Two weeks ago

I stayed up all night Friday trying (keyword: try) to finish up my division’s portion for the company’s annual report, and woke up awfully late on Saturday. There was no way I could write the 6-page, at least 5,000-word article in the office – there were too many distractions: phone calls, people stopping by to request for things, ad-hoc tasks and whatnot. Earlier I had booked two seats for me & Azry for the Objectified screening at The Annexe on Saturday, and realized I was too knackered to go out and about, so we just stayed home basically lying on the bed (Azry joined in the fun although he had slept the whole night) because I was too tired to even continue sleeping. We stared at the ceiling guessing the time the spider must have taken to build the well-knitted cobweb at the corner of the house, and pondering how Cybil the cat managed to pry open the solid wooden window on the 2nd floor of our house, sneaked in & peed all over my new rug.

It was a busy weekend last week. United Colors of Malaysia organized the flash mob Tali Tenang where we all brought various types of ropes, tied them all in one single line and we brought the knot walking all over Bangsar, all 200 of us who joined in, in spirit of togetherness regardless of our differences. Receiving supporting hollers & honks from the motorists, our long walk ended at Bangsar sports complex, all tired and thirsty but not one of us losing any ounce of vigor and camaraderie. I love how when everything ended, we walked together or got lifts from each other to our respective parking spots, LRT stations or to the mamak’s, all strangers when we first met.

Sunday the 24th was my 28th birthday, and just like I mentioned, I waived the traditional idea of having a birthday cake and asked Azry to buy me my favourite Italian BMT instead, and cheerfully gobbled my way out.

... while Azry dared you to embark on a nasal treasure hunt. What a sweetheart.

And today, as we were lying on the bed, scheming our weekend plans, which includes a non-brainer idea of, “Hey, let’s take up that Air Asia new offer to Mumbai and because we couldn’t really afford a real vacation at the moment, let’s just walk around the Mumbai airport, inhale the Indian breeze and take the next flight home afterwards, shall we?” before we knew it, the clock turned 8 pm on a Saturday evening and we went “Asparagus, where did our Saturday go?”

Stuck

The other day I lamented to my girl friends just how much everything is changing, and I am still stuck here at the very same spot. These series of photos - VEASYBLE seems to share my sentiment. (via swissmiss)

Tiger tiger

I was at this awesome production studio called Tiger Tiger in the old Petaling Jaya town, nicely decorated & (shriek!) with lots of cats. I love the ambience of the town by the way; the houses and the surroundings seemed to be trapped in 1980’s, even driving by the streets you can feel how the colors around you seem to be a little faded and pleasantly drab.

While being there, eyes darting across the house admiring the seemingly elegant black chandelier, the goldfish zen pond and the minimal furnishings, almost all seemed to be purchased from IKEA, I could not help wondering if the studio is dubbed after my favorite, identically titled poem by William Blake. When I was small, my father would recite the poem to me at my every insistence, mocking the roaring of a tiger, crouching close to the ground, sometimes arms flailing out and about in an impersonation of a fast-moving beast. Being young, his animated narration of the poem was my only definition of the poem, however as I grow up, just like many of us I seem to find a different, if not, my own interpretation of the poem – ambitions, somewhat existential (why & how), a mixture of beauty & terror (which sums up what life is all about) among others. (Photo from Jared Tyler)

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? What dread grasp

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,

And water'd heaven with their tears,

Did He smile His work to see?

Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

My iPod Touch is bigger than your iPod Touch

Couldn't quit giggling still. iPad? He he he he he. Sent from my iPad? He he ha ha ho ho. More laughs? Yes please.

Dreaming of a cloudy hot chocolate

I haven't seen the world lately. See as in really see. Have you? Photo of marshmallow clouds by Nikole Herriott via swissmiss.

Happy my birthday to you!

Here’s a random useless fact about yours truly: I spent nearly a year thinking I was already 28, until one day I picked up a calculator and found out the cold hard truth (which I’m glad it’s actually a pleasant surprise!). But think of all the forms and documents I’ve unintentionally forged within the year.

