Heart-less

Today je ler sempat aku nak update blog....pening sebenarnya kalau utang banyak entry ni. Tak larat sebenarnya kalao too much to update sekaligus. Tapi like I've always said, my blog serves as my diary...so I like recording at least traces of what I did...down the line, reading what I been up to is fun...for myself.

Tatau lak kalao orang lain baca rasa nak montah kuar anak tekak kan? Can't help you on that ler...On Thursday night, aku lepak studio Akar Karya layan bebudak rehearsal.

Mula-mula time nak balik tu gayut ngan Faizal, then dia ajak lepak. Si Mawi lak grabbed the phone and gayut lak. Abih...dari gayut je, gi ler studio jenguk-jenguk.

Aku tak amik pic apa pun sebab malas.

Sempat snap one je nak sakitkan ati Faizal masa sedara dia call.

Merasalah muka tension kalao gayut. Jangan Ijal...gurau je...aku tetap berterima kasih ko bak balik kepok bagik aku. Walaupun tak nampak lagi...sebab takde masa nak amik dari ko.

Friday night nak gi join agik sebenarnya, sebab time camni ler, celah tuh ada masa nak catch up sebab memasing sibuk...but sebab baby aku balik kampung, serentak ngan Ted, aku pun gi jemput and all.

Nanti ada time catch up ler...no hal. But it was nice to spend time talking to Mawi too without disturbance dari bayang-bayang dalam beberapa orang yang biasa mengekori. Don't get me wrong...I'm not talking about management...I'm talking about people yang wujud pas dia da menang Akademi Fantasia.

Bila time cakap ngan dia camni...teringat time masa dia tersingkir, dan lepak sembang. Bukan Mawi aura....tapi Mawi...just Mawi.

Oh well...how things have changed kan. Thankfully...I think Mawi's finally come back home. What do I mean by that? Yang kenal tahulah... syukur...

Hari sebelumnya da jumpa dia kat press conference tuk konsert kat Kelantan. Info tuk tu korang baca paper ler usha sendiri ek. Blog ni bukan tuk issue press release.

Ni just two pics ler for sesapa nak ubat rindu kat Mawi.

Malas nak amik pic bebanyak so this is all for now ler ek.

Banyak lagik event kang nak amik amik pic.

Like later this month kat Mauritius ke...oops! Adalah...nanti aku cita ek.

Anyway masa event tuh, ramai gak hadir.

Ramai yang take part in the concerts kat Kelantan yang akan di asingkan for lelaki dan perempuan (matilah ada yang takde kategori tuh camna).

Sempat snappy some pics here and there. Hope you guys like it kalao nak mengubat rindu kat any of them below. There's Karen (lupa nak amik pic lak...Salima, Zila, Haziq, Hazama...and of course (drumrolll please)...Zahid.

Er...ke YB Zahid.

Ikut pose camnak jadik executive kaunselor MPK bina rumah tanpa kelulusan je...merasalah kena resign pastu tapi rumah tak dirobohkan!

I really have to rajinkan diri amik more pics tapi malas semacam sebenarnya...yerlah pikir nak upload nak tag kat sini dan sebagainya leh amik masa berejam nak settlekan.

Tu yang entry selalu lambat tuih.

Enjoy the pics yer kalao korang minat. Kalao tak minat, scroll down bawah sikit dan jangan carut, walaupon rasa kredit pahala da top up penuh time posa aritu. Matiah kena tahan setahun tak cukup airtime.

Anyway, yesterday aku letih banget ok. I was just in need of some serious sleep. Tired...but since it was Friday, it meant another assignment.

Kali ni kat Planet Hollywood, ada PC ngan Irwansyah dan Acha. Ala...pelakon Heart dua orang tuh.

Honestly, the song yang aku dulu suka sebelum radio mainkan, skang just gets on my nerves sebab played to death da, don't you think?

I mean, if you love a song and it's good, memang la tak bosan. But I think my patience for that song da worn out to the max. Tapi nak dengar di nyanyikan live lain...so harapan menggunung ler nak feeling on Friday evening ni.

Ternyaya aku akan dikecewakan.

My God! I know they're not really singers....but sumbang mahram punya singing. Now that's really MENYUMBANGKAN lagu.

Ok so they weren't all that bad. But they weren't all that good either. They sounded like third rate reality show singers on the first day of audition.

Tapi suka tengok si Acha. Dia comel sangat. Walaupun sora haus.

And she is so sweet. And I mean REALLY sweet.

And great fashion sense too. Matilah sempat aku mintak dia pose amik pic high heels dia pakai. You da bomb babe...

Don't know brand apa cause I suck at identifying anything that's not Blahnik or Choo. Vincci kot. Tapi empat inci I think.

Terus dia tinggi sikit.

Kalau korang tertanya ni je ke pics aku amik of her, no lah. But this is the most exclusive ler.

Yerlah...mana lagik ko nak tengok pic kasut artis Indo kan?

Matilah sebenarnya ada fetish heels (or actually looking for size 10s that fit)

Tapi kan...hah, ni aku nak offer dua lagik pics. Walaupun orang tau meka ni pasangan 'cinlok' (cinta lokasi) sebab meka ni a real deal couple kan...hah...apa kata tuko hero tuk next film.

Tanak Irwansyah...tak beremosi ler dia ni.

Lakonan dia kayu abih.

