Be Kind, Rewind!!

It's been a while since I watched such a small yet sincere movie like this. The primary reasons for me watching this movie were firstly, my comel Mos Def as the main man of the movie and the second would be the owh-so-talented Michel Gondry who is the director as well as producer. Upon hearing this combination (and Jack Black+Danny Glover combo), I instinctively knew that this movie would be great and that it was.

The movie revolves around the lives of Mike (Mos Def-ku) and Jerry (Jack Black) who live in the little town of Passaic, NY. Mike helps his foster father (Danny Glover) run a small VHS rental store called Be Kind, Rewind in a 100 year old building which is facing the possibility of being torn down and be relocated in the projects. So Mr Fletcher, the foster father decides to do research on how to save the business and hands over the responsibility for a few days to Mike. While Mr. Flecther was away, Jerry somehow got magnatised and ruined all the VHS in the store. So when a customer comes in with a request for a Ghostbuster VHS, Mike had to come up with all kinds of idea and finally chose to do his own version of the movie in an amateurish way. The thing is that people loved their work and more requests came for more videos! So from a small tak laku VHS store, people lined up for the sweded version of movies like Rush Hour 2, Space Odyssey and Boyz n The Hood(ye, sweded as in the verbified form of the noun "Sweden"- jack black created the term and that should explain the illogical manner of it). However, it wasn't all good and they still couldn't get enough funding to save the little place. Sedih :(

I recommend this movie for those who love movies with heart and little, true moments in life. It's not going to be super-inspirational like some coaching movie but I left the cinema with a wonderful sense of delight in my heart. Although the crowd in the cinema did not share my enthusiasm (I was laughing all the way and couldn't understand why these people aren't getting the jokes!!!), I truly enjoyed it. I say from now on, "let's be kind, rewind"

Where Memory Should Match The Video

I tell you, this is the funniest thing yet to be uncovered during this pre-election run. lawak... lawak.. lawak..



Obama, this is one heck of an advantage for you :)

Taking The Leap

How bloody lucky can you be to just see someone and straight away know that they are your soul mate and partner for life? That you don't have to bother to try anything, you don't even need to know if he/she is taken or not, you don't even need to know if he/she is a real human being... You just know that God (being the Supreme Being that He is) fashioned everything in a manner that this person was made for you, and only for you while other obstacles can stand in the way and be completely irrelevant.

I'm reading A Leap of Love by Catherine Lim (owwwwhhh... don't you just love her??!). It's a story of love between Li Ann and Jeremy, two strangers whose love for each other will (presumably) withstand the test of time and prying eyes. Set on every 29th February which only happens once in four years (just in case you didn't notice), they promise to meet each other up at the same cafe, same time, same table regardless of the circumstances. I've only read right up to Chapter 6 (after Li-ann's first encounter with Jeremy)but I have this achy feeling in my heart that this story will not end the way I want it to (yes, let's use the concept of foreshadowing- sila rujuk Literature Appreciation for Dummies.)

Owh well, I would have been finished reading it by tomorrow (I think).. We'll see whether love is, after all, the moving cause in life. For the time being, I want to bask in the glory of love (gaya King Julian of Madagascar)

On a slightly different note, I've just finished reading Dina Zaman's I Am Muslim... I was moved with Dina's honesty but I have to admit that I was a little bit surprised by some her discoveries/experiences which were liberally handled. Yet again, I feel that Dina Zaman is a thinker who knows what she's dealing with thus she can deal handle it without qualms because she has strong beliefs. I guess that is clearly reflected in the heavy nuances of the rationality and the practicality of the beautiful religion each time she faces such a situation. That would be an indicator that this book wants to deal with you as you are, like a normal human being with dilemmas and queries. Islam itu agama yang syumul and I think that is the whole point of the book. Thank You, Dina for exploring forbidden frontiers and boldly re-telling them for Malaysians as well as being a representative of Malaysian Muslims-no matter which type we call ourselves-

We're All In This Together

I was thinking that I should open a few fan clubs since I don't have the proper channels to vent my love and passion for the subjects. Kalau buka fan club, perlulah ada ahli-ahli kan??? So, there will be a few members eligible for exclusive invitation and yang lain, can send a written letter or just an sms would do fine too :p

1) The Raslan Brothers FC
invitation extended to: Rosyada Sulaiman and Syajaratuddurrah Mohd Khairuddi

2) The Crocs Haters Club
invitation extended to: Nur Amanina Abdul Samad, Syajaratuddurrah Mohd Khairuddi and The Mother

3) The Coffee Cart FC
invitation extended to: Khairun Nisa Kamaruddin

4) The I Need More Sleep Club
invitation extended to: Nur Amanina Abdul Samad, Muhammad Nabil Nor Kamal and Muhammad Yassir Shah Abdul Aziz

5) The 30 Hari Mencari Cinta Club
invitation extended to: Syajaratuddurrah Mohd Khairuddi, Muhammad Nabil Nor Kamal and Khairun Nisa Kamaruddin

6) The I Love Benefit Cosmetics Club
invitation extended to Aimi Mahfuzah Mohd Kamalludeen

7) The La Zeez FC
invitation extended to: Muhammad Asraf Baharuddin, Hisham Hussain and Muhammad Nabil Nor Kamal

8) The Devi's Corner FC
invitation extended to: Aimi Mahfuzah Kamalludeen, Nur Amanina Abdul Samad, Syajaratuddurrah Mohd Khairuddi and Ungku Khairunnisa Ungku Mohd Nordin

9) The I Miss Sydney Club
invitation extended to: Khairun Nisa Kamaruddin, Syajaratuddurrah Mohd Khairuddi and Rosyada Sulaiman

