31st Post: Fly, My Papers~

I'm happy and worried at the same time right now. I just finished preparing all the stuff for my Early Decision and they're going to be fly off tomorrow. Finally, the torturous process which has last for a few damn months is going to end! I wanna play games, watch anime and enjoy myself, yea~... Dream on, SAT subject test result is going to be released in 2 days time, my college internal UCAS deadline and YKLS production is 2 weeks ahead, the week after is my mock exam followed immediately by my college stage play... And the worst thing is I didn't noticed this until I'm typing this right now... (=.=|||). But I'm still happy, I don't care! But that doesn't stop me from worrying as well. I sound like a miserable idiot... I guess I should stop ranting because this is all I did these days.

Enough about my life. To make this dull blog more lively, I shall share a joke by the stand up comedian, Douglas Lim during the opening day of the actors studio. He began by saying that there was a policy in Malaysia that any programme aired in Malaysia has to be made in only one language, there shouldn't any mixing of the languages like rojak. (Which I think is impossible considering all the 'I nak dress itu.' and 'You nak minum tea ke?' that appeared in the malay drama) So he continued and said that it is very difficult to do so, especially at a mamak stall which is ubiquitous in Malaysia. Imagine the director want to shoot a scene at the mamak stall using only English.

So he sit down an call: Mamak! Mamak!

"CUT!!" What?

"You must say Indian Muslim instead of mamak."

So he sit down again: ...Indian Muslim! Indian Muslim! One Nasi Lemak!

"CUT!!" WTH?

"You shouldn't say Nasi Lemak --" OK, OK! I know I know, do it again.

So he sit down again: Indian Muslim! Indian Muslim! One Fatty Rice! Less Chilli Paste!

OK, up until now I was laughing my mouth off already. I'm sure it's much more interesting to hear him crack the joke on stage. Actually the joke continues but the last one is kinda 18PL so you imagine yourself la. Feel free to try that during your next visit to the mamak stall, oh I mean Indian Muslim stall. XD

30th Post: Rhythmic Roots

Just a small update to promote my upcoming performance:

Great Eastern

presents

The Young KL Singers

in

Rhythmic Roots

celebrating the cultural and musical heritage that is Malaysia.

Last year, we explored the development of jazz. This year, we are exploring our cultural roots.

As in years past, The Young KL Singers (YKLS) will once more be staging another exciting upcoming production entitled “Rhythmic Roots”, from 12th to 15th November 2009, in the Actors Studio, LOT 10.

Our group of 30 passionate, music-loving performers enters its 11th production since its inception in 2002, after achieving outstanding success in previous shows including the sold-out performances of “Simply Andrew Lloyd Webber” and “Breaking It Down!”. Two of our performances, “Through the Barricades” and “Move It!”, have won the Kakiseni Audience Choice Award in the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards in 2003 and 2007 respectively. In all 10 productions, the choir has performed a wide repertoire of music, ranging from Broadway musical pieces by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rogers and Hammerstein, to the colourful rhythms and rhymes of jazz. After many years of primarily Western repertoire however, The YKLS were inspired to discover our own roots by looking to the music originating within the multiracial cultures of Malaysia and other Asian countries. This became the impetus for this year’s production, aptly entitled “Rhythmic Roots”.

“Rhythmic Roots” is a journey through the various ethnicities and cultures of Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, China and India, and our indispensable contributions to our own cultural heritage. Baba and Nyonya folk songs, Malay and Indian traditional pieces, and songs tracing the development of Chinese culture in Malaysia from its mainland China origins are some of the highlights that will definitely be heard in this upcoming production. It will be directed by Joe Hasham, a multi-award winning director, actor and writer and his involvement in “Rhythmic Roots” is something that the YKLS is very excited about!

One thing that makes this production unique amongst all other past YKLS productions is that for the first time, all four co-founders of the choir are working together. “Rhythmic Roots” is truly a very special show which emphasizes the importance of origins – where we come from, who we are, and the many, many influences and cultures which have shaped Malaysia’s musical heritage into what it is today. This is definitely something not to be missed.

