In the Spotlight…: The OM Staff

Fatin Shazea (Blogger)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I can’t live without my teddy bears. My most favorite teddy is the one that is fluffy, nice to hug and of course it came from the special one =) The reason why I’m so into them and why I can’t live without them is because they can comfort me and can also be used as one of the mediums for me to express my happiness or madness :D

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I used to fight with people, especially boys, when I was 13. Which should make me a nerd (you guys will definitely laugh if you see my nerdy face especially with that round spectacle and NAME TAG!). One time, if I hadn’t been able to control my anger, I would have been in jail for killing a girl in a case where she dared me to fight with her. I accepted the challenge and I sat on her bump until she couldn’t breathe. Fuh =.=

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I see myself having a stable family with lots of kids and a steady position in a big company and still loving Facebook

Nicholas Foo (Illustrator)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

The beach. It is where I feel most at homeJ

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I believe that everything that exists (plants, animals, inanimate objects) is of the same equivalence or even more important than our existence (human beings).

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

Wandering from place to place with temporary jobs

Cassandra Teo (In-House Author)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

My music. I love to feel the beat and move to it. It makes me feel good no matter what.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you. My bark is worse than my bite ;)

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

Doing what I love best! Spending my time outdoors (hiking, rock climbing, etc), helping to save and restore the environment, travelling and trying out all kinds of different foods.

 

Yati Ishak (Advertiser/Facebook-manager)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

My blackberry of course (: Well, it has everything! There’s bbm which is blackberry messenger, meaning you can chat with other blackberry users for FREE! There’s also MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger. I can Facebook and Twitter whenever and wherever! I can make calls, text people, take pictures, make videos. What more can I ask for? (:

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I secretly have a crush on Mr.Ong… :o hahah. Did it scare you??? I’m kidding (: though at times when Mr. Ong dresses well, he looks really good! Okay enough about that. Let’s see… oh here’s something interesting. I admire girls who are my kind of pretty/hot/elegant/sophisticated. I’d go like “Wow, she’s so pretty!”, “Oh my god! I love the way she dances!” or “Daaaaang I admire her so much. Look at her. She looks so elegant and sophisticated.” But this does not mean I like girls until I want to be in a relationship with them. It’s just those mutual feelings you know and I just admire their looks. It’s just a physical thing. And still some of my friends call me bi for it. Haha. Just so you know, I am not bi. It’s just this thing that I have. That’s something you don’t hear people confess about yea? (:

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I’d be 30 years old! OHMYGOD. Well, I’d probably be married with a kid/kids? Living in a decent house. Not too big, not too small. I’d be driving a BMW X5 since I’ve got a kid/kids. I’d own a BMW Z4 for my husband and me to drive. Well, that would be his car. Mine would be a white BMW 3series coupe. Wow I can imagine it already and it is PUHRETTY! (: I see myself running around organizing events, calling people up for sponsorships, searching performances to perform for events, and making sure the event runs smoothly. Oh, I also see myself advertising events, running Facebook groups like what I’m doing now with Opinionated Monthly, making sure everything is up to date. Yup, I see myself living the life; happily with my family, earning money, loving my work, probably travelling here and there. That’s how I see myself in ten years’ time (:

 

Azlan Latif (Advertiser)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I can’t live without chocolates. I will have chocolates after every meal. I destress myself with chocolates, and chocolates put me in a good mood.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I wanted to pursue my studies in medicine actually.
3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

In 10 years’ time, hopefully I will have a beautiful wife who understands me best, handsome and pretty kids, and a high-salary job. Ahh what more could I ask for?

Lim Wei Jie (In-House Author)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

Me J.

But really, risk. I can’t stand living life in the conventional manner. There has to be some sort of a calculated risk involved, to give me a breath of fresh air or adrenaline rush from the unpredictability of the outcome. Risk in the context of ideas, projects, even homework deadlines! (IB teachers alert!) But I have to be careful not to overstep the border that separates foolishness from risk.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I use to be really short. Puberty hit me when I was 16 and before that, I had this outlandish idea of me never ever growing up. Anyway, skipping 500 times a day during the holidays helped and here I am now.

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

 Working in a 3 Michelin-star rated restaurant? Well, I doubt that idea will ever take off so hopefully, I’ll be working in a Fortune 500 company, preferably in Korea, inject my family tree with foreign blood and no kids, yet. If these situations don’t come true (God forbid!) you can find me in a secluded corner in the US, pathetically selling overpriced calligraphy pieces to white people.

