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The Spaniard & The Rainbow

His hair was curly, all the way down his ears, reaching that nape of his. It gave me this sense to just nuzzle close and touch the fringe. Not too dark, nor was it auburn. Just like the color of his eyes. Looking at him is like looking into a transparent sheath of mirror. It felt like looking through him, so lucid. He looked at me, nodded his head and smiled. That smile was warm, sincere and infectious. I smiled too and took a seat next to him. We exchanged HIs and later introduced ourselves. He has this very soft look on his face, the one that you'd never get bored looking at, and the way he uttered his words was just as soft. I'd imagined him flaunting his accent, but not at all. With much difficulties, he tried hard to string his sentences and to find the right words. Mujtaba, the Iranian and Hung, the Vietnamese, were really focussed in trying to understand his ideas of the GIS. I noticed that he had a black-colored Collin's Inglis Pocket Dictionary, and at times attentively jotting down Antonia's notes.

I was so much engrossed in my observation till Hung's regular snorts of flu and scratchings of his hair made their way. I pushed my bag nearer to me and instantly shifted closer to my left, to his side. I was uneasy. He must have sensed that for he offered Hung some tissues. Yeah ... I saw them, neatly stacked, which much to my suprise, Hung refused. Hmmm ... thoughtful ... and sensitive, making an even more complete outline of what a person he could be. He had certainly become my object of further scrutiny. I wrote what they said, recorded the details of Mujtaba's dilemma and of Hung's views. They discussed the points as if I did not even exist. That was what happened if you belonged to a group of 4 men. But I was too happy with that, as I continued stealing the many looks of him. He must have not shaved for some days, still the thin red lips were smacking. The nook of his nose was perfect and the eyes ... that deep, deep look they're capable of ... were captivating. I watched the way he listened and responded. By then, I was already in cloud nine. Hung and Mujtaba became the near "invisible fixture" by now, disappearing bit by bit into the thin air.

As swift as he turned, we exchanged looks. He led his finger to the paper and looked at me again. Put it down, your ideas, he smilingly said. He caught me redhanded! What an apt moment! That one hour passed in a blink. He told me he'd be back for the evening session and asked if I would too. Sadly, I shook my head. Damn, I cursed myself. I registered for the one on Wednesday. He nodded again, wished me luck and left. I could only watch him leaving, even Antonia's concluding remarks sounded alien to me. The only thing that came to my mind was that I'm not going to see him again. It felt awkward. There were tickles of sadness in me. I didn't sulk the whole of the next 2 hours, but found myself staring out from one of the windows in one corner of the Silent Zone. Gazing out at the sky, I saw sun and droplets of rain. But too soon after, there it stood. It was simply majestic, too magnificent to be described. I lost my words, only to realise that it brought the smile back on me. The brilliant colors that painted the bluish grey sky were spectacular. My first rainbow here, and it came to me when I needed it most.

They said there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. I have never believed in it, until today. At the end of the rainbow, I grabbed my bag and left. I was content. At the end of the rainbow, I started to count my steps home. I was pleased. But alas, at the end of the rainbow, I saw MY pot of gold. I was dumbfounded. At the end of the rainbow, I saw Roma'n. He waved, and etched that same unforgetable smile ...

It was just magic ...

I Made a Wish

I wanted to post this blog last night but I was just too tired to do so. I came back quite late from the city yesterday. What came out as a spontaneous plan was not that bad at all. Lolly wanted to go for a visit to Cottlesloe for one of her Tourism assignments, and I, as usual is the most "sibuk" one to follow. However, that Sunday morning was "not good" to us because it rained like cats and dogs as early as 7am. Lolly woke me up to tell that our trip to Cottlesloe was cancelled. So, I ended up in bed till mid noon , when I woke up (again) to take my shower. Lolly was so bored and she suggested going to Subiaco. We have not been to Subi, but we learnt that the place has got some interesting places to visit, most popularly known for its array of eating places, cafes, etc. We had second thoughts about going out since it was already 2pm, and most of the shops will be closed around 5pm. We decided not to, only 15 minutes later changed our mind and hopped into the bus a while later, hahahahahahaha ...

We reached the city at 3.20pm and agreed not to shop, but to head straight to the Swan Bells Tower. It was our first time there. I wanted to go up the Swan Bells, but it was kinda of late. And we did not have our camera with us. So, we'll be back for some "actions" soon. Swan Bells Tower is one of the largest musical instrumentss, an 82.5m tower that houses the 12 bells of St. Martins from Trafalgar Square. It is one of the tourist landmarks in Perth and it is located facing the Swan River.

