Pemumuan! Pemumuan! (Cara anak kawan aku sebut Pengumuman)

Jadi sebab token dah sampai. Maka hendaklah saya umumkan di sini...

Bagi 50 pembelian secara pre-order daripada Ar Razi Network:

Anda akan menerima sekeping button badge edisi terhad SAYA SURVIVE SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU:

Kenapa "saya survive", anda tanya? Sebab itu gurauan antara saya dan kawan2 yang pernah tinggal di sekolah berasrama. Setiap orang yang berjaya tamatkan lima tahun di sekolah tu kami kata, "Dah survive? Tahniah!" It's an inside joke dan ditujukan khas kepada warga beloved "SMKA X"... dan saya nak share that with all of you.

Romantik tak ai? Teeheee...

Boleh juga digayakan dengan beg anda.... maafkan saya, sebab gambar ni takleh nak dirotate. Laptop saya agak mengong.

SILA BUAT PESANAN ANDA DI SINI!!! Weeeeeee~

Hikayat Raden Juli Adjeng Monita... in hicolor

Sementelah kehadirannya di situ mewarnai agung pawarna, Raden Juli Adjeng Monita bagaikan tidak bisa percaya tuah yang hadir dalam rona......

....okay, I was just spewing words with no sense... because I'm too lazy to find words for the introduction.

Okay, sebenarnya aku bukan nak letak gambar ni. Aku click gambar lain, tapi komputer aku load lambat, so bila aku click, tetiba gambar ni intercede... aku tau aku boleh remove, tapi oh what the heck... Alang2 iklankan sekali Harry Fear kepada orang. Ini Harry Fear. Do check his website and LIKE his page.

Ha, ini tujuan asal. Ini senarai para penulis BUKU PRIMA yang akan hadir masa Karnival Karangkraf hujung minggu nih. Aku akan ada kat sana pada hari Sabtu dan Ahad jam 2-5 petang. Janga carik awal2 sangat, sebab surely tak ada. Rumah saya dekat, so saya memang bertolak lepas Zohor punye...

Aku nak kata setiap pembelian SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU membolehkan anda mendapatkan token istimewa penulis, tapi masalahnya token istimewa penulis tu sampai hari ni tak jugak sampai2 ke rumah aku walhal janjinya hari Selasa. So takleh nak confirm.

Huh, janji melayu.

PROYEK JIWA KACHAU

Note: Bukan cover rasmi

SBP: the History, the Memory, the Book

Aku tidak kenal apakah itu teenage angst. Aku tak pernah faham apakah itu "naluri remaja untuk memberontak" atau "YOLO". Aku tak tahu apa yang berlaku di Shah Alam mahupun di Kuala Lumpur pada pengakhiran era 90-an. Sebab aku habiskan lima tahun usia paling penting aku untuk rasa semua pemberontakan dan angsty feelings tu... di sekolah aku (yang tak perlulah aku namakan di sini sebab memang dah selalu pun aku sebut).


Sekolah aku bukanlah sekolah tua, malah it was first open in the 90s. Aku adalah batch ketiga sekolah aku, bayangkan betapa barunya tempat tu. Masa aku masuk, semuanya masih berbau fresh. Tapi sekolah aku, sekalipun baru, letaknya di tanah yang lama, yang dah lihat banyak peristiwa dalam sejarah dan pertempuran. Tanah bekas pelabuhan penyamun dan tanah kelahiran pendekar.

Orang mungkin mengingat sekolah dalam macam-macam cara. Tapi aku mengingat sekolah aku dalam cara yang paling aku tahu. Sekolah aku ajar aku agama, erti persahabatan...

...dan juga cara untuk membiasakan diri dengan kejadian2 aneh. 

Aku dedicatekan kisah2 aneh tu dalam SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU. Adakah aku tak sayangkan sekolah, sebab tu aku bagaikan menakut-nakutkan orang supaya tak tinggal di asrama? Tak. Sebab bagi aku, semua tu pengalaman yang aku tak akan dapat di tempat lain. I mean, those feelings, bila kau pergi toilet pukul 2 pagi sementara orang lain tido, ko tak fikir apa-apa sebab kau tak tahan nak kencing. Tapi as soon as ko lega je, tetiba ko tak paham camna ko boleh memberanikan diri keluar dari bilik dan pergi toilet (yang mana untuk ke sana, ko akan nampak ladang kelapa sawit dan tanah yang luas di belakang asrama). Then bila ko keluar, otak kau asik piker, "Hantu, kalau kau ada, keluarlah sekarang!" sementara bahagian otak lain kata, "Kau gila ke apa, jemput hantu keluar?", so ko jalan laju-laju balik ke bilik tapi ko tak lari sebab lari means ko takut dan benda halus akan kacau orang yang takut.

That is the best feeling in the world. Okay, exaggerate. Tak la best feeling pon, tapi, it's one of those things, you know....

