Here and there..

Going Places : Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise

Date of travel : 5 September 2009

Organized by : Us!...with Masa-san, our coordinator

This Sea Paradise in Hakkeijima, Yokohama is one of the largest water park which holds one of the largest aquariums in Japan. You can find out about this park more on its website, here. This place was one of the places that we managed to visit as part of our farewell tour in Japan. We could see thousands of marine creatures from hundreds of different kinds of species in its immensely big aquariums. We could also see a special scheduled show of dolphins and seals, and also enjoy ourselves in some of their game parks. My favourite ones..(and perhaps the scariest..huhu) were falling 107 meters down in the Blue Fall and riding the crazy surf coasters...just by the Yokohama Bay. Quite scary and crazy indeed, I couldn't even open my eyes more than half of the ride. And there were lots more. I also had my first ever merry-go-round ride in this place...(pity girl, eh?). Ha ha...

My coordinator and I, at the entrance

The dolphin aquarium

Yeah, we roughed the 'rapid'

The Blue Fall

A nice snoozing seal..er..walrus?

Waiting for the ferry

The thrilling coasters, try it if you dare..

Beautiful white dolphins performing a show

Anyway, other than the enjoyable and crazy time we had in this park, I had a rather pleasant experience here, showing the honesty and trustworthiness of the Japanese. At one time, I realized that I had lost my rings, probably forgotten to wear them back after taking the ablution at one of the restroom in the park. I went back to the restroom but couldn't find them. I was really worried and sad because those rings are precious to me. After telling my coordinator about it, he brought us to the information/help counter and relayed my problem to the lovely staff there. At first I felt rather hopeless to get them back, as they were just tiny things and were not even made from gold. The staff asked me to describe how they looked like, then out came the rings, properly kept and packed in a transparent plastic bag, exactly mine! Alhamdulillah, I felt jolly relieved! In a place that big, with lots of people visiting, I was lucky to get back my little treasures. Many thanks to the kind and honest soul who found them and brought them to the counter.

Lastly, but not the least, this place is quite awesome and a really nice place to spend the time. We had a great time here. ~The end~

Kau dan aku 2...

I am feeling like a train wreck because of a revelation. A life's experience is the true teacher to those who experienced it. I heard the words "redha", "hikmah" and "ketentuan Ilahi" a lot. I used them, a lot. I thought I knew the meaning. Literally, of course. But never I imagine the true meaning of those words and the powerful emotion they bring.

I have a friend who had her life journey so profoundly...life changing. People talking, they don't know anything. I, also don't know much. But knowing her, I knew that she knew what she had gotten herself into. Sometimes, explanation is unnecessary. Just faith, a strong conscious and integrity. And belief, believing that there are reasons for everything, and Allah swt knows it all. I never had an inkling of doubt of her, I never did. I am happy if she's happy. When she was tested, and God tested her hard, my heart went for her. I couldn't reach her, and she didn't want to be reached. But my heart is always with her, and so do my prayers.

Finally seeing her again, hearing what she said, the revelations were stunning, and it touched my heart and my soul. I feel sorry for what had happened, but...one thing led to another, and I had been thinking that her previous adventure, are forming the base where her feet could land now, in the present. Allah is Most Gracious, and will not test us if we are not up to it.

It seems difficult to define exactly where does this train wreck feeling come from. It is a mixed feelings of sadness, feeling down, and feel so little. I was thinking that if I had the same experience as her, how would I take it? Would I have the strength? Would I stay sane? Sincerely, I don't know. Her journey had made her see things differently, her insights are through her heart and mind, while mine is only the eyes.

While we have our own journey set in front of us, while we have our demons to battle, while we have the raging war inside us...we cannot stop ourselves from trying to understand what is meant for us to understand, to learn what is meant to learn. A day full of good deeds and improvements followed by a day of broken rules just cancel out each other. What a waste. This is my test. And this is my battle to be won.

A meeting of old friends turned into a heart-touching revelation. It felt suffocating a little, maybe I wasn't ready. But it had impacted me. Pulling myself together, is what I am doing. May I have the strength...

Salam Maal Hijrah..

Alhamdulillah, 1 Muharram 1432 H kini tiba. Setahun telah berlalu dan tahun baru menjelang dengan gemilang. Bila tahun baru hijrah menjelma, selalu kita dengar akan 'hijrah', 'pengorbanan', 'pembangunan ummah' dan sebagainya. Selalu kita diingatkan dengan kisah penghijrahan Nabi Muhammad SAW dan bermulanya zaman kegemilangan Islam. Selalu....selalu...tapi kita kadang-kadang mudah lupa. Selalu...lupa. Termasuklah saya, si tukang tulis. Saya tidak mampu untuk menulis tentang pengorbanan para nabi dan rasul, saya tidak mampu untuk berhujah dengan ayat-ayat Allah, saya tidak mampu....

Namun sebagai umat yang sentiasa mengharapkan keredhaanNya, kita mampu untuk menyoal kembali diri kita sendiri..

Apakah aku telah menjadi seorang bapa dan suami yang baik? Apakah aku telah menjalankan tanggungjawabku terhadap isteri dan anakku dengan sempurna? Apakah aku telah menghargai segala usaha isteriku menyediakan segala yang terbaik buatku dan anak-anak di rumah? Walaupun dia juga sibuk bekerja? Apakah telah aku ucapkan sayang dan cinta kepadanya bukan saja pada hari lahirnya atau ulangtahun perkahwinan kami, tetapi pada hari-hari biasa?

