holiday with grandma

check out the lim family photo - my dad's side siblings and my grandma, cool strong grandma who's not aged at all! it was totally a surprise that we get to visit grandma this trip back to sibu, coz usually it's a 2 hr drive from home, and another 2 hr boat ride. not the most comfortable journey. 'cuz love came for a visit, and my folks thought that since there's a new road built into our kampong, we should drive up and check it out!
my dad couldn't stop saying "never in my life i've ever dreamt that i could actually drive back home!" imagine..his childhood days where he had to take hours of long boat to get to town, can b reached via 30 mins drive now. the pic me n grandma stood n laughed was taken on that road, most of it is already tarred.

a trip to the jungle!

finally, get to put the photos up! it's been awhile. one of those days that i was dying to get closer to the nature, somehow this little treat drops down from the sky. a birdwatching session with the malaysian nature society! so a few of us decided to get up at 7am, gathered at the kota damansara forest reserve, bird watched, and went on a little trail. it's definitely not the toughest trail i've been on (record would still b that 2 hr trail i took with love years back, with only one bottle of water in our hand, filling it up with river water as we walk, n finally reaching to the big big waterfall at the end. tough walk man.) but the best part is doing the trail with a group of friends whom i've never been in this environment with. always hanging out with these city folks at mamaks, restaurants, movies, homes, never on a nature walk. so it was fun-lah!

tutuplah satu lagi fasa.

Recently, someone dear dreamt of someone dear dies. mayb she got worried and so she went online and checked out what it meant - the dream that is. to her relief, she told that someone dear, 'u're dead in my dream, means in real life, you are moving into a new chapter of ur life.' probably something major.

let's just say, someone may have dreamt that i died recently, but haven't gotten to tell me yet. =)

reading the very first entry of this blog - yes, i was right, it has been one year since i quit my job and decided to go for a 2 months long break, followed with the decision to freelance and not take any full-time job. how do i fair after one year? well, the first few months, i worked, thinking that as long as i earn the minimum i could probably survive. let me share with you an advice, as long as you are not paid for that job u did, u don't consider earning a single cent in that month. it was only till few days ago that i received payment to some of the jobs i did 6 months back. my luck got better after those months of can't-afford-to-pay-rental, i took up a contract job which secures me for 4 months. although doing the same thing still, which was editing, but i was happy - with the people i work with, and the vibe of the job. it may not be a socially conscious type of project (u know, like berkobar-kobar change the world and make it a better place), but the experience was a peaceful one for me.

then i ask myself, what was more important? to work on a project that means something but have to struggle with the people whom u work with, or to work on a no-brainer project but happy in the process of doing it?
at one glance of course working on a good cause is more noble than just being complacent with a job. (here i'm referring to 'harmless' jobs, not porn or shows that degrade people. then again, 'harmless' is subjective one may say.) but is it really? how do we find the balance?

anyways.. i wasn't planning to talk about my job in this entry.
i'd just like to mark the temporary closing of my freelance edit life. going back home tmr, H.O.M.E. *mix emotions but mostly glad*. when i come back, i'll be working on a new project which i get to do a different role this time.

on top of everything, a recent forwarded email reminded me of how important it is to balance our lives and not get too indulged with the ongoings, especially job & money. at the end of it, what is our purpose in this world?

tell a story yo kippy!

i had these photos on my desktop for the longest time. finally i get to upload them.
and yes, loads have been going on, but within the perimeter - meaning, i'm still here in PJ. =)

check out kippy's tales - a storytelling session done by a group of us for the kiddos.
and watch out for the second one coming up in october!!

you've got tubed!

REALITI on 8tv 3rd sept onwards 10pm. catch this 2min trailer here.

this old man...

a pic i took when was in the mountains. :) there's something wrong with my camera's focus lense, though it turned out bit blur, i like the effect.. kinda dreamy n all.

hey stranger.

The funny thing about a job as an editor is, especially when you edit a long-form series, you feel as though you see a lot of the actors (well, practically you can recognize every frame of their face muscle's movements after 10 episodes!) because you repetitively watch them as you edit, and it creates a false idea that you know them........ but you actually don't!

When I went for the wrap party the company had, I felt so familiar with the actors - their voices, their gestures, (except for some I didn't expect to be really short - camera angles make them look tall) etc, but they don't really know you (the editor) exist. of course, after some introduction, they usually would go, "aah.. you the editor". and yes, I know what you tried to do when you think the camera is off or when you forgot your lines. This reminds me of a funny actor who found out that the editor, me, is a girl - so being a cheeky person as he is known for, everytime the director shouts 'cut', he'll pops up from nowhere and greets me! IT'S FREAKY OKAY. Until one day, I saw him at the studio and smiled at him, thinking in my heart if he knows I'm the editor he's been greeting to.

