L'été Abstrait

"I don't celebrate Merdeka," said a friend,when I asked him what he'd be doing on the 31st. "It's an affront to everything my grandfather fought for." I sat there in silence. I can't help but agree with him. To have parties and god knows what else on the eve of Merdeka, is the worst thing a Malaysian could do. Getting pissed drunk, high or stoned on one of the most glorified days in Malaysian history is just plain disrespectful. Our forefathers paid for our Independence with the blood of thousands, upon thousands of Patriots. The younger generation, on the other hand, nonchalantly express their appreciation by forking out half their earnings at some dingy club, with some loud music over the background. Probably a remix of Negaraku. Wankers. Merdeka to me is not a celebration. It is a remembrance. A period of self reflection, of what Malaysia has become over the past 48 years, and the boundless opportunities given to our generation that our forefather...

Funny how tonight even happened. It was supposed to be absolutely uneventful. But as usual, whenever you expect NOTHING to happen, a whole lot happens. We had a great time. Cheers for Malaysia's 48th Independence. Let's make 49 even better. :) The "Bang" at Twelve sharp. The "Bang-Bang" during dinner. "How MUCH??" Naem and his trusty Cricket lighter. "I say Tan Sri, we English people..." Ms Hanisah, NOT posing for the camera. Hee. Ms Jazreena, not posing for the camera. For real. Honest. Messers Shukor and Man. No, no, not MAN...but Mann. It's not easy to pose this way y know.... Before you said that we don't have enough photos of us together, and now there's TWO! Lol. :) Thanks people, for a merry, merry, Merdeka. Gelak jer kuat, time Merdeka sorang pon tak patriotik. LOL! Cheers and have a great 'un.

Merdeka kita semua. Sudah 48 tahun kita bebas. Matiin, feeling the jalur gemilang spirit as well. A late evening at Alexis with Didi. Ray Charles, performing live for one night only in Taman Tar. Su looking distracted. Or 'trying' to look distracted. :P Su and Opie looking intently at their cake. Didi having an engaging conversation with Lin Low shutter...low aperture...perfect. Shadow creeping over us at sunset. Trying to get points across all at the same time is not an easy thing to do.

Here it is ladies and gentleman, the Video for Quarter Two 2005. Just click on the link below, sit back, relax and enjoy the show. :) Q2K5

How much does a smile cost? - Nothing. How much does it cost to bend over backwards with laughter? - Nothing. If you're short on funds, go out anyways. Go to your favourite coffee joint, and if the ringgit isn't your friend that day, get yourself a glass of ice/warm water. It's FREE. You don't need to have lunch/dinner in the best, most expensive joint in town. What you do need is a joint that's filled with the best, most dearest friends in the world. The smaller things in life are best appreciated in big, big mouthfuls. Here's to friendship, and to absent friends who will always be in our hearts. Yours, Adlin Yusman Thank you for all the support you've given to L'été Abstrait. It'll be a year old soon, and I couldn't have gone on this long without you. You guys made it happen. :)

I got this email off from Jeff Ooi. It's an old post but an interesting one nonetheless. Enjoy. Again, I have to disagree with Jonathan K. Somehow Jonathan, just because you are British, it does not mean you know your country more than a non British. The argument in this thread from day one is the cost of living in each country (especially UK and Europe) based on what you earn in the respective country and whether the standards are higher than in Malaysia. I tried to point out that many Malaysians always convert and that is why they say the UK is expensive. In fact, the cost of living is much cheaper than in Malaysia. In actual fact, Malaysians are being conned because for such a rich and resource rich country, the pay in Malaysia is way too low compared to the cost of living and inflation. One good example is Singapore. Singaporeans (average) earns around S$3000 to S$4000 and nearly everything is half the price of Malaysia. Eg clothes, computer parts, electronics etc. But the aver...

As I sit cross-legged here on my bed, my mind wanders to a time and a place where there are no such things as stress, emotional strife or commitments. The once pouring rain has eased itself into a gentle, almost therapeutic rhythm. A soothing piano piece is being played in the background. Outside my room the silence is overwhelming. If I close my eyes, it feels as though I’m all alone. If not for the light emanating from this Mac, I could be in a jazz bar listening to a gifted maestro strutting his stuff. I could be anywhere I wanted, the venue is only limited to the confines of my imagination. In my mind’s eye, I could be sharing a warm cup of coffee with the person that I love, with nothing but the flickering of the flames to keep us company. There’s nothing to be said between us, since all has been said. We’d smile knowingly at one another, comfortable; contented and far, far away from the hustle of daily life. Alas, ‘tis not as easy or as simple as it seems. Sometimes, falling in ...

A visit from an old friend that came down from Indonesia. It was nice to see her again. Loads of fun. Captions will be placed later. Dinner time.

Today was an eventful day, to say the least. A great late-lunch at Dome, followed by a beautiful evening at Alexis KL. Met some new friends, had loads of fun. We went there for the Acid Jazz band, but the conversations were so engaging, we totally forgot about the music. Well, let's put it this way. If they weren't in your face loud, we wouldn't have noticed. Oh, and a big, big thanks goes to my dear Ms. Matiin, for bringing along all your colourful friends. You're right, i should've hanged out with you more often. MUCH more often...hehe. Without further ado, here, ladies and gentlemen.. are the photos. :) The Afternoon Paparazzi videographer. :) Yeah, she's busy talking on the phone...first time she's not posing for the camera! Haha. "The Rock" pose. Yeah, i know it's lame. Hohoho. The lovers having a 'quarrel'. :P The Evening Matiin, it was great to see you again dear. Good fun yeah? :) No,no,no..THIS is how you do the Mexican wave.. ...