(Gustimania) Wrestlemania 25 Review

23.4.2009 6.14 p.m

Hello there! This is actually the first entry in this blog that has to do with something that I have a passion about for the past decade or so; wrestling. Yes, two men fighting each other in a scripted environment is something that I really like. This is the first of perhaps many more reviews of WWE Pay-per-View events. Something that I want to do in the past, but can’t due to my other commitments. Luckily now, I am free to do this. Before the start of the review, let’s lay down some aspects that I will comment on.

The matches itself will be commented in several traits. First, the back story, which is the storyline leading up to the match. Secondly, the match itself. The flow of it, techniques used, characterization and many more. The last trait will be the outcome of the match, the post match actions, whether the result is justified or not. I will also have a say about several aspects of the PPV itself. The aspects are the commentaries, the flow of event and finally the overall verdict. Now, let’s move on with the review of the 25th Wrestlemania, the grand daddy of them all.

#1 Match

Money In the Bank Ladder Match

Kofi Kingston vs Mark Henry vs Shelton Benjamin vs MVP vs CM Punk vs Kane vs Christian vs Finlay

My Pick: Christian

The Back Story: Very simple. Fight for a briefcase containing a contract that gives opportunity for the winner to cash it in for a shot at any world championship within a year. The lead up for this match started right after No Way Out, and we had the complete participants within a month prior to Wrestlemania. It was good in a sense that we know who the actual participants were early on and start to speculate who is going to win it. But, it does not have that excitement factor like past MITB matches where the participants are only confirmed within a week or two before Wrestlemania. It makes for a stalling progress towards Wrestlemania, with matches between the participants of MITB week in, week out.

The Match: A great way to kick off the show. Surprisingly solid, that is for sure. At first, I was worried because it had two big men (Kane and Mark Henry) who will never do any crazy spotfest, first-timer Kofi Kingston, the returning Christian and 4 veterans of this match. It was a spotfest from start to finish, with Holy Sh#t moments left and right. Hornswoggle also helped, with the Tadpole Splash. The sickest one has got to be Shelton Benjamin’s suicide dive from the top of a huge ladder towards his opponents. He was actually nearly landed on his head, which made it sicker. However, the Gold Standard was actually at fault for a botched attempt of a Sunset Flip Powerbomb on MVP. But, props to him for improvising it spontaneously and powerbomb throw MVP to the outside towards Mark Henry and Tony Atlas. MVP was solid. Kofi Kingston showed a lot of his athleticism, Finlay and Kane were the brawlers, and finally Christian and CM Punk bringing out the balance in this match. The flow was good, from the start, elimination of each competitors towards the end, and the finish itself. However, this is NOT the best MITB match, but a solid one, nonetheless.

The Result: CM Punk winning it after knocking Kane off the ladder, becoming the first ever back-to-back MITB winner. First reaction by me was ‘what?’. I really thought that Christian will win it, paving the way for him to go to main event status. Or maybe MVP, as a reward after enduring that losing streak at the end of last year. Then again, I was wrong. I thought that Vince will give that chance. But no, they went back to CM Punk. Perhaps, by this way, Punk will get a better run at the World Championship than last year’s botched attempt. The crowd in Houston, Texas was not into it either, booing CM Punk. A heel turn might be on the cards for the Straight Edge Superstar.

Ratings: 4 Stars (Spotfest!)

#2 Match

25 Diva Battle Royal. Winner will be crowned Miss Wrestlemania.

So many participants that I can’t remember them all.

My Pick: Beth Pheonix

The Back Story: It was basically an idea to put all of the divas of the WWE into one match at Wrestlemania. I was actually disappointed when this match was announced because I want a proper match for the Women’s Title. They even tease for a unification match between Women’s Champion Melina and Diva’s Champion Maryse. And then there was a matter of Santino wanting to get into this match, which I find funny at first, but disturbing later.

The Match: Started off pretty suddenly, at least in my DVD copy. Guess that I missed the performance by Kid Rock prior to this match. Messy all around, which what Battle Royal always does. This one was actually so ugly, it makes the Gimmick Battle Royal back in Wrestlemania 17 looks gold. The crowd was pretty dead for this match. For a match that supposed to feature past and present WWE Divas, my favorite Divas of all time, Lita and Trish Stratus, weren’t even in the damn match. What a bummer. Then I notice that Santino was in this match, looking very ‘mak nyah’ indeed. Crowd even chanting his name. The only highlight of the match really.

The Result: Santino winning it after dumping out his girlfriend, Beth Pheonix. Post-match, he introduced himself as ‘Santina’, twin sister of Santino. ‘Santina’ was crowned as Miss Wrestlemania and started to do some crazy dancing move. I was laughing at first, and then felt disturbed, finally feeling mad. Santino winning it really degrading the current Divas divison to a whole new low. It even mocks and humiliates the history of WWE’s Women Division. Now wonder there were no Trish and Lita.

Ratings: 1 Star (for the entertainment value)

#3 Match

3 on 1 Handicap Elimination Match

Chris Jericho vs Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka, Roddy ‘Rowdy’ Piper, and Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat (with ’Nature Boy’ Ric Flair in their Corner)

My Pick: Chris Jericho

The Back Story: This one revolved around a movie called ‘The Wrestler’ (great movie, I might add). Jericho, in a narcissist character, condemning the movie and the lead actor Mickey Rourke for actually supporting the past generation of wrestler and accusing the movie to be misleading. Out comes the Legends and week by week Jericho punishing and insulting these legendary wrestlers. The outcome was this match. Supposed to be a match between Jericho and Rourke, but Rourke declined the offer. So, WWE planned an escape rout and we have this match. A very emotional back story and I think appealed the past generation of wrestling fans. It was also filled with emotion which makes it a much anticipated contest.

