Annexe merdeka weekend collision

Sunday 31st August 2008, 12pm to 2pm Lecture. From Panji To The Present ~ A short history of sexuality in Malaysia and South East Asia by Dr Farish A Noor at the Annexe Gallery, Central Market.There’s loads of other stuff going on as well.

Was at class today and I was informed that there’s a makeup test tomorrow/Sunday/Merdeka Day, for both papers at 10am.

Which forced me to skip my friends wedding tonight and this

Sunday 31st August 2008, 12pm to 2pm Lecture
From Panji To The Present ~ A short history of sexuality in Malaysia and South East Asia
by Dr Farish A Noor at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market.

There’s loads of other stuff going on as well. Loads. Super for art enthusiasts. More info here.

Meant to meet Michelle Yeoh there, who is busy preparing the launch of ProjectMalaysia.org. Which is really really soon. :)

Revelation

It’s amazing how blessings come in disguise.

I’ve a conviction to be closer within grips of what’s important to me. :)

Tomorrow wayang buku at stella maris for cais

a quirky sequence of sketches begins with a version of the traditional puppet play with books as the protagonists, then Fahmi as a talk show host interviewing celebrities represented by books & then has a hilarious dialogue in which Azmyl tries to persuade Fahmi to buy a thick book which can be used for every

Wayang Buku at Stella Maris Library for CAIS Project
3pm Saturday 30th August Map here
For more info call Sau Bin 016 684 3063

.

I received a text from a fairly articulate chap who host’s the Fairly Current Show informing me about his much heard about performance, Wayang Buku.

Unfortunately, I’ve a test and an assignment deadline tomorrow. But I suggest you go. It’s brilliant.

This is what Sharon Bakar wrote about their (Fahmi Fadzil & Azmyl Yunor) performance at July’s Readings @ Seksan, the same one I spoke at,

It’s a quirky sequence of sketches which begins with a version of the traditional puppet play with books as the protagonists, then has Fahmi as a talk show host interviewing celebrities represented by books (How do you concoct the Malaysian recipe for harmony?) and then has a hilarious dialogue in which Azmyl tries to persuade Fahmi to buy a thick book which can be used for every reason it seems … apart from reading. Their performance ended up with a very laid back piece of A4 paper getting interviewed!

.

*Yes I was at that same event in Bangsar on Saturday 26 July to talk about RWP (pictures of that mad weekend here), but I had to go almost immediately after my slot for another slot in Taman Tun (Farish Noor’s book launch). Just so we’re clear that I’ve never seen the fireworks these guys bring. But in so far as I know, coming from their lot, it’s mad creative. Word around the camp fire concurs.

.

At KLue’s Urbanscapes in KL Pac

Malaysia fest darling harbour

Courtesy of Shaheera Djafar.

Malaysia Fest 2008 poised to impress

SYDNEY – One of Malaysia’s biggest events held annually at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour Sydney is once again poised to impress the public with its various cultural shows and a multitude of exotic food guaranteed to impress even the most discerning taste bud.

Known as M-Fest, the Malaysian Festival has been traditionally celebrated in Tumbalong Park, Darling harbour for the past 18 years. Through the years, the event has grown in its popularity and is known to the locals and tourists alike as an occasion filled with Malaysia’s splendid show of arts, cultures and magnificent food.

The festival will be held on Sunday, August 31st at Tumbalong Park, which coincides with Malaysia’s 51st Independence Day and would run from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Admission to the event is free and everyone is welcome.

The theme for 2008 M-Fest this year is aptly named “A Cultural Connection”. The theme represents and highlights the strong foundation of various interconnected cultures upon which the nation was built.

Taking pride of place is the array of Malaysian food which visitors would be able to sample, including staples such as satay, ‘teh tarik’ (whipped milk tea), and ‘roti canai’. Malaysian cuisine is a blend of various ethnic elements, such as the Malay-style ‘kampung’ cooking interspersed with aromatic Chinese and spicy Indian influences.

Visitors will also be entertained by various cultural shows, incorporating both traditional and contemporary Malaysian music and dance.

MFest is a wholly student-run event by enthusiastic Malaysian students from various local institutions such as the University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, and Macquarie University.

“We’re keen on displaying our resourcefulness,” remarked the Chief Executive Producer, Zurairi Abd Rahman. “We’ve proven that, despite being students, we’re capable of successfully organising an event of such massive scale as this and that’s something to be proud of. We have been very fortunate to receive great support from various Malaysian departments based here and other corporate organisations in making the event a truly remarkable showcase of Malaysian cultures. ”

Malaysia Fest is proudly brought to you by Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines, Student Magazines and Student Services Direct.

Admission to the event is FREE, and further details may be obtained from www.malaysiafest.com.au

*Courtesy of Shaheera Djafar.

The magic of buttons

I love adding my own touch to everything. My clothes, my food. I have to make it unique.

Imagine the excitement when I found these hand painted ceramic buttons on sale.

*Written by Miss Not Ascertainable. She writes for RA, about fashion, style & sorts, every Thursday.

