Running Free

Hiatus

2009-05-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

We did an interview with Markus' parents about a month and a half ago. My apologies that there haven't been any updates. It's to my deepest regret to decide to put this project on hold for a while, but my health hasn't been in exactly the best state. I need some time to sort out my health issues. My apologies.

March 28, 2009

2009-03-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

We got into touch with Firdaus, a good friend of Markus from UKEC, with the help of Ee Chia, Charlene and Iliyas Jamil. Many thanks to Ee Chia who helped set up the meeting with Firdaus. The shoot was at Rumah ALMA-UKEC in Jalan U-Thant. It was a quiet neighborhood, shaded by trees lining up on both sides of the neighborhood. This area is also where many embassies are located. In fact, the Palestine Embassy is just opposite Rumah ALMA-UKEC.

I arrived at about 2ish, way ahead of the meeting since I managed to beat the after work jam. So I went off to grab some lunch first in Ampang Jaya and to my horror, I got lost trying to find my way out of one-way dead ends. I did a lot of reverse driving that afternoon because the single lanes didn’t allow sufficient space for three-point turns. In addition to my GPS which was running low on battery. Yikes! Luckily I managed to drive us back home to PJ after the shoot. It was still way too tad early when I got back to the place, so I walked around a bit, fed myself to the mosquitoes and took some pictures.

Rumah ALMA-UKEC.

Locked out.

Ee Chia just posing as the camera operator for me.

Photo credits: Yihwen

Visiting The Father's House

2009-03-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

15 March 2009

I visited Bangsar Lutheran Church with Choon Ean, who had been so kind and generous to lend us the equipment for this documentary. It was also my first time visiting the church and meeting the pastor, after hearing about it from so many people, including Markus himself. He always wanted me to hear Pastor Sivin Kit, but I never went on any of his invitations, a slight regret on my part. The church itself was a little house building tucked away in a quiet neighborhood. Quaint, that’s how I’d describe it. There was a signage that says “The Father’s House” hanging on the gates of the place. Truly, it felt like home after so many churches that I have stepped into over the years.

We were there today to speak with one of Markus’s friends, John, whom he has met in BLC’s bible class. John is from Myanmar, and he has a great story to tell about how he ended up in Malaysia. We also spoke with Ee Chia, a good friend of Markus and also his comrade in the Anak Bangsa Malaysia movement.

Setting up for John's interview.

Chin Hor was the camera operator for today.

Many thanks to David Keong who lent us a hand with the reflector.

Photo credits: Yihwen

Malaysian Student Leaders Summit

2009-03-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Picture of Markus at the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit. Just think that this is such a nice picture of him.

Credit to Iliyas Jamil.

Interview with the former director of CPPS

2009-03-12T07:46:00.003-07:00

On 7 March 2009, we interviewed Tricia Yeoh, former director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS). Markus was an intern at the CPPS for 3 months in 2007. Tricia is also a friend of Markus.

If you'd like to find out more about CPPS, visit http://www.cpps.org.my/

Photo credits: Thomas Chew

Unicef shoot

2009-03-12T07:46:00.001-07:00

After the morning shoot in SMDU, we also arranged a shoot with Unicef, where Markus was working before this. It was arranged just the day before, but thanks to Markus's very accommodating colleagues we were able to shoot some footages and interview some of them. Thanks again!

The "interview" room where we tried to re-arrange the props to make it as though it was three different offices for the different interviewees. =)

Markus's cubicle.

If you'd like to contribute to the causes of Unicef, please visit http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/support.html

Photo credits: Thomas Chew

Highschool Days

2009-03-12T07:45:00.001-07:00

We started our very first shoot for this production at 06:30AM on 5 March 2009. We've gotten permission from our former secondary school, Sekolah Menengah Damansara Utama to shoot some footages and also to interview one of our teachers, Miss Lee. She was our Chemistry teacher in Form Four and Five; and also the teacher-in-charge for the Christian Fellowship, which Markus was the President.

The school field view, just right outside our Form Five class.

We started the shoot early to catch the sunrise, the empty school grounds and also just when the students are streaming in through the school gates. As seen in the picture is the Pakcik guard whom I used to tell that I was going to eat wantan mee in Keen's coffeeshop behind the school when he asked me where I was going. We used to have our own 1 hour recess. Tsk, tsk.

The "green" prefects, and yes, they still sit on the ground during assembly.

Only Thomas and I worked on this shoot because of the short notice, and it was a Thursday. Thomas was on leave, and I took leave.

Our old class signage still exists.

The old classroom. Markus's seating place at the mid-left side of the class.

Something interesting we found in the alumni files which the school kept. Markus and friends gave a talk to the students a few years back before he went to Essex. In the picture from left: Li June, Yee Meng, Markus.

Photo credits: Thomas Chew

Running Free

2009-03-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

About five years ago, I quoted James Marsden from Gossip about running a race. I reckoned life to a race. There are people who would cheer you on, and also those who would cheer even louder to see you fall. Markus commented on that particular blog post. He shared with me about how he used to run whenever he felt stressed or frustrated while he was in Essex, to get rid of the negative energy. Myself? I played ball, I told him. Or in the more recent years, I took up hiking and climbing. Perseverance… something one of my best mates from highschool taught me silently over the years. In fact, I climbed Mount Kinabalu last June, just to remind myself to persevere in difficult times. Markus ran a lot in school, especially for long distance events. He was in the MSSD with Navin. He continued running after school, for charities.

It is not rocket science why I have chosen “Running Free/ Lari Bebas” as the working title for this project. Markus was one hell of a fit athlete. Markus also had a beautiful vision for Malaysia. Like him, I have a strange attachment for this country as well, put aside my plans to pursue my creative career elsewhere. A former colleague of Markus at Unicef shared with me a quote from him, “If you stop being optimistic, you might as well stop living.” One of my researchers on this project told me that the thing that strikes her most about Markus is “hope.” Markus had a deep concern for young people. I remember him telling me his experience of working as a camp facilitator with a group of underprivileged Malay students in Kelantan. At the end of the camp, the young kids were all addressing him as “Abang”, something which still awes me until today. And the fact that he was the only Chinese in that camp. I shared similar passion of working with young people because I believed everyone has a great potential, just yet to be fulfilled.

So, let us run free. Free from all that hinders us and entangles our feet from the greater causes in life. And for now, I leave you with a quote from Michael Rabiger.

"You and I as common people must not pass silently from life. Future historians must have our testimony as their resource. Documentaries are our grassroots visions, not just what was preserved by an elite and its minions. You and I can use cinematic language – the 20th century’s great contribution to universal understanding – to create a record of family, friends, and surroundings; to pose ideas and questions; and to forcefully convey what we see and feel. We can propose the causes, effects, and meanings of the life that we are leading. We can bear witness to these times, reinterpret history, and prophesy the future. The consequences of all this for democracy, and for a richer and more harmonious tapestry of cultures, are incalculable. This is the art and purpose of the documentary film."