Thursday, August 31, 2006

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians out there! I've felt this strong 'Merdeka' sensation since the beginning of August...being overseas just makes that feeling stronger...to realize the real meaning of merdeka (no,not the direct translation which means 'independence'), and be thankful that i am enjoying the sort of freedom that not all human being enjoy...

I have been 'youtube'ing merdeka ads from the past...you know, those tv ads from petronas...they are all really cool...and i enjoy looking at them, guessing and calculating my age when i first seen them on tv...remembering how i did not understand much about the real thing behind merdeka....well...its great...the ads are very touching...and while the script might be a bit too corny and the story in them may be an exagerration of the real thing (hence, not really happening), the message is what's more important...

if you learn economics, you would know that for a model to be useful, it does not necessarily have to contain logical assumptions...some models with completely unreal assumptions are the most useful ones =) *snort snort*nerd alert*snort*

here's this year's Proton merdeka ad, enjoy! (i personally think this ad is better than this year's petronas ad)
want more? go to youtube.com and just search 'merdeka' =)





For the past few weeks, I have been busy juggling Malaysia Fest with Uni with MSA...the activities happening...the meetings...the practices...the appointments here and there...the weekend stays in d city...well..tiring, stressful at times (now i am botak...kononnye sbb stress r =P ) ... but it's also thrilling and exiting at the same time...

last night was the Malam Gema Merdeka dinner...a lot of new faces...and they did all in their might in such a short time to organize that dinner...while it might not be perfect and bits and pieces of imperfections appear here and there...lets not be clouded by these lil things, instead, look at the bigger picture :: friends got together...took pictures, joked around, singing along happily with semangat...enjoyed a good dinner...all dressed up nicely (and some proudly all the way on a 2 hour bus ride)...it was really a night of celebration and having fun...and to be fair, it was a night for malaysia, not exactly for us...

to my friends involved in mgm, hope you all had gained invaluable experience in organizing the event...i'll keep in me all the positives, and i wont talk about the downsides, coz thats for you all to realize and discuss in the post mortem...(dont be too satisfied with yourself easily aite? =P).. and thank you for the night =) to those who think they can do better, why not give it a go? your words are only worth your actions =)

and this weekend, its d-day for us all in the Malaysia Fest committee...its Malaysia Fest 2006 - 16th edition of this annual affair...the committee had been working hard since last year october...the finance department met the high expectations of raising enough funds for the occasion...the entertainment department are working hard to provide a good show...the co-events department had persuaded 12 stalls to be opened selling various food...the human resource department had provided the volunteers...and hopefully my department, marketing department, delivered in promoting the event at the best attainable level...and all these done with assistance and support by the secretary, treasurer, and our chief executive producer.

mfest is not the end of things...straight after that i would need to prepare for MSA's AGM - thats happening on the 11th of september insyaallah...and the weekend before 11th sep, i have a 2 day course to attend...and so on and so on...oh, did i mention the assignments in between all this?hehehe...ah well...its really great fun, and while most will think the price im paying is too high...really, im getting a bargain for what i get in return - superb experience...

- malaysia fest is happening this sunday, 3rd of september 2006, from 10am-6pm, at tumbalong park, darling harbour. visit www.malaysiafest.com for details and how to win 2 plane tickets and other great prizes -

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

i am on dial up internet!

My internet had been down for nearly a week now...i dont know what the problem is...i spent a whole day yesterday talking to the tech assistant from my ISP, and then from my modem company (coz modem not supported by my ISP), then back to ISP...and conclusion - they lodge a faulty report to Telstra for my adsl line...so telstra la yang slack ek?

Suddenly i remembered..i have back up dial up from my ISP! oh, dial up internet had never been so meaningful in my life....i almost forgot how it felt like being on a dial up connection...even when i go back to malaysia (where my house uses a dial up connection), i dont go online at all....