Bosi busuk suka ler...(paham sendiri, jangan tanya apa tuh)

So aku nak cadangkan hero baru tuk digandingngan ngan Acha.

Ni kira pic nak test shoot jer so kualiti keji sikit. Ngan pakai Nokia yang lens da calar sakan je.

Matilah aku kena jeling ngan Irwansyah nak manja ngan Acha tuk pic ni (merasalah ko ler aksi berlesi) I think he thought I may have wanted a pic with him, but of course I sure as hell didn't.

But I have to say both of them are pros in the way they conducted themselves walaupun mereka masih muda, ngan Acha 17 dan Irwansyah at 21.

Tu yang aku pelik kalao artis kita ni, sikit je attribute their lembabness (artis lembab panggil moisturizer jer kerana faktor kelembapan yang tinggi) to their unprofessional approach. Our artistes betul betul have a lot to learn from outsiders in terms of how to carry themselves.

Anyway, back pada search for a new hero ni.

Nak kanan punya pic punya gabungan ke ngan Irwansyah, atau nak kombinasi yang kiri ngan ehem...hero baru hensem (matilah wat filem Free Willy 4 katanya versi Malaysia - carut sendiri sebelum kena carut ngan orang)

Aku rasa pic aku ngan Acha lagik manja ok...leh wat lagu duet pasni bertajuk My Limpa, kesinambungan My Heart ngan muzik iringan sampled dari My Hump.

Keji...

Tadi meka ada showcase kat Planet Hollywood with about five songs, but don't expect any update on that, tapi kalao sesapa yang amik pic dan sebagainya nak share, bagitau je kat ruangan komen so we can all see ler your effort.

Arghh...can't believe it's Saturday evening da.

Rasa cam cepat sangat the weekend is zooming past. Tak larat ler nak gi opis nak jumpa yang tak selera nak jumpa. Aku nak amik cuti tapi tunggu ler. I don't want to run away. Aku nak stare fear in the face (and boy is she ugly - and I 'her' not my fears)

I will probably take leave soon...but tengok ler. Aku ada benda nak settlekan sana sini dulu. Jimat those annual leave days I have to put to good use.

Anyway, I look for those little things to keep me sane in the office. Like laughing at Halim's stockpile of Apollos.

Jangan tatau drawer dia ni simpan stok emergency tuk bulan posa.
Pecah lobang isi kandung aritu (matilah aku dia baca ni terus hamun aku)

Yerlah...emergency haper? Cam ler leh pengsan akibat posa ngan 'sihat'nya badan. And those, are NOT energy bars. They're just very unhealthy calorie laden snacks (pandai lak ngata padahal weight aku tak turun-turun)

But things like these keep me smiling in the office walaopon stress kekadang terok gila babik.

I use to be able to handle stress, tapi selepas hari tu doktor check blood pressure overdose, aku berjaga sikit to make sure aku tak go beyond my body's ability to function (lucah lak bunyinya).

Anyway...good things are coming. I know they are. I mean...I finally have someone in my life.

And I have someone who cares for me (not necessarily the same person - matilah statement $%^&* sangat), so I'm sure things will fall into place somehow, someway.
I've always been a firm believer in that. That a little love will take me through even the worst of days. And I still don't see any reason for me to believe otherwise.

Ok ler...nak off dulu. Here I promise to update my blog lebih kerap lagik buat kali kedua ratus enam puluh tujuh.

Take care guys....

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The Devil Wears Prada

Korang dah tengok The Devil Wears Prada tak?

I've met characters cam Miranda Priestley before...worked with them before, and heck...I'm even related to one of them, cause my sister pun dragon lady gak bab keja nih.

And I admire strong female characters like that.

Tapi kan...ni satu story I want to share. Aku jenis aku, I hate people climbing the corporate ladder, and aku sendiri sampai mati pun, I really can't take being in a position of authority. I suppose it goes against everything I believe in to be 'part of the establishment'. Yerlah...rebel sampai mati ler kiranya.

Anyway, eleven bloody years or more in the business, there are a few, too few...people aku hormat. For their views, vision...for their efforts... for their sheer tenacity in wanting something, and the right reasons for wanting them.

Yerlah...journalism, like any other business, ada je people in it for the wrong reasons.
Generally, no matter what work you do, there's always three categories of people you deal with.

Satu, yang jenis I coudn't care les...I don't give a f**k about the world, aku sini nak carik makan, keja 9 to 5, or whatever hours ler yang allocated.

The second bunch is yang jenis gila glamour. You know the sort. Nak attention gila babas no matter what it takes, but they don't give a rat's ass pasal apa meka buat pun.

And the third is the type that they love what they're doing so much, yang meka akan hadapi all this bullshit of idiot colleagues or bosses, bad pay, horrendous hours and such, just to be in it.

I started out wat live sound...basically jadik sound engineer funfair gituh ler. Keja kalao ada event on the ground nak set up sound and lighting. Zaman aku wat tuh, lumayan. Mana taknya...tengah kolej aku da start, bayangkan. Ada satu job tuh, aku dapat RM800 for a three day job in Terengganu.

Hotel, makan minom...matilah sampai rokok dan nak makan durian pon boss yang bayar. Senior aku, abang Black masa tuh aku tanya, dalam sebulan berapa gaji dia, buta-buta leh cecah RM15,000 senang-senang. Lum agik peak season.

