girl_gungho

BANNED substance in apricot kernels could kill cancer cells?

2011-12-04T21:08:00.001+08:00

It's not conventional? It's not mainstream? It's rocking the boat? Ban it! That seems like the order of the world lately. Personally, I find it abusive, a form of exercising power to control humanity and its community. A ban put onto a society not only cripples it. It forces people to rethink the powers bequeathed onto lawmakers. The very people voted in by a society. The very same ones who owe a duty of care to its community. It's time for us to think, and rethink the powers we offer others. Sometimes, we fail to think. We're worried about mortgages, car loans and the day to day affairs. And it is those times when we are most vulnerable.

I spent the afternoon with a friend who shared that the past 6 months had been most harrowing. It started when she decided on her birthday, she would go for a full medic check. Stunned she was, that afternoon when the clinic told her point blank that she had stage 3 breast cancer and it was best for her to return in two days and she was lucky because there was an available slot for immediate surgery. Now, I'm not a medical expert, nor am I a skeptic. I am, however, a believer of healing through eating the right foods and feeling the right energies.

And today, I learn about the wonders of a simple simple thing - B-17. I'm writing this today to share what I know on this apparent cancer cure. However, some reports are showing that it leads to cyanide poisoning. I realise that a lot of research needs to be done on this, so this does not serve as an advice. It's ONLY information for sharing and learning.

Please share what you know about this so we can all unravel the mysteries of B17.

Seks Merdeka? Seks almari!

2011-11-04T12:05:00.001+08:00

Hard hats, helmets, put it all on your head and stride forth with pride this November 2011 as we celebrate Seksualiti Merdeka - the now banned human rights festival http://www.seksualitimerdeka.org/. During my university days in Sydney, I volunteered as a safe sex advocate, manning booths, handing out safe sex kits to the public. My personal emancipation seemed so long ago and this week's events has jolted me to a abrupt halt. Freedom to be oneself is so very important.

Last night, I was at a Burmese Refugee fundraiser and film screening. That same night, it poured and rained, leaving KL musty, dank with an occasional cool breeze sweeping in from the riverside. At around 7.30pm, my friend Pang runs down and asks for a hug. I randomly introduce him to Jan Drew and Asha Gill - both preparing for the kick start of the fundraiser. Pang tells me the festival he co-founded has been banned, and that they have to disrupt their workshop upstairs. I gave him a tight hug. Minutes later, dozens of policemen in their navy blue uniforms suddenly flooded CM Annexe unbeknownst to many of our guests at the cafe who were absorbed watching the screening of documentary - HOME by Desiree Lim. HOME is about a Burmese refugee's search for a little piece of freedom while in Malaysia. How ironic!

Freedom. Let's hear it from George Michael.

Freedom '90
George Michael

I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up
Because I would really, really love to stick around

Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn't know what I wanted to be
I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me
To win the race? A prettier face!
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll TV
But today the way I play the game is not the same
No way
Think I'm gonna get me some happy

I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Heaven knows we sure had some fun boy
What a kick just a buddy and me
We had every big shot good-time band on the run boy
We were living in a fantasy
We won the race
Got out of the place
I went back home got a brand new face
For the boys on MTV
But today the way I play the game has got to change
Oh yeah
Now I'm gonna get myself happy

I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I stopped the show
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don't think that I'll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

Well it looks like the road to heaven
But it feels like the road to hell
When I knew which side my bread was buttered
I took the knife as well
Posing for another picture
Everybody's got to sell
But when you shake your ass
They notice fast
And some mistakes were built to last

That's what you get

I say that's what you get

That's what you get for changing your mind

And after all this time
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes
Do not make the man

I'll hold on to my freedom
May not be what you want from me
Just the way it's got to be
Lose the face now
I've got to live

Intention does NOT equate Execution - whomever said 'It's the thought that counts', you're wrong...

2011-06-07T02:31:00.002+08:00

Last night, it hit me. I'm so full of intention. So much desire. So many ideas. All of that outweigh the amount of things I'm able to execute in one day. So I need some trimming here... please help! I need to trim my thoughts, my waist line, my hair! Trim trim trim!

