Melodi menggamit memori...

The worth of a song (in my personal opinion) is how it catches your attention and sticks with you until you are compelled to learn more about the song.

These two tunes may have been around for a while but I've only begun to hear them very recently. And what a pleasant surprise :)

more so because they are sung with feel, depth and clarity that belies the fact that they are non-native speakers of standard Malay.

Stacy, you should do more of these type of songs. I believe these were the kind of soulful music that captured the hearts of your listeners and bagged you that AF6 win.

It doesn't have to be slow numbers as long as the lyrics have depth. I agree that tunes like Jahat, Kasanova and the likes are catchy but the essence is too simple.

And Suki is reminding us why she deserved that One In A Million title over Faizal Tahir.

This song's by Ajai! No wonder I loved it straight off the bat!

The lyrics by Jeremy Chong are poetic, done in classic dulu-dulu Malay style, which gives it an Indonesian sounding twist. Very well done!

What ever may be though, you're both excellent musicians. Do keep it up and all the best in future!

Character flaws

almost perfectionist

time optimist

Being someone who's almost a perfectionist is less grueling (to others as well as your own self) than being a perfectionist plus person.

However, combined with a time optimist outlook, it could be rather crippling.

This I could heartily attest to.

The vicious cycle flows thus:

Plan project

V

Discover numerous additional details that could 'enhance' the outcome

V

Cannot meet deadline

V

Delay project completion

V

Hibernation period

V

V

V

V

V

Regain enthusiasm for shelved project

V

Plan project

V

...you see where this is going don't you?

AlhamduliLlah, this year, I finally managed to complete 2 delayed personal projects.

These were supposed to be wedding gifts, but now they are:

2nd anniversary gift

1st anniversary gift

Kalau tangguh-tangguh koje gitulah jadinye...

P.S. there's still more on the back burner >_<" *sigh~

Sunyi...

Ke mana mereka semua?

Tahun ni surau kawasan kejiranan aku luar biasa sunyi.

Hari pertama Ramadhan sekalipun, paling kuat 5 saf. Sedangkan sebelum ini mampu mencapai 9 saf penuh- malah melimpah ke luar!

Bila aku fikir-fikirkan kembali, aku dapati beberapa punca:

1. Ramai jiran berumur yang telah meninggal dunia.

Tiada ibubapa, tiadalah lagi anak, menantu dan cucu yang datang berkunjung.

2. Ramai jiran muslim yang telah berpindah.

Ini yang paling sedih. Disebabkan kenaikan value rumah, ramai yang mengambil keputusan untuk menjual rumah mereka lalu pulang ke kampung. Dan yang mampu membeli, rata-ratanya adalah non-muslim.

3. Kawasan parkir yang sempit.

Almaklumlah, bermula dari surau kecil kini telah dinaik taraf menjadi surau Jumaat. Permainan musical chairs di sini memang sangat mencabar! Oleh itu, ramai yang memilih untuk ke tempat lain.

4. Banyak masjid yang berhampiran.

Terdapat hingga 3 ke 4 masjid utama di sekeliling kawasan kejiranan kami yang menawarkan imam-imam tahfiz muda dengan alunan qiraat yang lebih menarik serta tazkirah yang lebih menyengat.

Daripada itu, aku sangat faham akan situasi surau kami kini. Tapi perubahan yang begitu mendadak selang sekadar setahun sahaja amat mengejutkan dan mampu membuat aku sebak.

Bagaimanakah agaknya keadaan di tahun-tahun yang mendatang?

Delayed (giler) Entry: Trip to the North

This trip happened in early July 2012. Wan is already done blogging about it here.

"I'm tired- okay? See how tired I am?!"

Nuff said :P Photo by courtesy of Wan.

DAY 1
Late afternoon break at Tapah R&R. Acceptably delicious food here. Not all drinks advertised were sold though- Pa wanted ABC but had to settle for iced tea...

Late night at Gurney Drive. Also went the opposite way, to Batu Ferringhi area for midnight snacks. Didn't think I still had it in me (at my *cough*ahem*ahem age)...

DAY 2

Heading out north. I love knowing how long more you have to wait at traffic stops. Penang sure maintains the timers well (probably as concession for the horrendous going to- and coming from- work jams?).