Apakah aku telah menjadi ibu dan isteri yang baik? Apakah aku redha dengan apa yang suamiku mampu sediakan buat kami sekeluarga? Apakah aku selama ini ikhlas memasak, menggosok baju, mengemas rumah dan sebagainya dengan rasa kasih dan puas hati dan bukannya diselangi rungutan? Apakah aku pernah menunjukkan 'tantrum' kepada suamiku hanya kerana kami tidak dapat balik kampung kerana suami dipanggil bekerja?

Apakah aku telah menjadi anak yang baik? Apakah aku sentiasa merindui untuk melihat wajah ibu dan ayahku dan sentiasa merancang untuk pulang ke kampung? Apakah aku telah untuk menggembirakan hati ibu dan ayahku dan bukannya merisaukan hati mereka? Apakah aku pernah ego dengan teguran mereka sehingga langsung tidak dapat menerima? Apakah aku pernah mendoakan kesejahteraan mereka?

Apakah aku seorang kakak, abang atau adik yang baik? Apakah aku selama kini menghormati adik-beradikku dan meluahkan kasih sayangku secukupnya? Apakah aku pernah mencemburui segala kelebihan mereka di mana sepatutnya aku bergembira? Apakah aku pernah mengabaikan mereka di mana mereka memerlukan pertolonganku? Apakah aku sentiasa menjadi support system di dalam hidup mereka?

Apakah aku telah menjadi kawan yang baik? Kawan yang sentiasa membantu, mendengar dan menghargai kawannya yang lain? Apakah aku telah menjadi kawan yang menegur perkara yang silap dan menyokong perkara yang benar? Apakah aku sentiasa menjaga hati kawanku dan tidak segan meminta maaf andainya tersilap? Apakah aku pernah menunjuk-nunjuk dengan kelebihanku dan merendah-rendahkan mereka yang kurang sempurna daripadaku?

Apakah aku pekerja yang baik? Apakah aku telah bekerja dengan hati seikhlas mungkin dan melakukan tugas dengan penuh rasa tanggungjawab? Apakah aku amanah dalam tugasku, bukan sahaja amanah dalam urusan wang tetapi juga dalam urusan masa?

Apakah aku manusia yang baik dan bertanggungjawab? Apakah aku telah menjaga persekitaranku? Apakah aku telah menjaga amanah Allah iaitu menjaga alam dan segala isi kandungannya dengan baik? Apakah aku pernah melemparkan sampah dari dalam kereta semasa sedang memandu? Apakah aku pernah membuang sampah dari tingkap apartmentku? Atau longgokkan sahaja sampah itu di mana-mana?Apakah aku telah memandu dengan berhemat lantas menjaga keselamatan diri sendiri dan pengguna jalanraya yang lain?

Apakah aku hamba Allah yang baik? Apakah aku bukan sahaja menjaga solat, malah menjaga segala rukun dan tertib lakunya? Apakah aku sentiasa redha dengan ketentuannya? Apakah aku sentiasa berusaha menambah ilmu pengetahuan dan memahami serta mematuhi segala suruhanNya? Apakah aku telah cukup bersabar dengan dugaan yang datang dalam pelbagai cara dan rupa? 

Pasti kita dapat menjawab segala persoalan tersebut...dan pasti ada jawapan yang perlu kita perbaiki.. ..Semoga dengan kedatangan tahun yang baru ini kita mendapat semangat baru untuk memperbaiki diri kita secara keseluruhannya. Kita tidak harus meminta supaya ditiadakan ujian dan dugaan, sebaliknya kita harus meminta kekuatan dan pedoman untuk menghadapinya. Semoga kita beroleh kekuatan itu. Amin.

Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale

Rapunzel is the best Disney movie ever!!!

google image

Okay.. a little bit over-reacting there..The rapunzel I meant is Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale, a new Disney movie showing in cinemas since November. Of course, we already knew of the original tale, but this one has a little bit of a twist, thus the 'tangled' theme. I really, really love the story. It was fun, witty, hilariously funny (klako giller!), the colour was brilliant, beautiful pictures and lovely, lovely songs. All in all, it was truly entertaining, the characters were all strong, and I love Max the horse and the chameleon! So cute! I just can't describe it better. Just enjoy it, because I did, immensely. I like it so much!

Movie : Dorian Gray

Would you like to stay young forever?...

