Still shots of Siti for a TVC

I was in a verge of an emotional breakdown that evening after having to endure a 9 hour mental torture from a very difficult and fickle client. In a drained state, I flicked my Nokia phone (which had just been re-attached earlier after I smashed it several times at the wall) and speed dialed Meen to see if we could meet up for dinner (It was more like I need someone to listen to me bitch). So, there I was, stuck in late evening traffic and illegally on the handphone (no handsfree kit or equivalent).

"Hello?" Meen responded.

"Where are you? Wanna meet up for dinner in KL? I need someone to talk to." I said without any twist or turn.

"I sekarang on the way pi Shah Alam. Siti ada TVC kat Sri Pentas. Ko tau kat mana tak tempat tuh? Shah Alam I so fail!" Meen replied.

"Eh, I pon sekarang tengah stuck kat Federal di Shah Alam. I jumpa you kat Sri Pentas, boleh?" I immediately said.

"Boleh! Bawak camera sekali yer? Kita orang takde camera man amik still photos arini."
So, that was how I ended up at Sri Pentas in Shah Alam to take Siti's still photos. What can I say about her? She's professional, on time, and fuss free. One of the most efficient artist I've ever had the chance to work with.

I still managed to bitch about my grievances later during dinner. So, mission accomplished! Hahaha!

Kak Yasmin In Her Own Words

Hello! Yeah, I'm back (for now)! I thought by taking a long hiatus from this blog (and other people's as well) will give me a reason to free myself to have some time to myself. If I were in a shooting competition, I'd definitely have missed my shot by miles! Well, all is still well (at least most of it). Otherwise, I've been keeping myself busy with shitload of stuff that is either character building or emotionally draining.

Of course, there's the real estate and interior design business which helps pay the bills. ;-P Things did turn out pretty well, I have to say. Out of the many projects I've done, I'm quite proud to say that for a small fry like myself, I have managed to weave myself inside some circuit board hierarchy and got the job to restore the King's furniture set at the Parliment house! I can't wait to see the end results. So far, the wood work's been polished and repainted and re-upholstery work will commence tomorrow. The entire set will be ready by next week, I hope. Pictures will be up once they are ready to rock and roll back to the Royal chamber.

By the way, I managed to attended the launch of Yasmin Ahmad's Films at Sunway University College last week. Written by Amir Muhammad, a publisher writer and film maker, he pays tribute and gave a wonderful insight to her films through his tongue in cheek fashion. Before the actual "launch" by Sharifah Amani, they showed this little film made by Ajami Hashim which I liked very much. Hope you'd enjoy it too.

Marathon De Sables

Last Thursday was another eventful day. I've been called up to cover the press conference of Cikgu Adnan, a 66 retired teacher who is also a marathon runner, which rightfully, puts many of us to shame in terms of physical ability. But that's another story all together.

The press conference was held at Celebrity Fitness, One Utama and the entire atmosphere was relaxed and casual, which befits the setting of this particular gym.

This time, he'll be attempting the Marathon De Sables, which happens to be the most gruelling race on earth, running across the Sahara Desert. Of course, this is not just another self endurance challenges like the KL International Marathon. Therefore, this attempt will also be a fund raising affair, in support to the Malaysian AIDS Foundation. Well, I do wish Cikgu Adnan all the best and let's be generous to this cause, shall we?





Getting acquainted


Red ribbons for everyone


The press conference Q&A session.


Having a light hearted moment with one of the corporate donor representatives.


Speaking to the media


Well, it was a fun and enjoyable event!

Denial Ain't Gonna Solve the Problem!

I came across this article from The Star this afternoon. As a practicing Catholic, I myself feel that this "no condom" issue against AIDS is so dated. Honestly, how can one actually still preach that celibacy is the ONLY way to fight against this dreadful pandemic. No doubt it is a sure way of controlling this disease, if you live in a sterile, isolated and controlled environment. But lets get real! We're talking about an entire human population here! In order to get to the root of the problem, we have to humanize the issue.

These people have feeling, needs - sexual or otherwise, and you can't deny or stop their daily activity when they don't even understand the consequences of HIV or AIDS. Essentially, education is still the core towards fighting this battle against HIV/AIDS, and the usage of condoms IS AND SHOULD be part of the education.

In the case of African Nations, where literacy levels are still relatively low, I'm sure it is very difficult to make these people understand the disease itself. I'm sure many don't even know what a virus or a bacteria is, simply because it can't be seen with the naked eye. Again, how do you educate a person who already don't fathom the meaning of a virus and what it can do to one's body, and tell that person not to have sex because he or she can get sick? Even if you show pictures of AIDS patients (I hate the use of that word victim), how do one explain that you can get sick from having sex? Before long, they will probably just brush it off as probably something to do with bad air or water and resume back to their normal activities.

