Nuffnang Wild ‘Live’ Blogging (72 images).

If it was a paid job, i would have made the world’s richest pro-procrastinator.

I did it again. It wasn’t because i didn’t feel that stinging sensation beneath my skin when time slapped me hard in the face. “Wake up you lazy bastard.” The time was 10.00 am, the day was a bright Saturday on the 21st, and the need to have gotten myself a bear costume for a party had not been carried out.

With pride in my butt and shame in my face, i reluctantly called up few friends, apologized to them for interrupting their morning, and thanked them all for giving me tips. From Damansara to the center of Klang Valley, to the many buildings in Ampang i went searching for a bear costume. But a bear costume had not been found by 1.30 pm. What i had found at 1.30 pm was a Persian restaurant that served delicious Persian food. What this Persian restaurant found an hour later at about 2.30 pm was my cellphone which i carelessly left.

The day was a tad reckless.

It was not until 3.00 pm when i finally got myself a black gorilla costume, a surrogate for the oatmeal bear costume of which only existed in my mind. “Oatmeal bear, you don’t have it do you? It’s okay la then, i’ll take the black gorilla.” I explained to the salesgirl about the hierarchical series of this costume party – i was supposed to eat up a rabbit. So a gorilla would do.

“What are you Firdauz, a King Kong?”

Almost everyone refused to believe that i was a gorilla and not King Kong. Perhaps because King Kong as seen in any movie, had the warmest heart compared to the people who always acted less humane – to exploit King Kong for money, and to kill him because he climbed the city’s tallest building illegally and had no permits to love a female human.

Like King Kong, i too had no official documents that authorized me to love the many people that shaped my evening. The many people including a 7 year old girl.

“Hi, i’m Firdauz. I’m a gorilla. What’s your name?”

“Yeah i can see that gorilla. I’m Suzie,” and she hopped around like a bunny. Pressing her little arms between two furniture and levitated her body. Leveling her tiny head with my chest and reviewing the heavy loads we adults carried in our shoulders, offering her sweet smiles so it would alleviate the true sadness we all hid behind our costumes.

“Hi Suzie, how old are you?”

“Seven,” and she still hopped around like a bunny .

“Where’s your costume sweetheart?”

“No, i didn’t come for the party, i came here with my parents to have dinner. Did you see my Uncle Bob?”

“Who’s Uncle Bob?”

“Uncle Bob owns this place.”

Suzie was a personal friend of mine that night. She didn’t like Harry Potter, she liked Powerpuff Girls and she did finish her lasagna, her dinner for that evening. When asked by many friends of mine about her costume, Suzie would answer that she was a dolphin and would point to the printed dolphins on her white t-shirt. Suzie was a sweetheart who skillfully mingled with the grown-ups.

If i had to choose another sweetheart for that evening, it would have been Hanis Zalikha – the rising fashion model and an internet celebrity. I would have chosen her not because she had a pretty face, it was because she was sweet enough to have called me by my name – Firdauz, not a gorilla, not King Kong, not Firdy, not Firrie, not Furry, but my real name in which i believed no one had told her.

“Hi Hanis!” She arrived in her white nightgown, stood with her back against a backdrop of which i designed, getting ready to face the many cameras.

“Hi Firdauz.”

“Hahahahah. How you know my name one?”

She just smiled. And we took pictures together.

I liked Hanis. If given a chance, i would love to have a casual evening with her. Nothing heavy, just to chill outside in the sun, sharing some laughter and exchanging funny stories over sandwiches and tortilla chips perhaps with glasses of iced lemon tea. And to walk home with the feeling of “Oh, i have made a new friend”.

And oh, indeed, i had made many new friends that evening. It was a wonderful experience for a black gorilla who was in love with the people.

In love with the people.

P/s: I’m sorry i dunno many of your names and the urls that link to your blog. Leave a comment or email me and i will update them. Thanks.

Picture list

Suzie (4), Firdauz’s couple shots (25), Couple shots (5), Groups (16), Individuals (5), Nuffies (5), On the stage (9), Suet Li’s butt (3)

Suzie

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Firdauz’s couple shots

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Couple shots

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Groups

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Individuals (will be updated later)

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Nuffies (will be updated later)

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On the stage (will be updated later)

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Suet Li’s butt

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