"Dream"

This is Chinese for 'DREAM'. It's good to dream. For when we dream, we free our thoughts from shackles of reality. But at the same time, when we're too full of intention without action, the thought alone cannot free us. I drew a little diagram today and shared it with two persons. They agreed with me. Each day these days, we prepare proposals (intention) and send it via email to prospects. That alone, is insufficient action to warrant positive feedback. So what do we do? We follow up with some phone calls, meetings, research, discussions (action).

I've been thinking and wanting to run a cafe since I graduated from Uni. I can't explain why I have this desire. But for the longest time, I've thought about it. Yet, I haven't done anything towards this dream except dream. I'm the type of person who would ponder on something for a long long time before taking action. And I will take action once I'm certain that it is what I want.

Persistence of Time - Salvador Dali

It's the thought that counts.
Is that thought so wrong?

Last week when I visited my business coach, he ticked me off (finally!!) for being late. I was 10 minutes late! Last month, I would show up 30 minutes late, month before 45 minutes late. He had every right. And I hated the feeling of being late. I vowed never to be late again for him. Or for anyone else. It's hard though, to keep that commitment. The intention was there. I even woke up an hour earlier to ensure I'd get there on time. How come then, was I late? I'm baffled too.

I will not be late. I will see through my intentions.

If I think of someone I care for, and think of buying them a gift. Is that sufficient? I love gifts. Thinking about buying someone a gift and actually doing it, are two different things. Once the thought is acted on, the intention becomes real. And the receiving party is aware of the initial thought.

So give a gift. Call that person you thought of in the morning. Say sorry for being late. Go for that sabbatical you so need. Do things but weigh it out first. Trim your life. Focus. Let's live the best we can!

Visualising data

2011-05-25T10:51:00.000+08:00

Picture this. #66000 or #131313. I learnt about these colour codes for html programming in 2000. We live within so MUCH data... Gigas, Terras and now sometimes i wonder how many packets of data lie between me and the front door. Did you know... 1 terabyte (TB) equals 1000,000,000,000bytes. Here's a video to share on how one man has visualised data. Too cool for school!

Sanctum: a holy place within

2011-03-05T14:14:00.001+08:00

I watched Sanctum last night, a James Cameron and Andrew Wight collaboration and absolutely loved it. It was a very painful movie to watch. Dramatic. Heroic. Values. That was what came out for me. Values.

Just like Titanic or any other disaster movie, it's when the human being is desperate and has nothing left but just life before him that his values take centrestage. It's the fight or flight theory. When in times of trouble, do you take flight or do you fight for your life? In Titanic, do you remember the scene where women and children were given first priority aboard the life rafts? Then there were a few men who had crept on board, fearful for their lives. Fear cripples us. It turns us into monsters.

Learnings from Sanctum the movie? Never let fear take over. Never give up. Be level headed in whatever situation and know that you'll get through it. Once we fear doom, we ARE doomed. And I'm able to share this because I've gone through it and still climbing out of that doom hole. It's easier to just let go and let that black hole suck you in. It's harder to fight. But when you fight and WIN, every single moment becomes real and that, if LIVING. So this post is dedicated to those of you fighting yourselves. We're our own worst enemies. Get over that moment and fight. And that's when you start living life. Hugs!

Here are some of my favourite and most inspirational movies about living LIFE. Enjoy...

LE GRAND BLEU 1988 by Luc Besson: A movie about a free diver who followed his instincts and his heart. Inspired by true life stories of free divers in the world - French Jacques Mayol and Italian Enzo.

SANCTUM 2011: To me, this movie is about being true to yourself. And nothing's more beautiful than father son communication and love. View Trailer:

Reading words as opposed to reading from the heart

2011-02-10T01:14:00.000+08:00

I write. And sometimes I read. Some call it poetry. I call it fact laced with fiction, delivered with emotion... from the heart. Mine. Today, I'd like to share with you something, which touched me deeply.

