Mari Tengok Wayang

Watched 'Over Her Dead Body' several days ago. Suka tengok Eva Longoria. Kecoh dan kelam kabut je. Stail dia jalan pun kelako. Langkah pendek-pendek, cepat-cepat. Haha! Comel.
Apa pun, filem ni sempoi jugak.

Tapi kalau nak tengok filem yang lagiiii lawak habis, this is the one: 'Death At A Funeral' (tahun lepas punya filem). Dah lama aku tak tengok filem komedi yang mantap macam ni. ;-)

P/s: Aku tengah malas nak tulis entry yang panjang.

Deena & Kucins

Deena and our cats, Slash & Dio.

Susah nak nampak mata mamat ni, kan? Haa..Itu pasal la kitorang bagi nama dia "Slash".

Hensemmm, wa cakap lu!

Minah ni muka jambu sangat la. Macam tak rasi je dengan nama "Dio". Anyway, dia ni rajin 'kejutkan' Deena, suruh pegi sekolah.

(Pixs by aku & Yatt)

Dari Forbidden Kingdom ke McD

Yatt cuti lagi last week dan dia janji dengan Deena nak bawak dia tengok wayang. So, last Saturday kitorang tiga beranak pegi tengok 'The Forbidden Kingdom' kat Jitra Mall. Kitorang nak tengok filem ni sebab ni la first time Jet Li berlakon dengan Jackie Chan dalam satu filem kan? Tapi, filem ni ok-ok je bagi aku (ada elemen familiar macam filem 'Karate Kid'. Hehe). Mungkin sebab aku tengok macam janggal je bila dua hero ni cakap omputeh sesama diorang dalam filem ni. Kalau la diorang ni maintain cakap Cina je, takde hal kot? Boleh jual jugak. Apa pun, boleh layan la. Btw, dah beso panjang rupanya si Michael Angarano. Rasa macam baru je lagi tengok dia masih lagi budak kecik dalam 'Almost Famous'. And yes, that Golden Sparrow chick, Liu Yifei, is cute!

Cakap pasal Jitra kan, semalam baru aku dan Yatt discover satu 'chocolate house'. Untuk chocolate-freak macam aku ni memang la aku teruja. Tapi, aku tak terliur sangat nak beli coklat lagi sementara waktu ni selagi supply yang diborong di Langkawi masih banyak. Hehe.

Selain chocolate house tu, ada lagi satu port makan yang kitorang baru jumpa kat sini - Pak Mad Cafe. Kata member kitorang, konsep cafe tu sempoi dan rock habis. Kadang-kadang ada orang jamming lagi. Malam semalam, kitorang saja lalu depan cafe tu. Kaler dinding kat luar cafe tu hitam habis. Kat dalam cafe pulak, ada gitar-gitar tergantung kat dinding. Fuhh! Definitely kena check it out, man! That's our cup of tea tu!

Bagi aku la kan, Jitra ni dah worait dah. Semakin berkembang dan boleh buat macam-macam bisnes. Paling penting, kat sini banyak ready market, majority made up of youngsters - Sebab kat Jitra ni ada banyak kolej, maktab, politeknik, MRSM dan ntah apa institut lagi.

Hari tu aku baca satu artikel yang kata Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd nak bukak 15-20 restoran McD dalam setahun kat Malaysia ni. Hmm...Harapnya diorang nampak potensi kat sini; lagipun McD je takde lagi ni. ;-)

Imejan

Pixs by: Amoi yang kembali legam

Moronic Moron!

It's about a guy named XYZ...

"...XYZ tidak dibenarkan masuk apabila nama tidak disenaraikan pada borang pendaftaran! XYZ difahamkan, ramai lagi teman media menerima nasib yang sama, tapi nampaknya petugas di meja pendaftaran itu, benar-benar kepala batu! Selepas diherdik dan mengugut untuk pulang saja, barulah petugas berkenaan terhegeh-hegeh memberikan pas media.

Apabila masuk ke dewan, sekali lagi XYZ ditahan bertanyakan XYZ dari media mana, lalu penyambut tetamu itu XYZ beri 'ayat power', barulah terhegeh-hegeh menunjukkan kepada XYZ tempat duduk petugas media dari Malaysia."

