Spectacular. That's The Word!

So many things to write, so many photos to be organised, yet so lazy!

Finally at HOME!

Smile, Yogyakarta!

I miss all these!

Sorry for the very slow uploads. I'm quite easily demotivated if the Internet connection is slow; and if my media is all scattered up. Whatever that means. Enjoy the little bits!

How A Day Designed Itself

This is my very first attempt to write letters to world leaders, and I have picked none other than to Benjamin Netanyahu himself. Who else to write to other than to a notorious student in the classroom, right?

I actually didn't realise that I was apart of a whole 'Write-a-thon' thing held by Amnesty International (a human rights group for those who don't know). It went on worldwide yesterday. There were a lot of cases exposed to the public for the public to respond and write about to any respective receiver, so I chose a case regarding a Palestinian youth detained without chargers (let alone trials) by who else other than the Israeli authorities.

I wonder if the Prime Minister even reads my letter anyway, I mean if he does, I hope he realises that Hamdi al-Ta'mari's (the youth's name) case is only a tiny (big) dot in a whole rough waves of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which requires a lot of calming efforts to be done.

Thinklab's Design Conference at the National Art Gallery, also held yesterday, was also a good exposure, though much of the issues are the same old issues only given an elevated experience -- especially when there was a politican too engaging in the discussion. What the hell is Malaysian design identity scores top; followed by roars demanding 'Democracy in Design' (non other from our counterparts in UiTM itself, so shall I say, bravo?) to the extent of suggesting a setting of a Malaysian 'Ministry of Design'.

It's interesting how a design conference also echoed a political talk, joined by Clive Kessler, Noraini Ahmad, Tunku Abdul Aziz and another panel (I don't know that guy, sorry!), held at Art for Grabs, held in Annexe CM which also took place yesterday. Of course, this one contained direct attacks, but it also beats around the same old (yet popular) questions. What is this nation becoming to? Where is this country going? Can the Malays survive without crutches? The Malays doesn't need crutches! You don't need crutches!

Or so I was told.

I found myself taking the LRT again back to KLCC to fetch my car. At least there were no people rushing into the train before people from the inside managed to go outside when the train stops -- you know what I mean? The 'kambing terlepas' effect, to frankly name it. Still I can't stop comparing our transit system to Singapore's MRT, whose system fared much better than London's underground and New York City's subway, though they still have that 'kambing terlepas' effect anyhow.

Yesterday was a cool example of how politics, history, culture, people, nationhood and design blending (im)perfectly, and trying to connect with each other. Ah, and travelling, too! Not realising this simple fact could be equal to the crimes of detaining innocent people like Hamdi al-Ta'mari -- even worse!

Posted in Shah Alam.

Lion City Blues

I guess Singapore is a city that sleeps, but when it's awake... it roars. Loud.

We have a lot to learn from them, don't we?

Well. Will be landing in Subang Airport tomorrow -- oh how I miss that!

Posted in Singapore.

The GPS of I

From Java to Temasek.

I have been in Bandung (abruptly) since Tuesday. Before that I had spent three great days in Yogyakarta. I will be flying off to Singapore (abruptly) tomorrow, before finally returning to KL on Friday. Will be in Penang (abruptly, a bit) for the weekends. Then there will be approximately two weeks before the Paris-London trip. UiTM will be opening (abruptly, yes) on January 4!

See ya!

Posted in Bandung.

Welcome Home

Letting the heart rest.

Everything has been going on slowly since I arrived home. The anesthetics I had during my minor operation last Friday made things even slower, with the time pacing nicely and motions flowing tenderly without rush. Ever since, things seem to be much kinder and healthier.

After weeks and months of heartaches, why not?

Last semester is something that you will get when you plant too much hope into one pot. Where you seem to assume that things are enough for you to expect a beautiful plant to grow, budding spectacular flowers; but other problems came barging in instead. Pests managed to penetrate, the leaves are not green enough, the fertilisers are all wrongly measured and the gardening part all tuned out. And of course, the unexpected weather -- how can you dismiss the weather?

In the end, the flower bloomed though, but it was not something that you had expected earlier. Smaller, maybe, with a slightly different colour, but somehow it doesn't rhyme with the amount of hope poured into it.

Surely, no matter how beautiful or otherwise the flower is, the plant will die soon. For the semester, things surely has ended, though there still is a set of results to be awaited.

Not going to talk about that now, aren't we?

Not only it was a hard semester, it was a hard year too. I nearly had no holidays. True enough, it was a never-ending semester! I had no actual rest during the mid-year break -- my house underwent a renovation, and I often find myself sleeping somewhere not home -- and there was Rumi. Then there was the devastating, life-changing exam results.

But again, we're not going to talk about that now, right?

I'm ensuring myself to breathe, while celebrating my life as it is. Which is, in fact, already wonderful. I don't know why I indulged myself into the sin of comparing.

I hope you get the point. My pointless self am getting to the right track nowadays, and I will try to write more. Currently I'm looking forward to my trip to Yogyakarta next weekend on the second day of Aidiladha. My Christmas will be spent in Paris and London, with my bestfriends, before the new semester starts.

Love and be loved. Happy holidays, and see you soon.

Posted in home-Section 9-Shah Alam-where the heart really, really is.

Alamak, My Design Looks Big!

...when it is supposed to not exceed 400 - 600 sq m!

Other than that, nothing much. My life is revolving around that, and I'm trying hard to still revolve around that at least until November 17. As you might have expected and as you yourself might currently experiencing, it's the exams.

I'm trying hard to fulfill the promises I have made in June. The road ever since has been turbulent. Extreme and turbulent. I need the luck. I have prepared myself for the worse, but right now towards the end of the journey, it's tawakal that helps me to stay sane.

Pray for me too will you?

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Tomorrow Is Tutorial!

I love the weather in Seri Iskandar nowadays. Cool afternoons with blue skies striped with fine white clouds, extra windy plus some tender sunshine. Not the usual oven effect. Reminds me of the days waiting for Uncle Koh after school hours. Bliss!

Or perhaps it's because you're already in October? (and finals are less than two weeks away?)

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

John Mayer said, Clarity.

If this is a roller coaster ride, I could have fallen down.

This will be one of those sessions where, I will list down all the things that I have to do -- well, yet to do -- and then lament about them, hard. Like it or not, you just have to go through this piece of sheet even if you don't like it or if it's against your standings on how bloggers should behave or some online life policies or whatever lah.

Finish up; History documentary, yet to be edited (were they even transferred?). Get started with; short movie for this semester's Archiday -- not even close to shooting -- due next weekend. Study; Building Construction for test next week. Finish up; AutoCAD Finals to be passed up some time around next two weeks. Read; Architectural Practice and Management (read: Architect's Law). Settle; RM55 fine charged by UiTM because I didn't wear collared shirt during class hours. Find; my lost Neufert's Architect's Data, and my D.K Ching. Knock out newly arrived work piles; flyers and banners for event in Papan, and Perak Kutai House measured drawings for History.

No, I didn't forget listing 'Design' down. It's just nice to not talk about Design once in a while, even though I just did. A bit.

Ah yes. Get; a life.

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

It Is A Raya In the Middle of Changes

The fact that I am so happy right now, makes my heart sore, as I know and I really know that for the next six or seven weeks up until November, I won't be as happy as this.