10) The John Legend is My Panacea Club
no invitation will be provided due to extreme degree of selfishness

It Doesn't Take Much

It doesn't take much to steal my heart,
It's probably just a twinkle in your eyes,
When they catch the sight of me in them,
Or that cute, boyish smile on your lips,
When it stops moving as I speak,
It can also be the slight caress,
When your fingers happens to brush mine,
Or it can simply be the way you move,
To the melody of our favourite song,
The one we silently agreed to make as ours,
When we both watered the hope for a possible love :)

(but seriously, it doesn't take much... :p)

The Sun Has Burst For 2008

*Took a taxi from KL Sentral and arrived at Polo Pavillion, Bukit Kiara when the rain was really heavy but it didn't deter my spirit... That was around 5.30pm, thought it should be called Rainburst instead... Owh well, I'm lucky that I was just in time for George Clinton and P/Funk*

*George Clinton at the Sky Stage was great, aku yang tak berapa mengerti funk ni pun can jive to their beat and join in the funk. Their strength was the ability to attract the crowds attention... No corny "terima kasihs" and "apa khabars", just pure music satisfaction. pakcik george clinton dah tua, okaaaay but he made all these youngsters' leg loose and obliged to shake to the funk.. ouh, dah 7pm... baik run to Era Stage for Raul Midon*

*Raul Midon was the third reason why I insisted on going to Sunburst, even if it means braving it alone. He was all I thought he would be... Simply entertaining. Luckily, he sang more songs from State Of Mind like Waited All My Life (nangis plis!), my-all-time-favourite-Sunshine, State of Mind and Suddenly. He also sang I've Got All The Answers from his sophomore album. But the thing is that the Malaysian crowd wasn't really familiar with his name and those watching him were pretty much going "mamat ni best tapi siapa dia ek??"... It was proof enough when a girl said to her boyfriend upon seeing him being lead down the stage "eh, eh... dia butalah, awak!"... ye, Raul Midon is a blind Latin Soul Jazz musician but at least, they can consider the experience watching a blind man being that good on the guitars as educational ler*

*Bumped into Lynn and Pojan after finished watching Raul Midon (thankful, thankful). They were intending to catch Midon but came a bit too late as the Era Stage was punctual unlike all the other stages. Lynn muka kecewa sikit but she has already watched him in Java Jazz Festival so tak rugilah sangat kot. We decided to just lepak2 as Sky Stage had Joe Flizzow and Hitz Stage was hosting One Buck Short. Watched Joe Flizzow from afar, kagum juge dgn Hip Hop Is Dead yang dimelayukan. Was more interested in watching people walking around like they're going swimming while some Malays proudly sipping on Tuborg. A music festival is all about the music, not about being happening*

*Lynn left early as she was bored and was willing to let go of John Legend. So, I lepaked with Pojan and went over to Sky Stage to catch The Roots after Joe Flizzow's set. The Roots of course was reason number 2 for the festival. Gileeeerrrr best! Loved the percussion set by ?uestlove and Kirk Douglas was the man too. Enche Black Thought's skills are unquestionable, terubat sakit hati missed their performance in Sydney. They sang a string of medleys as well as their owh-so-famous- U Got Me Unfortunately, there was this 40 year short mat salleh guy who was a little bit of a wannabe menari sebelah aku dengan awek cinanya, holding a cup of beer. I was dancing to the beat sambil tengok2 kalau beer tu tumpah ke atas bajuku (pakcik, arak itu haram untuk aku). There were also this bunch of kids smoking weed in the middle of the crowd and I say it's weed because I doubt teenage boys grin sheepishly when they pass around their normal ciggies*

*Pojan suggested that we should just lepak at the Sky Stage where John Legend will be performing next while Incognito performs at the Sun Stage next to us. We rushed to the front and managed to secure such a beautiful spot. I warned Pojan beforehand that he shouldn't be surprised if I suddenly cried when the man appears on stage... I swear that might be the longest hour I've waited on, my back hurts and Pojan was having some problems balancing.. hahaha.*

*The time came but there was some problems with the sound system. We patiently waited as the problem was being overcome by the conflicting persons. There were chants of "We want John" and "John Legend" going on, pressuring the technicians to complete their tasks a.s.a.p. Alas, we were still waiting even after 15 minutes of the scheduled time which was already an hour off (instead of 10pm, the show was pushed to 11pm). When the man finally came out, Mr Legend received the loudest roar from his fans and they all sang along to his songs. I was expecting the crowd to not know his songs and just being there for the sake of attending the fest but I was damn wrong. These people really could sing to every single song, regardless of whether it's a single or not. I was totally blown away by John Legend's talents and his ability to ooze sexiness through his moves or voice. He didn't say much, he just sang song after song (just like the way I love it). He had a balanced mix of songs from both Get Lifted and Once Again, those choices proving the man knows his crowd. Being the lucky ones in front, I managed to see him up close and shook his hand when he came down to greet us (he was handsome gileeer!!). I just decided to sink in his voice for that 1 hour and so, whiling away in the dream came true moments.*

*After John finished his set, I was ready to leave but Nabil was still on the way to pick me up so I stayed on to watch Incubus with Pojan. Bumped into Syai and Cici (loving gila, saya tak tahu puuuuun), borak sekejap and left when Nabil sampai with Sally at Bukit Kiara. Went to La Zeez for supper and still couldn't believe that I just watched John Legend live! Slept with a smile*

*Sunburst 2009 has a lot to live up to... Manalah tahu ada Jamie Foxx or Usher or Stevie Wonder (wah, wah, semuanya list personal favourites ni!) We'll see what awaits next year. Kalau cuti sekolah, bolehlah menyusul*

Books Galore

My room mate, Sayda gave the most earnest type of laughter when she discovered that the first purchase I made when the allowance came in was a book I've been eyeing on for a while... (owh, nina did so too!). To tell you the absolute truth, I found that the money was well spent and that was the best purchase I've made this month. And let me assure you that I have been spending quite a bit despite my new years' resolution to start saving more money for the future (damn it!)... hahaha

Anyway, a friend requested through another friend of mine that I should update the books I've bought or have read so that the former can get some recommendations which was actually kind of sweet but puzzling, don't you think so? Pressure tak kau?? Ngeh ngeh ngeh...

