The real side

Mobile apps

2011-10-15T13:12:00.000+08:00

My musics are now on android mobile apps

Get organised

2011-10-13T12:57:00.000+08:00

I need to really sit down and begin my song writing. Its been a long time. All these while i've been doing songs for events and productions. The preparation for my upcoming album has been postponed for countless times! I had enuf songs for a new album actually, more than enuf but somehow i couldnt find the time to load and track them.

Go to Musics Of Dzul Rabull, my own FB page for all unreleased tracks. Currently i hv about 30 tracks in there, and i intend to add in more. Thats where all my unreleased songs and songs that i've written for projects, events and even for my other groups are being stored...

Nerve wrecking month

2011-10-07T19:45:00.005+08:00

Let me start of with, the debut of I Love Angklung Concert, happening on 24th Sept at The Republic Cultural Centre. Six angklung ensembles fr 6 schools showcasing their talent. 5 of them under my instruction. It was a good show and both performers and audience enjoyed it very much. I hv arranged it in such a way that each group concentrate on one genre of music, this is to give variation for the whole concert and most importantly to demonstrate the versality of angklung musics. It may be a traditional ethnic instrument but that does not mean ones creativity is restricted to that genre. Of course its a challenge in terms of scoring and arranging the musics...i do my own scoring and arrangement, and it has always been this way in all my groups.

At the same time i was also bz preparing for a dance prodn by NUS Ilsa Tari at UCC and Harmoni Orkid's choir group at Esplanade's Pesta Raya 2011 ...juggling three big shows at the same time is definitely NOT a good idea. The amount of energy used, the stress level are of an obscence amount.

I'm glad that everything is over now, i can hv my much deserve rest this month. Here are the pictures (not mine) of the angklung concert taken fr FB.

Bedok View Sec Angklung

Madrasah Aljunied Angklung Ensemble

Loyang Sec Sch Angklung Ensemble

The finale with all 5 groups on stage

Angklung concert

2011-09-04T01:51:00.002+08:00

Its happening on 24th September 2011 at The Republic Cultural Centre theatre 4pm to 6pm.

Muara 2011

2011-07-15T10:35:00.004+08:00

Photo : Hannah Halim (FB)

Photo: Anuar (FB)

Muara - Pesta Tari Melayu Singapura 2011 has ended. This is probably the most stressed-out project i've undertook. Once again my fellow musicians, Qamar Baba, Khairul, Lenny Karmila, Fadhli and Fauzi Basir did a wonderful job. Couldnt hv done it without them.
The same line-up as last year's Muara ..were hand picked simply becos i knew we hv the chemistry.
The process of preparing close to 20 songs supposedly to be done two weeks before event, but due to late submission of songs by various participating groups, all songs were cramped and rehearsed on the last 5 to 7 days before event...hence the stress.
Despite the rush and squeezed schedule, we managed to pull thru...not forgetting the last minute changed of program items, the impromptu addition and ommission were nerve wrecking.
We played for 3 days..Fri to Sun. The first day was to accompany the various dance groups....the second day we did back up for Zaibaktian. This is my favourite slot, although we did only two of his songs, Dunia Yg Fana and Lelaki Baru. First time playing for Zai, and it was a great experience, great guy and nicely written songs.
Apart from accompanying the various dance groups on Fri and Sat, we did back-up for Aqmal N and Azmir Ariff fr KL, and i enjoyed playing for them. Aqmal sang M Nasir's Raikan Cinta and Sahabat Gua while Azmir sang Zapin Kelana, Laksamana Raja di Laut and Chek Mek Molek. Wat a great evenings!
Thx to Era Dance Ltd for the wonderful hospitality thruout the event and especially all the rehearsals.

The lighter side

2011-06-20T17:05:00.000+08:00

Slacking at home for the past one week was heavenly. Very thereupatic. I managed to write few songs. Songs which are not related to any projects. Songs that came straight from the heart, not binded by contracts or jobs. Should do these a lot more often. Apparently, that was the only escapade that i hv for myself. School starting soon, shows around the corner...so the roller coaster ride will begin soon. In fact i started today, with one session from my pri sch group.
Tried teaching then keroncong...and walla...pleasant surprise! it turned up pretty well. I hv always like keroncong music...and nvr come across my mind to arrange it for angklung...until today!
Will arrange more keroncong music for my other groups....
Back to the songs that was created straight form the heart... the fastest song ever written was a song i called Still Of The Night....noo...not the Whitesnake version, Its my piano version, written in 5 mins! the mood and environment was perfect, inspiration just flowed like that.U can hv a listen at http://www.reverbnation.com/dzulrabull. Yeah i'm promoting this site like crazy for the past days...maybe, i just got nothing to do.
Cheers!

I shall continue

2011-06-10T21:09:00.003+08:00

Fuuuh fuuuh! berabok....its been ages since my last update. Out of the blue, as i slack at home, suddenly it struck me, i hv a blog! Yeah, u can say that i've forgotten that i hv this blog which i created more than 5 yrs ago. But i doubt anyone's gonna read now since it has been incapicitated for 6 mths. Anyway, for the sake of tradition and i dun want this site to go to waste just like that, i shall revive it, i shall write...and hopefully sustain it.
Karya 2011, a production by Azpirasi was my recent involvement...happened last week. With 3 other musicians, we managed to pull thru the close to two hour non-stop nerve wrecking mind boggling dance prodn. Purely contemp...purely abstract. Ok so much for Karya.
Two days later, went for whole day masterclass... ok...i was like....duh... basics basics and more basics. We dont need that. we already knew them..in fact all of us who attended are musicians. But as a good participant, i followed every topics and exercises..intently. The last hour saved the day...at least i learnt something new....well, not totally new, its just something that i've nvr thought can be done differently.
Today...just finished sequencing two songs, due to be submitted...err...yesterday. Song for a tv documentary. Still got one more song...and i'm going to do it nowwww.
Ciao!

Making it happen

2011-01-04T11:30:00.004+08:00

The start of the new year means the beginning of the rush and madness..at least for me. This yr will be a little bit more complicated as i'll be teaching two more schools. Spent the past days scheduling and rescheduling all classes. Managed to get all in place..and i hope...no more last minute changes from any of the schools.
Its going to be an exciting year...not to mention the stress and anxiety that'll come with it. Trying hard to finalise all the pieces for SYF for my 4 schools, hopefully b4 end of the month.
2011 is just another year...it wont be great if u dont make it great.

You know wat i did last 4 days?

2010-12-21T22:42:00.001+08:00

I'm back!

2010-12-13T22:54:00.002+08:00

Its been a while since my last update. Malas ah. The moment i sit in front of the pc with the intention to blog, i ended up somewhere else in the net. Distraction rabak punyer sak. I guess my avid readers by now are already gone..hahah...anw if u are one of them and if u happen to read this....Hello hello!..yah i'm back....for good?....errr, hope so. Ok ok, i'll do this often k?

No point of me picking up from the last update, tak ingat ah. The most recent gig was yesterday. A wedding gig at Holiday Inn. I tink we played close to 20 songs...watever songs that came into our mind..well almost. I've prepared a playlist of 12 songs enuf to cover a set of 45 mins. We ended playing 3 sets, a total of 85mins. A mixture of traditional pieces and songs from my albums. It was a long nite...430pm setup and soundcheck and stayed all the way till almost 11pm...but it was good. Thats the advantage of doing something that u like for a living!

Right now i'm in the process of retrieving/searching for all my unreleased songs...scattered all over the place, banyak gila wa ckp lu..hundreds of them...enuf to make 20 albums! songs dated as way back as in the 90s....yeah that long. Time tu masih muda remaja lagi.
Alright thats it for now.
Ciao!

Pesta Raya 2010

2010-10-29T15:46:00.004+08:00

My 5- day stint at the esplanade has ended. Tiring but enjoyable evenings. 3 days at the outdoor theatre for Danau Beralun and two days at the concourse with my Harmoni Orkid choir group.

What i did this Raya

2010-10-03T14:14:00.003+08:00

Seems like i'm updating this blog like..once a mth?... Dunno why. just couldnt find either the time or the rite mood to blog. Anw, Raya nearly over....at least for me its over and done with, i dun need one month to celebrate raya....one day is enuf i.e. the first day.
Let me start this off with yesterday's production. Two shows...3pm and 8pm. Reminiscence of Jalan Ampas movies, that was the theme and as usual i was given the task of overseeing the music part. Its quite straight forward...everything were structured..unlike the usual prodn that i did with them. However despite the 'straightforwardness' there are one setback. i cant get enuff musicians to create that right 'firepower' , so to compensate that, i hv to worked doubly hard, its like history repeating itself, the same thing as Zapin Di Muara. And for this prodn i hv to resort to plan B. Alhamdulillah, everything turned up fine...' believe u can do it and the-know-how-to-do will come naturally'.
More shows coming....i'm tired but excited at the same time, Just luv my job.
Here are some pictures of the recent performances...minus yesterday's (tak bawak camera ah)... ciao!

MAA angklunites @ Shangri La 17/9/10 MUIS Raya Event

Harmoni Orkid Choir @ Tampines Pr Sch 25/9/10 TWCC Raya event

The post b4 Raya

2010-09-03T19:40:00.003+08:00

Great, i did not blog for the whole mth of Aug! Then again, who cares....
Almost coming to the end of Ramadan, it means only one thing...Raya is coming..erghh.
Anyway..i'll let the pics do the talking on wat hv been happening for the past weeks. Malas ah nak tolis.

Time after time

2010-07-25T13:15:00.005+08:00

Its been quite a while since i last updated this blog. Lets start with the most recent event, which was yesterday. The MAA angklunites performed at Hyatt for the Anugerah Arif Budiman organised by KGMS..if i'm not wrong its an ongoing event to award most deserving malay language teachers. Two or three years back i was also there together with the BVS angklunites. Some hv asked me wats KGMS stands for, well KGMS is Kesatuan Guru Melayu Singapura. They asked again, why 'Kesatuan' and not 'Persatuan'? To that i answered Kesatuan means United..whereas Persatuan means Association, so its not a mispelled of Persatuan yah.
The bonding between MAA angklunites hv nvr been so tight before and i am very touched to see that. I felt the same way too. To some, yesterday's performance was the swan song..the last performance before stepping down to prepare for their Os, and becos of this strong bond i am sure all of them felt sad to leave the ensemble...but thas life...u hv to set ur priority. Frankly, i'm not really into the idea of stopping every single extra activities just becos exams is around the corner. It shouldnt be seen as an hindrance towards their preparation, furthermore its just once a week of 3 to 4 hours of the whole week. This 3 to 4 hours in a way is a great stress reliever for them which will help them to recharge their mental energy. Well, of course i cant just voice it out and stop them from stepping down. It boils down to one thing..time management...you manage ur time properly u can do anything without compromising studies and other activities.
When i was in school...exams or no exams, i still continue with my other activities, and back then i was overwhelmed with extra activities, my music, my involvement with the youth prog at CC and mosque....and i rememberd i was doing my Os and As. Like i said it all boils down to how well u manage ur time. Believe you can do and the know-how-to-do will develop by itself.

On wed, 21/7 i was invited to Sriwana's 55th gala concert Doaku Harapanku. Would like to congratulate Sriwana for sustaining and promoting the Malay Arts for 55 years! Thats a very long time. Viewing the show, i couldnt help feeling proud for the musicians by Sri Mahligai. The hv done extremely well and how i wished i'm with them at the orchestra pit. No doubt the musicians...as usual...are playing the supporting role in most productions, but to me it a blardy important role, and most of the times when i'm playing that role together with the rest of my musicians in any production, i wished that we are duly appreciated and given the respect. I said this becos, i've heard and experienced it myself remarks made during rehearsals n practises that musicians are well....nvm. But one thing for sure at the end of the day, during the show...we deliver. Oh i was talking abt Sriwana's Doaku Harapanku...sorry got sidetracked a bit, and the show was good, it encompasses everything...the dance, theatre and music...well done to Sriwana!