The Match: Another surprisingly solid match. I thought it was going to bowling shoe ugly, due to the fact that the legends are not in their best shape and Jericho was not very solid since Royal Rumble. But, boy d they really do put on a show. Snuka and Piper was eliminated early, basically because they were out of shape. Then, Steamboat appeared and he truly excelled in this match. This came from a veteran that had his last match at a grand scale more than 15 years ago! I got goose bumps watching him doing the legendary arm drag, the dives of the top rope and many more. The only other match that I watched involving him was back in Wrestlemania 3, in one of the greatest Wrestlemania matches of all time against the ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Title. He hung on with Jericho until the end. Props also to Jericho who truly carried the match all the way. This performance justified him as one of the top competitors in the WWE right now.

The Result: In the end, Jericho defeated Steamboat with the Codeberaker. Post-match, Flair was beaten down. Then, Jericho called out Mickey Rourke. Confrontation ensued and with a let hand hook, Rourke knocked out Y2J. A crowd pleasing moment. And it was the best way to end this story line with the two that actually started it. All came out strong in the end, especially Jericho. Now, he has another achievement that he can boast about other than the ‘beating The Rock and Stone Cold in one night’ rant. I foresee something special in offer for Y2J this year.

Rating: 3 Stars (4 Stars for the Steamboat performance and the post-match)

#4 Match

Extreme Rules Match (fancy name for a Hardcore Match)

Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy

My Pick: Jeff Hardy

The Back Story: Jealousy is the theme of this sibling rivalry. Jeff came out from the end of last year as the WWE Champion. Then several mishaps followed. At the Royal Rumble, Matt screwed his brother out of the WWE Championship and held responsible for the mishaps. This lead to this match. Reminds me of the Owen vs Bret Hart feud back in early 90’s that produced many memorable matches. I was afraid that this one will go down in a wrong way because both of them are fan favorites. But, Matt held his own and had been a very good heel in this program which leads to another emotional build up for this particular match. Great video package before this match, I have to say.

The Match: When the match is Hardcore, and you get the Hardys, it will always going to end up as a spotfest. It was, actually. From start to finish, these two brothers from North Carolina delivered a heck of a show. Extreme offense with weapons and many more. So many spots, the sickest was actually near the end of the match, where Jeff missed his leg drop from the top of the mega huge ladder. I forgot about the splash by Jeff Hardy on two tables stacked with Matt laying between them. They were very innovative with the weapons. I am sure that both of them will be very proud fighting each other at this historic stage.

The Result: Eventually, Matt won the match with a sickening Twist of Fate while Jeff’s head was in between a folded steel chair. A sick move to end a sick match. I think there are more to offer in this feud with Matt winning this one. Hopefully it can be furthered for the rest of the year, and it does not end here. Well, if it ends here, what a match to finish it.

Ratings: 4 Stars (For the Hardcore spots)

#5 Match

Intercontinental Title Match

JBL (c) vs Rey Mysterio

My Pick: Rey Mysterio

The Back Story: The storyline seemed to be pretty patched up for this one. JBL just won the IC title from CM Punk weeks before Wrestlemania, then challenging Rey Mysterio and gave him the shot at the title, promising the most dominating win ever on the grandest stage of them all. The outcome of this match is very predictable, with JBL stating that he would retire for good and Rey pretty much do not have anything to do for Wrestlemania. Not a very good back story for an IC title match, which by the way was last contested at Wrestlemania during Wrestlemania 17, a very long time ago.

The Match: First of all, I love the Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’ look of Rey Mysterio. He always came up with something special in terms of attire for Wrestlemania. This one was the best of them all. The match, was not a match at all. Ended in just 21 seconds, with Rey hitting 619 and a splash from the top rope to end it. Very short, and perhaps devalued the IC title even more. A sad thing considering the history behind this prestigious title.

The Result: Rey winning it, thus becoming the smallest triple crown winner ever in the WWE. Post-match, a shell-shocked JBL announced that he quit. Wow, what a way to retire by announcing it at Wrestlemania. That was pretty historic. I hope that he will come back in an announcing role, considering the lack of heel commentators these days. He was a pretty darn good commentator at Smackdown before. With that win, the IC title picture will be interesting for sure, with the Masked One holding it.

Ratings: 1 Star (2 stars for Rey’s mask)

#6 Match

Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker

My Pick: The Undertaker

The Back Story: This epic battle can be summed up as the battle of ‘Light against Darkness’. Shawn Michaels challenging the Phenom at Wrestlemania, vowing to end the 16-0 streak of the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Weeks before Wrestlemania, the Heart Break Kid gaining psychological advantage over the Undertaker, something that usually the Phenom does. I was very excited when the match was confirmed. This was Mr. Wrestlemania against the guy who never loses at Wrestlemania. What more can you ask for? A very intriguing contest with some people genuinely believes that Michaels could be the one that can end the streak.

