Country Cottage Arts

14 April 2010

My daughter, Shireen Thangam Nair to my right and my son Benedict Arvind Nair to my left.

Today is a really  auspicious day and so I thought it good to share my family picture with my readers.
Here's wishing all Hindus / Sikhs and all of humanity   a Very Very Happy New Year. 


Today is a day of great celebration by Hindus and Punjabis all over the world for it marks the arrival of the New Year.  All temples and Gurdwaras ( Sikh temples) all over the world will be having special prayers and all of them will serve a wide variety of vegetarian food, the whole banana leaf  works .....  The food served must have all the different flavours of sweetness, sour, salty, bitter, spicy hot, etc.,  etc ., symbolising  the vagaries of life. By the way, you start and end the meal with something sweet.

First on the banana leaf will be the staple grain of Asians - rice, followed by 5 to 6 kinds of vegetables, then dhall curry,  papadams  thick yoghurt,   "vadai" , ( the doughnut shaped savoury cake made from black gram) with payasam ( a sweet dish made with a mixture of milk, sago, green peas, brown sugar, cashew nuts and raisins  which is served in a glass/tumbler to finish off as desert.. Ever head of a sweetmeat called ' laddu '  ?  It's the yellow round ball like sweetmeat you can find in any Indian eaterie worth their salt.   That's a definite must.  So is ' halva, barfi,  jelebi ' , etc.  These are extremely extremely sweet stuff which is served on all auspicious occasions, all made from mountains of sugar and gallons of milk.  Now you know why Indians are top on the diabetes list  ! !

Mustn't forget the rasam ( mulligawtawny soup was a reproduction of the Indian soup, rasam, by the British. It is basically a soupy drink  made with cumin, anise seeds, black pepper, garlic, ginger, etc to aid in the  digestion after a hearty and heavy meal such as this )  Seriously, you really need to drink the rasam, otherwise, you will , in all probability,  have indigestion  with the amount of food served !    

If you count the number of dishes served, it would be around 10 or so.Thus, most of us who don't eat a 10 course meal daily, will struggle to keep our eyes open during the afternoon and so  a short siesta  is the order of the day.

Similarly, the Punjabis would serve  rice pilaf, chappatis, puris,  dhalls, vegetable dishes and of course, the sickly sweet sugary stuff I wrote above. 

Temple visit is a must as it is where the yearly almanac will be read and a short discourse on the astrological chart of the 12 zodiac signs will be explained.  An astrological prediction of the highlights and major happenings of the year will also  be foretold,  much akin to the Chinese New Year .

Everyone, regardless of  their ethnicity, colour, creed, race, religion, etc, etc, is warmly welcomed to go to any  of the temples or gurdwaras.  During my younger working days of  yonder, I used to take my friends of all races to such sumptious feast.  The  serving of food was done in the great dining halls/ areas , away  from the temple sanctum santorium, so as to respect each others religious beliefs.   Nowadays, most of us don't know or bother to understand nor  learn   the cultural and religious  obligations  of others , much less take part in the many celebrations of each of the varied communities living together in our great country.   

But then again, times are a changing, and the ever optimist that I  am,  we will get to know each other better,  a bit slow perhaps but nevertheless, a start has been made... As George Burns said, " I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life ".

10 Saturday 2010

I recently had the pleasure of visiting my art friend, Rashidah, at her  home, in Subang Jaya.  As usual, my driving directions were a disaster and I had to constantly call her to take in the bearings. 


But what a sight greeted me.Oh my God, it was a beautiful painted house,for sure.  !  I was completely bowled over  and had to sit down to catch my breath.  Such beautiful works of art...... all over the walls.  It was like being in Alice in Wonderland .  The benches were covered in roses, the walls were adorned with her beautiful paintings and even her kitchen sideboard was specially made to order, painted a beautiful wedgewood green, I think, and covered with  creamy roses, all hand painted,of course.. of course.... 

Her bread bin was, oh!, so pretty with strawberries and scones.  If I had my way, I would have  run off with it, but unfortunately, the Thomas Kinkaide painting on the other wall took my breath  away and then, just when I thought that I was going to faint, I saw  Annette Stevenson's rose in a  picture frame with a beautiful crackled effect.  This time, I wanted to clobber her for good.   I was almost in a dizzy with a tizzy .  I just plonked on the dining chair, unable to stand any longer. What an inspiration, you are, Rashidah.  I'm now inspired to paint more. It goes without saying that one day soon, Rashidah , when you find your picture frame and bread box missing from its place,  you'll know where to find them ya, ......!!

   Of course, I couldn't have left the house without going crazy click-clicking away with my camera .  Would u believe it if I said that even my camera had not enough energy to snap up all the pics,  I'm pretty sure I put in new batteries.... even they succumbed to Rashidah's beautiful handiworks, me thinks !!

I left Rashidah's house reluctantly,  and inspite of taking directions from her, I  first drove into a dead end and then took a wrong turn and ended up paying toll twice on the SILK road to Bandar Puteri Puchong and was on the way to Kajang.!.  Aiyoo!!,   what a terrible way to come down to earth after floating in Rashidah's house....................

And to make matters worse, every  night now, I'm agonising over the pictures and torturing myself thinking when I'm going to paint one like hers.   Rashidah, Oh Rashidah , sakit kepala la  I  !!!!!  ( you've caused me a headache !)

Ps: I have yet to learn how to download the pics myself so I am at the mercy of my daughter to put it up, hence the lack of any now.  Soon........

7 April 2010


I think the title says it all.   It's a  large picnic basket and Sue wanted it with colourful roses and tulip and daises.  This is my own arrangement of a summer posy with  lace at the sides.  The gold rimmed edges gives it a sharp contrast and  helps bring out  the shape of the picnic basket. 

It makes a pretty gift box for sure

Hi Sue, please don't forget to call me for the picnic ......................

