What? International Women's Day Celebration with 3R
Where? Central Park, Bandar Utama
When? 13 Mac 2010, Saturday, 2:00-8:00pm
Celebrates International Women 2010 with the hosts of 3R - Tini, Celina and Rafidah.
This year's theme is "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities, Progress For All". The main highlight of the Celebration is a walk of solidarity for women, youth and men from all walks of life to empower communities to protect women and girls rights.
And of course Dayang Nurfaizah will be there too to entertain us! (Insert excited squeal here!)
Emerald West is a new residential area in Rawang. I used to frequent it because of the nice jogging track and long traffic-free road around the area for my morning and evening run. One the last day there, I saw a huge rainbow as if it was a farewell gift from the sky to me. I felt so blessed.
Definition of photography – picture painted with lights. I did some “painting with lights” with some 20 odds shutterbugs in a photography course in Rawang not too long ago.
The slide show attempts to sum up the two month’s time we had together in just about 3 minutes. The photos are mainly candid and also some of my (ahem)....”masterpieces”.
It is not your usual musical where the cast does all the acting and singing together.
The acting was left to established actors like the dishy Fahrin Ahmad and the gorgeous Nasha Aziz while the singing was left to the hands of the country's music heavyweights like Jamal Abdillah & Ziana Zain.
So, what you get is a spiritual theater show weaved with singing performance between the scenes. Not a bad thing though!
But who is this fler that looks like a cross between Adam Lambert on a bad hair day with a lizard?
He is the Devil or Iblis, played to a sinful perfection by Azhan Rani! I think he got more cheers and scene time compared to other actors. It's not a bad thing though! Heheh!
The story "transport" us back to the beginning of time when Adam & Hawa (Eve) were still frolicking in white bodytight catsuits (eh????) in Heaven....This is supposed to be Syurga or Heaven.
The Iblis got jealous of them two and tempted them to eat the Forbidden Fruit. Familiar with the story so far? Heheh!
Then before you know it Adam and Hawa were banished to Earth for disobeying God.
The Iblis continued to taunt and misled Adam and Hawa's offsprings, well basically mankind towards the path of destructions.
The storyline is pretty simple actually, spiced with spiritually themed songs. Having said that, I didn't know "Meniti Titian Usang" by Search is a spiritual song! My eyes were opened and my jaw was dropped when Azlan Typewriter belted it.
Wow! It was amazing and very relevant to the storyline! It was coupled by a breathtaking scene where all those who have sinned fall into the what looks like hellfire while walking on a "titian usang" or and old bridge.
But there is always a salvaton at the end for those who choose to led the road back to ......
(Pssst..I can't mention the name here because I am a non-Muslim! :P)
Jamal Abdillah on bended knees, belting out KepadaMu Kekasih.
Iblis and a tormented soul. Watching this scene is like reading the book Azab Kubur all over again! My reading materials have changed over the year but it still bring chills to the bones.
My kinda Diva. Ziana Zain is one of the reason I go for this show! Heheh!
As usual she didn't disappoint in the vocal acrobatic department! Yay!
Ziana Zain scalded both her hands, abdomen and thighs with hot water while preparing tea for breakfast before Chinese New Year. Her hand looks like it is healing from the picture. Take care, ZZ!
Overall I think the cast did a great job! I don't like the "nun" scene though. Filled with stereotypes and as if the Muslims are constantly in a struggle while rest of world is trying to "get" them. Most of us are just minding our own businesses and not out to "get" anyone. My personal opinion only.
Uh oh! Why is Nasha Aziz crying? And Fahrin too? Huwa!
I think they are being touched deeply by the spiritual impact of the show. It is religious themed anyway.
We are all human after all.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures so far. If you like to see more, click the YouTube slideshow below. All photos taken by me. So, should you want to post it somewhere else, please link it back to my blog.
Note: background music - Meniti Titian Usang by Lan & Typewriter. It blew me away when I heard it. :)
ENJOY!
Note: Photos published here are for promotional purpose only. Please support the show by watching it at Istana Budaya while it is still playing! Hurry - Feb 26, 27 & 28 only!
I get at least a dozen of emails every day – subscriptions from my favourite websites, some forwarded internet jokes and chain letters that warn if you don’t forward this, your d*ck will fall off kinda emails. Heheh! And some indecent proposals from some millionaire heiresses from some African countries too.
But gems do pop up occasionally from the bulk of the junk and spam mails. This is one of them, courtesy of my running pal from down south – Mohan “Baba” Marathon. (Thanks Baba!)
It is an article that lists some interesting tips from veteran athletes and experts on how to improve your run timing. Also includes a road race calendar in Singapore.
The Newton 30K on Oct 10 looks like a good prelude for my Penang Bridge Marathon. We’ll see....(Insert smile here)
I heard about this idea of Eco Marathon from Mr. Hajime himself during his wedding last year! Wow! It is going to materialise in April 3, 2011 at Princess Matsumushi Park near Inba Nihon Idai station, 10 minutes train ride from Tokyo-Narita International Airport and 50 minutes train ride from downtown Tokyo.