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This post is about Dorian Gray, the central figure in Oscar Wilde's 1890 literature "The Picture of Dorian Gray", and its 2009 film adaptation simply titled "Dorian Gray". As I have never read the actual Wilde's literature, much of the storyline in this post came from my perspective and reading after watching the DVD of the 2009 film a few days ago. Dorian Gray was a young man, with charming good looks and youthfulness that everybody desired. He was innocent, he was good...until he met the cynic Lord Henry, who took quite an interest to the young Gray. Befriending Lord Henry, Gray was enthralled with his world views and looked up upon him. Henry preached his views and philosophy to Gray, yet his views and philosophy in life were laced with his fanciness to hedonism and slowly corrupted Gray's mind. Both men were friends with Basil, a fine artist who were inspired by Gray's beauty and painted his portrait. In a way, he was also fond of Gray. The painting became the central object of the story as Gray realized his good features and slowly succumb to the idea of conquering all life's pleasure by using his charm and exploring his senses. He broke a lot of hearts, he became heartless himself and cared for nothing except for his pleasures. Although being reminded by Basil not to believe Henry's words, Gray was already embracing the ideas and constantly motivated by Henry to use all his qualities to the maximum. The story took a different turn when Gray looked upon Basil's painting of him and saw that after every sin he committed, his painting changed. Gray in the painting became deformed and aged gradually after committing each hideous act, while Gray himself didn't change, hurt or age a little bit. Earlier on, in what I thought as a scene of playful remarks between Henry and Gray, they discussed the idea of bartering one's soul to the devil in exchange of something. And Gray said that he would agree to change it with eternal youth. Thereupon, the story reflected a Faustian theme. Gray hid the painting as the changes escalated. As Basil encounter him for the painting, Gray killed him and threw him into the river. Now that he thought himself as untouchable and invincible, he went away and travel the world, using his curse to seek pleasure. 25 years passed (18 in the literature), he came back to London, tired of his conquest. He reconnected with Henry and the others. Looking the same as he was 25 years ago, many were surprised to see him, including Henry. However, Gray now was tired of his life, he wanted to change. He wanted to be a good man. But he looked at his painting and it was still the same hideous thing. He wanted to be free from this curse. He fell in love with Henry's daughter (a vicar's daughter in the literature) and wanted to marry her. But his terrible past came to haunt him. The hearts he had broken, the souls he had killed, including Basil's and the girl who committed suicide because of him, all came upon him and torturing him. He blamed it all on Henry, he blamed it on the painting. In the tragic end, Gray died in the effort to redeem himself. In order to kill the curse, he stabbed the painting. In the literature, he was found dead stabbed in the heart. In the film version, he died in a blast while stabbing on the painting. The painting survived the fire, and changed its form back to its original look.

            I think this is one example of life trying to imitate art. The Faustian theme aside, this is a tragic example when a man is devoted to pleasure and when morality is degraded as a hindrance to happiness. Lord Henry relishes the kind of life he preached to Gray, yet he didn't live that life. Gray took everything Henry said like in a textbook and unable to control himself.
            One quote that I like in the film, from Basil, "Some things are more precious because they don't last". The other cynical quotes from Henry, which I didn't mean to like but I found it rather interesting and couldn't help chuckled at some. A rather entertaining story, with an interesting plot, although I thought it diversed from the original literature to a certain extent (anyway, which adaptations do not..?), it was a good watch. The end.  

MAHA 2010

Event : Malaysian Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism International Show 2010 (MAHA 2010)

Venue : Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS)

Event date : 26 November - 5 December 2010

What MAHA is all about? As I see it, MAHA is a large international event showcasing everything in the agriculture and farming domain. I've never been to this expo in the previous years, so I am glad to go there this year. Knowing about this event, I remembered something from the past. I have this vague memory of going to a similar kind of expo with my family when I was a little girl. An expo at the Stadium Sultan Muhammad IV in Kota Bharu if I am not mistaken but I didn't remember when and what was actually the event. I remembered seeing huge cows, bulls and goats....and as a young kid, it was fascinating to see the animals. So, one of the expectations that I had from this MAHA was seeing farm animals, other than seeing farming machineries and all the plants and trees. 

My main purpose was snapping photos and another secret mission...hmm, don't wanna tell here, hihi....So, armed with my camera, there I went. Going to a place where I wasn't familiar with, it took me quite a long time to arrive there, but the place itself wasn't so near. The thing with me in finding a place is that I have the potential of getting lost, but I always find what I want to find in the end. The key is having the confidence, with a little help of guidance and prior study of Google map. I would love to have that GPS thingy in my car but I am not quite sure if I can rely on that thing in this country. Anybody can confirm to me about it?

Anyway, back to MAHA story, the place was large! From the parking space, I joined many other visitors queuing for the tractor-tram thing (Pic 1) to go Laman Tiba 1, the main area. There are 4 halls and a large area of open bazaar selling many kinds of things and food. I head on to the Hall A and inside the hall, there are many booths from the ministry, agencies, departments, companies, universities, entrepreneurs which are related in the agriculture, fishery, horticulture etc. research and industries. I was seeing almost everything there that I nearly lost track of the time and realized that I haven't visited other sites yet.

Pic 1 Happy tram day

The other 3 halls are mainly booths and bazaar selling all kinds of things in the theme from local and international company and also a big food area. I don't have the budget to spend on things so I didn't linger long at the bazaar areas, avoiding the temptation, uhuh...I made up my mind that if I was going to spend, it should be on something that I won't get to see everyday. So, in the end, I bought something that could fill my stomach; a seaweed drink, a goat meat burger and a bird's nest drink, which were really good and satisfying. To go to other exhibition sites, there were buses and trams provided. My next site was the livestock and machinery showgrounds. As I had expected, there were big cows, goats and sheep. Big, plump and yummy...yeah, I was looking at them with the mindset of the wolves, lions and tigers. Aumm! Maybe that burger wasn't enough after all. There were also rabbit farms, cats and parrots. Next, i went to the machinery area. By this time, my camera batteries had run out, unfortunately I forgot to check whether they were fully charged before, uh! Had to use my phone camera.

It was a little later after 4pm, the sky was getting darker and darker and finally it rained. Heavily, just like the other days in this season. It was uncomfortable to walk around anymore. I initially wanted to visit the state pavilions but the weather wasn't permissible and scraped my mood. So, after waiting the rain to stop (and waiting for a long time for the tram to my parking area but they didn't appear!) I walked to my car with a pair of tired feet but feeling happy and contented. I've got what I wanted, though I couldn't see all things, I felt that it was enough...and mission accomplished. Going back, easier than coming, but still a long way, plus the evening traffic, nothing was more relieving than finally arriving home and resting my body. What a day...and it was a really nice event to go, and perhaps go there again next year. The end.

