Sunday 28 September 2008

Mahukah anda berjalan-jalan??

(image taken from http://www.sistic.com)

Ye.. aku tau aku patut cakap pasal raya or something related to raya... kasik u guys e card ke.. letak gambar2 kampung aku and convince korang untuk balik kampung ke.. bincang pasal trip i nak gi raya kee.. cerita betapa i rindu kampung halaman ke.. umpan korang datang open house rumah aku dengan janji bagi duat raya maybe.. owwhhh.. malangnya bukan itu! Di sini aku nak bertanya kawan2 ku (dan yang nak jadi kawan pun boleh) andai ada di antara kamu yg nak pergi Fort Canning pada 8 November nanti untuk menikmati ROCKSTAR Taste of Chaos Tour yang bakal melawat Singapura nanti.. aku dah terlepas Funeral For a Friend punya konsert haritu jadi berazam untuk tidak melepas untuk kali ini pula.. Band yang akan main dan yang aku akan look forward to adalah Atreyu, As I Lay Dying, Story Of The Year and Horse The Band. Band ni semua famous waktu aku zaman muda2 dan seronok bermain gig, so cam nostalgic laa.. =P For further details bout ticks and all.. korang bleh checkitdout here.. kalau dapat roadtrip sama2(kawan2 lama dan kawan2 baru) pun macam menarik bukan?

(Image taken from http://www.tasteofchaos.com/bands.php)

Thursday 25 September 2008

Gheta hensem, Ghebau dan Kawan-Kawan

*PERHATIAN - post ini mempunyai dialek Kedah yang sangat pekat. Terus membaca atas risiko tafsiran anda sendiri.

(*CAUTION - this post is heavily laden with the Kedah Dialect. Read at your own discretion of interpretation.)


Al kisah maka tersebutlah kisah pasai 5 ekoq kawan2 baik yang nak pi mana2 pun semua nya sama2. Depa ni kawan baik.. dah lama dah dok lepak skali.. budak2 ni.. nama depa adalah Uzair (kacak bergaya dengan gheta honda prelude 90an), Panjang (sbb dia mmg panjang dan hensem, pujaan wanita sesemesta), Khairi (pemain bass band hardcore yg ganaih sampai rengkung terkeluaq), Mat Jep (short dark and hensem.. gebang dia memang bleh tahan) dan Ali (ahli kumpulan gitar rancak tempatan). Satu malam yang sempurna ni.. budak2 ni nak kluaq pi parti laa sebab depa dah lama tak jumpak. Masing2 laa ni dok study kat tempat lain2.

Seperti besa, memang gheja si Uzair ni laa nak kutip budak2 lain.. sbb gheta dia hensem. Kawan2 lain pun bleh tumpang hensem jugak. Pit stop paling lama, mesti laa dok bertenggek depan ghumah Khairi.. dia hardcore.. tapi mandi lambat macam pompuan. Tengok jam kat tangan, 11.30pm 31 March. "wei teloq! hang cepat skit bleh dak??" Uzair dah naik angin. Si Khairi dok sengih2 kerang busuk, kluaq umah.. masuk gheta dan jalan!! Dalam gheta.. semua orang dok sembang pasai gheta si Uzair ni.. sangat kacak dan mantap. Selalu dok naik gheta bapak saja.. 4 pintu.. hari ni bleh merasa naik gheta hensem, dua pintu.. paihtu pipih pulak tu.. tak tebai macam proton iswara.

Mat Jep pun sound laa "Weih Uzet, hang rasa gheta hang ni kuat dak? bleh pi brapa?"

Uzet pun ngan kembang hidung "Kuat laa.. hang tengok laa VTEC ni.. VTEC!! Tekan minyak sikit saja dah melompat-lompat dah"

"Hang try test seround.. sembang saja watpa?" Mat Jep pi cabaq Uzet.

Uzet pun dengan machonya pi tekan minyak perabih.. Tudiaaa... meter dia jalan macam tarak apa2.. sat saja dah sampai 200km/h. "fuuhhh... kuat sunggoh.." Panjang dengan Khairi dok melayan. Berdesing gak laaa jalan tu dok dengaq bunyi gheta depa ni.

