You-Want's Life

Thaipusam was approaching, and our journalists were already nervous about the crowd at Batu Caves. We have heard countless tales of stagnant crowds up the famous flight of 272 stairs, not to forget the horrifyingly packed public transport. However, the excitement for an expedition exploring the cultural aspects of the festival could not stop us from hitting the sacred site just outside of KL- only we arrived at the temple one exact week before the actual day of Thaipusam celebration. We were worried that nothing interesting could be observed early ahead of the big day, but we won the bet. Batu Caves blessed us with a rather holistic experience that showcased most of what one ought not to miss from the festival. Thaipusam is an important festival for Hindu devotees. It is celebrated to honour the day Goddess Parvati gave her son, Lord Murugan, a divine spear better known as the Vel to destroy the evil demon, Surapadman. Interestingly, another meaning to the word ‘Thaipusam’ comes from ‘...

When I have an idea, I often think of something that seems associated with a function that could help me realise the idea. For example, when I take a nice photo and would love to share it, I think of Snapseed as an app to edit my photo, and Instagram as a platform that could share it with an audience. This is owing to the fact that these applications have established their brands as some of the best in serving their particular functions. The same could work for my fellow humans.  When I think of curating a personal project sharing my passion in poetry, I think of getting a team enthusiastic for literary studies, words and writing to help me solidify my ideas. I think of my friends who I am in awe of for their event management skills and I invite them to collaborate on organising live poetry slams. I think of peers with superb graphic designing skills and I get them to help with publicity work. A person’s history, interests and experiences build on their personal brand, which is ess...

My friends and I visited Batu Caves, one exact week before Thaipusam to observe the festival. There was a crowd, but certainly not as crazy as it would be on the big day itself. Here are some shots I managed to take there, and I absolutely love the colours. Seeing Thaipusam is tomorrow, here is my first photo journal, while another blog post on the festival and all the things I had managed to see there will arrive later this month.  Devotees often start their day with prayers and rituals by a local river. The high levels of concentration and devotion towards their religion are admirable. A simple altar on the ground would use banana leaves as a base. Coconuts, bananas, betel leaves, betel nuts, joss sticks, herbal ash, puffed rice, vermillion and sandalwood paste are some of the common things you could spot at an altar. A large Kavadi being set up. A Kavadi is a physical burden, worn as additional weight to symbolise and challenge the bearer's devotion. Families with large Kavadis ...

It's another work-filled Sunday- yes, Sundays are meant for resets, sleeping in and connecting with friends and family. However, I still had a long list of tasks to complete. That's just the life as an adult new to the working world. But this day, I'd decided that all my work had to be moved aside, in order to make way for a half-day volunteering at Zoo Negara. First Steps For Wildlife (FSW), a youth organisation focusing on wildlife conservation, had set up a collaborative event with the national zoo of Malaysia to provide volunteers an opportunity to experience life as a zookeeper. I did not know what to expect, but I was extremely excited. Being interested in environmental and wildlife conservation, I have often involved myself in programmes that raise awareness on the environment. I couldn't wait to see what FSW and Zoo Negara had in store for me. I arrived at the zoo around 8 in the morning. It took me RM10 to enter the car park- adding it to the RM35 volunteer fee...