Songs that would be sung during the show:

Aeyaya Balano Sakh-Kah-D (Konkani/Indian)

Yuet Kwong Kwong (Chinese Cantonese)

Gai Bintang (Indonesian Madurese)

Pok Pok Alimpako (Philipino Maranao)

Janger (Indonesian)

Modern Youngters (Chinese Hokkien)

Soleram (Indonesian)

Lolo Re Babu (Konkani/Indian)

Loy Kra Tong (Thai)

Wau Bulan (Malaysian)

Kami (Malaysian)

Bua Kaaw (Thai)

Sin Sin Si Batu Manikam (Indonesian Tapanuli)

happening at:

The Actors Studio@Lot 10

12 - 14 Nov@9pm

Charity Matinée: 14 Nov@3pm

15 Nov@3pm

tickets:

rm43 (centre seat) | rm 33 (side seat)

call/walk in: TAS@Lot 10 box office - 03 2142 2009 | 03 22143 2009

walk in only: klpac box office@Sentul Park, Axcess@Head Office(Jln Semangat), 1 Utama, Alamanda Putrajaya

artistic and music director - Susanna Saw San San

choreographer - Lakshman Balakrishnan

assistant music director - Tracy Wong Wei Wen

producer - Denise Kong Hsu-Pei

director - Joe Hasham

LUCKY DRAW:

4 prizes to be won at every show*

(Victoria Station dining vouchers and Nescafé Gold hampers)

*excluding charity matinee

title sponsor

Great Eastern

supported by

Zanders, Creative Clicks, Victoria Station, Nescafé Gold, HSBC in the Arts and The Actors Studio Teater Rakyat.

www.theactorsstudio.com.my

Well, I know that this wouldn't do much to push the tickets, but I guess it's better than doing nothing.

29th Post: Mixed bag

Just had a terrible/great weekend, how so? I woke up on saturday morning on 6am after sleeping for 5 hours++ to get to metropolitan college for SAT subject test. And to tell the truth, that is my first time taking a whole test in the specified time. Much to my surprise, the test that I really rushed (like finishing the last 20 question in 10 minutes...) is actually chemistry which I have most confident in. Ah~ life is unpredictable T.T... The only thing I can do now is pray hard for my result.

Then after the test, I went to lot 10 (it's a shopping centre in Bukit Bintang, where those high class people hang out at) to perform in the opening night of the new actors studio. Many VIPs like officials from Australian Embassy, Japan Embassy, Singapore Embassy and all those Datuk(s) and Datin(s) came. The best part is I got to perform on the same stage with some of the best artists in the country~ All those bad feelings from SAT disappeared after that. But I was extremely exhausted and fell asleep immediately after I went back. That's all for today's brief update. See ya, folks.

28th Post: Madness

It's been a long time since I last updated. It's been freaking busy, and I mean it. Just hope that everything will go well for October and things will start to calm down a bit. So what sort of mess I'm getting myself into? Firstly, all those cumbrous university application stuff. UCAS(UK) and Common app(US) early decision deadline's one month ahead, and I haven't even started my personal statement for UCAS nor finish my essay for Common app... Then I have to prepare for the SAT Subject tests as well. Actually I didn't plan to take the subject tests as the US colleges to do not require me to. Ironically NUS do and it even made me take 3 subjects. Well, life is not a bed of roses after all. The test is 2 weeks ahead and I just finished half of the dictionary-like Physics textbook, how the hell la I'm going to get myself well prepared in just so little time left. For those who don't understand what the rubbish I'm talking about, it's just some rant about how cumbersome overseas university application process can be. But these stuffs would not be enough to get me THIS frustrated, not until I add in all the other activities.