The Match: The entrance said it all. Michaels ascending from the top, and Undertaker appearing from beneath. A simple act that summed up what this feud is all about. The match itself, for me is THE legitimate candidate for Match of The Year by some miles. This came from two wrestlers who are well into their 40’s! 5 minutes into the match and I knew this was a special match. The chemistry between this two were very good, reminiscing the days their feud which culminated with the first Hell in A Cell a decade ago. It was all about one-upsmanship and ‘I am better than you’ kind of deal at the start. Then, the last third of the match were pure classic. Started of with Michaels missing the Moonsault, followed by Undertaker missing his patented Torpedo dive (landed on his head, which was pretty sick indeed). Then both competitors kicking out of signature moves (Chokeslam, Last Ride and Sweet Chin Music). Then, Undertaker managed to hit the Tombstone Piledriver. 1…2… and Michaels kick out! JR’s commentary said it all, “I just got an out-of-body experience!!” I was feeling that too. That moment made me love wrestling all over again. Michaels was only the second gut to straightfully kick out from a Tombstone Piledriver. The other was Undertaker’s brother, Kane. After several back and forth action, finally the match ended. The crowd was so into this match. Actually, this match was the only of the night that the crowd was emotionally and deeply involved in. Damn, a classic match indeed. I would rate it as one of the top three matches of this decade, the others are Rock-Hogan and Rock-Austin at Wrestlemania 18 and Wrestlemania 17.

The Result: Undertaker winning after the second Tombstone Piledriver, extending his Wrestlemania streak to 17-0. A reasonable result in the end, Undertaker keeping his streak intact. But you have got to give credit to Shawn Michaels. He truly is Mr. Wrestlemania. Since returning at Wrestlemania 20, he always be the guy who stole the show. This edition of Wrestlemania is no different either. I would love to see what is in store for both of these future hall-of-famers, since they are both in the twilight of their careers. I hope that both of them will end their career on a high, because they deserved it.

Ratings: 5 Stars (more if I can give it)

#7 Match

Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

Edge (c) vs John Cena vs Big Show

My Pick: John Cena

The Back Story: First, I thought it was going to be a one-on-one contest between Cena and Edge, then they put the Big Show into the title picture and we have got a storyline similar to the Rock-Triple H-Kurt Angle situation back leading up to Summerslam in the year 2000. Only in this case, Cena played the role of Rock, Edge as Triple H, Big Show as Angle, and the last piece of the puzzle, Vickie Guerrero as Stephanie Mcmahon. You know what I mean, the triangle love story affair. For my taste, I think that it is fresh, albeit copying the storyline that has been done 9 years ago, because this one was the lead up for Wrestlemania. We had solid entertainment and matches between all who were involved in this storyline weeks prior to Wrestlemania.

The Match: The first time I saw it, I thought that this was not a solid match. Looking at it again, I realized that this match was after an epic battle that was hard to follow. It was actually a good triple threat match, using the structure of a triple threat match effectively. The structure was one-on-one matchup with the other combatant at the outside, then the spell of domination by all of the combatants at one point or another, the inadvertent teamwork, and the finishing sequence. This match however, was not as solid as other triple threats that happened in the past Wrestlemanias (the best one had got to be Triple H-Shawn Michaels-Chris Benoit back in Wrestlmania 20), but it was very good nonetheless. I wished that the ending sequence can be stretched a little bit more. Cena was solid, Big Show was as agile as I can remember, and Edge basically doing his thing. Ended in a tad too short for me.

The Result: Cena winning after hitting the FU (I will never call it the ‘Attitude Adjustment’, sounds too corny to me) on Big Show, and then on Edge. Not a popular result, as you saw the mixed reactions of the crowd, which pretty much something that Cena always get since his arrival to the main event stage. I wonder if this year, they turn Cena heel. That will lead up to many more interesting programs throughout the year. Big Show might fall back to upper mid card status and for Edge will continue as the main heel of Smackdown.

Ratings: 3 ½ Stars (Good, but not a great triple threat match)

Introduction of WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009

The inductees were the Funk brothers (the ones who define what ‘Hardcore’ is all about), Cowboy Bill Watts (promoter and influential figure during the territorial wrestling days), Howard Finkel (the voice of the WWE for so many damn years), Koko B Ware (before there was the Rock, he was the one that bring out the entertainment factor into wrestling), the Von Erichs (before there was the Mcmahons, they were the people who brought the whole family thing into wrestling), Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat (the most technically gifted and truly one of the legendary figures during the 80’s and early 90’s), and last but not least, Stone Cold Steve Austin, in my book, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He was the one who carried WWE during the war against WCW and defined what anti-face character is. He was the face of the Attitude Era. That is for sure. I only have one thing to say. I will definitely be mad if they do not induct The Rock next year.

#8 Match

WWE Championship Match

Triple H (c) vs Randy Orton
(If Triple H gets disqualified or counted out, the title changes hand)

My Pick: Randy Orton

The Back Story: Revenge, anger, retribution. Several words that can be associated with this feud. 5 years ago, after Orton became the youngest World Champion in the history of the WWE, Triple H screwed him out. Now, he is out for revenge. Starting it all of by punting the head The Game’s father-in-law, Vince Mcmahon, a week before Royal Rumble. Then, he does it again, a few weeks later, this time on Shane Mcmahon. It culminated with the RKO on Triple H’s wife, Stephanie Mcmahon. The feud ensued. On eof the longest back story leading up to Wrestlemania. This one was really emotionally-driven, with Triple H had revenge on his mind for everything that Orton had done towards his family. And so does the Legend Killer, after Triple H screwing him out years ago. This feud was really fresh, using the Austin-Mcmahon formula, but this time the role was reversed, with Orton as the heel character and Mcmahons as the faces. It builded up nicely for an intense, grueling match at Wrestlemania.

