Going home...

i'm going home soon. terribly excited.
can't help it huh... she's just so beautiful...

memories of home, breakfast at my favourite coffee shop, the scent of my grandmother's embrace, conversations with my mother, next to her on her bed, my best friend, tea and scones at the verandah of the boh plantation in camerons, being mummy's girl, bangsar in the afternoon, swimming with turtles in sipadan, pasar malam, the serene beaches, the gentle sway of coconut palms, freshly baked egg tarts, my beloved uncle, seafood on the beach, the smell of earth and the sound of crickets in our lush wet forests...

what's your favourite memory of home? tell me ;)

xoxo

There's something about Datuk Tony Fernandes that ispires past the usual malaysian mentality.

Great interview - strange interviewer!

Fornightly Doodles: Zee Avi

My best friend sent me Zee Avi's cd as my birthday present. She has such a beautiful voice and is completely lovely to listen to...
I am so proud of her, our Malaysian star :)

embedded from YouTube! - enjoy!

Changing The World

"Remember when you were a kid, and you thought you could do anything?"

Michelin stars for our Malaysian stars

source: www.kaimayfair.co.uk

my dream for Malaysia is for our local restaurants to one day earn the coveted Michelin Star.

i believe the cultural development of a local community is very much influenced by media and trends. i've recently become obsessed with cooking after becoming a fan of Masterchef in the UK. ever since then, it has been an exciting journey of practice practice practice and i have learnt plenty. i am likely to be one in thousands who have been inspired.

The UK has a total of 154 michelin stars, out of which one restaurant is owned by a Malaysian! Kai, Mayfair. This is believed to be the 1st ever for Malaysia :)

similarly, in Malaysia i think there is so much room for our communities to cultivate the same level of passion & excellence in everything we do. Let's encourage each other to dream good dreams and let our media & community plant these dreams of excellence in our young ones!

someone said recently - the way to save the world is to save the people. i cannot agree more. the way to save Malaysia, is to inspire the people.

if we all get excited to be the best in everything we do - i believe we will achieve alot more than the current focus on our differences, on politics and on everything else that hasn't worked in the country.

anyone here with similar dreams? afterall, good food is central to being Malaysian isn't it?

Fornightly doodles: Thoughts that have been bothering me

"If you can dream it, you can do it"
Walt Disney

How are dreams achieved? Six Steps? Four Factors?

Why aren’t more people achieving their dreams everyday? Why are people not even dreaming?

Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

Here In My Home...

Hello everyone...

It's been a while, but the heart for home never changes. I hope we will be updating this blog more frequently now.

Thank you to those who patiently followed despite the silence here.

Merdeka has just passed us by and Raya is approaching in a few weeks.

It is hard not to miss home and the roadside 'lemangs' and 'rendang' that i love so much!

Do you have any Merdeka dreams to share with us? How about Raya thoughts.

Please write to us. We love hearing from you.

I hope you enjoy the video. I love it, even for the 1000th time...

The WAM team

"massively losing talent to the rest of the world...."

"because there is alot of potential in the country, and it is a bright future...."

"i wish to go back to the times when we were kids... when race didn't matter..."

fortnightly doodles: KOMAS Freedom Film Festival

Hello everyone!! How's it going?

It has been a really exciting two weeks for the dream team!

We attended the KOMAS film festival in London and hosted the London working group in the recent 2009 Northeast Malaysia Forum! Not only we had plenty of fun, we met some really inspiring individuals at both events and recorded malaysian dreams on video for the very 1st time!

The KOMAS freedom film festival 2009 presented a series of thought provoking documentaries with focus on social justice and human rights in Malaysia. For those who missed the event, not worry, the documentaries are now available for streaming on their website!

Do check them out and share them around :)

One of the documentaries featured a letter written by Darrell, a 10 year old boy from the UK, to Dr. Mahathir, calling the logging practices in Malaysia 'disgraceful'. True to his form, our dear Tun writes back with the full might of his scorn (and hilarious sarcasm). A copy of this letter and Tun's reply (page 1, page 2 & page 3!) are also available on this website.

What do you think? Can you see Darrell's point? Can you see Tun's? How would you go about producing change?

Till the next fortnight,

Watch this space for our dream videos! (we're posting them up soon!)

