ASAMtv Live from Polyfonix: Charles J Tan

Local boys Fear of A Brown Planet bring up the heat at Allah Made Me Funny's Melbourne gig

A group of people walked out of the audience after a joke about ANZAC Day.  ‘It’s not funny!’ a lady shouted to the comic before walking out with the rest of the group. The comic, Amer Rahman, coolly replied, ‘Then why is everyone else laughing?’

continues after the jump

The launch of the phone that is supposed to change things that last year's phone changed

The iPhone 4 is finally in Melbourne.

Though we were personally weren't in the market for one, being the good little geeks that we are, we marched through the winter cold down to Bourke St to be there at its midnight Melbourne launch yesterday.

No way were we going to pass on the chance to be witnesses to a part of tech history.

There were long lines of people clad in layers of clothing standing patiently,single file, on both sides of the street. One line headed into the Telstra shop, while the other Optus, but all these people stood there in the cold, for hours by now, waiting for their turn to enter the shops and purchase Steve's new magical wonder.

Or was that the iPad now?

Rare moments of geek glamour

There's no point turning this article into a teardown of the device for two reasons:

1. We don't actually have one on us to play around with
2. Your average shopper's not buying the phone for its impressive specs.

Besides, you're going to get one anyway. It works, and it makes perfect sense after all.

So when are you getting yours?

Reading, problems and art

Here's a little something from The Age.

"Reading is our favorite art form to consume. 84% of Australian say they read books"

Impressive figure eh? You cannot walk around Melbourne and not see at least one person reading a book, whether while in a tram, or waiting for one, in the park or even when lining up for movie tickets.



How many of you turn to books when you have a problem? Life problems, I mean. I dare bet that most of you have never thought of such an idea before. Many of us would turn to friends, who tell us how cruel life can be, sobbing while slowly expressing how difficult breaking-up is, angrily complaining how much of a jerk  your so-called best friend is. Others might  just keep to themselves and hope that time will heal the heart, the friendship, the annoyance.

Friends are not entirely reliable when it comes to solving problems though. Most of them are just there to comfort you, telling all those good things you wanted so much to hear. I'm not saying thats bad. But lets put it this way; it's good in a bad way because at the end of the day your problems aren't really solved. In fact, your problems may even worsen when you discover that those words of advice weren't truly the keys to solving your problem.

Here's an example. Let say you had a huge fight with one of your best friends. You go to another best friend and tell them about the fight you had. The friend might comfort you and might wanted to cool you down by saying that the best friend is a jerk and should apologize. The problem is, you were the bad one.

I'm not making a generalisation, and saying that all friendly advice is 'ill-advised'. But to say that most of them are, would not be an overstatement.

I once had this huge problem (for me at least, i'm not sure if anyone else would call it that). Apart from not having a friend that i can and truly rely on (don't tell them, its just how I feel), I kept to myself, and repeated those magic words "time heals". It worked for me before, But not this time. The issue  continued to haunt me. At last i told a friend and asked for his advice. Though his advice was fairly logical, I could not figure out whether it was told to comfort me or to solve the problem.

Thats when i tried something different. I bought this book that is fairly related to the problems that i was having and started reading it. Reading the book, i felt if as i'm talking to the soul itself (mine of course), which provided me with an insight into what my problems really were about while the author gave some advice on how to deal with/solve them. The thing with the book is, you surely knew that the book would never please you. Most of the advice is bitter but medicine taste worst eh? and look at what miracles medicine has brought us.

Furthemore, all of the writing was written based on the experience of thousands of people facing the same problems that we have. So the odds of solving the problems are high enough. You'll be amazed to find out that you are not the only one having such miserable life, and others are much worse off. The key is solving it once and for all. Not just hoping some good words to please you and time healing miracle.

At the end, its all up to you. No matter how much books you  read, or advice you hear, be it from friends, family, you are the one that have to do the final step in acting accordingly to solve the problem. God will never help you, if you yourself never make an effort in doing so.

Now, no wonder Australian love reading books and even regard it as an art form. Reading is for nerds? Think again!

Melbourne essentials

If you find yourself alarmed by the hail falling from the sky last weekend, don't. That is merely the way Melbourne shows its love to newcomers, by throwing rocks at them like boys do to girls in sekolah rendah.

Epic Hail by Shiny Things

I'm seriously sorry for you new arrivals. When I first came here some time ago, things were normal. Summer was hot and dry, you could hate the Prime Minister without having to explain yourself, and you got curry-bash because you deserved it. It's all different now, nothing's the same now. You, my Bata-wearing new friends, are in a completely different Melbourne.

Down in front by looking glass

In my role as unsolicited guide, I first offer this piece of sagely advice: gather every thought you have about Melburnian campus life, and chuck it in the bin (some local lingo there, take note). A SAM or AUSMAT certificate does not prepare you for life within the hallowed halls of Parkville, Clayton, or Hoyts Melbourne Central if you're in RMIT. You will find little discipline, motivation and support, and that's just for waking up for 9am classes. Taking it easy is an extremely seductive option, but do so at your own perril. (rolling r added for effect.)

Make friends, and soon. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to break into cliques. In university, girls (and boys) are like cookies; you snooze, you lose.

And please, if you're here with mates (aha!), don't forget them just because you have some unexplainable need to hangout with whatever new bunch of people who take you in out of pity. Pity works for some people, but for the rest of us it's just sad. Besides, you might need those bridges you burnt one day in the future. Which can turn out to be not so distant sometimes.

Being active is good, but don't invest to much of yourself in clubs and societies. You can make friends outside of club circles. You should make friends out of club circles. Constant club meetings does not necessarily lead to deep meaningful conversations. Which you need; trust me.

