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Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:57:00 +0800

Embrace solitude.

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:52:57 +0800

Embrace solitude.

"I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process."

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:42:44 +0800

“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.”

- Vincent Van Gogh

I miss my friends. I miss my band. I miss my family. I miss the easeful life in my hometown. I miss...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:07:21 +0800

I miss my friends.

I miss my band.

I miss my family.

I miss the easeful life in my hometown.

I miss the time when there’s nothing to worry about.

I miss the joyful feeling of doing dumb things and not feeling ashamed about it.

I miss having all the time in the world to do things that I love.

I miss the simplicity of life.

I miss everything that money couldn’t buy.

“I’ll take a quiet life, A handshake of carbon...

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:30:00 +0800

“I’ll take a quiet life, A handshake of carbon monoxide.”

Saturday, 6:15am, Office.

“3 Apples that changed the world: the one that Eve ate,...

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0800

“3 Apples that changed the world: the one that Eve ate, the one that fell on Newton’s head & the one that Steve built.” - Unknown

Thank you Steve.

It’s been a while since I write anything here. My life outside the world wide web has been...

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 03:23:00 +0800

It’s been a while since I write anything here. My life outside the world wide web has been really hectic with loads of ‘important’ activities that the capitalistic system has imposed on me, and all of us. A smart and witty way to kill our creativity and individualistic values isn’t it? Ok, that’s a bit too far from what I wanted to write in the first place.

Anyhow, I’ve started a new photoblog. Don’t worry, this is not the end of this one, it’s just I’m trying to fool around with my camera phone for a little visual and discipline experiment. Not much of a photographer myself, I’m just dipping my toe in the water, hoping to learn something useful at the end of it.

I guess that’s it for now. Laters.

"I’d rather spend hours of tiring and sleepless nights doing things that I love for free than..."

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:01:10 +0800

“I’d rather spend hours of tiring and sleepless nights doing things that I love for free than wasting my time getting paid for doing things that I loathe.”

- AutaAutistik

I pray for all of us, to enemies and friends, the oppressors and...

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 06:03:00 +0800

I pray for all of us, to enemies and friends, the oppressors and the oppressed, the blind and the sighted, the departed and the living, the rich and the poor, to all members of the human family irrespective of creeds, colors and nations, to all the sentient beings who suffer regardless of species, that the upcoming Eid-ul Fitr will bring us all together in building a better world through goodwill, understanding, love and peace an may us all be blessed upon His heartfelt grace.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to apologize for things that I’ve done, hasn’t done, will do, won’t do, won’t think of doing and will think of doing. Only the brave are courageous enough to ask for forgiveness, but undoubtedly, it will only take a braver person to give any. Let us forgive and forget, as forgiveness my friends, is the true virtue of a lionhearted person. It’s better for all of us to let go of what’s bitter and cherish our short-span life.

May this year’s Eid ul-Fitr leads us from sadness to joy, falsehood to truth, from despair to hope, from fear to trust, from hate to love, from war to peace and from darkness to light. May life shower on us abundant joy and happiness. Let’s celebrate, rejoice and make the most of every moment. One Love, One Heart.

Happy Eid ul-Fitr all (30th August 2011 / 1st Syawal 1432 Hijra). God bless.

There’s no doubt that it’s better to give than...

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:22:35 +0800

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

There’s no doubt that it’s better to give than receive. If you have much, give of a part of your wealth. If you have little, you can always give of a piece of your heart. Shake off the excessive amount of stuff you have in your life, then see how much lighter you feel.

Bless you Narayanan Krishnan, bless you. It’s people like you that gives me hope for humanity.

"The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept."

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:48:17 +0800

“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.”

- George Carlin

From advertising perspective, this is yet another example of how...

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:39:00 +0800

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

From advertising perspective, this is yet another example of how exaggeration is commonly used in a commercial. Exaggeration, as famously known in advertising world, is a well-known technique in advertising that uses an exaggerated or exorbitant statement and often used to dramatize the selling point (USP) of a product, service or in this case an announcement. However, do not mistaken exaggeration and confuse it with ad appeals, because it is a technique and has little to do with an ad appeal.

