Well, in few short hours time, we all be leaving 2007 and moving to 2008. No 2008 new resolutions as i believe goals should be achieved as planned. I just want to thank God for all the blessings and all the joyous rides that have been around all throughout 2007. Thank you too to all my friends, colleagues and people who have been helpful in lots of indescribable ways. Thank you too for standing on my side when knowing i might end up wrong (huhu..luckily that isnt the case.) I wish all the best to all people out there. May you all be blessed with the good things in life. Just do your best and leave to God to do the rest. Lets just treasuring simple pleasures of life as we move facing our life journey. :)

Aisey...lama tak lari..hilang pulak stamina. Larat 35min non stop jogging je..tapi hari ni cam biasa. Jogging di ttwangsa. Masa 35minit. Jarak 4.7km average speed 7.9km. Aku rasa lepas nii aku nak cuba dapat 5km dalam 35min. Harap2 lepas tuu boleh kejar 5km dalam 30minit. Tak per la, kayuh pelan-pelan. Bukan nak kejar masuk marathon. Dah lari ni satu benda yang aku suka buat kalau kira part bersenam. Murah, kira labur jer kat kasut yang kualiti bagus, pilih tempat, lepas tuuu lari laa sampai fuh fuhh fuhhh. Paling tidak dapat nikmati udara segar sambil bersenam. Rasanya, tahun depan nak kejar balik ke"asyikan" aku yang suka lari hari hari.. hehehehe.. Harap harap berjaya.

Gambar tudung saji anyaman rotan ni aku dapat dari internet. Terus terang, aku ambil sebab agak tertarik dengan kombinasi warna dan pergerakan anyaman rotan. Dari segi teknik, tiada yang baru, teknik biasa yang diamalkan, cuma hasil tudung saji ni agak unik sebab gerakan anyaman dan juga warna corak yang digunakan. Warnanya, bagi aku agak panas menyerlah aaa "wild n hot striking colors..hehe". Mungkin sedikit sebanyak bantu untuk timbulkan kelainan dari kebiasaan warna "natural" bagi produk tundung saji anyaman rotan. Lagi satu yang diperhatikan juga, dari segi gerakan anyaman, selalunya, kalau tudung saji rotan, gerakan anyaman rotan tuu secara horizontal dan bergerak sekeliling. Satu lapis satu lapis sehinggalah ke lapisan ke atas. Tetapi, yang ni berbeza sebab dipecahkan secara ruang-ruang dan anyaman adalah secara vertikal atas ke bawah. Anyaman gerakan vertikal atas ke bawah dengan pecahan ruang-ruang tuu yang juga lah buatkan seolah olah ada pola-pola tertentuk. Jadi kalo kita lihat dari atas (yerr arrr masa berdiri nak angkat tudung saji), so pola2 tuu macam bentukkan satu rupa (shape) yang menarik jugak la. Kedua aku suka juga, sebab cara dia "construct" adalah vertikal..jadi ending bahagian atas tu secara automatis, boleh dapat rupa bunga. Cool. Keaedah nak buat tak lah sukar, cuma kalo banding dengan gerakan horizontal, gerakan vertikal lebih banyak ambi masa. Tapi apa salahnya kalo berbaloi. Apa pun..aku list jugaklah dari mana aku dapat, sebab gambar ni diambil dari internet dan bukan dalam koleksi tersendiri aku.

Koleksi gambar - Dari Koleksi "Galeri Produk Penjara"

Alamat Web - http://jpmportal.prison.gov.my/tempahan/index.php?page=4&type=kategori&kategori=RT

Dihasilkan oleh - Pusat Pemulihan Akhlak (PPA) Muar

Sesiapa yang berminat, boleh hubungi di bawah ini, jangan hubungi aku..aku tak dak kena mengena dengan depa..hehehe..

Speaking of books..i think you...yeah..you people of book lovers...should go and visit Times Bookstores Year End Sale. Heard they are really selling them cheap..chip chip chip.. I think i am going to go for a visit this weekend. Huhu..

Rattan is not all about crafts. You can do many things with rattan. Use your right brain, and you may end up with ideas that could create attention for your living or working spaces. Use it to dress your window shop, to create a warm welcoming atmosphere in your porch, soften the seriousness of your office space (by hanging rattan balls) or just as accessories to your living areas. A little bit of imagination and creativity can go a long way. U may throw some hot colors, or throw some natural earthly colors to compliments the rattan natural color.