Pic 2 Fluffy and dewy-eyed, I like!

Pic 3 Pity kitty..don't poke me!

Pic 4 It took a while to figure its function

Pic 5 Fruits you don't get to see everyday

Pic 6 Orchids galore!

Pic 7 Yummy burger

Pic 8 Asam Kelubi...have heard but never seen or eaten

Pic 9 Trying seaweed garnished with garlic, vinegar and chilli

Pic 10 Facing extinction

Pic 11 Kuala Lipis bro..with nice Gaharu tea

Pic 12 Kids can play around with these bunnies

    

A piece of Harry...

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Harry..Harry..Harry..Harry was that cute little boy with the geeky glasses who was also a friend to the cute Hermione and Ron nine years ago. Now they are in their late teens, all grown up, adrenaline boiling and having romance issues (PG13 here...). I am not a die-hard follower of the books or the movies, however, counting...I think I have seen four of the seven film series, including the latest one (HP7), the first of the two part finale. Not being a serious follower, I was sometimes lost in comprehending some plots or relationships between characters, but regardless of that, I never fell asleep during the movie. So, that being said, you can still enjoy the movie because its story, dialogue and performance are independently entertaining. Anyway, familiarizing with the story line from the first series to the last does help to appreciate the movie better. As for me, as I watched the final part currently showing in cinemas, I was enticed to make a quick study of what was the story about from the start. So, there will be a little digging up after this. Lastly, the second part of the finale will be showing in July 2011, for the final battle. Can't wait... 

Tahun depan nak buat apa...?

Pelan...pelan...pelan...2011 dah nak sampai. Dah ada perancangan untuk tahun depan? 2010 masih ada baki sebulan lebih, tapi aku rasa macam dok dalam buffer zone, atau zon berbulan madu. Dah malas nak fikir apa lagi nak kena buat tahun ni, tapi bersemangat pulak nak rancang tahun depan. Memang, kadang-kadang kita ni memang suka buat rancangan...nak pelan bagus punya, pelan cuti, pelan kerja, pelan balik kampung, pelan bajet, pelan itu, ini...tapi tang melaksanakannya tu, cerita lain pulak. Tapi nak pelan sangat-sangat pun, susah jugak...susah nak teropong apa yang bakal ada kat depan tu.

Jadi, dah ada planner atau organizer untuk tahun depan punya? Ke nak tunggu organizer opis anda punya? Kalau opis saya, agaknya dah berbulan masuk 2011 baru dapat kot...isk isk. Apapun, ikut suka andalah, kalau anda nak tahu bila tarikh cuti sekolah dan kelepasan am untuk tahun depan, boleh klik sini..

Takwim Persekolahan

Kelepasan Am

Selamat merancang.  

Going Places : Fukuroda Waterfalls

As I flipped through old papers and documents, I stumbled upon brochures of several places that I visited in Japan from 2008 - 2009. I guess there is no point of keeping those papers and letting them become old and yellow with time. But I can't just throw them away. The memories are precious and while it resides fondly at the back of my mind and in my heart, I thought that I might as well write a few things about it to share, as another way to preserve the memories and the information acquired through the visits (and I won't feel guilty recycling the written memorabilia...). So here is my first entry of the places, Fukuroda Waterfalls.

Date of travel : 21st February 2009

Organized by : JICA TBIC

Fukuroda Waterfalls in Fukuroda, Ibaraki Prefecture, is one of the famous, beautiful and powerful one in Japan amongst the other waterfalls  as Kegon Waterfalls in Nikko and Nachi Waterfalls in Wakayama. The River Taki flows swiftly through a 73 m wide channel over a drop of 170 m. This waterfalls is known as "four times waterfalls" because the water falls down over four big rocks, as in four steps. But it also refers to a saying that people should go to this waterfall four times in a year (meaning once in every season) to see the different beautiful faces of the falls. During the best time of autumn, you can see the autumn colours in trees surrounding the falls. And they say the falls present a different but equally beautiful face in winter, when the water become a cascading of ice.

The rest of the entry I will present through photos from myself and a few from my friends as we went there during the winter...however, at that time, we could only see a little bit of icicles here and there, not much of ice. But it was really cold.

Stopping over at Tomobe Service Area (like the PLUS R&R here..)

At the entrance to go near the waterfall

Omiyage anyone? (It means souvenirs..)

It was difficult to get all the four steps in one frame..

Regardless of age, Japanese really love climbing hills..I was surely out of breath!

In the middle of winter, it must be so beautiful when the leaves changed colours..

Smoked (..or roasted??) rice cakes and salted fish.

Yesss, we enjoyed it so much in the cold weather..very nice.

~The end~

(Photo collection from Titi, Nelson and mine.)

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

A hot day, with the air feeling so stuffed, is not giving me such pleasure today. Homebound, restless, and with sore muscles, I survived the day playing in the 'farm', watching the final episode of a Korean drama (which I have no idea of what it was about before but comprehended all by this one finale episode), savouring a kimchi-like dish that my house mate made, and finally, completing reading this Agatha Christie's novel that I have bought quite a while ago but haven't been able to finish it. I dare say, this novel is the first one that I've succeeded in finishing after a long era of reading hibernation.

google image (the same cover that I bought)

Always a fan of Agatha Christie, I am. And I have read a lot of her books. As I said, I have been in hibernation in terms of reading novels lately. So, putting my dear FB to sleep (and that means my loyal Mr. LappyToppa too), picking up this book, and reading it in every possible position I could, and reading the last chapter aloud (as always...a long time ago) finally giving me a rush of satisfactory feeling. The joy that has long been dimmed by the advanced technology of virtual entertainment and plenty of other distractions.