Shanghai, underground

2010-09-10T20:51:00.000+08:00

Here's the UK Pavillion at the World Expo 2010, Shanghai. I entered without queuing hours as I was a participant at the Malaysia Pavillion. Just one simple idea, to carry through the entire country and their representation to the Chinese.

These seedlings were encased in acrylic rods that jutted out of the square central room. From the outset, it looked so phenomenal. Inside, you could then see how simple the idea was. Kudos to the curator. We get your message, Britain.

So it was 29 August when we arrived at the hotel. Me and an entourage of about 15 others indie singer songwriters and band members. The tour would bring us to music livehouses in Shanghai, as well as the main stage at the Malaysia Pavillion. How exciting!

More...

Living in a gated & guarded community

2010-07-15T00:22:00.000+08:00

http://www.elvispresleymusic.com.au/pictures/1957_april_22.html

I guess it depends which side of the gate you're at. Are you on the IN- or OUT side the gate? And if it were Elvis guarding it, would we all be a whole lot happier? I wrote a piece of advert copy for a housing developer recently, and offered it swash-buckling words to bring together hope for a safe and loving environment. The truth is, WHAT are we guarding ourselves from besides other fellow humans.

Each day, I hear stories of friends with handbags on their passenger seat, only to be surprised and shocked out of their guts when a snatch thief smashes through the car window to steal the handbag. And we feel fear. And we lock our doors when we enter our metal commodes.

And we consider living and raising our children in gated communities because you NEVER KNOW what's out there. The horrors. The people who are so desperate. The snatch thieves.

I always thought I was invincible. Until I fell flat on my face, lost my own handbag and belongings to a snatch thief on a motorbike. The nerve of him! I would have run after him. I would have slapped him across his face. I would! Because he stole my belongings. Because he stole things from ME. Because he dared! The nerve of him! He dared to break my stance!

And that's what it's about. A perpetrator. A bully. A stronger human being. A more desperate individual with less value for his life. A poor sod. A psychopath. A crazy man. A hungry man. A greedy woman. A stealer. Stealer! You thief! You stealer! You copycat! You took the words right out of my mouth. You copied my copywriting! I wrote it last week! And it's appeared on your advert in this weekend's newspaper spread! You thief!

Freedom Girl Sculpture by Kirk Hogben

Aren't we all?

Thieves of time.
Thieves of days.
Thieves of youth.
Thieves of silence.
Thieves, we are.
Take.
Here, take it.

I give to you.
My gates are open to you.
I let my guard down.
I let you in.
Unguarded.
Uncompromised.
It's called love.
It's called love.

Written Thursday, 14 July 2010 (C) Jasmine Low.

Goodbye Life, Hello Social Marketing Disorder

2009-12-22T00:38:00.005+08:00

Cliche but true. This year is the prelude to an amazing decade and we prepare to start a brand new one in another 13 months. The next decade begins in 2011. As I stare at my toes and post another picture up onto facebook, I wonder what my life would have been like without facebook, twitter and myspace. And I think, honestly, it would have had more time to do the things i like.

The peer pressure mounts online these days. Are you fb? You're NOT on twitter? Have you flickr'd our photo yet? Nuke 'em all! That's the plan anyway when I put to practise my 4-hour week (snigger). For now, every single brand is looking into it. And if they haven't, they had better, so say the experts. My prediction is that it already is a part of marketing practices worldwide. Humans flock to whichever communication tool that works best for them. Remember a time when SMS was new? How many people embraced that? Some countries are still aversed to it. How about when the CD Rom was first introduced? I still remember setting appointments for my boss to introduce the concept of CD Rom in 1993/4. Boy were they dubious!

So now social marketing... for those who use it as a marketing tool, they're the most effective thinkers. For those who are immersed in it, beware... how much time are YOU really spending on it. Yes, we hear the excuses everyday. That you need to go on fb to chat with others. But how about just going lo-tech and just picking up the phone? Seriously... just do it. It's nice to sometimes just hear the voice on the other side. It's personal. Life's personal.

Happy 2010!

YOUR DEEPEST FEAR by Nelson Mandela

2009-11-11T13:34:00.002+08:00

Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate, our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that
most frightens us. We ask ourselves,

“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?” Actually, who
are you NOT to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing
small does NOT serve the world. There
is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure
around you.

