IDEAS' 5th Anniversary

In conjunction with the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs' 5th anniversary tomorrow, which also coincides with the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj's birthday, a public event was held at Memorial Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra this morning. I knew about IDEAS since it's inception as I have been religiously following Tunku 'Abidin's article since he first started his column in 2008. Somehow I seem to miss their public events year after year so when I saw the announcement of this year's event, I immediately registered as I did not want to miss the chance of being part of their anniversary event. 

My two cousins were supposed to go with me but they couldn't make it last minute so I went to the event alone. Those who know me would agree that I'm that introvert who is uncomfortable being in unfamiliar places, meeting new people but this time round I thought I'd give it a go and see how I'll cope with the situation. Funny how I can sing on stage in front of a few hundred people in the audience without being nervous but when it comes to being alone in a public place, I tend to get a bit too anxious.

I arrived at the venue at 8.45am and made my way to the registration counter and later had light breakfast at one of the tables with a group of Marketing students from Inti College Subang. At about 9.30am, we entered the auditorium and I found a seat next to a girl whose name is Shanuja. Coincidentally, she came alone so we introduced ourselves and exchanged ideas on issues such as the education policy and shared travel stories too. She is in the midst of writing a paper for the IDEAS Autism Centre together with a few other people. While waiting for the arrival of the VIPs, we were entertained with traditional Malay music by Pusat Kebudayaan UKM.

Right after the VIPs arrived, we sang the Negaraku in the original 1957 Merdeka Day version as in this video below. In secondary school, I led the 'Negaraku' and Lagu Negeri Selangor 'Duli Yang Maha Mulia' at the school assembly every Monday together with an alto, tenor and bass singer from the school choir. I have never sung the song as emotionally as I did on this particular day.

Opening speech by President of IDEAS YAM Tunku 'Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz

Welcome remarks (IDEAS' activities throughout 2014) by Wan Saiful Wan Jan

A moving tribute to her Tok by YM Datin Sharifah Menjalara Hussein which brought me to tears especially nearing the end. Click for the full text of YM Lara Hussein's speech : "Tunku : A Voice from the Heart"

' He would always say to the millions of Malaysians, "Take each other as you are. Accept your weaknesses as well as your strengths." '

Dr. Razeen Sally, IDEAS Chair of Political Economy and Governance

Panel discussion comprising Dr. Razeen Sally, YB Datuk Nur Jazlan, Dr Sufian Jusoh and Datuk Noor Faridah Ariffin moderated by Wan Saiful Wan Jan

The event ended with the cutting of cake by the VIPs namely Tunku Besar Seri Menanti YAM Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, YTM Dato' Seri Tunku Ahmad Nerang ibni Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, YTM Dato' Paduka Tunku Khadijah ibni Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj and Tun Mohd Dzaiddin to commemorate Tunku Abdul Rahman's 112th birthday.

During lunch, Shanuja and I met even more new friends (Dr. Helmy who is IDEAS' Health Advisor, a few A Levels students from Taylors Subang, a girl named Umi who just graduated from New Zealand and Farah who is doing TESL in MSU). Meeting young and enthusiastic people from different backgrounds (Law, Actuarial Science, Education, Medical) was really interesting because the people I normally meet up with are in the Accounting field so the conversation gets kinda boring at times. Later, we went over to Tunku 'Abidin's table to get his autograph and a picture with him. 

Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz, writer of 'Abiding Times' , 'Roaming Beyond the Fence' and 'Conservatively Speaking Freely' columns which I have been reading since I was in Form 4. Talked to him about family history and I found out that his ancestors are of the Alhabshi branch of the family (I assume on his mother's side) from Hadhramaut, Yemen. We went on to talk about music and how I think it plays an integral role in being able to unite people after I mentioned that I am a singer songwriter.

COO of IDEAS, Tricia Yeoh. Congratulations on your wedding!

What are the odds of meeting a person who was born in the exact same hospital as you? This is Henry, 3 years my junior. Hospital Pakar Puteri JB represent.

Shanuja and I left to explore the Memorial hurriedly as my dad was already waiting at the lobby and she had to rush back to Seremban to do some last minute preparations before she flies off to Jakarta the next day. We said our goodbyes and hope to meet up over coffee one of these days.

The Proclamation of Independence

The Dining Hall

Shanuja and I

Met these girls during lunch, I was very impressed by them. Netusha and Shanuja (orang Soghomban) and Amanda (Klang Mali)

EDIT :

I have always wanted to write a song about Malaysia but most of the time it's left unfinished in my lyric book. The next morning there was this melody in my head when I woke up, I knew I had to get a pen, paper and my guitar to pen down the lyrics and figure out the rest of the melody. It took me about 5 hours to finalise the lyrics and melody, then an additional 8-9 hours to record the audio, video and find photographs of amazing Malaysians that I have crossed paths with to give more meaning to the song. I present to you a gift for my fellow Malaysians, a song entitled 'Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku'.

