Couldn't find a u-turn so I just had to go on

Yesterday I had the chance to attend WebCamp III at MindValley HQ for the first time along with the Stampede herd, thanks to its chief creative bobblehead (and a dear friend) Shaza’s invitation. The topics (semantic web & coding stuffs) are somewhat alien to me, having abandoned the web/creative industry for quite sometime so forgive me for not being able to blog about the details of the topic but to me the surroundings evoke memories– especially the laidback milieu, how everybody listens to each other without having to worry about hierarchical role, watching myself transforming into this extroverted person I once was (I missed this person I had to keep inside) during introduction session, seeing two iPad’s IN A FLESH Y’ALL & how I leapt out of my seat seeing Wu Han using Comic Sans as his slide deck font (something I can’t help myself with) – finally I found a sense of where I belong. I was too excited I forgot to take even the tiniest bit of kilobytes of a photo. Meh.

There is definitely no turning back.

I will be on vacation until Wednesday, and I have no idea why I’m announcing this aside from the fact that I get to use this awesome picture I took during a road trip all the way to Bentong, Pahang. Ah yes, I'll miss you, yes Mum you too, even though I'll be seeing you this weekend.

A bygone era in its craftsman styling

By now you should very well know that almost anything relating to Polaroid would be able to secure a special place in this blog. Here’s another story that gets an instant ‘like’: Photographer Kim stumbled upon an abandoned old shack on a road trip one sunny afternoon of which she described, “representing a bygone era in its craftsman styling” of which she could quickly relates to the recent demise of Polaroid films. She & her three friends returned to the house, adorned the house with Polaroid photos scattering below the floorboards, laying about in the dry brush outside the home, everywhere - just strewn around making themselves at home.

Sadly the house and project had to come to a close, when Kim was notified by the owner of the house (who, in the first place never took a blind bit of notice of the house until the project took place & got popular) to cease all further visitation and contributions. In spite of the closure, Kim had successfully promoted the project and hundreds of photographers flocked to the site on weekends, sunrises, and even at evening; to take and donate Polaroids. Whereby on Flickr alone, 200+ members joined the Polaroid house group to keep track of the project and watch the changing of the house’s rise - and its subsequent fall. More - a list of Polaroid cameras with photo samples. (via take nothing but polaroids)

How many polar bears have you drowned today?

Young Serbian designer Jovana Bogdanovic created these polar bears made of sugar in hopes to raise global warming awareness even through the smallest details. The work has been presented in talent zone Salone Satellite Milan.

Rest assured, when the idea involves drowning a certain figurative furry creature, it'd get an immediate tick next to the 'awesome' box in my list (do I ever have that kind of list? Anyway.) Also, if your girlfriend's been dropping you a hint by asking you to walk with her passing by that jewelry store to take a look at the ring with the humongous diamond, maybe you can give this to her as a start. Especially if you both are still at school. Just an idea.

A week of ideas, a project that lets you shake your booty, edible iPhone icons and a post with too many exclamation marks

Well, enough moping around will ya Zana? I'm excited to announce that interesting things are going to take place all around our lovely Kuala Lumpur (plus one scrumptious treat for iPhone lovers). Let's get back to our regularly scheduled programme shall we?

First up, our annual KL Design Week is back this year commencing tomorrow April 30th until May 16th with loads of conferences, exhibitions and other activities to boot! As always, here's your link to the event itself and here's the lineup of designers (most of the portion are from Japan, and OMG Reza Abedini is coming!).

And hey, what do you know? After spreading Glee love all over the streets of Seattle, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Madrid & Rome, Glee Flashmob is making its way to KL! Let's sign up, learn the moves and get down with it! (Come on you know you want to.)

Of course, since I've promised, here's a real life crossover of Willy Wonka & Steve Jobs - the awesome person who cooked up the idea of making 20 luscious pieces of gourmet chocolates (link thanks to Suet) specially hand made to order and painstakingly feature vivid edible icons on the surface, with 4 different fillings and designed to withstand heat from sunlight and shipping, encased in a luxurious iPhone-like package! ARGH sugar rush!

The sky is falling

... and I was not at fault. Really. (Installation by Annalise Rees via Holga)

Talk over coffee

"An espresso is coffee gone minimalist." via twittering suparabbit, a fellow bunny from Kuching, Sarawak. Thanks for all your concerns in regards of the last post - the case had been sorted out but I haven't sent the car for repair. I suddenly miss my Dad though.

:(

Unlike other weeks, this time around I completely did not enjoy my weekend at all.