But anyway, TMoRA is one of the many brilliant works by Mdm Christie that you can enjoy. Usually, I could never guessed who the murderer is behind the mysterious crime right until the very end, and that is usually in a gathering of all the suspects, but in this one, I am getting better....I have guessed who is the culprit just a chapter before the finale...hihi..I guess I need not to relay the plot here, interested readers can just pull it out from Google easily. This mystery case is one of the Hercule Poirot mysteries, meaning the author made this story as one of Poirot's cases and not the other popular protagonist in her novels, being Miss Marple. But even though this is a Poirot's case, it is being told from the perspective of another person being Dr. Sheppard, one of the key characters in the story. 

Need I say more? Hmm, I don't think so. It's a mystery novel and it is brilliant. There's elements of humour here and there that kept me chuckled in the effort of unraveling the case. Be prepared to be deceived. Mystery and detective story lovers, this is something that you cannot miss!

Movie : Buried

www.experienceburied.com

If you are claustrophobic, then perhaps it is not advisable to watch this movie. 

How can I write about this movie when every word that I've think of would only give away the story, thus the spoiler! Maybe that's why the movie reviewer in The Star newspaper just wrote about what he thought about the main actor, Ryan Reynolds and just a little glimpse of the movie....just a little, by a hair. Yet he gave a high star rating...which is the reason why I found myself in the cinema today.

Okay, an ordinary truck driver, Paul Conroy, wakes up and find himself trapped inside a coffin, and buried underground. With only a lighter and a cellphone, he has only 90 minutes to save himself before lacking oxygen. So that's it! All through the movie, it was tense...and I feel out of breath, perhaps those who never thought that they are claustrophobic could become one while watching this movie. With limited space, limited time, we are left in suspense, wondering if he will be saved and how. With nothing left to do but watching him battling the situation with dwindling physical and mental strength, we are either stuck in our seat and having buttock cramps or munching popcorns with the same pace as the suspense music beat, or both. 

And the ending.....truly unexpected...and I kind of said this to my friend, What! Is it really finished??!

Aiyo...thriller lovers, I don't know if you will be disappointed or not with the ending, but if you'd like to test your patience, then this movie is recommended. Enjoy.   

Theater : Muzikal Tun Mahathir

(Tulisan ni dah lama terperap dalam draft tapi baru ada masa nak tengok balik dan publish...)

Apa kes?

Pengalaman pertama menonton teater muzikal di Istana Budaya. 

Apa cerita?

Muzikal Tun Mahathir.

Dengan siapa?

Adinda ku yang tercinta yang ku heret saja. Ternyata beliau boleh me'layan'nya..hehe

Apa yang 'besh'?

Teruja. Pertama kali menonton teater semasa di USM, itu pun kalau tak silap produksi student sendiri. Tapi ini kali pertama menonton sebuah produksi besar di Istana Budaya dengan cerita mengenai seorang tokoh negara. Dan ramai pelakon 'silverscreen' dan 'small screen' yang dikenali. Lagu-lagunya sedap didengar. 

Apa yang 'kureng'?

Tak dapat tiket 'besh'. Dapat seat kat Upper Circle, bila duduk macam biasa tak dapat tengok keseluruhan pentas dan screen besar di belakangnya. Last-last kena duduk condong ke depan, nasib baik kat barisan depan, ada tempat nak letak siku. Bila duduk macam tu, baru lah dapat tengok pentas sampai ke bahagian paling depan, tapi screen tu dapat tengok 60% je kot.

Adinda di IB

Alkisah...?

Oklah, sebab cerita dia pasal Tun Mahathir, ceritanya bermula dari zaman Tun dilahirkan, semasa budak-budak, ketika di kolej hinggalah ke zaman universiti. Tang menariknya masa zaman universiti tu masa percintaan Tun M dan Tun SH...(betui ka Tun M dulu meng'ayat' cam gitu sekali..? hehe). Apapun, persembahan Zizan Nin dan Erra Fazira masa tu kiut sekali. Pastu masuk lah bab bekerja di Klinik Maha dan akhirnya tiba lah zaman penglibatan politik. Masa ni Zizan Nin dah bertukar menjadi Esma Daniel. Adakalanya aku rasa loghat Kedah Esma tak berapa menjadi, tapi bila babak Tun M ditemuramah wartawan dalam satu wawancara tv, aku rasa cara dia bercakap begitu sebijik sekali dengan Tun (agaknya dia berlatih tang situ lebih sikit kot). Sesetengah babak tak diceritakan melalui dialog tetapi melalui lagu dengan lirik yang merangkumi keseluruhan episod babak itu secara simbolik. Contohnya ada satu babak berkenaan hubungan Tun M dengan timbalan-timbalannya...hmm...Tang politik-politik ni cek kureng sikit noo..

Apapun, oklah..ia adalah suatu cerita yang menarik dan pengalaman yang menarik juga...Cuma, kalau dapat tempat duduk yang lebih munasabah, dapat le menghayati cerita dengan lebih baik rasanya. Aku minat tengok teater dan lain kali bila ada masa dan bila ada cerita yang dirasakan best, aku akan tengok lagi.

Akan datang?!

Movie : Magika

Magika is another brave experiment from the KRU brothers. As I remember, the KRU brothers always try something different and do something that is not usually done by other people in the local entertainment industry. There may be some loopholes and brickbats but they keep thinking and moving forward. For that effort and vision, I salute them.

