Artists with Autism

Of late we have bought ourselves 3 paintings. One was at a recent Henry Butcher's Auction, a work by Malaysian artist, Tan Choon Ghee. The other 2 were when my husband and I stepped inside the Have A Heart booth at the preview of the Art Expo Malaysia 2010 at the MATRADE EXHIBITION & CONVENTION CENTRE.

Have A Heart is a parents' support group which provides a space for special needs artists to create artworks such as paintings, sculptures, photography and prints. We were greeted by Pn Wairah Marzuki who gave us a brief insight into the work of autistic children. This was the 4th time the organisation participated in this huge event. It certainly is invaluable exposure to networking with national, regional and international artists.

We bought the Red Rooster and the Green Parrot by Sea Ng Jun Xi who is known as SEAN. My daughter calls it the Spanish Rooster ! I like the cheery, confident stride of the rooster. Now as we have breakfast in the kitchen, no one can be moody !! The rooster will gently remind us to perk up and smile for it is sunny world. 'Look on the birght side! ' he crows!

The volunteer who delivered the paintings after the Expo told me that Sean is 13 and is struggling to talk just like his sister, Tynia who is also an autistic artist. Sean has a passion for all kinds of birds and he enjoys his painting lessons more if he paints birds. Besides drum lessons, he enjoys the therapeutic healing of clay as he indulges in pottery.

Red Rooster by Sea Ng Jun Xi

Green Parrot by Sea Ng Jun Xi

Incidentally, I bought a print titled Ethnic 1 by artist Tan Seng Kit . I feel Seng Kit 's painting has the vibrancy of the 1Malaysia we want for ourselves. Though it is just a print I decided to buy it when I saw his prints at a booth his mum was manning at Klpac a year or so ago. Seng Kit was diagnosed with autism at the age of 6. He is on a home school programme and has a flair as an artist and a bowler. His print now hangs in my ' creative junk room'. This is not to say I do not care for it anymore. In fact it is in this room that I create crafts and whatever ideas for my storytelling sessions. In truth it has a special place in my heart.

Autism as we know is a brain disorder that impedes communication, learning and social behaviour. According to the Ministry of Health, 1 in 600 children is diagnosed as autistic in Malaysia.

But see how these artists with autism communicate with us in their own way. Given the chance for more exposure I'm sure more good tidings will come their way. In the meantime, they work best at what they know best!

Tan Seng Kit -Ethnic 1

Sea Ng Jun Xi - Blue Peacock Acrylic on Canvas 78x 62 cm 2010

Birds are Sea Ng Jun Xi's favourites

Art by Nurul Akmal Ab Rahman

Art by Nurul Akmal Ab Rahman

Art by Nurul Akmal Ab Rahman

Tan Seng Kit - Pretty Blooms Acrylic on Canvas 72 X 103 cm 2010

Malaysia's iconic Twin Towers by Tan Seng Kit

Art by Tan Seng Kit

Art by Tan Seng Kit

Deepavali cheer

I welcomed Deepavali wearing a red saree. Have to admit am still a novice tying one neatly to enhance. But in the hands of my sis-in -law's Sri Lankan helper I had no worries. I remembered to wear some bangles but forgot the stick -on pottu.

Like on previous occasions, it was the time of the year to embrace almost all things Indian. Am not a purist but having picked up some practices and culture over the years, things do not appear so daunting. Yes, eating with fingers is one of them too! And so is wearing salwar khameez on the odd occasions.

It was great to entertain friends in the comfort of our house and be as great a host as we can be. Friends old and new mingled and we were happy to renew ties with some 'long -lost' friends as our daily routine gets packed with more than mundane affairs. The run-up to the celebration involved quite a bit of legwork to get things done as I liked it to be. 60 odd guests came and it was a comfortable setting as I had seats arranged in different parts of the house.

In the evening we lined the perimeter wall of the house with tea lights in colourful glass containers. As they flickered and danced in the gentle breeze of the evening, we sat down to dinner and recollected a wonderful time had by all, especially us. The laughter we shared is still ringing in our ears and the time we shared briefly still endures .Till another Deepavali, may the lights shine bright on you my friends.

2 oil lamps flank the kolam I made to greet everyone. Someone commented it was a kind of naive art.

My lounge taking on a festive look

I rearranged my lounge for friendly seating.

Vaani who used to dress brides made me feel like a million dollar gal in my red saree:)

I joked that my hubby was 'outstanding' to guests. Well, he was as he was dressed differently and stood out! LOL.

Happy to have my blogger friend, Ee Lynn (in green) and dear friends, May and K. Khee with us - 3 true animal lovers seated together.

It's lunch time chat and friendliness. A delightful crowd.

A sumptious spread - some home -cooked and a few catered. Glad to say the compliments flowed. The white wine complemented the curries well while the fruit punch was a welcome drink in the hot afternoon.

Glad to see an old friend

In the terrace - my sis-in -law and some of my buddies.

My youngest, sweet guest. Her mum received delicious compliments for the carrot and chocolate cakes she made.

I managed to find a waiter to help out as on Deepavali day such service is in great demand.

Colours of Deepavali

The peacock loves to show off!

Ready to do the peacock dance - handsome , stately and majestic

Deepavali is just 2 days away. I'm squeezing a little time to blog . It's a busy time as I'm preparing a big lunch gathering in the house for friends to celebrate the spirit and colours of this festive occasion. To all my Hindu blogger friends, I hope you have a joyous celebration. May the lights of Deepavali shine on you and your loved ones. Happy Deepavali!

