Al-Fatiha.

Like grinded pebbles in the wind, you flew through our clutches before we savoured you between our skin.

Yasmin Ahmad dies

2009/07/25

Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Renowned film and advertising director Yasmin Ahmad died here at about 11.25pm on Saturday night.

Her death was confirmed by Media Prime Group Chief Operations Officer Datuk Seri Ahmad Farid Ridzuan, who was at the Damansara Specialists Hospital, when contacted by Bernama.

Yasmin, 51, collapsed while presenting a working paper at Sri Pentas, the headquarters of the private television station TV3 on Thursday and was rushed to the Damansara Specialists Hospital.

She was reported to have suffered a stroke and brain haemorrhage.

You were a genius, a role model and inspiration to us all.

We will all miss you.

Rest In Peace, Yasmin Ahmad.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi raji'un

and

Al Fatihah.

Yasmin Ahmad, brilliance manifested.

This is a somewhat personal plea from me.

Whatever faith you may embrace, whatever religious background you may come from or whatever belief of a higher power that you engage in...

Please say a prayer for the genius that our country is on the verge of losing...

Yasmin Ahmad.

If you do not know who she, why is she famous and what happened to her...

Somebody's been living under a very heavy, dark, isolated and media-disregarded rock.

Yasmin Ahmad is a famed director who has directed many racially-themed movies and a plethora of adverts that have both touched us and made us laugh.

Some of her films include, Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin, and the latest film that was released early this year, Talentime.

Her movies might not have grossed much in the box office but it never failed to draw both accolades and criticism at the same time.

Yasmin Ahmad has never failed to ignite controversy with almost all her movies. I remember reading in the newspaper about how her sophomore film, Sepet was publicly condemned because it showed partial nudity (Hariz Iskandar in his underwear) and skin contact (Jason touches Orked's calf) between the two leads. In conservative Malaysia, that's enough to create a ruckus among the censorship committee. Their dislike for her got to the point of cinemas refusing to sell tickets to her movies or telling potential viewers that they're sold out.

We're a nation of pure, unadulterated vindication.

But it's her advertisements that have made me an admirer of her brilliance and wit.

She's employed at the coveted Leo Burnett advertising company as an executive creative director, a company notorious for the accusations of being racist towards Malays or bumiputeras.
Every year, Yasmin Ahmad and her team will create adverts for PETRONAS for every national celebration, may it be Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavaali or National Day.

These are a few of my favourite ads from her.

Funeral
(for Singapore television)
*woohoo, go interracial lovin'*

Deepavali
*I know Indians were offended... but it's pretty funny*

Chinese New Year
*Even my Chinese friends said..typical*

Merdeka
*My absolute favourite*

Breathtaking... right?

Yasmin Ahmad suffered a massive stroke and is admitted in Damansara Medical Centre after an emergency brain surgery yesterday to relieve the brain of pressure and to stop the bleeding in the brain.

Everyone please pray for her well being.

It's the least we can do for a person who has made the effort to promote racial and cultural harmony, reminding us our Malaysian identity, bringing us close together as a nation when everything else is tearing us apart.

God bless Yasmin Ahmad and I hopethat you will voyage through this trying time to once again prove to us that we are not as divided as our politics suggest. *Barack Obama :)*

Picture Time.

I've had the SLR camera for a bout a week now.
And yet...

I haven't posted any of the pictures that I took.

Facebook lain cite la.

Well, let me bring out my bragging guns :)

It's eel sushi.

E'a obviously not paying attention during the meeting


FatBoy :)

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Fondue (with Keshinn at the back :D)

Four for now.

Cause....

I'm feeling lazy :)

The Rainbow Army :)

I'm not one to publicize a movie, they have people called *publicists* for that.

It all started when I suddenly remembered somebody said this to me

"Kau cari filem Laskar Pelangi, tengok puas-puas. Wajib untuk kau"

So I tried EVERYTHING to find the movie; Limewire, 4shared *err, I do not condone illegal downloading, in the unlikely case of the police reading this* Google, Yahoo, MSN.

And I found it finally in the last place you would watch a movie...

YouTube :)

So I found the movie, and it was broken down into 12 parts.

So I watched it, with all expectations of it being a complete and utter bore with the main theme about a group of poor kids *the rags gave it away* who finally find success after "persevering" and "working hard"

Okay, I'm gonna drop bits and pieces of the movie right now, so if you want to watch the movie without knowing the spoilers, don't continue reading.

Reasons Why the Laskar Pelangi DVD Should Be Bought

*cause free downloading is illegal :)*

• It depicts interracial love between a Chinese girl and an Indonesian boy. The main character Ikal falls in love with one of his classmates's cousin named Ai Ling after he saw her hand *and eventually her face and smile* handing him a box of chalks.
• The film showcases real teachers with real dedication and makes you momentarily forget the phrase "I'm in it for the money"
• You'll realize the importance of an education, and how some people are willing to scramble through life just to get an ounce of knowledge most of us take for granted.
• It's somewhat nationalistic especially if you come from a country which is monopolized by the goverment that results in the stagnant state of the nation.
• You really can reach your true potential with the right attitude, the right amount of effort and insyaAllah, a little luck
• It reminds me of my own childhood, mainly revolving around fear of authority
• Oh, and I have not cried over a movie in LONG time. When the character Lintang had to leave school and when Ikal told him he was going to Sorbonne, I literally squealed while crying.

So yeah, thanks for recommending to me in the first place. Even Ada Apa Dengan Cinta can't beat this.

Even if the movie is about ever-cliched hard work and perseverence, it's such a wonderful, colour-enriched movie filled with puppy love, friendship, ambition, poverty, social status, determination and of course...

Hope.