Back to Magika, if we can enjoy Narnia, Harry Potter and other fantasy movies alike, why can't we enjoy this Malaysian version of children fantasy movie, Magika? In a nutshell, this movie is entertaining and fun. First, it is a musical. So, between dialogues you may expect some songs and those songs are also the story. Some dialogues are delivered through singing. The songs are very nice. I must confess at first I almost laughed at the starting of the movie as I 'tak tahan' (couldn't stand it) to see Maya Karin in a fairy-like costume singing at the river. Feels like watching old Malay movies from the 50s - 60s era., but with colours. But then, I started to accept the concept of a musical film (in this modern days).

Talking about colour, the colours are amazing. Technical aspects aside (for I am not a tech-person), watching the movie is like watching beautiful pictures. Actors and actresses, they are all famous and widely known around the country. Characters? They are all of famous Malay heroes and mythical characters like Nenek Kebayan, Hang Tuah, Mahsuri, Awang (Lembing Awang Pulang ke Dayang), Naga Tasik Chini, Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, Pak Pandir, Orang Minyak and others (Funny I have to ransack my memories of Malay story characters just to find out who "Bad" is at first, ha ha). But there are so many characters that most of them appeared only in a short while, just to accommodate the journey of Ayu in search of her brother.

Oh, I have skipped the main part. I should have told you the main plot. Ayu and Malik are two siblings living in this current era, who are grieving for their mother's death, especially Malik as he thought that he was the cause of it. One day, Malik is being difficult and run away into the forest. Ayu, his older sister has to find him. Malik then lost into the world of Magika and is caught by Nenek Kebayan. Ayu, following his tracks, also went into Magika and had to encounter many strange things and meet strange people, whom later we know as the famous characters, in search of Malik. In Magika, their journey began.

Perhaps the ending is not so much alike as in fairy tales, and not so strong (not that I wanted it to be like in fairy tales..). The positive message (for Malik) is there but kind of hidden by the feeling of lost and longing in Ayu for Magika (sort of). Malik is the one benefiting the most lessons in this story but the sense of his accomplishments is only revealed by Ayu talking to her mother's grave. So, okay, but all in all, this 1 hour and 45 minutes movie is nice, fun and suitable for all ages. Kudos to KRU. Enjoy.

Footnote (added on 25th October 2010):

Congratulations to KRU Brothers on winning the Best Film and Best Original Music Score for this film in The 23rd Malaysian Film Festival 2010.

To know what other awards this film has won, click the newsclippings;

The Star

Utusan Malaysia

Movie : Devil

Bad things happen for a reason...

Google image

M. Night Shyamalan has written yet another great thrilling story in the form of Devil, which I enjoyed watching as much as I had enjoyed Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense and The Village.

Five people, not knowing each other, were destined to board into the same elevator in a high-rise building. Mindless and thoughtless of each other at first but it changes when the elevator got stuck halfway.

Stuck in a confined space, they have nothing to do except having to stand at each other's fears and worries regarding their situation. There's the temporary security guard who seemed to be claustrophobic, there's the older woman who complaints and complaints, there's a lovely young woman who seemed to be a bit well-off, there's good-humoured yet sarcastic salesman who gets on everybody's nerves, and finally the mechanic with a brooding personality and seemed so mysterious.

Fear and worry leads them to be aware of each other, and their feelings escalated to terror and suspicions when every time the power is off, a life ended. One by one met a terrible doom. Who did it? Why it happened?

Outside, a detective who's just making a comeback after grieving the deaths of his wife and son in a hit-and-run is trying all his wit and might to fix the problem and free the occupants, together with his partner and 2 security guards. When the unbelievable things happen, time is crucial to keep everybody alive and find the real culprit.

Never occurs in their mind, that one of them is the Devil himself.

To me, this movie has all the element of a good thriller. There's a story in the beginning that leads to another story. There's grief. There's scariness but not to the point of making you puke and feeling disgusted. There's the mystery, the wondering. Finally, there's the answer, yet you will spend a considerable amount of time to ponder and assess and learn the messages, the hidden points and 'what-ifs'.

One of the five elevator passengers is the Devil, but who is it? Who are the five people inside, really...Why the Devil is onto them? Watching this movie will reveal it all. If I tell it here, it will be a spoiler, right?

The point is, the devil hides among us and will manipulate us if we never learn to be sorry for our mistakes and take actions to correct it. The devil has vowed to lead all human astray, lost in their wickedness, yet if we repent, from the deepest in our hearts and ask for God's forgiveness, the devil will lost.

So, for thriller lovers...this is a good watch!

Footnotes:

Pelarian Jiwa

Nak lari...
ke mana?
kenapa?

Nak lari...
dari kelemahan?
dari ketaksempurnaan?
dari kebosanan?
dari kepalsuan?
dari keletihan?
dari ketegangan?
dari ketidak serasian?
dari kemungkaran?
dari ketaksuban?
dari hipokrit insani?

Jaya dalam pelarianmu
Hakiki, tidak kafi...
Jangan palingkan wajahmu
Tuhan Maha Mengerti...

The Dreamer©2010

Time..is Golden

The Rule of Forefinger :

1. If you caught yourself staring at the computer for more than 15 minutes and your cursor is static since time immemorial - it's time to move on to another task, or better...shut down the computer and have a break, have a Kit Kat!

2. If after having a Kit Kat, you still find yourself unable to continue - pack your bags and go home.

3. If it is impossible for you to go home - it's time to change your career into acting, and act busy, so people think that you are still doing your work.

