User:Yahya Abdal-Aziz
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I'm from Melbourne, Australia. The bio below is adapted from one I wrote in 2004 for Boheme Magazine Online [1], which has since published some of my work.
Some of the creative roles that I have fulfilled over the last few decades include: software designer, mathematician, musician, composer, song-writer, poet, visual artist, gardener, technical writer, business analyst, process and form designer, statistician, teacher, mentor, parent, current affairs commentator, conlang designer. My current interests include all these and more.
Computing and the arts: I've organised and led Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in Graphics and Music for the Melbourne PC User Group (10,000+ members) for the last 17 or more years. I aim to lead these groups by example, always hoping to learn new things and sharing what I know.
Writing experience: In the late 60s I was active on the radical Lot's Wife student newspaper at Monash University, where I learnt sub-editing and some rudimentary writing skills. This was great experience. For Royal Insurance for two years in the 80s, I set up, edited and published an inhouse "Effective Personal Computing" magazine. I also wrote many tutorial articles for it. For my present employers, I have created writing templates and styles, and taught effective writing skills. My practical experience with student and professional papers and publications should be useful - particularly in proof-reading :-). And I've never stopped writing poetry.
Learning: My major formal studies were in pure maths, minor in physics and philosophy. While studying for a post-grad teaching diploma, I tried to synthesise multi-valued formal logic with the philosophy of education and the psychology of learning. I've always tried to take a whole-of-life approach to learning and the arts, because life is so short that specialists forget what they're missing.
Motivation: I believe that for each of us, anything is possible ... with a little help from our friends! The wiki idea, and particularly wikipedia, proves this. So I'd like to help others find a voice, encourage them to the excellence that only they can achieve.
Languages spoken and written: English (Australian); Malay (Malaysian), including dialects; some French, German, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Western Cham (Cam Beniyai), Kadazan, Temiar (Seroq).
Last movie (2004): "Finding Forrester" or similar title tonight on cable. Synopsis - disenchanted reclusive old white writer (Sean Connery) is coaxed out of hiding by brilliant young black wannabe writer and basketball star (male eye candy who may never act again). Predictable, simplistic, competently acted but inadequately motivated feel-good flick. The real motivation for this movie is that oligarchies need to make the masses feel they have a chance. In a fairytale, I'd rather see a pretty fairy godmother!
Last cd bought (2004, many since): I finally bought silverchair (Australian rock band)'s 1995 album "frogstomp", because it was cheap enough and I love the songs on it. Extremely well-written musics AND lyrics by a bunch of very angry, very young men from industrial Newcastle. Passion with a purpose!
Last book read (2004, many since): "Mysterious Skin", first novel by Scott Heim. Are alien abductions really just abductions by that other alien, the human male sexual predator? Simply told, in the words of several of its protagonists, this story compels belief. The emotional complexities are convincingly real, but their final resolution is left to the reader. If this book has a message, it is that while knowlege may shock, it is the only path to healing.
Favourite movie (2004, a few since): Fight Club
Favourite author (forever): Ray Bradbury - the most poetic prose writer of the last 100 years!
Favourite singer (2004): silverchair's Daniel Johns
Opinion: Too much money making too many decisions! What's good often doesn't get an airing because it's not commercial. Pretty much like "news" isn't the new stuff we need to know. Ours is now a "take-away" culture. We need to see the possibilities of a "bring-to" culture. There are pockets of resistance. Tune into, say, pbsfm.org.au to get a public radio station for under-represented music. But we need more of this, much more.
Right now: At present I am recovering from a long illness. I can only work for a few hours a day. Hopefully, this will all be over in a few months. At that time, I can probably make a regular effort to contribute to Wikipedia, and I would welcome the chance to do so.