Dear XYZ, swallow this: Dah jelas dan nyata, ko bukan se'legend' Mama Juwie!

I wish I could shoot this pathetic moron!

The End Is The Beginning Is the End

"To move in desires made of deadly pretends
Till the end times begin."
(The End is the Beginning is the End - Smashing Pumpkins)

I saw BLACK when I read the bold headline printed on the newspaper last Saturday. (F**k! Penyakit lama datang balik!) Malaysian football is tainted with bribery again. The news said that several teams are being probed by the police, and suddenly I felt like being stabbed in the heart when the news also said that several Perak players are under investigations too.

Perak coach Steve Darby was reported to have written letters to FAM three times since last year on his suspicions about bribery creeping back into the Malaysian football scene.

FAM deputy president Khairy Jamaluddin said "FAM is taking stringent measures, including suspending the 41-year old Malaysia Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, until this debacle is cleared up."

"Khairy, in admitting that some teams have been late in paying salaries, said this was no reason for players to fix matches."

What should be their reasons, then? Hellooo! Malaysian football has been elevated from "semi-pro" to "pro" (so-called lah), hasn't it? Thus, late salary payments are definitely unacceptable where professional league is concerned.

And, suspending major tournaments??.. Does "makan pasir" a good option for the innocent players? (This notion is like asking people to have their cars fitted with rear seat belts to curb road accidents, while letting the root of the problems go astray).

I think I just can't go through those painful episodes of 1994 again. Fallen heroes right before my eyes.

If everything about this match-fixing thing is true and proven soon, I guess my fan jersey will be kept forever in the closet and never to be worn again.

This is sad.

Masih Trippin'?

Still trippin', tapi kat rumah pulak. Naik basikal. Ala..lebih kurang macam Kate Hudson kat sebelah ni la. Seksi gitu. Heh, seksi apa kejadahnya; comot ada la. Yatt ajak aku cycling off-road kat area Mukim Pelubang ni ha. Adehhhh sakit-sakit kaki ku semuaaa...

Anyway, kepada mat-mat @ minah-minah rock yang otai, klik sini:- Hanya Rawk N Roll

Ada BERITA GEMPA di sana. Yeahhhh! Bulan Jun kita serbu PWTC!

Goin Trippin

Been watching this these few days. But the band didn't perform one of my favorites, "What It Takes" from 'Pump' (1989). Sigh.

Anyway, dear readers. The three of us, the three rockers, will be disconnected from this blogging world for a while. We'll be back next week. Ciao!

"On an island in the sun
We'll be playing and having fun..."

Bikin Konsert

Petang semalam aku layan satu dokumentari kat TV. Menarik gak, sebab topiknya pasal di sebalik pembikinan sebuah konsert rock; band tribute Pink Floyd, The Australian Pink Floyd Show (aka TAPFS). Dokumentari tu cover semuanya - Daripada pre-production ke post-production. Daripada kerja bos sampai la laserist, guitar technician, drum technician, sampai la ke drebar tour bus. Proses nak buat gitar, dram, speakers, laser etc pun ada (diorang masuk kilang Les Paul, DW drums & Meyer speakers).

Walaupun itu hanya band tribute Pink Floyd, tapi diorang punya preparations, professionalism, memang tip-top dan ada seninya. Ye la, bukan senang nak 'replicate' Pink Floyd, the loudest band on earth. Yang buat aku kagum tu, ada jugak awek-awek yang jadi crew handling technical stuffs. (Teringat masa aku kat Almaty dulu: Kat sana pun ramai awek yang jadi handyman/repairman. Cun-cun macam model lak tu! Heh.)

Anyway, lepas tengok dokumentari tu, aku terfikir, itu baru band tribute, beb. Bayangkan la pembikinan konsert Pink Floyd yang sebeno. Nak gantung maskot babi kaler pink tu pun dah satu hal! Hahaha! (TAPFS punya maskot lak ialah kanggaru, ok?)

Lepas tengok dokumentari tu, aku rasa macam 'reassured' dengan pendirian aku selama ni - Aku memang kurang terliur nak tengok konsert yang ada banyak gila band yang perform. Nanti seninya kurang. (Lagipun sure aku migrain! Hehe).

