Shang Ging! Happy 21st!!

Just a big shout out to a dear friend/secondary classmate of mine! Though, he is more of a joker than anything else.

So, on 24th March, he had a birthday celebration in his house but his actual birth date is 25th March. And he invited two batches of people, one from Sri Garden and another from university.

The plan on our side was to meet up at Sow Yeng's house(aka Sifu) and then we shall go together to his house. But in true Shang Ging's fashion, we arrived late. XD We conned him that we lost our way and almost ended up in Ulu Hangat.

It was also a first for many things. XD For those who know this friend of mine, it was actually quite funny seeing him serve us, like literally. Furthermore, he was always so blur that when we heard him giving road directions, we had to quickly record it!

Ah! Just remembered that now he got two wives ady. One from Sri Garden and one from university. The Tai Por and Yee Lai.

Dead Man's Cell Phone (Hand Phone in Malaysia)

XD, the title is actually pretty self-explanatory, but to spice things up a little, the entire play is actually not that simple. Yes, the cell phone may be the core of the entire performance but my personal opinion leads me to think that it is how the characters actually react to the whole situation which is interesting.

In short, Jean, saw a man(Gordon) dying in a cafe, and due to the incessant ringing of his phone, she picked up the phone and from then on, its like she started mending broken ties the dead man had when he was still alive. And also, she started picking up her life from then on. The catch is, she herself doesn't actually own a phone because she finds that there is actually a hypocritical/cynical view to having a phone.

I mean, in this day and age, who does not own a cell phone? I remember seeing a Standard 1 child having a more 'canggih' phone than me, a few years back. So, when a dead man's cell phone is in the hands of a supposedly stranger, what is she to do with the calls that came in with the caller expecting the dead man to be still... there?

Before I forget, this play is actualy a medium complex play, as in at moments it is just light hearted but at times, you are compelled to feel deeply for the characters, regardless of their role. Also, I missed the opening act, which shows how Jean(main character) came into possession of the cell phone, which I think, greatly affected my enjoyment of the show (second round very likely, anyone?).

I find that the utilisation of space this time was just great! This is because the performers really moved around the set, so its like there is no clear cut divider between audience and performers, furthermore, all the audiences get to have a clear view of the characters.

Another thing I greatly enjoyed was the music used, or line-up of backgroup music because each track was used so well that it greatly enhanced the watching experience. There was a mixture of modern soundtracks and classical music. The classical music was, honestly, better than clubbing music(not that I club or anything!) while the modern music on the other hand, can clearly convey what is going on without the characters speaking or anything else.

I think this time, I was only quite peeved about the exceesive use of a certain type of lighting. The lighting I meant was the misty effect which caused my vision to blur out quite a lot. Either it was intentional by the director or I couldn't adapt to it very well. Yeah, misty or smoky effect, basically its that.

So, a few words of wisdom? And please read it, its very enlightening:

 

 This is sort of like a treasure hunt mission for you guys who are going to watch XD :

  

 And a slightly delicious scene for you peeps!

Yup, it will be on at KLPAC until 18th March 2011, starts at 8.30pm except on Sunday(18th March), which is then 3pm. Tickets are priced at RM33 for.. basically everyone and RM 23, only if you are a TAS card holder, students, elderly and a disable person.

And if you are from Penang, it will run at PenangPAC from 22nd March to 25th March, 8.30pm on all days except Sunday. AND 3pm shows on both Saturday and Sunday!!!! Ticket rates are the same though.

Have fun at the play and KEEP YOUR CELL PHONES OFF!

Haircut and first walk in a gallery

Spent the day at KLCC, ok, about 4 hours, but still, time right?? Anyway, was getting a haircut due to hair looking like... a lion's mane? XD Yes, it was seriously messy and out of shape that I keep getting irritated. I guess this is a true meaning of bad hair day(in my case, two weeks!!)