4. If guilt still hasn't landed in your mind yet - perhaps you can turn to blogging, call your mom, texting, gossiping etc. etc.

5. If finally you think that you are wasting the taxpayers money for paying your salary working unproductively (aka 'ngabihkan bogheh yo') - it's time to remember Surah Al-Asr and GET BACK TO WORK!!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages),

Verily Man is in loss,

Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

(Qur'an: Surah Al-'Asr, 103:1-3)

Note: Qur'an translation taken from 'The Meaning of The Holy Qur'an' by 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali.

As I walk the sands of time...

Tangisan hati...

Semakin tua umur kita, seharusnya semakin matang..seharusnya semakin bijak pertimbangan ... Semakin tua kita, semakin kita mencintai ketenangan, semakin kita merindui kedamaian, dan mendambakan suasana keharmonian dalam hidup kita, dalam keluarga kita.

Semakin tua kita, bukan perbalahan yang kita cari, bukan buruk sangka yang kita beri, apalagi dengki-mendengki. Semakin tua kita ini, seharusnya semakin kita kenali diri, semakin kita menginsafi. Sepatutnya kita menghargai usia yang masih ada. Usah kita menuntut bonus gaji yang belum tentu haknya untuk kita kalau kita lupa untuk mensyukuri nikmat bonus usia yang Allah swt kurniakan dalam setiap nafas yang kita hela.

Aku bukan sifu, aku bukan guru. Cuma terkenang...terkenang kepada kesayuan yang bersarang dalam hati di sebalik keceriaan yang dirasai...dalam kesyahduan Syawal ini. Kekeliruan bertandang melihat kebisuan...atau mungkin keegoan...yang gagal menyatukan silaturahim. Kekeliruan melihat bagaimana satu titik ketidakpuasan hati berkembang menjadi satu garisan benci...atau iri hati. Atau apa? Aku pun tak pasti.

Hakikatnya, kasih sayang tidak harus diatasi yang lain. Justeru, sebelum menutup mata, ku panjatkan doa pada-Nya, agar hati-hati ini menginsafi, agar hati-hati ini bersatu kembali, agar hati-hati ini mengingati tanggungjawab yang hakiki, mengatasi ketinggian emosi, keinginan duniawi.

 

Roses and Hearts

google image

One.. red rose

You liked me

Seventeen years, always the first

Two.. red rose

Flattered, was I?

Wilted and withered, but did it matter?

But dear, you are my past...

Now..

Three..red, four..yellow

This heart, once hollow

Blank pages, empty space,

My oh my, what a daze..

I am not colour blind

I don't mind, I resigned

Let you in, in my mind,

in my heart

and you were right

my dear

roses, they wither, but the hands that gave them with a bonded heart

will always be remembered..

The Dreamer©2010

Salam AIDILFITRI

Dear Ramadhan,

the end is close

i bid you farewell

not that i'm happy

not that i won't miss you

but i wish to see you

in the year to come

insya-Allah

Dear Syawal,

you are coming

the sign of victory

the celebration of good deeds

come with all the glory

come with all joy

Show us the true meaning

of winning...

 

The Dreamer wishes "Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri" to all her Muslim friends.

Ku susun sepuluh jari, ku tunduk merendah diri,

Memohon ampun dan maaf atas kekhilafan diri.

Lewat kemenangan ini, jangan lupa menyesali,

akan waktu-waktu alpa, waktu-waktu jiwamu sepi,

biar kelak menjadi pedoman, membenteng iman, menghias hati.

google.com

Music : PadaMu Kubersujud

One day, during the early morning of 'sahur', I was alone in the house, I turned on the tv and surfed the channels, then settled for TV3. By that time the drama "Janji Kekasih" was on air, I wasn't really interested to see the drama but I love to hear the OST, where hereby I lay down the lyrics, for its simple yet beautiful words and its lovely musical arrangements made this piece a friendly treat that travels deep to the heart and soul...

Ku menatap dalam gelap
tiada yang bisa ku lihat
selain hanya nama-Mu, 
Ya Allah

Esok ataukah nanti
ampuni semua salahku
lindungi aku dari
segala fitnah

Kau tempatku meminta
Kau beriku bahagia
jadikan aku selamanya
hamba-Mu yang selalu bertaubat

Ampuniku Ya Allah
yang sering melupakan-Mu
saat Kau limpahkan karunia-Mu 
dalam sunyinya aku bersujud 
pada-Mu


(The lyrics and arrangements for this song is rightfully owned by its respective lyricists and composers, whom I am unable to find out by the time this post is published.)

itsy bitsy teeny weeny thots......part four

Sometimes you have to be nosy to know things...good things, not other people's matters...so please don't kill someone's effort to learn...

***********

I talk, because you listen
I listen, because I care
I care, because I love
I love, because you are special

***********

itsy bitsy teeny weeny thots......part three

one after one, we heard of fathers, husbands, family members acting out of their sane mind, hurting the people they love...how can these people who seemed normal on the outside, but mentally unstable inside..? how hard is life? is it genetics? where is faith? ..and what about those who depend on them? vulnerable..

~~~~~~~~~~~~

writing about one's own life is always much easier than writing about other people's needs..we can be honest, or we can justify everything according to our own logic and method of thinking..

