Tuan - tuan, puan-puan dan cik - cik.. Harap Maklum yea..huhu.

The quick illo here says it all..


In the meantime, heppi blogging and have a wonderful day everyday yaa..

Now, I ve been tagged by Kak Emila. Thank You Kak Emila for the homework. Hope i ll get "A" for this assignment. hehe. (1 down - 2 more tags to go..fuhhh!)

I wish to go to this age - 7-: Any primary school years would be just fine.


I just love those times in 7. Those were times where life was hepi-hepi joy-joy. We would just play and play and play. No worries. Played "police and thief..one two jaga!!.. Polis mati, pencuri jaga..ahak ahak" Ohh my, i still remember that in few occasions, i would choose my fav. spot to hide myself under my house "longkangs", playing hide and seek, which of course later, would be accompanied with a long bebel for all those "kotoran." Lucky, Fab Buku Baru was already invented during those times. Ramadhan Month? Since we all knew, hantu semua kena ikat, then we took turns jadik hantulah. haha. Played "sate ria" with all those "fireworks." Got scolded by one of the neighbours since my roket missed its course and flew into her house. Hari Raya would always be the best of times in a year - (me getting the most duit raya compared to my other relatives laa since i had no rivals within my age). hehe. All of us were very close - ranging from 6 years to 12 years . Made ourself such a hectic and kepoh team. School holidays were days that we always looked for since we would be planning ourself with activities. Sesudah subuh aktiviti bermula - alasan ngan parents kata nak jogging walhal nak pergi merewang : ). - Me, Farid, Aun, Boy occasionally, Nana Pet, Nana Pot, Irni, Iza, Fatin, Mus and Peah. Sadly, as we grew older ( secondary shcool years), we lost our touch - I guess everybody was having his / her own new clicks by those times. Now, we just get on with our life , nodded with somewhat a smile here and there if we happen to bump each other. Isnt it ironic - dont you think? - alanis morissete.

So, here it goes - tagging time - and i would like to tag Ida, Nikli, Sahril, BlueCrystal and BeruangMadu (Anggapla ia sebagai satu khidmat masyarakat komuniti blogger yea..)

Instructions :
Title: The Age That I Wish To Go Back To
Requirement: Write about the one age that you wish to go back to and why?
Tag Mode: 5 bloggers
1st - You leave their blog and post link and add to the list below.
2nd - Let the blogger you want to tag know they been tagged by comment in their blog or etc.

The Age that they Wish to Go Back to:
Amidrin wish to go back to age 22 to correct back some mistakes in life .
Lemonjude wish to go back to age 6 to enjoy kid’s life .
L’abeille wish to go back to any year but never return to age 28.
Sweetpea wish to go back to, actually, just thinking about 17.
Jean Chia wish to go back to 14 years old.
Emila wish to go back to the age of 7 to live that precious moments again
Mangosteenskin wish to back to age 7 to chase back Macik Piut's geese and dogs. haha!

Mariuca wish to go back to age 14 to forget her current sorrows.
Rizal wish to go back to the age of 7 - 7 super wonders of my world.

Ini merupakan tutorial yang kedua seni kraf anyaman rotan. Yang ni kira agak mudah la, sebab kalau tak da rotan, boleh cuba guna pakai kertas sahaja-kertas agak keras skit buleh, kertas warna buleh, tapi elakkan guna kertas surat khabar laa sebab lembik sangat. Lepas siap, buleh laa tempak kat mana-mana samada sebagai hiasan kad kerr atau tempek kat"art card" yer tak..huhuhu. Selalunya, bunga ni ditepek pada permukaan bakul rotan dengan menggunakan ikatan anyaman yang bersesuaian.