So far, I've finished reading a book I bought three weeks ago, Confessions of An Old Boy: Adventures of Dato' Halim by Kam "Gorgeous" Raslan(the brother of Karim "Handsome" Raslan). I think the main character in the book, Dato' Halim must be the oldest Malay male bimbo you'll ever come across in your life and I find it surprising that it is not a true person, although Kam does acknowledge that he is a fiction based on truth. Dato' Hamid is a man who is not afraid to be weak when he have too but will never appear to be on the losing side. And he owes it all to The Wife, of course... I feel this is simply one of the best books I've read thanks to the fluid language as well as the clever portrayal of the characters so much so that you feel they are one of our uncles/aunts/friends.

Another book I've recently read is the much awaited release of Glimpses by the very vivacious Adibah Amin who resumes the style of As I Was Passing(1)&(2) which compiles the bits and pieces of living here in Malaysia. Considering it has been almost 30 years since the highly recognised As I Was Passing series were published, it's of little wonder why Glimpses is selling like hot cake as I think people are eager to know if Malaysia has in fact change in any way, at least in Adibah's eye. I'll just tell you that As I Was Passing is still very much relevant while Glimpses only helps to put it in new perspective. It's not of comparison as Glimpses could easily be As I Was Passing (3). However, one thing I can assure you is that there is almost no doubt about Adibah's ability to relate her experience like she's your best friend while writing in what seems like an effortless manner to capture the readers interest to continue exploring her thoughts. Quoting Amir Muhammad in the pre-face, "if you had a neighbour like Adibah, you wouldn't want to live elsewhere"

Before both Glimpses and Confessions of An Old Boy, I've only just finished reading A.Samad Ismail: Journalism and Politics that was a gateway to the not-so-long-time-ago when Malayans/Malaysians still had the romantics of an ideal political system garnered by all, irrelevant of their race. Compiled in the book are a few newspaper articles written by the man himself as well as some other essays about him written by people in his life, namely his colleagues and one from his wife. Hardly any regret was expressed by any of them about working with a man who has a reputation of being hot-tempered and crass because they all knew they worked for perfection and for a common cause (which is what we all should keep in our heart when we function in an organisation). Reading his wife's recount was also a revelation of how much love can stand the test of time or obstacle. A. Samad Ismail was and is still is a Malaysian intellect who questions the right stuff and gets the right answers for all of us, even if it comes with a price.

I also made a discovery about Paulo Coelho when Sayda introduced him to me and just then, I remembered that a lot other people have also recommended him to me. Some of them strongly suggested that I'd definitely love him and indeed, that I did. I finished reading Like The Flowing River in just 5 hours and I truly enjoyed his view on the world. His views made me feel somewhat.... normal, if I may use that word. He is a proof that optimism is the core of humanity and compassion is a result of devotion to what you believe. Aku teruja giler masa baca and felt that Paulo was saying all the right words while pressing all my right buttons. A simply moving piece...

I'm currently reading The Writer and The World: Essays by V.S Naipaul which is essentially a collection of his experiences all around the world and his reflection of it. I've been immersed in the thick book and been carrying it around despite the weight. I won't ever question his Nobel Laureate title because this is a man of different calibre than the others I've read.
In between that book, I've sneaked in a Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas' book titled Eh, Wat Yu Talking: Chronicles of Malay Humour which I just bought yesterday. As a keen fan of Syed Ali Tawfik Al-Attas' works, I must say since I don't know him personally, I'm surprised that he has this incredible sense of humour and the ability to shed that scholarly cloak that he has wrapped around him... I'm only have way through the book and already I'm smiling to myself when I remember any of the jokes. Not bad for an accidental comedian, eyh??

Some of you must be bored to death reading all these details, so tell you what? Bore me back with list of books you've recently read or mere suggestions... Then, we'll call it even :p

Tidakkah Kau Terfikir....

* Kenapa kedai makan melayu mesti ada kucing??? Kadang-kadang, kucingnya berkurap dan berkudis tapi tiada usaha untuk menghalau kucing-kucing ini yang menggaru bulu-bulunya yang mungkin melayang masuk makanan kita. Hakikatnya, tidak semua orang gemarkan kucing sebagaimana tidak semua kucing gemarkan orang.

* Kenapa filem Tamil hampir selalu memperjuangkan cinta yang agak mustahil? Tapi cinta itu pasti akan berjaya melalui perbincangan yang mengambil masa lima minit di akhir cerita dan menjadikan semua pergaduhan yang memerlukan hero itu untuk terbang sana sini agak pointless serta kekayaan melampau bapa pihak perempuan takde faedahnya... Hakikatnya, aku tetap akan tengok juga sambil terpinga-pinga seronok

* Kenapa orang muda Malaysia lebih kenal Barack Obama dan Pervez Musharraf daripada Shafie Afdal dan Azmi Khalid? Hakikatnya, internet membuka minda kami dengan terlalu luas dan global sehingga kami hampir tidak peduli tentang yang di sini. Maka, gunakanlah internet dengan sebaik mungkin untuk menaip "Malaysia" kerana Yahoo dan Google juga ada maklumat tentang negara ini.

