Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts

Friday, February 18, 2011

Apabila Kau Bangga Jadi Orang Kuantan

Setelah mendapat suapbalik yang memberangsangkan daripada rakan aku yang turut gemar memblog, aku ingin menaip satu lagi rencana dimana aku cuba mengeluarkan segala rintihan minda dengan rawak. Sebagai contoh, rakan aku ni rasa diri dia comel padahal tak pun. Hmm. Ada lah comel sikit tapi sebab keinginannya untuk menunjukkan kecomelan dia kat semua orang membuatkan dia tak comel. Lain kali, cuba kurangkanlah kecomelan kau tu. "Keh keh keh."
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Ada apa dalam nama? Okay, tengok perkataan "kerajaan." Kita semua boleh setuju bahawa kata dasarnya ialah "raja." Dalam konteks salasilah kesultanan Melayu, raja dikaitkan dengan berkuasa mutlak; barangsiapa yang "derhaka" kepada raja akan dihukum sekeras-kerasnya; buang negeri boleh, hukum bunuh pun boleh. Jadi, sesuaikah kita guna "kerajaan" dalam konteks pasca-merdeka dimana raja dan sultan ditakluk oleh perlembagaan dan sistem demokrasi berparlimen menjadi tunjang kepada sistem politik negara? Aku percaya tak sesuai. Jadi kita balik ke soalan pertama aku: ada apa dalam nama? Sesuatu perkataan bukan hanyalah sesuatu perkataan; sesiapa saja boleh guna perkataan tu dan mendefinisikan mengikut kehendak mereka. Dengan itu, aku rasa penggunaan "kerajaan" dalam "Kerajaan Malaysia" masih memberi ilusi bahawa Kerajaan Malaysia mempunyai ciri-ciri yang berkaitan dengan sistem feudalisme yang banyak merugikan rakyat bawahan, beratus-ratus tahun dahulu (sistem sultanan-pembesar-rakyat di sini samalah dengan sistem feudalisme di Eropah pada Zaman Gelap. Sejarah Tingkatan 4, beb!). Cadangan aku? Tukar je "kerajaan" dengan "pentadbiran;" jika dibandingkan dengan Bahasa Inggeris, "pentadbiran" lebih sinonim dengan "government" berbanding dengan "kerajaan" yang lebih sinonim dengan "kingdom." Logiknya, itulah kerja ahli-ahli DUN, ahli-ahli parlimen, senator-senator dan menteri-menteri: mentadbir negara!
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Hari ini, suhu telah mencecah 17 Celcius & matahari pun terik. Maka, aku gembira. Nak buat macam mana, aku orang tropika. Panas bahang & hujan lebat adalah hidupku.
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Apabila kau bangga menjadi orang Kuantan, kau tak akan mencampak tin Milo dari kereta kau kat Jalan Beserah. Apabila kau bangga jadi orang Kuantan, kau akan mengambil inisiatif untuk tau kenapa Nasi Minyak Tanjung Api lagi best daripada nasi minyak-nasi minyak yang lain kat dunia ni. Apabila kau bangga jadi orang Kuantan, kau terus dapat bayangkan keindahan panorama Teluk Chempedak bila seseorang sebut namanya. Apabila kau bangga jadi orang Kuantan, kau tau jumlah roundabout & kopitiam yang ada kat bandar ni. Apabila kau bangga jadi orang Kuantan, kau dapat rasa ketenteraman setiap pagi bila kau bangun nak ke sekolah atau kerja. Aku bangga jadi orang Kuantan - aku menangis selama 10 minit (benda yang jarang berlaku dalam hidup dewasa aku) dalam rumah aku kat Semambu, mengenangkan memori-memori indah yang berlaku selama 7 tujuh tahun aku menetap kat sini. Sejauh mana aku pergi dalam hidup ni, aku tau yang aku akan mengakhirinya kat Kuantan.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Winter '10 Movie

Another break, another round of movies to be watched but this time it's a bit of everything: movies I've watched in the fall, classics that I've watched before & movies that I watched in my flights to-and-from Malaysia; not to mention the controversial Amir Muhammad film, Lelaki Komunis Terakhir! Now, to get my hands on Apa Khabar Orang Kampung...
  1. Shaft
  2. Slither
  3. Code 46
  4. eXistenZ
  5. The Town
  6. Piranha 3D
  7. Taxi Driver
  8. Black Swan
  9. The Square
  10. Outsourced 
  11. The Tourist
  12. The Descent
  13. Battle Royale
  14. House Of Usher
  15. Shadows & Fog 
  16. The Expendables
  17. Eastern Promises
  18. The Last Exorcism
  19. Drugstore Cowboy 
  20. A Clockwork Orange
  21. Dinner For Schmucks
  22. The House of The Devil
  23. Lelaki Komunis Terakhir (The Last Communist)