So, aku compile kan semua perasaan tu. Perasaan berkumpul waktu malam dengar cerita hantu kakak senior dalam gelap gelita, perasaan membasuh baju pada waktu tengah malam, perasaan ngeri setiap kali lalu power house sebab otak ko mula membayangkan macam2 benda kat dalam tu, perasaan letih setiap kali air tak ada kat asrama dan ko kena bawak baldi pi mandi kat toilet sekolah, perasaan bila ko dipanggil untuk membantu kawan ko yang kena histeria dan perasaan bila ko nampak sesuatu dan ko tak bersedia nak 'nampak' sesuatu tu.

Aku compile kan juga beberapa urban legend yang aku pernah dengar masa aku di asrama dan yang aku alami sendiri dan yang kawan2 aku alami. Tapi tak semua pengalaman aku masukkan dalam ni. If there is a need to write another book of this kind, then I will write them again. It's important to keep some of the stories, especially the ones you experience yourself, remain intact. Pada awalnya, aku tulis dalam bentuk cadangan filem, tapi the production said that they don't want a story about hostels. They want to produce horror-comedies yang ikut trend - you know, like gabungkan hantu dengan rempit atau hantu dengan gangster. I can't do those things because I hate those things. So aku ubah cadangan filem tu ke bentuk novel - the only way I know how dan Alhamdulillah, editor2 di Unit TeenPrima (Kak Siti, Pn Ecah, Nine, Shida, Pooja,... including En. Ali & Kak Sri) sangat supportive untuk publish it. And the cover designer and illustrator pun sangat rajin untuk hasilkan artwork yang aku sendiri tak boleh nak pikerkan, so kudos to them too...

Of course sesetengah cerita tu aku tambah2 sikit, sebab kalau ko nak buat cerita yang memang stay truthful to the feelings, memang tak menakutkan - itulah masalah dengan buku. It doesn't have a voice except your own, and that feeling can only be conjured up through a good reading and story-telling.

Dalam SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU, aku dedicate-kan kisah2 yang aku enjoy ceritakan pada orang lain ever since aku tinggalkan sekolah. Bila adik2 sedara aku mintak diceritakan cerita hantu asrama, kisah2 ni yang aku keluarkan. Dan sekarang aku nak keluarkan kisah2 yang aku dengar first hand dan aku alami sendiri ni dalam bentuk yang boleh dibaca oleh semua orang.

SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU merupakan kisah tiga orang pelajar junior yang dihimpunkan oleh dua pelajar senior dan dipaksa mendengar cerita2 hantu sekolah mereka. Ada lima kisah semuanya, dan sebuah kisah bonus. Setiap kisah penting bagi lima insan tersebut. Lima kisah ini juga penting bagi aku (sekalipun salah satu daripadanya hanyalah rekaan semata2 untuk menjadikan novel ini satu koleksi lengkap dan ada kesinambungan kepada semua watak2 utamanya).

Aku banyak guna nama2 yang korang boleh jumpa di Facebook aku, sebab kebanyakan nama2 tu adalah nama2 alumni sekolah aku (meskipun aku letak merata2 je, dan tak semestinya mereka2 tu yg mengalami kisah2 ni), macam Dinie, Kak Umie, Deqnor, Asyran, Pailang dan Cikgu Zul.

SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU mungkin bukan kisah Roul atau Apis Milo, atau kisah cinta sarkastik yang biasa aku buat, tapi inilah novel yang aku impikan, who I really am inside (horror story lover who writes love stories), and an experience that I love to tell... Aku tau ada sesetengah pembaca macam agak kecewa sebab the first book after setahun setengah aku in hiatus bukan AKN2 atau some other rom-com novels. Saya mintak maaf banyak2. Tapi dalam masa yang sama, I also want to make a journey in other genres that I have passion for. Itu sebablah senarai buku Neil Gaiman dan Stephen King aku lebih banyak daripada Cecilia Ahern. Ahahahahaha. Tapi jangan risau, masih ada novel dewasa yang akan keluar tak lama lagi. Meanwhile, enjoy SBP!!

P.S: SEKOLAH BANYAK PENUNGGU akan keluar 1 Februari, tapi boleh dibeli pre-order melalui ejen saya, Abang Long di Arrazi Network. 50 pembelian pertama akan mendapat tandatangan/ucapan saya (kalau korang nak la, tanak pun takpe) dan token istimewa yang saya sendiri mintak Mun design-kan (bukan sendiri design, mintak Mun design. Mun la design baju aku, Mun yang buatkan stroberi coklat yang aku jadikan token masa musim VALENTINA NERVOSA dulu... sampaikan nak buat token untuk buku ni pun, Mun jugak. Aku harap usaha aku mempergunakan persahabatan aku ini akan membawa keuntungan kepadanya di kemudian hari. ahahahaha).

Saya juga akan menghadiri KARNIVAL KARANGKRAF pada 2 Februari ini bersama Kak Syikin Zainal dan Ebriza Aminudin, dan menyibuk juga pada 3 Februari bersama Zara Amani dan Liza Nur. SEE YOU THERE!

If my life was a musical (tajuk tak actually menunjukkan isi kandungan sebenar)

Aku suka musical. If only the world is like a musical, where you sometimes burst into a song and dance while  you change your clothes, I would be perfectly happy.

