Happy birthday

Happy birthday kakak. It would have been your 56th birthday today. 

Just wanted to let you know all of us are still missing you here. 

I got a chance to pop by today. Been a while since my last visit last Aidilfitri. 

We love you... and wait for us there ok. Can't wait to have a good ol' laugh with you again.

Thank you Google for honouring Yasmin Ahmad with a doodle today. She will always live in our hearts...

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Still missing you

Didn't know whether I should post this or not. I did go somewhere earlier yesterday. Memandangankan Raya kedua, I had already delayed something I wanted to do pagi hari pertama itself.

So finally, ajak Muzaffar, and we met in Subang to visit the grave of a dear friend who passed almost two months ago.

Sedih sangat... and I couldn't even find her favourite tuber roses too. Smiled when saw a jar full of them, which I think must have been brought by her family.

Said a prayer, and just as finished, it started to rain. Which was a good sign, I suppose.



Wherever you are kak Min, we're missing you dearly.

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Pergi...

Five days short of it being three years ago on 13 August 2006, I was in PWTC.

It was for the Festival Filem Malaysia ke 19.

Malam itu, Gubra menang Filem Terbaik, as well as meraih kemenangan dalam kategori Pelakon Wanita Terbaik (Sharifah Amani), Lakon Layar Terbaik (Yasmin Ahmad) dan Poster Terbaik.

I remember Nani getting in trouble for her, "I sound stupid if I speak in Malay.." acceptance speech.

Malam tu, I remember kak Min was doing the judging for the first BMW Shorties in Sentul (which was the time she started getting to know my sister yang jadi ringleader for that event) and didn't attend, and aku ber SMS ngan dia je pasal kemenangan Gubra, and I remember how proud I was that the film did the impossible to win that night.

I also remember also being upset because FFM snubbed kak Min for Best Director. It was like acknowledging everything good about the film - and yet saying SHE wasn't good enough.

I remember she told me, "It's ok lah, sayang" when she joined us for the post party to celebrate the win with us and her 'family' who put together Gubra.

I remember people within the film fraternity masa post party sibuk berdebat kata bagaimana Gubra tak layak, and another movie lebih layak simply because it had a bigger budget and more cast members, which was the most polite comment they had for Yasmin and Gubra.

I remember nearly smacking at least one 'veteran' for rude remarks made about Yasmin.

I remember Yasmin telling me, "Let's just celebrate.. alhamdullilah.. someone saw Gubra fit for something," and laughed.

So many things I remember.

Five days to three years later from those memories, tonight.... the announcement for Festival Filem Malaysia ke 22 came out and announced kak Min won Best Director - an award that eluded her with Sepet, Gubra and Mukhsin.

She also won Lakon Layar Terbaik for Talentime, Syafie won for Best Supporting Actor and Jac won for Most Promising Actress.

It's six days more to years too late as far as I'm concerned.

Why do our people always celebrate talent when it's too late. Five days to three years too late. What next? A posthumous Datukship?

FESTIVAL FILEM MALAYSIA 22
Anugerah Perdana (14 anugerah)
Filem Terbaik - Papadom
Pengarah Terbaik - Yasmin Ahmad (Talentime)
Pelakon Lelaki Terbaik - Afdlin Shauki (Papadom)
Pelakon Wanita Terbaik - Liyana Jasmay (Papadom)
Lakon Layar Terbaik - Yasmin Ahmad (Talentime)
Cerita Asal Terbaik - Afdlin Shauki (Papadom)
Sinematografi Terbaik - Mohd Nor Kasim (Setem)
Penyunting Terbaik - Faizul Mohd Noh (Setem)
Skor Muzik Asal Terbaik - Syed Ahmad Faizal (Papadom)
Filem Komedi Terbaik - Los dan Faun
Filem Animasi Terbaik - My Telatori (The One Academy of Communication Design)
Filem Pendek Terbaik - Permata Bonda (Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia)
Filem Digital Terbaik - Aathma (Demaz Entertainment)
Filem Dokumentari Terbaik - Bumi Pribumi (Finas & Q-Plez Communication)

Anugerah Cipta (11 anugerah)
Pengarah Harapan - James Lee (Histeria)
Pelakon Pembantu Lelaki Terbaik - Mohd Shafie Naswip (Talentime)
Pelakon Pembantu Wanita Terbaik - Salina Saibi (Bohsia:Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam)
Penataan Seni Terbaik - Nazrul Asraff Mahzan (Setem)
Penataan Bunyi Terbaik - Mohd Mohsin Osman (Cicakman 2)
Pelakon Kanak-Kanak Terbaik - Mohd Hadziq (Syurga Cinta)
Pelakon Harapan Lelaki - Zahiril Adzim (Kami The Movie)
Pelakon Harapan Wanita - Jaclyn Victor (Talentime)
Pereka Kostum Terbaik - Shen Imagineering (Cicakman 2)
Lagu Tema Asal Terbaik - Sayangku Di Sisimu (Jin Hutan)
Poster Terbaik - Histeria