I love books. They are like windows to another worlds. Feeding your thoughts with ideas. Its different though the feeling of flipping the pages compared to mouse clicking. Yeah i tried that before reading Harry Potter in PDF format. Felt like something was missing. Books.. they are like treasures. I read whatever i feel like reading. Mostly I would like to get my hands on design books. I do love IKN@Institut Kraftangan Negara library. Small it is but aint small in contents. Surprisingly, it does have lots of design books apart from its usual "arts n crafts" titles. Working here does have its privileges. My eyes are always watching, eager anticipating new titles, trying to fulfill my hunger for books. Hehe. Good job Kak G for keeping up with new titles. Yes, she is that nice Puan in the picture-a kind heart and soft spoken person. :) Thank You..thank you..and thank you... say "NAK" to more books..

What those two things here have in common? DKNY Men Parfume and those rattan containers @ Bekas Rotan?. I gave you people some clues. Round.Two pieces.Contrasting Surfaces. Hehe.

Hari ni tak de cerita fasal bakul rotan ke,produk rotan ke, anyaman rotan ke, tapi fasal "name card" rotan. Ni kad ni memang rekaan aku sendiri pakai gambar batang buluh yang sebelum ni aku "scan." Gambar batang buluh nii dah aku jadikan "trademark" design aku. "Name card" ni sengaja dibuat kira nak diberi kepada kawan-kawan aku, member sekerja dan juga senarai mereka yang berkaitan. Paling tidak, "name card" nii boleh laa jugak dibuat sebagai bahan promosi untuk blog ni, masa sertakan sekali kad rasmi kerja. Tau, tgh-tgh zaman it nii,dgn metacrawler lerr,directories lerr,blog and web page laa tengah panas, "name card" nii penting gak sebab paling tidak..boleh la dibuat hebahan kepada pengusaha-pengusaha rotan di luar sana. Perasan ada beberapa pengusaha yang cuba nak masukkan hasil usaha kraf mereka dalam fotopages dan juga blogspot, tapi lepas tuu berkubur macam itu sahaja. Harap-harap, ada blog sebegini, depa tak la terasa depa keseorangan dalam perjuangan. Chechewah perjuangan..hehehe

Just want to wish Merry Christmas to my friends and readers who are celebrating this festivity. May all the good things in life be with you people always.

It is indeed a good feeling to see what we are doing (Intitut Kraf Negara, namely rattan crafts) is being picked up by something or somebody else. I am not trying to change the rattan scene in Malaysia from A to Z in one night, but thru blogging, at least i can give my own personal small contribution here. People might not even realize about this blog existence, but hey rizal, that s okay. :) Haaaa..the rattan cupboard. That was my student's work who based his work on his beloved iconic cartoon character. Sponge bob. Do you see any resemblance? hehe..

Indonesia does have a variety of crafts. Yeahhh.. due to the fact that it has 200+million people. So, it offers more styles. I am impressed that the people do love and respect their crafts. Its yearly event - Inacraft - proves how varied their products(crafts) and how passionate their people are. "Blok M", even showcases different decorative and functional crafts covering an area bigger than KLCC's Isetan or Parkson given in one floor. I love how they use and maximize their bamboo and rattan to the fullest potentials. Very creative indeed. I am not trying to put down the Malaysian rattan and bamboo crafts here, but just merely stating the fact. It is indeed still a long way for the rattan and bamboo crafts here in Malaysia to go. When i was there, i did manage to capture few shoots secretly, using my hp camera, pretending i was smsing. Haha, but all in good faiths.

Ni contoh lakaran untuk dijadikan sebuah produk rotan. Lakaran ni dibuat oleh bekas pelajar yang sekarang ni bekerja sebagai "apprentice" jurusan seni kraf rotan. Lakaran yang pertama ni, rasanya kalau dikembangkan dan dimurnikan lagi, boleh jadi sebuah lampu gantung yang menarik. Tapi kena buat dalam bentuk set. Kalau dibuat dalam bentuk set (set of three-contohnya) dengan kombinasi warna dan juga pilihan teknik anyaman yang sesuai, rasanya boleh hasilkan sesuatu yang cukup impak. Sekali pandang kalau lihat pada produk rotan yang nak dihasilkan, ada rupa-rupa sarang burung, tapi asalnya dari cengkerang siput. Lakaran kedua tu sepatutnya naik menjadi arca rotan, tapi atas sebab-sebab logistik hari tu, rekaan ni tak naik sebab ada "short" beberapa bahan. Sekarang ni, memang empunya lakaran ni pun tgh sibuk nak siapkan beberapa produk rotan @ bakul gabungan dengan aluminium. Siap nanti, aku "post" kat sini.

