Wesak

A stone stature of the seated Buddha, with its head and two lower arms severed off, was photographed in Wat Maha That, one of the many ruin temples in Ayutthaya, Thailand. About 240 years ago, the invading Burmese army, destroyed everything Thai in the city and many of the wreckages still remain today.

This picture of the Buddha, at the moment of enlightenment, with his right hand touching the earth and the left hand calling the earth to witness it, captures the mood and essence of the Wesak celebration, in May every year. This visualization, brings together, the time when Siddhartha Gautama became a Buddha, when he was born (563BC) and when he died (483 BC) and also his teachings about spiritual liberation and human insights.

Ayutthaya, in the 14th and 15th century, was the second Capital of Thailand after Sukhothai. It was the greatest inland port at that time but it was in constant war with invading neighbours, wanting to take over its power and wealth.

Some of the best Thai Buddhist art flourished during that time but in 1765 the invading army from Burma, over ran the city within two years, and in its wake, desecrated everything sacred to the Thais, including manuscripts, temples and sculptures.

The Mon people (Thais and Burmese), who were mostly Theravada Buddhist, were at war with each other constantly, in their history, and they are now still at war, not only with their neighbours, but also with their own people. This is true too of many parts of the world today; we are endlessly at war with each other, many of these conflicts are in the name of religion, race, power and greed (for oil and other limited natural resources).

When will we ever learn to live and share with our neighbours?

Sheila Rahman, a consultant editor for the Malay Mail, a local newspaper, highlighted this blog in the paper, Wednesday 21 May, 2008. She is probably one of the few writers here who has a wider and broader experience and understanding of the political, social and cultural life of Malaysians. There will be a daily page in the Malaya Mail about other BlogSpot. Thank you Sheila.

Read more here.

A thin line

In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of news from all over the world, of countless deaths, due to natural or man made courses (famines, earthquakes, cyclones, droughts, starvations, floods, prisons, wars, massacres, revolutions, global warming etc.).

There is but a thin line, between life and death, and each of us crosses it and back, many times in our daily life. If we didn’t die today, we live for another day, and so on. But one of those day it will be our turn. This page is dedicated to all those of our distant blood brothers and sisters (related millions of years ago from the middle of Africa), young and old, near and far, all colours, cultures or creeds.

May you all find rest, some how, somewhere, sometime. Who knows, perhaps we’ll all meet in another form someday?

Citi Hadijah, 25, from Johore, is one of the many tenpin bowlers competing for a medal in the 14^th Paralympics in Kuala Lumpur (3 to 9 May). She is slow but she can sure swing the bowling ball over the pins. She has a personal style of holding the ball right up to her face, pause in concentration, before launching it.

The oldest bowler, Amaran B Bohri, 61, is from Kampong Paya Mebi, near Kuching, Sarawak. He is a veteran to this sport; he has won 3 gold medals and several other trophies, in individual and team events.

Amaran’s leg and back injuries were caused by an accident in his work place in 1995. That has not stop him from a happy family life and sports. He has six children and 20 grand children. Bowling is his favorite game.

Maizirah, 46, from Perak, is a first time bowler and she only started practicing two weeks before the games. She had just five bowling sessions at the Ipoh Parade Bowling Club before coming to this meet. She is a natural at the game and plays with a great deal of fun and enthusiasm.

She had a motor bike accident two weeks after her wedding and lost her right leg. At home she uses a pair of shoulder crutches to move about but she had to borrow a wheelchair to come to this venue. What she wishes for is a wheelchair so she can improve her mobility at home and at her sporting meets.

Maizirah’s contact no: 017 584 2639, (Please call her if you wish to donate a wheelchair).

Goh Cheng Yoong, 37, has cerebral palsy (CP), he is here from Penang, with his mother, Ho Lee Mei, to take part in the 14^th Paralympics in Kuala Lumpur (3to9 May). His game is boccia, an indoor bowling game especially designed for the severely disabled person.

The player, depending on his or her ability, may take 5 to 15 minutes to play, throwing or kicking or picking with a pointer from a headgear, the ball. Some players can play by themselves others need help.

Cheng Yoong needs his mother to help him play this game, as you can see from the photo. His mother sits on his right with her back against the playing field and she has to take instruction from him as to the detail position to place the shoot that launches the ball. His mother is his ‘hands’ and ‘legs’.

This couple, mother and son, for the last 37 years, has been closely link in everything in their daily life. His mother said, with a smile, that she is so use to doing things with her son, all the pain and the pleasure, good and bad days, are all mixed into one, that’s life to her. She is happy that her son can join in with the other CPs, in Penang and while at the games, and have a community life of some sort.

Fraidden Dewan, 22, is an Iban, a Sea Dayak from Sarawak’s 20 indigenous groups.

He is the star swimmer of the Sarawak team that is in Kuala Lumpur for the

14^th paralimpiad games, 3 to 9 May.

Eight years ago, when he was helping his father cut down a tree, in his village,

Mukah, near Sibu, he slipped on wet grounds while the tree was crushing down.

The tree fell on his lower left leg and crushed it. It had to be amputated.

He only took up swimming as a sport for the disabled in 2002 and since then

he has been selected to be part of the national team. He is in individual as well

as team events and he is here to show his swimming skills. Catch him and his

team mates in action at the Bukit Jalil sport complex today.