Tapi tak pasai-pasai.. semua orang ternampak satu geng ghebau dok lintaih jalan.. Ya, satu geng! Uzair pun cepat2 lepaih minyak dan dia pam brek slow.. dok harap2 satu geng ghebau tu bleh lepaih.. Khairi dah start jerit dah.. "Maaaaaaakk....!!!!!" (memang tak kena betoi dengan semangat hardcore dia tu..). Menatang tu bila dah nampak gheta hensem nak langgaq depa.. sekoq2 lari merata2.. Dah dekat2 tu.. si Uzair tu pi tekan brek sampai habis.. tayar dia meraung kuat.. Mata budak2 ni dok nampak.. sekoq.. sekoq.. lepaih tu sekoq.. ghebau lepaih.. tapi suey gak depa bila ada sekoq ghebau muda remaja pi lintaih last2 minute. "Gedegang!!" depa langgaq ghebau yg besaq dua pemeluk tu.. Ghebau tu bergolek golek kat ataih bonet gheta yg lowet tu.. paihtu dia melambung naik ataih dalam 80 degree angle kot sbb gheta tu lowet ngan pipih.. Tak cukup ngan tu.. gheta lose control dan Uzair pi cium gheta wira dari opposite side yg tgh berenti tunggu ghebau2 tu lepaih.. Dalam gheta tu ada mak nya mengandung laki bini.. sib baik dia tak terberanak time tu jugak. Gheta pun terberenti dan kat cermin depan ada dua lubang tanduk ghebau remaja tu..

"Wei keluaq wei.. satgi gheta ni meletup satgi weii..." Panjang dengan gelabahnya menggelupoq nak kluaq sbb pintu gheta ada dua saja.. Sib baik ramalan Panjang tu tak menjadi kenyataan. Depa pun bactrack laa balik nak cari mangsa.. si ghebau remaja.. dan mereka dapati ghebau tu dah melambung dalam 100 meter jugak laa dari tempat depa langgaq menatang tu.. Menantang tu menggelupoq dalam seminit.. dan laa depa tengok.. mulut dok berbuih.. paihtu.. senyap.. tak dan nak semelih. Uzair mata berayaq dah.. mengenangkan gheta hensem dia yang dah macam sekerap dah.. Khairi pi tepon mak dia.. habaq dia eksiden.. Si Jep dengan yang lain2 pun tepon laa Ed sebab ghumah dia dekat.. nak suruh amik paa semua..

"Wei Ed.. kami eksiden ni.. dekat2 area ghumah hang laaa.. bleh mai amik dak?"

"Hampa eksiden kaa?? Hang dok buat lawak apa wei.. hang ingat aku budak tadika ka?"

"Dak.. betoi laa kami eksiden ni.. Uzet pi blah ghebau ni.."

"hahahah hampa ni.. nak pekena orang tu bagi logic skit bleh dak? Tengah pekan ni mana ada ghebau.."

"Dak betoi laa ni.. eksiden ni.. Uzed dok tepon mak dia.. hang mai laa ambik kami.. kat Jalan *&^%& ni.."

"Mat Jep.. Toksah dok gebang aku laa.. hang ingat aku tak gheti tengok calendar ka?"

"Laaa... apa sangkut paut kami eksiden ngan tengok calendar?"

"Juboq lah wei.. hari ni 1 April kot.. dok buat serious lebih paseipa.. nak buat lawak pun jangan la dok main benda camni"

"Laaa... kami eksiden betoi laa ni.. bukan nak buat naya kat hang! Teloq betoi!"

"Hampa betoi2 kaa ni??"

"Yaaa laaa.. mai laa lekaih! Kami nakpi parti ni.. skali eksiden pulak"

"Tu laa hampa.. dok buat perangai.. kan dah eksiden!"