This is sadly, a very real scenario, unfortunately, not just happening in the African continent, but also within South East Asia. I digress. Back to the article below, I've bold the parts and added my comments which I strongly oppose and feel that this backward mentality of which the Catholic Church needs to seriously reevaluated.

Wednesday March 18, 2009 - THE STAR

Pope in Africa reaffirms "no condoms" against AIDS

By Philip Pullella and David Lewis

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Tuesday reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS as he started a visit to Africa, where more than 25 million people have died from the disease in recent decades.

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd from his vehicle as he leaves the airport after his arrival in Yaounde March 17, 2009. (REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly)

The Pope, who arrived to a tumultuous welcome in the capital of Cameroon, also said the continent's people were suffering disproportionately due to the global challenges of food shortages, financial crises and climate change.

"It (AIDS) cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem," he said in response to a question about the Church's widely contested position against the use of condoms.

(Does that mean that the problem will be decreased if they don't use any?)

The disease has killed more than 25 million people since the early 1980s, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and some 22.5 million Africans are living with HIV.

(This statistics itself speaks for itself, doesn't it?)

His words were some of his most explicit on the use of condoms to stop the spread of AIDS since his election in 2005.

The Church teaches that fidelity within heterosexual marriage, chastity and abstinence are the best ways to stop AIDS. It does not approve condoms but some Church leaders have been calling for allowing their use in rare cases between married heterosexual couples where one partner has the disease.

"The only solution is two-fold: the first is a humanisation of sexuality, a human, spiritual renewal which brings with it a new way of behaving among people and, secondly, a true friendship, especially for those who are suffering, a willingness to make personal sacrifices," he said.

(By "humanising" sexuality, one have to understand what sexuality means. In this case, how can one (The Pope) really understand sexuality, if he himself lives in a controlled condition of celibacy, let alone preaches on this subject?)

He called for "correct behaviour regarding one's body".

(Again, refer to my earlier comment above.)

Temper

The toe's almost back to normal - I guess tiger's penis does have medicinal effects. Muahahaha!

Anyway, I am experimenting on chocolate tempering, since it's been ages I've made anything that will trigger tooth decay. I hope to yield some good results for a decent photoshoot as well since it's been a while I've taken any photos with my DSLR. Wish me luck!

BTW, I am now a proud owner of a chocolate fountain! Ahhh... one can always count on senseless expenditure to feel good. Wonder how long will it take this time before I feel extremely guilty for my purchases...

Extra Ordinary

It was suppose to be just another ordinary afternoon at Mom and Dad's. Lazing around, doing nothing in particular and cramming my face with copious amount of sinful goodies that Mom usually lay out on the coffee table.

They (Mom and Dad) have left town for their usual romantic weekend getaway, leaving me to dog sit Stevie Baby.

So, there I was, sitting in front of the computer, staring at the same Facebook page for the last 12 hours, since it takes that long apparently to switch screens with Streamyx broadband. I never knew watching the cursor processing in its circular motion can be hypnotically fun.

I left the TV on but wasn't particularly interested to watch anything on it. It's just the thought of having the privilege of Astro over the weekend made me turn on the TV, just to make it worthwhile.

Out of the blue, Stevie Baby scrambled up from where he was laying near my feet; his ears all perked up. His tail swished back and forth, hitting my legs like a feather duster. Without further warning, he dashed out of the house like a mad dog - barking in full force, which was soon joined by the rest of the 10,000 neighbourhood dogs.

I peeked through the curtains of the living hall to see what the fuss was all about and saw two young Indian boys distributing flyers to each household. From where I was sitting, I could see the terror on their faces, while the neighborhood dogs rushed out of each household baring their canines and some foaming at the side of their mouth. Before long, I could hear gates crashing down and the medley of canine barks, ear piercing screams and the sound of rip and tear.

Geez! This is the third time I had to get the gate fixed since Stevie Baby has crashed it down! He sure is getting very strong. The screaming eventually stopped and peace was restored among our neighbourhood again.

Stevie Baby eventually ran back into the house all flustered but happy to be part of the commotion. He nonchalantly swagger himself towards the workstation and plonked right in front of me with a prize in his mouth. It looked like the jaw of one of the flyer boys. Fresh blood was still dripping from where the flesh was ripped off.

"Nice looking teeth this boy has, doesn't he?" I though to myself as I inspect Stevie Baby's prize closely.

