Guidance

Daddy, me and Syaza many years back

Yesterday I cried...

Why? Because I received a note. The note says (in summary that is...) "I look up to you and I see great qualities in you. Will you guide me? I want to be successful too, like you..."

I almost stopped breathing. I never see myself as 'successful'. I work hard, yes... I live comfortably, yes.. I can afford to indulge, yes...but to think that I am successful, it's still a long way. I'm reckless, I have low self-esteem and I am hopeless when it comes to auto parts & repairs, gadgets, and getting the shower fixed. I'm still learning how to transfer songs to Sony MP4 (where is the USB...ahhhh) and I have no idea how to hook the camera to my laptop for face-to-face chat... I'm struggling ok.

I talked to Kam about it... And Kam said... "If you only knew the power that you have over others...."

And I replied the note with this... 'We will guide each other... You have great qualities too and I see a lot of me in you..."

On the mattress in front of the TV (with Obama & Clinton barking at the world), I tossed and turned till the wee morning hour and soon the alarm went off... It's 6:30 am...and JM, thanks for the note for it has taken me to another level now.

It is always the 'busy' people who will get things done

(Gambar lama, hanya untuk hiasan, tidak ada kena mengena dengan yang hidup atau mati)

True... very true...

Yang dok selalu komplen kerja banyak, lepas tu snap kat orang, lepas tu marah-marah dan rasa important... itu tak bleh pakai punya olang....

Yang cool, yang cerdik, yang tak procrastinate, yang work smart... itulah yang kita mau...

Nak tension, semua orang boleh tension.. Nak accomplish kerja bagus, sikit jer orang yang capable... orang ni yang kena jaga... Panglima Perang jangan bog him down dengan kerja mengasah parang or lembing or polish perisai, itu kerja hulubalang...

Eh, Suhaimi, apa marah-marah ni...

Wink...wink...

BTW, dalam dunia ni, tak ramai yang betul-betul faham... Yang buat-buat faham ramai... yang tunjuk faham tapi tak faham sebenarnya lagi ramai...

And yang nak tumpang glamour orang faham, teramatlah ramai...

Cepat...I dah lemas ni....

BTW I think I want to change my name...... Eddy Asmara Sulaiman.

Ah... cukup ... get out of madness mode and masuk balik professional mode -- we need 'distractions' too at times. Oh... to think that this is my only vice...Sedih...

Cepat... decipher...

Stress Indicator

Some people, when they are under lots of stress due to workloads, extremely high expectations or domestic crisis, they will be very moody and will take their anger on others.

But for moi... the clue or sign that I am so stressed is when I start doing 'wonders' to my hair. Over the last 2 months I have bleached, coloured, trimmed, straightened and god knows a lot of other things to my hair, like every few days. Gila ker apa!!!



Sometimes I think I can hear my hair saying "sudahlah tuan, cukuplah.. nanti kami patah dan gugur. Sekarang ni kami dah brittle dah... dah dalam category dry and damaged".

And I said (sambil mendapat ilham from an old Malay movie starring Siti Tanjung Perak), "Wah... dah pandai menjawab yer.. siap kau... Roul, jom pergi beli peroxide. Tahulah kau nanti...."

Need to get away...

I need to get away....

Somewhere quiet... away from the hustle and bustle ...








Will you go with me?

Kelab Joke Boring

When we were in MCKK (I was there from 1975 to 1979, from Form 1 to Form 5), we had this 'phenomenon' called ERRR (pronounced 'air').

We will say 'errrr' when someone attempts to create a joke and the joke is a bad one or not funny at all.

When the joke is extremely bad, we will scream 'errr'.

Anyway... talking about bad jokes, today, I teringat a couple of really bad ones... (escapism/denial ni sebenarnya, kerja atas meja bertimbun-timbun, and research for Perspektif Kita tak complete lagi...)

Dengar ek...



There is a river full of really fierce and hungry crocodiles. Don't you dare step into the water because you will be snapped right away by the hundreds of crocodile. But one day, a man managed to wade through and crossed the shallow river and the crocodiles didn't harm him... Why?

Jawapan: Dia pakai underwear brand 'Crocodile'. Jadi buaya ingat dia sedara.


Percubaan joke ke-2:



Ada sekumpulan lembu ternakan yang cuma makan rumput fresh sahaja. Masa musim kering rumput semua jadi kuning dan lembu tak der selera nak makan. Tapi all of the sudden seorang gembala lembu dapat satu idea and lembu dia terus berselera makan rumput kering. What did he do?

Jawapan: Dia bagi lembu pakai spec (kacamata) hijau. Jadi lembu nampak semua benda hijau and fresh..

So your response is ......ERRRRRR!!!!!

I LIKE IT RAW

Raw: as in Japanese cuisine that is.... don't you get some wild ideas there...



It's a public holiday, and I am at the office as usual. Clocked in at 7:30 am together with Roul, who spent the night at my place because LRT to his place dah habis dah by the time we finished our chit-chat session with Moqq & Milla & Dangsuria around midnight sebelum tu.