Izzuddin BN Azminuddin (Illustrator)

1. What is the one thing that you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I’m not sure myself what it is. People who I love I think. (What I mean is my family, and all my friends).

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

It took some time for me to answer this question. Haha. Hmm, people can see that I’m a happy person but deep inside my heart, who knows. :p

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

In 10 years time, maybe I will have already got married with the person that I love and be travelling around the world with her.  :p

Firdaus B Roslan (Illustrator)

1. What is the one thing that you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I can’t live without my sweetheart, the little red heart. It keeps me alive.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I would like something BIG. I want to own a big house, a big car, and big money. I myself want to be somebody big. Yeah! Let’s grow bigger.

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

10 years older.

 

Afandi Bin Suhaimi (Blogger)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

Absolutely my lappy. Firstly, all the important documents I have saved in the laptop hard disk, including all my pictures, are tremendously precious to me. Furthermore, Adobe Photoshope CS3 creates my ideal world. Using this programme I can create thousands of beautiful pictures which are really impressive, at least for me. If you want to take pictures with somebody you admire most, you can use this programme to create a picture of you with the person. If get pimples, you can get rid of them with just one click, and the next click can create a perfect skin tone. If you want to be a model, you can make yourself more than a supermodel.

However, the most important reason is I need my laptop to get better internet access, so that I can get in touch with my friends all over the world, whom I miss a lot. But IAs are starting to take away my precious time.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I love Malay literature, especially pantun. I was such an expert during my schooling days but I have left that world.

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I will be working with an outstanding oil company. I will have married and maybe have children.

Pratik Raghu (In-House Author)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

As cheesy as it sounds, I must say I would not be able to live without my family. I share a very close relationship with my parents, one that I can’t imagine being deprived of. I cherish the fact that we can communicate effectively with each other, and that my parents saw to it that I was able to lead the life I wanted to.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I am awful with giving drivers directions. Weirdly enough, I intuitively ‘feel’ my way around places, instead of remembering road signs, landmarks and left turns. Make me your navigator at your peril!

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I see myself having a job that allows me to serve people in need compassionately and creatively. I do not see myself walled into a tiny cubicle in some towering steel and glass façade, gormlessly working myself to death for soulless fat cats.

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Personal Favourites April 2009 - April 2010

Personal Favourites April 2009 – April 2010

Excerpt 1:

A more savage way you can help to kill this killer of ancestors is by dumping chemicals anywhere you like! Just dump those chemicals. Make sure it is toxic! The rivers usually are the favourite. If you dump the river, you will kill the fish living in there, or probably mutate it. The chemicals would also react with the water itself, forming whatever other horror substances that you can imagine, making the water too toxic to be used. Serves the aquatic life for killing our ancestors! The seas maybe a bt hard though, but if everyone works together, it’ll work.

Up next, nuclear bombs. Oh yeah! These are probably some of the best ways to kill the Earth. Let’s bomb anywhere we like with these hardcore mass killers. They can make a real big crater in the Earth along with making the surrounding air radioactive. You can make tsunamis out of them too. Bomb anywhere you like. The forests, the polar ice caps, the deep blue seas, big cities, up to you! Kill everything living on this Earth! That should show Earth what she’s dealing with!

The Editor-in-Chief says: This is an excerpt from “Let’s Kill the Earth!” (July 09) by Ariffin B Mohd Amir. Ariffin is known among us for his unusual opinions and the unusual way he expresses them. This satirical piece is a good representation of his style. In it he tells the reader to do everything he can to destroy the earth. But this, of course, is not his objective. When the reader gets to the end, he realises that all the things the writer is telling him to do have already been done. This makes the issue at hand rather poignant. Ariffin was a regular OM contributor. In fact, this issue comes with what is perhaps his last contribution (he is graduating soon).

Excerpt 2:

An Arrested Heart.

Nadzirah Yunos

You speak of rhymes
Dance with words,
Mimic poets,
With fingers in my curls.

Paint my heart red,
With a brush of your lips,
A voice that wraps me,
Of rhapsodic rapture.

When eyes turn black,
All is never lost,
Take me with insight,
Blithely within,
Fiery inside.

The Editor-in-Chief says: This is an absolute favourite of mine as it appeared in our pilot issue. The writer, better known to us as GG, was a student of IB3. She had taken English A1 for close to a year and half, and eventually decided to switch to English B. I love this short poem for its very precise and effective choice of diction. “Rhapsodic rapture” is a nice touch, allowing me to “hear” the voice of the lover. I hope GG is still writing poetry!