Monday, January 4, 2010

Travelogue Miami: A Collection Of Random Memorable Moments

Inspired by Shazwan's obsessive-compulsive desire to record every interesting non-touristy moment during our travels in Texas, I did my own travelogue for the recent winter break trip to Miami, FL added with some interesting statistics (no entry for December 28 since I totally forgot about keeping tabs with my journal).

December 27
  •  1:37 pm} "Gun or no gun, don't go." - desk staff Charlie's take on visiting Little Haiti.
December 29
  • 9:04 pm} Our Key West tour guide Pieter "hijacked" a Toyota Yaris that blocked our tour bus and moved the car to an adjacent lane.
December 30
  • 8:02 am} I got scolded by the scary hostel housekeeper ("Don't make no mess!") for misplacing the sugar although it was only 2 inches from its original postion. Boycotted the next seven free meals the hostel offered.
  • 12:27 pm} "Don't you ever show that knife at me or I'll shoot your fucking head off!" - A police officer's response to a hobo who literally showed at knife at him on Ocean Drive.
  • 4:37 pm} Two African-Americans, presumably poor, were at each other's throats on the bus as one of one them was clearly unhappy at the other for showing-off a.k.a. being a "bad boy."
  • 7:50 pm} Shanaz got barked at by a dog for running to the public bathroom.
  • 10:27 pm} Govind kantoi going out alone to the ocean front by hiding behind a traffic light post while the rest were at the hotel.
  • 11:14 pm} Ganu put down three Queens after Na'el put down two Queens while playing bluff.
December 31
  • 2:05 am} Shulhi lost bluff three times in a row; had to gulp down the wretched peanut butter smoothie.
  • 11:43 am} Saw a hobo sunbathing by the coconut trees at Ocean Drive.
  • 1:47 pm} "Well, yeah I had to endure the wrath of the cleaning lady" - dorm roomate Nik after being taught a lesson in cleanliness by the aforementioned cleaning lady.
  • 2:40 pm} Saw an African-American, presumably in his 20's, belting out an R&B song by the sidewalk on Ocean Drive.
  • 3:56 pm} Aizuddin & I saw our first orthodox Jew driving an SUV at Washington & 5th.
  • 4:05 pm} "Yesterday my friend Stephanie called & asked 'What should I wear?' and I said, 'A dress of course!'" - some random woman by the beach.
  • 4:53 pm} Got bitten by the first mosquito seen in Miami.
  • 5:09 pm} Aizuddin & I noticed that Ari & Harris' hostel is "smoker central."
January 1
  • 12:42 am} "I'm not yelling at you!!!" - One dude, very high/drunk, yelling at his friend.
  • 2:00 pm} Ari kena burger on South Beach!
  • 10:28 pm} Aizuddin's attempt at throwing a water bottle into the trash can failed, despite his experience at playing basketball.
January 2
  • 3:54 am} Aizuddin was rambling about how the hostel desk staff white-out our names from the guest list soon after he woke up from his nap at the airport.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Winter '09 Movie Marathon

Hi there people! 'Tis a long time since I've updated my blog as I was pretty much committed to my academia this autumn & it's been going well. I have a couple of interesting posts coming up celebrating the end of the noughties but I'll leave you first with the list of movies I'll be watching before & after my trip to Miami, Florida (because I'm not that rich to stay there for three whole weeks); not as sophisticated as my summer list but I need to catch up on some of 'em.
  1. Otis
  2. Jaws
  3. Gadoh
  4. Choke
  5. The Eye
  6. Memento
  7. Dark City
  8. District 9
  9. Waking Life
  10. High Fidelity
  11. The Hangover
  12. Public Enemies
  13. Batman Returns
  14. Minority Report
  15. Sherlock Holmes  
  16. Dial 'M' For Murder
  17. Crank: High Voltage 
  18. North By Northwest
  19. Paranormal Activity
  20. Tim Burton's Batman
  21. Terminator: Salvation
  22. The Blair Witch Project
  23. Blade Runner (Director's Cut)