Blessed Day

'Please join us for lunch upstairs. It's our Founder's birthday and the restaurant is closed.'

Standing on the steps of The Temple Of Fine Arts , Brickfields, we were greeted with such a warm welcome by a sari clad lady in the midst of several ladies herself. My husband, Ravi thought a lovely vegetarian buffet would be just fine for our guests from the UK. So, we made a beeline for the new home of the TFA. Our guests are really the in -laws of Ravi's nephew, Chandran who is just newly wed to lovely Molly.

What a pleasant surprise ! A big birthday celebration and an open invitation!

A huge, striking kolam was the centrepiece on the floor facing the main entrance of TFA. Just at the head of it, against a wall, was a photo of the founder, His Holiness Swami Shantanand Saraswathi. I recognise his face and smile, the guiding light of the TFA.

Founder, His Holiness Swami Shantanand Saraswathi

Intricate Kolam

We walked up the spiral staircase. And entered into a huge elongated hall bustling with people and chatter. Work was in progress in the spanking new hall, so standing makeshift lights helped to give more light to the slightly dark hall. 3 tables covered with tablecloth and topped with a protective plastic , with chairs stretched the entire length of the hall.

'Wow! a banana leaf banquet!' That was my first impression.

Must admit it was the biggest, longest banana leaf lunch for me to witness. Young and old , dressed in saris, salwar khameez, kurtas and kurtis were happily enjoyng the festive mood.

A Banana Leaf Banquet

We were warmly invited to partake of the lunch. Amidst the hive of activity, with people going in and out, there was an air of calm, organised work among the volunteers of TFA. If anything, it was their attentiveness to all the guests that caught my attention. Each volunteer had their designated tasks.

Volunteers, ready to serve

First, the table was wiped. Then came the fresh looking banana leaf. A sweet young girl placed a spoonful of mango chutney in a corner of the leaf. Beside her was a volunteer with a gentle reminder, 'Just a little. Place it neatly.' And to us, 'They 're learning. We're teaching them young.' We thanked her with a 'well done' smile.

Soon our banana leaf was a 'plateful' of yummy food - dhall, sambar, banana crisps, appalam, ? cucumber raita, and a nice mound of rice . To finish off the meal was a small tub of payasam dessert. Molly enjoyed the creamy dessert.

The volunteers were attentive. Feeding a constant flowing crowd is not for the faint-hearted. And done with love and devotion,the sweat evident on the faces and clothes didn't seem to matter.

No, it ain't heavy

A little boy came along with a pitcher of water to top up our cups. Standing barely waist above the table, he was a great volunteer indeed. Catch them young!

As for me, I polished everything off the banana leaf. Am pretty deft eating with fingers with practice at home. Molly looked to me and said, ' I'm following you.' She did well herself.

So ended a free lunch at the TFA. Thank you. But more than that. I'm pretty sure we too were blessed together with the Indian community who had gathered to remember their beloved Founder, His Holiness Swami Shantanand Saraswathi.

Come Browse - Indian Crafts

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Suddenly the landscape changed before our eyes.

As we got past the Changkat Jering toll, we were greeted by election fever. Of course, we were smack in the hive of activity of the by-election P59 Bukit Gantang , Perak. The run -up to D -Day is here and now.

Quickly I grabbed my camera. With the sky overcast, I snapped away. I have to learn how to take better pictures.

The flags on bamboo poles, lamp posts, wherever there were flying from ; buntings, placards, posters - on trees, on cars, stuck into the ground - all shout to be heard.

A frenzy show with so much at stake. A sleepy small town and parliamentary constitiuency, Bukit Gantang known for its durian orchards is the TALK of the nation

Colourful? - yes - the blue, the green speak the political lingo. Smiling faces want your vote. So, who do you mark that ' X'? Go, vote.




My 2 sen worth of commonsense : -

1. Vote for a clean Government

2.Clean government must remain CLEAN .

Only the best for our children and our children's children.

p.s. After the big show is over, keep the place clean. Please do not litter.

POOP! (2)

Excuse me for being long-winded! Once you read this, I'll not say the word anymore!!

If you pass by my house, you'll definitely see 4 'POOP FREE ZONE' notices nailed on the trees. So you wonder - huh, a gazetted zone??

Cartoonist, Todd Schowalter aces with a beagle sporting a 'pardon me' look. Well, doggie, you needn't be. It's so natural to poop. Nature calls and you must!

I started putting up the signs when I couldn't stand it any longer. Something must be done. In a non-violent , gentle way.