Aku rasa that wasn't creative enough...tak balanced for me. So aku pun switch to writing...

I started job ni as a cadet journalist sometime in 1996 ngan gaji RM790 basic. Matilah keji katanya. Keja McDonalds pun leh dapat lebih. Lepas overtime dan allowance, tolak EPF dan Socso, aku take home pay dalam RM800 something max. Ni ngan dok Klang, travel daily to Petaling Jaya where my office was, lum agik kira kos nak naik public transport hulu hilir to get to my assignments.

But I loved the job.

So aku tahan...and tahan. Initially senang ler nak naik. Yerlah...mana ler ramai sangat mamat Cina nak speaking Melayu...nak gi formal event kekadang yang perlu, siap ada baju melayu sendiri berapa pasang etc. Being familiar with the Malay culture made it easier for me. Being comfortable with it increased that ease.

Eleven years down the line, I'm tired. Tu aku banyak focus talents aku on something else. Aku bangga, after that period I have done some things I'm proud of. Never mind what contributions...if you have to ask, you won't value them.

And today, aku dapat ler pala baru masuk sini nak dictate to me seolah aku nih budak freshie.

I am offended....to put it in polite terms.

I don't know why I'm still around when aku rasa my talents are useful in so many other places.

But my sister slalu cakap ngan aku, there is no perfect employer or place of employment.

Which I've noticed having held something like four or five steady jobs since my stuying days.

Aku takleh cam dulu...sesenang tuh move on, because I have responsibilities. Yerlah...record aku dulu kerja, paling cepat, tiga hari dah quit sebab bosan. Record aku sebelum masuk line ni, paling lama hold one job, enam bulan.

Arghhh... anyway, this Miranda Pirestley wannabe is getting on my nerves. She's not even fashionable by Miranda's standards, or even by the minimal requirements, so tuh yang mememingkan lagik.

I can only say this so many times...I can only learn from people smarter than me. The rest, I tolerate.

Malas nak pikir. Tension aku...

Apapun, aku kind of happy...on a personal level. I'm with someone...even though trial period but I am fascinated by the person I'm with. And that's what makes me believe it'll work. God willing ler kan...

Semalam chat...we had our first 'argument'....and I think we got to know each other a little better for it.

I hope things will work out...aku skang sebenarnya takut ngan cinta ni. Kalau leh nak lari sebatu seolah nampak muka jalan tak siap tar, pusat penternakan jejentik Mama Rossa (hanya pada meka yang paham lawak keji ni).

But no pain no gain kan... (matilah tapi it doesn't apply to body weight...tuh kalao no pain keep gaining).

Anyway, that keeps me kind of upbeat, apart from the fact, ujung bulan ni aku akan gi Mauritius. Tak nak cakap more details, tapi aku akan pegi seminggu ikot skali bercuti ngan artis popular Malaya atas jemputan tuk join. Ko ado? Keji kan nak flaunt...well...about bloody time kan for me to take time off.

Plus...I got my statement of how many leave days I have left, and trust me...I have more than enough nak cuti panjang. Bilalah nak pakai rasanya.

Moving on...nak wish Nikki, HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY!!!

You're now a woman, luv...but to me, you'll always be my little baby sister. Kenal ko da almost two years plus now...you keep working it, and make all your dreams come true ok.

Applause pada semua kengkawan yang made the surprise party so special. Of course sini kena sebut marine specialist and beloved for playing host, official photographer, Ning Baizura impersonator, culinary maestro and all friends there (Radz, aku tatau leh link blog ko ke tak) who were there. You made the small gathering of family and friends...simply FUN.

Sori ek aku lambat berkejar dari opis. Bukan salah aku korang pepandai beli pizza banyak sangat sampai jadik parti pizza lak. Matila...muntah pizza dan kek terus.

Aku happy gila smalam walauipun letih.

Today apart from the stupid unnecessary stress I had to go through supposedly for bloody professional reasons, has been a pretty relaxed day.

And aku rasa nak je posting entry baru.

Berkali nak update pics kat sini tapi ada je halangan. Sebenarnya aku ni dependant samaada kalau kurang kerja leh wat kat opis jap, or pop in an Internet cafe if I have the time.

So finally, here's some pics of Nikki's private birthday party aritu.

Mind you kalao nak pics lebih cantik click HERE or HERE kerana hasil pics dari Nokia aku je...bukan hasil official photographer (matilah aku kena keji ngan seseorang pasni)

This first row of pics ni self-explainatory ler kan. Official photographer sapa lagik kalao bukan Miss Ning herself (matilah...tak bertauliah katanya). Yang dua lagik tuh aku nak Nikki on her own, tapi official marine biologist lak nyemak dalam shot. Seb baik dia host, takut kena halau punya pasal aku diam (matilah!)

And here's some more... first of course Nikki blowing out her cake. Second tuh...because aku kata aku bak pizza, entahler sapa yang pepandai order lagik. Jadik parti pizza lak. Third pic pun similar planning mismanagement punya pasal Tiba-tiba ada dua kek. Sebab orang tu di diet, terus tak abih.... (matilah again and again)

Erm... ok ler...tuh jer kot. Saja nak luahkan isi hati sikit. Nak gak feeling...miss you baby... matilah aku jiwang sekali sekala. Tak kena tol ngan aku ni.

