Eh, Kau Ingat Tak Masa.....

Story 1:

Some time back, I received a call from some one dari masa lampau aku. Lebih kurang macam Amir dapat call dari Rahim Khan in 'The Kite Runner' la kira-kiranya.

Salah sorang best friend aku masa kat Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan PD was Khairul Affandy. Itulah member ketat gua masa kat sekolah dan lepas sekolah. Kenangan yang aku tak lupa was ronda rumah ke rumah dengan Kerol masa Raya, kami siap pergi rumah class teacher kami nama Cikgu Zaharah.

Bila Standard 5, my family moved to Kerteh Terengganu ikut Abah yang berpindah kerja ke Petronas.

And aku lost contact terus dengan Kerol.

Until late last year.

Kerol call aku satu hari. Memang aku mula2 terkejut, then bertukar jadi terharu sangat dengan usaha dia untuk cari aku balik. Unfortunately, we have so far only managed to chat over the phone. And a few times masa bulan puasa baru-baru ni.

In fact, Raya baru ni, he invited me over to his place. Walaupun I really wanted to go give him a visit, I had to abandon the plan pasal kena settlekan kerja yang tak pernah surut ni.

Tapi aku pasang niat, soon aku akan make the effort untuk berjumpa Kerol. Banyak cerita lama nak dikenang ni!

*********

Story 2:

Bila dah pindah Kerteh, there were other families yang sama merantau ikut parents yang kerja macam Abah.

One of them was the family of Uncle Hassan Amin & Makcik Hasnah.

Like our family, they also hailed from PD. Uncle Hassan (now arwah dah) memang dah kerja sekali dengan Abah dari Esso PD.

They also have 3 kids - Azzizul is my age, Azzizudean a year younger than our twins, and Azzizeana. Coincidently, kami berjiran pulak for 10 years over.

Aku grew up dengan Azzizul pulak kat Kerteh. Masa kat PD, satu sekolah gak, tapi tak kenal pun. Bila dah berjiran, and sebaya, aku & Zizol jadi lah kawan baik.

Then masing-masing masuk sekolah asrama, and then U, then masing-masing bawak hal sendiri bila dah bekerja.

Bila aku & Si Comel-Comel Nen berchenta & nak kahwin, rupa2nya masa tu si Azzizul satu office dengan Nen! Itu pun kami semua tahu masa Nen kasi kad jemputan kat dia! Memanglah dunia ni kecik.

Last sunday masa cuti Deepavali, my whole family ke Melaka to attend Azzizeana's wedding. Somewhat, macam tak percaya tengok dia bersanding hari tu. Aku still rasa macam dia budak kecik yang kami selalu sakat. Congrats Zizi & husband! Moga berkekalan hingga ke syurga, Amin!

Si budak kecik yang dulu arwah Mak belikan gown dah tu suruh posing amik gambar kat pokok bunga orchid abah dah kahwin dah pun. How time flies!

So jumpa lah balik kami bertiga dengan Azzizul & Judeen at the reception. Bergambar sakanlah semua orang buat kenangan.

Azzizul & me

The Sabudins & the Hassans

Bila lagi nak dapat jumpa lagi ntahlah. Maybe nanti bila si Judeen or Adek pulak kahwin kut!

**********

My point from these two stories is - "Old friends" memang satu phrase yang amat nostalgik. Especially if they go waaaaay back to your childhood. Getting in touch and meeting up with old friends once in a while is good. It refreshes memories that might have been lost due to our ageing minds and hectic lives.

Sesekali dapat jumpa or sembang, tak kisah berapa banyak dah dunia kita berubah, kita semua kan dapat jadi macam dulu balik. Walaupun kejap.

Kira ok lah tu, I must say.

Hipokrit, Hipokrit!

Kaki lima zon baru larangan merokok.

PUTRAJAYA: Berkuat kuasa semalam, semua kaki lima kompleks beli-belah termasuk restoran dan kafe terbuka di luar premis berkenaan diisytiharkan sebagai kawasan larangan merokok. Mereka yang didapati merokok di kawasan berkenaan boleh dikompaun maksimum RM5,000 atau denda RM10,000 atau penjara dua tahun jika sabit kesalahan.

