"SELAMAT HARI KOTAK!" (reprise)

My #2 daughter Belle knows I'm never particularly jolly whenever the great annual consumer festival known as Xmas rolls along - so she graciously waited till Boxing Day to leave a greeting on my facebook wall. It made me chuckle, so I'll share that chuckle with you right away. Hari Kotak ought to be Malaysia's most important national holiday - because we're so crazy about packaging, branding and marketing.

[First posted 26 December 2011, reposted 26 December 2023]

Two Leo birthdays I'm celebrating today... (updated)

Best Selfie Ever! 💖

My rainbow crystal child in August 2009 (taken on a miniature Sony)

The first, of course, is my #2 daughter Belle's. She's a proud mother of three gorgeous kids, Max Alexander Lüer (24), Reiya Sunshine Lüer (18) and Ryder Lee Lankhorst (10).

When Belle was 13 she and I went on 3-nation trip together - Thailand, Burma and Nepal - and we became more like buddies than father and daughter.

On that vacation Belle had a great deal more fun than her Daddyums, who spent a lot of time wondering where she had disappeared to and with whom. After all these years that still holds true!

I "pinched" the photo of Belle at right from her facebook album. It was taken after a makeover for an Estée Lauder modeling contest she participated in when she turned 40. Too bad she lost out to a 24-year-old!

Belle has a broad range of innate talents (cartooning, acting, photography, filmmaking, painting, cooking, martial arts and selfie-taking, to name a few) - but she opted to focus on producing and nurturing three astoundingly beautiful and brainy kids. She also has a wacko sense of humor (not to mention a predilection for fart jokes).

With Hot Granny Lily in 2022

Chinese New Year 2020 (with Reiya Sunshine missing)

Fooling around with Reiya Sunshine

Belle & her brood in 2017

The second happens to be Anwar Ibrahim's - my favorite candidate for Malaysia's next prime minister. Anwar has been prime-minister-in-waiting for too long. Why? Simply because he's our best bet and nobody else in Malaysian politics can come close to playing the all-important role of unifier and reformer.

After decades of parasitic misgovernance by a succession of UMNO prime,  I mean, crime ministers, the task ahead of the Pakatan Rakyat cabinet is nothing less than Herculean. Fortunately, from all four parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition, experienced, courageous and honest administrators can be found in abundance. They simply haven't been given a chance to prove their mettle. But we the people are determined to give them that opportunity as soon as possible. [Well, it finally happened in 2022!]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELOVED BELLE & ANWAR, MY STEADFAST CHOICE FOR 8TH... OKAY, 10TH MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER! HERE'S TO A TRULY AMAZING FUTURE!!!

[First posted 10 August 2011. Reposted 10 August 2018]

Merdeka Message from My #2 Daughter (repost)

Photo by Marcus 

"HAPPY INNER PENANCE DAY TO ALL!"

Received this text message from my #2 daughter Belle on the eve of Merdeka. When I asked her if it was a Belle original, she immediately replied, "Of course!" Just felt like sharing this meaningful Merdeka message with all my friends and loved ones 😂❤️👌

[Originally posted 31 August 2009]

Anoora Chapek, savage punk abstractionist

"Mungkin Boleh" by Anoora Chapek, acrylic on canvas 53cm x 66cm, 28 April 2021

We live in ‘Maya’, the world of Illusion, where sometimes we forget our Oneness with all things and our total interconnection with and dependence on Gaia, our Mother Earth. The greater Reality, the dimension of Love and Light, the Realm of Spirit is shrouded from us, mostly, and we think this world – of material things, social status, insecurity, fear – is all that there is.

But there are places where the veil is flimsy, even torn, and the vibration and energy of the Higher Realm seep through … blessing us with beauty, illumination, joy. Magick River is one such place. No one with a shred of intuition could fail to feel the Energy here.

There are also people who have access to the world of Spirit, which provides them with priceless inspiration (‘in-spirit’) to create great beauty here on Earth.

Without a doubt, Anoora is one such person, a conduit from the Higher Realm. And her presence here in Magick River is like a double blessing. As we have witnessed over the last couple of years, Anoora’s ‘dabbling’ in the world of paint and canvas has been like opening the floodgates of Beauty and Love from the Higher Realm. The purity of her being is the channel, the medium, for this multitude of blessed works.

Imran Ahmad, author &
raconteur extraordinaire

When I first saw Mungkin Boleh on Facebook in May 2021, I was so enraptured by the astonishing beauty of the swirling, vibrant, gorgeous colours, I messaged Antares immediately to ask if it was for sale. When he confirmed that it was indeed still available, my fingers were shaking as I typed, as fast as I possibly could: “I will buy it!” I could not believe my luck that I was able to acquire it, that someone else hadn’t bought it already. One day it will hang in Scotland, my spiritual home, where I will retire in another magical place where the veil is flimsy.

They say that we create our own reality, that what we witness and experience is a reflection of our inner state. For when someone else looked at my Mungkin Boleh for the first time, she said: “It’s a Shaman.” And for the first time, I saw it as that … a radiant Shaman swirling through the forest. I never saw that Shaman before … and now I cannot unsee him.

And so it is with all of Anoora’s mystical, vibrant art. Every person sees it differently. Magically channelled through her creative innocence, it reflects in its swirling, exhilarating colours the highest attributes of the observer. It is the embodiment of all the good that radiates from the Higher Realm: Love, Joy, Energy, Passion …

I am so blessed to have Mungkin Boleh in my daily, earthly life … as a beautiful reminder of the highest and purest aspects of the Divine Consciousness which is the Universe.

Imran Ahmad

Kuala Lumpur

15 April 2023

"Saya Bebas" by Anoora Chapek, acrylic on canvas, 91cm x 91cm,
1 September 2022

Belle Love Lee, starpriestess
& goddess embodiment

"I've been following Anoora's artistic journey with much awe and fascination. Her paintings come alive with bold, vibrant colours and such confident strokes. Anoora's art is pure tribal childlike genius. There was absolutely no hesitation when I saw her painting (titled "Saya Bebas"). I just knew I had to have it hanging on my wall. I'm looking forward to adding to my Anoora collection!" ~ Belle Love Lee, Kuala Lumpur, 13 April 2023

"Mukabunga" by Anoora Chapek, acrylic on canvas, 53cm x 66cm,
18 February 2021

"Hari Baru" by Anoora Chapek, acrylic on canvas, 37cm x 53cm,
17 June 2022

"Merdeka 2021" by Anoora Chapek, acrylic on canvas, 51cm x 60cm.

31 August 2021

"Love is all around us. And sometimes it enters our lives as a surprise! 

When I first saw Anoora's "Mukabunga," I felt a deep connection, it was like being transported back to Magick River and being kissed by the artist herself, who is always very affectionate with me.

Thank you, Anoora, for your immense talent, keep shining! And thank you, Honey and Antares, for empowering Anoora's potential to her fullest!" 

Chong See Ming, Patron Saint of the Arts, on vacation in France, 16 April 2023