My Juniors Event

I wanted to say it was a long day like the usual saying but it was anything but long. The entire day went by so fast, that I couldn't even stop to take a meal. I had my first meal for the day at 1.00 a.m. and surprisingly snacking on rice crackers in #myjuniors event had kept me going. Not to mention some jelly cubes that @elizacheng prepared for the kids.

It was no easy feat handling the kids but @sireh passed the test with flying colours. Not only is he able to handle the ladies, but he is also good with the kids. He began with the basic dots, lines and shapes before he realised that they are more advanced than that.

@rambai was next to facilitate the entire event and his crazy cartoon cat was quite a hit with the kids. He was also generous enough to have 35 packs of door gifts from his animation studio that consists of his Awang Khenit comics and also activity books. That would definitely be better than the usual ipads or handphones to keep the kids occupied.

My Take

I think that the organisers, @bitrocker2020 and @elizacheng together with the committees did well to keep the children's enthusiasm in check. The kids were cooperative and there are some that are a bit more active but active kids are usually bright kids, so it is still a good thing.

There is also no way you can get angry when they look this cute. So the me, handling kids is a different ball game. As long as they enjoy themselves, noone got hurt, the parents are all happy and smiling, the facilitator did not cry and everyone went back with colourful drawings, it cannot be interpreted otherwise. So, it is a job well done.

So, after the event, it was a rush to get the amplifier from @edward-ong, go home steal a 30 minute nap, bathe and be prepared for the gig in Liberal Latte. This time for #steem-music.

The Night in Liberal Latte

We had a warm surprise visit by @bitrocker2020 and he was given the task to introduce steemit to the non steemians in the crowd which is a good 50% of those who attended. There are a some who are from the corporate sector, some church groups and of course our friends from #steem-music, #teammalaysia and other steemians who had heard of our event.

This photo was a courtesy of @sireh because I didn't manage to take any for the night as it was a hectic night for me trying to get the equipment to function and trying not to break bucketful of sweat and look cool before the ladies that turned up.

Dr. Helmi was whipping up cups and cups of coffee as the crowd mingled around for a good 1 hour bofore the event started. First there was the speech by myself on domestic violence. If the entire talk could be summed up in a few words for the benefit of those who were not present, this would be the concise version:

The perpetrator has no face - he can be anyone, he can be a caring father, a filial son or a soft spoken husband. Noone should turn a blind eye or a deaf ear by saying, 'I dont think anyone like John would do that'
Women with kid(s) are more prone to continued abuses because the child's safety is paramount.
Women have two avenues that will grant them immediate protection, ie. Emergency Protection Order and Interim Protection Order under the Domestic Violence Act 1994.
There can be access to law without engaging lawyers. Welfare officer and police officers can apply for the order for the victim.
Women are empowered and protected by law. Marital rape can be punished just like any rape.
Abused men are also entitled to protection but from a different angle. The disparity in treatment is because men are physically stronger (general statement) and would usually be the perpetrator rather than the victim and the law recognises this.
There are many avenues that women can seek help and they need not stay silent and suffer the torment.

I was pleasantly surprised that the crowd was quite engaged in the topic and the questions keep coming during the Q & A session.

There are some questions which are worth highlighting and they are as follows:

Are unmarried women who are subject to abuses by their partners entitled to protection under the Domestic Violence Act 1994? (Unfortunately, no. There must be a matrimonial relationship to begin with before the Act can apply)
How do a complainant compel action by the enforcement? (normal phone calls are insufficient, a police report must be lodged to start a formal investigation into the report)
Can a complainant be sued for defamation in a police report? (a report if lodged in good faith and under a mistaken belief does not expose the complainant to defamation. But lodging a false report knowingly is actionable)

The Music Takes Rein

Then the event that everyone was waiting....

It always warms my heart to watch this video over and over again. It was taken by @sireh when @kymio was performing. Sing and the world would sing with you...

@calebleejl and his wife @silviagoh was stunning. @cbppls was in a league of his own...then there is Faris, the big man who was with us for the last few gigs and his ukelele singing to some local tunes and the lovely and beautiful @jassicania who gave us 'Girl on Fire' and 'Someone like You'.

I like to ask the crowd, just like what I did the last time,

'How many of you guys/girls have fallen in love because of music?'

I did and countless of times. I am a sucker, and I admit. I am pretty sure from the looks of some of them, they are in cloud 9. That floaty feel that made Micheal Jackson, The Beatles and Freddie Mercury multi millionaires.

Our Inadequate Equipment

We didn't start off as professional musicians and most of us did not have the proper equipment to play to the crowd. I was supposed to perform 'Fly me to the Moon' and 'Can't Help Falling in Love with You' but thank god, after Christian Palencia (aka @cbppls) I was spared the blushes because the microphone and amplifier could not pick up the sound. So to prevent this embarrassing situation from happening again, @calebleejl is currently running a donation drive for a sum of $500 to get some basic equipment to enhance the experience.

This is the post that requires a bit of love by some upvotes and resteem depending on the generosity of the donor.

Here are some more photos to recap the night...