Stevie Baby scurried to the corner of the sofa to savour his prize. Meanwhile, looking at him gnawing at the jaw, I was reminded that I haven't had breakfast. I glanced up to the wall clock and the time was almost noon.

I stretched lazily on the computer chair and shuffled my feet to the fridge to see what I could make for lunch.

Mom has about a million magnets on the fridge that we don't even remember what colour or brand the fridge was anymore. The one closest to my eye level is a framed picture of Stevie Baby, when he was just a puppy. He was gnawing on what looked like a human femur. It must have belonged to the postman many years ago. We were quite upset with Stevie Baby for what he did then, because we had to collect our mail from the main post office for the next six months, until the postal services could find another postman to service our neighborhood.

I opened the freezer and began inspecting its contents. The cold air gushed out and fogged my glasses for a few seconds. I then began scanning the contents of each package closely. It was kind of difficult to identify what mom has in the freezer with all the frost crusting around each content. I could see the outline of a crocodile's tongue. Next to it was a shapeless, frozen mass which I suspect could have been the leftover parts of a monkey's medulla oblongata. We had that for Chinese New Year recently. Wedged snugly next to it looked like the toes of an elephant's foot.

"Sweet and sour elephant sounds delicious," I thought.

But the thought of thawing the foot for the next 6 hours made me change my mind. I then saw a bright red package deeper behind the elephant's leg.

"Breaded tiger's penis! That's something easy to prepare for lunch," I though.

I immediately reached out for the package which was lodged frozen behind the elephant's foot and impala's intestines. I yanked hard at the package and suddenly, the elephant's foot came crashing down and landed on my toe!

Before I know it, blood was gushing out from my broken toe like a burst water pipe. I sat and stared at the pool of warm, sticky blood, which was filling every inch of the kitchen floor. I did felt a little light headed when my life flashed before my eyes and I saw a sudden bright light shining at the end of a tunnel. I could almost hear celestial trumpets beckoning me to come forward too.

However, my out of body experience did not last very long. Within a snap second, it felt like a vacumm cleaner that had sucked me back to my mortal body. I soon felt a ticklish tingle around my damaged toe and saw Stevie Baby now licking at the blood oozing out from it. I smiled and patted his warm fuzzy head and let him lick up the rest of the pool of blood.

I got up and proceeded to take the bright red package out from the freezer and stuffed the elephant's foot back into it's original position. I soon forgot about the painful throb on my now purple and swollen toe, and started to read the cooking instructions on the box of breaded tiger's penis. Yummy!

Writers note: This is a genuine incident that happened this afternoon, although there were some bits and pieces that was slightly exaggerated for drama and a good read. :-) Can you tell?

Serigala jadian

Seandainya, dunia kini telah berubah sungguh. Manusia sekarang lebih berwatakkan binatang dari binatang itu sendiri. Apakah yang telah mengganggu emosi aku sehingga membuahkan kata kata yang mungkin menyinggung perasaan itu? Perasaan marah berbaur benci yang sedikit ada itu timbul kerana orang yang telah dianggap sebagai kawan baik tersebut sebenarnya hanya bertopeng muka baik. Rupa rupanya, manusia yang berhati syaitan telah menyelinap masuk dalam hidupku semata mata untuk mengharapkan habuan dari hasil titik peluh kerjaya aku.

Serigala jadian! Teramat sesuai nama itu aku beri pada kamu! Manusia yang tak guna! Susah susah aku kehulu ke hilir mencari sesuap nasi, senang senang engkau duduk dalam ofis berhawa dingin sambil bergoyang kaki yang bersepatu branded palsu kamu itu nak menyergah aku mintak duit? Sedangkan kamu yang leka beromong omong Pak Pandir itu langsung tidak tau selok belok dalam bisnes aku. Tapi bila terdengar sahaja gara gara yang ada project datang pada tangan aku, kamu meroyang macam perempuan kehilangan laki. Memang engkau tak tau malu! Apakah yang kamu tahu pasal project aku, melainkan nama dan tempat tersebut? Kamu fikir kamu layak dijadikan rakan biznes aku sedangkan kamu ukur pakai pembaris pun boleh salah? Keparat sangat perangai kamu itu!!!