You see, I've been HIT again and again! Outside my house I've green and flowering plants skirting the perimeter of the house. When it's time to tend to the plants, aaarrrggh.......... My fingers hit ........ And I withdraw quickly. Too late! A mad rush to the tap to get rid of the stinky stuff. Yucks!

Silly me. Surely the bluebottles feasting in extra numbers is already a tell-tale sign. But there are times when the rot has not set in , yet.

Watch out culprits. Humans! Whoever you are!

I DECLARE it is uncivic to allow your pet foul the environment. Period. Your doggie needs that walk to exercise, to feel good etc. And you're doing your bit for that. But how about doing it RIGHT?

How about scooping/picking up the poop after your pet? Just carry a couple of plastic bags and pick it up. Anyway, shouldn't there be a by-law that penalizes fouling of the environment?

I could play detective and pounce on the dog owners/walkers, but heck, time is too precious. Methinks I'm the only one doing the policing with these notices. Honestly, I do not wish to see my signs up for eternity . There's enough of all kinds of notices nailed on trees, wired round lamp posts etc. in neighbourhoods. Have you noticed?? Granted, mine isn't commercial but I do not really want to uglify anything, least of all, my trees.

Heard it through the grapevine that someone in the neighbourhood was (still is) very angry with inconsiderate dog owners/walkers . He even confronted them. Not only were there denials but preposterous answers were given. ' But my dog is imported' claimed a certain culprit. Are you laughing your head off ? No wonder the aggrieved neighbour turned black in his face!

So, give us a break! No smelly poop.

My Story - Paradise Lost.

On 22 March 25 excited kids came with their parents to attend my storytelling session at the British Council, Jln. Ampang.

The kids 6 - 9 year olds had registered their attendance . At the doorway, having their names ticked off the list itself signalled something special.

The story theme was environmental. And World Forest Day celebrated on 21 March was a nice tie -in with my story written a couple of years back.

For a start, I asked myself. How do you bring the vast rainforest into a classroom? The beauty can't be replicated. How about the smells and the experience of trudging the moist forest floor? The task is impossible.

That's when I decided to create a collage to give my best shot for a great visual impact.

Home is where we want to be!

Well, the kids told me they have not been in a rainforest. For those who have trampled into the forest at FRIM, they actually had.

So there was a getting to know the rainforest in the chant.'There are layers in the forest'. We stood on toes to reach the sky for the emergent layer. The canopy must be the biggest umbrella in the world! So, arms outstretched, we made huge umbrellas. The understory layer below housing the snakes . For that we crouched a little. Then ... we sprawled flat on the floor for the forest floor layer. Oh! did we disturb the armies of ants marching with food to their queen?

It was indeed a swinging start to the session. Next, a quick 'dressing up' - I slipped into an eco- green shirt, slung a water bottle on my shoulder and held a pair of bins. Then I invited everyone to sing 'I've Been Walking In The Rainforest'. We marvelled at the parrot, iguanas, leopards, the ferns, the twisting, curvy lianas.

So, with knowledge of the rainforest, it was time to listen to my story, Paradise Lost. I wrote it in verse. The collage was propped on an easel. 'My' rainforest in its full glory was ready to do the story for me.

But all is not well as the story unfolds. Loggers, hunters come ...... decimation is their game. The animals cry out. Soon their homes are lost. Victory lies in the hands of the humans. They scar the land and when their handiwork is done and dirt dusted off their clothes, their heavy machines lumber out of the barren land.

But, listen, do you hear a pleading cry??... somewhere??

The collage worked nicely for it was laid bare by the kids who played loggers, hunters. The kids stripped the greenery and the inhabitants off the collage.

'ZAP! ZAP! GONE! GONE! they shouted.

Gone Forever

Then it was straight into the song 'Rock-A- Bye -Rainforest' by musician Hayes Greenfield

Yes, the kids in front of me do realize it's human actions that mar and destroy the beauty and awe of our rainforest. I overheard an instant soft lament ,' Oh, the animals. Pity!'

So sad,' one other echoed.

These kids may be small but they learn. Fast too. My story does not have a cheerful ending but the truth lies there. These small ones can handle the truth.

To round off the session, they made an elephant out of recycled milk/juice cartons.
Happily they used their favourite colours to make their elepant their very own.

Milk carton elephant

An hour well spent. I'm glad I got to tell my story. And to play with the kids.

60 Earth Hour HAS ARRIVED!

By now, everyone has heard the buzz - get ready for 60 Earth Hour 2009. It's all over the media, everywhere.

It's here and the hour is done! I had an hour for Mother Earth like the millions around the world. Somehow it didn't feel that long. Well, we were having dinner and with candles lit, and chit chat over a meal and a glass of red wine, time passed pleasantly. The air was rather cool. Surprisingly, no mozzies annoyed us in the dark.