Liow berkata, papan tanda amaran larangan merokok akan dipasang di kawasan berkenaan bagi mengingatkan orang ramai mengenai peraturan baru itu. Peraturan-Peraturan Kawalan Hasil Tembakau (Pindaan) 2008 itu juga memperuntukkan seluruh kawasan berpagar Pusat Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) sebagai kawasan larangan merokok. Semua yang didapati bersalah sama ada pelatih, kakitangan dan pelawat, boleh dikenakan hukuman sama, berkuat kuasa semalam.

Memang lahanat kerajaan Malaysia. Bukan larangan merokok jawapannya, stupid. Tutup je semua kilang rokok dalam Malaysia ni kalau betul ikhlas nak promote healthy living di kalangan rakyat.

Cukai & duti tembakau kerajaan sapu, lepas tu nak impose macam-macam rules lak. Dah tu, korang nak saman lak smokers yang merupakan kumpulan penyumbang cukai tertinggi mengikut peratusan (by percentage) dalam negara ni. Nampak sangat kerajaan ni hipokrit!

Lepas ni, jenuh nak kena kasi rasuah kat penguatkuasa rokok lak. Cukup-cukuplah selama ni kami rakyat kena suap polis, kastam, pbt n tah hapa beruk kerajaan lagi dalam hidup seharian! Ni dah bertambah lagi satu group untuk dirasuah pulak.

Salah siapa semua ni? Tentu ramai perokok tegar akan setuju dengan aku kali ni - UMNO lah, sapa lagi?

Laba ke Bala?

Tengah-tengah pening dengan segala macam problem kerja sampaikan aku malas nak berkata-kata, dan hilang minat untuk nak rasa gembira, hari ni aku terima confirmation letter as permanent staff. Ingatkan surat kena buang kerja!

Aku yang dah berexperienced kerja kat beberapa tempat lain sebelum ni termenung sekejap.

Ada pros and cons yang berbeza dengan datangnya surat confirm ni.

Sebelum ni, aku takde entitlement cuti sebagai contract staff - kalau tak datang kerja, potong gaji.

Tapi hakikat sebenarnya tak de makna semuanya itu.

Hari-hari aku masuk kerja pagi dan hanya balik bila dah takde matahari. Hari rehat pada Ahad pun kadang-kadang tak bermakna apa-apa untuk aku ni. Kerja gak, tapi tak pulak dapat gaji lebih untuk effort yang melampau tu. Kah kah kah!

Sekarang, aku ada Annual Leave yang boleh ditolak. Tapi sampai June tahun depan, ada harapan ke aku boley ambik cuti? Dengan keadaan project ni yang memang nak karam dari sebelum aku masuk, dapatkah aku ambik annual leave? Kah kah kah!

Sebelum ni as a contract staff, aku boley chow dari semua keserabutan ini dengan beri 24 hours notice.

Sekarang, aku akan stuck kat sini untuk tempoh minima sebulan lagi kalau aku decide nak blah.

Member aku Mat Khairi cakap ini lesen untuk aku dibelasah secara legal untuk semua masalah yang timbul.

Sebelum ni, kalau pun tak legal, tetap aku kena belasah maut. Almost every week aku kena bertengkar, menjerit, argue, defend myself, kena marah dan marah balik.

Tapi aku rasa aku pegang apa yang sorang hamba Allah ni nasihat aku semalam.

Dalam bekerja, yang paling penting menurutnya adalah honesty & sincerity.

Aku amat setuju. Dua elements ini lah yang buat aku bekerja keras selama ni walau kat mana pun aku berada.

Teringat pulak nak quote kata-kata Yon from salah satu sembang YM kami.

Bila aku mati nanti sampai masa, maybe patut ditulis kat batu nisan aku macam ni:

"Sekurang-kurangnya dia ikhlas berusaha..."

Kalau nak top-up skit pun, tambah lah:

"... dan Bob sememangnya kelakar, bai!"

Hahahahah!

Crocodile Dundee Is A Pussy!

If any one asks me, "negara mana kau paling benci, Bob?"

I'll answer with certainty, "AUSTRALIA!"

The Australians I'm working with are nothing like Crocodile Dundee I've come to love in the 80's.

They are stupid, yet arrogant. Perasan bagus, tapi their work is full of flaws. Yet tak pernah mengaku. Bastard criminal descendants, that's what they are. Screw your "G'day, mate!", wankers!

Angin betul aku hari ni dengan diorang! Menyesal aku layan Crocodile Dundee & suka Kylie Minogue selama ni.