*Nurul Syahida sebenarnya kadang2 burst into a song whenever she likes and dance while changing her clothes, so, that's not really an "if only" thing for her...*

Tapi tak semua musical drama aku suka tengok. Aku tak berminat dengan FOOTLOOSE atau WEST SIDE STORY atau HAIRSPRAY... in short, anything that reminds me of John Travolta. I like musicals for the fact that you are blending music with acting, and suddenly songs that doesn't make sense, makes more sense.

Having said that, I hate GLEE. I used to love GLEE, but then five episodes into the first season, I hated it. I have never loved something and then hate it THAT fast. But that's GLEE for you. It's either you hate it, or you love it, or you love it but then hate it in the end.

Actually, aku tak ada apa2 sebab untuk buat entry ni. Cuma aku agak bosan dan letih menengok kerja dan manuskrip, dan I just want to share some of the songs that I liked, until I can get the confirmation bila novel nak keluar.

"Loving that Man of Mine", from SHOW BOAT (1936)



"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, I gotta love one man till I die, can't help loving that man of mine."

"Singin' in the Rain", SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)



While Frank Sinatra is a singing dancing elite, Gene Kelly is like a singing dancing marhaen/working class. And nobody else has THAT kind of graceful legs!

"How Lovely to be a Woman", "BYE BYE BIRDIE (1963)



Bukanlah aku suka sangat lagu ni. Agak membebel. Tapi this is how you sing while changing clothes, if you ask me. Ahahaha.

"I Could have Danced All Night", MY FAIR LADY (1964)



Because it's Audrey Hepburn. And it's the easiest song to sing ever. You can have the worst voice in the world, and you still can sing this and be satisfied with your voice.

"On the Street Where You Live", MY FAIR LADY (1964)



Aku sangat sukakan lagu ni (especially versi studio Nat King Cole) sampai aku jadikannya an important part dalam cerita WULAN, yang bakal dikeluarkan dalam novel trio NS, Zara Amani dan Liza Nur April ini!... kot!..... (iklan, tapi tak sure)

"Something Good", SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)



Apart from all the dances, aku lebih suka lagu ni sebab it was the only mature song dan showcase a great combination antara suara Julie Andrews yang lunak dengan suara Christopher Plummer yang kelelakian.

"Why Don't you Do Right?", WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?" (1998)



I don't think WFRR is considered a musical.... but heck, sape peduli. This is such a cool song.

"We Both Reached for the Gun", CHICAGO (2002)



Ramai yang suka "Cell Block Tango"... I wonder why... but I still think this is the best song and best presentation - with Billy Flynn holding on to a Roxie puppet and the other marionettes, signifying how he is controlling everything and everybody in the situation. Dan Renee Zellwegger adalah sangat meyakinkan sebagai puppet.

"Falling Slowly", ONCE (2006)



Aku tak puas hati YouTube takde the actual clip from the movie, sebab the raw version was better than the original soundtrack. I loved it for the fact that Glen and Marketa sing it together in a music shop with a piano on sale. That was the best thing about the song.

Oh, and I despise every other cover there is. This is strictly Glen Hansard song and should only be sang with that voice.... with the exception of Yusuf Islam, cuz they sound the same.

"Hey Jude", ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007)



How can you not love "Hey Jude"? Jude in a form of Jim Sturgess? Amazing.

"Winner Takes it All", MAMMA MIA (2008)



Aku rasa lagu ni macam terpisah daripada the whole movie, tapi sebab Meryl Streep yang nyanyi, it's okay then. And I am biased about this song anyway...

"Rainbow Connection", THE MUPPETS (2011)



Rainbow Connection is a classic. It makes you feel good about life and a nice song to sing baby to sleep. Ahahah.

"In My Life/A Heart Full of Love", LES MISERABLES (2012)



Sebelum tengok Les Miserables, I used to love "On my Own" and "Confrontation", tapi lepas tengok the movie, I fell in love with the mix between the two songs, with Coset and Marius falling in love, while Eponine, who was in love with Marius had to step away. It was a perfect "lovers-friendzonee" song.

Menunggu yang Berpenunggu

Hujung minggu lepas, editor hantar SMS, suruh check email.

Editor hantar PDF.
Disuruhnya aku periksa suntingan kedua - meaning manuskrip dah ubah dari bentuk manuskrip ke bentuk novel. Contohnya dihantar dalam bentuk PDF.

Terlampau excited sampai terpaksa baca dua tiga kali untuk pastikan tak ada masalah atau rasa tak puas hati. Seronoknya menulis untuk TeenPrima berbeza dengan buku dewasa. Mungkin lebih penat dari sudut mereka-reka ayat, sebab perlu kurangkan bahasa yang tak semenggah. Tapi seronoknya sebab TeenPrima ada ilustrasi.

Lepas excited tak hengat, aku tanya editor sama ada dah boleh diiklan dalam Facebook atau belum. Tak sabar nak tunjukkan buku baru, dengan bahagian baru dan genre baru kepada pembaca, selepas setahun lebih tak keluarkan buku.