 4 April 2010


Today is Easter and Christians all over the world celebrate Easter in a grand manner, with  Easter chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs.  Since I believe in one God Almighty, I celebrate Easter too. It great, isn't it, to be able to celebrate so many occasions ? Since I studied in St Anne's Convent in Port Klang (the old name was Port Swettenham )  during my primary school years, I 'm quite familiar with their prayers, although at that time, I just learnt it by rote and said it by rote too, without knowing what I was saying.  My parents, although  they were conservative Hindus, believed  in the same philosophy , that all roads lead to Rome.  On hindsight, I think the Good Lord knew I would be marrying a Christian  and so in His wisdom, prepared me for the future...! 

The 40 days before Easter is called Lent and Christians are to refrain from eating meat during Lent.  The last friday of the 40 days is called Good Friday and the last sunday of the 40 days of Lent is Easter Sunday when  meat is allowed.  Sounds familar to other religions, right? So you see, in the end we all belong and believe in the same One, only the paths are different.

Today's Easter lunch will be no different from last year or the year before or the year before...................  The table will be groaning with food, food and more food and a bottle of the best wine would be opened.  My contribution this year to the groaning table is  spicy and dry marsala mutton and sugee cake.  I haven't taken breakfast because I can't do justice to the lunch spread so I'm keeping myself occupied with my hands typing this  instead of my mouth ! 

I've just fed the birds and the really fat guinea pig which my son calls Fido and as I am typing, I can hear the sweet chirpings and whistlings  of the birds on the accacia tree in my garden. 

It's a wonderful world, isn't it?  

 

Lakshmi

31   March 2010

This is the  set of 6 teddies which I was given to paint in the Blue and White series for quiltmaking.  They are so adorable looking and really cute to boot.  Wish I had these when I was a kid. 

The fabric was  100% cotton , so it was a breeze to do these.  I'm now quite adept at painting on fabric and the  best part of it is it gently nudges memories of my  childhood during the 1960s and  70's.  Often,  I'd stop after each session,  peek into one of  the  yellowed and dog-eared  Enid Blyton's books lying about ( yes, I still have them ) and  read 1 or 2 of the adventures, one of which was - The Tower of Ho-Ho Wood which was about Mary Ann and Mary Jane and the other was The Enchanted Gloves - about 2   brownies,  Ho Ho and Higgledy and the nasty wizard Long Beard...................

Don't we all need a break .......and time to chill off..................?

 I make it a point to stop by at MPH bookstores in Mid Valley  whenever I'm going to KL  because that's the only way I can read all the latest books for free , in comfort too !!  It's a terrible situation when books are so expensive to buy, although we get a tax deduction... and most often, its an almost common phenomenon that interesting books worth exploring - with new ideas and takes - are banned or confiscated by the ' I know it all '  authorities.  What stupidity I think,.  I've passed 50 and I'm pretty sure you'll agree with me that I can choose what I want to read .   and have the right to read what I like, no ?   And you know what happens when people don't/ can't read books?  The ' don't read books' type talk like low life politicians and display their  equally low thinking capacity ......

A case in point would be our defacto Law Minister addressing in the Dewan Rakyat proceedings recently,  in such  unbecoming and uncouth language when he labelled himself as ' Saya jantan ' ( I'm a cockeral )  and the opposing  male politician as ' dia betina'  ( a coarse and uncouth reference to a female, akin to a bitch ) I'm not interested to whom he said and referred it to. I don't care a hoot about our jackass  politicians  from both sides of  the divide but I strongly object to the tawdry  and coarse language used by anyone to demean us, the women, in general. .

And true to form and Malaysian politics, although some of the female MPs  present  and NGOs did object to the Chair over the crude language used, neither the Speaker/ Deputy Speaker nor the VIP who uttered the words apologised  for it.( I think we should change it to VVSP - Very Very Stupid Person).

My strongest criticism is aimed at our 1 and only female minister who is supposedly into women and welfare affairs .  She gets the VVVVVVVVVVVVSP award.  She should rightly have brought it up with the VVSP and asked the VVSP to apologise to all women....... instead of which we don't  even  hear a whimper from her.  .  Probably safeguarding her post...... aiyo.....I'm soooooo angry la. What a crass, tasteless, boorish and vulgar remark from a  VIP/VSSP politician.   Just reflects his breeding, I suppose...........


I've to take a breather here before I go ballistic...  tell me, am I the only woman who feels this way or are you all like the VVVVVVVVVVSP award holder ?


Ps:   The ' want to buy all books in the bookshelf but can't afford all the books ' types spend their  whole       day   in      bookshops reading for free,  fast and furious and subsequently rant and rave when they get angry or feel they have an issue to settle.

This birdhouse shaped bookstand case was given by my quilt making friend, Jackie.  She wanted it to look kinda whimsical .  So I painted this  

Is is whimsical enough, you think?

Ha, thought it was a supermodel of the humankind, didn't you all?

Mrs Henny Henrietta is actually from the super modelling agency  of  Country Lady  Chickens Inc.  The picture was taken from one of my designer collections  of the  Country Club Chicks.  As  you can see, Mrs Henny Henrietta  is sitting in her designer pose,  prettily preening herself in all her glory . Sharing her bed are her equally polished and primed  designer eggs. 


Notice her  chicks?  They've just come from the  exclusive Chicky Chicks Wonder  Hair Styling  Saloon.  All four of them were given a  Deep Conditioning &  Intensive  Mousse Wash  treatment , after which they were blow dried with the Fluff Me To The Max XFactor  Dryer .

The picture says it all and more , I think !!! 




Ps: Ms Henrietta was actually the name of my English Teacher when I was in Primary 2 in the 1960's in St Anne's Convent.  She was always well dressed and groomed to the max all the time, complete with a  long sleeved blouse, skirt , scarf, brooch and pumps. She did look like a model and Mrs Henny Hentrietta is in remembrance of  her.

A set of 3 trays which was given for painting by Cikgu Zaleha  who wanted 3 different themes, thus the fruit, flowers and tea set.

Cik Zaleha is such a sweet and charming lady and these painted trays absolutely go in  tandem with her qualities .


How lovely to be able to use these trays in your everyday life, Cikgu Zaleha,  which I'm sure you will .





Why put it away for decor only when we can fully make use of it?  The tray is such a versatile item that we can use it for practically anything.  And not to forget, its a great gift item too..................

 So said Marian Wright Edelman, an American activist for the rights of children. who is also  the president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.


