May Allah forgive his sin and grant him jannah. Amen.

Masks are known as “Tal” in Korean, but they are also known by many other names such as “gamyon”, “kwangdae”, “chorani”, and “talbagaji”. A “talchum” is really more than its literal meaning of “mask dance,” but is also a drama in which persons, animals or supernatural beings are portrayed through the media of masks and dance.

Masks and mask dances developed in Korea in prehistoric times. Traditional masks fall into two categories: religious masks and artistic masks. Some religious masks were considered sacred, the focus of worship in shaman shrines and revered periodically with rites in which offerings were made. Other religious masks were used to ward off evil spirits.

Artistic masks were mostly used in dance and drama. However, these also had religious functions to some extent. Of special note are the masks featured in a mask dance-drama developed in the Hahoe region.

Mask dance-dramas are basically forms of folk art which developed naturally among the common people of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). They vary slightly according to region and the performer but they all share fundamental characteristics. They derive essentially from a sense of rebellion felt by the common people toward the reality of their lives.

With regional variations, the mask dance-drama was generally performed on the First Full Moon, Buddha’s Birthday on the Eighth of the Fourth Moon, Dano Festival and Chuseok. It was also performed at festive occasions of the state or at rituals to supplicate for rain. Many of the roles do not have any dialogue of their own but act out their part in pantomime, their extraordinarily stylized masks conveying the dramatic impact of their characters.

The dance enlivens the drama and serves to round off each scene but is also performed without any regard to the progress of the plot. The most remarkable feature of Korean mask dance-drama in its traditional form is the enthusiastic participation of the audience. With the encouragement of the players, toward the end of a performance there is little distinction between them and the audience as they join together in robust dance and bring it to a truly affirmative life-enhancing finale.

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A colleague of mine just went through a terrible loss. After waiting many years for God to grant her a child, she finally delivered a beautiful, healthy baby boy about a month ago, but God took him away after only 10 days. She withdrew from friends and family, and is only now tentatively reaching out to seek others with similar experiences. If you or anyone you know has suffered the loss of an infant, please share your story with her. Perhaps my friend Joanna can get some strength from you and learn how to carry on. You can write to her at aydenhansen[at]gmail.com

Read her mail:

The past weeks have come and gone without me as I still feel I am living in a terrible dream. Every moment of everyday is another moment without my beautiful baby Ayden. If I could give up my life for him I would, I know there is nothing that I wouldn’t have given up for him. It’s as if my life stopped the day he passed, he took my heart with him and it will never be the same again.

On 2nd May 2009, Ayden was born at 37 weeks after a completely normal pregnancy. He weighed 3.24 kg and was absolutely beautiful. When he was 4 days old, he was given 2 days of phototherapy due to jaundice and we were told he was perfectly fine. When he was 9 days old, he suddenly turned pale and was rushed to the hospital and admitted into NICU. 24 hours later, my baby passed away. This was one month ago.

All tests for infection and metabolism have come back negative and we are still trying to cope with his loss, let alone the reason for his passing. The doctors have debated over this and are unable to give us a reason. Unlike SIDS, Ayden was less than a month old and deteriorated very rapidly despite the various medical interventions administered.

Words cannot express the sorrow and pain we are enduring, there is not a minute that goes by that I do not yearn for him. The most difficult part is the not knowing. I guess I am writing this so I would not have to go into reliving the horror every time someone asks “what happened?” While we appreciate everyone’s concern and we understand they mean well, nothing anyone does or says will change things or bring him back. We are left to pick up the shattered pieces of our hearts and continue our lives without him.

When we left the hospital, we had nowhere to turn to. There were no support groups or information given on situations like ours despite our requests for it. We were hopelessly left alone to deal with our grief. All I wanted was to talk to someone who had gone through a similar experience, to tell me I will be ok, to understand my grief. I managed to find help through an online support group by people who have all walked down this path. It was heartbreaking that this had happened to so many people, but also comforting that many of them have continued to have perfectly healthy children afterwards.

In memory of Ayden and the lack of information and unavailability of a support group in Malaysia, we would like to appeal for your help. We do not know anyone else who has experienced such a tragedy, but to ensure that other families going through this horrible experience will not have to go through it alone, we will greatly appreciate if you can inform the people you may know who have travelled this road to get in touch with us, if they are willing. They can write to us at aydenhansen[at]gmail.com.

Hugs,

Jo and Sune.

We had a 3-day 2-night vacation to Fraser’s Hill recently.

With a “temperate” climate and an average temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) during the day, the hill resort perched at 1,534 meters (5,033 feet) above sea level on the Titiwangsa Range is a mere two-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tin was the reason people flocked to the hill in the late 1890s. The hill was tucked in lush tropical jungle. It was named after accountant-turned-prospector James Louis Fraser who used to buy tin from Chinese prospectors and transported the ore to Kuala Kubu by mule train. After acquiring a small fortune from his trade, Fraser vanished after last seen trudging on a jungle path, hauling a team of mules laden with crude tin ore. His disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

This hill resort has been described as an engineering marvel of the British when they started the idyllic township in the clouds that had been likened to ‘mini’ England. It is a quiet town, you can walk on the street.

These are my heart - eating ice cream in a cold weather!