Saturday, February 28, 2004

Teater Kasanova – Macam keropok cicah sos cili betik

(Ringan, pedas-pedas manis, sesekali lebih minyak)


KASANOVA

Karya dan Arahan: Kalam Hamidi
Lakonan : Khatijah Tan, Ibrahim Akir, Zakaria Yusof dan pelakon-pelakon teater Kelab Kilat Kuala Lumpur
Tajaan Bersama: Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Kementerian Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Pelancongan Malaysia

Sinopsis: Mengisahkan Tok Guru, seorang guru agama yang fanatik mempunyai seorang anak bernama Zulkifli (mendapat pendidikan sekolah agama di Kelantan dan baru menjadi Ustaz sekolah menengah di Kuala Lumpur). Kerana minat dan bakat, Zulkifli telah melibatkan diri sebagai pelakon utama sebuah persembahan teater berjudul “KASANOVA”. Apabila gambar Zulkifli bersama heroin persembahan tersebut, Siti Norbaya, tersiar dalam akhbar dan majalah untuk publisiti, seluruh kampung terutama keluarganya dan keluarga tunangnya kecoh dengan kemungkinan Zulkifli bercinta dengan Siti Norbaya seperti yang dilaporkan akhbar. Bagi mengatasi masalah ini, keluarga kedua-dua pihak bersetuju untuk memanggil Zulkifli pulang serta-merta untuk dinikahkan dengan cara mengirim telegram menyatakan ayahnya meninggal dunia. Rancangan itu bagaimanapun dibocorkan oleh sahabat (juga sepupu) Zulkifli, Lebai Kidam. Namun begitu Zulkifli tetap pulang untuk mengisytiharkan beliau sebenarnya telah berkahwin dengan Siti Norbaya.



Teater Kasanova diadakan sebagai persembahan amal untuk mengisi tabung kemanusiaan gempa bumi Iran. Pada malam persembahan ada kotak derma kira-kira 2 kaki tinggi, banyak juga isinya, yang masukkan cek pun ada (tak sempat nak intai berapa RM nilainya, haha). Apabila persembahan dimulakan, kotak derma turut diangkut ke dalam, yalah nanti hilang pula duit derma tak tentu fasal. Hairan juga kenapa info tentang persembahan tersebut sebagai usaha amal tidak disertakan dalam poster promo yang diedarkan, dah sampai ke sana baru aku dapat tahu.

kasanova1

[ Zakaria Yusof & Ibrahim Akir ]

Teater Kasanova juga bertujuan memberi pendedahan dan pengalaman kepada Kumpulan Teater Kelab Kilat Kuala Lumpur untuk mengembangkan sayap mereka selain menyertai Pertandingan Pekan Teater / Festival Teater Wilayah Persekutuan setiap tahun semenjak 1997 – mereka berjaya mencapai keputusan Naib Johan Tahun 1997 dan Tempat Ketiga Tahun 2003, not bad. Kelab Kilat adalah sebuah pertubuhan berdaftar yang bergiat aktif dalam menjalankan aktiviti-aktiviti sukan, rekreasi, kebudayaan, kesenian dan sebagainya di Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). Ahli-ahlinya terdiri dari anggota kerja TNB dan juga pelajar Universiti Tenaga Nasional yang berdaftar menjadi ahli Kelab Kilat.

Pertemuan singkat dengan Khatijah Tan pada petang hari ketiga persembahan mengundang senyuman di hati. Aku ke MTC petang tu untuk mendapatkan pas percuma bagi persembahan malam terakhir (ambil iktibar dari tiket-tiket persembahan lain yang pernah aku kempunan dulu). Malangnya hanya deretan buku cenderamata bersusun di atas meja dan poster Kasanova pada stand dengan dominan warna biru dan merah (warna korporat TNB) menyambut kehadiranku. Agh... tak ada pula dinyatakan di mana-mana bila masanya untuk ambil pas tersebut, aku pun satu, tak ada mengambil sebarang inisiatif untuk pastikan maklumat berkenaan. Padan muka. Aku berkira-kira sendiri sambil melangkah ke perkarangan Saloma Bistro - tunggu terus di MTC dan tengok persembahan malam itu juga , atau datang saja pada hari terakhir nanti seperti yang dirancang, harap-harap tak lambat dan dapat ambil pas sebelum persembahan dimulakan. Tiba-tiba ekor mataku menangkap kelibat seorang wanita berjalan dari arah tempat letak kereta, eh, macam biasa tengok. Kutuju ke arah beliau dan kusapa wanita yang diingati ramai sebagai Mak Uda, isteri kepada Pak Uda lakonan Zami Ibrahim dalam rancangan Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu - sitkom tempatan yang paling lama bertahan di kaca televisyen setakat ini kalau tak silap.

“Saya ni sebenarnya nak ambil pas untuk show hari Jumaat , tapi tak ada orang la kat depan dewan.. nanti Jumaat baru nak ambik takut habis..”
“Eh... iye ke...tak ada orang ya? Macam nilah, kalau pas tu dah habis, cakap je awak kawan Khatijah Tan!”


Agak-agak kalau aku betul-betul buat macam tu, lepas ke?

kasanova2

[ Khatijah Tan ]

Aku bertanyakan sambutan malam pertama dan kedua, katanya o.k!, boleh tahan juga. Setelah meminta diri aku membuat keputusan untuk datang hari Jumaat saja seperti rancangan asal. Ternyata kerisauanku, unfounded kata orang putih. Pada malam terakhir persembahan, tak payah ambil pas pun tak apa, masuk saja! Penonton memenuhi separuh kapasiti tempat duduk yang ada. Betapa berbezanya dengan sambutan persembahan malam terakhir Dejavu di tempat yang sama beberapa minggu lalu.