Editor kata nanti dulu. Ada beberapa protokol dengan orang atasan yang perlu diselesaikan.

Tapi aku macam tak boleh nak bersabar. Kena bersabar. Tak boleh! Sabar saja. Oh my God, this is hell!

Apa yang aku boleh buat cuma ini saja:

Mari kita lihat kalau waktu-waktu yang Nurul Syahida habiskan membaca Stephen King akan membantu dia menghasilkan sesuatu dalam genre yang sama...........................

2012 - The Memoir of a Writer's Life in Summation

Another pretentious way to conclude 2012 after blabbering the significance of my life in 2012 that is insignificant to others in any way possible.

September 2012 - How she found her true love

I have always loved this picture. Us 22 years later.

My cousin Nana weds her beau whom she has been keeping mum until 2009. Nana - who has always been choosy when it comes to anything and everything, chose John (real name Feisal, don't ask me how "john" happened) to be her life-long partner. You know your cousin is serious and not in any way intended to tie the knot because it was the trend when she used the word, "I have to think carefully. This is not a short term thing. This is for life!"

I mean, it is the trend to get married early nowadays. I guess the trend happened to people born 1985 and below. Most of my friends born in 1983 don't actually have marriage in mind when they were just 23. 1983 people are hotheaded, career-minded and apt to not get along with employers - that's evident with the fact that most of my friends and people my age are into business and freelance)

Nana's nikah was on 7/9, Dinie held Naurah's birthday on 8/9 but I wasn't able to go due to Nana's reception on 9/9 in Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya. I didn't eat much despite the catering was amazing, since I had to protect the sanctity of the goody bags with Nana's paternal cousins, Shasha and her then fiance, King.... ("sanctity of the..."... exaggeration alert!)

Oh, and Mun was my tailor for that dress.

October 2012 - Month of Work and Work-related Stuff

Zara Amani and I went to Buku Prima to discuss about our project and our ideas about the book cover. It was also my dad's birthday so remembering how my dad kept talking about wanting to buy the remote-controlled helicopter, I bought him one. I, of course, forgot that I have two brothers... so they ended up playing with that thing until the battery depletes. And of course, being guys, they never thought about replacing them batteries.

Ajik bought a new car, but stupid car dealer can't even do his job right, so we sack him instead.
Oh, and Karangkraf held Aidil Adha's feast. I couldn't stay long due to massive translation workload but boy was I extremely full.

Gabe's obsession with the aquarium begins from day one

One day, I was talking to Abang Long, my agent, in front of the house when suddenly, out came a black kitten, mewing his heart out at me. Abang Long asked me whose cat it is. I have no idea. But feeling sympathy for its sickly look and desperate eyes pleading for food, I took it inside after my agent left. Gave him some food and let him out again.

But he didn't leave. He stayed. He stayed every day. So I called him Mugabe (because I like my cat with a little bit of dictatorship in it), and he has been mine ever since. I've always wanted a black cat anyway. A writer should always have a black cat since it has this aura that injects creativity....... nahhh. I made that up.

According to an article I read, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had an Angora cat, a white one called Muizza. Just pretend like I have the opposite - a black cat named Mugabe.

November 2012 - Receptions and Reunions

Mun and I also had to meet the lawyer, after several months of no legal discussions. Our legal rep (I just wanted to use the word so badly) told us that we will be having our damage assessment in November, but the other party has decided to appeal the case in January. So we decided to postpone the assessment to another date. I knew dreams-come-true always comes with a delay.

But do pray for us. And do pray that they will end all of this as soon as possible.

Rahmah got married and we went to Kuala Selangor to celebrate it. We also went to our old school to see how it has changed over 12 years. A lot of change. I just pity the students now. They would not be able to enjoy the school as we had. Once upon a time, when it rains, you can see fishes swimming in the grass and egrets and cranes flying from Taman Alam to the fields, looking for the fishes in the grass. Wak Jazz will be out there with his pail and his net, trying to catch them (the fishes, not the egrets). Now where it used to be a huge field, two additional buildings stood uglily (that's a legitimate word).

We also went to Masitah's house and had a good chat.... and robbed the mangoes from her family's mango tree. Muahaaha.
 
Ajik had his convocation in Terengganu. I couldn't come, so I stayed home for three days and cleaned the whole house up. Now I know what I will actually do when there is nobody around - I am one of the members of the cleaner tribe.

November was also a great month in a sense that two people that has been MIA for a long time suddenly reappeared. One is Fer, my best friend in SMKAKS. To tell you the truth, I don't have a lot of male friends in high school. A) because I am just not that friendly, B) I don't really understand boys that much, and C) I just can't be bothered. But Fer was one of the guys that I was close to, due to the fact that we almost always involved in the same societies and almost always fighting.

We fought at gelanggang silat when we were both the committee members, we argued about Persatuan Bahasa Arab's budget when he was the president and I was the treasurer, we argued during Rumah Hijau's meeting with no reason at all, and we argued in class for the pettiest things. Arguing was like our thing. There was even a time that we had a relay-argument - where I stated my case, Che' Wan sent the message and Fer replied. I don't think I have ever met any better arguing partner in my life after Fer. Everybody else admits defeat far too quick, it's no fun.