We were born to manifest the glory
that is within us. And as we let our
light shine we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own
fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.

Spoken by Nelson Mandela
1994 Inaugural Speech
Written by Marianne Williamson

Stand up for the sounds of the djembe...

2009-11-02T12:36:00.012+08:00

Cast of Stand Up! where I co-emceed with Jojo

I first heard Jojo Struys recite her poetry by accident. She did it with flair! And so I asked her a few times if she would consider performing at one of our events. After many years of inviting Jojo, I finally receive a call from her to ask if I'd be interested to help out in a charity fundraiser. And here we are. Last night, we raised RM40,000!!!! Here is the team, cast and crew of Stand Up! a charity fundraiser for Creative Mentoring programme called Shambala for Kids. Once a week, the kids from Chow Kit are invited to Bandar Utama for sessions which inspired their 'right brain'. The good people behind this independently run non-profit is led by founder, Lina Sutton - email her if you'd like to volunteer - shambalaforkids@gmail.com and an impressive line-up of VERY CAPABLE WOMEN - Jojo Struys, Hannah Lo, Linda Aljoffrey, Virginia Kennedy, Muna the Princess, Angeline and the many others behind the scenes including Michael Lim. And thanks to the performers: The Ramanados, Andrew Netto, Papi Zak, Ash Nair, Yuri Wong, Dennis Lau, Harith Iskandar. And to the good people who attended the show and put their bids in for the auction items. We rawked NBT!

It felt good. And it was an affirmation of what I do. And I do things well when I FEEL IT. Here's another amazing magical thing that happened at the end of the night... just when all the waiters had gone home, and in No Black Tie were just a smattering of souls...

DJEMBE JAM

I spent last night watching, appreciating, listening to two very fine gentlemen 'jam' on the sacred 'Djembe'. At first, I didn't even know the name of one of the gentlemen. Sometimes, you don't need to know names or to know what a person does for a living. Sometimes it's just magic to realise that some people you will only have the privilege to meet for one time only. To not expect more. To just enjoy their company even if it was just for one night.

Valtinho Anastacio & Jothi with Evelyn Hii of No Black Tie watching

Valtinho Anastacio - a Brazilian Djembe Master who happened to be in KL, taught us to have 'conversations'... to listen, challenge and just open up our minds and not be restricted to notes we're familiar to. To not just answer a question, but to question the question. To listen, challenge, and answer the call in your OWN way. Next time I need answers in life, I think I'll just reminisc on the deep bass vocas of the Brazilian Djembe man... just let the resonance talk to your heart.

hini pini mini mino mo

2009-09-05T02:36:00.002+08:00

Do i look sick? Do i look sick? After receiving a call from a business counterpart informing me that he had got it, i quickly dashed to the nearest hospital. private. And got turned away. I walked in and before I could get no further than the car porch, they screened me. I owned up. Yes, I'm a suspected case of hini. Yes, H1N1. Leetspeak is in. Immediately I was whisked away to the back end of the hospital. A nurse and a tourist cooped inside a 20' x 20' aircon tent looked up and out towards me and both shook their heads. "No, we can't treat you here. Go to HKL. Go to HKL". And I did.

I arrived at HKL queued up and man.... was I nervous. Everyone was coughing. It felt quite unnerving actually. But the efficiency of our Malaysian public hospital still leaves a positive impression in my mind. Within 2 hours, I had already seen the doctor, gotten a blood test and had the results! I was cleared. Back to work :)

Lips curl down, panic

2009-08-03T23:24:00.002+08:00

Have you ever faced a camera or been interviewed and thought that you were speaking normal only to find out that your mouth curls a certain way... uncontrollably? Well, this happened to me years ago when Ady Suwardy and I headed for a casting for news anchors... hehehe. To think that after all these years, the lips still curl... it's called panic in control.

Fate of river veins

2009-06-23T23:33:00.009+08:00

Is it really possible
to twist fate
when it's clear
that rivers only flow
in one direction?

