Visited Kuala Kangsar with my parents and their friend for the first time yesterday, and all I have to say after 4 hours being there, it was a pleasant and peaceful place to be. Getting there was one heck of a journey, reminiscence of the arduous Langkawi trip. First destination in the Bandar Diraja of the state of Perak was a small fair or exhibition held in a hanger-like building by the Perak River. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a strange incantation which would make Paul Moss intoxicate with laughter, a woman was singing some Malay song which sounded as alien as... I dunno how to describe, but it all ended too soon before I could actually get a good look at what's going on.



Unperturbed by the melodious melee, my parents moved on to the main reason why we're in KK, to witness a small Orchid showcase at the corner. It was interesting though, my parents were so into botany and horticulture, so much life in it, while me, architecture, creating structures which are lifeless without humans, contradicting but also have an uncanny resemblence. Photos taken, business cards exchanged, potted plants bought, we then proceed to the Ubudiah mosque at the royal quarters of KK.



The mosque's presence was enormous, true to its purpose as a house of worship, a representation of God's almighty and power, just standing at the entrance makes you feel how tiny and insignificant you are in this universe. Inside, the high ceiling cooled the air. The soft carpet and and the cool ambience, calms the spirit down, allowing one to connect with Him. Geometry, symmetry, balance, repetition was everywhere, and opened in 1917, it had Moorish influence throughout the building, the era's design fad.

We left KK at about 4pm, it was a great trip. At least there's something for me to remember about this uneventful holiday.

Curiosity killed the cat... almost, well, that's the case for three curious and inquisitive lads checking out the new classrooms and studios located on the 8th floor of TCPJ. Those "lucky" three were Leon, Jun Keat and me, who were unaware of the chain of events that will haunt them for days to come. After spending a few moments chatting in one of the newly-partitioned rooms, we discovered that all the exits have been locked. Adrenaline made us circle around the place looking for any means of escape. Kicking and banging the doors proved pointless and we were faced with the prospect of spending the weekend with a green vending machine dispensing Nescafes and a silvery water-cooler. Funny ideas on how to get the hell out of there came out of us, which includes jumping out of the windows, if we're that desperate.

Fortunately, our panic-driven hands discovered a key that'll unlock a fire-escape, but it is encased in a glass and plastic cover. Thanks to the wonderfully long and hard car keys made by Proton (which usually allow us to illegally enter the studios), we managed to pry the front cover off, it was a blessing from the heavens. Interestingly, one of us decided to go find the guard and unlock the doors while the other two stayed behind, dont know why we did that but Jun Keat went off to look for the guard. Few minutes passed by until Jun Keat brought an unfamiliar guard for help. Surprised, Leon and me hurriedly lock the fire-escape that we managed to open and place the key back at its original place and act like helpless trapped babies stuck in a playpen. But the guard did not have the keys to open them, so he have to go search for the "chief" guard to get the keys. After a short wait, we were greeted by a face that had kept TCPJ safe for the past 6 months. It turns out that the "chief" were none other than the respectable Nava. Surprised to see us trapped behind those small windows , he laughed at our misfortune and gladly opened the door. And instead of scolding us like some primary school teacher, he adviced us to inform them if we want to look around and told us to forget about it. We then went our separate ways soon after that. Thank God.... For once I thought that Proton had done a good job in producing Malaysian-made products. But that's it, nothing more Proton, no more credits for you..

Scary but hillarious....

The title there doesnt mean anything at all.. I just feel like writing something tonight, still charged from the trip from Rompin, although feeling a bit under the weather after all those cold swims and windy evenings that comes after that...

Three days in a so-called villa by a beach was the right thing I need to end the semester, the worst semester throughout my stint at Taylor's... so far... Although most of the time there were spent on watching Peng Soon, Leon and Jun Keat playing WWE on PS2, there were some very relaxing and calm moments that will live in me for quite some time. Well, I didint get to sit on a beach bench (is that what they're called?), sipping on some teh O ais limau and listening to my favorite Mp3s but I got something equally nice. Sleeping in a hammock on a extremely breezy beach was mind-blowingly great, heaven on earth. Campfire by the sea, walking around the resort alone at night, riding a bike on the beach were some of the luxuries I will never see within the next few years.. If I'm lucky.. There were some lousy moments too, lousy cup noodles made us even more hungry than we should be, freezing evenings after long dip in the pool, getting the bike stuck in the sand... Nevetheless, they're priceless moments that'll stay with me..

Well, now back to civilization, the pathetic feeling is back.. Bloody hell.. Feeling sick, cold and tired in my room. Its funny why do people put themselves into so much torture like working and studying to make life as wonderful as living in a beach, but most never achieve it, some fall halfway. I'm not trying to be negative, but its quite true. We keep making ourselves too busy until we forget about those small little things, like clipping your nails, digging your nose, that makes us somehow strangely happier. Stop for a while and see things thru properly, maybe you'll laugh at whatever you've done, maybe you'll regret it, but one thing's for sure, you have to let go of certain things and learn from what happened. Oh yeah... lessons...

Its almost 1... Dammit, long day tommorow, need to pay summons, collect stuff and tonnes of other things that have kept me from enjoying my holidays. Oh well, life goes on..

This blog is more than a month old..

A month has passed since the over-staying in the studios began.
A month has passed since we actually started becoming serious about doing work.
A month has passed since we spent more than what we have.
A month has passed since we made the studio our second home.
A month has passed since I actually enjoyed a good home-cooked meal.
A month has passed since we started seeing less of our home and more of our work.
A month had passed since those Need for Speed gaming madness in the studio began.



A lot has happened, and when one looks back, its amazing how we managed to get through this. Its a torture, those late night drives and poor diet surely has taken a toll on us. But its funny that among all this madness, we will surely discover something we never thought would ever happen. Sitting in the studio with a bunch of tracing paper and stinky blueprints really got some of us crazy. The fact that we could have completed all the work in half the time we spent doing it in the studio makes me feel frustrated sometimes, but this negativity will always be compensated by the company I had while doing work in the studio, the friends that had gone through the toughest times with us. Almost 3/4 of the time we were there were spent on talking, laughing, joking and in some cases, video-recording how foolish and stupid we can be sometimes. This led to the creation of some nonsense that a boy-band crazed school kid would have thought of. Taking candid photos and recording videos kept our spirits up all the way. Apart from the mental meltdown we experienced frequently, I never thought that life in the studio actually brought most of us together, and made closer ties with some people. Dinner together, playing games that wasted most of our times, fetching and sending friends home... Surely something for me to remember.



The prom got us doing something that I think most of us in the studios have never done it together before, shopping for clothes. Not just any clothes, clothes that will make us look like a member of the upper crust of the society, temporarily of course. Undoubtedly, it was one of the most stressful thing anyone would go through, especially the girls. Some guys would just march into a shop and will be out in a couple of minutes with a full bag, some would try to see any other attractive deals around, some just dont have a clue on what they want. I was in the latter category. From Sungei Wang, to Mid Valley and finally to Lot 10, we were a bunch of clueless people walking from one shop to another only to return to the one visited before. This lasted for 4 tiring but unforgettable days. And I got myself something that made me looked like those city living-yuppies that cost me almost 2 weeks' worth of spending. I swear I wont be spending anything more than 100 bucks for the next couple of months. Its crazy but at the same time, wonderful. And then comes the prom night, didnt expect much at that night, although hoped that it'll go fine (it did go well). Eveyone was happy, the king and queen looked good that night and so was everyone else, dressed at their best. And I didnt leave empty handed, I got myself a brand new snow cap, a compass and a pen, kinda little, but what the heck.

Oh man... Gotta continue this some other time...