For the past 2 months, I've been a volunteer teacher for some very young underprivileged school kids.  Every Monday aftertoons, I drive over to the school with stacks of storybooks, notebooks and workbooks to  help the kids with their English Language.  Most of these children lack parental guidance and  simple words of  encouragement .  They are the  latchkey kids - where both parents are away at work and the children are left on their own in the house without any supervision. Some of them have difficulty expressing themselves while some are so eager to  just talk, talk and talk non stop! Out of loneliness, perhaps? 

My volunteer class starts after their normal school hours and this bunch of students wait  patiently for me to arrive. Although they are 12 year olds, they look more like 8  year olds and could be blown away by a gust of wind.  That's how small sized and thin they are.  My heart really cries out when I see them so.  I am in no position to blame anyone, neither their parents nor the kids. Nor do I want to be judgemental. Perhaps its a mixture of  factors - poverty, ignorance, misplaced priorities, lack of adequate  teaching skills and facilities,  indifference by those concerned , politics and an  ever changing for the worse education policies .  The bottom line is - its always the children who are at the receiving end- not only here but all over the world as well.

It was during one of my classes that I noticed a boy, sitting at the front row,  straining at the blackboard to read the words.  Finding out that he was short-sighted and that his parents were unable to take him to an optometrist, I spoke to the Headmistress and volunteered to take him to one and get him a proper pair of spectacles .

Thinking that there could be a few more unnoticed cases and not sure that I could handle more than 1 at the moment,  I made some enquiries  through my friend at the Klang Kiwanis Club to see if they could sponsor a few students. And God bless my friend, she managed to convince them to sponsor corrective eye glasses for  5 more students!  

I'm so terribly happy for the  kids and can't seem to wait to take them out for a treat too - probably to the ' ABC Ais Kachang ' shop ( local granita like iced drink)

Wasn't it Aesop who said that we can't please everyone everytime?  How true.

This design was taken from the artist,  Ross Stallcup.

ttp://my-1.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/breaking-views/53845-ngo-tak-patut-persoal-hukuman-syariah-rohaniza-idris-

My Chinese Curry Pot

 I bought this old fashioned Chinese curry pot container at a recycling center with the intention of giving it a makeover and giving the proceeds  to any deserving child.    The cost of the pot - a mere RM$12.00 It had small dents at the bottom and a few scratch marks and caked with grease and grime, same for the cover, ....... urggh!
After removing the spots and sanding it thoroughly to remove the caked build-up, I washed it with a heavy duty cleaner ,  sealed with a double coat of gesso,  dried it thoroughly and then gave it a good layer of basecoat.   Now that I am describing the process, it does seem a bit of a tedious job.  Might as well buy a new one from Tesco, I think.  But then again, it wouldn't be classified under my 'Trash to Treasure' series, would it?  

Anyway,  as you can see, I was very happy with the results of my painting ( a little bit of self praise is okay, I think ) and was happier still  when it was sold.   Now, I have a little extra in my charity kitty. 

Hi  Friends,

Some of you have been trying to send me email through the Shout Box  gizmo but unfortunately ,  my  Microsoft Outlook Startup is not functioning ,  so please send me your email through your normal email channel to :

                           luckylaksh11@gmail.com 

With warmest regards and sincere good wishes to everyone

Lakshmi

I  actually got this idea of doing a random act of kindness from Oprah Winfrey , the most talkative of all talk show hosts! and really, I think she does a great job, full of verve and vitality.

One of the ideas I picked up from her ' random act of kindness'  episode  was when  she told her viewers to do something for the benefit of  others without expecting anything in return - which is exactly what kindness is all about anyway.  Some  examples of random act of  kindness she espoused were  paying  for the car behind you while waiting in line at the toll booth,  paying for a meal for someone at the same eaterie you' re in , doing the grocery shopping for your neighbour ( depends on what kind of neighbour you have, I suppose ) etc...etc., you get the idea.  Nothing big or going out of your way to show everyone how kind you are  but simple things that anyone can do anywhere without making a big hulabaloo.....

Although this particular episode was shown a few years ago, it left a deep impression on me and ever since then, I have been practising it wherever and whenever possible.  And frankly, its not that big a sacrifice, its just a little extra effort and thought but it certainly makes me feel   reeeaal  good inside and along the way, I have modified my random act of kindness to suit the situation.

Once, when I paid the toll for the car behind me, the toll booth operator asked me whether the driver behind was my relation or 'saudara'.  I say no and she said ' Oh ? '.  I especially like to show my appreciation when I have to 'cut in' when I have gone to the wrong lane and after paying the toll for the driver who has allowed me the way, I would wave my hand and drive off.  The surprised driver would wave to me with a smile when he/she catches up with me on the road.  Great fun, this one..... do try it   .....

Sadly, I can't seem to do this anymore because I now have ' Touch N Go' card to pay at the automatic booth - couldn't stand the queue la 

Now, the paying for the meal thingy is a bit different.  I certainly don't believe in paying for someone's else meal in a posh restaurant!.  That would be downright stupid and I would have to have my head examined by a shrink.  The way to go about it is when you patronise  the hawker foodstalls or the family owned restaurants/kopitiam which are dotted along the outskirts of  town or even in the town itself. The poor are not limited to the backyards only, you know.  When having a meal at these eateries, I would casually observe the crowd and when I see someone elderly  having a meal or anyone  hanging outside the eaterie  whom I think deserves a meal ,  I would pay for the them when I settle the bill and inform the cashier to not reveal anything, just that an anonymous person paid for him/her out of kindness and not on pity.   Most often,  they will ask why I'm doing this or worse, what big sin/mistake/wrong I had committed and am now making amends for it ?!!!. After my initial shock and stunned stupid look on my face, I realised that this must be a new concept  for them. Sometimes I have a hard time explaining that its just a simple act of human kindness that all of us must do but most often, I leave them with a surprised look on their face! 