It is also a given fact that exaggeration in advertising is often used as a figure of speech and also as a form of satire, irony and humour. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong and longing impression, but is rarely meant to be taken literally and seriously. From my very own perspective as a person who dwells in advertising world, I believe that it’s a bit poignant and senseless for Malaysians in general to take this PSA as an issue. I slightly disagree with the accusation of stereotype, racism or discrimination embedded in the PSA (unless if you want it to be there), as the target audience for this PSA are viewers of 8TV, which is the young, vibrant and hip modern Chinese community. A failed ad is the one that doesn’t interacts with the target audience in the first place, and this one managed to connect with its intended audience, although not in a good way as some might think.

We as a society should stop being paralyzed with fear about what someone or something ‘really-meant’ and start acting on what is fact and we know to be true. We obviously know that the situation depicted in the PSA above is not true and comical; it is a fictional and shallow depiction of an exaggerated situation; hence why we should not be inflamed about it. Over-analyzing, as I understand it, can ironically be our downfall as a civilized community. It can end up making ridiculous situations and our lives far worse off than it actually is. The crippling problem of overanalyzing (like in similar cases here and here); shredding a much larger context into smaller chunks of absurdities; is something that only suits a judgmental and paranoid individual. Bear in mind that over-thinking and overanalyzing will only do one thing, it separates the body from the mind, the emotional and the logical.

Having said all that, there’s no question that those in charge for the PSA itself should practice extra caution in the midst of such paranoid and oversensitive society. They should plan their idea, concept and execute it carefully, especially when it comes to the ‘sacred’ 2Rs, religion and race. I can also assure you; dear designers, advertisers and marketers of 8TV; that Malaysians have been living side by side for so many years that they don’t need such announcement or instructions to tell them what to do or what to think think. Never treat your audience for a fool, it will backfire.

In short, this is just another case of a bad art direction, inept concept and impaired execution of an ad. Bear in mind that advertising is not an exact science; there’s no black or white but myriads of gray; hence the possibility for it to provoke, enrage and hurt an individual is high. Although I believe that advertising is not something that has to be politically-correct, but given the fact that most Malaysian audience are oversensitive and too emotional at times, it’s better to play it safe. Don’t mistaken me as the defender of the advertising industry as I loathe it, but as I’m in the industry, I might as well share my two cents on this wildly inappropriate issue.

And if there’s by any chance that any of you out there looking for a scapegoat, do point your finger to politicians. They’re the one who segregate and implant racial prejudice in commoners’ mind.

_{Note: Read about the whole mumbo-jumbo here, Ramadan ads: Of armpits and morality}

A self reminder: August Resolution. Pay your debts, clear your bills and stick to your monthly...

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:57:05 +0800

A self reminder: August Resolution.

Pay your debts, clear your bills and stick to your monthly budget. Don’t buys shits that you don’t need. In spite of the fact that most cds, vinyls and tees that you saw are very rare and chances that you gonna see them again is really thin. But you’re broke and you have no money. Now sit down and entertain yourself simply. On second thought, buy more books. You’re 1 book (3%) ahead of your goal to read 20 books this year. Fortify yourself with knowledge, not entertainment.

Don’t start something that you can’t finish. Stop procrastinating and wasting your time finding excuses. Actions speak louder than words so finish all your jobs. If you can’t, stop accepting jobs when you already know you don’t have enough time to finish it in the first place. If you can’t handle your job scope at the moment, find a better career. If you can’t find a better profession, stop complaining. Deal with it.

Merdeka Day and the upcoming Malaysia Day are the opiates to silence your thoughts and chain you with senseless narcissistic patriotism and nationalism. Let those dronic sheeps rejoice, you’re a lion, not a domesticated animal. Carry no banner, hold no flag and fuck them all.

Wash your car. It’s been 8 months you lazy arse!

Countdown before The Apocalypse: 41 days. Spend your time wisely.

Next time, think of a better topic to write rather than rattling about you shitty life. Bear in mind that no one gives a tad fuck about your existence. Impress yourself before you impress others. There’s no question that you’ll regret posting this later on. Make a better judgement. Be warned.

"Religion is the opium of the masses, revolution is the opium of the intellectuals, and entertainment..."

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 17:25:50 +0800

“Religion is the opium of the masses, revolution is the opium of the intellectuals, and entertainment is the opium of the apathetic.”

- AutaAutistik

“Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they...