Well, maybe ada satu je persamaan antara the Ausies I'm working on dengan Crocodile Dundee - Stupidity!

Kalau aku keluarkan pisau & tunjuk kat diorang, they (the fools I'm working with and Croc Dundee) will all say, "that's not a knife, THIS is a knife!" sambil keluarkan boomerang.

Dah bodoh tu, siap insult negara aku lagi pikirkan kita still dok atas pokok & kat KL merata-rata ada monyet. Negara kau orang la penuh lalat!

So Nen, write off Australia from the list of country we want to visit.

I'm not going to visit the blasted country!

Nasib aku tak pernah sokong or rasa nak beli jersey wallabies!

HOSTEL BLUES 07 - SATU KENANGAN INDAH

Minggu ni segalanya tak menjadi berkenaan kerja.

Kemuncaknya, semalam dan hari ini aku jadi tak peduli lagi dengan segala yang kupikul sebagai producer project CJ the DJ keparat ni. Bila perasaan sial sebegini membelenggu, aku perlu lari seketika dan mungkin re-live semula sesuatu yang pernah membahagiakan hati ini.

Ini barangkalinya satu kenangan indah yang bisa buat aku riang kembali:

Pada tahun 2007, aku ditemukan dengan kartunis Aie yang terkenal dengan karya-karya 'blues'nya di majalah Ujang.

Hasil awal discussion aku & aie, kami come up dengan idea dan konsep yang bagi aku amat mantap, dan berbeza dari mana-mana produk animasi tempatan - kami nak buat satu siri animasi khas untuk remaja.

Timing kami berjumpa amat tepat.

Masa tu, MDeC menganjurkan pertandingan 'Intelectual Property Challenge'.

Dengan dibantu production team yang berbakat besar seperti Boy, Roslan, Yop, Gaban, Slemmer, Faiz, Wan G, Steve, Roy, Iman & Norm, (harap2 takde yang tertinggal -nanti kecik hati lak!) kami berusaha from scratch untuk come up dengan satu siri bertajuk "HOSTEL BLUES".

Masa aku nak mulakan projek ini, banyak suara2 sumbang dan cakap belakang yang bernada sinis dan penuh skepticism dari colleagues dan enemies. Sama macam masa 'Danial' aku mulakan.

Tapi Alhamdulillah, collaboration hasil semangat dan kecekalan kami berjaya menghasilkan trailer untuk 'Hostel Blues'.

Dengan harapan yang tinggi, 'Hostel Blues' (HB) kami hantar masuk bertanding dalam kategori Animasi.

Dan HB dishortlistedkan sebagai top 5!

Stage 2 - kena buat live pitching depan a panel of jury. Sebagai kapla, aku bertanggung jawab buat presentation. Sekali dengan 'gimmick'nya.

Dah buat cerita pasal budak sekolah, aku pun terpaksalah pakai uniform. Last time aku pakai baju sekolah masa masuk Form 6 sekejap in 1990!

Check out the name tag; siap ada lencana sekolah tu kami design!

We went prepared - bunting, the uniform, the on-screen presentation - memang best ah!

Some of my boys memberikan sokongan padu!

Then bila sampai masa pengumuman, WE WON!!! Menang 50K lagi! Dapatlah fund untuk buat pilot episode! Hoooreeeeyyyy!!!!

Aku terima mock cheque RM50,000 dari the organiser!

Wajah-wajah keriangan selepas menang .

Poster 2 Hostel Blues - words by Bob, design by Aie

Epilog:

Sebelum pitching, Aie left to do other things. Tapi Allah yang maha pemurah perkenankan aku berjumpa teman lama Yon a.k.a kartunis Tembakau. Dulu masa kami kenal, aku kat UM, dia kat UIA. Tapi itu cerita di awal 90an. Lama dah tu. Tup-tup, jadi rezeki bertemu semula dalam dunia animasi.

Episode 1 Hostel Blues aku teruskan productionnya dengan team yang sama, dengan Yon sebagai sutradaranya. Satu sen pun hasil kemenangan itu tidak kami ambil, kesemuanya jadi cost untuk menghasilkan Episod 1 tu. The result, memang best! Gila kau, kombo aku & Yon - takkan tak mantap bro!

Tapi pihak management Animatrix Studio tak mahu terus perjuangkan Hostel Blues, mainly sebab diorang gagal untuk nampak financial revenue yang boleh dihasilkan dari siri ini walaupun kalau diteruskan, memang boleh jadi lubuk emas yang mampu generate income yg banyak. Dan yang lebih utama, kompeni tu takde duit untuk finance such a project. Biasalah, kompeni Melayu... layu!