Sememangnya, simpulan friends come and go itu amat releven, terutamanya antara golongan penghuni KL ini yang sanggup melakukan apa sahaja untuk mengejar impian dunia, selain daripada berkerja keras. Sekali imbas, terasa mereka macam burung gagak yang hinggap menjamah bangkai tepi jalan pun ada. Apakah kamu lemah dengan daya tarikan jenama terkenal satu Pavillion itu sampai kamu papa kedana? Sebab itu kamu ingin mengikis dari hasil titik peluh aku kan? Kamu menyatakan yang kamu perlu langsingkan hutang kamu yang bertimbun. Itu hal engkaulah!

Bodoh dan tersangat dungu aku merasa pemikiran engkau. Masakan engkau ingatkan aku bila engkau berduit melancong satu Asia Tenggara tahun tahun yang lalu? Ada kamu fikir pasal aku masa aku susah? Satu email pun engkau tak hantar tanya khabar, ini lagilah telefon. Tetiba kamu muncul balik dalam circle aku kononnya nak berbaik baik? Aku dah dapat cium bahang najis kamu itu sejak kamu muncul dengan kerap sekali dalam setiap majlis yang aku hadir. Memang benar tanggapan aku yang kamu itu memang dasar suka kikis! Nasib baik Meen mengacukan warning dekat aku pasal apa yang kamu cuba buat dek tanah arwah bapak dia. Aku nak jadi mulut tempayan! Aku nak beritahu satu dunia betapa tamak haloba kelakuan kamu sehingga rakan taulan kamu sanggup gadaikan semata wang ringgit! Tunggulah engkau!

Shit

I swear the Big Guy up there is having a ball of a time making fun of me again! This is possibly the craziest day yet in my life. I've 2 deal that went though under my nose because the seller misinformed me on a few crucial details. What bummer! Nothing stresses me out more than having the carpet pulled right under your feet and having to fall flat on your butt. More so after putting so much effort into this damn deal too!! I need to lie down. Where are those damn cigarettes when you need them???

Satu Sen For My Thoughts

Last night I gaze up again towards the sky. There it was, the same bright star that I wished upon on New Years eve, albeit from a different apartment balcony and atmosphere. This time, there were no laughter, alcohol or party revellers making out in the guest room. It was just me. The silence was deafening, for I could hear my mind thinking aloud, almost shouting . My breathing and heart beat completed the ensemble like a set of percussion in a dysfunctional band. So much has happened lately and I needed time to segregate all these events in their separate folders. Oh my God! Even Microsoft has taken over my mind as well! Will there ever be a cure to this insanity?

Yes, I wished upon this same bright star on the last day of the year. I wished for many things, as usual. But I wished for one particular thing a little more than the other long list of things. Surprisingly, this was the thing that eventually came through. Now that I've got it, why am I afraid to embrace it? I lit another cigarette and watched the smoke rose and swirl in a lazy dance from the bright amber tip. An occasional crack and pop from the burning cloves in the cigarette could be heard as I took a drag from it. It's sweet taste lingered on my lips after each drag. My mind swirled for a while with the dancing smoke as I daydreamed of another perfect arrangement for my living room.

Before long, my mind arrived back to the same thought I had before. My wish. Could this be right? Could this be real? It made me happy, yet I am afraid. It made me laugh yet I had many questions that needed answers. What if I decided to embrace it and it breaks me like a glass shattering to a thousand tiny shards? Yet, only months ago, I told myself that I will not allow this feeling to overcome me. And here I am, going through the same cycle all over again. Am I falling in............. ????

A matter of choice

Thanks to the wonder of Facebook, we are all some what connected in one way or another. I've recently been reacquainted with a class mate. A class mate from primary school, to be exact. We we were really close. We sat next to each other year after year, shared the same love for the arts and non conformity to society's social order. Heck, we even share the same last name! Of course, after years of living abroad, him in the UK while I was shipped to a small town in the Midwest, USA, we naturally went our separate ways. Since there was no Facebook at that time, our letter writing skills dwindled from being weekly affairs to monthly affairs. Soon enough, it trickled down to the ocassional annual Christmas card greetings.

So, yes! Facebook connected us again and I was ecstatic to have found this dear old friend again, so I thought. The day we met, I was somewhat surprised and needless to say a little disappointed with the person that was sitting in front of me. Why you may ask? I had envisioned him to still be this foul mouthed, witty, charismatic and energetic person I knew. Instead, there was this person sitting in front of me droning away, talking about how he needs to get married and how he can't disappoint his parents by needing to get married before the year ends.

He then asked me whether I was married or not? I said no. I then continued to say that I live alone now that I've bought my own place. His face showed a look of horror and said that I was such a horrid son to have abandoned my parents.

"What was going through this poor guy's head?" I thought.

I told him that I did not abandon my parents. I just grew up and needed my own space. After all, I still see them every week. If there were any consolation, I think my parents kinda felt relieved that I moved out.

