When solutions get really subjective.

In a search for cure, I am stumbled, once again, with contrasting thoughts and contradicting ways of solving our everyday problems. While I was not in the pinkest of health all over last week and struggling for a cure, I was again served with the typical mishmash of unsolved questions that linger in our lives.

ITCHY spots have been beginning to take place during last week's Friday, where certain parts of my body have started to get really scratchy, and of course irritating. I dismissed them as the effects caused by the naughty green flying little insects that occasionally interrupt our nights. Scratching I was, and by Saturday, back in Adi's place, I finally realised that warm, red rashes were starting to appear.

Upon arriving in Shah Alam that very night, I immediately went to see the nearest doctor at of course the very near DEMC. The buoyant Dr. Maznor gave me an injection and some precautions, while suggesting that I was having an allergy. I went home soon after that as the injection will cause me to get sleepy, and I was driving alone. Though the rashes didn't make a disappearance the morning after, I was not disturbed as I have yet to take any further medications given.

Later that day I went to see Dr. Kaur at Seksyen 2's Klinik Anis, to get a backup MC. The cold doctor also suggested that I may be having an allergy, in which it may have been caused by something that I have eaten, or the environment, or any insect bites. However the green insects I mentioned earlier were not something new, and I have yet to know what I'm allergic of, so by the end of my visit with another set of medications I was still clueless about the disease I'm having.

Assuming that I was fine and I have to catch up with some classes I went back to the campus on Tuesday morning, with bad coughs along the way back. It was later that I found out that I am still not very well. Back in the studio while I was doing my work itches were starting to ravage, and by the end of the day, red rashes have taken place all over my body, to the extent of my face.

I went back to my hostel only to find a horrible reflection in the mirror. The rashes were, in fact, very horrible, and I'm not getting to the itchy part of the story yet. But really, I was rather horrendously shocked (yes, it was that exaggerative), and I know I must get a treatment immediately.

On Wednesday morning Abang Alil picked me up, together with his other two friends and we went to the Batu Gajah Hospital for a check up. As it was Thaipusam, only the emergency unit was open. The adamant Dr. Yeoh unsurprisingly suggested the same thing, told me to stay away from what I am allergic of, gave me an MC for two days and a packet of medication - another anti-itch drug - a limited stock, as it the larger pharmacy was closed due to public holiday.

At Abang Alil's hostel in UTP, I Wiki-ed, for awhile, and later discovered I was having a form of hives, or urticaria - a form of rashes - which is to be caused by allergic reactions, and the 'rashes' I was referring to are properly called welts. The occasional coughs were also related to the symptom.

But what the hell, correct me if I'm wrong - especially you medical students.

So it was then when Wan, my grandmother, was fast in telling Mama that I was encountered by a situation called teguran - that I was 'greeted' by an unseen being, which could probably happened anytime during my recently taken excursions.

I was hesitating in dismissing that thought. True, I was rather 'wild' for the past two weeks whereby I ventured for weird places and passed by the gruesome darkness of the jungle along the way. But spirits? Not again! Either way, I have to go back. So on Thursday afternoon, I went back to Shah Alam from Ipoh to really settle my unstable health conditions - which were getting more physically problematic.

I drank a few mugs of air penawar - literally, water for curing - given by Wan and Atuk to Mama for me to drink, alongside with my usual medicine prescriptions. Air penawar is usually an amount of water that has been recited certain excerpts from the Qur'an, however, it is absolutely wrong to regard it as something as holy. Today, after Friday prayers, Ayah brought me to PJ to meet up with one of Atuk's close friends, Pak Cik Ghazali, for berubat - to heal my illness.

Pak Cik Ghazali is the usual pakcik you'll encounter especially in mosques and places like that. With his white kopiah worn on his head, a pagoda shirt and kain pelikat, he behaves grandfather-like, just like Atuk, and speaks sternly rather in a pleasant way. He is thin in his late 60s, with cheekbones and wrinkles most visible when he talks.

To think of him as a shaman, or bomoh, is perfectly wrong. He just apparently has the knowledge to traditionally cure people, and by that, using perfectly rightly-driven methods acquainted with vast usage of excerpts from the Qur'an.

So while his wife was watching a drama at TV3 and it was lightly raining outside, not really far from us, Pak Cik Ghazali asked for my name, recited a few verses of the Qur'an, and blew some light breath to the back of my ears repeatedly, before he began to cut a lime into two pieces. He then took one of slices and smeared it on all over my upper body, especially in the parts where the rashes were still visible.

It was stingingly painful, if you ask me. And it went on just like that, until he completed, and then he offered another two bottles of air penawar in which he had uttered some recitations too. Pak Cik Ghazali stressed again that I was terkena teguran and was, in all manner, dihembus - exhaled, or blown - by any particular spirit or other unseen creatures. This 'phenomenon' called hembusan is very distinct from rasukan - possession, although initially they work in a similar way - but seriously, for God's sake, we don't want to get anywhere near there.

