Bad” workout where athletes can work out and pledge their contribution “via reps”. This event is open to all members. Event details as follows:

Date: April 14th, 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location: PushMore Fitness Centre

Who is the money going to?
The House of Joy children’s home in Puchong was burnt down last New Year’s Eve, leaving 35 underprivileged children in tears and homeless. Currently, the children are temporarily housed at the Puchong Jaya multipurpose hall while the management looks for another home.

What is “Fight Gone Bad”?
In this workout you move from each of five (5) stations after a minute. This is a five (5)-minute round from which a one (1)-minute break is allowed before repeating. The stations are:

Wall-Balls @ 10kg/5kg, 10ft/8ft target
Sumo Deadlift High-Pull @ 35kg/25kg
Box Jumps @ 24”/20”
Push-Press @ 35kg/25kg
Double Unders

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises.

On call of “ROTATE!” the athlete/s must move to the next station immediately for a good score. One point is given for each rep. At the end of the workout the sum of the reps will give a total score.

How do we raise money through this workout?
Sum/value of donation will be based on the total number of repetitions completed by the athletes. Donors will sponsor an athlete by pledging an amount per repetition.

Example: A pledge of RM 1 per repetition with a total score of 343 reps completed by the athletes will require the donors to donate a value of RM 343

people make the difference

i was at the gym last night. smoked from the workout. tired and in awe of the challenge that i had just completed. across to me was a lady - overweight, silent, and highly uninspired.

It struck me. You can be in the best of places. The greatest of environments to excel.
Yet, if you lack the push and encouragement from the people around you.

You will be nothing. You will never be able to excel.
You will be nothing more than a shadow between the walls. In and out. And no one will notice you.

The sad truth and most profound revelation to me: who you are with and the passions you ignite, make the difference in excellence.

welcome me, death like a friend.

at my very last breathe, let it your hand be in mine.
let my eyes cast itself upon yours for the very last time.
at my final rest, let your body be steady next to mine,
let us embrace death like a friend, with our prepared nickle and dime.

walk us through this moment, the longest moment every before life crosses over to death eternal.
a moment where we'd be known forever in heaven, or below with flames infernal.
can there be no other moment as this? can there be no other sunset like this?
when light forever refuses to reach my skies, i will be with your forever in this next life.

My first ad

This was my very first ad. Designed by Blackodc San and highly inspired after a simple conversation with Vee Vien. The purpose of the ad was to tell students in Monash about an Entrepreneurial Forum a couple of us at the Business Club would be organising.

The idea in my POV was to be different, catch that attention and get your mind stimulated.
Being a double degree major (Marketing and Comm), I saw the concept of "the message is the medium" stringing in my head. Mixed that with Marketing theories like differentiation and knowledge that the attention span of the average person is probably less than 10 seconds, the ad/poster needed to literally stand out.

Through my father's network of strange material suppliers like the one pictured, I found an alternative to having plaster glass all over campus (reducing risk of damage and all sort of other bs). We got a material called fibre --glass ? I cannot recall, but it had the same reflective element as well as the advantage of being far lighter than glass.

There are not many things that I'm proud in life. But, as I sit back and think about this ad - although it hadn't win any sort of award - comes to me as a proud moment where I really put shit together - to what i wanted to do, to whom i know, to what i learnt, to what needed to be done in getting it executed - into an actual, tangible material.

Major props to Blackodc San who I must commend and praise for this  design and making ideas turn into something tangible.