But I guess...times likes this...we all become something that's so deep inside us people don't see it on a regular basis.

Out of here...

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Yasmin Ahmad

Ber SMS ngan Yasmin semalam cause I really wanted to find out if Gubra or Mukhsin grabbed anything at the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival which ended earlier today.

So too bad...kali ni Yasmin didn't bring anything back, unlike Sepet which grabbed Best Asian Film last year. Takper...Yasmin has been recognised, and that was the only thing that mattered.

For those who haven't been following, there was a 'restrospective' (yes I know not perspective Yasmin....SMS typo error - matilah aku wat alasan cover malu...no seriously...) In other words, the showed all four of Yasmin's excellent works in Rabun, Sepet, Gubra, and the latest in Mukhsin.

In fact, Mukhsin made its world premiere kat the fest...bangga ler. There are so many things we can be proud of, being Malaysian. Sadly rnough, not the same ones we are constantly being told of.

You know what I mean... Little joys like having an eloquent storyteller, who shares simple stories of our lives like Yasmin... for me, is a pride that all of us can share. To Yasmin, this entry is dedicated to you...and the hope you inspire in everyone who now understands a little bit more about how to tell a story As for those hateful people...screw them... you keep on touching lives, and that's what's important.

Additional info : The 19th Tokyo International Film Festival official website

PS : Sorry ler nak update panjang lagik takde benda lain... spent the whole of the weekened sleeping and watching the marathon of repeats of America's Next Top Model cycle 5 kat Astro.

Yeap...bosan gila...hope you guys had a better weekend than me. And by the way ek...jangan lupa...tunggu kemunculan Mukhsin kat cinemas soon! And also, for those yang carik lagu Drama dari Ning, Nikki and Yanie, look out here for news of the launch of the repackaged album, Maharani by Nikki. Bonus apart from the packed album of hits like Pinta, Caramu dan Imaginasi (the next single), expect music video Caramu dan Imaginasi to be packed along, as well as the bonus of the single, Drama. Aku akan post kan more info soon on that. By the way, aku link kan da kat atas all three of the divas' myspace accounts, so pop by there ok and add them. Yes it is their REAL myspace accounts, so add them. Especially if you're fans of Nikki and Yanie, because it's Nikki's birthday on Nov 1 (lusa) and Yanie'son Nov 14. So wish them la ek...it'll make their day.... And by the way, my own myspace is HERE, so do add me too. Cheers.

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Paddle pop...WOW! Paddle Pop...YEAH!!! Hebat lazat...mmm!

Hooray! Ari ni last day of the week. Malas sebenarnya nak keja time festive nih. But then again...sebab da lama tak betul-betul cuti, rasanya selagi tak long break tuh, selagi tuh ler sebenarnya keletihan banget mau berterusan nak kerja.

Matilah live on fresh air and sunshine...

Actually while semua orang beraya, aku tak dapat rasa festive air langsung. Bukan apa tapi somehow, things just don't seem...well...semeriah cam Raya-Raya lepas.

The only fun I had was shopping malam Rayakat kawasan Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Masjid India ngan Fiebie, Gina and Ken.

Bukan shopping apa pun...it just doesn't work.

A million people out on the streets doing last minute shopping doesn't exactly present itself as paradise for a psychotic claustrophobic like me.

Hah...kenapa aa...tahun ni Raya cam orang tak berambus dari KL ngapa aa???

Jalan kalau dulu kosong, leh baring tengah jalan, dua jam baru kena langgar ngan basikal, ni kira walaupun takder ler banyak keta, but still..... cam tak ramai jer balik kampung.

Anyway...malam shopping kat Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, I spotted this monstrosity. Amik ko baju kurung tuk singa Paddle pop beraya. Matilah colours of Rangoli meets Vaanavil. Ni baju Deepa-Raya ke???

Let's get this clear...this is NOT a piece off the wardrobe epartment of Astro, as horrendous as it looks.

Tapi walaupun kelakar nak mampos... siap Ken racun aku nak amik pic (salahkan orang lain padahal camera dah on standby mode), this was even funnier.

Esoknya, si Fiebie mesej awai pagik, apparently dia turun kat kubur nak ziarah and all, nampak makcik ke kakak sorang nih pakai the same exact baju. Apa lagik, si gila tuh pon dok gelak sorang-sorang. Aku gelak nak pecah perot awal pagi dapat SMS tuh, walaupon mata masih melekat tahi mata....

Anyway...that night before, we tried to grab a bite at 3am, terpaksa gi Pelita kat Jalan Ampang.

Matilah katanya, dahler kedai Melayu semua tup, mamak pon tutup?

Camler pekerja meka nih Muslim. Matilah tutup sebab Deepavali sebenarnya...

Anyway, since it was freezing, had to take a leak, so headed for the loo. Strangely enough, while we could make out where the Gents was, we couldn't figure out the sign for the Ladies.

Staring at it berapa lama, si Ken last last dapat tangkap lak....

"Tengok part ada kaler tuh...tuh rambut dia!"

Oooh...macam tengok one of those 'magic eye' paintings (I could never see anything from those).

Anyways, tried to think of something to do, but couldn't come up with anything, so we headed back. And that's basically how I spent the next few days of Raya.

But it was nice cause a lot of friends text and called up to wish me, even though masing-masing tau aku tak celebrate (especially since by hari kedua dah kena keja...keji).