By chance I caught more colours of Deepavali at the BSC when I was out shopping. Just by The British India retail lot, 3 kolams were beautifully decorated for the public to enjoy. The peacocks on the kolams flaunted their tails just as they would in real to show off the its beauty. Passers -by stopped to admire the painstaking work. Like the previous years, I wanted a kolam for myself too. With much haste, I bought all the colours of the kolam powder, dyed the broken rice and dried them in the odd spells of of the late mornings and afternoons. My kolam is almost ready and just as colourful!

Further down ahead, a small troupe of dancers from a dance school in Selayang were getting ready to perform. The teacher, Vickneswari was seen putting the final touches to her students' makeup.

Beautifully adorned

Soon the music started and the peacock dance got underway. The rhythmic movements of the dancer and the full spread of the colourful feathers on its tail got our attention. Indeed the peacock, which is the national bird and pride of India is embodied in the god of thunder, rains and war,Indra.

A young boy and girl performed the dance of Krishna . I could see the teacher watching with her keen eyes and appreciation as the young dancers enacted the dance of the gopis (cowherd girls) and Krishna with grace and poise.

Young dancers ages 9 - 12 , ready to dance their hearts out in Dance of Krishna.

Teacher looking on and happy

Next to come on was the bamboo folk dance followed by a dance from Devdas, a Hindi movie. That was whispered to me by the teacher as the dance was in progress. When everything was over, so was the strong, melodic sounds of the globular brass bells on the ankles of the dancers.

The short performance was a colourful introduction to a festive Deepavali ahead. The mood has been set. I'm almost ready to celebrate too!

A lovely backdrop with chiffony drapes, garlands for such an alluring effect.

Dancers in harmony

Love the mix of the resplendent colours

Eye-catching peacock kolam

Symmetry in rainbow colours and more!

Wordless Wednesday

Have a Spooky Halloween!

Up close with Bears

All 72 of us , eager to start our new adventures with the animals

Saturday morning saw me up bright and early waiting for my transport to Zoo Negara. I donned the tee shirt given. Soon we were all dressed in muted grey. Stickers with the words ' Zoo Negara Volunteer' were distributed to all the 72 volunteers. That was our 'passport'to carry out the assigned duties for the day at our zoo.



Texcycle had initiated a group volunteer community service among its staff. The boss, Mr Ho invited me as he thought I'd been keen to chip in as an outsider. I did.

After a brief introduction by the Zoo staff, we were split into groups of 10. It was bears for us. That got us excited and we quickened our steps following a member of the staff. Our first hint of animal presence as we walked up the path to their dens - poo! Inhaling those whiffs, I thought of all the organic manure I could lavish on my plants!

Quickly it was down to work. We took off our trainers, chose the right size rubber boots to wear. Next we picked the lidi brooms and rakes. Our supervisor had to lure the bear into the safe confines of his den for us to be out of harm's way. Then we followed his assistant to the public viewing enclosure. Ouch! I forgot to get low enough and hit my head, not once but twice against the low beam as I entered.

Looking for the right fit, then to work

Safe in the bear's den!

Bears need creative play too

Several hands made the work speedier and lighter. In the quiet of the morning, with no visitors yet in sight, we swished and swept the fallen leaves and odd lumps of poo that littered the public viewing enclosure. All done, we left the place and it was time to open the barricade and release the bears.

Fancy a lie-in?

The locks to barricade the bears before we stepped inside to clean their playground

Public viewing enclosure

Out for a morning stroll - the sun bear is the smallest of the world's eight bear species. Common nicknames are 'dogbear', 'honey bear', 'malay bear'. Habitat: dense tropical and subtropical forest

Volunteers tidying the 'divide' between bear and public (note the bear out of his den in the background)

Texcycle staff helping out

I half expected to hear the bears growl but they didnt. With the constant care of their keepers, they have got accustomed to their voices and human touch. The carekeepers called their names which have a very local flavour in a manja voice. We got to know Mango, Ramat, Ah Moy, Boy, Girl!! Luckily when I was born my parents had the good sense to give me a proper name!

Mango is my name! My other buddies are Ramat, Rupert, Ah Moy.

I came face to face with Mango behind the iron bars of her den. I called her name. She responded by clinging the door. No growls nor whimpering - just sussing and sniffing me out, the stranger for the day. Did she want to be my friend? As she stood on her hind legs close to the door, her sharp extended claws looked really dangerous. What's food for 150 kg bears like Ah Moy, the brown bear? She's 18 plus years old, a lumbering mammal . Some student volunteers came in a van and delivered their food - meaty soup with carrots and potatoes, coconuts, papayas and other fruits.

Brown bear, Ah Moy

Students arriving in a lorry delivering chow

Look! carrots, potatoes and meat - all in one big soupy delight. YUM!

The bears will prise the coconut and there's the juice to drink it all up when they get to it.

We had 2 breaks - coffee and lunch. Guess what, the nasi lemak bungkus made its appearance and that was hastily polished off by everyone! Come lunchtime, it was chicken merah, vegetable curry, cucumber and pineapple salad and papadum washed down with ice -cold rose syrup.

It was back to the roof tops of the enclosures to sweep heaps and heaps of fallen leaves. How the fallen leaves of a certain deciduous species have made a thick carpet on the roofs. I think I could have sunk my body in and be nicely cushioned! We swept like mad and bagged them. Luckily it was quite shady or else we would have been a few shades darker . I have to say in all honesty I have never swept and gathered this gigantic mountain of leaves in all my life.

So, no lazy Saturday after all. It was an insight of what the Friends of The Malaysian National Zoo ( FOMNZ) do. This volunteer body was founded towards the end of 1989 to bring together volunteers to help in the daily operations of the zoo.