Tuesday August 7, 2012

Make-up artist’s dream to kickstart career comes to a halt

By ELWEEN LOKE
elween@thestar.com.my

THE Raya celebration this month was supposed to have been the perfect opportunity for Wak Bita Nordin to kickstart her career as a make-up artist.

With renovations done to incorporate a beauty salon at her house in the orang asli village of Kampung Ulu Jelintoh, Gopeng, she was ready to promote her services to fellow villages celebrating the occasion.

Sad affair: Wak Bita (right) and her relatives gather at her parents’ house to talk about the fire that razed several houses in Kampung Ulu Jelintoh.

Unfortunately for Wak Bita, her home and four other wooden and bamboo houses in the village were razed in a fire, hardly a month before Hari Raya.

The 3.30pm incident on July 27 had not only rendered 24 people homeless, it also destroyed all the beauty equipment Wak Bita had purchased with a RM5,000 loan from state welfare arm, Yayasan Bina Upaya (YBU).

All gone: Alang Ngah looking at the remnant of burnt wood and bamboo at the site of his house.

“My home and salon have all turned into ashes, along with my curling irons and make-up kit. I wanted to put my make-up skills to good use and launch a career for myself this coming Raya,” said the 28-year-old, adding that there were about 20 Muslim families living in the village.

Wak Bita, is, however, not giving up yet.

“I will be meeting officers from YBU to gain their assistance to rebuild my business,” she said adding that she and her family were currently living with her elder sister.

“My sister’s house was spared from the fire as it is located on lower ground, away from the site of the fire.

“The Orang Asli Development Department has been providing us with food and has sent officers to check on our condition although we hope they can help us rebuild our houses soon,” she added.

Tragic: Wak Bita’s dream to begin her career as a make-up artist this Raya season is shattered because of the fire.

With nine people, including her uncle Alang Ngah and his two sons, who were also victims of the fire, sharing her sister’s living room, Wak Bita said that the house was somewhat crowded.

Alang, 60, said even then, they were glad that no one was hurt in the fire.

“We’ll just bear with the slight congestion for the time being until we get help from the department to rebuild our lives,” he said.