Anyway, on my (real) 28th birthday, out of the norm I decided that I didn’t want a birthday cake. Instead, I asked for a birthday Subway sandwich and Azry’s approval on my 3-minute period of behaving like a child and blowing soap bubbles in public. (Photo from Ibai Acevedo)

Fly

I woke up to a punctured tire on the left passenger side of my car on last Thursday morning, so in all urgency I hitched a ride with a friend to the nearest LRT station. One of my rare moments I must say, taking a public transportation (refer last post). I embarked the mechanical caterpillar and took place at the end of the shuttle, my eyes fixed to my destination. That's when I thought about it - if we disregard the rails and the pillars beneath it, it'd almost make us look like we're floating in mid-air. We envisioned the sky to be filled with flying cars of all sorts and sizes come year 2000 onwards, but I presume at the moment it's too high a vision. Until now, I'm content with all we've got - mentally erasing the rails under the shuttle containing me and other oblivious passengers in it and pretending as if we are floating free in mid-air. (Photo from squeakypeach4)

Surviving public transportation, attending a personal discovery session & miraculously no calls from the office during my leave day

Waking up to a punctured tire I decided to gather all what's left of my courage to take up public transportation to my creative writing workshop at MPH 1Utama. I harassed Azry to send me off to Kelana Jaya LRT station for me to take the shuttle bus straight to the shopping mall. I jumped in excitement upon the arrival of the shuttle bus 15 minutes after I reached the LRT station, only to find out that I needed to have some sort of membership card in order to get aboard the bus. Perhaps the driver sensed my naiveness in regards of public transportation so "it's OK go ahead take a seat" he said, but "next time get the card, it'll be a whole lot easier for you." so I nodded gravely and went to have a seat very near to him in case the ticket inspector comes aboard & I have no ticket & the driver could save me from all the embarrassment by explaining I was a bus newbie and I can be gladly excused. But of course, silly me, there was no such thing as a ticket inspector in public buses nowadays. (Azah says the bus incident is so me, clumsy me) To my surprise I reached just in time all in one cheerful piece ready to get my creative writing fix.

This workshop was organized differently from the first time I attended with Maya & Aida last year. Sarah Butler guided us step by step through the whole process and then all of the participants (who were only beginners at creative writing) were able to cook up a good short story at the end of the workshop. Ardashir Vakil (the author/facilitator) this time round focused more in explaining what makes a good story and how to's and whatnot, and most of the times even when we were asked to write based on exercises, we never really get to read aloud in class and get critics (the part where I was looking forward to the most). At one point in the workshop it turned to be a personal discovery, life confession session. One guy was caught nodding off. But it was, all in all, a good session. Not great, but we could do with better.

We're going to Tali Tenang tomorrow, are you? (Photo credit goes to the rightful owner via FFFFOUND)

Coming together

If you never had any good reasons to take up the LRT and embark on any particular station, now there is one solid reason to do so.

Remember ‘KL Freeze in Union’?

We want to reunite with you!

So much has happened in the last few weeks that has cause our country to be buzzing with agreements and disagreements.

But we’re proud that despite all that’s happened, we the Rakyat, have managed to keep our cool.

Let’s celebrate the fact that we have grown up to be a levelheaded cool lot! Let’s inspire those not-so-cool to be cool.

Let’s do something symbolic. Come with a piece of rope/string and we will tie them together to make one long, beautiful, cool rope that represents each and every one of us.

We will then take our fantastic work of art on a short, 15-minute tour for our fellow Malaysians to see.

Come and join us! Anyone and everyone! All you have to do is:

1. Bring a piece of rope/string the length of your right arm (Any colour or texture)

2. Wear a white t-shirt

3. If you have a Malaysian flag, bring it along!

The venue is at Bangsar LRT station. Here’s the Facebook event details for further info. See you there?

How to determine the eatability of the food you dropped on the floor

Azry is guilty for picking up food he dropped on the floor and popping it into his mouth, for he says, "It was too quick, the germs didn't have the chance to climb up." (via swissmiss)

OBJECTIFIED screening in town!

Designcircus writes:

Kick starting it in January, will be our first event this year on the 30th of January. DC screening of OBJECTIFIED the documentary will take place at Annexe Gallery on a Saturday @ 4:30PM.

A synopsis of the film can be read here, and a trailer of film can be watched at this link.

Before the film screening, we will be delighted by 2 short presentations, one will be of DC Bangkok trip which took place late last year in October and the other will on the Pinhole camera workshop happening in a few months time. So let all your friends know and bookmark those diaries already!