But after SMKAKS, there was no news about him at all. I had to wait 12 years before he sent a message on Facebook in November and asked me if I remembered him. The guy is now married with two kids. Nothing makes me feel so old as browsing through pictures of Fer's two little clones. Ahahaha.

The next day, Uncle Kirby add me on Facebook. Have I ever told you that I have a foreign uncle? Married to my paternal aunt, he's American and now works as a Semiotics professor in Akita University. I haven't seen him since....... I can't remember, because I think the last time I saw him, I was too little to remember anything. But I was ecstatic when he sent a message on Facebook, because I have heard a lot about him and I love reading his book of poetry, "A Geography of the Soul". I used to Google his image on Facebook, just to know how he looks like, but now he's on Facebook and I can actually talk to him. It's really good to have that.

December 2012 - All the Trips and Flat Tyres

Our friend Fiza got married and her wedding turned into some kind of SMKAKS reunion (they call the school KUSSIS now, but I refused to do so. I will always be SMKAKSian, heart and soul). Cikgu Zaleha still looking svelte and slim after all these years, much to our chagrin. Ahahaha.

Repaired the aircond after three years. Our new aircond-man, Mr. Tsai is a weird man, but then again, so was our old aircondman, Steven. I guess all aircond-man are peculiar, but then again, that's just generalisation.

Nana's sister, Liliee is getting married in January, so we're busy with that too.

Julia, Mas and I had another vacay, this time to Kulai, Pengerang and then Universal Studio, Singapore. It was planned earlier in October. We planned it all out but then I forgot about the migraine that cannot be unplanned in any way. Safe to say that I don't think I am suited for Universal Studio's rides. I mean, the weather is quite hot, but the rooms where people queued are air-conditioned  The rides were extreme, especially the Transformers ride. THAT you have to wear 3D glasses - the most hated technology of all. Then after the ride, you get out to the hot sun to a crowd of people. Then it rains suddenly, sun again, aircond, ride, sun, rain, crowds..... that's just the perfect recipe for a level 3 migraine.

But I am so grateful for Mas' hospitality, as well as her brother and sister in-law's kindness in taking us in.

Tim was home for the school holidays and four months pregnant, so we all went out to Big Bad Wolf and a dinner at Nad's. I went to BBW with my family the next day. The thing with BBW is..... it's not enough for me. You know how some people go crazy hearing the word "Shoe Sales" or have sugar rush after eating lots of candy?

That's how I feel being there, in a hall filled with books. At one point, I almost wanted to live there, thinking heaven would be me in a huge auditorium filled with books and smell like freshly printed newspapers. I think that was what inside my dad's head at the same time. If I let him go on for another hour, I will have to sell my laptop to pay for his books.

We also went to GM Klang two days later, but it was just okay, except for the time when Mun had a flat tyre and we were stranded in front of the bus stand in Section 7, and waited for Tim, her husband and her dad to help us while having a karaoke session at the side of the road at 11pm.

Flat.... like supermodel boobs.

And that's how I feel about my whole 2012 - like a stranded stranger on the side of the road, singing songs of happiness, of sadness and woes, waiting for someone or something to take me to the next stage of my life. The bus may come later on, or I may be singing more songs, may be singing it alone, maybe someone will be playing the guitar for me while I sing, or my friends will come and sing with me together. But we will all be sitting at the side of the road while cars pass us by, waiting and anticipating, whether a bus, a taxi, a bike, a van or just someone to walk us along.

2012 is another bus stand in my journey, with God watching me every step of the way...

2012 - The Memoir of A Novelist's Life in the Middle

That's just a pompous way to say "Memori May - Ogos"....

May 2012 - My Bestfriend's Wedding

Tim got married in May. Tim, who was with me through thick and thin since we were just seven, finally found her soul mate (in a rapid courtship) and we were there to celebrate her day with her. Nad bought a green fabric to be made into a scarf and we spent quite a while in Jakel doing so. That was on the 25th. On 26th, we went to find some last minute stuff for the wedding on 27th.

To tell you the truth, as much as we were extremely happy for her, we were still very conscious about an important thing - the fact that the next day, on 28 May, we were to attend our court trial. I mean, Mun was part eating, part studying her witness statement. The trial went for two days instead of three since the judge felt that more witnesses were not needed (as the case was very clear). Tim went to trial, despite being married for only a day. How many people can say that their very first two married days were spent in court?

But Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Everything went well at the time.

Oh, and May was the month that a kitten came to our house. I was extremely surprised because from the back, I thought it was Phibun, back from the dead, like in Stephen King's "Pet Sematary". At first, the kitten just came and went as he pleased, but little by little, he kinda turned our house into his own. With his stupid expression and weird things he does (like playing fetch), mum called him "Koyon" - short for Mangkuk Ayun. Yeah... trust mum to give embarrassing names.

