#shearmadnessmalaysia!

Pardon the lack of a creative title, but there you go, SHEAR MADNESS is here in Malaysia!! And no, it is not a matter of wrong spelling, but a matter of puns! You geddit? You geddit? ^_^

To be honest, I have not heard of Shear Madness before it was brought to Malaysia, but being an ardent perfoming arts supporter and stand-up comedy fan, I am definitely not missing this one! Furthermore, with names like.. Gardner and Wife, Phoon Chi Ho, Qahar Aqilah, Marina Tan, Junji Delfino, Na'a Murad and Alfred Loh, what could go wrong??!!

So, Shear Madness, how do I words it? Well, let's start off with Gardner and Wife, the production house. They have always been bringing in world-class acts and performances to the Malaysian audience which I am shamefully never a part of until now(due to $$$$-constraints ;_;). But after yesterday, I realised that their performance is worth every penny and cent, and hell, an experience is worth much more than what needs to be paid! (Hint : I am going for round 2 and 3 and......(if I can find kaki to go with la XD))

A retro hair-saloon!!!

 

A bit of Shear Madness storyline:
It started on a normal day, in the hairdressing saloon. A few unconnected individuals but in every aspect, connected to Isabel Fernandez, came together, either by appointment or coincidence and then! Isabel Fernandez was discovered dead! Who did it?? Who so brutally killed her with a pair of shears(we are Malaysians, parang would be better la)?

Now, the beauty of Shear Madness is not exactly in the storyline, but in the execution of the play. From this point on, I fully disclaimed that other that laughter and madness, your experience would have no similarity with mine. XD
The one that I watched had a fair bit of sexual innuendos and satire on politics, so it was really entertaining for me. Or perhaps, even things not meant to have an innuendo also become one for me like the part where Tommy(played by Qahar Aqilah, as a fairly... queer hairdresser) said that Chanel(played by Marina Tan, as a beautician, with super Ah Lian pattern) had a very, very, very close relationship with Isabel Fernandez by doing scissoring motion with his hands, completely naturally. XD
Oh! The poem(s), how melodious it sounded to my ears, because the words were very well-linked to the 'writer' of the poem. And there was a super short reference to Poetry Slam! ^_^

In this opening night(yesterday!), Phoon Chi Ho and Alfred Loh played Inspector and Sergeant, respectively, which eliminated them from the suspects list. OF THE NIGHT. However, I am not ruling out that in other shows, Inspector and Sergeant roles would be played by others, as in the list of suspects, there are also The Contractor and The Student, to be played by Chi Ho and Alfred, respectively. Just a quick note, the Inspector seems to act as the moderator when the time is right. XD

Oh! Oh! Here comes my favourite part of the whole thing, which is, THEY BROKE DOWN THE FOURTH WALL! When things like this happen, I am definitely excited and happy because, the audience then becomes part of the show (reminds me of Corporal Punishment). In this case, things were taken a step further where the audience gets to steer the direction of the murder!! How it goes, I am leaving it up to you to experience it yourself. =P

In short, ie. tl;dr, I am definitely watching it again and perhaps, I can get the outcome I finally wanted. *hinthint*winkwink.
 

Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival at KLPAC!!!

Yeap, I am late (as usual) but then, better late than never! Especially when it is about sharing the arts. As the title/picture/rest-of-the-content, I am writing about my experience during the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2014 (YSDAF). I only attended 14th Sept, which is Day 2.

First off, when I arrived at the KLPAC, I headed towards the indicine, waiting for doors to open because at 11am, a short session to understand Shakespeare is available. I cannot exactly say I am a fan of Shakespeare since I do not fully understand his works. Perhaps the more suitable word would be... deeply intrigued. Anyway, this session allows me to further my understanding in Shakespeare's language and acting methods(in some ways). Presented by Shakespeare Demystified, I realised that in Shakespeare's works, the best way to understand are to link the words to feelings or imagery.The funny thing is, to read Shakespeare is definitely NOT the same as performing Shakespeare and to understand Shakespeare, the latter is much more useful.

Alas, when I came out from indicine, the weather was storming indeed. I kind of pity the outdoor activities like Panggung Pusaka, Lorong Makan and the flea market(for lack of better word). But blessing in disguise indeed as I managed to experience what Urumee Melum(spelling differs but you get the pronunciation) is. It is like a rock concert made with traditional instruments of Tamil origin. Luckily enough, there would be performing again at Panggung Pusaka later in the evening.

Anyhow, the thundering rain was no match for my grumbling stomach and I did buy some food but the wet tables and chairs were..... difficult to adapt to, so I discover little pavilions around the lake, supported by stilts and it was much easier eating in these pavilions, than trying to eat while holding an umbrella. The seats, in the pavilion that I stumbled into, was like work of art to me. Made with wire frames, those seats was pretty sturdy. It felt a little serene, sitting inside the pavilion, looking into the lake, with droplets of water falling(as the rain reduced to a slight drizzle).

So, after lunch, what's next? I went to pentas 2 and see what local bands and artiste had to offer. But I only stayed for two acts, which are An Honest Mistake band and Bihzhu. I have long heard of An Honest Mistake but I have yet to seen them. Finally seeing them perform, I can see that they are really committed and I really wish them all the best in the future. Bihzhu's performance came as a really present surprise because I have not heard of her before but her genre is jazz and gosh, her voice was so clear over the music. And she interacts with the crowd really nicely too.