Last week, my Harmoni Choir kids together with Teater 2000. staged a theatrical semi musical production 'Pemburu Yg Tamak' in conjunction with the Bulan Bahasa at the Tampines Blackbox. I wasnt there on the actual day, bz preparing the MAA angklunites for yersterday's performance. But from the rehersals and practises, it was good...i nvr knew some of my HOC klids can really act hahah. Going for their session soon, today we hv guests from MOE wanted to view our practise...hope it'll be a turning point for them.

2010-07-05T16:49:00.001+08:00

The greatest gift

2010-06-29T23:48:00.003+08:00

Its the moment like this that makes u want to go on forever...to see your students benefited from wat hv been taught. To be part of that experience...to be part of their sweet memories. I am happy that the MAA angklunites not only had a great time in Bandung, but also most importantly they hv gained something that is so precious, that cannot be bought or taught...a priceless experience. The trip has made them closer to each other...more appreciative of the arts...respect and learn the culture of others. They have learned to be responsibile and take up responsibilities that hv been trusted on them, to uphold the school's name and bring honour not only to themselves but also to the group.
These are the values attained...these are wat i want them to gain. It started right here even before we fly off to Bandung, the processes and preparation hv been planned and carved to equip them with the disciplines and the necessary skills.
I know, they will cherish this experience and it will be forever etched in their heart...i am more than happy to be part of these wonderful development...may the passion and luv grow stronger, after all this is wat an ensemble should be made of.

Back from Bandung

2010-06-28T12:48:00.005+08:00

Just came back from Bandung Indonesia for the 1st AWI summit together with the angklunites from Madrasah Aljunied Al Islamiah.
I'll let the pictures do the talking. More can be found in FB.

Fly kite

2010-06-21T12:49:00.004+08:00

As usual...the seemingly impossible task was made possible by sheer hardwork and determination. As far as possible i dun want to be hard on them...but points hv to be put acrossed or things will go out of hand. Nevertheless that was not the hardest yet....i was merely saying my thoughts aloud. Its like kite flying...u let the string go but once in a while u hv to hv a tight reign on it...if u hold it too loose, ur kite may be flying aimlessly...u hold too tight, the string will snap and u'll lose the kite anyway.
Flying off to Bandung the day after tmr.This trip is more for the students to learn and experience for themselves wat angklung music hv to offer to the world...the development and the achievement one can hv. Its going to be exciting..and i can t wait for the gala concert, where they will present 5 songs of New Age genre and will be accompanied by Oud , bamboo flute and Drabuka....something that i hv not really try with, its going to be interesting. We'll make it happen.

The wizard

2010-06-17T12:54:00.003+08:00

Seeing the wizardry of Jordan Rudess on the keys will either motivate you to train even harder or just give up, pack up and go. I find myself shrinking exponentially each time i watch the vids. Here's one of them

The summit

2010-06-05T12:58:00.004+08:00

All gear up for the AWI 1st Angklung Summit in Bandung. The madrasah angklunites will be participating in the summit, the only group from Singapore. Apart from participating in the seminar and workshops they'll also be performing on the gala concert showcasing songs from their debut album Divine InspiratioIt is going to be exciting...at the same time a real challenge for me to rearrange the songs to be played 100% on angklung, no kulintangs and no other accompaniement. Nevertheless, its not entirely new...just a tweak here and there...we'll pull thru.
Before the summit, they'll be having another performance at Orchid Country Club this 14th June, its a good chance to test the ground.
With all the hustle and bustle of Zapin D'Muara, i hv been neglecting my kids from Harmoni Orkid Choir...they too will be having a performance this 11th June, and i've yet to preare them for it...hmmmm....i'll be seeing there tmr, the only day to get everything sorted out.
Meanwhile here are some pictures from the zapin festival....nooo....not fr me...i din bring my camera at all...pictures are from Azrin Abdullah except the last its fr Qamar Baba

2010-06-01T13:42:00.003+08:00

Yerp, together with the madrasah's angklunites off to Bandung

Thats it

2010-05-31T15:01:00.003+08:00

Dah selesai!
Given the limited resources, tight datelines and some unappreciative remarks...we did manage to pull thru. I am proud with all my musicians. It started with a seemingly impossible feat from getting the line-up and thru the processes and finally the 3 nights of high octane performances, we did it. Thats all that matters. There are lots to be said, but to sum it up, the musicians made my day....all of them, from Indonesia, Malaysia and of course Singapore.
It been an honour to be working with them..truly professional, humble and full of RESPECT. I'm sure gonna miss all of them.

Zapin

2010-05-20T01:09:00.004+08:00

Zapin Di Muara...coming on the 28th to 30th May. Probably the first and the biggest Malay Arts and Culture festival in S'pore showcasing the ever popular Zapin music song and dance. I was given the task as the music director for this event..and i hv to admit it is indeed a big and challenging task. Three countries will come together, S'pore, Indonesia and M'sia, showcasing the best of zapin in music and dance form, and on the third nite, a collaboration! This is something not to be missed. I am honoured to be part of this event...no doubt the stress level is ever so high, but, i believed we can do it.
Will talk more abt it.....as for now i'm going on a short hiatus, till this whole thing is over.

A rockin Nite II

2010-05-10T00:43:00.005+08:00

Reminiscence II...sweet. Especially when u get to see ur ex students. I just luv my job. The feeling is priceless.
Pictures courtesy of Jacqueline Lie, Zihao, Ahmad, Ying Zi, Constance Neo and Adilah

A rockin' nite!

2010-05-08T17:25:00.003+08:00

Totally awesome nite...yeap i'm talking abt Reminiscence II, the concert by the NJC angklung ensemble. Enjoyed every minute of it. Like i said, the amt of satisfaction u get from a performance depends on the amt of effort u put into preparing it. And it was a really unforgettable moment for everyone.
Kudos to all involved. Despite the setback and obstacles, everything went well..."belive u can do and the know-how-to-do will develop by itself...and of course "Dont Stop Believin!"

Pictures are in my FB

Reminiscence II

2010-05-05T23:35:00.002+08:00

Just came back from Reminiscence II..the rehearsal lah. Actual show is on 7th May. Wat a hot and tiring day sey. Theres soooooo much i want to do but...yes but....i hv to be realistic, in life, very seldom u get exactly wat u wanted. The most important thing is to try as hard to get as close as possible. The sense of achievement actually comes from the amount of effort u put into it. Working hard to earn million dollar is not as ecstatic as winning the money thru lottery...true?...true lah! Lagipoun loteri tu haram...duit bebanyak bot per tapi tak berkat, mendatangkan kemusnahan lagik ada, kalao tak kat donia, confirm kat akhirat kener.
Ok...digress jao sey. Wat i wanted to say is that....i'm glad we had this rehearsal. Short...but it did the job. The real challenge will be on fri itself...to set the stage within 45 mins. I've done many many events and shows, this would be the first time where the setting up and souncheck to be done within 45mins.
I'll leave the lightings to the creativity of the PA boys n girls..only managed to plot the spots just now.
I am very very tired..mentally and physically...need my beauty sleep.
Thk u for reading and seeya at Reminiscence II (see earlier post...tix will still be sold at the door)..it will be a nite to remember, its going to be awesome..we will make it awesome no matter wat.
k bye

Reminiscence II - 7th May

2010-04-29T23:00:00.004+08:00

Guest performers: Dzul Rabull (aku lah!)..Alhafiz....and NJC Malay Dance
Interested : tag/fb/msg/email me for tix.

Bleah!!

2010-04-28T22:59:00.002+08:00

Wah lama tak update. I tink todae i want to write in Malay. Aku peh suker ah nak tulis mayu ke omputeh ke dayak ke. Now that was a typical malay pasar sentence. Literally u write wat and how exactly u speak...the streets language. Aku peh suker ah nak tulis bahaser pasar ke tidak, susah apsal?
Today was the day where the GW kids went for their syf central judging. Bleahh! keputusannya? as expected. Selagi we cant produce a big firepower with big hardware selagi tu kita akan sentiasa dipandang kecil. Beruntunglah kumpulan yg ada banyak duit yg boleh beli itu dan ini.
Nie semua budak-budak beb, sepatutnya diadili mengikut semangat dan kerja keras yg mereka tonjolkan, bukan berapa banyak harta dunia yg mereka ada.
Watever it is....i am proud with my kids. They hv learnt the values of working as a team...they hv picked up the necessary softskills, that is all the matter...pada akulah. Yg mcm siaknyer, tak ramai yg bersependapat mcm aku...aper yg tertulis kat atas kertas itu lah yg lagi important.
K dah.
Next, will be the NJ angklunites concert. which is next week...pastu the zapin festival end of May, yg nie ah yg banyak kejer siot. Tapi aku takleh start utk prepare for the festival dulu, nak kener tunggu the angklung concert abes dulu, yg sampai sekarang maseh belum nampak the full body yet.
This entry is a bit funny and weird...right?
Maybe i had a long day....and the day ended with dissapointment and frustration.
LailahaIlla Anta, SubhanakaInni kuntum Minazzalimin.

Salamz!

Salute

2010-04-16T23:53:00.002+08:00

This evening was the swan song for the seniors of BVS angklung. I am happy for them. They ended their stint with the ensemble on a high note, a roaring success couple of nites ago and another one a moment ago. This got to be the sweetest momento for them...yet, deep inside, i feel sad to see them go. I've seen and trained them for 4 years, when there were just sec1s and some sec2s, and all of a sudden, they are stepping down, this yr is their graduating yr.
I admit, i hv grown attached to them..great bunch of people, great enthusiasm and definitely a committed lot. For sure i am going to miss them all :) ... :(
And i am 100% sure that they too felt the same way abt the ensemble. They sure hv put the ensemble to a greater height..with the right attitude and superb teamwork. This is wat a CCA should be, to develop students with values and qualities that one day will help them in life. Values like respect, dedication, teamwork, commitment, discipline and loyalty. I am happy to be part of this development. I wish them success in their future endeavour.

High

2010-04-13T00:03:00.002+08:00

Saturday morning...early in the morning, the madrasah's angklunites went to SIH for a performance and that explains why my face appear in the paper the nxt morning together with the group. That was the cleanest performance put up by them. And it was a last minute like really last minet punyer performance. And i'm sure glad we did that performance. Its a good exposure for the angklunites, easpecially in front of all the corporate guest. Peluang untuk membuktikan bahawa pelajar madrasah juga berkebolehan dan setanding dgn pelajar dari sekolah nasional....apsal plak berbual melayu nie..?
Today, just came back actually. The BVS angklunites performed for their school's aesthetic nite..and i am blardy proud of them. Superb performance. A medley of Sweet Child O Mine, Billie Jean, I'm Yours, Dont Stop Believen, Smoke On The Water and Viva La Vida. Brilliant! They've nailed it, yet again. Moment like this keeps u going..seeing the fruit of your labour just gave that indescribeable feeling of pure ecstacy. Well done people!