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 08:02:00 +0800

“Ideas are more difficult to kill than people, but they can be killed, in the end.”

It took me almost two months to finish the book due to my hectic schedule, but yet I managed to finish it. It is a long book, in fact one of the longest fiction I’ve ever read, and I thought that it would be great. But, I was wrong.

The novel starts off well, the main characters are evocatively developed and the hints about the upcoming war between old gods of blood and trickery coming up against new modern gods of plastic and wire really intrigued me. Gaiman’s writing manner is sturdy yet simple to read and uncluttered with needless writing tricks and flamboyant semantics, but he took an incredibly long time to get to a very insignificant point. It is something that frustrates me all through my reading. Every-time I flipped the page, I just kept on waiting for the payoff and the brilliance as I expected, but sadly enough it never happen. A very anticlimactic read so to speak. However, I really like how the author renders his imagination with all the background mythology flashbacks and very thankful for my new-found basic knowledge of African, Norse, Egyptian, Hindu and pagan European gods and pantheons. Even though the author can accomplish that in less than four parts, twenty chapters and 588 pages.

Still and all, the author has succeeded in portraying the uniqueness of America that I don’t get to see or know on typical media over here in my country. The hidden world, the roadside attraction that the protagonist has seen throughout the book is something that are so different from how America is portrayed in Hollywood films, books and television. If you’re an American, or a person with a deep fascination with Americans’ unique elements and way of life, I bet you’ll find this novel so dear to your heart. The problem with other reader like me, too much of it will only jumble us up in senseless confusion that doesn’t help with the plot at all. A roadtrip nonetheless, but not an epic saga.

It is definitely not a light vacation reading or a novel that can be easily digested, the plot is very slow and runs into so many walls, you’ll feel like you’re an ant in a giant maze. The concept and idea behind this book seemed so nifty and high in potential at first, but it didn’t really play out well in a way that engaged me. I was expecting something deep, meaningful, and epic, however the author just keep on teasing me on each page and he lingered too long and never really delivered anything memorable nor fantastic. It felt like the whole book is like a huge tease! It is magnificence in some way, but failed to make a big long lasting impression, it just feels like an overambitious fiasco of an allegory.

I’m not that disappointed as this was my first time reading anything by Neil Gaiman (although I was expecting more from a famed author), but I’m upset by the outcome and time consumed to finish this book. Not to mention the flaws that overbalanced the fun of reading it for me. Maybe it takes a couple of readings to take it all in, I might even re-read it again, but at the time being I think I’ll just stick to my normal read, non-fictions.

Seorang Yahudi masuk stadium habis dicerca dan dimaki. Seorang Yahudi menyepak bola di dalam...

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:22:00 +0800

Seorang Yahudi masuk stadium habis dicerca dan dimaki. Seorang Yahudi menyepak bola di dalam stadium, heboh seMelaya sampaikan jadi kontroversi. Yang beribu-ribu umat Meleis di dalam stadium berperangai saling tak tumpah macam ‘Yahudi’ tidak pulak ditempelak dan dikeji.

Hai Meleis, ke’pandai’an kamu senantiasa membuatkan aku tidak kering gusi.

Jikalau kerakyatan Israel menyebabkan si Yahudi dilayan seperti tahi, sudah jelas menampakkan minda Meleis ini tidak matang dan berkualiti. Bukankah melabel semua rakyat Israel sebagai pembunuh dan pembuli, saling tak tumpah seperti menilai semua tok Arab sebagai pengebom berani mati? Nilailah seseorang atas sifat individualiti, lihat dengan mata hati, bukan dengan tumit di kaki.

Hai Meleis, ke’pandai’an kamu senantiasa membuatkan aku tidak kering gusi.

Sudah-sudahlah melayan perasaan benci dan lamunan teori konspirasi. Bolasepak itu sukan, perkara sekular, perkara duniawi. Janganlah menghingarkannya dengan agama, politik dan nasionalisme basi. Dan usahlah sibuk mencaci, memaki dan mengeji si Yahudi, jikalau kau pun masih menonton MTV, hari-hari makan di Mc’D. Hah, nabi-nabi juga ada yang berbangsa Yahudi, apa kau berani mencerca mereka seperti babi?

Hai Meleis, ke’pandai’an kamu senantiasa membuatkan aku tidak kering gusi.

