World, here I come

Do we need a theme for a new year? Well I don't think so.

In fact, I don't really believe in the stuff we call 'New Year's Resolution'.. But as we're approaching to the end of year 2007, my life approaches to some endings in various perspectives -- I'm checking out Impiana Hotel tomorrow, checking out my 4-month 'expatriate lifestyle' tomorrow; I finished my thesis and hence officially ending my student life towards end of the year 2007 -- the whole situation affects me both mentally and maybe emotionally, and it made me somehow think that 2008 will be a whole new kick-start for me, and hence I'm thinking of a theme for it.

And hey guess what I managed to grab something out of my almost-invalid student identity and it opened up opportunities for me to explore the world in the year ahead by using all the privileges of being a 'student' -- Yeap, as you can see in the picture, that's my UNIESCO-endorsed International Student Identity Card (ISIC), read up the link and you'll know what are the 'opportunities' about.

My point is rather straightforward here. See how the circle works? We're getting to the end of something, and at the same time we're beginning a lot of new ventures --

Yes I'm checking out from those luxurious hotels but I'm so much looking forward to stay into a little apartment that I'm going to share with 2 buddies of mine;

Yes I'm no more a student and no more having those conveniences of quiting office hours sesuka hati, but I think I'm ready to be back to my position in the industry.. (and yet, by having ISIC, I still can enjoy the privileges of being a student, worldwide) ;

Yes year 2007 is finishing (Gosh another 23 hours to go..), but 2008 is coming, with new friendships, new families, new outdoor plans (Fariz my dearest big brother, this is for you and me!), new travel destinations, new diving trips, new hobbies (a photography studio, maybe.. *smirk*) and old pals coming back...... 2008 is so much anticipated with ALL the new buzz!

So have I thought a theme for 2008 and for myself?

Goodbye, 2007. Welcome, 2008. World, here I come. HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!

A rendezvous

"Hey you are so much thinier than I thought..."
"... and you're not as tall as I imagined..."

Ok, obvious enough. They met for the very first time, face to face, after knowing each other virtually for more than a year -- Yeah Jannah, you dropped by my blog and left your first comment in the post entitled "Love is in the air", dated 2nd September, 2006.

Still remember those old days where we made jokes about the half-blind date meeting up our pen pal whom we never knew how he/she look like or even the gender? Yeah obviously this kind of joke is extinct in the era of ..erm.. internet.. But that does not mean that the 'half-blind' date is not anymore exist.

The dinosaur is still here, it just switched into another form of appearance. Well what I'm trying to say here is, yeah you don't have to worry about 'is a she or he or he-she that I'm going to meet' or 'will I eventually fall in love at first sight' yada yada.. but there are still something bothering about meeting someone whom you were virtually in contact with.

"Do I walk too fast for you? Let me know if you find hard to keep up the pace..."
"Is that your normal behavior to talk in English?"
"Do you always laugh like crying?"
"I like that blue. Do you like that blue?"
"Do you really like green?"
"You don't really go for fast food, do you?"

---- Yeah things like these. We asked weird questions, like kids meeting their favorite cartoon characters in real life -- so familiar yet so uncertain.

Nevertheless, the date went naturally smooth. Only a few occasionally shocking moments that made me rejudged the sanity of the girl. For example, erm.. for example.. hmmm.. hey how could you consider a girl as a complete sane creature when she suddenly burst into loud laugh when an emotionally intensive scene was rolling on the big screen and everybody in the cinema was almost in tears?

"If we have a bigger blogger gathering it would be cool, kan?" "Yeah, we should ask Sayuti, Flo-C and even Red Ruby out next time, ULAM panels reunion..."
"Hah.. what happened to ULAM?"
"..........."

The dinner was cool, not about the food, but the atmosphere, and the live band. Personally I thought I shouldn't go out with a girl until night time, but her 'Cinderella Time' was in fact up to the last LRT train. "Huh?!! You actually allocate one whole day time for this date?" I once asked her with all the innocence that you could think of from a Kampong boy, and I forgot what was her response. I hope she did not think that I AM SUCH A NERD or what ever equals to that.

..Nevertheless, I got to admit that I think she's a DRAMA QUEEN to me.. bubbly, adorable, but still a DRAMA QUEEN. Just look at the way she posed to the big face of Josh Holloway of Davidoff billboard or James 'Sawyer' Ford of Lost, well.. hmm.. as if he could realy feel her..

Owh whatever, maybe the whole day for both of us, was truly a day where people we only in touch through a screen, came alive.

ps.. what this Drama Queen says about the date and me? Here.

The reason to get wet..

Yes I know, my hometown in Kelantan is very flooded. I could imagine my house over there is like an island appears in the middle of ocean, and I miss the flood in my hometown -- I know I know the death toll is climbing -- but the fact said it true, flooding season is like carnival in Kelantan.

And here's a Kelantanese lad who used to spend all his childhood anticipating flooding season to complete his year-end school holiday, now trapped in KL, far far away from his childhood playground.

Miserable? Yes if he did not find a way to get out of the blue. So, a white water rafting trip in Slim River, Perak sounded perfect enough for him.

With a group of cool wet-getters, sunk and dunk in the rocky stream of Slim River, huff and puff along the white water current, thrilled by capsizing moment, laugh out loud while getting REAL wet...

Reasons to get wet? New friendship, back to nature, for fun, escapism, back to childhood days.............. WAIT, do we really need any reason for that?

"Rafters, hold your rope, sit in, LET'S GET WET!!"

A world that fits..

Out of a very sudden he felt like he's just like a piece of puzzle, the piece of jigsaw puzzle who is still looking for the right place to fit himself into the world.

Life could be simpler, but he chose the complicated one. It's complicated with controversy. While he has no any strong life philosophy to back him up, sometime the 'puzzled' feeling dragged him down, emotionally and spiritually.

A recent picture-hunt outing chilled his mind out and reminded him about a world that fits.

"You gotta raise your camera and aim through the viewfinder in order to snap a picture. People might look at you curiously and they might even shout at you when they feel uncomfortable to be aimed at -- and this is definitely normal, " his gut feeling tells him this.

".. you just need to be in a world that fits your behavior. A world where people don't mind to be aimed at, don't mind smiling to you when you're trying to snap their portrait ---

-- A world that fits your behavior, your act, your intention and your passion."

He went to Central Market. A place where people can sing and dance and showcase their passion on the street without getting any people feel annoyed. This is the world that fits for these artists.

..but how many worlds that can actually fit them in except Central Market? How many worlds that can fit his philosophy, his passion, and his behavior in this mama-said-everything-need-to-be-accordingly-in-place world?

This is a piece of puzzle, this is your maverick.