No regrets

2010-04-09T23:36:00.002+08:00

Finally got the chance to blog...and..i dunno wat to write. Great.
How i wish i can be at two places or even three at the same time..mepek sak...
Schedules stacked high and packed, one after another, all over the place. These would probably the busiest period in my life. And its exciting!
Then again...its better to be bz....while u still can...no regrets. The worst feeling to hv is when u start to regret of all the things that u should and could do, and u cant do anything abt it, unless u hv a time machine.
Live life to the fullest.
Doesnt matter wat u do....as long as u are happy and enjoy wat u are doing.

endurance

2010-03-28T22:47:00.002+08:00

Behaviour breeds behaviour. It always work...except for the other day. There i was, vigorously waving my conducting baton, shaking my butt smiling like i hv nvr smile b4, mouthing the word 'smileeee'...but to no avail. Apparently that was their best performance of the syf piece. The GW kids just had their syf preview concert on Sat(eh yesterday lah tu), they did well...on beat and on time...but tu lah, satu satu muker stress. Now, i hv to work on just that....how to make them relax and enjoy the music.
When everything has finished, i was so tired n sleepy...and it was only noon...thats wat u get if u sleep 2 to 3 hours daily for a week...rushed to BV for their combined rehearsal, which dragged till 6pm...sticky sleepy and hungry.
Oh and theres this Earth hour? wat earth hour? i was dining with wifey yesterday night and everything was bright! brighter than daylight.
Week ahead will be another non-stop madness.
When this is over...i am going away....!

Another random post

2010-03-25T21:15:00.003+08:00

Rehearsals and performances from schools under my charge, one after another. All happening this week, squeezed into one like a canned sardine. To say that i am not affected by all these hustle and bustle is an understatement. Its an energy sapping activity, trying to prepare and get everything in order. To top it up, need to prepare myself for another festival coming in May...i would say a major event which require an obscene amount of creative work...yeah creativity can get dirty at times.
Tadi start, ada banyak bender nak tulis, skrg lupa plak.
K lah, some other time maybe.
Need to do a little bit of recording for tmr's show.

Heart

2010-03-24T00:32:00.006+08:00

My heartiest congrats goes to Madrasah Aljunied Angklung Ensemble for the release of their debut album, Divine Inspiration. The soft launch of the album was fantastic...a good performance. I am really proud with all of them. For those who attended the performance...thank you so much for the support, its another stepping stone for them to achieve even greater height. As their trainer, it has always been my goal to see them excel not only academically but also aesthetically. Alhamdulillah i can see that being realised tonite. Things like this makes me luv my job even better..its heartening to see the development and knowing that u are also a part of that development.

Divine Inspiration

2010-03-19T15:56:00.002+08:00

The launching of first local angklung album by the Madrasah Aljunied Al Islamiah Angklung Ensemble "Divine Inspiration" on Tue 23rd Mar 8pm at Madrasah Aljunied Al Islamiah Hall. Admission is free! All are welcome.10 tracks of spiritual songs re arranged by Dzul Rabull (aku lah tu)with sessionists Alhafiz, Ridwan Ramli and Ismahairie Putra. Produced by Madrasah Aljunied and Spiritual Planet

Impressive!

2010-03-16T00:59:00.002+08:00

The last entry was a week ago. But, it seems like yesterday. Time passes bloody fast sey. I remembered i was juggling like gazillion things on hand. The week ended with a bang! and that was yesterday. Ilsa Tari's teater randai entitled Fitrah was ace...i'm honoured to be part of yet another of their greatest showcase, helmed by the non other than a good friend of mine Mr Osman Hamid. I've been supporting Ilsa Tari's prodn..on the music side of course..since, well cant remember when, but years back, and this is the first time they did a teater randai..and it was impressive. Well done people! Although my mind was racing like mad to get the music and sound effect cues right, i did enjoy the performance..eyes glued to the stage...ocassionally glancing at the cue sheet, which was most of the time covered in darkness but cant get my mini torchlight to shine on it simply becos my two hands were already on the keys, couldnt just lift it up cos i din hv a sustain pedal..damm kecoh sey..haha..but still, i did enjoy the show..even sempat jeling at the subtitles to see if it is in sync with the dialogue.
Yeah, that was last week...this week will be another adventure, preparing for three shows. And, the long awaited album by the madrasah angklunites will be launched nxt week 23rd Mar at the madrasah itself 8pm..nie pun nak kener siapkan diorang sumer, two or three sessions with them before the launch date should suffice...nak lebih, but i cant selit any more days, all to the brim already...sure can one, insya Allah...like i always say, believe u can do it and the know how to do will develop by itself.
K ciao!

We will make it happen

2010-03-08T00:50:00.002+08:00

Its time to be selective...within the next months ahead, if things dont change then i'm sorry i hv to leave. Bukannyer nak jual mahal and nak eksen...but i am just being professional. And i expect the same thing too....even more coming from a supposedly professional organisation. I dun expect anything out of the ordinary...nor making any unreasonable request. Sacrifice has its limitation..i'm willing to sacrifice my time and effort...but not forever.

Ok, i was just thinking aloud. Now for some updates.
As usual...same old thing, i was all over the place for the past days. LY angklunites performance at Suntec couple of days ago was ace. That was their first public performance for the year...and for the junior sec 1. The ensemble has started to shape very well..i am very pleased...and i dun give a damm wat others think, i know my kids...
Another project due this next weekend...although hv not come out with anything concrete yet, but i;m sure we'll make it happen. The rest of the musicians will only join in three days bfore bumping-in...its kind of late if u were to think abt it...but..i'm sure we'll make it happen.
I'll keep this short. I'm an old man now....write long long think hard hard, wait later die how?
ciao!

Keroncong fusion

2010-02-28T01:08:00.003+08:00

Today..as in Saturday the 27th..is a very loooong tiring day. Left home in the morning for the NJ's session, then off to CCK for Harmoni Orkid's performance. But before that detoured to music shop to get a pair of quater inch cable..ingat kalao sempat nak lunch dulu..but then, as usual tak sempat. So, berbekalkan perut yg kelaparan off to CCK...panas terik sey. The kids in their green baju kurung, was sweating like nobody biz. Took some pictures and video, but too malas to upload...ingat tak penat ke per nak tunggu bender to upload? It was a ok performance by them....it could hv been better. Open space was nvr meant for choral singing...UNLESS...there's a proper mic'ing system. Well its over...glad the organisers liked the performance.
Then, tros ke Taman Warisan, for the Malam Keroncong. Reached there early, got the chance to catch the glimpse of the performance by Warisan Yayasan Johor, they were good..clean and tight playing. Keroncong music has this calming and soothing effect for the soul..contrasting rhythm and laid back melody line makes it unique.
I was asked to perform for the evening concert....a fusion of keroncong and new age. It took me a while to come up with a presentable piece...creative juice failed to flow lah...eventually decided to do a keroncong version of Wave Of Hope, a piece which i wrote years back and decided to inject a jazzy feel to it...dun ask me why...at the point of creating and arranging, i just felt the sudden urge of semangat.So in the end, that piece started of with a normal keroncong feel, and slowly developed into a pentatonic javanese plus keroncong feel then into new age dramatic mood and drastically become jazzy..hahah...but it turned up quite alright...mighty fine. So that was my take on keroncong fusion.
hmm should i put it in my next album?...naah..dun tink so...let that be a one-off thing for the audience to enjoy.
Ok...super sleepy now...cant hardly move my fingers any longer....ciao

PS: oh i am so very glad that some of my students from madrasah attended the concert..hope they learn something out of it...appreciating the art of keroncong.

Must i put a title to this entry?

2010-02-23T23:48:00.002+08:00

My brain is saturated, got so many things to think abt...days ahead are going to get worst. The GW kids are going to hv their syf rehearsal at the venue this thur...and i hv yet to appoint a percussion player, so how the hell am i going to position the player if there is none? well done dzul! u will just hv to trust on ur instinct then.
The JVS angklunites are also going to hv their first public performance this thur too! and i cant be there with them..once again...why must their performance hv to clash with some other performance? everytime siak..i dun hv this prob with my other schools. And i received news that number of players hv to scale down, like really really scale down...strip to a bare minimum...and i only hv tmr to prepare them for this, well done dzul! u will just hv to trust on ur instinct then.
The choir kids are having performance this Sat...singing 6 songs....and two songs are still very shaky, in terms of structure, i've yet to complete the full arrangement on that songs..and..and..no more practise with them...ari nam nie straight away show. Well done dzul! U will just hv to trust on ur instinct then
And on that same day, in the evening..i'll be showcasing two of my works for the Malam Keroncong at Taman Warisan....my take on how can i fuse keroncong with my kind of music..very interesting and very challenging. But i cant get this creative juice flowing..and time is running short! Well done dzul! U will just hv to trust on ur instinct then.
If u want to irritate me, this is the best time....but be forewarned...the consequences will double or even triple than wat i received. My angklung kids almost had it just now during practise..but naseb baik tahap kessabaran masih boleh lagik dibendung.

Believe u can do and the know how to do will develop by itself....i'm sure things will turn out ok....cos i know i can do it. So, come down to the Malay Heritage Centre this Sat evening..its free..and u can witness and hear for urself the fusion piece that i hv created..its going to be awesome....although now, i dun hv it yet. Arghhh!
k bye.

40

2010-02-20T19:11:00.002+08:00

Received sooo many birthday wishes for the past days....woaaa..thk u all. I turned 40 on the 17th Feb. Eventhough i dun really care abt the age thing...but...but...40 is like woaaa..i'm 40 sey,no more in the thirties, suddenly it hit me! lu dah patploh tahon beb..sudah lama lu idop pat muker bumi nie, lu suah achieve apa yg lu nak? And proudly i replied to my inner voice, "yesssaa, i hv a very fulfilling life, alhamdulillah".
I remembered, once upon a time during my school life, i asked myself, where will u be when u are 40 years old?...and then suddenly....tap tip tup...now dah 40...wahhhh!
I'd always wanted to be a teacher like dad or a musician like grandpa...and now....i'm both! Thx Allah for the good things that He bestowed upon me, and i will continue to strive for another fulfilling life...sampai akhir hayat, insya Allah.

Chill...relax...

2010-02-15T22:14:00.003+08:00

Setiap maknosia yg masih bernapas tak akan lepas dari tanggungjawab..tak kira tua atau muda, laki atau pompan, budak atau owang tuer. Kadang-kadang tu tanggungjawab yg diberikan mcm takde makner langsung sey, its like owang campak one big pile of responsibilities "Nah amek kao obat!" and expect u to live with it. But sadly, beginilah lumrah kehidupan...yg pentingnyer jangan lari dari tanggungjawab, especially if u are a leader, or pemimpin. Orang yg lari dari tanggungjawab boleh dianggap pengecut...or worst...dayus. Face it...no matter how hard its is..anggap lah ia sebagai satu ujian...takder yg mustahil, nothing is impossible (dah ckp mayu nak ckp omputeh plak ako nie).Kuatkan azam, kuatkan semangat..if u hv already set ur mind into doing something, just do it. jgn nak hegeh hegeh, jgn procrastinate..just get it over and done with.
Sekarang nie banyak orang yg stress...budak sekolah pon stress...knaper sampai stress?, basically it all boils down to time management...orang jadik stress pasal tak cukop time, or too many tasks and responsibilities but too little time. Also, org jadik stress pasal the negative approach towards the task and responsibilities. No matter how hard a situation is, always turn it into a challenge...then plan ur time....pastu tackle it immediately...baru lah boleh berjaya. And these steps require a lot effort and practise, nanti biler dah terbiaser, u will find life pretty darn exciting.
Be passionate in wat u are doing...passion = extreme joy...so if u dont feel that extreme happiness and joy in wat u are doing, u dun hv the passion yet. If u can change, change it, do something that u like..like me (yekk sak budak)...but not all hv the priviledge to choose wat he/she wants to do in life, if thats the case, u can still continue doing it but u got to change ur mindset, be positive and always think happy thoughts. Jgn ckp tak boleh, jgn komplen... no negativities....nanti lama-lama u'll find that extreme joy...baru lah u can appreciate life to the fullest.