Excerpt 3:

Today’s world is characterized by speed; we are a people that are truly on the move. From the angered banging of the table when a program fails to load instantaneously, to the hurried cadence of the march which characterizes today’s executive; we are ceaseless in our efforts to speed things up. Today’s world is not satisfied with anything but instant gratification, and the entire service industry has adapted to fit our desire. One has only to look as far as fast food, one of the most defining concepts of our generation to see our desire projected onto food as well. We have let speed become one of the most treasured qualities of today’s marketplace, where speed and its sister ease of use rule an oligarchy of thought.

This epidemic of thought is most visible in the desperately treasured youth of today. Having grown up at the very cusp of the technological revolution, knowing nothing of the before and seeing only before it the boundless open spaces offered by this delightful new medium, this generation has not stopped in its ceaseless journey forward. Technology and its mediums are the train pushing forward, building its rails as it goes, and sitting atop in true pioneer fashion: with the wind in their faces and the excitement ever-present, is this generation. Information technology has managed to accomplish something unique to technology of the past, in that it can self-replicate fast enough to update itself. The train never fears a lack of fuel, for with every day there comes a new sacrifice to the furnace.

The Editor-in-Chief says: An excerpt from “Loneliness: A Utopian Nightmare” (Nov 09) by Lewis Jackson, one of our in-house authors. Lewis is known for having colourful opinions and his expressiveness, all of which are evident in this article about the “dark side” of modern technology. I agree with everything said here: the modern world is all about speed and superficiality. There is very little space for sincerity and retrospection. What a pity that the very tools that are supposed to help us develop are robbing us of our humanity (look around you when you are in a mall and see how many people are completely mesmerised by their I-phones). Incidentally, Lewis also writes interesting poetry.

Excerpt 4:

Our wretched self-absorption and brutal capabilities are surmounted only by our ability to turn a blind eye. Ignorance is anything but bliss for those who bawl for assistance to no avail. How convenient it is to imagine that we are any closer to achieving the oh-so-ambitious Millennium Development Goals. That our glittering sneakers weren’t as a matter of fact made by a little boy in the stuffy confines of a Chinese workshop, desperate to earn a bowl of rice and not a cold-blooded thrashing. That so much of the natural beauty we readily take for granted will shortly cease to exist as a direct result of our consumerism, our hunger for looming glass facades and brimming gas tanks. Convenience is the fog that clouds our compassionate perception, while passivity is the rocket that incinerates a Gazan youngster, the chain link fence that locks in a Sri Lankan refugee. Perhaps the advent of high technology has helped us sink even deeper into the comatose recesses of our comfort zones, where no shock waves can churn the waters of our consciences. Perhaps we consistently, tragically err when choosing between what is right and what is easy.

But what if, what if the night is darkest just before the dawn? I do believe that the forces of light are capable of penetrating even the most consuming darkness. In every age, a handful of individuals have always managed to break free of the suffocating bonds of ignorance, selfishness and violence to inspire and uplift the rest of us. Think Oprah Winfrey, Bono and Mohamed Yunus, Mahatma Gandhi, Desmond Tutu and Oskar Schindler: to follow in their illustrious footsteps, to move towards realizing the Utopian vision, we need to look inwards and confront that which truly frightens us. We have to awaken our consciences and open our hearts. We must embrace the fact that we are not enemies, but friends, that while passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. We need, now more than ever, to become the change that we want to see in the world.

The Editor-in-Chief says: The title of this piece is “The Illusion – At Present” (Feb 10), written by Pratik Raghu – our very own humanitarian. Pratik is someone with a voice of his own, and he often expresses himself beautifully. This piece demonstrates his exceptional command of the language and also his thoughts on weighty humanitarian issues. Extreme individualism (which I feel is a product of materialism) is an epidemic that is threatening the well-being of the human race. In our age, it seems impossible to imagine another Gandhi or Oskar Schindler.

Excerpt 5:

A couple of years ago, while walking the streets of West End trying to decide which play to see, I saw a poster in Piccadilly theatre for Guys and Dolls featuring none other than Patrick Swayze! The decision made, I marched straight in to get a ticket. That night, I walked into the auditorium with butterflies in my stomach. I was finally going to see Sam/Johnny! As the curtain came up, an announcement was made over the PA stating that an understudy would be playing Patrick Swayze’s role of Nathan Detroit as Mr. Swayze was ill. I was crushed that my crush would not be appearing that night. I stillmanaged to enjoy the show though.