My Young KL Singers upcoming production is in early November as well, and the rehearsal is getting more intense with 3 hours long practice thrice a week. Further more I have to spend more than 1 hours just to travel to the rehearsal venue, gosh~ Then I've foolishly got myself involved in the stage play organised by our college as well, which would be in early December with 2 hours practice twice a week. The play is George Bernard Shaw's 'Man and Superman' and man, it's just damn wordy that I dunno how the hell I'm going to memorize it. All of these add together = CRISIS!! I seriously dunno how to divide my time to complete all of them in the best way possible. Well, first thing I gotta do is to put this blog on short term hiatus, till the day we meet again...

27th Post: BalloonS

After procrastinating for such a long time, I finally bring myself to update this dilapidated blog... Well, today I just watched UP by Disney and Pixar. The show starts off with a short animation clip 'Partly Cloudy' which is exuding charm right from the beginning till the end even though it's just few minutes long. The story is about clouds creating babies for different living beings including human, dogs and cats. I won't spoil the story to you, but for those who have watched, my favorite is the balloon-like crocodile.

Move on to the main part, UP is definitely one of the best animation to come from Disney in recent years, I would even use 'epic' to describe it. It was not just a commercial cartoon which tell its story in a plain vanilla fashion and try to inundate us with the overwhelming cuteness. Those animations may have made a lot of money, but at the same time it was also forgettable. That wasn't to say that UP isn't cute, it is indeed VERY cute, especially the chubby little boy. But there was more to its superficial cuteness; beyond the hilarious adventure by the duo(the other being the stubborn old man), I can clearly feel the theme of undying love and lifelong dream, and what made it great is that the animators were able to capture such profound theme perfectly in an animation which main selling point should be cuteness and jokes. I wholeheartedly recommend UP to everyone, children and adult alike, definitely not to be missed!

26th Post: Black Tuesday

Not in the mood to blog lately, but heck, I'll do it for the sake of doing it. Decided to go back to Kuantan yesterday, so I went to Pudu to buy bus ticket at about 3pm. Once I arrived there, I got dragged by a Malay to buy the ticket from Sutra Liner (supposedly that's the name, couldn't bother less to remember that lousy bus company's name) even though I originally wanted to buy my ticket from Transnational. Didn't think much about it as I thought it wouldn't make any difference. (which I'm proven wrong later)

Anyway, the bus is scheduled to depart at 4.30pm, so I waited there patiently. However, the bus still hasn't arrive at 5pm. So the other passengers and I were told to wait upstairs. Suddenly all the passengers swarmed to the company's booth and so I followed them soon after, then we were told that the bus break down and would only arrive later. Apparently the Malay worker had a quarrel with one of the Indian passenger about the refund stuff and they almost fight, it's not my business but that took up a lot of my time to get my money back.

A friendly Malay passenger told me that I can get a 6.30 ticket from Transnational, but by the time I got there the ticket for 6.30pm was sold out and the next bus would be 8.30pm. I wandered around and asked all the other booths but none has earlier bus to Kuantan. In the end, I gave up and bought the 8.30pm bus ticket. Buying the ticket from the Sutra Liner is the profoundest mistake I've ever made, I curse that freaking company sincerely: hope you'll bankrupt soon. And so I waited at the Pudu bus station from before 3pm to 8.30pm and reach Kuantan at almost 12.30am! I almost choke from all the carbon monoxide there, one of the most miserable day in my life. I shall affirm my stand again: Curse you, Sutra Liner and I'll never buy another ticket from your company again.

25th Post: Eye Candies

Thought of updating the blog, but nothing to write about, so I'll share some pics in this new post, from the exciting 'Alice in the wonderland' movie by Tim Burton! First up, posters for the characters:


Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter


Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen


Anne Hathaway as The White Queen


Matt Lucas as Tweedledee & Tweedledum

They look nothing short of fantastic in their meticulously crafted costumes and make-up. And here's some eye-catching concept arts for the movie:


Alice and the talking flowers


Alice and the HUGE rabbit


Alice and the enigmatic twins

As a bonus, here's a snap shot for everyone's favorite Chesire Cat XD


I'm so looking forward to the movie, being set to premiere on March 2010 tentatively, don't forget to mark it down on your 'to watch' list!