Later, back home, I took the usual medications and bought Vitamin C and a cough medicine at Guardian. I am also expected to smear sliced limes Pak Cik Ghazali has given to me for a number of times, after showers, for until at least tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm not sure which method really worked out, but right now as I'm writing this, thankfully, the rashes are receding, gone away together with the severe itchiness. Interestingly I still haven't figured out my reputed allergies (which I am rather very eager to know, so that I may avoid it in the future, if it's avoidable). Again, I'm not sure which one of which has helped in fighting away the disease. However I am to continue on taking my medications until I am fully recovered.

This matter of the clash between modern and traditional never fails to make me wonder - a lot. Sometimes it confuses me a lot, but I will please myself - for awhile - with the thought that both sides always practice knowledge that belongs to God. Maybe that is the way of how science works, or maybe I'm just blabbering again.

Oh well, what do I know?

Listening to: Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance (fine, not a really suitable track, but this song lingers in my head a lot as I was typing this) PICTURE Modern pills and lotions, alongside limes - which have always been a key medium in traditional healings and medications.

Now this is unexpected.

Seri Iskandar-Ipoh-Butterworth-Alor Star-KL-Shah Alam, and everything in between.

(Photos of Alor Star is at Flickr.)

Journey to the North

I was attending my first Arabic class in late Friday afternoon. I still haven't packed yet, nor do I am anywhere behind the schedule. So when the class has finished Yat picked me up with Ijam's motorcycle to get me back to Damar to prepare my stuffs, because we're going to Alor Star that very evening.

Adi and Yat wanted to do a recording - a metal piece - up in Alor Star, a place which Adi calls home. Comet, Ijat and Qayum also tagged along. That evening we walked out of the campus towards the bus stop at the main road outside, together with Syith who wanted to go back to Shah Alam. Hanila and Aqilah joined us later at the bus stop - after an indescribable havoc that caused us all to miss a bus - and we all waited rather very anxiously for another bus until sunset.

I think we were very lucky that a bus finally came. Everybody boarded the bus, rather gleefully, and we were all set to Ipoh's Medan Kidd - the terminal where all intercity buses will head in Ipoh. Medan Gopeng, on the other hand, is the hub for express buses for the city- where we were heading at that time, after stopping at Medan Kidd.

The idea to take a train to Kedah, instead boarding a bus, came to surface when we just arrived at Medan Kidd. It was rather reasonable, considering that we will get to Alor Setar at the wee hours of the morning anyway. So after much discussions, warts and all, we went to have a meal first before heading to the Ipoh Train Station - which is just a walk away - after Syith, Hanila and Aqilah managed to get a taxi to take them to Medan Gopeng at the other side of the city.

The same unfriendly ticket guy I bought tickets to KL from for our balik kampung journey last October told us that the tickets for Alor Star were already sold out. The same goes for Sungai Petani, so stopping at Butterworth was the only option. We waited (of course, the usual 'waiting' was not the only thing) for the Ekspres Langkawi from KL for about two hours at the station, before the train came, and we were bound for Penang.

The route was, of course, the same one I (and the rest of the others) took to get to the north during the Langkawi trip. It is still a nostalgic one, and one thing I regret during that end-2006 trip was I was a little less adventurous, still a guy of too protective ideas. There were so many stars clustering at the sky that night, and the moon, though not a full one, was shining bright. The train passed by gloomy, dark shrouding forests and the wind caused by the train movement was breezy, though sometimes was harsh. After Taiping, I fell asleep at my seat, with earphones attached to my phone, which was still playing my music.

the Butterworth incident

At the break of the morning, we arrived at Butterworth. I was the last to hop off, whereby before disembarking, I was quite sure there was nothing left. I don't know how or why, but I was really sure about having everything with me when boarding off the train.

We then walked out of the station to the bus terminal nearby, where we finally found a bus to take us all to Alor Star. It was 6.30 a.m, and the bus was scheduled to move at 6.45 a.m. I decided to take a loo first, whereby Qayum joined me to the toilet. I boarded the bus, took my seat and put my bag down. I searched for something in my jeans' pocket, then suddenly a surge of blood gushed into my head.

My phone was missing.

I plundered my bag, and then borrowed Yat's phone to make a miscall. A ringtone can still be heard, meaning that nobody has taken it and switched it off. However I heard no Arctic Monkeys around, and I was certain that my phone was not in silent mode. Undesirably, the bus has already started to make its way to Alor Star.

I felt really uneasy. The bus passed the shoreline, with the lights of Penang clearly visible, then industrial areas, kampungs and padi fields before entering the highway. I tried to call Ayah but was of no success. I called Mama after that, who was, of course, startled. I told her the details and asked for Ayah to call back. And I'm already on my way to Kedah, with my phone is, again, nowhere.

We made it to Alor Star, and the six of us went to Adi's place by two taxis. Upon arriving we were greeted by his mother, who had prepared nasi lemak for us. I cleansed myself, got online, and fell for a short nap, before we were all set to go out to the city.

We went to the jamming studio where we met Fariz, also a coursemate, who apparently lives in Alor Star too. I became an observer of this part if the trip as I don't have anything exactly to say (I'm sure any of you would not have a slightest guess that I'm into metal). Yat, Adi and Fariz jammed while we watched, and yeah, they were good. After awhile I decided to take the camera outside, where I tagged Comet along and do a bit of sightseeing while the other guys are still handling their business.