Akhirnya.. penyelamat depa pun sampai dan gelak guling2 saja kat depa walaupun lambat skit sebab Ed dok ingat depa main2. Tapi depa takleh nak marah Ed jugak laaa... sebab April Fool taun lepaih, depa kelentong Ed kata si Ali dah arwah.. eksiden depan Masjid Taman Intan. Ed yang baru balik bercuti dari universiti dia pun kalut laa pi lawat rumah kawan dia tu.. Tapi tengok2 si Ali tu demam saja. Sebakui jugak laa sumpah seranah.. melawak kasaq!

Moral?? Hampa pikiaq sendiri lah!



Figura 1.1 Ni diaaaa.. Bapak ghebau!

(Gambaq ni aku kebaih dari http://travel-junkie.com)

Sunday 21 September 2008

Look Out! It's a tower..

Figure 1.1 "Membaca budaya kita"

As you can see.. Reading IS the culture of this country. Eventhough it's 1 out of three, but we cant discredit that right? It's just that the others are more interested in engaging 'meaningful' conversations. The essence of meaningful conversation by Malaysian standard; 'Ape cher beb?', '(insert name) apa cerita beb?', '(insert team bola or match) apa cher weih?' etc..

Figure 1.2 "..is the city I live in, the city of angels.. Lonely as I am, together we cry.." -Under the bridge by RHCP

Other than that.. we have an obsession and crazy indulgence of food. Where else in this world that we could eat good food 3am in the morning and find food stalls.. mamaks in almost every corner of the city?

Figure 1.3 Gluttony is our middle name

People can be what they want to be in this lovely nation of ours. We decide our destiny (yeaa.. yeaa.. eventhough choice itself is just an illusion) and people can do whatever they wanna do here.. To be successful.. to be retarded.. to be acknowledged.. to be rejected..

Figure 1.4 We chose to be like this

Well that wraps up another outing of ours.. In our own Utopia where the people and faces is all that mattered.. Life is your sky, paint it blue or cloud it white, come rain or shine, the people next to you will make the sky meaningful for both you and them..

Figure 1.5 We're the star of our own movie of life

Figure 1.6 Production crew of the movie

Set location: Look out tower, Ampang
& around Kuala Lumpur city
Time spent on set: 5.30pm - 3.00am

Friday 19 September 2008

Music Kita: Adrenalin by Melastik Bintang

Adrenalin by Melastik Bintang
(click the link to listen)

Hari dan hidupku
Takkan seindah dulu
Tanpa mu.. tanpa mu..
Ada hikmahnya hidup
Tanpa kasih darimu
Sayangmu, senyum mu..

Seharusnya aku terus melangkah kaki denganmu
Melindungmu, menjagamu
Lebih berbanding diriku

Dan ku angkuh silapku
Terlalu sempit minda ku
Akalku, sangkar mu..
Namun salahkah aku
Kau sering berselindung(?)
Selalu, berlalu..

Andai ada pengganti mu, akan ku peluk dirinya
Melindungnya.. menjaganya..
Lebih berbanding diriku

(bridge)

Seharusnya aku terus melangkah kaki denganmu
Melindungmu, menjagamu
lebih berbanding diriku

Andai ada pengganti mu, akan ku peluk dirinya
Melindungnya.. menjaganya..
Lebih berbanding diriku

Well, before aku teruskan sebarang komen. Adalah lebih afdal kalau korang pergi lawat myspace band ini dulu (here). Obviously aku takkan cakap pasal vocalist dia hensem ke tak.. or brape ramai fan band ini. Dan jugak bukan pasal how many awek groupies or even about the band itself. Aku nak cakap pasal lagu ni je.. boleh? Bagi aku lagu ni agak mantap jugak laa.. Bleh layan. guitarist tu pandai bagi ada colors dalam lagu. Takde laa bunyi plain sangat and harmonics kat intro tu cam kena jugak laa... Vibe2 music indon ada gak sket (takleh nak watpe laa beb.. diorang dah explore this territory dulu) and kadang2 rasa macam dengar lagu The Killers (album lama). Mungkin sebab rapid strumming yang diorang guna and ending yang technique sama macam The Killers pakai. Overall originality.. it's still there lah!

