Prisoner of Unity

I have attended many camps and conventions with the theme of unity and togetherness. But this one camp I attended last week was a real eye-opener.

The overall design and theme of the MIM-TRYLA camp was Unity. In my mind I thought it was just another muhibbah thingy where they bring in people from all races and background to lecture them on Unity. I mean – all of us know Unity is not a topic to be lectured – it should be experienced.

The camp was designed to create an equal distribution of people. The participants were 25 males, 25 females and equal racial distribution and professional backgrounds.

We didn’t know what to expect in the beginning – some had vague perceptions that the venue was Genting or some five-star accommodation. We had to wait to find out as we gathered at the MIM headquarters in Jalan Ampang.

After lunch we proceeded to the lobby to get into the bus – and there it was gleaming in its black and metallic paint – A Jabatan Penjara bus! We were having some doubts as the idea of Genting did not match with the transport which was standing at the porch.

The first 2 days was the replica of a Malaysian survivor camp. It was 2 days of continuous activities at the Pangsun Eco Resort...

Jungle trekking, obstacle courses, treasure hunts followed by campfire to cook our dinner and building tents to stay. When we finally had some sleep that night, it was not long after that we were awakened by the damn hailer… it was the 4am roll call and we had to continue once again. All the while no rest, no sleep and no bath!

The day started again with jungle paintball... all tired and weary but pushing us to the limits was their objective anyway. Then there was the much-needed lunch, as we could not eat whatever we cooked the night before! Next was – a rest? No. We continued with water rafting at Sungai Langat – one of the most tiring activity – we were on our own self-made raft on a raging river just after rain… We reached the destination through sheer teamwork, and then we reached and finally got time to wash up...

Then came the real deal. We arrived at our permanent destination for the 7-day camp. It was Maktab Penjara Kajang. What a venue! And what a contrast to the hopes that we had – Genting!

We had to be at the roll call at 6.15 am every day and go for marching with the Penjara trainees – trying to match our decade-old marching skills with the trainees there. And the best part was - the Maktab compound is a no-walking zone. We had to march wherever we go – even if we were alone.

We had food cooked by prisoners who were working there. We return to the room at 1am everyday only to start the next day start at 6.15 again.

Through the whole process, the facilitators carefully analysed each person’s leadership skills and were quite strict with us all the way... keeping in mind the unity that is slowly developing as we go through each challenge as a team.

There were talks and sharing from creative thinking, prison life by Inspectors, character building and various other topics. But more than the talks, we got a whole new perspective of prison life, spirit of leadership through unity.

And as we approached the final closing dinner on the 22nd, I realized that I had now with me 49 other individuals who are so much bonded together with me and shared the same ups and downs with me and I have not even thought about their race, creed or religion for the past 7 days.

Now, that is a statement of proof that this particular camp managed to test our physical and mental endurance and push us to the limits so much that the subtle message of unity was inculcated in the process of it all. I could not recall any other camps that did that to me. Neither can I think of a better way to build such a strong bond with my fellow Malaysians.

It was a noble effort by MIM and I laud their program, which is on its 17th year this year. And that means there are around 850 TRYLA participants out there who knows what it feels to work together as one entity – Malaysians in unity.

As I think back of the experiences, I think it’s time for me to live a life as example of understanding the fundamentals of unity – rather than in a divided outlook.

Now I am missing the morning marching at 6.15am... maybe I should start marching around my office now...

Emptiness

The day the DSLR arrived...

It was an intense battle within my mind – to buy or not to buy. I was weighing the pros and cons of it… and of course the price tag.

Sometimes I argued to myself whether I really needed the thing right now, when my pretty Ixus fitted nicely in my pocket and away from people’s stares.

But the other day when I was “covering” the National Educare Carnival using my Ixus, suddenly it looked so tiny. Imagine a tall guy squatted on stage with an Ixus. As I sat there, trying to get a shot of the winners on stage, the realization dawned on me.

I really needed a DSLR (convincing myself).