It was a great Raya. Incomplete, somber, numb, but great.

Returning to the battlefield this afternoon, when I'm supposed to return yesterday. The war is worsening, things are not really going on my side either. Wish me luck.

Ramadan left too soon.

Posted in Shah Alam.

Extended Wishes (and some new cousins)

Have a safe journey returning to your loved ones, ya! Selamat Hari Raya!

Hurried Up

I think I'm fast becoming the ideal 'tuck-yourself-a-good-book-while-turning-on-Switchfoot-loudly-on-your-headphone-while-everybody-else-is-playing-Left4Dead' person, or perhaps it is just me being my familiar, boring self again.

Forgive me for being dull as always. It takes time for things to shine back again. I have lots of things to be repaired, lots of. My hopes are high, so let's hope that I can make it through this alive?

Posted in Seri Iskandar. Listening to: Shadow Proves the Sunshine, Switchfoot (of which the concert in KL last year was still one of the best, ever)

I Don't Know This Title

"We have seen better days."
"This is not your time."
"Patience."

We

We've been through this,
this familiar sorrow amidst of laughter.
We've been through this,
joy of being weird amidst of normality.

Forgotten have we,
that we are we.
Our hearts are us.
Inside of us is the outside of us.
Easily we forget.
Quickly we forget.

Nothing is missing right now.
Only contemplating over what seems to be full.
But full is not always content.
Where are we heading is the question,
because even where we are standing now
seems to be a blur.

How can you run when you don't know how to stand?
Can you, can us?

You, I seek.
Perhaps.

A week before Ramadan. Seri Iskandar.

Good to See You Again, Blog?

One of those 'curi tulang' updates, perhaps.

Ramadan is coming, though amidst the pile of work I don't really get the feel that it's coming -- unlike during the schooldays. At least I remembered there was some kind of anticipation going around, or at least Mama will do that for us. Sahur will always be some kind of a dizzy question during midnight, and the least that would happen is anybody -- somebody -- will be asked to go to the mamak to tapau some food. The least, that is.

I guess Bulala will create that kind of atmosphere for us here. Our house here in Seri Iskandar has been reincarnated, nearly completely I'd rather say, with a new stove and a TV. Bulala, together with Pret, loves cooking. The kitchen now smells, well, like a kitchen, and I rather like that because it gives me the homely feeling. Plus the Internet's much faster now, thanks to the new modem I bought in Penang's PC Fair last weekend. You, online, while waiting for somebody else to finish cooking the meal at the kitchen -- familiar enough? And did I told you how lovely Penang was?

Penang was, and Penang is. It's unbelievable that Malaysia still has such a city. It's superb, because so many awesome things are situated next to each other within reach (by car, especially). We were assigned to do a documentary about old shophouses or heritage buildings, so we did one on Khoo Kongsi, a clan temple and a very intricate one at that. But let's stop there. No matter how interesting it can turn out to be, surely it just adds up to the piles of work. Seriously, however, we can just go to Penang (and ditch Bali, or whatever) for the coming semester break. Perhaps.

Speaking of breaks, the heaty rumours about the university is going to be closed for the rest of the semester due to the H1N1 outbreak (wicked, I know) has been proved false. Sadly and thankfully. It's cool to have a week (perhaps a month) sudden break -- as proved by the earlier H1N1 break -- but a half a year break seems far-fetched. Simply because so many things can happen within that period. It's interesting, but having a break that long is like having a ridiculously large blank page laid out in front of you. Then again, the rumour proved false, so yeah, the page is not even blank but is spilled with many types of ink. Yikes.

We'll all be in KL during the beginning of Ramadan for final project's site visit, anyway. The studio received a warm visit from UTMKL's 2nd year students yesterday, so it was nice considering that we too got the chance to visit some of the places in UiTM that we have never been to before. Earlier we had this visit from RIBA - Royal Institute of British Architects, and the very good news is that we have successfully managed to attain their recognition. So we can all start peeking into UK universities for Bachelor now?

Things are getting harder day by day. I miss my little sister Sara along the way and my family and my room too. We have moved back into the old crib as Ah Leong has finally completed all renovation works (I don't even remember mentioning any renovations here but whatever).

That's life basically, minus the weird demands by the upper class of the studio (read: lecturers) and extremely awkward dramas plus other silly things. Along the way, I recall the good ol' saying from my kind Ustazah Rohaida -- about having to sacrifice what you want to satisfy others' demands. Crisp and clear enough to be hold on.

Waiting patiently for December.

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Yasmin Is A Lost Diamond

Sayang, sayang sekali.I was in Central Market yesterday for an hour or so, doing sketches and some further analysis of our allocated site somewhere nearby Jalan Hang Kasturi and Medan Pasar. I arrived there by train, so were my friends Kamil, Ijai and Auntie while Jawa arrived from Banting by bus. Last weekend, the whole batch of 70 people were there to do the same thing, lead by me, and the feeling was wholesomely different because I didn't enjoy carrying the weight of responsibility.

Yesterday, I felt rather relieved. It was a nice, cloudy day. I usually don't enjoy cloudy days because the photos captured in this kind of weather would turn out dull. Yesterday, however, I appreciate it alot because we were doing a lot of walking. It was nice and shady so we can complete whatever we want to complete without really being all sweaty and sticky.

It was when we were to catch the train back to KL Sentral that I saw this particular graffiti by on the opposite banks of the Klang River. It's a beautiful, embracing potrait of Yasmin Ahmad's familiar laughter in hues of pink over a white wall, imposing itself over the faint flow of the dirty river. Besides her potrait was another potrait of a baby, crying. And it was written besides the potraits, "Yasmin Ahmad 1958 - 2009, We Anak-anak Malaysia Will Miss You Dearly."

I sighed in emptiness, recalling the shocking news. What a loss, I said to myself. What a big, huge loss. Especially in times like these.

When she first suffered a stroke last Thursday, I immediately texted Qaisy, who happened to be a good friend of her. From Qaisy's stories, I see Yasmin as a kind-hearted person who just wants to tell stories, and above all, to be honest about her stories. I was more than delighted when Qaisy planned to invite me to meet her in person after the screening of my video during Rumi last month, though I was a little bit worried and anxious at the same time. But Qaisy assured me, again and again, that she is a nice person and she is totally OK to those who wants to learn from her.

Of course, I never get the chance to see that kindness from my own eyes. Allah knows best. I talked about this with my good friend Katrina and what she said sunk me. That God is taking away all the good persons, so that they won't be tempted to do bad things. And apparently there are lots of bad people out there still doing bad things.

"That the good things that they have done is enough. OK you, stop. Let others do the job." For me, it is so nice for her to view things like that. Katrina just lost her brother last March.

I would be lying if I say I don't look up to Yasmin Ahmad whenever I'm trying to produce a video, short movie, or whatever you call it. In fact I have been criticised on this. One particular lecturer of mine isn't fond of Yasmin Ahmad's style of film-making, saying that 'it's already done'. He said I must look up further, to Iranian movies especially, and see the way they make films.