Filem Box-Office - Geng Pengembaraan Bermula
Anugerah Penggiat Belakang Tabir - Omar Man
Anugerah Pelakon Veteran Wanita - Mariani Ismail
Anugerah Pelakon Veteran Lelaki - S.Shamsudin


PS - Congrats to Syafie and Jac... you guys deserve it. Also to Liyana (holler, babe!) Tahniah gak to Afdlin and family for wins for Papadom and Los Dan Foun as well as the Tayangan Unggul family for notching up quite a few wins for Setem (though Gaya, you know I won't agree on the editing part... merasalah aku kena carut pasnih)

PPS - Kak Min... too late or not, you deserve that win. Our prayers are with you always, and I know you parents must have been so proud tonight.

PPPS - The impossible has happened. Maybe there is hope...

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Sometimes sorry doesn't seem to be the hardest word!

So Kosmo! ran an apology in yesterday's papers. I read it only in the evening. I mean, like really... would I rush to see what they've created?... I mean... written?

Here's what it said.



Keluarga Yasmin, Kosmo! mohon maaf
Pada hari Isnin 27 Julai lalu, Kosmo! menyiarkan satu laporan mengenai pengarah filem, Yasmin Ahmad yang baru meninggal dunia.
Laporan bertajuk Takdir Yasmin itu telah menerima pelbagai reaksi. Kosmo! prihatin dengan reaksi-reaksi itu.
Sebagai sebuah akhbat yang dekat dengan masyarakat, Kosmo! ingin meminta maaf kepada ahli keluarga Allayarham Yasmin, sahabat handai dan para pembaca yang tersinggung dengan penyiaran berita tersebut.

Now... I don't know about the family and cannot speak on behalf of them.

But as a friend, and fan, I am wiling to forgive and forget the whole incident. To err is human, to forgive is divine, Yasmin would have reminded us.

The question is - do Kosmo! get off scot free just ike that? After all - their aim of selling more papers were achieved through their little publicity seeking stunt. Is it a genuine apology, or a PR attempt to salvage their pride, if any, after everyone starting speaking out against their despicable action?

Called kak Fati and was told that the stand of the governing bodies of the advertising agencies on their one month boycott beginning 10 August on Kosmo! is not known at the moment.

I have word from those within Kosmo! itself that some staff members among journalists there, DID raise concerns over the horrendous approach they took in their previous story. AND YET they went ahead with it, without any reservations for the sake of sensationalism.

I mean come on - they skewed it to serve their purpose.

So can Kosmo! guarantee it will not happen again? Or will they apologise again if it ever gets too hot in the kitchen if and when they do this again.

Can the person responsible BE NAMED for the sake of journalistic integrity. Both the person who came up with the headline for the front page, and teaser, as well as the writer of the article on Page 2.

Can we be assured that action will be taken against them as a lesson?

And can the advertising bodies PLEASE continue their boycott of the paper for the promised month as a lesson that such insensitivity NEVER occurs EVER again in the future.

What do you think?

Before you answer. Let me just point out one thing about the apology.

Did they mention anywhere that THEY WERE WRONG?

Oh I forgot... they were just being a paper sensitive to the sentiments of the people they're so close too by saying that and they apologised to those who FELT offended. Big difference me thinks...

The apologised to those who felt 'offended'.

That's a big difference from admitting they were WRONG.

WRONG in not getting the facts right. WRONG in printing it. WRONG in sidelining their own journalists who protested against it before it made into print. And WRONG in playing a PR game.

It should have been an unreserved apology - and I hope they pay for it.







PS - Leaving Melaka. Will update on last day's activities there ASAP. Am wondering if Kosmo! if off the hook, how about the Kwong Wah Jit Poh story that did the same thing as Kosmo! Do they get off because we don't read Chinese characters?

PPS - People from Ikea called and said a magazine is interested in featuring my makeover in their magazine. Er... I didn't win did I? So why should I waste time doling out free publicity, pray tell? Panggil je pemenang korang rasa layak sangat tuh.

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Thank you Jeng

Malaysians from all walks of life have chosen to grieve in their own way over the death of filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad.

A graphic designer and street artist who only wanted to be known as Jeng decided to share his feelings with the world in the form of a mural as tribute to the award-winning film director.

“The mural is my personal tribute to Yasmin. I do not know her personally but I have been following her work since Sepet,” he said, adding that he has watched the film seven times.