The Match: A huge letdown, to say the least. The intensity level never reached the heights that it supposed to have. Started of nicely, with both men trading signature moves. Then, it went a bit downhill in terms of pace and crowd involvement. For the majority of the match, the crowd was pretty dead. Few spots here and there, then the ending sequence was very short indeed. Made me wondered for a rivalry that was so intense, the match itself ended very abruptly. There was not even blood shredded in this match, which does not justify the rivalry again. This was about revenge and rage. Even weapons were not used frequently, with one sledgehammer shot in the end. The stipulation for this match does not help either.

The Result: Triple H retaining the title, after a Pedigree. I felt pretty bummed with this result. I really thought that Orton going to win it and cement his place as the top heel for this year. Guess that I am wrong. A lot of people were truly upset with this outcome. But, come to think of it, The Game’s last Wrestlemania victory was back in Wrestlemania 19. So, this victory was long overdue for Triple H. I guess this will prolong the feud between these two guys and generally, the feud between the Mcmahons and Legacy. Hopefully, it will retain the level of intensity and give us a more quality match than this one.

Ratings: 3 Stars (Solid, but the match does not justify the back story)

Now that I am done reviewing the matches, the two cents on the event shall now be given.

Commentaries: The commentary team was Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler. At first, I had doubts over this team because of the below par performance of Cole and Lawler over at Raw. But, they actually deliver a pretty strong and solid commentary throughout the event. With the exception of the Divas Battle Royal (can’t blame them really), they truly delivered on every match. The most solid one was definitely the HBK-Taker match. They even tried to make the main event interesting, despite the uneventfulness of the match. Cole was pretty solid doin the play-by-play, which makes me wondered why he can’t do this on a consistent note at Raw. JR doing the color commentary was also solid, showing good emotions in some of the matches. WWE is going to have a hard time finding JR’s replacement if he decided to retire. Lawler was surprisingly good. He gave further input in every matches and very compatible with both Cole and JR. But I missed the days during the period where he played the heel commentator role. That was his golden period. All in all, a pretty strong showing by the team for this Wrestlemania.

Flow of Event: The flow of event was very weak indeed and does not flow very well. Started of nicely with the MITB match, but then it was all over the place. The main event should have been the HBK-Taker match. Yet, they put that match earlier than the two title matches. Totally misplaced that because the crowd was so into that match that they were pretty exhausted when it came to the title matches. Lack of filler segments also made the event seemed pretty rushed. The biggest mistake was perhaps launching the triple threat right after HBK-Taker, and not putting a filler match or segment in between them. I think this was the weakest Wrestlemania in terms of flow (the best was definitely at Wrestlemania 17 and Wrestlemania 22).

Overall: Not the best Wrestlemania, but definitely not the worst Wrestlemania. But one can say that it does not justify the celebration of a quarter of century celebration of the Superbowl of Wrestling. This particular Wrestlemania were saved by the epic battle between the HBK-Taker and the matches before it. The main events were a disappointment, considering the huge amount of build up to them. Hopefully, in future Wrestlemanias, the event will live up to its expectation, not like this one.

Overall Ratings: B (good, but not great)

Wow, that was long. Thanks to those who bear with me reading this entry. More on wrestling in the future. That is a promise.

Ciao.

Berakhirnya sebuah perjalanan

21.4.2009 6.40 p.m

Tepat jam 11.20 pagi tadi, setelah selesai menjawab paper final subjek BBM, maka tamatlah sudah pengajian aku di UiTM Melaka. Tamatlah sudah satu pengembaraan yang bermula tiga tahun yang lalu. Tamatlah sudah satu perjalanan dalam menggapai impian mengenggam segulung diploma. Sorry di atas kejiwangan ayat aku tadi. Just being a bit carried away because now that feeling (the one where you felt that missing and lost kind of emotion) starts to sink in. Can't help by eeling it, dibantu pula dengan lagu Coldplay, 'Fix You' pula tu. Anyways, kali ni I am just going to talk (or write, more specifically type) about what am I going to miss from UiTM Melaka.

(Que lagu Photograph - Nickelback). Nampak tak gambar di atas? Kalau tak maknanya nak mampus. Anyways, that is the picture of my room in UiTM Melaka. Disinilah tempat aku tidur, main game, study, buat assignment dan macam2 lagi. Juga tempat di mana aku bergaul dengan roomates aku, dari senior dulu sampaila junior sekarang. Hampir 70% masa aku di UiTM akan dibuang dalam bilik ni. I am not that type yang keluar bilik selalu. Kalau keluar pun if it was necessary. One more thing, tempat nila jadi inspirasi kepada banyak pemikiran aku. I am sure gonna miss this room.

Lagi satu tempat yang akan aku rindu adalah Bangunan Blok Akademik, tak kira la BA baru atau BA lama. Disitula tempat di mana aku belajar bersama-sama classmates aku sekalian. Tempat di mana banyak ilmu ditimba, assigment dihantar dan kadang2 direject, tempat presentation berlaku, dan macam2 yang berkaitan dengan akademik la. Hampir seluruh pelusuk BA telah aku terokai. Aku akan rindu tempat itu because that were the places where I found myself as a person dalam pembeljaran aku.