I got a call from Ayah, all the way from Frankfurt, through Comet's phone while I was at Masjid Zahir. There were this and there was that, so I was explaining everything. One thing about Ayah is that everybody knows he will sound OK when he is upset, which is not so OK at all. Then there was a call from Mama, then Ayah, then Mama again and finally Ayah before Comet's phone battery went flat.

So after the mosque there was nothing else, we all went back and fell asleep as we're really tired. At one point I felt like I was ruining everything. Though manageable, it killed my mood. At the same time rashes were appearing at my hands and legs during a very unlikely time, though before there were itches caused by little insects bites and they were nothing serious.

Home: Flying back

As night appears, we prepared to go to the airport, as I'm going back to KL that very night. I sense a guilt in my heart but I really have to take care of things. Later I was relieved, as the guys were being such a sport. So at 9.15 pm I took off from Alor Star, and after fifty-five minutes, the MH1235 safely landed on the tarmac of KLIA.

After settling myself at home, I went to DEMC straightaway where I got an injection from the perky doctor. It was allergy, though I really don't know what I'm allergic of. It could be the damned insects, or our increasingly dusty room, or ikan keli, something distinctively different that I have begun to add in my lunch meals.

Now I'm right here on my chair, swearing that I really think that this weekend could be another empty weekend. I didn't expect it to be so troublesomely adventurous. It did, though it cost me quite a lot.

I hate my notoriously careless habit. Notorious here, by means, it is to some people not so surprising anymore to find me misplacing things or just being absent-minded.

And my horoscope for yesterday reads 'you have dominant stars for travel and long distances', and 'you are in two minds on whether or not you should undertake that journey. Consult your finances and see how much money is left in the travel budget. You may as well grab whatever opportunities that come your way.'

Speaking of coincidence.

Listening to: Incubus - Drive
REMINDER I won't be changing any phone number, so stick to the old one. I just need a new phone :/ PICTURES Top just another freaked out blogger. L-R, Father and son praying at Masjid Zahir, Alor Star; Sign at a pawn shop indicating their upcoming closure. The birthday of the Sultan of Kedah is on Sunday, celebrating his sweet 80 and his 50 years of reign over the state; A woman is using her phone while a graffiti looms behind her at a restaurant in the city centre.

(Not so) distant notes

Series of updates, as usual.
(Many other pictures at Flickr!)

I'm currently at Qayum's studio - Part 1's studio, that is - and yes, that good ol' friend has succeeded in switching his course from Estate Management to what-else Architecture. Seriously there are a lot of people who are very happy other than myself. Quite frankly it made Qayum famous in a blink. Hell yeah!

There's no work for now, technically. Well I better think of it that way for now, considering that I've just recovered from three exhausting days full of completing tasks. Our lecturers are crazy (or getting crazier). Enough said.

Besides that there is a lot of good news that came barging in (I think). One of them is that Bachelor students are now allowed to bring vehicles in, so I am now legal to drive my car up here.

Sounds like a perfect news for a transport scarce lad.

Oh and how could I forget this one - there are wireless connections now. So they blocked Myspace, Friendster and YouTube during office hour. But of course, the members of the much elite F-site don't really have to fret, if you know what I mean.

Thank you, Haziq, for the Switchfoot tickets.

Now I know I can't blog at places that are too open. Sigh. Proper updates soon lah.

Will be back next weekend?

Cameron Delights

I've given the thought that a little excursion up to the hills won't hurt before I headed home for the rather made up Maal Hijrah break. Cameron Highlands is always a good two hour away from the blistering Seri Iskandar at the heart of Perak, so Amir - my neighbour-room mate during last semester - and Wani, his coursemate, agreed to bring me up there and chill.

We stayed at Amir's uncle's place. Cik Ti'e and his wife, Cik Mah have called Cameron Highlands their home for decades, and they were more than glad (it seems) to have us around. The loving couple had no children, so they were very happy to attend guests, usually relatives and relatives' friends, to their flat in Tanah Rata.

The jovial Cik Ti'e is also known as Khairi Pendek. 'Cakap je nama Khairi Pendek, semua orang kat Cameron Highlands ni tahu siapa,' and he was right all along. As the name suggests, Cik Ti'e is a little man, but very high in spirit. He is loud for a man of his size. He's enjoyably talkative, and excessively friendly.

Cik Mah, on the other hand, is very warm and motherly. Her height surpasses slightly of Cik Ti'e's, talks with a distinctive Perak dialect, as she hailed from Kampar. Her way of dressing when going out reminds me a lot of Opah when she was in Paris - wool cardigan over a blouse, long skirt and a scarf tied backwards. Cik Mah basically agrees with everything Cik Tie says or does, obedient in nature and pretty much lovely in her own way.

Together, they made our day. Cik Ti'e and Cik Mah really knew how to kick everything in Cameron Highlands in style. I never really expected a visit to the highlands would be a feast to my taste buds, well, it did quite excessively this time. We were served with abundant chicken curry upon our arrival, alongside fresh Cameron Highlands vegetables, ikan pekasam and of course, Cameron Highlands tea.

Practically we got everything free more than what we actually bought. Buy one packet of strawberries, we got the other three free. Buy three sweet corns and we get a plastic bag full of other sweet corns. The vendors knew Cik Ti'e well, and by the time we left Kea Farm we were all loaded with fruits and vegetables for our steamboat dinner.

