Spring planting

The weather last Sunday was perfect for gardening - sunny but cool and breezy - so after a lot of raking and digging up we planted flowers (annuals) to add to the existing perennials in our little flower garden.  We bought marigolds (yellow and orange), petunias (red and purple) and lantana (the tiny red and yellow flowers towards the back of the photo below).  It's going to take a few weeks for them to fill in so that we see more plants and less soil, but the colour and sheer prettiness of the flowers have already made such a difference to the front yard.  The bright green leaves in the middle (left) of the photo belong to a hydrangea bush that Bruce and I were given as a gift for our 10th anniversary last year.  It has flower buds sprouting, as do the three hydrangeas Bruce planted in the side yard a couple of years ago.  However, there is a lot of work to do in the side yard before it looks as good as it did last year - a bunch of weeds and ivy have sprung up there, so I need to start digging.  Unfortunately, we haven't had many April showers so I've had to do a lot of watering to ensure we have May flowers.  We also bought a couple of bags of potting soil that I'll be adding to the existing soil in the garden in the hopes that will keep the flowers blooming for several months.

Moonlight Sonanade

That would be an odd title/subject line for anyone who was not at the American Classics concert Bruce and I went to last night, but I chose it because that was the highlight for me.

We had a lovely but busy day yesterday.  A few days ago, Bruce read about an upcoming performance by a Chamber Music group in a town called Calhoun, which is about 1 hour and 40 minutes north of where we live.  Since that seemed to be a little far to drive just for a concert, we decided to add a hike to the day's program and take the dogs with us.  Bruce found information online for a hike to a waterfall that was about a half-hour drive from Calhoun, so we drove there after first going to Calhoun to find the Gem Theatre, where the performance would be that night.

Leaving Atlanta was a bit of an adventure in itself because of bad traffic conditions caused by roadwork and road closures, but we finally made it out of the city and were soon in the mountains and then at the park where the waterfall hike would take place.  I was rather ill a couple of weeks ago (I think it was the 'flu) and am only just beginning to feel a little more energetic and less lifeless, and am finally having less difficulty breathing, so that hike was far more challenging for me than it would have normally been (a couple of steep sections and uphill all the way), but it was so nice to be outdoors in cool air again (we have had a very mild winter with far too many warm days for this time of year).  There were thunderstorms and tornado warnings here on Friday night, so seeing the sun and feeling the cool air was refreshing.  This was quite a deserted spot (we only saw four other people), so the dogs got to run off-leash, which they love.  There was a stream running alongside the trail for much of the hike, which delighted Beau, so all in all it was a good hike.  And the fact that it was downhill all the way back to the car made the second half of the hike much easier on my lungs.  It was a good day to see the waterfall, because all the rain from the night before made it more powerful than it might have otherwise been.  Apparently it can sometimes completely dry up in the summer if there is no rain, so our timing was good.

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant (the food was really good) and then found a place to park a couple of blocks from the theatre.  The dogs were fed and tired out from their run, so they settled down to sleep while we walked to the theatre.  It's a small theatre (not surprising, since Calhoun isn't a very big town), and there weren't very many people there for the concert, which was a shame because the music was so good.  The conductor, Dr. Sam Baltzer, who is also a composer and arranger, chose music by Aaron Copland and George Gershwin because he says they best embody American music.  The first piece was Hoedown from 'Rodeo' by Copland, and then the musicians performed Appalachian Spring Suit, also by Copland, which is one of Bruce's favourite pieces of music.  We learnt a couple of interesting facts - that the music was commissioned by Martha Graham for a ballet, and that she chose the name Appalachian Spring (except that she meant the source of water rather than the season).

Before intermission, the musicians played my favourite piece from that night - Moonlight Sonanade, which was an amazing, brilliant blending of two pieces of music - Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade.  Dr. Baltzer did an excellent arrangement of the two pieces and I now want to find out if there is a recording of it available.  I love it when people do unexpected things like that with music.  As much as I enjoy listening to performances of well-known, well-loved music, a concert becomes far more interesting when something unexpected, like Moonlight Sonanade, takes place.

After the intermission, they performed Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (which the pianist jazzed up a little too much) and then performed the second surprising piece of the evening for their encore - a delightful blending of parts of Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Irving Berlin's Putting on the Ritz.  It was so good and a wonderful way to end the performance and what had been a fun day.