Details of event

Film Screening of OBJECTIFIED

Date: 30th January (Saturday)

Time: 4:15PM

Venue: Annexe Gallery

Capacity: 70 people (max)

Admission: FREE*

Let's go?!

Jalan atuk engkau

I just love stories of any kind, which explains my love for books & reading in whole. My mother is a good storyteller, particularly when she wholeheartedly narrated the antics of the people in her village while she was still young. You have to meet her some day and listen to her telling stories. Until now, let’s read up some of stories told in Your Grandfather’s Road, a compilation of stories as part of a ground-breaking movie project headed by a bunch of ambitious Malaysian youths.

I'm that something your cat dragged in

I want to write a poem

But I don't know how

I just want it to sound beautiful

Like leaves rustling in the wind

Or the sound of a baby's chuckling

I want it to sound so selfless

Like a young girl giving up her seat to an old lady in the LRT

Like a mother turning her back against the crowd in IKEA to breastfeed her baby

I also want it to sound breathtaking

Like first time lovers whispering sweet nothings

Like gazing down a cliff and finding out you have a choice of ending your life there

or taking a step back and just run back into the woods

splinters up your jeans

waters from the stream up till your knees

You see, when I think about it

Oh shit

I think I just accidentally wrote a poem

- me, overdose on coffee & flu meds, and just hours recovering from an unconscious sudden outburst "Nescafe + Milo = NESLO! Teh + Milo = TELO!" (Photo from Daydreamlily)

73 more days to go

... till our project's commercial launch, then I hope all of us will have the breathing space we all deserved. Hang on tough, folks. (Photo from parpadeo)

The season where an emo sulker made Kara mad & Simon delighted

Pants on the ground

Pants on the ground

Looking like a fool with your pants on the ground

Pants on the…

Oh hey. If you are wondering what I am going on about, it’s because American Idol is back! With all the deluded people during the auditions, the presence of the tyrant who defines the show, er, I mean Simon Cowell & also not forgetting the genuinely good singers, my life is now complete.

And this is my first post without any picture. Too busy to even scour for nice photos now. Well, there’s always the first time to everything. But I promise this won’t be a practice (this = putting up posts without pictures)

I love you(s). Ta.

Living in soft tones & low saturation

Loving the warm Polaroid look in Todd Richardson's photos of everyday things. I wish the world looks like this. (via Kitsune Noir)

Maya & The Unconscious Incredible Red Hulk's Journey

I went to see Maya today, who was home from her short university break (she goes to Brunel in Uxbridge, West London). Due to my overwhelming excitement upon seeing her, I forgot to do two things I was supposed to do which was ruled in the guidelines of What To Do When You Meet Maya: 1. Take photos together (I guess that often happens when I got overly thrilled meeting someone) and 2. Hand her a book of word puzzle in red, which I got for her that could accompany her 16-hour flight back to Heathrow.

One of the skills she acquired after stepping foot in London (probably in fiery red socks) is bidding over eBay & online shopping on Amazon. “Online shopping is so EEEEaasyy!” she proclaimed wholeheartedly over an epic plate of Nasi Bojari we had for lunch at Bangsar’s Madam Kwan. I guess she would love this book – The Incredible Journey that is Consciousness. You gotta see her pronouncing the title (again I would record a video but you can be rest assured I’d forget) but she’d go “the incredible unconscious hulk’s journey” or something like that (Maya could not even pronounce 'fish sandwich' properly). It’d be hilarious!

To Maya, thank you for the early birthday present and I know your flight’s only tonight, you’ll be back in September or so but I missed you already!

Everything's gonna be all right, Malaysia

... or so we hope.

By choice, not oppressed & flaunting it

Now whoever says that "wearing a hijab stifles and suppresses the personality and creativity of the wearer", here is a proud fellow hijabi (and a gorgeous one at that!) donning a contradictory statement.

Alfonso, please do not leave me

So, did you fall off your chair too? Thanks Le Love!

Formspring me!

I have a strange obsession with answering casual surveys (and also by now you should now I'm a vainpot who likes to imagine a magazine interview was going on) and was delighted to be introduced to formspring.me by Wordsmanifest. Here are the Qs I've covered:

If your house is on fire, what material possession would you rescue first?
My Macbook. I knew it and you knew it.

