post-party report

OMG. fo shizzle ma nizzle! gee wheez hoolla banana! the party was D.O.P.E.!! it was intense, we got a whole crowd come knocking on the door (some just barged in. oh well, the door was open anyway). and more than 100pax came to our supposedly-humble-and-small-and-random party. there were heaps of heads in the house, that some even had to eat in the bedroom (MY bedroom). coz apparently, they all came at the very same time, though we had allocated 11am-4pm, they all came at 1pm anyway. safa brought many of his guy friends to the house, like it was his party, haha. nah, it was good of him. good guy. he tried to match make us at every chance he got. geez, thanks but no thanks man. hehe. hani and fatin came too. they got a bit lost. one of the guys jokingly wondered if our house is already in the borders of melbourne. haha. funny.

the food was great, so says the guests, and everybody enjoyed themselves. the crowd started coming at 1pm with empty tummies, and the food was gone in a split second. so i had a teeny weeny bit of trouble, as i was in charge of the bread pudding (and i had to attend to guests, mingle smingle), and i had to restock the pudding as it was finished earlier than i thought it would be. these people sure have massive sweet teeth! and it takes almost 1hour and a half for a bread pudding, so u guessed it. it was pretty messed up. i mean, the planning and organizing of my desserts. sheesh.

the rest of it, fun fun fun. we met a lot of people. they all come from different places and backgrounds. friends from everywhere got together and just eat and got to know each other. it was pure awesome. i'll put up some pictures some time soon, coz i have some trouble with my banddrive at the moment. it was lost last week, and a hell lot of things were in there. but i'll work on that later.

and, we got a TV! Sam brought it with him on sunday, and it was quite a huge one. we used a coat hanger for the aeriel, but the it's pretty much working beautifully. last night we watched Thank God You're Here and Australian Idol, and we were just dumbstrucked by the fact that we actually have a freakin' tellie! we had dinner in front of the tellie, we did our assignments with the tellie on, we decorated it with flowers we took from the backyard; it was just amazing. like having a newborn baby. very gut wrenching moment there for a little while. haha.

my housemates are fine. we're bonding. farhana and safa are doing good too. things are cruising for now. am looking forward to the grates' gig. hah. can't wait. there's also the OZ festival. we might catch the moon lantern festival, sounds great. the rpesentation just now started with a whole technology racketty wreck but it ended well. angela was very supportive.

guess that would be all for now. thank you again, for those who came all the way to our house from the city, mile end, east and west. it was really amazing having you guys. do come by some day; our doors are always open :)

diari sebiji perut

Hari ini hari khamis.

Dah nak masuk tengahari.

Tak breakfast pagi tadi.

Kejar bas pulak tuh.

Rentetan itu,

AKU LAPAR.

gila nak mamps punya lapar.

perihal mingguan yang menarik tahap gaban

it's the 27th. a few days left for Ramadhan, the fasting month. i reckon it's not going to be that tough, since sunset is pretty early here. yippee. there are plans made to go for buka puasa and tarawih together with the other muslim friends. hope everything will turn out okay. coz we ain't got a car and we need a ride bebeh!!

other things.

this saturday, we're throwing a party at our house. gahaha. bajet gila siot. dah la pendatang baru/newcomer, pastu bajet2 la nak buat jamuan makan2. nak ajak sape deyy?!? ha, jangan tak tau. ramai jugak la yang akan hadir. tapi semua orang random la, sebab kita orang kenal diorang semua kat tempat2 yang random, lantas, random la party ni nanti.

menu. hmm. random jugak. maybe nak buat simple2 je. mi rebus, spaghetti (bolognese?), ayam bakar (eh ke panggang? xsure lagi. bbq set pun xde kott) and some pencuci mulut yang pasti akan meng'air liur'kan mulut. aku in charge dessert (of course, what do you expect?). LOL. tapi tolong gak la orang lain masak. haaa satu lagi, booze xdak naa. nak booze gi party lain. yg ada kat umah kitorang tu ka-booze je eh. hahaha memang berkabus pun. sebab atas bukit.