'Paradise City', As The Story Goes

"But it was while Duff was in Road Crew that he and Slash came up with a riff and chorus to a song called 'Paradise City'. Duff had written a line about the city where the girls were pretty while he was still in Seattle. It was Slash who came up with the chiming guitar riff. Greg Gilmore also attended a few of their practices. Disillusioned by the haphazard nature of Slash and Steven's lives, Gilmore quickly decided he'd had enough and moved back to Seattle, where he would later join local scene-makers Mother Love Bone, which also included Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, later founding members of Pearl Jam."

(W. Axl Rose The Unauthorized Biography by Mick Wall)

Pernah Dengar "Lithium", Kak?

Isnin lepas, aku lepak breakfast kat satu kopitiam dekat dengan ofis. Masa aku tengah berdiri, blur-blur nak pilih makan apa, tiba-tiba aku perasan sorang minah (umur lebih kurang aku) usha aku atas bawah. What's the word? Haaa, yes..."menyeluruhi". Minah ni tengah duduk makan, dan aku ni berdiri betul-betul tepi meja dia. Dekat sangat, dan aku bukannya takat perasan je lebih, okey? Dia tak perasan aku tengok dia, tapi aku memang nampak dia perati aku setiap inci, dengan pandangan penuh umpatan (dalam hati) yang satu macam: As if she hated ever inch that she saw! As if aku tengah *bolen di khalayak ramai! Serius, aku tak tipu.

Kalau zip slack yang terbukak, sure dia tegur or bagi apa-apa sign. Nak kata dia ternampak apa-apa exposed dari celah butang-butang baju blouse yang aku pakai, lagi la tak mungkin, sebab dah covered dengan tudung. Or maybe sebab aku nampak sangat hodoh dengan apa yang aku pakai kot? Hahahaha! Agaknyalah!

Entahlah. Aku pun tak tau apa dalam fikiran minah bertudung yang tengah pregnant tu. Nak kata dia hot mama, err..tak pun.

Kalau la aku tau apa yang ada dalam fikiran dia masa tu, ataupun tiba-tiba dia nampak aku perasan dia buat apa, nak jugak aku tanya apa masalah dia. Heh, macam real je nak tanya konon. Sekali dia ada pre-meroyan ke apa ke, tak ke naya?

Ah, lantak la ko la cik kak! I'm so ugly? That's okay cuz so are you! Muahahaha! ;-P

*To the uninitiated, "bolen" means "telanjang bulat".

Jitra-Alor Star-Jitra

Semalam aku masuk ofis lambat. Aku tunggu Yatt balik dari assignment dia kat Jerlun dulu. Semalam satu story pun aku tak buat sebab aku rasa malas dan bodoh. Haha. Tapi, ada jugak benda yang buat aku tersengih jugak: Dua story ciput yang aku buat kelmarin keluar. Alhamdulillah.

Petang, aku ikut Yatt pegi assignment dia kat Air Hitam. Yatt interview ayah seorang askar yang mati accident kat Mersing. Lepas habis interview, Yatt hantar aku balik rumah dulu, lepas tu dia pegi ofis lagi. Pukul 10 lebih baru dia settle kerja dan balik rumah.

Dalam pukul 11, kitorang tiga beranak pegi Alor Star lagi. Lepak dengan Dedek kat restoran pokok ceri. Yang bestnya, aku jumpa football living legend: Radhi Mat Din. Fuh! Itu la first time aku jumpa Radhi Mat Din live in person. Waaaa...ter 'starstruck' jap. :-P Bukan apa, dah lama jugak aku dok pikio, bila la nak jumpa legend kat sini? Akhirnya tercapai juaaa! Kuikuikuiii.. Anyway, tahap starstruck aku semalam tak kronik sangat. Tak sekronik masa interview Mohd Nidzam Adzha masa sekolah dulu. Haha (btw, aku masih simpan cerita interview ni).

Kitorang tiga beranak sampai rumah pukul 1 lebih kot. Lepas tu lepak depan TV pulak, layan 'Transformers'. Aku tengok mata Yatt steady je. Takde tanda-tanda letih pun. Ye la, kalau nak kira dia la paling banyak ulang-alik dari pagi sampai ke pagi lagi. Heran! Aku selalu tanya dia, mana la dia dapat energy? Heh, cayalah, Encik Ahmad! You rock!

