It is almost halfway through the fasting month already and I must say that I have not really performed as best as i had hoped to in keeping my practice as pure and meaningful as i had wished. However i had not missed a day so far even when I had at times wished for a drink so bad or my migraine headache was killing me or i was so pissed off at one thing or another and chuck it all into the garbage bin, I kept my fasting.
For the next week or so I will be breaking my fast at the Equatorial Hotel here in Penang! One of these ironies of life that happens and needs some explanation as to those who has the right impression that I am a penniless, single parent supporting two teenagers might get all flustered over the contradictions on my lifestyle. I have been invited to be part of the Musium Team putting on an exhibition of Islamic Art and Astronomy and I am there as the Artist. So, for the past few days I have been hanging out by the Hotel swimming pool playing my role. Last night i was asked to do a potrait of a a blind elderly gentleman, one of the Hotel guest. I had a good time doing my sketch but an even greater time getting to know the guy who suffers from kidney failure and had just had a dyalisis done in the afternoon. His son and two daughters had decided for him to have a good time breaking fast with them at the Ho
tel.
We talked a bit about how I lost one of my elder brothers (see Gina), to the same ailment and how painful it was for me to watch him going through his dialysis treatment three times a week. He used to joke about it and called getting his blood laundried. The final few days of my brother's demise was the most painful expereince for him as for me as well as I witnessed what he had to struggle with. I was with him within the hour of his death all strungout in the Intesive Care Unit with tubes and hose sticking in and out of him, struggling for every breath like it was going to be the last. I felt very sorry for the elderly gentleman when these images ran through my mind, but i was also glad that he could not see the drawing I did of him. I often prayed that my life would end swiftly and not prolonged by any form of illnesses.
I also met a young man from Mainland China who seemed to enjoy his stay in Penang. He came over and joined me while i was doing my reflexology walk along the pebbled bed provided for the guests by the swimming pool. I asked him his busines and he told me that he was in Penang on a furniture business. I assumed that his company imports furniture from China into thias country but to my surprise he told me that his company buys furniture here and sells them in South Africa. I wonderd why we Malysians are not doing this instead it takes a Chinese company from China to be the middle man.
The skies was clear and we had a great viewing of the Lunar landscape with Dr. Chong the dynamic astrology professor from USM giving his spill on the subject. In was intresting to observe how the westerners were more into astronomy than most of the Asians present. Sad to say that we Asians or Malaysians lack enthusiasm
when it comes to learning about nature or the cosmos and those who do are intrested just out of curiousity. A Malay father came to collect his children at the pool area after he had had his dinner (buka Puasa), the children protested and wanted him to take a look throught the telescope at the moon, he brushed them off and told them it was time to go. Dissappointment written all over their faces the kids left after a promise was made that they will come again the next day. Ten to fifteen minutes of the father's time to show intrest in the matter might have created one or two astronomers in the family. The man could afford to take his family to an expensive dinner at a five star hotel but could not see what was really the gift of the evening for his children from him - a sense of enthusiasm in what they enjoy, the chance to plant a seed of learning into their curious minds.
I must confess that given the opportunity to spend the evenings at the Equatorial Hotel while waiting to break my fast is a gift considering that I could be sitting out somewhere like the Museum or my home waiting out my hunger and thirst till the n
ightfall. At least I got a good lesson on the lunar surface from Dr. Chong and the telescopes.
For the next week or so I will be breaking my fast at the Equatorial Hotel here in Penang! One of these ironies of life that happens and needs some explanation as to those who has the right impression that I am a penniless, single parent supporting two teenagers might get all flustered over the contradictions on my lifestyle. I have been invited to be part of the Musium Team putting on an exhibition of Islamic Art and Astronomy and I am there as the Artist. So, for the past few days I have been hanging out by the Hotel swimming pool playing my role. Last night i was asked to do a potrait of a a blind elderly gentleman, one of the Hotel guest. I had a good time doing my sketch but an even greater time getting to know the guy who suffers from kidney failure and had just had a dyalisis done in the afternoon. His son and two daughters had decided for him to have a good time breaking fast with them at the Ho
tel.We talked a bit about how I lost one of my elder brothers (see Gina), to the same ailment and how painful it was for me to watch him going through his dialysis treatment three times a week. He used to joke about it and called getting his blood laundried. The final few days of my brother's demise was the most painful expereince for him as for me as well as I witnessed what he had to struggle with. I was with him within the hour of his death all strungout in the Intesive Care Unit with tubes and hose sticking in and out of him, struggling for every breath like it was going to be the last. I felt very sorry for the elderly gentleman when these images ran through my mind, but i was also glad that he could not see the drawing I did of him. I often prayed that my life would end swiftly and not prolonged by any form of illnesses.
I also met a young man from Mainland China who seemed to enjoy his stay in Penang. He came over and joined me while i was doing my reflexology walk along the pebbled bed provided for the guests by the swimming pool. I asked him his busines and he told me that he was in Penang on a furniture business. I assumed that his company imports furniture from China into thias country but to my surprise he told me that his company buys furniture here and sells them in South Africa. I wonderd why we Malysians are not doing this instead it takes a Chinese company from China to be the middle man.
The skies was clear and we had a great viewing of the Lunar landscape with Dr. Chong the dynamic astrology professor from USM giving his spill on the subject. In was intresting to observe how the westerners were more into astronomy than most of the Asians present. Sad to say that we Asians or Malaysians lack enthusiasm
when it comes to learning about nature or the cosmos and those who do are intrested just out of curiousity. A Malay father came to collect his children at the pool area after he had had his dinner (buka Puasa), the children protested and wanted him to take a look throught the telescope at the moon, he brushed them off and told them it was time to go. Dissappointment written all over their faces the kids left after a promise was made that they will come again the next day. Ten to fifteen minutes of the father's time to show intrest in the matter might have created one or two astronomers in the family. The man could afford to take his family to an expensive dinner at a five star hotel but could not see what was really the gift of the evening for his children from him - a sense of enthusiasm in what they enjoy, the chance to plant a seed of learning into their curious minds.I must confess that given the opportunity to spend the evenings at the Equatorial Hotel while waiting to break my fast is a gift considering that I could be sitting out somewhere like the Museum or my home waiting out my hunger and thirst till the n
ightfall. At least I got a good lesson on the lunar surface from Dr. Chong and the telescopes.
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