AT THE SPEED OF NOOR

So I watched IMAGINUR with my friend F recently.  The movie reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in terms of subject matter and editing. Everything feels like a dream... but what if it actually is? Or worse,...what if it isn't?  The story follows Zuhal, a middle-aged writer trying to navigate his world which runs like a broken record (or, in the words of a hypnosis specialist in the movie - like a burger in which he is stuck) as he faces people and situations that make him question everything and everyone he thought was real. If you like sci-fi dramas with a dash of philosophy/existential crisis, it's worth watching!

Went to jrock.my 's #jrocktamashii  over the weekend, and boy did I enjoy it. It was my first time attending this so I was a bit nervous (also because I went alone), but I had so much fun hanging out with fellow Jrock fans and anime/comics/game (ACG) weebs that whatever anxiety I felt just flew out of the window. Even though I was older than most of the people in the audience, I didn't feel out of place at all.

On the 2nd last day of the group art exhibition Clouds Over the Poppy Garden as She Runs on Grass! , 11 performance artists participated in a 'conversation' between the artworks and poetry. I haven't been to a poetry gig since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so this was a lovely afternoon surrounded by good company and good vibes. I really enjoyed it :) The Performers The list of performers were as follows (in alphabetical order):  Poetry :  Abigail Lim Afi Noor Aiman Azri Dhabitah Zainal Effa Qamariani Kanchana Sirikit Rozhana Azra Swit Marie Umar Aziz  Music :  Azreena The Performances The event started near the entrance of Temu house, with Umar telling stories from childhood and on married life, accompanied with some flute playing.  We then moved on to the Poppy area, where Effa weaved tales of sensuality and self-love. Dhabitah performed after, sharing her thoughts and feelings about her father, space, and self-acceptance (which made the Poppy artist, Xeem Noor, ...

Clouds Over the Poppy Garden as She Runs on Grass is a 3-part collaboration between artists 🌺 Xeem Noor (Poppy), ☁️ Shiela Samsuri  (Clouds) and 🏃🏻‍♀️ Cassielelolea  (Runner) and nature in February 2023. Xeem is a multitalented artist and a dear friend whose work I have long been a fan of. We got closer since the pandemic started so I was able to witness her creative evolution online, so being able to see her work in physical form is incredibly exciting.  When I found out she will be displaying some of her work inspired by her time in residency in Spain, I couldn't wait to see all of them in real life.

Just some Grab (an e-hailing car service) stories: 1. I had to wait The other day, the Grab I requested was stuck in traffic, which meant that what was supposed to be a 10-minute ride turned into a half-hour wait. When the driver finally arrived at the pickup point, he apologised profusely for the delay, all the while calling himself 'Uncle'. He looks like he's probably just a few years older than me though. I was about to correct him when I remembered how male Grab drivers tend to get chatty/intrusive when you are friendly to them, so I just shrugged it off. Does he genuinely think I'm his daughter's age or is this a new strategy to attract customers or something? 😅 2. He had to wait Had to Grab to the office today. I accidentally left something behind while walking towards the car, so I apologised profusely to the driver - a man who looks like he's around my father's age - for making him wait.  Him: "Tak perlu, lady boss jangan cakap sorry" (No ...

It took over 2 decades for me to be diagnosed with ADHD.  On one hand, I'm relieved that I wasn't imagining my intellectual/mental/emotional struggles, and that I'm not alone in this. On the other, I'm angry that I've been punished/mocked all this while for things beyond my control, because my brain just works different. While I am fortunate to have parents who made sure I got extra support in my education because they saw I couldn't learn like other kids, I still grew up beating myself up for not being able to focus and be calm/punctual/organised/etc like other people (which makes me work harder so that I can 'function normally', causing me to be anxious all the time). Somehow I survived being neurodivergent in an ableist world... but at what cost?

Oto-Na-Ri revolves around 2 neighbors who only 'communicate' with one another through their connecting paper-thin wall. One is a photographer and the other is a floral designer, both passionate about (and en route to) pursuing their dreams. The Basics Movie: Romantic Prelude / Oto-na-ri / おと・な・り Director: Naoto Kumazawa Release Date: May 16, 2009 Runtime: 119 min. Genre: Drama / Romance / Youth Language: Japanese Country: Japan Source: Asianwiki My Review A pithy review doesn't do the movie justice, imo.  I almost wish I could rewatch it and do a thorough literary analysis about the depth and portrayals of its characters, the framing of scenes, the metaphors and symbolisms, the music/sound effects, the pace, the colors, the writing. It feels like I just watched a recorded version of a 2-hour play performed on an elaborate (real-world) stage.  It's beautiful in its plainness and hits like a mild slow-brew, leaving me with a lasting, satisfying aftertaste. The ending was ...

I've gushed about this Webtoon series last year while it was ongoing, and after months of not reading Webtoons, I learnt today that the series is complete so I read till the end and decided to write a review on it.

Huda and I haven't been able to organise any physical MY Artjamming sessions in months, so when my childhood friend Yas (also a regular for MYAJ), asked if there would be an artjamming session for the new year, Huda reached out to a few regulars to ask if we were up for a virtual artjam. Yes!, of course we were.

A long-time friend who knows me better than most people recently told me (as I was writing down our food order) that the way I held the pen reminded me of the way I drew when we were younger, and how she wished she could draw like me. Context: She's a professional painter and has been in numerous exhibitions, so while I appreciated her sweet compliment/gesture, I can't bring myself to believe her. Not because she has ever lied to me or anything — what she said just doesn't make sense to me. I wish my brain wouldn't distort my thoughts and make me doubt the good things people who care about me say about me. This isn't about learning to accept praise. It's learning to believe that you do have value to people who care about you. That some people like you being in their lives, and can accept you as you are even when you are told many times before that nobody would. Now I'm crying again. I'm going to sleep this off tonight.