Aku pun dah blah dari situ. Sungguh maha hebatnya Allah, sekarang aku bekerja satu studio dengan Aie, walau berlainan project.

Tapi yakinlah, this is not the end of it all... aku & Yon (mana tau, maybe Aie sekali) akan terus berkarya bersama-sama.

Tunggulah buah tangan dari kami, insyaallah by next year.

He cares, see!

Aku baru receive call from Abah.

Ingatkan apa, rupanya he called to say that at 2pm tadi, RTM1 was showing episode 'Mandi Sungai ' from 'Danial' Season 1. Excited benar the old man.

RTM is really weird:

a) why show an animation series at 2 pm, when all the kids are at school or are only returning home from school?
b) why do they keep on repeating the season 1 & 2 shows, when they have sampai season 4 all stocked up?

I thought again, not bad la kalau the series dok diulang tayang. It shows that series aku tu ada following, even if it is shown at odd hours. Not bad at all!

And as the creator, aku tersengih sendiri walau:

a) aku dah tak terlibat dengan that series anymore;
b) tadi the Ausies on my current CJ the DJ project belasah aku tak ingat punya about our deliveries.

Well, that's life... you win some, you lose a lot!

Anyway, thanks Abah sebab layan cerita aku berkali-kali tanpa bosan!

Hooked On Books

Nowadays, with my busy work schedule, reading for leisure is a luxury. Furthermore, I consider myself a fussy reader. Some books I start and never finish, and the writer is to be blamed for failing to keep me interested right to the very end.

For instance, I have tried for years to finish reading 'Catch 22' by Joseph Heller. The book is supposed to be about "a false dilemma where no real choice exists in a post WW2 scenario." But two chapters into it, I find the book boring as hell. And I intentionally left the book to rot on the bookshelf. I recommend you stay away from this awful book.

Once in a while, however, comes a good book.

One such book is 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini. I finish reading it last Monday. From the first page, I got hooked on it. Could not stop reading it. In fact, at work, I cut my lunches short in order to read a portion of a chapter.

And I skipped watching tv at home in anticipation of what's to come in the story.

I even bought the movie dvd (which I am yet to watch), but I am prepared for the frustration of the film failing to live up to the true essence of the printed version. Experience has proven that most movie versions of books are big dissapointments anyway!

I don't intend to spoil it all by giving out the whole storyline. Potong stim nanti.

Go get the book, read it and see what I mean.

Now I am to start on Hosseini's second novel, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'.

I'll let you know if this one's as good as his first book.


* By the way, here's some other books that I consider good reading:

Hari Sakit

ada monyet bermain maracas dalam kepalaku,
bunyinya bising sumbang tak berlagu;
walau tak gatal, otakku digaru-garunya
hingga payah nak kubukakan mata.

si beruk pula bertenggek di halkum
menggesel bontot kotor tak bercebok di anak tekak
terbatuk aku, suara yang terbit jadi kesat
semua dimakan rasa kelat, hisap rokok pun palat.

si kongkang putih melumur cili tumbuk pada hidung
sukanya dia ketawa sampai menggelitik
sakitnya hati aku rasa nak meraung
nak marah sedar-sedar hingus menitik.

baik aku balik.

TV - Another Childhood Memory

Tengah-tengah aku lepak study animation series on the various cartoon channels kat Astro malam ni, my memory goes way back to a scene berkaitan tv masa kecik-kecik dulu.

Selalunya it started masa aku n si Kembar dok ralit melangut tengok tv lepas maghrib. Program tv masa tu memang ntah hapa-hapa, channels pun harap RTM 1 & 2 je, tv lak hitam putih, tapi cukup layan.

Abah tetiba je akan tanya, "homework dah siap?"

Kalau tak siap lagi kerja rumah yang cikgu beri (& tak guna tipu, sebab kitorang pernah tipu Abah, sekali dia buat spotcheck semua buku tulis- and hasilnya teruk kena belasah dengan tali pinggang), selalunya terus kami akan blah gi settlekan homework tu cepat-cepat sebelum orang tua tu mengamuk.

Tapi kalau dah siap homework pun, belum tentu kitorang akan selamat.

On better days, dapatlah kami terus tengok tv.