At Sungai Palas, we were treated by one (or more than one) of Cik Ti'e's former student, with tea. And yes, there was a lot of tea drinking when I was up there - it was awesome drinking free tea overlooking the splendid view of the vast tea plantations after a downpour. It was a breeze of soothing feelings.

They brought us everywhere even to the extent of Orang Asli settlements at Sungai Ruil. We walked around Tanah Rata, visited Amir's other aunt at Brinchang and the strawberry farm nearby, visited the Ye Olde Smokehouse and even visited my last place of stay (ten years ago). They promised a picnic atop of Gunung Brinchang - even jogging, a visit to the rose gardens, cactus farms, and even butterfly farms for our next visit as the time is quite limited.

We were bloated right after dinner. Dinner that night was a combination of everything fresh from the farms. Cik Ti'e, who is fond of cooking but not really a big eater, prepared a whole periuk of steamboat loaded with vegetables and seafood. Beforehand there was steamed corn spread with margarine, alongside a crystal guava and Boh's Vanilla tea I got from Sungai Palas.

Simply said, I was not even for a minute felt hungry up there.

'Makan ramai-ramai macam ni seronok, kan?' uttered Cik Mah, for quite a number of times whenever we have a meal together. It might signify something else, but from what I know the couple was really happy to have people around. I can really see it through the amount of food they prepared for us - it was really a lot.

The couple led a very simple life. Both walk to work from their flat situated on the slopes on a sloppy hill. They led a quality life up there and looked content. Their house has no heater, and yes, bathing means splashing a whole block of ice that just got unfrozen - it was superbly cold even at 1pm! But they were healthy - and why not? Everyday is a breath of fresh air, supplies of fresh water, meals of everything fresh, and get around places just by foot. And they were pretty much happy, so it sums everything up.

I like this excursion a lot. Amir drives our manual rental car like a pro as he is familiar with the roads, and the journey descending to Ipoh with the Simpang Pulai route just took us a good 1 hour and a half. At Medan Gopeng of course it was hot once again as I bid farewell to Amir and Wani before I board my bus to KL with two flower bouquets in my hands.

My last visit was in 1999, so pretty much I didn't exactly know for sure except for the dizzy road leading up to the highlands from Tapah - and I didn't like that. I still have my part of acrophobia anyway. It is amazing, however, to know that Cameron Highlands is at large still peaceful.

Temperatures are rising throughout the day and uncontrolled developments spoil the mood, but the authentic simplicity and serenity of the people and nature toppled everything up with the charming colonial era Tudor houses still stood unchallenged alongside their ugly plagiarized and rather confused newly-built cousins - gargantuan resorts and buildings of no aesthetic taste.

As I didn't bring my camera along, it's clever to stick to the idea that this will not be my last visit at least for the first half of the year. It is quite near to me nowadays, so why not?

It's back to the assignments now, hmph.

Pictures are from Wani's phone - a SonyEricsson K800i that I always trust when taking phone pictures.

An end, another beginning, tales of a year and stuffs to hold for the next: A post.

OK, first things first. I actually have started to write something about last year - 2007 - for more than a week. So many have been turned into drafts because I am simply NOT SURE what to write about EXACTLY. Well I'm not good but summarizing either, but for a year that has been so tremendous (for me), surely something has to be said about it. Something! My uncertainties and indecisiveness have made this post (not counting the other posts since Christmas that has been turned into drafts), commenced on December 31, 2007 and ended in January 1, 2008. Now that's a long post!

December 31, 2007

I would regret letting the year to make an exit just like that without having a proper note written about it. So this is going to be vain and exaggerative, but whatever it is, 2007 really was phenomenal.

For me, the year was, by right, transitional. It saw changes that took place for real. Changes that were made by myself, maybe by you, and the people around me. Changes that walked a big deal out of everything. And finally, to the point that I finally feel that I deserve to call certain points of my life as 'changes', and many parts of 2007 became the turning point of them.

I started the year naked in thoughts and maturity. No puns intended. Half the year was spent in a 'It's Complicated' relationship, while the other half a very much happy single guy full of zest. The first quarter of the year was spent much in enjoying the post-SPM free time, taking up driving lessons until the result was out.

Come PLKN, and for two months, I really am not sure of what I was doing. I was not being me, yet I was learning things that were not actually new, but rather introduced again in a very fundamental point of view. Straightforwardly, PLKN really changed things a lot. For myself, of course, but even in my connections with the people around me, especially those back at home.

People change, and they change more even when you're not around. In a good way or bad I am not so sure, but when I am finally back from the relative wilderness to my so-called original life here, I was blatantly culture-shocked. Things were different back in Sabah of course, but here? So I was a little sickened. When I know some people were not meeting each other when I'm not around, and when people make jokes I don't even have a clue of, I was disappointed.

After my rather arranged break up, I set off for Istanbul. It was sort of a recovery process, somewhat in denial, but I got my refreshments back there. And when I'm back in KL in June, everything seemed to recover from my eyes. Things was sure once again.

