... Dalam Botol - TAHNIAH. CONGRATS!

Ok... to be honest, it took me a few days to decide if I would take the chance on this movie. Since there was not anything much to do at 11.30am at the Curve this morning, I thought what the heck. I am one that is not always turned on by a Malay movie, with the exception of those by the late Yasmin Ahmad. Since she left, there has never been a movie that could remotely match her boldness and audacity to put reality, honesty, and the most painful truth on the big screen. Until now.

I am not just saying this because of its theme in relative to my own life but solely because of Khir Rahman's ability to capture the essence of the character played tastefully by Azra Lee. Its like wow!!! I thought Khir must be one that has truly connected with Ruby AND Bidin. And for Azra Lee, who has obviously studied his character meticulously, it is kinda hard to imagine anyone who has not been a transgender to pull something like this off and come out tops! If you know me, I am very very stringent about crediting Malay movies. While others thought Merong Mahawangsa should be given an A for bravery, I think the only A I would give Yusri is for his effort in trying, the rest of it should be slaughtered off at the guillotine. But this movie, never mind its compromising title, should, no, MUST be put on TV, the stage, and into the very heart of a society that is still blind towards the existence of the transgender.

Khir Rahman has oh so took the incredible effort of choosing his characters well and it was such a treat to watch the veterans like Normah Damanhuri, Fauziah Ahmad Daud and Jalil Hamid played out their characters with such professionalism that their prowess showed in an engaging manner and left me wanting for more. I was so in delight that some part of me wanted to jump out and said YES!!

Even the sub characters Ghaus (Wan Raja) and Dina (Diana Danielle) who played Ruby and Bidin's partners consecutively were played out with such tenacity that I cannot even think at that moment could be played by anyone else. Kudos to all these characters. My high respect to all of you! Gosh, did I just say that?

Ok this movie MUST be made into a stage play, I don't care, it MUST! I think the presence of characters on stage would further enhance its intrepid message through strong delivery. Any takers? Common guys, stop taking on movies like all the superstitious and imbecile themes that all it does was to scare people thoughtless. And honestly, they always ended up a laughing stock. And to make people believe in those things is HARAM mak oiii!!! Tahyul!! Adus!! never stop. Ceh! Have you all not learned? More real stories from the very backyard of our lives like ...Dalam Botol should be brought out in the open. Or maybe it was just the amazing combination of Raja Azmi brilliant depiction and Khir Rahman that has brought this incredible true story to life! It brought tears to my eyes...

Truth be told, I am now for one that is going to be on the look out for movies by Khir Rahman. My highest and most honorable respect goes to him for effort, courage, dauntlessness, and sensitivity. You really make me miss the late Yasmin Ahmad, but yeah, now that you have arrived, I thank you. I wish I could say all the above to you and Raja Azmi myself.

Love,

A

EARTH HOUR - Mom needs a rest....

http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx

DONT pretend you have not and forgot about it. PLEASEEEEEE for the life of me, adhere to this and switch off at 8.30pm sharp. You can switch yourself off too for just an hour and simply observe. ITs BEAUTIFUL!! I will be onsite at LOT 10. So if you are a YTL Member, come meet me there ok?!!

ONE person can make a change, but if all of us come together, we can change the WORLD!!!! And YES, it needs a change!!

Love you all,

Azmi Samdjaga (a.k.a. Richard's boyfriend) :)

QUAKE - Quantum of Knowledge and Experience day

Venue - My Yoga Sanctuary @ 1 Bukit Utama Condo

Date - 23 April, Saturday

Time - 1400hrs

Participate in this regular impromptu event, where there will be no holds bar to the truth and sincerity. As participants show their utmost honesty on the subject they want to either share, demonstrate or reflect, this day could be your most important day, this event could be your life changing moment or MYS could be THE place to find your solace and to let go.

The set up will be a class like type. The "Teacher" will be anyone of you and the participants. It is absolutely OPTIONAL. You can also decide if you want to do it on the day itself or simply be an audience or student. Once you have decided on your subject, let me know and I will arrange the slot for you.

Participants are free to share anything as long as its not insulting, vulgar, offensive or inconsiderate. I will tolerate anything as long as its diplomatic. I will NOT tolerate anything that is deemed to be offensive, rude or illogical. Any teachers are welcome to share their experience as well.