June 2012 - Death and Roller Coasters

I had a short vacay in June - went to Genting Highlands with Mas and Jue, whom I haven't seen since IIUM, I think. It was part fun part scary trip. The scary part was that we were an intelligent being (*read sarcastically*). Instead of a safe return when it was still day, we decided to return after dark. The whole of Genting was filled with fog, Julia can't see anything while driving. We relied solely on the brake lights coming from the car in front of us. The only car in front of us.

To say that I was scared, not so much. I had the same experience back in 2010 while I was on a trip with Tim and Nurul in Kundasang. Same situation, same fog, but smaller and steeper road, no lights whatsoever. I had to put my head out and squint my eyes to make sure we didn't fall down the cliff. At one point, Tim's car was exactly at the edge of the cliff. THAT was shit. But in Genting, I had a different reason to fear. I mean, it was Genting. I don't want to die and have my story to be "dead. fell down the cliff back from Genting, the gambling city of Malaysia".

Realising that, I think I am not going there any time soon. My death story should be something like, "Died during sujud" or "Died after trying to save children from war-mongers".

July 2012 - The Prints, The Victory and the Deejay

I got my first agent in July. Yay! Met Abang Long at Pesta Buku Selangor and I was extremely thankful that he was there to help me. I mean, it's really hard for readers to find my old books in stores, and making it harder still is the fact that even nowadays you can't find it during book fairs. I mean, it's not even in Karangkraf Mall's list at one time. It's like playing "Where's Waldo" with my book, especially PLAIN JANE. With Abang Long and his website Arrazi.my, buying it online was made easier.

In July, I also had an interview with Berita Harian. It's actually for my good friend, Chaq's column. Every time people congratulate me for the article, I felt like I wronged them a little even if I explained it later because it was of course, Chaq's. But to tell you the truth, I LOVE being interviewed by own friend. It kinda made me feel so mature, not in the sense of being interviewed. More like, "Oh, look at us. You're a journalist and you are interviewing me, a novelist. We have actual jobs! Yay!"



Then I had my first interview on radio. It was not my year resolution or anything, but I finally done them all - TV, paper, magz, online TV, radio. If not for the fact that ibadah aku masih kurang, I can now die in peace. It was another type of experience. I mean, I have went to a radio conti before, back in IIUM. I accompanied a friend for UIA deejay audition and while waiting, I was like, what the heck, let's just try for the sake of it. Of course we were not picked. I sounded like a squirrel, and still do. That's not radio-friendly. But to be interviewed on radio is quite weird. You hear songs and your own voice combined in perfect (and squirelly) harmony.

And it was hard to keep focus when the deejay looks like someone I know. Oh, and sempat pergi lunch with Hani MJ, my junior in SMKAKS.

Oh and the best part of July was the last day, when Miss Shireen called us and said we won the case. After all the pain and suffering for the last three years, it was the best feeling in the world. I hope that we can feel that again this January after the appeal. Amin.

August 2012 - Ramadhan's Happiness and Syawal's Tragic Comedy

Ramadhan and Syawwal came in the same month. Mun and I was stuck in a bad traffic on 8th August while trying to get to IIUM. Why? Because I wanted to break my fast in IIUM and Mun once said that "If we win, I want to do tarawih at IIUM mosque." We went out at five, arrived around 8.30pm. No breaking the fast for me, but Mun resolved her nazar.

Then she left her water bottle. Never a day goes by whereby Mun remembered to take her water bottle home.

Lots and lots of iftar.... okay, I lied. I was busy in August, so we just had one iftar with Dinie, Mun and Deqnor. Wanted to try the Arabian cuisine but end up eating at Pak Long Steamboat. Nah, it's fine.

On Hari Raya, my lil cousin Ejal fell into the septic tank. Or, in layman's term, tangki taik. All deep in faeces, after the tank's cover broke. It was lucky that he fell into the shallow part of the tank and not the middle part. That would be a tragedy. But since it was not a tragedy, he grabbed the top spot in "Haji Wahab's Wall of Shame", and would be for a long time. I mean, how can anybody defeat the boy who fell into a pool of shit, aye?

To be continued on September's love, October's expenses, November's reunion and December's summation...

2012 - The Memoir of the first four months in the life of a novelist in solitude

Saje je bagi ayat poyo nak mamp.

I should be writing something, should I?
Something about 2012 closing its curtain and all that jazz.

So okay. Let's do this shit.

January 2012 - "The Beginning of an Era"

Started the year with a fizz, not with a bang. Because I was already 28 goin on 29 at the time, any attempt to be pretentiously cheerful and motivated will just be the act of... denial? pretension? desperation?... maybe all but none of the above. But I started 2012 with Karnival Karangkraf, which I guess, MAY be the only interesting thing in January because my journal said nothing about anything else except the word "27 Jan - Karnival Karangkraf".

I was not there as adult writer... (sounds as if I wrote porn), but as a member of the MCK group. I think the whole thing was a bit blur to me. Firstly, I didn't wear the official colour. Secondly, I spent quite a lot of time gossiping with Kak Sha (Shahriah Abdullah), whom I have not seen since 2010 and her involvement in "Masterchef'".

But our booth is extra pretty and I love all the details of the characters from the projects that was illustrated as the wallpaper (as you can see behind us in the pic).

