The Silent Room

It’s already been a week through 2007, so I’d like to take a few moments to dedicate a special post to several special individuals who have made all the differences in my life, and have enriched it with humour, kindness and wisdom.

Syafiq
I’ll first start off with one whom I’d call my own brother – because we really are that close. A special dedication goes out to Mr. Syafiq aka Shady, my most loyal friend of seven long years. To put it simply, he is my complete opposite. That’s right; he is everything I am not. Yet, we understand each other completely and we have went through rain, shine, and shit together. Here’s one for you, bro – we’re gonna make it a big one this time ;)

Albert
Next pimpage goes to Albert, one of my most important tech gurus and long-time geek buddy. I’m sure you know this local blog celebrity by now, hahaha. We met as Xfreshers circa 2000 and we’ve been geeking out at computer games, toys and now digital photography. Being the more methodical and analytical one, Albert became familiar with digital cameras and digital photography a whole lot faster than I did and before long, I was the one who started learning from him. He’s also the guy who got me hooked to indie gigs and got me acquainted with a few very talented musicians! A very powerful driving force behind my passion for photography and a great person to hang out with. If you’re a chick, you shall go hug and kiss Albert now!

Sherz
Some four years ago, I started a conversation with Sher Yee because I thought she was hot :D Seriously. We easily clicked with each other back in our Alpha year at MMU Melaka in 2003. We weren’t really that close back then, but when I got to Cyber we started to open up and gradually became the most reliable listeners to each other. She’s got a great personality and an even greater heart which can easily cause you to laugh your head off and soften your eyes all at once. Our late night chats have truly given me much enlightenment and enrichment to my life, dear :D Thank you so much!

Alan
This guy is an unsung hero, you know. I first met this Sarawakian as a classmate during my Alpha year, and with Yun Chuan and Hup Lim, we spent many breakfasts and lunches together while feeding ourselves a healthy dose of wisecrack humour and laughter in each sitting. He has a Multiply page, but I forgot the URL [SORRY!], so this will have to do lah, hahaha. Why is he an unsung hero, you ask? You see, beneath that tulan-ted face and jaded sense of humour lies a heart of gold that pays attention to simple body language and a loyal listener ready to hear you out – and I don’t really hear that many people giving him enough credit for it. I know you’re waving your middle finger at me while reading this Alan, so just STFU and finish up your goddamn tuak already. You have my eternal gratitude.

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And now, for some bloggers who I never got the pleasure of meeting but have made some serious impacts in my life. As such, I have no pictures of them, hahaha.

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Mack Zulkifli [okay, so I've met Mack, but I don't have pictures of him, lol]
I’ve been reading his blog since his days on TypePad and his commentary on the socio-political scene was done with much eloquence, wit and skill – with barrels of laughter added inside. He writes with passion and openly shares his knowledge on various fields and is always open to fresh and radical ideas. Unfortunately, he no longer blogs on his Brand New Malaysian site. I was told that he is now one of the bloggers for NST’s MoNSTerblog. At any rate, dude, you rock!

Michael Ooi
I found Mike’s blog by following a link from Dr. Liew’s. As an engineering student, I easily related to him and have since followed his hilarious anecdotes and ass-kicking adventures regularly. While being a pretty damn popular stud, he never looks down on simpletons like myself. Of course, he blasts retards and trolls mercilessly – which we all love to watch – but he almost never puts down a guy for simple honest mistakes [I have made some rather stupid comments due to misreading some articles]. Awesome place for kick-ass laughs. Here’s one for you dude *raises glass*

Viewtru
This Zen Guru is crafty and wise. In three sentences he can make you feel wise and stupid all at the same time. He’s a wordsmith that never fails to entertain me with fancy poetry and fiction that I could just soak myself in. You, sir, are teh pwn.

Azrael
Yeah, I know, he’s not Malaysian. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s awesome. In case you’re unfamiliar with him, he is an English teacher in Japan under a Japanese English Teachers exchange program. I have been reading his editorials on his original site at Outpost Nine, and being an English teacher, he writes with subtle elegance and total ass-kicking humour. His anecdotes on his life in Japan has made him quite an Internet celebrity [or should I say an Internet phenomena?]. yeah, to him, I’m probably just a drop in an ocean of fans, but Az, I’d like you to know that your stories have entertained me as much as it enriched my life. For that, I thank you.

Waiter
I honestly don’t know his name. But that doesn’t matter, really. Waiter Rant was a blog I discovered from a link at Sherz’s blog. Being in the service industry, he details his life experience meeting with people from all walks of life, and lets you have a look at life through his eyes. Your stories have laid in me the foundations of many moral values and principles that I hold on to dearly to this day. I know not who you are, Waiter, but for sharing with us your wisdom and wits, you have made a world of difference in the lives of so many of your readers including yours truly. Thank you so much.

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And before I end this pimping post, I would like to thank YOU. Yes, you. Trust me, I receive less than 50 unique visitors per day, so it’s not that hard for me to tell who you are just by looking at my daily stats.

You are special and precious to me because you are here, reading what I have to say. You might just got here a few minutes ago through PPS, or you may have been following this blog since its Blogspot and dotNET days. For just being here, for just reading this, you have made an impact in my life, and I would like you to know that I’m not taking it for granted. So, thank you. Very, very, much.

And last, but not least, this dedication is for a very special person who shall not be named – you know who you are. You who took my heart away, and gave it back to me enriched with love, passion and renewed conscience. You taught me what it’s like to love, to be loved and to be in love. You showed me pain and anguish and you also showed me compassion and kindness. You are, and always will be, a gem in my eyes. Even if I were to fall in love with somebody new, you are the one person I shall never ever forget for the rest of my life. I have no words that could describe the amount of gratitude I have for having met you and I wish you all the bliss and happiness in the world.

Let 2007 be full of wonderful days for all of us!