Oh yeah, I can play the piano! See the video below to believe me! Haha!
This video is actually taken on my 1st day of piano lesson yesterday! It's such a raw start I know.. but what a happy feeling!
This has been something that I've wanted to learn for such a long time now.. something I feel 'handicapped' for not learning it while much younger in my teens. We didn't come from a music based family :(
Even in my early working life, I didn't learn the piano - I was too busy with business at that time to have any of such 'learning' hobbies.
But now - that seems just like the right time.. yeah, the desire to learn is so strong that I have found time for it now!
For I want to be able to compose some songs - commercially, if possible. And get a better sense of music.
These is all part of my interests in the media, which of course, I hope to get into more.
And so for the start, this is my first baby step on piano learning... which adds on to me learning dancing & Mandarin :)
Recently did 2 short videos for the Berjaya Youth short film competition, with some friends.
This 2nd video also falls under the inspiring category.. and we aptly name it.. Teh Tarik 1.01: Life Isn't So Bad After All.
Thought we'd give it a twist with the name with Nasi Lemak having that 2.0 behind it Hahaha!
The song for this video was chosen to be upbeat, somewhat rather preppy to suit with the whole theme of the short film.
I recently came across this Kpop MTV & song.. and somehow got the inspiration for the next Pepper & Salt series. Cool dance moves & errr... very catchy tune.. tell me you won't be going EH EH after watching this MTV! Hahahaa!!! :)
*Btw I took the English translation of the song for the comic :)
Yay, so I got a new tee from the guys behind this cool Malaysian online tshirt company.. RekaTee!
Now, what I like bout this online site? Well, first u get to buy cool designs from Malaysian designers! Oh yeah, support Malaysian Art! :)
And for the designers - well, this is the good news... you can submit your design to the site, and actually get your design worn by many many customers! Oh and you get RM300 if your design gets printed too! How cool is that huh?
Sincerely believe this is something real cool to come from beloved Malaysia...! Malaysia online scene, really can only get better~! :))
The hokkien term - Walao eh is getting a 'new life' with the Nasi Lemak 2.0 movie..
And while at it, I thought I'd throw in this #bigmama hashtag that I've been seeing in our Malaysian twitter timeline.. (go figure & u'll then enjoy this! hahahaa!!!)
I've always been a fan of the Malaysian film industry.. there are a few 'epic' films that we have produced. I call them epic cos it kinda makes 'history', one way or rather.
High on my list is of course the big budget RM20 million movie Puteri Gunung Ledang.
But of late, I must say I'm also very proud of the Chinese movies from beloved Malaysia - such as Great Day (天天好天), Woohoo! 大日子 (this is the best to me!), and Ah Niu's 初恋红豆冰 Ice Kacang Puppy Love.
And next comes... Nasi Lemak 2.0!
I'm sure the first thing that comes to many people's mind is... "Oh oh, it's from that Negarakuku guy - Namewee!".
Yeah, the 'Eminen of Malaysia' who complains bout the country via his songs, and even made headlines in the nation for that!
And now, he's doing a 1 Malaysia movie.. "Wa lao eh, really ah?" The answer "Really wor!"
And it's that curiosity plus all the online & offline hype that makes me so wanna watch it too (and of course the fact, of supporting local movies, ehem ehem) :)
In this movie, Namewee plays a very close similarity from the personality we know - the daring 'local hero'.. just like what he does in real life - vulgar at most times, but with a purpose. And here, we do see the other side of 'him' too - one that's a lil more subdued.
So what I like bout this movie? Firstly, it's a comedy ala Malaysian style.. which has quite a bunch full of laughing moments.
There's lots of 'hidden messages' too. Just like his songs, Namewee has quite a fair bit of fun poking jokes in the movie too - at our internet, Tenaga, the foreign workers here in the country, etc. I can't help but compare this similarity to Jack Neo's poke-fun-at-Singapore movies though.
the cast
The cast played their roles well.. especially Karen Kong, who played the lead actress here. It was nice seeing this petite singer kinda grow & now act in her cutesy-and-funny role.