Ini bukan masalah liberal, masalah ideologi, masalah simpati kepada Yahudi. Cuma terkadang penulis geli dengan si Meleis yang beranutan apati dan berakal seinci. Bukalah minda, x-ray hati, jagalah budi pekerti, jangan jadi buta tuli. Tiada agama di dunia yang mengajar pengikutnya mencerca dan mengeji, berperi akan kebencian yang tidak bertepi.

Hai Meleis, ke’pandai’an kamu senantiasa membuatkan aku tidak kering gusi.

Mahathir dan penganut ilmu konspirasi mesti tersenyum sampai nampak gigi, sampai luka gusi, terbahak hingga ke dinihari. Kerana formula kebencian mereka telah menjadi, sudah sebati. Menjadi darah daging, anutan mereka-mereka yang mengeji, mencaci si Yahudi penyepak bola ini.

Hai Meleis, ke’pandai’an kamu senantiasa membuatkan aku geli hati tahap infiniti.

Tak sabar rasanya hendak menonton ke’pandai’an yang akan kau tunjukkan di lain hari.

_{Note: The whole shebang - ‘Malaysians play down booing of Benayoun’.}

Why do I blog? To get more traffic? Nope. If I want more hits, I’ll write a political,...

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:18:08 +0800

Why do I blog?

To get more traffic? Nope. If I want more hits, I’ll write a political, entertainment or religious blog. I don’t get paid for it, and as you can see there’s not even a single ad on it. Daily journal? For fucks sake, who bother to read daily happening of a person that has nothing to offer, not to mention that I don’t even have time to update it on daily basis nor on hourly basis like most typical blog you can find here. Narcissistic? Not entirely, well, maybe a little. But no one, I repeat, NO ONE can’t really wander off from narcissism when they blog. Without your personal touch and a fair dose of selfishness, your blog will lose it’s own personality.

Seriously, why do I blog?

I can only think of one reason at the moment, that is, I blog to just keep my sanity alive. It’s a kind of escapism when my usual drugs don’t do me no good. When caffeine, nicotine and music fails me, I blog. When I have something to say on facebook or twitter, but restricted by the limited characters allowed, I blog. And as a self-proclaimed so-called creative myself, I always need a creative outlet to manifest my inner thoughts and feelings.

Blogging is also a channel for me to discover a deeper understanding of why I feel the way I do about certain topic. Usually when I write, I as often as not, trying to work something through in my own mind; some posts here arise as a reflection of difficult situation that I’m having, my perspective on my surroundings or simply questions which I’m in a fight with. Being my own best critique, I always ask myself questions in a truly Socratic manner, which as we all know, will end up with more questions. But, most of the time I find that blogging and the writing process helps me to clarify and refine my thoughts. While researching on a more serious post, I often become aware and learn something new along the way, or in certain cases have my preconceptions challenged and provoked. It’s the kind of exercise that I have deep affection with and is hard to get that in my daily life, except when I blog. It is yet another medium for me to be honest with myself. It’s the only time and place where the mask is off, and only truth is spoken.

Or I can just simply end this post by saying “I blog because I can”. I think, I’ll stick with that at the moment.

"You don’t quit a job that gives you hope, you quit a hopeless job."

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:26:00 +0800

“You don’t quit a job that gives you hope, you quit a hopeless job.”

- AutaAutistik

Creative people have a love/hate relationship with money. We love it, because – well, who wouldn’t...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:59:00 +0800

Creative people have a love/hate relationship with money.

We love it, because – well, who wouldn’t want it?

But we also hate it, avoid dealing with it, and avoid even talking about it. Here are some of the reasons why.

1. We Think It’s Not Important

And of course we’re right. There are more important things in life than money – love, art, justice, world peace and coffee being just a few.

We live in a world obsessed with money, where human beings are treated according to their bank balance, not their intrinsic worth, and we instinctively revolt against this.

Creativity offers a window on a different world, with different values. Art exists in a different, more meaningful dimension. In a world gone mad, it can serve as a reminder that money is not the be-all and end-all.

2. We Don’t Know How to Get It

The starving artist cliche didn’t come from nowhere. It’s no secret that many creatives don’t earn as much as they’d like. And it’s not much fun talking about something you don’t have.