Last Friday, I received news that at first I thought was going to hamper down my long awaited plans (what kind of plans – let me share with you later). I felt like my chest are going to be ripped apart, my intestines are tugged out of its place and hung around the traffic lights like some sort of a garland. Then Saturday came and I seemed to be dragging along the dark grey clouds with me – along came an unnecessary headache in the form of a college student ramming his car into the passenger side of mine. He would not admit to the mistake and we took the hassle of going to the police station and typed in the lengthy nonsensical report only to be told that we have to come back on Tuesday because neither me or the kid would give in (in other words, somebody had to offer to take the blame & pay for every damage!) because by then they would be able to figure out who was in the wrong – I had no idea how they are going to do it, perhaps by consulting a witch doctor or Cher, I really don’t care because the process won’t un-dent or un-scratch my car. To top it off, after about halfway before reaching home Azry realized he accidentally left my laptop in the police station swarming with strangers of God knows what kind of person they are and we sped back there and you have no idea how, again, my heart was going to burst saying every prayers (coming from someone who is not so religiously inclined) I could think of in the car on the way back to police station. The incident renewed my faith in human kindness when the police officer handed my laptop bag over to me and said, “There was a guy before who said somebody must have dropped this.” And then when we arrived at the car clutching my laptop bag I took a good look at the damage on my car again – heavily dented & scratched on both doors on the left side and I burst out crying all I could because I have kept everything inside long enough and I have had enough going on for the week!

By this time I would like to thank you who managed to read past the bulky paragraph of poppycock above. I don’t know how to end this, but I am hoping that unlike mine, your week is as wonderful as yourself. Be good. (Movie snippets from (500) Days of Summer)

I am currently going through a rough patch at the moment

... but I'm holding true to these words: "Surely with every difficulty there is relief.” ~ Al- Quran Ash-Sharh (The Opening Forth) 94:5 (Photo from Boston's The Big Picture)

Inside out

Fancy new campaign for the Volkswagen Fox from AlmapBBDO Brazil via Creative Review. Now this just reminds me of one scene from FRIENDS where Rachel brought home a sphynx cat and Chandler went, "Why is that cat all inside out?" (And also if you are up to watch ideas development & process - something I have a soft spot for.)

A great (but truthfully scary) quote from way back about urbanization

Michael of ‘Things do not change, we change’ wrote, and how scary I found that I can mostly relate it with how we live our life nowadays:

“I am reading Alain De Botton's Art of Travel which a friend gave me years ago when I went off on my 'walkabout' journey (not the pub a ritual australians go on to become men that we stole from the aboriginals). Its taken me things long to read it. But throughout I have been jotting down a lot of very interesting quotes including this one:

'The poet accused cities for fostering a family of life destroying emotions: anxiety about our position in the social hierarchy, envy at the success of others, pride and a desire to shine in the eyes of strangers. City-dwellers had no perspective, he alleged; they were in thrall to what was spoken of in the street or at the dinner table. However well provided for, they had relentless desire for new things, which they did not genuinely lack and on which happiness did not depend. And in this crowded anxious sphere, it seemed harder than on an isolated homestead to begin sincere relationships with others. 'One thought baffled my understanding,' wrote Wordsworth of his residence in London.' How men lived even next-door to neighbours, as we say, yet still strangers, and knowing not each others names.''

It was written about the poet William Wordsworth and his views of the city in comparison to the Lakes District where he spent most of his life. Scary thing is most of his writing is from the 1790's.” (Photo thanks to Daisy)

Going around the bend

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Naziehah (who looks good in a beanie!) for planting my feet on the ground by indirectly smacking the back of my head all the way from Manchester with this quote from Alice in Wonderland,

“You’re mad, bonkers, off your head! But I’ll tell you a secret: All the best people are.”

Now I could not wait to be extremely mad, bonkers and off my head than ever. (Photo credit unknown, do let me know if you do)

Comparatively speaking

(I don’t normally grouch around but) I am jealous of all of you reading my dollop of balderdash here.

I’m jealous of Maya who finally gained her freedom of corporateshit and ventured off to London to pursue her studies, I’m jealous of Wani Ardy far away in Paramatta who is attending Sydney’s Writers Festival next week and is invited to meet Omar Musa personally, I’m jealous of Intan and her mad photography skills and her handsome baby boy, I’m jealous of Aida who was recently blessed with a beautiful baby girl, I’m jealous of Delinn who is constantly surrounded by good friends, I’m jealous of Shaza who perhaps right now is sipping latte at one of those scarce Starbucks outlets in Langkawi and her own imaginary detective agency, I’m jealous of all those jetsetters who fly continents like they are just next door to each other, I’m jealous of those who are financially secured so they take a year sabbatical and travel all around the world and immerse themselves in cultural differences and make new friends, I’m jealous of all those people complaining to be bored when it means that they have spare time, while I’m still right here, stuck in this place, counting the days till weekends, thousand of plans to take over the world but no time to accomplish most of them.