Walaupun lirik lagu ni agak jiwang tahap meleleh (macam boleh jadi script untuk cerita p.s. i love you versi melayu).. vocalist tu pandai laa main ngan melody supaya dia pun tak bunyi meleleh sangat.. Still keeps his cool and maintain upbeat. Aku sangat suka one of the line dalam lagu ni bila dia cakap "Akalku, sangkarmu.." kira cam witty gak la... Tapi aku agak kureng sket bab vocal yg ber reverb2 ala tak reverb ala ada chorus sket2 tu.. but then again.. itu yang buat lagu ni unique kot? Aku takde complains for the drummer. Lagipun aku bukannya good at drumming anyway.. Tapi i can see some varied approach to different part of the song. So itu pun dah cukup baik laa tu. Production-wise, mantap.. Sebab tak guna jugak laa kalo ko layer2 kan guitar banyak2 tapi bila main live, kosong.. Ni example live performance diorang. Cam tak lari banyak laa dari recording (yg main terkucil tuu lain cerita ye? =p) so kudos to them. Kalo dah nama video dari youtube, sound quality mmg takleh blah la.. you have to be there to really listen.. kan?

New and still the same!!

People say that changes are inevitable in life. From one heart beat we change to another.. and yet another. Each beat is different and unique in their own way and through these beats that we're able to stand, walk, run, fight or chicken out. 'Utopian lies..' is also changing.. changing the beat while maintaining the rhythm (ikut metronome okayy.. =D). Black because it's good for your eyes (mine as well since a lot of blogger said that staring whites is like staring at a big light bulb) This statement was taken from Maddox's faq of The best Page In The Universe. (genius site!!).

"I've chosen a black background for most of my text because it's easier on the eyes than staring at a white screen. Think about it: your monitor is not a piece of paper, no matter how hard you try to make it one. Staring at a white background while you read is like staring at a light bulb (don't believe me? Try turning off the lights next time you use a word processor). Would you stare at a light bulb for hours at a time? Not if you want to keep your vision."

Header is a scene taken from Blade Runner that aptly refer to the dystopian theme. Well here we go.. another chapter.. glad to have you on-board! xD

Wednesday 17 September 2008

Remember remember.. 16th of September

Revolusi.. perubahan.. janji.. kata2.. kota.. opressi(macam ni ke ejaan nya dalam bahasa melayu?)

untuk apa?? mengapa? apa sudahnya??

A to all: "Remember remember the 16th of September!"

A: "I can assure you, i mean you no harm.."
S: "Who are you??"
A: "Who is but the form, following the function of what, and what i am is a man of justice."
S: "I can see that.."
A: "Of course you can.. I'm not questioning your power of observation but merely remarking the paradox of asking a man in politics is he fighting for justice."
S: "Huh?"
A: "Then allow me to introduce you to this dramatis persona.."

"Ahoi! In view, an honorable analyst accountable of acerbic animation, cast antagonistically as an anal-lictic adulterer and acme aegis of justice by the alternating nature of Fate.

This appearance, no mere 'Ali' in the last allegiance, abdicated through series of abashed fictional actuality. AWOL-ed abruptly in an act of arrogating one's appanage and appease the ambivalents. However, this aberrant adult with agate abhor of the public abattoir will adjure in adagio an ascension of an apt justice.

The verdict is all-out-war; with an amplified amour propre, the accounted waiting the advent and amass an alteration after aeons of abominable acquiesce. Through altercation and the affray will one day be an accentuate acolade to adjure the here-after.

Accordingly, this activist of accustomed animosity is accountable for an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me A."

dipetik dari filem "A for 'Apekejadah'??"

Silalah berlatih menyebutnya sebegini... =D



Apa yang aku merepek ni?? (-.-)

Thursday 11 September 2008

Tagged: 15 facts

Im tagged again.. This time by Shida.. I could just ignore.. but it's Shida man.. i just couldn't..(0_0) So here we go..

