my postcard moments...in japan Pt. 5

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4

As I went through my photo collection, and as I recalled being in those places a few years ago...I wonder how do they look now..after 2011..I wonder...

my postcard moments...in japan Pt. 4

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 

my postcard moments ... in japan Pt. 3

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2

Batu Ketiga Dari Matahari

Source: the book's fb

Batu Ketiga Dari Matahari...literally translated as 3rd Rock From The Sun...yup, I know what you're thinking but nope, it doesn't have any connection to that US sitcom about aliens trying to live as humans. This is the second book from Kerat Studio that I read, the first one being written here. The third rock from the sun is obviously the Earth, where we live in, and the tales are of life on it, its craziness, complexity, ugliness and dot dot dot ...etc.

Well, how can I say....after reading all 47 short stories written by 8 writers, it took me awhile to decide how I should write about it here. Well....that is art, not everybody can understand the same thing in the same way. For me, there's a mixture of cluelessness, awesomeness and 'waddehel'ness in this one book. 5 writers each has a piece with the same title, except for 3 writers, which I don't know why it's like that...

Anyway, I believe that all the stories are written with careful thoughts. And perhaps, if one person is thinking in the same wavelength as the others, then they can share the same thoughts... if not, all you get is noise.

However again, since this is suppose to be my personal thoughts about it, let me take this privilege to say thanks to ...

(in no particular order ... )

Zoul Yazix ... I like the way you weaved Warna Atas Dunia and how the rest of your 5 stories: Solitud, Imbasan Hidup, Pakcik Berbaju Batik Biru, Seorang VIP Di Perpustakaan Negeri, Perempuan Tanpa Badan Di Atas Rak Buku-buku Cinta and Ritual Cinta seems to be a continuation of one another;

Ophan Bunjos ... I can make my own conclusions from Di Sisi Dandelion Hitam, Nicoleta Bermata Hijau, Batu Ketiga Dari Matahari and Si Molly Sudah Terbang Ke Sorga, but I am lost with PendosaKembara Cinta and Menuju Malam Yang Tidak Pernah Tidur .... as if I'm trying to peel layers and layers of never ending ....;

april ... simple yet touching in Nota Memori, Adin and Seorang Aku, Dan Tuhan;

KHRLHSYM ... I can relate to Taman Masa; Kopi and Matahari touches me; and I like the way you wrote Batu Ketiga Dari Matahari and Dewa Kecil;

Encik Psychopath ... you are wise and brilliant in Melihat Tuhan, Terima Kasih Untuk Masa Anda and Taman Surga ... your work is much sweeter than your pen name;

Lucifer ... saya gerun dengan Bunyi Itu; I like the story of CCTV, and laughed in Batu Ketiga Dari Matahari, while Im[mortal]iti and Ini Bukan Kamasutra are brilliant;

nasyrun ... I know there's the real world behind the mysterious layers that you weaved all your stories with although I'm not sure what it is, complex wisdom? But Perihal Rockstar, Tahi Kucing Dan Faux-Deus does make sense to me ...;

Sahidzan ... reading Lenyap Dimamah Masa is like trying to capture a beautiful bird, it's beautiful, it's tempting ... but once you try to hold out your hands it flies away... the rest, nice experience of reading...

Whatever it is, all writers are in a class of their own...superb.
Reading this book is like eating asam pedas or curry ... it just tastes better after the first time.


Title : Batu Ketiga Dari Matahari
Secondary Title : Cerita fiksyen dari Lapan Homosapiens
Pages : 185
Publisher : Kerat Studio, 2012
Price : RM20.00
Language : Malay 

my postcard moments...in japan Pt. 2

some more ... a little hobby of mine ...

Nota kaki: Tuhan itu Maha Kaya...diberi hambaNya alam yang indah untuk diterokai, dikurniakan akal bijak yang mampu mencipta sesuatu yang hebat...supaya kita dapat memanfaatkannya bersama, dan kembali mengagumi kebesaranNya...

Regatta Lepa Semporna 2012

Every year in April there is a water festival held in Semporna, a small town in the eastern coast of Sabah, called Regatta Lepa Semporna. This year it is held from 20 - 22 April 2012. I briefly visited the town on the 21st to see the festival for the first time and hoping to see something nice and interesting.

d'event

The festival is celebrated by the Bajau Laut ethnic community, the major dwellers in Semporna. The Bajau Laut people are seafarers at heart and well known for their lepa, which is the traditional single-mast sailing boat used in their daily lives. With the change of time, the lepa might not be used in the same way as it used to be but with the commencement of the 19th year of this festival this year, the lepas will never be forgotten for yet another year as the symbol of pride of the Bajau people and a cultural heritage. 