Oh, and it was rather cool too for Namewee to be able to get the other 'big guns' like Afdlin Shauki, Adibah Noor, Dato David Arumugan (Alleycats), Nadine Ann Thomas (Miss Malaysia 2010!) and even Kenny Chan & Chee Hood Siong from the Baba Nyonya series (& of course The Big Bibik webseries!).
While all is good, however, I'd prefer if the movie did not repeat some of the jokes, or didn't make some excessive behaviour of certain characters (the waiter with the tongue keep coming out for example). But I guess we can close an eye on these if we take the movie as a whole.
A good cast, funny script (which can never go wrong with Malaysians), well done publicity, this movie is most likely ready for success.
So my verdict? Boay pai lah! (ie not bad - in Hokkien)
Go 'eat' the Nasi Lemak if you are Malaysian.
Go 'eat' the Nasi Lemak if you want some laughter.
Go 'eat' the Nasi Lemak to support local film industry.
Go 'eat' the Nasi Lemak if you want to get some inspiration for your own Malaysian movie (ehem ehem!).
*Did the cast collage poster above from pics from the official website :)
Busy & challenging. That's the week so far.. both on work & also on the productions. Am planning to do some short videos/ film for a competition :)
However, as heavy it is, the week seems not too bad after all.. Well, Hooray to the lil joys in life.. & the pictures remembering the moments! :)
This is Milo dinosaur.. a drink I had after a rather heavy telephone call with someone who I think is somewhat misguided, selfish & rather rude. Anyway, that aside, this hearty drink did the magic - cooling me down.
Have u tried this drink? I was surprised that some of my Kay El/ Pea Jay friends didn't know bout it. It really is a must try! :)
This was my lunch on Tuesday. I was at this area called Taman Gembira. Now, interestingly, this place is not to be mistaken as its translation Happy Gardens, which is actually the area opposite it.
Btw, I like the area here - the road names & also the shop names are all very Smurf like.. like Happy Coffeeshop, Jalan Sukacita, Jalan Selesa etc etc. Soothing names - especially for the city!
Btw, yeah, I was happy (gembira!) having this pork rib noodles at a restaurant there :)
This is a stamp from an wedding invitation card I received. It's from my friends who are gonna get married - like next week!
While I've seen this (the self photo made into stamp) around for quite a while now, but it's nice to receive it from someone I know. I guess it's also my 1st stamp of such :)
On Wednesday, while in between meetings, I decided to go try this Chatime.. and see what's the hype all about. I was recommended the red bean with pearls. Now, I know what's with the long queue. The tea was yummy, and the pearls were too - the right munchy feeling when chewing.
I guess I'll be a fan - well, till the pearl milk tea bubble explodes, just like it did 10 years ago. Haha!
Oh, and on Wednesday - I tried some cooking too! It has been ages sinced I really cooked.. used to do it more often during my uni days. Ahh, the memories! Anyway, I had this not for breakfast, but dinner!
And I'd like to caption this photo as - "best things come in pairs!" :) 2 sunny side ups - the way I like eggs cooked, the huge juicy portobello mushrooms, and fresh homemade sausages!
Well, I guess in between all the heavy stuff for the week, I did manage to squeeze some happy moments.. and like most cases, it always brings joy looking back.
The week is still a fair bit more to go.. and I just hope to create more happy moments - big or small! May you too! :)
And I can't help but do a reflection of my life - more so of what I've done the past decade after college. I know I did a semi reflection post a while back (This Time, Last Years... And This Time, This Year).. but well, I can't help but to do a more thorough one... one that highlights the highs of the past few years..
PS: Not wanting to boast here, but really just a reflection :)
So, here are some mini achievements (jeng, jeng, jeng... hahaha):
1. Appearing in full page newspaper ad!
Ok, I must say I am so proud of this... I couldn't help smiling when I saw my pic on the papers. This happened on the MRT. Someone was reading the papers, and then when he flipped the pages, I saw a 'familiar' face. I wasn't sure at first.. but then it became clear...