Library juga adalah tempat yang aku sering kunjungi dan another place that I will miss. Selalunya at weekends yang aku tak go back home, aku akan lepak di library surfing the Net (walupun lembap). Disinal juga tempat mencari bahan untuk assignment. Bawah library pula adalah tempat membuat assignment, teringat kenangan membuat assignment berkumpulan down there. It was a whole lot of stress and fun at the same time. Damn, I am going to miss that a lot.

Cafe bawah, one the places yang sering aku kunjungi juga. Tempat aku lepka with my friends, baik kawan biasa, roomates and classmates. Teringat masa makan-makan bersama rakan and sambil mengutuk orang. I know this is wrong tapi, who cares? As long as aku and member aku enjoy. Lagipun, kutukan tu jarang2 tak tepat. Here's to dining juga, tempat di mana aku sering mendapatkan makanan free (sama ada pakai dining card sendiri atau pau orang lain punya).

Pasar juga adalah antara benda yang aku akan miss juga. Dilangsungkan setiap hari Selasa and Khamis, merupakan satu pasar dimana I will buy foods dan juga belanja orang makan (a habit since high school actually). Juga tempat di mana usaha mengusha awek dilakukan. Jamu mata la, padahal tak pernah nak try approach pun. Berdekatan dengan pasar adalah kooperasi, destinasi wajib aku pada awal pagi weekdays yang tiada kelas, untuk membeli newspaper (Mass Comm katakan) dan food serta drinks. I will miss that stroll to kooperasi every weekdays. Scenery of UiTM in early morning is very special indeed.

Sebenarnya banyak lagi benda yang akan aku rindu. Aktiviti malam terutamanya. Aktiviti seperti melihat movie beramai-ramai, acara membuat lawak, bergaul bersama rakan-rakan, menyiapkan assignment pada minit-minit akhir dan banyak lagi. Benda-benda macam tu cuma boleh dinikmati masa ni sahaja. Susah nak replicate balik di masa akan datang.

Here is also the place where I found the meaning of what love is. Breaking up was certainly the hard part, but finding it again is the most sweetest part. As I said before, dalam past entries, at least two of three girls of my dreams ada di UiTM. Saat-saat pertembungan atau saat-saat terserempak dengan mereka adalah sesuatu yang sangat special and will definitely one of highlights of my stay day. Mungkin kedengaran agak stalker like, tapi stalker obsessed dengan subject of affectionnya. Tapi aku admire sahaja, tidak lebih dari itu. Tak salah kan?

All in all, di sini lah tempat di mana aku grown up. Daripada seorang teenager yang agak nerd dan tak ada hala tuju hidup, now I became more matured and have goals in life. This was one of the steps dalam pursuit aku untuk menjadi somebody dalam dunia ni. Here is the place where I found friends, love and myself at the same time. That will never ever change. Banyak benda suka dan duka berlaku di UiTM Melaka. The three years that I spent was probably one of the most eventful yet. Thanks to all yang menjadi part of my journey di UiTM Melaka. You have made it very special indeed.

Ok, now I am getting a bit teary eyed right now. Better stop.

Ciao.

Notakecil:

-Seen her (miss independent) for perhaps the last time today. Felt very sad indeed. But there are indications that this is far from over. Hopefully it will not end today. Thinking of her so much these days.

-MU kalah at the weekend. Tak boleh nak cakap apa because Sir Alex menurunkan kesebelasan yang second string. Tumpuan sekarang ke arah defending the titles.

-Dengar kata X-Men Origins: Wolverine best. Akan aku lihat filem itu.

-Kini tumpuan untuk mencari kerja selain daripada working with my father. Mungkin aku nak menceburi bidang francais atau retails. Hopefully ada kerja di luar sana for me.

-Kepada yang membaca blog ni, thanks a lot. Tapi kalau ada benda yang dah difigure out, faham2 je la ye. Simpan sendiri sudah.

The Five (Yang Lima) Part 2

15.4.2009 6.15 p.m

Hari ni hari Rabu. Dah lama tak write entry sejak entry yang hari tu. Bukannya sebab tak ada idea, tapi more to perasaan malas yang berjaya menguasai diri. Definitely not one of my best traits. Ak berazam untuk membuang sifat ni jauh2 bila masuk degree nanti. Hari ni juga menandakan semakin dekat my date with destiny. Destiny whereby I will finally finish my diploma in UiTM Malacca. Now, aku di rumah sempena study week, walaupun hakikatnya aku tak belajar sangat sebab final pun satu paper sahaja.

Anyways, nukilan kali ni adalah lebih kepada sambungan atau continuation dari entry yang lalu, berkenaan 'The Five' (sekali lagi aku tekankan, tak associate langsung dengan anything yang sama nama dengannya). Masuk Part 5, ada 4 subjek yang ada group assignment yang perlu disempurnakan. Sebenarnya semua 6 subjek ada group assignment, tapi lagi dua subjek tidak ditackle oleh 'The Five'. We were separated for that subjects, which were entrepreneurship dan multimedia design (membuat business sendiri dan membuat multimedia bernama flash).