pastu khamis kena gotong-royong menebas lawn yang dah macam hutan belantara kat belakang ngan depan umah tu. tu la, soh sewa unit tak nak, nak gak banglo. gahaha. xde la banglo sgt tapi kira banglo la kalo rumah camtu kat msia. tandas nak disental (tolong la jangan aku lagi sekali), dapur di'shine', dan perabot disusun rapi. nasib baik umah tak banyak barang. kalo tak, naya.

time start, probably pagi kot. kul 11. abes dalam kul 3 kot. tengok weather forecast cam ada morning shower that day. harap2 la sekejap dan xlebat.

hari sabtu ni jugak la, menandakan hari gembira kami. sebab...kitorang akan dapat TV!!! gahahaha. Sam budak kelas aku tu baik gila. dah la bagi free, siap nak hantar sampai umah tu. dia automatic di invite ke party itu! hmm, dia ada benda lain tak nak give-away agaknya. keh3. gila cheapskate. bagi betis nak peha. bagi peha nak..? (fill in the blank)

sebenarnya, (jangan bagitau sape2), aku malas nak wat benda jamuan ni. leceh. pastu ramai lak tu yang diajak nye. approx 100org. nanti keje2 kotor dan jijik hamis keji semua aku gak yang kena. maggots dan kulat menjadi sahabat taulan ku nanti. ah benci! xpe2, orang datang umah rezeki. alaa tapi malas dowh! gahaha. point is, tak kesah orang datang umah, tak kesah masak, tapi kesah gila masa nak kemas nanti. dah la ahad tu nak tungkus lumus wat assignment. isnin dah kena submit dua. kelas lak kul 9am. adushhh. kancah kebinasaan siyot.

ok ar. wa chow dulu.

peace no war. kem salam kat anuar. (rhyme tak? hehe)

random

when you are not needed, that's when you realize the world does not evolve around you.

observe your surroundings.

malam merdeka '08

i went to the malam merdeka 08 last night at dom polski's. it was fun. my housemates were there, some new friends were there, new faces, familiar faces, all the exchange students were there too. everyone dressed up, made up, and smelt nice. i wore baju kurung, a simple one. most people wore dresses and something to cover on top (it was cold). guys looked nice in jackets and blazers and sweaters.

the food, was okay. i dont like the fish. it tasted like tupperware. the rest was good.

the performances were so-so. but they all did very well. i know some of them practiced like mad, and they should get credit for that. i especially love the merdeka advertisements in between performances. they were awesome. certainly brought memories of home and the past. good stuff.

the lucky draw was fantastic. the prizes were superb. they had a $200 dicksmith voucher, printer, digicam, bus tix, etc. i wasn't lucky i guess, coz i didnt win any.

the picture-taking moments were the best. people snapped away and smiled like they never did. it seemed that everyone was comfortable being with fellow malaysians after a while. been really busy with assignments and classes. it was fun.

a friend sent me home, coz i cant possibly take a bus, it was late. very nice. thanks a lot man.

the whole night was great. i had fun; and a hang over (sort of, too much soda). but i got to the lecture on time today. so all is good. cool stuff.


p/s: something quite weird happened at the lecture today. hmm

some Malouf

if you're bored, and you have no life, go and read An Imaginary Life by David Malouf. he's a genius. he is always spot-on in his writings about you and your life. i stumbled upon his novels when i had to search a reading for one of my classes. but alas, i got the wrong malouf. we were supposed to be reading things by Amin Malouf not David Malouf. but who cares. they were both great writers. both meticulous in choosing words and accurate with feelings. go on and read 'em. they're good people with no life, but writing.

random blabber

funny how people tend to be who they think they have to be to fit in. when most of the times, who you think you have to be is not at all what people expected you to be and who you yourself would actually be.

it takes a lot to realize who you really are. it takes time, for sure. and sometimes, it will all be too late when you finally realize who you are. it takes courage and belief, to acknowledge yourself. it needs support from your surroundings. it takes you to want to be who you already are.

we evolve. change is inevitable. time goes by. and because of the change that everyone goes through, we change along. and that's not something to be scared of, or shun over, or despised. it's just another fact of life. it happens - all the time, every single second, in every teeny tine decision you make; you are not only changing yourself, but you are, in fact, changing the world with you.