Hot

2010-02-14T02:07:00.002+08:00

Aos tak hagak-hagak sey, kalahkan orang nak uzor plak. Its the weather lah. At one time the temp outside hit 41deg..no kidding. My car got this thermometer reading of temp outside, and on that particular day at that particular time it shows 41deg, nie bangsa kes campak telor kat road tros jadik telor mata lembu sak. The world is getting hotter and hotter..and i'm hot too. Ozone layer semakin menipis....cuaca dah tak menentu. Nie sumer angkara penduduk bumi yg tak bertimbangraser, membakar hutan ikot suker ati mak dia, polusi bermaharajalela di sana sini tidak ader kesudahannyer. Ye, aku ckp mcm aku nie tak bersalah...saden je. I guess its better to realise the seriousness of it all...awareness is better than ignorant...but feigning ignorance is the worst of it all.

Wheels

2010-02-10T23:03:00.002+08:00

Every freakin' day there's bound to be an accident on the road...no...let me rephrase that, everyday i am sure to get stuck in a traffick jam due to accident. Apsal nie? sumer dah tak tahu bawak keter ke per....menyusahkan org btol. And this always happen to me when i'm in a hurry to go for my class or, when i'm already tired and cant wait to get home. Tadi je another accident....ideally i should reach the school in 15 mins, but becos of that minor accident, traffick was held up and i hv to cancel the class. Then impatient motorists tried to cut into my lane, from left and right....no wonder lah everyday ader accident. Tak tahu sabar punya maknosia, bawak keter besar tapi otak kecik, pentingkan diri sendiri, tak kisahkan org..
I spent most of my time, besides teaching, in my car..driving from one place to another. Aku aderlah bawak dgn berhati-hati, pikirkan org lain, giving way to others..but these morons inglorious basterds, kasi darah up sey...
If u want to get into accident and die by all means go and die...but dont sabo other motorist lah. I am so pissed off today....yes i will get pissed if i hv to cancel my class at the very last minute.
Plse lah....follow speed limit, signal before changing lane...dont stay close to the vehicle in front...thats all...and everyone will live happily ever after.
Kalao besok also got jam pasal accident, i tink i will tukar kereta...kereta tank. Murabbal btol.

Ahhh

2010-02-10T00:10:00.003+08:00

Maman singing (sound check) Kasih Ku Pinjam Wajah during the Malam Kebudayaan Islam 3 @ Fort Canning Nov 2009..full length dvd of the whole show will be out soon. Indeed an unforgettable nite.

Transformation

2010-02-04T23:56:00.003+08:00

Thur, probably not a good day, for now. Thur is the day where i hv to talk and talk..8 hrs of class with half an hour break in between. Talking to classes of 40 for 6 hours and a class of 100...yeah 100..the next 2hrs. Boleh pecah anak tekak wa ckp lu.
Instructing is not as easy as u think it is...u may be expert in the knowledge that u instruct, but to get the point across to the whole class and demand their absolute attention is bloody hell tricky. Yes i demand absolute undivided attention when i'm teaching .
There are two ways of putting ur point across and i always interchange each other, apply whichever i deem fit....the first way is to instil fear, the army style...second way is thru humour and light hearted instructions.
Most important thing is not to get carried away.
This is an energy sapping job...but the satisfaction that u gain from it is worthwhile. I always hv this sense of achievement whenever i see the transformation in them....the satisfaction gained is priceless.

Change the world!

2010-01-30T00:16:00.002+08:00

As usual, been bz with everything. Its good to be bz...it means that u are still needed...dapur pun boleh berasap. But honestly, the pay that i'm getting for doing wat i'm doing rite now is secondary.. important?..yes of course. Primary concern or reason for doing this is to get the message across, and share the luv for music and life. The best way is to lead by example...show that u hv the passion and the students will follow suit...may not be all, but at least i've managed to leave an impression to some of them... i hope.
Its hard...and challenging....but that doesnt mean u cant change the world,...yerp...the world. Everyone is capable of doing it...we hv this powerful tool called 'will power' to make things happen. Move forward, take up the challenge, grab that opportunity, will urself to make it happen, and will it like crazy...u will achieve it, most important thing do not give up and nvr nvr say 'i cant do it'

on and off

2010-01-26T20:50:00.002+08:00

mcm biskot btol lah, kejap dtg kejap ilang, kjap ok kjap tak ok. I'm fighting the battle with the flu bug ... and now the cough bug. I will not succumb to ur wants, i will not be defeated, i'm in control over my body. Test of endurance, mind over matter...if u dont mind then it doesnt matter. I've been far more worst than this.
Sajer je nak psycho diri. U need to tell urself that everything is going to be fine then all will fall into place. Always say u can do and the know how to do will develop by itself.
Lets sidetrack a little...i hv found someone whom i can impart the knowledge of music making...the real music making as a form of art and expression, not bounded by textbooks and exam pieces. So, lets see how far can this go.
Finally, watched Avatar...yah yah...mcm dah ketinggalan zaman gituk....everybody else in this planet hv watched ages ago. Awesome movie...period. They shld do something with the 3D specs, its like cloudy siak...i shall wait for the dvd...maybe by then i wld hv gotten a blu-ray player.
k tu je for now

The protege

2010-01-21T19:53:00.005+08:00

And i tot that i hv been cleared from the flu bug. It struck again lah! Shouldnt hv talk or blog abt it....kan skrg dah datang balek. MC today, skipped the morning classes and becos of that all my plans hv been jeorpadised..binget siak. Next week hv to buck up with these skipped classes. Afternoon went to BVS for their cca...new members joined in for the first time...31 of them! This is by far the most numbers compared to my other schools...so now total members close to 100 students!I've yet to find a protege...someone whom i can impart all the necessary skils and knowledge to continue with this journey of mine...i'm not getting any younger u know, although there are several potential individuals, but they need to be proven first.

All over the place

2010-01-18T21:59:00.002+08:00

Great, i'm clear of the bug..not 100% though, the cough paid a courtesy visit...welcome! But i liked the way my voice sounded..long throw with a couple of subs and tweeter(btw i'm talking abt parts from audio speaker lah).
And i just booked my mandatory IPPT test. I got abt 3 weeks to train up..hmmmm..cant do any running now, hv to wait till all the flu bugs gone which is going to be a week plus from now? So, it'll leave me with another...a week plus to train? Mak ai..thats a real challenge.
Oh, and for those who hv been asking where to get all my albums? Well, good news, u can get it online..just click on any of my album covers on the left hand side of this blog and it'll take u to that page. Oh, i'm working on my 6th album this yr, so hopefully it can be out soon....errrr....not that soon lah.
This post is so random....but...who cares
I'm going to be 40 real soon...no more reservist call-ups and trainings, i'm finally a free man!
American Pie2 is showing on cable right now...i like this particular movie, its hilarious!
Oh and i watched Kill Bill Vol 1 the other day, second time after years shelving it...still refreshing...pleasantly gory...
And i've yet to watch Avatar....ughhh...so depressing, badly wanted to watch it, still showing meh? Heard it won the Golden Globe for Best Picture and Best Director...wooo.
ok ciao!

Dreamy

2010-01-17T19:12:00.002+08:00

I was really really down with flu. The bug hit me hard....real hard siak. The signs are there since thursday...i was on my way to BVS for their angklung session, it was one scary drive. I dozed off while driving! somehow i managed to drive quite a distance without any collision...phew!.well its not really sleeping while driving, more like lingering in between reality and the dream zone. And when i finally snapped out from the zone, the mind went totally blank, i couldnt recall wat i;m doing in the car and where am i heading....blur dayak kejap. Luckily managed to get back to Earth in time..otherwise i'll be going circles.
The real hit was on Fri, forced me to cancel my afternoon session with LY angklunites...i slept the remaining of the day, determined to get well the nxt day for my sessions with the NJ and madrasah's angklunites. Nothing is more powerful than will power. Believe hard u can do it and u shall succeed. After the session with madrasah's peeps,my temperature shot up...struggled to get home...the journey home was the worst of it all, zoning in and out, head throbbing like nobody business, it was a real challenge. Wat a day.

The blind man

2010-01-15T01:19:00.000+08:00

A single young lady just shifted to her new apartment. She decided to do her own painting, as she was painting on one of the rooms, the paint got smeared on her blouse. She took it off and continue painting topless. Then there was a knock on the door. "Who izzit?" she exclaimed "I'm the blind man" came the reply She opened the door, the man was in awed "You have a beautiful body!" "Wait a minute! u said u were blind!" shouted the lady trying to hide her ample bosom. "Yes i am, so, where u want me to fix the blinders?"

Moronic twerp

2010-01-13T22:49:00.003+08:00

I hereby declare that today is a stupid driver day...been encountering moronic motorist since early in the morning.From car, bus, van and to lorry. Drive like the father mother n the whole farking family own the road, damm blardy inconsiderate good-for-nothing pea-brain. No, this is not me having PMS..i cant anyway....this is abt me venting my frustration to those drivers who failed to give proper signal, who cut into my lane as if my car is invisible and lastly to the driver who thinks that he owns a bus with a turbo charged engine to be able to drive on the extreme right lane.
Hmm..i tink i;m just tired lah...after a very long day today.
Ohoo tmr's gonna be worst....straight 8 hours of talking, demonstrating and trying to get the super hyper active kids in control. It helps to hv a face like mine...straight stern scary look, especially when i open my eyes wide....wuuhuuuu..
..nope...still havent get the diary planner...

Refill

2010-01-12T23:23:00.002+08:00

Classes hv resumed fully....the rush has begun....but the madness is not as chronic as last year's. A minor tweek on the scheduling gave me breathing space on most days. Less one school this yr, the school decided to close down the cca..wat a pity...they got the most complete set of instruments which i can do wonders to them...wasted sey. Anw, that empty slot was quickly taken by others...so, i'm back with working on full capacity, no more extra slots for the year.
Also...and i dunno how and why, i've managed to squeeze in two piano sessions for two students this year.
March is going to be a heavy duty month..with three major shows lining up...and Apr the syf for the GW kids, and i;m yet to get a refill for this yr's calendar for my diary. Damm, how come its so hard to get a refill that can fit into my diary's cover. I;ve been wrting all my appointments and schedules on pieces of paper and stashed them in my bag. By tomnorrow if i cant find the refill,i'm so going to get a brand new diary planner...leceh.

Here are the top 5 on my list to do for this yr :
1) Get the refill for my diary planner
2) cant remember cos i havent got the planner yet
3) see point no 2
4) see point no 3
5) all of the above

Sembang Suai 2010 - the pictures

2010-01-07T12:32:00.001+08:00

Splendid!

2010-01-03T00:50:00.003+08:00

It was a long tiring day...Sembang Suai 2010 kickstart the new year. It was an amazing show, performances by the dance, theatre and choir group of TWCC. Setting for the whole event was sweet and simple, no elaborate props, decor and lightings.Everything was kept to a bare minimal....yet, the showcase of each individual group was splendidly executed. Even the two-time power tripped did not stop the spirit of the performers. I am especially proud with the choir kids....couldnt help myself feeling a sense of pride seeing how these children whom i've trained for almost 4 yrs progressed and transformed into something that made the audience in awe.
Seeing these transformation made me love my job even more...i am sure glad that i did this.