Participants may sing a song, read a poem or any poetry, dance, share their yoga experience/s, teach a new artistry on anything, share a recipe (I hope there will be cos i love this), share a new technique in an asana (yoga pose), demonstrate a yoga posture, perform a sequence (limit to 3 minutes) or divulge benefits / contraindications of a yoga posture.

A small donation box will be placed in the changing room and you can list down charities that you would like your donation to go to. Otherwise, we will keep the donation to any rescue mission charity like Japan or Haiti.

You can also bring your entire family if you wish and maybe want to sing to them or simply express how you feel towards them or to anyone for that matter. I hope I will not regret saying that.:) Oh yeah, you can bring snacks too! Healthy ones ok? Best is to prepare and share it among others.

So lets make a point to come down to this beautiful day in conjunction with the official opening of MY YOGA SANCTUARY. I will highlight the event with my own Yoga Demonstration of a familiar sequence.

Thank you yogis and hope to see you there!

Namaste everyone,
Be Nice, Be Kind, Be Compassionate. Just BE.
Azmi

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts Official Video

A Walk with Above and Beyond

Yesterday morning, I had the chance of walking 2 kilometers from home in Damansara Perdana to Bukit Utama, where I teach. I tell you, it opened some insights that we sometimes failed to see. I don't normally walk to work but due to a financial crisis, I decided to walk, and what a walk I had.

Time - 0746 hrs (kick-0ff)

Temperature - a cool and crispy 25 degrees celcius. Cloudy sky. Very cloudy.

Wind chill factor - moderate.

Humidity - 88%

I started walking shortly after a breakfast of Roti Canai and mineral water. The cool weather brought some enthusiasm to my plan. My ipod was playing a podcast series 361 of the trance group Above and Beyond entitled - Trance Around The World with Above and

Beyond. Trust me, if you guys need any wift to move your booty, this is the sound to tune in to do just that!

I noticed that there were very few cars on the road, but then again, it WAS a Sunday when people would rather stay in bed. However, my travel was not one without stopping. At least to capture the sights of my walk.

My first stop was after 20 minutes, arriving at the junction of Persiaran Surian and Jln Kota Damansara. The best thing was, despite the high humidity, I have not broken into a sweat yet. It actually felt nice, especially when gusts of that crispy cool breeze caressed my warm face. Whenever that happened, closing my eyes to briefly enjoy it seemed like the perfect thing to do.

Even after 30minutes, the area still appears like a ghost town. By then, my legs started to feel tight, especially my feet walking on uneven terrain in those Converse sneakers.

However, as I watched a group of foreign workers walking from their respective apartments to shopping malls around Mutiara Damansara, which I gathered where they would be working, I thought twice about my complains. These people walk everyday to work, some as far as a kilometer away and yet they still broke into a smile when they glanced past me. I began to wonder about their lives, how they left everything they've ever known in their lives to travel all the way way here, far from the people they love just to find work in order to support those people they left back home. With the little money they earn from their back breaking job in the service industry and making our lives convenient, little would be left for them to survive here after sending most back home to their families. This would be their lives in years to come. How trivial my problem is compare to the throes of their lives..

0831hrs - The view of Bukit Utama condominium appeared in between the trees as I looked up at this point. I have been cautious on the pathway as there were some parts which were unfinished, and there were a few manholes that could have been a disaster for anyone who might fall into it. The walk had in a way reminded me of life itself, its never a smooth road. Along the way you would meet people from all walks of life, and as you move on with your journey, serious disaster awaits if you are not vigilant enough.

0856hrs - I finally arrived at my destination drenched in sweat! Nevertheless, I felt immensely happy to have completed the journey. Shortly after opening the studio, I took a few moments to reflect on that eventful walk.

In a nutshell, Life has its ups and downs and living through it means you HAVE to take that road no matter what. Its not about trying to avoid it but its more about choosing the best way t go through it. And whatever your decision may be, rest assured you WILL arrive at your final destination. Everyone arrives at their destination differently. Some may arrive in a sweat, others may arrive in a peaceful state. The rest may either arrive early or very late. Irregardless of how you arrive, The Destination IS where you want to be after a long long walk.

Above all and beyond everything, lets honor and respect our lives by being kind to others because as it happens, it's the only one we've got and we do not want to live it by being bad.

Om Shanti,

Azmi Samdjaga