The Uncertain Fate of the Fishermen in Georgetown.

It has been over ten years  now that i have been hanging out at this location of the Malay Fisherman's Huts located off the Lim Chong Yu Highway. This is one of my 'Ports' as the 'Boys' would call it. On hot and humid days when it would be too much to bear at the house, I would escape to this place and do whatever that I do.

A few days ago the Maritime police raided this whole area in a full scale operation against drug trafficking and abuse which is one of the features of this area's community activity, mostly Ganja and a drink called Ketum or as locally called 'Biak'. Both are to me harmless if not medicinal if used within limits and has been in use for as long as i can remember in my life. It is sad that the law and enforcement agency has no better activity to handle than harass a handful of people whose only form of escape from the pressures of life is indulging in getting stoned or high with the use of a natural stimulant such as Marijuana and the Ketum leaf. 

This is the Malay section of the Fishing Community along the coastal areas of Penang itself and most of the fishermen  are from the nearby low cost housing of the Jelutong area has been fishing most of their lives. Fishing is a very tough life especially in and around the Island of Penang where competition with the Chinese fishermen is just one of the obstacles to be dealt with. The fishing is more often slim in catch as the sea around the Island is highly polluted. The fishermen has to go far out to sea to make any good catch. The rise in fuel cost and the lack of any government funding or support makes fishing here a costly venture. Most of these fishermen do other odd jobs along with their fishing activity.

There is no fresh water supply to this small community and water for any purposes has to be carted in from nearby low cost housing. Most of the makeshift huts that stands tall in the mud and sea water are in deplorable state some are about to slide off into the deep. But having been a frequent visitor to the community I feel a great sense of pride among its residents in keeping the place afloat despite the odds mounting against it.   

It is sad to watch the slow death of a way of life of a community that had survived  for so long. It is like witnessing the last throws of a dying sea bass. There is very little that can be done about the fate of these fishermen and their way of life and I sincerely hope that the Penang State Government will be able to find an amicable solution to this situation. 

As modernization creeps up from nearby areas the fishing community is slowly pushed further out into the sea, in a way this is symbolic of the fate of the Malays of Penang in general. Whose fault is it? Don't ask!

Man will do whatever it takes to make a living and hold on to whatever sense of pride that is still left within himself to make sure that he is occupied with a worthwhile vocation in life. What happens when all these are taken away from him? It is only for God and time to tell and in the meantime, the life of the Malay Fishermen in this community hangs at the end of the fishhook.  

He walks with a precarious sense of pride as he watches the tide goes in and out.

The definition of a farmer- He is is the man Outstanding in his Field.

Major (Retired) Zakaria Amantasha is the man responsible for the establishment of SRI LOVELY organic Farm at Kampung Lintang, Sik Kedah in Malaysia. He is one of a kind 'Power House' of service and dedication to the small community of the Belantik, Sik area in Organic Rice planting.

Through his years of services as an army officer he has spent at times months in the tropical jungle where he learned to survive with bare minimum of necessities. Here he share his knowledge of how to construct a tatch roof from a king of palm leaf.

Known as 'The captain', the major got together all the land owners aroung Lintang and converted the rice plots that were not put to use into and organic rice growing facility.He created the Belantik Corporation which has 32 acres of land in total at the foothills of Kampung Lintang, locacated some 3 kilometers from the small town of Belantik. 

Kampung Lintang sits n a valley at the foothills where the  jungle begins. by making sure that the land is free from any form of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the project has seen a growing number of wild animals, birds and fishes returning to the area. I am a witness to this change after having been involved here for the past five years.

The captain is a rlentless worker who knows no time od day or night and he is never found idle and always full of ideas on how to overcome any form of hurdle that lay in his way. A Millitary Commander at one time in Kosovo, the captain is a rough tough kind of guy who takes no nonsense when imparting knowledge to his students. 

Captain Zakaria is very highly regard among the professors and government officials involve if farming around the country and his advice is sought after from far and near as he travels to many countries in and outside of  Malaysia to give talks and guidance on organic padi cultivation

 The man -outstanding in His field!

Update on where my mind is at.

Observing my mind lately i noticed that it has been running at warp speed with thoughts and ideas that has hardly anything to do with what is at hand or what needed attention at the moment. This i believe, is the counter effect of my trying to silence the mind in my efforts at meditation. I tried to become less attached to my surroundings and ignore images that floats around my consciousness everywhere i go and with everything i do, but the mind is as slippery as an eel and sucks in everything ti comes into contact with like a sponge. There it seems is no escape from the chattering of the mind and the more you try to remain detach from external influences the more thoughts arises. Most of these thoughts are empty of any value towards my well being and has become an an obstruction towards trying to remain focus on any immediate matter.