The man and his toys

2009-12-30T22:55:00.006+08:00

Just git myself a new keys...as in board?... ok..ok ...keyboard. The old and faithful has been with me for like 6 to 7 yrs? and since i'm about to work on my no. 6 albums next yr, might as well get a new one for a fresh new sound.
Now, the history of my toys...from the beginning...well, not exactly right from the beginning, from my first album to be exact, which was in 1994! got myself a GEM keyboard (no picture lah), now evolved to Genesys..it has a superb sampling...and i lost the keyboard..yes..lost. How the hell could u lost something that big?? Its a long story lah...some other time maybe.
So, got myself another one a KORG O1WFD workstation

Awesome board..i did two albums with this board.
Then the mother board went kaput....irreplaceable...obsolete model...so? so wat...got another one lah, like instantaneously sey, my O1W crashed few hours before a gig, that very same day got myself a new board...a personal arranger...PA80

I'm still using this board now, it has served me well...the longest of it all, in terms of usage...two abums and many many recordings. Kira dah balek modal lah...many kali ganda, hahah....
Finally, decided to get a new board to supplement the existing one..another KORG..a M50 workstation

So far so good, although havent really get the chance to sit and really work on it. I'll start working on the first song on this board next year. Its going to be exciting...new year with a new sound.
Of course i hv a dream board....it cost quite a bomb...a little over 10k...dunno when can i be the proud owner of it..hahha....its a Roland Fantom G8...awesome features...24tracks siak...

hmmm...*drool*..one of these days...btw, my birthday is coming....

PS: nie sumer harta donia...bukannyer boleh bawak masok kubor...aku beli pasal nie dah memang kejer ako, and i will never replace unless it is very necessary.

Breathing space

2009-12-29T22:00:00.002+08:00

Work started right away, rushing thru for some unfinished jobs which was temporarily shelved due to the preparation of MKI. Xtreme pressure do wonders to ur creative mind....yelah kena paksa perah otak. But it is definitely not good for the body. Then again, bukannya tak pernah aku buat kejer camnie, i'm used to this.
I need a breather..b4 school reopen...the qn is when can i find that breathing space. just hv to wait n see.

Consolidated pictures

2009-12-25T22:32:00.005+08:00

Pictures courtesy of (not in order of appearance) Azrin Abdullah, Md Jamal, Salihin, Indra Dilaila, Irwan Azly and myself

Absolutely no regrets

2009-12-23T01:11:00.003+08:00

Now that the dust has finally settled...but the memories still linger on. The Islamic Cultural Nite 3 or Malam Kebudayaan Islam III ended with an astounding finese. Its the third year running, and i've been entrusted at the helm as the music director for all the 3 years. This instalment is the best of all...in fact, its the best show that i've been involved in for the year, probably the entire years of my music career. I cant tink of any shows that hv the kind of energy and satisfaction.
My dream of seeing the Madrasah's angklunites on the same stage with my highly talented musician buddies came thru. Looking at their faces, their twinkling eyes and radiant smile, gave me a sense of achievement and pride. I hv promised them an unforgettable nite that will be etched in their heart forever, and that promise has been delivered..thats all the matter.

More abt the event...
Setup of musical instruments was done the nite b4, i was hoping we could do at least a line check and maybe a soundcheck so we dont hv to rush the next day..unfortunately lines were not patched ..so we left abt 10+ pm.
The next day, the rest of the musicians reported in the morning...again, we cant do the line and sound check immediately...a good one and half hour is wasted. When everything got patched, sound check was done immediatelt, but stopped halfway becos of the rain....it got me worried, schedule got busted, definitely we cant start the full tech run on time. So i;ve decided to break for lunch and proceed with the full run after lunch....balancing and the remaining sound check will be done during the tech run itself. We are fortunate to hv a good and experience sound engineer, from there onwards it was plain sailing. Alhamdulillah.

After typing the above para, i realised that it was a little too techie...i guess u dun understand half of it....anw , to summarise....both my musicians and sound engineers are experienced enuf to know how to make up for the short fall.

Wat a show to end the year with...
now for the pictures....maybe another entry.

Surreal

2009-12-20T22:31:00.002+08:00

..yesterday was the nite...the feeling was surreal.
Credit goes to all the production team, my musician buddies who always rise to the occassion and nvr fail to impress me one show after another, the madrasah's angklunites, artistes and chorus singers.
Tadi memuler ingat nak type panjang-panjang....but somehow i'm lost for words pulak.
It was a memorable nite....one thing for sure, i am very very proud with my angklunites.
Thats it....for now.

MKI Prep Day Seven - Tue (15/12)

2009-12-16T02:08:00.001+08:00

7:30pm SHARRRRP!

MKI Prep Day Six - Mon (14/12)

2009-12-15T11:11:00.002+08:00

Went out early for technical meeting..i just hope everythig is sorted out in time. Finally, the whole gang is here..the complete musicians, Azrin just came back from his break. I can finally play my parts or rather sort out my parts. All this while i've been playing his parts. Alhamdulillah, we are right on track...everything is according to plan.
And from today onwards,the angklunites will be joining for wats left of the prac session, insya Allah we'll peak on Sat.

MKI Prep Day Five - Sat ( a very sad day)

2009-12-13T18:27:00.003+08:00

During dinner break, i received a shocking news from wifey...the sudden demise of my father-in-law who has been staying with us for more than 10yrs. It came as a shock to the whole family. As much as i want to go back immediately, but i cant...i need this session with the angklunites and the musicians..so i stayed.
Alhamdulillah, finalised some crucial parts and song structure before i rush home.
Everything will be ok.

MKI Prep Day Three & Four - wed/thur

2009-12-11T19:33:00.002+08:00

Seriously i cant remember wat happened in day 3 n 4...and how many songs we hv covered. Its all jumbling up...i need divine intervention.
32 channel board tak cukop...we need two 48, satu mainboard lagik satu monitor board...and 48 is effing big, and effing where to get?
wedge monitor 20 bijik, thats effing a lot...musician sorang satu, angklung 9 bijik tmasok kulintang, chorus line sebijik dua, depan nak tarok pat bijik...
mic toksah ckp ah...instrument mic + condenser berlambak lambak.
Takleh ah...nak kener strip down...strip to 32 channel..ntah sound boleh dpt ke tak.
ahhh tu 50 posen blom byr..resit pader ako..hahahah
oh..lampu movinghead, city samer par-can, tu pandai pandai diorang ah..memuler ingatkan ako nak buat kan scenes, but memandangkan kepaler otak nie ader satu...so tak boleh lah nampaknyer, nanti kpaler meletop saper susah?

MKI Prep Day Two - Tue 8/12

2009-12-09T16:59:00.002+08:00

Since i got time before going to the third session of MKI prep rehearsal, might as well update this blog. Yesterday was the second day, all musicians less Azrin were able to make it..we din get to cover 6 songs but it was another fruitful session.
I've just finished drafting the prog flow..it was a tight squeeze. Just hope that it din overrun. Glad that MAsimran were able to come at a very short notice, we worked out on his songs... Bila Watu Berakhir and Chrisye's song....a little tweek on the arrangement and wala, we got it, and i might just put Bila Watu Berakhir as a finale song, such an inspiring and moving song...tears will be shed..haha.
If there's an award for best supporting individual, i will give it to kak Salmah, the caretaker of the madrasah. How many people who would be willing to sacrifice his or her precious time to stay at the school? to open the gate for us and wait thruout the whole two hour plus? And she's been doing this for the past MKI's concert. She deserved more than wat, from my point of view, she has been receiving now...a little more appreciation and respect.
I tink i better leave now....knowing the traffick condition at this time of the hour..
ciao!

MKI Prep Day One - Mon 7/12

2009-12-08T12:30:00.002+08:00

Technically, yesterday was the first day the musicians officially met up for our first prac session. Although i hv prepared the angklunites weeks before hand, just to get them in sync before combining with the rest of the musicians.
6 of 18 songs in the bank...thats quite an achievement...within 3 days we should be able to cover all. Right on track man!...yah thats the reason why i like to engage my usual musicians...they've been with me for almost all the major events and also the previous MKI.
The musician line up are :

Alhafiz - asst MD and bamboo flute
Azrin Abdullah - Oud and guitar
M Nor - Bass
Hidayat - drum
Mohd Ali Abdullah - keyboards
Ismahairie Putra - violin
Khairul - Gendang Sunda and Rebana
Md Yaziz - Aux perc. Djembe and Drabooka
Madrasah Aljunied Angklung - 'string' section

I have decided to divide the whole concert into three main segments : Allah , Rasul and Insan/Alam. And to give that artistic direction, a storyteller/ poet will guide the audience into each segment.
k tu je for now.

MKI III - it has begun

2009-12-07T08:13:00.004+08:00

12 more days to the biggest event of the year...yerp...and i've been bragging and mentioning this event for the past weeks, the biggest (yah, i know...again) ethnic spiritual cultural show of the year yr which will take place on 19th Dec on the very same venue as F1 Rocks, Lady Gaga and some other big names. The stage will be huge...enuf to accomodate up to 50 artists and musicians at one time...the mood will not only be electrifying but also spiritually engaging.
From now onwards, i will dedicate all my entries of this blog to this event..the preparation, pictures and all that jazz.
To start off, here are the pictures of past years Malam Kebudayaan Islam

patakosongkaricampo

2009-12-02T23:59:00.001+08:00

Another loooong tiring day....woohoo. Tahu niari puaser sey. Only get to eat in the evening. Too engrossed with work sampai lupa nak makan...i tink i'm one of those few lucky guys whose work is also his passion...it makes life so satisfying...I never regretted taking this line, alhamdulillah.
GW angklunites hv been having daily practise session since the start of the school holiday, penat giler sak, maner nak layan budak-budak yg kept asking random questions not related to wat they've been practising, maner nak control them lagik...nevertheless, i'm kind of proud with the achievement so far.
Next, the madrasah angklunites...the big day is getting nearer and nearer, they are starting to feel the physical and mental stress of playing almost non-stop. It'll be the best show ever...i can just feel it.
k...dah ngantok ah
bye

Living life to the fullest and some random stuff

2009-11-29T23:55:00.005+08:00

Down with flu during Eid...like long time never saket sey, as in really saket. I tink the last time i visited my family doctor was abt one over year ago. Oi saket pon nak letak kat blog ke? Sker ati ako lah, kau susah apsal?...yess. i hear voices from my head....some scary shit there, but i'm used to it.
In two and half months time i'll be 40....woooo..40 sey, but i dun feel like going into 40s, FORTY..its like....mak ai, dah 40 tahun idop kat bumi nie..like suddenly sey, wat happened to the last 30 over years?? (oh by the way, that last statement was from the voice in my head)...i've seen and experienced a lot of tings for that last 30 over years lah, i can say i've lived my life to the fullest....no regrets if i...k...takmo cakap ah.
Do things whole heartedly and always tell urself, do it right and always aim for the best....and u shall hv no regrets after that. Thats the meaning of living life to the fullest. Nevermind, if u dun achieve the desired result..the bottomline is, u;ve done ur best and u got no regrets.
I'm so looking forward to my next session with the madrasah's angklunites....info overload, need to disseminate fast, and i hope they can take in the sudden rush. They may not realise this, but this project will stay with them for the rest of their life, even when i was in their age (which was like 20 over yrs ago?..yah yah..) i dun hv this kind of opportunity..playing in an orchestra in a probably the biggest event of the year. The biggest opportunity that i hv was probably, when i was 15? or 16?...playing piano solo at Victoria Theatre. And, lately i hv this sudden urge to end my blog post abruptly...like, right now!