Two street artists paid tribute to award-winning director Yasmin Ahmad by painting a mural of her and a crying boy along the banks of the Klang River by the Pasar Seni LRT station in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. Graffiti artists Jeng and Kioue drew the mural although they did not know Yasmin personally.

On Sunday evening, just a few hours after Yasmin was laid to rest, Jeng made his way to the Klang River beside the Pasar Seni LRT station here and left a mark that many Malaysians appreciated, if the responses to the images posted on Facebook and Twitter are anything to go by.

The mural took Jeng slightly more than three hours to complete.

“I started painting at 4pm and Kioue (a fellow street artist) came over later to join me. He painted a wailing boy to complement my portrait of Yasmin,” said Jeng.

“A few tourists came by and talked to us.

“A couple from Switzerland were keen to listen about Malaysia and about Yasmin’s contribution to the local film industry,” he added.

Taken from The Star - CLICK HERE for full article

Masih ramai merasai pemergian Yasmin Ahmad. Despite the idiots who think otherwise. We all miss you Yasmin...

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Heartless #$%^s!!!

Did you catch the front page of Kosmo!

Inside, was a beautiful article, written by Feride Hikmat on kak Min.

Outside however was this 'polite' reference.

Without being emotional, I can only say this.

There is nothing untrue about it. And there is nothing unethical about it.

But you know what... it's also uncouth, uncalled for and unassumingly ignores the sensitivity of the situation and any sense of respect to the family of kak Min.




Not to mention kes kecut telur takde byline on that story. Ball-less! And the play on innuendo. Why not cita penuh since ko da tak hormat the memory of her, or the sensitivity of her family? Cakap je.. dia ni sex op ke apa! Kenapa nak insinuate? Tak berani? Why play on innunedo and taboo since that article imply lain? Are they really that stupid?

Tanah masih merah, they play on society's stigma and prejudices, to conjure up a story that guarantees their paper sells. And memang it sold well. No one could get their hands on it. Laku sangat Kosmo! hari ni.

Congratulations Kosmo! For one day of heartlessness, I hope it was worth it.

Let's all congratulate Kosmo! Send in your letters, emails and calls this way!

PENGARANG KOSMO!
46M, Jalan Lima, Off Jalan Chan Sow Lin, 55200 Kuala Lumpur
berita@kosmo.com.my
Tel: 03 92214001 ext 508 & 506
Fax: 03 92218590

Spread the word! Make sure everyone you know does it. Do it repeatedly! Ask nicely for an apology. Not to us. But to her family and the memory of Yasmin Ahmad. A brave woman who would have told them off to their face if they had dared do it (obviously they didn't) if she was still alive.

Bloggers - spread the word! Join this Facebook tribute group for fans of Yasmin too, by CLICKING HERE!

Kosmo!... for all their claims of balls - now you know who doesn't have them.


PS - A friend told me he has already emailed them. Yasmin would have thanked you with a hug Fendie. Member dia lak call to complain - and you know what response he got? They laughed at him over the complaint. Seriously... a news organisation? You sure?

PPS - Aku di Melaka da. Nak update aktiviti sini, but tunggu je lah later today. I think this deserves more attention.

PPPS - If you guys want to read my tribute to Yasmin (tapi kalao orang baca blog, it's going to sound familiar) CLICK HERE. And kalao nak baca a heartfelt tribute in Utusan (out Tuesday) CLICK HERE! - by Syazwan - a friend who USED to work at Kosmo! now at Astro Awani (good career move!) I know how much he misses Yasmin too.
Also, read Marina Mahathir's comments on Kosmo!'s fantastic bit of journalism by CLICKING HERE!

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Darkness... and a little rain

It's been a difficult 24 hours for me.

Finally, I can sort out my emotions, my thoughts. Sort of.

Semalam actually, I felt a bit, well.. lain semacam. I don't know. Teringat arwah Loloq. How they said 72 hours observation and pada hari ketiga... well, you know... and then sama tempat lak kat Damansara Specialist Hospital.

Called kak Fati. Dia ngan family masa tuh about kol 8 lebih tengah dinner kat 1 Utama dinner. They had been at the hospital and were going back to the hospital. So janji nak jumpa meka later, as thought nak temankan mereka kejap. Leh borak borak, cheer the family up ke...

Was held up sebab janji kengkawan nak jumpa and all sebab ada hal nak uruskan. Time wasted cause semua called off.

Was passing Section 17 in PJ, minutes from the hospital when got a call from Juita, bini Pacai.

"Babe. Did you hear?"

"What?"

"Yasmin's gone. Harith just told me."

FUCK!!!! Aku masa tuh start mengigil. Then the SMSes came in to confirm. Started shivering and bak keta cam orang gila nak sampai hospital cepat sikit. Like I could have done anything.

Exactly a month since Michael Jackson passed on, also at the same age as Yasmin at 51, another person who has inspired so much love - has passed on.