Subjek pertama yang aku nak bicarakan is audio video. Surely one of the more fun and draining assignment yang pernah dibuat. Dalam assignment ni, 'The Five' beserta five other classmates kena buat satu music video. Lagu yang dipilih was Metro Station's Shake It. Dahlia was the director, Segat the actor, Fatin the cameraman (or camerawoman perhaps?), Adzim was the bassist serta video editor, dan yours truly sebagai assistant director. Penggambaran hanya sehari sahaja, but after all the editing, hasilnya boleh dibanggakan juga la. Nanti akan ku upload videonya in the coming entries. Personally, it opened my eyes about the production business dan how to work with other people, talent and such.

Subjek seterusnya adalah marketing. The task: reproducing satu produk yakni papaya whitening soap towards the market. One of the later assignment yang disiapkan tapi hasilnya boleh dibanggakan sebab semua ahli 'The Five' contribute dalam work ni. Walaupun masa presentation agak ditekan masa soal jawab, tapi we were proud with the work. Cuma ada silap dalam calculations (my fault, it was).

Communication Research, bagi aku was one of the toughest subject sebab ia memerlukan banyak facts dan banyak work yang perlu dilaksanakan. Topic yang dipilih (again, Dahlia's idea) berkaitan dengan teenagers and beauty products. This one was actually finished at the very last minute. Sebab deadlinenya paling last sekali, dan group ni jenis yang concentrate kerja one at a time. Semua methodology tak dibuat. So, the next best thing was to create our own result and mujur lecturer menerima report group ni dengan seadanya. Markah assignment pun boleh tahanla.

Last subject dalam part 5 yang aku nak kongsikan sedikit experience was subjek event management. Lecturer was Miss Yazmin. Group assignment bagi subjek ni agak unik sebab every week, kene berikan progress of the work kepada lecturer. Bagi aku, cara ni lebih baik dan mengelakkan students dari buat kerja last minute. Our event was Visual Carnivale, satu event yang celebrate anything yang visual, dari segi photography sampaila fashion. One of our better works. Walaupun presentation sangat simple, tapi group ni dapat highest in terms of marks dalam class. Bangga juga la. Logo event tu boleh dilihat di bawah.

Aku rasa Part 6 punya group project tak perlu diceritakan sebab I had already told about in past entries. Maka, that was our work. Bagi aku, one of the best works yang pernah aku buat sepanjang pengajian diploma aku adalah masa working with them. Sebabnya, aku tak perlu buat all of the works dan tak perlu drive orang untuk buat kerja. All in all, a great experience indeed. Thanks guys for all the memories. Aku pasti akan rindukan suasana membuat assignment macam ni.

Maghrib makin menjelma. Apa lagi, solat la.

Ciao.

Notakecil:

-Semalam match antara Chelsea dan Liverpool memang best. Finished 4-4. Bagi neutral macam aku. Memang seronok melihat quality that was displayed that night. Lagi satu, puas hati sebab Liverpool out.

-Harapnya malam ni MU menang di Porto. Still mencari baju MU aku yang membawa tuah. Mana tahu, boleh membantu.

-As the days goes by, opportunity untuk bersama si dia semakin kurang. I will miss her so much. It will be very hard indeed to forget her. That is for damn sure.

The Five (Yang Lima) part 1

9.4.2009 11.05 p.m.

Sejuk dan agak nyaman malam ni. Biasala suasana di kampus UiTM ni pada waktu malam. Very peaceful, quite and relaxing. Walaupun occasionally akan ada peristiwa2 yang pelik tapi benar. Mujur aku still tak experience lagi benda2 macam tu walaupun dah hampir 3 years aku di sini. I will miss this, that is for sure. Anyways, entry kali ni agak special, sempena mengenangkan detik2 aku di sini. I will tell you more about my journey here in the coming entries. But at this time, aku akan memberi sedikit insight tentang group aku, meaning group yang aku join apabila ada group assignment untuk disiapkan.

For the first two semesters, aku agak random dalam choosing members untuk dijadikan groupmate apabila tiba waktu membuat assignment. Biasanya aku akan choose guys, because aku agak selesa membuat assignments with them. Tapi, aku realize yang kadang2 macam aku sahaja yang menyempurnakan assignment sebegitu dengan input yang sangat minimal dari group members yang lain. Walaupun aku sedar yang aku agak authoritative dalam kerja (traits yang ada sejak bangku sekolah lagi) tapi aku teringin juga nak take a back seat dan buat kerja sahaja.

That is when in the fourth semester, equivalent dengan separuh masa pengajian aku, aku decide that aku nak jadi lebih pasif sedikit kalau dalam kerja. Malas nak jadi leader lagi. Maka, aku pun join dengan satu group ni. Maka, terjadilah 'The Five' (tak ada kaitan langsung dengan boy band Five tu). They were three guys and two girls. Rasanya kalau siapa yang baca entry terdahulu dah dapat menatap gambar group ni. Tak apa, buat kesekian kalinya, aku tunjukkan gambar yang mentioned tadi.

Dari kiri: Adzim, yours truly, Dahlia, Fatin and Firdaous.

Peh, sangat putih attire aku malam tu. Anyways, group ni start bersama membuat assignment dalam semester ke 4. In this semester, 'The Five' kena buat work dalam 3 subjek, iaitu Advertising serta dua subjek Publishing. Dua subjek Publishing tu required us to do a fashion booklet and to cover production process sebuah majalah. Advertising pula memberi challenge untuk membuat advertising plan untuk produk coklat bernama Fidani (sumpah aku tak pernah dengar nama coklat ni before this).

Antara 3 assignment ni, booklet yang paling enjoy sebab all of us had the chance to be models for a day. Siapa tak nak kan? Dah lumrah sebagai MassCommite, dah tentu nak berada in the spotlight, even for a second or two. Nak tengok gambar-gambarnya, nah.