Useless entry

2009-11-25T20:27:00.003+08:00

So far today, my day has been awesome..i dunno why, but today i felt so fulfilling, like i hv achieved something mega big...ah bagos, dah mega abeh big plak, isnt it the same? Started of with a 3 hr session with the GW kids...its an energy sapping session..kids will be kids...at least i can see a little improvement, its still a long way though.
After that off to Madrasah for a session with the angklunites...banyak kambing woiii...yelah, Eid is coming wat. Yg herannyer bau sampai masok dlm kelas sak....ako jenis orang yg takleh bau kambing. Tangan ada dua, maner nak angkat kibod, maner nak angkat file, maner nak angkat wire, maner nak angkat kambing..eh salah..maner nak angkat cota muzik...ceh cota muzik seyy, korang tahu aper tu? tak tahu? pasallaahh. Apsal ako bebwal mayu nie... ? pasallahhh. Reached kelas first...tolak pintu dgn kepaler since my hands are all fulled..bukak kipas kasi bau kambing kuar, then kuar balek pat keter amek wire plak. Aishah dah ader dlm, showed me her report book. Yah, i wanted to see the results of all my angklunites...i want all of them to excel in their studies. Ain came in second, last week first and why am i saying all these? yess nampak sah dah tak tahu aper nak tolis....then bunyik motor...dlm ati saper plak yg dtg madrasah bawak motor ramai ramai, sungguh tak berconsiderate langsung. Bunyik motor makin kuat, takkan lah diorang pi bawak motor sampai naik tingkat dua sey....rupa-rupanyer its the sound of the kulintang lah, the rest of them pushed into the classroom..hahah...
Lepas tu...three.
k babai.

I'm blessed....

2009-11-20T22:22:00.004+08:00

If i can touch the stars for everytime u make me smile, the entire evening sky will be at the palm of my hand. Thank you for being my pillar of strength. Happy anniversary to us! :)

Kaboom!

2009-11-17T19:33:00.002+08:00

Wrote two songs with full arrangement within the span of 6 hours..yes thats how desperate and bz i am right now. Million more songs to go. I'm going to crack soon.... just a matter of time.

Listen and follow

2009-11-13T00:53:00.002+08:00

People should learn not to meddle with things that they are not familiar with. Leave it to the professionals. I cant work in an environment where they are full of people who think that they know everything, tired lah...tired of trying to convince. Its a freakin' waste of time and energy....at times i felt like saying " STOP...i am the boss in this area...zip it, just listen and follow"

Vocal tracking done

2009-11-07T01:22:00.002+08:00

Vocal recording for HOC debut album ended todae. Tracking of all 15 songs started since the month of Ramadhan. And i really really hope mixing can be done by raya haji. Of course the sooner the better, i hv like a gazillion things on hand now..geez. Nevermind i'll take it one at a time..pelan pelan kayoh.
Tadi mcm ader banyak bender nak taip pat sini...skrg macam malas plak...
k bye

MKI III

2009-11-02T02:01:00.003+08:00

This post is way long overdue, but then again, better than nothing. Been bz lah..which is a good thing! Malam Kebudayaan Islam (see poster below) is coming to its third year running this 19th Dec, and once again i'm given the responsibility to oversee the music and artistic part. This would probably be the biggest event that i've undertook, with more than 5000 pax expected and the sheer number of artistes and talents that will be showcasing for the two-hour long show, proves to be a real challenge. Just like the earlier years, i will still be using the same..well almost the same, line up of musicians, and i'm really glad that i got all of them again. For this time around,i've decided to bring in the angklunites from Madrasah Aljunied to be part of musicians line-up. Therefore, u will see (if u are attending that is) a close to 50 musicians on the same stage accompanying talents and artistes thruout the whole concert. How exciting!
Malam Kebudayaan Islam III, a highly anticipated event by Madrasah Aljunied Al Islamiah,produced by Zag Production, supported by Planet Spiritual and islamicevents.sg....

The next big thing

2009-10-28T11:49:00.001+08:00

Laughing my head off...

2009-10-24T03:12:00.000+08:00

Blank

2009-10-19T12:06:00.002+08:00

Been starring in front of my keyboard workstation with no apparent result. Its funny, when u are out driving, u got this gazillion ideas for a song, but when u set ur mind to materialise that idea, it suddenly gone. Inspiration must come at the correct time and place, then u'll find joy in ur work, otherwise ur head will explode trying to force inspiration out from it.

Harmoni Orkid Choir - the two shows

2009-10-11T23:25:00.005+08:00

Yesterday was a very loooooong tiring and fun day. I dun feel like typing long entry. Let the pictures do the talking. More in my FB photo album.

and the video

Finally, i get my life back!

2009-10-09T23:59:00.004+08:00

Wat a long day....scrambling to get the songs transfered then off for a meeting at one of the schools at Bt Panjang. Doing the music for their syf dance...videod the kids and roughly got the idea on how to transform all that into a song. Then off to tampines for the choir kids' rehearsal. Tomorrow will be worst, early in the morning the GW kids having rehearsal, then later in the morning the choir kids having performance at the other end of the island, then more rehearsal for them for another show in the evening.
And i'm enjoying all of it.
Hahah. Finally, life begin to pick up.

Meanwhile here's a video of my P1 to P3 GW angklung kids playing Matsuri by Kitaro. And yes, i'm very proud of them.

Get back to work

2009-10-06T02:26:00.002+08:00

Its 2:30am and i'm still up.....blom ngantok lagik lah, normally i'll hit the sack around this time. Not today i guess.
Long time nvr update....
nothing spectacular happened, my life is, well, i wouldnt say boring,,its kind of the usual stuff which i dont see any point putting it in here, unlike some of the blog post i read, every single detail dia pi letak. No lah, not against it. its their blog, so, its up to them to put watever they like.
To say that i look forward to Hari Raya is an overstatement....i dun really see the point of Hari Raya'ing sampai sebulan....one day dah cukop. Sebulan buat perabihkan duit dan maser je. I just want to get on with my work but the problem is, i cant...cos most of the people or organisation i work with are still raya'ing. Nevertheless, i still manage to tie up certain things and finish up some songs while the rest are bz raya'ing. No lahh, i'm not a workaholic...its just that i enjoy wat i'm doing....not doing them its like, tiba-tiba life mcm empty gituk.

Look out for the coming of new albums...within the next days to weeks ahead. Albums that i'm actively involved in. First to come would be the Madrasah Aljunied Angklung debut album called Divine Inspiration...followed by Masimran's "Bianglala" and lastly, Harmoni Orkid Choir "Bintang Kecil".

k thats it..seeya.

Rubber

2009-10-04T23:51:00.000+08:00

Husband and wife are waiting at the bus stop with their nine children. A blind man joins them after a few minutes. When the bus arrives, they find it overloaded and only the wife and the nine kids are able to fit onto the bus..

So the husband and the blind man decide to walk. After a while, the husband gets irritated by the ticking of the stick of the blind man as he taps it on the sidewalk, and says to him, "Why don't you put a piece of rubber at the end of your stick? That ticking sound is driving me crazy."

The blind man replies, "If you would've put a rubber at the end of YOUR stick, we'd be riding the bus ... so shut the hell up

Divine Inspiration

2009-10-01T12:05:00.003+08:00

Debut album from Madrasah Aljunied Angklung Ensemble coming soon.
Meanwhile, here's a sample of one of the tracks...Zafar

No title, its in the video

2009-09-30T00:32:00.001+08:00

Anger management

2009-09-29T00:40:00.002+08:00

I've been to worst situation b4, but nothing beats the state of mind i'm experiencing now. I know i will pull myself out from this, watever it takes. Stay focus and stay positive...nothing is impossible. Its not going to be easy..its a challenge and i will not be defeated regardless of watever obstacles coming my way...i wont accept defeat... and i dont want to be a loser...and i sure dont belief in luck. Life is so exciting, u get to choose from endless possibilities and determine where u want to go and wat u want to be.....

On a lighter note, almost had an accident this afternoon...hah lighter note eh.... i was coming out from a carpark lot, then suddenly out of nowhere this lorry was speeding from the bend turning into my path....i slammed the brake, he slammed the brake, the lorry managed to stop inches away from my side of the car.
" woi! F1 ke haper??!!...this is carpark laaaah!!!" instantaneously came out from my mouth.
Well, basically i'm a cool person, but..not when i'm behind the wheel.....i tink i must work on my anger management while driving

Another lighter note...dah lah malas plak nak menaip..lenkali je ako citer kat korang.

Meaningless random post...dun read (but i know u will anw)

2009-09-24T13:05:00.006+08:00

Get this done n over with...so i can start concentrating on wat i do best. Making music. Cant wait to start working again, no, i'm not a raging workaholic, but i find peace and tranquility in work.
A neighbour next block, had a shouting match with each other in the middle of the nite...brutal siak...started of with shouting, then the smashing of glasses then the banging of tables and chairs. Wah sey wat happened siak...i looked out the window, and i saw many heads form the next block also looking out left and right trying to locate the source of the action....i hereby declare that my neighbours, including myself are all kaypoh. The shouting match were in chinese so i dun really understand wat they were mad about..but i tink its about..k nvmind, u ownself guess liao. Suddenly it all ended..abruptly, i looked out again and saw a police car...no wonder lah, somebody called police...i hope no one die.

Finally, to end this meaningless entry, here's something that i wrote back in 1999..its abt this person expressing his sadness to his ex. Thank you for reading up to here..u may skip the rest....told ya...its random.

Warkah buat bekas kekasih

Dahulu kau kater cinter itu buter tak kenal paras dan ruper tapi ternyater kater kater itu membingitkan telinger. Kau kater walau muker aku macam cipan kener kurung dlm tempayan aku tak kisah pasal aper yg kau tuju hanyer pader hatiku yg satu. Sekarang hati aku kau biarkan keraner ikut Sofyan jual ikan kat pekan. Macam ginikah cinter suci atas almari kayu jati buat sikat rambut dan bedak di pipi?
Dimana pengorbanan yg kau selalu laung-laungkan kat speaker Peavey yg aku baru beli kat kedai Swee Lee? Nasib baik naluri ku kater sabar walau tidak ader sarawak. Yg ader pun Anita Sarawak yg dulu nyanyi buat org ketawer terbahak bahak. Air mata macam kahak meleleh kat luar takmu ikut jalan tekak. Tapi aku tahu dlm esbok bukan tahu dlm grobok....muker gini terok takler sampai macam berok. Jgn sangker aku nangker bleh makan suker suker. Kau tunggu satu hari nanti akan bertukar menjadi malam dan biler malam tiba kau tunggu sampai pagi makan maggi perisa kari air kupi cicah roti. Mati mati takmu ngaku gulai lemak pucuk paku pakai santan bukan keju.
Ingat tak kao waktu wilayah persekutuan dan kawasan kawasan yg sewaktu dgnnyer? Dulu kiter pegang tangan biler berjalan dan pegang kaki biler berlari. Maser tu kau pakai baju mini babat terkluar nampak isi, aku duduk disisi macam ular lidi dihempap peti. Kau senyum biler beteri walkman aku mati dan aku tersengeh tunjuk gigi. Bila dikenang saat itu buat hati menjadi pilu besok kejer takder baju naik scooter laju laju. Habis madu sepah dibuang macam orang dietek beruang. Kau biarkan aku terkulai layu tanpa tempat untuk mengadu. Namun aku tabah menempuh dugaan walao dah 5 minit MRT tak jalan jalan. Badan dah jadik papan asek minom tak pernah nak makan, dah lama tak pakai jamban selalu kencing tak pernah nak teran.
Aku dengar kau dah berubah, dari gemuk bertambah besar macam esbok jenamer Elba seperti tibi brandnyer Toshiba. Semoga kao bahagia dgn si dia aku disini senantiaser berdoa. Biarlah aku pergi membawa diri ke ceruk rantau ke lembah sunyi...biar ku hidup menyendiri bertemankan memori hingga ku mati

Eid

2009-09-21T11:42:00.003+08:00

The second day of Raya. I shall blog in malay todae....ako nyer sker lah nak tolis jepon ke omputeh ke...heheh Slamat Hari Raya!...
Time raya, kanak-kanak lah maknosia yg paling gembira sekalik di muker bumi ini...pasal dpt baju baru! and dpt duit collection. I remembered my time as a kid...abt 30 over yrs ago..hehe. Standard market rate for duit raya given to kids that time was 20 cents. Actually 10 cents pun ader. Time tu budak budak maner lah tahu the value of money, asal dpt je dah hepi sakan. Oh that time takder pakai envelope kecik, elders main kasi je kat tangan. Kekadang tu dpt jugak 50sen..paling banyak dpt during my time as a kid is $1. Sekarang kalau kasi budak budak 20 sen or even $1, terpinga-pinga diorang kjap...terpinga-pinga bukan pasal siket sangat, tapi pasal diorang tak pernah nampak pon doposen tu mcm maner, budak sekarang maner kenal duit syiling lagik..duit syiling buat letak dlm tin pastu amek sticker kecik tampal kat baju.