This is my second rattan craft tutorial. Unlike the rattan butterfly, you can use paper strips (three of course) to make a simple flower. I post too pictures showing you the differences working on rattan strips and papers. The last six pictures are just varieties that you can do to make them more interesting. I leave to your creativity on that. hehe. I think the illo is quite self explanatory since i have coloured the rattan stripes to make it easier for you. - oppsss i ll be back to post this in more details ya-

yippie, i was more than happy when an envelope from mangosteenskin reached my home few days ago. Thank you.. Thank You mango for all those stuffs. They are great!! Now who says "blog tu membuang masa?" keke. I was giggling when i realized there was a "urusan - blogger - blogger" on the envelope, instead the usual remark of "urusan seri paduka ." Nice take manggo. P/s : i just smooch my address, so it wont show on the pic. Kena la hati2 kan, keke. How do i get these? Check this out - Here. I am sure from non-bloggers point of view, they would say that blogging is such a waste of time and etc etc etc. Some would even go like "wahh aku mana ada masa free time cam kau. Lain la ko, banyak masa free kerja tak banyak." Sheeshh, then i just keep my mouth shut, rest my case instead of trying to win an argument on "the wonder of blogging." Since i ve actively started blogging early this year, i ve found many great things - friends, ideas, trust and courage. A melting pot of things seems it is. Initial idea of just "rattan stuffs" has lead to a mix n match of sort of things. hihi. Anyway mango, my name is not Ryzal Ahmed (sounds like i am a Pakistani..hehe) My real name is Noorizal Ramly. That Ryzal ahmed was a name that i simply put when i registered my yahoo (YM) years back. So, how do you find your blog's life? Why do you blog? Get any sarcastic remarks b4?

And this is my first attempt to draw a potrait in my whole life (gara-gara cabaran manggo). Never done this before. As for me, doing potrait is even harder than designing a whole exhibition set. Hehe. Terlupa pulak nak scan yang original kat ofis. I still need to learn and keep practicing more. Eyes and nose are somewhat skewed to certain sides. I think the eyes are too big and the whole picture looks tense. The potrait looks younger than the original- which means i didn't capture it right. But then, hey i am glad that i try this. Otherwise, i wouldn't know if i can do a potrait (yang atas tuu tak perfect ye). I know i need to keep doing, until i find certain styles that i like. Macam buat kraf rotan jugak, first time takkan sempurna. I ll post another one in the future.

Anyway, enjoy your weekend and heppi blogging ya..

Fail - Adik is just being grumpy for failing to levitate herself like the rest of the group. Others seem to enjoy and having a good time. Out of a sudden, adik just bursts into the air glowing with joy. So, who is failing? Hihi. People do fail, but sometimes, people are just a bit slow in getting something. I ve seen this in my class too. There are few who seem so out of touch, and yet suddenly they seem so good at what they do. Hehe. Late boomers huh! Anyway enjoy and heppi blogging ya



cute icons courtesy of blogmenjerit

Membuat rama-rama merupakan satu kaedah yang sesuai bagi membiasakan diri dengan sifat rotan bagi peserta yang kali pertama ingin mencuba seni kraf rotan.

The best way to get the feel of rattan craft is by making a rattan butterfly. It is the most simple project to start with, yet, for first timers, i am sure they will have difficulties trying to get the hang of it. But, once you pass that stage, it will be quite easy. You can just do em while watching tv. The drawing itself has omitted showing you how to properly place your fingers so that the butterfly will stay firm on its course, as you make rounds and rounds. Nevertheless, this will be the starter edition. : ) Before starting, make sure you damp your rattan (using bottle spray) so it wont break. One strand of rattan (around 2') is enough to make a rattan butterfly. And it depends too on how big you want your butterfly to be. Start by making shape as in picture 1. Make sure you start it at one third of the rattan strand length, so that you can go on to step 2. I think my drawing on picture 1 is somewhat misleading since, in reality, the end tip (where the arrow points out) should have been a bit longer (2/3 of the strand). Keep on doing step by step as shown in the picture. The wings of the butterfly can be made into sharper eclipse by applying a bit pressure - see the real butterfly (make sure the strand is damp / soaking wet - otherwise it will break). You can insert a second or third wind by keep repeating step 4. A rattan butterly usually comes with 1,2 or three rounds of 4 wings. One strand will only get you into picture 6. Usually, we would take another short strand of rattan and insert at the back, so you can hold em. You can colour it any colour you like, or just leave it natural. I just like to soaked it in my hot nescafe cup for like 10-20 minutes to get that brown colour. How dark you want it to be is based on how many teaspoons you put in your cup. A cheap and easy way to do your colouring if you cant get your hand on proper dylon or colouring stuffs. I think, if you want to try, and do not have rattan strands at home, cheap steel wires will do ( yang jual gulung2 tuu- where you can get them from your hardware store) . Then, who knows, you can have your own metal butterfly and stick in your blank book cover as an added value. Dare to give this a try? Hehe. Orait, hepi blogging and have a great day ahead - rizal