I accepted that remark, however I'm never sure of how to respond to that. Because Yasmin Ahmad is not bad at all. She dared to try. The saddest thing is, 'dari dia hidup sampailah sekarang dia dah tak ada, orang kita sampai sudah tak nak recognise hasil kerja dia', to quote my ingenious friend in both life and architecture, Shiela. Truth is, in and out, the phenomenon is a disappointing thing.

Yasmin took the term Malaysian to a higher level in her own ways. She need not shout out rhetorical slogans. She just do stuffs because she wanted things to happen. That said, she enlightened many. Unwillingly, she also made the stubborn ones became much stubborn. While being labelled 'pencemar budaya' while she's actually fostering culture, her movies often went through many processes of censorship before they are actually screened locally. 'Muallaf' was screened twice in Singapore while it is never shown here in our cinemas.

For myself and many others, the future of the Malaysian arts scene and in fact, the future of the country went blank for awhile. It makes sense. We are sad because our politicians are so useless we have to turn to somebody else to feel that sense of belonging to a country. We are at lost because another beautiful soul is taken in the midst of a world full of lies and prejudice. We're dumbfounded because somehow we're losing a grip in our ride to chase the identity of being a citizen of nation, a human. We just lost another inspiration.

Like the graffiti said, we anak-anak Malaysia will miss you dearly. Very dearly. Your legacy lives on. Thank you for giving us hope to do great things while everybody else is shutting us down. We have a long way to go, and just because you have to leave early, doesn't mean that we'll stop here.

Those who judge you might strive for perfection, but just like you said, isn't it imperfection that makes us perfect? You are, indeed, a diamond now lost. Rest in peace Kak Min. Al Fatihah.

Posted in Shah Alam.

The Greatest Coincidence Ever

It's a big miracle to get a break you really want when things are getting out of control. Literally. We're at the peak of everything busy when our campus was bound to be shut down. Our site analysis, especially, was at chaos and we were supposed to present it yesterday morning. Then the news came. Wow. Apologetically, a great relief even when maybe anybody else out there is fighting a disease. Another irony.

This break, cuti or quarantine whatever you call it, came just in time. Just. In. Time. For nearly everything.

Better spend it wisely before it's taken away. Because it's a pause, not a stop.

Cheers.

I'm in Shah Alam because UiTM Perak is closed due to H1N1. If you want me to meet you before we can't see each other, do tell me so quickly yeah? I'll be back to Perak next Thursday. This is a very rare, rare, chance. you and I will get at least before the Raya break. See you.

So That's The End of A Week.

...out of 14 weeks.

I'm posting this at while listening to John Legend's Everybody Knows, and it's raining outside. Gila... melancholy? Hah. It's been a crazy, hectic week as expected.

First project for Design? We were given an option of tasks, and based on 1Malaysia, we are required to do either structure, sculpture performance, painting/poster... and short movie.

So our group idea is mainly about how food can unite the Malaysians... stuff like that. Submission's on Monday, so yeah I have to skip Sara's belah mulut this weekend.

Sigh.

oh and Seri Iskandar can be such a food paradise (whoa) sometimes. Durian!

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

See Ya Next Year!

It's been great guys. Seriously.

And the next one, the Eighth, will be on summer 2010. So yeah, book your flights, empty your schedules. No excuses (except for practical lah kan haha, cis cepat gila dah nak practical?)

Posted in Shah Alam. Got to rush to Seri Iskandar like, now!

Calls for Celebration!

Birth and rebirth.
Mama safely delivered my new little baby sister this evening at 5:50pm, Alhamdulillah. We're yet to name her. Suggestions?

And of course Gathering 7, the reunion of the fabulous people of 3 Gigih Class of 2004. We hope we can still continue the ongoing tradition. Tomorrow night at 8.

More on these later. For the mean time, enjoy our multimedia/short movie/video/montage (never really sure what to call it, really). Made especially for Rumi 2009, the 21st Architectural Workshop held earlier in June in UiTM Shah Alam. We won first place. Take care, guys!




Watch it in better quality here.

Posted in Shah Alam.

Rumi-dried up!

Entering Day 3.

It's really tiring. Even for me who has the option to go back home for lunch, it's not even soothing. We're expecting no-nonsense competition especially from UTM Skudai, USM and UKM today (Day 3: June 9). UIA and UM were nice, and I personally think that UTM KL's multimedia/montage/short film/which ever you prefer were good last night. However we sure hope that we can outshine them tonight.

So come and join us! Our movie for Rumi 2009, Beyond Eyelids, is premiering tonight at Dewan Seri Budiman, UiTM Shah Alam alongside our campus' performance. The event starts at around 9pm, so as we're lined in the last row our show should be around 10pm above.

I just hope that the judges will get a grip of our message, that's all. Insya Allah.

You'd be very kind if you come. See ya!

Posted in Shah Alam. Rumi 2009 lasts until Thursday morning, June 11 2009. Tomorrow's performance will line up acts from mainly USM, Taylor's, UKM, UTM Skudai, UiTM Shah Alam and UiTM Seri Iskandar.

Hush Now, Rumi Is Here

My own heart is filled with a million wonders.
Beholding this sight,
what madness now keeps me
from becoming totally mad?

-- Jalaluddin ar-Rumi (1203-1273)

Finally, it's here. Students, architects, artists and designers alike will flock to Shah Alam tomorrow for the 21st Architectural Workshop, celebrating all architectural schools in Malaysia and whatever they stand for under the theme Rumi. As for our team, Serangkai, all preparations are now put to its final phase, ready to be wrapped with anxiousness and hope.

Our short film is finally done, Alhamdulillah. I'm not so sure of the screening, in fact perhaps there will be no screenings at all if the organisers aren't concerned enough to show the submissions, but we just hope for the best, insya Allah. I have also submmited a photo for the photography contest, of theme is to interpret a Malay poetry of your own selection.

For everything else it's expected to be an eventful celebration of arts, with a week long of exhibitions, games, installations, performances and all that sort under the name of architecture.

I'm expecting to return to Shah Alam later tonight, insya Allah with some of my friends. The whole team will arrive tomorrow, as will the teams, observers, supporters and such from every known architecture school in Malaysia.

Dance, Rumi. Let the week begins.

Posted in Seri Iskandar. Rumi stands for both the Malay-Roman script used widely today, and the great Sufi poet Mewlana Jalaluddin ar-Rumi, whose poem and philosophy transcends all time and boundaries. www.rumi2009.com

Help Me!

I'm already dead behind schedule!

I was searching for a good video converter for Mac. Mahfuz suggested Xilisoft, in which I purchased but annoyingly the confirmation e-mail takes forever to arrive, and when I tried to troubleshoot the thing the internal server error keeps popping up in the end of the process. When I tried the other options the site insisted that the email I entered for the purchase was wrong, and that my credit card number I inserted didn't match the ones I sent earlier.

Like what the hell, right? Of course I inserted the information correctly!

Can anybody help me? If I don't convert my videos from MPEG to AVI, I can't continue my film editing works for our competition, and apparently there will be a review on Monday.

Help?

Posted in Seri Iskandar. Oh and while you're on it, Windows Live for Mac too?

Officially a Mac user!

After giving that Apple a bite, now what?

I love my new iMac. And I love to hate familiarising with it too. Things are kind of a hassle, anyhow (yeah me, not the Mac). It made me smile for days! (currently entering day two). Can't wait to do movie editing with this thing! Sound system is superb!