Satu lagik yg ako peratikan masyarakat Melayu kiter ni, tak semua lah, kalao time Raya je suker sangat pergi rumah org sampai jaoh ke mlm. This has been happening since last last time. Pukol sebelas lebih or even lepas midnite still maseh nak pi rumah org, mcm taker paler hotak siak...tuan rumah penat ke, nak berehat ke, nak memulerkan aktiviti kekeluargaan ke...diorang main redah je, dgn alasan "takper, kater hari raya" ....Banyak korangnyer takper!..ikot sker ati mak bpk dia je.
Anw, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri....yg nak amek exams tu, pi start bajar nowwwwww.

Bintang Kecil

2009-09-17T00:48:00.005+08:00

Studio recording for the upcoming Harmoni Orkid's full length album is done....well....at least for now.. "Bintang Kecil" tentative name for the album, comprises of original and traditional children songs...still deciding on how many tracks to include in it...so far 12 tracks recorded. Album due to be out in October

Medley of 4

2009-09-14T15:41:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was the last and the best performance put up by the madrasah angkunites. And i tink that was the longest medley that any of my schools hv ever played..if u were there u get wat i mean. gonna miss them all..haha. We were the last item and then, halfway thru the event, it started to rain...tunggang langgang kjap angkut the instruments back in. Luckily it was just passing clouds. Everything back to normal, when the angklunites turn to perform, the organiser requested me to cut short as the hv overrunned by 10mins....

"dzul boleh chop chop tak? vip nak jalan lah"

"ok, no prob bro, we will play one song"

so thats explain the 6min plus medley of 4 songs.

Reminiscensce

2009-09-12T00:20:00.002+08:00

This is wat happened when i get really bored.
The following crap was written years back..i dunno wat triggered it, but for sure it was written during my time as an office bound employee. During that time i used to finish my one week's work within two or three days, and spent the remaining days of the week writing crap...like this one :-

Masih kah Kao Ingat

Masihkah kao ingat waktu kiter baru bertemu di kedai jamu dihari Minggu? Waktu tu kao pakai baju unggu rambut panjang sampai ke bahu. Aku berdiri kat tepi pintu peratikan kao dgn muker yg macam penyu. Kao toleh ke arah aku sambil tersenyum malu tersipu sipu terkedu kedu macam itik tertelan sudu.
Masihkah kao ingat ketika Jepun etek Malaya cabot gigi pakai playar? Aku sound ajak steady kao cakap belom ready , aku cakap jgn tak jadi kao jawab aku nie kedi. Pertuturan ku lembut meluat tidak bererti aku nie kewat...gerak gayaku lembek melotek tidak bermakna aku nie betik.
Masihkah kao ingat pada waktu itu anak cina isap candoo , tiba tiba pulis meluru, tangkap semua tak pakai baju. Siang siang takder antu mlm mlm banyak jerebu sekarang aku dah tak tahu asal last ayat berbunyik "u" . Aku masih ingat time tu kao cakap ader monyet kat dlm zoo sebijik muker macam aku, aku perembat dgn penyapu satu bulan kao masok ICU.
Masihkah kao ingat bapak kao dtg time kiter main lelayang? Satu penumbuk terbang melayang habis betabo gigi dan tulang. Dia terajang kat celah kelengkang aku tersungkur ke dlm longkang. Dia heret kao pulang membiarkan aku disitu seorang.
Masihkah kao ingat time aku masok meminang bapak kao tolak cakap kao dah tunang . Airmata terus bergelinang sebak dadaku harapan kecundang.

sekian

Marathon

2009-09-06T22:10:00.003+08:00

It was a marathon!... yesterday started the 2nd studio session for the Harmoni Orkid choir and ended til 1030pm. Continued with the mixing of tracks for the madrasah's angklung album, and it dragged till 4am! i couldnt tahan any longer so i left for home leaving zag and ali to finish off with the mixing...hahah.
This evening, the madrasah angklunites having their second weekend performance at the Malay Heritage Centre and it was soooo much better than last week's.
Tmr will continue with the studio session for Harmoni Orkid.
My head is throbbing like nobody biz now...and i've yet to finish the music arrangement for tmr's recording.
..and i'm getting old...
..and i dun want Ramadan to end....

The big song

2009-09-05T01:26:00.002+08:00

Fri, was a looongg hard day. The GW kids having rehearsal for the sch's 10th anni. Handling the angklung kids from P1 to P5 close to 50 of them was like...wooooo....not a walk in the park lah. The rehearsal itself was ok...except for the not-very-ok-sound-system. I've highlighted this problem and provide the committee the necessary tech riders to facilitate the shortfall, after all it is the sch's 10th anniversary, i'm sure they want the best in everything.
Of course i too, want the best in the kids...been drilling them hard on the song week after week, and i must say that i'm pleased with wat they hv achieved. They are playin Kitaro's Matsuri...yerp...the bigggg song, and they memorised the full song note by note and are able to play it confidently..almost.
By the end of the day, i'm dead beat. Every ounce of energy was used up, controlling them. One hyper active group siak.
Well..its the sch holiday! time to relax....not really lah, got other projects to attend to, and i'm loving every minute of it.

Lets continue...

2009-09-03T23:35:00.002+08:00

A portion of another series which i wrote back in the year 2000...a 9-part series entitled Jakpah Selenger, some of u might hv read this story...

Aku aturkan langkah ku perlahan tapi penuh keyakinan. Setapak demi setapak aku berjalan, tanpa menghiraukan keadaan sekeliling. Hiruk pikuk susaner tidak sedikitpun menjejas kewibawaan aku sebagai seorang lelaki yg sememangnyer mempunyai fitrah tahap keberanian yg tak perlu dipersoalkan lagik. Destinasi ku hanyer satu....aku tidak akan biarkan aper aper pun menjejas niat dan menukar haluan yg hendak dituju. Semangat untuk berjaya semakin menebal, saat ini kalau diriku dihantar ke medan peperangan sudah tentu akan menyerlah keberanian ku. Dan saat ini jugak aku sudah sedia membuat perhitungan dengan perasaan aku sendiri. Aku tidak mahu perasaan yg selamer ini ku pendam pudar begitu sahajer, aku sudah bertekad untuk meneruskan misi ini. Biar putih tulang jgn putih mater, alang alang menyeluk perkasam biar sampai ke pangkal lengan, alang alang mandi kat kolam biar jari nie kecut sakan. By now korang mesti blur aper yg aku bebwal....aku pun.....takper...bacer je. Aku berdehem menanderkan yg aku berader tidak jauh dari Rosnah....tapi sayang....seribu kali sayang, Rosnah tak dengar.

"Ehem" masok nie dah 7 kali dah

Rosnah terpusing, dia melihat aku dan tersenyum. Belum pernah aku nampak senyuman yg begitu manis, senyuman yg begitu menawan (ye lah kao dah suker, kambing senyum pun kao kater manis).

"Pergi pasar ke?" tanyer aku sambil membalas senyuman nyer.
" Ak ah" jawab Rosnah ringkas.
"Oh" sambil menggaru kepaler, " abih, kira nie dah nak balik ah?" sambung aku lagik
"Ak ah" jawab Rosnah

Dah about 14 kali dia 'ak ah' kat aku baru dia feel comfortable, kami berbual..taklah serancak pakcik pakcik kat kedai kopi berbual, tapi memadai lah. Aku berikan nombor tipon aku kat Rosnah, aku cakap kiter dah berjiran so kalao senang tipon lah bleh bebwal bwal sikit. Aki muntak nombor tipon dia tapi dia keberatan, takper biaserlah tu.
Sejak hari itu aku senantiaser tersenyum. Masak air senyum, gosok gigi senyum, bacer sokkaba senyum, tengok citer Titanic senyum, sikat rambut senyum, tido pun senyum.

Some updates

2009-09-02T20:27:00.004+08:00

Harmoni Orkid choir has started hitting the studio for their debut album. Its going to be a long process..with 10 to 12 tracks to be recorded and will last thruout Ramadan and most likely the HAri Raya season. Before this, they've recorded a single , an original from urs truly entitled Seruan Ilahi, to be featured in Ridwan Ramli's debut album...and after that, almost instantaneously decision was made to record a full length album for the group. So, look out for it.

The Madrasah Aljunied Angklung Ensemble debut album has come to its final stage...cant wait to listen to the finished product, i know its going to be awesome, the first of its kind anywhere in the world..haha..yerp..no kidding.They are having performance every Sun since last Sun at the Malay Heritage Centre from 5pm.They can do with more audience though...the last show on Sunday was like pockets of people here n there, maybe it was raining. Hopefully this Sunday more will come....baru lah budak2 tu ader semangat nak main.So if you are free this Sunday. do drop by at the Malay Heritage Centre to catch them live 5pm onwards

Malang Si Malim II

2009-09-01T15:18:00.002+08:00

To non-malays, i'm sorry if u cant understand the past few entries..i'll get back posting in English once i get over this feeling of spamming this blog with my old stories.

This is another Malim story written during Ramadan late 90s, its one of my personal favourites.

Hari nie baru hari pertamer berpuaser. Malim tersandar layu di kerusi sofa seperti itik yg kehilangan pedoman untuk berenang, Di beleknya jam di tangan, baru pukol satu ptg...lagik lebih kurang ENAM jam sebelum waktu berbuker datang. Malim berdiri, tak sadar kain terlucut jatuh kebumi. Dgn perlahan dia merayap ke dapo...dibuker peti ais....gugusan angin dingin keluar dari peti ais itu.....Malim menutup mater sambil menikmati kedinginan udara dari peti ais tersebut. Biler selesai sajer upacara mengganggang tubuh dgn angin sejuk, dia pun tutup peti ais semuler. Saat dia hendak tutup, maternyer terpandang sekotak Koko Crunch di dlm peti ais itu. Entah mengaper tetiber seleranyer terbuka...dia terpaku sejenak...padahal dah sebulan Koko Crunch tu berader di dlm peti ais tak bergerak gerak. Perutnyer berbunyik.....memberontak mintak diisi. "Arghhhhhhh sesungguhnyer aku berpuaser!" jerit Malim didlm hati sambil menutup erat pintu peti ais tersebut.

Untuk melepaskan keboringan yg teramat sangat, Malim baring di atas sofanyer...sekali lagik dibelek jam ditangan...pukol satu lima belas minet ptg..."Mak dikao!!! baru 1:15??" jeritnyer didlm hati. Mengapa hari ini berlalu begitu lambat sekalik? Untuk mengisi maser, Malim bukak citer Hindustan...sekurang kurangnyer tiga pat jam bleh lepas. Di sepanjang citer Hindustan itu, ader lebih kurang sepuloh ribu kali Malim membelek jam di tangannyer. Perutnyer semakin menjerit.....tekaknyer semakin perit. Dah lebih sratos kali dia kentot..muker sampai naik biru.