It's 2:15 pm now and I just got back from lunch with Jeff. Jeff's bibir atas bengkak + koyak sebelah after he injured himself playing rugby in Ipoh. Jeff plays for NS Wanderers. We had Japanese at my favourite restaurant at Great Eastern Mall.















After eating we went to look for jelly gamat for the injured bibir. Shopping punya shopping, instead of beli jelly gamat, we ended up buying facial scrub, moisturizer and sunscreen.

We only realized that we forgot the jelly on the way back to the opis... Biasalah..orang vain ni.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Roul is the 4th person to say it straight to my face...

"Cekmi, you have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder..."

"What?...."

And this is not new. I have been told before by close friends that I am in the 'Anal-Retentive" category -- related somehow lah to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder ni.

For the uninitiated, according to Wikipedia, Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric anxiety disorder most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions.

I never gave it a serious thought.

But now, after I started reading more about it, I believe I have beberapa ciri-ciri OCD --

For example, I like to make myself worry about simple-simple stuff, like what if this, what if that, what if none of the above and the need to find 5 or 6 alternatives. Obsessive about stuff -- food, people and even highways.... Gila ooiiii. But then, I know when to say to myself ... "Stop, snap out of it! And just get into the groove.."

But I think my OCD helps me a lot in many ways... But it could well be to protect oneself from being hurt... It is some sort of defense mechanism. And it is good for reporters...Now don't quote me...

However, it's kinda mild ....

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Late last night (eve of Thaipusam), me, Dangsuria, Roul, Moqq & Milla had a great Teh Tarik session at Plaza Damas.

We discuss lots of things from the Angkasawan interview to JM to RN... Banyaklah code code...

Cheers..

Release Tension Kat Red Box, The Curve

Azean, Roul & I decided to do just that yesterday.... Find the stressor and bash it with our voice...

Sunday Splurge

Yes, they now put the 'fat free' label... and apa lagi, betul ker tidak, just dig in... So sedap...





And at the same time listening to Oletta Adams ...

There are hills and mountains between us
Always something to get over
If I had my way, surely you would be closer
I need you closer

(interlude, then repeat bridge)

You can windsurf into my life,
take me up on a carpet ride
You can make it in a big balloon,
but you better make it soon

You can reach me by caravan,
cross the desert like an Arab man
I don't care how you get here, just - get here if you can

---- sudah lah tu... bawak bertenang mengkermer....minum perlahan-lahan Earl Grey... Waduh... enak sekali

SEKILAS INFO

It has been a very hectic week, clocking in at 7:30 am and leaving the newsroom past midnight -- 5 days in a row plus a full Saturday. End day Saturday, I ended up berdengkur while having my weekly reflexology at Beijing Reflex at Taman Tun.



But I was so satisfied. I love TV work. At least I'm married to something -- my job that is.. now, all you gundus out there, don't you dare ask me 'bila nak kahwin", because I am married to my job. Noktah (denial, denial, denial.....)

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As an Executive Producer, I was very happy on Saturday as my pal, Nazri Kahar (Haji), was exceptionally brilliant in the recording of the weekly TV show, TEMUJANJI. Haji, who has more than 13 years experience as a journalist/producer, has never anchored a talkshow programme with audience. Though a bit nervous, butterflies and all, he did a great job interviewing Malaysia's top actor Rosyam Nor. Haji has that 'telegenic' quality. Soon he will be the nation's heartthrob.


Haji from the control room

Rosyam Nor

Haji trying to relax in the VIP room

Me, Haji & Mrs Haji (Adilah)

It is not easy to be a talkshow host. One needs to know the right questions to ask (extensive research mak oiii), how to ask the questions with the right emotions, able to drill the respondent yet at the same time have the much needed 'empathy' -- the ability to laugh and cry with the respondents and being camera conscious at the same time, and able to relate all these feelings to the studio audience and TV viewers at home. For me, after 18 years, as a talkshow host and Executive Producer, there are still a lot of things to learn about on-screen presence. The day we think that we are good is the day of our downfall. Anyway, Congratulations Nazri Kahar -- The best revenge is by being extraordinarily good. (sendiri fahamlah...)

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And of courselah semua orang nak ambik gambar ngan Rosyam.


Azean & Rosyam


Rosyam & Samson

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On Saturday morning, I had a wonderful time recording Perspektif Kita. The topic was "The Culture of Innovation".

The audience who came for the recording, oh, they were simply brilliant -- they gave very good comments,especially the stiudents from UIA an UITM. Brilliant, simply brilliant. Especially Daniel of UIA...

The guests were very good. We had the following very sporting VIPs on the show:

1. Ir Hj Yahaya Ahmad, President & CE of SIRIM Bhd.
2. Assoc Prof Hj Ponirin Amin of UITM.
3. Myocho Kan of MINDS.
4. Khoo Teng Sin of MINDS.

In fact, I must say, it was the best programme EVER for me in my career. Very spontaneous..

Below are pictures taken after the show with the guests and the wonderful audience. Oh BTW, many people have contacted me and asked how to become a studio audience, the procedure etc.. Just e-mail my colleage azean_ishak@astro.com.my.