He's decomposing

I got this in my inbox yesterday..

A tourist in Vienna goes through a graveyard and all of a sudden he hears some music. No one is around, so he starts searching for the source.

He finally locates the origin and finds it is coming from a grave with a headstone that reads: "Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827."

Then he realizes that the music is the 9th Symphony, and it is being played backward! Puzzled, he leaves the graveyard and persuades a friend to return with him. By the time they arrive back at the grave, the music has changed. This time it is the 7th Symphony, but like the previous piece, it is being played backward.

Curious, the men agree to consult a music scholar.

When they return with the expert, the 5th Symphony is playing, again backward. The expert notices that the symphonies are being played in the reverse order in which they were composed, the 9th, then the 7th, then the 5th.

By the next day the word has spread and a throng has gathered around the grave. They are all listening to the 2nd Symphony being played backward.

Just then the graveyard's caretaker ambles up to the group. Someone in the group asks him if he has an explanation for the music.

"Don't you get it?" The caretaker says incredulously. "He's decomposing."

Dia

Gadisku, termanis senyummu

Biarku telan selautan hempedu

Dialah gadisku selalu


"Gadisku" - Search (Mentari Merah Di Ufuk Timur; 1987)

All pixs by: Ahmad Riadz Mohd Radzi

This Solo, I Like

When it comes to guitar solos, the one in this song is among my favorites. The soulful solo was played by the amazing Vito Bratta.

"When The Children Cry" - White Lion (Pride; 1987)

In the late 80s, Bratta was hailed as the best new guitarist both by Guitar World and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazines. In 1997, three years after leaving White Lion, he injured his wrist while playing classical guitar. Sadly, the injury seems to not fully healed.

Another great solo was the one played by Eddie Van Halen in Michael Jackson's "Beat It". I listened to it many times while I was writing about Jennifer Batten some time ago. The great guitar goddess was among the musicians touring with Michael Jackson. Although missing some of the bends, Batten's version of that remarkable solo by Eddie Van Halen was a kick-ass!

Layan PUSA

Sejak Isnin aku dah start masuk ofis. Tapi sampai hari Rabu je. Itu la kot rutin aku buat sementara waktu ni. Hari Khamis sampai Ahad pulak aku lepak rumah. Tapi faham-faham je la, seorang rockin' mama yang tak reti dok diam macam aku ni. Bila nak lepak, ada je la idea datang nak menyibukkan diri. Hehe.

Sebenarnya aku tak ada idea gempak sangat untuk blogging sebab aku agak letih dua tiga hari ni. Tapi walaupun letih, aku happy. Dan bila aku happy, aku suka dengar lagu-lagu zaman aku tengah study kat Shah Alam dulu. Ala, lagu-lagu band-band yang dilabel dan dirangkumkan sebagai 'alternatif' back in the 90s tu laa. Sebab? Entah. Mungkin sebab zaman tu la 'time of my life'. Zaman happy-go-lucky. Dan apa saja yang ada kaitan dengan masa tu rasanya best-best belaka. Rasa happy tu berulang-ulang macam episod drama TV (kecuali drama 'Sembilu Kasih' dan yang se'Haslam' dengannya!) kalau aku layan lagu-lagu tu semua sekarang ni.

Dan ini antara lagu yang aku suka. Bassistnya guna bass dua tali, dan guitaristnya guna gitar tiga tali. Heh. Cute!

"Lump" - The Presidents of the United States of America aka PUSA
(The Presidents of the United States of America; 1995)



Lagu diorang "Peaches" pun cute!

It's About Pigs

My first work as a stringer in the journalism world was published yesterday. For some reasons, I was not that proud. Anyway, okaylah, for a start. Right? Btw, the article was about a pig abattoir. Heh.

Nasib baik Deena tak dengar aku jerit, "Yeay! Cite babi tu kluo kat paper!!...". Kalau tak, sure ada ulangan cerita siput khinzir . ;-P

Di Mana Penselku?

Kata Pablo Picasso,
"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web."

Kehidupan aku sekarang memang banyak mencetus emosi baru lagi mengilhamkan.
Dan tiba-tiba saja aku terasa nak melukis semula.
Di mana penselku?