A couple of weeks ago, Ranee and Roshan came to visit us.  Unfortunately, it was when I was feeling very ill so I wasn't a very good host and didn't feel up to doing very much, but at least we were able to entertain Roshan a little.  Bruce took Roshan for a ride around the neighbourhood on his motorcycle, and Roshan enjoyed it a great deal (after a little trepidation at the beginning).  On Saturday night (they got here on Friday evening), we went to the circus and I think Roshan enjoyed that as well.  It certainly made it more fun for us to see it with him - children make a lot of things more exciting and interesting.  The circus was in Atlanta and traffic as well as parking would have been chaotic, so we took the train and I think that ride added to the overall fun of the evening for Roshan.

Those are the highlights of the year so far.  Bruce's younger son, Jonathan, is getting married to Claire in June, so there is that to look forward to, among other things. My company finally gave us the go-ahead to hire Allyson, my department's intern for the last two-and-a-half-years, as a full-time employee, which will hopefully make it easier for me to take time off from work in the future.  I would say I hope that will lighten my workload a little, but that's doubtful - our department seems to be taking on more projects (to justify hiring a second person, which is rather ironic because there used to be three people in the department doing the same amount of work we currently do, but that seems to be the way things are in this economy).  One very nice thing that happened recently was a complete surprise to me - the president of my company writes what he calls the President's Post every once in a while, and in his most recent edition, there was an entry about me.  It was a little embarrasing but also very nice to read, especially because work has been so crazy recently.

This is what he wrote:

Prema Jesuthasan, Kellen’s Unsung Hero

Everyone knows that we live in a 24-hour news cycle. From broadcast television to newspapers to millions of websites, blogs and social media outlets, there can be a hurricane of news and information activity around any topic. But, when a topic reaches crisis level the outpouring of news coverage and analysis can be nothing short of monumental.

Kellen’s IRC Department, led by Prema Jesuthasan, tackles that every day. Specifically, Prema has developed expert skills in combing through incredible amounts of information to keep Kellen’s clients informed, often times in real time as news is breaking. For those who may not work with Prema, her efforts seem to occur at all times of the day, often long before the sun comes up, as she anticipates coverage from around the world. Given the technical and scientific specifics of many Kellen clients, her breadth of keyword understanding and identifying truly relevant information benefits the staff teams, client leadership and the entire industries they represent. It is a truly remarkable effort.

From food safety to building and construction, there is a lot written, broadcast and posted on the Internet. We appreciate all the efforts of Prema and the IRC Department to keep us informed and up to speed in these times of intense activity and throughout the year.


I liked it mostly because it explains a lot of what I do and reminds me that there are people who know how hard I work.

Alamak, Malaysia

Why is it that Malaysia is only able to make the front page or main pages of top newspapers like the The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and be featured on NPR (National Public Radio) in the US for negative, shameful reasons?  Both newspapers as well as the Associated Press and Reuters have run reports about the rally for election reform and the arrest of over a thousand people on Saturday. NPR interviewed a Malaysian cartoonist who is being harrassed by the government because of his critical cartoons.

I don't see how we can be anything except a third world nation when our leaders are so thin-skinned that they cannot alow freedom of speech and rallies or protests without sending the police and federal reservists in full force, armed with water cannons and tear gas, to scare protestors away.  If, as the prime minister claims, the majority of Malaysians support him, then where is the harm in letting what he describes as a minority say what they think?  Why say you can gather and then change your mind?  If you are secure in your power, you shouldn't be afraid.  If you are not corrupt, you have nothing to hide. And if elections are corrupt, as is claimed, then you have nothing to worry about because the corruption is still yours to use as you please.  Why do you need to use the Sedition Act to arrest and control people?

Bruce was listening to an interview on NPR just now and told me to tune in.  A Malaysian cartoonist, Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque (Zunar), was being interviewed about an award he was given last week - the “2011 Award in Editorial Cartooning”.  All I can say, after reading his acceptance speech, is that I am more grateful every day for the Internet and all the modern technology we have, because this allows people have their say despite the best attempts of draconian governments and power-hungry politicians to silence them.

I've pasted his acceptance speech below, and am also including the link to the web page it is on.  The site is http://www.theworld.org/:

http://www.theworld.org/2011/07/malaysian-cartoonist-planning-to-sue-government-for-banning-his-books/

WHY PINCH WHEN YOU CAN PUNCH
In Malaysia, all newspapers, TV stations and radios are controlled by the government using a law - ThePrinting and Presses Act. This law requires every media owner to apply for annual license. The govern-ment has absolute power to grant or deny the application without any grounds. And the decision of the government cannot be challenged in a court of law.