There is a wishing fountain in front of the Tower, and we threw in some coins and made a wish. I wished ... I wished ... I wished ... ... hehehehe ... (not telling you ). Barrack Square Jetty also is just opposite the landmark, and it is the place where you can take the ferry to Rottnest Island and Freo. They have a lot of cruises to go to many different places, ideal for scenic or luncheon cruises. The Old Perth Pier houses quite a number of reataurants also. They look panoramic because they are situated overlooking the ocean, and I must say that it could be a good place to spend quiet moments with you loved ones. Then, we went for a walk at the Council House, Perth Supreme Court and the Law Museum. The flowers and the greenery added to the picturesque postcard mood of the city. I think the place is the known as the Stirling Gardens. And Lolly and I got to stand on the tail of the big brasque statue of some kangaroos there ... hehehehehe. The kangaroos looked startled from their feeding, but one is still drinking. Another one has a baby kangaroo in her pouch and the biggest kangaroo has really long nails. Lolly said it is a male. hahahahahahaha ...

And hey, we walked to Northbridge too - at the north side of the Train Station. You can find a lot of eating places again, especially Chinese restaurants - there's even one restaurant called the Penang Food. And I think a lot of pubs and nightlife going on in Northbridge too. One restaurant that attracted my attention was this place called the Brass Monkey Hotel - looks interesting. Lolly and I never imagined that we'd land in Northbridge ... so much for an unplanned outing. Got to go now. Will be back tomorrow, sweet dreammsss

Aku Dah Buhsan!!!

Ok, nothing very interesting happened today or yesterday . I went to the uni. quite late yesterday. On the day I arrived in Australia, I somehow decided or rather declared that I will not be much involved in "academic matters" on Saturdays & Sundays, hehehehe such a lazy bum! They had Pretty Woman shown last night and I just can enjoy the movie as many times as I watched it. Such an incredible chemistry ...

And I also slept very late last night due to the coffee I took earlier, and that actually put me in the zzzzzzzzzzzzzz land at half past 4 (approximately), but only to be wakened up at 9 or 10am by some loud, really loud "hooligans" who simply barged into someone else's flat thinking that they have the sweetest voice ever. These "intruders" came into the flat, walked like some "giant caterpillars" and talked and laughed like a group of naked old ladies doing their laundry - well, you have to excuse my language for I went a bit overboard cursing them in bed. It was a Saturday morning and I was robbed of my sleep by these "lunatics".

So, I got up, showered, took a slow walk to Coles and withdrew some money to recharge my vodafone acct. Come to think about it, I think I am withdrawing $ nearly every week ... this is not a good sign. Later, I got back to the flat, prepared a light lunch, did my laundry and watched the TV. Nothing good was on, except for footy and cricket. Seriously, I miss the TV shows that they have back in Malaysia - you know - the right mix of P.Ramlee's movies, some kung fu or cantonese series, a bit of the Bollywood spices, a tinge of Filipino's, Mexican's or Thai's would be just wonderful. But all they had was a man cooking some scallops, mussels and shrimps plus a lady baking her chocolate almond cheese cake. Duhhhhhhhhh ...

I went to Coles (yeah... AGAIN) to accompany Lolly ... Night time (Saturdays mostly) is at least not as dead boring as there are movies on most channels - not the recent ones though (movies like Grease, Top Gun, Terminator ... yup ... those kind of outdated "classics"). I was so bored ... just too bored to do anyting. Sometimes, I don't even know what I want to do. Heeeelllllpppp!!!

Ok la, nak tido, selamat malam.

MY House, HIS Door

I met quite a number of new acquaintances today - from two different workshops. Well, the nature of both workshops was just about the same, as they were dedicated to "shed some lights" on how to go about researching a topic. During the morning workshop, I have to say that I first of all, was lost at what the Prof. was talking about, and second, I was just too eager for him to stop walking about in front of the class. He was an interesting man though, very brilliant in his thinking and a jovial one too.

The overall big picture that he was talking about revolved around the researcher being able to back up his or her data - by that - having to have the hypothecation (will have check on the word later), analysis, evidence and judgment. I think, there's one more that I cannot recall. I know ... heavy stuff huh ... The thing with me this morning was that my brain just refused to work when it sensed that something "serious" was on the way. I remembered jotting down "The Anatomy of Judgment", and other scribbles that I might now have forgotten what they were all about. But, I do remember his necktie - red & black of colors. hehehehe, not neatly done. though

The next talk, by the second presenter wasn't as abstract as by the first one. I could still relate when he was talking about anthropology, ethnography, autoethnobiography and Edward Sapir. Now that was a name that sound really familiar! At least it got me geared up. The discussion was the one that I particularly enjoyed most. The other two members in the group were Swiss students who plan to pursue their postgrad studies soon. So, it was kind of interesting to talk about your research with ppl of a different background - Cat (Business) and Giorgio (Film and Media Studies) - and of course, the presenter, who also joined us during the discussion. He is an anthropologist and was really helpful. And he also bites his nails, hahahahaha ... looks rather bad too (the nail biting habit, I mean) ... His nails are cute but extremely short and jagged ...