Far above the ground
at approximately 15,000 ft above
you look down from
Seat 22C and notice
the brown river veins flow

High from a spate of anger
emancipated a woman she is
she chooses to be right
and makes the stride towards the door
and doesn't look back

Yet she knows she will regret
when she sits alone
in the dining room gloom
Staring at pots potted last Deepavali
Dead.

Keeping up the pretense

2009-06-16T01:52:00.003+08:00

Do you sometimes feel that this online life is taking over your offline persona? What will happen when you become so well known online but it's totally restricted to the www / web2.0 and doesn't exist beyond those borders? Is someone else watching us and gaining the big picture view like Truman show? How many tweets did you log today?

MILK MAID

2009-05-23T12:53:00.025+08:00

I watched MILK. And cried. And thought how I, at the age of 39 have yet to fulfill what I'm here to do. But I know I will. Soon...

We're all here to do something great - passively or actively. And I believe that wholeheartedly. That brings a question to mind. I returned from a decade in Australia an emancipated sexual being, and naturally brought home with me freedom of expression, sexuality and speech (some).

Btw, it sickens me sometimes when I break into the, "When I was in Sydney...". Almost puke-able. Pretentious. But truth of the matter is, I did 'grow' up there, formed most of my beliefs there. But I chose to return home to KL when the haze formed, when the market crashed, when the city was buzzing with the sounds of closets being opened back in 1998. And I returned 'home' thinking I was still enveloped by anti-vilification laws. But there are none. None to protect me nor my sisters and brothers who live in the pink triangle, from the name calling, verbal bashing or even in some cases, physical violence. So how do we live?

Ironically, beneath the blanket of confirmity lies a thin thread. This is called the thread of hope and faith. The thread is pulled ever so lightly once in awhile and we watch the blanket gather, bunch up, only to be pulled and straigtened in no time. We, are the people who live beneath the blanket. And it's rather snug. I pull here. And there. And sometimes poke my head up and yell for attention. But most times, I can be silenced by the comfort of living under the blanket. It's comfortable. They are tolerant until they're not. And when they're not, I have a plan. And we'll have the largest party of our lives!

Twit her

2009-05-21T18:59:00.002+08:00

So you may now follow me on TWITTER @ gojasminelow...
if you like :)

For your entertainment. Here's something from PINK.FM hahahaha! Way to go Air New Zealand!

Enviro rock chick

2009-04-23T16:45:00.003+08:00

Rockin' for the Environment was a pretty cool event. I offered to help out by raising my hands and getting it dirty with the guys from Benchmarx. Even Rina Omar, previous host of 8TV Quickie got her hands dirty and came to the party! Good one guys! What the band set out to do has caught on... can't wait til next year!

Greenwashing. Like grey water, it's a little murky when companies start to use those catch words like 'green collar jobs' or when CNN changes the colour of its logo to green. Jumping on the band wagon? Well, your new enviro rock chick will tell you, at the end of the day, if it's an indie run project, it'll always come from the heart. Hard for corporates, which ARE ABOUT MAKING MONEY and at the same time, paying its dues from its CSR coffers to not appear to be greenwashing. Then again... think about it. If a cigarette giant is suddenly pumping millions to fund an environmental project, how much of a greenwash is that?

So there's even the Carbon Emissions Index. http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ Gosh! More to come.... i need to go away as am turning green

2009 - The Year for Friends

2009-03-21T22:01:00.003+08:00

This year
I dedicate to my friends
The people who offer reflections of myself
My mirrors

Without friends
I would fail to evolve
fail to resolve
The best there is in me

Greets from Sydney - the city where I spent my formative 20s

2009-03-17T08:32:00.002+08:00

Can a person live in two cities? Can a lover have enough for two? Are there two soul mates for every person? Or does it exist our Doppelgangers? Life in duality exist in mirrors. Reflections of us as individuals and us as a part of a couple can sometimes show stark differences. Some live it well. Some hide it well.

I? I just want it all. Maintaining my individuality. And I usually do this. 1 part Jaz + 3 parts Jasmine Low = A Balanced Girl.