* Kenapa kanak-kanak di bandar tidak bermain layang-layang dan gasing lagi? Hakikatnya, PS2 yang lebih mahal tapi mungkin hanya mampu bertahan selama layang-layang dan gasing itu juga merupakan cara terbaik untuk mengunci anak di dalam rumah dan jauh dari penculik-penculik. Maka, mungkin boleh dicipta perisian PS2 yang berunsur permainan tradisional supaya anak-anak ini tahu cara terbaik untuk menerbangkan layang-layang itu dengan tinggi apabila mereka perlu berdepan situasi itu kelak.

* Kenapa di Malaysia, ia promosikan krim pemutih kulit tapi di barat, beriya pula menjual self-tanning solutions? Hakikatnya, kita hanya melihat kecantikan melalui apa yang dipromosikan oleh syarikat korporat konglomerat sebegini yang cuba memenuhi pendapat masyarakat sekeliling tentang erti kecantikan. Dalam erti kata lain, mudah benar kita terpengaruh dengan pemasaran sebegini kerana ia ditetapkan orang sekeliling kita (di Malaysia, kau cantik bila kau putih dan di barat, kau cantik bila kau tanned, padahal semuanya manusia juga). Maka, kecewalah dgn diri sendiri apabila hasilnya tidak sama dengan Fasha Sandha atau Zhang Zhi Yi tanpa melihat cermin dengan tepat untuk sedar bahawa inilah realiti dan yang terpantul itu adalah anda yang mencuba pengomersialan secara DIY.

Retrospect

I've been tagged by Nisa and I was pretty bored too.. hahahaha. Anyway, it's all about being a reflective practitioner regardless of what your practices might be...

10 years ago………..
The beginning of many beautiful friendships started when I was 13 where almost all of them lasted until today as we kept in touch constantly. My friends from my schooling years help me to always feel a sense of youth and relevant to the nature of my being. In other words, they help to define me and my lifelah. Besides that, I can clearly remember that I was very adamant on not going to any boarding schools despite the relatively good results and being the cool parents that they are, mummy and daddy just let me be. 13 was also the age when I knew the meaning of being serious and focused on the future by setting my aims and future career path (",)

5 years ago………
Was still dealing the loss of my arwah daddy (honestly,it's never going to be easy). I also worked in my mama's shop and earning some bucks to support self. Coming to IPBA was another defining moment of my life where I learnt how to become a thinker and a progressor.

1 year ago………
Was full of mixed emotions... Around this time, I was back in Sydney after a long holiday in Malaysia. Learnt that the relationship I had was based on lies, felt wasted and promised to stay focused on studies (Alhamdulillah for the diversion). Alhamdulillah again for the great house mates with whom I got to share laughter and tears, the fantastic lecturers (miss Dan O'Brien, Rod Lane, Ilija Casule & George Cooney in particular)and exhausting learning experiences...

Yesterday I was…….
hanging out for lunch at Makbul TTDI with Nina, Durra, Aimi and Nisya after LTP's tutorial where we got banged quite badly by Miss Lum (tidakkah kau penat?). Attended this really inspiring seminar on teachers' accountability by Mrs Vasantha Mallar before going to Gulai Kampung for a roti canai for tea. Blogged a bit and went for dinner... plainly said, it was all about makan :p

5 snacks I enjoy………
1. hotdog
2. burger
3. rojak pasembor
4. fifi and aidid's food (apa-apa sahaja just to annoy them
5. cheesecakes


5 songs I know all the words to…….
1. Ayu- V.E
2. Dil To Pagal Hai (tidakkah kau terkejut?)
3. Ordinary People- John Legend
4. Negaraku
5. Dilanda Cinta- Shanon Shah

5 bad habits………
1. fusses over trivial things (e.g expects matched set of cutlery di kedai makan)
2. procrastinates
3. listens to music loudly (ganggu orang!)
4. cuts into a discussion or conversation abruptly
5. often makes remarks about everything regardless of whether you're interested to know or not :p


5 biggest joy…….
1. Family (Mummy, Fifi, Aidid, Sunny)
2. Close friends
3. Good books
4. Great Music
5. Knowing that all of my loved ones are happy :)


5 favourite toys……..
1. my handphones
2. my PC
3. nina's lappy
4. aidid's race cars
5. fifi's vast collection of barbie dolls

5 favourite tv shows…….
1. Rove
2. Chaser's War On Everything
3. Majalah 3
4. Spongebob Squarepants
5. Kevin Hill

It's An Unfair World

Yesterday, I was talking or rather, chatting to a good friend who I've known for almost 5 years now. He is one who always has a great view on various issues so much so that I just love listening to him because more often than not, our views would be the total opposites but we will agree to disagree in the most funny way (knowing how uptight and headstrong I can be, that's a pretty big surprise aye?).

But his one view on the topic of our conversation yesterday was something I could not and, if I may add, refuse to comprehend, considering how much leadership work he has handled before. Well, it went like this or something to the same effect...

T: So why do you want to try so hard? Just so you know after 23 years of living, you ought to know that it's an unfair world. In Malaysia, it's an unfair system. Just deal with it

I almost caught my tongue, or rather my finger, after absorbing this opinion of his. Okay, I agree that the world has been an unfair place but why is that when you CAN change something, you simply refuse to? We talk so much about changing or shaping the new generation but we ourselves hold a principle in our mind that things are stagnant and there's nothing we can do about it.