I really looked forward to the workshop in the afternoon, as I have enjoyed the previous sessions held. And Jeanne, the professor, is wonderful. I like this workshop series better as they very often offer more generic guidelines for research - in which you will find some of them useful in your studies - nothing like the one I had earlier (it was useful, but my brain was in a shock to absorb the abstract ideas, given the time - as early as 9am mind you!). Since this time around I enrolled for the evening class, I didn't get to meet my friends from the earlier workshops. Instead, I made several new friends in the session today. One is a Malaysian lady, who have just arrived in Perth two weeks ago. She is doing nursing, and there's Beth, a nurse as well. I did not have any group mates this time around except for this one OZ fella - Roger's his name. He's doing designs and he's funny, though he was really outspoken of his perceptions of things around him. Talkative too and he told me about his "brothers" and "sisters" around the globe. Hey, at least he likes nuts, hehehehe, cashew nuts and something that looked like "kacang botak".

In one of the activities, the Prof. put the two of us sitting opposite each other, holding one same pen. We were then asked to draw a house and any form of communication was not allowed. That activity I think was cool because it aimed to show which one of you is actually the pusher or the harmonious collectivist. I started with the roof and somehow Roger had to "navigate the pen (me & him) to drawing the door, hahahahaha, and I ended with a flower. When asked by Jeanne whose house was it - he said the house was mine, except for the door!

From the drawing activity, we learnt that a harmonious collectivist is always open to the surroundings, while the pusher is more likely to take control of what he or she is doing. So, imagine that if you come from the culture in which being a pusher is a no-no, the house that you have drawn is not yours. On the other hand, if you are the pusher, the house will likely be yours. It is something concerning critical distance, especially when you are dealing with critiques. We had the activity as we told Jeanne that we think that coming up with critiques is so very challenging. She did elaborate on this point well, but I am just not going to regurgitate more ... *wink* ... info overload!

I had really a nice day (a fulfilling one too), made several new friends, and "built a house" (so much of "Critique-ing" huh!). And last sentence - be distrustful of sucessful interviews! hahahahahaha ... :)

Dia

If only I was brave enough to face you and let you know. If only ...

To that "person" ...

... I hope life treats you kind

And I hope you have all you've dreamed of

And I wish you joy and happiness

But, above all this, I wish you love ...

* Whitney Houston (I Will Always Love You)

Yellow & I

I stepped in. Yellow greeted me. I came to see them. But It was just different. Yellow was everywhere I could imagine ... around them, around me. Yellow was merry ~ common, yet extraordinary ... plain, yet exquisite ... so near yet untouchable ...

I saw them. They looked just like I left them before. I looked at them again, one after the other and I touched them. I have missed them both so very much, every day of my life, And I cried as hard as I did two years ago, that very evening. In the yellowness of everything, I held dear to me the piece I wanted to give them ~ the only piece that I could ever give. That was my promise.

They waited for me, that I was sure. They knew I was coming. They were with me ... next to me ... Everything smelled of yellow, just as every step was yellow. Yellow witnessed everything, all that I wanted to tell them. Yellow also understood my leaving that day. I looked back. I saw yellow.

Yellow smiled at me ... Just as I knew they did too ...

Of Friends and Ficklemindedness ...

I had a long walk late this afternoon. Lolly and I came to a stop at this one playground and we tried balancing ourselves on this one metal post. And geeee... did I have the might to scream out for the fear of losing my balance! But it has never felt as good as that. We talked about our coming here and of friends that we have made so far. I have this impression when it comes to friends, that is, my new circle of friends here.

I thought making friends with young adults isn't as difficult as it looks. Afterall, I see them nearly everyday for the last several years. I assumed they'd be just the same, but I was wrong. Getting to know them personally, spending your time together, giggling away at "cute" guys (criteria differ according to preference, hehehehe) from the other flats, or even having oranges together proved to be not just as easy. These people, I think, could be the most challenging lot that I know. Only now can I imagine what parents have to go through. These people (most of them, and most of the times) may experience this complicated phase that they just need to go through (not all maybe). They are just rich with "experience" that is real enough to leave you with a piece of truth, too true to be denied. The outing that was planned for many weeks turned out to be something that could be considered "unforgettable" - at least to some of us. I told someone that very same night that no one can make you happy except your own self. When you are happy, the people around you will be happy. When you are not, they will not be too. I know it sounds so cliched, but I think each one of us that night needed that (to a certain extent). It really didn't pay to ruin one's happy day because of your own ficklemindedness, nor would it pay to start rigourous search on finding a scapegoat to the whole incident. One might be so obsessed of putting the blame on others, yet at the same time knowing too well who the real culprit is. My only wish was that I had this superpower to change things in the past and made it the day it was supposed to be.

Well, to my super friend, the Super Lolly, here's hoping that you have a super year ahead of you, and may you find what you are looking for ...

Selamat Datang

Hi All

Welcome to my blogspot, hehehehe, MY blogspot. I know people have all been busy keeping their own blogspots ages ago, as compared to yours truly here. I decided maybe I should try one too. Here's something about myself - I come from Malaysia, a Virgoan, and (among other things) I love brinjals and "gulai tauchu" so much. Alleycats too, hehehe. And ohh, I am in Perth now, in a quest of getting that piece of paper called a degree. Hmmm... I miss home a lot ... and these are my stories ...