This morning I was introduced to one ex-Miss Malaysia, actually the second one in the past month. I smiled as I shook her hand, thinking, maybe to strike a small talk, I could say "Hey, I've edited you." Did that once to somebody I can't recall, but the conversation didn't go very long. I mean, what do I expect right? If someone you've not met in your entire life suddenly come to you and say, "Hey, I saw you on the newspaper and I cut your face out to keep it in my scrapbook," what would you react right?

Geezz, quite a scary thought, ain't it?

over!

The show I edited is called "realiti". and finally... I managed to steal some stills, and blog it. =P going on air first week of september. can't wait! ;-)

...

When asked for a definition of a pure heart, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “The pure heart is one that is entirely cut away from self. To be selfless is to be pure.”

cheese!

some people like to take solo pic - you know, those with the camera phone usually secretly enjoy shooting themselves; some hate taking pictures because they think they put on 10 pounds on photos; some like posed pictures like those we shoot in the studio - yupp those photoshopped or professionally air-brushed pics; some like natural snapshots to capture 'the' moment; some like it black and white; some like it well-composed; some like to store them digitally, and some just had to print those special ones to remind them of someone special...

these are just some group photos i had in my iphoto-album with my family - in sibu, and my pj community i depended on for the past 6 yrs, and my baha'i family i met for one day in baguio, and of course my friends who have been as close to me as family.

ps. time to take more new pics. hehe.

ah, my first room

this was my first office! i suddenly found the pic. there's a number 2 but i dun hav the pic. will post it. they kinda look the same after awhile.. but number 2 i got a big nice couch. *grin*

work space

if you're wondering what i've been up to, it's just been work! work! work! 9am i wake up in the morning, leave my house at 9.45am, reach work at 10.30am, make my tea, put some hand lotion, n there you go... me - the mouse - the keyboard. non stop until 8pm. i never used to like staying until after 7pm. maybe i thought since i'm just gonna be with this company for a couple of months (i should finish up in another month's time), thus no harm staying bit late. and there IS lots of work. i'd love to put up some stills of the tv series i'm cutting now. it's called "realiti", a malay/english local drama about 5 finalists and their stories.
it's been fun so far, and definitely a warm working environment. although i dun interact much with the other colleagues except with my mr.mac (ironically, one of the characters is 'mac' too), i must say the people here are nice. =) the whatever stereotyped impression of 'production people'... i dunno, maybe i'm just lucky i havn't met any real nasty ones.

aight. 12.30am, another hour i should be in bed, says routine.

can't wait to get out of asia`!

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

the bride and the hens

besides working really hard, the other 'big event' that happened is a good friend of mine recently got married. the girlie frens got together and had a smashing hen nite, pretty fun with special spa treatment for the bride, and some incantation that our mother hen led us into, also sharing of memories... we havn't got together for some time, n each has their hearts set on different things and at different places. so we definitely gotta cherish what we've got.

surpRISe!

my jungle boy got someone to deliver these beautiful flowers to me few days back. it was an attempt to surprise me as i've always joked how predictable he can be when it comes to buying gifts. this time, the florist had to call me for directions to come to my office, as early as 9am when i was still in bed! as you can see, the surprise didnt quite turn out. *smilz* nevertheless, it was still a beautiful anniversary despite the umpteen times my colleagues came knocking at my door, teasing or giggling at me.

during my adolescence, i came across this magazine that asked, what would u prefer - anticipation or surprise. some people love the feeling of anticipation, it is a blissful period as you are filled with hope and your heart is dilated with joy, anticipating the coming of something good. it is a period, not a day, or an hour, or a minute, which usually is how long a surprise would take. i asked myself why most people love to be surprised when that excitement is short-termed, while anticipation serves longer.

a girlfriend of mine was planning to surprise a good friend of ours who's getting married, by showing up at the hen nite which she told that she would not be able to attend due to family commitments. because she came back from some place far, it is only seemly that the girls should spend quality time together at this wonderfully planned party. the bride was of course not too happy of her absence, and definitely disappointed. my theory is this, even if the surpriser turns up on the night of the party, the bride may just feel excited for that moment, but before the day arrives, she will only remember the disappointment, letdown by her close friend. SO, for that one moment of "surprise!!", is it worth it to risk breaking someone's heart? maybe not so serious, maybe just a tinge of bitterness.