But now, sigh, baby steps.

p/s: the blog looks better in Apple!

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

To All, Happy Mother's Day

Do spend some time and watch it!

This is our batch's montage for the semester, meant originally to be screened at Archifest Ajar 2009 in March. However back then the video met with terrible technical difficulties, in which we regret the most. The video successfully premiered at Archidinner: Fusion 2009 in April, much to our relief.

The idea is simple, as 'ajar ' (teach) was the theme for Archifest this semester, I tried to bring everybody back to the beginning, the foundation, to who had taught us in the first place, in our very first moments encountering life. Parents still play a large role in our lives, whether we like it or not, and I tried to place their undeniable presence here in the video.

For everything else, this is our life as architectural students here in Perak. Just a tiny bit of it, though. Yes that's our workplace, our studio, our life. Yes that's Seri Iskandar: the weather, the roads, the houses, the people. We have to handle every piece of it, while facing the other challenges in life: family, friends, relationships, money. But then again I'm trying to not go too far so that everybody other than our realm can identify themselves with the video too.

I personally didn't expect people to cry, while some other went to the extent of wanting to call their parents, and wanting to go home immediately. What I intended was just this: just love your parents. Who ever they are, where ever they are.

For Ayah, Happy Birthday. For Mama, Happy Mother's Day. For everybody else, enjoy.

Posted in Seri Iskandar. Thumbs up for Jawa, Comet and Kamil's acting, with the assistance of KP, Peteh, Cemara and the studio people. Many thanks to Syith for the effects and assisting me in editing, and for everybody who supported us, thank you so much! And it has been a year since our dear sister left us, may she dwell amongst the souls of the faithful. Al-Fatihah. Most songs are from Kaki King, while the opening is from Peter, Bjork & John -- Young Folks, while the ending is Butterfinger's Mati Hidup Kembali from their latest album Kembali.

Once A Bug

Look who was once animated?

I just found out that the Hayden Panettiere we know, mostly known as her role in Heroes as Claire Bennet, is actually the voice of Dot, the little character in A Bug's Life. Thanks to none other than Ijai, the mini Wiki (who mainly asks, rather than answers).

Of course, who knew her the first time we watched Bug's Life ten years ago?

We just watched it again yesterday and yeah, the story's still beautiful. So, who's up for Toy Story?

And Happy belated birthday to the big guy, Ayah!

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Ravaging Impatience

Status: half-sickened

Can't wait to get every final assignment to be submitted, can't wait to get every final paper finished, can't wait to get every project completed, can't wait to get every single review done!

I might have already made plans for the holidays. And though I prefer to stay at home for the rest of the leave, I'm open for any suggestions! But of course, we'll have to wait until after May 13.

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Now, Chasing Papers

Approaching the reviews, and the end of everything.

We always fall to amazement thinking how fast a month can pass -- in terms of the landlady collecting our rent, that is. By the time you know you'd have to flip a calendar page, she'd always be unfailingly punctual to collect, which is sometimes irritating, but still mindfully alarming nonetheless, considering our lackadaisical attitude we have towards these things other than our assignments.

For now, time is measured by these mini submissions we have to cope, our very last paper for the semester this up and coming Friday and of course, a set of reviews after that. While at that, we stare with fullest envy to the 'normal' kids who had their papers finished today, tomorrow or anytime sooner than us.

Sometimes we just can't help to wonder how 'simple' their lives can be: study, take a paper, and when all the papers are finished, pack up and go home. Of course, 'simple' is subjective, but still we'll always sneer when we hear of how 'complicated' their lives can be. We, already unbalanced with the amount of drawings we have to finish for our projects, also have to study, take a paper and finish them all, plus we always have to go back to our drawings and finish them and hit the reviews sanely. Which will always take a few more extra days or maybe a week after our final paper (in which by the time, everybody else is already on leave).

It's easy to differentiate between a friend who really knows you and somebody who is just finding the correct pick-up line. A good friend who understands, will ask you "when is your final review?" which is suiting, as for us the end of the most final of final review marks the end of everything.

While somebody who just wants to loiter your Facebook page will ask you "when is your final paper?". As if we care. Don't worry though, "bila cuti?" is always appropriate. We all know we want it to come so badly.

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Will A Heart See, if the Eyes Are Blind?

Sometimes the torture of being able to see
yet not being able to feel,
is much more painful than being blind altogether.

Please, Be It Good!

Submission's tomorrow!

So yeah, we got the extension I mentioned in one of the earlier posts. It's a great kind of uneasiness, obviously. Sometimes you feel you want to rush up but sometimes you feel like you want to slow down, because firstly you want it all to be over and finished but then again, things are not complete yet so you just want to stop time.

I better jot this down while I still remember it -- this semester taught me a lot about not only progress but the process, or whichever you prefer comes first. You just have to start, never mind that my design sucks anyway but as long as I initiated the process things will bloom.

Why didn't anybody tell me that earlier!

Okay maybe somebody did.

Wish me luck!

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Keeping It Steady

Behold, a shift from Islamist to centrist.

By now many who have followed the three by-elections recently are already accepting the results. Of course, with two out of the three contested seats grabbed clean by the so-called other side, the mainstream media muted themselves without so many haste. Instead, out of very clear ignorance, they try to veer out attention towards the new prime minister's up and coming cabinet line-up. This happened after our new prime minister asked the Malaysian media -- the mainstream ones in particular -- to do a 'world-class reporting' while assuring them to 'do not hesitate to report any news'.

Seriously, when will you guys learn?

I congratulate the particular 'Islamist' party founded by leftist Dr. Burhanuddin Helmy, in which has grown so powerful it sincerely amazes me. For the party to swiftly gain non-Muslim voters is groundbreaking. Ultra-nationalists, feudalists and racists are too suffocating, and while they are busy collecting contracts, Islam is just another tool, which is saddening.

While it is understandable that the party didn't gain much of the Malay votes, it is quite soothing to think that the party itself, whether realised or otherwise, has promoted Islam at least on the core, which is much a staggering bonus than to fear any treason allegations.

No matter what the label is, Islamist or centrist, I hope this party get what they deserves in the future.

Hard to be a Malay who thinks otherwise, huh?

Posted in Seri Iskandar, in the proud state of Perak Darul Ridzuan.

Four Days Til Submission

Damn, what a course for perfectionists!

Four days. That is, if there's no extensions. Hell, can we really get one?

More than twenty one drawings equivalent of the size of more than twenty one drafting table. Some reached multiple sizes of A0. 1:20 drawings scaled to perfection. 1:10 details. Multiple sketches. Accurate perspectives. Detailed elevations, sections and plans. With that, a 1:20 model. A retreat, less than 80 square metes. Each and every one of the above is to be explicitly made manually.

Four days left.

That, and having to sharpen your pencils to the extend of having to use a sandpaper, to get a perfect cylinderical shape for your graphite. The very correct thickness with the correct pen points. Where the sun rises at your building, and when the sun sets, where the rain will fall and where the wind will flow. What will happen to your building at 6AM. 12PM. 4PM. 8PM. 11PM. What do your client wants. Does your spaces circulate well. Are your ideas and concept channeled correctly. These, and Land Survey tests. History of Architecture assignments. Architectural Science presentations. Structures revisions. Building Construction tasks.