If we were better at selling than making, we’d be salespeople, not creatives. Sales and marketing can feel like impenetrable mysteries – we don’t understand what makes people buy, so it’s tempting to retreat back into our comfort zone, doing the best work we can and hoping that will be enough.

3. We Don’t Know What We’re Worth

One obvious barrier to earning a decent living is not charging enough for our artworks, products or services. That might sound like a no-brainer, but many creatives simply don’t realise the value of their work to potential buyers.

To us, it’s nothing special. It’s just what we do. Looking at it with a perfectionist’s eye, we see all kinds of flaws that are invisible to the untrained eye. That’s great for perfecting your craft, but not so great when it comes to closing a sale.

Because what may seem barely good enough to us may well look utterly fabulous to a potential buyer. But if we price ourselves or our work too low, it knocks buyers’ confidence, and makes them assume there’s something wrong with it.

Believe it or not, many people are happier paying more for quality than shopping around for the cheapest option. Who wants to have a knockdown painting on their wall? Or to give their loved one a cut-price ring? Or to do their big launch or party on the cheap?

4. We Don’t Want to Sell out

One of the reasons creative people have a reputation for eccentricity is our ambivalent attitude to money and success. The rest of the world would jump at the chance for fame and fortune, but even when it’s laid on a plate for us, we hesitate.

We hesitate because we are terrified of selling out – selling our artistic soul to the devil, earning piles of cash by churning out commercial crap. We know that all the money in the world won’t compensate us for the loss of our creative integrity.

5. We Don’t Want to Look Greedy

We’re sensitive souls aren’t we? And we have to be, it’s part of our job. If you’re not finely attuned to the subtleties of sounds, images, words, textures, movement and/or rhythm, you won’t go far in a creative career.

But this sensitivity has a flipside. We tend to be shy and diffident, easily pricked by barbed words or the merest hint of criticism. So we’re not always the best negotiators, and can shoot ourselves in the foot by avoiding discussing money issues for fear of looking ‘greedy’.

6. We Don’t Know How to Manage It

Spreadsheets, balance sheets, cashflow forecasts, profit and loss sheets, amortisation, appreciation, depreciation, fixed costs, variable costs, cash cows, averaging ratios …

Have your eyes glazed over yet?

The language of finance can be bamboozling – let alone the actual numbers. No wonder many creatives do the bare minimum of accounting, often at the last minute, when the tax deadline is due. It just seems too complex, too intimidating, or too plain boring for us to get our heads around it all.

7. We Wouldn’t Know How to Spend It

The whole process of earning, collecting and managing money – while at the same time preserving our creative integrity – can seem so difficult that we never seriously think about how we would spend the money if we did succeed. In other words, we don’t consider the purpose of money in our work and lives.

Sure, we may daydream from time to time about winning the lottery or landing the big contract, but we stop at daydreaming. We don’t articulate our financial goals, set ourselves targets and make concrete plans for using money to bring us security, stability, freedom – and even to support our creativity.

So we creatives have plenty of reasons for looking down our noses at money, or ignoring it and hoping it will go away.

But deep down, we know this is dangerous. Money is a fact of life, it’s not going away. Sooner or later, we have to deal with it.

Because money is important. Not the most important thing, but maybe more important than we care to admit, when we avoid thinking about it, talking about it or doing something about it.

Money stress is no fun. It poisons every aspect of life. That’s true for anyone, but if your passion is creativity, then one of the biggest dangers is that worrying about money will kill your creativity.

As a creative, your headspace is your workspace. If it’s taken up by worries of any kind, it’s hard to settle to the task in hand, and harder still to get into the creative zone where you do your best work.

Does that sound like a reason to take money a little more seriously?

What do you think?

Which of these seven reasons do you relate to?

What would you add to the list?

Do you agree that creative people could benefit from taking money more seriously?

_{Note: I can definitely relate to all that.}

I always have a keen interest in Sufi philosophy and it’s...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:30:00 +0800

I always have a keen interest in Sufi philosophy and it’s orgasmic and alluring Qawalli music. Maybe it’s the Indian blood in me. Yup, I do have Indian blood in my veins, it comes from my mum’s side.

Thanks to West is West for introducing me to Saieen Zahoor. Though the movie is not as good as the previous East is East, the music behind it are simply enchanting .