Sometimes, when there are no other customers, I'll usually tell the cashier to keep the change , top it up with a $ 10 or so and tell them to give a decent meal for any deserving  Ak Kow  Arasu  or Ahmad who comes along.  (  hey, please give a minimum of $5/ - at least okay) If it is a regular eaterie that I patronise, I'll usually have a 'standing instruction' kind of arrangement thingy  and will settle the payment later.  My son, Arvind, asked me what if the cashier takes the money and doesn.t give the meal?  " Well,  I explained to him, ' thats his sin to bear, ain't mine ' .  Now, my son is the scouter for the elderly when we go 'makan' and we both have a great time.  My daughter, Thangam , 19, is more of a silent observer and is not a voluble person like mother and son, but I'm sure she got the drift.  I don't believe in preaching about kindness to my kids but not showing them how its done.  Wasn't it the great Lao Tsu who said - A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" ?

Well, I have started on my journey with tiny steps and I hope everyone follows Lao Tsu in everything they do .............

For the past 1  month or so, after updating my blog, I would log on to Youtube without  fail and watch a young teenager sing with all  her heart and soul    " A Note to God " .  And I'll keep replaying and replaying and replaying her debut on Oprah's talkshow . I never get fed up. It's that  unbelievable and awesome, her vocals , her  raw emotions and her performance .  Even Celine Dion, the only artist I think her weight is worth in gold, cannot, in my opinion, do what Charise Pempengco did with her ' A note to God' .  I  get goosepimples on my skin every time I watch  and hear her rendition of it .  She has performed her signature song all over the world and every one of her performance has received a standing ovation the world over.

It's one of  those feel good moments watching Charise, with her  very troubled childhood background,bring to life the essence of the song ' A note to God ' written by Diane Warren and helmed by the legendary David Forster.  And it is at these moments I feel thankful to God, for there's still Hope left in this world....

Although other singers have attempted this song before, no one beats Charise's rendition and if you watch her on the Oprah show,  you'll know what I mean - you just simply have to and I can guarantee you won't regret ever . The link is

     
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tOUuLj7wh0

Coupled with the beautiful lyrics and Charise's  powerful rendition, it simply takes my breath away and brings an undescribable feeling in my heart .  Consider the lyrics :

                        If  I wrote a Note to God
                        I would speak whats in my soul
                        I'd ask for all the hate to be swept away
                        For love to overflow

                        If I wrote a Note to God
                        I'll pour my heart out on each page
                        I'd ask for war to end
                        for peace to mend this world

                         I'd say, I'd say I'd say
                         Give us the strength to make it thru
                         Help us to find love cause love is overdue
                         N seems like so much is going wrong  on this road we're on

                         If I wrote a Note to God
                         I'd say please help us find our way,
                         End all the bitterness, put some tenderness in our hearts

                         I'd say, I'd say, I'd say
                         And it looks like we haven't got a clue
                         Need some help from you
                         Grant us the faith to carry on
                         Give us hope when it seems all hope is gone
                         Cause it seems like so much is going wrong
                          On this road we're on
                          We can't do this on our own......
                      

Hope you'll feel the same as I did and still do...............

This is a woven 'mengkuang' handbag that one of
my friends gave me as a gift  quite some time ago.  It came in a set of  3 and  this was the largest one.

While spring cleaning my storeroom, I  spotted it in a corner of my shelf, looking like Plain Jane.

So what better to do than to give it a go?

Ps: It's quite a handy bag to dump in all our personal stuff - from water bottles, cosmetic bag, small gadgets, books , etc,.  It  has however, no compartment or zip except for a large coconut shell button that you can see at the top centre of the bag.

I  heard and read with utter disgust and shame of  what happened   at  the 1 Malaysia seminar organised by the Information Ministry at Malacca.  Since it was a multi-racial seminar with Malaysians of all races attending, I find it hard to believe that the Prime Minister's  Special Aide, of all people,   had uttered those terrible words.  It was a seminar meant to foster unity for Malaysians, for Pete's sake! and what business had  that nincompoop  to spew such vile words  which practically destroyed whatever is left of  the Malaysian fabric ? ( Didn't I  opine earlier that most  Malaysian politicians have failed in their History at school.  )

How could he even  speak at a  government sponsored meeting in such a manner?  Telling the Malaysian Indians that they came to Malaysia as beggars and the Malaysian Chinese as people who came to Malaysia to sell their bodies is really the pits in common decency, if he even had one in the first place! And he had been the PM's special Aide for close to 30 years? 

I really don't know what is happening in our country - unexplained deaths in police custody , political scandals in the print media which are so shameful that I don't read the papers in front of my children, lest they ask me to explain ,  unwarranted temple demolitions,  arson in churches and mosques, political back-stabbings, and now, the creme de la creme, the PM's own Special Aide humiliating the Indians and Chinese of Malaysia, no less! .  We can't  go any lower  than that now, can we?  The Guinness Book of  World  Records pales in comparison to what we are achieving now.  Malaysia is now known throughout the world for all the wrong reasons.  From the New York Times  in the West to the Asian Wall Street Journal in the East, we are gaining a reputation in infamy. 


I want to ask the b*****  idiot - what is so wrong about living together in peace in  Malaysia and being a true Malaysian, in  the real sense of the word?  Why must they always keep saying things which are so hurtful and destructive   that it divides  us along race and ethnic at every corner we take  ? .  Does speaking like that make him a better person or gained him anything, except our scorn , anger and disgust?  I would surely have socked him good and proper if I had been there.   It's a real pity that I wasn't attending!

Just this evening, my 15 year old son listened to the 8 o"clock prime news in NTV 7 and asked me to explain what the furore was all about .  What would I say  to an  impressionable 15 year old teenager who attends a national school and all his best friends are Malays?  

You tell me...................

Ha,  I was finally able to paint Mrs Henny Penny with her eggs and chick on a bed of straw.


This is my 6th painting of her.  The other 5 were sold to my customers. Almost all  of my students who come to my home for classes have taken a liking to her and  some have done it for their homes.

Mrs Henny Penny is no scrawny designer chicken.  She's well  endowed and has a contented look.  That's more than I can say for some of us.......... ( please, no malice meant )

I bought this plain white t-shirt at a recent sale at an  MNG  outlet  during the last year end sale - cost me just about  RM $20.00 or so.  In fact, I bought several of these plain tees in the basic colours .