And Rahman's bad choice of music.

At times like these, I miss the days where B5, A4, A3, A2, A1, A0, butter paper, cartridge paper, layout paper, tracing paper, illustration paper etc. were known as simply as, well, a paper.

Manila card, anyone?

[Update: I'm feeling like exaggerating, but still it's 8 only AO, I think.]

Posted in Seri Iskandar. PHOTO Blood!

Al Fatihah

It came to me this morning from Abond, one of my good course mate that Aizat and Fatin's father has passed away last week. Abond is their cousin.

It has been awhile since the last time I heard anything from Aizat -- the last time being slightly before the Gathering last year. Apparently Abond told me that he's going to fly to France as soon as next month to pursue his studies. Fatin's blog can be found in my list of links. My condolences to both of them.

Al Fatihah.

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Life Pokes Me Again -- This Time, Deeper!

Random insomniac notes as, oh no, my design is not finished yet!

I'm clearly wasting my time in front of Syith's laptop (as I'm at their house, and their Internet is enviously faster) while my design progress is as slow as a JKR contractor. Okay that's not nice, well maybe as slow as things that are much nicer, such as a snail after being fed with Skittles. Whatever it is, at the time I'm writing this, I'm perfectly weeks behind schedule! And our submission is due next two weeks!

Total freak out time, man!

Speaking of which, one of my friends who slept at our house was being stuffed, i.e kena hempap the same night I was posting the post before this one. Now that's berpuaka, huh? Well not really as I've been hempap-ed once, and my other house mate twice, but what has made things much freakier is my victimised friend actually saw a 'green tail' after he was hempap-ed! Holy curry!

Wait a minute, the little green things don't really hempap people, right? Well I bloody hope they don't steal fridges! And Macs! Freaking annoying green things!

On a related matter, our house got phone one right now, so if you want to call us or anything you can reach us through this number: +605 371 3995. Shameless for me to promote? Much shameless for you to call, stalker! Okay I'm starting to think that it's a mistake to put on your rental house number here. Especially when it's haunted.

Then again, a bigger mistake if I'm not done with my design!

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Likes Pokes Me Again!

Random insomniac notes while Land Survey report is not finished.

There's something about this blog that is too under control, you know what I mean? If you don't know me and you're bumping into my blog, you should be plunged into thinking that 'oh wow, this guy is so cold'. In which I partially am, but seriously, not this much everyday?

But maybe I did meant it to be that way.

Merepek sial.

Yes I'm in the same condition as yesterday (refer last post). And maybe to much of some of my readers' aghast (probably my parents and some over concerned friends), I did fall asleep and missed class. Okay no, don't worry as that would not happen today because;

i) I have had too much sleep and
ii) Today, got no morning class.

There's something berpuaka about my bed, anyway. Don't get me wrong, it's berpuaka because I like my bed so much. It's five times (yes, five) much comfier than my bed back at home in Shah Alam, plus I love the bedsheets and well, it sends nearly anybody who lounge more than 3 minutes on it into deep sleep! Puaka gila, huh? Bravo, Ikea!

Plus it costs only RM99 and with that price you can fold it and they actually give you a nice, complimentary mattress together with the bed frame. I'm explaining this because some people, like Ayah, always get into misconceptions that Ikea stuffs are unreasonably costly while in fact they're not. Perabot Usin Jaya pun lagi mahal! People who design furniture while cutting down the prices are the real genius that should occupy Mensa's top ranks!

I've bought a silly plastic stool -- the common type with four legs that are usually found in warung tepi jalan -- at Tesco at a price of RM16. Weeks later, a (regular) visit to Ikea made me bought a much cooler stool, the one that looked like a tong sampah turned upside down (sila rujuk katalog Ikea 2008/09) which obviously presents itself as much cooler, much stable in fact and yes, if you're bored with its function as a stool you can turn it into...well, a tong sampah!

[Update] I just realised that I forgot to mention the utmost important point: the cooler stool cost me RM15!

We're learning anthropometric and ergonomic studies this semester, which have made my Ikea trips an unguilty pleasure. The fact that I have moved into a new (rental) home here in Perak contributed much to that. It's a great thing that we got bored with Ikea anyway (after a gazzilionth time visiting this year), at least not until the Spring stock comes in.

To be specific, I want an iMac.

Posted in Seri Iskandar.

Life Pokes Me

Random insomniac notes.

When you're still wide awake after staying up the whole night, a lot of things can linger around in your head. It's either that or you will immediately fall asleep and miss class.

I often wish that I can have the skill of reading others' minds. Not exactly to directly read, but rather to predict -- quite well, at that. Nowadays I frequently met others who could and have actually 'read' my mind especially those times when I'm scheming or feeling deceitful, but maybe I'm just that predictable.

I also wish that I can find my other half who thinks that being silent and appearing shy in front of others who you don't even know well as sexy. Because I'd rather shut up instead of blabbering stuffs that I don't know. Did you not know that I prefer being alone at home instead of hanging around with people that I don't get along with? You may point out avoidant personality disorder, but I prefer to spell it as rationality.

Plus, people appearing shy and silent isn't necessarily a snob. But whose to blame if you're stuck with high school drama?

I also wish that I've chosen to buy a Mac. Or at least reformat my laptop, or something quite near to reorganising the things in it and giving it some space? Officially and radically, I think Mac is quite the better option. (I'm yet to shift to the 'Mac is the best' bloc).

I also wish that I'm finishing up with my design for final project. Unfortunately, I don't. I wish the mind-readers aforementioned above could make a favor to read my lecturers' mind also but no, they're lagging in doing the project too.

I'm wishing for a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream topped with chocolate syrup served here in my room, after this.

I wish I can meet the people who call me 'Syukri' with the 'ri' with their heart and chill, right now.

I also wish that I'm surrounded with people whose minds are much open. No, saying that 'Hey, yeah, I think so too because I'm open-minded!' wouldn't help. I know my friends who are open-minded and those with minds as narrow as an LRT door blocked by the people outside when those from inside are exiting -- the very exact people whose mind as narrow as yours, that is.

This might be too random, but being an NR doesn't equalise you to be lazy and not performing. This is an open message to all of you who think that us NRs are problematic and inefficient, if you think you're so good then I want all of you to come to class on time.

And yeah, using English correctly in your assignments and even montage doesn't mean that you're copying it from the Internet. Pity yourself if you do that. We're in a world-class university, remember? Even the kids are learning Math and Science in English, why shouldn't you?

Who would copy something from the Internet and then use it in a self-made video montage, anyway?

I also wish that I could've pointed out to a social-climbing bimbo that Guessis not a designer label so there's no point of bragging your new handbag to me because I'm not impressed. Come on, ever heard of Coach and Marc Jacobs before? I also wish that I could get rid of social-climbing bimbos -- in my life, at least.

I wish I'm above average. But I'm thankful, maybe, that I'm not.

Posted in Seri Iskandar. PHOTO A girl by Lake Toba, North Sumatra. December 5, 2008.

Tracking Back Terengganu

Faces and paces of Terengganu -- except for, maybe, turtles.