July was coming. I thought I got what I wanted when I were given the chance to grab the UiTM offer. It was something that I looked forward to, despite the scornful suggestions that questioned my decision of going to Perak, instead of enrolling myself in private colleges. It was after entering and being a UiTM student that I took notice the staggering attitude crisis and all the problems people have talked about.

I had to deal with that. Adapting myself in was an issue, and not falling into being typical was another. Many times the problems happening in between ourselves - the students - happened to reflect the problem that is happening within our society itself. It's crucial. Somehow the attitude blockade is really giving a big halt to liberalise our thoughts, and afterwards, modernise. Been there, done that, and been confused all over again.

And so a new semester is beginning. A year will be put to an end.

2007 was really not all about how many places I've traveled to, or how many new friends that I've met. I love the new places and the new people, true, but that really is another thing. They just took part in the process, adding to the colour and accelerating the cycles. In the end what matters is how I react to them.

There are a lot to be listed down. However there is one thing for sure - I don't regret anything. Things that happened throughout the year quite simply thought me that it is important to be independent. Sometimes people can turn their backs on you - worse still their asses - while you're being so dependent towards them. It really messes things up, and it sucks big time when that happens.

So it's time look forward. I am fed up of reminiscing. Liberal is the new traditional, and while keeping in touch with my faith and what I believe in at the core, I am trying to see things out of the typical views.

PLKN and UiTM opened the doors for me to know what life does to my new friends out there. People who don't go to PLKN, more so PLKN in Sabah, will not understand. One thing for sure - it reminded me of how we are being in a comfort zone so vast, we're slowly becoming ignorant of other people. If you don't want to admit it, well, it goes for me that way anyhow.

These things could happen anytime, but for me, it happened in 2007. It is true that if you can't go against the flow than go with it. PLKN is best experienced when you're one of the trainees. Though I still think that some of my points are still relevant (dismiss the emotional remarks, really), it is best to criticize the programme after you have taken part in it. Which not everybody had the chance to do so, but I did.

Happy? I don't know. Sad? Not exactly. National Service, in the end, is always something subjective.

Well I'm another teenager still trying to set up his own identity. Slowly throughout the year I've took the effort to improvise, and for that I'm glad. Not for people to take notice, but just to make myself happy. And sometimes people who throw those negative thoughts are just not meant to be screwed, but they are just fucking around to make things better with their (sometimes true) criticisms.

January 1, 2008

My New Year's Eve? Well, it was a blast! The only idea at first was only to go for a lahap session down at Hartamas, in which we - Dira, Nadia and I - did rather successfully anyway. But instead of going straight back home, I decided to crash The Curve (the one where we want to avoid at first due to the heavy traffic jam), where we met lots and lots and lots of jovial people, so it was really fun! (there's a lot to be listed down, just think of the usual + unusual circle of wacky friends. For a general idea of the people, go Flickr!).

We left the very energetic (and overflowing) crowd at The Curve to 1) Escape from the expected traffic jam after midnight, 2) for a great view of the fireworks. So we went to Damansara Perdana first to find a spot, but of no success, until I found a bunch of happy people parking their cars on the Penchala Link flyover ramp. So we decided to park there too and spending the rest of our year there (which is, 15 minutes left).

The view was really great from there. We got to see fireworks from everywhere - Uptown, those faraway PJ areas, OU, Taman Tun, even a bit from Hartamas, and the last one the Curve. So it was a happy start for a new year, and I was very happy. And traffic on the way home was so smooth (because I know the escape route - LDP was stuffed!).

What I especially like was the feeling I had when I ushered into the year - calm. Perfectly calm. I realized now, and then, that 2007 is finally over and some parts of it are just meant to be cherished, and the some other parts to be totally left behind, forgotten.

Unlike last year, 2008 is not easy to be something expected. Simply, nothing is arranged about it, the whole year is just relatively unknown, so basically life in 2008 is just left blank for me to determine. I see many options lying ahead and funnily, though uncertain, I feel secure. At least very much secure than I was when 2007 started.

Fine, rape me because I'm quite traditional, but really, I do see this time of the year as a period of renewal. Just like clicking the 'refresh' button when everything gets lagged, or eating Twisties in a traffic jam. I don't quite have those to-do-lists, or maybe another bunch of resolutions but rather some wishful thoughts, or maybe some anticipations in between.

I didn't hear the clock ticks to twelve or whatever dramatic moments signaling the new year except for the fireworks, but as the moment I know I am not in 2008 anymore, there was also a sudden urge of hope. Hope to fix things (including the camera), and refurbish life all over again. I'm not sure precisely how, but this year seems to be the time.

Parts of 2007 has been dramatic, yes. Some of it are also unnecessarily dramatic, if you know what I mean. Quite honestly this (stuffs like jealousy, backstabbing, those friendship tra-la-las) is one of the things that I would really want to avoid, if ever going to happen, in 2008. Though I really think that these things that are so childish should be banned totally from our minds.

Frankly, I gave the year a good start. For now, there is a whole new year for you and me to shape. Sure, we can only plan, but doesn't planning gives a hand in ensuring future? And with that, from A to Z (or alif to ya, if you prefer), everything is under God's will. In the end of the day it's up to you to make your own judgements that are not subject to those mislabeling infidelity or overprotecting faith, or whatever lah, but judgments that are made by ourselves.