~~~~~~~~~~~~

10 more days of fasting?..oh, time flies by so quickly. As a child, I would probably visited the kitchen for the umpteenth time to see how is the progress of Mom's cooking, and 'sniff and whiff'  the delicious aroma, or even just to take a peek of it under the tudung saji. Or sat in front of the tv and watch the kuih raya cooking show and wishing I could taste it as well. One of the fond memories I have during my childhood is how I love to look at the recipe books, especially the ones with large, colourful pictures of the dish in them, and sat down comfortably on the sofa with my little brother while waiting for iftar, and turning page after page looking at the pictures. Hence, there would be a chorus of "Nak!" to the pictures of dishes that looks delicious and tempting and "Tak Nak!" to those of the opposite. It was so fun doing that at that time.. :)

The call...

Telefon berbunyi (Nokia tone je..)

Pemanggil: Hello. Boleh saya bercakap dengan Cik Zamuna?

Cik Z: Ya, saya bercakap.

Pemanggil: Saya ..... dari Service Card Center. Kami memberikan 'discount card' kepada pengguna kad kredit yang aktif. Tidak kira dari bank mana pun kad kredit Cik, kita akan bagi kad tu. Cik menggunakan kad kredit dari bank mana?

Cik Z: Kad apa?

Pemanggil: 'Discount card'.

Cik Z: Ada apa-apa 'payment' atau pun caj?

Pemanggil: Tak ada Cik, semuanya percuma.

Cik Z: Macamana dengan yuran pendaftaran? Ataupun 'one-time payment?'

Pemanggil: Tak ada Cik, memang percuma. Kita bagi saja. Cik pakai kad kredit dari bank mana?

Cik Z: Oo, percuma. Apa 'advantage' kad ni?

Tuut..tuut..tuut..tuut....
(pemanggil letak telefon sebab aku tak jawab-jawab aku pakai kad kredit dari bank mana. Takkan la senang-senang nak bagi information kalau kita tak tau habis-habisan tentang tujuan dan perihal benda alah yang nak ditawarkan tu, kan?)

..and you are..

disney.clipart.com

Sweet.
Sweet like candy.
Sweet like rose, jasmine and frangipani.
Hot.
Hot like a melting pot.
But not like a 'blonde bombshell', I dare you not!
Warm.
Warm like the morning sun.
And the freshly-baked sweet potato bun.
Firm.
Firm like the muscles.
Feeling safe from a hustle.
That is you,
my sunshine, my Pooh!


The Dreamer©2010

5 Things I ..... About You..

After 2 months and 2 days of the transition from shift hours to normal office hours...

5 things that changed :

1. Less comfortable to do dental appointments, go to banks, paying apartment's maintenance bill. (I am not a fan of reporting to higher ranks and getting permissions every time I need to go out of office, and the inadequate parking space sometimes gives a headache too.)
2. Disadvantaged of going to events of interest on weekdays. (Just so many people on weekends, of course.)
3. Different job scope, nothing to complain about it. (Still blurry, though...sometimes jumbled.)
4. Office work stays in the office. Once home, I cannot event think about it, though I tried.
5. Got more time to have lunch with my buddy...and have quality conversations.

Oh, well....anything can be lousy if you think it is lousy..everything can be easy, if you take it easy....but sometimes, taking it easy is not enough..duh!

The Abyss

Have you lost your way
in the midst of lurking shadows of your past?
Have you found your path
that leads you out of suffocating wrath?

On these shoulders, you carry
in these hands, you hold
all these loads, and you choked
the prayers
screaming silently in your heart

The Dreamer©2010

What is Love?

Love hurts me

Love pleases me

Love lifts me up

Love knocks me down

Love calms me

Love is storm

Love is kind

Love beautifies

Love solidifies

Love is in me

Love is in you

Love is in each other

Love is together

Love is everafter

I love you...

The Dreamer©2010

itsy bitsy teeny weeny thots......part two

Letih....nak fikir2 lagi
Letih....nak drive balik rumah (kalaulah aku ni superman...)
Letih....nak tengok rumah yg macam pondok bocor atap
Letih....nak buat apa2
Letih....nak bersihkan peti sejuk
Letih....nak basuh baju
Letih....dengan dot dot dot

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

....if ideas define who you are, how do you regard yourself when almost all major decisions you make in your life is based on someone else's idea?...a puppet?...a stone?...a stick?
I have no idea..

E-mail Hoax

Two of my friends (from the same circle of friends) have been a victim of e-mail hackers or spam or whatever in relation with it. I've received the same kind of "emergency" e-mails from two friends, the e-mail is as followed:

Hope you get this on time,sorry I didn't inform you about my trip in UK for a Program, I'm presently in United Kingdom and am having some difficulties here because i lost my wallet to some robbers on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were kept. presently i have limited access to internet,I will like you to assist me with a loan of 2000 Pounds to sort-out my hotel bill,feeding and transportation.

I have spoken to the embassy here but they are not responding to the issue effectively, I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me,I'll Refund the money back to you as soon as i return,let me know if you can be of any help.I don't have a phone where i can be reached.Please let me know immediately.

Thanks.

(my friend's name)

Just reading the e-mail, we already know it is stupid. Knowing my friends' ways, I am sure they would not write this kind of e-mail. I even called one of my friend, just to make sure, and sure it is, it is just a hoax. My friend was stupefied by the number of calls and e-mails she received from her acquaintances, just to make sure that she was ok.

Perhaps some time ago, they once responded to an e-mail requesting their password information or such things...I don't know. So, be careful if you received any kind of e-mails that are suspicious. And be careful not to give your 'supposedly confidential' information like your e-mail or accounts numbers and passwords.

If you received something that seemed strange from my e-mail, you can ignore it or contact me for clarification but never straightforwardly comply to the information/help asked.

Be warned. Thanks.