Terengganu warmed up to my senses like a scent from a new perfume sample offered to you as you walk by at any mall -- a gentle mix of cautious anxiety and rudimentary judgments. Although molested heavily by politically-driven developments -- rampant and unconsiderable ones at that -- Terengganu laid itself before me as virgin as possible, its vibrant genuineness forcefully revealing itself before my eyes amongst the cracks of pretentiousness.

Today, Terengganu is a fortnight ago. Along the way completing our site analysis for our final project --which is placed at Lake Kenyir -- sights of Terengganu ventured into my mind, sometimes as hazy as the smokes hailed from the rempit bikes at Batu Burok, sometimes still as vibrantly tasty as Pasar Payang's nasi dagang.

I prefer to see Terengganu the way Awang Goneng sees it: full of joy and tranquility, just like what he mentioned in his book Growing Up In Trengganu. Yes, Trengganu, just like he spelled it each time he mentions the state in his book, where at the book's introduction, he rhymed the name with tra-la-la. It has always been pronounced that way, he argued. In fact that it is how we pronounce it today, and that is also the spelling that appeared in the Constitution. Of course, just like how once the deep jungles of Hulu Terengganu became the deepest waterbeds of the vast Lake Kenyir today -- things quite took some changes themselves.

Easily, Terengganu was once of the of our studio trips ever. It didn't end there, though. The final project, which will deal alot with floating architecture will summarise everything. Submission is a month away, but our lecturers have never failed to remind us to keep up with the pace. Our houseboats in Kenyir maybe are slow, but it wouldn't be the same for our work.

Nevertheless Terengganu has quite some wounds to be healed. The race of who's more into Islam and who's not, has sacrificed so many characters in our already rich culture, and one of them is our architecture. The disease of aspiring to be more Arab that the Arabs themselves is severe, and the results are what you get when you identify what exactly is 'Islamic culture' wrongly. If a 'crystal' mosque is built majestically on an island while it's hardly accessible will it be Islamic? If a mosque follows Malaysian architecture and abandons its typical minarets and domes will it be less Islamic that the one that follows its Middle Eastern prototype?

So many things to think, so little time. Instead of bickering, our leaders should take some time and think about this: if, in a thousand years time, future archeologists dig into our soils, what would they find out about us through the ruins of what we have built? Richly-cultured Malaysians with outstanding identity, or some confused racists and ethno-fanatics who are merely copycats?

Stay put, Terengganu. And off to work!

Chris Brown coincidentally punched Rihanna days before she supposedly hold her concert down in KL -- the same day I was in Terengganu. The trip, however did took another toll when I have to miss Mad's send off to Melbourne. The concert was reportedly to be cancelled last week. PHOTO Us at Pantai Batu Burok, Kuala Terengganu, Feb 13. The famous boat maker in Pulau Duyong, shares light moments with us while being interviewed, Kuala Terengganu, Feb 14. One of our houseboats cross the deepest point in Lake Kenyir at 153m deep while on the way to Lasir Waterfalls, south of the lake, Feb 15. More photos at Flickr.

Living Walls

How things are traversing as the third anniversary approaches.

Walls pose themselves as important characters to a building. They function as dividers, mainly -- between the outside and the inside, here and there, his and hers -- aside from being structurally important. In a pararrel subreality, aside from these visible walls we do have the invisible ones being build in our lives -- ones that don't require bricks or wood nor exclusive skills and money to build.

I'm finding myself bumping into these walls in realisation, recently. The walls made by others who appear to be fond of my appearance within their personal confinements, but in reality I'm just another privacy invader to them. Being hit, slowly I'm building my own walls too, against the people whom I don't want my space to be shared with. These walls, however, as they're invisible, don't really have any strong foundations. Sometimes they just flew away, these walls. Other times they evaporate.

Suddenly I realised many walls have been built and torn down, again and again, since the first time I blog here. Some people still stay within the same walls just like they did three years ago, while some happened to have found their door towards their way out. Others make more walls, some so strong they're impenetrable. Others gave up their walls, letting them rambled down thus a new space is born. Meanwhile some still peek through my wall from outside, for reasons I'm not sure myself.

When I started blogging these walls don't really matter. It was a mere one year and a half ahead of my further studies, roughly a year before National Service, and months before SPM. That time, I should have thought that a 'butterfly effect' is just another feeling you'd feel when you're nervous. Who could have cared about crossing life paths? And the exhausting rhetorical 'what if's?

Sitting here today, I'm glad I didn't back then. For many reasons, at least I can see myself and the rest of us as a lot happier once. Those were the days where we would think twice about spending at Starbucks and Baskin Robbins; where my usual was still a Frappucino. When everybody actually go lepak at D.E during its heydays, the good ol' days when the food there was actually great, and they didn't put Milo 3 in 1 on a Milo Ais for a Milo Tabur (what a disgrace!). When a day out in KL or even mall is actually, well, a day out. A tame world of tuitions, ko-ko, sometimes impunctual Uncle Koh and of course, school.

These are the walls long gone, dilapidated and maybe just like I put it, flew away. We have built new walls, and within it our decided choices. And et voila, here we are today. Here I am, three years later with a blog I'm still unsure where to direct its way.

Three years later, I'm facing the fact that life can be inane, even though many things happen in it. Though best heard in manufacturing factories or maybe some political speeches, 'quality, not quantity' is somehow true. Just like how some onde-onde can be many and cheap in one set, but lacked a good inti. Being caught in this unprecedently caused me great cracks of agony on my walls, in which certainly leaning on them is not a good solution.

"Just do something out of your wall," a friend said. "Something simple that have made others happy -- even if they're underpriviliged." I tried it. It worked. And a very good pal of mine, a teh tarik companion at Syed just asked me to 'stay focused'.

"Just go home where you belong, forget everything, and when you're done, go back and finish your work," he said (I'm trying hard to make this as un-Readers Digest-ly as possible). A brave one, actually, quite achievable if you're not a studio-based student. Still, I quitely did this since it was a long weekend, so yeah. It worked, somehow.

In the end, one of my best blogger companion, who later becomes one of my best of friends, sums it all up -- when I thought an exit was a clearer option. "Everybody can write and take photos, if they want to. But you, you have talents. And combining that with what you learn now in architecture, it'll make you much a successful person later."

There's more to that, but I can't remember the exact words. Anyhow, I'm still betting on the last advice. Trying.

Invisible walls are as important as visible walls. Whose wall we decide to attach our walls to somehow will reflect who we will turn out to be, which depends on how strong are the walls jointed, anyway. While for those who we decide to keep our walls separate as in the case of our lives, that is just because we don't have enough bondings required to keep our walls together.

It sounds simple. At least, I hope, we can keep things that simple until next year -- as long as there aren't any clumsy contractors around. Besides, that was just how I got things started during day one, anyway: 'a simple day, today'.

Posted in Seri Iskandar. PHOTO Overlooking Manhattan. This is the first post on February 11, 2006.

When You Love A City, Miss It

When a city is on two continents, just don't expect returning home feeling ordinary -- even after a year has passed.

I'm finding myself reminiscing Istanbul these days. Many times, if my lecturers blurted out 'Rumi, Rumi', the theme for the up and coming architectural workshop this May in Shah Alam, images of dervishes in Istanbul's many Sufi lodges came into my mind, men in white swirling into ecstasy. But there's more to Rumi as there's more to Istanbul.

