United Buddy Bears in Kuala Lumpur

Last December I took the opportunity of the month-long break I had from work to do some bit of photography. A Sri KDU student, Zoey informed me that "the buddy bears are at the Pavilion" so I headed over there in the heart of Kuala Lumpur to see what sort of thing the buddy bears are.

So I drove my car and parked at one of those shady unofficial parking spots a few blocks away from the Pavilion, since parking at the Pavilion and any of the surrounding areas in Bukit Bintang is either almost impossible or expensive. Walked my way to Pavilion whilst praising myself for the parking decision I made earlier, the traffic jam going to and leaving from Pavilion was a total nightmare. As I neared the place, I immediately saw them --- the Buddy Bears.

More than a hundred of these colorful bears were lined up on the pedestrian sidewalks and the plaza in front of Pavilion. The bears are part of an exhibition called the United Buddy Bears and they'll be staying in Kuala Lumpur for about two months or so.

For most of the exhibition, the bears are meant to represent a country and each of the bear was painted and decorated by an artist from the country it represents. The motifs and decorations on the bear tell you a bit about the country and the culture it represents. I naturally looked around for the Malaysian buddy bear and thankfully the organizers had arranged the bears in alphabetical order according to the official UN listing of the  name of country, so finding the Malaysian bear wasn't as hard as performing an ant swarm optimization algorithm to pinpoint the location of the said bear.

Anyways, I took lots of photos of the bears representing many countries, but for the purpose of this post, let's start with the Malaysian bear.

The Malaysian Bear was painted by Mr. Abdul Rahim Muda, the Malaysian artist most commonly known as Imuda. He was famous for his comic strips in Malaysian newspapers since the 1980's until now and for some time acted in some popular Malay comedy sitcoms in the 1990's.

I took the chance to explore the details of Imuda's way of expressing Malaysia through his artwork on the Malaysian bear. And of course, front and center, the image of Malaysia being multicultural is prominently displayed on the belly of the bear.

Cultures / Race represented: Sikh, Sarawakian (represented by the hornbill), Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Sabahan (represented by the orangutan)

Each major race is shown wearing their respective traditional attire, and the bear itself is wearing a Baju Melayu --- either to express that the Malays are the main race of the country, or that because Imuda the artist that worked on the bear is Malay. Either way, it is not immediately evident because that particular detail is not as prominently presented as other ideas in the artwork.

On the left elbow of the bear is a Malaysian traditional kite, the Wau Bulan. This particular type of kite is meant to represent the traditional pastime of the Malays, especially those from the East Coast where the weather can be particularly windy. The Wau Bulan is one of the iconic representatives of Malaysia and is used extensively in many things, such as currency (the Malaysian 50 sen coin and RM 1 banknote) and corporate logos (Malaysia Airlines).

Closer to the um, crotch of the bear is the rafflesia flower, known as the largest single flower on the planet. It is commonly found in East Malaysia, especially Sabah. East Malaysia, situated on north of Borneo island, though separated from most of the mainland states by the South China Sea, is a very important part of the Malaysian multicultural identity, and is famous for numerous tourist and ecotourism attractions.

The underarm (armpit, really) of the bear shows the Malaysian national flower - the Bunga Raya or hibiscus. It is shown here as a motif on a batik cloth, a traditional type of cloth and art motif common to the Southeast Asian region, used extensively in modern and traditional clothes.

The face of the bear is in my opinion a way to show the identity of the artist, as he normally draws his cartoon characters with big round shiny eyes, glowing cheeks and a big smile.

The United Buddy Bears will continue to be in Kuala Lumpur until 15 February, so if you haven't seen them yet, do take the time to check them out. There are more than just country bears, some bears have special dedications on them and some have great messages as well. Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the world and about the message of tolerance across different cultures and faiths! Check out www.ubb-kualalumpur.org for more details about the exhibition.

Next I shall feature another bear representing another country, so be sure to stay tuned!

Al-Fatihah : Allahyarham Atok Yah

A few days ago, my beloved grandmother passed away after a long battle with numerous age-related diseases.

The last photo I took of her, about a week before her death

My mom told me that when I was a baby, I was taken care of by my grandmother for a few months because mom was still a university student in Australia and she needed to focus on her studies and final exams. My dad was just starting to work as an engineer in Seremban, so I was sent to Muar to live with my grandparents for a few months until mom graduates and returns to Malaysia.

I was told that I was not an easy baby to take care of and that I cried all the time. Plus my grandma had to take care of my aunt who was a 2 year-old toddler at that time so she had her hands full not just for my aunt but for my constant needs as well.

When I heard that she was admitted to the ICU, I raced to the hospital immediately after work but by the time I got there, she was almost gone. I was too late. She would never regain consciousness after that.

I wish I had the courage to say what I wanted to say to her then. But I didn't and I couldn't. So let me do it here instead.

Dear Atok Yah, 

I would like to thank you for all the love, care and guidance you have given me over the years while I was a baby, a toddler, a kid, a teenager, and a grown up. I have not been the best grandson to you and I'm sure that in the crowd of almost 60 grandchildren you have, I have not been one to have given much to you. I'm sorry for all the trouble, grief and sorrow I may have caused you from the day I was born till the day you left us. 

The night you went away, I stood next to your hospital bed and saw you lying there unconscious. I could see that your breathing were artificially induced by the life support machine. I held your hand and it was totally cold. Your fingers were blue. At that point I whispered to your ear, trying to tell you that I was there, but I wasn't sure you were able to hear me. 

Kim said you were medically gone, that there was no way you can be revived anymore, and what was little evidence of life left in you were caused by the life support system you were hooked into. At that point, I knew that there is no chance I could ever hear you say my name again, which was the last thing I heard you say when you were alive a little more than 10 days ago. 

They had to pull out the plug and you half an hour later left us forever. You left in the company of your children, they silently watched as you went peacefully and the ECG pulse slowly dampened to a flatline. 

I remember helping to carry the coffin that bears you, it was so light to the point I felt guilty for not suffering the weight of helping to lift you to the vehicle that was to carry you to the cemetery. 

I remember the gravediggers opening your coffin so that everyone can see your face for one last time before they lower you into the ground. 

I remember seeing how peaceful you looked, that your face looked like it was smiling in that coffin, and I immediately turned away so that memory of the last time I saw you will forever be immortalized. So that in the end, the smiling face of my beloved grandmother who had been through so much would be my last visual memory I have of you. 

Goodbye Atok Yah. May Allah bless you in the hereafter. Till we meet again, inshaAllah. 

Your grandson,
-Ihsan-
12 January 2011

I would like to thank everyone for your kind thoughts, well-wishes and prayers when my grandmother was ill and after she passed away.

2012 Aspirations

To explore greater opportunities for self development and a fulfilling career.

To continue pursuing my master's degree in applied mathematics or any other relevant field.

To experience new things, meet new people, make new connections.

To be more physically active and to eat healthier.

To end my single life.

To be a better person to people I care most.

To do more photographic exploration and expand and develop my creative side.

To relearn Japanese.

To be more honest to myself and others.

To be more appreciative of others.

To have more courage in facing confrontations rather than just avoid them entirely like I always have done.

To have a wonderful 2012.

May you all have a blessed year ahead. Happy New Year!