The Dream Team

I have a dream to see Malaysians who love their country to be the VOICE. Stand up and voice out, representing the silent majority. Speak up against injustice, whisper unity to the hearts of everyone. No singing to the tune or corruption and lies and things which makes our country dies.

I have a dream. That WE be the voice.

Jason Lee CJ, 20, Law student, UTasmania

My dream for Malaysia is that they would be more open to foreigners like me and grant me a PR here.

fornightly doodles: about the dream team...!

We are four Malaysians with different stories and reasons of what brought us to London. What we do share in common is that we all decided to turn up for a barbeque on a hot summers day in August 2008. We noticed that everytime a group of Malaysians would meet up, the conversation would invariably turn to Malaysia.

Complaining lah, missing lah, hoping lah

We had left Malaysia but somehow Malaysia never really left us.

We started meeting up to share what dreams we had for Malaysia and to see what we could do to be part of the solution. The Malaysian Dream website is one initiative that has come out of our group. The idea is for people to send in a picture that represents their dream for malaysia. I believe within all of us there is a hope for our country, a hope for good. Sometimes it comes out when we watch a moving Petronas ad, a flicker of hope that resonates with us. This 'Malaysia' can seem so distant at times. So why bother dreaming? Why don't we just except what we have?

We believe that a collection of dreams, each unique and individual, will inspire others to start dreaming for Malaysia again and that a generation that dreams for good will be one that goes on to build a great Malaysia.

Too help you get to know us better, we have asked all 4 members of our group 3 simple questions.

Hsern-Wei

What is your strangest dream?
I dont remember my dreams in detail but my favourite sort of dream is falling backwards into an empty space. Yes, I have been told this is strange!

What is your dream for Malaysia?
My dream for malaysia is to be involved and to see a change in the work culture of Malaysia, firstly by changing the mindsets of employees towards their work and secondly working to change the work environment so it brings out the best in people

What do you miss most about Malaysia?
Hanging out with my friends. The moments I miss the most are when we would hang out at a padang near my house late into the night (the poor neighbours). We would lie back on the tables and look up at the stars and have the craziest and most open conversations.

Joey

What is your strangest dream?
That dogs were chasing me!

What is your dream for Malaysia?
That people in Malaysia would treat everyone fairly, when applying for university (there won't be a quota system), queing up in the hospital . That everyone would have a fair chance…..

What do you miss most about Malaysia?
Nasi lemak for breakfast that my mom has bought for me.

Peggy

What is your strangest dream?
I once dreamt that I was working on my laptop and somehow in my dream I was conscious that it was only a dream but I couldn’t snap out of it or stop working. I remember being very annoyed with myself because I knew all my hardwork would go to waste because I couldn’t press save in a dream.

What is your dream for Malaysia?
My dream for Malaysia is for all Malaysians to believe in all things better and good. That we will not just accept injustice and anything substandard that we will be a nation of people who will always care and strive for all that is better fair and good.

What do you miss most about Malaysia?
The one thing that I miss most about Malaysia is my family, I miss the warmth, familiarity and unconditional love my family freely showers on me. I miss the moments we share as a family.

Edmund

What is your strangest dream?
I can't remember my weirdest dream ... Which in iteself is quite weird

What is your dream for Malaysia?
My dream for malaysia is for malaysians to call themselves malaysiansand shout and proclaim and let the world know that yes We Are Malaysians.
We may not make the best cars or the best clothing but together as one we will get there.

My dream is for every malaysian to believe in their heart and say that'we are not chinese - malaysians, and we are not indian - malaysians andwe are not malay - malaysians - Gosh darnit hear us world WE AREMALAYSIANS!

That's my dream - for malaysians to be united and treated as malaysians.

What do you miss most about Malaysia?
I miss being able to get a hot meal almost anytime almost anywhere!

I wish Malaysia would be more well-known globally, as since I am a Malaysian studying overseas, a common question sparked amongst foreigners is, "Sorry, but where exactly is Malaysia again?"

I hope that one day Malaysia will become an MEDC, rather than just an NIC or an LEDC, and hopefully children all around the world will be educated in their geography lessons about Malaysia in the future.

I do believe we will all be able to help Malaysia do this one day, especially after the recession is over. Whether this will take years, decades, etc, I know that our country will grow stronger and stronger in time. After all, "Malaysia Boleh!", right?