Brought them home, took out my  brushes and just slip slapped  whatever I felt like painting, completely freestyle  I  couldn't be bothered with drawing out the design or pattern - just dipped the brush into the leftover paint in my palette and  straight away painted directly on it - after all it was just for house use anyway, so it didn't have to be perfect.

I felt a lot more ' free' and relaxed  when I painted this way.  Didn't have to  worry about  making mistakes either.

It looked quite okay to me after I had finished  and it took me less than 30 minutes  and I have already worn it to the market. My greengrocer thought it was quite pretty.  Boy! was I happy or what!

This year the Hindu holy day of Thaipusam falls on 30 January which also happens to be my other half's birthday .   Thaipusam is actually a holy festival which is uniquely celebrated by the Hindus in Malaysia   It is celebrated on a grand scale  at Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Port Klang in Selangor  and in Penang


Many would have seen devotees carrying wooden or metal 'kavadis' with spears in varying sizes pierced to their back.   Some of the more awe inspiring ones pull chariots with their hooks also pierced to their back.. It's simply an out-of-this-world experience, just watching them go through the requirements and rituals which culminates and ends on Thaipusam Day. 

By way of a brief explanation - those devotees who carry the various 'kavadis' are in actual fact doing their penance for the fulfilment of their vow by Lord Muruga, the presiding deity for Thaipusam. The   vows taken could range  anything from solving difficult problems, a childless couple wanting a child, overcoming  a serious deathbed illness, praying for continued good health and prosperity or just starting a new venture or beginning.  The devotee who undertakes the vow has to stick to a vegetarian diet for a minimum of 1 month.  It doesn't mean license to eat  24 hours a day !.  After their early morning sunrise bath and prayers, breakfast is a  glass of milk, lunch is glass of milk and dinner at sunset is  minimal  and simple vegetarian meal of fruits and cooked dhall/lentils. Spiritual hymns and songs are sung to honour  Lord Muruga.  On the last day, which is Thaipusam itself, the devotee would go early in the morning to the temple, have a ritual cleansing , offer prayers and have their body pierced.  This only applies to the males.  Female devotees only carry simple pots of milk or charred pots of  smoldering coal embers.  All this is done at a fair distance from the main temple, after which the gruelling bare-foot walk in the hot sun begins.  The uniqueness of  the Batu Caves temple is that not only  have they to walk bare foot for a distance of 3 - 5 kilometres with the weight of the heavy metal kavadis and spears, but also walk up the steep 272 steps to reach the temple. 

I don't know how they accomplish this mind-boggling feat but the beauty is, they don't feel the pain, nor the heavy weight of the chariot and kavadis that they pull with their back, nor a single drop of blood drips despite the sharp hooks used to pierce the flesh.  And the hands holding the pot of  burning coal embers doesn't get scorched! It also goes without saying that whatever they had asked for is fulfilled .  Thus the penance.  This is, in fact, akin  to the Muslims ' sembayang hajat' prayers. 

Numerous westerners, from  the Swedes, Germans, Americans, British, Chinese and others have taken part in the prayers to have their wishes fulfilled  and if you go to Batu Caves on Saturday, you'd be sure to see them. 

This painting was also done sometime ago but have simply forgotten to update it .  I painted it for Ms Zaleha of  D'Amor Cottage .  I don't know whether it has been sold

Everyone of my customers preferences are for roses, roses and more roses.  Don't get me wrong, I too love roses for they are indeed incomparable to any other .  Even the great English bard  Shakespeare had his say and I quote -

                    "   What's in a name? That which we call a rose
                       By any other name would smell as sweet. "

But sometimes I do wonder the fate of other members of the floral family.  They do not seem to shine as much as the rose seems to do.   I suppose no other flower evokes so much passion, awe and wonderment as the rose does.  Hmmm  ....  come to think of it, any decorative artist worth his/her brushes must be able to paint a rose, for otherwise they are just not considered to be one !!  

Over here in Malaysia, it is de rigueur  to be able to paint a rose if  you want to be called a decorative artist. It's the benchmark really.  Unfortunately, it really take a good measure of  time and patience to be able to paint something  even resembling it.  Admittedly, it is one of the most difficult accomplishment  and despite it , beauty still lies in the eyes of  the beholder !  There's  simply no pleasing everyone .......

And every beginner to decorative art wants to be able to paint this beauty by the 2nd lesson.... ha  ha  ha

The recent decision by the authorities to pay alimony to embattled wives and mothers in the throes of divorce and custody battles is really a godsend.    When relationships turn sour , everyone involved suffers but the worst ones affected are the innocent children who become pawns in the hurtful game of who gets what. It has become an endemic problem  all over the world and sad to say, most of us have become quite blase about it, (sigh)

It starts off with the husband blaming the wife,  then the wife blaming the husband and when they cannot get even with each other, they drag in the children to qualify and quantify their attacks to get the maximum mileage .  And so it goes until it is brought to the attention of the authorities  via the Courts to solve their personal problems.  And let the whole world know of their inability and stupidity in the process - and they call themselves grown-ups!

That's only the tip of the iceberg.  The real heartaches come when mothers are left to fend for their children without any support from the ex-husbands.  More often than not, they would have had resigned from their earlier careers to take care of their homes and kids, thus foregoing their financial independence and when divorce looms in the picture, they are left far behind with little emotional and monetary support.  This is an established general trend all over, not just in our backyard.  Of course, there are the exceptions, where women have been emboldened  enough to fight back and make a difference to their lives but these are far between. 

To my  knowledge,  however limited you think it is,  this happens to  women in all strata of  societies, in all cultures and background, irrespective of  their  religious faith .  So it makes me wonder why  in Malaysia, the country I call home, alimony is to be paid to only Muslim women and not to all women across the board in multi-racial  Malaysia.  Why are the authorities confining and addressing this problem to a particular community and not to all Malaysians who are/would be   equally affected ?.What is their rationale ?  That only our Muslim sisters suffer and the others do not?  That only our Muslim sisters are legitimate  wives and mothers and  others are not?   Are the  non-muslim sisters any less a citizen than them?  I have a  whole lot of other questions to ask but that would only make the authorities look even more stupid than they already are....  Manglish ' stupider' sounds better I think..