What do these all have in common? Hmm..

After 3 days eating western food at guoman, i am finally back to the Malaysian food. Huhu. Since today is Hari Raya Haji, so it is time to taste again that famous malay dish - rendang. Rendang is definitely my fav. Taken from wikipedia -Ehem ehem..Rendang is made from beef (or occasionally chicken, mutton, water buffalo meat, duck or vegetables like jackfruit or cassava) slowly cooked in coconut milk and spices for several hours until almost all the liquid is gone, leaving the meat coated in the spicy condiments. The cooking process changes from boiling to frying as the liquid evaporates. The slow cooking process allows the meat to absorb all the spices and to become tender. The spices may include ginger, galangal, turmeric leaf, lemon grass and chillies. Chicken or duck rendang also contains tamarind, and is usually not cooked for as long as beef rendang. In Malaysia, they are different styles in making rendang. But to me, any styles are just fine. I just cannot help to try each and every one of em, when the opportunity present itself :). Well, later.. off to another rendang eating session..nyum nyum

Moments Captured Using Nokia Sports.
I am at Guoman Port Dickson.. time now is 1.05am - 19.12.2007. One thing for sure, it is not easy to write something at this wee hours of morning. I arrived here on Monday expecting things to be running like usual, but instead, been occupying myself with taking pictures of rattan products. Guoman does indeed provide you with an excellent atmosphere from hospitality to facilities. But, hey.. what else would you expect from a 5-star-hotel..?? I like the fact that they are using rattan widely as functional products and also as decorative items in their hotel. Some are quite traditional in style and some are contemporary in design...and some are down right basic in forms and shapes. Hence, creating such a welcoming, modern soothing traditional feelings. Since, i am finding myself hard to complete my writings now..i am going to left you to enjoy the pixs above.. do enjoy.. cheers

Just out of ideas rite now. So i thought of posting the IKN wood crafts werks here. E N J O Y yaaa...cheers

Moments captured using Lumix Fx-8.
Proper BM please rizal no campur aduk... wokeh.. Tahun ni Jurusan Seni Kraf Rotan mengeluarkan sisipan @ "brochure" nya buat pertama kali. Idea sisipan ini sebenarnya bertitik tolak atas isu penjenamaan semula bidang Seni Kraf Rotan yang mula dilaksanakan tahun ini. Ini termasuklah dari segi rekaan, teknik mahupun sikap. Secara amnya, memang tidak dapat dinafikan, bila disebut Seni Kraf Rotan, pandangan umum rata-rata berkisar kepada satu seni kraf kampung yang diusahakan oleh kaum-kaum ibu. Seni Kraf Rotan juga tidak dilihat gah seperti mana bidang seni kraf yang lain seperti ukiran kayu, tenunan songket dan juga batik. Jauh sama sekali dianggap sebagai bahan produk yang boleh dikaitkan dengan gaya hidup masa kini. Justeru, sisipan ini merupakan satu usaha kepada masyarakat bagi mengubah persepsi atau imej produk rotan itu sendiri. Produk-produk di dalam lampiran, diharap dapat mengubah persepsi masyarakat. Ia dihasilkan dengan mengambil kira aspek rekabentuk yang lebih bersifat segar dan berwarna-warni serta semangat tenaga pengajar jurusan seni kraf rotan Institut Kraf Negara itu sendiri. Perbandingan dengan beberapa sisipan agensi-agensi kerajaan lain diambil kira bagi mengelakkan ianya jatuh tergolong di dalam sisipan bersifat ala "government style.." Apa pun, yang pastinya..penerbitan sisipan ini akan menjadi aktivi tahunan jurusan seni kraf rotan dengan penambahbaikan yang lebih dari tahun sebelumnya. :)

Moments Captured Using Nokia Sports n N80.
I was at Sony (Berjaya Times Square) searching for my new earphone when i noticed there is a square rattan product used for stuffing their rm39.00 earphones. I was indeed surprised to see that rattan basket, not that it had any significant in terms of design or weaving techniques, but due to the fact that Sony (bling..bling stylo techno lifestyle) and the basket (rattan crafts mostly associated with "projek orang2 kampung..") were together. I believed some people had actually just grabbed whatever they can to stuff that earphones. It could be any containers instead of rattan though. Anyway, it suited perfectly well for that rattan container to fit on the counter. I had my mind wondered then, what if it were replaced with other container made of rattan. Something that would compliment the Sony Lifestyle. (See the above pictures) Would it be good? Would people just pass by or would ppl stop at least to have a glimpse of it? A change in colour might be a good direction. I paste 3 pictures of rattan products aka containers down here too. Might need some changes in terms of forms, but i like to see more such styles than the typical rattan square@round@oval baskets.