By the time I finally have some hours to spare I am too tired to be out and about and all I wanted to do was to sleep all day. I am definitely jealous of all of you. (Photo from f letter)

Just how do I carry this thing?

Well, ever since Stephen Colbert whipped out his iPad from underneath his jacket at the Grammies, the question has raged: just how DO you carry Apple's new toy on your person? (via notcot)

This is why we need fresh ideas

Photo via A Cup of Jo.

Lotta love

When I was little, I drew things like everything existed on flat surface. There was no exact proportion, no dimension - everything is as flat as a thosai. Lotta Nieminen's illustrations reminded me of how I used to draw - except it's more whimsical, colorful and it makes you feel like you want to be absorbed in this kind of environment where everyone is equal. I have to agree with Bobby of Kitsune Noir, perhaps a desktop wallpaper soon? (via Kitsune Noir)

Also, I've mentioned that I had an urge to dangle my feet pass the yellow lines at the edge of the train platform - and my twitter friend Seng Ming said it was funny because he was reading my tweets while he was on top of the pedestrian bridge watching the cars go by. Now that's nice too because it looks like all the cars seem to march furiously towards us but then effortlessly disappear underneath our feet. Makes me feel majestic.

Nic + Susien + Potato

I have a certain fondness towards creative couples – by creative I mean couples who are involved in creative industry and have this particular vibe of both coolness & appeal when they take pictures together side by side. OK yes I confess – in a way I wish Azry & I would look cute together when we take pictures but something will always come out wrong – my nose would turn out huge, I would look fat, Azry would make a weird facial expression and in the end we never had our photos put up elsewhere. Now where was I?

Ah yes, let’s get back to the program shall we? If you think Nic Briand & Susien Chong of Lover are cute, you should have a look at their home in Sydney – they have ‘awesome’ written all over the walls (not literally though). Potato the smoky gray cat is an adorable addition as well – now why are all my cats ugly??? (via oh, hello there)

Practitioner of Scattered Stimuli

My first stint in creative career (or if there’s any such ‘creative’ career for me) was landing a 3-month contract as a graphic designer for an industrial design company in a small town of Bukit Mertajam, Penang. The director used to tell me numerous times that no ideas are original – they are a matter of pinching bits & pieces from everywhere – observation, experiences, things we collect etc. Although the company screwed me big time (long story) that advice stays with me.

Here’s a few lines from Jim Jarmusch that in a way summed it all up, although I am with Danica on this (well Suet, Danicas are awesome people!) – not sure on celebrating creative thievery but I’ve been a practitioner of scattered stimuli for a long time. That, in other words, I find inspirations & ideas in almost everything & anything.

The 2nd photo? Well these past few days I’ve been taking the train to work and every day I had an urge to stand pass the yellow lines of the platform, and the idea of sitting by the edge of it seems revolting enough. Jackson Eaton took it, by the way. Random: I want this Lego boardroom table found in this equally awesome dubbed agency from Dublin, Boys and Girls!

Vicious cycle of life

Have you ever thought of this - we bought a car to go to work, then we work to pay for the car? Something that crossed my mind early yesterday's morning. Anyway, to continue on the subject of work and cars, here's 1. a tax form for the marginally employed perhaps something I'm looking forward to in the very near future concocted by the very funny Sam Potts. View large here.

... and 2. old Volkswagen user manuals from the early 1960s - late 70s. (via PicoCool)

"What's beautiful about these manuals is not only their aesthetic but also the well crafted content. It's interesting to look at these manuals today in 2010 when we take so many aspects of the car for granted but when reading through these manuals I realized how the car makers took it as their responsibility to educate the owner and make him feel comfortable in this new product that he had just bought, As a pracitioner within the field of User Experience Design, these manuals are great artifacts to look at as they focus more on the experience of the passenger and not on the features of the car (which is the focus of car salesmen today)."

I'm gonna print this large and hang on the wall.

It's like she never left

Reworded from Broadwayworld.com (via twittering KLue)

“The late talented local filmmaker, Yasmin Ahmad (1958-2009) is finally getting all the credit she deserves: for MoMa is running a tribute to her through a a weeklong run of her final film, Talentime (2009), from May 5 through 12, in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. The film is a multi- character, multi-thread story that explores the rich tapestry of Malaysia's diverse peoples, cultures, and religions with humor and finesse.