BODOH GILA

the things to assure you that i am getting by well

"when the going gets tough, the tough..well, ain't just tough anymore"


alright people. that's the words of wisdom for today. i ain't pessimist, but just stating the current situation. i feel horrible, wasted (but not drunk). feel super shitty, even shit dont stink as much. and to add the cherry on top (not the top of the shit, you dummy ass), i have no idea why.

*laughs lunatically*

fine. i was just overeacting. things are fine - in fact, im having the best times now. it's just that having all the fun and not many people to share it with, it sort of sucks in a way, y'know?

and for those who asked, things are great. it's superb. everyday is a learning process for me. like the other day, i learned how to use the vending machine which swallowed my $6. but im friends with it now, just that i couldnt buy as much cheese doritos coz i've got a tight budget (not tight a*s).

and i learned how total strangers can be like super duper friendly to you, especially when you have a map in your hands and the word 'LOST' stamped on your forehead.

i also learned how people really rely on each other to survive in a foreign world. although, its not as if im in the Amazon or Mars or something. but i survived so far. i withstood the test of homesickness. LOL.

having subjects like Language and Identity with Angela and Jonathan is subliminal. they are the greatest people. and Andrew, he's another interesting educator. love his lectures.

what else do you want to know? hmm..the rest is just normal. im beginning to miss writing about controversial stuff. now all i write is about me and my boring life and the boring things around me (contradiction alert).

most important of all, i miss dining at the mamak. when i get back, the first few things i'd like to eat:

• mi goreng mamak [al-awwal]
• roti planta [al-awwal]
• nasi goreng kampung [al-awwal and kedai kelantan mana-mana pun boleh]
• mihun goreng [hassan]
• padprik ayam [hassan]
• nasi putih, tomyam ayam, telur dadar taknak bawang [exceptional: gerai lilin tu]
• roti canai garing [jumma -near my house]
• teh tarik gila bapak punya kow [mana-mana mamak]
• teh taknak tarik [mana-mana mamak gak]
• kuey tiow goreng [mamak -haha, tetibe teringin pulak]
• OMG, lupa. MAGGI GORENG [HASSAN - nak dua paket]

ok, i noticed that the list sort of got carried away. anyways, point is that i missed the grand array of food we have in malaysia.

i want mcD, KFC (MELTZ!!!), and the the rest of the food i usually eat.

for the time being, i'll just make do with hungry jack's, pizzaland, and cheesecake shop. that's the only places i go for food (as recommended by some great malaysian people here) apart from the cooking we cook at home. my turn to cook is on tuesdays and saturdays. i really am not a hustler in cooking, coz i normally just cook for survival, not for impressing people or for the craving tastebuds. but practice makes perfect. so im gonna chill for now. haha.

talking about food really made me hungry..which brings us to the end of this 'unpostly' post.

adieu people.

mind explosion (sort of lah)

my head nearly explode yesterday. it was one hell of a class. like you sit there listening to lectures, and you have all these simple but complexicating questions being thrown at you, and you find yourself thinking and thinking, trying to search for the right answer, but u got none.

questions being asked are like:

"Who are you?"
"Really, who are you really?"
"What makes you, you?"
"Are you being shaped by language and society?"
"Are you you all the time or someone else at different times?"

Geez! who the heck would've thought those questions could actually cause severe headache. i went to see the lecturer right after the tut and told her about the mental debate i was having in my mind. she immediately grabbed my shoulders and shrieked "Dont explode!! Alright, talk to me. You have to talk to me".

like it was some kind of an emergency. the readings we had to do, and the questions we have to answer, they were brutal. really. i liked doing it though, but it does have a consequence that is quite unlikely. you end up answering the questions with questions that lead to another question.

now i have an essay to submit next week, and i havent got a shit to write about. i mean, i do have a lot of things to say, but none of it very academical, i must say.

this friday, my minor essay on children's literature has to be submitted. im bombed with insecurities telling me i couldnt do it by the deadline, and im shit scared it might just come true. besides, i really havent done any research so far.