I've learned in 2007 to go out of the box and take challenges. I've achieved and at certain points failed too. I've tried to liberalize, and put a force on rigid thinking. I've tolerated and took a right pace to anything new - not too slow, and not too fast, but just the right speed. I've been alienated and accepted, I've seen and ignored, and that all formed the ups and downs of my 2007.

Everything was like a social conundrum of some sort - from the comfortable Seksyen 9 to the remote Kampung Ovai, from the cold breeze of Switzerland to the random stalls down at the hot Taman Maju, completed by the interesting people from (seriously, seriously) various backgrounds I've met from the early months until yesterday. Really, things have been marvelous. 2007 was really vibrant in a no-nonsense way.

And I'm not even exaggerating. I'm elaborating.

2007 was just another figure before it becomes a year. And a great year it was, and just like any year could've been, it come and go - just like some things that are meant to stay, and some that are just meant to be left away. Whether we like it or not, it's already the first day of a brand new year.

For you, blog readers - that includes Ayah, Mama and Acu - friends and cousins, I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Syukrishairi 2008 - Going back to Seri Iskandar now, gotta rush!

T'was a chain of art!

An event waited with anticipation that ended with another anticipation for the next one.

Simply said, RANtai was the main reason why I happened to be parking at KLCC for five consecutive days, and of course, forcefully visiting the mall itself repetitively for hours at different times of the day from as early in the morning to the late night.

Considering that I don't work there and my house is obviously not a breeze away, it immediately became one of the dumbest thing I've done this year. It was so frequent, I always ended up guessing the parking rates right at the end of the day - and it was always disastrously overpriced.

I was talking about the KLCC part, of course. For those who came and witnessed the event, they would immediately know how the MIA Arthouse - the red bungalow behind Pelita - would be just a walk away from KLCC. Last year RANtai was held at a place relatively unknown, so basically this year the organisers scored quickly in choosing the right venue.

RANtai makes every ends in the local art scene meet. The effort was vibrant and enthusiasm was visible everywhere. These also came along with simplicity - the venue itself was by right not the fanciest. It either shows humility over materialism, or simply the guys don't have that much of money to stage the stuff at anywhere 'proper' to some eyes. Seriously though, I don't give a damn. The event knocked our hearts out of the planet.

Mainly indie in content, RANtai at its core did a good job in highlighting many shining talents in the local art scene, and we're talking about music, photography, fashion, films and many other form of art. At its peak, crowds hurled to the many fashion booths outside catering many independent clothing lines while the various performers made their scene at the nearby moderate stage. Inside the two-story red bungalow, lively forms of artworks were being displayed much to the awe of the viewers, and the nights are filled with acoustic performances, poem recitals, and movie screenings.

Basically RANtai was not solely a gig or one of those events that posers would flock and escape alive. RANtai was to be shared, of course, but it also has to be appreciated. Troublemakers that came for nothing just left a scar that I believe the organisers themselves would not even dreamed of.

But then again it's free, so yeah, everybody likes something that is free.

My personal favourite would be Supernab's and 84cube's display. Sue Anna Joe's was pretty much an open display of vanity. I liked Safuraa Razak's travel shots, and of course, Udey Ismail's. There is a lot to be highlighted, really, but I lost count the names. And heck, this is not a magazine. However none of the displays seem to fail. Art booths were definitely a success - names like Bangkit, Kurasaraksasa, I Heart KL, Jiwakosongart and other clothing lines are a must-catch the next time they are selling out their products.

Because Topshop T-shirts are so a thing of yesterday. God knows how overrated the T-shirts are becoming - everybody seems to be wearing one. You don't want to get caught up with somebody else wearing the same T's, do you? Unless of course if it's a uniform of some type. But that's about the printed T-shirts lah, other stuffs are still OK lah kot, kan? Wait, I think that sweater is familiar!

Heh, newbies.

Well RANtai was an event worth coming everyday, but next time, I would rather allow some gap in between, if you know what I mean. It's an effort worth the pain, if there is any pain. So before anybody would start a countdown to the next year's, I better start to buckle up and brush up my already wacky art and photo skills. Like who knows, right? Orang dalam pun dah ada, haha. RANtai was a success and missing it would be missing a part of the year. I'm glad I didn't.

For more pictures (yet not so many), go Flickr!

PICTURE View of the crowd from the top floor of the bungalow MORE at Myspace.com/Rantai and Rantai at Blogspot. SEE ALSO Click a Child, an initiative program to help children in need and 10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka, an excellent, no-nonsense documentary that was shown at RANtai, by Fahmi Reza.

Happy Holidays, folks!

Hey, it is the season to be jolly after all.











and for everything else, check them out at my Flickr.

Pictures from December 18 until 20.

Why don't we give love that one more chance?

Notes of an adolescent observer.

It's the holiday season and I believe you and I would want to feel safe and sound while enjoying ourselves in company of good friends and families along the way. Especially in a country so unique, the whole thing about actually living in it is just exceptionally eccentric.

I believe you and I want our people to progress and the nation to be prosperous, if not for the next fifty years, forever. It is the best country in the world. I have been to places, and no matter how special they claim they are, Malaysia remains unbeatable and this land and the people crown my heart in many ways.