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Oh, BTW, Mok, I put your picture here... so now you can't say "Apalah Cekmi tak letak gambar I...". and you'll continue buying me nasi lemah Kampung Baru... Mok is in our production team and a very nice guy indeed. Siapa nak berkenalan?




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Me & Dr Sheikh Muszaphar

Promo...

Astro AWANI gets up close and personal
with Malaysia’s First Astronaut
Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

In a candid interview with anchor Suhaimi Sulaiman, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar discussed the need for Malaysians to set higher goals in life and do not just dream of improving themselves but work smart to achieve the dreams. According to the 35 year-old Orthopaedic Surgeon, doing things outside of one’s comfort zone will make Malaysians more balanced and they will enjoy life more.
This and more in:

TAMU AWANI
Sunday, 20 January 2008, 9.30pm

Exclusively on

Strange but true

Something really strange happened this morning. Like in the Twilight Zone...

I was thinking of the phrase 'Monkey do what monkey see' (after an overdose of Kenny Loggin's song the night before). And when I was walking to the car, someone walked next to me, on the mobile phone, talking to a friend, he said 'monkey do what monkey see...'

I was stunt... Malaysians seldom use that phrase...

Later, a phrase came to my mind 'for me to know and for you to find out'. And about 30 seconds later, 2 friends having breakfast at Matrock's place were laughing loudly and suddenly one of them said, 'for me to know and for you to find out'.

What!

And last week, I I felt that I will get some kind of 'fine' and yes, lepas tu dapat saman trafik.

And there were many other signs ....

And when I was in the midst of planning something naughty recently, my car suddenly overheated...

When I was in Beverly Hills many years back enjoying the sights and sounds (with naughty thoughts too...), I got chicken pox a day later, and I was quarantined on the top floor of Holiday Inn for 2 weeks.

When I was in Bangkok and Phuket, for a fun trip, couple of years back, after thinking of not so good stuff, I fell from the bike and lengan & kaki kena balut bandage... Oh BTW sebelum tu, supaya tak posing maut kat swimming pool, ada bisol tumbuh, so kena pakai shorts biasa instead of the bondi beach stuff.

So I takut nak nakal-nakal...

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The Morning After

I woke up early today. Infact I would normally be up by 6 am on Sundays.

Mandi or not, that's a different subject altogether. Sometimes I go mandi-less the whole day. It's like 'rebel without a cause' .

Sunday is free and easy for me. No specific plans. But the morning routine is a must -- Breakfast at 9:00 am at Bestari Nasi Kandar, Hartamas Shopping Center/Plaza Damas. And you want to know what I had this morning? Tharaaaa....





Mandi ker tidak ni?

Makan at Bestari at 9:00 am is some sort of discipline for me. If not I will never get to hantar my clothes untuk dibasuh at the Kedai Dobi nearby. Every single thing is done for a reason (wink...wink).

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I survived Saturday...It was a really 'trying' day. But I enjoyed it nevertheless.

We recorded two episodes of Perspektif Kita. In the first episode, we discussed "The Need for Quantum Leap in Agriculture". After that we took a 30 minute break and later we recorded "Personal Privacy" -- Is there such a thing in an age where everything you do can be captured either on 'still' or on 'video' (wink..wink). We had a great time with guests Kamal Affendi (The famous Crime Analyst), Dr. Omar Zakaria of UM, Dr. Amir Hassan Dawi of UPSI and M. Venodevan (a private investigator) discussing invasion of privacy and (drumroll....) --- how not to get your activities (good ones, OK), recorded on video from 4 different angles...

From the control room

Kam giving me input (Kam is my very trusted critic)

Haji Nazri, Producer/Anchor ...

The PI, Kamal Affendy & Kam

Me and Mr Director

Roul and my PA, Samson

Capik, Su & Fiza -- the very reliable Production Assistant

Azean

Roul, Azean & Shera

The sporting & participative audience

Me and my great Floor Manager, Mazlan

Azean, Adilah & Samson

Syafrie having lunch with Roul

Kamal & Haji Nazri mencekik

Me & Syafrie

Getting ready for Temujanji

Mencuba senyuman maut. Maut ker?

Me & Penonton best

Right after the recording of the 2 episodes of Perspektif Kita, I had to get out of the Perspektif Kita 'character' and immersed myself in the Temujanji Psyche as I had to host Temujanji because Amir Mahmood Razak was not feeling well. I enjoyed hosting Temujanji as the guest was someone I have not seen for many years, Ahadiat Akashah, the very famous Malaysian writer of love stories. After all these years Ahadiat is still the nice guy, and he still looks good, though in his 40s.

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Since the plan to go karaokeing with Amie tak jadi, I went out with Zai and Roul instead for Japanese at our favourite Japanese restaurant, Hatsuhana at Bangsar Shopping Center.

"Amie, cepatlah, bila nak karaoke ni? I nak nyanyi sangat ni.."

Well, Amie had to work on his projects. Like me, he is married to his craft. He is a Creative Director. I can relate very well to people who have the passion for the things they do. If not, it will be WORK, not creating value. To me, going to AWANI is not going to work but doing something that I truly LOVE. TV Poduction is my first love (so far lah... sebelum kena sambar atau menyambar manusia lain).

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