His pessimistic view was rather hard for me to swallow as it does reflect that some people are actually holding back the needed change. Pardon the euphemism but if we're going to remain this ignorant, how can we ever make the world a better place? Small things are parts to a bigger dimension, small changes are the vehicle to a broader one. If you can't believe in the possibilities, it will remain the world as it is today.

It's an unfair world because we choose to make it so. Ye, aku frustrated :(

You're Perfect

It's never the wrong look in your eyes,
The Innocence and freedom I seek,
In the long Wilted life I've lived,
The rows of Sorrows never borrowed,
Always mine to Claim in a mute minute,
Always sole to a lone Soul,
Time and again, it yearns for Perfection,
That eventually came in You...

Maybe this Innocence won't last,
My Wilt will end the next second,
Cautioned by excitement of other Charms,
The Sorrows will then be sold earnestly,
Nothing will be to be Claimed as mine,
Of Souls flying upon the soaring skjavascript:void(0)
Publish Posty,
Time and again, Perfection redefined,
But You will always be my Perfection

*for all my loved ones, beauty is defined in you*

Ten Songs Of Significantly Interesting Beats To Be Remembered

This is just a random list I have decided to come up with to celebrate almost ten years of serious music appreciation (hahaha!). Okay, maybe not that random as I've spent two weeks thinking about this list. It's definitely not easy to decide and I faced difficulties in determining a criteria but I made the ultimate choice a day ago (you must be wondering why I have a lot of time in my hands... the answer is I actually don't.. haha) FYI, songs may be chosen for a variety of reason, from compact and impossible music arrangements to the creative energy channeled in the song. Interesting might not mean good or revolutionary but just defining enough for a know-nothing person like me, so pardon the quite limited repertoire of music. Anyway, tidakkah kau teruja juga untuk tahu? So, here it goeslah in no particular order

1) One Thing- Amerie
2) Agua De Belen- Poncho Sanchez
3) 99 Problems- Jay Z
4) Seven Nation Army- White Stripes
5) Summertime- Miles Davies
6) Joget Pahang- P.Ramlee
7) Used To Love You- John Legend
8) Song 2- Blur
9) I Want You Back- Jackson Five
10) Wannabe- Spice Girls

For all those out there raising an eyebrow over this short list, do care enough to relate your selections. Those who smile over the triviality of this list can now move on with their lives as usual and not break a blood vein trying to compile this obscure part of life (waaa... sarcastically deep tak daku?)

Bila Ana Jahat

Caution: Ana was in one of her bitchy, post-PMS moods when she experienced all these so she had to wait until she is finally rational after a looong bath and a cup of good Vittoria coffee. This might come quite delayed but all the more still relevant to anybody out there who has experienced any kind of frustration of the same sort.


I have a certain set of pre-conceptions of how customer service should be provided to clients primarily because clients pay money for the service while the person who serves would ideally represent their organisation/corporation. Though, I often ask myself if I'm setting the standards too high for these people who rightfully do not owe me anything at all. Okay, to give you a clearer idea, I'll just relate a situation where I was pretty pissed off with the service and simply couldn't tolerate the lack of professionalism or politeness. So, you tell me whether I am fussy or some people just don't know how to treat others.

A blazing hot afternoon at Bangsar:
I was accompanying Durra to do an important banking transaction at a bank, naturally. As the electronic beeper alerts us that we should proceed to counter 6, we dutifully approach the empty counter and a stocky man at counter 5 looked at us with a half-effort glance and said "counter 5, counter 5.. counter 6 kan kosong" (like, hallo! how are we suppose to know?? knowing how busy bank counters can be, i thought we were supposed to wait patiently like all good citizens should do). Being the sweet, little creatures that we are, we followed the instruction and Durra went on with the transaction.

Pakcik : Ni nak buat apa ni?
Ana : Nak withdraw duit
Pakcik : Owwh.. takde kad ke? (sly look)
Ana : Hurrmmmm... nak aktifkan akaun kembali sebab dah dua tahun tak guna akaun
(if you're wondering why I'm talking, Durra was diam and not answering, so I did)
Pakcik : Okay... tapi kena masukkan duit dalam akaun juga. Keluar dan masuk
Ana : Owwhh... ye ke? Saya diberitahu hanya perlu keluarkan duit di kaunter
Pakcik : Tak tahulah.. Kadang-kadang orang ni bagi maklumat lain-lain. Suka hatilah
Ana : Transaksi masuk sudah pernah buat dalam masa terdekat ni sebenarnya
Pakcik : owwhhh... dah buat??? oklah.. suka hatilah (asks for the forms and IC)

Pakcik checks the forms and insisted that Durra should put some money into the account regardless of the information I gave. (lantak kaulah, pakcik)

After a few moments of trying to authorise the forms, he seemed to face some difficulties...
Pakcik : Ni macam mana ni? Sign tak match pun... Bila buat akaun ni, sign sama tak?
Durra : Errr... tak sama rasanya. Sebab dah lama buat and tak pernah guna buku akaun
Pakcik : Ye ke?? You all ni buat saya rasa tak sedap hatilah.. Sebab yelah, orang suka tipu pakai akaun orang lain ni, terutamanya orang pencen punya. Sekejap saya tanya pegawai saya.. yang ni, kita tak boleh main lepas sahaja

(Bisik hati kecil Ana sementara pakcik in his selipar jepun goes on to meet his pegawai: Hallo, pakcik! On that account book, it did state that Durra was born in 1985, takkan dah pencen kot??! Plus, the ic number in it matches with her IC yang terang-terang ada mukanya. Kalau ye pun the fault is hers for not having the same sign, you shouldn't have said yang you tak sedap hati seolah-olah you are making a direct accusation that my friend is a delinquent)