Last weekend had been crazy: a not-so-secret project that is not yet finished....malaysia fest meeting and practices...EKLIPSE dance party...masca meeting...oh gosh...i spent friday to monday at zek's place...gila...might as well move to d city rite?

oh by the way, about dance parties...i would like to make a statement, so that if anyone is actually unsure, here are the facts to get it all straight (not that i worry about what people say, but at least i stated my case, and people have a choice of what to believe)...

i go to dance parties coz its my responsibility being in the uni clubs committee...while i dont fancy it, i have nothing against it, and i shall (as i have proven) carry out my responsibility... i have been to absolutely none before i am part of the uni club committee, and i dont see myself going to any after my days are over, except for giving face to good friends and the msa ... i never ever had alcoholic drink even if i stay at parties from beginning to the end ... and i have lots of people as witness to what i claim.

and that is the truth

MOVING OUT NOTICE =)

next year...if the allowance from mara changes (according to the very very strong rumours that allowance would increase to 1000+ p/m)...i think i would be staying in the city...sumwhere in d CBD or maybe sumwhere near d beach...aihhhh....

dont get me wrong...i really like it here at macquarie..i've loved it since i first arrive and i never regret coming here...but after 3 years, i just feel like having a change...but dunno la...maybe i will just stay here...its really just a thought rite now...

sumtimes i dont know where i belong...

i am up here at macquarie with a bunch of great people...some i call my brothers and sisters.but i hate myself for not spending as much time as i would like to...work takes me to the city almost every weekend...and i sumtimes feel disconnected...frustrated when being around and not understanding some jokes and not knowing what the topic is...when being with a whole group who have been together for so long and sumtimes have to sit through some inside jokes and stories and go, "oo...like that..err, who is so and so?"...

its frustrating to be that disconnected....

and at the same time...i spend almost a third of my week down in the city with some other group of friends that i really fancy...most of the times at randwick with zek...other times with my friends from unisyd...my own MARA batch mates...and after spending some time with some of my friends here, i think...hmm, damn, do i know these people anymore? names keep coming up...new names of new faces in sydney...and i go, "oh, who?" and they go, "ala, ko x kenal kot"...sumtimes i dont need to be with a whole group...just with 2 people is enough to make me feel like so shit when so much had happened that both knows, and i go.."errr, what?"...

and there are also friends from my clubs and socs work...well, sometimes its really fun hanging out....but sumtimes...you know where u stand when, for example, u thought so and so are close to you...but u r not even invited to so and so's birthday party...it really tells a lot..

it is indeed the case of N+1 ... how i wish it would just be N ... but the truth is... i feel like that +1 all the time ... sometimes its my fault ... i am in the situation where i cant be with the N i would like to be with as much as i wished...sumtimes i was part of the N ... but after long disconnected...i turn into the +1....

in the past few years, it has been N+1, X+1, Y+1 for me... N's X's and Y's are spend a lot of time together...all share a lot of things together...all 'talked in their own languages'....it is sumtimes frustrating being me... the +1 ...

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

some thoughts of the early bird...

i got a call from a tshirt supplier for mfest yesterday...wanting to meet up with me today at epping train station...since my class is from 12-4pm, i suggested 10.30am...and he agreed..

so i was up early today...way earlier than my normal first-class-is-at-12pm wake up time...

i checked my emails, i read d news, i checked out manutd.com...u know, the usual routine...i took a shower and got ready...it was 10am...it would only take 10 minutes to reach epping station...so, i am still early...

suddenly the ol guy called (the tshirt supplier is an old guy)...he said he cant make it at 1030am...errr, "my classes are untill 4pm.."...and we both agreed to meet up at 4.30pm....hmm, so here i am, all set for class but still plenty of time before it actually starts...

instead of doing what a good student does and go pick up a book or some tut works, here i am blogging...hehe...i haven't put in much in here lately, so i guess its ok =P (alasan je tu sunny....isk3...mim-alif-las, malas)

by the way, here is the unofficial release of the mfest tshirt design =) credit to my director hui-xieng who had been working on it since before winter hols, and had done changes after changes coz mr. sunny tan always kacau asking for this and that to be changed...kesian =P






I was reading the news just now, and found this interesting bit at www.utusan.com.my . Sharifah Amani from the movie Gubra had won the Best Actress award at the 19th Malaysian Film Festival...at the beginning of her speach, she said, "I sound like stupid if I speak in Malay.."