Sampai hospital mengigil satu badan, palpitations started and broke down when saw Nani at entrance of Emergency.

Yana dan Leysha took me to the third floor where everyone was. Saw kak Fati ngan Shuhami Baba. Hugged mummy and broke down again. Had to sit down to calm myself.

Took about 15 minutes to compose myself.

"The family is very distraught, and we have to be strong for them, Joe," kata kak Fati.

So went out for a smoke nak tenangkan diri. Fuck again! Lupa nak top up phone yang da abih gayut AND da abih rokok. Dalam kelam kabut tak sempat stop nak top up semua yang perlu.

Sial tol. Bummed a ciggy from Emran and chilled out. Elly sampai and aku bak dia naik atas. Na take my mind off things, pinjam laptop dia update status Twitter je.

Then Jac sampai. Aduh... another round. And one by one people started arriving. Aznil... then kengkawan media lain.

An hour or two later, it was over. Meka bak jenazah balik ke rumah family.

Went for a drink with Elly, Wafa and friend.

Sampai umah 3 lebih pagik, tak dapat tidur. Entah. Cam something just not right. I don't believe any of it actually happened.

Bersengkang mata sampai pagi. Dapat info from kak Fati, then jumpa As skali gerak. Sampai kat Masjid Abu Bakar As-Siddiq kat SS19 da ramai orang.

Aku dok tepi je. It just didn't feel right. It hasn't sunk in kak Min is gone.

Masa meka nak bak jenazah kuar bak masuk van. the family ask for non-Muslim family and friends to come forward bagi peluang. I just stood by the van jenazah. When the body came close to me, aku just started crying imagining kak Min inside. It's just not right.

Aku masa tu semput jap, seb baik As drive.

Sampai kat tanah perkuburan kat USJ22, I couldn't cry anymore. Masa meka lowered the body into the grave, I just stared. My mind was a blank.

Mak Inom passed out when they started the talkin, and didn't get up even after it was all over. Yasmin's hubby pun nak rebah masa meka started throwing earth into the grave... everyone didn't cry as much as the moment in the hospital.

I knew what they felt. I felt it too. It was disbelief that Yasmin was gone.

Aku walked about 800 metres or so ke station Petronas berdekatan. Amik ko jalan kaki bawah panas terik. Had a drink. Stared at the funeral going on in the distance. Couldn't absorb.

Made way back pastuh. Didn't meet, or talk to anyone else. Balik, terus tidur. 24 hours of all this drained me, and pressure aku pun naik ngan tak cukup tidur.

After a couple of hours, kena lak wat two articles on kak Min's passing.

Aku bab tulis articles ni laju je. But kali ni, didn't know what to write, or how to write it. Felt my writing wasn't good enough to do justice to the memory of kak Min.

Finished it hours later.

Ni update blog ni masih keletihan, dan dalam keadaan tak percaya still.

I miss kak Min.

You want to know something? Iklan ni by Yasmin... it was something that I remembered the most.



Masa iklan ni keluar, aku ingat lagik. Years ago. Masa tu tengah layan TV ngan orang tua aku. Terus membuat aku fikir. Ada gak yang sanggup layan orang tua mereka camnih. I looked at my parents and realised they were my priority in life.

And that's the thing about kak Min. If you knew her, she kept preaching love. And she spread it to everyone who knew her. If you didn't personally have the chance, her films, her writing, her commercials... they were extensions of who she was. What she was all about.

Letih. Watching a string of Yasmin's beautiful work on ads she's done in the past. Go to Youtube, and laugh or cry with them. As a tribute. In memory of her. And feel what she wanted you to feel.

To be proud of who you are. Malaysian - be it Malay, Chinese, Indian, or any other race. To love your parents no matter what. To appreciate family.

Am going to rest now... but just want to share one last thing with you guys. This is kak Min's commercial which runs in Singapore.

And that's all for now. Need rest. Esok kena gi office kejap, and then kena rush to Melaka. Be safe guys. Love all of you. Hugs.

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Yasmin.. we love you

Have been at the Damansara Specialist Hospital for about 45 minutes now.

If you haven't heard, kak Yasmin Ahmad, passed away at 11.25pm.

I don't know what to say at the moment. I am numb. I do not believe what just happened.

Ni pun da calm down sikit, pinjam Elly nya laptop sambil dok kat tepi corridor depan ICU unit.

I need a fucking smoke. I don't know what to do. Feel helpless.

Will update later ok. Just not in the fucking mood at the moment.

Yasmin. Rest in peace. You know we love you. Just wish I could have had the chance to tell you that again for one last time.

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Jack

Just woke after a few hours sleep. Going back to sleep again for a while some more after this. Saja nak habiskan kerja, and finish some ideas which have to be put to paper. Or to Wordpad to be more exact. Well, you never know what hours you get an idea or two kan...