I actually find it hard to do my IF theme for this week, though the title is quite simple. I guess i am a bit exhausted. So, this week, i think i skip my usual detailed drawing and resort to something simple, light n easy. Hey, it saves my time and saves me by filling my weekly quota of one illo per week. Hehe.

So, here is the story of my illo :

A is not sure if this sketch would "save" rizal's day.
B is happy for he came up with the idea.
C and E couldnt care less whether Rizal's illo is saved since their love is doomed and cannot be "saved".
D just hates to be the middle person trying to save C and E 's love.
F is angry for B "save" idea.
G is just happy for B "save" idea.
H is grinning on the whole "save" idea.
I thinks this Rizal's "save" idea is a joke.
J just happy for this "save" idea, since he ll be put on the net.
K could not believe that Rizal goes with this "save" idea.
L - Larry Potter wishes he could wand something to save this idea. - Expecto Patronummmm
M - ughhhh on this whole "save" idea.
N just smiles and wait n see too on this save idea.
O just glad that rizal finally does his IF on "Save" and that saves his IF.

Haha..this is nut. I am having a second thought whether I m going to submit this to IF. Just happy to post it here. :)

I went to PWTC this afternoon for two reasons - 1st - the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair and 2nd to see Kak Emila herself. KLIBF - at its 27th year, was crowded on thing for sure (gambar atas). Packed and jammed with people of all ages. I could hardly move. I was in a hurry and i was there to do a quick recce. Saw few stalls selling ice-creams here and there. Yum! Yummy!. Thought of buying one too. Been a while since i ve had ice-cream. Books, books and more books were on display. What else would you expect on an international book fair. I would have gone nuts if not for the crowded people, just seeing these vast array of books ( yeah, i love them).

KLIBF is on from 4-13 April. So, go there and see for yourself. Fancy yourself for novel cinta? Plenty for you. Not your cup of tea? Dont worry, I am sure you ll find something and i am sure too you ll feel tired when you get back home. I was so damn tired and felt a bit dehydrated by the time i got home. Thought the weather had something to do with this. There are actually four main halls. Go and visit each of them. But i think the best way to see, is on weekdays. You can really really see and take your time appreciating what KLIBF has to offer. On the ground floor, Pekomik welcomes you with its own exhibition. Acronym for Persatuan Pengiat Komik Malaysia, it houses various works of talented illustrators on different medium and theme (gambar bawah).



But, I like this the best (-gambar atas-Sebab children's art kot!). Out of a handful great works, only one panel displays children's art. So i guess that was why i was drawn to it. Pekomik even has this long white cotton banner around the exhibition area, displaying numerous artist sketch style works. Interesting!!. See for yourself the different styles.
WiraBukit Booth

After having a quick look here and there, i moved to Hall 2 to meet up with Kak Emila. Ohh, she ll be there everyday until 10 April. Go and visit WiraBukit, lot 2088 inside Hall 2. And if you are lucky, Pak Samad might be there as well. Pak Samad was there today. Few people were taking pictures with Pak Samad. I really like what they do with their booth. It looks creamy fresh, simple, mcm ada a bit dash of sophistication. Ni bukan mengampu yer. Since friends and families were there too, they made the booth mcm happy2 jer - welcoming leisure style. There were books on tables, spread and displayed nicely - not simply packed berlambak on shelves. Tu yang bagi nice warm feelings kot. I looked around and finally grabbed three books for my anak buah. Tapikan, sekarang ni Pak Ucu dia tgh baca dulu laaa.-Bendera Di Atas Bukit. I managed to catch a glimpse of some art on wooden frames - awesome!!