Have fun. Responsibly. Think off all the crazy stuff you can do now with your new-found freedom. Do only half of that. You need your brains for your studies too. And writing for ASAM.

So those are some tips plucked from my reservoir of wisdom that I now share with you my fob brethren. Heed them, and tread wisely the road ahead. Godspeed.

Upcoming Events: Pesta Warisan Melayu

The Victorian Malay Community is a community that values the uniqueness and beauty of their proud heritage. This is personified in their arts and culture. The passion of their arts is not only in their song and dance but is reflected in their traditional attire/wedding costume, customs and craft. The tantalizing Malay Cuisines is world renown and celebrated in all occasions.

Upcoming events: Muzika Musim Luruh

This autumn, Melbourne hosts Muzika Musim Luruh – the only event designed to explore and showcase the musical talent of Malaysian youth in Victoria, Australia.

Melbourne minus gloss

Brochures and ads frequently promote Melbourne as Sydney's quirky European sibling, citing the many laneways, coffee places, and general hipsterhood as the city's winning points.

Less highlighted are the inner suburbs. They may warrant a line or two in tourism copy as proof of Melbourne's multicuturalism, but they are a whole different world from the rest of the city. Dirty and coarse, they are the CBD's grittier reflection, trendy young professionals crossing paths with robed recent migrants before a backdrop of drugs,alcohol, and hope.

ASAM TV: Drew Funk

In this week's edition of ASAM TV, we meet Drew Funk, an upcoming graffiti artist with a fresh take on the art. Drew shares his thoughts on being an artist, influences, and working in Melbourne.

Drew's artwork is currently on show at Off the Kerb gallery and studios. Visit their webiste at www.offthekerb.com.au

Video after the break.

A Shopping Exhibition

Shoppers love Melbourne. Boutiques and stores dot the CBD, and the city boasts of a vibrant fashion
scene. It should be no surprise then that this is only the latest in Melbourne shopping tradition.

Oh Summer!

Musim panas di Melbourne. Bagi yang tidak pulang ke tanah air, meneruskan kehidupan di Melbourne di saat ketiadaan ramai rakan-rakan mungkin amat memilukan. Namun semua itu bergantung kepada siapa anda ajukan soalan itu.

Bagi yang telah merancang  masa sebaiknya untuk menghabiskan masa di Melbourne tika matahari mula rancak memancarkan cahaya, selamatlah dia. Setiap detik di Melbourne akan terisi dengan sesuatu. Summer school mungkin tonik terbaik untuk 'membunuh masa' di samping mungkin meringankan beban anda bilamana semester baru membuka tirai.

Suzuki Night Market, jom lepak.

Saya suka Melbourne. Dari hari ke hari ikatan emosi saya dengan bandar penuh warna ini semakin menebal. Rabu lepas, Melbourne sekali lagi memberikan sebab kenapa saya perlu jatuh cinta padanya. Suzuki Night Market ialah 'pasar' yang telah menjadi tradisi Melbourne setiap kali datangnya Musim Panas.

ASAM on Suara Malaysia Melbourne 3ZZZ

Tanpa segan silu saya dan Azrina telah ke udara untuk mempromosikan ASAM di dalam program Suara Malaysia Melbourne. Program tersebut disiarkan oleh radio 3ZZZ Melbourne. Anda boleh mendengar rakaman tersebut di laman mereka (pilih Malaysian dari drop down boxnya).

Suara Malaysia Melbourne ke udara setiap Ahad dari 10-11PM.

Melbourne for the lonely: State Library of Victoria

It's been raining a lot recently. A welcome change, i think, for this bleak city. Its almost summer now anyway, so some wet weather's always welcome.
It's not everyday that anything at all is nice to you. Not in Melbourne.

MELBOURNE FOR THE LONELY

A wise man once wrote that the problems of men stem from their inability to stay quietly alone in their rooms.
A boy can try though.
There's the internet, Youtube, and SBS for those late nights when none of your friends are around for you, 'busy' with 'school', 'work', 'girlfriends'. A few minutes for coffee is much too valuable it seems.

Summer Romance

Sunday.Cruising around the beach, the park and everyone's favourite street with full of culture in Melbourne.
Accompanied by my good friend Holga 120CFN, with a little bit of investment to feed her 120film with only 16 exposure that cost a bomb.No drama in this because she will always do her best and makes me smile looking ay the photos once they've developed.

Brown's Bakery Carlton

Kepada pencinta kopi dan apa yang terhasil dari biji kopi, Melbourne adalah tempat yang tepat untuk meraikan kecintaan itu. Berjalan di barisan cafe-cafe ketika pagihari sambil menghirup udara aroma segar kopi dan hasil roti membangkit satu perasaan yang sukar untuk diungkapkan dengan kata-kata. Buat hari ini, mari kita bertandang ke Brown's Bakery Carlton.

Fly by Night Bookstore

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The place is called Fly by Night Books and most people will know it as ‘that book-place under the Workshop Bar’, nestled between the corner of Elizabeth St. and A’Beckett St. and open every day, from 9 morn till 7 in the evening.

Fly by Night Books doesn’t usually pack the latest titles, but their prices are fantastic if you’re on a low budget and if you’re like me, you’re always on a low budget. They stock all sorts of genres, from popular fiction to art and history. You really have to take your time and go through each shelf because every once in a while, you’ll find a gem. Just a few weeks ago I picked up A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs for a fantastic 15 bucks; in which, the moment i came out of the store, i punched the air and told myself, "i just beat the system".

So drop by, take a look-see, go crazy. Before you leave make sure you sign up for their newsletter to receive regular email updates of their new stock.

Asam Siam