Siang tadi, headed to KL. Planned nak drop by soon to be office number two. Tapi dapat call kata tak perlu, so headed straight to KL. Damn! I hate Friday traffic. It's like the only day where EVERYONE goes out for no reason or something sebab time ni la yang paling busy. Kalau hujan lagi gila. So I gave thanks for little blessings lah that it didn't rain.

Supposed to meet Stanly kat Pavilion. Dia singgah KL jap from Kuching, nak pick up his aunt yang discharged from Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Dia nak make a mad dash back to the airport, and catch the next flight back pastuh. Aiyo.. ko hengat naik teksi ke nok, sesenang camtuh.

Tapi tujuan jumpa Stanly sebab dia nak pass 'birthday cake' aku. Heh... da orang tau aku ni gila kek lapis Sarawak. Rasanya apa yang dia bawak?

Seketul besar dia pass camtuh je.


I like! Er... no I didn't just put in on the floor, tu je tempat nak amik pic, plus it's shrink wrapped!


Thanks Stan.. walaopon delayed but I guess it's the thought that counts. Jumpa dia pon tak sampai sepuluh minit, then rushed nearby ke Istana Budaya. Nok!!! Aku tak reti potong cantik cantik sial!!! Takpe la... janji sedap! Heh!

Bob dan Syuib da balik dari LA. Sorry tak sempat snappy, but the final count is si gold medals, two silvers, and two plaques. Lepak with them for half an hour borak sebab meka touchdown je kena kompol ada reception thing at Istana Budaya. Biasalah event kementerian. Syuib ajak lepak. Gila.. sah sah belum rasa effect jet lag.

Pas abih, headed in the ridiculous jam ke Damansara Specialist Hospital. Can you believe it took almost TWO hours to get there. Jalan Tun Razak is so whacked.

Sampai pon da gelap. Aku call beberapa orang kengkawan before going in. Nak tengok any developments. Kalao tak malas nak masuk menyemak. Tujuan nak dapat update je... bukan nak pose sakan.



Got word that nothing has changed. Kak Min is still under observation, so guys, keep praying for her safety and health.

Aku headed for home sebab tak larat. Damn jams give me migraine. Dapat reply from project person. Next week kena put things together. Syukur ada time nak set things up cause just got the quotes from the dancers and all. Arranging over 100 dancers for a seven day event in the middle of town is NOT easy. Nanti aku update on developments. Kalao ikutkan, by next week, things should more or less be finalised and I can slowly unveil details.

By the way, pas bebudak Akademi Fantasia finish with the reunion in Kuching, they'll be headed to Melaka for shooting AF Raya lak. I will be going there on Sunday, or Monday, depending on how I settle work here cause aku dijemput tuk wat cameo sekali dengan Reza. Scene aku tak silap, libatkan Hafiz, Aril and Akim. Tak ingat...

Eh by the way. Balik balik, seperti biasa, dekat dengan katil ada one of my babies. Let me introduce you to Jack.



Jack was an abused puppy rescued and cared for by the SPCA. Korang remember tak my entry dulu?

I had Mickey and Princess, my other two pups. Princess passed away. Memang sedih gila time tuh. Tapi masa tu, lepak ngan kak Min we were talking about some stuff, and I mentioned my beloved pet da mati.

Few days later she called me up, and said there's a beautiful pup kat Bangsar Shopping Center tak silap aku, at an SPCA event. It had this sad, pleading look. She felt so moved by it, and called me immediately and said I should give it a loving home.

Masa tu aku kelam kabut keja, so I promised to check things out.

Ujung minggu tuh, my sis came home for the weekend. First thing dia cakap on the phone masa nak sampai, she said she had a 'present' from kak Min. Aku menjerit da agak! Apparently kak Min, called my sis, and the went to BSC together and she got Jack for me, and asked my sister to take him home as my Christmas present.

And when my sis sampai rumah, she opened the car door to reveal - Jack. Kesian masa tuh bulu pendek, tempang sebab previous owner dia memang kejam gila. Sepak bagai sampai camtuh. The poor dog has trust issues sebab da kena abused camtuh.

A couple of years or so later, Jack is now one helluva furball. He's happy, and rules the house, nak makan pon demand. Heh... Mickey sampai kena buli ngan dia, but they appreciate each other's company.

Korang ingat tak masa Mukhsin, orang kecoh pasal bilal yang pegang anjing? They didn't see the scene in Muallaf where Datuk Rahim Razali potrayed a Datuk yang siap bela anjing.

If people understood things and didn't just jump to judge, they would realise that she was showing that in Gubra, it was compassion to animals - as the poor stray dog da tempang after being hit, and the only reason the person came in contact was to avoid the dog from being hit again. Compassion people... !!!!