golly, what did i do during my weekends?? (mental thought: tee hee hee..i did go sightseeing and taking a [long] breather in the city)

fine, i'll go straight home today, and work on my essay all night long, as long as my eyes and mind can bare. blimey, tough night its going to be for me.

how have you guys been doing? hope all is well. dont forget to update me :)

our all-time heroes

today i learned about the ANZACs. and the Gallipoli legend. it was fascinating. and heart-warming, and touching.

to know that there are a lot of people who would do anything to be a part of it, to fight for the country and allied nations. to sacrifice their lives to shape what it is today, and to not fear to die in the horrors of war.

my heart was deeply touched; through the words of Anthony Hill who wrote about Private James Charles Martin, who died as the youngest ANZAC. the book, Soldier Boy, was exactly what i needed to feel what i always felt during this time of the year.

i am sure that australians must be really proud of this boy, who only lived 14years of his life, before he was killed in a self-battle with typhoid during the Great War. at that time, australians were sent to Gallippoli, Turkey as reinforcements to help Britain. the boy died on the hospital ship, without the presence of his beloved family members.

we discussed about it in class, and it was amazing when Helen (the lecturer) showed a video she had edited regarding the ANZAC.

the ANZAC Day is on the 25th of April. on this day, australians celebrate despite the defeat as they are really rejoicing the sacrifices of the soldiers, and because it is the first war that they fought as australians; that victory is not so much of an importance.

at 11.00am sharp on that day every year, the whole of australia will stop whatever they are doing and will stand in silence - praying, and remembering the loss and contributions their soldiers had made - for one whole minute, with the music of trumpet being played in the background, before proceeding with whatever they are doing again.

some will go to Gallipoli (yes, all the way to Turkey), to commemorate the ANZAC. the ANZAC Dawn Service will normally go on longer than the one in Australia itself, with the normally freezing weather.

they also have a special round of AFL in conjunction with ANZAC Day.

all these made me think. and weep a little. i doesnt matter if i am not an Aussie - as a human being, i think fighting in the war is very noble and extremly self-less; eventhough i could not understand why there has to be a war.

we should cherish those who have perished to let us have the lives we have today, no matter who we are and where we are in the world.

my weekend

last saturday i went to the city east campus to join some Malaysians to watch a short film directed and acted out by the malaysian students here in Adelaide.

it was good, to have someone sacrificing time, energy and money just to relive the innocent meaning of celebrating our Independence Day. for me, it wasnt at all about the movie itself, it's about our understanding and what we do to commemorate our Merdeka.

i am a very patriotic person. i really am. but sometimes, it's more of an inside thing rather than physical. i feel patriotic, but i dont necessarily do anything about it. so joining this kind of thing is good, for me and anyone else.

after that film, there was a feedback session. so we can actually throw on our opinions and suggestions regarding that film to the director himself. some of the actors were there too, i recognized their faces.

later on, we went to have a barbie! the bbq was great; and it was actually my first bbq since i arrived here - most probably coz of the weather that nobody really cared to have a barbie during winter.

it rained; heavily and drizzled. and sometimes stopped abruptly. and started to pour again violently. it's crazy, really. i was drenched to my bones on the way from one block to the other. crap.

but the food was good. the people were good too. they came and talked and introduced themselves. coz honestly, im quite tired of having to introduce myself and starting conversations with strangers all the time. it's good to have strangers come and talk to me first for a change.

after the barbie, me and two other friends went for a walk on rundle street and grabbed a sip of my favourite (which has now become their fave too) Chioccolata Italiana at Cibo. it was so rich with choc. just sensational. gotta have them again. Hani introduced me to it when i first came.

in a nutshell, the day ended with me being very happy; as far as i can recall. i have no idea why, but i did. i guess its good coz im missing my friends at home, and meeting fellow malaysians is a redemption for me, in a way. really, they are very good people. hope i could meet them up again, for the merdeka celebration maybe.

fuhhh, its already august. one of my favourite months in the year. you can get away with being patriotic.

i want to go to the merdeka parade.

the Machines Just Hate Me saga

with regards to the previous blog post, i need to clarify my reconciliation with the vending machine today. after my SLA class just now, i went straight to the vending machine with a new goal in mind, not the cheese doritos anymore, but the twisties wicked cheese.