Konsep bagi intro yang dipersembahkan menarik. Mula-mula nampak jalan cerita dimulakan dengan watak empat orang buta berbual-bual di atas pentas, kemudian seolah-olah seperti sesi pengenalan sahaja sebenarnya apabila kata-kata mereka ditujukan kepada penonton secara langsung (melalui pantun dalam dendangan irama lagu ‘Rasa Sayang’ yang sungguh kreatif dan menggelikan hati - ”Penonton memang bertuah, dapat tengok persembahan free!” katanya), diselitkan pula sesi bersemangat seolah-olah ceramah politik pro-kerajaan (demam pilihanraya nyata dah bermula pada waktu itu). Diikuti dengan ucapan selamat menonton dan sedikit monolog dari tuan pengarah tentang pengalaman beliau. Aku sangkakan sah cerita belum bermula lagi… panjang sungguh intronya. Ahh… rupa-rupanya sudahh!! Itu kononnya babak sesi latihan bagi persembahan teater dalam cerita tersebut – cerita dalam cerita. Hm.. bijakkk bijakk.. Ted tertipu bang!!

Satu perkara yang agak menggusarkan ialah terlalu kerap dewan digelapkan bagi pertukaran babak, kadangkala aku rasa babak tu terlalu sekejap, transition begini sedikit mengganggu tumpuanku dan juga agak merimaskan, sekejap sekejap gelap, sekejap sekejap gelap lagi. Mungkin boleh dikurangkan sedikit, contoh ketara pada satu babak Zakaria Yusof menulis telegram, tak sampai pun setengah minit dah gelap semula. Namun langkah memainkan muzik selingan pada beberapa ‘waktu gelap’ tersebut sekurang-kurangnya menyediakan mood bagi penonton dan mengurangkan kebosanan.

Lakonan Ibrahim Akir berkesan sebagai Tok Guru yang taksub pegangannya dan mempunyai minda yang agak tertutup, hinggakan semua pakaian moden padanya pakaian bercirikan orang kafir. Dibidas oleh salah seorang anak muridnya, ”Kopiah, serban, jubah yang Tok Guru pakai, semuanya orang kafir yang buat!” Yalah, besar kemungkinan buatan negara China kan. Ahh pedas. Kalau makan cili, pasti terasa.

Khatijah Tan dengan mudah membawa watak Mak Limah (satu watak yang aku kira cukup natural baginya), seorang ibu yang mementingkan anak-anak dan seorang isteri yang sudah masak dengan perangai suaminya setelah berpuluh-puluh tahun usia perkahwinan. Walaupun cuma seorang suri rumah, ternyata minda beliau lebih terbuka dari suaminya dan boleh menerima perkara-perkara baru dan moden.

kasanova3

[ "Lebai?? Muka macam komunis je..."]

Zakaria Yusof sebagai Lebai Kidam adalah watak yang paling aku gemari, dengan mimik mukanya yang bersahaja, pada mulanya bersifat macam wireless internet membawa berita dan batu api yang memburukkan keadaan, tetapi di akhir cerita dia yang membuka rahsia. Di kaca televisyen beliau kerap diberikan watak komunis dan orang jahat, hingga di kepala aku pun dah lekat imej tersebut. Baru kali ini kuketahui nama sebenarnya.

Watak-watak lain lebih bertindak sebagai penyokong untuk melengkapkan babak, seperti Lebai Muda (Elrinor Azis) sebagai watak untuk establish sikap fanatik Tok Guru, menyindir-nyindir Tok Guru yang berbangga dengan pengalaman beliau mengajar lebih 20 tahun di Mekah dan Madinah. (Lebai Muda: ”Keldai lagi lama tinggal di Tanah Arab, dah beribu-ribu tahun keturunan dia, tapi, mandi junub pun tak tahu!!”). Macam kurang ajar pun ada Lebai Muda ni. Cikgu Yunan (Nazri Aziz) dengan tali leher besarnya kata makcikku adalah stereotaip guru zaman itu, ingin membawa arus kemodenan kepada penduduk kampung secara lembut. Watak Zulkifli walaupun menjadi penyebab cerita tidak berapa menyerlah, kemunculannya hanya sebentar di awal dan akhir persembahan.

Setnya ringkas, pentas MTC yang luas (mungkin dua setengah kali ganda lebih besar dari pentas di Actors Studio Bangsar) menjadi ruang tengah rumah Tok Guru / ruang mengajar, ada set meja makan ringkas dan satu rak penuh buku-buku. Di dinding penuh pelbagai hiasan bercirikan Islamik. Dua pintu keluar masuk kiri dan kanan, berhias langsir panjang beropol-ropol (macam kat rumah lama nenek aku). Klasik.

Rumah Tok Guru tak ada televisyen, maksiat katanya. Pada beberapa babak kita dapat saksikan konflik yang timbul antara Mak Limah dan Tok Guru, tentang kaedah mereka membesarkan anak, pilihan pembelajaran untuk anak-anak. Walaupun menjadi isteri Tok Guru yang lebih 20 tahun di Mekah dan Madinah, Mak Limah tetap berpendapat anak-anak tidak semestinya pula mengikut jejak langkah ayah mereka menjadi guru agama juga, dihantar ke sekolah pondok dan mengenepikan langsung ilmu dunia. Dan televisyen! Ah… dalam menyebut betapa anak-anak mungkin “teringin menonton televisyen”, sebenarnya itu adalah suara hatinya sendiri.

kasanova7

[ Zakaria Yusof, Elrinor Azis, Ausfarani Sahak ]