This shuts the door for any alternative or dissident view including editorial cartoons. Independent editorialcartoonists have to find alternative medias such as the internet.

I contribute for a website called Malaysiakini.com. I also produce my own books. So far I have producedCartoons on Tun, 1 Funny Malaysia, Cartoon-O-Phobia, Even My Pen Has a Stand, Gedung Kartun, PerakDarul Kartun and three volumes of Isu Dalam Kartun.

My aim is to use cartoons as a weapon to fight corruption and abuse of power by the Malaysian government. Through my cartoons, I highlight very important issues, which have not been reported in the government-controlled medias.They include the corrupt practice by the Prime Minister and his cabinet members, the murder of the Mongolian model by the name of Altantuya, the conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim, the domination Prime Minister’s wife, the Scorpene submarine scandal, waste of public funds, among others.

My philosophy is clear: in order to make an impact, we must do it to the fullest. My method is to criticize themost powerful leaders in the hardest ways. Why pinch when you can punch!

In my career, I constantly face harassment, intimidation and oppression from the government. Thegovernment bans all my cartoon books. My office is constantly raided. Several factories that printed mybooks were also raided, and they were warned not to print my books in the future or their license will berevoked.
 
Through-out the country, vendors are often warned not to sell my books or face court charges.On September 2010, ten police officers raided my office four hours before the launching of my cartooncollection, Cartoon-O-Phobia. They confiscated 66 copies of the books as well as one original cartoon.
 
I was arrested, brought to seven police stations around the city. And then they detained and jailed meunder the draconian Sedition Act, which carries the maximum jail of three years. I was handcuffed for eight continuous hours.
 
I was put in the same cell with other criminals like robbers and drug addicts. The government wanted toremand me longer and interrogate me, but I was released the next day under the court's instruction.
 
This is a very difficult period for me. The banning costs me a financial loss at about RM80,000.00 (aboutUSD35,000.00). The Sedition Act, which carries the maximum jail of three years, is still hanging like a sword of Damocles on my head. The government would charge me anytime.That's how hard it is. My movement is being monitored, my phone is being tapped.
 
Drawing political cartoons in Malaysia is a crime. Fighting corruption in Malaysia is a crime. This is totally contradicting with Islamic principles. One of the greatest Islamic leaders, Caliph Ali had said: "The highest level of patriotism is to tell the truth in front of unjust rulers."
 
As an editorial cartoonist, it is our duty to fight injustice. In Malaysia as well as in the third world coun-tries and the Middle East, cartoonists face bigger challenge. It is a thin line between the comic strips and the prison strips.
 
But we must be ready to face the consequences. We have to keep fighting. We have to continue drawing until the last drop of our ink! If we back down, it means that we compromise our principles to fight tyrannies.
 
I filed a suit against the government to challenge the banning of my books. For this case, the court will deliver its judgment on the 14th of July 2011. On June 2011, I filed another suit to challenge the Malaysian government for the "unlawful detention" against me on September 2010. This court has yet to set a trial date.
 
The tough challenges are not only faced by cartoonists in Asia and the Middle East, but also in other parts of the world. Mr. Clay Bennet told me that many American cartoonists are in the risk of losing their jobs because of the economic downturn and the emergence of internet. My sympathy is with them.
 
I think it is the right time for us the cartoonists around the world to unite, closing the rank by having more dialogues to foster better understanding.
 
Once again, thank you CRNI for this award. "Courage in Editorial Cartooning" award gives me a new strength, "like giving spinach to Popeye."
 
Thank you.
 
 
 
This is a video of him working on a cartoon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ev1fKHGdrZ8
 

Pisang goreng and other bits

A couple of Tuesdays ago, we had a couple of almost over-ripe bananas sitting on the dining table (we had meant to make banana pancakes over the weekend but got too busy).  As I looked at the bananas and wondered what to do with them (I don't like eating them when they are too ripe), I had a sudden craving for pisang goreng.  This could have had something to do with the fact that Bruce and I had lunch at Penang, my favourite (Malaysian) restaurant in Atlanta on Saturday to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and food from home was still on my mind.  Therefore, after work, I looked online for recipes for pisang goreng.  I have Amy Beh's cookbook, but the Chinese version of pisang goreng is a little too crunchy for my liking, so I looked for something without rice flour amongst the ingredients.  I found a recipe for the batter that sounded good and tried it that afternoon - it was scrumptious!  Very easy to make, as well, so I will probably be making that again in the future.  Not too often, because it's so greasy, but it is a nice treat to have every once in a while.  The recipe is at the end of this post, in case anyone gets a craving ...

