“In those really bad day when you put in the hours without accomplishing nothing…”

“If you want to beat yourself up, just remember…you have done your best and you can try harder the next day. Be kind to yourself. “

“As Churchill says, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

– Humans of Kuala Lumpur — with Nurul Li.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

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(This post was first published on April 25th 2015)

“Normally, ladies would be surprised to see a Malaysian coming out of the plane

“They would go ‘wow, it’s a Malaysian, I thought it was a Mat Salleh (white man) who flew and did the (aerobatic) stunts on it!

“That’s the kind of reaction that I would normally get from the ladies. But I must say, the ladies do love the planes! And if I have time I would bring them up.

“It surprises me because they don’t mind the age, but they do like anything that is fast, be it airplanes, bikes, or cars. They like it when we do stunts and lands.

“But my wife doesn’t like flying, though.” 

– Humans of Kuala Lumpur — with Halim Othman – Red Bull Air Race Challenger Cup Pilot.

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

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(This post was first published on April 24th 2015)

“I found out I was HIV positive when I started to feel like something was not going well.”

“I started coughing first, my body started getting weaker and thinner, and I had used up all my medical leaves already. Finally I had to quit my job and the same day I visited the Hospital Selayang, was also the same day I was put into the ward.”

They then referred me to Hospital Sungai Buluh (HSB) Infectious Disease Unit where I got my counseling about HIV from the staff nurse counselor there and also about my HIV medication (HAART). 

“The thing about us is that, we are afraid. Whenever it comes to testing us for HIV – we freak out. And there is the fear of being stigmatized. Because eventually, we will have to admit that we might have had sexual relations with other men”.

“A (gay) friend of mine contracted HIV from another partner without knowing it. He thought of doing a police report, but the police informed him that they cannot arrest the HIV positive partner if they didn’t arrest him as well, because being a homosexual in Malaysia is a crime too. 

“The police asked: “Are you sure you want to reveal your sexuality to us police, because we think you’re gay. 

“In the end, they just told me to not do anything, as there was nothing I could do.”

– Humans of Kuala Lumpur

*The story has been corrected for some minor chronological details.

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(This post was first published on April 20th 2015)

“Society don’t have issues of me being a transwoman, unless I dress sexily, or flirt outrageously, then I am creating problems in society but if most of us blend in and mingle freely with everyone, then it shouldn’t really be an issue.”

“I have to take female hormones because I want to be a woman. I already am mentally – and that is where gender is located. Gender is not located in-between your legs…Even transmale, those who are female and become male have to take testosterone. They have beards and the butt will shrink – some do a mastectomy and remove their breasts too. 

“When I produce my IC my name will be Ali Bin Abu (not real name), yet I am like this (female looking). When they call me Encik Ali, I present myself and they ask me “Is this you? Because the name here says Ali Bin Abu, and male.”

“Gender is a concept that is fluid and cannot be dictated by what is between ‘your legs’.

“I am proudly a woman and I believe that people should call you as you wish to be called, even if your identification card says otherwise.”

– Humans of Kuala Lumpur

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(This post was first published on April 18th 2015)

“I’ve been a boat driver all my life, even as young as 7 my dad already taught me about the boat and how to drive the engine…”

This is his boat and now that I’m the one driving it, he’s the one who’s on land and getting more people to ride the boat – that guy just now with the tickets. I guess it just happens, you know? From father to son.”

(Kota Kinabalu, Sabah)

Photostory by Mushamir Mustafa

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(This post was first published on April 17th 2015)