Rules :1. Each player of this game starts off with 15 weird things/habits/little known facts about yourself. 2. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 15 weird things/habits/little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. 3. At the end, you need to choose 10 people to be tagged and list their names. 4. No tags back!!

ichi- my head and neck vertical alignment is off.. so kepala aku akan senget and send the message 'What the hell is your problem huh?". That's why i smile cheesily a lot to counter that demeaning vibe

nii- i crack (and act) a lot of gay jokes but in reality im a homophobic. i refuse to watch Brokeback Mountain and despise the story regardless of how many positive comments and awards won. dont wanna have the same effect from "To Wong Foo, thanks for everything! Julie Newmar" had on me

san- eyebrow (yea.. it's not plural demnit!) .... er.. lets not go there.. it's well-known already

yon- i love matchmaking people. if i think two people look nice together, i would really pull some strings for them to meet more and eventually hook up. nothing beats the feeling of seing your friends in love and happy. but then again to make it last is up to them. owhh.. one drawback.. it works wonders for others but cant really say the same thing for myself (-.-)

go- i collect a lot of big boys' toys.. especially model kit like Gundam and Macross. my friends would say that i am crazy enough to spend a couple of hundreds for one plastic model.

roku- i love to annoy people in identifying those who would stay through thick and thin. it's also a gauge for me on how far i can push people. life at the edge is always interesting =D

nana- my palm sweats like crazy.. something notable when i pass the PS2 controller to my friend "what the fuck.. ko ni hydro man ke?"

hatchi- i am actually a super hero (syyhh.. jgn bgtau orang!!). my super power is ignorance and "couldn't care less" is my motto. used to be super man, but that only happens when i am in love (i know.. it's been 3 years since i last don the super suit. =p)

kyu- i used to have a dream on beacoming a 'Tok Mudim' when i grow up. was scared shit by my older friends who had their close encounter earlier than me. so i wanted to become one and then spread fear among younglings. but now, working as a lecturer grants me the same power as well xD muahahahaha

ju- i am actually labelled as a 'jack of all trade' by friends as i can engage in, be in, and do almost anything but without anything over the top. kinda like the utility man in a football team where he can defend, attack and be the goalkeeper if he needs to.

ju-ichi- i am extra hyper and excited in water.. make it bathtubs, swimming pools, hot springs or water falls. my friends said that i kena sampuk jin air.

ju-ni- i can go on and on without sleep. i dont believe in afternoon naps, if you wana sleep.. u sleep. there's no nap! the longest streak of sleeplessness would be 3 days 3 nights.. playing Football Manager with Hamzah and Herbert.

ju-san- i love torned jeans. almost all my pants are seasoned looking and that grants them the name seluaq lombong from my friends.

ju-yon- when driving, i enjoy blocking people who love to cut lines and not budging for people who doesn't know that their car have signal lights.

ju-go- obsessed with medieval items and planning to decorate my living room with crossed swords and shield on the wall, a display case of katana and wazikashi, a display of samurai battle armour, medieval paintings... and the list goes on and on..

There you have it! 15 facts about me.. now im gonna tag.... zizaleena, HUSNI (take it as a self reflection session), Kulvinder, the beloved MDGs (yes, the 3 of you!), Mr MM perhaps?? Malina, Cat, Liyana, Ikram, Hafriz and the rest lah.. who stumbled upon this. xD

Sunday 7 September 2008

Maybank 2U dan TM Net

hari ini aku belajar satu perkara (ya! pembelajaran ada sesuatu yg sukar untuk orang yg berotak tepu dan berhati batu!) dan ianya telah membuatkan aku bengang! baru aku tahu.. kalo bayar bil TM Net dengan Maybank 2U, transaksi akan mengambil masa 3 hari untuk masuk ke dalam akaun TM Net. justeru, itu telah mengakibatkan internet aku telah dipotong. (-.-) setelah menjelaskan isu tersebut dengan teliti kepada operator TM (yang telah berjanji utk menyambungnya kembali selewat lewatnya.. i repeat SELEWAT LEWATNYA 24 jam dari masa aku call!!!!), sampai sekarang(masuk hari ke 3) aku masih belum dapat log in.. positive side.. mungkin operator tu maksudkan 24jam masa bekerja? atau mungkin 24 hari?? sekarang bulan puasa tau! tak baik tipu2!!