In Muallaf, it was to remind Muslims that it's not condoned by Islam to deal with canines and how the hypocritical rich 'forget'. Very different but relevant.

I don't understand why there are some people who are still condemning her, especially in this hour when anyone with a heart would feel for her, her husband, her parents, her family and her friends. Korang ni esok lusa, Tuhan nak tunjuk, barulah rasa...

Yes, kak Min gave me Jack. But she got my sister to pick it up. She wanted to give the dog a home. And I also believe she knew how sad I was when I lost my Princess. Thank you kak Min, for showing me that your movies have always been based on simple truths you believe in.

Kak Min berkali kali mintak aku amik pic nak let her know how Jack is doing. Kak Min, get well fast. Jack sihat, and I so want the person who saved him to see how he is now....

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Worried...

Just back from the Damansara Specialist Hospital. Kat rumah Mont Kiara sekarang.

Waiting for a late meeting with dancers tuk another project in a while kat Hartamas Square.

Letih...

The whole staying at the hospital for four hours or so in that condition... erm... not a fun experience.

Aku memang risau keadaan kak Min, but malas nak gi awal, sebab knew it would be a circus. With every Thong, Dev and Harith there. And true enough... weird why these kind of kejadian pun ada yang nak menyemak. Bersangka baik jelah... orang risau genuinely.

Aku dok tepi je, sempat sembang ngan Datuk Seri Farid Ridzuan and Farisha Pawanteh jap dapat updates.

About 9.20pm, parents kak Min sampai hospital. Apparently they flew in from Langkawi. Her father looked tired, while her mom was just in tear. Aduh... Friends who got to see her after the operation tadik filled us in. Malas nak masuk nak kaco, so dapat updates je.

Now kak Min will be under observation for the next 24 hours. And if she passes that, it will be extended until she's really out of the danger zone.

The actual situation?

Well, apparently she did pass out during a presentation masa di Sri Pentas. Yes, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and husband and TV3 staff pon ada.

Stupidly, fodder for rumours, someone pronounced her as well... you know...

She did stop breathing said some, other said her pulse was strong.

Bottomline is they revived her and she was carted in for an operation to remove blood in the brain. Something to do with her blood pressure and all. Moka aku nih cam medical specialist ke nak tau.

Anyway, pas operation tadik, she was declared stabil, tapi kritikal. Don't know what that means, but masa gerak just a while ago tengah malam, her heartbeat was still irregular, and she is still hooked on life support.

Me and a couple of friends decided to balik dulu, pas jumpa Nani. Kak Fati and family gi supper sambil pujuk Nani balik cause she insisted on going back to the hospital. Guess esok abih kerja je nak lari balik hospital lagik.

Worried.

If you guys have been reading my blog for some time now, you know how special kak Min is to my family and I. All of us pray for her speedy recovery, and I ask you guys do the same in your own way.

Kak Min has been there for me many times, by phone, or when she manages to spare her precious little time to hear my problems. She is an amazing listener, and sometimes, through her silence, offers me more options and advice...

I introduced her to my sister for the first BMW Shorties that my sis was handing, where kak Min became the judge and she became acquainted to my sis too.

We both love her to bits, and it's sad news, keadaan kak Min sekarang.

Sorry takde pics ke apa, but I don't think it's appropriate for me nak snap around area hospital. Plus on top of that, I think those who know what I think of kak Min all this while, you don't need pics to illustrate it. Hopefully will have more cheery news to share with you guys soon on kak Min.


PS - Read the online new for updates. I know some of my media friends are still at the hospital ready to cover any developments. Please get your news from reliable sources, not witnesses or rumours. People who circulated rumours that she had passed on are just butt stupid.

PPS - Remember flash mob post? It's on! Confirmed today! And it's going to be BIG!

PPPS - And I start August for something else as senior writer. Aduh... banyak nya projek nak wat lagik ni... doakan segalanya berjalan lancar. Hugs to all of you.

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PLEASE!!!! Please pray for Yasmin Ahmad

PETALING JAYA: Critically-acclaimed movie and TV commercial director Yasmin Ahmad was admitted to hospital after feeling unwell during a presentation she was giving at TV3.

She was taken to the Intensive Care Unit at the Damansara Specialist Hospital, where she is now on life support and in stable condition. She is still unconscious.

She is believed to have suffered a stroke and was in a coma for a short while before doctors there successfully revived her.

Hospital authorities have not confirmed anything.

A host of Malaysian personalities are at the hospital now, including pop diva Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and husband Datuk Khalid Jiwa, Suria FM’s Engku Emran, TV3 CEO Farid Jamaluddin, and indie filmmakers James Lee, Pete Teo, Liew Seng Tat.