Pakcik: oklah, you datang lepas sejam... kita kena tunggu fax dari cawangan lama you. You pergilah makan dulu ke ape ke... Lepas sejam, you boleh datang balik (dengan lagak ketua kampung pisang)

After an hour or so, we came back and I decided not to accompany Durra at the counter now for fear that I would make comments on how easy the problem can be solved and he shouldn't have treated us as an unnecessary fuss. Luckily, Durra was served by another person who appeared very professional despite his apparent young age. Still, the pakcik selipar jepun felt obliged to shout out the necessary procedures from his counter 5 to counter 9 as if the guy who was handling Durra's transaction didn't have the brains to do it(the guy did seem pretty annoyed, mind you), causing the whole bank to know that Durra didn't have a matched signature.

Pakcik selipar jepun went on to call Durra to his counter to give a short ceramah on how much trouble they went through because of this and why she shouldn't change her signature. I just looked on from where I was seated in the waiting area because by then, I was keen on taking his selipar jepun and turning it into soup for him to drink so that he can learn how to treat people with a level of professionalism as this is not a transaction in Kedai Pau Pak Abu where you can say anything and I wouldn't care.

Well, it wasn't so much of what he said but rather the way he said it that made me feel that I will never open a bank account in that bank. If you're so lazy to please your clients, then try to ask for another position where you can wear selipar jepun and I wouldn't give a rat's ass. . And they say that "our principle is that our customers are always right"... Yeah, right!

Sharing Is Caring

I know that phrase holds a lot of true meanings to it but I have to admit that I'm a type of person who finds it very hard to share things with people I'm not in a comfortable level with. My close friends might know that I don't mind going the extra mile because I sincerely care for them yet for others, I often get this bisikan hati jahat that goes 'alaaaa.... mana boleh??? i susah-susah ja berusaha selama ni tau. Mana boleh kongsi???'

Thus why I find it hard to work academically in groups, especially when it's not with the preferred few who can stand my sudden aggressiveness when defending my ideas and commenting on the others. Yes, I do get suddenly worked up when it concerns the outcome and quality of m work. I'm still learning to place myself in a position where I'm not always right and not only my idea sells but knowing myself, I know I'm gonna be too focused on getting it done the way I want that I'll end up devising it konon-konon up to my standards (yang takdelah best pun). But Insya Allah, I'll try harder in the future and do remind me when I get too insensitive when I say "Eh, kau rasa idea kau ni valid ke untuk benda yang kita buat ni?"

Still on sharing, I was blessed with superb house mates while living in Sydney and honestly, I really miss hanging out with them. I do see them everyday but it's not the same without the breakfast sessions and the late nights we had in our own little place we can truly call our own home. Rindu kamu, Nisa, Syada and Durra(not that I don't LOVE living with Nina now:p) At least, they know how fanatical I am about the toilets cleanliness, picking up your own hair in the bathroom and washing the dishes in the sink (tidakkah kau terasa?)

Anyway, I think sharing is caring only if you really care. If not, it would be sharing is tiring or sharing is boring... Owh well, I hope you got my point :)

Perihal Cengkerik Dan Ketam

Situasi 1: Satu pagi yang hening tapi panas di dalam Dewan Kuliah A di saat aku energetic walaupun tidur sejam sahaja malam sbelumnya (tidakkah kau gusar?)

Encik NZR: You know they say, manusia ni rambut sama hitam...
(being good and well trained Malaysian students, you will feel obliged to sambung his ayat)
Us: Hati lain-lain
Encik NZR: Nolaaaa... gigi lain-lain. When they want to identify your body, they look at your teeth and dental record, not at your liver.
(kedengaran unggas dan cengkerik malam memecah kesunyian yang awkward)

Situasi 2: Pagi yang redup tapi ada cicak yang bercorak seolah-olah tatu orang Maori (kau ingat cicak tak tahu erti cool?) berselindung di sebalik langsir berwarna pic di Dewan Kuliah A yang juga dikenali dengan nama DKA

Encik NHL: Jarod, you try to book DKA for this Friday's mass tutorial... If you can't, then go to Plan B (holds silence).. book the DKB. If you still can't, then try Plan C (holds silence).. book the DKC (sambil tersengih girang)(kelihatan seekor ketam janggal melintas secara senget di khalayak ramai)

Kering hatiku mendapat pensyarah begini...

Perubahan Yang Boleh Dipercayai

Bagi yang telah lama mengenali saya, pastinya anda mengetahui bahawa saya mudah teruja apabila berbicara tentang politik sehingga saya yakin pasti ada yang berdoa dalam diam agar saya akan segera berhenti membincangkan tentang isu-isu yang selalunya berpanjangan dan berlarutan menjadi perdebatan, lazimnya kerana waktu yang selalu dipilih adalah ketika kami duduk di meja makan/kopi :p Peliknya, saya tidak pula melobi mana-mana parti politik yang wujud di Malaysia malah saya lebih kerap membicarakan tentang suasana politik di luar negara untuk mencetuskan perbandingan dari segi ketelusan dan pengendalian dalaman.