Kalau mood Abah tak elok, this statement lak akan terpacul dari mulut dia, "Pergi baca buku! Asik tengok tv, tv, tv!"

Followed by soalan maut ni, "Esok tv tu ke yang kasi kau makan?!"

Bengang betul bila dengar ayat tu. Maknanya, no more tv for the night.

Tapi ironicnya, ni bila dah tua bangka ni, dengan line kerja aku produce tv animation shows, kalau Abah tanya lagi soalan yang sama, aku akan boley jawab, "Ye Abah... tv yang kasi saya makan."

Tapi kalau sekarang dia tanya pun, aku takkan berani nak jawab macam tu.

Aku akan pergi baca buku sambil curi-curi tengok tv dari jauh. Hahahaha.

Salah Siapa?

Kalau korang perasan, sekarang ni kita ada satu sumber untuk dipersalahkan for whatever that goes wrong.

Tak payah tanyalah isu Mat Rempit, Minah Bohsia & buang baby salah siapa. Atau pasal rasuah, salahguna kuasa mahupun salahguna bom C4:

• Harga teh tarik yang hampir nak sama dengan harga seliter minyak kat Sri Hartamas salah siapa?
• Kat Perlis budak pompuan Form 2 sampai berani kurang ajar sepak cikgu tu salah siapa?
• Ramai sangat mamat Nigger & Arab sampaikan masa semayang raya aku rasa macam bukan kat Malaysia salah siapa?
• Si Shalinie yang hilang sampai sekarang tak jumpa-jumpa salah siapa?
• Shahrukh Khan yang entah apa contributionnya untuk negara ni boleh dapat title 'Datuk' salah siapa?
• Yang kita semua orang biasa bekerja banting tulang hari-hari untuk ekonomi Malaysia tapi tak pulak dijadikan 'Datuk' pulak salah siapa?
• Jalan jem hari-hari kat mana-mana salah siapa?
• KL banjir everytime hujan lebat sikit pun salah siapa?
• Rakyat ramai bengang big time salah siapa?

Jawapannya bagi kebanyakan orang termasuk aku sekarang ni satu je.

Aku salahkan UMNO.

Ramai orang lain pun salahkan UMNO jugak.

Kalau korang tak setuju statement aku ni, hmmm well, salah siapa?

What A Damn Good Name!

In 1979 when I was in Standard 1, I don't recall any other boy Malay, chinese nor Indian who has the same name as mine. But mind you, Port Dickson was (and still is!) not that big a town. But no one else I knew was named 'DANIAL' back then.

All sorts of tohmahan aku rasakan growing up as a 'Danial'.

Sekali tu, aku mengamuk-ngamuk kat Mak bila balik dari sekolah because the other Malay kids said that my name is a Christian one, thus, I cannot enter the school surau.

Mak comforted me by saying that my name is nicer than anyone's name and the rest of them were actually jealous. Man, that woman's REALLY smart. I couldn't agree more. Danial is waaaaay cool than Akbar Ali or Zamri.

When we moved to Kerteh Terengganu, and then kat STAR, too, there weren't anyone else with the same name as mine. It was pretty neat to think of how unique my name was.

But all that was soon to change.

I dunno why, but the name 'Danial' became EXTREMELY famous in the 90s. So many babies were given that name.

Ididn't think this would affect me so much at first.

I once went to seek treatment at a clinic bila demam. When my name got called out at the dispensary counter, the clinic assistant ask me, "Anak Encik ke Danial?" Dengan bengangnya I answered, "SAYA lah Danial!"

Bila jalan-jalan kat shopping complexes, selalu gak aku terkejut beruk when I heard mothers sceaming, "BEHAVE YOURSELF, DANIAL!", as if aku ni pervert yang baru meraba pompuan, only to see a kid dok berguling-guling menangis mintak dibelikan mainan. Or responding to the call of my name in public, tengok-tengok some kid or toddler yang berlari towards his mom.

I realised then, I am the older version of the many Danials.

All my life, I actually admired Abah's creativity in naming me. Time orang lain belum terpikir nak letak anak diorang nama tu, he did that in 1972. What a trendsetter!

But while growing up, I always manage to get myself into some sort of trouble either at school, university or in life. Banyak kali I pissed the old man off. And I dissapointed him numerous times, too.

But I think finally, I did justice to the name Abah gave me jugak eventually.

