(2/2) “So, she engaged me to do a family portrait and to draw some weapons in their hands.
In another case, there was a couple who got married in the 80s and the wife passed away about 15 years ago. The man wanted me to draw like they were in their 80s again, and I drew a pair of wings on his wife in a wedding dress. This, to him, is like a reunion somewhere between heaven and earth.
Life is very simple and beautiful. There is this immediate happiness I get from drawing people. Caricature art is not merely just an art, there’s meaning behind it…
Seeing the smile on people’s faces when they receive their caricature. It feels like I have this super power.”
Photo and story by Samantha Siow Edited by Christine C
“You can see it’s now congested. In front there (points to the shop front), the pedestrian walkway was removed for road works.
We both like this pork noodles, though my wife stopped eating this noodle since she turned pescatarian.
My wife, Evelyn, is no longer here with me. And I don’t have my wife for company for breakfast, lunch, dinner and the many times for all the things we share together. She was a victim of a hit-and-run accident.
There are moments I wish, and feel like she’s just gone on a long trip… I wished that she can be back soon.
It’s her birthday next month and I really don’t know how to cope on her birthday.
I cry every time I think of her and what I would do without her… I miss her smiles, her laughter, her grins, cheekiness….
I miss having her around the house. Shalom & Shiloh misses her. I miss our trips… the short drives, long drives, impromptu journeys… We spent every moment together and I always drove her to the places she needed to go…
My family misses her a lot, my nephews loves her chew-ma, I know that. I know her parents misses her a lot. I kept her mobile phone. The other day there was a missed call from her parents to her phone. I think they were hoping Evelyn would answer.
I also plan to spend time with them on Evelyn’s birthday on 13 April.” – Dennis
Dennis’ wife is the popularly-loved marathon runner Evelyn Ang whose untimely death left many in grief. Tomorrow would have been Evelyn’s 45th birthday.
(1/2) “ When they come out to work, they demand a salary of RM4000 to RM5000. Obviously, bosses wouldn’t pay.
And, whenever customers ask them to do a painting job, they will put a price almost like a renowned artist. Of course, that puts the customer off.
I asked a few of the artists: ‘why don’t you put the price lower?’ They say: ‘Cannot! I studied so much!’
This is like Lee Chong Wei. When he started playing badminton, he kept on losing. Only when he started to win tournaments, people started to sponsor him.
So I guess badminton players and artists are pretty much the same? Can you imagine a young Lee Chong Wei asking for a lot of sponsorship? The companies will be like ‘Wah, who do you think you are? Why should I pay so much?’
This is what I think young artists need to understand about the market.
When I first joined an agency (graphic design), my pay was RM1300. Today, I draw caricatures, its only like RM20 to RM35 and though graphic design pays more, much more; at my age, I’m not looking for more money.
People at my age aim to be a senior manager, drive big cars, entertain clients… But to me, I told my friends I’m pulling the handbrake. I want to slow down and be with my kids. I want to be close to my family.”
Photo and story by Samantha Siow Edited by Christine C
“I was a caretaker for monkeys and captive elephants for the Save Elephant Foundation.
Working in an animal ‘retirement home’, hundreds of miles away from civilization, I felt isolated, depressed and lonely. So I spent time talking to the locals.
From them (locals), I realized that these animals (that were saved) were rescued from a barbaric tradition of ‘breaking their spirit’.
The elephants undergo a cruel traumatic process called ‘Phajaan’, which distorts their natural instinct for them to be submissive to humans.
They eventually become working elephants, doing illegal logging, tourist rides, and street begging.
Thats why I feel humans are responsible towards animal aggression.
I repeatedly tell those who come to visit the sanctuary not to feed the monkeys because they will attack.
You see, first we destroy their habitat, secondly we put them in a confined area which we call it ‘home’ for the animals and thirdly we teach them to behave accordingly by shaping them to act like how we want them to be.
Just because animals don’t speak the same language as us does not mean they can’t feel how humans feel.” – Wendi Sia
Photo and story by Kelvin Mah Edited by Christine C
“A good friend (Evelyn) who passed away not too long ago was a pescatarian, so I decided to be pescatarian for her birthday month of April as a dedication to her.
Since I was in my 20s I aspired to turn vegetarian one day, but it is near impossible… My longest record was only 49 days.
If it isn’t for a special cause, I would never succeed. I needed a strong motivation and this is my gift to her. If I kill less animals, the merit is mine and I am dedicating my merits to Evelyn’s afterlife.
When I told Dennis (Evelyn’s husband) that I will lead this #PescatarianEve drive for a whole month, he agreed that it can be easily done; but he also said maybe not many people will join for such a long stretch.