I was on the newspaper! Full Page! Woohoo!
And so, like a lil boy, I went on to buy a few copies and gave them to my family members!!! Hahaha.
2. Appearing on the bus & MRT - Singapore & China too!
I did clinch a few more modeling jobs in Singapore - with the Pizza Hut ad appearing on the MRTs & busses in the city. Pity I didn't see those - but my friends did SMS me with words like "Hey, I'm seeing you here on the train/ bus".
Oh and the ad I did for HP - that apparently went exclusively to China! Oooooo!
3. Publishing 2 Dream Books & Meeting The PM!
Remember the moment when Pak Lah won with a big majority? And he 'was at a all-time-high'? Well, it was around then too that I met him.
I must say I was touched that he came to my booth - a simple set up at the KL Batik Convention/ Exhibition.. Meeting Pak Lah then was more sweet because some of the people around him were actually blocking his view to my booth (that's another story), but yet he came by! DOUBLE WIN!!! Hahaha!!!
4. Getting Forewords by Ministers!
In 2007, I wrote an updated version of the book - and lucky me, I actually got some Malaysian leaders to write forewords for this book... including the then Tourism Minister, Tengku Adnan & also the then Minister of Culture Dr Rais Yatim.
Oh do I know them personally? Or have friends who know them? Errr.... no, I don't... and so getting those forewords were really sweet.
5. Producing a Webseries!
I've always been keen on going into productions (I still am!).. and in 2008, I had the opportunity to produce one.
The most memorable part about this? Well working with actor Kenny Chan who is an actor whose shows I watched when I was a kid!
6. Getting Featured on Magazines! (& Newspapers)!
Ok, I love being featured (ehem, ehem).. So of course, I'm happy to be featured in a few newspapers & magazines both in Malaysia & Singapore, English, Chinese & Malay.. for the works that I've done! :)
The very first article that I've been featured on...! (I still have the original copy hehehe)!
7. Being Men's Health Finalist & Category Winner!
I joined the Men's Health competition in Singapore - had a good time, took some very cool photos, made some very cool friends... and won a prize as well!
Oh, and apart from being featured on some outdoor ads, they even featured me in the papers for the win! :)
8. GoneTo Germany!
One thing I enjoyed a lot the past decade is the many travels I had..both for business & leisure. I've traveled to fair bit of places in Asia. For a while it seems that I would not be able to travel out of the continent (minus Australia that is).. but then came Frankfurt, Germany for the International Book Fair!
And that is the furtherst I've traveled so far! :)
9. Interviewing Celebrities (& Working With Some)!
Interviewed Jaclyn Victor in Singapore!
Some of my projects like the 50+1 Malaysia book saw me interviewing a list of Malaysian personalities & celebrities... and that was a good awesome feeling. Mainly so cos some of them were really inspiring - and yet very humble too! (of course, there are the negative & big headed ones... but hey, let's look at the bright side here :) ).
10. Started & Sold A Business!
This is the more serious side of me.. the book distribution business which I founded in Kay El has been sold after 1.5 years of hardwork. I'm proud of this as it goes to show that if you do something well enough - it can have value.. and provides a good exit strategy for the entrepreneur!
11. Organising An Online Reality Show!
While this is one of the projects that sure gave a big challenge, but hey, I can proudly say that I actually did an online reality show - Web 2.0 style.. Project O&O!
Memories here? Prema Yin singing the theme song - Fight, judges coming for the event finale.. and simply being part of 'history'! :)
Now, while I listed 11 happy moments/ accomplishments, but there are many more happy things that I've achieved in my 30 years of life - especially those small ones too.
I had a pretty happy 30 years. Life really has been good so far.
But of course, there are many things which I wished I had done as well. However, I'm not regretting.
Instead, I know I have more to achieve in the coming years. There are way many others out there who achieved far greater stuffs than me before hitting 30. I still find myself a lil behind, but catch up is on the way!
Owh, I can't wait to go ahead & accomplish more things & dreams this coming decade!!! Stay tuned - and may you continue to share this journey of mine! Hehehe :)
