Here’s what you get wearing a black Nike Dunk into the moshpit during Baybeats 2009 at Singapore. No, it is not mud, just some dust and sand from the gravel mosh pit.

15Malaysia is a short film project. It consists of 15 short films made by 15 Malaysian filmmakers. These films not only deal with socio-political issues in Malaysia, they also feature some of the best-known faces in the country, including actors, musicians and top political leaders. You may think of them as funky little films made by 15 Malaysian voices for the people of Malaysia.

15Malaysia homepage: http://15malaysia.com/

Check out the Facebook group here http://www.facebook.com/15malaysia

Brought to you by : the research unit : WL FINE ARTS

What determines the value of a painting?
There are several factors that influence the value of a painting. The primary factor is the value individuals or entities are willing to pay to acquire the painting. In other words the value is determined by what the market is willing to bear for the painting. This, of course, is directly correlated with the acclaim of the artist and the availability of the artist’s paintings. Through the years, several artists have been masters of the craft during their time; of these some have pioneered new styles, schools and directions in the art of painting. This achievement creates high benchmarks for the artists of that time, and in turn puts a high value to the artist’s work that pioneered the new direction. The spirit of pioneering and leadership are not the only criterion for valuing an artwork. The technique, composition and integrity of the painting are essential. This aspect, however, is taken for granted if the artist is a master in the field, but does play a part in differentiating paintings by the same artist.

With contemporary artists, it is often their ingenious interpretation of the world around them and their style and technique of portraying that world that excites art buyers and in turn raises the value. Quite often the period, subject and circumstances under which the artist painted the work plays a role in determining value. Every artist has a “golden period” in his or her career, and paintings from this time are quite often valued higher. Also, the emotional attachment and the relevance of the painting to the artist itself plays a role in value.

I came across this while browsing through the zubedy website (http://www.zubedy.com/) and I thought, heck, this is what we all Malaysian citizens really want.

We don’t really care whether it’s BN or PR ruling Perak, who the speaker is or what car they are driving. We just want to lead our normal daily lives, earn some cash, and read some more interesting articles in the newspapers instead of rubbish like someone being dragged out of a chair. At the end of the day, we need to to eat and feed our family.

Right click here and select ‘Open in new window’ for a larger view.
(The full image is white, I don’t know why the thumbnail is black)

Thanks to Anas Zubedy, for this simple, yet true-to-heart letter. The original post can be found at http://www.zubedy.com/appeal.htm

On a sidenote, do checkout zubedy’s new book, titled ‘Have a meaningful Malaysia‘. It is a collection of past zubedy advertisements which contain really interesting yet simple messages/lessons for us to lead a better and more harmonious life. It is priced at RM46.00 and can be found at all major bookstores (I got mine from KLCC Kinokuniya). If you can’t afford it, feel free to photocopy it from someone (or me, in that case) because zubedy won’t mind.

Excerpt from the blog:

If you really cannot afford RM46.00 for the book (one ringgit for each year since 1963 – the year Malaysia was born), go ahead and borrow one from a friend and photocopy it. I do not want you to feel guilty doing it. Only one for your own use, okay.

For more information on the book, check out http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com/2009/05/may-13th-official-launch-of-have.html

Well, it is exactly 1 week since I have done my tattoo (well, to be exact, 7 days and 1 hour) and it is healing nicely partly thanks to the Rosken Dry Skin Cream which the tattoo studio recommended (and which I immediately bought at the nearby pharmacy for about RM12). The dry skin on the cactus and the upper roots area it has totally dropped off, and there you can see it in all it’s glory!

As Forest Gump so wisely said “Shit happens”, and last month it did. The Government decided to increase petrol prices to RM2.70 a litre. Except that unlike the other times they raised petrol prices, this time it’s different. This time prices went from high to extraordinarily high. And boy does it hurt.

Let’s assume the pay for a fresh grad in KL is about RM2500. And because this graduate comes from Sarawak, he has to rent a room for about RM300 a month. He also buys himself a car, because face it, everyone drives in KL. Public transportation sucks big time. His monthly installments are about RM500. And he has to pump a full tank of petrol once a week (RM100 each time) so this leaves him with RM2500-500-300-400 = RM 1300. Minus off EPF and you’re left with RM 1100. This is just his salary minus the cost of the necessary things to get to work! Then assuming he spends RM20 a day on food (including the weekends when he brings his gf to nicer restaurants), he’ll need another 20×30 = RM600 for food. That leaves RM500. Sure that may sound like a lot, but in reality, you can’t even get 5 decent t-shirts for that kind of money (and this assumes he doesn’t pay income tax).

So things have to change. But there’s not really much flexibility, since our fresh grad’s expenses are pretty basic. But there’s wiggle room, at least.

I managed to get my 3rd tattoo done yesterday at Black Cat Tattoo studio. The studio is located at the Asian Avenue (top floor) at Sunway Pyramid.

The design of the tattoo was inspired by the lightning bolt tattoo on Mike Vallely’s arm. Ah_mei helped out on the inner tattoo design in which she added a lightning striking towards the ground, shattering it. She then ran it through an image editing program where a gradient was added and after I saw the gradient and color tones, the decision to make the tattoo was sealed.

I then changed the lightning strike design into a lone cactus standing in the desert and the cracks in the ground was changed into the roots of the cactus. This turned the picture into a cross section of a desert

So I opened my freezer, looking for some frozen grapes and OH NOOOO~~ I’m out!! I desperately needed to stock up, so you know what that means.. A trip to the Pasar Malam!

The Pasar Malam or Night Market in English is absolutely one of my favorite Malaysian experiences. Where else can you find an amazing variety of food (from putu piring to nasi dagang to kebabs), groceries (fresh fruits, vegetables and fish/meat), clothing and accessories, and even political activists (esp just before elections) in one place? It’s the ultimate assault on the senses: The very visible hustle and bustle, the noise of sellers shouting out their promotions (Mari mari mari, durian murah murah!!), the smell of different foods wafting around, the taste of all the snacks and tidbits and as for touch… don’t you always give fruits a good squeeze before you buy em? In addition to that, what’s cool is that Malaysians from all walks of life – rich, poor, young, old – can be seen at the pasar malam (I even saw some white people too!!) Psst.. in fact back in uni guys used to go to the pasar malam to meet girls….

Anyway, the pasar malam I went to was the one in Taman Tun. It operates every Sunday. Some of the stalls start opening at about 3pm, but the place only gets really busy around 6-8pm.

What you need
A solid comb (a thin plastic comb will break)
A crochet hook (more explanation below)
At least 5 hours
Music, television or some friends

First, a more detailed explanation on the required items before we delve right in on how to actually make a dreadlock. Or you can just watch the video.

Every big city in the world has been through it. The fitness fad that is. When people start earning more and start buying more expensive clothes, they tend to go “Hey, what’s the point of buying expensive clothes without having the sexy body to pull it off?”, and then we go on a fitness craze. New York, Chicago, London, even Singapore is full of people who have become more and more concerned and particular about their looks. And takkan lah KL is gonna miss this one out!

Since about 3 years ago, gyms, which were once a rarity, have been mushrooming all over the city. Names like Fitness First, Celebrity Fitness and California Fitness are mentioned with the same casualness as 7-11. So are KL-ites becoming more health conscious or are we just in the midst of a fitness fad fueled by vanity?