Home to cousin Enon, near Bandar Darul Aman, Jitra. The houses overlook the river and each home maintains a mini dusun on their share of the bank.

Home to cousin Ati, at Taman Ihsan, Jitra. Still a developing housing area though not that new. The house was a real steal at the time she bought it in 2008.

Ma picking up durian at cousin Enon's in-law's dusun near Padang Terap, Kuala Nerang.

Aku pun mana boleh kalah! Hahaha! It was a cute durian, almost heart shaped but spiky as hell!

Photo by courtesy of Wan.

One of the gate posts at cousin Enon's in-law's family home. Not sure if the unique patterns were due to termites or corrosion.

Wan attempting to capture the beauty of the tiny bendang behind cousin Enon's in-law's home. Streaks of sunset could be seen at the edges of the getah tree tops.

Durian party! The durians we bought at home were usually the bittersweet kind, to Ma and Pa's taste, so I eat very little.

Here they also have the sweet and creamy kind. I tucked into that and, to Ma's surprise, polished off quite a lot.

DAY 3

Morning saw a chicken resting on roof of a cove-side food stall off Jalan Wee Hein Tze, Tanjung Bungah.

These are wild chicken- they sleep in trees and can fly quite some distance at some height.

There's a shop selling imported Japanese koi at the entrance to Tanjung Bunga Park.

The environment is very relaxing and the fish are very beautiful to watch, some as big as your thigh (*hmm... depending on who's reading, this may be inaccurate though).

Afternoon by Teluk Bahang Dam. Yes, you may find us photo buffs in rather compromising positions in order to get a shot.

This one's actually quite tame and in fact, has an editorial quality to it...

View of Teluk Bahang Dam from below.

At the (very pricey) Butterfly Farm, Teluk Bahang. Group of kindergarten kids observing butterflies, at very loud volumes.

The place has upgraded quite a bit and injected a semblance of classiness into the establishment. Ticket price justified.

Late afternoon- Hungry! To me, this was the best Penang assam laksa ever and served in such cute porcelain bowls! I'll never look at another assam laksa the same way again :P

Zarie's Laksa House (drain-side stall, actually) at Batu Ferringhi.

Fishing village off Jalan Teluk Awak, Teluk Bahang.

Beach along Jalan Teluk Bahang, opposite Tropical Spice Garden and Tree Monkey Restaurant.

Wan sets up with his tripod and filter to capture foamy seas.

Toy figurine of Verdande @ Belldandy, a central character in the manga Aa, Megami-sama!

The Toy Museum is along Jalan Tanjung Bungah.

For all the variety displayed, I was rather disappointed by the presentation- it was more like 'trying for a quick buck' rather than a loving display of prized collections.

Late evening, wandered around Georgetown and wondering- where is the Georgetown Festival? So different from Malacca, the place is barely alive at night.

Stopped by Masjid India at Jalan Acheh (if I remember correctly).

Kids playing basketball by Fort Cornwallis. They used to open the fort to visitors at night but no longer, I guess. Could be a safety issue.

Late night dinner at Gurney Drive hawker centre. You're like fresh meat as soon as you enter. The waiters will pester you by reciting a list of menus to you all at the same time until you make your order.

After you've got your food, it's as if they strive to ignore you. Damn hard to call up a waiter to make new orders! Tak mau bisnes kah??

DAY 4
Time to go home. Bye Penang! It was a very short and tantalising trip. I may come back some time in future...

From the top of the observation tower at Sungai Perak R&R. Was risking life, limb and phone to get this shot :P Cool huh?

Home by 6.00pm. Thanks to Wan for lending us your services and my cousins for their warm hospitality.

Kesudahan yang baik

Menziarahi kenalan kerja yang meninggal dunia semalam.

Ramai sungguh rakan taulan yang datang.

Arwah meninggal dunia akibat barah (sakit) di bahagian perut.

Arwah meninggal dunia di bulan Ramadhaan.

Arwah kelihatan seakan sedang tidur, bagai masih mampu terjaga jika kita menggerakkannya.

AlhamduliLlah...

Pelbagai tanda menujukkan bahawa arwah pergi dalam redha Allah.

Moga kita semua (diriku, mereka yang kusayang dan anda yang sedang membaca ini n_n) dikurniakan kesudahan yang baik juga... aamiin