By: Jessica Chan, aged 14, UK student.

1. My dream for Malaysia goes something like this :-

I like to see the next generation of young Malaysian rising up to be a glorious and shining generation who will be godly entrepreneurs that make a difference for the country.

2. This picture is captures in the logo attached "Generasi Gemilang" - a Glorious Generation

For this dream to be realized, like minded friends are coming together to play our part to be catalyst to give the next generation a good start to fulfill their God-given destiny for the nation.

ok....well...

a lot of ppl might b dream abt MALAYSIA's Government can b better or MALAYSIA can b more open or something else....

or mayb some of them would like dream abt all MALAYSIA LADIES would b prettier or sexier~~~(OPPSSS!!...did i say anything XD)

initially....i dun think i would dream abt that is hard to ARCHIEVE in malaysia like CHANGING GOVERNMENT?? ok....fine...is impossible....

ok...my dream is very SIMPLE, pic shown:



IPHONE!!! YES!! i wish there have OFFICIAL IPHONE 3G TO SELL IN MALAYSIA!!



ISN'T IT so ADoRable??? wahahahaha...
there's my wish...hehehe...and i think a lot of MALAYSIAN wish this 2!! :)

EMMADAM: PAPA..i wan it as my bday present!!!

ME:er....mayb next year gua...hahahah XD

well...do u guys hav dreams towards MALAYSIA??

http://adamtui88.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-i-dream-abt-malaysia.html

I wish for us to have better upkeep of personal hygiene in public places.
We ignore and over-relied upon cleaners to do our jobs.

Many of us assumed this is possibly a trivial matter, considering the political and economical instability we are facing.But, I believe it is a reflection of the larger context. It is our mentality that steers this nation, to the right/wrong path. In fact, our ignorance and over-reliance extends beyond the issue of cleanliness. Being aware is not enough.

Hence, let's start making positive differences in our home/school/workplace. Changes on a small scale will certainly see an eruption of transformations in the bigger picture.

Student, 19+, NY

I hope that one day ALL Malaysians will be proud of our own country instead of migrating away from Malaysia or hating this country and talking bad about it.

I wish Malaysian wouldn't shy away from telling others where we belong or where we come from no matter where we go in the future.It is just a simple dream but I guess it's not as simple it seems when it comes to making everyone loving where they belong and be proud of being a Malaysian.But I dream it will happen one day.

PROUD TO BE A MALAYSIAN!

*C*, 23 years old, Puchong, Malaysia

This was a scouting pioneering gadget that me and my friends built 4 years ago in school. I remember standing at the top with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

But more importantly, I remember standing way up there with a stronger sense of freedom and liberation.

This sense has further expanded ever since I went abroad, and I now understand the power of liberation and the effects it can have on a society and its country.

My dream is for Malaysia to consist of liberal thinking citizens, who truly embody Emily Dickinson's quote: "The brain is wider than the sky."

Jump and reach up high. The sky is the limit.

a bunch of wild 17 years old SMDU students enjoying their last year in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Damansara Utama

I guess my dream is simple: It is that there will be more Markus Ng-s in the world - Malaysians who genuinely love Malaysia, speaks up for the marginalised in her society, and who will work on their dreams so that Malaysia would be a better place. Attached is the Anak Bangsa Malaysia namecard designed by Markus prior to his death. It's in remembrance of him that I send this to ya.

25+, Pharmacist, Petaling Jaya

I wish that we would not miss the glass half full in our attempt to point out the glass half empty

26, London

i wish our upbringings did not create such a huge silent gap between us, i wish our country is less defined by race & religion, i wish what we were nurtured to be didn't tear us apart, i wish not another malaysian heart to break because of this silent wall....

This place used to be a courtyard where I spent afternoon playing 'masak', 'hide-and-seek' with my neighbours or the place where we had ghost month praying event. A place that full of my childhood memories. As time passes, we moved to a better place, we visited this courtyard less and lesser, and now it became a 'small forest'.

The same happens after moving to London - hardly visit home, hardly following news back home, hardly get in touch with friends in Malaysia...
sooner or later, i can easily forget Malaysia - where i was born and grown.

Until you keep yourself with a dream for Malaysia, tie yourself with people sharing similar dreams for Malaysia - Wherever you are, Wherever you go - We are Malaysian.



