Wednesday, January 31, 2007

overburnt.

last weekend was really one of the better weekends i've had so far in 2007 (apart from watching scts perform at zouk) it was the standard RM15 fare, but i think i spent more time outside talking to people rather than inside watching screamo punk bands play. but the ones i did catch, those were worthwhile. like the evolution of telephony delivery from their artyparty 'june of july' debut to their updated 2007 sound (funked up, vocal stripped, radiohead influences galore), adlin junk's little brother faiz's band ask me again and of course, TWKUA (who never, ever fail to rock the stage) it's amazing how they're getting better... i can't wait for the album to come out (and also a little surprise i shouldn't be telling anyone just yet until it's definitely in the books :P)

anyways. zalia was in town so after the gig me and diy drove to shah alam, picked her up and went to williams, then spent the night in her hotel room. it reallly felt like the old times, when the three of us were roomates and we'd stay up the whole night talking while pretending to be doing our fyps, and getting hungry at 6am only to drive to hassan's or mickey d's in SK for breakfast. i don't really miss mmu that much anymore but i miss the spontaneity of being able to do anything, regardless of time and being totally devoid of responsibility...

SIGH.

tomorrow's a freaking holiday and God knows how much i need this break. i think i have been overworking myself and i totally long for the days when i could check out adsoftheworld and talk crap with adrian raj on msn... now i hardly have time to sit in my little cubby (hence the picture) as i need to be running around checking FAs, going for internals/briefings and being constantly hounded by AEs (there have been times that 3 different AEs were scrambling for me to finish their stuff) It is absolute madness. there's been this nasty cold that's been going around in the office as well, and surprise surprise - i caught it. and i had no idea how hard it is to let of work, even when your body's breaking down and saying "no, you can't bloody go on anymore, you're just wasted, damnit, go home and sleep!"
but honestly, as weird as it sounds, i'm loving every single minute of it.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

karma is a bitch indeed.

i never did get to blow any candles, or eat cake.
but there was pleasant company and good food. so that made up for the lack of chocolate sponge or blueberry cheese.
and a late message stirred mixed feelings - for a split second, as corny as it sounds, my heart actually ached for him.

but anyhoo.
in a way or the other, karma always seems to find a way to bite your ass... remember when i said work was really fine, but i still felt lonely? last monday i bumped into a familiar face who was coming on board- not even a close friend but an acquantaince, like, FINALLY! Someone i could talk to or have lunch with when the time calls for it. i was ecstatic! then another new person comes in. she is my age and watches grey's anatomy religiously... suddenly people at work seem nicer, and honestly, i don't feel like i dread going to work anymore.

for the first time in 3 months... work's.. fun.
no, really.

but then of course it all comes crashing down. given an uphill task of writing a recruitment ad for the world's largest Islamic bank, i was stumped. i mean literally, stumped SILLY. so while it was due to be presented by 4pm on wednesday, at 4.10pm my copy was being brutally labelled as "catalogue-ish" and "BLAH!" and "i'm sorry to ask this.. but do you think in English, or BM, Nadiah?" by my ecd. of course i was beyond horrified! and there were TONNES of grammatical errors... thinking of it again, i really had some bloody nerve to see my boss with such shoddy work.

so i kinda snapped back to my senses. came home and didn't sleep til like 5.30 am.
and today it was "very good!"

PHEWH.
at least i know for now, my job's still secured.

someone just came in for an interview, and she surely looked 'writer-ish'.
ok maybe i need to work a little bit harder.

it's weird in a way. i have no time for myself, no time for a life and just writing decent copy for a simple recruitment ad just drains every single bit out of me. like i could just write something decent and hand it over, but there is this super strong urgent need of wanting to make it better. to make it work.

aghhh now i know how people have a love-hate relationship with their advertising careers. they don't know why they still do it although it makes them lose a whole chunk of their personal lives.

because at the end of the day, when everything just CLICKS, it makes you feel good.

like damnit.
REALLY GOOD.





Thursday, January 18, 2007

so little time so much to do

warm nasi lemak at 2.30am.
spectacle debates over hearts and crushes.
annoying, gut-wrenching pj-kl traffic.
awkwardness and not wanting to talk.
a silly show with an even sillier script, but no less addictive.
baby blue t-shirt very much like amri's.
dinner with majin.

too many things to say. too many things to do. so little time.

a little chat with the boss tomorrow.
my life is peachy indeed.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

i am a certified scts groupie!