Yang paling besh, kak Anita Sarawak...siap call dua kali (first time masa tuh aku tido mati). Second baru sempat....tapi sebab aku mamai aku iyakan...tanpa ingat apa dia cakap sangat.

Matilah aku...ampun kak Nita.

Zahid balik kampung, Marsha ada ler SMS sekali sebab dia pun...(sibuk nak beraya lak dia - matilah aku)....tapi dalam best tuh...ada gak orang ingat aku dalam balik kampung. Yanie pun mesej nak wish from Sabah....terharu...thanks to everyone who remembered me in the midst of celebrations.

Faizal ada ajak balik Terengganu nak bak jalan-jalan, tapi sebab keja, plus tak larat nak bayangkan mesti dia diserbu (yerlah...dia pun kata lebih 4,000 beraya rumah dia masa calling smalam time dia on the way balik KL sebelum berlepas ke Perlis wat empat hari).

Tapi tima kasih ek Faizal sebab ingatkan aku...nak beli aku kepok....entah bila la sempat passing kat aku. Sorry bebanyak ler tak dapat Raya kat Ganu ek...

Back to Pelita...for the last time, I'm going to say this...mamak food in Malaysia sucks and is getting more suckier. Dahler tambah mahal...tambah recycle kalau tak laku...and tambah kerek pekerja dia semua. Matilah hantar balik ke Tamil Nadu.

Lain laa Fiebie dan Gina yang entah camna kena bil RM12 lebih je walaupun dua orang makan minom banyak siap ngan ayam segala. Matilah Tamil Nadu ajar mengira kureng sikit.

Tapi dalam kami semua makan, si Ken lak minum susu je. Merasalah on diet, jaga badan, besar dan sihat, minum susu (ampun Ken....gurau je...jangan marah!!!)

So that's what my last week has been. Mostly been spending a lot of time watching DVDs (promosi portable baru biasalah).

I'm glad about one thing though. This Raya, I had two special people to occupy my thoughts. Rahsia for one...and someone else new in my life.

And between both of them, that special someone has emerged.

Well...almost. We're going at it for a while to see how things work. I know relationships and all should be a 'go with the flow' thing, but I just don't want to get hurt again, so I'm treading really carefully this time around.

I mean...I'm 30...doesn't mean I won't get burnt again...but I just want to minimise the hurt.

We'll see how things go....

Eh...dah kul 6 petang dah ni. Yeah! Work's over for the week!

Take care ok guys...and selamat beraya the remainder of the weekend, dan kalau nak balik KL, drive safe. Pada yang tersayang tuh, jalan elok elok balik kampung tuh....I'm missing you already.

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Sepasang baju kurung biru

Before it's too late...ni aku nak wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidiltri...Maaf Zahir Batin.

Hope you gusy have a good one, and kalao aku ada salah silap (wat muka innocent), here's to a new beginning ok. Seri....0-0 ek!

And by the way, pada yang aku terlupa nak wish, here's a Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating the festival of lights.

Sebab banyak sangat celebrate ni, korang pandai-pandai ler hantar kuih raya memacam kat aku ek. (teringin sangat nak murukku).

Ok...sambung posting after all the festive wishes. Continuing from where I left off.

Anyway...let's see, Friday morning aku up and ready for the next interview which was Ronan. Sebenarnya takder ler hyper sangat sebab last aku jumpa Ronan pun dia cam kerek sikit.

That was MTV Asia in Singapore in 2002 or 2003. Tapi aku pikirkan sebab whole day of shopping ahead, so pala tak tension langsung.

Anyway Joyce, Zoe and I headed for the Banyan Tree Hotel. Interview kat tingkat 59. Sebelum tuh meka bak kami jumpa Ronan nak photoshoot ler kat swimming pool.

Very the Mangga. But then sempat ler chat with him a while. He seems ok this time around.

After that went down to the lobby for a cappucino sat, before we were requested nak naik 59th floor for the interview at the Pier 59 restaurant. Cantik siot tempat tuh. The theme, very underwater, blueish hues everywhere. Meja, kerusi and cutlery dia, kaca biru.

I loved the little water bubble tubes and all. Apa lagik, amik pic ler posing kat sana. Member siap posing sakan ngan beads curtain tuh ala Britney punya album cover (berangan tul).

The view was awesome from the 59th floor, and I could see the whole of Bangkok.

Compared to the view of the hotel ,that was nothing. Sibuk amik pic sana sini, tak amik lak pic ngan Ronan ataupun any of him at all. Cam tak kuasa lak.

Still it was one of the best interviews I ever had as he really warmed up. Respect ler.

In fact two topics we talked about which I was really taken into was the concept of old souls (kalao korang ingat aku penah posting entry pasal tuh just before my 30th birthday) and about his family.

Erm...a little bit off the topic, tapi here are my pics masa tu (not of Ronan but of the view.

Abih tuh memang lega after that horrendous interview, sebab this was heaven compared to that ice queen. Relaxed and very natural flow to the conversation.

In fact, bebudak Universal had to cue us to stop sebab Ronan pun da animated gila babas nak chat.

Said our goodbyes and headed down.

Yes..more shopping coming my way.

Singgah lobby, ter'detained' sat as this woman was playing an instrument (tak hingat what you call it) fully decked in a Thai national costume. Layan sat...merdu sangat.Kami pun, atas cadangan aku, gi Prathunam sebab member semua tatau nak gi sana nak beli belah.