*iya.. aku berada di ofis on a sunday! (-.-)

Tuesday 2 September 2008

Dystopia

Since I was still a kid, I’ve always been fascinated by movies about the future. I found that a depiction of the future is always open and through different people, different construct was displayed to my hungry eyes. Movies like Star Wars, Back to the Future and some pc games I’ve been playing fed me with different interpretations of the future. And later on, I was introduced to a more thorough definition of the future in form of utopia (a perfect world and often desired for but can never be achieved) and counter-utopia a.k.a. dystopia. I love the depiction of the future as a dystopia, where the world is superficially a haven for humanity but in truth, a rotten world to the core. Owh, and for that same reason I named my blog ‘Utopian Lies’ as to commemorate this world of ours through my eyes. Why? Because a few hundred years ago, our society could’ve been the most rotten and dysfunctional that people back then could ever imagined and yet, we see it as normal to our eyes. Maybe not too pleasing but hell, it’s our reality right?

Back to our discussion about dystopias, I was first introduced to such idea by watching the movie Blade Runner. Even though it was a box office flop, my brother managed to get a copy of the movie after we enjoyed playing the Blade Runner game in our old school PC. The grim environment, dark and gloomy display of the future kinda like switched my interest on. The movie touches quite a number of themes related to our mischievous acts through cloning, genetic engineering excessive wrongdoings in technologies. The depiction was so real and scary (if you could just pardon the 90s CGI) where Replikants (bioenginered or biorobotic beings) can be more ‘human’ than human. The thought of losing our humanity is one feasible result of how things are going right now, so open up your eyes people!



Figure 1.1 Blade Runner (final cut) trailer

There are a lot of dystopian depictions available in form of movies and through other medias. Another good example is the movie V for Vendetta where the world is presented as of a skewed present from a twist of history. Another dystopian favourite of mine would be Battle Royal, a famous Japanese movie that envisioned a death match approved by the government to curb teenager’s behaviours. The idea displayed there was crude and raw as the future would resort to such act in order to preserve their interest. In games, Fallout would be a good example of a post apocalyptic dystopian society as we explore the world and encounter people living in such place. To name other famous dystopian movies would be A Clockwork Orange, The Beach, Escape from NY and LA, Serenity, Tokyo 10+01 (Tokyo Eleven) and several others. Even Wall-E can be described as a dystopian movie as people left earth as it was heavily polluted in search for a new place to ruin.

Lately, I’ve been watching some stuff that caught my eyes. Particularly the movie Babylon A.D. as the future world depicted in the movie was soooo real (thanks to modern CGIs). The multi facet rotten society was elaborated meticulously with almost similar issues mentioned in Blade Runner and more (through observations and interpretations) plus the excellent visuals that accompanied them. The story was set in a not so distant future where Russia has collapsed to total chaos while America is a totalitarian advanced country under the Neolites (self proclaimed new religion of the future). I’m not gonna discuss the plots, just watch it your damn self. Everything about the movie was excellent but the ending was a bit off, to me.

Figure 1.2 Babylon A.D. official trailer

Owh, there’s also an interesting development that I found, in my opinion. An Ultraman series was made with a dark and depicted as a dystopian society. Of all the things in the world, Ultraman would be the last thing people would expect to see some dark theme being used but it was a reality in 2007 Ultraseven-X. The protagonist is a DEUS agent, something like a serious version of MIB hunting down aliens mimicking human. No more colourful suits and fantasy-childlike gadgets used, instead they don an all black long coats with a wrist communicator/gadget, a blaster and kick-ass martial arts ability. The world is displayed as if the people were lifeless, focused on their work and controlled by a government who preaches their ideas through mobile hologram monitors scattered all across the cities. I’ve always been a fan of Ultraman (since childhood) for source of utter entertainment with some message of good vs evil, friendship and justice. But in Ultraseven-X, the message and theme were expanded into something more than just that.
Im looking forward to more movies of this construct as being reminded of how the future would be kinda like makes us aware of the action we're taking at present. I'm also digging some old movies of the same theme like Stanley Kubrick's works and such. If you do have any recomendations, please let me know. =D