In 2005, I entered the world of animation production. My bosses then assigned me to start an animation project. Had to endure a lot of shit from every one when I started but alhamdulillah, I had a good run. Dengan izin Allah, the project transpired into a full-fledge animation studio. I can now proudly declare to the world that I, Mohd. Danial Sabudin gave life to Animatrix Studio. It is proof of my hard labour. And those who were with me then know what I'm talking about.

The studio's big break was when I develop an idea, concept and scripts about a city boy who is forced to live in the kampung with his grandparents while Mom & Dad's oversea studying. The boy hangs out with other kampung kids. I named the boy -what else? - DANIAL lah of course! Heh heh... So what? I AM THE CREATOR OF 'DANIAL'. Suka aku la nak letak nama dia apa! Haha!

I engaged a determined animation team and my then newly-made friends and mentors Mike the Animation Maestro and Kak Mine the Super Producer helped me worked out the essentials. The 'Danial' series got broadcasted on RTM1 in January 2007 and sepanjang aku kat Animatrix, as the GM and Producer, 2 seasons (26 episodes) were aired.

'DANIAL' the Series (Season 1) Promo Poster

So far, that's the best thing I have done to my given name.

Even Abah yang tak pernah minat tengok cartoon pun waited and watched MY show religiously every Sunday masa tu. And he'd called up his friends, telling them to watch it as well. Even if it goes unsaid, I know the old man's proud of me.

Now I am a Producer at Vision Animation Studio, and have move on to produce international animation series. Matlamat aku sekarang: Take it all a level higher, make a name for myself (pun intended).

Thanks Abah & Mak, for giving me a damn good name!


P/s: Mat khairi, aku pinjam YM id lu utk title post ni!

What In The World Happened To Them?

Going through all the photos on my handphone, terjumpa lak one photo of me and my favourite Malaysian writer - A Samad Said. Taken kat Istana Budaya masa pementasan Lantai T Pinkie last year, tetiba aku terlintas nak tulis pasal Pak Samad this time.

I don't personally know him, but aku cukup kenal karya-karya dia such as Sungai Mengalir Lesu, Langit Petang, and of course, Salina.

He writes superbly, aku suka setting zaman perang/post-WW2 yang digarap dengan cantiknya oleh Pak samad dalam novel-novel dia.

But this time aku bukan nak cerita pasal hasil kerja dia in general.


Tapi kemusykilan aku lebih berkisar pada isu kenapa Pak Samad dah tak ada hasilkan karya-karya hebat these past years. Or in other words, why are his masterpieces only written when he was younger? Mind you, 'Salina' was written when he was 23 years old, my research shows.

Aku perasan satu je, ever since dia jadi Sasterawan Negara, I don't find satu pun hasil kerja Pak Samad yang benar-benar signifikan. And all the fuss about his mogok seni and demands for recognition are things that also kinda frustrated me. Seolah-olah recognition itulah matlamat yang dicari.

Tapi itu dia punya hak lah. dia yang penat mengarang.

Now let me touch about another artist who has fallen into the same pit as Pak Samad Said - Bob Dylan.

Who above 35 years of age yang tak kenal Bob Dylan? Poet and folk music fundamentalist, writer of many a beautiful songs. He was also instrumental in organising Woodstock 1969 although he himself did not participate.

Any new great songs from him dalam tempoh 15 tahun lepas?
Answer: None.

All his great songs were written in his 20's and 30's. The intensity of "All Along the Watchtower", the honest pining lover in "You Belong To Me", and the hopeful soul in "Blowing In The Wind" memang betul2 artistically and emotionally hebat to me.

But none of Dylan's work later in life ever came close to the intensity of his earlier works. Macam half-hearted attempts je. The same goes for Pak Samad - recent works tak nampak bersungguh-sungguh langsung.

So kenapa dua nama besar ni jadi macam ni?

I think the answer is very obvious. In the case of Pak Samad Said & Bob Dylan, their great works were all written when both were young, unknown, struggling artists.

I'd say that the motivation factor indeed must have been strong enough - their senses shaper, their words sincere, the angst and emotions pure and possibly their stomachs emptier, too.

And why Pak Samad and Dylan takde hasil kerja yang hebat in their later years?

I think I know why.

Sebabnya adalah hidup diorang dah senang. Duit dah banyak, takde yang kurang in their lives.
Bila hidup dah senang, all creative senses jadi tumpul.