Ke Penang Lagi

Yatt & I went to Penang last Sunday. Post-celebrations pulak? I guess so. And yes, sure sesat as always ("Mana Komtar tadi? Kat belakang kita, kan?"...). Haha. Both of us are not into shopping, but sometimes we do miss lazying around packed shopping malls such as those in KL. So there we were: Gurney Plaza. We had our lunch there (I had a very bad sore throat but cannot tahanlah bila tengok rootbir float A&W itu!) and later went to Chow Rasta. Besides Yatt "tapauing" his supplies of asam (suka bebenor dengan asam!), we bought these jewels:

We got these from our favorite second-hand book shop in Chow Rasta (except the books by Mick Wall & Lat). Err..btw, can somebody tell me why it is so hard to find 'Kasut Biru Rubina'? Sigh.

That night, Deena was toying around with our digicam and she saw some pictures that Yatt took during our trip to Penang. She also 'inspected' the mineral water bottles that we bought.

"Mama ngan Babah pegi mana tadi? Tengok wayang ye?!..". Deena asked with that tak puas hati look on her face. ;-P Haha, tu lah! Siapa suruh sekolah hari Ahad, cik!

(Pixs by Yatt & aku)

Bilardo: Bad Approach

Read this in the news the other day:
(The Star, 7 April 2008)

"England has not qualified for the European Nations Cup and has engaged an Italian coach, yet you adore English football so much. There must be something wrong with your approach then," said Argentina's World Cup-winning coach Carlos Bilardo on the obsession with the English Premier League (EPL) among most Malaysians.

Bilardo, who famously guided Argentina to World Cup triumph in 1986 with Diego Maradona as captain, said he was also against the creeping in of "English football culture" in his country.

His prescription for Malaysian football was this - "coach the coaches and look to Brazil, Italy and Germany, which have a healthy football culture."

"Send your young coaches."


**Btw, our home is no more Astro-less. All because of the coming EURO, and not forgetting after being forced to watch only RTM channels for days! Kat area rumah aku ni pasang bapak aerial pun payah nak dapat stesen TV lain dengan clear. TV siam dapat la. Haha! Dan kat area rumah aku ni jugak, kalau panggil kucing, silap-silap kambing yang datang! Jangan tak caya. Serius.

Kelmarin, Deena & Yatt berdiri kat pintu pagar rumah, nak panggil kucing-kucing kitorang balik. Sambil tu, Yatt pegang pinggan yang penuh dengan makanan kucing. Tup-tup, panggil punya panggil, bapak kambing yang macho dengan janggut sejemputnya yang berlari datang! Selamba je ajak konco-konconya pulak tu! Heheh. Ngeri siot!;-P

Siput Khinzir

Ini la budak yang tak suka sikat rambut kerintingnya.

Yatt & aku memang 'mengharamkan' penggunaan perkataan "babi" dalam conversation kitorang, especially kalau depan Deena. Kitorang bagitau dia "babi" tu perkataan tak elok, tak baik. So everytime kalau aku atau Yatt tersasul, memang la kena bebel dengan Deena.

Satu hari kitorang tiga beranak pegi makan malam kat satu restoran yang tempat makannya open-air. Tengah tunggu order sampai, tiba-tiba Deena tunjuk kat seekor siput babi yang tengah merayap penuh slow motion kat celah-celah batu.

Deena: Apa tu, Mama? Katak ke?
Aku: Tak. Itu siput. (Malas nak sebut siput babi. Kang kena bebel pulak)
Deena: Kataksiput ye?
Aku: Hisyy, budak ni. Apa pulak kataksiput. Itu siput. Katak lain.
Yatt: Itu siput babi la.
Deena: Haaaaa! Babah cakap babi! Tak baik! Babah cakap babi!
Aku: Ha! Tu Deena pun cakap babi jugak?
Deena: Mana ada, Babah yang cakap babi tadi tu!
Yatt: Mama pun cakap babi jugak apa?
Deena: Babah yang cakap! Babah yang cakap babiiiiiiii! (dah start mengamuk)

Bila la nak habisnya kalau berlabun camni kan? Hehehehe.. Last-last,

Yatt: Oklah, oklah. Babah silap. Yang tu siput khinzir, orait?
Aku: Takpun, siput *tut* Hehe.
Deena: Siput khinzir tu apa, Babah?
Aku: Siput ba...Err...nevermindlah! Haiyaaaaa...