It will be a very INTERESTING race, one of a kind! Here's some interesting points.
Run the marathon course while picking up rubbish. Trash Pickup Contest will be voted by how hard or "beautifully" the participant picked up the trash. Trash picked up will be weighed and photo will be taken as proof! There is not much rubbish to pick anyway since Japan is well known for its cleanliness! LOL!
This is a COSPLAY marathon. You get to play dress up! Cosplay Contest will be voted by the uniqueness and the message delivered by the costume - environment, humanity and peace. Votes will be from the participants and volunteers at the Farewell Party. If I go, I will dress up as MOTHER EARTH. Sure win one. Hahah!
Since it is a ZERO Emisson race - If you come to the start by driving vehicles that emit pollutants, you will be disqualified. I am not kidding! Take public transportations, bicycle, running or walking!
You will run through a unique course, complete with cherry blossoms, beautiful lakefront and countryside greeneries. Wow! Spring time galore!
Water stations are merely for filling water or sports drink into YOUR own water bottle. No paper or styrofoam cups litter on the ground like other marathons!
At the Farewell Party, awards will be presented to the Eco Heros who have contributed most for the protection of environment regardless of finishing time as well as awards for entertainment, inspiration and enjoyment. So, no need to speed. :)
Happy belated Valentine’s greetings! This year Valentine’s Day fell on the first day of CNY. Have fun looking at the candid pics and vids I took at Teluk Chempedak beach during the holiday. (Insert lovey-dovey blinking eyes here)
There are many ways to express love. These few youngsters “made love” in public. LOL!
Love is taking a slow walk on the beach. You have to get your feet wet!
I love my daddy....Check out my daddy's ear piercing!
Love makes you jump for joy.....(or jump off the building) LOL!
They are willing partners in love.
Love is enjoying each other’s company even when it is just lying there doing nothing.
Love hits you like a crashing wave.
You can either enjoy it or get out of the water.
Love is like flying a kite. If the kite stuck on a tree, it’s time to get a new kite.
I thought of those captions all by myself. Corny, eh? LOL!
Now check out the video titled Wind. Sea. Kites. Life is a beach!
I was surprised to see Pekan is going to be promoted as one of the 10 tourism icons as the Royal CITY of Pahang. Pekan, my hometown. A tourism icon. A CITY? Wow! I must be sleeping all this year! I have no idea when Pekan was declared a CITY? Did it suddenly get the CITY status after Dato Najib became our Prime Minister? FYI, Najib is also Pekan's current Member of Parliament.
Anyway, I was back to Pekan for Chinese New Year holiday. I was surprised to see the amount of cars back there. The numbers of car must have been triple or quadrupled over the year! Suddenly after Najib has been declared as PM, there is sudden influx of people from God knows where to Pekan. A quiet town suddenly buzzing with people! Gold diggers? Hmmm....
I escaped the city for these? LOL!
There are several attractions that I can think of - Istana Abu Bakar, Museum Abu Bakar, Tun Razak birth place and Sungai Pahang. But honestly speaking, there is much to be done if Pekan were to be promoted as a tourism icon.
Sungai Pahang is also an untapped tourist area. River cruises? Canoeing? Fishing trips? Water festivals? There are many things that can be done to the longest river in Peninsular Malaysia. I remember when I was small, there were some sort of water festival where they released some ducks into the river and whoever caught one got a prize. Erm.... Maybe that’s not a good idea - may have problems with animal cruelty prevention people. LOL!
The Tun Razak birth place (Najib’s father) and the silk weaving place are quite run down. FYI, I don’t find watching some sad looking women weaving silk appealing at all. I have been to silk weaving factory in Chiangmai, Thailand. They are really impressive and educational too. From how they get the silk and traced to the beautiful finished product. Maybe we should allocate a few millions to send our officials for study tour to see how is it done to Thailand? (Insert snigger here)
Istana Abu Bakar - Well, it is not open to public. You can only admire from a distance the golden roof of the palace from outside the gate. Maybe should be open some part of the palace like Buckingham Palace?
The Sultan Abu Bakar Museum is still under renovation. It was closed last year when I returned to Pekan for CNY holiday. It got me wondering why it takes so long to complete! One whole year is not enough? I used to come here and looked at the stuff animal on the first floor when I was small. I think they were quite cool then. I can’t wait for it to be reopened to see how the “improved’ the museum.
The water craft gallery at Pulau Beram , opposite the museum was once a fantastic display of the water craft that once part of the major transport mode in Pekan. Well, Pekan is a town by the river. Like any other old town/ city in Malaysia, it thrived because of the strategic location by the river/ sea. I was quite impressed with it when it was newly open. The vibrant coloured and beautiful crafted water vehicles made great photos. But now they are just dull and sad. Some simple paint jobs and polishing should bring life back to the exhibits.
Oh yes...The clock at Dataran Pekan is not functioning! Plants are seen growing out of it! Will someone please fix it? It is in the “heart” of the town. If it is not ticking, it means the town is dead!
The main problem in many of our tourist sites in Malaysia is poor maintenance. Lots of money is used to build something but little goes to the upkeep and upgrade works.