One of his problem outside the swimming pool is the difficulty of getting a

job in his town or near by Kuching. He is now a father of a two year old son

and has a young family to support.

At the moment he lives his family and his father is an odd job worker and the

family income is not predictable. What he wished for, at the moment, is to get

some professional training and to get a good job and to continue swimming and

may take part in the Olympics, in the future.

Last photo: from the left, Fraidden, Stanley, Zam, Zul Amirul

]]> http://vicchin.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/a-star-swimmer/feed/ 1 vicchin Fraidden Dewan doing the butterfly Fraidden Dewan showing his sign after the event Sarawak swimming team http://vicchin.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/malaysian-paralimpics/ http://vicchin.wordpress.com/2008/05/06/malaysian-paralimpics/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 02:20:46 +0000 vicchin http://vicchin.wordpress.com/?p=167 ]]>

The 14^th. Malaysian paralympic games is on -3 to 9 of May – in various sporting avenues in and around Kuala Lumpur. There are more then a thousand athletes, from all over the country, gathering for this biannual sporting event.

Some of the athletes are competing for the first time and this experience of doing their sport, at the national stadiums, whether they win or lose, will add to their personal pride and also that of their family and community. Many are veterans in the games and they are here to show their self-worth.

Beside the competitive spirit in the games there is also the friendship and sharing of personal and sporting experiences among the disabled athletes. They are all housed in the sporting village in Bangi area, near to the Bukit Jalil sports complex, where most of the track and field and swimming events will take place.

This sporting event means a great deal to the disabled groups who have all trained hard over the years to show off their skills and competence. However this sporting event sadly does not get the media coverage it deserved as compared to the more main stream local and international sporting news. This neglect and discrimination by the newspaper and TV stations, to highlight the disabled in sport, lamentably, leads to the public’s lack of information and interest in the other fellow citizens’ sporting culture.

For more information of the games contact (main secretariat) Noraini Mohamad, 013-2027 930, Norimah: 03 2273 9293, Julia: 012 4045 738.

Top photo: Yee Gan Chee from Penang, powerlifting; Bottom photo: Ahmad Amil from Kuala Lumpur getting ready to show his strength.

Dominic is ten and he is in standard four in a Chinese school in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. His mother, Lim Siew Chong, is blind due to a car accident when she was twenty-one, in Ipoh. A few years back, both of them moved to live in Brickfields where she could train as a masseur at the Malaysian Association of the Blind (MAB) and then later work as a blind masseur in that area. There is a small community of both the blind and the deaf in this part of the city.

Dominic and his mother are both members of the harmonica music group from the MAB. This group of seven part-time musicians was invited to perform at the Sunday lunch party organized by Victor Chin and his friends at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Center (KLPac) on the 24 February.

On that day, after lunch, Dominic together with about 20 people, young and old, some with disabilities, were invited by Nala Nantha, from the KLPac, to join her in an hour of theatre-based activities and games. The following day Nala contacted Victor and told him that she was impressed by Dominic’s natural ability and focus during the session and said that she would like to offer a semester of free classes to Dominic.

When Victor contacted Dominic’s mother and told her about Nala’s offer, she was not vary sure at first, but she agreed to come with Dominic to meet Nala the next Sunday at the KLPac. After the meeting and also getting a sense of the place and the activities at the KLPac  Siew Chong was a bit more assured. But she finally consented when Victor Chin and Nala assured her that Dominic will be safe and will be provided with transportation and food as well on the Sundays when he has classes.

After his first class Dominic said to Nala that he really enjoyed the session and also he was pleased to meet with many new friends outside his normal group of pals.

Victor Chin’s Sunday lunch party on the 24 of February at the KLPac is now in video. The video footages were shot by several people on that day including Lucian, Numpueng and Victor. However this short presentation was edited by Victor and this is his first video in youtube.

This recording brings together some of the faces, the families and friends, the food and drinks, the music, the conversations and fun meetings and also some of Victor Chin’s photographs on exhibition at the KLPac. Enjoy.

Victor Chin’s exhibition In the Face of Disability ended on the 29 Feb at the KLPac and it was its third home. The collection is now waiting to continue its tour to the next host. It started on 14 Jan. and within the 46 days that the display was on at the KLPac, the photographs had attracted numerous remarks and comments and here is a selection taken from Victor’s visitor’s book and press cuttings.

‘Inspired work and inspiring.’ Joan Russell

‘Humbling, inspirational, glorious…’ Joe Hasham & Faridah Merican

‘I’m v. happy to see you progress from one neglected aspect of KL to its ‘neglected’ people, and you’ve taken in your embrace more than just KL people. Remember how we once tried to save “Court Hill”? Well done! ’ Wan Hulaimi

‘These photographs are vary sensitive & beautiful – I especially like the group shots (swimmers) – very poignant.’ Gabrielle Bates

‘Wow! Moved me to tears. Thank you for reminding me about courage.’ Shahnaz.

‘Your exhibition is a good concept and it makes all disable people proud’ Lim Anuar

‘Beautiful. U made me realize the other part of what life is about. Thank U.’ Kee Nyap

‘…The images are simple and stark, making no attempt to hide or mask the disability that it photographs. Yet, the vitality and the verve of his subjects make that very disability almost disappear as it is cloaked by the grandeur and strength of the spirit it embodies…’ Anandhi Gopinath, The Sun.

This is a word of thanks to everyone who had visited, helped out and wrote about the show.