Yasmin, 51, the director of Sepet, is particularly well known for the community message commercials she directed for Petronas.

She began her career in advertising as a copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather, eventually rising to creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur.

Her movies have won many international awards and have been screened at the Berlin, San Francisco, Singapore and Cannes international film festivals.

Last November, she was inducted into the inaugural Malaysian Advertising Hall of Fame by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia

From The Star


Guys.. please pray for kak Min. Am on the way to the hospital now. Really sad. All I heard are rumours that she apparently stopped breathing for 20 minutes after she suffered a stroke. Word is right now she is being operated.

Will update you guys on further developments. Check my Twitter status for any updates as well from the hospital.

Please pray for her.

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Despite it all...

Yes, like the title of this entry goes. Walaupon mata masih merah (tapi keadaan aku dari segi lain dah tip top), I managed to make it for the Anugerah Skrin 2008.

Feeling a lot better by noon tadik, I pulled together something (tatau nak pakai apa before settling for my vintage pinstripe DKNY jacket yang tak penah pakai, couple with that ripped monochrome tee and a pair of bootcuts - yes, me celebrating the death of skinnys).

Was at PWTC by 8pm, waiting for Faz and Jue to show up. Met them, along with Maya and Lin shortly in the carpark and naik sekali.

Can I just say this? Someone better put a disclaimer on escalators that long dresses are potential death traps! Or at least key to embarrassing situations sebab the length of those outfits can just cause it to sangkut and setting up for one of those home video show fodder.

Wanita-wanita Pisau Cukur - Faz and Maya (Lin tengok apa tuh?)


Walaupun dapat invitation as guest, not covering the event as media, aku lebih suka dok ngan kengkawan wartawan sebab leh sesama carot.

Have to say though, this year, the stage looked better, despite being a relatively simple set-up.

Wow! Lotsa lights!


While the show was quite ok, there were some points that spoilt the night.

For one the fashion. Some people just got it so wrong, from guests, to presenters, to performers, to winners. I won't mention the usual fashion faux pas cause you guys got to see it all on TV. Will mention one though.

Kalao korang perasan Daphne Iking's dress tuh memang singkat, but lagik sakitkan mata was seluar our national asstronaut (oops.. sincere typo there) Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha yang was about four inches too short! How come no one told me the Michael Jacskon look was back in again. Seb baik dia tak pakai stoking putih jer... kalao tak I'd half expect him to start moonwalking.

Ok, so the dude has been in space and probably doesn't know it's so wrong to see someone with that look, but I believe he didn't leave us in the Eighties and just return kan? Maybe it was just a longing in another way to do moonwalking sebab dapat jadik space tourist je sebelom nih pon. AND get a Datuk for it (but then Shah Rukh Khan got one too... so go figure)

Anyway, ever since he became a tourist courtesy of Malaysian taxpayers, and is now charging thousands for 'motivational talks' (so that's the greater good that they were talking about... and how many million was spent?) he can bloody afford to buy a decent wardrobe dari ulang tayang the same damn suit every time he's in public. Honestly!

Pic diamik dari forum. If this belongs to you, please leave a comment and whom I should credit to. Don't you think Faz just looks cute here!


Sheesh... plus a lot of other ugly outfits malam tuh. Including some silver trash bags passing for dresses, cheap ass wraps that doubled for outfits and so on. The list is endless.

Performances were so-so, but I think the highlight (nak carot tak abih kot) was Faizal Tahir. Adibah Noor was her usual fantastic self, but I think her combination ngan Lah Ahmad tak menjadi. She was struggling to keep her voice in an effort to allow Lah to keep up, which I think was sad because both of them have beautiful voices but were just sadly mismatched. Let's see, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza was also yummy in her performance, though I think the costumes were a little too RTM.

The script was horrible, and I know a lot of people ad-libbed. Even Aznil (congrats bang on another win for your show) and Zulhuzaimy yang orang dok gelak sebab lawak meka sebenarnya main boh je skrip sendiri. Yeap.. it wasn't on the cards ok. But the result... some of the funnier moments as our artistes proved they can come up with better lines than some scriptwriters.

Winners? Mixed bag, so not going to comment, cause it was a little for everyone, which I guess was a good thing. Nak wish congrats to several friends like abang Mamat Khalid, kak Yasmin Ahmad, Gaya and her Tayangan Unggul outfit for their wins. To Osman Ali dan kengkawan lain yang nominated but didn't win, nevermind. Lain kali ek... you guys rocked by even getting the nominations and massively proud of you guys.

Tapi pening ramai tak muncul. Masa Nasha Aziz menang, tension kak Nasha takde, so called up the darling and wished her congratulations. Yeay! Aku first katanya. Nasha kata dia dapat invite only on Tuesday so tak sempat prepare celah kesibukan dia, so tak jadik datang, tapi aku leh dengar that she was watching the live show on TV.