Another fine example is the Taman Tasik Sultan Abu Bakar side. Rainbow ivory tower condition now is deplorable. Full of graffiti and vandalised.
Same goes to the Pekan Riverfront - now poorly maintained and dirty. Anyway I hated the design of the Pekan Riverfront.
The designer must lazy or lack creativity. Who in the right mind would use destructive weapons like spears or Lembing as decoration at the public place? Yup...you actually get spears poking into the sky. How about some subtleness? How about weaved it artistically into the design. I also hated the ugly sunflower shaped lamps at the Padang. Simply gawdy! (Insert thumbs down here)
I guess they were from the same people who put tree-stump shaped flower pots all over town some years back. It became the joke of the year!
“Balak dah potong, tinggal tunggul lah!” (Trees were cut, only stumps left).
It also was indirectly referring to the rampant logging in Pahang forest. The flower pots were quickly removed and we have never seen them again! Too bad I don’t have picture to show it.
The public bus service to Pekan is appalling! Buses broke down and not on time all the time! Just that day, the bus I was travelling to in broke down at Kampung Ubai. It was due to a flat tire but the driver was adamant to drive it all the way to Kuantan.
The bus ticket cost had skyrocketed over the year! Now you have to fork out RM5.30 for a trip to Kuantan in the same old bone-rattling and filthy Bee Huat bus.
Cleanliness of the town can be improved ALOT! People still throw rubbish around inconsiderately. People still have problem with the concept that rubbish no matter how tiny and small belong to the rubbish bin and not on the ground!
No smoking signs in public places are a joke! No one gives a sh*t!
Nak kata tak sekolah, tak jugak. Nak kata bodoh, nanti marah! Sigh!
“Gotong royong” activities should be revived. I remember during my school days, we actually have “gotong royong” day where everyone including politicians literally got their “hands dirty” to clean up public places and not through money politics.
I guess I am posting more questions than answer here. Well, I am speaking out of love for my beloved hometown, Pekan – Indah dan Makmur (Beautiful and prosperous). I was born and bred here. Hate to see it kotor and tak terjaga (filthy and unkempt).
I hope the authorities will put priority right like ensuring cleanliness and maintenance of the public places before dumping multimillion Ringgit into the tourism campaign. Well, if you get the basic things right, tourist be flocking to Pekan automatically.
As a runner, May I also suggest the tourism body of Pahang to consider a Larian here in Pekan. It is indeed a nice place to run. You can actually see the town in one hour run. I usually run my house in Pekan Lama, passing the masjid, museum, into the Pekan Baru, turning at the market and then the old hospital and straight to green and regal Padang Polo where I make a loop or two. :)
Here’s a slide show I put together during the CNY holiday. I went around town taking pictures of important landmarks in Pekan. I also visited my old kindergarten and schools where I learned my ABC and 123. A walk down the memory lane, so to say.
I believe Pekan has much to offer to the tourists - its quaint charms and its rich history – from the Pahang Sultanate to Tun Razak etc. But I hope the authorities do not “over” declaring it as a city (bandaraya). Pekan should be called a town! Well “Pekan” means small town in Malay anyway.
What? Kuala Lumpur Dreaming Exhibition Opening Night
Where? The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe
When? Thu 4 to Sun 21 Feb 2010
I dream of Lok Lok.
It was a rainy evening. Traffic was crazy. The hot steaming lok lok saved the night. Actually, it was my first time having lok lok at an function like this. Not a usual food offering at an art exhibition, I must say. LOL!
1.6 million dreamers and counting. Is KL big enough for all our dreams?
"Representing the visions of 30 artists, photographers, sculptors, as well as communities of Burmese refugees, orang asli and children affected by HIV, this exhibition shows how we imagine our little space in the city, find boldness in our expression, and appreciate each other's dreams".
No wonder we get people sleeping in the gallery! It is all about dreaming.... They are not homeless by the way :)
20 people's dreams captured in the jars, complete with expiry dates (if any)
I wonder how could they sleep in such noisy environment. But, I supposed KL is a noisy place.
Some music to soothe you to dreamland? Hardly, the pieces was quite exuberant and playful. :)
These guys are from High Wind (Encounter MPO)
The guy who dreamt about KL Dreaming and made it an art exhibition....
The guy who is in charged of the photo exhibition next door.
Movie maker, Amir Muhammad talking about the interesting headlines of "Harian Metro" that inspired an art piece by him.
Lady in red? That's Edwin Sumun, BTW.
Suggestions For Lunch Time Activities In KL For Busy Government Workers??
Grow your own greens artfully in these.
Kids playing with Harian Metro art piece.
This guy must be a fan of KL public transport. Wonder how he managed to take out the LRT tickets from the station. LOL!
KL Dreaming had a joint opening with BEYOND OUR CITY: LIGHTS & MYTHS.
Check out the video. My camera was running low on battery, so the scenes are a bit choppy.
ENJOY!
Very interesting exhibitions that add splashes of dreams into the Malaysian art scene. I promise you, it will not put you to sleep! :)
Go see other KLites' dreams in the jars and maybe you can create your own dream in a jar too. :)