i was trying to get my coins out when my classmates - Sam and I-have-your-name-somewhere-in-my-brain came to buy some chips too. then Sam saw an opportunity to get a pack of chips out without coins. he banged the machine to the left and then to the right, and then, as simple as taking your clothes off, the pack of chips fell into the designated chute. i was so amazed that i had to refuse the chips we he handed it to me. anyhow, me being muslim (tau beza halal dan haram) i cant accept that marvelous offer. i said i dont eat that kind of chips (its onion and cheese or something). so he took it, snapped it open and stuffed his mouth with crunchy onionic chips.

so i felt some victorious sensation as if Sam had just beat the machine out. wait, what the heck am i rambling about?! geez. im such a loser. condemning a lifeless machine.

well, its dinner time. we have tomyam for today. hmm-mm. time sure flies.

i gotta go before i gotta go!

gahahaha. some weird corny joke im trying to crack.

catcha later peeps

machines just hate me

these are the times when i wish i live in the 19th century. i have no idea how to operate the friggin machine. the vending machine that sells cheese doritos hates me. it ate $6 off me - thrice in a row. shitty.

now i cant seem to return the books i borrowed from the library, coz the return machines are stupidly too technical.

give me back the simplicity of life, people!!!

literature tuts/tuto

we did the readings for literature today. discussed it and all that. i read seven little australians and the magic pudding and it was amazing. i didnt get to read snugglepot and cuddlepie though, coz of the time constraint. but i will, some time soon.

i cant believe how everything has got to do with politics. the magic pudding was supposed to be a children's story book, but how the hell it got its politics' blues, i dont know. turns out that the writer was a big rebel back then - i guess that explains it.

geez, sometimes we need innocent, simplistic readings, dotn we? i miss those days when i was young and reading the enid blyton series. simple, yet interesting.

gtg!

the Malaysian Carnival

yesterday was the Malaysian Carnival and it was held at the Elder's Park (but forget the name, it's for both elderly and youngsters. haha). to tell you the truth, it wasn't that Malaysian-lah. it could have better been a Malaysian Food Carnival. the booths sucks. it's not commercialize, not promoted to the max, and even if it was, to the wrong people. you dont promote Malaysia to Malaysians, duh. course we know it at the back of our hands. go tell them whities! sell it to the Australians, Nigerians, Singaporeans..whoever! geez.

the performances, they were so-so. some were okay, some really stood out, like the silat show and the dikir barat. they were fan-freaking-tastic! the silat was straight out off Kung Fu Panda. haha, nooo. straight from Pendekar Bujang Lapuk, with more seriousness. gahaha. but they were good. they were very into it i shall say.

another major aspect of the carnival, was, the Food with a capital F. they were awesome. super wicked! the roti john by the Buxton Brothers were even better than the ones i ate in Malaysia. the 'chef' was a friend of mine, which i just met earlier this month. so dapat sos extra. haha. Kalau buat bisnes kat Pasar Malam sure laku beb! all the food booth people are Malaysians, so they know the food well. Nasi Kerabu ada, satay ada, nasi hujan panas ada, pendek kata, semua ada lah! memang sempoi huruf besar! semua sedap belaka.

the park, it was stunning. with bikes you can rent, and the birds. sheesh, perfect. we have people from all walks of life playing what we call ini Malaysia as the getah. i played, but obvious enough, i lost my charm. i used to be a champ in school, not anymore i guess. better off retiring at it. haha. batu seremban also got. safa played the sepak takraw, but he sucked. haha. no lah. he was a true takrawian (i coined this word. dont use in your essay). he was even called up front to display his talents, along with some other hustlers.

the whole thing ended at 4pm and after that i went for coffee with Hani, and some new friends - Putri, Fatin, Aida, Adibah and Jeremy.

oh by the way, Jeremy is playing for Jason Mraz in his tour in Melbourne this coming 10th of August. i am friggin jealous of that guy. really jealous, like, JEALOUS! and all that but still keeps his cool. all the best man!! he's coming out with his own EP next year. watch out for him people! but he plays jazz lah. hihi.

okay, better get going. this PC is public property. haha. gtg!