And all this, from an 18-year old spoiled brat's perspective - a typical teenager raised with Malaysian education, mixed secular and religious pedagogy, listens to a mishmash of indie and jazz music, loves art, and likes onde-onde, putu mayam, Paddle-pop as much as he loves sushi and weird unpronounceable gourmet.

So I am a happy guy who likes to hang out and basically being outside most of the time nowadays. And while I'm at it I would appreciate it if I will lose neither of my body parts or hurt anything or anybody, so I drive safe and abide by the rules. I don't want Ayah to get mad at me either, so I always try to spend accordingly. Sounds heavenly and real, eh? I mean, bottom line, everything goes that way. Therefore, no lies.

Lies came into the picture when there are rumors spreading saying that there will be another rally going to be staged in KL. By using 'another', I'm indicating that there were many messages involving this. For those who sent them out of concern, I thank you. However, I am getting sick out of it. Malaysians of all ages, please, we don't need this. We don't have to be paranoid. We don't have to be scared. We're not dumb, you and I are absolutely not dumb. Or would you want to be one?

I accidentally went to downtown KL on December 11. If you don't know of anything as such, now you know there are people crazy enough that goes to KL by accidental causes. It would be just another day at KL, if not for some alterations to the plan. I was slinging my camera along with my initial, decent reason was to browse for a new lens, or speed light down at Bukit Bintang. I parked at Pavilion, and I was with my bodyguard wannabe, Syafiq J. It is important to know that I went out only for a minum-minum session at Seksyen 3's Restoran Gembira. Accidental? I think yes!

After the browsing part, I was done and bored. The weather was blissful and I had my camera (that sometimes can be turned to a light dumbbell, read: heavy) at my shoulders. So I thought, a traditional light stroll wouldn't hurt. The next thing we know is we were in Brickfields, Masjid Jamek, Jalan Masjid India, Central Market, Petaling Street and Puduraya before we were finally back at Bukit Bintang again. Unsurprisingly, my parking cost me RM17, and we had our dinner at KLCC before we headed home.

It is always good to keep in your head that walking is always the best way to see KL. Driving only reflects the ignorant part of it. The thing is, on that very day it was another typical day with normal people doing perfectly orderly things. Pickpockets, pirated DVD dealers, immigrant workers, tourists, crazy drivers, crazier taxi drivers, unpunctual trains, smelly toilets, friendly people, the disabled, faggots - everything - not a strange thing in sight.

I encountered temple-keepers, bunga malai makers, auntie making bak kut teh, cheap clothing salesgirl, tok kiai, tourist booth receptionist who looks like he doesn't want to work there, practically a lot of people. None of them the same. I entered temples and mosques, and at every spot, I was treated the way I wanted - respected and given privacy. So I was.

No hatred at hall. At least not visibly. It is the KL I wanted to know. It's a city so cosmopolitan, New Yorkers would end up eating socks when they see us.

At the other side of the city, a group is marching up to the Parliament to give a memorandum. They expect it to be perfectly smooth as they are confident things will stay calm. But it didn't went smooth, because some people or maybe the authorities are so afraid, they staged roadblocks and intentionally caused havoc, deterring unnecessarily over paranoia and insecurities. And another scar is left out.

Four days later I went to KLCC for the third day of RANtai, and for the Midnight Sale. Things went out perfectly with no hassle. RANtai intriguingly gave out free condoms in conjunction with a particular AIDS campaign. The screening that night was satisfying, with 10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka being such a standout, and the puzzling Kisah Tiga Lelaki. Midnight Sale was a total bummer, we were back from RANtai to KLCC at 11.30pm only to find the place 3/4 dead.

Haziq and I went back after that, only to find the Federal Highway jammed at 12 am. It was the weirdest thing in the world that time, so we decided to have our supper at PJ's State. The traffic jam, expectedly, has happened to be caused by a tragic accident near the Sunway interchange.

No rallies, none. Incidentally, a dumb message started by maybe some paranoid racist circulated that a rally will be staged by a hot hot heat organisation near Jalan Ampang. For the less-informed, RANtai was at Jalan Ampang. I felt utterlessly disappointed. The stupid message left some people being unnecessarily scared.

Sunday, December 16. After accompanying Yat to send his brother's camera in Cheras, we were to go to KLCC, and eventually the last day of RANtai to meet up with our other course mates. It was still early and the guys were still at KL Sentral, so I thought a nasi lemak down at Kg. Baru would not hurt even a tiniest bit. Yat was all out to treat me with one, so we randomly searched for a stall, and I didn't want Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa at that time.

So we found a stall, and the nasi lemak was OK. The rice was very good, however the sambal was the ones that will have you the slightly dizzy effect after eating. I bought some newspapers afterwards. There were even tourists around, and the locals were behaving normally. It has been awhile since I last been to Kg. Baru, heck, do I even had a last time?

The thing is, it is a lovely idea to have the first class view of the towers at your backyard. Imagine opening your windows to such a panorama, before doing some light gardening and grabbing your motorcycle to lepak at the nearest warung. The lavish apartment owners around the KLCC area would really have to feel sorry for themselves when they know this.