Damaged intern

Suggestion: listen, not watch. I love songs that get me pumped. Especially sexy ones. When I heard the song below, it didn’t hit me what it was about. Just the way it sounded, was sexy. The beat, arrangement, composition. Note that I find the song sexy, not the video which was such a turnoff for me.

It occurred to me that when I was an intern at the ICRC, I was never asked whether I was familiar with the First Aid Kit. Not that bad of an irony, I suppose, being in the Academic Circles Unit. Good times.

Click here to find out more about the good work these people do.

I love songs that get me pumped. Especially sexy ones.

When I heard the song below, it didn’t hit me what it was about. Just the way it sounded, was sexy. The beat, arrangement, composition. Or whatever it is you music minds call it.

*Note that I find the song sexy, not the video which was such a turnoff for me. Suggestion: listen, not watch.

Damaged – Danity Kane

Highlight of my day

The first said, the highlight of my day is, when I was walking out of a hotel elevator and bumped into a woman’s bosom…and it was…soft.

There was a short hilarious one-off section called ‘The Highlight of My Day’ on BBC Radio.

The host would say ‘the highlight of my day’ and a guest would continue the sentence. The first said, the highlight of my day is, when I was walking out of a hotel elevator and bumped into a woman’s bosom…and it was…soft.

The second went,

the highlight of my day is, when I was walking out of a hotel elevator, and bumped into a woman’s bosom, and said, if your heart is as soft as your bosom, you would forgive me.

.

And she said, if your willy is as hard as your elbow, I’m in room 260.

Pictures: rwp wellington, eindhoven, kuala lumpur, melbourne, singapore

.

In Civic Square, Wellington. Photo by Alastair Smith

.

.

Read while Waiting Project

“To think that it was just an idea you had some 3 months ago to where it is now. You’ve done so much, am proud of you.”
- Miss Not Ascertainable

RWP first crossed my mind in early May 2008. While I was pushing my bike on the highway after it ran out of petrol. It was one of the best times of my life.

I’ve been a law graduate since December 2007, and could be earning perhaps RM2000 a month for an employer silly enough to pay me that kind of money. But I’m not.

Instead I’m a self-employed unpaid pseudo activist doing what I feel like doing and persuading as many people as I can reach, convincing them why they should listen to this madman.

Whether you commend or criticise the Read while Waiting Project, but henceforth at some point in your life, it has (even) subconsciously moved you to read as oppose to not doing anything productive with that time, I then, have achieved what I set out to do.

*All pictures you see here are also available on Facebook.

.

.

Melbourne

“I just left the place. Although tak ramai, I’m really happy with it. Ada dalam 6, 7 orang, and they are all totally strangers, grouped together to read books. Best douh. Thanks a lot bro. You taught me something there and I felt it.”
- Izhar Moslim

To promote the participation and awareness of RWP, RA has done 3 things (1st video, 2nd video & 23rd August flashmob) and have 1 more remaining. That is, the BookCrossing gathering.

It is where people, strangers and friends, would meet up to either loan or give away books. This gathering will be done in a few months time.

Below are pictures from Melbourne. It was coordinated by Izhar Moslim, who arranged for 400 RWP Pay It Forward Bookmarks to be delivered to Melbourne at the last minute via Afiah Hafiz.

.

.

Eindhoven

“P.S. = it was .. niceeee !!!”
- Chiara Mafucci

RWP has 2 main objectives
1. To see more people reading (any form of literature) whenever they wait
2. To make people more conscious of whenever they are about to go somewhere and know that some waiting will be involved, then bring something to read

Below are pictures from Eindhoven. It was coordinated by Chiara Mafucci. Chiara is from the south of Italy and works in Eindhoven. Zain HD had dinner with her in when he was in Eindhoven for one night (November 2007).

.

.

Singapore

“Hmmm..it’s raining here.”
- Sofiah Jamil

The reason why RA picked the ‘waiting’ element is because of the baby steps approach.

Don’t try to get someone who does not even read to start the habit, buying literature and/or set an over optimistic goal.

Below are pictures from Singapore. It was coordinated by Sofiah Jamil. She is researcher at the NTU Rajaratnam School of International Studies and co-founder of Itchy Traveller.

.

.

Kuala Lumpur

“Zain, great fun meeting you yesterday. Enjoyed the RWP. Let’s think of something fun for World AIDS Day please!”
- Marina Mahathir

The idea was to get a person comfortable with the idea of reading in the first place, and then what that person does subsequently, is up to them.

And the simplest way to do it, is to get them to not allocate a time of the day specially for reading, but to fill it in between things they already are doing.

Below are pictures from Kuala Lumpur (taken by Joshua Ong). It was coordinated by Zain HD of RA. He needs a break.

RWP also got picked up in New Zealand by two influential bloggers. Social commentator Paul Reynolds and former managing director & publisher of Penguin NZ, Graham Beattie. With the help from Paul, RWP was promoted on the Christchurch City Council Library Official Blog and the National Radio of New Zealand.

.

.

RWP is one of RA’s pro bono projects. Support our projects by donning these t-shirts.

Next Page »