But I'm re-adjusting my recipe for life this year. It'll have to be 2 parts of Jaz + 2 parts of JLow.

Twilight light

2009-03-13T17:25:00.004+08:00

It's nearing twilight and i look above to see the white moonlight...

Simple Love

2009-02-17T14:32:00.003+08:00

Written for my friends, Nadia & Marleene on their wedding ;P
- 14 Feb 2009 -
Read at Carcosa Sri Negara on Valentine's Day, Kuala Lumpur

(adapted from a song I originally wrote in 2004)

As I look above and watch the raindrops fall
I can only think of things that make me smile
Simple simple things like the happy creases on your face
Simple simple things like the sound of thunder and lazy days

I never feel fear when I hear the deep oceans rumble
I can only wonder what lies beneath the surface
Simple simple things which appear too large to handle
Simple simple things are truly worth the struggle

Simplicity is so strange
It's only us that make things seem big
It's simple to be loved
It's only us that make it difficult

As we watch those who make one of two
Doesn't it make you wonder
If you could do it too?

For you, my family, friends and lovers
Let the simplicity of love cuddle us into the night
And let us embrace these two gorgeous souls
As they make their lives one of two.

I'm not lightning

2009-01-18T16:09:00.002+08:00

Unpublished / unperformed
Written 12 Jan 2009
Copyright Jasmine Low

Some nights, I wish I was lightning
A startling flash of light, unnerving and unafraid of consequences as I strike

But I'm not so bright

Or, thunder, that offers no compromise in its loud and crashing sounds
as they hit the surface of the black tar road along Jalan Raja Chulan

But I'm not loud by nature

I could dance up the beautiful steel structures of the KLCC
like the sensual winds of the South China Sea

But I’m not so graceful

I think of the Monsoon rain, fierce and unrelenting,
bravely descending upon the city lights at Teluk Chempedak
like how I wish I could stealthily approach you

But I haven't

I could display these attributes the way Mother Nature intended
If I was born during December, the last month of the year
A time of reckoning, madness and forgiveness

But I wasn’t

So I bask in the consistency of the constant rays from the full moon
And instruct it to shine down upon you when you’re asleep

And I call upon dawn to come just as you’re about ready to rouse
And invite the caustic sunrays to seep moisture from your skin
Leaving you thirsty

For me

I am as vast as the ocean
And as faithful as the perpetual rise and fall of the waves beating across the shores,
I place my wishes in a bottle, hoping it’d reach you in the next continent of your mind

But this constant chase between the tides tire you
And we find ourselves inside a chamber that is as dark as the darkest night
To find only each other and nothing else but a faint flicker of our shadows

A glimmer of light from a tiny red light bulb 20 kilometres away
Gather glimpes of my hungry weekends
I sleep a deep slumber
And awake midnight
And chase your light

At the end of your lifetime,
You will realize that there may be a thousand lightning bolts,
A million decibels of thunder
Endless windstorms
would have picked you up in their passionate haste

But there’s only one of me,
And it is my consistency
That earths you
And it is this resonance
That lasts forever

For you.

free flowin'

2008-10-10T04:54:00.003+08:00

She's rollin' in it
She's rollin' in it
She's rollin' it in
She's rollin' it in.

And she knows
She's rollin' in it
No worries at all
She's rollin' iti n.

She's rollin in it
Rolls of it
She's rollin' IT IN
As much as she can.

Oh hello again, world.....

2008-09-16T03:19:00.005+08:00

What have I been up to? Been travelling a bit more this year from the truly indie heart of Prague to ride-a-bicycle-save-the-environment Paris, exhibition-hall Hanover to Original-Joe's-serves-up-the-best-spaghetti=meat-balls San Jose and scenic-tourist-town-with-best-tourist-attraction-at-DSWshoes San Francisco! Not to forget that 1-hour transit in what I'd call the worst airport. Taipei, I'm sorry. You ain't got me. So on the rest of the travels, woohootz! More material to write about and a happier me.