Physically i am suffering aches and pains especially in my lower back and my left knee; symptoms of aging. The hard physical labor i did at the farm has taken its toll and thus i am spending my energy on healing my body as well. I hav less than a month to get my show ready at the MGTF-USM which tarts in March. It looks like this will be my last effort to have an exhibition of my Art works as i am finding it too much of a burden financially and physically.But I hope to make it as exciting and worthwhile the best i can. It is not an easy matter to organize a show especially at a major gallery such as the Museum galleri Tuanku Fauziah, at the University Sains Malaysia. I consider it a luxury and one that these days I cannot afford anymore.I will always remain an artist and keep on drawing and sketching perhaps till the day i die, simply because it is in my nature to do so.
The moment you draw, Art happens! Like writing , Art is a form of Catharsis in healing a troubled mind. While en-rapt in doing a drawing the mind is forced to becoming quiet for the moment and the attention towards what is being done holds your consciousness in focus. With a quiet mind you find your Lord, it is said.This is why i carry with me a sketchbook wherever i go. It is entertaining to those who are around me and while away the time while waiting for my appointments.The act of doing a creative activity acts as an ice breaker for any given situation or environment as it draws people out of curiosity to the artist.While drawing one is also training the eyes to see more than just look at what is around you; no single tree is identical. The human eyes is not as clinical as the digital camera, the eyes sees much more than what is as it sees with a feeling for what is. Drawing or sketching is a very potent tool towards keeping the mind in focus, it is meditation in action. 
Being born an artist is a privilege that is not given to too many in this life and as such it is my responsibility to share myself through my works with the masses in all walks of life. I do not draw or paint to entertain my ego nor of anyone else's, I draw and paint to reflect and contemplate my own mind such that it will slow down and become less scattered. 

Everything is Mind, nothing exists outside of it. 

Dealing with a Government Agency.

This morning i took my son to the Registry Department to declare that he and his sister will be giving up their American citizenship in accordance with the Malaysian Government requirement that no Malaysian citizen can hold a dual citizenship. From the reaction of the lady attending to the matter it is clear that she has no idea of what to do as she had no idea that there was an announcement made in the Star Online news of such a move. She had to call her superior out from her room and this individual too had no idea of the ramification involved and simply declared that if my son and daughter had any problem with their citizenship status they to show their identification card and everything would be cool. No notes taken , no records registered of my son's visit to ascertain that he had taken the action towards dropping off one citizenship for another. She only told my son to go to the American Embassy and declare his intentions.

PETALING JAYA: Either renounce or risk revocation as there is no other way out for dual citizenship holders.

An official from the National Registration Department said those who failed to voluntarily renounce would have their citizenship revoked because Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship as stipulated under Article 24 (1) of the Federal Constitution.

The official also revealed that annually about 5,000 people renounce their Malaysian citizenship.

“Dual citizenship holders need not pay any penalty for failing to renounce their Malaysian citizenship. It is an individual’s personal responsibility to renounce their Malaysian citizenship after obtaining citizenship in another country,” said a department official.

The official said this in response to queries sent via e-mail following public complaints over the possi­bility of being fined RM50,000 or jailed if they failed to fill up form K to renounce citizenship.

The official said Malaysians risk losing their citizenship if the authori­­ties are satisfied that foreign citizenship was obtained through registration, naturalisation or voluntarily through other formal arrangements other than by marriage.

“The Federal Government could then order the revocation of the person’s citizenship,” he said.

To another question, the official said it did not have a special data bank on Malaysians holding dual citizenship.

“Malaysian citizenship can only be terminated through renouncement or revocation,” it said.

The official also pointed out that under Article 23 (1) of the Federal Constitution, citizens above 21 years of age, and of sound mind, should formally renounce their citizenship when they are about to gain citizenship of another country

He said the department welcomed feedback from those with information on dua

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/01/31/renounce-or-risk-revocation-dual-citizenship-holders-told/#F08Rv3FGBrd1cmDO.99

To save the trouble of tracking dual citizenship holders in the future the lady in charge could have been more proactive by providing a form for such a move or even start a file for my children that will keep track of their actions taken towards making this happen. Unfortunately she brushed it off as of no concern attitude or a superior bureaucrat towards those that needed her services and advice. As the saying goes, there is no room for learning when you are an expert at what you do.

We Are The World!

 For the past one week i had spent my time working out in the fields at the SRI LOVELY Organic Farm, it has been a week long of hard labor of love. The City of Georgetown was inundated by the Chinese New Y revelers and last minute shoppers and the traffic about the City was a challenge to one's nerves even if one is a Meditator. Now i am suffering from a lower back pain and my knee is aching from too much activity. I am back at the MGTF where i do my writing among other things. The change of pace between the life in the City and being in the rural rustic countryside is refreshing momentarily, but the noise and dramas of the life in the City soon invades my senses before I even had a chance to heal my aches and pains.