Balik kat chiter Kak Emila. I met her in flesh. Haha, agak terkujat la. I do not expect to meet any blogger in reality when i first started blogging. But, hey, blogging opens up doors to many things i say. She suggested me taking picture with Pak Samad. Alamak malu la.. hehe.. Terima Kasih yerr Kak Emila. So, having kept the picture rattan frame for so long, finally dapat jugak la bagi. And the best part too, Kak Emila handed me her handmade notebooks - few lots of them- Dalam hati.. i was like, "alamak segannya..sambil nyanyi Ku malu tapi mahu" Thank you.. Thank You Kak Emila. They are wonderful. Now it is like.. "My preciouss...preciouss!!" I really didnt expect to receive something, as i had this one thing in my mind.go to pwtc.recce.see Kak Emila.then off to see my father.How i come to meet up with her? Long story. To make it short..here is a brief. It was when i posted my rattan picture frames that i received her comment stating that she would like to buy. Alas, those were not for sale. I was surprised by the fact that someone would be interested in buying one, (yerr laaa..dok rotan lama sgt,err tak la lama sgt pun, tak dpt bayang ada orang minat..) that i decided to gift one for free. I asked one of my student to make another one just for Kak Emila with bits and bytes of changing here and there. So, thats it. I think from time to time, i might do give-away to0 (of course rattan stuff la), but not by mentioning it on my post. Kira macam cabutan bertuah rahsia. huhu..
So, here are the stuffs from Wirabukit. Those three books which Pak Ucu dia kena habiskan dulu baru bagik anak buah and few handmade notebooks made by saper lagi, Kak Emila - Emila Illustrated Blog. Huhu. I just shot two notebooks jer. Check out the red circle.

Now i am getting worried my post is getting longer and longer :) I should refrain myself from writing long post. It has indeed been a hatrick - three in a row. =P Orait, hepi sunday, hepi blogging, do fuel my blog (comment maksudnya).. who knows you might get something from me. My second give-away is out and should reach that particular blogger in few weeks time. Now, my third give-away? wait and see. :)

Yesterday, while i was in IKN, making sure things would be running smoothly for today's Rattan "Bicara Kraf"event, i had Mr. Ariff of HEP informing me "Rizal, besok orang luar yang confirm datang cuma 6 orang jerr.." "Haaaaa!!....camtu ker?" But then, i kept calm and said to myself "hmmm..macam biasa, diorang malas nak confirm ni. Jenis suka datang mengejut je." So, I asked Mr. Ariff.. " So, ape plan?" and he told me his plan of this and that. Listening but not listening, i just said.. "hmmm..hmmm..hmmm. Tak kisah la, aper2 pun, i am sure ko kan up to this. Musti ko boleh handle mender2 camni kan. Takkan ko nak kecewakan aku? Aku tau besok ada orang. hehe (evil grin)". Ohh, I wasnt being mean to him, but i just couldnt resist myself "kenakan dia". And I walked out the room laughfing hysterically inside knowing that Mr. Ariff was now having an extra weight on him. Poor Mr. Ariff (such a nice, sweet bubbly chap). The truth is, it is hard to find an audience when it comes to rattan crafts. Unlike the ever popular Batik, Tenun, Fine Metal, Wood Carving and Ceramics, Rattan seems always out of place in IKN. Tapi syukurlah, these past one and half years, things seems to have picked up as planned. But, a whole lot of ways to go...