Ignore the price tag because product Hush yang kami cover was high end fashion. Padahal harga sebenar pakaian tak cecah thousands of ringgit pun.

Assignment majalah, for me personally sangat membukakan mata aku terhadap bidang publishing. Before this I thought publishing bidang Mass Communication yang easy, but it is not. 'The Five' telah cover majalah Glam, thanks to Dahlia yang ada contact inside. So, senang jugala berurusan dengan pihak yang perlu kami deal with. Cuma tiga kali sahaja lawatan, first berjumpa dengan editors, then the workplace, and lastly the printing place. Input yang diberi mencukupi untuk 'The Five' untuk membuat report yang agak gempak. Walaupun masa presentation I was not myself at first because I was dealing with so, personal and internal problems. Thank goodness to my group members yang faham dan try to put me in the right frame of mind at that time.

Then, assignment Advertising. Assignment yang bagi aku paling sukar untuk dibuat sebab deadline in one week, baru kami concentrate buat kerja tu. Almost every hours during that long week was dedicated untuk buat assignment tu. Aku was in charge of media planning and accounting. Agak berpinar juga la mataku dalam membuat calculation. The report was finalized jut hours before presentation dan mujur Miss Zuliani agak berpuas hati dengan work group ni. Kalu tak, tak taula. But it really was not the high point of this group.

Aduh, aku boleh write pula masa nak final test ni.

Wait for other parts about this group in the coming entries.

Ciao.

notakecil:

-Assignment BBM dah siap. Nak print tapi dalam kocek ada 20 sen sahaja. Macam mana tu?

-Liverpool kalah semalam. Tergelak aku. At least Red Devils seri sahaja, tak kalah macam Liverpool.

-Status quo dalam pilihan raya kecil hari tu. My thoughts? Ekonomi still down. Tiada perubahan.

-Kalau aku dapat survive dengan 20 sen dari hari Selasa sampai Sabtu or Ahad ni, sah aku boleh survive di luar sana.

Dinner oh dinner...

5.4.2009 9.57 a.m.Well, setelah mandi dan freshen up, akhirnya aku dapat juga menulis sedikit nukilan tentang dinner Mass Comm yang telah aku attend semalam. It was a very cool and unforgettable experience. Yela, first time dinner kat luar. Hotel pula tu. If semester sebelumnya semua dinner di dalam kampus, (sucks, trust me) finally dapat juga peluang berdinner di luar. Sebenarnya aku hampir tak dapata pergi, because of someone who terlajak tak pick up aku. Mujur Dahlia sanggup patah balik to pick me up (Thanks Dahlia!). Also, boleh pula sesat masa on the way jumpa Segat. But, at the end of the day, sempat juga sampai ke Rennaisance. Nak tengok gambar aku dan rakan-rakan. Tengok ni.

Well, just a few notes here and there tentang dinner semalam. Malas nak cerita lebih2. Props to the crew yang bertungkus lumus membuat charity dinner ni. Congratulations to Anuar and co. Di samping makan dinner, dapat juga menyumbang kepada Kiwanis. However, ada juga la few things and bits yang kurang memuaskan sedikit. Bak kata orang, nothing is perfect.

Acara start agak lambat daripada the scheduled one. So, agak tertunggu-tunggu juga aku dan rakan2. Dahla lapar time tu. Tapi biasala. Acara2 MassComm sebelum ni pun tak on time. Also, makanan pun boleh tahan la. Mungkin aku expect yang tinggi2, pasal tu aku macam kurang berpuas hati dengan foods yang dihidangkan. Performance pun bolehla. Bittersweet perform masa dinner. Sayangnya mereka perform lagu2 yang kurang mesra telinga. I mean, lagu2 mereka yang kurang popular la. Rasanya kalau undang other bands yang banyak lagu2 popular lebih better. Tapi ni tak boleh salahkan penganjur because it is up to the band untuk perform lagu apa.

Aku rasa ada missed opportunity masa joget lambak. Patutnya invite semua untuk berjoget lambak. Aku rasa mereka tak kisah kalau nak berjoget lambak beramai-ramai. Sekejap sangat segment tu. Kalau like 10 plus minutes better la. Ada juga la sedikit technical difficulties sepanjang perjalanan majlis. Tapi itu commonla kan. Aku kurang puas hati dengan video kamera yang digunakan. Model yang agak tak advanced. Patutnya dinner cubala usaha cari kamera video yang advanced sedikit. Beta cam ke.

Other than that, other things should be given the credit that it is due. Goodies agak cool. I love the bear. Yearbook pun agak exclusive looking. Terus teringat kenangan2 dulu. The angels were a nice touch for the event. Pengacara majlis agak commendable dan harus diberi pujian. All in all, for an event yang hanya start projeknya pada awal semester ni, it was a great achievement indeed. Again, props to the crew who put up this event altogether.

Well, two weeks lagi aku akan tamat pengajian diploma. Still there are few obstacles yang harus diharungi. Insya Allah akan aku laksanakan dan tackle evry obstacle dengan jayanya.

Ciao.

notakecil:

-Banyak gila fellow MassCommers yang all out that night, in terms of attires. Dah last dinner la katakan.

-She, one of the girls of my dream, was at the dinner last night. She was very elegant that night. Boleh buat orang yang panas jadi sejuk.