It really doesn't and shouldn't matter who is affected.  A decent human mind and by that extension, the authorities concerned should extend  help to all those in need , not practice selective preferential treatment .    Choosing whom you are going to help is not called  help, its called injustice, discrimination, partisanship nepotism, favouritism and a whole host of other unsavoury words.   Its simply unbelievable that the authorities, in one fell swoop, have divided women in Malaysia along religious lines - muslims and non-muslims .  Are we not all God's children.  Imagine the scene - a Chinese, an Indian and a Malay mother applies to the Court for alimony.  The learned judge explains to the mothers that only the Muslim mother's  request can be  fulfilled and the other 2  denied because they are not muslim   What would the Muslim mother say to the non-muslim mother ? .  Would not the Muslim mother feel the pain of the non-muslim mother  too?  Are not all mothers tied to motherhood by the same bond ?. Simply put, would it be  fair?

The way the authorities  make knee jerk policies without an indepth study is truly mind boggling.  It would do well to remember what Old Abe   said - "  it is better to remain  silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt  ".  Obviously, the relevant Ministry officials  have not  passed  their History in school to know  about Abraham Lincoln ,  nor understood it  and have no  inkling of what they have done;  but they have opened their mouth and proved beyond doubt........

Stupid is as stupid does.  And I haven't even written about the other angles involved ...... 

Wither 1 Malaysia?   1 motherhood?

I painted this basket some time ago.  The rich red colour of the roses against a stark white background sets it apart from the usual soft and pastel colours I normally use.

The harvest festival of Ponggal is already over and I'm still behind times.   I really want this to be short for I have so many other thoughts to write but I really can't promise as you would know by now, ( sigh  )

By way of a brief explanation, this is the day dedicated to young unmarried girls in the family.  As many may be aware, the old Hindu custom  ( which is also practised by some segments of Hindus today, really ) pertains to marriage arrangements.  Arranged marriages have long been a strictly adhered custom and in those days, the parents did all the work and  the  poor bride and bridegroom didn't even know how the other looked like, can you believe it?  Oh  boy!,  aren't I glad I was not born in those days! The gods must have had really  favoured me........and with my mixed religious marriage background....  .. I don't even want to think about it!   Anyway, the marrying couple  only get to meet each other after the wedding  ceremony is over, so there's no escape and no plan B la. The maxim, marriages are made in heaven or hell, depending on whom you got married to, holds true. If you are a follower of the tv series, ' Merlin'  at Starworld and saw  how King Uther married the troll, you'd know what I mean........ uurrgghhhh

I digress.  So, it is on this 3rd day, the young eligible girls  are noticed  ( checked out, more likely I think )  by the elders at the temple celebrations or festival grounds and duly noted of their  worthiness.  Mind you, this is only the first round. The next and most important procedure is to check out the astrological birthcharts of the prospective couples and only if the stars tally, do they proceed further to the next step.  If  their astrological  horoscopes become horrorscopes, the deal is off . Period.  Now you know  how  Devdass/Annarkilli and Laila Majnun stories came about.! (For those who have no inkling of whom I have referred, their stories are akin to Romeo & Juliet) Die la!

So there you have it, the 3 days of Ponggal and the significance of  the celebrations. 

I'm now just reading back what I had written  and a momentary thought of what could have happened to me passes my mind.  My husband and I are of completely different religious faith, of different cultural background, different upbringing and totally diferent in our likes and dislikes- I'm into outdoors, he's indoors, I'm happy with veggies all year round, he must have meat everyday.....I faint at the sight of blood, he stitches the gaping wounds of patients....   I need to see the sky and he draws all the curtains in the house.... in short, we are like the sun and the moon....... and  yet ........and yet  ..........., we stood our grounds  and told our shocked parents that we'd rather remain single if we couldn't  get married to each other !  In retrospect, we must have had great  guts to have done that. Imagine that.....   and we have stuck together against all odds for 22 years......phew....

Hi handsome husband,  dinner's ready anytime you want...............!!

15 January was the 2nd  day of  the Ponggal celebrations and it is held to honour the humble bovines.  The farmer or cowherds will give the animals a good scrubbing down, feed them with lots of special grass/ hay and let them have a well deserved  rest  for the whole day.  A day off .


Think about it, which animal sacrifices itself  like no other?  It toils and tills the land for cultivation of crops, infants survive on the milk it gives, ( I remember my Form 5 MSE Science question - why is milk considered as a whole food by itself ) its meat is consumed by many, its hide is used in the tannery, its dung is used as a fertilizer., etc, etc, and for all that it gives us, its only food is the simple green  grass.   A self-sacrificing animal which Hindus view as a symbol of motherhood and, who, like the nature of  the cow,  sacrifices herself  for her children   This is also part of  the rationale why Hindus don't eat beef, out of respect for its sacrificing nature to mankind. It is akin to  mother nature herself  and  thus we  can't kill the hand that rocks the cradle now, can we? 

By the way , just  a point of interest, have you come across shopping complexes which display intricate patterns using  coloured rice as part of  their decorative theme during  Deepavali ?. These patterns and designs are usually displayed at the entrance and often times the elaborate  designs depict the  colourful peacock or  other flower motifs.

The motive behind the designs   ('kollam' as it is called in Tamil ) is rather simple. The obvious and superficial reason is that it is just a cultural  exercise in designing and competitions are held to see who creates the best designs. The altruistic meaning  behind it is that, the remnants and leftover  broken grains of rice ,  after harvesting and  milling is done, is used as fodder for the  lowly and tiny ants, without whose help biodegrading becomes  impossible. Thus the 'kollams' are drawn on the front ground of the house, as ants graze on the ground . Hindus are taught to respect all creations of God, from the highest to the lowest, thus the role of  the tiny ants too are not forgotten.  They too have a place under the sun and humans are to respect their functions in the great cycle of life.

One of my customers gave me a picture of a painted picnic  basket that she had taken from her friend's blog  and requested me to do one exactly like that.  I  painted  two of them  but with small alterations and different colours.  I hope the  original  artist doesn't think that I copied her work and passed it off as my own.

As usual,  my photography  sucks, so excuse me ya.