And today, yippie tra cha cha cha (from that monday heppi mood), we had a full house, better than last year. 2/3 were a mixed of practical students, Frim, rattan craft entrepreneurs and those from the HKK people. Another 1/3 were from IKN ( a mixed of rattan and three other departments). Panels were from Sirim, Frim and and an entrepreneur, moderated by Dr.Wan - used to be my Ide (Industrial Design) lecture. p/s : Kak Wan - ohh you look so chic today-Kaching! kaching!. It was really good with lots of responses from mixed crowd, which i was long desired. And the best thing too, we had the most outsiders compared to other "Bicara Kraf" departments (5 done so far). (heard that, more and more people after rattan - edited 4th april 2007) Another Kaching!! Kaching!! Next, my plan is to have Kak Wan and Mr. Tarmizi of Frim to do short courses with my department. There are areas that i find interesting. I even said to Mr.Zehan (Head of Wood Craft Department) - "Jan, Kak Wan aku book until Diploma show yer..hehehe.. Kau boleh ambil Encik Salleh.." I am looking forward to do some short courses with Kak Wan to see how we can stir up the Rattan Craft industry in terms of Design Creativity. And i think it is time too, my students look at Rattan Craft as product design than just merely as craft. I am not trying to teach them to be product designer, that would be so wrong and out of context, but i would be more than happy, if they are aware and able to grasp ideas when it comes to designing a product.

I would like to say thanks too to the whole lot of people who have made this such a great success. My apprentices (4 of them), my supportive kawan2 kerja, the academic sections and my 2nd boss - who else if not Kak Farid. Thanks too to Encik Zainal ya. Aishah and Linda came up to me and say "Haaa rizal, tgk ni susah payah kitaorang kerja khas untuk ko.." And i said "Thank You laaa.. haaa tuuu laa tak sia-sia kan aku jual furniture rotan kat korang murah-murah. Give and take.. hehe.." - Speaking of cheap rattan furniture, rattan department does its clearance sale from time to time to give room to new furnitures. Bayangkan lah, tiap2 sem students buat furniture satu sorang, store besar tuu jugak. Tuu tak kira kalo satu student buat satu set perabot. Mana nak simpan?. Kena jual laa nak bagi ruang. And we do sell cheap since we are not into making profits. Unfortunately, staff kebas beli dulu daa. On a different subject, Molly and the gang were complaining to me telling how their design were being copied by their senior (which is now a rattan craft entrepreneur participated in HKK- she wasnt my sudent) On one hand, i feel good, new things are being picked up, on the other hand I am worried too that our hardworks are being "ciplak.." I do understand how my apprentices feel. And i do feel sorry for them. They didnt wish to be paid, but just a simple"Thank You" would be nice. Yer la, pening kepala pecah buat design, and suddenly you see other people copy not one but few design and said.. "Secara kebetulanlah dapat idea ni.." My foot!! To whoever you are, i am happy that you come out and try new things, but please, do not look down on my girls or staffs or pandang remeh what we are trying to do if you yourself have not contributed a single thing in the industry. And that goes to the rest of you people (yeah you know who!!) - that of other designers or those yang perasan tetiba jadik community designers atau art kritiklah pulak. These people have the "holier than thou" attitude. I am willing to listen to good critics but i wont take craps from you people. Latsly, i just said to my aperantices comforting them, "it is okay.. she is just a follower. Yang penting kita boleh innovate atau invent.. Kita tgk la nanti lagi setahun. Sama ada dia follower atau pun innovator : ) ." And this is the main problem with rattan crafts. Too many follower, not enuff of innovators/ inventors. Once you put your work out there, you ll see the whole rattan crowd doing the same thing. Everybody is copying everybody else hoping to get a piece of that pie. And that is why we have the same exact copy of shapes, forms and colours from Perlis to Johor when it comes to rattan crafts. : ( And that s why people say rattan craft is boring. : and ohh please.. enuff la with that lampu panjang tuu.. i can sense that thing akan jadi lambakan macam typical bakul )