it turns out... when the surpriser touched down at the airport, she found the bride waiting for her to pick her up, taking the opportunity to catch up as the bride still thinks that the surpriser won't be there at the party. when she sees her at the doorstep, they were thrilled. then i think to myself, how beautiful their friendship is. what bitterness? when the heart is open and ready to love, u will forgive, and u will continue to give. coolness.

today, a darling friend of mine came back from a land far east, and surprised me while i was having dinner at an open air stall. i haven't been surprised for a looooong time, HA! and i literally jumped up and we screamed, we hugged. i actually had goosebumps. man, is that why people like to be surprised? that adrenaline rush. *phew* well, tho the excitement was temporary, the joy stays.

looking forward to my next surprise. :-)

girlfriends

I have always commented that I have more male friends than females. Maybe it was my character (more boyish, direct or even rough), maybe I find the male species easier for me to be frank with (I'm more wary if I'd say something wrong to a girl and hurt her feelings), and somehow I always just end up hanging out with guys, more than girls.

Seeking myself deep down, I put the barrier maybe because of unpleasant experiences I have with girlfriends. maybe because of a certain expectation we have for each other when a group of girls come together and call themselves 'best friends'. I probably was rather hurt or dejected then, which till today, I'd rather spend my free time with boys who mostly don't dwell on petty matters and just enjoy their company.

It is a fear I should overcome, with grace, detachment and courage. After all, over the years I have had many close girlfriends who deeply touched my heart, and still are.

Last night, I couldn't get any of the boys to have dinner with me, but I knew I wanted to spend it with friends I hardly see. So I called up two female friends of mine whom I used to work with and eventually became good friends with, we had dinner at one of the girls' house, and just catch up bit about work and things we've been up to. Though they're like a decade older than me, but I was surely grateful to have sisters like 'em who do look out for me, and advise me. We laughed, teased, cheered and it was just joyful to be together.

Later online, I got a belated birthday wish from my friend, Sheila, who's also like a sister to me: [edited]

Darling, Ah-gerl!
Happy Birthday!!! You deserve a really happy, relaxing, stress-free, loving day for a present from the Powers that Be.... (not me ah!) You are a very .... [self praise is no praise i guess, haha] I love you very much and wish only the best for you. I wish i could give u a BIG HUG right now... miss you girl!!! (getting all emotional nowlah!)

Take care of yourself and be good, ok?? I love you.

============== I miss you too!

It's a beautiful friendship when you know you are excited to see your friends. and to all the many girl friends who have touched my life (yes... many of you), I want to thank you for your love, your patience, your gentleness, your warmth, your laughter, most importantly, for being there.

some changes.

- it's May, half a year has passed. 12th day of Ridvan: He continued His journey to Constantinople on this day 143 years ago.
- my fren clarice actually bunked with me for more than a month, (and amazingly she actually didn't get onto my nerve at all!) and today she moved out. coming back to my room, suddenly feels like there's more space, less things. also less one person to talk to.
- a new housemate, young chap who works in some wireless broadband company. looks like internet will be free under this roof.
- officially drove to bukit bintang to work for one month now. i survived, and am still enjoying it.
- a year older i am. instead of an open mic like the past 2 years, i had a game night with friends. no difficult-to-prepare food, just nice companionship, and friends together. :)

my travel bug is slowly creeping back, itching me to go somewhere. some island would be perrrfect.

visiting love II

a quick visit to the beach - a place i once used to hang out with other teenagers when I visit Bintulu.

visiting love I

Location: Palm Oil Estate in Sarawak
Job Title: Waste Manager
Job Description: to make palm oil compost. to increase per day output from one ton to ten tonnes
(pic above: driving in a ninja cruising in town, house behind is company's 'hotel' which he visits when he comes to Bintulu)
(pic below: adding 'dirty water' to the fibre, among some of the manual work he has to do)

cuzzies before n' after.

When I went back for my grandparent's big birthday bash, I realized I haven't seen some of my family members for quite some time, mainly these cuzzies. The family gathering was nice, with rOsh meeting all the folks for the first time, and my cina-gang all trying to speaka-england to him, it was hilarious. One of my uncle who reminded that east malaysian only adopted malay 10 years after west malaysia, thus all the folks his age can still speak good english. His best joke was "the reason we can speak london is because our family is from U.K = ulu kapit" (kapit is a small town upriver, 3 hours away from sibu. people usually go there as a stop to travel further into the interior which can only be accessed by river)

:)