Yesterday, 14 January, was the start of the 3 day Hindu Ponggal festival.  It it basically a thanksgiving prayer cum celebration for  a good harvest .   The first day is dedicated in appreciation of the farmer  and  good harvest bestowed ,  the 2nd day is dedicated in appreciation of  the cow ( will write about it later ) and the 3rd day is for young girls ( later write-up ) Since India  was and is still a largely agrarian society , a good harvest is  imperative for their continued livelihood.  So when the harvest has been done, there is great joy and rejoicing throughout.  A portion of the first harvested rice  is set aside for making a kind of  sweet rice pudding, sweetness being a symbolic meaning for sweet tidings all round . Fresh milk is boiled in a new earthenware pot( must be new, never old) and the rice is added in,  until it is cooked. Then,  sugar, ghee or clarified butter, raisins and cashew nuts are added.  Thats it!  The pudding is then offered as a blessing  and when  prayers are over, it is given to all the worshippers.   It really tastes yummy and because it is rich and sweet , I usually go overboard... quite a bit...... .

Did I forget to mention that there's a specific time and direction to cook this rice pudding- it must be at the exact time of sunrise and the stove must face eastward  Why?  Haiyoo, the sun rises in the east la. The time - 6.45am yesterday! It goes without saying that prayers are offered to the Sun God, Surya,  for a continued good harvest, before the cooking starts.  This is then followed by cooking plain rice in another new pot and also making a dhall/lentil curry with 9 kinds of vegetables as its accompaniment.

There are 2 ways to doing this.. The first option, which most families follow strictly, is to  conduct the prayer in their  house and start the cooking process, after which they will go the temple to receive blessings  ( for those who don't have their house stoves facing east in their kitchen, they will do it in the front open courtyard facing the rising sun and that means they have to improvise the stove from scratch - red bricks, charcoal/wood etc) Phew! The 2nd ( and invariably  convenient ) option is to go straight  to the temple and partake in the prayers and cooking rituals.

You don't have to guess very far at which option I took......... Hold on a minute there, I've a perfectly foolproof  excuse - my son went to school,  daughter  to college , my husband is a Catholic and so he's out of  the picture  and   I'm all alone !.  Even better, if I did cook, I'll end up eating a major portion of  it because my kids don't  gobble it like I do.  My last defence being, I can't take too much of  it but will be 'forced ' to eat it  since mothers have a built in 'garbage system  ' of waste not and want not , and  lastly, erhmm,   my trump card of an excuse -   reason, I'm a diabetic and cannot trust myself to cook sweetmeats !.  At this rate, I'd make a good 'loyar buruk' # , no ?   I know, I know, I'm a bad example  and lazy to boot.  Hey, I'm in Malaysia, land of short cuts,  not in India  ( I would probably have been chased out from the village )   And  why would I want to go to all that trouble to cook just 1 cup of rice ? I  can't get earthenware pots in Shah Alam, have to go to Klang town's Little India to get it and  all the other stuff , going to Klang is a terrible and horrible drivers' nightmare and Klang town itself would be in a complete chaotic state with shoppers jamming all the shops........ So you see, I have valid reasons, ya ? So there! , no one can find fault with me !!!!!

And so I cheated.  I went to temple for prayers, which was late by itself - not the prayers, silly ,  my timing! I couldn't get  there at 6.45am because - another perfect excuse  reason, -  I had to drive the children to school /and bus station at 7.00am  and ........God Almighty! ....I overslept.  Unforgivable, isn't it ? Worse is yet  to come.....most of the congregation had left  when I entered  the temple. The priest  looked up and smiled at me from his conversation with another devotee.  I gave him a sheepish smile and went about my prayers.  Now there were only 2 devotees  left , including me.  I finished my prayers and  went to take some of the sweet offerings.  The pot had quite a substantial amount  left. And that's when I had my ' AHA ' moment, Oprah style.    I'll take some home  but will modify it according to my taste and my children won't be any the wiser!! I  did just that- reached home, switched on the stove and sort of  ' re-cooked ' it with extra   fresh milk , extra brown sugar and  extra extra nuts. Very diabolical indeed, I must say....

It did taste better than before , I did end up eating a major portion of it and my children still think that I cooked it myself. So  you see, I was able to fulfil  my obligations after all.

Please God forgive me, for I have sinned..........

# loyar buruk- a Malay language colloquialism for an unqualified lawyer
                      who talks more than he can think

I read this beautiful  poem written by the  great writer, philosopher and poet, Sri Rabindranath Tagore ( hello, for those who don't know who he is, please check  this Nobel Peace Prize winner at  Wikipedia ). It's only part of the poem but the meaning is profound. I thought it too beautiful to ignore it and so I reproduce some of the lines here:


         "       Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God
                 First fill your own house with the fragrance of Love


                 Go not to the temple to light candles before the altar of God
                 First remove the darkness of sin from your heart


                 Go not to the temple to bow down your head in prayer
                 First learn to bow in humility before your fellowmen


                 Go not to the temple to pray on bended knees
                 First bend down to lift someone who is down trodden


                 Go not to the temple to ask for forgiveness from your sins
                 First forgive from your heart those who have sinned against
                 you  "




What more is there to say?

The horrendous headlines of last week's media onslaught is fading and with it the memory of mistakes made intentionally and unintentionally.  In the process,  segments of  Malaysians are discovering that  despite the  fear and ignorance  of some, the sun doth shine brightly on the majority.  It was thus, heart-warming to read  Marina Mahathir's take on the issue and I was especially touched by the pictures of  Muslim ladies handing out flowers at Bukit Bintang, followed by calls from our Muslim brothers and sisters to live and let live peacefully.  This,  I think, is the real  meaning of 1 MALAYSIA.

I read this interesting epithet by a writer named Red Skelton. I've no idea who he is  but this is what he wrote:


      " I  personally believe that each of us was put here for a purpose - to build,
        not destroy.  If I can make people smile, then, I have served my purpose
        for God."

Oh, how true  his words.  I  wish  every human on this planet memorises this by heart.  I have done already, have you?

I simply have to comment on the recent happenings in our country  which I normally wouldn't think of writing in this column. I simply have to get it off my chest or else I'll go bonkers....