Next on, I enjoyed sometime which is closer to my heart, poetry. The forgetful me has forgotten the name of the poets but what I remembered was as such :
1. Corrective Couture, where it gave me the impression of challenging traditional views of what a woman should be, in some ways. Hugely amused by this one.
2. A poem accompanied by guitar strumming which suddenly seems more like a song than a poem. Nonetheless, entertaining indeed.
3. A poem which tells a tale of .. sis-mance between to housemates, and reminded that it just takes one thing for everything to explode and to finally iron things out. In this case, it was the colour of a cup. Lol.
4. A romantic poem of long love, where the protagonist is a soldier(sounded like one in the poem) and the love of his life was waiting for him.
5. A poem about being YOLO and involved audiences' participation by requiring the audience to yell 'JUMP!" when the hand signal was made
6. Two poems in Bahasa Melayu which left me in awe, partially due to the fact they were accompanied by violin and guitar and in BM. It felt very... jiwang (am I using this word correctly?)

A word of caution, as with all poems, the above are just my own understanding. Possibly it differs from the poets own meaning and intention but that is what make poems so wonderful and beautiful, right?

So, that is as much as my muddled goldfish brain can remember. But I do have to say, there were times that they are so many things going on that I was at a lost of what to do and where to go, and it is then I understand the meaning of sacrifice, lol. A mismatch lesson learnt but it was all good. It is the arts anyway!

Project. Should I?

Project here actually means commitment. Not like a super huge activity that needs to be done, if I misled you. :P Thing is, I have a trouble of sticking to one thing. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, I will be very enthusiastic about one issue, then when I cooled down, I will slack. In serious cases, I might even totally leave it aside.

So, was just thinking, should I start a project and stick with it? Well, the one I had been coming across often is Project 365, which to me, is a good move. But I can barely stick to 10, let's not talk about 365. Yet. XD

Maybe I should start with a monthly thing first? Hm.. like recording each of Tchaikovsky short pieces during the corresponding month? Compose one poem every month, incorporating each Western zodiac? Ponder on a significant issue at the end of each month? Do a book review and alternate between fiction and non-fiction?

XD suddenly there are so many ideas. I really have to lol at myself. Though, seems like first thing first is to come out with a list of Projects that I was to start on. XD would be great to see how things turn out at the end.


Note to self : Get the list done by end of June!

I was only joking...

[Before each line, add 'I was only joking...']


To lighten any heavy atmosphere,
Caused by sullen news.


To turn your frowns into smiles,
Which will go for miles!


To brighten up a day,
Removing all possible ail.


To hear infectious laughter,
By playing court jester!


Maybe to hide my fear.
Being the fool I am?



So, did anyone get where the reference came from? Honestly though, hope this one made your day into a good one!

Ps. Answer located in one of the tags.

Mizz Nina album launch at Zouk KL!

TAKEOVER! Yeah, that's the name of Mizz Nina's album that was newly launched. And believe me, the album really do have the power to takeover you. At least, the songs I heard from her so far really did have that effect on me.

Just a little intro for those who does not know Mizz Nina, she is a Malaysian artist and she is definitely not the one-hit wonder type. I believe she will be around for quite some time because she is made of real substance. For me, that's all that matters. Of course, if you really want to know her more, you can head here.

Back to the album launch, it was actually last minute decision, but damn glad I actually managed to made it for the launch. It was actually first time for me to attend an album launch and I really loved it! Mainly because :

1) I get to participate in a meet-and-greet session only allowed to a few people.
2) Really goooooood cupcakes by Wondermilk
3) Performance by Mizz Nina (she can really sing and dance live!!) and some really awesome dancers!
4) A poster signed by Mizz Nina!

Yeah, that was me being a little lazy but videos of her performances and some of Zouk KL decor will be up soon!

Mayo Chiki - Meido and Hitsuji galore!!!

It has been so long I found an anime that I enjoy . Not solely because of the Hitsuji (butler) and Meido(maid) in the anime, but because of the whole storyline. Besides, there are so many elements in it that I can click so well with!

Just a little spoiler : Konoe Subaru, a modern-day butler, who serves Suzutsuki Kanade, is forced to cover up the fact she is female, because in the Suzutsuki household, only guys can be butlers. Unfortunately, Sakamachi Kinjirou found out about Subaru's secret and thus, let the journey begins where Jirou tries all his best to help Subaru out. (General storyline end here)

First of all, Subaru is cute!!! She is so cute that whenever I sees her, I just turn into a puddle of goo! But she is not the only cute one though, Mayo Chiki gladly included Kureha(Jirou's imouto) as the genki girl, Usami as the tsundere type and Narumi as the nekomimi!! The only girl I can't put my finger around is Suzutsuki Kanade, she is just so different from the others and the things she do.. its like, she takes things further than just 'the end justify the means', she made sure the 'means' turn out interesting too! XD

Secondly, I had always wanted to be a butler. Butler is like the epitome of efficiency and elegancy. Let me make myself clear, I wasn't influence by Kuroshitsuji, I was influenced by Bartended actually. And from Bartender, I wanted to choose a path where the scope is wider, I landed the Butler field. Unfortunately, not much market in Malaysia, so forced to take ICAEW instead. XD

Also, Lamb/Sheep is a heavy element in this anime. See the similarity with my profile pic? XD Well, actually, my main point is, there are quite some references to pop culture, I suppose. LIke the Lamb, its actually named Silent Lamb. Or, in some episodes, Mirai Suenaga made cameo appearances, if I recognised correctly during that split second. XD

I know I am far from making Mayo Chiki sounds interesting but trust me, when you will, that this is one anime worth watching. While it may not have generated rave reviews or super much publicity, this provides so much entertaining without being psychotic or mentally disturbing! XD