Sampai je, semua naik gila (aku naik gila sebab memang tuh shopping heaven bagi aku, and the girls lak gila baju dan beg pelbagai).

Aku pun start about trying to find something to buy and take home.

Yes, after about less than an hour (which was quite long sebab kalau tak sat jer da sampai), we reached there with lots of plans, sebab dalam cab nak rancang nak beli apa.

Forget the sweltering heat and my headache and motion sickness dok dalam cab lama lama panas camtuh. Ko tengok member-member aku dua orang nih.

Biar aircon pelbagai, peluh abih...abih meka punya kertas serap minyak.

Muka dah leh goreng telor da...tension je.

But I suppose in the end it was all worth it.

In Bangkok, aku dari empat hari, sempat posa dua hari...partly because banyak benda occupy my time, memang tak sempat ingat nak makan atau nak berlapar.

Nak isap rokok sana sini lak...tengok cam orang sini tak isap rokok je.

Bersih sangat satu Bangkok skang sebab kempen lawat Bangkok.

So I laid of the fags as well...(in more ways than one).

After I think almost two horus in Prathunam, kat kawasan Baiyoke, we moved to the mall, Indra Mall aku rasa seberang jalan.

Sebab member aku da tak tahan panas, kami putuskan sanggup bayar just a little bit more to shop in comfort.

Air con ada,,,,

So kami jalan-jalan, then menjalar ke bangunan sebelah lak. Kali ni aku hooked on electronics.

Memang pada mulanya rancang nak beli screen LCD tuk DVD player keta aku, but in the end, after some convincing by the salesperson, hard bargaining (dari RM900 ke RM600), and a trip to the ATM (thank God for the Cirrus network)...I became the proud owner of a protable DVD player.

Leh letak sambung kat keta, bak ke mana-mana...ataupun kalau kat rumah, aku hook up to the sound system in my room, pastuh gantung, aku da ada LCD screen to watch movies on.

Cool!

Depan kedai elektronik tuh, I swear, was the smallest McDonalds restaurant ever. Kecik cam kiosk je.

I think the small signage was the length of the whole restaurant.

Kusi meja dia bersepah around but the outlet itself must have been the smallest I've ever seen (jangan kira kiosk...ni full fledged outlet).

Memasing tukar duit tuk spending sikit sebab da pokai da, and then we decided to grab a tuk tuk nak balik secepat mungkin nak prepare tuk show Ronan belah malam.
Since Friday evening, rush hour nak balik keja, it was definitely the wisest decision...

Tapi mak aih...nyesalnya hidup...

Merasalah di Bangkok masaalah terrorist takde...tapi masaalah TERROR-RIDE ler.

Aku dulu got over my fear of tuk tuks and da naik banyak kali since. Tapi nothing is scarier than a tuk tuk ride in rush hour when the driver nak cepat.

I was praying for my life...berapa kali keta keta semua close enough nak sentuh without even stretching out my arms.

I swear we're talking about a distance of a few inches here. Gila ker haper. And trust me, it is not exactly a nice thing to have a car horn blasting next to you...

Ni gambar dari terror-ride aku! Nothing however could capture the sense of fear and terror masa tuh.

I'm surprised takde F1 driver dari Thailand yang legendary at this rate.

Apapun, setakat rempit kita sini, takde class langsung. Tuk tuk drivers are the best in that sense. Meka ni skillful abih.

Aku penah nampak tuk tuk drivers ni merempit tengah malam kat SIlom. Matilah three wheelers tuh leh wat wheelie katanya.

Gila ke haper... I guess that was what inspired my initial fear of tuk tuks.

Anyway got to the hotel in one piece...nevermind the need to throw up sebab all the swerving or the carbon monoxide poisoning..or my escalating blood pressure sebab horror....

Headed later to the BEC Tero again where there was actually a grand launch of a Thai radio station called Met 107. Ronan was the main artiste performing that night, apart from Tata Young.

It took us nearly two hours for the 20 minute distance to get to BEC Tero sebab jam teruk abih! Stress sebab tuh as well as driver yang tak reti sepatah pun English except for "Die" (not a good sign), "traffic jam" and "thank you".

Keji!

Sampai however, bangga...sebab kami pakai tag 'Artist - Ronan'.

Orang lain pakai memacam tag but somehow because the 'gwailo' (omputeh ler) was the star of the night, semua orang tengok kita semacam.

Siap berapa ramai approach ingat aku Jepun (matilah ko) dan seriously though aku ni part of Ronan's entourage.

All in all, it was a pretty good show with Ronan doing about four or five songs. He did the covers, Iris and If Tomorrow Never Comes, as well as When You Say Nothing At All, Lovin' Each Day as well as single baru, This I Promise You.

Bagus show dia...tapi yang penting, abih je, kami sambung shopping kat Suan Lum Night Bazaar sebelah BEC Tero.

One of the more fascinating shops was this foodstuff punya kedai...selling mostly dried items.
Aku terkejut terdapat banyak jenis dried food products, made from durian!

Memacam...ada chips, dried preserved durian crackers. Wonder how it smells. Ingat nak beli tapi as much as I love durian, I can't imagine how dried preserved durians taste like, so forego it jer lor.

Ni bebanyak products available.