Enam setengah ptg!..ye ye yeee..semangatnyer berlonjak keriangan. Lagik beberaper minet pucuk diciter ulam mendatang...dia dah plan aper yg nak dicekup duluk..ye Koko Crunch kat dlm esbok tu dan jugak satu jug air bandung yg dah menunggunyer di atas meja. Sambil berbaring sambil mendengar redio.....dia terlelap sejenak...tapi disentak dgn laungan azan diredio. Malim tersenyum riang dia bangun lalu meluru kedapo...at the same time azan pon habis diikuti dgn announcement oleh dj redio " Ye saudara demikan tadi berakhirnyer azan SUBUH untuk hari ini"

"WHATTT????? Azan subuh???" Malim takajoot. Barulah dia realised yg dia tertido dari sebelom waktu buker hingga ke waktu subuh the next day...
SEKIAN

Malang Si Malim

2009-08-31T23:48:00.002+08:00

A short story written in late 90's...cant remember exactly when. Its called Malang Si Malim

Pukol 8:45 pagi Malim baru terjager dari tidor....9:30 nak masok ofis. Aper lagi macam lipas kodong ah dia betabor masok ke bilik mandi. Selang lima minit dia pun kuar lalu terus bersiap untuk ke opis. Almari baju dibuka only to realise that dia terluper nak gosok baju. Takder aper yg nak dipakai untuk ke pejabat, dengan secepat kilat dia mencapai sehelai baju lalu terus menggosok, tapi malangnyer seterika rosak...nak tak nak terpakserlah dia memakai baju yg ronyok, tak agak agak punyer ronyok beb. Dia mencapai tali leher lalu terus keluar rumah.

Tunggu teksi tak sampai sampai, sambil menunggu dia mengenerkan tali leher dengan penuh keyakinan, biler dah siap baru lah dia sedar yg dia memakai tali leher prefect sekolah, satu macam punyer blur dayak lah dia. Bengang bercampur panik seperti orang yg pergi aji tersalah turun airpot. Tapi tak aper, dia mencekalkan hatinyer dengan terus memakai tali leher yg obit itu, Dia ternampak teksi kosong kat tepi road....macam owang kener kejar anjing dia mendapatkan teksi itu, masuk ke dalam lalu,

"Towkey....Shenton Way plse.....sut sama dia, wa suah lambat" kerah Malim

Tapi teksi tu takder dreba. Baru lah dia perasan yg teksi tu actually tengah parking. Sikit punyer malu, dia terus mendapatkan bas yg kebetulan tiba. Bas itu penuh sesak dgn penumpang (ye lah takkan lah binatang plak). Nasib dia agak baik keraner dia mendapat satu tempat kosong kat sebelah tingkap. Dgn hati yg lega di pun duduk.......BDEBOOM!...kosie pecah....yek elehhhhh..senger ahh..padan ah takder owang dudok, ruper rupernyer kosie tu dah memang pecah. Satu bas perhatikan dia macam penonton menonton pertunjukan sarkis. Dia berdiri dengan mukernyer yg merah padam menahan malu yg teramat sangat.

Trefik jem! Dahlah lambat...sangkut jem plak. Malim dah penik, dah nak masok pukol 10 pagi, sememangnyer dia sudah lewat. Nampaknyer bas itu tak bergerak langsung , lagik beraper stesen je dia dah sampai ke tempat destinasi. Kerana dah tak saba lagik, dia pun turun dari bas dan berlari ke pejabatnyer.....jauh jugak dia perlu berlari walaupun hanyer beberaper stesen bas je. Tali kasut terbuka, dia tak sedar dan belom sempat aku menaip ayat ini dia dah jatuh tersungkur...abis sumer beg yg dibawanyer betabor ke tanah...kertas kertas dan dokumen dokumen sumernyer bersepah. Dengan hati yg sangat hiba lagi sayu dan dgn titisan air mater, dia mengutip dokumen dokumen tu semuler. Idong dah lebam keraner sebelom dia rebah kebumi, idongnyer sempat tersangkut kat tiang lampu diikuti dengan dahi yg mencecah tong sampah yg ader ditiang lampu tersebut...sungguh brutal.

Namun, semangatnyer tidak berganjak, dia terus berlari ke pejabat. Tercungap cungap Malim naik ke ofisnyer, bajunyer kuyup dengan peluh. Dia duduk dikerusi sambil menarik nafas lega. Walaupun lambat tapi dia berjaya sampai ke ofis...dan yg paling gembira lagik ialah biler dia dapati ofisnyer kosong takder orang termasok supervisornyer sekalik....at least dia lambat takder orang yg nampak...fuuuh lega.

"Encik Malim?" pembersih pejabat menegurnyer.
Malim menoleh sambil menjawab,
"Ye?"
"Kenaper Encik datang hari nie?" tanyer pakcik yg dah lanjut usia itu dgn penuh khusyuk.
"Kenaper??" Malim menjawab
"Kan hari nie hari Minggu?" jawab pakcik tu.

The unfinished story II

2009-08-30T23:10:00.002+08:00

Here's another exerpt of my unfinished story entitled Leman Spiderman.

Buat pertamer kalik dlm sejarah idop ako sebagai seorang lelaki , ako telah mencapai satu pencapaian yg tidak disangker-sangker, ako telah berjaya menjadi Spiderman. Berita gembira ini baru jer ako terima melalui surat yg dihantar oleh seorang posmen yg memakai baju bomba. Namun setelah diselidik dgn teliti memang itu aderlah unifom posmen, ako yg dari kecik mati mati ingatkan posmen tu bomba....bukan salah ibu mengandung...ako yg senger. Tu pasal lah time tu ako nampak ader rumah terbakar abeh apsal lak ramai posmen yg padamkan api?

"Aper yg ko tersengeh sengeh tu Leman?" tanyer Mak yg dari semlm lipat baju sampai arini tak abes abes lagi.
"Nie mak, Leman dah diterima menjadik Spiderman untuk roadshow bulan depan" jawab ako dgn riak.
" Aper yg ko kener buat?"
"Tak banyak,Leman cumer kener pakai baju Spiderman pastu dodok satu korner amek gambar dgn budak budak"
"Sanggop pulak ko nak buat kejer camtu ye? Kira baju Spiderman yg ko belik tahun kelmaren dah bleh pakai lah?"
"Itu bukan baju Spiderman mak, itu baju Otromen! Nanti pihak penajer akan kasi satu sut baju Spiderman, siap dgn dia nyer alat pencanai web sekalik"
"Gasak ko lah Leman, bagos jugak, daripader ko melangok kat rumah nie takder kejer, ko tu bukan budak lagik,"

Ako dah pi interview kelmaren, pastu pi audition, diorang suroh ako act mcm Spiderman, time tu ako confuse, aku bawak pedang....pastu aku act mcm spiderman, pastu diorang ckp Spiderman maner ader pakai pedang. Halamak! dlm ati aku ckp gerenti tak dpt punyer.....tapi sekarang nie bleh dpt plak. mak ai dlm banyak banyak org yg apply, diorang bleh pileh ako nie! Dlm surat itu aku diminta menghubungi Milah untuk butir butir lanjut tentang assignment . Dgn pantas aku mencapai talipon.

"Hello, Leman sini...Milah ader?"
"Ye, sini Milah ckp" suara di talipon tu jawab
"Hah Milah....nie Leman...Spiderman....u suro i call.. i dah dpt surat dah!"
"Errrr....Encik Sulaiman Bin Buang?" tanyer Milah
"Ahhhh"
"Okay...begini ye Encik Sulaiman....minggu depan ader road show kat Toa Payoh, boleh awak dtg ke ofis amek wardrobe dlm pukol 8 pagi? Lepas tu kiter pi Toa Payo ramai ramai samer dgn krew krew yg lain"
"Ok boleh....lagi satu Milah, nie nak tanyer siket"
"Hah tanyerlah" jawab Milah tak ikhlas
"Apsal dlm banyak banyak org yg dtg interview awak pileh saya sorang jer?"
"Oh...takder org yg dtg, awak sorang jer yg dtg... ok byee...jumper next week"

Speak up will you

2009-08-30T00:55:00.002+08:00

He was sitting at my table, so while waiting for the event to start, he chatted with me...very friendly guy. The only problem is that, i couldnt hear a single word from his mouth...and i'm too polite to say "huh? say again?" or "hello friend can talk louder or not" Actually i wanted to say that but it he was already half thru the conversation, and i just got to know him on that day and dun want to embarass him. But his story seems exciting...from the facial expression that is. So i continue looking at him, with interest and occassionally responded using the universal words like "ooooohhhhh" and "hahah really?...sometimes "yah lah, thats why lah".....hakikatnyer, sepatah haram ako tak tahu aper kebanak yg ko cakap weyy!
So i created my own story, i mean my own assumptions...could he be talkin abt the weather? but couldnt be that dramatic wat....so i assumed maybe he was talking abt some alien invasion or the likelihood of S'pore being attack by Godzilla or maybe he was telling a joke.
Never stop one leh! i'm in trouble...honestly i got no idea of wat the hell he was talking abt...and to tell him now would be too late as he was already deep into his watever topic.
So in the end, i nvr knew wat the conversation was all abt. Lepak siak... ckp panjang lebar tapi ako tak paham.
So, the moral of the story is, ..if u want to speak to someone in a crowded noisy environment..use a loudhailer to play safe, or attach urself to a condenser mic.

The unfinished story

2009-08-26T20:06:00.003+08:00

Suddenly i chance upon a story that i've written way back in early millenium..yeah i used to write back then. Here is the exerpt of my unfinished story "Leman Spiderman"...its in malay though.

Aku bergegas keluar dari rumah, tak sempat nak sikat rambot dan berdandan sebaik maner yg mungkin. Aku takmu lepaskan peluang nie, kalao aku lambat salah silap dah sold out. Emak tengok aku kehairanan, iyelah selalunyer maner pernah ako bangun pagik..paling cepat aku bangun pukol 11pagik, itu pon emak yg kejot. Tapi hari nie lain siket, aku mesti cepat, kalao lambat nanti melepas. Aku dpt tahu bahawa kat Cold Storage ader trolley for onny $1 ! yer! maner nak dpt grocery trolley for onny $1. Baru semlm ako perasan, ader satu nyonya nie masokkan duit siling $1 pastu tarek kuar trolley daripader trolley bay....

"Auntie... onny need to put $1 coin ar?" tanyer ako....nyonya tu angguk paler dia.

Time tu ako takder duit syilling $1, kalao ader dah ako angkot itu trolley. Tapi hari nie ako dah tukar 10 $1 coins...ako nak kaup sekalik 10 trolley....murah weyy... maner bleh dpt kat memaner.

"Sir....plse take onny one" ader satu mamat pakai tie nie tegor ako biler nampak ako terkial kial nak tarek sepuloh trolley.

"I put money wattt....up to me lah want to take how many??" jawab ako

"But i dont tink u need 10 trolleys to buy your groceries...one is more than enough" balas si mamat nie

"Buy groceries?...no..no...who say i want to buy groceries?...i want to buy trolley ar..... i got $10, i buy 10 lar"

Yes i had a good laugh..its nice to read them again.
I'll try to dig up some other stories.

First album

2009-08-23T23:47:00.001+08:00

Finally, my choir kids fr Harmoni Orkid will hv their very own full length album. They are ready. Studio recordings will start nxt week and will continue thruout the month of Ramadan. Another long hard work ahead...but i'm happy. Happy for them that they finally got something to call their own, its every musician's or singer's dream to hv an album of their own, and i am glad to be a part of it. This is another example of "if u say u can do it...the know how to do will develop by itself" and finally u will achieve that goal. Nothing is impossible. I've been repeating this to all my students for like gazillion times...u hv to hv the passion and the believe that u can do it, it will boost the confidence and the courage to take that extra mile. They u are..u hv achieved that goal...its the beginning of another bigger goals....take it one at a time and always say "we can do it".