LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLSSSS~

Pekan.

Had a trip to Pekan for 2 days - the Royal Town of Pahang. Never been there before and frankly, its been a while since I had the opportunity to indulge myself enjoying (while working nonetheless) the forest greenery and lush lustre view of the mountainous region of Titiwangsa... O_o (enjoying the view while driving thru Karak highway heh ^_^)

And yeah, I just learn how to appreciate nature and "whats left of it" at the very best.

Treebeard

Pekan to me is a very quite town, full of old Malay houses - which is such a rarity this days compared to the other places around Malaysia. The people are very friendly and quite proud of their hometown - sharing passionately with me about how deep the history Pekan have.

As you all might know Pekan is the old capital of Pahang before it shifted to the current one at Kuantan. So it did has an "ancient" feeling, not so many modern development and yet soothing to those who want to seek serenity, quite time.

It felt kinda special to me, cuz maybe it is deeply rooted with the ancient Malay kingdom and the myth and adat that surrounds it is not ubiquitous - with its naga's myth and Orang Asli old wives tale - the story is strictly Pahang and can't be found somewhere else.

Well, the reason we came here is to help the Pahang Museum rebrand the Abu Bakar Museum - thats been left for renovation for quite a long time (Its been 2 years maybe?) and we have to collaborate with Ramli Ibrahim (as a thought "provocateur)" and specify what kind of "identity" - specific to Pahang and Malay generally - combining with the expertise from architect from Japan. The museum director is quite open and a visionary, a historian researcher himself so the knowledge that we had to absord was truly abundant and yeah... it is quite tricky and we have to be extra "careful".

How can we conceptualize the image or rebranding a modern look of an old palace - yet not losing its intrinsic yet ancient value and somehow strictly Pahang?

How can we make the usually "tedious" journey in a museum interesting?

What can we do to make it very "special" so that people from afar or near come to this place out of curiosity - not out of one of the venue embedded inside a boring school trip and "packaged" trip...? -_-

An interesting opinion came from Ramli that seems to me very true, "Japanese is a minimalist. Part of the Chinese is minimalist. But are Malay minimalist?"

He also coined the adage of "angin" or "semangat" that deeply connected with the Malay since ancient times and how is it make us very "unique".

En. Mazlan - journalist from the Seni Beladiri Magazine - advising us about Silat in Pahang and its role in shaping Pahang history... O_O

Mr. and Mrs. Nagata ^_^

After the meeting we had a tour around the museum to thoroughly understand the layout and its significance to the overall experience.

 Old Sultan's Cadillac maybe?

The birthplace and the original kampung of Malaysia's 2nd Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak - father of the current Prime Minister.

And then we got to stay in Melati Inn - the old Maria Menado (the late Sultan Pahang widow) bungalow (palace) turned hotel. The architecture make me so feels like I'm in one of the P.Ramlee movies with all its 60's-70's kind of atmosphere -  relate with the old-style wood furniture (don't know whether its the original or not) and yes, the room is quite nice... (but no service mind ya -_-) Very suitable for all the backpackers out there ^_^

...and they also said that room no 7 is haunted and my room is no 8! O_O

Good thing I slept like a baby, not even noticing whatever kind of paranormal activity thats been happening there... huhu :'(

The 2nd day, we got access to the museum archive - analyzing which and what are the important thing that can be highlighted. It is quite a sight really, an opportunity to indulge myself closely with all the craft done by the old Malay craftmen - we called them Pandai Kayu, Pandai Besi (similar like Japanese living National Heritage) but sadly, the lacking of recognition from our own government and media let to the demise and extinction of this declining profession... T_T

This is the late Ramli Malek - Pahang Batik artist and entrepreneur.

Books, books, and more books... O_________O

Thats it... I think. Can't give to many details cuz its strictly confidential ;p

p.s: Reminiscing back into my old days learning Cekak and realize how strictly important it is to learn about our own heritage and to conserve it for the next generation. 

Very, very interesting indeed.

Busy. (Yeah right.)

...The truth is, I don't know what it is that I want to emphasis about this time. Been strictly busy with work (but I'm not complaining cuz I love my job!) and somehow I deliberately neglecting this sorry blog of mine...

I just somehow want to have a sabbatical leave; a break, a short retirement to replenish my passion back to what it was... (Literally inspired by this talk btw... ;p)

p.s: I don't know whether I'm just so frakin' stupid or so dumbfounded to things that I should have left behind... for my own good. Or maybe I just so get use to things that is uncertain. A bit of a both maybe, and I think I have to clearly realigned myself to whom that I must fight and to whom that I must ignore.

011110

Well, this post has been in a draft since that particular "beautiful" date but unfortunately, with no idea in mind, I just keep procrastinate it till I found something interesting - Thanks to Hadi for sharing an interesting Article at Facebook regarding "Youth".

"Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who'd rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there's no reason we can't entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.

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Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

 Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen. "

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* NOTE : 

Mary Schmich's "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" was published in the Chicago Tribune as a column on June 1, 1997. 

The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)", released in 1998, by Baz Luhrmann.

p.s: This particular date was also my first day at work actually - working back with my old boss and damn I'm hype up!! xD

Oh God. I totally fallen in love with that little black gadget Zac currently holding O_o... 

(Maybe to keep it from some prying eyes~ me obviously heh.)

Had a meet up with Thinklab's "above the line" people and got to learn a lil' bit of their story on how they first start-up - with zero capital and a big passion in changing the local design paradigm, I really believe you guys will make a difference. O_o Honest...

Had a meeting with Royal Selangor regarding some "statue" and notice that melon-shaped teapot? There is a beautiful story behind it and if someone interested in knowing a little bit more about Royal Selangor tour please go to this blog... :)

Btw, Happy Diwali to my Hindu readers :)

p.p.s: Had a chat with Royal Selangor's Design Manager and she said she's the same batch with En. Fauzi and Dr. Baha. What are the odds kan?