So, I went to this place called Fotosam at Times Square with Zeenee and Naguk yesterday through recommendation from Pies & Pigs, and motivation from Whispers (my fellow warriors in photodom).

We went equipped with the Internet knowledge that Nikon D5000 was going to save the day and liberate me into the world of DSLR.

But… as I entered the shop, everything changed. I was introduced to Sony Alpha 300.

I couldn’t accept the change at first as the guy explained step-by-step on why I should get the Sony instead. My eyebrows raised and my mind was agitated.

My doubt was short lived when I realized that he was genuine in a way. How do I know?
Because the Alpha is much cheaper than Nikon D5000!

And now I thought, why would he want to sell me the Alpha? Is he trying to clear his stock? (Monkey mind…hmm)

So to cut the story short I got a very nice entry level set plus a wide-angle and a macro lens for the price of a basic Nikon set that I initially came for. I wouldn’t say it was the greatest buy as some professional photographers might disagree with me.

So and then the real challenge started yesterday – to match the DSLR shots to my Ixus shots… Ok to be frank, my Ixus processor delivers much vibrant and vivid colours than this heavy duty one. And that’s a fact according to my friend

So, now first things first, I am going to keep the Ixus with me for now. And then there is a lot to learn to just start shooting decent shots with my Sony Alpha… but then, I have a lot of time with me. So, I guess I have to just experiment… and with all my warriors and “models” with me, I’ll do just that

Manush & Manas

Once upon a time there lived a lonely man called Manush. He loved to go for his tranquil morning strolls by the playground. It brought him away from the busy corporate life into the depths of nature and the environment.

More than the strolls, he enjoyed sitting at the park bench, eyes closed, enjoying the quietness.

And every time he went for his evening walk, he brought his lovable little doggy, Manas. He loved Manush so much that everywhere Manush went, Manas followed too.

And Manush gave Manas a lot of freedom. Even though he had a restraint collar tied to him, it was about 2 metres long so that Manas could move about freely.

When Manush saw Manas running around chasing butterflies or leaping from one place to another, he smiled to himself. He was happy that Manas was enjoying himself. Manas was his only companion – his happiness in a world filled with sorrow, grief and regrets.

There was one concern though.

After his short stroll, when Manush sat at the park bench to enjoy the peace and tranquility, the restraint held in his hands will jerk as Manas runs about chasing things. Manas will tug at the restraint continuously, jolting him from his peaceful rest. That distressed him a lot.

But – Manas was happy. That made Manush happy too.

As time went by, Manush realized that by making the restraint shorter, he could control the movement of Manas. Manas had lesser things to play with and so he moved less. He rolled the restraint in his hands, keeping Manas closer than a metre away from him.

Now Manush could close his eyes and delve into himself - enjoying the peace and calm within him.

But still, out of a sudden Manas would tug at his hand when he sees insects or butterflies near the bench.

However, Manush noticed that even though Manas saw the butterfly, he did not run or chase after it. That was a lot of improvement.

So he decided to experiment further.

The next day, Manush reduced the restraint further. Now Manas was closer to him, and within his control. Manas too now started to realize that his movements were very restricted.

He reduced his movements and started staying still. Manas was mostly quiet – no agitation or sudden movements.

On that day, Manush enjoyed a longer session of quietness as he sat on the bench. It was a new discovery for Manush.

He looked at Manas as he got up. And Manas got up too, ready to leave. Manas was wagging his tail, following his footsteps as he walked.

Manush now decided to put Manas to a final test.

So, on the following day, Manush completely left Manas free. He did not hold the restraint.
He sat on the bench, closed his eyes, confident that Manas will not jolt him out of his peaceful journey.

And Manas kept still throughout, wagging his tail, in submission to his Master.

And that day, as Manush closed his eyes, he saw the light.

2 Decades Later...

Last weekend, I went for a wonderful nostalgic trip with my family. We went back to Penang, and we thought we should make this trip memorable for more reasons than one. So, I thought of documenting it (thanks to our UTM reunion trip) into a photo comparison of the same photo taken at the same place, 20 or more years ago... Click below and have a look... :)

2 decades later...