Jalan cerita Kasanova seperti di atas ringkas sahaja, malah ada dinyatakan dari mula sampai habis dalam buku cenderamata. Eh, tak thrill la macam ni. Mengambil period sekitar akhir 60-an atau awal 70-an, Kasanova secara umumnya bernada komedi, membenarkan cara percakapan dan aksi-aksi yang sesekali terlebih, exaggerated, jarang dibuat dalam kehidupan sebenar seperti cara anak-anak murid menyambut ajaran guru mereka, ”Kalau cium tangan ulamaaa… samalah seperti mencium tangan? Nabi nabiiiii!!! –aku suka bahagian ni, lucu dan ohhh sinisnya.

kasanova4

[ Lebai Kasim (Mohd. Yusri Mohd. Nasir)]


kasanova5

[ Lebai Jusuh (Wan Syamsul Fadli Wan Yaacob)]


kasanova6

[ "Percayalah cakap saya ni Tok Guru.. tak tipu punya!!"]


kasanova8

[ Pre-wedding jitters. Shazura is the mak andam in blue]

Perjalanan persembahan pasti lebih lancar kalau tidak terlalu kerap digelapkan dewan untuk pertukaran babak. Intro menarik, jalan cerita yang diisi sedikit-sedikit isu tentang pembangunan dan ulama dipaparkan secara bersahaja mengelakkan mood persembahan menjadi terlalu serius (aku tak suka komedi yang terlalu ‘berusaha’ untuk menjadi serius), cuma pada penghujungnya aku berpendapat kepulangan Zulkifli mengumumkan perkahwinannya tidak begitu berkesan. Namun sebagai teater pertama dari Kelab Kilat yang aku tonton, gambarannya memberangsangkan. Aku pasti akan cuba hadiri persembahan mereka yang lain pula.

kasanova9

[ Ending scene ]

Untuk persembahan percuma ini, 3.2 bintang aku berikan. Semoga ada lagi persembahan percuma yang lebih baik di masa hadapan! Dan harapnya letaklah informasi lebih lengkap pada poster ya…

Trivia :

1) Bukan orang asing dalam bidang teater dan penulisan, nama sebenar Kalam Hamidi adalah Abdul Malik Abdul Hamid, dikenali sebagai Panglima Drama pada zaman kegemilangannya.
2) Pak Kalam pernah diserang penduduk kampung di Brunei kerana menjadi orang pertama membawa naik perempuan ke pentas teater.
3) Skrip Kasanova sudah lama dihantar kepada Persatuan Karyawan Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) dan hanya menerima maklum balas daripada Kementerian Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Pelancongan selepas tiga tahun.
4) Khatijah Tan pernah diiktiraf sebagai Aktres Pembantu Terbaik di Festival Asia Pasifik ke-47 menerusi filem Embun serta dianugerahkan Pingat Bintang Seniman dalam Anugerah Perdana Seniman 2004 baru-baru ini.

Friday, February 27, 2004

Kasanova tonight

Kasanova poster


Will be going for the show tonight if the free passes are still available. Last performance of the run. Want to catch a friend, Shazura, in action. And it's free some more. Ho ho ho, thank you sponsors!

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

The great water dispenser mystery



What used to be like this....




...is now like this. Now, which one is 'Hot'? Which one is 'Cold'? What if you can't read?


One Nestum 3-in-1, please. Hot or Cold, whichever.


Monday, February 23, 2004

Election Day – The play

Go to this post for related pictures.


E L E C T I O N
D A Y


Playwright : Huzir Sulaiman
Director : Krishen Jit
Actress : Jo Kukathas
Produced by : Five Arts Centre

“A hilarious and wickedly incisive look at friendship and secrets amidst the notorious 1999 Malaysian general elections.”

Showing at The Actors Studio, Bangsar until 29 February 2004.


It was very early in the morning on November 30, the day after the Malaysian general election day of 1999 and Francis was recounting the string of events that took place during the last 24 hours between himself and his two housemates, Dedric and Fozi. It all started with fighting sounds ensuing from Fozi’s room, which the ‘beautiful and enigmatic’ Natasha (Fozi’s girlfriend) stormed out of some moments later. Francis’ snooping tactics (very near to the door but not exactly there) revealed that the fight was over Natasha’s whereabouts between midnight and 6 a.m., and she’s not saying anything about it.

Later Francis went along with Dedric (an NGO fella, BA supporter) to help out in the campaigning of their local Keadilan candidate. The three housemates were subsequently together at the polling station, doing last-minute canvassing a.k.a memancing undi. After the polling ended, naturally waiting for the announcements of the election results was next on the agenda.

Along the occasion, the clashing personalities of the three friends became apparent, each with a different set of ideologies and principles, political or otherwise. Mutual issues persisted, matters of the past resurfaced and a few secrets were revealed.

The friends were pitted against each other and towards the end we’d see how one of them was actually very much more than what he seemed to be, having played an extensive part in the past that affected the present lives of his two so-called friends slash housemates. Heck, even the fact that they were housemates was owed to his ulterior agenda in the first place!

To make the assumption (as I did initially) that ‘Election Day’ is a play purely about political issues due to its title would be a mistake. It’s not. While political concerns are certainly very strong in the backbone of the storyline in addition to serving as the background setting of the whole play, issues regarding the lines crossed over friendship, morality and the clashing of principles made a compelling presence. A part in the closing scene lines lingered in my mind longer than the rest -
Francis: This is not a political story...... To have a woman like this, I will put two thousand of you away. I do not care. I do not care.

Reading the other works of Huzir in the book ‘Eight Plays’, it is an example of his thought-provoking portrayals of the inner-side of the human nature that peppered his work with a certain truthful and (a lot of the time) surprising manner.

The play started on an intriguing tone, sometimes quickening its pace with some scenes making me literally holding my breath; while at other times it came dragging a bit that I was wondering whether it’s almost time for intermission (there was no intermission though). There was a post-play discussion afterwards with the executive producer, Marion Cruz and Jo Kukathas, where I think about 30-40 of the audience stayed behind for that night (second show of the run). Most of the creative and production team was also present during the discussion, chipping in their responses at certain questions.