No longer struggling, they have enough. Definitely far from the state of being hungry. It's no longer a matter of survival. Tu pasal whatever yang they write jadi dilluted and hambar. The frame of mind is not right. That's why what they write simply fail to tickle the balls anymore.

This fact is crucial for a person like me who's working in a creative industry as the animation business. Aku kena accept that there will be a time nanti in my life when I myself will reach a similar state of creative tepu-ness.

Tapi first, kena make sure by that time, aku pun dah as rich and successful as these two guys.

I'd rather have that sort of curse, daripada aku jadi creative terus-terusan sampai ke tua, tapi mati papa kedana.

Cukuplah dunia ni ada satu je Vincent Van Gogh, kan?

OBW 2009

Idea & Concept : Bob D & Rimie Blues

Graphics Designer : Hafiz VA

Remember my post "Takde sakit Dalam Padang"?

Well, two days back Mat Rimie contacted me, saying that on Saturday (tomorrow), there will be some sort of STAROBA Raya gathering in KL. And the instruction that we received (from our batch's committee office bearers, of course, not the old boys in the association proper) was to come up with a flyer design so we can place them at the Raya gathering. Mainly we have to do this because them old farts do not have enough confidence in the 1989 batch to plan and execute the Old Boys' Weekend next year.

What I hate most is when people doubt my/our ability to get organised and pull off this event. Like it is ONLY important to them and not us. As if we are less proud of the school than they are. Pathetic pussies!

Yesterday we discussed about it. We wanted to keep it simple yet catchy. Then I talked to one of my team members at Vision Animation, Hafiz Background to help put things on design. I penned the words, and he came up with everything else.

The result is Alhamdulillah very good, in my opinion. Even better when my buddies thought of the same. "Nampak rock," Mat said.

This sure brings back to the time when we were in school. We came up with a T-Shirt design which best describe my batch. It boldly stated: "We don't care what you say!"

So to any Staroba who thinks the flyer design sucks, well, you can just shove it up your ass! See if I care!

p/s: Thanks, Hafiz!

Mati Keras Dek Kerja

Dalam kesibukan bekerja keras semula after Raya ni, some one sent me this newspaper report. I stopped work for a while to ponder on the last line from it:

Hmmm.... something to think about.

Especially untuk hamba kerja macam aku ni.

AIDILFITRI 2008

I think this occassion is best described through the photos taken throughout the week.

Malam raya mesti main bunga api! Patutnya aku supervise anak-anak sedara, alih2 aku yang seronok lebih. Kids don't try this at home, Uncle Bob ni pro!

Ni gambar rondang ayam nogoghi. Sejak kahwin dengan aku, Nen belajar buat & now family in-laws aku semua dah di'nogoghi'kan into liking rondang podeh ni. My all-time favourite dish.

Si Comel-Comel Nen & me sebelum semayang raya kat Masjid Sunway, tapi kat background yang nampak adalah Sunway Pyramid!

Kat kubur opah Nen di PJ. Aku dalam pose syahdu sambil tak pandang camera.

Melantak di pagi Raya. Orang lain sibuk buat apa tah, tapi aku sibuk makan macam binatang.

Dengan family sebelah Nen. Photoshoot on 1st Raya. Ini pun tak cukup korum. Malek & family tak de. Kalau tak, photo ni akan jadi lebih widescreen.

Signboard Kampung Belangkan, Rantau on the way ke kubur Mak. For years kami adik beradik gelakkan nama kampung Mak ni. Apa punya nama 'BELANGKAN'! kahkahkah!

Aku & the twins in our rock t-shirts. Taken on Raya ketiga. Check out topi koboi gua- perasaan aku masa ni maybe sama macam yang Brett Michaels Poison rasa masa photoshoot utk album 'Flesh & Blood'.

Nen, Aunty Chik, Lina & Adek bersuka ria masak kat dapur.

My family and long family friends, Mr & Mrs Hiraoka from Japan during their Raya visit.

* Footnote:

And as the custom goes, now semua orang tak hantar kad raya dah. SMS pulak is the order of the day. This year macam-macam sms aku terima. But I'd like to write down kat sini SMS yang aku hantar kat kawan & musuh tahun ni:

Hawau kau berak merate,

Kaki bengkak ulau patok;

Kalau beraya naik kete,

Jangan 'mandu kalau ngantok.

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SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI

MAAF ZAHIR BATIN SEMUA

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