Patrick Swayze has cemented his place in my heart and mind. To me, he portrays characters who display the best qualities of a man. His ability to portray them so convincingly on screen must mean that it comes naturally from within. That makes him a beautiful man inside and out. Ever since Ghost, Patrick Swayze has held a piece of my heart. With his passing, he takes that piece with him.

The Editor-in-Chief says: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” (Oct 09) by Ms Geraldine Phillips reminded me of my own teenage years in the 1980s, when Patrick Swayze charmed the socks off everyone by playing a sympathetic ghost. Swayze succumbed to cancer at the age of 57. Along with the death of Michael Jackson, Swayze’s passing was another wake-up call for me: Everything changes. Going from day to day, you may operate under the illusion that you are immortal; but the brutal truth is no-one and nothing is to remain for ever.

Excerpt 6:

Apart from freedom, not having a good relationship with parents keeps teenagers from being happy. I know I’m not happy when I’m not on good terms with mum or dad. I would either be really pissed off, annoyed or you’ll see me ranting to my friends about it. I get annoyed by them really easily as they would always have something bad to say about everything especially when it comes to my education. I can say that I do not have a good relationship with my parents. Yes, I admit it. It’s true. And because of that, I hate talking to my parents about anything important especially when it comes to education. I can tell you that if I do go talk to them about it, I would end up crying even before I can say anything. I just feel that it is a sensitive issue to me to be talking to them about it. I think it is because of how they respond to it and what they say to me about it. I tried talking to them about education a lot of times before this; when changing my course from SAM in Taylor’s College to IB in Sri KDU. It was hell for me to go through all the conversations. I remember crying about it when talking to them about it or at least I felt like crying. I would hold back my tears most of the time when I’m strong enough. I usually breakdown after talking to them anyway.

The Editor-in-Chief says: The Nov o9 discussion topic “Teen Angst” caused some writers to pour their hearts out. Our ever-dependable advertiser/publicist/Facebook-manager Yati Ishak handed in a piece which is both personal and revealing. It reveals to us why teenagers are often unhappy during what is in fact the best time of their lives. Pressure from parents to perform well academically, pressure from friends, pressure from society – all these different forms of pressure make it sound as if adolescence were some kind of pressure-cooker. She writes, “I hate talking to my parents about anything important…” This is something I can relate to. Even to this day, at the tender age of 37, I still don’t tell my parents half the things I do.

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A Day with Mr. Surain ( by Nurhayati Ishak June 08)

Nurhayati (Yati): Alright, let’s get started.

Mr. Surain (Mr.S): I like pizza...

Yati: Right... Okay. So Mr.S, you left school about a month back. Could you tell us what you have contributed to the school?

Mr.S: Err... Nothing? Well, I enjoy helping out the IB students like taking them grocery shopping for their ‘Vamos a la fiesta’ and being there for them like futsal and outdoor activities.

Yati: How awesome. Yeah, you’re always there for us and we thank you for that. Alright now, enough about your career. As you know, this month’s issue is about love. So... Mr.S, what is love to you? I know you’re probably going to write one whole book on it, so just keep it short, please. J

Mr.S: Love is about letting go. You can feel love even if you’re not with someone (i.e.; partner). Love is not a fact but I believe in it, tremendously. You can analyse it from the point of biology, psychology, sociology, economics and religion, but the best way to understand, appreciate and experience the whole of it is by feeling it, in your skin, in the air, in the eyes, and by letting go of your ego, and be open. But we always deny it, perhaps it’s because we can’t wrap our heads around it. One moment of love is better than a century of study about it.

Yati: Whoa. I like what you said. True that. So Mr.S, have you ever been in love?

Mr.S: Yes, many times. At the moment, I am in love...

Yati: Many times? Hmmm, I’ve got a question. I don’t understand about this part of life. How can you be in love so many times? I mean, I’m sure when you fall in love for the first time, you go like “Alright, this is it. She’s the one.” Then s#!t happens and you break up. When you look back, you tell yourself that it wasn’t love. It was puppy love. Then you go on searching for true love, which I think it only comes once in a lifetime, yes? I mean, how do you know that “She’s the one. She’s the person you’re in love with. This is what you call true love.” Do enlighten us Opinionated Monthly readers.

Mr.S: I cannot control how much the other person loves me, nor can I make the other person love me. As I said earlier, I believe in it, I have faith in it, therefore I’ll keep waiting for it, looking for it and putting effort into it. Only God knows if she’s the one or not. Puppy love, monkey love, true love... they are all love, but with labels. Love can come and go. It’s a privilege to be in love. It’s a gift given by life, by God.