Jo Kukathas in action as usual was a visual and auditory delight to witness. Even while taking my seat before the show started I was still sceptical of the fact that it would be one actress portraying three different male characters, but at the end of the performance those doubts vanished into thin air. She created different voices, mannerisms and overall impression for Francis, Dedric and Fozi down pat to distinctive body posture and facial expression for each character. Coupled with Huzir’s articulate writing there wasn’t much room for confusion in the play whether it was Francis, Dedric or Fozi at the moment.

One of the things that I like to note while watching theatre performances is the stage design, where usually there’d be more than meets the eye. The set for Election Day seemed minimalist, the main feature being ten plastic chairs placed seemingly at a random distribution on the stage, with another ten similar pieces suspended from the ceiling at a spot that corresponds to each chair below. Patterns bearing likeness to the slots in ballot papers complete with the X’s criss-crossed in lines on the floor, and light bulbs hanging above head-level with a seemingly even distribution finished the picture. Jo transformed the chairs into tables, shelter, bed, car seat and other articles as the play flowed from one scene to another. Different bulbs went on at selected times to focus on one particular spot, and also served to show the ‘moment of truth’ when all of them came alight during the final ‘revelation’ scene, before dimming back again during the announcement at the end which I’d rather read as a depiction of the uncertainty of the future.

During the post-play discussion, Marion pointed out that it is up to the audience to read into the underlying aspects of the play, and that there shouldn’t be a definite set of assumptions and opinions for it as long as one has another to make. For that reason one person may perceive a completely different impression from the other although they saw the same performance at the same time. She drew on the opinion of an audience of the day before who saw the suspended chairs as a portrayal of the country’s fate hanging-in-the-balance, and the chairs denoting the different positions that the characters take when I put in my piece of mind regarding them as the portrayal of the contrasting principles and values as well as a symbolism of the reflections in oneself.

A big issue was of course the DBKL approve / not approve debacle, where the notion “Narrowing of the creative space” was discussed, of which many voiced as a backward step in the development of the local theatre scene. Personally, apart from the swear words (which I didn’t mind being crossed out), I found some of the rephrased lines rather ridiculous (stating the name of a bank and a pharmacy also cannot ah?), and reading the full actual script (so glad we bought the book) I think a lot of the Ooomph! factor from Huzir’s sarcastic lines full of acerbic wit were lost due to the review. Thanks to the list of the objectionable words / phrases and its replacements pasted outside the venue (a couple of pictures here), the audience were I was able to grasp some of the finer points which may have been I might've missed otherwise.

(Note: I shouldn't have generalized my own understanding with the rest of the audience. I profess of being not very familiar with the individual characteristics of the people in Malaysian politics apart from those very prominent ones, so I would've missed some of the references if not for said list. Thank you SM for making me aware of this.)

A well-spent evening for me in gearing myself up for the actual coming general elections - which would be my very first (if my name is not left out of the electoral list, that is). Ha.

Overall rating: 3.7 out of 5

Sunday, February 22, 2004

A Monalisa smile? Nah, not really.

Presenting... an exclusive recent pic of the infamous Tom. See?



Well, just his smile actually. Heh heh. *sheepish grin*

And to the wise ones who predicted it won't last,
You. Are. So. Right.

(Cue for appropriate goodbye song)

Thursday, February 19, 2004

Glad to update that Cy is safely back home.

And this week, I am the assigned contributor for dailymalaysia.org, a collaborative Malaysian photoblog. *grin*

dailyMalaysia.org is an online project that is updated in journal-like fashion with a new locally shot photo each day by a contributing photographer selected for the week. The next week, a new photographer will take over the job and so on. And you don't need to be a professional (or else they won't accept me lah to contribute), practically anyone can participate as long as you have a camera, would be in Malaysia during your assigned week and have Internet access to upload the pictures daily.

Check it out!

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Bad Medicine


My friend, hospitalized the previous Monday morning for a supposedly standard procedure to remove his appendix was admitted into the intensive care unit following the appendectomy. I was told that his vital signs destabilized after the operation and he had to be hooked on to the life-support system as he was having trouble breathing on his own.

Inexorably, dread and fear for the worst occupied my wits ever since I got the news in the evening. In my mind, the whole thing should’ve been safely over by that time. I had even sent a get-well SMS to his cellphone, cracking a silly joke about the appendicitis; expecting him to be up and about reading the message and having a laugh over the matter. I mean, people have their appendix removed every day, it’s almost like having a wisdom tooth taken out or something like that; to be over and done with in a couple of hours. You are not supposed to go to the ICU for appendicitis, right?

Cy finally regained his consciousness around 4 a.m. the next day, then was taken off the ventilator and transferred to the High Dependency Unit a few hours later as his condition stabilized. I arrived at the hospital after work still unsure on what to expect as I pass by the other patients in the Unit with all sorts of tubes and wires about their person; the hiss and beeps of the various machines like living creatures on their own were the only sounds that could be heard. After all that, it was certainly a delight to be greeted by the sight of him propped on the standard issue pillows, beaming that familiar smile of his, lighting up the sombre mood. Still got that oxygen line and several other lines strapped on him, plus he had to pause occasionally to catch his breath but otherwise he looked almost his usual self, jokes and sarcastic remarks included. He certainly was the healthiest-looking patient there, the only one able to talk I think, too able perhaps that it warranted a warning from the nurse on duty.
"Tau tak awak tu sakit, mana boleh bercakap banyak-banyak, kalau dah pindah wad biasa nanti barulah boleh nak layan kawan ramai-ramai, bukan sekarang".
("Don’t you realize you are sick? You’re not supposed to talk that much, when you’re transferred to the normal ward then you can have many visitors, but not now.")