I miss the summer splendour and the winter breeze, spreading over the Bosphorus like a kind mother flourishing love onto her child. I miss getting lost in the bustling bazaars -- in the midst of carpets and antiques, the smells of spices in Mısır Çarşısı, the warmth of cay offered by the vendors sipping into your mouth -- free of charge and the exhaustion your mouth gets when you chew the lokums of various flavours. And the bustles of Beyoğlu and Taksim, Nişantaşı and Teşvikiye, Ortaköy and Beşiktaş, Fatih and Beyazıt... the lovely domes and minarets, and the lovely people. The lovely Istanbullus.

Heartless are those who didn't fall in love upon setting foot on it.

PHOTOS Top: Empty cay cups near Nuruosmaniye Mosque (Nuruosmaniye Camii); Middle: A vendor sells nuts while commuters walk pass his stall by the Eminönü side of the Golden Horn near the New Mosque (Yeni Camii); Below: Pigeons flock at a square near the Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) while two Turkish women watch over them. All photos captured December 2007. No edits.

note: ( 'C' is to be pronounced as in 'j' in 'joker'. Ç is to be pronounced as in 'ch' in 'cheat' or 'c' in Malay 'cawan'. ş is to be pronunced as in 'sh' in 'shut' or 'sy' in Malay 'syok'. An 'i' is pronounced as in the 'i' in tin, or 'it'. 'ı' is to be pronounced as in 'e' in 'her'. 'ğ' is to be pronounced as near as 'gh' in 'Baghdad', but thinner, as in 'Hugh'.)

Silver State, Unpolished

Democracy, please come back. For our sons and daughters. For Malaysians, who share the same sun and moon. For the people who are blessed enough to roam this special place, all over from Perlis to Sabah. We were rich once, we thrived once. It's not impossible that we'll achieve once again. May stars blink once again upon this beloved land, just like how they have smiled upon our ancestors.

Amin.

p/s: I'M SELLING OUT MY SUNBURST TICKET!

It's Up To You

It will be a long time until the next break comes in. Until everybody sees each other again during mid year, some changes are already preparing to take place. Mall refurnishing itself drastically. Bus ticket prices are going to soar. A recession coming into the picture. Houses under renovations. Weddings to prepare. Events to attend. Friends flying off. More people missing in action.

More and more of us are hitting the bell and leaving the teenage years behind. With this coming into realisation, a portion of rationality is taken into consideration, about our lives and the tremendous things that will happen later. Slowly plans are made, with edgy seriousness. Some are independent enough to decide for themselves. Others just follow the lead -- which concludes the most of us.

Then again, this is the society of expectations, this side of Shah Alam. You can't let your parents lose out in their conversations with their friends. And when there's an err, it's to be hushed, toned down in talks and hidden in words. So it's either you achieve, or leave. But of course, our parent's happiness is God's too. Once said, point taken there.

Outside our realm of comfort, I've seen lots of attempts of social climbing. Both here and overseas. People trying to talk big, forever so struggling to boast whatever they have. In other words, culture shocked. So with too much struggle, it's obvious that they're not really catching up to the pace. With pity, I usually see these kind of people fall down even before they even actually do in real life.

I have to keep up with these kind of people whether I like it or not. It'll hurt if I say anything, anyway. And for the upcoming months until the break commences, bear this: the truth hurts.

God said so.

Trapped in a Melburnian Heatwave

They say Melburnian chicks love to wear black. It seemed true even when the day became soaring hot today. That's the spirit, girls.

It's very annoying on how much you have to pay $5 for a 15 minute Internet access in your own room. It's annoying because it is, yes, expensive and it has limits. Where's the joy of being online if you have limits to it?

I've succeeded (kind of) in keeping my expenses low this time -- quite amazingly (yes that's good news to you guys, Ayah & Mama). That partly because I fell asleep at the very wrong time so I found myself rushing to Fitzroy then Prahran only to find many of the shops are closing down. Which is, well, both good and bad. But being me, I did managed get myself something in the midst of the closure. (Ah...)

On a focused side of the trip, RMIT seemed to be enlightening, sort of. Well it does poses itself as having a residing Innovative Professor of Architecture (?), among others. Melbourne University is kind of too much, and I got myself lost finding Swinburne while Monash is too far. From what I've surveyed, studying architecture in Melbourne can be not too bad. In fact it's cool to study architecture here. I think its much freer here if you want to explore more, compared to London where starchitects seem to rule over everything (Foster, Rogers, Hadid.. bla bla bla). Australian architectural schools seemed to be kinder (but of course, none are kind, including where I am studying now).

So thanks to my coursemates I'm reminded of our current assignment here. Melburnian bathrooms are, well, anthropometrically and ergonomically efficient? I forgot to bring my measuring tape, anyway. But seriously, please, above all, I'm on a break here. Work, well, we'll get back on that on Monday?

As for now, I'm planning to take a walk down Yarra River. I apologise for the lack of photos, I deliberately planned not to take any much. Besides, we're going to see much of this city after all in the future, aren't we?

Posted in Melbourne. PHOTO A commuter passing barriers at Flinders St Station, morning January 28. Melbourne was under an extreme heatwave, while Adelaide experienced its hottest day in 70 years today, and an official handling Melbourne Open complained that Australia is just 'too hot' for hosting games. But seriously, it was hot!

M is for

Manipulating chances. Or maybe a name of a city.

I don't know about you but the year basically did not give me a break, at all. With the classes commencing dramas came unveiling itself one by one, producing crisis always under making with new puzzles yet to be solved, even if you have the clue. Not that I'm exaggerating, but the ever-dwindling plot seems to have sent me here, where am I now.

I have been tested by own patience. Curiosity, it seems, is overwhelming. All of a sudden I'm quite eager to explore wider chances, the opportunities I seemed to have left out two years ago. I looked over these things -- these 'things' I'm trying to reach right now, here -- even when I actually have the means to do so, and I kind of have regretted that.

Of course, all these starvation for something new and questionably better is being put into consideration. All I can say, the best time to make them a reality is in two years' time and not now. Nobody ever said the condition and situation that I'm being in currently is not that desirable, well at least not directly. Waiting for everything present to finish first is still an option.

I'll be here until Thursday. Surely from the photo some of you would've known where am I now (many in my contact list call this city home). As for everybody else, well, take care.

Posted in here. Who loves Nadal, again?

Restarting Things

So, ready for another year?

What filled up my 2008 was underspecified. A chaotic year, no less, full of perplexities, judgments and brand new open roads. It was an exciting year full of travel, grasping dream lands and inviting (and uninviting) new people to the track of my life. Alongside with things new and untouched came the revival of the past, old faces tangled with the newer threads, reunited and refreshed, altogether making up my life.

If you wish, you can catch some of these images at, say, my Flickr pages. But of course, not everything is not up in the web. 2008 saw a clear line published in my blog -- a line between my private life and the life that I intended to put up here. Quite a 'secularisation' of the blog, to say the least. To quote Haziq, 'Syukri blogs of only what he wants people to know about him.' Unlike the posts of 2006 and 2007, of course. Today, what you read here is what you'll get.