In February 2020, before the COVID-19 hit Malaysia, KLSketchNation was tasked with painting a 30,000sqft mural at an apartment buidling in Kuala Lumpur.  The project took 12 straight days, and over 20 local artists! The theme is stars, hence the design being based on past and current celebrities and public figures. I only managed to help on my days off, but some of my friends were there on most days. It was tiring, but it was also a pretty fun experience. Check out the process video below to see the before, during, and after! :) Last Updated: 2022-12-01

In Malaysia, there is an initiative called #SIGNON to promote Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) or Malaysian Sign Language (MSL) . I've been meaning to join one of their BIM introduction classes  which they have monthly for free, but I could never find the time to go/I was worried to go alone. In an effort to be start learning MSL, I decided to invite some friends (which I was too shy to do before), and a few of ended joined me on the first SIGN ON session for 2020!

Artworks by a few KL Sketch Nation members - namely Hakym , Jerome , and Syah Daud - were being exhibited at LOOP Hotel , so as part of the launch, we had a sketchwalk activity around the vicinity of the hotel. Of course, a road trip was in order, so the KLSN team went to see the sights, sounds, and tastes of Penang!

On day 1 of 2020, some  KL Sketchnation  friends and I decided to have a simple picnic to celebrate the new year. It wasn't anything fancy - we were basically just hanging out at the river - but it was the most fun New Year's I've ever had. (Credit: Anonymous child, using Hakym's phone)

Update: As of Dec 2020, Carthreena has disbanded after releasing their acoustic ep of the album, which is available in their Youtube channel. The Basics Band: Carthreena Album: Breathe For Tomorrow Release: 2018 Country: Malaysia Genre(s): Post-Hardcore/Emo Language(s): English and Malay [Credit: The band's Facebook] Two versions of album covers for Breathe For Tomorrow Breathe For Tomorrow (BFT) is Carthreena's first album. 12-song strong with a range of tunes in both English and Malay, it is packed with energy served with a small side of mellow songs to balance things out. Here's the album playlist: The Songs Here are my thoughts for each song based on my listening experience, before I give my final thoughts on the whole album. Note: I also added in comments based on listening to these performed live, for comparison. We begin with ' Visionary Ghost ', which creeps in like a whispering apparition before picking up in intensity, especially t...

Dang Wangi LRT station has two entrances, but only one of them has a 2-way escalator and an elevator, while the other only has an escalator that goes down, to the underground track. Both entrances have stairs but they're not just steep but also a long way down/up. Every workday, I have to use a bridge with stairs to/from this station, because there's a river between that station and my workplace. I have to use the 2nd entrance because it's closest to me. As I was walking back from work today, an old Malay pakcik was struggling to walk down the stairs for this bridge. When I asked if he needed assistance, he didn't say anything, just looked down. I asked again, but he didn't move, so I held his left upper arm gently and asked again. This time, he looked at me, slightly nodded, and looked at his feet. We walked down the staircase together, slowly. I warned him that there are more stairs when we reach the station, and he nodded. When we reached the other set of stairs,...

I've been listening to ONE OK ROCK for a few years now, and I found out around March 2019 that they would be coming to perform in KL as the opening act for Ed Sheeran. Naturally, it was a no-brainer. Missing their performance is not an option. I had to go. And so I did, with my sister and two of my Japanese-language teachers :)

For the first time in my life today, I saw a hard labor foreign worker wearing glasses. I had to do a double take, because for over 30 years of me being alive, I've never seen a foreign construction worker wearing glasses here. It made me imagine if those among them who needed glasses had worn them... all the work they could've done or could have finished sooner... all the educational opportunities throughout their lives that they could have taken up... all the accidents they could've avoided/prevented. In case you forgot (as I usually do), short/long-sightedness is still a disability. Although these issues can be managed using glasses/contact lenses/lasik surgery, all these require money and a certain level of care that not all of us can afford. I'm so glad that the man I saw has glasses for his eyesight (I hope he has the right prescription!), but I also wish more people could get the help they need for conditions impacting their quality of life. It really is sad that...

Bumped into an old friend/neighbor whom I haven't seen in a while today. I didn't notice him at first. Not long after I put down my stuff on the empty table next to him, he looked up and said hi. I think he saw the panic/confusion in my eyes because he then asked, "How's aunty and uncle?" (i.e. my parents), and then it clicked who he was. He said he'd seen me around the cafe a couple of times doing work and stuff, but I didn't recognise him at all. It feels weird to be remembered... I always feel like a blurry insignificant extra in the background of people's movie of their life. I don't think I'll ever get used to being remembered. We had a few simple exchanges like, "How's your mom?"; "Where do you live now?"; "Is your bro still living in the neighborhood?";"I miss the playground"; "We haven't seen each other since high school!"; "Yea none of us are married so we're all pretty...

While commuting home on the LRT earlier, there were 2 men standing in front of me, animatedly talking to each other. They were so engrossed in their conversation that the man standing directly in front of me kept leaning back and came in close contact with me (even slightly touched me a few times). It probably wasn't intentional on his part, but it made me very uneasy so I kept inching back, but I couldn't go far because there was a pole behind me. Seeing me looking uncomfortable and casting glances at the two men, a man close to me spoke up and told the guys that I was behind them, which made them move further away. To everyone (especially those with more privillege) who step in to help those who are afraid/unable to speak up in these kinds of situations, from the bottom of my heart, keep being awesome. It's the least all of us could do to be better members of society, but not many would care enough to do it, so thank you.