After the whole day was over, literally, I dropped by at PJ at my Atuk's house as Mama said the whole family was there. It was a feast of fruits, say, durians, and Wan's pulut durian was tempting to the core. While I was eating, Acu told us that another rally was supposed to be staged down at Kg. Baru earlier that day, by another yeah yeah yeah organization.

I was equally shocked and disgusted.

I know I would not want to believe that. For those who don't know and maybe are confused, they will group these 'rallies' altogether as a whole bad thing. While some of it are proven bad, some are organized to be staged out peacefully and they did, but later were misinterpreted and given a bad image haphazardly, totally fooling those who don't know or would not want to know the truth.

In short, we're perfectly fooled and confused.

Which sends some people to be paranoid. It roots back to a common sense, anyhow. If we really trust each other in the first place, why afraid? If everything is in a perfect order, why be insecure? If we believe in a peaceful Malaysia, why be threatened?

Because if we are already a strong society as whole, we will not be shaken. Yet stupid rumors are spread. Racism should not exist here in a land where her people is diverse. Racists should be tormented by eating tempoyak, cincaluk, budu and sago worms simultaneously with belacan being stuffed up in his or her nostrils. The video of that should be posted on YouTube.

I mean, how could things like this appear in a mainstream national newspaper?

Kita boleh menyaman kerajaan Belanda, Inggeris, Jepun serta keluarga Brooke kerana negara dan keluarga ini juga pernah menjajah keseluruhan atau sebahagian daripada bumi Malaysia.

Negara berkenaan bukan saja perlu disaman kerana menjajah negara secara kolektif selama 446 tahun, tetapi juga kerana merompak hasil mahsyul negara, membawa agama dan budaya asing, melanggar hak asasi manusia peribumi, merencatkan proses pembangunan negara dan dosa yang paling besar mengubah karekter bumi Malaysia daripada bersifat satu kaum kepada pelbagai kaum.

Basically this is what you get when you sleep in history classes. Dumb ass.

What the hell is wrong? Quite simply, no religion is native to this land, not even Islam. There is no such thing as 'agama tidak asing', as the writer is suggesting. Hinduism and Buddhism came first long before Alfonso de Albuquerque ran amok at the great harbour of Malacca, and before the traders came, we are perfectly pagan. Islam came into our forefather's hearts from many sources, and then Christianity came together with the colonialists.

Changing a land's demographical patterns is not a big sin. Fighting God's fate of humanity is. First of all it's not the colonialists who have made our land home to many happy people who simply have different ways of seeing life. People from all over the Malay Realms - the Nusantara - the big archipelago crossing from Sumatra to Papua have long migrated to the land that was once known as Tanah Besar. They were not all Malay - these people are made up of many more diverse ethnicities - Javanese, Achenese, Bugis, Banjar, Minang and others.

People from Southern India have long visited Southeast Asia, being frequent visitors at the land's many ports. Quite notably, the Chin Empire of modern day China loved Malacca, and has sent several fleets, one of them being led by the legendary Cheng Ho to meet the Sultan. And what made you so sure that the Thais, Arabs and Persians are being isolated from all these social fiesta going on that time?

Malacca exclusively and the Peninsula in general, back then should be something of a cosmopolitan like KL these days. Surely the world's greatest port at that era is not expected to be boring. So much curiosity should have been stirred, and everybody should have like to know each other. Our people must have been very lovely at that time, or if some people beg to differ, lovelier.

Fast forward, after hundreds of years (or 446 years later, thanks for making the calculations dude), something is wrong. In fact, forget hundreds of years. Something should have gone correct sometime during the last fifty years, yet we're missing it.

It is best to think that racism is always a problem, and ignorance will only lead to hatred.

Our society needs more than propaganda and deceptions. We need to fight child rapists, corrupted politicians, criminals and people who think they are otai enough to become criminals. We need better roads and better public transportation, all over from Tawau to Arau. And if you don't know where the hell are these places, add better educational system to the list.

Well.

It is at this time of the year when the most rationale guy I have ever known, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has made a great speech that mankind should hold on to forever. As half of humanity is gathering before God today at the fields of Arafah, let us not forget what the great man told us thousands of years ago,

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

After 1375 years, he still got that right. God created us different for us to understand and learn from each other, not to tear us apart. Other nations have got over that and moved on.

Reality; puppet media and selfish SMSes are spread, while we got some irrational politicians cursing at the table democracy. At the same time, another person is waiting for a late train again at the station, or maybe he's just too early.

For everybody else who loves this country, Happy Holidays. Maybe this Eid and Christmas will put off the pressure out of our hearts and make some changes.

Spread the joy. Give love that one more chance, will ya?

Listening to David Bowie & Queen - Under Pressure
PICTURES from top 1. At Kg. Baru, sophistication stands in stark contrast with old-fashioned lives. 2. Shoppers browse through footwear at Jalan Melayu near Jalan Masjid India area 3. Despite warnings, people still doze off in the vicinity of Masjid Jamek 4. It's a rainy day outside while the LRT passes by the graffiti made at the walls of the Klang river, National Mosque visible at the back. 5. Traffic light at Bukit Bintang, fences and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building clocktower, signage at KL Sentral Monorail Station. All pictures copyright Syukrishairi 2007.