I have decided to go slow this year. 2008 is just too much -- financially, socially, religiously, politically, well, everything. Amidst all the upcoming recession thing, I'm taking advices from especially my Accounting/Economics friends to take some serious actions on my spending habit. While at that, I'm intending to take my photography and writing to a level more than casual, maybe submitting some to magazines or contests while managing my portfolio to a more presentable way -- something I'd do besides improving my grades with my architectural studies.

Hopeful, much. Reading it all makes it sounds corny, but a little reorganising should help.

Like I said, I'll go slow. In fact it has, and so far I liked it -- a feeling I afraid will evaporate as soon as the classes start tomorrow.

See you soon.

Posted in Shah Alam. Going back to Seri Iskandar now, and I'm already looking forward to the Chinese New Year break! PHOTO, in Subway, NYC.

Revisiting an American Dream

Even a superhero with a superpower has his own weaknesses.

A man peeks through the fences set up around Ground Zero where a construction of a new Freedom Tower complex, which will achieve a height of 1776ft -- the year of America's Independence -- upon completion; December 29, 2008. On September 11, 2001, a 'terrorist attack' sent the World Trade Center collapsed to the ground and three thousand people dead. For the Flickr set, click here.

"HE'S BEEN TO SAUDI Arabia," the immigration guy said to his colleague. Skeptical as if this is the first case such as mine, his face remained stern and indifferent. "It's OK if he's been to those countries, right?"

His colleague shrugged and said something I can't recall. I was at Newark-Liberty, just arrived from Stockholm and even though outside the weather's freezing, I felt heated up at the gates to the so-called freest nation in the world. The fact that I have been to both Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in a time lesser than six months seemed unpleasing to the official.

"It's alright, you're good," he assured with a sigh, as if bringing a relief to an argument -- which never took place anyway, as I remained silent and presented myself as decent and angelic as possible while he was confirming my entry. I proceeded to the arrival hall with a feeling I would call as a mix of being insulted and disappointed, even though I have expected the trouble.

On a Friday at a mosque in Washington DC, a group of Muslims gather to listen to the weekly sermon. Made up of a largely African-American crowd, the congregation listened attentively to the preacher by the mimbar, dressed in tie and coat, bursting his khutba out lively with energy. With a ravage and passion to grab his listener's interest, his sermon stands in stark contrary to our Malaysian ones -- so government-ish, so well prepared it's strange, so lullaby.

"Have you seen what God has done lately?" he expelled, full of spirit. "Have you seen who has been lifted by God to be our leader? Have you seen this pictures of this guy on the papers lately? Have you seen that a guy, by the name of Barack -- BAR-rack -- Hussein Obama has been lifted to be the leader of the free world? A guy with the name Barack?! and Hussein?! Barack -- which means kindness! Oh, and Hussein -- handsome! My God, oh God, save him!"

"Is this, finally, what America is all about? At least this is what our founding fathers wanted -- though at that time they still kept blacks as slaves around, anyway. But really, we have come this far and believe me, we have come near."

Not very far from the neighborhood, forty-three years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the steps of Lincoln Memorial at the National Mall. Today, works are undergoing at the U.S Capitol and in many important areas in Washington DC, to prepare for the up and coming presidential inauguration this January 20 for Barack Obama -- first ever African-American president -- who won America's most revolutionary election last November.

For many, Obama means change. For skeptics and pacifists, things will be just like before. For many others, the rise of Obama simply means that the end is coming near. But like it or not, Obama's popularity is unstoppable, obviously for John McCain and in general for the citizens of not just the US, but the world. For many outsider Muslim viewers, Obama's election means brighter future for the Middle East conflict. Predictably, some wouldn't agree. America, at large, is viewed as a 'strong ally for Israel' and is basically a 'proxy for the Jews', to quote Tun Dr. Mahathir's speech at the opening of 2003 OIC Conference in Putrajaya.

The blame seems to be so far-fetched, quite a party-pooper for a wave of change, equipped with a bad sense of sarcasm. However in reality, even in Manhattan, you can't really avoid dealing with Jews. Menorahs for Hanukkah -- a little eight days long Jewish holiday exaggerated to compete with the frenzy of Christmas -- is everywhere, at the most important buildings which include the White House. I'm definitely not anti-Semitic, what more xenophobic but their domination caused quite a stir in myself not out of prejudice but rather jealousy, because having control over New York is a big deal. Even the presence of the many Halal hot dog booths around the city wouldn't balance the whole situation.

Ariff tries to light-write 'I Love DC', which became more like 'LOVE' instead; December 26, 2008. At these footsteps in 1963, thousands of people gather to listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous 'I Have A Dream' speech. For the Flickr set, click here.

It's understandable at times like these, not only with clashes of cultures but also economic turmoil, the world needs something to rely on to, to foster hope and to land a trust. Quite more understandably, Bush is not the answer, and McCain was simply seen as a clone of the latter. Then Obama came, with a powerful force at that. And the rest is history.

Sitting at the corridors of power, the wide avenues of DC wouldn't let me escape from the thoughts of what will happen next -- and whether I like it or not, I'm actually seeing myself anticipating for Obama's inauguration. So is the rest of America and the whole world. From mosque pulpits to the streets of New York -- not Brooklyn, not Queens but Manhattan itself -- Obama is everywhere, the soon to be First Family images adoring front pages of magazine racks, enshrined in many form of art, his merchansides a hot sell, and simply being talked about by everyone.

Being in New York would make you feel that the so-called multi-racial and multi-cultural sphere we are embracing here in KL is somewhat, well, fake. We don't really embrace it, we shunned it. We don't really appreciate what we have in common, instead we highlight the things we are different for. New York is much an incredible melting pot, filled with people from all sides of the Earth.

But the sad part is they being insecure, with things they don't even quite know of (Islam, for an obvious example). Things are improving at ground level, but the paranoia at the security points aren't showing signs of leaving. The prejudice is simply there, and to my humble opinion, America is still not that free as they say. To put it in a way: I love it, but I'm not going to have sex with it. Europe is a better choice to study and migrate, plus the people is much more stylish -- average Americans are sloppish and unattractive.

To say that the coming of Obama will not necessary bring any change is cheesy, but it is unfortunately and partly true. Probabilities, of course, can be anything. Nevertheless, as in any good leader, Obama should know the burden he's carrying, the load of trust he's receiving and the vast glare of hope he's reflecting.

As I rushed back to catch my PATH Train back to Jersey at 33rd Street two hours short from my flight back to KL on my last night in New York, a sight came to my eyes amidst the rush of shoppers and holiday crowds in the Avenue of the Americas. Familiar flags wave quickly, reflecting the fury of its holders. Their shouts didn't resonate at all, the noise of the cabs and the voices of others simply mould them down. But the message is clear: Palestine is, again, in distress.

Another protest. Another infuriated crowd. Another sign of the world is not really at peace. This time, it's proven that even the Arafat scarves worn by the hipsters and indie won't help.

Part of this was written in Washington DC. Posted in Shah Alam in a rush for a lunch appoinment. And may Palestine lives. Number of casualties are rising as Israel-Hamas clashes are entering its second week. UPDATE My many thanks to Azli who has given me this link of which you can donate 10p by posting a comment, a simple yet big donation to the road towards peace, we hope, of Gaza.