Nostalgia Mania Part 8: Welcome Community Home [18-7-2009]

I am on the verge of starting Dominique Kee Photography's social outreach arm very soon. I've just been so very busy, it's ridiculous.

This is another interesting set from some time ago. It actually started because I wanted to join a photo competition. The theme (if I remember correctly) was something to do with social causes. One of the ideas I got was to shoot the Welcome Community Home in Batu Arang. This Home is a drug rehab centre, but it's not like a prison or anything like that. In fact, all patients in the Home are there on their own free will. I learned about it when years ago, our legendary carolling group sang for the patients as well as to donated some money. I thought the Home would give me powerful pictures since it was formerly a colonial house which the locals aptly named - "The White House."

When I arrived, I was in for a surprise. I expected a derelict building, but instead I found that the Home has since undergone a facelift. With new paint, new surroundings, and even (horrors!) a new plaster ceiling! That last bit kinda killed me since I was big fan of the colonial high ceiling it used to have. Anyways, I still wandered around, trying to make the best of my photos. Eventually, I came up with these photos.

Oh, and I'm actually due to to return to the Welcome Community Home as the first stop of my social outreach project. Stay tuned for any updates.

For those of you who are interested in viewing the other photos of the Nostalgia Mania Series, please click on the links below!

Part 1: Starting Out In Photography

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2010/09/nostalgia-mania-part-1-starting-out-in.html

Part 2: Moving On To Better Things

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2010/10/nostalgia-mania-part-2-moving-on-to.html

Part 3: Introducing the Lovely Azzura

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2010/11/nostalgia-mania-part-3-introducing.html

Part 4: The Birds of Kuala Lumpur

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2010/12/nostalgia-mania-part-4-birds-of-kuala.html

Part 5: Chinese New Year February 2010

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2011/02/nostalgia-mania-part-5-chinese-new-year.html

Part 6: Aquaria

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/nostalgia-mania-part-6-aquaria-28-11.html

Part 7: Krabi

http://dominiquekeephotography.blogspot.com/2011/06/nostalgia-mania-part-7-krabi-trip-2009.html

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for July: 9 post 350 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 94 posts 3,701 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the photos and the article itself. This article may be reproduced with permission of the author for private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images or articles contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

The Malaysian AEON Foundation: Charity Gala Dinner 2011

On the night of 15th July 2011, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre shall be hosting a charity gala dinner for the AEON Foundation, themed as "A Night of Heritage, the Malaysian Batik". Among celebrities present there, besides the hoi poloi of high society present, we have Her Royal Majesty the Queen (Ampun Tuanku) present, as well as Datuk Sheila Majid!

The evening was an example of high society. Pretty socialites, rich people, and powerful political personalities. I as totally out of my league. I was there as a guest actually. Long story short, I had to put on a batik shirt and sit down with a bunch of colleagues and eat dinner. Dinner was not bad, but nothing special either considering the seats costs RM 1,000.00 each. There was a freeflow of water, orange cordial and wine, also nothing special considering the tables went for RM 10,000 a pop. One thing of note, the individual gift for all the guests were exquisite - a bona fide silk scarf for each and every guest. Now we're starting to see some of that RM 1,000.00 per seat.
 

The evening started with the Her Royal Majesty, making Her Majesty's royal entrance (Ampun Tuanku). After that we were entertained with a a percussion group, called Deaf Beats. As the name suggests, all the drummers were deaf. No, seriously. Good stuff really. This was followed by a batik fashion show by several local designers. I was not really impressed by this. A layman's point of view surely, but I didn't think most of the invited designers were very creative in their interpretation of batik and its uses. In fact, many of the batik outfits looked like colorful sacks wrapped around the models. Hmm... come to think of it, its probably fashionable to some rich people: "It looks hideous. How much does it cost?" "RM 20,000.00, and you can own this couture t-shirt." "It's so fashionable! I'll take it!"

After that came the highlight of the evening: Datuk Sheila Majid! Our very own diva songstress! I have been taking casual photographs until that point of time. Once I realised that Datuk Sheila was about to come on, I transformed into full photographer mode. The best part of it all? I managed to borrow Mr. Kong's (AEON's official photographer) 70-200mm f/2.8L. Thank you Mr. Kong! Once I got my hands on the 70-200, it was all Sheila from then on. I absolutely love her to bits! She sang a few of her hit song including "Sinaran" (a classic) "Dia" (a personal favourite of mine!) as well as her own rendition of Old Blue Eye's "Fly Me To The Moon".

A little anecdote, I put out on Facebook that I had dinner with the Queen, and my beloved sister thought it was a joke, saying "Don't lie. She's having tea with me right now." I didn't mean the Queen of England you fool.

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for July: 8 post 337 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 93 posts 3,688 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the photos and the article itself. This article may be reproduced with permission of the author for private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images or articles contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thereafter Sheila Majid might just come over and bitch slap your ass. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.