Apparently the condition was caused by a bad reaction to the anesthetic administered during the procedure, an allergy or something that the medical team failed to foresee.
"Mana aku nak tau ada alergi ke apa ke, bukan aku pernah kena operate!"
("How was I supposed to know I have anything like that, I’ve never been in for an operation before!")


Any medically-inclined reader or two in the house? Doc? I’ve read of bad reactions like this before and I wonder whether it is a case that could have been prevented and whether it was the odd occurrence or something that happens recurrently. Do things usually turn out okay for such cases?

Cy is expected to recover in a few days, but still, it was quite a scare for all of us. It really was.

Monday, February 16, 2004

The weekend and beyond

The highlight of my un-Valentine weekend would have to be watching V.E. singing Kopi Dangdut yesterday, complete with the geleks and all.. To think I only decided to go about an hour before the show. Off to work this morning after barely three hours of sleep, but oddly enough that head-in-the-cloud feeling wasn't there, in fact I couldn't get myself to do the usual half-hour shuteye during the morning train journey though I tried! Weird, eh? The sleep deprivation will catch up on me later I suppose.

Sent Dad's car to Mr. Lee, his usual mechanic for checkup and service. Dad trusts the guy completely. Mr. Lee is the type who actually refuses your request to change a part if he thinks it's still okay and just needs some repair work, and would ensure all replacement parts work well before handing the car back. Plus we've never lost anything left in the car, everything will be there down to the last 10-sen coin.

Caught 'The School of Rock' on Saturday. People were glued to their seats until the last of the credits. All children of the golden years of rock, go see this one if you haven't!

Today is Sis' birthday. Going to get a cake for her after work. Already bought her present, a brooch to replace one of hers that I lost a few months back (Ermm... is that fair, to call it a present?).

A good friend is in the hospital for an appendicitis (is this correct?) operation. Hope he gets well soon. Do they allow visitors after 7 p.m. at Hospital Putrajaya?

And look at what happened to the water dispenser at our pantry:


[The necessity to drink spurned this creative work of mind]


Have a happy week ahead, everybody!

Saturday, February 14, 2004

Election Day

Very good play. Almost full house. With post-play discussion with producer and actor for those who who are interested.

If you are going, do go with an open mind. Don't let the title dupe you into thinking it's a purely political-related play, it isn't lah.

More later.

Sorry for picture quality, I forgot to change camera setting.


[All six pages of the changes]


[Objectionable words]


[More changes. Squint your eyes eh for better focus]


[Lai lai lai, get your copy of Eight Plays by the playwright. Got the full script inside. Also a couple of other titles related to freedom of expression]


[Jo Kukathas, after the show]

Friday, February 13, 2004

da 'Election' will go on, and about Tom

Go here for the story behind the verbal rejection, the script revision and the subsequent verbal approval of Five Arts Centre’s Election Day by Pang Khee Teik at kakiseni.

Yay! If all goes well, will be at The Actors Studio tonight for the show. Jo Kukathas has always got this great presence onstage.

------
Oh, and on The Object Of My Affection (hereafter known as TOOMA, or Tom, for short).

Tom has a wicked, wicked sense of humor, very witty, is a writer of sorts, speaks English and Malay with equal ease, a laid-back kinda person and very slumber kind of guy as we say it in Malay. Oh, did I mention he's also very cute, albeit sometimes in a messy sort of a way?

Pstt!!! By the way I heard he's already in a relationship.

I've ascertained it's just a crush, accompanied with a bit of unadulterated lust *grin*.

A good friend (you know who you are!) helped me to see the light after our online yakking session yesterday, agreeing that Tom is adorable and very kee-yout, and a dish, but as reality check; 1) Tom doesn't even know my name; and 2) I have a better chance at being the next Angkasawan Malaysia / Bolehnaut / whatever they call it. Plus a list of other reasons why Mom would not exactly squeal in delight if I ever brought Tom home (as if!).

It'll pass.

In the meantime, Tom's adorable gaze (stealthily taken from unnamed source) will be gracing my desktop until further notice. Heh.

Thursday, February 12, 2004

Stupid cupid

I 'flipped' last night. Should've seen it coming. Have been in denial for some time now.

You know you might be in love when you do things you don't normally do, just because the object of your affection is involved. Go through crappy stuff you normally don't.

I hope this wear out soon.

I'm too old for crushes like this. Euwww..!!

Sigh.

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Election Day - Will the show go on?

A quick call to the Actors Studio assured me that the resubmitted script has been approved.

But then, anything can happen.

We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm still getting my tickets.

(Both stories run by Malaysiakini)


City Hall chops another play
Yoon Szu-Mae
11:55am Fri Feb 6th, 2004

Kuala Lumpur City Hall has rejected the script of a play by Five Arts Centre, but the theatre company says it has appealed, in the form of a revised script to the city's licensing evaluation committee.

"They have allowed us to appeal, and we've sent in a revised script (on Wednesday)," said Five Arts Centre publicity manager Mark Teh.

Written by Huzir Sulaiman and directed by Krishen Jit, the play "Election Day" was submitted to the committee for its approval to stage at Actor's Studio Bangsar on Feb 12.

Strangely however, the rejected play had in fact already been staged in 1999, nine days after the general election. The latest application was merely for a repeat performance.

In the dark

According to Teh, this consideration did not seem to affect the licensing evaluation committee's finding that the script contravened six of DBKL's eight guidelines for staged productions.

"The verbal rejection was given on Tuesday (Jan 27), while the rejection letter only arrived on Saturday (Jan 31)," he said. The script was sent in for consideration in December last year.

Not only did City Hall's answer come in late, said Teh, the letter also failed to specify which six guidelines the play offended, leaving them uncertain of what the committee had found to be offensive.