Another shop I liked was one where you could make your own t-shirts in something like ten or fifteen minutes, Ko pilih jer nak text apa, atau if you have yo9urdesign on a disc or something, dia leh transfer it to the t-shirt. Kelas!!!

It's about RM10 for the t-shirt )jimat kalau bak sendiri), Rm10, for any amount of text on the front, and another RM10 kalau nak back dia ada text sekali.

I paid RM30 and got myself this awesome t-shirt that promotes my own blog kat depan, belakang dia, tagline 'it's all about me, i don't give a f**k what you think'.

Leh?

Ni bawah proses dia nak wat t-shirt tuh. Merasalah abang yang stampin g t-shirt aku muka ala ala Pierre Andre versi Siam.

Ni some shots of the small shop, cara meka wat termasuk dari PC, ke cutting out the design, to stamping.

Ok...where was I....oh...ok anyways malam tuh balik, start ler packing...and unpacking...and repacking....sebab nak muatkan segalanya dalam beg Polo aku yang nan ado very the medium sized tuh.

Tuh la akibatnya feeling nak jimat duit duit tanak shopping, back beg kicik...padan muka. Let this be a lesson to all of you.

Kalao tau shopaholic cam aku ni...jangan nak perasan bringing a small bag will stop your innermost cravings.

Last last pening camna nak bak segalanya balik without being taxed or your bloody bag ripping.

Finally got it done. I'm so proud of myself. Never mind it took me over an hour to do it and that it was nearly 5am by the time aku nak tidur.

The proudest acquisition from this trip would have to be this portable DVD player I bought at Indra Mall for a mere RM600!

Aku actually mula mula nak beli LCD screen for my DVD player in the car sebab dengar murah...dulu kak long bagitau dalam RM450. I got it for about RM300!

Tapi pastuh orang kedai tuh cakap, baik portable, bukan je sama leh pasang keta, leh bak sekali...and then aku inspect, siap leh mounting on wall semua (kira kat bilik aku ada 7 inch LCD screen ok ler) aku pikir balik...nak beli screen je ke dan pasang ke keta, atau portable leh pasang keta as well as bawak mana saja.

The cheapest would have been about RM400!!! A steal...murah gila! Brand Worldtech...Siam punya, but the screen resolution...the format...built in sound...bagus. Well for the RM400 one the sound sucked, so I finally got suckered into buying the RM600 punya, which had the swivel screen yang leh pasang kat bilik etc.

Which was no loss....I think. Aku skang da go through Little Man, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (I know it's not that new, but I haven't seen it ok...though I now love it) plus a host of movies I've picked up since. Movie madness!!!

For tech geeks, this is the specs of the WT- 507 I bought.

*Compatible fully with DVD, VCD, CD, MP3,WMA, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RW, JPEG CD etc, DISC
*Color system: PAL, N3.58, N4.43, and SECAM (Optional)
*Sound system: B/G (5.5M), 1(6.0m), D/K(6.5M)
*High resolution wide view angle (16:9) TFT LCD screen
*Built-in electronic anti-shock circuit
*Built-in Dolby digital 5.1 surround decoder, DTS decode
*Built-in double channel stereo speaker
*With optical output function
*With Audio output/input
*Full system: PAL/NTSC
*Full function infrared remote control
*High capacity rechargeable DVD battery
*Car adapter
*AC adapter (AC input:110v-240V; DC output: 14.5V)
*Optional Built-in TV & Game Function

Ok ler tuh kan...RM600 kira murah. Aku ada tengok Tesco ke Giant ada offer RM699 byut the spects tuh crappy nak mampos...so this is affordable (think dirt cheap) and functional to the max.

Anyway, sebab aku ada bak travel VCD player aku, aku terpaksa pak up that into my luggage and carry the DVD player sebab it's newer (nak kelentong kastam lama punya kalao kena tahan)

By the way, my other acquisition in Bangkok (which I like but didn't cost anything), is this.

Yes...my Ronan and Rihanna CDs...autographed CDs to add to my collection of autographed albums of people I've interviewed before (penah wat posting entry pasal koleksi aku).

Rihanna's was a normal 'To Joe - Rihanna' thing, but I like Ronan's sebab dia sign (aku tak mintak dia tulis camtuh) - 'To Joe, Your old sole friend, Best wishes, Ronan'.

Awwww...ok so I think 'sole' should have been spelled 'soul' but what the heck.Ou5r interview it turns out went better than I thought. Yes my rantings of being an old soul and my belief in such ideas are shared by others (thankfully pop stars, and not nutters, though at times, it's quite similar).

Next day (read a few hours later) woke up just on time....sib baik barang-barang da packing segala.

Dashed to freshen myself and a quick shower, pastuh zoom downstairs and straight to the airport.

Sampai sana, dalam dilema lak.

Should I masukkan my luggage into the baggage ker, atau nak hand carry.

Aku biasanya hand carry, tapi sebab kali ni beg aku memang super berat, packed to the brim and bursting at the seams (metaphorically), aku pun budget nak masukkan dalam baggage.

At that moment, caught a glimpse of one of those plastic wrap machines, you know yang ko bayar, terus meka packing beg ko ngan plastik jadik cam Ayamas punya ayam.

It was only RM10 or so to shrink wrap my bag, and since aku tak bak padlock tuk bag aku, not planning on it not being hand carried,

I thought ok ler...mai packing kan beg aku.