The one hour drive from Tawau to Semporna in the early morning ( I started at 6.30 am) was really refreshing with the cool breeze and the endless healthy sights of the lush blues and greens of the vast sky, oil palm plantations and the forest. At about 10-15 km more to arrive Semporna town, I could see some colourful flags hanging by the roads, as if signalling to the visitors that their destination is already near. Later, I found out that the flags were the same as the sails on the lepas.

colourful greetings

Upon arriving, traffic policemen and policewomen were already seen guiding the traffic, the crowd was still okay I guess but it was starting to get busy...afterall, there's a large area of street bazaar nearby, and so the town was already bustling with trading activities.

to the main attraction

I made my way through the lively market, and since I wasn't actually sure where was the actual spot for the festival's activity ( I didn't even know what were the activities, since there's no information like flyers or schedules of that sort shown anywhere other than the festival's banners), I just followed the crowd and took my time capturing snapshots. From Causeway Bridge (Jambatan Causeway) I could see some wooden buildings built above the water, thus creating that 'floating' look, it's actually an inn, together with a floating restaurant and Semporna Ocean Tourism Center. From the tourism center, I could see the lepas parked in one line on the waters, and enjoyed the view of the sea and Semporna town from that distance.

the lepas in line with water villages in the background view

As I walked further up, I came to the exhibition site where there were booths from several agencies, NGOs and local product companies showcasing the local food and agro products. Also participating, several colleges and institutions of higher learning promoting their academic packages.

exhibition booths

At a jetty, behind the Seafest Hotel, there seemed to be some sort of ceremony. Red carpets on the floor...that means VVIPs on the field. Oh, so it's the main event of the day, the lepas that I saw earlier were parading into the bay until in front of the jetty where a grand stand full of important people sat. It was such a pretty sight with various colours and the atmosphere was heaten up by the sound of traditional music.

coming in with style

And right in front of the stand, there were several lepas of bigger size and grandier decorations. They were the contenders of 'Lepa Cantik', a competition to select the best and most beautiful lepa. The crowd was spectacular, it was so full of people until the very edge of the port, fortunately no one accidentally fell into the water...haha. However, even so, I managed to ease little by little in the crowd until I get a much better view of what's going on at the front.

lively lepas

All the lepas were representatives from villages around the coast of Semporna, and also from some agencies and societies. From what I could see, on each lepa there's a traditional dancer, dancing along traditional music played by a group of musicians inside the boat. There were men, women and even children. All participated with big and proud smiles on their faces.

traditional dancers on each lepa

The winners of Lepa Cantik were presented with mock cheques by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah, TYT Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Juhar Haji Mahiruddin, accompanied by the Rural and Regional Development Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd. Shafie Hj. Apdal, who's also the MP of Semporna.

serious contenders...top prize winner on the left

the lepa leaders in full traditional attire

The awards were also given to winners of other competition that was held perhaps on the previous days such as the tug of war and boat race. After the ceremony, I went back to Tawau, although there's another major and grand event that would be happening that night at the stadium, for several reasons (read: bajet jalan-jalan versi sebelum gaji..hehe). Anyway, it was a nice experience having to see a cultural event of a different community and to be in such a colourful atmosphere. Hopefully, if I have the chance to go again next year, I could plan better to see more of this event. Till then.

lepa, lepa everywhere

my postcard moments...in japan

by me...definitely

toot...toot...

...
whether it's ...
small talks or lengthy discussions,
would it matter to you?

well, that's our moment
lets celebrate

whether it's ...
cut off audio or delayed video,
would it matter too?

we paired and we shared
we laughed and we cried
the happiest and freest time
the virtual rendezvous
we're not lonely
we have each other

in the end, we have to hang up
but never disconnected


The dreamer©2012

heart.memories

...
among billions of stars in the night sky
i know that one of them is for me
and when i stare at the full moon
i can feel it stares back at me
there's a reflection of you...

and if i am above the clouds
one wide step seems enough to reach you
and if i am by the sea
i can ride the waves to your beach
swim with the whales to reach you

this heart feels it
this heart owns it
how can it forgets
when you keep touching it...gently
when you keep it satiated
with loving memories...
...


The dreamer©2012

IRise: The Chronologies Vol. 1: IFall

picture from IRise fb profile photos

IFall is the first volume of the IRise: The Chronologies, a compilation of short stories, poetic verses and comics published by Kerat Studio, an independent publication, with joint copyrights with Zine Satu Malam, another independent publication entity. These entities comprises individuals who write, edit, proof-read and publish their own works, for the love of their art. They circulate or sell their work through blogs and I happened to know about this compilation through my friend's FB, who's also one of the contributors in it.

As I understand it, and as I have written up there, IFall is the first volume of IRise. IRise is a series of chronicles depicting life and love and everything related to it, separated into five volumes. IFall, as the name suggests, is a compilation of downfalls and heartbreaks. Unrequited love, untimely deaths, betrayals and so forth, told by a group of people who might be telling their own stories, or inspired by the themes, that much I don't know, but readers surely can relate to the stories as they are part and parcels in most of our life. Perhaps several pieces are quite disturbing in terms of its 'suicidal' tones but if one reads with an open and positive mind, one will surely concludes that there are lessons to be learnt. In the aspects of story-telling, from my personal viewpoint, several pieces are really touching and smartly and interestingly written. I don't think it matters much to tell which is which...after all, they are all there to share their stories and to celebrate the works of young writers.

After IFall, be watchful of the rest of the other volumes i.e. IWeep, IRetaliate, ISedate and IRise. From the introduction by Lucifer, one of the contributors, I expected that these series will bring the readers into a journey from the lowest point in a person's emotional turmoil to his/her rise or comeback to the real world....like the catchphrase written on the book; "Fall Aplenty, Rise Wholeheartedly"...

Information about this book (and other titles) and how to purchase it can be found in Kerat Studio blogsite.

Title: Vol. 1: IFall

Secondary title: IRise: The Chronologies

Pages: 178

Publisher: Kerat Studio, 2012

Price: RM20.00

Language: Malay and English