Are you human? by simonsta

Yes I am. Why? Don't tell me Simon, that you feel the need to touch me to prove your hypothesis? (By the way, Simon is a good Twitter friend and we bash each other often)

Chicken or Egg? Why?

I believe they co-exist with each other. That's how the world should be :D

Who/what inspires you?

My mother. She’s the perfect embodiment of optimism – she believes no matter how evil a person can be, deep down there’s a trace of kindness in everybody. She’s like Molly Chalk from Scrubs, if you do watch Scrubs. Despite her IT-illiteracy, she managed to pull through it all – she lets strangers operate her mobile phone, help her using the public phones, help her park her car, at one occasion letting a total complete stranger assisting her with the ATM machine – simply by believing in raw kindness. Her compassion is infectious; people don’t have the heart to hurt her. I haven’t met a single soul who had never liked my mother upon meeting her. She restored my faith in humanity.

I tried to be like her but I’m way too defensive & cynical – way too polluted by now.

What was your favorite movie as a child?

Jurassic Park I. I went to watch it 3 times in the movies, and perhaps at least 15 with home video. I memorized all the dinosaurs, I even had their action figures. I told the class I wanted to be an archaeologist, but the teacher laughed and encouraged the whole class to roar with him, saying, "There's no such thing!" Till this day, I wonder how he became a teacher without having such an extensive vocabulary, or knowledge.

Would you rather get up early or sleep late?

Sleep late!

If you could choose, how would you want to die?

Surrounded by loved ones and in grace. I know it sounds cliche, but it's just how death should be methinks.

Go ahead, ask me anything. I double dog dare you! (Photo via Mindful of Daggers)

Babah's boat

My father's best friend passed away yesterday due to cancer. Babah (my father), usually animated & never failed to make us laugh, grew strangely quiet & taciturn. I felt a lump in my throat.

Pak Hussin was a neighbor. After his wife passed away, he asked for his grandchildren to live with him. All 10 of them, from age 2 to 14. His house was like a night market – children wailed & bickered & and of course the loveliest thing of all they laughed. He was probably the most soft-spoken man I have ever encountered. His voice was like butter, if not, caramel. Soft, sweet, and the after effect good feelings linger for long. I love the way nice old people restore my faith in human kindness.

Every day Babah would wake up early & fetched Pak Hussin to the nearest masjid for Fajr salah before he was off to work. Every Saturday they’d go cycling together, and went for teh tarik & roti canai afterwards. If Azry was home, Pak Hussin would lend him one of his grandchildren’s Mountain Bike and the three of them would be seen cycling around the neighborhood together.

I never knew what it was like to lose a best friend. I lose Uma in an auto accident, and nearly lose a surviving one due to my recklessness in keeping up with our social life. Both accounts frightened me so much I resort to keep myself occupied so 1. I won’t get too hurt losing a loved one, and 2. I would not be seen as “a circus & caught in my own fame”, or so they claimed.

Babah called an hour ago, as if asking my permission if he could resign his job at 54. Said he wanted to turn off his phone for a day or two. I've been in the company 35 years & never once I've turned off my phone, he said. We can go for umrah or hajj one more time, he added, a drop of cheerfulness in his tone, and like ink in clear water it quickly spreads. Usually I'd say, "There's just one more year, Bah, there's no harm in waiting." but this time I replied, "Whatever floats your boat, Bah." And then I heard him chuckling. A father's joyful chuckling over his only daughter's permission for him to enjoy life.

Whatever floats his boat.

You give me

Photo credits go to: 1. the rightful owner via FFFFOUND, 2. Megan McIsaac, 3. Sandra Juto and 4. Flylf.

The cover that never was

On December 15th, it was announced that I.D, the reputable style and design magazine (which is also one of my frequent reads) was coming to an end; ceasing publication after 55 years in print. A critical source of the design world, I.D’s last issue was their January/February cover. Here's an interview with Jesse Ashlock, the superb and exceptionally talented and witty editor in chief of I.D in the weeks leading up to the demise of the magazine.

Our final 2009 photo

... and also because camwhoring is the most natural thing to do when stuck in traffic jams. (2nd statement via Le Love)

For those having trouble coming up with new year resolutions

Well, my first attempt hit me right on the face. What resolution does the generator suggest you?

Happy New Year 2010, lovelies.