Music has always been my way of expressing my thoughts on certain issues as I'm not quite a good writer (you can tell when you read my blog heh) so I tend to write lyrics instead. This is my way of contributing back to my fellow Malaysians hoping that they would be inspired by the message that I'm trying to convey through this song. 

Den Ughang Joho Tapi ......

Revision month is when I find myself doing weird things to de-stress and this time round I started rapping and learning different Malay dialect songs. Not that I'm good at it but I guess the thrill of jumbling words up, not being able to keep up with the beat, mispronouncing words and wondering 'Eh what does this word mean?' is kinda fun. These 'loghat' songs aren't that bad after all, you know. I used to get so annoyed by the Rembau Most Wanted song whenever I hear it but here I am attempting to perfect my pronunciation and get the beat right. I even went through the trouble of finding out the meaning of the lyrics because I didn't really understand the Loghat Nogori at first. Then I proceeded to attempt the Botingkek song and I found myself being able to understand the N9 accent better.

I love how W.A.R.I.S writes about his 'state of nine', it's unique adat, the different suku (Did you know there's 12 suku in N9? I found out through his song), the issues about 'ughang kito' and of course the mention of makanan sodap. After listening to Botingkek, baru tahu kewujudan tempat bernama Senaling, where Juzzthin is from.

The thing about rap is that the lyrics is more like a conversation so one can actually write about more informal stuff or maybe I just haven't mastered the art of lyric writing. I'm halfway writing a song about my hometown, Johor Bahru and I'm stuck with the flow of the lyrics. Will have to work on that when final exams are over. 

Here's an acoustic version of the Rembau Most Wanted song and my favourite part of the lyrics...

A great reminder for all of us : 

Kojo tak kuek tapi berangan nak hidup sonang

Baik poie mampuih dari susah'an semuo ughang

which roughly translates to...

Not willing to work hard, but dream of having an easy life

Don't make it hard for others, You better go to h*ll

Botingkek

'Ado ghoto kalau dibelanjo

Ke jalan boto tak salah tu do

Masalah ughang kito

Takdo duit boghobut ghoto

Duit abih ontah komano

Monyosal kemudian takdo guno

Rumah tergadai nak tinggal kekno

Molopong yolah nak wek camno'

It's okay if property/money is spent on the right things, 

The problem with our people is that

They don't have money, they fight for property (I assume inheritance?)

No more money, what was it spent on?

There's no point to regret later on

House is auctioned off, where will you stay?

I'm not sure of the meaning of the last sentence whether it's the standard BM word melopong or it's a loghat. Do drop a comment if you happen to know. Thanks! 

This one by Zee Avi in the Sarawakian Malay language entitled Siboh Kitak Nangis meaning Don't You Cry. 

Other classic loghat songs that I like would include .....

Found out about this song from Akademi Fantasia 4 champion, Faizal who used to sing many lagu loghat Ganu like Watimang Landok, Itik Gembo Gembo, Anak Udang and many others

Jambatan Tamparuli, a popular Kadazan-Dusun song

Na na na na na Ganu Kiterrrrr

One of my dad's favourite song, Apo Nak Dikato. I remember singing this at a karaoke session with uncles, aunties and cousins during Raya, so much fun!

On the topic of loghat, I still remember back in secondary school I would ask my friends to teach me their loghat because Johor's loghat is quite simple, nothing really fancy (unless you're talking about Bahasa Jowo spoken by Johoreans of Javanese ancestry, susah nak faham, I only know 'wes mangan?'). I picked up a few words here and there from...

Airina (her mum is from Peghok) like teman (saya), kome (similar to korang/kamu orang), ayor (air),  deghoyan (durian), nakei (nakal) etc. Time marah or excited memang loghat Peghok keluar hehehe

Nuwaira (both her parents are from Nogori) Her mum cooks the best masak lemak cili api and rendang daging! When speaking to Nuwaira, most of the time I'd refer to myself as Den rather than the standard 'Aku'. We'll say things like 'Nak poie mano tu?' 'Den dah sampai dopan ghumah ni ha'...

Nadia (her dad is from Kedaq and they stayed there for a number of years) like ayer nyok (air kelapa), hangpa (korang/kamu orang), awat (apa hal?), lapaq (lapar), habaq mai (bagitau lah aku) and all the other Utara phrases.

Fatin (who's from Kelate) : kecek (cakap), abe (abang), ambo (saya), guano (macam mana), hite legea (hitam legam) etc. This has got to be the hardest loghat there is coz I couldn't string a sentence together, it took me years to understand them speaking in the first place.

Nazar (from Terengganu) : guaner (macam mana), ikang (ikan), makang (makan), senyum sokmo (senyum selalu) ....

We'd throw in words from the whole of Malaysia in our conversations because for most of us who grew up in KL, we get bored of the standard BM we use day to day so why not add in some words and create a whole new rojak language altogether.

When you put us on stage together, slang KL lah of course. This was a musical we put together during our graduation year in 2009 entitled Madu Tiga the Musical.