What in the world is happening in Malaysia? I can't believe the news that I heard in Aljazeera about the arson attacks in churches right here at our doorsteps.   These kinds of violent incidences only happens in other 3rd world countries, certainly not in our Malaysia.  Or so I thought.   Or,  is it that I am too naive and living in a make believe world?  Why do politicians mix religion and politics and create such terrible havoc in their way. 

First, it was the Hindu temple destructions and cowhead incident in Shah Alam, my resident town  of 19 years.  I was very well ensconced in my surroundings and was very very happy with the landscaped greenery , the numerous parks throughout and its gentle inhabitants.  I would proudly tell my other family members what a beautiful place Shah Alam was  and how  warm , welcoming and friendly my Muslim brethens were. Till the cow-head incident. That gave me a huge jolt.  Did it really happen like it did?  You tube doesn't lie and it happened just around the corner to my house.  It was really frightening but ever the optimist,  I thought it was the work of a few misguided souls who had no idea what true faith and religion is all about. My thoughts were - one robin doesn't make a spring and a despicable act by a few doesn't warrant tarnishing the entire society concerned.

Now it's the arson attacks on churches. Over a name of God, no less.  I simply don't understand what the big fuss is all about.  Why can't we call God in any name we feel easy to communicate with  Him.  Did God tell man that he must only call Him with a particular name and that too defined to a particular group ,otherwise He will be offended? Duhh?? So the Christians want to call God ' Allah ', so do the Muslims. Would that make them both become confused idiots?  Not if   you know whom you are referring to. Only if they have graduated from the School of  Imbeciles. Period.

Lets say that the Joneses and  the Alis' have each a son called Adam and they are trying to call out to them in a park.  When Mrs Jones calls for  Adam, she would naturally mean it to be her son, Adam . And how do we know that? By the inflection in her voice and  the  pronunciation , of course. Adam would be as in A for apple. Now, if Mrs Ali calls for her son, Adam would sound like Ahhdam, the A sounding like ' Ahh 'as in 'u' in 'umbrella'. Most importantly, their intention would be for calling their own son, not  someone's  else. Why would they anyway?

I'm a neutral party, being a Hindu and I know how the word 'Allah' is pronounced by the non-Muslims and Muslims.  Non-Muslims pronounce it as it sounds - a flat Allah.  On the other hand, all Muslims pronounce the word with a lilt in the l with a definite Arabic twang (like in a triple lll)  and it sounds completely different. The issue in focus is  that some bigot Muslims think that their lot will wither away at the slightest sniff of  the sound of the same word' Allah'   What makes them think that the Christians are trying to sabotage the  Muslims by calling God as Allah and thus cause confusion?  What confusion are we talking about? Unless they  are confused by their  own religion or lack of it.  It's simply a case of  making a mountain out of a molehill and the ugliness of it all makes me sick to the core.  This issue  has been  further manipulated  by a bloody bunch of  banana  politicians  and the wounds are all exposed for the entire world to see.  And laugh. And jeer.

I'm frightened of the future and where we stand. Are were regressing into the Dark Ages of  fear and bigotry?.  Would I have to look over my shoulder everytime?  Would I have to take precautions when I go out with my family in a predominantly muslim neighbourhood?  It's really sad that this is happening and allowed to happen.  Situations such as these are recurring more often than it should . For the 2nd time this year, friends have advised me to be careful when I go out to town. 'Don't take any chances' they e-mailed. I'm feeling a bit lost and unsure now.   This country is my home too for I have no other country to lay claim. I'd join the army if  warranted to defend this country I call home despite being reminded in the mainstream  media by obscene politicians  that we are 'immigrants' and can always go back to our country..  Which country should I go to when I was born here in Malaysia ?

When I went to Australia, I was proud to tell the Aussies that I was a Malaysian.  When I went to India, I was even prouder to tell them that I was Malaysian. When I went to Singapore, I was so proud to tell them I was  a  Malaysian when they mistook me   for an  Indian lady from India.

Not any more............

This is one of my recent works  for  a customer.   This design has been done countless times, I suppose but I  find the design of  this teapot  preferable to any other.  The original picture has many additions but I trimmed it down to fit the size of  the cutlery box.   I had painted the  bottom sides of the box with  a lovely lace design but unfortunately, my photography is not as good as my painting!

I've just returned from a short holiday in Singapore. I think pre Christmas and post Christmas time is the best time to visit Singapore.  The whole country is decked in lights, lights, lights and it was simply a  beautiful sight to behold.  Our stay at the  Royal Plaza on the Scotts , right in the middle of Orchard Road made it possible for us to walk from one shopping mall to another.  It was walk, walk, walk all the way everywhere.  Of course, we went on the usual touristy  river cruise, the Singapore Flyer, Sentosa island, and other places of interest.

The most unforgettable happening was when my kids went in the bungy like extreme entrapment in which they were fastened with safety belt and the lever hoisted  them up of more than 20 meters from the ground. Then, bang! they come wooshing down, catapulted again in mid air  with shrieks and screams that knocked down the parents dead!  Gosh, it was the most frightening thing that I've ever encountered.  Not being enough, they also clambered on another similar ridiculous crap called bungy para glide or something stupid like that ,  which  reeled them even higher up in the air than the previous one and when the lever was pressed, they just swung straight down.  Petrified and dumbstruck, I started  praying to all the Gods of heaven in all denominations.  My children's reaction?  The two  idiots  just laughed it off and told me to 'chillex' , would you believe it?

The downside of this stupidity of a sport, if I may call it that, is that it certainly is not for the faint hearted nor for normal parents who are too afraid for their children. .  The upside is it teaches kids/participants  to be bold and fearless when put to the test, sort of...... Anyway, I was secretly glad that they went ahead and did it despite my  initial misgivings and doubts. They've overcome  fear and for that, I'm very very happy.

2009 ended with lots of feasting with  glasses of champagne and wine at every meal.  There was ample merrymaking and good cheer and I even managed to eat some slices of  turkey with chestnut stuffing for the first time in my life, without throwing it up.  Now,  t h a t  was a great ending .!

Anyway, here's wishing everyone a fabulous start to the  New Year 2010.  Cheers