Only one light was on in our entire house and it was the wall light for the back garden. The neighbours' houses seemed darker than usual. What more can I say?

I'm glad we were part of this worldwide event. Call it hype, if you want to. But how about awareness? We have to to start from somewhere. And it's here and now.

The spirit of being united in promoting a message is powerful. Actions will then speak louder than words.

My candles in my kitchen are blown out. The lights are switched on. I ask myelf, 'Where do we go from here?' The answer lies in me, in each of us. JUST BE the bright light for Mother Earth. Conserve! Save!

POOP! (1)

I look out of my bedroom window and there nailed securely on the trees outside my house are 4 laminated 'POOP FREE ZONE' notices .

Hey! what's up? Well, I'll talk about it in a jiffy.

In the meantime, perhaps we can enjoy a down-to-earth book I have in my small collection. Also about POOP. But it's fine. I have no grouse against ' EVERYONE POOPS' by Taro Gomi. In fact, it's a short book , easy to enjoy. The text is deceptively simple and direct.



The book starts with the 'big' picture. It begins 'An elephant makes a big poop'. Then it downsizes to 'a mouse makes a tiny poop'. Wow, wouldn't that make a young reader want to find out more? It talks about the different animals - camel, fish, bird, gorilla, anteater, snake, rhino, racoon, humans - adults and babies doing ' their number 1 !! Hey, that lingo seems so outdated! Pictures show the different shapes and different ways all poop ; some moving along pooping, and us humans sitting at the toilet to poop. All a very natural part of life. Essentially it says we eat, therefore we poop.

I find it amusing about the ' two- hump camel makes a two - hump poop ... only kidding'. And the whale in the wide blue ocean. It asks ' what does whale poop look like?' I'm sure an inquisitive child will unhesitatingly ask that question. Me, I never thought about it. Just poop,lah!

EVERYONE POOPS is a book to introduce to young readers. It's a refreshing way to introduce a teeny bit of biology. Can't take poohing for granted,can we?

I think the young readers will enjoy the eye-catching pictures which are also amusing. Share it with a child and be ready to hear ' I do it same too, mom!' pointing to a child on a potty in the book.

A sure winner? Most probably.

Alright, now let's talk about 'POOP FREE ZONE'. What's bugging me?

Do visit me for the next posting - POOP ! (2).

Eco YOU, Eco ME!

Are you eco-friendly? I too have to ask myself this question.

We cannot choose to ignore the calamities that are affecting our planet. Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' puts us smack in the picture of impending disasters which will impact our lives and every living thing on this planet.

It's just 6 days to 60 Earth Hour. Boy, I look forward to this day to celebrate our unity in voice. To be counted. It's already a good feeling to be part of this momentous hour worldwide. So, be part of it. Do not miss out!

Back to me. What have my family members been practising to be eco - friendly? Talk is cheap if we do not put at least some words into action. Let me share.

1. My husband, Ravi has switched to energy-saving bulbs.

2.We use old plastic bags to throw thrash out.

3. At the shops we politely refuse the small plastic bags to hold a small lock, a sellotape, ballpen etc. The list goes on for the small items we purchase especially things we can just stuff into our handbags. The shopkeeper smiles and nods his head when I give my reason why.

4. Our garden has a compost heap tucked away in a corner. To add to the pile of grass cuttings, we toss our veggie scraps, fruit peelings.

5.We collect all our household papers, tin cans, bottles, tetra packs, plastic containers and regularly send them once a month to our community collection spot. Kudos to to the Alam Flora staff for sorting out our recyclables!

6.Good old used clothes find its way to a charity shop at the Selangor Cheshire Home.

7. To water our plants and for general washing purposes, we use the rainwater we've harvested. At the back of our garden, we have a tank in the ground to collect the run-off from the gutters. Again, thanks to Ravi , the soul and will power behind it all..

8. In the evenings, only essential lights come on.

9. Yes, I do not allow water to run while I'm brushing my teeth.

10. It's been 19 years since we installed solar heating for our bathing needs. And it's only showers.

11.Someone called my garden a 'botanic garden'! I really wish! Well, up to the last count it has 75 varieties of plants. No worries, you can still spot me! '

Is there more we can do? Certainly! In many little conscious ways, eco YOU and eco ME can make a difference 'coz every effort adds up.

Hey! Come 28 March, be counted! Unite for 60 Earth Hour at 8.30 pm. I plan to have a candlelight dinner. In my kitchen.

How about you?

My refuge?

Precious water under the planks