February 2012 - "The Vacation"

Vacay at Grand Lexis, PD. Usually extremely expensive, but was on hot deal at the time, so Dinie suggested that we took it. Was the best decision ever. You can see the water and fishes swimming from the glass floor (okay,not whole floor, just a segment of the floor), your own private pool and all that. We ended up didn't go anywhere (except dinner at a seafood restaurant) and spent the whole vacay in the pool. I mean, the sea was not at its best, anyway. 

I kinda miss this kind of impromptu vacay. Afterwards, the year has been filled with lots of weddings and wedding preparations (not mine though). Have to do it again next year (not the wedding, the vacay!).  

Other than the vacay, we spent most of February in our lawyer's office, having heart attack over claims and counterclaims. Want a real adrenaline rush? Don't try bungee jumping. Try suing!

March 2012 - "The Engagement and the Loss"

March was a week of everything and nothing. I had a booksigning at UMW, Shah Alam with Kak Kamsiah Abu and Damya Hanna. Nobody actually approached us. Not even for Damya Hanna. It made us question the reason we were there and ended up chatting among ourselves in the end. Ahahaha. My cousin Dila got engaged to her beau, Khairi in an engagement event that was held at granma's house in Sri Menanti. It was me, her and Ikah to deal with all the work, since my sister was doing umrah at the time. But that was a few weeks after Tim's engagement.

Now, Tim's engagement to Ustaz Adnan was a quick one. They met each other around November/December, decided to get engaged in March and married in May. Why the rush, you asked? Heck, at 29, that is not a rush at all.

That month, I also had a lepak-activity with Zara Amani and Liza Nur at Liza's house in Ampang. In just two days, we planned a new novel, slept through the afternoon, had a karaoke in Semenyih, watched skydiving at Dataran Merdeka, and entah mana tah lagi.

Phibun in his heydays

But it was also a sad day for me, mainly because it was the same day I lost Phibun, my snowshoe buddy since 2008. Phibun was diagnosed with jaundice and there was nothing that we could do because it was already too late. I just regret the fact that I was not there to say goodbye.

To tell you the truth, I have not been browsing Phibun's pictures in ages, since it kinda makes me sad. I think that is why, Allah has been very kind to me when He gave us Koyon two months later - a personification of Phibun in various ways. Albeit weirder. I mean, the cat suddenly came to our house and made it his own dengan muka tak malunya.

Koyon, the stupider, sillier version of Phibun

April 2012 - "Being 29"

My birthday. And KL International Book Festival on the same day. I went to KLIBF four times, buying nothing. I don't like buying books at KLIBF. The queues are too long. I consider the extra I have to pay for the books at the store to be the amount of patience I have none, to be waiting in line.

Met a lot of readers, including Hana and Maryam (who wrote the first review for VN last year), Mia Kaftiya, also Moon Leya Zafrina, who will be making her debut early next year.

I was there again as one of MCK members instead of my individual books. I mean, the last book I wrote was Valentina Nervosa and that was in 2011. I wrote a lot of things in 2011 that I already planned for a break in 2012, but somehow none of them made it for 2012 publishing, and delayed to 2013. So, I guess we'll see about 2013, aye?

Then my besties for life, Nad and Mun decided to throw me a birthday celebration, which consists of lunch at San Francisco (the restaurant, not the city/county with the bridge on its merchandise), a plate of my favourite choc volcano cake (has ceased to be my favourite since its effect on my weight) and three different types of Secret Recipe cheesecakes. Nad also gave me a khat illustration thingy and a new tudung from Baheera.

I guess, being 29 has no definite meaning in my life. I have long stopped counting my age (I stopped at 23 and couldn't care less about it, until people kept asking me "What do you feel now that you're 29?".... "Err... like how I normally feel? Or should I start panicking about life in as dramatic way as possible?"

I mean, I consider myself blessed. I have great friends (I mean, we have been extremely destroyed by our business together, and yet Alhamdulillah, we're still together), I have a great family, I am already doing my dream job, I escaped bad relationships, I have my readers and I have never regret ever resigned from my permanent job. At 29, I already half way through my dreams. It's easy for us to overlook all the nikmat and talk about the things we have yet to achieve, but if you look back, everything was meant to be and I would not want my 29 to be anything less.

Except for the court case, I guess.

To be continued.... 

Things I Like Part 4

Maafkan aku sebab asik update blog dengan benda2 ni. Selain daripada aku tidak punya idea untuk menulis tentang hal lain (yang berkemungkinan disebabkan aku tak ada life masa), malas pun ada jugak... which is really ironic, sebab setiap kali aku kata aku novelis, mesti yang akan kata, "Rajinnya nak menulis sampai 500 page..."

Kalau aku rajin, aku kerja pejabat atau bukak bisnes jual tudung Fareeda/Premium Beautiful/kedua-duanya sekali. Sebab aku malas la aku jadi novelis. Bukan malas nak buat kerja, more like malas buat kerja ikut timing orang lain. Jadi novelis ikut timing aku je.

