Attended book launch at Annexe Gallery yesterday – Dr. Farish A. Noor’s “What Your Teacher Didn’t Tell You: The Annexe Lectures Vol.1″.

There’s some musical and poetry performances before Farish and Sara (the 5-years-old fairy child) launch his latest book.

The usual literature crowd is there — Sharon Bakar, Dina Zaman, Ahmad Kamal Abu Bakar and of course Amir Muhammad. Oh, happy birthday to you and Walt Disney (December 5, 1901) too.

Some picture that I snapped can be found at the Facebook Event Page.

Managed to get Dizzy & The (Liyana & Alia) 200th self-titled EP (Juice Magazine’s Best Spoken Word Album of 2009). Got Liy and Alia to scribble the “lastest and specialest CD” too.

On a different note: I knew Liy from Hazeryl, who’s my ex-housemate 2 years ago, and my office is just nearby IMU. Been meaning to attend their gig, but my offshore work pretty much destroy that dreams. It’s just a sheer coincidences they were in for the second opening performance before the book launch. The first opening performance of the acoustic guitar is wonderful, pity I forgot the guitarist name. (UPDATE: Pang Kee Teik said “His name is Sherry”, Dizzy said “Sharidir” — “…he usually performs with Nizam and I think he’s really good”)

Here’s youtube video that I uploaded. Re-encoded from 1920×1080 to 640×360 (16:9), original 30 fps, 4080kbps bitrate, with H.264/AVC video codec. I apologize for the vibration due to hand-held caption in nature, I didn’t bring a monopod nor tripod:

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Splurge around RM1.6k at The Gardens in a day before attending the book launch. Replacing my worn out shoes, wallet, belt and mouse. Most of them aging from 5 years to 17 years (the faithful leather wallet). Been eyeing Camper’s Pelotas at the boutique, sadly it have pig skin lining, bah humbug! Here’s funny excerpt from the facebook regarding Camper vs Rockport:

I’ve been to Camper outlet before Rockport at The Gardens. Most of the leather shoes, including my favourite Pelotas design have pig skin lining — that’s why it’s the most comfortable shoes in the whole wide world!

Rockport only uses the best baby skin lining — cannibalized from the abortion clinic. Comfy!

Oink, oink!

Got the free Starbucks 2010 Planner too, well, not really free — need to consume a couple of 2 shots of espresso (grande size) coffee before hand. Thank you Alin, Nana and Mel at Starbucks Miri for the warm welcome at the Miri Airport — best Starbucks manager cum barista ever, and I only say that because of the free drinks and dinner. Hahaha!

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The shopping and the social life apart. Sue didn’t come to the event (book launch), and from her reply, I don’t think we going to cross our path too soon.

This is my last reply. I will not contact you any longer. The past is no longer relevant for me now as I’m already focusing on the horrible present and uncertain future.

Sigh.

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Packing for Singapore. Preparing for next job in Indian Ocean and Gulf of Thailand.

Looks like my 4 months worth of offshore leaves stay as my 3 month resignation leaves plus 1 month diving holiday at Bora-Bora Island — yeah, right!

It’s been one year since I visit a friend, who’s also in the Oil & Gas business — now gone freelance in the ROV field.

It’s a hard time for him with less ROV job around here. China is booming with the job, but had been monopolize by certain quarter. Even the commercial diver rate had been slumping to a new low. For Air Diver, down to USD150-USD200 per day from USD350 per day. For Saturation Diver, getting less than USD500-600 per day.

Gone are the day for my friend market rate of USD450 per day. Local market only go for USD250-300 at the moment. One local company (a big one) even have the cheek to offer him lump sum rate of RM5000 per job!

He’s at wit’s end to support his lifestyle: half-a-million house, IKEA furnished home and the VW Golf GTI.

My advice, let go of his current hobby: ten-thousand ringgit mountain bike — two of them — to pay off the monthly debt.

Next the Nikon DSLR.

Hopefully there’ll be some ROV job around January in one of my sister company for him.

As for me, 2010 seems to be a-year-round pipeline project, UWILD of FPSO and IMCA Certification for the Air and Saturation Diving System.

I’ve been thinking about getting my CSWIP 3.4u Course and call it a quit. Gone freelance with local market rate USD350-400 per day.

Ah, wishful thinking! Maybe another year or so.

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I miss her.

I stop by at Sunway from Putra Heights.

She’s unavailable at that time, attending to her dad’s treatment at the hospital.

After 3 month being offshore and break-up in between the day I arrived back in KL — it’s been a torrential day of my life, with her sudden downpour of dispute.

It’s a hard time to both of us.

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Yes, you may have your schadenfreude moment now.

No.

Just cynical.

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

And he raised his head and looked upon the people, and there fell a stillness upon them. And with a great voice he said:

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, “God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

– Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), The Prophet