Sematdow

What do you want to be?

Have you ever been asked this question? Who do you want to be?
As a child we are being nurtured with the word that created our future venues. 'Impian', 'Cita-cita' or for a parent would ask .... dik dik besar nanti nak jadi ape?...

At that moment we are seeing the world as naked as it is. Everything is interesting. every movement is so alluring, so vividly captured our minds to create path beyond path that help us to recollect values of interest into a groups of profession. When you are a child, it is so easy to defy what is that you want to be accordingly to what you see, see a plane/ i wanna be a pilot, see a car / i wanna be a race car driver, see people putting lightbulbs up / we wanna be an EN GI NEER...

When I was a child i wanted to be as simple as it can be, I wanna be a scientist, to help create things to help people progress through technology. As I learn more, i wanted to be a astronaut (in my thoughts, that's the best of a scientist could be, then better i shoot up for the skies). Then came the best cartoon ever 'ghostbuster', i thought better i'll be a ghostbuster, i can electricute those ghost that's been bugging me every nite /// S&&*t@&* to all of you underbed monster... hehe at that time...

Primary school came, daaamnnn it was the peak of technology. Games are alluring us in every angle, from tetris, micro geniuses (geniuses huh??), Nintendo, Sega. We were so into games, we created game in our school books... Remember Empire(using a math book with cross and circle as a mark to conquer ur friends), Ghost Hunting (flip from a page to another different page according to ur choice), Rubber game (putting up your eraser above ur opponent), the good pen game and many more... We were so into game, that i thought if i could be a game designer, i would be the happiest man in the world, i would... play a game for research... make a game for fun... dream of games that i want...walllaweih best giler...

At the end of primary, i remember how thoughtful my teacher was... back then we were always being scold on how ur parents has been spending numerous on u blablabla... apreciate blablabla... serong lagi blablabla...(hehe) at the end of UPSR, i was thinking... even we was being the devil of the devil, the teacher alwys been there for us, to scold us, to remind us, to TEACH us... then came the thoughts of a noble deeds.... I wanted to be a teacher someday... and someday i'll be there for my student... ...NOT hehe

Then came the secondary... ,I was playing around with my friend's computer a day, then suddenly his brother came up and said he has an urgent job to do... He was turning on a software called Photoshop... at that time... wallawey gambar kaler tukar itam putih gempak doowww.... It was Photoshop 4 by the way and I was in form 2. Seeing his brother doing his work... I was so interested to try this software... as i asked his brother what the software was, i quickly went home, breaking my piggy bank (well it is not a piggy its a post shape container...) rush up to Central Market, searching for pirated software, that time the photoshop was RM4 and i got all these free plugins woohoo... Came up to my computer and i installed it... I spend numerous hours on the software.... click here and there... Lucky for me my friends brother was the designer for the school magazine, and he saw my interest and string me in into an interview with the editorial board. I was so thrill, what i learn from a few days of clicking and dragging has turn a crap into an artwork that allow me to be one of the editorial board. As year pass by, I became the chief editor. As i seeing the board always looking up for me for ideas, and things to excite the magazine, i never gave up. I would spent everyday to give my board my full knowledge that i had, i went to KLCC everyday walking to the top floor 'Kino' to flick a page on photoshop just to ensure that everyday i have something to gave to them. I would spent 3 hours everyday at Kino just to remember and quickly run back to school to use the computer to practise on what i've learnt... BTW (I went to KLCC because of i dont really have any money to buy books, and all of my senior suggest Kino as being the best bookstore ever, so i went, so i learnt... haha free updated books woohoo... call me a bookworms... whutever...)... then i saw myself as a designer...

As i went to achieve my dreams of becoming a designer til current... I ponder... I remember something that my Creative Group head asked me ... That keeps on repeating itself... Keep on buzzing my head everyday...

What are your ambition? When you are small u wanted to be this and that. When you are a lil big u wanted to be another plane of this and that. What if what you wanted you have got it, then

Who/What do you want to be.... today?

PS:Ryo...Brother this is my answer... I want to be a better man...

Quotes of references
Great Prophet Muhammad "Search for a 'Rezeki' as if u're living this world for a long long time, 'Tawakal' as if there is never a tomorrow,"

Discovery "Time is relative... Ideas are infinite"

V "You can't kill an idea"

Some people collect stamps, collect shoes, shirts, vintage bags, vintage cassette and whatsoever.. Well I collect my gadgets, from the first predecessor of 486Dx until current.

The post is not actually for posing my gadget, it is the story behind every gadget that i would really like to share. The first ever so called gadget i would say is my first Scanner UMAX something which i bought from the money i collect of the band function that i played. For three four month i collect my money i have enuff to buy a scanner that will enable my school editorial department to have a lil bit faster and improve image quality of scanning.

Next, the Lide 20 Scanner, In between applying my university i try my best to explore my graphic knowledge by doing some freelance job, unfortunately, my scanner broke down, and in this era of graphic, the visual image was everything, so again i save up some money plus some of duit raya which in my family it is not so much (couldn't even reach hundred even if i roam every siblings.) so on a PC fair i bought the scanner. At that time the scanner was so beautiful(it is still is) a scanner without any power support(only using USB), scanning a A4 picture less than a minute(believe me it was a relief), colour and quality was enhance by a milestones. The scanner contributed its life for a long time... back when i was doing my portfolio for my university , portfolio for diploma, portfolio for my degree, portfolio for my current permenant job until now serving my needs for visual at my office.