When Five Arts had a meeting with City Hall deputy director-general Salleh Yusup and head of licensing Saringat Adnan on Thursday, they were only informed that the script was "not appropriate", Teh said.

Five Arts was therefore only able to make changes based on the script City Hall had returned, where the names of individuals, organisations, and certain words were highlighted with a marker, he added.

Names offensive?

In any case, Teh said, the script was not expected to be censored, especially given the fact that it is publicly available in the form of a book of plays written by Huzir and published by Silverfish Books entitled `8 Plays'.

"The same individuals and organisations were named (in the published script), such as `Guardian Pharmacy', `Anwar Ibrahim', `Sivarasa Rasiah', `Shahrizat Jalil', as well as terms like `Hidup Mahathir'," said Teh.

"I don't know understand why a term such as `Guardian Pharmacy' is considered objectionable."

City Hall officials said they were unable to comment on the matter as all public statements must come from Mayor Mohmad Shaid Mohd Taufek, who is currently out of town.

An officer could only confirm that the script for `Election Day' had been resubmitted to City Hall for reconsideration.

In the aftermath of the controversy over political satire `The 2nd First Annual Bolehwood Awards' - a much-criticised ban was overturned by Mohmad Shaid and then denied to have existed - City Hall created new guidelines for awarding performance licenses.

The new codes insist that artistes "do not ridicule, put to contempt, disrepute or shame heads of states", and bars performances from impinging "on policy and administration of (the) nation", among others.

"Election Day" is the first Five Arts production to be evaluated under the new guidelines and the new evaluation committee consisting of City Hall representatives and three theatre practitioners.


Huzir, sekarang bukan 1999
Fathi Aris Omar
11:45am Mon Feb 9th, 2004

Ada yang tidak kena pada jam 6 pagi, hari pembuangan undi 29 November 1999. Tiga teman serumah berdepan dengan femme fatale ‘Natasha’. Ada rahsia besar antara tengah malam hingga subuh hari itu. Semuanya gara-gara Natasha, kepentingan diri muncul dan semangat setiakawan akhirnya tergugat.

Fozi, arkitek yang menyokong PAS, berdepan dengan realiti tiba-tiba ini bersama Francis, tidak minat berpolitik, dan Dedric Chan, seorang aktivis badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) dan penyokong kuat kempen seorang calon pembangkang.

Tetapi apakah kita akan bertemu Francis, Fozi dan Dedric lagi? Tidak! Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) ingin mereka bertiga ‘didisiplinkan’ demi menghadapi pilihan raya umum tahun ini.

Lima tahun lepas sudah berbeza, watak ciptaan Huzir Sulaiman ini harus juga tahu menghargai kepemimpinan Perdana Menteri baru, mungkin. Sekarang, bukan era Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Lewat bulan lepas, permohonan Five Arts Centre untuk mempersembahkan teater arahan Krishen Jit itu pada 12 Februari (Khamis) ditolak. Election Day, yang pernah ditonton lima tahun lalu didakwa melanggar "enam daripada lapan syarat" lesen DBKL.

Bagaimanapun dewan bandaraya, seperti juga cara Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) mengendalikan permit penerbitan, tidak menyatakan sebab-sebab larangan itu

Bagaimanapun dewan bandaraya, seperti juga cara Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) mengendalikan permit penerbitan, tidak menyatakan sebab-sebab larangan itu.

Incommunicado?

" I have not been able to sit down with you to see how you are getting on... but I expect you to update me everynow and again on your progress. Pls update me through email. I need to know how far are you getting on with xxxx projects paid and claim and are you monitoring the xxxx monthly status reporting?"


Err... this email came from a colleague whose room is just next to mine. I could actually listen to her when she yaks on the phone, her door and mine - barely 3 meters away. And it's not like we don't see each other daily.

Well at least we aren't as bad as those who use internet messengers when their desks are actually side-by-side, are we now?

Sunday, February 08, 2004

Life…. Sdn. Bhd.

(and Blogosphere Sdn. Bhd. too)


[Photo from: The Actors Studio site]



L I F E… S D N. B H D

Life...Sdn. Bhd. is an ensemble theatre presentation, directed by Faridah Merican. It is dramaturged, scripted & videographed by Joe Hasham. Production design is by Caecar Chong. It stars Ari Ratos, Gavin Yap, Iqbal Rahim, Ben Tan, Wei Jun, Tina Tan, Alicia Daniel,Sharmaine Othman, Kaylee,Susan Lankaster and Patrick Teoh. Life...Sdn. Bhd. shares with the audience anecdotes, experiences and thoughts - some amusing, some sad, some shocking as told by the ensemble. Moments in our lives that at times pass by like a ship in the night are captured and addressed by the cast. Ensemble theatre is not new to Malaysian audiences. But for Faridah and the cast, this is a virgin experience, both enjoying the discovering and out-pouring of our Malaysian minds and hearts.


I arrived half an hour late at the venue in The Actor’s Studio Bangsar, leaving me with just the later two-thirds of the show and was told by my earlier-arrived companions that I missed some pretty interesting segments. Oh well. Nevertheless I found Life.. Sdn. Bhd. a showcase with an eclectic mix of tales and anecdotes; some more memorable and linger a bit longer in your mind than the rest.

The atmosphere felt almost like a gathering of friends (and close ones at that), with intimate and profound thoughts flowing freely amid amusing narratives and several ‘cover version’ tunes as well (did you ever imagine the line ‘the darling buds of May’ being uttered in a dikir barat ?). Transition between segments went mostly smooth and easy, the audience were kept guessing whether the next one is going to be a serious monologue or a funny skit. Props were mainly chairs and stools that they move around as they move about. The play of lighting was very effective in drawing the audience’s attention towards the right direction, i.e. the ‘narrator’ for the moment.