Err, as we all would expect, many were stunned by that statement, Utusan Online in its report wrote, "Sharifah Amani mengejutkan hadirin apabila memperlekehkan bahasa Melayu semasa berucap selepas menerima anugerah itu, malam tadi." The Minister for Art, Culture and Heritage (i think thats the tittle in english) was also dissapointed.

As Sharifah explained, all she meant was that she would sound like stupid if she were to speak in Malay...meaning, she cant speak malay well and would not want to humiliate herself and thus asking permission to speak in english....the problem is, when people directly translate that statement into malay language...of coz in malay that is very rude...but in the language that its been spoken, i think its a fair statement...

this is not the first time i've encountered such situation...i was involved in an email discussion a few months back, and this person who is more well versed in english was commenting on something in english and made a statement, perceived by some as very rude when they process that statement in their mind in malay direct translation...actually, what the person said, in its written language, english, what was very very polite.

While Sharifah could have been more diplomatic in choosing her phrase, i dont think its that serious that Utusan should call it 'memperlekehkan bahasa melayu' or belittle the malay language...come on la people... sigh...

mmm...i should end this entry soon...the next few weeks are the busiest of the whole year...there are mfest meetings to attend, practices of dikir barat and sketch to go to, plus the final weeks of my MSA term, the Malam Gema Merdeka, MFest itself...and much much more... i wont be updating that often...dont miss me! ( as if! haha..)

ciao!

Monday, August 07, 2006

Malaysia Fest 2006 gets into TOP GEAR!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!....

Dengar sini orang-orang kampuuuuuuunnngggggg....sini ada satu khabar beritaaaaaaaaa~!.....

Its less than 4 weeks now to Malaysia Fest 2006 - and the whole MFest committee and students involved are pretty much cruising on top gear, determined to deliver to Sydneysiders the 16th edition of this festival. MFest is part of the Sydney Malaysian students' celebration of Malaysia's Independence Day and I quote from Azan, "let's just keep the flag flyin' high" ... other celabrations include the Malam Gema Merdeka dinner etc.

and now....

...Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

I proudly present the official poster for Malaysia Fest 2006 - One Festival, Many Faces, A World of Excitement!



(Click on image to view the full sized poster and download it if you wish)

Of course, I have the authority to officially release this poster here at my blog since I am the Marketing Executive Producer..hahaha =P To everyone, if you would like to use this poster to help promote MFest, no problemo, I'd be very happy if you do so =) just make sure you drop by a comment to notify me and whatever you do is being done responsibly =)

Oh ya....Credit goes to Zek for the poster design...really cool huh? This is one very talented guy... thanks dude! The countless (well, countable really) hours have paid dividend =)

I would also like to thank the sponsors (tho I doubt any would be actually reading, but I think deserves a mentioning =P ) for supporting this year's MFest, and making the poster and tshirt a whole lot more colourful! =)

By the way, the Official Malaysia Fest Website (not that there would be an unofficial one) had been updated with some stuff....most notable update is at the 'what's on' page...where details of a special MERDEKA Raffles Draw had been put up!

Just a sneak preview, join in this MFest fundraiser MERDEKA Raffles Draw to stand a chance to win return air ticketS (yes...2 prizes) to Malaysia, hotel stays, restaurant vouchers...and much more! How much would a ticket cost?? AU$1.00 only! So...check out the details and grab the tickets =)

Malaysia Fest 2006 - One Festival, Many Faces, A World of Excitement!
3rd September 2006
Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour


That's it now...chow!

Sunday, August 06, 2006

'what if's and 'maybe's

many things have been bugging my mind lately...some random, some have been in that lil cobweb for quite awhile...some...rather new...well, while sharing would be a blessing for me, i dont think im that blessed to be able to do so...

here are things i can share...

[after an hour]

erm...i have been typing and deleting and typing and deleting...*sigghh* frustrated...

sayonara~