He then went on to tell me how important it is to get married and have children. Basically his message to me was that I need to conform to social orders. After all, I am in my 30's, he added. Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against marriage or having children but to do all that in order for society to accept you is just plain bullshit! By now, I so wanted to reach across the table and strangle his neck while yelling, "who are you and what have you done to my friend"?

I guess there is two things I've learned from this episode. One, never expect a person to be the same as he or she has been before, especially after a long break since you last met. Second, society's need to conform is more powerful than I've thought. After all it has devoured my friend's free spirit to think that having a white picket fenced home Ala Brady Bunch is the best thing since the invention of white bread. As for me, I am extremely comfortable at where I am. The occasional living on the edge and dangerous liaisons do keep my life interesting. I did sense some jealousy in the eyes of my friend when I spoke of my annual trips and adventures. I guess its a matter of choice. I don't think I'll be attending his wedding dinner if it happens this year end. I might stick out too much like a sore thumb from everyone else, since I don't always conform to social orders. Now, we all don't want that to happen, do we? Or I might just go to Egypt, now that's another story....

Windows of Opportunity

Nih kan sejak "bersara" dari dunia yang saya kenal sangat nih, rezeki bolehlah dikatakan melimpah masuk.


Memang saya rasa sangat diberkati oleh yg Maha Esa.




Akan tetapi, bukan segala yang diberi itu selalunya diberi dengan pintu yang terbuka.



Sememangnya mesti ada penghalang atau ada saja benda yang akan menjadi bahan ujian minda dalam setiap process untuk berjaya.


Biar pun ujian dari segi orang yang perlu kita bekerja sama atau pon sebaliknya.



Tapi rezeki mana mana ada di tangan Tuhan. Kami hanya merancang. Dia yang menentukannya.



So, mengharapkan lah penjual yang saya tengah kendalikan kes depa tuh tolong tolong lah bersabar. Takyah nak calling setiap 30 minit sebab aku rimas!!!!

Tung Tung Chiang!

I know... I've been really bad at updating this blog to the point that most people have probably thought that I was another lost cause. Anyways, before someone actually say a pray and decided bury this blog for good, let me say that I'm well and alive!!! :-D

Oh, By the way, Happy Chinese New Year to all and like any other Chinese or part Chinese, or self proclaimed Chinese around the world, the family reunion dinner is a big part of the celebration. My family never misses the Steamboat or some people call it the Hotpot meal. I don't know how it became my family's tradition but I guess it is because of the convenience of not having to whip out a whole lot of dishes that mom decided to stick to it. We all love it of course. Here are some of the dinner pictures.


Qumquats... yummy!


Mom preparing her own "Loh Sang" salad


And getting ready to toss!!!!


Assorted fishballs for the Steamboat


Fish!!! Yes... with the head and tails :-P


Trying out some new styles to recreate vintage photo effects.


The dangerous stuff that will end the mother of all diets!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Mr President

It's been work as usual, though at a different pace and level. I'm certainly a happier man lately. I know I've been guilty of not updating as much as I used to but I decided that I needed that break to explore things that I liked. I've been reading heavily and this time I'm reading a lot of work from our local writers instead of those from the West. I have to say that I've been very impressed with the work of quite a few of them. I'll post up the next one about the books that I've read and what my views are on them in the next entry.

Anyways, I got this video clip from a friend in FB and I think it is really good. Enjoy it!

Back on track

New year came and went without much of a fanfare, save for a very subdued party I attended to so called usher in 2009. No drama and champagne popping like the previous years. I kinda enjoyed it. At least I made it with a clear mind knowing what to expect this year. What was more important was, I have the support from the people that mattered in my life.

So, it is full swing since new years making new contact with property owners who wants to sell/ lease and also potential tenants and buyers. I've always have the passion for real estate and extending into this market with my current ID business is only natural. Besides, I get to work from home (Double yippee!!!).

It took me a while to get used to the idea of having quite a bit of time to myself at first, but now I'm beginning to enjoy that feeling. At least I don't have the shipping shit playing at the back of my head all the time. Yep... this is my new beginning. It's not going to be a bed of roses with the current market situation but like what people say... "rezeki ada di mana mana."

What am I planning to do with my extra time? I'm planning to indulge in things that I used to enjoy doing. I'm getting back to writing my short stories, and hopefully be able to finish off the book I've started (but stopped for donkey years) and start painting again. Photography will definitely be playing a bigger role in my list of hobbies as well. So, I guess that kinda sum up my 2009. :-)