Pas abih on the way out, bumped into wanita cantik sorang ni. Guess who? Kak.. sorry ler camera flash tak cukup terang. Heh.. ampun!

Vee you look flawless la!


Singgah jap Press Room nak wish congrats to friends for the wins. Kak Min jumped up immediately to hug me! Yes.. yes.. about time woman you won something! I am proud of you! Ko susah susah harumkan nama negara ngan karya ko, and still so many people find it difficult to accept your work closer to home even though you celebrated abroad. Go figure.

By the way, abang Mamat, carut pun aku sokong ko. Heh... aku pegang kata kata ko yang Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang ko wat watak non-Malay tak pelat and all sebab dengar cakap aku. Katanya.. walaupun... huahuahua... royalty mana???? Matilah aku!

Big winners!



And then it was on to the post party aka the makan time. Since got there before most of the crowd, sempat nak down a few bites before everyone poured in the dewan. By then da start cam whoring da.

Ni some pics yang sempat.

Grinning silly bila dengan Datuk Seri Farid Redzuan


By request pembaca blog - si Amethyst, here's Que


By another request (tak hengat sapa) ni Farid Kamil lak pas shave (insaf katanya... merasalah!)


Sarah babe.. you scare me! Hugs!


Zamarul, congrats! Lain kali jangan sebut pada DIA... lupa ek ngan NA kat belakang nama orang tuh. Heh... matilah!


Sorry kak Kelly tak dapat letak pics kita. Heh! Terlampau mesra katanya! Kang orang ingat aku nak bodek ko lak. Kang nanti separuh akhir nanti we taking taking lagik pics bersama yang lebih sopan ek!

Ni some other pics for fans of Fazura. Hope you guys like it!

Faz with kawan baik, Maya.


Faz ngan erm.. Liyana Jasmay? Was it? Tak cam lak.


Faz ngan kawan baik sorang agik si Diana Rafar.


Sekali ngan Remy Ishak and Osman Ali


With some other friends. Sorry tapi I only know Chery Samad, KB (kawan baik la tuh) si Faz.


We then decided to leave. Took us ten minutes or more. Langkah kuar je, Faz kena serbu photographers. So kena la photo session jap. Layan... majoriti kengkawan Press. So no hal. Besides, it was obvious Faz was a favourite malam tuh. And I have to say, I'm thankful she didn't overdo it with a simple Hatta Dolmat dress which was modest, and tak ikut ramai yang konsep tak cukup kain. By the way, Faz insisted on the design on her own ok!



Pas layan Press, layan lak peminat yang stop dia on the way to the carpark. Letih gak... heh. Tapi pompuan ni konsep Energizer Bunny so takpe.

Had a quick meeting with Faz kat Bangsar jap sebab ada benda nak discuss. Adalah. Upcoming project. Lain sikit dari the usual stuff. An hour plus, sent her back home and headed back Bangsar lepak bebudak 6ixth Sense jap.

I completed this entry at about 5am, pas abih layan pics yang leh publish. Tomorrow is sleep day, and pastuh ada some plans nak lepak. Yerlah.. memandangkan da elok demam nih. Yahoo!!!

Be posting more tomorrow...

Pic Faz, krew penerbitan and tenaga kerja TV3 (tu kak Kelly in brown headscarf and specs) dan kengkawan media and I (new haircut tak nampak sangat but sikit-sikit ler). Pic courtesy (aka dicuri) dari Sam Kassim, manager Noryn Aziz (matilah kan aku kredit penuh!)

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Omar and Ning - Part II

Ni second part of my pictorial gituh, this time focusing on the guests. Of course ramai nak pic yang celebs kan, so as not to overshadow or take too much out of the bride and groom, this segment (macam feeling show lak main segment nih) is dedicated to friends of the happy couple yang ramai kenal yang muncul. Enjoy!!! (cam takde perkataan lain skema jerk)

Married divas to see another diva get married


Siti and Datuk Khalid.


Ziana and... what's the name of that guy who hates cameras again?


Ziana slalu senyum cantik jerk


Pose sweet dan pose vogue


Manisnya Siti


Linda, and MrManager ngan Jovian Mandagie


Abang Dale... oops Datuk Mahadzir Lokman MC for the night


Earring Jac... besau siot!


Jac and Yasmin Ahmad


The best wedding gift - from Yasmin Ahmad


Kak Fati, abang Syed and Aryana and Alesya


Wedding planner extrodinaire, Datin Faridah


Adi Fashla - terclose up lak


Haziq pun ada


Cat mai ngan bini dia skali (not in this pic though)


Ifa Raziah and husband - and Azwan mencelah pose

To be continued in Part III...

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