The wonderful Yasmin was a discovery in MoMA's ongoing ContemporAsian film series in 2008, when her film Mukhsin (2006) was screened. She created films that drew from experiences close to her own life. Her critically acclaimed Orked trilogy-Sepet (2004), Gubra (2006), and Mukhsin-is set in one of today's most culturally diverse societies, and deftly navigates conflicts of color and creed, prejudice and taboo.”

Something OT: During last Anugerah Juara Lagu where Aizat went up the stage and belted out ‘Pergi’, I could not help but being all teary-eyed because in a way, I felt the song relates so much to the late Yasmin (the song was played in Talentime). It is silly, I know about the whole deal of being touched by someone you have never met, but is it possible to miss someone you have never met?

Always be kind

I hope everybody would just listen to Plato for once. (via twittering scanner_darkly)

What's my safe, is your danger

Well, too bad then. (via Madeline Museum)

I love big type and I cannot lie

They are big - and they are coming after you - but I guess you wouldn't mind so!

I am so silly sometimes

I am so silly sometimes. There was one time I was walking down the office lobby and I saw somebody who looked like Azry and nearly sprinted my pumps (the shoes, not the ones for breast milk) off to clamber upon the poor stranger only realizing that it wasn't him and sheepishly retreated. Or like the time I caught a whiff of a cologne similar to what he's often wearing and immediately I texted him and he didn't reply back and instantly I jumped into conclusion he doesn't love me at all and I sulked but the feeling soon all dissipated when I went home and he took me for sushi and we were all good again.

To think that I am so silly sometimes, yet a great guy managed to find his way over to me. (Photo from maddiemcgill)

My heaven on Earth

My heart skipped a beat upon stumbling into Bobby of Kitsune Noir's post on the newly opened Lomography Store in Los Angeles. It seems like the ultimate place where I could get lost in but given the location, alas. It'd be lovely if they have a cafe too, if they don't already have one. Lomobugs would be extra delighted.

Also, a word of advice: If you are taking photos on Golden Half for the first time I'd recommend you to go for 12 or 24-exposure roll because if decide to go for 36 exposures-roll, the baby would take photos doubling up to 72 exposures and if you were like me, I have taken pictures of anything and everything and I still have 36 exposures left and I couldn't wait to yank the film roll off the spool (not literally though) and send it to be developed ASAP.

Dreams where I am sleeping

Bobby of Kitsune Noir writes, "Watching a video like this, with such a phenomenal song, this is why I blog. This is why I love to share things with people, because when I watch and listen to this video I smile." To me, apart from that reason I like having people smile as they are looking at my blog also not forgetting the video is a combination of puppies, sunny days and a giant soap bubble wand. Soap bubble!

DREAMS WHERE I AM SLEEPING from Destin Cretton on Vimeo.

Altogether now, ahhhh.

For all the people who see kindness amongst evil

... here's a series of installation, Pothole Gardens from Pete Dungey, imploring imperfections and beautifying them.

Steve Hoskins attempting the impossible: taking pictures of animals

Well, it's easy for Steve Hoskins to take pictures of all his animals because they were all a bunch of angelic, well-behaved critters, whilst mine (yes I'm looking at you Sybil & Yoda, sit, I said sit, oy stay away from the food stash!) are all chaotic furballs. Pfbhtt (scoffs with envy)

Well, of course I am kidding (not the envy part though, I am genuinely envious). Steve Hoskins, having worked on ad campaign for Pedigree, Purina & Whiskas would know a thing or two or three or infinite numbers about taking pictures of our furriest friends. While me, on the other hand, while trying to change the shutter speed and the next thing I know my furriest 'friends' are already on the edge of the roof trying to catch a bird.

While we are at it, let's have a look at this momentous event of Sybil and her sister Yoda hitting a jackpot. Tsk tsk.

A guide on hipster hair for girls.

Hipster hair for girls requires the 50% bangs to 50% ratio, as seen on Zooey Deschanel above. Just FYI, you know, in case, well. (via BB-Blog)

Good morning April

1st April was really a joke. I had a bad day despite nobody pulled a prank on me so it seemed that life came onboard and said, "What the heck, she has been too serious lately, let me see if she can take a joke & had a laugh afterwards..." and threw in some rude people, some nasty situations and 24 hours to sort it all out.

I did manage to sort everything out, but needless to say I didn't have the last laugh. The situation defeated poor little old me. My back pain is killing me, my body temperature rose so high I can outdo Paris Hilton's hotness so I called in sick today. So I decided that April starts today, on its second day.

The doctor advised me to start on a non-oily, non-spicy diet from now on. Now that's another nasty situation.

Keep calm & snap on

Ooh, this is just perfect for a persistent shutterbug like yours truly. I wish they'd print this onto a t-shirt. (via swissmiss)