Sebenarnya, saya tidaklah terlalu obses dengan isu-isu ini kerana niat saya cumalah untuk meningkatkan kesedaran politik dalam diri dan juga rakan-rakan tetapi saya selalu berasa terpanggil untuk melihat sebab di sebalik mengapa golongan muda di negara ini secara amnya kurang mengambil tahu mengenai senario semasa berbanding dengan mereka yang seusia kami sekitar 1940-an sehingga lewat 1980-an yang tdak pernah gentar untuk menyuarakan pendapat mereka dalam isu berkaitan politik, tidak kiralah sebagai pemerhati luar atau gerakan dalaman. Saya hanya berharap agar apa yang bakal diutarakan seterusnya di sini mampu membuka minda kita tentang betapa jauh tapi pentingnya kesedaran berpolitik dan tanggungjawab yang dipegang oleh generasi muda di Malaysia, khususnya golongan intelektual yang amat diperlukan untuk membantu mengubah sedikit sebanyak warna politik di sini. Saya juga harap anda faham bahawa ia bukanlah kebenaran yang paling nyata tentang senario politik Malaysia kerana ia hanya pendapat peribadi yang dicetus dari rangkuman pemerhatian, pengamatan serta perbandingan.

Mungkin ada antara anda yang tersenyum sinis kerana menyedari durasi masa di mana kesenyapan politik (jika dibandingkan dengan dekad-dekad sebelumnya) mula melanda negara ini adalah ketika kita di bawah pengendalian Perdana Menteri Ke-4 namun bagi saya, ia bukanlah suatu situasi yang wujud hasil halangan berekspresi secara terbuka tetapi lebih kepada kerana keselesaan hidup yang dilalui membuatkan kita sedikit leka dan lupa untuk melihat belakang kembali dan melihat sebab sebenar di sebalik kemakmuran hari ini. Ramai yang tidak mengetahui, contohnya, Tun Dr M juga pernah dibuang keahliannya daripada UMNO selama 3 tahun dari tahun 1969-1972 kerana menyuarakan pendapatnya secara terang-terangan mengenai beberapa isu dalaman serta apa yang dilihat sebagai sebab "kepincangan" pengendalian UMNO ketika itu. Pemuda UMNO (seolah-olah mereka bukan sebahagian dari petubuhan itu) di banyak kawasan sepakat mengeluarkan memorandum untuk menyatakan sokongan mereka terhadap Dr M dan menyarankan keahliannya diterima serta merta sekiranya permohonan dilakukan. Apabila Tun Abdul Razak menjadi Perdana Menteri, Dr M pula yang menjadi tonggak utama kerajaan seperti beliau tidak pernah ditidakkan oleh pertubuhan yang dinaunginya itu.

Ya, ia adalah tidak adil untuk meyalahkan pihak lain di atas keengganan kami untuk mengambil tahu perihal politik Malaysia tapi secara terus-terang, kami tidak pernah dididik dengan kesedaran untuk menjadikan medan tersebut sebagai tempat untuk mengubah nasib serta memperbaiki taraf kehidupan kami. Pada kami, hanya kemajuan ekonomi yang mampu menjana mobiliti sosial dan hal lain boleh dikendalikan oleh pihak yang "bertanggungjawab". Justeru anda melihat anak-anak muda seperti segelintir rakan-rakan saya yang masih belum mendaftar sebagai pengundi walaupun sudah layak berbuat demikian sejak beberapa tahun dahulu dan ada pula yang awal-awal lagi sudah bercadang untuk tidur sahaja di rumah pada hari pengundian kerana tidak menyedar betapa besarya kuasa yang mereka pegang dengan undian mereka. Saya boleh menerima rungutan kecil anda bahawa kita tidak punya banyak pilihan yang bagus untuk dilakukan (one is focused on getting to the Moon with a Rocket while the other seems earthed in turning us into the Land Of The Rising Sun [In Law]) tetapi saya percaya bahawa sekiranya kita gagal untuk menggunakan kuasa yang kita ada, kita telah mengkhianati datuk nenek kita yang bergolok gadai untuk memastikan kita mampu mengecapi apa yang kita miliki sekarang dan juga turut hilang hak untuk mencorakkan masa depan Malaysia untuk anak-anak kita kelak kerana temoh 5 tahun pada tangan yang salah boleh menyebabkan kerosakan yang akan mengambil masa yang terlalu lama untuk diperbaiki.

Tidak dapat dinafikan juga bahawa kerenah dan tingkah laku sesetengah ahli politik juga menjadikan arena ini dilihat sebagai sesuatu yang agak mengecewakan dan tidak memangkinkan kemajuan mana-mana pihak. Lewat 1990-an serta abad baru ni menyaksikan beberapa percakaran kuasa politik yang sedikit sebanyak telah menjejaskan kualiti kepimpinan di dalam parti masing-masing dan membawa kesan ke atas keyakinan rakyat terhadap kerajaan mahupun barisan pembangkang. "Kami tahu apa yang kami lakukan, anda tidak perlu mempersoalkan kami" merupakan antara mesej terselindung dalam kebanyakan jawapan mereka yang berpengaruh ini terhadap teguran-teguran kecil kami tetapi hasil kerja mereka sering tampak tergesa-gesa atau cetek tahap pemikirannya. Keengganan pihak dalaman untuk mempersoalkan kesilapan dan kesalahan yang dilakukan demi untuk menjaga kepentingan masing-masing menyebabkan perkara ini akan terus berlaku dalam kitaran kegagalan yang tidak terhenti. Jika tiada sesiapa yang selantang Tengku Razaleigh untuk bertanya secara terbuka selepas melihat beliau tersingkir (walaupun diterima semula) kerana tidak mahu kehilangan peluang menaiki strata kerajaan, saya rasa kita tidak dapatlah menyalahkan pucuk kepimpinan sebagai memberikan tekanan pula.