A city built by immigrants. Larger than Sydney but oh so similar. Above is a picture of our Californian Japanese cabbie speeding us across town to the next hotel. I had stayed at a total of one 3-star hotel, Taylor's Hostel run by Pakisani immigrants in the heart of Union Square and finally, the resting paradise at the newly renovated 4-star Kabuki Hotel - thanks to a last minute internet booking! Check out onlyinsanfrancisco.org if need assistance. Taylor's was about USD100 and was close to Chinatown, the MUNI and BART. Gosh I walked everywhere though. That's a must when I'm travelling. Only way to 'smell' culture. Castro and Mission Street scents permeated the streets most ;P. Whilst prissy Sausalito sported a surprise - an all American bar with a drunk man who plays good chess, two sleepy black cats and a group of French tourists.That, felt almost like the real thing. Everything else was rather geared for the 'usual suspects'. Tourists.

Ah... Delta Air, codeshared with China. Saddest bit was that the seats didn't have entertainment screens. Only a mass public screen reminiscent of my travels from the early 90s. In fact the plane kinda looked like the MAS planes which I used to fly on during my student days.

For those of you whose interest piqued after our last S.O.F.A. party in July 2008 at Marketplace, do come join our Facebook group. Just search for SOFA and join! It is a hidden group for obvious reasons. Otherwise, surf on to www.webprojx.com/girl_gungho.html for more updates on our events.

She'll be coming around soon.

Welcome 2008, Welcome The Women's Room

2008-01-06T16:49:00.000+08:00

Hello and welcome to my vision for 2008. This is the year. I have waited 15 months. I have wasted 15 months. I have 5 voice recordings of Malaysian women, and one video captured from my phone. And with that, I have signed up with You Tube to kick start The Women's Room - a project which aims to get the voices of Malaysian women heard across the nation's capital, across states and countries. Here we come! Ladies, if you're interested to participate, send in your recording (short stories, prose, poetry, songs) of no more than 3 minutes in digital format to jasminelow@gmail.com. We'll inform you if you've been shortlisted.

Warmest wishes for a sticky and happening new year!
Jasmine Low
www.youtube.com/gojasminelow

Ramadhan is a boy

2007-08-06T15:38:00.000+08:00

My brother tells me he's a Muslim.
I hear the Azan prayers in the background of his Chatswood home.
He tells mum that the heavens are under the soles of her feet.
She is accepting of him, his wife and of course of Ramadhan.
Their son of two and mum's pride and joy
This boy of such rich heritage
And I, am in awe.
How once an annoying teenager
Is now a married man, a father, a Muslim.
My brother.

Sputnit Sweetheart

2007-07-20T13:45:00.000+08:00

I'm still working on my short story - The Closet.

It never occurred to me my fascination with altered egos until I flipped over the last page of Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart. A long time coming this book was. And now it suddenly made sense.

1. I organise a monthly gig called 'Doppelganger' (duh)
2. I keep 8 email addresses
3. My alter ego resides as Girl Gungho at post restante - the web.
4. My other 'half' lives in Sydney while she is consciously happy in KL.
5. I'm a Piscean with a rising Gemini. That's two fishes swimming in opposite directions accompanied by a set of twins. Hence the four characters in 'The Closet'.

Beam me up, Sputnika baby! One thing though which Murakami deferred on on the topic of Doppelgangers. {{{{{{don't read this if you've read the book and intend to}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}She didn't die after seeing herself. Her hair just turned white. Can't wait to re-write and re-write til I get it right. 'The Closet' is posted here.

Clara

2007-06-20T01:49:00.000+08:00

her eyelashes unfurl
strands of her black oiled hair
coil and uncoil as if in utter unrest
then she boldly bares her life in public
speaking truths from her expanded chest
like cats we curl around the room purring for more

Text by Jasmine Low

Rooms - the audio project

2007-06-20T01:12:00.000+08:00

It all began last year soon after we were approached by the British Council folk to co-organise Wayang Kata - a series of Spoken Word events. I must bring credit to Beth Yahp in fact, for being the catalyst. It was after attending one of Beth's creative writing workshops that I had suggested that she brought all her students (me included) to come 'read' at one of our monthly gigs. It was phenomenal. And I miss it. I miss La Bodega KL too. Am I blogging? Hmmmph. Must stop!