Now that we're finally ready to sell this house and look for a bigger one so that we have room for guests (and Bruce's father, if he decides to live with us), I've started working more enthusiastically on the outside of the house.  About a month ago, we bought a bunch of stone blocks to build a short wall around the little island of plants and flowers in our front yard.  This replaced the plastic border Bruce had put up years ago that was falling apart.  There is now a two-layer wall around the island and it looks so much better.  The weeds and I are in constant battle to see who will give up control of the island first.  They (and the wild grass) won last year but this year I'm showing them who's boss.  They are sprouting back almost as fast as I can pull them out, and the heat makes it difficult for me to stay outside for too long, but I'm trying to weed at least a small section each day.  At least now we have what is termed "curb appeal", i.e. the house looks nice when you look at it from the curb/road.

However, the other day I realized that the vinyl siding, which was replaced less than two years ago, is beginning to look dirty and even had mould growing on it in the back, where the sun doesn't hit the house. Therefore, I am now having to literally wash the house.  We found a mould & mildew remover at the store that works really well with just a few sprays and some scrubbing with a brush, so I did one section of the house a couple of hours ago.  It is amazing what a difference the cleaning makes!  That one wall now looks new again.  I'm going to do a section at a time so that I don't tire myself out, but once the entire outside has been scrubbed, any new dirt should be easy to rinse off with the hose.  (Which is apparently what I should have been doing all along, but since our house in Bangsar doesn't have to be washed on the outside, it didn't occur to me to do that here.  I thought the rain would take care of the rinsing/cleaning, but all it does is splash on the ground and send dirt/mud up to the walls.)

We had a couple of short trips recently - one in April and the other in May.  I'll write about that next.


http://www.kimbaskitchen.com/2010/05/banana-fritters-recipe-pisang-goreng.html

Ingredients:

1/2 cup self raising flour

1/4 cup corn flour

1 tsp baking powder

A pinch of salt

1 tsp sugar

180ml (cold) water (or until the batter reaches the right consistency)

1 tbsp oil for the batter mix

4 ripe / browning bananas

Enough oil for deep frying (I used peanut oil because that's all I had in the house at the time)

Method:

In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add water slowly and mix to form a batter. Add the tablespoon of oil for smoothness.
Slice the bananas diagonally so it forms longish approx. 1.5cm thick strips.
Heat oil until it gets very hot. Dip and coat each banana strip with the batter. Deep fry until it turns brown.

Photographs versus mirrors

I'm going to have to write another long "catch-up" post, because I have been absent from this blog for far too long.  In the meantime, here's a much shorter post.  I've been thinking a lot lately about the different "pictures" of myself that I look at.  What I see reflected in a mirror is often very different from what I see in a photograph.  And even with mirrors, the me I see in one bathroom mirror looks different from the me in another bathroom mirror.

Then I began thinking about the comments people post in response to articles online, and the way they conduct themselves in public - in cars on highways, in any kind of stressful situation.  Some are angry, some are rude, while others are polite and even-tempered.  Do these people see themselves reflected in their words and actions?  If so, do they see themselves as they would in a photograph or in a mirror?  Do they know how hurtful or pleasurable their words are, and do they care?

I prefer photographs.  If I had been looking in myself regularly in photos, and letting Bruce photograph me more often, I don't think I'd have let myself put on quite so much weight.  The me I see in photos is far more overweight than the me I see in mirrors, and because of that, it's  horrifying to see how slim I was ten and even five years ago compared to my weight now.  I understand now why people stick photos of themselves on mirrors and the 'fridge when they want to lose weight, and that's why I'm going to be staring hard at photos of myself from now on, while I work on losing weight and getting my muscles back in shape.  The mirror doesn't provide an honest reflection.

I think people are both photographs and mirrors.  Those who tell us, directly or otherwise, what they really think about us (both the good and the bad) are photographs that show us as we are, not as we may think we are.  But in turn, they are mirrors when it comes to seeing their own characters.  That's why some people are arrogant, thinking they are much better than they actually are, while others are much harder on themselves than they need to be.  Neither is looking at an accurate portrayal.