I really think these dialects are very precious to each and every state there is in Malaysia. With the migration of the orang kampung to bigger cities in search for better jobs, I hope they retain this important bit of them and teach their children how to speak in these loghats. I do know of some people who have moved to KL for many years and they slowly lose their accents because it's "not cool" to have a so called kampung accent but seriously that's what makes you unique.

It really is a nice scene whenever people from the same state meet in a big city like KL and they start talking away in their own distinctive language.

'Impian Dinda adalah untuk mendapatkan cinta sejati'

Oh God, the title of my blog post sounds so corny! Sekali sekala takpe lah ek? Maafkan adinda... I just rewatched the Puteri Gunung Ledang movie when I got bored of studying audit this evening which explains why I'm talking about 'cinta' or love in this post. 

'Setiap orang punya impian, 
Impian itu yang bisa meneruskan kehidupan ini,
Impian Dinda adalah untuk mendapatkan cinta sejati'
- Gusti Putri Retno Dumillah

I guess we all need that tiny bit of hope that we will one day find true love. I never had a boyfriend as a matter of fact. I always placed importance on studies, family and music that I didn't get into a relationship like many of my peers did. I didn't feel the need to do so because I was happy with how things were. Now that 2014 is coming to an end, my younger cousins reminding me that I'm turning 23 next year and the 'Dah ada boyfriend ke belum?' 'Bila nak kahwin?' questions I constantly get at family gatherings, cousins and friends my age already engaged or about to get married, adalah a slight feeling of 'I wonder when will my turn come'. 

For now, I'll first and foremost improve my relationship with God, finish off the remaining ACCA papers, travel to countries I have never been to, do more community service work, start my family history project and contribute back to the society in any way that I can.

I believe it has all been written by the Almighty so my other half will come at the right time.
So here's to hoping I meet the one who would be my best friend and my Imam at the same time, the one who would believe in me even when I doubt my abilities, the one to share my joyous and sad times with, the one who would love me for who I am and the one who would grow old with me. 

Dah dah cukup, the list will keep going on sampai esok pagi pun tak habis. Since I'm on the topic of PGL, can't wait for the PGL reunion concert next March. Praying for Tiara Jacquelina's speedy recovery! 

I found this amazing video of an orchestra performing the various songs from the Puteri Gunung Ledang movie. Soooo goood! 

#MerahBiruPutih

As an 'Anak Johor' who spent her first seven years living in Johor Bahru, I wanted to do something special for the JDT football team and the Johoreans who will be going out full force at the final match of Malaysia Cup in Bukit Jalil tomorrow night. Right after the semi final match between JDT and Felda United, I composed this simple song and recorded it quite last minute. My prayers are with you, JDT! Luaskan Kuasamu ! Feel free to drop a comment and tell me what you think about the song :) Have a great weekend! 

Impian Terindah

"Kau impian terindah,
Ingin ku jadikan ia nyata,
Dan kau ilhamkan cinta,
Di dalam hatiku,
Hanyalah dirimu"

Fell in love with this song that I rediscovered by accident while I was browsing Youtube the other day. It reminded me of the morning when I reluctantly woke up from a sweet dream. This is when I'm inspired to write songs like this one, where the listener would say "This is exactly how I feel right now!!".  I seem to have trouble completing songs that I start to write. It's the same with blogging, I suppose, you start writing a post, reach the middle of the page, stare at the screen and leave it in the draft for some time. 

The Malaysian entertainment industry has hope with talents such as Najwa Mahiaddin. I see a tiny bit of myself in her as I recently found out that she actually went to the land down under to study Electronic Engineering before pursuing her dream of becoming a singer songwriter. She recently completed her degree in Music at Berklee. I am looking forward to hearing more good music from her.

As for me,  I chose to pursue Accountancy because my parents weren't keen on the idea of me becoming a singer songwriter. They didn't think I could survive doing Music especially in Malaysia. I secretly hoped I could influence them to change their minds somewhere along the way. At the same time, I was really interested to work in the corporate world so I told myself that Accountancy isn't a bad choice, I guess.

Although I will probably be the last person in my batch to graduate from ACCA, I have no regrets for choosing to pursue my dream of becoming a singer songwriter while studying. (I have 9 more papers to go before I graduate hopefully in 2 and a half years insyaallah).

Love Someone - Jason Mraz

When Mraz released this song on his Facebook page a month ago, I fell deeply in love with it. That's one more song to add to my future wedding playlist I thought. I can imagine walking hand in hand with my husband, this song in the background, smiling faces, slightly teary eyed, family and friends by my side. A girl can always dream of her wedding day, kan? So just let me daydream kejap k. And..... my future husband better be a fan of Jason Mraz, kalau tak potong markah chehhh hahahaha

3,2,1, Showtime !

And so Taylor Swift sounds amazing live .... 

"Long live the walls we crashed through

How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

I was screaming long live all the magic we made

And bring on all the pretenders

One day, we will be remembered"