so yesterday yan, diy and me were over at zouk to catch butters&friends, and honestly, it was worth every penny of RM35 i paid for. not that i am overly crazy about butterfingers, but to catch scts (ok, specifically duan and his high strung, emotion driven vocals and ham's explosive guitar effects) again after 3 months plus was just awesome. i remember getting goosebumps the last time i saw them perform in laundry for crossborders... they sounded a bit subdued this time around, but nothing short of being crazy amazing. there were so many people! of course adrian raj had to kick me in the shins as opposed to a simple "hey budak pulau!" (ok, he was half assed drunk, so i'm not going to blame him). brian was there as well ("i had a feeling you'd be here!! for seven collar t-shirt right??"), and i think i saw irman sitting in a corner somewhere. and i really couldn't keep track of all the karen o wannabes who were literally just scattered around... sometimes i'd like to give myself the benefit of the doubt that maybe, they're really there for the music but when you have a band as great as seven collar t-shirt perform and all they're doing is taking pictures of themselves i surrender! it's so bloody pretentious, although their whole getup is kinda cute. the long top stretched over leggings which stops just short above keds lookielikeys and of course, a ciggie in hand to perfect the sunkissed, look-at-me, i'm-so-indie appeal. (smoking i do not find cute.)

and omg i bought an scts t-shirt!! it's baby blue and i can't wait to wear it for work tomorrow hahahahhahahhahahhahaaha.

anyway, since diy was staying over the night we went to watch 'seed of darkness' and ugh, really, trailers can be SO deceiving. i remember it was slick and edgy, with really nice shots but the whole movie was horrible. i mean its ok to be draggy but they had skewed angle shots every single time and it's hard not getting annoyed. and how very apt of the directors to throw in a shyamalan inspired twist at the very end *YAWN* ok so it was unexpected but *YAWN* LAME-O.

ok i'm just being a hard-assed movie critic.
but it was really bad.

i really underestimated the number of people who would turn up to get the discounted muse concert tickets. by the time we got to sungei wang at 3.30pm the line was snaking all around the concourse it was almost UNBELIEVABLE. so i left money with this sound editor i've only met like 3 times before for my tix (because he was already way ahead in line) and arghh i'm so freaking embarassed because i think he thinks i like him. and it really is embarassing (thanks a lot jolyn!!) sigh!

hanna if you are reading wahhh i miss you loads and loads! :P

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

lo and behold, 2007

i stopped making resolutions a long time ago, when i realized why i was making ungodly long, never-ending lists of things i could never attain, well at least not in a year. but 2007 is special. i will be 23, and 2007 will be a good year, if i do say so meself :P so in all honesty and in the spirit of being optimistic, i present, my 2007 resolutions:
  • to exercise, keep myself fit and eat a more nutritionally balanced diet (less ice cream, more greens!) i'm already fat as it is. i want to be lean and trim :(
  • to become a better Muslim and have more faith in my religion. i've lost grip of what i believed in, somewhat, this year. i find it disturbing, yet i'm not exactly doing anything to dismiss the feeling. so this year i hope to find inner peace, and maybe, just maybe, once i find it, i will be content with life.
  • to at least think of an initiative idea twice a month, and try, try, try really hard to submit in something for whatever award there is. they need to have a reason to keep me in the company.
  • to make at least one music video, one documentary and TWO fictional short films. we have been dormant for a year now. it is tragic.
  • to get featured in a certain column in a certain magazine. (HAHA)
  • to be much, much happier than i ever was in 2006.
  • to stop crying like a wimp when things don't go my way.
  • to become a better friend, to keep in touch with the ones i care about the most.
  • to chase that elusive american dream.
other than that, life has been peachy (NOT). i went home for about 2 and a half days, i wish i didn't have to leave so soon. i didn't even get to catch up with old friends who are in town :( but i did get to visit Queensbay Mall, and *yawn* there really is nothing that i'm not able to find here. work is work, and things are really starting to perk up. i have another pitch for a lipstick relaunch, an informercial and a radio ad to think about, so to say that i have my hands full at the moment would be a complete understatement. i am over the moon about finally shifting into full gear and crossing over to tv and radio, and as much as i miss designing (i cannot even begin to express how much i miss clicking away in illustrator and photoshop, playing around with colours, oh, those brilliant, brilliant colours *SOBS*) being a copywriter is really not that bad a job :P the great ogilvy said in his book about advertising, "copywriters may be the most least visible of the lot, but no doubt they are the most important" HA! :P

anyways, last friday was yet another screening of 'An Afternoon'. this time it was a much, smaller crowd as compared to the screening in the National Art Gallery back in '2005 and Freedom Film Fest last September. but a lot of people who mattered were there... and i had the opportunity to talk to so many talented individuals and indie film enthusiasts who came over and said they enjoyed it. johan was there too, so i felt rather sucky that i couldn't hang with him and catch up on things. i'm always like that, telling people to call me up so we can lepak and when the time comes i really can't pry myself and keep my empty promises. sigh.

anyways, it is almost 11pm. i actually need to get started on work. after four days of sheer bliss, getting up in the morning to go to work is the last thing i want to do.

20 more days of being 22!!!