-F1 dah sampai Malaysia. Sekejap lagi aku akan ke sana. Hope ada banyak crash. Hehe.

-Here's to pray that MU to not f#cked up again toight. Sakit hati because Liverfool menang last minute semalam.

Fate is a weird four-letter word..

11.44 p.m 31.3.2009

Hanya tinggal beberapa jam sahaja lagi sebelum ketibaan bulan yang baru dalam kalendar 2009. Bulan April. Hopefully esok tiada pranks April Fool sebab aku dah agak bosan dengan benda-benda macam ni. Kalau masa dulu memang kelakar kalau kenakan orang tapi sekarang terasa macam bodoh pula. Stuff that usually kids or young adults that acts like kids would do. Anyways, apart from that, aku ingin sekali share satu story tentang apa yang aku tempuh sepanjang hari ni.

Hari ni bermula agak lembap. Memang keadaan macam tu kalau berada di UiTM ni. Keadaan diri yang sering tidur lewat pun tidak membantu pun. Then, aku pun ke kelas BBM, macam biasa bersama-sama classmate a.k.a ex-housemates a.k.a groupmates aku. Entahlah, I was not my usual perky self at that time. Terasa kosong sangat otak dan jiwa aku. Mungkin sebab that was the last class and miss independent aku tak datang yang membuatkanku rasa agak down yang teramat sangat. Even after class semasa aku lepak macam biasa di blok N a.k.a Jebat, I was not myself. Rasa down gila. Otak aku dah melilau ke planet mana pun aku tak sure. Yang pasti, aku rasa down.

Then, tengahari pula, aku kena jumpa lecturer untuk project. Sambil tunggu tu, tiba-tiba kau ternampak kelibat gadis impian summer camp aku dulu. Dah lama tak terserempak dengan dia. Aku terus got a gut feeling yang hari ini maybe hari yang agak special. Jumpa lecturer, satu perkara buruk telah berlaku. Beliau menyuruh untuk submit full report by the end of the days. Aku dan groupmates aku terus buntu. Mampus. Literature review dan conclusion belum buat lagi. Aku terus call lagi dua groupmates aku yang lain. Tengah calling miss independent and tengah bergerak ke kereta, aku terserempak dengan gadis tadi. Tiba-tiba hati aku macam hidup balik. Rasa down bertukar upbeat. Aku tengah bereaksi dengan dua gadis yang aku mentioned before. The odds of that happening is like 1 million to one.

Fuh, aku pun terus bersemaangat membuat assigment dengan bersungguh-sungguh. Sumber motivasi dah ada. So usaha kena lebih la. Walaupun aku act that aku tak ada idea nak buat kerja in front the groupmates, tapi sebenarny aku sangat berkobar-kobar membuat assignment.
Dah petang sikit, aku pun menghantar report projek tersebut. Lepas penghantaran tersebut (luckily lecturer aku sangat baik and bagi peluang lagi kepada group aku, walaupun dah agak lewat aku hantar report) aku dan seorang groupmate aku decide untuk ke pasar di dalam UiTM. Lepas angkut awek dia, kami pun ke pasar.

Di sana, for the third time that day, aku terjumpa dengan gadis tadi. Aku terasa yang hari ini was very odd and perfect sebab tak pernah lagi dalam sejarah aku di dalam UiTM ni yang aku terserempak dengan gadis ni more than once in a day (aku dah sound agak stalker kan). Tengok dia membuatkanku rasa happy sangat. Then, time untuk balik ke blok. Tak sangka pula yang member awek groupmate aku ni adalah one of the girls yang aku agak interested di dalam UiTM ni (tak ada kaitan dengan gadis-gadis yang aku mention before). Then, aku balik and end up bermesej sekejap dengan miss independent aku, eventhough berkaitan dengan kerja. What more can I ask for?

Moral of the story is that fate is a very weird four letter word. Hari ni boleh aku rate dalam antara those memorable days sebab aku bereaksi dengan dua gadis yang memang aku sangat interested in. Fate memang weird. Today dimulakan dengan agak frustrating tapi disebabkan kebetulan dan circumstances serta fate, it turned out to be a very very good day. Kalaulah setiap hari macam ni. Tapi aku tahu that it will never come again. Dah last semester la katakan.
Aku sedar aku siapa. Walaupun aku cuba, I know that I will never ever get the attention of these girls. Lebih baik aku admire sahaja daripada diturned down oleh these girls. Tak salahkan kalau mengagumi tanpa dicintai, bak kata Ungu.

Until next time, aku nak main game la pula.

Ciao.

Notakecil:

-Dinner Mass Comm yang first time held outside campus. Aku dah ada baju tapi seluar went missing. Macam mana tu?

-Next week presentation di hadapan Miss Mayu. Mampus. Preparation harus lebih teliti. Aku tak nak repeat paper project ni.

-Crappy gila work aku tadi on the project report. Rasanya the worse yang pernah aku buat dalam sejarah aku mengejar diploma ni.

-Officially, aku tak boleh hidup tanpa Internet. Broadband akan menjadi sasaran pembelian aku degree nanti.

-Ada ke 15-way fight dalam pilihan raya kecil di Malaysia kali ni. Tergelak aku dan gelakan itu disambut orang luar Malaysia.

-Aku suka tengok AF. Tapi AF7 aku cuma minat Hafiz and Aisyah sahaja. They are the only true talents dalam AF kali ni.