Yati: Someone is a pro here. J So back to the previous question. You mentioned that you are in love. Who? What? When? Why? How?

Mr.S: Can I say that I’m in love even though the girl doesn’t know it? J Call it infatuation, call it a crush, call it deeply smitten, call it what you like. But I’m feeling veeeeery gooood, I can’t stop smiling. J Is this love that I’m feeling?

Yati: I don’t know, Mr.S. Only you know right? J Alright, last question, Mr.S. Everyone has their own love story. Tell us about yours J

Mr.S: Well, I was intensely in love with my girlfriend back then when I was 18/19 years of age. I was serious about it. I read books on relationships, marriage and sought advice from people who were much elder than me. I wanted to marry her, seriously. But alas...it was not meant to be. From then until about two years ago, I fell in love about three times, but it was not reciprocated. Haha! Man, this is embarrassing. J

Yati: Alright Mr.S, I think we’re good here. You’ve seen our discussion topic yeah? Looking forward to your response J Thanks again!

Mr.S: Awesome. See you soon!

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FF FM and Fairlady (Nurhayati Ishak June 08)

FF  FM

Nurhayati Ishak

Cheerleading is my thing,

Paintball is your thing,

Taptaprevenge is our thing.

Facebook is my thing,

Twitter is your thing,

Skype is our thing.

Garlic prawn is my thing,

Risotto is your thing,

The apartment is our thing.

Banana blast off is my thing,

Immuno kick is your thing,

Raspberry blackcurrent is our thing.

I am your one,

You are my only,

We are the one and only.

Fairlady.

No doubt you look hot and yummy. So smooth so sleek. How I wish I can run through my fingers on you. Damn you can really show that off. That smell, oh so wonderful. I could just hold you tight and we'll definitely go for a ride! Just you and I. Alone. Every hour, every minute and every second of the day. You know you're perfect for me. Not too big. Not too small. You’re just nice. I was in awe when I saw you for the first time. You're oh so pretty my wonderful white Fairlady (;

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The Present

This, I’m writing a poem for you, you and you.
I am not over you. I am falling for you. I am flirting with you.

Right at this moment,
I am dreaming, dreaming about you.
Finally, we are one once again.
But, it’s just a dream.
Definitely, I am not over you.

Right at this moment,
You are wearing that polo shirt,
Making me wanting you even more,
Falling for you even more,
And deeper.

Right at this moment,
You are so flirting with me,
Wanting me so badly,
Pulling me inside of you,
Playing around with your words just to get me with you.

This, I’m writing a poem about you, you and you.
I am not over you. I am falling for you. I am flirting with you.

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17.

17.

A significant number. With a significant meaning. With a significant memory. With a significant person. The good. The bad. The sweet. The bitter. The hard times. The lovely moments. The ups. The downs. The pressure. The jealousy. The paranoia. The overprotective. The fairness. The unfairness. The selfish. The happy times. The heartbreak.

I thought I’d let you go. It doesn’t seem like it. I can’t do it. I don’t want to. We’ve never been apart for even a second and you were always there for me. Helping me go through it. I thought it’s working. I thought I‘d be able to finally let you go. It’s bull. I love you too much to let you go. Though I’ve tried letting you go but I just can’t seem to do it. I am just not allowing myself to do it. You mean the world to me. And you know that. No matter what happens, you’ll forever be with me, you’ll forever be inside of me. And I swear I love you, with all my heart, with all your heart...

           Nurhayati Ishak (June 08)

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Poem : Us

Us.

You make me feel so vulnerable.

You make me feel like I wanna cry all the time.

You make me wanna scream my heart out.

You make me confused.

You make me feel hurt.

You make my heart ache.

You have this power to make me feel so weak and then strong again.

You drive me crazy like nobody’s business.

You make me feel like I’m lost till I don’t know what else there is to do.

I hate you and I love you.

I wanna let you go and I wanna keep you.

I wanna get over with it and I wanna hold on to it.

I wanna scream and I wanna be patient.

What is this?

What are you doing to me?

Are you playing some kind of game that you don’t even know about?

Ask yourself about it and be straight up with me.

If you have anything to say to me, tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself.

If you think telling me would be a bad idea, try me.

You’ll never know what would happen. I might think the same way too.

If I don’t, it doesn’t matter.

I wish I could just stay inside of you forever.

I wanna know what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling.

I wanna feel you, touch you, explore you.

I love you.

by Nurhayati Ishak (June 08)

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