The combination of personalities onstage proves to be an interesting aspect. You get among others a Kelantanese actor who found the English theatre scene not as he expected, a gay guy who’s irked that his sexual preference is an issue, an Indian who’s been told (by a seven-year-old girl, no less) that he looks like a Pakistani and individuals from mixed parentage who feel sometimes they are not regarded as full-fledge Malaysians.

There were nostalgias (”I miss my dad”); reproach (”We’re just a third-world country trying so hard to be taken seriously”); confessions (”I don’t understand women”); eye-opening hard facts (”Three percent of rapists are below the age of sixteen”); aspirations (”Why can’t we be like our children, to look at another person and see just a possible friend?”); forthright remarks (”The perception is nine out ten Malays are lazy, three out of ten Indians will either cheat or lie to you, the Chinese will do anything for money”); and to end it all, a solid concurrence (”Kami semua orang Malaysia!”). Sounds familiar?

While watching the performers being in the spotlight one after another, each with their own particular stories to share with the audience; a rather intriguing thought struck me – it was just like reading the daily posts of several weblogs in one go, live. Like going through all the daily pings on the Project Petaling Street main page *grin* (only this time you cannot choose to click just your favorites – so you have to bear with each 'post', regardless how you find it).

In Life… Sdn. Bhd., each story or soliloquy was drawn from the respective performer’s own experience and observations, the whole show being a collection of stories from different facets of life – opinions, thoughts and reminiscence of events contributed by different individuals. In the process of producing the show, they deliberated and mulled over the details, which excerpts of their lives to be included, the final lineup being the facets that were considered suitable for the audience (and most probably hope they'd like to see it), in view to reflect the essence of the show as the production intended it to be, the faces it should portray.

They talked about being Malaysian; about racism; about the prejudices that they encounter; about their friends and family members; about amusing things that happened to them on the streets, about current issues and other things.

With weblogs, each post is the result of the blogger’s own experience and observations, the whole blogosphere being snippets of opinions, thoughts and reminiscence of events contributed by different individuals. In the process of coming up with a post, bloggers deliberate and mull over the details, which excerpts of their lives to be included, the actual posts being the parts that they consider suitable for the readers (and most probably hope they'd like to read it), in view to reflect whatever and however each blogger intends his or her blog to be, the ‘faces’ it should portray.

They (read: We) blog about being Malaysian; about racism; about the prejudices that they (we) encounter; about their (our) friends and family members; about amusing things that happened to them (us) on the streets, about current issues.

Hmmm?

An apt title, Life Sdn. Bhd.? Their lives, sendirian berhad, certainly. What they see fit to share, that is. Just like in the blogosphere.

Read Vovin's review here.

Saturday, February 07, 2004

Happy Birthday, Abah!


[Reading his ‘Warga Emas’ birthday card.
On one of his previous birthdays, he got the card very early in the morning
– propped on the ‘throne’ in the bathroom and addressed to the ‘king’]



[A much, much younger dad]


Yesterday my dad turned that particular age where he could now qualify for all sorts of discounts– yeah, double five. Dad is now officially a senior citizen, a 'Warga Emas' - which was exactly how we addressed him on the birthday card.

Dad is the epitome of virtue in my life. He always stress upon being conscious of our conduct no matter what we are doing, whom we are with or where we are, to treat people with utmost respect and to be responsible for every decision we choose to make. Regardless whether he’s in the company of a good friend or a bitter adversary, approached by a Datuk or a beggar; I’ve never seen him, ever, being either less or more courteous to one rather than the other. I’ve seen him laugh, and I’ve seen him cry, but through the ups and downs in life, dad would not even dream of benefiting himself at the expense of others or acquiring something through anything but the proper means.

Dad lived the industrious life of a kampung boy during his childhood where he helped out with all sorts of work at his father’s orchard and sold fruits by the roadside from an early age. He is full of stories on how things were when he was a little boy, how different things were and how things that we take for granted today such as having a whole apple to oneself (usually one fruit would be shared among all the children – eight of them!) was a treasured, rare delight that come once in a while or had to be earned.

Dad worked hard to be where he is today, and he is still working today despite retiring from his post as a government servant two years ago – he loves to work! Even these days it is a norm for him to come home at eight or nine p.m. at least once a week. A meticulous and industrious person, he drives those who work with him to achieve a certain standard and would accept nothing below that. Slackers with the luck to end up working with him would never tahan, unless they change their attitude for the better.

When bro and me were younger, we depended on him for everything, and in our eyes, he knows the answer to every question, the solution to every puzzle, there is no fix that he can’t put right. As we grow older, our relationship with him also grows more mature. I am heartened by the changes that took place in our relationship with dad over time – it used to be only us asking for his opinion and whether he approve; now there are instances where he asks for our opinion, and whether we approve. It used to be only us telling him what’s wrong at school, now we all share with each other what happens at our workplaces and trade ideas over lunch or dinner.

Underneath his seemingly serious persona, Dad has a great sense of humor. He’s always ever ready with amusing twisted tales to explain things when we were little (usually ending up with us crying out Abah tipuuuuuuu when we ask Mom whether it’s true) and often come up with jokes and funny quips that would catch you when you least expect it.

I have a wonderful dad who made growing up so much fun, and would’ve given me the world if he could (but I’m sure he’d make me work for it first).

I love him so much.

Happy birthday, Abah.