This was during my "rattan arts n crafts playtime..-(2 pixs above)" moment. Huhu Such a long time ago. Currently, I am busy with other non crafty design stuffs. Still i manage to fork out some design using rotan manau and laminated wood. It is still on its infancy stage though (tung tang tung can be heard from the workshop.) Hope it would turn to something. Crossing my fingers here..sweat..sweat..

I have become an avid fan of the pasar malam aka the night market lately, mostly to get my source of cheap veggies. Jusco.. too far, Tesco..even further..kedai runcit...not enuf variety.. so hence, the pasar malam. Lately, my search would be on tomatoes, carrots, kacang botol, cucumbers and salad. I have grown to love eating salad on a daily basis (dinner) to help stimulate my bowel movement in the morning. Catch the drift? I even buy "tempoyak" to mix with my salad. Yeah the Malaysian style... Mix some tempoyak with some good chili sauce..and there you go.. such sweet, spicy, tangy taste all together. Crunchy thing and Protein substances are a must in my salad. Be it some tuna, chicken or beef plus some hard biscuits or nuts. I love the Malaysian salads like ulam raja n such.. but they are difficult to get on your normal night market. Since, making salad is fast n cheap, hey i finally might be getting my daily ration of veggies supply enuff. Next, filling the daily quota of drinking more then 8 glass of water daily. Sweet sweet..

This is my third cat. First was Uji - a male white cat which we lost while bringing him to a pet clinic. I was crying for days. Heck i was 10 years old that time. Second were Didi and Comel - both died in 2003. Didi (the mother) died in front of me, and i stayed watching till her last breath. Comel, however died while i was out out in Langkawi. Never did see the grave and asked how did she die. Just received a sms text from my sis. Died at the age of 18 and 17 years old both of them. Such a life. Growing up together with lots of memories- from primary, secondary, college and to work life. Sob...sob..!! Now blakie comes in my life. Such a "manja" cat. Blakie, you do make my life happier when all things go wrong in my life. huhu. I am not going to wonder how long his life is going to be. The most important is to cherish every day i m with him. Haha.. mcm kekasih pulak..

Since the end of the year is coming around, so i thought of posting the works done by students. Yup.. the results of bending, burning, coloring, etc, etc of rattan. So here they are. Rattan products of Institut Kraf Negara. Posted here are just few of the many works done in 2007. A better improvement i must say if compare to last year overall performance. I love few of them which frankly, i think quite good. It is a good feeling to see people at least stop, pick up some things and try on some furnitures. At least, these rattan products do give people sort of a feeling. Be it in a good way or the other way. Hehe. An interaction that is. I like the outcomes of "material manipulation techniques" between rattan and other materials. A fresh style is indeed. Hopefully, 2008 would be a better year than this year.
-Gambar produk kraf rotan di dalam sebahagian kecil galeri seni kraf Institut Kraf Negara.

Moment Captured using Sony Cybershot T30.
Nothing much to say. The Rattan sculptures or pieces (what ever you want to call them) are the works of my ex-students (3). Took 3 to design and few lot to construct. The initial idea was to play around with rattan to see what it could offer in terms of creativity, and to see how it would end up. I must say i like em all lot..Anyway.. enjoy..

Moments Captured Using 5500 Sports.
yuuuu huuu.. it has been a while. This is my another "sanctuary" - Taman Tasek Titiwangsa. Still, Perdana offers a more challenging track with its up and down terrain. Yeah..I love my running time. It does clear my mind after all those puff-puff-yah-yah breathing for air hoping not to suffocate while maintaining your running pace. Keke. Aint many lot today, just typical Saturday morning here. Managed to finish my 4o min session. So, here is my result - Running time - 40Minutes. Distance - 5.5km Average Speed 8km/h Calories Burned - 383. Aint that great but result isn't bad either. All thanks to my nokia sports. I wouldn't say that the result shown by my nokia sports is accurate but it does give you some indicators though. Come in handy for my usual running session. Bet there ll be a whole more lot here tomorrow. Akhir kata, majulah sukan untuk negara..huhu