;-P

We Are In The News, Baby!

Hello, people!
This rock n roll family is in the news today! ;-)

Check this out:
New Straits Times' pullout 'Tech & U' - 7 April 2008, pg.17

Thanks, Meen for choosing us for your wonderful piece. You rock, girl!

Updated! 11 April 2008
Click the following link for the published article:
Blogger's Say

6 Years Of Love And Trust

050402 - 050408
Livin' On A Prayer

It's our 6th year wedding anniversary.
Heheh.

Gambo memula tu masa malam akad nikah. Suci je rupa masing-masing. Hehe. Gambo second tu pulak masa kitorang still bertunang. Kontrol macho sikit sebab yang tukang tangkap gambonya ialah bakal abang ipar. Mana buleh lebih-lebih! Kwang, kwang, kwanggg!...

Anyway, to commemorate the blissful day, I would like to dedicate this song to my new husband..Ooops! Heheh..(familiar tak?). Sori, I terover excited - To my other half, Encik Ahmad Riadz.

Take it away, bebehs!
(Kualiti klip ini kurang memuaskan. Tapi, boleh la. Still kapakkkk!...)

Dihikayatkan...

Melayar bahtera cinta
Alun gelora
Menuju pantaian kasih
Penuh merintih
Abadikah kami di sana
Maya persada

Maya Persada - Lefthanded
(Qabul; 1988)


Pix by: Yatt

Lost in the Lost World

I'm a lil bit under-the-weather sejak balik dari Ipoh. Baru hari ni larat nak buat kerja atau apa saja la yang sepatutnya aku buat. Mood nak berblogging panjang-panjang pun takde, so later lah ye?

Agaknya aku demam teruk ni pasal lama sangat berendam kat sini kot? Heh. Agaknyalah.

Ini kolam ayor hangat.

Yang ni duyung kecik.

Da rockin' Mama & lil' rock chick.

Da rockin Babah & lil' rock chick.

Ini semua kat Lost World of Tambun. Dekat je dengan rumah aku kat Ipoh nun. Dulu area ni takde apa pun. Tempat jin bertendang. Dulu kawasan air hangatnya macam parit beso je. Pernah la jugak mandi kat situ dulu. Anyway, sesiapa yang tak pernah pergi tempat ni, sila la rajin-rajinkan diri korang untuk ke sana. Lagi cun dari Sunway Lagoon sebab tempat ni sangat natural lanscapenya, dikelilingi gunung-ganang menghijau.

On top of it all, balik kampung kali ni best sebab misi gastronomi kitorang tercapai sekali lagi (mee kari Merdeka Garden: Burppp!). ;-P

Remang Senja Alor Star

Mentari di ufuk barat
Menambah tua hari ini
Setiap musim yang berganti
Akhirnya berhenti di sini

Satu Tidur Panjang - Lefthanded
(Fanatisme; 1992)

(All pixs by: Moi)

Bak Kata Ramones, "I Don't Want To Grow Up"

Headbanger31 turned 31 on 31 March 2008. Alhamdulillah. After leaving Ipoh, thought of going to watch the Muay Thai World Championship in Alor Star last night, but end up celebratin' this at home instead. Takde celebrate gempak-gempak pun sebab aku tak berapa sihat. Masa kat Ipoh siap pegi klinik lagi lepas shopping CDs kat port wajib, Melody Music. And as expected, Deena was the party animal yang berlebih-lebih last night. ;-) Anyway, thanks for all the well wishes yesterday. You guys rock!

****

Kalau tak silap aku, Hari Kadet Polis pun jatuh pada 31 Mac tiap-tiap tahun. Kalau tak silap la. Aku dulu pernah la jugak jadi kadet polis ni masa sekolah dulu - Bukannya sebab terpengaruh dengan bapak aku, tapi sebab syok tengok Tony Leung Chiu Wai dalam cite ni kot? Hehe.

Ini lagu opening Police Cadet versi 1984.
Hail the 80's! Hail Generation X!