Anyways.... favourite stuff on the internet part four. Aku cuba berjanji untuk tak buat lagi next time ("cuba berjanji" tau, bukan "berjanji").

Oh, memang sangat annoying. I mean, kalau sekarang ni ada dua jenis muzik yang buat aku sangat-sangat rimas. 1. Jingle bells, 2. Gangnam Style. Somehow, kalau ada popup ad yang keluar (sekalipun Google selalu kata diorang block popup ads, that's not entirely true), mesti dua lagu ni. The Christmas song somehow adalah one of those iklan "Tahniah, anda berjaya menang whatever" and that Gangnam Style tu just.... I don;t really know what it is. Aku terlampau annoyed that I just remove it without even checking. Don't get me wrong. Masa GS keluar, I kinda like that song. What annoys me is that four months after that, people still think it's a fun thing to do in award shows. It's not. 

Aku takleh mewakili semua penulis, tapi masa tengok SHERLOCK and sampai ke babak ni, aku gelak guling-guling. The scene was, Sherlock halau semua orang dalam lab sebab dia nak berfikir dengan lebih mendalam, which means, search inside his brain like some kind of database... or in Sherlock's term, "Mind Palace". Kenapa aku gelak? Sebab "Mind Palace" is not something only Sherlock does. As a writer, sometimes I do that too. I kinda push everything away, and then start to link stuff that is already inside my head. People think when I do that, it means aku "berangan", which is not. I am storing and checking the inventories in my brain. I mean, you can't really berangan about the link between the word "Anne Boleyn" to "Kedai Farmasi Watson".

(*How you link Boleyn to Kedai Farmasi Watson? -> Answer: Anne Boleyn was the King Henry VIII's second wife. Boleyn somehow sounds like Bolero. Is that a song by Chayanne? Nope, that's "Torero". A latin song, like Shakira's. She can really shake, and Beyonce is nothing compared to her. Beyonce sings "Single Ladies"... apa liriknya? "If you like it then you shudda put a ring on it"... Ring... the best would be diamond from Winston's. The same name dengan Sherlock's sidekick. Nope, that's Watson, like Kedai Farmasi Watson.")

If only I can say this to some people. I really don't hate you. I just think you always have the bad luck of saying something to me masa aku bad mood. 

Every day.

Masa baca benda ni kat FB, aku teringat lecturer aku, Dr. Marcinkowski. He once told me the story of Columbus. It's true - they were looking for India. Or more correctly, they wanted to get spices (which is of course one of the reasons of their occupation in several places), and they know India ada banyak spices. However, Columbus tersilap arah and found America instead. Tapi dia sangka dia dah sampai India and the place IS India. Masa kat sana, they saw tanned tribal men. They thought these people were Indians, but they were covered with tribal paint, which is red (in other stories, their tanned bodie/hairs nampak perang instead of gelap, which to them looks red).

And that's how the name RED INDIAN came to be and why Native Americans are called exactly that.

Now, don't quote me for it. This is like "legend has it that..." rather than "This is fact..."

Yeah...... and pernah tak anda hampir disaman disebabkan sarcasm anda? I have. Sounds like a cool shit, but it's not. Not unless you're Sultan Brunei. 

Ahahahahaha.

Memang sebenarnya ini yang aku dengar the first time Alicia Keys nyanyi korus lagu NEW YORK tu.

This is my wallpaper. I just want to share it with you.

It's David Mitchell as Mark Corrigan in PEEP SHOW, which is the funniest most uncomfortable experience I have ever watched. It's the type of funny where you go, "Oh, oh jangan buat camtu. Jangan. Tolonglah jangan.." but the character would of course do it, and you'll be like.... haih. And it also felt really close to my heart because there are things that Mark think or did yang sebenarnya truly apa aku sendiri pernah fikir dan buat - the awkwardness in social setting, the faking confidence in front of people, the constant thinking about people's ideas about you and takut being misunderstood. 

I adore Liz Lemon. In one way or another, she is my idol. Yes, adakalanya she's genius bordering to lunatic, but the things that came out of her mouth adalah sangat clever that it makes you wish you have that kind of thinking. There was a time that I was so obsessed with Liz Lemon's character, aku tersedar yang I had her hairdo, my wardrobe dipenuhi t-shirt belang2 and I kept using her catchphrases. What the whakk...

Nope. Actually you just have to be a fan of Richard Ayoade if not IT CROWD/Moss to know Tnetennba. Or, if you just watch this clip...

Is there a fan of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT out there, who like me, feels that they are so dumb to cancel this show but reality TV shit is all over the network? I love shows like WONDERFALLS, 30 ROCK, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT... they're really funny in not that obvious kind of way. But somehow, people don;t like meta-humour that much. They like things yang tak perlukan diorang memiliki asas pengetahuan umum untuk faham. So, we get shit like 2 BROKE GIRLS, but great shows like these kena chop off. I mean, even 30 Rock pun dah masuk last season cuz ratings weren't that great.

Oh anyway, this girl, (actress Alia Shawkat) is the daughter of Tobias and Lindsay in the show. And her name is Maeby. Now, dah faham dah lawak meme ni?