Ok, back to ROOMS - the audio book project. It began prior to the second coming. Of Francesca Beard. Thanks to the funky people at British Council, poetry is no longer Keats only or about 'where squirrels hide their nuts in grass'. As with most things in Malaysia (and the rest of the World) it usually begins one small seed and soon you'll have an entire paddy field. It was sort of like that in the spoken word scene. Once British Council's commitment kicked in, in flew Francesca Beard, followed by Malika Booker (pictured) and then Jacob Sam-la-Rose (read the promos here www.webprojx.com/troubaganger). After three installations of Wayang Kata, I'm pleased to say that Evelyn Hii of No Black Tie has encouraged us to bring more spoken word events to her acoustically sound venue. And so, Bernice Chauly, Sharanya Manivannan and Jerome Kugan kickstarted the series with readings. Then Sharanya Manivannan held her first spoken word Solo 'Ochre as the Earth' in June 2007. And Doppelganger Open Mic Open Stage came forth with two readings & gigs - 'Unity:Red' on 13 May and again on 6 June.

Spearheaded by Jasmine Low, ROOMS is a collection of spoken word (poetry, short stories etc) by Malaysian female writers where each person is given between 3-6 minutes to capture a moment within their own safe environment. Any room of their choice. So far, there have been 18 verbal commitments. However, only two recordings have been received.

A simple digital recording is all that's required. Unsolicited recordings will only be accepted upon prior correspondence so if you're interested to participate, please send us a short summary about yourself (no more than 100-words) and what you intend to record, then email it to Jasmine at jasminelow@gmail.com.

The organisers are planning a live performance where each woman will perform and be recorded LIVE. Details to follow soon.

Never too late

2007-06-13T14:01:00.000+08:00

2 4 6 8
Who do you appreciate?

When you had the chance to love me
You took the chance to change me
Now you ask if it's too late
To try to love you and not hate

Hate is a four-letter I don't do
But how can I convince you
When all you care for is your pride
I have nothing now nowhere to hide

2 4 6 8
Who do you appreciate?

Running away this bride from forever
Can you blame her for ditching her lover
When even in bed cannot satisfy her
Coax her, friends, she deserves another

But before you spread the word
And tell your friends what you've just heard
Remember your lover and how you treat her
And remember, great moments can last forever

2 4 6 8
Who do you appreciate?

Start with yourself, your mother and your lover
Take all 3 on a dinner date
And don't you dare ever be late!

Copyright (C) Jasmine Low 2007
Originally performed at Doppelganger Open Mic
@ La Bodega Tengkat Tong Shin
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Updates

2007-04-02T10:43:00.000+08:00

Check out my more active blog and writings here: http://www.webprojx.com/girl_gungho/story.html

geocities stole my girl!!!

2006-10-17T03:57:00.000+08:00

heya, for those of you who know of my previous website. website, not blog. let me tell you HOWAH! they dang made me pay for hosting then keep on tellin me i'm still on the free package. wat crap! so that's why girl has been out of the webscene. man! how are you peeps gonna get to know about me parties then eh? and my readings. oh gawd! i'll try keep myself busy. and get this blog populated. then again. i'm sooooo not into blogs.

one thing to share.

...

those three dots, a friend tells me, is called an 'ellipsis'. hmmm...

wonder what a 'syphillis' looks like...

greetings womenfolk!

2006-07-01T17:25:00.000+08:00

Welcome to girl_gungho's blogsite. She's not a regular blogger as she's often out on the streets networking and organising gigs, parties, writing short stories, pitching ideas. When girl thinks that it's time to share, she'll post.

Today, she buys herself a COOL RHINO - who'd eveer think that it contains gypsum fibrosum - a plaster type herb that cures overheated lungs and stomach? Those of u with bad breath, consider drinking this, man! When the stomach is heaty, expect foul smells emanating upwards - hot air rises, remember. Eeeeyur!

Enough said, welcome to the girl_gungho blog!