You-Want's Life

曾读过朋友写的一篇《人，是旅途中最美的风景》。我不以为然，因为我所谓的旅行，总是以冒险、拍照打卡为主，似乎不怎么有特地与人打交道的环节。 这趟甲米旅程，却有不少意外的收获。 入住酒店后才发现房里的插座有电路问题，前台的‘大姐’因无法为我们解决困扰而送了我们一人一条项链以表歉意。 买了两轮也不屈服于我们死缠烂打讨折扣的衣服店老板娘，在我们要走时还不忘送上祝福。 按摩店的阿姨看我们那么支持她家的生意，最后一次光顾时我一‘撒娇’说好贵，就马上送我足足一百泰铢的优惠。 夜市里遇到的新马大叔团，听闻我在国行工作就不断吐槽马币兑换率有多差。 以色列男子对我们买的跳跳虾和炸昆虫感到好奇，面对我们的热心邀请，更是兴奋地和我拍了支试吃昆虫的影片。 还有第一天去碧绿湖的导游，因团员迟到（不是我们）而感到无奈与无助，其他团员也纷纷给予安慰，毕竟也不是她的错。 不仅仅是这些。澳洲来的大叔痴情地与当地年轻女店员调情，见我前来询问有关产品的事也会识趣地走开。 日团中的德国情侣对天然橡胶感到好奇，更是耐心地听我介绍我这家乡特产。 街上迎面走来的人妖皇后，火辣身材背后多的是外国游客异样的眼光，可是她们傲娇的神情和姿态却满是自信与不屑。 有位语言不通的德士司机热情招待我们当地的糖果; 另一位则是因无法好好跟我们沟通而全程脸黑黑的。 大世界中常被遗忘的小小人物细节，也有他们大大的美。 这趟旅程让我学到的是，其实与人打交道不需要特意，在刚好的时机发生了交际，又或许只是多加留意背景里发生的一切小事物，那便是感受人作为最美风景的最佳机会。 刚到甲米时天空灰得让人心冷，离开的那天天气又美得刚刚好。好不想离开这座度假小镇，但现实始终残酷，梦想也需现实来买单。 期待下一次的旅程。

It's Taylor Swift's world, and we're just living in it. Just as things are returning to their pre-covid conditions, a handful of international artists including Billie Eilish, Jay Chou, Blackpink, Keshi and Lany had brought live shows back on the road, and even made a quick stop in Malaysia to perform for fans. Taylor Swift really took her sweet time before starting to tour again, but this was deemed necessary- Taylor would rather keep fans waiting than to potentially disappoint with a postponement or cancellation due to re-rising Covid cases.  For a mastermind like Taylor, who enjoys planting cryptic messages and witty references in her production, making an announcement when she is fully ready with the tour concept is essential. So when the Eras Tour was eventually announced in November 2022, fans knew it's going to be huge and fully thought-out, especially since Taylor's intended Lover Fest was cancelled back in 2020 due to the pandemic and she had since rolled o...

I have long been familiar with the concept of volunteerism. In fact, I had been introduced to a plethora of volunteering opportunities since my secondary school days. There was no short of exposure, be it in the fields of education, environment, and even healthcare. As an active St. John Ambulance member, I was allowed on first aid duties (having passed tests to qualify as a certified first aider) at sports events and community outreach programmes that directly worked with people in need. My school also organised field trips that raised awareness on environmental conservation. One of the most significant memories I have from those days was a trip to the Tanjung Piai Wetlands in the south of Johor, where we learned about the roles of mangroves in maintaining biodiversity and even planted saplings in mud. But what I'm new to, is the idea of voluntourism. A similar spelling with volunteerism, but note that it is coined with the concept of tourism. I imagine it as people touring somewh...

  There is business in everything these days. Recently, I took a trip to Sabah, Malaysia to hike Mount Kinabalu, and I could not help but notice that business opportunities exist almost everywhere- from the pre-booking stages, to during hiking and even to the post-summit descent stages.  When you pre-book your hiking slot, which comes with the accommodation arrangements at Laban Rata on Mount Kinabalu, you are given a choice to choose a hostel based on how much you are willing to spend. For Lemaing hostel, which is the simpler option at around RM364, you will be allocated a bed in a 16-slot bunk-bed dormitory, with three meals provided throughout the hike. For an additional RM200, the more comfortable option, Panalaban, comes not only with a single bed and more personal spaces, but also two extra meals on the day of hiking. Note that Lemaing Hostel is limited to Malaysian citizens only. Foreigners are only allowed to choose for Panalaban, which is the more expensive option- wh...

A lot of artists never have their work seen by the world. But not for Nor Azhar Ishak (NAI), an Educator Storyteller whose children's books incorporate his mesmerising paintings and a spray of educational elements especially on environmental awareness. Not only had he recently organised his ‘The Ocean Wanderer’ Exhibition at The Museum of Picture Book Art, his works were displayed at Tsutaya Books at Pavilion Bukit Jalil earlier this year.  Having published more than 10 children’s books in the past decade, NAI has multiple picture book awards under his belt. Our Charisma Movement journalists were curious how he explores his inspirations, and strives to fight for education and environmental awareness with his artistic career. ^We visited NAI’s art studio near Batu Caves. Euan: We first met at ‘Alam Nan Tunggal’, an event organised by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Museum and Art Gallery, which aimed to promote local artists and support their entrepreneurial journey. How do you feel abou...