I met a few of the most interesting people from France, the Unityed States and Sweden when I was at the Farm and they helepd to affirm my faith in the fact that individuals makes a great difference when their energies are being put to use in a good cause. The organis farm is coming to live as more and more 'seekers' and travellers arrive to share their presence and energies if making something out of what nature has to offer. More and more and more are waking up to the call of the 'return to nature' without the synthetic affeects tha amn and technology is imposing upon her. Healing the land back to its natural state after being systematically poisoned by chemicals and pesticides generated from the laboratories of some major chemical companies is a slow and tedious process. It is evident by the slow return of the wild life to these affected areas after a long absence since the introduction of these chemicals into the environment.

It was also enlightening to witness how the younger generation of locals and foreign visitors interact without any form of judgement or misgiviings and how the local boys are willing to learn the languages and customs from their counterparts as they work alongside each other. The Farm is beginning to remind me of Green Gulch Farm, the Zen Monastery where i used to live in California's Marin County.It has much to offer those who are looking for some answers to their lives or seeking an alternative to what they presently are facing. SRI LOVELY is becoming a Global Village and i sincerely hope that it will become yet another beacon of freedom from the conditioned existence that most are being subjected to in this day and age without even realizing the fact that they are. It is just another small step, a small venture that is still struggling to stay afloat on its own, however more and more philanthropists and well wishers are making a contribution towards getting the place up and running without any attachment to any government control.
Here I find myself, my calling, to serve humanity as best i could physically, mentally as well as spiritually.As i rake the whole yard around the facility and cut the weeds and grass that threatened to overgrow I witnessed how distorted my mind has become and how i am subjected to its moods and sway. For hours I kept working in the hot sun without caring about my aches and pains or the reason for my actions and at the end of the day a young man would come along and offers me a drink or a smoke telling to take it easy, it made me feel i had accomplished something, I touched his heart. I have inspired him and his buddies to work selflessly.

.

Sharing Work and Culture.

The dinner table has grown a whole lot longer as the crowd grows. Every word spoken is being translated into various languages according to who is present. 

It has become a mixture of culture in the field as you see a fully hijab sister chatting away with a loosely dressed Westerners.

What's the definition of a farmer, he asked. He is the man outstanding in his field I said.

I do my part sharing my Art work with the local boys.

 Getting Art lessons while relaxing after dinner.

 Art being executed out in the wild.

SRI LOVELY going Global.

SRI LOVELY Organic Farm is now going global and thus far many has come from far and near to share the knowledge of Organic Rice growing techniques that absolutely refuses to use any form of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. From the US, France, Japan, Australia and many from other states in Malaysia has turned up to share this place and what it has to offer.

Young coconuts are a treat to foreigners some who has never seen alive coconut tree before.

 We live together on this Planet nd are concern over how it is slowly being  abused is ways that we often are not even aware of or do not really care a hoot about so long as we get our products delivered. What we eat and what we drink  is often take for granted and at the end of the day we complain of this or that ailment and wonder how we got to the point.

The Farm itself is slowly growing in size and activity with well wishers investing their money to build more lodging. People are becoming mre and more aware of the need for such places to be preserved and put to use as an educational ground for the younger generation. 

Here the young and old get to share thoughts and ideas about life in general other than just growing food. A community is slowly growing centered upon understandig what nature has to offer and how we can help to keep it pure and not corrupted by modern technology quick fixes with the use of synthetic  materials.

 Learning to respect between young and old becomes part of the living day to day. Here people are encouraged to speak out and express their thoughts and feelings about everything under the sun.

Live and learn that id the key to our existence. Learning about relationships and tolerence and having fun doing it. 

Retreat at the Farm to contemplate life.

Is it finished yet? They asked me. Nope not really it will be completed when I am dead and gone or when someone make a good offer for it. It is my meditaitve [piece this 100 feet long painting.

It is nightfal at the organic farm and the moon is on the horizon. 

Getting ready for the downpour. 

The distant hills never cease to amaze me especially early in the morning.

Year of the Rooster according to the Chinese calendar and let us hope it a better year than the previous.

Getting ready for the next planting, working  under the hot and humid sun. 

I am back at he retreat, my personal retreat from the busy city of Georgetown, Penang. It is a week long holidy for the Chinese new Year and so Georgetown is not the place to be right now. 

The chalets are ready for some new guests arriving according to the Captain.

The river is a little murky from the rain but still a great place to kick back and take a dip as the water is quite cold. 

Celebrate Life! Make it happen!