Then came the story of PC... The first PC i had was actually a scrap from the older PC that i have at my home which is a compilation of 485/DX. Month by months upgrading it, one by one unit, then I had one fully functional Pentium 3, (I say it functional because it can atleast run a photoshop). As being a PC, the technology was vast, i was catching up slow to the technology progression, So i decided to spent a lil of my loan to buy a new Pentium 4. In that time it was fuyyooo walllaweh... gile gempak pc... but it was not long... as Windows progress from Me to Xp it sent any PC from gempak to upgrade lah weih.. for 2-3 months at time.

As i progress through my education, i noticed that all of the designers that i've encountered, ask, they have all suggested me into a new system (well new to me), Macintosh system, a system of stability, a system for designer, a home for all that is creative. After months of months hearing about it, being poison by the words of apple. I set my mark, I stop my monthly upgrading. I research countless of softmod, hardmod to try to turn my pc into a macintosh system but it was a failure, so i've decided to buy an apple, I must BUY an apple. So it was Sept 2003, I trade-in my Pc and loan some money in order to achieve the apple system, there it was, a 3999 price tag hanging from the side of the monitor. So I bought it, and use the Mac for gladfully a lot of freelance to pay of my debts. Sadly, I bought the last edition of eMac, it was the end of its generation, because few months after the new iMac G5 came out with all its glory. I wasn't disappointed, my eMac has served me then until today while i'm writing this blog, so i would say i am thankfully that it has been with me for years and hopefully years to come.

Then it come to the story of the printer, the monopoly of my life. The entrepreneurship of my life. The first printer i bought was this refurbish printer from a UM senior. The printer cost RM40 for a Canon A4 printer without ink, The ink itself cost RM100+. I bought it in purpose to solve my assignments and projects, but as being a student in a dorm, lending to your roommates was not an option, it is an obligation. At first i was being stubborn for not letting anyone to print ever at my printer (even if they want to pay) because the ink was so expensive and the dismobility that i had to get a new ink streghthens my priority. But then came that night, a night to remember. It was the last week of exam, most of my friends from other faculties already had gone, left my friends and my seniors in the dorm. A senior/My neighbour came to my room requesting an aid, requesting to print an project for him. At first I was thinking, damn if i tell this guy its ok to print then another bunch wanna ask me the same thing. But thinking of that it was my neighbour and he has been my brother since we were playing bicycle. Oklah... print... Feeling obligated, my neighbour offer me a sum to pay of the ink, as i counted through the pages.. it was OMG a 40 full pages printing... feeling a lil dizzy i just simply say " bantailah singgit satu' (at that time a full page A4 will cost around 1.50 to 1.80 depending on printer). There it was then RM40, (I thought then, Its the end of semester I'm not going to use the printer anymore). Then tomorrow comes, my neighbour tells a friend and a friend and so on... that night i secure almost Rm200 until my ink was dry. That night made me think... So as the next day come, since a lot more senior was coming and i was running dry on ink, having all the paper done, i rush up to kl for awhile search for an altenative ink and come back to serve. In my suprise an alternative ink only cost RM60 (half price of original) for 2 set of ink. I bought 4 set and when back and secure RM600 for the following nights. It was a thrill. But then the semester is over.

Then came another semester, as i had some of the money, with a lil more from my freelance during semester break, i invest into a A3 printer for almost a thousand riggit. But it was worth it, worth every cent. The printer serve and serve, i have a monthly allowance of RM300 (bersih tolak abes modal) with at least RM250 loan every month (for people in need of finishing their assignment but dont have money i loan them to print). The loan was also worth it, even thought it setback a few rolling but in the end of semester i was gladfully coming home with cash. Ka-ching... There it was the story of my entrepreneurship climax until the business goes down as the library and front store printing (they call it e-point) a piece of full laser A3 printing with the cost of only Rm1.50. Business was going bad, then i encountered my business by doing some flyers, punch a line into those in-desperate need. The line goes "last-minute assignment... go to 000 room for 24 hours of printing service".Then the business grow from my awaking times to 24 hours business. My room was so busy that at times i couldnt shut my doors for a week even if i went to my classes. It was like a lobby for the dorm. Since a lot of people at my floor depending on my printing service and discounts, my room was automatically guarded... the seniors that i was fierced was also coming begging on discounts and loans. The were seeing my room as a saviour for their work and so it was guarded with its purpose.

The next semester as the business grew, and the words were spread out, i expand my printing from printing to a store, selling mounting boards, tranperancy paper, binding, art card, u name it it was a one stop centre for the art student. This time my pc was so busy that i cant even do my work. The printer is printing on every minute of the hour. I tried so hard to at least gap a night but it the business worst because competitor were starting to grow. In the middle of the hassle of helping my friend to print, i bought myself a notebook, just in order to do my work, and my friends could use the pc to print. (the story of the notebook)

The business grow wild, until i finally reliaze that i wanted to learn not to do business. so i ponder my self on how to advance through my education, so i push myself and luckily my friends are all onboard to live at the studio, to live in a creative environment of sharing knowledge.

Thinking of not having a monthly allowance was a down at times, but then when it was at the studio, my printer was not only being use by student, it expand for lecturers and staff. Even though the traffic was not as heavy as being in a dorm, but i had now a different level of customers, customers that requires receipt,invoice and so on (At times, I was thinking that i can even open my print shop even after i graduated....)

It was weird thinking that i could have a lot more cash as i was before but i was happy that i could just help my friends on the day before the diploma show was done, and how my 1k investment serves as the production of half of the diploma show. Thats the story of my printer.