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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Rendang Tak Jadi

"Terkenang daku kepada si dia," Dendang Perantau by P. Ramlee.


Because this video wasn't posted on my channel, I thought I might as well post it on my blog, for keepsake. And here it is:





So we shot this about a week ago, at a friend's apartment (which friend, I'm not entitled to disclose). This video was a tough one to make. For starters, we had to push back shooting it for a couple of weeks because of the tightness of everyone's schedule. And did I mention that we drafted a different idea first, only to  come to the conclusion that it was very impractical 5 days later, thus coming up with this one? And I wasn't one of the ones responsible for thinking up this video. The producers are the ones who deserve that praise. Me, I just edited. And directed. A little bit. The less-than-five-minute video took hours to shoot (5, maybe? I don't remember). That's the thing when you're an amateur video-maker. You aren't very efficient. At least, I wasn't. I didn't know how to shoot the shots, what to include, what to exclude, at which angles I should approach the shots, what was good, what wasn't, what to shoot first and last. 


Even though it was a tough video to make, it was a fun one to make too. Making videos on your own and with friends is just different. You get to bounce ideas off of each other, ask for help and have a good laugh. The hours passed by swiftly. That you can be sure of. Great, great fun. Plus, it was an awesome learning experience for me, and I'm sure it was for all of my friends too. Any upcoming videos from us will definitely reflect all the things that we've learned. (Now that I've thought about it, a post-mortem session wouldn't be a bad idea at all)


So it was hard, but fun. Time-consuming, but laughter-filled. Tough, but memorable. We hope that viewers of the video gained as much of a lesson as we learned through making it. 


May peace and blessings be upon you.


Cheers!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Me Schedule-ing

"Oh, it seems that you know me better than I know myself," Animal by The Answering Machine.


So this semester has been as busy as ever. I have found myself behind on my studies constantly throughout this semester, and we're already halfway. Explains why I haven't been able to make any videos or update my blog. But I'm not feeling too bad about that. My studies have and should always come before my hobbies. Especially when you're sponsored by your nation to do exactly that (study), ay?


Right now it's spring break, so I have 2 weeks to get back up to speed on everything. And maybe some rest, deserved or nay. 


Thinking about future videos, I don't think they'll be as elaborate as some of my recent ones. There'll be more just-me-talking-in-front-of-the-camera-about-current-stuff-type videos, me thinks. A more Phillip De Franco approach, if you will. Having said that, I still have two videos that have been on my "to-edit" list since a long time, so they'll be given priority. Then after that, I think it'll be a more laid back IniAnwarHadi. More speaking exercises (the initial reason for me talking in front of the camera) than PSAs.


Regarding the blog, I think I really should be writing more often. I don't want to forget all these things that are happening in my life in this foreign land right now, and a way for me to remind myself of all the stuff that are happening in my life in this foreign land right now is by writing it all down. I think I should make a bigger deal of that from now on. I'll put "update blog" in the schedule that I'll be drawing up soon to avoid me from going astray.


Living over here, we experience a new kind of freedom. No one tells us what to do. The general attitude of the lecturers over here is "I recommend that you do that mate, but if you don't want to, then no worries mate." Our friends lagila, they can't force us to do anything. And they don't. So self-discipline is of the utmost importance. In an effort to manage myself, I will draw up a schedule. I should try to be as hard on myself as I can, so that I don't waste any time, but we'll just have to see how I balance between work and play.


So the very next things that are in my "to-do" list are:
- edit/publish those videos.
- draw up a schedule that will include, but are not limited to:
     - updating blog (weekly)
     - reading all the weekly readings
     - 15-minute guitar-ing (daily)
     - specific times to address assignments (almost daily)
     - half an hour to read the online newspapers (daily)
- I've run out of things to say.


So hopefully these won't be just omong kosong. I really want to put all these things in action. See y'all at a later day.


May peace and blessings be upon you.


Cheers!


p/s- there's something about this post that is unique/peculiar/interesting/not really. Let's see who can spot it. The first comment-er to provide the right answer will get a shout-out in Twitter (some reward, huh? So lame..)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Raya 2011 (A Pictures-with-some-uninspired-captions Post)

"Even though I'm on my own, I know I'm not alone," Someone, Somewhere by Asking Alexandria.


So my first Eid overseas. Hooray? Hooray.


The Food.
Raya and food are synonymous. Fo shizzle.


 So food was a non-issue.
 We got to eat good food.
 We got to eat Malaysian food.
We got to eat not-so-Malaysian food too. Yum-yum. Alhamdulillah.

The Company.
Raya is also about the people you spend it with. At least it is for me.

I spent it with plenty of good company.

 Some Malaysian families were kind enough to invite us to their houses for Raya.

The atmosphere was great. Everyone knew (almost) everyone else. 

 Hanging out while enjoying good food.

Here's one at the Sydney Malaysian Hall with cohort-mates.
With the Patricianz (house-mates) after Eid prayers.

And going to class straight after.

A very late Selamat Hari Raya to everyone. Maaf zahir dan batin. May all of your Rayas be blessed and filled with happiness. Remember all the lessons learned from Ramadhan and may the good habits fostered during the previous month carry on to the rest of your days.

May peace be upon all of you.

Cheers!