They had this sign next to the service counter, so I decided to read it masa meka tengah wrapping bag aku. Yes, you can can see that it says 'Protect and Secured Items'...mmm...shouldn't it say 'secure'? Kalau tak it actually sounds like a list of secured items and not the ways of securing your baggage.

Oh whatever....tu boleh maafkan lagik...after all Thai English is atrocious at best. THAT...everyone knows.

'Do you ever have these problems? Let us help you...'

And the next pictures following tuh yang aku pecah perut tergelak. Sambil menitis airmata pas gelak cam orang gila, dan dijeling security airport with shifty, beady eyes, seolah aku ni manical psycho planning to blow up a plane, I took these following shots of the 'explainatory' list of ways shrink wrapping your baggage is good for you.

So remember...the ad now says....let us help you to...

O-K.... so if I shrink wrap my bag...it'll help me...smuggle???!!! Stolen doesn't even make sense...neither does making me unorganised is going to help me. And DAMMAGE???

Ok...so aku paham sebenarnya maksud 'benefits' of wrapping you baggage meka nak advertise, but I mean...this IS the international airport. At least kalau meka takde comprehension of what they're trying to say...wonder what's their excuse for not having a spell check!

After wrapping my bag up (which looked like a huge turkey thawing out), aku decided tanak check in luggage lak....after five minutes, I checked it in anyway.

First thing to spoil my mood....the bloody Thai Immigration.

I mean most of the officers aku tengok laju je wat keja.

Tapi the bloody officer that was tending to my line (on the right) was so bloody lembab. I swear orang lain da tend to at least 10 people, kita punya barisan baru gerak sorang.

What a lame....#$%^&*!!!! Tapi yang sakitkan hati ada lak beberapa orang officer yang dok melepak, padahal ada kaunter kosong yang unmanned. Instead meka sok sek pot pet....well...they must have worked in the Malaysian government service before lah is all I can say. Kalau tak...mesti training government department kita.

Sejuk sikit hati tengok decor Departure hall dia...it's a lot better than the Ariival yang cam tak siap.

Belum apa-apa....nak masuk melalui security kat gate lagik satu hal. Bayangkan, scanner ada tiga bijik. Three counters and yet...this was the scene.

No less than 10 officers, tapi semua sibuk lepak kat one counter with about dua tiga orang je yang actually wat keja.

Camna tuh...???!!!
Dua counter kosong terbiar camtuh saja. I mean...reallly!!! Dahler tengah busy, each flight booked to the brim because it's Deepavali and all. I was just steaming away...and I swear at that moment, they were lucky I couldn't speak more than a few words of Thai, kalau tak memang aku da maki hamun mencarut tak hengat!!!!

Lembab tul meka semua ni...

I guess this is the perfect example of the saying of Tun Mahathir's saying that reflects not only our nation, but also our neighbouring countries.

First world infrastructure, but third world mentality.

I swear masa later sampai KLIA, ada mamat sorang ni...local ler....tapi dia ni cam #$%^&!!!

Leh ludah dalam ashtray masa tunggu taxi. But not before 10 minutes of clearing his throat, bunyi nak cam @#$%^ kompol dan buang kahak.

Eeewww!!!

Terasa kahak kaler rainbow ok!!!

Benci tol!
Anyway...the perfect mirror for this is the sight that greeted me immediately after I got down the escalator pas lepas je security mangkuk hayun ni.

I mean....seriously...

Oh well...cam orang kata kan...hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu dinegeri sendiri...*sigh*

So I hopped on the plane with all my Thai bought souvenirs, tapi aku rasa nyesal that my trip has ended for now. I mean, seriously...nothing beats being back home.

Yerlah....all that rudeness, uncouth displays of unprofessional behaviour....busy, choked roads, horrible levels of pollution... etc.

I mean....why go all the way to Thailand when I already have all that here where I call home.

Boleh gituh???!!!

Amik ko...

Anyways, it was definitely one of my best trips to Bangkok after having gone quite a few times, simply sebab aku ada masa nak betul betul berjalan, and take my own sweet time doing it.

So sempat amik one last pic masa dalam that tunnel, airway thingie to the plane. last call for Bangkok.

Apapun....I'm definitely going on another holiday soon.

Touchdown malam....lega terus. Rushed, got my car....and back to my normal routine. And then spent the next two days sleeping my ass off sebab keletihan teramat.I didn't do much on Monday, except pop into the office, and berbuka puasa with a friend. Tapi...fikiran aku sedikit sebanyak masa tuh melayang sebab Rahsia menjemput aku beraya bersamanya di kampung. Hati mengatakan iya....my brains, which rarely win a fight in this kind of encounter pulled a surprise defeat when it said no.

So called up Rahsia, and said we'll just celebrate in Kuala Lumpur bila dia dah kembali ke ibukota. Tu pun kalao dia ada masa.

Meanwhile, selain Rahsia....hati aku tengah bersoalkan apa kehendak aku sekarang dengan hadirnya seseorang yang ingin berkenalan aku dengan lebih rapat.

Unfortunately for me, I have a feeling that if this one doesn't happen, it's going to be because of external factors and nothing more.

Oh whatever...que sera sera.

Ok ler guys. Aku nak off ni. Be posting about pre-Raya and the first day of Raya punya festivities....merasalah celebrate ngan tidur seharian di rumah.

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