A shot on a world map, seeing how small malaysia is. Yet there'll be one day everyone could just point out Malaysia because the nations had done something 'Fantastic', FAB, Memorable, Rich, Cool, Fair, Harmony..... that the world could really have 'MALAYSIA' in their mind just as how they could point out the State from the world map and say 'that's the place where Obama lives, Bill Clinton embarass himself, where MIT is, where New York is.....

I believe the day will come... share you dream, MALAYSIAN!

Malaysian, 25 years old, London

this is my dog, Rocky. Isn't he adorable?
I wish Malaysians will give more care to the welfare of dogs

The younger generation of Malaysia these days, some at the tender ages of 7 and 8, have been exposed to violence - both domestic violence as well as violence in the outside world. A handful of children in Malaysia have been robbed of their innocence, being raped, some even murdered, by family members, the very people whom they trust the most. Hence, I wish for the innocence of children to be maintained...and not be taken advantage of



Nowadays, in a world where the wonders of technology takes over, it's hard to find situations where people consider just reading a book, or staying home with family, or having a simple game of Scrabble , or (in the picture) playing bottlecaps, fun. Fun has been re-defined to include all things technology - where people get caught up in a world where "if technology it's not included, it's no longer fun". Where have all those days gone? Those days of just sitting out in the porch, chit chatting with family members. Taking a walk with family members after dinner. They have all been replaced by the computer screens, the tv screens, the mobile phones etc. Hence, I wish to go back to the times when having fun was simple, and being/playing simple was fun

25 years old, investment banker, kuala lumpur

If I'm given a wish, that I must dedicate it to my country.....I'll wish for my country to have great leaders that'll lead the nation to wealth, socio-economy growth, and most importantly repair any racial gaps and improved the unity among races.

Because I remember, back in primary school, I learn and lived amongst Indians, Chinese, and Malays...there's ever a Kadazan kid in school. And we are friends...and I liked that. We never minded that I've yellow skin, that Mohd Arif and Nazreen has a soft brown skin while Yasothini and Surenan Raj are dark as ever...........I never felt that it matters. And that is where I learned the true meaning of the idea of one race ==> MALAYSIAN.

A typical thing that you'll see if you study in a public school. The above picture is taken from Exif's Photostream (Flickr).

peppertongue.blogspot.com, 26, Adelaide

i wish malaysians would tell me their dreams...
so that i can help malaysians see, beyond all our differences,
political, religious, racial, cultural and all,
we all have a dream and a hope for our country

These are two tealight candles I have. I had left one outside a few months ago.
When I tried lighting the candles, only one would light. The other one would flicker and then go out.

Some of my friends remind me of that candle, all the fuel it needs to light has been placed inside but because of the environment it's in, things have become attached to it that prevents it from lighting properly and the light goes out.

My dream for malaysia is that my friends would shine like they were meant to, that they wouldn't let the environment tell them that they can't do it, that they would go for what they have in their heart, that they would live for something bigger than themselves.

My dream for malaysia is also my dream for myself.

26years old, London

i am a young Malaysian working in London. i left my job in Malaysia because i could not endure the long hours we work in Malaysia and the Malaysian work culture. in London, i found a sustainable career but a lonely city.

this chinese new year's eve. i spent my day in my room alone, wishing i could teleport myself home to be with my family. i have a very close knit loving family. grandparents who love me to death, wonderful cousins, supportive aunts and uncles, a very forgiving mum, an amazing sister and two brothers whom i love very much.

i could not even call my family even though i missed them, because i know hearing their voices would make me cry more and i didn't want my tears to spoil the joyful new year mood at home...

i dream of a Malaysia, where i can build a career and a future.
so that i can have a job, earning power and still stay close to my family.
that one day, reunion dinner with my family, my family's love and laughter and a happy chinese new year every year is just a short drive away....

homesick, 26 years old, London

Sunday, 25 January 2009

the scene at the sect 17 market reminded me of the diversity we have in Malaysia. A myriad of spices and condiments, each distinct in flavour and colour...

I dream of a Malaysia where diversity works hand in hand to create a masterpiece and not against one another...




this picture was taken in Semporna, Sabah. It was heartwarming to see the smiles of the Sempornian family despite the poverty of Semporna.

i dream of a Malaysia where every child will laugh at the future because opportunity is each and every's birthright