Well, whether they join me for a meal, or a week, or a month, or a lifetime, it is entirely up to them… Each meal is a dedication of merits to Evelyn while it is a spiritual blessing for anyone who makes it. Better yet, go vegetarian.” – Poesy Liang
Poesy’s friend is the well-loved marathon runner Evelyn Ang who lost her life after a hit-and-run accident.
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(2/2) “That was one of the questions that people ask me today when they hear that I was a dancer in the 80s. People were surprised because a woman dancer in the performing arts industry was so (and currently is) conservative.
For all those with this question, firstly no ballerina walks on a street with her tutu on. It is a costume that is worn only during performances.
Secondly, I personally never felt that being a woman restricted me in anyway or felt the need to question my life choices.
If there is something you want to do, then go ahead and just do it. Do it with faith in yourself and don’t worry a cent about what others will think of you.
We women often spend half of our energy just thinking about what others will say. You will never really know how good you are until you put your foot in the water.
There will always be people who think you are right and those who think you are wrong. If someone gave me a dollar every time they doubted my decisions, I would be a millionaire by now.
As women sometimes we fail to realise our worth. It is time to stop that now and start reacting to issues that bother us.
For example, there are people out there who still think that women who get raped were asking for it. Or those who are showing too much leg or cleavage don’t mind being ‘taken for a ride’.
Personally, I find this mindset ridiculous and if there is something I would like to change as a woman, it would be this irrational attitude.”
(1/2) “I am 56 years old and still teach dance to young girls who one day want to conquer the world and I hope that they will do exactly that.
By training I was a lawyer but after finishing my law degree I took off to London to study dance which was a very unusual move for women to undertake back in the early 1980s. I enrolled myself at Laine Theatre Arts and back then, I was the first Malaysian at Laine’s, something that I am proud of even today.
Being at Laine’s was a tough yet wonderful experience. Until then I wasn’t accustomed to dancing rigorously from 9am to 5pm. At Laine’s we did it everyday.
We did it till our legs felt like jelly and our shins hurts to the point we couldn’t stand. On some days my body would seize up. I remember rolling onto one side and falling on the floor simply so that I could crawl up on all fours and get ready for yet another day of stretching and dance.
But three and half years at Laine’s prepared me for a whole new world of ballet and dance.
Graduating and ready to take on the world, I returned to Malaysia and worked hard for many years. I started The Dance Company with a partner, and we braved the industry as young aspiring professionals. The company is still around, though I am no longer a part of it.
Once I had kids, it was difficult to balance the two. I wanted to raise my kids myself and to spend my formative years being around them, which was why I left the commercial industry and focused more on teaching, and I don’t regret my decision at all.”
(Part 01/02) “I joined a few charity organisations and hoped to help out as much as I can, but I came to find out the severe lack of transparency and abuse of funds.
Hence, I decided to go on my own and make sure my contributions reach out to the people I care for.
I packed up my belongings and went to Nepal, helping out as much as I can to get the locals back on their feet while trying to understand the real issues faced by the community and how I can help efficiently.
After three months in Nepal, I came back to Malaysia and started a crowdfunding exercise to raise funds and buy mosquito nets for 300 families.
It was going to be summer and mosquitoes breed during that time. A mosquito net is something a lot of families cannot afford, considering that many have lost their homes and family members.
Thanks to my network of friends, I was able to achieve beyond my target and raise funds to afford mosquito nets for 889 families.
That’s when I realized, even as an individual, one can make so much of difference if he or she has the determination and right strategy.
I will never forget their faces when we were distributing the mosquito nets to each of these families.
They have so much generosity and love even though they do not possess many things. Some of them live in very poor conditions yet they show much gratitude for everything they own.
That is something you can hardly find in the city, including the place I grew up in, Kuala Lumpur.” – June Moh
(Part 02/02) “They merely think of working odd job overseas to make ends meet.
I am working with a project partner in Nepal to come up with an avenue for them to market their products.
I want to help the local women to learn and expand the local businesses so that they can have a sustainable income source.
Nepal’s economy is mainly supported by women because men have moved to work in other countries including ours (Malaysia). Most women are involved in the agriculture sector but due to the lack of access to quality education, they don’t have the skills to increase their income.
My project partner teaches them how to make handcraft products while I work on developing a business plan to market their end-products to other countries, thanks to the wonders of the Internet. At the same time, I help them raise funds for any special projects or requests which can boost their income.
I believe this is the right way to help them instead of feeding them with funds or resources. It is to educate them about the importance of entrepreneurship and development. I hope they will understand that this is one of the ways to lead better lives.” – June Moh