Kesan daripada situasi tersebut pula mungkin dapat dilihat pada kemunculan penulis-penulis blog sosio-ekonomi yang secara terang-terangan atau berkias mempersoalkan serta membincangkan kepincangan yang dapat dikesan namun suara mereka pula dikekang dengan ancaman penahanan di bawah akta ISA dan sebagainya (seraya saya teringat kepada wartawan tersohor, A Samad Ismail yang pernah 3 kali ditahan malah sekali pernah dituduh komunis dek kelantangannya di akhbar- kepada anda yang menulis kerana anda percaya kepada tanggungjawab anda, teruskan usaha kerana Tuhan bersama mereka yang jujur dan ikhlas). Ini menambahkan lagi keyakinan kami bahawa suara kami tidak dihargai dan pendapat kami tiada nilainya selagi kami tidak bergelar Yang Berhormat yang dipilih oleh 34% pengundi yang keluar mengundi di kawasan tersebut. Mungkin kami kurang ilmu kami kerana kami muda atau kami kurang akal kerana kami peduli mengenai sesuatu yang kami tidak fahami tapi apa yang kami perhati, bila anda bergaduh, anda tidak pula bergaduh untuk kami sebaliknya untuk diri sendiri... Maka apa gunanya perjuangan ini? Saya masih mencari jawapan yang pasti dan saya amat berharap untuk menemui dalam masa yang terdekat ini bersama anda.

Of Certain In Denials Phase

We were having this random conversation in the car the other day as we were heading to Bangsar. Apparently, we were all sort of in a slight denial that we're all going to be teachers in a year time (yakah??) so we started giving each other some other career that is suitable to their faces, character and how they look in baju kurungs

Aimi:
Ana and Nina thought she would be in a PR post somewhere in an entertainment company
Nisya thought she would also be a PR manager but in some other domains

Nisya:
Ana, Aimi and Nina all thought she would be a secretary of some big shot CEO who is fussy but appreciates her ;P

Nina:
Ana, Nisya and Aimi all thought she looks like a teacher in tudung but like a garang, tomboyish engineer who has to visit sites without it.. ahahaha

Ana:
Aimi thought she would have a serious job like an "encountant"
Nina thought she would be a DJ (nisya tanya "in baju kurung?")
Nisya thought she would be in advertising


Looks like I'm the most unpredictable onelah... Why?

Aku Rimas Dengan Facebook

One day, facebook will face its doomsday because of the many application requests people have to either ignore or approve in order to sort out their lives and keep their friends... They will.. Trust me, they will.


Muahahahahaha... I obviously am tortured with the 400 requests I have to go through in the next 3 hours.

The Wicked Ones!

Thanks to Nina's trip to Singapore, I've been introduced to the very progressive sounding percussion band that calls them "Wicked Aura Batucada"... Have a look at their clip and be enthralled with their beats. They're releasing their first indie album around February but I'm not sure whether it will reach our shores "legally". Anyway, i heard that they're coming down to Malaysia in August for the Festival Gendang in Genting... So, we'll see :)


*them doing a number called Funky Cherry Bomb*

ps: John Legend, the man himself will be coming down to KL for Sunburst Fest on the 15th March 2008! RM200 will be the price of the tix... Other performers said to take center stage are Incubus, The Roots (wohooo!), Atilia, Joe Flizzow etc

Prank Gone Wrong

Imagine a room stuffed with 125 people, fanning and whispering to each other, moving about at their seats restlessly, perspiring away and staring blindly into a space called the board... Yes, that's a normal scenario in my Dewan Kuliahs here in IPBA. Somehow all the lectures seem to take place that way. I know that I really need to stop drawing unnecessary attention onto myself in the lecture hall but I find it extremely hard to keep quiet and focus on the lecture when it has been a 3 hour affair with the lecture hall being inconducive for the well being of any human form.

Besides the usual loud smart arse remarks that I pepper on the mistakes or funny stuff that the lecturer says in front (like saying 'there's only one mistakes'), I am also always guilty of pointing out any of the noticed "abnormal" things that my coursemates around my seat do in a not-meant-to-be-loud voice so, it's shared by others too thus my small time reputation as a prankster. But I always remember to choose who I want to usik and what ways would be the most suitable one which would result in me making a fool out of myself more than the person being targeted so that the person don't feel victimised (yes, i do analyse the way I make jokes)

So last Tuesday, I thought it was only padan muka sendiri when Dr Chandran, who was actually giving quite an interesting/entertaining lecture, caught me at the usual backbencher spot doing a funny chicken-like dance to the sound of Nisha' unsilent phone that rang at that time. So instead of the joke being on Nisha' because I was going "waaah... bestya, ada irama boleh menari-nari" in a Sin Chan manner with my hands all over the place, Dr Chandran actually smiled and said 'Is there anything interesting going on at the back?? I can see that we have people who are very talented in dancing.. Maybe she wants to share with all of us in front here". Nina and Aimi laughing uncontrollably while Alin and 'Ainur making it a point of "advising" me on my mistake certainly didn't help too because probably half of the cohort knew who the culprit was by then :p Soooo maluuuuu....

Despite all of those time when I attracted attention by sneezing ultra loudly (it's beyond my control) and actually doing my moral responsibility of ensuring that my dear friends don't fall asleep during these important lectures, this would be the best disaster I have caused upon myself. And guess what? Durra had to do the dance when the both of us bumped into Dr Chandran today and he just smiled while I bashfully siku her perut (padan muka kau!). Ana, stop being the smart arse prankster that you are because the pranks can get back at you.. I want to be a quiet student after this and only talk when asked to. When you are not a good student, how do you expect to be a teacher then kan?

We'll see how long that resolution is gonna lastlaaa