So, after my haircut, I had some time to spare and I just ventured into Galeri Petronas, I mean, with this screaming at you, it is hard not to go in (and its free!XD):

So, off I go, walking and seeing all the momentous photos and reading very catchy explanations. Galeri Petronas actually classify the photos into four categories instead of arranging them in chronological order. The four categories is for you to find out and for me to know. XD All will move your emotions though.

Furthermore, there are some artworks or wall decorations by students of Saito College, really interesting stuff and totally blew my mind away. I mean, they completely utilised the space and made things out to really represent what the exhibition is about.

The exhibition also made me realised, with all the hype about social media, everyone seems to forgot that our roots or starting point came from newspapers, with the fairly thin papers and inks that sticks to out fingers. I, for one, is always fascinated by newspapers, and especially The Star. Heck, even the audit firm that I work for actually audits The Star, and I got a change to see the machineries involved in the production of newspaper(unfortunately, printing haven't start yet then T.T).

Also, exhibition ends in the first week of April, before they change their stuffs.

Ok, enough of that, time for the daily dose of sky pictures (the previous days are still with me though :P)

Have a great weekend folks!!

PS: Was reading some tweets(a conversation between two Malaysian comic blogger artists), smiled to myseld instantly and my mind jumped to the Goddess(es) of 2ch. Any of you catching my drift? XD

Hoshi no Samidare

Hoshi no Samidare, or also known as The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer was a hidden gem! Its a manga series that I clearly overlooked due to the fact that it talks about world domination by way of destruction. Come one, how many times had this plot been used?

But lucky me for having a friend who forced me to read it, and I, in turn, became a full fan of the manga. The manga is action-packed, no doubt but it also wrenched the heart oh-so-much that during the ending, I really felt that, 'are things really ending? can it don't end?', which I think is also partially affected by the way the story moved.

I don't really want to go into the details because if I do so, it will look more like a re-telling of the story. So, what I can say about the manga is that it is a good vs. evil type of thing, with a hidden agenda for some of the characters. The best thing, to see how each of them grow throughout the story, the impact of a person's life or death towards the entire situation and also, get to learn some trolling. XD

I guess Hoshi no Samidare is one manga that you definitely won't regret reading, because there is practically everything packed into this short manga of 65 chapters. Not forgetting, the mangaka actually wraps it up quite nicely, instead of leaving the series hanging, as some mangakas are really fond off.

And a link in case you don't know where to read it : http://www.mangareader.net/732/the-lucifer-and-biscuit-hammer.html XD

A pound of human flesh!

Warning: This is nothing about food or gore but about the famous phrase from Shakepeare's Merchant of Venice. Ok, the exact words were, "a pound of flesh". Still, the antagonist demanded it from a human.

So, KLPAC is now having the second session of Shakespeare Demystified, on Merchant of Venice, with the aim of making the play more understandable and more relevant to our time. Of course, for purists like me, I would prefer it if it was presented in full-length, with all the acts and scenes intact, but then again, not everyone can handle the heaviness of the full play.

So, I went for the preview night and the performers were awesome! And, in tandem with their style (simplicity is key), I decided not to put any photos here. Anyway, have you ever heard 7 people taking up 19 roles? Yeah, one of the things they achieved. Awesome stuff.

Also, they did other stuff beside acting like narrating, sets mover and 'sound system'. XD OK, I think I pretty much disclosed everything there is. But the words I have so far, not an ounce of justice to them.

So, just go watch it will ya?! Its on at KLPAC from 1st March to 3rd March at 8.30pm every night except on 3rd March as it will be on 3pm.
Tickets are priced reasonably cheap at RM23 for 'plebians' and RM18 for 'scholars, seniors and disabled'.

Wait! There's more! Despite being a shorter version, you will be inclined to analyse and think about whatever the performers did on stage, so, do stay back for the Q and A session. Highly informative and can provide room for debate XD Just don't drag on too long.

Now, go forth and be entertained!