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Urbanscapes 2004

(or rather, the half that I went to)

[click here for the Urbanscapes 2004 official site]

Urbanscapes 2004 was touted as KL’s premier creative arts festival, being “The City’s All-Day Creative Arts Festival”. Organized by the hip urban-lifestyle-and-entertainment magazine, KLue, it went live on the 31st January from 3 p.m. till midnight at an open-space area near the KL Sentral Station. Initially the festival was planned to go on until 'late' i.e. 3 a.m., so I suppose there were intervention from the powers-that-be. It must’ve been a rather tight situation for the organizers, to have to push forward the events so that it would end according to the new schedule. Even the break for Maghrib prayers was shortened by half an hour (from 7.00 - 8.00 p.m. to 7.20 – 7.50 p.m.). Most patrons were only made aware of these changes via the copies of new schedule pasted at the entrance and on various eye-level spots all over the festival area.

Entrez!
Despite the door-opening time being advertised as 2 p.m, the crowd was only granted their entrance at 3 p.m, where you had to produce some ID to determine whether you are a blue-tag (under-18) or a green-tag (above-18). Media reps got red tags (regardless of age I assume). The wrist-tags were similar to the kind you usually have at theme parks (waterproof-paper material, if you want to take it off it’ll tear apart so must refrain from doing so until you leave the place).

Cinema
Once firmly-tagged (“Not too tight ya…nanti tak jalan pulak darah I..”), made my way straight to the Cinema tent, the main reason that RM30 ticket was paid for (bought three days earlier at a ticket rep, it would’ve cost RM40 at the entrance). Was one of the first inside, and took a place at one of the viewing stations at the TV Screen area. Each viewing station (there were 6 of them if I’m not mistaken) consisted of a TV and VCD player set plus a headphone connected to the TV. You sit on a high stool in front of the TV, and make your selection of animation shorts or music videos via the player. I viewed only a couple of the animations before moving to the Big Screen area – the first rotation of the Shorts was already starting without me (realized this due to the sudden rise in decibels of the surrounding). I was lucky enough to get a good viewing spot on the uppermost-level of the nearly maxed-out seating area. It looked like some sort of a three-level giant step, and was wide enough for sitting cross-legged on, with some room to spare. Those who came later either sat huddled on the cement floor or had to stand at the sides. Spotted and waved towards a familiar face among the audience.

The session was followed by the first feature of the day, Amir Muhammad’s 6horts, a 60-minute collection of six ‘featurettes’ or short features, hence the catchy title. I watched only the first one, Lost, before leaving my choice spot at the Cinema tent for other seatless souls to grab as I wanted to catch OAG’s performance at another area (plus I’ve seen 6horts before anyway).

Groove Zone Stage – OAG
It was my first live experience of the very-very famous ’Sampah Automatik Lama’, and although it was just a forty-minutes stint, I wasn’t disappointed. Only managed to elbow my way to a spot at the left side of the stage (good view anyway), near the speakers (the front was already crowded by screaming and jumping overexcited fans). Among the numbers performed were 60’s T.V., Biru, Slumber and Nowwhy2. An enjoyable gig, you can feeeeel the exciting vibes in the air and the rapport between Radhi and the fans was endearing- he kicked off the performance with an ”Assalamualaikum! Selamat Hari Raya!”(that tickles me somehow) and ended it with an impromptu Superman-in-the-air antic, typical Radhi-o style I guess. The sound system was okay and I could see the stage lights going in-sync with the performance (though I’d say it was rather unnecessary as you couldn’t really see the effect – it was outside in broad daylight after all).

Marketplace
Roamed around the Marketplace area a little bit afterwards. Lots of stalls selling food and drinks and other things. Wanted to try the kuay teow goreng at one of the stalls but the seller's attitude irked me (I saw her scooping the kuay teow into an already oily container! Ada ka patut?), so ended up with a brown baggie of fried calamari and chips (RM 5) from the next stall. The calamari rings were covered in crunchy flour coating, nicely thick and big; and the portion generous, which made up for the slightly rubbery texture of the sotong. There was a stall selling ‘Imported Coke’, i.e. Coke in small bottles with Thai-looking characters – I presume they were from Thailand. Decided against trying one – not feeling that adventurous. Next was the henna-tattooing people, looks nice, too bad not enough time. Lingered around the 8TV stall (they were having on-spot auditions for presenters) as well as the Women’s Aid Organisation and the SPCA stalls (touching, informative posters re: women and animal abuse respectively). There were also several people from either the Malaysian AIDS Foundation or the Malaysian AIDS Council (maybe both) wearing placards of AIDS-awareness stuff with captions like “I have AIDS, will you give me a hug?” (I gave her a big one – teacher once told me you cannot catch AIDS by hugging so o.k la) and “I’m still friends with my friends who have AIDS, are you?” (the guy was kinda cute so if even he has AIDS, would certainly stay frens with him, miahaha).

Panggilan Pulang
Then Dad called. Heh. The next day was Hari Raya Haji (if it wasn’t, most probably would’ve stayed for Nam Ron’s Gedebe and Ng Tian Hann’s First Take, Final Cut), so as the good daughter that I am, went straight home lah! Still it was a well-spent four hours, no regrets there. A big hand to KLue for organizing the successful event, and well done for the clever choice of venue - bigger place, better-suited in terms of overall atmosphere and more accessible than last year’s (according to a few people who went for both).

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Buying a used car?

Planning to buy a used car and not sure (like me lah, you professional car-jackers can ignore this) how to go about checking the car's condition? (And we all know about the lemons, don't we?).

Check out this link.

A useful example:



Check all the gaps between the fenders, doors, hood and trunk
Every gap should be even along its entire length. Look at this image. The gap is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, which probably means this car has been hit at its right front corner. Try to inspect all the gaps the same way.
! Pay particular attention to the unevenness in gaps between the hood and front fenders, and between the doors and front fenders, because they indicate possible frontal collision.


Includes:
how to check the engine • how to inspect car body for an accident • how to testdrive a car with automatic transmission • how to check the brakes • how to check ABS

Also includes a step-by-step illustrated guide, some basic car repair information and car-buying articles.

Thanks to Ajeep for the link.